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

How could Xiahou Dun not understand Cao Cao's intentions?

It was simply that Cao Cao had no choice but to consider borrowing troops from the Xiongnu, but he was afraid of incurring infamy.

That's why he was granted the power to act arbitrarily without having to request an imperial decree.

That's why Yang Fu was sent to inform him of the entire contents of the Puban military council.

Its purpose, of course, was to imply that he was using his arbitrary power to borrow troops from the Xiongnu without authorization.

In this way, he could both borrow the Xiongnu's troops and take all the blame for Cao Cao's misdeeds.

Xiahou Dun was very disappointed.

It's just taking the blame, what's the big deal?

As long as Cao Cao gives the order, he doesn't care at all, not even if he's accused of colluding with the Hu people or if he's infamous for eternity.

To his disappointment, Cao Cao, who was his brother, refused to speak frankly with him and instead came up with so many tricks to imply that he should take the blame.

Is this the kind of open and honest communication that brothers should have?
However, these slight disappointments could not shake Xiahou Dun's absolute loyalty to Cao Cao.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his emotions, Xiahou Dun slammed his hand on the table:
"Sima Yi's plan was truly a brilliant scheme to turn the tide."

"The Xiongnu are nearby in the Western River region. Nahuchuquan has 40,000 cavalrymen at his disposal. If they are willing to cross the river and come to our aid, why should we fear the big-eared thief?"

"My mind is made up. I will immediately send an envoy to the court of Meiji Chanyu to request that Nahuchuquan send troops to assist me!"

After understanding Cao Cao's implication, Xiahou Dun did not hesitate for a moment and immediately decided to use Sima Yi's plan.

Yang Fu breathed a sigh of relief, but did not express any opinion, pretending not to hear or see anything.

Guo Huai, standing to the side, frowned.

Xiahou Dun could see Cao Cao's intentions, let alone him.

Seeing Xiahou Dun make such a decision so easily, Guo Huai had to remind him:

"General, Huchuquan does indeed have 40,000 iron cavalry at his disposal. If he wishes to cross the river and lend us a hand, we will certainly have a chance to defend Bingzhou."

"But I must remind the general that the Hu people never get up early without a profit. The Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan is also very ambitious and often compares himself to his ancestor Maodun."

"When our Great Wei lost the lands of Henan, Huchuquan took the opportunity to swallow up the counties of Xihe Shangjun and plunder Shuofang Wuyuan."

"After we lost Jizhou, Huchuquan submitted several memorials to the emperor, requesting that the emperor grant him all four commanderies of Xihe, Shangjun, Wuyuan, and Shuofang as fiefdoms for the Xiongnu, but the emperor refused."

"Now that our Great Wei is weak and we need Huchuquan's help, I predict that he will take advantage of our predicament and demand the four counties as his fiefdom again."

"Does the General intend to cede territory in exchange for Huchuquan's military assistance?"

Xiahou Dun's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed drastically.

The resolute look in his eyes instantly turned into hesitation.

Guo Huai hit the nail on the head.

If you don't provide the Xiongnu with sufficient benefits, why would Huchuquan risk war with the Han Dynasty to help you fight against Liu Bei?
Is it because of Izumi Yoshiki?

of course not.

That ambitious Xiongnu Chanyu has a huge appetite for profit; he'd be lucky not to take the opportunity to make exorbitant demands and squeeze you for a fortune.

As Guo Huai said, recognizing Xihe Shangjun as the fiefdom of the Xiongnu would inevitably lead to the cession of Shuofang and Wuyuan counties.

The Great Wei is a country in the Central Plains, a celestial empire!
Now, in order to survive, they are ceding land to the Xiongnu and other barbarian tribes. Where is our national dignity? Where is our national prestige?

How will history record their Wei state?

How will future generations evaluate Cao Cao?

Xiahou Dun fell silent.

"General, I believe that as for fame in history and what future generations will say, that's another matter."

"Our first priority is to survive!"

"Didn't the General say before that the gain or loss of Bingzhou is related to the survival of our Great Wei?"

Ling was thinking, "If Bingzhou falls and our Great Wei is destroyed, what good will it do to be remembered for generations to come?"

Wang Ling reminded him in a meaningful tone.

Xiahou Dun's body trembled, and his eyes seemed to suddenly be enlightened.

Yes, what good is a good reputation if the Wei Kingdom is destroyed?

Besides, history is written by the victors and condemned by the vanquished. If Liu Bei had won the world, the historical records would have been able to slander them however they wanted.

Survival is the only priority. Everything else is insignificant!
Think about this.

The hesitation and concerns in Xiahou Dun's eyes finally vanished.

He took a deep breath and said with unwavering resolve:

"As the Grand General of the Great Wei, my sole mission is to ensure the survival of the Great Wei dynasty. Why should I care about the praise or blame of future generations?"

“My mind is made up. I will immediately borrow troops from the Southern Xiongnu. If Huchuquan wants the four commanderies of Xihe, I will give them to him.”

"Since His Majesty has granted me the power to act arbitrarily without needing to report to the emperor, this is my decision alone. Even if I am condemned in the future, I, Xiahou Dun, will bear the burden alone!"

Seeing Xiahou Dun's resolute attitude, Guo Huai knew there was no way to change the situation, so he could only sigh and silently shut his mouth.

Yang Fu also let out a soft breath, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions that he could not express.

Xiahou Dun bowed to Yang Fu and said solemnly:

"Yang Yishan, please convey to the Emperor that I, Xiahou Dun, will risk my life and reputation to defend Bingzhou for him!"

"If I succeed, I will personally go to Chang'an one day to apologize to His Majesty."

"If I fail, I will go first to the underworld to reunite with Zixiao and the others. We brothers will wait for him there!"

Yang Fu felt a chill run down his spine.

Xiahou Dun was prepared to live and die with Bingzhou.

If you don’t succeed, you will succeed!
Such a willingness to die filled Yang Fu with awe, and he quickly bowed in respect.

"The general's ambition will surely be conveyed to the emperor."

"Take care, General. I bid you farewell!"

Yang Fu took his leave.

Xiahou Dun took a breath, his gaze sharp as iron, and swept it across the assembled generals:

"Pass down the order to transport all the money and silk stored in Jinyang to Jiexiu Pass to reward the soldiers."

"Tell them to show the determination to fight to the death, defend the border, and wait for the Xiongnu cavalry to come to their aid!"

The generals accepted the order.

...

Four days later, at dusk.

The earth-shattering roar finally subsided, and peace returned to both inside and outside the fortress.

The Han army launched another round of bombardment, which then came to an end.

Liu Bei peered through his binoculars at the enemy city and saw that the entire city wall was teetering on the verge of collapse, as if it had been bombarded and was now as fragile as paper. He knew that a few more light kicks would be enough to send it crashing down.

"Your Majesty, with the power of my Divine Thunder Cannon, I predict that we will be able to breach the enemy city in five days at most!"

Guan Xing pointed towards Jiexiu Pass and smiled confidently.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and waved his hand with an air of dominance:

"Pass down the order to send more men to collect stones and shorten the interval between each round of bombardment."

"Within five days, I want to see the battle flag of the Han Dynasty planted atop the Jiexiu Pass!"

The generals accepted the order with great enthusiasm.

At this time.

Xiao He, who was sitting idly to the side, suddenly said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that the traitor Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun will not sit idly by and wait for us to break through Jiexiu Pass and flatten Bingzhou."

"I suspect that Cao Cao will most likely resort to his old tricks and imitate the past collusion between Youzhou and Wuhuan."

Liu Bei's expression shifted slightly, and his wary gaze suddenly turned to Xiao He.

Just as they were about to ask, a rider on horseback arrived.

"Your Majesty, a spy from Xihe has sent an urgent report from eight hundred li away."

"The Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan led his army south from the court of Meiji Chanyu and has already crossed the river at Lin County, showing a strong momentum to advance diagonally towards Jiexiu Pass!"

The messenger dismounted and held a piece of intelligence high in the air.

Liu Bei's expression immediately changed. (End of Chapter)