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

"What's the situation in Ji County now? Have Xu Zhi and his men abandoned the city and broken through the siege?"

After successfully escaping his predicament, Cao Pi was suddenly filled with concern for Xu Zhi and his ten thousand soldiers.

If those ten thousand soldiers can be saved, that would be the best outcome.

However, when Cao Pi turned his gaze to Cheng Gongying, Xu Huang and other generals, he found that they were all silent and had solemn expressions.

Cao Pi's face darkened instantly, and he became wary.

Their unusual behavior must mean that something extremely serious and unfavorable has happened.

An ominous premonition quickly spread through Cao Pi's mind, so he frowned, his voice trembling slightly, and asked:
"Could it be... that Ji County has already been captured by the Han army, and Xu Zhi and his soldiers have already sacrificed themselves?"

In fact, Cao Pi was already mentally prepared.

After all, Xu Zhi was facing a full 200,000 Han soldiers this time!
With the enemy's forces outnumbering our own by tens of times, Xu Zhi, even with extraordinary abilities, would have no chance of escape.

If Xiao He were willing, he would be fully capable of completely surrounding Ji County until it was eventually breached.

Even if Xu Zhi was a formidable military commander, it was only a matter of time before Ji County fell in this unequal contest of strength.

"His Majesty!"

In the midst of this oppressive silence, Cheng Gongying suddenly jumped up.

His expression was serious and somewhat indignant as he cupped his hands and addressed Cao Pi:

"Your Majesty, I request that you issue an edict to exterminate Xu Zhi's entire clan!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the imperial court.

Xu Huang and the other generals all turned their heads, their eyes all fixed on Cheng Gongying, their faces showing shock and astonishment.

Cao Pi was even more astonished, and asked with wide eyes:

"Why do you say that? What exactly happened?"

Cheng Gongying took a deep breath, slowly took out a silk scroll from her bosom, and held it high, saying:
"This is an urgent report that came from Longyou yesterday. We were worried that Your Majesty would be harmed after reading it, so we dared not present it to you."

"But I know that concealing this matter is the crime of deceiving the emperor, and I dare not conceal it. I can only tell the truth."

As Cao Pi gazed at the silk scroll, his ominous premonition grew stronger, as if a chill ran up his spine.

He knew in his heart that the worst outcome would be the fall of Ji County and the death of Xu Zhi on the battlefield.

Even so, why would Cheng Gongying ask him to exterminate Xu Zhi's entire clan?

There must be more to this story than meets the eye.

Although Cao Pi had many doubts, after hesitating for a moment, he slowly reached out and took the silk scroll.

He slowly unfolded the silk scroll, his eyes fixed on every single character, and began to examine it carefully.

The more he looked, the more his expression darkened.

Jiang Xu was killed, Yin Feng was killed, ten thousand soldiers were wiped out, and Ji County had fallen...

As expected, the contents of this intelligence were exactly what he had anticipated.

However, when Cao Pi saw the last part of the silk scroll, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

It turns out that Xu Zhi, in the face of danger, dismounted and surrendered to the Han Dynasty!

Cao Pi's expression instantly turned to astonishment, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Xu Zhi was a general he personally promoted!
He had always placed high hopes on Xu Zhi, giving him the utmost trust and responsibility. But now, this man had betrayed him and surrendered to the Han Dynasty?
Moreover, it wasn't because of defeat and capture that he was forced to surrender; rather, he was cowardly and afraid of death, so he knelt down and begged to surrender on the eve of battle.
"Impossible! How could Xu Zhi betray me? This is absolutely impossible, impossible..."

Cao Pi shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself, his eyes filled with resistance and unwillingness to accept reality.

He raised his head and looked at Yan Xing, his eyes full of expectation, hoping to get a negative answer from Yan Xing.

Yan Xing looked dejected, sighed helplessly, and then lowered his head in silence.

This attitude already indicates that he tacitly acknowledged the facts stated in the silk manuscript.

"Xu Zhi, Xu Zhi!"

Cao Pi's eyes widened in anger, his voice filled with grief and indignation as he cursed:
"How highly I valued you! I entrusted you with such an important task, bestowing upon you high office and generous rewards, yet you betrayed me! I am utterly disappointed, utterly disappointed—"

As he spoke, Cao Pi's anger reached its peak, and he violently tore the silk scroll in his hand to shreds.

Upon seeing this, the officials all shook their heads and sighed.
But no one stood up to condemn Xu Zhi.

In fact, they knew in their hearts that if they were in Cao Pi's shoes, they might not have had enough courage to die for him in such a desperate situation.

If you don't even have that kind of courage yourself, what right do you have to criticize Xu Zhi?
Only Cheng Gongying stood up again indignantly, and said righteously:

"Xu Zhi, as the General of Chariots and Cavalry of our Great Wei, should have been a pillar of our Great Wei, but at a critical moment he surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Such behavior is really damaging to the prestige of our country and has made our Great Wei lose face."

"Your Majesty, I implore you to issue an edict to exterminate all of Xu Zhi's clansmen as a warning to others! Let the world know that those who betray the country will be severely punished!"

After listening to Cheng Gongying's words, Cao Pi finally understood his intention.

It turns out that Cheng Gongying wanted him to exterminate Xu Zhi's entire clan in order to punish Xu Zhi for his treason, and also to use this opportunity to establish his own prestige and intimidate other officials.

"By imperial decree, find Xu Zhi's family and exterminate them immediately!"

Cao Pi gritted his teeth and finally issued the order to kill.

Upon hearing this decree, all the officials were startled and secretly marveled.

at this time.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Yan Xing immediately stepped forward and advised:
"Xu Zhi's surrender to Han is indeed shameful, but he was forced to surrender to Han in order to cover the rear for Your Majesty."

“Xu Zhi is guilty, but his crime does not warrant death, much less the extermination of his entire clan.”

"Your Majesty, I beg you to show mercy and exile Xu Zhi's wife and children. This will not only demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolence but also serve to deter your subjects."

Upon hearing Yan Xing's explanation, Cao Pi hesitated.

He understood that what Yan Xing said was not entirely unreasonable.

Cheng Gongying, however, glared at Yan Xing from the side, her resentment growing stronger.

We're both from Liangbei, so why do you always argue with me?

Cheng Gongying grew angrier the more she thought about it, and said angrily again:
"Your Majesty, Yan Xing is mistaken!"

"As a subject of the Great Wei, it is only natural and right to be loyal to the country and die for it."

"If what he says is true, then anyone in dire straits can betray their country and surrender to the enemy. Who would die for their country then? Who would truly be willing to die for His Majesty?"

“If Xu Zhi’s entire clan is not exterminated, everyone will feel lucky and think that even if they betray the country, they will not be severely punished.”

"In that case, when the Han army attacks, wouldn't everyone surrender at the mere sight of them? How then can the land and state of our Great Wei be preserved?" (End of Chapter)