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

Xu Chu was taken aback.

Why are you asking me, instead of your son, or important ministers like Zhong Yao, Sima Yi, and Jia Xu, about such a momentous matter as becoming emperor?

"Your Majesty, I am but a warrior; how could I possibly know anything about such matters?"

Xu Chu could only scratch his head and laugh bitterly at himself.

Cao Cao sneered and pointed outside, saying:
“Those people outside are all shrewd and cunning, each harboring their own selfish motives. Not one of them dares to speak their mind to me.”

"I just want to hear you, this stubborn fool, tell me the truth."

Xu Chu swallowed hard, thinking to himself, "King Wei, are you praising me or mocking me? Something doesn't sound right to me."

"Zhongkang, now that things have come to this, you're the only one I can confide in."

"Tell me honestly, should I be the emperor?"

Cao Cao hooked his arm around Xu Chu's neck and asked as if he were whispering to an old friend.

After scratching his head and pondering for a while, Xu Chu simply said:

"Your Majesty, I believe you should be the emperor!"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up, and he gestured for Xu Chu to continue.

Xu Chu took a deep breath, his face burning with heroic spirit:
"Since ancient times, which man hasn't wanted to be an emperor?"

"Your Majesty, you're already this old. Why are you still thinking so much about what will happen to you before and after your death? You should take advantage of your good health and enjoy being an emperor!"

This time, when it came to Cao Cao, he was stunned.

Others' reasons are all about human nature, the big picture, and personal gain.

When it comes to Xu Chu, all those high-sounding reasons can just go to hell.

Just one sentence:

You're practically in your grave, what are you worried about? The best thing to do is to enjoy being an emperor while you're still alive!

"Your Majesty, am I wrong?"

Seeing Cao Cao's bewildered expression, Xu Chu could only scratch the back of his head and ask.

Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter was clear and hearty, as if a blockage that had been stuck in the heart for a long time had suddenly been cleared.

Xu Chu stared blankly at Cao Cao, who was laughing inexplicably.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Cao Cao patted Xu Chu on the shoulder and sighed:

"Zhongkang, Zhongkang, I never expected that you, a crude and uneducated warrior, would see things so much more clearly than I do."

"I am not as good as you, I am not as good as you~~"

Xu Chu seemed to understand but not quite, and could only stand there with a silly grin.

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, sat back down in his seat. When he looked up at the palace, his eyes were no longer filled with hesitation or worry.

"This time, I'll listen to you!"

"After I die, I don't care about the floods; I'll just enjoy being an emperor for a while!"

"Let them all come in!"

...

Ye City, Royal Palace.

Inside the main hall, the Chu king and his ministers gathered, their discussions rising and falling.

Liu Bei, along with his ministers Xiao He, Zhuge Liang, and others, were gathered around a huge sand table depicting the terrain of the pseudo-Wei state, plotting their campaign against Wei.

How could the march toward unifying the world possibly stop?

With Youzhou recovered, Cao Cao has now retreated to a corner of Bing, Yong, and Liang provinces, sitting and waiting for his death.

Approaching sixty, Liu Bei naturally wanted to completely destroy Cao Wei before he died.

Only in this way can he leave a unified world for his descendants.

Xiao He, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Xun Yu, Fa Zheng, and other strategists all spoke freely, offering their plans and strategies.

The strategies of the group were basically the same.

The key to the false Qin dynasty lies in Guanzhong.

There have always been three routes to conquer Guanzhong from the east to the west.

One is Wuguan, one is Tongguan, and one is Bingzhou. Wuguan has the perilous Qinling Mountains, a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.

Given the large number of troops stationed by Cao Wei, it was clearly unrealistic to expect them to force their way through the pass by virtue of their superior numbers.

The only successful precedent was when Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang destroyed the Qin Dynasty.

At that time, the main force of the Qin state had been completely destroyed by Xiang Yu, leaving the Qin army weak. The newly succeeded Prince Ziying of Qin had no appeal, and the hearts of the people in Guanzhong had already crumbled.

All of this allowed Emperor Gaozu to gain an advantage and break into Guanzhong from Wuguan.

The current situation is that Cao Cao still enjoys prestige, his main forces are all entrenched in Guanzhong, and he has sufficient troops deployed at Wuguan.

It is clearly unrealistic to expect to repeat the precedent of Emperor Gaozu's overthrow of Qin.

Tongguan Pass, needless to say, can be called the most formidable pass under heaven. It is fortified by the Qinling Mountains and protected by the Yellow River, making it truly impregnable.

Even if you have a million-strong army, Cao Cao only needs to send ten or twenty thousand troops to Tong Pass, which will be enough to stop your million-strong army.

Therefore, the only remaining optimal choice is Bingzhou.

Bingzhou is adjacent to Guanzhong, basically with the Yellow River as the boundary, and there are many ferry crossings such as Longmen and Puban.

The terrain of Guanzhong and Bingzhou is quite similar to that of Henan and Hebei.

Compared to Tongguan and Wuguan, attacking Guanzhong from Bingzhou would undoubtedly be much easier.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the ministers unanimously decided that they should first take Bingzhou before entering Guanzhong.

"Yes, Bowen, Kongming, the strategies you have offered are indeed foolproof."

"My mind is made up. Let's take Bingzhou first."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, making his decision, and then pointed towards Bingzhou:
"As for how to take over Bingzhou, let's discuss a specific strategy."

The words trailed off.

The White Feather Guard rushed into the palace, holding up a secret report and presenting it as the latest urgent report that had just arrived from Guanzhong.

"Read!"

Liu Bei didn't pay much attention, his gaze remaining fixed on the sand table.

"On the seventh day of this month, Cao Cao offered sacrifices to Heaven in the southern suburbs of Chang'an, announced his ascension to the throne as Emperor, established the state of Wei, and appointed his son Cao Pi as Crown Prince!"

Inside the main hall, all the officials were startled and suddenly looked up at the white-feathered guards.

Liu Bei suddenly looked up, his gaze shifting from the sand table to the secret report in the hands of the White Feather Guard.

The hall was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

Cao Cao actually declared himself emperor!
This news was truly unexpected by everyone.

Everyone knows that Cao Cao harbored ambitions to usurp the throne.

Throughout history, those who dared to claim the title of emperor and usurp the throne have invariably relied on their formidable strength as a backing.

Cao Cao, however, did the exact opposite.

He didn't declare himself emperor when he dominated half of the northern country, but he did so when he suffered repeated defeats and only had three states left. What kind of thought process is that?

Liu Bei took the intelligence report and carefully examined it to confirm its accuracy.

"You traitor Cao, how dare you plot to usurp the throne and presume to be emperor! How could I not punish you!"

Liu Bei then presented the intelligence to his ministers.

After the officials reviewed the document, voices of indignation arose.

Guan Yu stepped forward and said angrily:
"Your Majesty, Cao Cao has usurped the throne and deserves to die."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to personally lead an army to first conquer Bingzhou, then take Chang'an, and personally behead the traitor Cao Cao to present his head to Your Majesty!"

All the generals were burning with rage and volunteered to fight.

Liu Bei's face burned with murderous intent as he shouted:
"The traitor Cao is extremely rebellious and has overstepped his bounds. It is imperative to attack Wei and destroy Cao."

"My lords, speak freely and quickly devise a strategy to conquer Bingzhou. I will send troops to attack Cao Cao again soon!"

At this moment, Liu Bei was furious and wished he could immediately lead a large army to attack Wei.

Xiao He and Zhuge Liang exchanged a glance, already understanding each other perfectly.

"Your Majesty, Cao Cao is plotting to usurp the throne; he must be punished!"

"However, I believe that before Your Majesty attacks Wei and destroys Cao, you must first do another important thing: punish the traitor Cao so that it will be justified!"

Xiao He took a deep breath, faced Liu Bei, and bowed solemnly:
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you first inherit the Han dynasty and ascend the throne as Emperor, and then personally lead the Han army to conquer the false Wei in the west!"

"Only in this way can Your Majesty be invincible, conquer the false Wei dynasty in one fell swoop, and unify the world!" (End of Chapter)