Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 164: Have you all heard of the story of the Three Heroes of Juancheng defeating Lü Bu? (Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month)
Yang Biao looked up and saw the emperor wolfing down his food, and a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

In chaotic times, emperors lose all their majesty, and even getting enough to eat becomes a luxury.

He sighed inwardly, pondering: "Li Jue and Guo Si want to kidnap the emperor and take him back to Chang'an, Zhang Ji advocates settling him in Hongnong, Yang Feng wants to stay in Anyi, and Dong Cheng and Zhang Yang are planning to move the capital to Luoyang..."

As for Cao Cao, although he appears loyal and upright at this moment, people's hearts are unpredictable, and who can say for sure what will happen in the future?

Seeing Yang Biao staring thoughtfully at Emperor Xian, Cao Yan instantly understood his thoughts.

Regardless of what others think, this opportunity to welcome the emperor is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and must not be missed.

So Cao Yan said to Yang Biao, "Grand Commandant Yang, come and have some porridge with us. We can think about the future later."

Yang Biao paused slightly, looked at the extraordinary young man in front of him, smiled freely, and said, "Indeed... Now that we've come to this point, why worry too much?"

Having let go of his worries, Yang Biao suddenly felt a strong hunger pang in his stomach. He called out loudly, "Boy, bring me a big bowl!"

"Here!" Cao Yan responded, personally selecting the fullest bowl of meat porridge and handing it to Yang Biao with both hands.

For a time, the sounds of "sizzling" and "snoring" filled the air.

The emperor, the Grand Commandant, and other officials each finished two large bowls of meat porridge.

The group wanted to have some more meat porridge, but Cao Yan stopped them, saying, "People who have been hungry for a long time should not eat too much at once, lest it harm their spleen and stomach."

Although Liu Xie and Yang Biao were unwilling, they nodded in understanding.

Then, Liu Xie pointed to the group of concubines and eunuchs beside him, whose eyes were almost green with hunger, and asked, "Minister Cao, could you share some food with them?"

Seeing this, Cao Cao stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please do not worry. Our army has limited food supplies. In addition to supplying Your Majesty and your ministers, we also need to supply the soldiers and generals who are protecting Your Majesty."

As for the concubines and eunuchs, some military rations can be distributed to them once the supply train arrives.

Only by ensuring the safety of the military can we guarantee the safety of everyone else.

Liu Xie naturally understood this principle, so he nodded and said, "Minister Cao is indeed very thoughtful."

Looking at the young emperor before him, Cao Yan couldn't help but recall his various historical deeds.

After Cao Cao moved Emperor Xian to Xuchang, he actually treated him quite well. Not only were all the necessary supplies provided, but he also gave him all the treatment that an emperor should have.

When Cao Cao and his civil and military officials paid homage to him, they all performed the proper etiquette of Han Dynasty officials. Emperor Xian even thought for a time that he was finally going to become a truly independent emperor.

But once people are well-fed and clothed, they start to have more ideas.

After realizing that he was still just a tool for stamping documents, Emperor Xian began to have new ideas and started to do things in secret.

All that talk of imperial edicts, poisoning, and assassinations—it was all just pointless fuss.

Even with all these events, Cao Cao never usurped the throne and established his own rule throughout his life.

Even Cao Pi, who forced Liu Xie to abdicate, did not kill Liu Xie. Instead, he enfeoffed him as the Duke of Shanyang and gave him a county so that he could live out the rest of his life in peace.

Liu Xie lived even longer than Cao Pi.

It's rare for a last emperor like Liu Xie to be able to live out his remaining years in peace, so the Cao family was actually quite kind to him.

However, given the prevailing trend, this was no longer a question of whether the Cao family wanted to become emperors.

Even if they were unwilling to usurp the throne, their civil and military officials did not think so.

The practice of bestowing a yellow robe upon someone is not unheard of; whether or not one takes the throne is no longer just a matter for one person, but for an entire group.

After finishing two bowls of rice, Liu Xie finally felt full.

He was about to put down his chopsticks and bowl.
Suddenly, a messenger rushed in, his face filled with fear, and reported, "Your Majesty! The rebel troops from Xiliang are less than thirty li away from us!"

"Crash!" The bowl and chopsticks that Liu Xie hadn't had time to put down slipped from his hands and fell to the ground, the bowl shattering into several large pieces.

There were still some unshaved rice grains on the fragments, making the surrounding concubines and ministers swallow hard.

Upon hearing that the Xiliang army had arrived again, the ministers, concubines, and eunuchs all exclaimed in surprise.

They have now completely broken ties with the Xiliang army. What will happen if they are caught by them?
They probably think it would be better to die in the end; they can't even imagine how miserable their fate would be if they were captured.

Yang Biao, however, leisurely licked the large bowl clean, smacking his lips with lingering satisfaction, and said, "Your Majesty, do not worry. General Mengde was able to crush Yang Feng and his army with overwhelming force. Facing Li Jue, Guo Si, and the like should be a piece of cake!" Upon hearing Yang Biao's words, Liu Xie, filled with anticipation, asked Cao Cao, "Minister Cao, how many troops have you brought with you on this expedition?"

Cao Cao smiled slightly and said, "30,000 infantry and cavalry."

Cao Cao's words, however, sparked a flurry of discussion among the surrounding officials.
"Oh! Is that all the people?"

"With only 30,000 men, how can they possibly stop the Xiliang army?"

"Back then, it took more than 50,000 men from all sides to barely repel the Xiliang army. You have 30,000 men..."

"How about we pack our things and... run away?"

As soon as Cao Cao spoke, even Yang Biao couldn't sit still.

But he forced himself to remain calm and then asked:
"Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji joined forces, numbering at least forty or fifty thousand men, and also included elite cavalry."

"Mengde, you've only brought 30,000 men. Isn't that a bit too presumptuous?"

"If the White Wave Army could defeat Li Jue and Guo Si, why can't my army, Cao Cao's army?" Cao Cao replied nonchalantly.

“Times have changed!” Zhao Wen stepped forward and said, “Back then, Li Guo and the others did not bring many troops, and they even attacked in separate groups, which is why we defeated them one by one.”

Now that they have returned with renewed vigor, they will surely unite their forces and launch a full-scale attack.

Cao Cao remained expressionless, appearing completely confident.

Seeing Cao Cao's confidence, Liu Xie and Yang Biao said no more.

However, many ministers, concubines, and palace maids had already begun quietly packing their meager belongings.
Upon seeing this, Cao Cao said, "Everyone, please protect His Majesty well. The Xiliang army can be left to my brother Cao Zi'an."

Cao Yan: "?"

Liu Xie, Yang Biao, Dong Cheng, and Yang Feng: "???"

"Hey Lao Cao, did you lose your mind from being in love? Maybe you should go have a couple of bowls of porridge to replenish your brain?" Cao Yan mentally ranted, "You're pushing me forward like crazy, what the hell are you doing?!"

"This..." Everyone looked at Cao Yan in astonishment.

Grand Commandant Yang Biao was the first to come to his senses and asked, "Mengde, isn't Cao Zi'an the Prefect of Chenliu? Can he command troops in battle?"

“Yes, Cao Zian looks like a refined scholar…” Liu Xie added.

Cao Yan spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

Cao Cao's actions were all aimed at increasing Cao Yan's exposure.

With increased exposure, will you still have the nerve to slack off in the background?

Malicious intent!

Shrimp and pork heart!

Cao Yan hasn't figured out Cao Cao's intentions yet. If he did, he would definitely kick Cao Cao in the back.

Cao Cao asked, "Have you all heard of the story of the three heroes of Juancheng defeating Lü Bu?"

"Never heard of it..." Liu Xie and the others shook their heads.

Everyone has heard the story of the three heroes fighting Lü Bu at Hulao Pass.

The Three Heroes of Juancheng defeated Lü Bu? What kind of nonsense is that?

Cao Cao pointed at Cao Yan and Zhao Yun and said, "These two are the two who defeated Lü Bu among the Three Heroes!"

"!!!" Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.

Although it was said that it took the combined efforts of three people to defeat Lü Bu, how many people in this world could defeat Lü Bu head-on?

The hall fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at Cao Yan and Zhao Yun with inquisitive and questioning eyes.

(End of this chapter)