I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 519 Liu Miao: Don't let good people suffer, like me.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Liu Miao's voice slowly came through.

The contents of the document sent a chill down Guo Jia's spine.

"Fengxiao, we've only been apart for a few years, how could you treat me like a fool?"

One sentence! It made Guo Jia break out in a cold sweat!

"That sounds nice, and I admit it myself. By leaving 200,000 of Yuan's troops in Henan and the Central Plains, I am sure to be cursed by millions of people in Hebei."

"but--"

"I have no choice but to do this!"

Liu Miao glanced at Guo Jia with a half-smile and said dismissively, "What if millions of people curse me, or even tens of millions of people curse me, let alone a million?"

"I do all this for the sake of the Han Dynasty, and Fengxiao must understand this principle."

"As for Guanzhong and Hedong... if I remember correctly, those are the territories of Mengde and Gao Gan, right?"

"I'm not too surprised that Gao Gan has defected to Yuan Tan, but how could Mengde do such a thing? Making him kneel at his son-in-law's feet and call him 'Long live the Emperor,' doesn't he feel disgusted?"

Seeing that Liu Miao had spoken frankly, Guo Jia had nothing left to hide.

However, Guo Jia's true allegiance was still to Cao Cao, so he cautiously offered a word of defense for Cao Cao—

"Before I arrived, Yuan Tan had already appointed Cao Cao as General Zhao, and granted him the privilege of not having to call him by name, not having to hasten his departure when entering the court, and being allowed to wear a sword and shoes in the palace. Therefore, there is no need for him to kneel..."

Upon hearing these three incredibly familiar words, Liu Miao paused for a moment, then laughed even harder!
"Mengde! Haha! Cao Mengde! What a fine Cao Mengde! Hahahaha!"

Liu Miao suddenly slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter, even laughing until tears streamed down his face. Guo Jia and the other ministers of the Han Dynasty were all bewildered, clearly not understanding what Liu Miao's inexplicable point of laughter was.

After laughing enough, Liu Miao, still breathless, asked, "So, you've set your sights on me? On these 200,000 troops?"

Guo Jia tried to explain, but Liu Miao waved his hand domineeringly.

"No matter how much the people of Hebei hate me, even if they write my name on straw figures and prick them with needles every day, it doesn't matter! Anyway, Fengxiao, when you go back, tell Yuan Tan or Mengde that none of these Hebei soldiers will be able to take away!"

Immediately, Liu Miao's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips like a glutton.

“What Fengxiao just said, I have thought about carefully, and it does make sense.”

"To swallow up Hebei is indeed too difficult."

"But the Guanzhong region is right next to me!"

"Fengxiao, what do you think if at this moment I suddenly led a large army westward, heading straight for Tongguan, and then ordered Ma Chao of Xiliang and Huang Zhong, who was in Hanzhong, to attack Guanzhong from the west and south, could we take Guanzhong completely?"

Both Liu Miao's expression and words gave Guo Jia a big fright!

You've been talking about Hebei all along, how could you forget about Guanzhong?
Is it feasible for Liu Miao to lead his troops into Guanzhong now?

Of course it is possible!

Although the main force of the Han army was exhausted, Ma Chao, stationed in Xiliang, and Huang Zhong, stationed in Hanzhong, were in high spirits and ready to make their mark!

In contrast, consider Guanzhong.

Previously, he had been repeatedly pierced by Liu Miao, who was like a beautiful woman. He knew the mountains and roads better than he knew his own wife! In addition, Cao Cao had not yet controlled all the places in Guanzhong. With the death of Yuan Shao and the turmoil of Yuan Tan's succession, he was basically a dilapidated house that would collapse if kicked!
With Guanzhong in such a state, how could it possibly resist Liu Miao?

Looking at Liu Miao, who was clearly eager to try, Guo Jia suddenly felt a little regretful.

How did I manage to remind Liu Miao of Guanzhong?
Moreover, judging from Liu Miao's expression, this was not a threat at all, but a genuine desire to take this opportunity to seize Guanzhong!
Guo Jia panicked!

"Your Majesty! You must put the common people of the Han Dynasty first!"

An "outsider" appealed to the Han emperor to prioritize the well-being of the people...

For some reason, Liu Miao felt that Guo Jia was too abstract now, and that he shouldn't play with him anymore...

At this moment, Guo Jia's face turned pale.

During his time in Ye City, Guo Jia was free from official duties, and his health had actually improved considerably compared to previous years, potentially extending his lifespan by at least ten years. However, after this brief time with Liu Miao, Guo Jia felt that the lifespan he had painstakingly cultivated had been lost again!
"His Majesty!"

Guo Jia looked earnest, fearing that Liu Miao might suddenly decide to launch a western expedition to Guanzhong.

"Although Yuan Shao is dead, the power of the Yuan family in Hebei is still terrifying!"

"If Your Majesty marches west into Guanzhong, you will inevitably have to disperse your forces and will not be able to launch a full-scale northern expedition! If Hebei recovers its strength by then, it will be another protracted war for several years or even ten years! The people of the world will suffer, is that what Your Majesty wants to see?"

"On the contrary! If Your Majesty can support Yuan Tan, it will surely cause the two Yuans to fight each other! Wouldn't this be a good thing for Your Majesty and the Han Dynasty?"

It's clear that Guo Jia is genuinely anxious, and he's even starting to wholeheartedly try to solve Liu Miao's problems from Liu Miao's perspective...

Liu Miao smiled and said, "What did Fengxiao say? I can't hear you clearly."

"..."

Seeing this, Guo Jia could only say indignantly, "Your Majesty! Guanzhong is not the same as Shu, which has a weak and incompetent ruler!"

"With Cao Cao stationed in Guanzhong, and generals like Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Guo Huai leading troops, and strategists like Xun Yu and Xun You offering advice... even if we lose, we can at least hold Your Majesty back for a year! Is Your Majesty really willing to let yourself and the Han Dynasty be dragged down for another year?"

These words surprised Liu Miao somewhat.

"No? How did Yuan Tan manage to bring out so many of Cao Cao's old ministers? Could Yuan Shang be blind?"

"It was Xu You, Xu Ziyuan, who plotted this in secret."

"Oh, that's not surprising!"

Liu Miao suddenly dropped his conquering demeanor and waved to Guo Jia with a grin, "Fengxiao! Why are you so serious? I was just kidding! Come on! Give me a smile!" Guo Jia clutched his chest and looked at Liu Miao with a rather resentful expression.

Obviously.

He no longer wanted to play this game with Liu Miao, which involved "driving himself crazy and then asking himself why he went crazy."

Guo Jia was also puzzled.

Those around Liu Miao, whether it was Zhou Yu or Lu Su, were all men of high moral character. Why didn't they guide Liu Miao onto the right path...?

"I understand what Fengxiao has to say."

"In short, that brat Yuan Tan was dissatisfied with his father's will and decided to rebel with Gao Gan and Mengde! Then Gao Gan and Mengde couldn't bear to give up Bingzhou and Guanzhong respectively, so they joined Yuan Tan's side! But the three of them combined were too weak, so they wanted to extort money from me, is that right?"

"..."

Guo Jia's eyes grew even more resentful.

The reasoning behind this is naturally the same.

But it would be a little awkward if you said it out loud...

Liu Miao leisurely picked up the porcelain cup and gulped down a mouthful of milk tea, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

"Fengxiao, I am not a fool."

“I truly regard you as Zhang Yi, but even if you don’t regard me as King Huiwen of Qin, you shouldn’t regard me as King Huai of Chu… In this world, a good person like me should not be bullied.”

"..."

Guo Jia had a million things to say, but he had no choice but to bow down and temporarily acknowledge Liu Miao's good character.

"What Yuan Tan and Mengde do is none of my business. But if you dare to obstruct my efforts to restore the Han Dynasty, then you will be my enemies, just like Yuan Shao and Yuan Shang."

"I will not allow a single one of those 200,000 Yuan soldiers to return to Hebei. Neither Yuan Tan nor Yuan Shang should even think about it again."

After calmly stating the first two points, Liu Miao completely extinguished Guo Jia's hopes.

Guo Jia thought this was the end of his failed mission, but Liu Miao stopped him unexpectedly.

"Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"

Guo Jia suddenly had a bad feeling!
Because Liu Miao's smile at this moment was particularly eerie!

"I said I can take Guanzhong."

When Liu Miao mentioned Guanzhong again, Guo Jia immediately flew into a rage!

"Your Majesty, no..."

"I have said that I can take Guanzhong now, but whether I want to take Guanzhong is another matter."

Guo Jia's heart skipped a beat!
Finished!

He originally intended to fleece Liu Miao! But now it seems he's the one being fleeced by Liu Miao instead!
"First, hand over Hanoi to me."

"no!"

Guo Jia wanted to argue his case further, but Liu Miao stopped him.

"Fengxiao, you don't need to tell me anything. You just need to go back and tell Yuan Tan."

"If he refuses to give it to me, then I will come and take it myself."

Liu Miao, though not angry, felt insecure, leaving Guo Jia bewildered and lowering his head.

"It would also be good for him to hand over Hanoi to the Han Dynasty. At least the only places where he borders Yuan Shang are the mountain passes of the Taihang Mountains, so there is no need to worry about Yuan Shang directly threatening Hedong from Hanoi."

“Yuan Tan doesn’t have the troops to defend Hanoi right now. This place will be lost sooner or later. Rather than giving it to Yuan Shang, it’s better to cede it to me.”

What Liu Miao said was harsh, but it was the truth.

The Hanoi Commandery is located north of the Yellow River. If troops are dispatched from here, they can reach the walls of Ye City in just three days. The Northern Zhao court will surely go crazy to take back this place, and Yuan Tan simply does not have the ability to defend it.

Guo Jia, who understood this, ultimately remained silent.

"Secondly, trade with Guanzhong shall continue as before, and all goods, whether from the Western Regions or from the Han Dynasty, shall be exempt from commercial taxes. Furthermore, Yuan Tan shall provide me with three hundred healthy warhorses every month."

"..."

"Third, the passage to the south of Guanzhong, namely Wuguan, must be handed over to me."

"His Majesty!"

"I told you, just go back and tell him that if Yuan Tan doesn't agree, then I will go and get it myself."

There was not a trace of emotion in Liu Miao's words.

"Remember, it is not now that I and the Han Dynasty depend on you for survival, but that you depend on me and the Han Dynasty for survival!"

At the same time, Liu Miao also reminded Guo Jia—

"When Yuan Tan ascends the throne, the one who is most anxious is definitely not me, but Yuan Shang."

"Given Fengxiao's wisdom, let's guess whether Yuan Shang thinks it's more important to kill me first and avenge his father, or to kill Yuan Tan first and get rid of this big problem?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia's pupils contracted sharply!
Judging from Liu Miao's words... could it be that he might actually cooperate with Yuan Shang?
When the time comes, the Han Dynasty will take Guanzhong and the Northern Zhao will take Bingzhou. Why not do it?

(End of this chapter)