My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Cao Pi launched into a tirade of sarcasm at Hao Zhao.

Hao Zhao was sprayed with soot and dirt, but he just clenched his fists secretly, without saying a word in rebuttal.

Firstly, it was due to Cao Pi's status, and secondly, what he said wasn't wrong.

Before Cao Ren recommended you, Hao Zhao, you were nothing. Who knew who you were?
If it weren't for Cao Ren's strong recommendation, would the King of Wei have entrusted such a minor character as you with the important task of guarding Luoyang?

You rose to prominence overnight thanks to Cao Ren's recommendation, but you had no outstanding achievements before. What makes you think you can convince Cao Pi to risk his life and be trapped in Luoyang with you?

No... I do have some achievements.

When he was stationed in Suiyang, Xiao He used Cao Zhi's defection to Wei as bait, which led to the loss of Suiyang.

This shouldn't be called a record; it should be called his dark history.

Tell me, how did you get Cao Pi to trust you?
Faced with Cao Pi's sarcasm, Hao Zhao could only swallow hard and bow, saying:

"The Second Young Master is right. Zhao is indeed an unknown nobody, and he has no right to speak such arrogant words."

"But Second Young Master, don't forget that the gain or loss of Luoyang is related to whether our Great Wei can defend Yanzhou and Henan."

"Once Luoyang falls, the Chu army can bypass our floodplains, advance east and west along the Yellow River, and attack Yanzhou from both sides."

"The Chu army can also cross the Yellow River to the north to capture Henan, and pass through Hangu Pass to the west to advance on Tongguan, threatening Guanzhong."

"This is a crucial town of great importance to our Wei Kingdom. If the Second Prince were to leave without a fight, how would he explain it to the King?"

Cao Pi abruptly stopped with the foot he had just taken.

Yes, Luoyang is so important. If it is lost, how will we explain it to Cao Cao?
Having committed such a grave offense, do you still expect to be made the heir apparent?
If Cao Cao doesn't kill you in a fit of anger, you should be thanking your lucky stars.

"Zhongda—"

Cao Pi hesitated and turned to look at Sima Yi.

Sima Yi, however, remained calm and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Second Young Master, have you forgotten that the decree issued to you by the King was to oversee the affairs of state and protect the Emperor, not to defend Luoyang?"

"In other words, the eldest son's duty is only to protect the emperor; guarding Luoyang is their responsibility."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has instructed that in the event of any trouble in Luoyang, you, my lord, have the authority to make decisions as needed and escort the Emperor north."

"Now that the Chu army has launched a surprise attack on Mengjin, Luoyang is about to fall into a desperate situation of being cut off from reinforcements and surrounded into an isolated city. The emperor is at risk of falling into the hands of the pseudo-Chu."

"Under these circumstances, if the Second Prince cannot escort the Emperor to abandon the city and retreat north in time, then he will truly have no face to face His Majesty!"

Sima Yi's eloquent speech paved the way for Cao Pi to save face.

Cao Pi's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly:

"Zhongda is right. My duty is to protect the Emperor. I must not let the Emperor fall into the hands of that treacherous tyrant!"

Having said that, Cao Pi had no more reservations and turned to continue.

Hao Zhao panicked and tried to step forward to stop him.

Cao Pi suddenly turned around, pointed at his nose, and shouted:

"Hao Zhao, stop trying to stop me from protecting the Emperor's retreat to the north. Just focus on guarding Luoyang. We'll each do our part and no one should get in anyone's way."

"You have the skill to stop me, but you should think carefully about how to defend Luoyang. If Luoyang falls, my father will not forgive you, and neither will I!"

Hao Zhao was stunned.

Originally, he was the one "threatening" Cao Pi, but how did he suddenly become the one being threatened by Cao Pi?
This eldest son of the King of Wei not only deserted his post at the critical moment, but also completely shirked the responsibility of defending Luoyang, leaving it all on his shoulders!

Hao Zhaoming knew that Cao Pi was trying to shift the blame, but he was speechless in rebuttal.

What they said is indeed correct.

The edict of the King of Wei did not mention that Cao Pi should defend the city. How could it be considered that he abandoned the city and fled with the emperor, thus disobeying the king's orders?

If you, Hao Zhao, cannot defend Luoyang, that is your incompetence and dereliction of duty. What does it have to do with me, Cao Pi?

Having subdued Hao Zhao, Cao Pi gave Sima Yi a wink and hurriedly left the city.

Sima Yi followed closely behind and left the city.

Hao Zhao could only watch Cao Pi leave, shaking his head and sighing:
"At this critical moment, you disregard the morale of the army and desert your post. Prince Zijian, how can you be worthy of being the Crown Prince of Wei with such a lack of responsibility..."

After reflecting on his feelings, Hao Zhao took a deep breath and his thoughts returned to reality.

Looking back, the dust and mist to the north were now much closer to Luoyang.

The battle flag bearing the character "Chu" is already faintly visible.

Hao Zhao slammed his fist against the battlement, and said with a sorrowful resolve:
"King Wei, rest assured, your son may flee, but I, Hao Zhao, will never abandon the city and run away."

"I, Hao Zhao, hereby swear that I will live and die with Luoyang to repay your kindness!"

...

North of Luoyang City.

Ten thousand vanguard Chu troops have marched in a mighty force to the north of Luoyang.

Xiao and his horse reined in before the city, and he raised his binoculars to observe the situation on the city walls.

Along the city wall, the Wei army was already in full battle array, with archers and crossbowmen on the walls ready with stones and logs, and they were prepared to defend the city. They did not appear panicked or at a loss.

"This Hao Zhao is indeed quite skilled at defending the city..."

Xiao He nodded approvingly, then cracked his whip and shouted:
"Pass down the order: leave 5,000 men in the vanguard to set up camp, and disperse the remaining 5,000 troops to search the city. If any enemy is found trying to escape, intercept them immediately."

"Order the follow-up troops to arrive as soon as possible. I must complete the encirclement of Luoyang before nightfall."

The generals on both sides received the order.

"My lord, the Wei soldiers are fleeing from the city. Let them escape. The more they flee, the easier it will be for us to attack the city."

"Why bother diverting troops to intercept these fleeing enemies?"

Guan Yinping, standing behind him, had some doubts about her husband's decision.

Xiao He smiled faintly and explained:
“My lady, don’t forget, that false emperor is right here in Luoyang.” “I don’t care if his soldiers desert, but if that false emperor escapes, even if we take Luoyang, wouldn’t it be a pity?”

Guan Yinping suddenly realized something.

Xiao He intercepted not the Wei soldiers, but the false emperor Liu Huan.

This Liu Huan was said to be the orphaned son of the young Emperor Liu Bian, who had been living among the common people. After Cao Pi murdered the emperor, Cao Cao, in order to oppose Liu Bei's emperor Liu Xi, installed Liu Huan as emperor.

Although it is common knowledge that Liu Huan's background is questionable and his legitimacy is far inferior to that of Emperor Liu Xi.

As the political landscape evolved to the point of contention between Wei and Chu, the influence of even the legitimate emperor Liu Xi, let alone Liu Huan, had become negligible.

Even so, Liu Huan still held the title of Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Even a false emperor is still an emperor.

With this false emperor in hand, Cao Cao could eventually realize his ambition to usurp the Han throne and become emperor through abdication, which would still have some legal basis.

If this false emperor can be captured, the last remaining legitimacy of the Cao Wei regime can be stripped away.

If Cao Cao wants to become emperor again, he can no longer do so through abdication; he can only forcibly declare himself emperor.

To put it bluntly, it was to disgust Cao Cao.

Once Guan Yinping understood this point, all her doubts were resolved, and she ordered her personal guards to begin setting up camp.

...

Three miles northwest of Luoyang.

Cao Pi was leading a convoy of carriages and horses, galloping towards Wushejin in the northwest.

There are actually seven or eight ferry crossings of varying sizes along the Yellow River north of Luoyang.

Mengjin Ferry was the largest in scale, making it the most suitable place for the navy to dock, and it was also the closest to Luoyang City, which is why the Chu army chose to capture Mengjin.

After Cao Pi kidnapped Emperor Liu Huan and fled through the west gate of Luoyang, he rushed northwest, intending to cross the river at Wushejin, which was far from Luoyang, and head to Hanoi County.

"I hope my luck is on my side and I won't be discovered by the Chu army..."

As Cao Pi cracked his whip, he silently prayed.

Sudden.

Zhu Shuo's expression changed drastically behind him, and he shouted:
"Second Young Master, Chu troops are blocking our way!"

Cao Pi was startled and quickly looked southeast. Sure enough, he saw more than a thousand Chu soldiers rushing in from the side.

Cao Pi inwardly groaned; what he feared most had come to pass.

With only a little over five hundred soldiers on each side, all trembling with fear, how could they possibly withstand the thousand wolves and tigers of Chu?
Cao Pi had no courage to fight and could only order his men to flee in panic.

At this moment, the emperor's carriage became a burden, unable to pick up speed and slowing down the entire entourage's escape.

"Second Young Master, this can't go on. We must quickly ask the Emperor to get off the carriage and change horses, otherwise we'll be overtaken by the Chu army sooner or later."

Sima Yi sternly reminded him.

Cao Pi understood, and immediately spurred his horse close to the imperial carriage, leaping aboard.

Upon entering the imperial carriage, Cao Pi completely disregarded the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, and commanded in a commanding tone:
"Your Majesty, the Chu army is catching up! You can no longer ride in the carriage; get out and change to a horse immediately!"

Liu Huan sat there, his eyes fixed on Cao Pi, but he did not move.

Cao Pi grew impatient and angrily said:

"Are you scared out of your wits? What are you still sitting there for? Get out here right now!"

In his impatience, Cao Pi abandoned all pretense of civility and spoke harshly to Liu Huan.

Liu Huan frowned, remaining seated motionless.

Cao Pi then thought that this so-called son of the young emperor was nothing more than a cowherd who had gotten lucky and was chosen by Cao Cao to be made emperor.

People from such backgrounds have never seen much hardship, so it's understandable that they would be terrified in such a crisis.

With this in mind, Cao Pi stopped wasting words and rushed forward, roughly grabbing Liu Huan's arm and dragging him out.

at this time.

Liu Huan, who had been silent, suddenly flashed a fierce light in his eyes, and a dagger hidden in his sleeve slid into his palm.

"You traitor Cao, die!"

Liu Huan cursed angrily and thrust his dagger toward Cao Pi.

Although they were so close, he was ultimately unskilled in martial arts, and while his thrust was powerful, his movements were not particularly fast.

Cao Pi, having trained in martial arts under Wang Yue, reacted quickly. Hearing Liu Huan's shout, he instinctively turned around and saw a gleaming dagger aimed directly at his chest.

Cao Pi was shocked and hurriedly released Liu Huan, instinctively falling backward.

"brush!"

The dagger missed its target.

Cao Pi broke out in a cold sweat, relieved that he had dodged quickly enough.

"Are you insane? How dare you attempt to assassinate me?"

Cao Pi was furious and immediately drew his sword.

Liu Huan gave him no chance. After missing his first attack, he lunged forward half a step and plunged the dagger into Cao Pi's abdomen in mid-air.

The two were too close together, and Cao Pi could not draw his sword to block in time. He could only desperately move his body backward.

"Crack!"

Liu Huan's second strike landed squarely on Cao Pi's abdomen, between his legs.

"what--"

A scream like a pig being slaughtered rang out. (End of Chapter)