Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 354 Even I cannot protect myself, let alone you?

Offer one, or hide the other?
Yes! That's another possibility! Yuan, you treacherous scoundrel!
Upon hearing Xun You's words, Cao Cao was greatly shocked, but then suddenly realized the truth!
"So that's how it is? Yuan Gonglu is full of tricks!"
Regarding the matter of registering names, it was my haste that led me to misunderstand.

Fortunately, Gongda reminded us, which was a dangerous tactic for Yuan Highway.

Seeing that Cao Cao had taken his advice to heart, Xun You breathed a sigh of relief and then went on to persuade him further.

"Not only that, even though Cao Anmin endured hardship and humiliation and told the Prime Minister everything, how do we know that the plans Yuan Shu told Cao Anmin were all true?"

What if he had foreseen Cao Anmin's betrayal and that what he said was mostly true with one lie, and deliberately misled the public about the number of letters?
What if there were 126 letters in total?

What if there are more than 132 letters?

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's expression changed drastically, and he turned pale with shock.

If there are only 126 letters, then the remaining Cao ministers are all loyal. All the investigations I have done are just asking for trouble. How could I find six traitors who hid letters and did not exist even if I turned Cao's camp upside down?
But are all his subordinates truly loyal? Given Yuan Shu's current power and his ability to manipulate people, is that even possible?
Even if it were possible, would I dare to believe it?
If there were more than 132 letters, it would be even more frightening.

This shows that there were more than six people who secretly kept the letters. Even if you dug three feet into the ground and found six traitors who were in cahoots with Yuan, and thought you had it all figured out, what could you do?

Those remaining traitors who colluded with Yuan Shikai, beyond the 132 letters, will go into hiding. When those hidden individuals finally erupt, their own deaths will likely be imminent.

Not to mention what Xun You just mentioned, some people might receive two letters and hand over only one.

Since all of this is based on unknown conditions, this so-called record list is simply a piece of waste paper and cannot serve any purpose in the investigation. It would be better to follow Xun You's suggestion and burn it to avoid shaking people's hearts and causing unnecessary trouble.

But the problem is still not solved!
Burning the lists and letters was merely a way to appease people and temporarily suppress the conflict, but the traitors colluding with Yuan Shao within Cao Cao's camp remained hidden.

Even if Cao Cao wanted to investigate, he found that he didn't even know how many letters Yuan Shu had sent, or whether the number of 132 letters was too many or too few.

There are 132 survey methods, more than 132 survey methods, and fewer than 132 survey methods.

This is Cao Cao's assessment of three completely different levels of suspicion based on the different actions of his subordinates, especially with the added variable of one person receiving two letters at the same time.

What's most chilling is that those who hand over the letters may not necessarily be loyal. Even with repeated tests, how can one distinguish between a treacherous person who appears loyal and a hypocrite who appears genuine?

The collision of these various possibilities, leading to all sorts of unpredictable changes, gave Cao Cao a splitting headache just thinking about it.

Despite his suspicious nature, he was at a loss when he learned that there were traitors colluding with Yuan Shikai among his men. He was unsure how to investigate or where to begin.

If he could, he would even like to kill all three hundred suspects to eliminate any future troubles and save himself a headache.

But there were too many of them. If that were done, Huanyuan Pass would fall on its own without Yuan Shu even needing to attack from the outside.

"So this was Yuan Shu's scheme all along?"

Cao Cao rubbed his forehead, leaning wearily against the couch. Even in his eyes, which had been as resolute as a knife after more than a decade of battlefield experience, a hint of hesitation appeared.

"It's been many years since we last met in Suanzao. I never imagined that we would meet again today. Yuan Gonglu has changed so much."

He looked at Xun You and muttered to himself.

"Gongda, do you think a person can change so drastically before and after, like a chasm between heaven and earth?"

He is Yuan Gonglu! Cao Cao and Yuan Shao have known each other since childhood. Because he was arrogant and difficult to get close to, Cao Cao often got close to Yuan Shao, but they played tricks on each other.

He was chivalrous and often went hunting with young noblemen, indulging in hunting and hunting. They were all rich and dissolute, and Cao Cao laughed at them, saying they were not worth discussing anything with.

When the eighteen warlords launched their campaign against Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo repeatedly made astonishing moves, which made him a laughing stock.

Now, Shu has declared himself King of Han, controlling the four provinces of Jing, Yang, Yu, and Xu, dividing the world into three, with one province under his control, and his orders are obeyed by all.

In contrast, Cao Cao suffered repeated defeats, losing all his territory. He tried to support the emperor but was rejected. When he tried to save the dynasty from collapse, he was abandoned by his followers.

I suspect he was a charlatan, pretending to be weak while secretly plotting against me. But Cao Cao knew him since he was young, so how could he not know his character?
Could there truly be those in this world who are born with knowledge, enabling Yuan Gonglu to understand the general trend of the world from a young age, to endure for decades as if unaware, and then one day, when the dust settles and the light shines, to overturn mountains and rivers and turn the world upside down?
Or perhaps the Imperial Seal of the State truly possesses the power of destiny, and the person who wields it is as if reborn, no longer capable of being defeated by ordinary people.
If that is truly the case, why has Heaven bestowed such a plan, yet treated it so poorly?

Cao Cao smiled bitterly and sighed:

"If Cao Cao was born, why was Shu (the art of strategy) born?"

"Does Heaven intend to destroy me?"

When Xun You saw Cao Cao so dejected after this setback, how could he not feel distressed?

He also knew that it was possible to hide one person or two letters, and that the number of 132 letters was not necessarily accurate, and that there might be more or less, etc.

This would be enough to put the investigation into the correspondence between Tong Yuan and Cao Cao in a dead end, and this would cause great trouble for the suspicious Cao Cao.

I fear that those traitors who collude with Yuan Shikai, a thorn in my side and whose very existence I do not know, will keep the Prime Minister tossing and turning every night, causing him to dream of killing and making it impossible for him to sleep peacefully.

But there is nothing we can do about it!
Regardless of whether there are still traitors colluding with Yuan Shao in Cao Cao's camp, this matter cannot be allowed to continue to be investigated arbitrarily by Cao Cao.

With Yuan Shu's 132 letters forming a total of 300 high-ranking suspects in Cao Cao's camp, the damage caused by Cao Cao's subsequent in-depth investigation would be far more serious than the problems caused by a few traitors colluding with Yuan Shu.

In other words, a few traitors who colluded with Yuan Shao could not bring down the entire core group of Cao Cao's camp in one fell swoop.

But Cao Cao could!
Cao Cao's suspicions and his investigations were enough to destroy the seemingly impregnable Huanyuan Pass.

Despite understanding all this and realizing the wickedness of Yuan Shu's plan, Xun You understood Cao Cao!
He knew that if he spoke frankly and advised Cao Cao to stop investigating the matter of collusion with Yuan Shao, he would not only fail to dispel Cao Cao's suspicion of his ministers, but might even bring trouble upon himself.

No matter how many reasons you give or how logically you argue, you may still convince Cao Cao, but Cao Cao will still have doubts in his heart.

Those who are innocent will remain innocent. If the officials are truly innocent, why fear investigation and testing?
Gongda's insistence on obstructing this—is it because he has a guilty conscience?

Xun You: "."

If this backfires, Xun You really won't know what to do.

Since that's the case, for the sake of the ministers, for the sake of Huanyuan Pass, and for the sake of the entire Cao Cao camp, we can only make things difficult for the Prime Minister.

Instead of investigating according to Cao Cao's wishes, which caused widespread panic, Cao Cao became suspicious of his ministers, and the ministers also became suspicious of Cao Cao. In the end, they became disloyal and were destroyed by the Han army, with both the ruler and his ministers reduced to dust.

Since Cao Cao's suspicion of his ministers was irreversible, Xun You decided to choose between two evils and at least protect one side. As long as the ministers had not yet lost faith in Cao Cao, Xun You could patch up and hold on to this shaky Cao Cao camp.

Thinking of this, Xun You couldn't help but smile bitterly. He didn't expect that Wen Ruo was in Luoyang repairing and maintaining the balance between loyalty and treachery, while he himself had to repair and maintain the balance between minister and traitor in Cao Cao's camp.

That's why he deliberately did the opposite of what Cao Cao wanted, making him suspicious of the ministers, but also making him feel the despair that followed that suspicion.

Since reasoning with Cao Cao won't convince him to abandon his investigation into the officials, let's just leave him with suspicion but unable to act on it!

Suspicion, distrust, headaches—no matter how much the Prime Minister doubts, he cannot kill all three hundred people and dig his own grave.

Before Cao Cao could solve the mystery of the number of letters set by Yuan Shu, even if he wanted to investigate his ministers, he would be overwhelmed by all sorts of possibilities and would have no way to start.

Since an investigation could not be launched, the only option was to burn the list and letters to appease the officials and at least maintain their trust on the surface.

As long as Cao Cao keeps his suspicions hidden and does not continue to investigate or pressure his ministers, and does not resort to drastic measures like making an example of someone tonight, thus maintaining a semblance of peace in Cao Cao's camp, his ministers will not become disloyal to him without reason.

As for Cao Cao's deep-seated suspicions...
We can only ask the Prime Minister to bear this hardship. Since we cannot solve the mystery of Yuan Shu and do not know how to investigate, we urge Your Excellency to continue to be patient.

Even without tonight's events and Yuan Shu's schemes, the Prime Minister's suspicions about everyone were still quite strong.

In a flash, Xun You bowed respectfully to Cao Cao.

"Since things have come to this point, it would be better to discuss the matter of colluding with the traitor Yuan later."

The most urgent task is for the Prime Minister to take charge of the overall situation and burn the lists and letters to reassure the public.

As for those in the camp who might be in league with Yuan, we should observe their actions. The Prime Minister only needs to order people to observe them secretly; if they are plotting to collude with Yuan, there will surely be clues.

Cao Cao, who was slumped back on the couch, suddenly looked up at him, a strange look hidden in his eyes.

"Gongda, if the number of letters Yuan Shu sent differs from what Anmin said, it is possible that he deliberately arranged it, and the number may be more or less."

But why would you suddenly think that someone might be hiding two letters? And why would you say it so confidently and with such certainty?

"Since there are two letters, why are there no third or fourth? Why don't you mention them?"

Cao Cao stood up and stared intently at Xun You in front of him.

"Or did you personally witness someone receiving two letters?"
Or perhaps... you only received two letters?

Xun You: "."

Cold sweat poured down Xun You's forehead. "Oh no, it's coming for me?"

He spoke with absolute certainty and conviction.

How could I be sure it was two letters? Who knows if Yuan Shu might have sent two or three letters to one person?

I made this up on the spot so you would believe the list of letters was useless and burn it quickly to stop you from continuing your investigation of the court officials.
If I don't speak with absolute certainty, how can you believe me?

But he couldn't say that right now, so fortunately he was quick-witted and explained.

"Your Excellency is wise!"
Sending more than two letters is meaningless.

If Yuan Shu were to give someone two letters, one explicit and one implicit, he would be asking that person to hand over one letter in the explicit form, while the true plan would be hidden in the implicit form. Any more than that would be useless.

Imagine if, after handing over one letter, it were discovered that the person had secretly kept another letter, they would surely be executed.

Even if he continues to hand over more letters to Yuan Shikai, he will still be unable to clear his name. In such a situation, what use would it be for him to keep three or four letters hidden away?

Therefore, You privately speculated that there might be two letters, since the ministers only had one chance to submit their letters.

This is neither a statement nor based on personal observation; it is merely conjecture. I humbly request the Prime Minister's judgment.

Cao Cao looked him over carefully, then suddenly helped him up himself and chuckled softly.

"Gongda, do not worry."

I was just joking around!
Do I not know your loyalty?

Xun You: "."

"Alright, the ministers have been waiting outside for a long time and must be very anxious."

"Come back with me, and burn those letters and lists. Then everyone will be at ease."

"only."

Shortly after, Cao Cao led Xun You out of the inner chamber and walked to the council hall.

The ministers, who had been whispering and looking anxious, suddenly fell silent. Everyone lowered their heads and acted obediently, not daring to meet Cao Cao's gaze.

Cao Cao raised his eyes, coldly surveyed the crowd, and remained silent for a long time.

The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, with the ministers bowing their heads deeply, almost burying them in their chests. Only then did Cao Cao nod and smile, his smile melting away like ice and snow.

Cao Cao said to him:

“When the technique is strong enough, even I cannot protect myself, let alone you.”

This is all Yuan Shu's scheme to sow discord between the ruler and his ministers, causing us to become disloyal and fall into chaos.

After saying this, he ordered his men to burn all the letters.

The courtiers were overjoyed and all agreed with his words and rebuked him.

"It was Yuan Shu's scheme all along! That traitor Yuan is truly cunning!"

"Yuan Gonglu is truly wicked, resorting to such a vicious scheme to frame us for wrongdoing?"

"The greatest schemer of our time, the mastermind behind the collapse of the Han Dynasty, his schemes are truly vicious and unpredictable. If it weren't for the Prime Minister seeing through his scheme and burning the letters and registers, we would have already fallen into his trap!"

Amidst the clamor of condemnation against Yuan Shu, the ruler and his ministers reached an unprecedented consensus!
This is almost a consensus today: as long as all the blame is placed on Yuan Shu, then everyone else present will also be blameless!

In this atmosphere of fervent emotion and righteous indignation, the relationship between the ruler and his ministers complemented each other perfectly, and all the ministers praised Cao Cao as "wise!"

However, beneath the surface, as all the officials had left, Cao Cao was constantly tormented by the various doubts surrounding those 132 letters when he was alone.

Is it too much or too little?

Among the officials, who exactly was colluding with Yuan?

As for the fact that no one was in contact with Yuan?

How can it be!

Even with such powerful skills, I cannot protect myself, let alone people like you.

Even trusted generals like Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, and Li Dian were able to communicate with Yuan.

My power is not as great as Yuan Shu's, and you are not as close to Xiahou Dun as he is to me. Why don't you ally with Yuan Shu and instead go to your deaths?

Based on Xun You's previous deductions, Cao Cao also knew that he must not launch a major attack before he had any evidence or clues, otherwise he would fall into Yuan Shu's trap.

It causes pain to loved ones and joy to enemies, and the Huanyuan Pass falls into chaos!
In the dim candlelight, Cao Cao's face was illuminated, its light flickering.

He rubbed his temples and murmured softly:
"We must remain patient and refrain from rash actions at this time."

(End of this chapter)