I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 331 We, your subjects, are ready to fight to the death! (Third update)

"Yuan Shao has been defeated?"

The flood in Kunyang was so powerful that even Xuchang, which was surrounded by Yuan Shao's army, received news from the south through various channels.

"how so?"

Since the start of the war, all the intelligence we've received has been that Liu Miao has had a bad start, is struggling in a fierce battle, is making one blunder after another, and is making a last-ditch effort...

Then a flood that appeared out of nowhere, and you tell me that Liu Miao has already defeated Yuan Shao?
The officials and nobles of Xuchang began to stir.

If Yuan Shao is defeated, will he still care about Xuchang?
If Yuan Shao ignores Xuchang, who will be in charge of the court next?

Could it be that, like before, Cao Cao will make all the decisions unilaterally?

The undercurrent of the Kunyang flood eventually reached Xuchang.

In the mansion of a powerful family in the east of the city, one man trembled with fear: "How is this possible? How could Lord Yuan have been defeated?"

"It is said that Liu Miao found the source of the Zhi River, dug it open, causing the Zhi River to flood the Kun River, and Yuan Gong was thrown into it."

If Cao Cao were to see this man, he would surely skin him alive and hang him on the city gate so that the whole world could see his remains!
Xu You.

No one expected that the man who plotted the assassination of Xun Yu, which forced Cao Cao to abandon Guandu and retreat to Xuchang, causing the entire war to collapse, was still in Xuchang!
However, Xu You was indeed hiding in the home of Geng Ji, a man from Maoling in Fufeng, which was only two alleys away from Cao Cao's residence.

According to Xu You, this is called "the darkest place is under the lamp".

As it turned out, Cao Cao had no idea that Xu You was still living next to him and had not discovered any trace of Xu You, which made Xu You even more complacent.

At the same time, Xu You was ready to receive cheers from all the officials!

In Xu You's mind, he shouldn't be a disgraced official who slunk back to Yuan Shao's camp and was pardoned by Yuan Shao.

In Xu You's mind, he should be the greatest contributor to Yuan Shao's conquest of the Central Plains and welcoming of the emperor!
On the day Yuan Shao enters Xuchang, Xu You should stand in the very center of the palace, letting the world know that without him, Yuan Shao would never have been able to enter Xuchang or even see the Emperor!
This wish, in theory, should be very, very close.

Xu You had even prepared the magnificent clothes, crown, sword, and jade tiger he should wear that day...

With this achievement, Xu You will be incredibly important in Yuan Shao's camp in the future! Not to mention Shen Pei and Guo Tu, even Yuan Shao himself should hold him in the highest esteem!

But now you're saying Yuan Shao lost?
Xu You paced back and forth in the room, while Geng Ji remained unconcerned: "Why is Master Xu going to such lengths?"

"Although Yuan Shao was defeated, it was Liu Bei who ultimately won, not Cao Cao."

"This time, General Liu is leading his troops on the Emperor's edict, which was written in blood on his belt! Wouldn't it be a good thing if he entered Xuchang?"

Geng Ji's surname is neither Yuan nor Cao; his surname is Han!

Based on Liu Miao's reputation for "loyalty to the emperor" and his status as "imperial uncle," Geng Ji did not think that Liu Miao's entry into Xuchang was a bad thing!

Xu You frowned.

How can they be the same!
If Yuan Shao captured Xuchang, then Xu You would be the greatest contributor!

If Liu Miao were to capture Xuchang, who would Xu You be then?
Moreover, with Yuan Shao, Xu You was not only able to retain the Central Plains land he had purchased from Cao Cao, but he was also able to get Yuan Shao to return the land he had previously owned in Hebei!
But if Liu Miao were to take control of these lands? Dream on!
Thinking about the potentially drastically different treatment he might receive in the future, Xu You quickly shook his head: "How can they be the same?"

"Liu Miao and Cao Cao were close friends!"

"If Liu Miao really captures Xuchang, he might reconcile with Cao Cao! Wouldn't the court then be back to its old ways?"

Geng Ji hesitated and said, "Really?"

"Of course!"

Xu You said urgently, "Liu Miao is a member of the Han imperial family! To avoid suspicion, he certainly wouldn't do what Cao Cao did and bring the emperor and the court to Jiangdong!"

"At that time, who else but Cao Cao will remain in the Central Plains?"

"Does Ji Xing really want to sit idly by and watch Cao Cao continue to bully the emperor and his officials as usual?"

Geng Ji also realized the seriousness of the problem at this time.

"Liu Biaoji, you really won't kill Cao Cao?"

"Definitely not! If we kill Cao Cao, who will help him fight off Yuan Shao?"

Xu You emphasized Cao Cao's role in shielding Liu Miao.

"Although Yuan Shao was defeated, his foundation in Hebei remained intact! His power was still immense! How could Liu Miao not be afraid?"

"Therefore, it is a foregone conclusion that Liu Miao will keep Cao Cao! We must not harbor any illusions about this!"

Geng Ji tried to persuade him further: "We can tell Liu Biaoji about Cao Cao's crimes..."

"You think he doesn't know?"

Xu You felt somewhat helpless.

"You court officials wouldn't really believe that a warlord who controls Jing and Yang is an upright minister who knows nothing and understands nothing, would you?"

"When they reach that position, their deepest concerns are always their own interests and their own life and death! They will never care about the honor or disgrace of the emperor!"

"If you were Liu Miao, would you risk the chaos in the Central Plains, where it could be seized by Yuan Shao at any moment, to kill Cao Cao, who had a strong foothold in the Central Plains?"

"..."

Although Xu You's words were a bit rough, Geng Ji put himself in his shoes and thought that Xu You's words were not unreasonable and that they still had some merit.

"Then, according to Master Xu's plan, what should be done?"

Xu You's eyes were unfathomable: "Now... is it possible to contact the Emperor?"

"What exactly does Master Xu intend to do?"

"Since the emperor dared to take such a gamble with a blood-stained edict, there is no reason for him to remain indifferent at this even better time!"

—————— Right there in the Sikong Mansion, just two alleys away, Cao Cao was feeling exceptionally happy.

"You good-for-nothing Liu Zhongshan! You good-for-nothing Liu Zhongshan! Hahahaha!"

Cao Cao laughed wildly!

This was the first time Cao Cao had laughed so happily since Yuan Shao marched south to plunder the Central Plains!
As he sat down, Guo Jia, Xun You, and Cao Ren, both civil and military officials, wore smiles on their faces.

They've waited far too long for this victory!

Liu Miao truly gave them a huge surprise!

Cao Cao holds a wine bottle and looks to the south from a distance!
"In this battle, Yuan Shao will inevitably suffer heavy losses!"

"All troops, prepare for battle! When Zhongshan leads his army north, we will seize the opportunity to send troops to encircle Yuan Shao!"

"Here!"

"Hahahaha!"

All the resentment of the past few days vanished with a sip of Dukang wine!

Apart from Xun Yu not being fully recovered and unable to attend the banquet, Cao Cao had virtually no regrets today!
Play my flute and zither, how melodious!

Wine, song, and drama—today we truly enjoy ourselves!

The jade maiden rises, and dances for several hours, accompanied by the resounding clamor of drums and trumpets!
Cao Cao was indulging himself today, drinking and feasting, which relieved him of his long-standing worries!
The banquet only paused slightly after the eunuch announced their entry.

"Minister Sikong, the Emperor, having heard of the defeat of Yuan Shao, has specially ordered me to present you with a precious sword and axe, and to invite you to the palace to offer your congratulations."

"Oh?"

Cao Cao never expected that the emperor would also want to join in the fun at this time.
Could it be that they were also shocked by Yuan Shao's defeat and wanted to repair the damage as soon as possible?

Cao Cao used the excuse of drinking wine to pay his respects, which he considered disrespectful, to make the eunuch wait a moment while he bathed, scented himself with perfume, and tidied his appearance before heading to the palace.

Emperor Liu Xie was waiting in the palace. When he saw Cao Cao, he immediately invited him to take a seat.

"The capital has been besieged for several months. I wonder when the commander-in-chief will be able to repel the enemy?"

"Within ten days at most, I, along with General Liu Miao, will launch an attack from both inside and outside the capital, and we will be able to defeat Yuan Shao and vanquish the enemy for Your Majesty!"

Cao Cao had drunk wine before arriving, and now he spoke with even more boundless pride!

"In this battle, I will surely drive Yuan Shao out of Hebei for Your Majesty, so that he will not dare to invade the border for five years!"

Emperor Liu Xie immediately exclaimed, "The Minister of Works is truly magnificent!"

But beneath the table, out of Cao Cao's sight, the emperor's fists clenched, trembling constantly, and cold sweat occasionally broke out.

"I am very pleased! Minister of Works has worked hard and made great contributions. He should be granted a blade as wide as half a moon to commemorate his achievements!"

The emperor glanced around, and immediately, Tiger Warriors emerged from the back hall.

These fierce warriors wore headdresses with tassels and tassels, tied with blue ribbons and adorned with large pheasant-tail crowns, dressed in gauze robes, and with white tiger-patterned swords at their waists, exuding an awe-inspiring presence!

The leading military officer stepped forward, wielding an axe with a blade as wide as a crescent moon. Its cold gleam was like snow, and it was instantly reflected in the eyes of Dian Wei, who was standing next to Cao Cao.

Dian Wei stared intently at the tiger-like officer with his tiger-like eyes and his hair standing on end!
The tiger-like military officer looked imposing, but even he couldn't help but shiver in the face of Dian Wei's overwhelming aura of bloodlust. At the same time, he turned slightly to look up at the emperor.

Emperor Liu Xie also noticed Dian Wei's gaze at this moment and was intimidated by it!

Especially when the emperor saw Xu Chu, who was equally robust, on Cao Cao's other side, his eyes lowered, as if he had forgotten many things.

The Tiger Warrior officer had no choice but to hold the axe in both hands and approach Cao Cao.

"Your subject Cao Cao thanks Your Majesty!"

Cao Cao bowed and thanked him!

Although the axe and halberd had no practical use for Cao Cao, they at least demonstrated the emperor's attitude towards him.

A suspicious person doesn't need much trust to put their mind at ease; just a little is enough to make them grateful to tears.

Cao Cao accepted the axe and halberd, and then chatted with the emperor about many things, as if he had completely forgotten the previous misunderstandings, and they were all very happy together.

"Lord..."

When Cao Cao came out, Dian Wei muttered a name to Cao Cao, causing Cao Cao to turn around in surprise: "What is it, E Lai?"

Dian Wei hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head: "I must be overthinking it. I just felt that there was something wrong with those Tiger Warriors today."

"What's wrong?"

“I can’t tell…”

Although Cao Cao found it inexplicable, he never doubted Dian Wei.

"In that case, replace them with a new batch of elite military officers and prevent these people from getting close to the emperor."

Cao Cao considered it a trivial matter and dealt with it casually.

"King Wen received the mandate and achieved these military feats. He conquered Chong and established the city of Feng. How glorious is King Wen!"

"Building the city walls, creating abundance. Not indulging in desires, but following in the footsteps of filial piety. May the Queen be blessed!"

Cao Cao hummed "The Voice of King Wen" from the "Greater Odes," clearly in a very pleasant mood!

"Now that Zhongshan has come to our aid from outside and the Emperor has bestowed honors upon us from within, our morale is at its peak!"

"Zhongshan and I should seize this opportunity to completely pacify the world and restore the Han Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)