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

Chapter 75 Cao Cao: Miao Cai, will you betray me?
"General Yuan Rang was an upright and honorable man throughout his life. Even if he were trapped in the enemy camp, he would surely die for his principles. How could he be allowed to do such a despicable thing?"

Le Jin found this hard to believe and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Why do you say such a thing, strategist Xun? Could it be that you've been misled by rumors?"

Xun You shook his head slightly and handed him the latest intelligence he had obtained, "Liu Ziyang's plan to trick Yuan Gonglu into declaring himself emperor has failed again."

Mentioning the word "again," not only Xi Zhicai, but even the newly arrived Xun You felt a wave of exhaustion.

"He had barely met Yuan Gonglu when, before he could even offer any words of encouragement, his identity as a spy was exposed, and he was arrested on the spot."

However, he had disguised himself so well in Shouchun that he had not revealed the slightest flaw. Even Yan Xiang and the Yuan family had not seen through him and regarded him as a loyal member of the Yuan family.

He was so good at disguising himself that Yuan Yao took him as his teacher and introduced him to Yuan Gonglu.

In this situation, if someone hadn't leaked the secrets of heaven, how could Yuan Gonglu have known the future?

Otherwise, our plot with Liu Ziyang was extremely secretive, so how could he have seen through our identities at a glance?
Moreover, at Liu Ziyang's request, Yuan Gonglu ordered Xiahou Yuanrang to confront him in court, and the two exchanged insults without giving an inch.

Yuan Rang's words had also hinted at Liu Ziyang's identity, and his face was full of loyalty to the Yuan family. Now that things have come to this, how can you and I not believe him?

Le Jin clutched the intelligence tightly, speechless for a moment.

He still couldn't believe it, but now that the evidence was conclusive, after holding it in for a long time, he finally came out with a statement.

"Now that Liu Ziyang has failed, the plan to declare himself emperor is no longer feasible. Meanwhile, Yuan's army is well-trained and well-supplied, and their combination of feints and real attacks has demoralized our troops."

"What should I do now? I hope the strategist can advise me."

Xun You was pondering and about to answer when Xi Zhicai, who was looking at the intelligence report beside him with a deathly pale face, was staring blankly at the names "Xiahou Yuanrang" and "Liu Ziyang" when he suddenly let out a cry of grief!
"Why did it have to come to this!"

Suddenly, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, which splattered all over the ground!

When Yue Jin and Xun You saw him swaying precariously, they rushed to help him, but he pushed them away with a look of utter desolation on his face.

"Even Xiahou Yuanrang has betrayed us?"

Liu Ziyang, a man of extraordinary talent, was also implicated by me and trapped in Yuan's camp.
"Gongda, how can I face my lord now?"

As he coughed violently, a hint of unfocus appeared in his eyes. Xun You was greatly alarmed upon seeing this and quickly gripped his arm tightly.

“Zhicai! Every scheme has its successes and failures. Do you still remember what you promised when our lord left?”

You will surely repel the four feudal lords for him, and you will be more than all the wise men in the world!

Now, Lü Bu has seized Xuzhou, Liu Bei has borrowed Yuzhou, and two of the warlords have already left. Zhongde's situation has been delayed until now because he has to travel to the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, which is a long journey, but it is only a matter of time.

"Now, of all the warlords in the land, only Yuan Gonglu's family remains. How can you abandon your promise to our lord and simply leave?"

"Yuan Gonglu!!!"

Upon hearing this name, Xi Zhicai's eyes, which were on the verge of dying, seemed to burn with a blazing light, and he almost gritted his teeth as he devised a plan.

"Only Liu Bei can force Yuan Shu to retreat!"
Since he refuses to declare himself emperor, then we will force him to rebel!

You can send a letter to your lord, requesting an imperial edict ordering Yuan Gonglu to hand over the Imperial Seal of the State, or else he will be considered a traitor!
I refuse to believe that Yuan Gonglu would even give up the Imperial Seal of the State! At this moment, he was emaciated, so thin that he was almost unrecognizable. He was no longer the scholar in plain clothes and sickly gentleman he once was. His voice was hoarse and shrill, like a sinister laugh on his deathbed.

"If Yuan Gonglu can really give up the Imperial Seal and become a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, then I will accept this defeat and what does it matter if I die?"

Xiahou Dun's message was quickly sent to Cao Cao's camp along with Xi Zhicai's letter. At that moment, Xi Zhicai was protecting the emperor as he rushed to his death.

They had no choice but to flee, for Xiahou Yuan had already led his army to join them, bringing news that Yuan Shao's cavalry had crossed the defense line and were pursuing and intercepting them.

Cao Cao was discussing countermeasures with him in his tent when he was shocked to hear the devastating news that Xiahou Dun had defected to the enemy.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!!"

He could barely control his emotions, his joy and anger were written all over his face, and he suddenly kicked over the table in front of him.

"Yuan Rang will defect to Yuan? If even Yuan Rang can defect to Yuan, does that mean I will have to defect to Yuan too?"
Given the current difficult situation, I do not expect him to die for justice in Yuan's camp.

But how could he turn around and help Yuan Gonglu, betraying me and ruining Zhicai's grand plan, even causing Liu Ziyang to be trapped in Yuan's camp and unable to escape?

After venting for a while, his icy eyes finally fixed on Xiahou Yuan beside him.

"Miao Cai, do you think this news is credible? Would Yuan Rang betray me?"

Xiahou Yuan was startled!
He had just returned and joined the others when he was shocked to hear the news that Xiahou Dun had been captured by Yuan Shao's camp during the Battle of Yangdi and his fate was unknown. He hadn't recovered from that news yet.

Little did they expect that the messages coming from the rear would be more and more shocking than the last!
Did Yuan Rang defect to Yuan Shikai?
Even leaking secrets and betraying one's lord?

But how is this possible!

Even if you beat Xiahou Yuan to death, you would never imagine that such a chilling thing could happen.

Upon meeting his lord's chilling gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed down.

"My lord, you are wise!"
Yuan Rang and I grew up together, and after decades of friendship, how could he change his mind?

Moreover, he is not a person who is afraid of death; if anything were to happen, he would rather die than compromise his principles!

"Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. Please, my lord, do not believe this rumor. There must be a misunderstanding or something fishy about Liu Ziyang's matter. Yuan Rang has absolutely no reason to rebel."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao seemed to calm down somewhat, and nodded slightly in agreement.

“What you say is very true. I have great faith in Yuan Rang and he will never let me down.”

As he spoke, he slowly walked out, intending to present himself to the emperor as the letter had instructed, and discuss the matter of the Imperial Seal of the State. However, as he passed by Xiahou Yuan, he whispered something in his ear.

"Miao Cai, you won't disappoint me too, will you?"

At that moment, Xiahou Yuan felt a chill creep into his heart and his whole body felt icy cold.

Once the seeds of doubt are sown, they cannot be extinguished with just a few words.

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(End of this chapter)