I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 336 See you soon!

Inside Xuchang City.

Yuan Shao's message had already reached Cao Cao's ears.

Cao Cao now has many white hairs growing at his temples, which hang down in strands and reach Xun Yu's bedside.

"Ugh."

Xun Yu was now able to sit up.

Her once meticulously combed long hair was now all loose, draped over her shoulders, with occasional glints of silver standing out.

Even Wenruo has gray hair.

"Your Excellency's hair has turned quite white now."

The two looked at each other, then suddenly twitched their shoulders and gave a wry smile.

After the laughter subsided, Cao Cao sighed first, "Actually, I never thought I could defeat Yuan Shao."

"Even if I kill Yan Liang and Wen Chou, I only want to keep them north of Guandu."

"Even so, I have no confidence. I even wrote to Wenruo several times before, wanting to withdraw to Xuchang."

"Later, when success was just around the corner, this whole thing happened. It's truly pathetic and laughable."

Cao Cao wished he had been wiped out by Yuan Shao in one fell swoop, so he wouldn't have to live in constant fear during this series of twists and turns.

Xun Yu reached out and grasped Cao Cao's hand: "My lord..."

Their hands clasped tightly together and began to tremble.

The trembling grew stronger, and a tear fell onto it.

Xun Yu felt the force of that tear and finally couldn't help but burst into tears as well: "My lord!"

"How could I not know what you are thinking, my lord?"

"Your Excellency now must be wishing to emulate Gongsun Zan and sacrifice yourself for righteousness."

"But the emperor is currently in Yuan Shao's hands. If you really go, my lord, you will be branded a 'traitor to the Han' by the court, just like Dong Zhuo!"

At this moment, Xun Yu pressed his forehead against Cao Cao's hand. The wound on his chest was reopened, but it still couldn't compare to the slightest bit of heartache Xun Yu felt at this moment!
"Yuan Shao is ruthless. He's now trying to make you wish you were dead!"

Cao Cao tremblingly placed his other hand on Xun Yu's head, as if to say: "The one who truly understands me is still Wenruo."

The cries were like the mournful cry of a cuckoo, until no more blood and tears remained. Only then did Xun Yu slowly raise his head: "My lord, have you made your decision?"

"Whoo~"

Cao Cao exhaled a breath of stale air, withdrew his hand, and placed it on the hilt of the Heaven-Slaying Sword at his waist.

"..."

Just as Cao Cao was about to forcefully pull out the sword, someone suddenly stepped forward and pressed down on Cao Cao's hand.

"Wenruo, I am unwilling to live a life of ignominy and cowardice."

Cao Cao grabbed Xun Yu's arm with his other hand: "Anyone in the world can submit to Yuan Shao, but I can't!"

"You're welcome, my lord!"

Xun Yu held Cao Cao's hand firmly, preventing him from drawing his sword.

"My lord, there is still hope!"

Cao Cao sighed deeply and closed his bloodshot eyes: "Where is the hope?"

"Liu Miao!"

Xun Yu said solemnly, "And Liu Miao! My lord!"

"Liu Miao?"

"Liu Miao!"

Cao Cao was speechless.

"With the Central Plains lost, how can Liu Miao, relying solely on the lands of Jing and Yang, possibly resist Yuan Shao?"

"But before that, no one thought Liu Miao could defeat Yuan Shao at Kunyang!"

Xun Yu stared into Cao Cao's eyes: "My lord! Now, there is definitely still some hope!"

"Yuan Shao is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, lacking the qualities of a wise ruler! Even if he can display his bravery for a time, it will never last!"

"Rather than seeking immediate gratification, it would be better for you to lie low and wait for the right opportunity!"

Now that he's dead, what will Cao Cao gain?
Was he branded a traitor to the Han dynasty by Yuan Shao in the name of the emperor and the court, becoming the second most notorious and meritless powerful minister in history after Dong Zhuo? A treacherous minister?
Was Cao Cao truly content with this outcome?!
Cao Cao's fingers, gripping the sword hilt, gradually loosened.

"My lord! Have you not heard the story of how Goujian endured three years of humiliation before he was able to conquer Wu with only three thousand Yue soldiers?"

"It is for the sake of Cao Cao and Xiahou, for the sake of us, and for the sake of the Han Dynasty! I implore you, my lord, to endure this humiliation and bear this burden! Do not easily give up your life!"

"..."

Cao Cao lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with even deeper sorrow: "Wenruo, even now, have you not lost faith in me?"

"never!"

Xun Yu's eyes were resolute; even Wen Zhong in his prime was probably no better than him!
Cao Cao remained silent for a long time.

But in the end, he slowly loosened his grip, his face filled with dejection: "Since that's the case, then open the city gates."

……

As the gates of Xuchang burst open, Yuan Shao, who had been waiting for a long time, finally smiled.

Yuan Shao exempted Cao Cao from the formalities of accepting punishment and invited him to ride in his carriage.

"Mengde, in the end, you've lost!" "You went to all that trouble just to make me hear you say that?"

Although Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were standing very close in the carriage, for some reason, their expressions made them seem very far apart.

Why must Mengde do this?

Yuan Shao sensed Cao Cao's distance, but instead of getting angry, he placed his hand on Cao Cao's thigh.

"This is how it should have been between us. It was just that some mistakes went wrong, which led to us going to war."

"Humph."

Cao Cao snorted coldly: "Benchu, you are still as arrogant as ever."

"If I were to say this before the outcome was decided, it would be arrogant of me; but now, I say it as a matter of fact."

Yuan Shao continued to stroke Cao Cao's thigh: "Let's go."

"Afterwards, I have something important to do. It would be too boring if Mengde weren't here."

event?

Cao Cao didn't react at first.

But he quickly widened his eyes: "Are you in such a hurry?"

“Some things are simply beyond our control. You’ve spent so much time with the Emperor, so I don’t need to repeat many of these lessons to you.”

Yuan Shao glanced at Xuchang one last time: "Let's say goodbye to the capital of the Han Dynasty!"

As Yuan's soldiers piled straw and firewood throughout Xuchang, the last imperial capital of the Han Dynasty was transformed into a giant ball of fire, illuminating most of the sky.

Yuan Shao was not stingy at all with the grain, fodder, and wealth in the city, and distributed them all to his soldiers.

In an instant, the towering flames and joyful singing could be heard even by Liu Miao, who was separated from Ying Shui by the river!
Liu Miao and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

If you didn't know better, you might think that Yuan Shao was the victor in this battle!
Did Yuan Shao really intend to pretend he hadn't seen the tens of thousands of Yuan soldiers he had captured?
As it turned out, Liu Miao underestimated Yuan Shao's ruthlessness.

After celebrating his victory in Xuchang, Yuan Shao immediately headed north, leaving only Zhang He to lead cavalry to cover the rear and prevent Liu Miao from pursuing him, completely disregarding the lives of the soldiers who had been captured earlier.

Liu Miao led his soldiers in relentless pursuit, until they reached Zhongmu, where they received a completely inexplicable message.

"Yuan Shao did not cross the river back to Hebei, but instead headed west into Hulao Pass and then to Luoyang?"

This route is completely contrary to military principles!
However, from a political perspective, everything becomes clear.

"That son of a bitch Yuan Shao, he wouldn't actually go looking for the mausoleum of Emperor Guangwu, would he?"

Liu Miao wanted to lead his troops to pursue, but was stopped by Zhou Yu and others.

"Hulao is a fortified city, and it cannot be taken in a short time."

"Moreover, our army's battle lines are currently stretched too thin, and a large number of infantrymen are exposed on the plains. If cavalry were to emerge from Hebei, it would be very dangerous!"

After careful consideration, Liu Miao finally decided to stop the pursuit and instead stationed himself in Zhongmu to see what Yuan Shao was up to!
In fact, Yuan Shao's camp has been quite lively these past few days.

Just as they arrived in Xinzheng from Xuchang, the registrar Geng Bao secretly reported: "The red virtue of the Han Dynasty is waning, and the fate of the dynasty is about to change. As a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, Yuan should obey the will of Heaven and fulfill the expectations of the people!"

Strange to say.

Although it was a secret report, it quickly became known to all the soldiers in Yuan's camp!
When they arrived in Xingyang, another soldier came to report that he had seen a yellow dragon that had been circling around Mount Song, but suddenly turned north!

After that, wherever Yuan Shao went, an auspicious omen would appear.

Either an imperial seal was unearthed, or a bronze tripod was presented.

There are also white wolves, white foxes, white deer...

It's unbelievable that the ecological environment here is so good! Rare and exotic animals seem to appear every day!
The celebration reached its peak as Yuan's troops arrived in Luoyang!

On that very day, a rainbow appeared in Luoyang! Some even saw an old man with white hair dressed in the emperor's robes appear and leave a jade pendant at the Yuanling Mausoleum where Emperor Guangwu of the Ming Dynasty was buried!
Now that things have come to this, even the dumbest person knows what's going to happen!
The Emperor of Han bit his lip and glared at Guo Tu and the others before him: "Do you really intend to force me like this?"

"This is not coercion, but consideration for His Majesty."

Standing next to Guo Tu was Xu You.

Xu You bowed to the emperor and said, "If it weren't for Lord Yuan, how could the world have been pacified and the people have come to your side?"

"Moreover, didn't His Majesty previously issue an edict of self-reproach? Since His Majesty has admitted that he is the one who caused the people's suffering, then he should obey the Mandate of Heaven and bestow the throne upon Lord Yuan."

"dream!"

The emperor gritted his teeth, making a heartbreaking crunching sound.

"If I do not comply, would Yuan Shao dare to kill me?"

Xu You quickly shook his head: "How could Lord Yuan be so disrespectful? I hope Your Majesty will not falsely accuse Lord Yuan."

"But……"

Xu You laughed and said, "Your Majesty's position as emperor was illegitimate from the start, as it was established by the traitor Dong Zhuo."

"The people of the world do not actually recognize Your Majesty as the Son of Heaven. Instead, they believe that Your Majesty's elder brother is the Son of Heaven."

"If we calculate it that way, it's probably not the fifth year of Jian'an, but the eleventh year of Zhaoning!"

Zhaoning was the reign title of Liu Bian, the younger brother of the current emperor!
The emperor's face was pale, as if he were dead.

He never imagined that these people would actually dare to go to such extremes!
Changing the fifth year of Jian'an to the eleventh year of Zhaoning means completely refusing to acknowledge Liu Xie's status as the emperor!
Since he was not the emperor, there was naturally no issue of regicide.

Guo Tu also chimed in from the side.

"I hope Your Majesty can distinguish right from wrong and not let the people of the world lose heart."

"What is needed now is merely a few imperial edicts from His Majesty, and His Majesty will be able to live a carefree life, from now on being treated as an honored guest by Lord Yuan. Such a wonderful thing is something your elder brother longed for but could not obtain back then!"

"Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider!"

(End of this chapter)