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

Cheng Yu was dragged away amidst a chorus of curses.

A moment later, the wailing stopped abruptly.

Cheng Yu's head fell to the ground.

The head was sent to the north bank by the navy and planted on the land in Hebei.

Their remains were thrown into the Yellow River to feed the turtles.

Liu Bei suppressed his anger and, as Xiao He had suggested, immediately sent men into Puyang to inspect the wells.

Just as Xiao He had predicted, the bodies of Wei soldiers were discovered one after another in various wells.

The city's water sources were all contaminated by Cheng Yu's rotting corpse.

Fortunately, Cheng Yu had only disposed of the body a few days prior, so the level of contamination was limited and not enough to cause an outbreak of plague.

It was a great blessing that Liu Bei had not yet entered the city, nor had the hundreds of thousands of Chu soldiers, and thus they did not drink the city's sewage.

Liu Bei immediately ordered the sealing of all wells in the city, prohibiting the people from drawing water.

As a precaution, at Xiao He's suggestion, he simply ordered the temporary relocation of tens of thousands of people from Puyang City.

They were first settled in nearby towns and counties. Only after the rotting corpses in Puyang City were cleared and the water source was confirmed to be free of poison were they allowed to return to their hometowns.

As for the 300,000 Chu soldiers, only a small portion was sent into the city, while the main force did not enter Puyang.

With everything arranged, it was already broad daylight.

Accompanied by his ministers Xiao He, Guan Yu, and others, Liu Bei arrived at Puyang Ferry.

As the sun rises in the east, the Yellow River flows mightily, its surface shimmering with light.

Liu Bei stopped his horse at the pier and gazed at the opposite bank.

The Chu flag had already been raised over the city of Puyang behind them.

From this day forward, all the land south of the Yellow River has been returned to Chu!
This means that he has completed the reconquest of the Central Plains in the traditional sense.

At this moment, gazing at the rolling Yellow River before him, Liu Bei felt as if he were in a dream.

Looking back a few years ago, I was just living in a small corner of Fancheng, with fewer than 10,000 soldiers and no more than Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun as generals.

At that time, all I could think about was how to survive. How could I dare to dream that one day I could take Jingzhou, conquer Jiangdong, attack Huainan, and capture Xiapi...

Even today, we have recovered the Central Plains and are drinking from the Yellow River!

All of this is truly like a dream.

It wasn't until the thunderous cheers of his soldiers rang out around him that Liu Bei snapped out of his daze and back to reality.

As he smelled the river breeze carrying the scent of Yellow River silt, Liu Bei finally became certain that it was all real.

"Without Bowen, how could I be drinking from the Yellow River today..."

Liu Bei pointed his whip at the surging river, his gaze filled with gratitude and satisfaction, but he smiled as he looked at Xiao He.

How could he forget who was the greatest contributor to his success?

Xiao He smiled faintly and said with a bow:
"Your Majesty's current prosperity is due to Your Majesty's divine martial prowess and strategic brilliance, as well as the valiant efforts of all the generals and soldiers. It is not the achievement of this minister alone."

Liu Bei knew that Xiao He was unwilling to claim credit, so he laughed heartily:
"Puyang has fallen, and the Central Plains have been recovered. This Northern Expedition can be called a complete victory. I hereby order that a grand celebration banquet be held tonight. I will drink a thousand cups with you and all the generals and soldiers until we are drunk!"

All the generals laughed heartily.

"This celebratory drink should naturally be enjoyed to the fullest."

Xiao He nodded and smiled, but then changed the subject:
"However, the restoration of Han has not yet been successful. We still need to work hard. The Central Plains have been conquered. The next step is to plan how to cross this great river and plant the king's banner on the land of Hebei."

Xiao He's gaze turned once again to the opposite bank of the Yellow River, to the boundless Hebei Plain.

Liu Bei's laughter subsided, and he gazed at the north bank, nodding emphatically:

“Bowen’s words are reasonable. Although I have already drunk from the Yellow River, Hebei is still in the hands of Cao Cao, and Guanzhong and Liangzhou have not yet been recovered. The task of restoring the Han Dynasty is still arduous and long-term.”

"After we finish the celebratory wine, let's return south and let the soldiers rest and recuperate."

"After we return to Xuchang, I will discuss with you all the plan to cross the Yellow River to the north, recover Hebei, and destroy the false Wei!"

So Liu Bei ordered a grand banquet to be held on the banks of the Yellow River to reward the army and celebrate the victory in recovering the Central Plains.

Three days later, Liu Bei left 10,000 elite troops to guard Puyang and led his 300,000-strong army back south.

With the Chu army retreating from the south bank, the Wei army, which had been stationed on the north bank, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

An urgent report of the fall of Puyang and the death of Cheng Yu was immediately sent by galloping horse to Ye City.

...

Ye City, Royal Palace.

"Your Majesty, I have failed to protect the Emperor and have disappointed you. I am willing to accept your punishment..."

Inside the main hall, Cao Pi knelt before Cao Cao, his face full of remorse as he begged for forgiveness.

After leaving Cheng Yu to defend Puyang while he himself crossed the Yellow River to the north, Cao Cao predicted that Liu Bei's army would be bogged down under the walls of Puyang and would be unable to cross the river and invade Hebei in a short time.

Cao Cao then left Cao Ren and other generals to lead a large force to garrison important towns on the north bank, such as Liyang, while he himself returned to Ye City to recuperate from his injuries.

Upon learning of Cao Cao's return, Cao Pi immediately dragged his still-healing wounds to the palace to apologize.

"The fall of Luoyang was ultimately due to Cheng Yu's strategic miscalculation in defending against the enemy. He failed to anticipate that the 'Big Ear Bandit' would take the Yellow River waterway and directly attack Mengjin to seize Luoyang."

"You escorted the emperor out of Luoyang in time, which was a good response. It's a pity that the emperor was unlucky and was ultimately killed by the Chu invaders. It is not your fault."

Cao Cao was relatively objective and did not punish Cao Pi.

Cao Pi then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to get up, Cao Cao's face suddenly darkened, and he asked, "Zihuan, tell your father the truth, was the emperor killed by the Chu invaders, or was he murdered by you?"

Cao Pi shuddered and panicked.

Cao Cao's sudden question might have been a sign that Sima Yi's arrangements were not meticulous enough, and that news of his assassination of the emperor had leaked out.
Cao Pi's eyes darted around a few times, then he gritted his teeth, raised his head, and said seriously:

"Your subject swears to all the ancestors of my Cao family that the Emperor was not murdered by your subject. If your subject has uttered even a single lie, may your subject die a horrible death!"

Cao Cao had only suspected him initially, but upon seeing him make such a solemn oath, the doubt in his eyes naturally dissipated.

"Alright, you don't need to make such a solemn oath. I was just asking casually."

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed with a look of satisfaction:
"Actually, you also know that Liu Huan is not the emperor of the Han dynasty, but a false emperor. If you are afraid that he will fall into the hands of the big-eared traitor and have no choice but to kill him, then you can't be wrong."

"What I fear is that if you really kill him, your hands will be stained with the blood of my Cao family, and you will bear the sin of killing your nephew!"

Cao Pi was stunned.

That Liu Huan, isn't he just some random cowherd you picked up?
I killed him, so how am I stained with the blood of the Cao family?

He was also burdened with the sin of killing his nephew?

Cao Pi was stunned for a long time before stammering:

"Father...Father, I don't quite understand what you mean?"

Cao Cao took a deep breath and slowly said:

"Actually, Liu Huan might be your elder brother's orphaned son, your own nephew!"

Cao Pi was stunned again.

For a moment, he looked bewildered and his eyes were blank, as if his thoughts were stuck somewhere.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly and explained the whole story.

When Cao Ang died in Wancheng, he was already married, but had no children.

However, this eldest son of the Cao family clearly inherited Cao Cao's romantic nature, and often frequented brothels and pleasure quarters in his spare time.

Several years ago, a woman from a brothel came to the door with a boy, claiming that he was the child of Cao Ang, who had been with Cao Ang for one night.

Faced with the sudden appearance of his grandson, Cao Cao could neither acknowledge him nor deny him.

If they acknowledge it, this child will be Cao Ang's only bloodline, and the eldest grandson of the Cao family.

At that time, Lady Bian had already been established as the principal wife, and Cao Pi and his brothers had been promoted to legitimate sons. If such a legitimate eldest son suddenly appeared, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

Besides, who can guarantee that the courtesan wasn't lying?
Cao Cao naturally couldn't acknowledge this grandson.

But if he didn't acknowledge it, what if the woman from the brothel wasn't lying and the child really was Cao Ang's son? How could he, as the grandfather, let his own grandson wander among the common people and suffer with his mother?
After much deliberation, Cao Cao did not acknowledge the grandson, but instructed his confidants to prepare a residence in his hometown of Qiao County, where he provided the mother and son with a life of luxury and named the child Cao Huan.

This could be considered a half-hearted acceptance.

Later, when it came time to discuss the establishment of an emperor, Cao Cao, on a whim, brought Cao Huan to Xuchang, renamed him Liu Huan, and made him a puppet emperor.

Why do we do this?
In retaliation for Liu Xie's betrayal and his escape from Xuchang to join Liu Bei.

You betrayed me? Fine, then I'll make my grandson the emperor of your Han Dynasty.

If I were to replace the Han dynasty and become emperor in the future, the emperor's surname would be Cao.

If I do not depose the Han dynasty and declare myself emperor, then the emperor's surname is Liu, but in reality, he has the blood of my Cao family flowing through his veins.

In any case, I won't lose out, right?

Cao Cao's plan was perfectly executed, but he never expected that his grandson Cao Huan would betray him at a crucial moment and choose to join Liu Bei.

Cao Cao harbored resentment.

Fortunately, that ungrateful and disloyal brat died on his escape route.

Cao Cao was not saddened by Cao Huan's death.

His only fear was that Cao Huan would die at the hands of his son, Cao Pi.

The Cao family can die at the hands of outsiders, but they must never die at the hands of their own people!
An uncle killing his nephew, family members killing each other—that's like stabbing him in the heart...

"I actually killed my own nephew, I killed my elder brother's son, and my hands are stained with the blood of the Cao family?"

Cao Pi was terrified, his back soaked in cold sweat, and the image of him killing Cao Huan with a single sword strike on the carriage that day kept flashing before his eyes.

"Zihuan, do you understand now?"

After Cao Cao finished recounting the secret, he looked at Cao Pi meaningfully.

Cao Pi shuddered, took a few deep breaths, and forcefully suppressed the raging storm in his heart.

After calming himself down a bit, Cao Pi sighed:

“I never imagined that Father had such a good intention. If Father had told me about this earlier, I could have revealed his true identity then and he would not have betrayed us, and he would not have died at the hands of the Chu army.”

Cao Pi emphasized the matter, deliberately stressing that he "died at the hands of the Chu army."

Cao Cao sighed and waved his hand, saying:
"Never mind, I can't be sure whether he is your elder brother's orphaned son anyway."

“Even if he is a descendant of our Cao family, such an ungrateful wretch deserves to die. Zihuan, you have no need to regret it.”

Cao Pi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface he pretended to be extremely regretful and disappointed.

The matter of Cao Huan is now closed.

Cao Cao suppressed his emotions, his face replacing them with a fatherly expression of concern, and asked:

"Zihuan, I heard from Zhongda that you were stabbed by Cao Huan. Where is the wound? Let me see it."

Cao Pi's heart skipped a beat. (End of Chapter)