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

Guan Yu was incredibly wise; how could he not see through the deeper meaning hidden behind this list?
His expression instantly darkened, and his already dignified and solemn face became even more serious.

He suddenly turned his gaze to Xiao He beside him and questioned:

"The generals appointed by the Crown Prince are all surrendered officials of Cao Wei, not a single one of them is a meritorious official. What is the Crown Prince trying to do?"

Xiao He gave a bitter laugh, sighed deeply, and slowly said:
“Father-in-law, you are asking a question you already know the answer to. Do you not believe that with your wisdom, you can’t see the deeper meaning behind His Highness’s actions? His Highness is naturally trying to win over and support the surrendered officials of Cao Wei.”

"His intention is self-evident; he is naturally looking ahead to using these former officials of Cao Wei to counterbalance and suppress us, the emperor's old ministers, after he ascends the throne."

"In the end, His Highness the Crown Prince is wary of us. He's afraid that we old ministers are too powerful and will threaten his imperial authority."

Having already detected Guan Yu's dissatisfaction with Liu Shan, Xiao He stopped hiding his true feelings and simply told Guan Yu everything directly.

After all, he was Guan Yu's son-in-law. The Xiao and Guan families were bound together by fate, their interests intertwined.

At this critical juncture, Xiao He was absolutely confident that Guan Yu would stand by his side and stand with him through thick and thin.

Guan Yu's body trembled slightly, as if he had been hit hard. His already furrowed brows now furrowed into a straight line.

In truth, how could he not guess Liu Shan's intentions?
It was merely a sliver of hope that lingered in their hearts, a reluctance to believe that the Crown Prince would act in such a way.

It wasn't until Xiao He personally pointed it out that his wishful thinking was shattered like a heavy hammer blow.

Guan Yu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with resentment, and said:
"We are utterly loyal to the Emperor, our hearts are as pure as the sun and moon, and we have never harbored any disloyalty."

"Even if the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne in the future, we will still serve him faithfully to repay the Emperor's kindness and dedicate ourselves to the Han Dynasty until our dying breath."

"For His Highness the Crown Prince to be suspicious of us meritorious ministers is truly petty and lacks any imperial demeanor. It is chilling!"

Xiao He sighed again, his expression full of helplessness:
"The emperor's magnanimity is unique throughout history and is a realm that no other emperor can reach."

"We cannot expect the crown prince to inherit the emperor's magnanimity."

"The Crown Prince has neither the talent nor the magnanimity of the Emperor, nor the prestige of the Emperor, making it difficult for him to win the hearts and minds of the ministers."

“He was worried about not being able to control the meritorious officials and feared that the imperial power would fall into the wrong hands. He wanted to check and suppress the meritorious officials, which we can understand.”

"At worst, we can retire from the military and live a peaceful old age away from the court."

"However, what worries me is that the Crown Prince not only wants to reduce our power, he also wants to take our lives."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu shuddered, his already grave expression turning even paler. He asked urgently:
"Bowen, why are you so worried?"

Xiao He didn't rush to answer. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip of tea, and moistened his throat.

Seeing this, Zhao Yun quickly stepped in and recounted in detail how Liu Shan had attempted to bury 10,000 prisoners alive after the Battle of Puban.

"Since ancient times, killing prisoners of war instead of surrendering has been the only way to kill prisoners of war. Among all the heroes in the world, only that traitor Cao Cao could do such a thing, and he is despised by the world."

"But the Crown Prince... he actually intends to emulate Cao Cao and massacre ten thousand prisoners!"

Guan Yu looked astonished, his face filled with disbelief, as if he had heard the most incredible thing in the world.

After a long pause, he muttered to himself, "This...how is this possible? How could the Crown Prince act in this way?"

Seeing that Guan Yu didn't believe him, Zhao Yun sighed again and nodded solemnly, saying:

"Many of the generals at the front knew about this matter. Fortunately, the Grand Marshal dissuaded His Highness the Crown Prince by saying that killing prisoners was inauspicious and would damage the Emperor's benevolence.

Guan Yu gasped, feeling a chill run from his feet to his head. He unconsciously stroked his long beard and fell into deep thought.

His already dignified face now showed even more worry and contemplation.

"There is one more thing that I have not yet mentioned to my father-in-law."

Xiao He put down his teacup and looked at Guan Yu:
"That day in Yejing, I went to the Eastern Palace to visit the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince declared that he had a grand ambition: to build a Grand Canal connecting the north and the south."

After saying this, Xiao He recounted the events of that day to Guan Yu in detail.

This was the first time he had mentioned this matter to a third party.

Even Zhao Yun was hearing this for the first time, and his eyes were filled with shock in an instant.

Zhao Yun frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said excitedly:

“Building such a Grand Canal would certainly benefit the country and be a project that benefits generations to come. However, I heard from the Grand Marshal that the Crown Prince wants to complete it in just a few years. Wouldn’t that require more than a million laborers to dig day and night?”

"It is simply unrealistic to complete such a large-scale project in such a short period of time."

"With so much manpower mobilized, how much land will be left to lie fallow? The people will have no food to eat and will inevitably be displaced. The court will have to spend an unknown amount of money and grain, and the national treasury will be empty. How many laborers will die on the construction site, their bodies never to be found?"

"Let alone the fact that the Han Dynasty was newly established and everything needed to be rebuilt, and the national strength could not withstand such turmoil, even in a prosperous era, it would be difficult to bear!"

"If the Crown Prince insists on building the Grand Canal when he ascends the throne, disregarding the lives of the people and the safety of the country, wouldn't the empire that the Emperor fought so many battles for be in danger of collapsing?"

Zhao Yun, being straightforward and outspoken, excitedly pointed out the drawbacks and dangers involved.

With his insight and perspective, even though he was not a strategist, he could see that Liu Shan's haste in building the Grand Canal was detrimental to the country in every way.

Guan Yu's face grew increasingly grim, and his fists clenched tighter and tighter.

Xiao He nodded slightly, accepting Zhao Yun's words, and continued:

"He was aware of the drawbacks and had advised His Highness the Crown Prince not to abuse the people's labor out of ambition and greed, which would ultimately shake the foundation of the country. Otherwise, if the people were exploited indiscriminately, it would surely incite a popular uprising and make the country uneasy."

"Although His Highness the Crown Prince agreed verbally, I could tell that he was dissatisfied with my opposition."

Having said that, Xiao He looked at Guan Yu and said solemnly:
"Our Crown Prince appears benevolent on the surface, but is actually ruthless and ambitious, and harbors suspicion towards us meritorious officials."

"He only worries that if he succeeds to the throne in the future, he will most likely slaughter us meritorious officials to ensure that he has absolute power and that no one will dare to question or oppose him in realizing his grand ambitions."

"At that time, we, the meritorious officials who have made great contributions to the restoration of the Han Dynasty for the Emperor, will probably all die without a burial place." (End of this chapter)