Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

Chapter 136 The Emperor's Side, A Storm is Brewing!

Just as Lu Yong was making great strides in selecting new soldiers, the emperor was finally preparing to set off from Anyi in Hedong, a thousand miles away.

Zhao Yuan stood behind the old camp wall south of Anyi City, holding a palm-sized oilcloth bag in his hand.

The person who delivered the items was an unfamiliar "Cuifeng".

After successfully delivering the cloth bag to him, he also added a message: "Strategist Guo instructs you to proceed according to plan!"

Zhao Yuan nodded, tucked the oilcloth bundle into his pocket, and turned to walk back to his dilapidated house.

After closing the door and confirming it was safe, he took out his cloth bag and used a knife to pry open the wax seal.

There was a roll of thin paper and a short knife in the oilcloth.

The letter was short. After reading it once, Zhao Yuan put the paper directly into his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it.

Then he picked up the dagger.

The blade was about one and a half feet long, and its edge gleamed with a cold, bluish light under the candlelight.

He raised his right hand and lightly traced a horizontal line across the blade with his thumb.

A thin line of blood immediately appeared on his finger. Zhao Yuan was shocked and whispered, "A fine knife!!!"

Zhao Yuan put the knife back into its sheath and placed it in his bosom.

He pushed open the door and went outside. It was getting dark outside, and a few torches had been lit in the camp.

He walked through two rows of tents and turned into a military tent with a wooden plaque bearing the character "Xu" hanging on it.

Inside the tent sat a man in his thirties, who was wiping the tip of a long spear.

He is Xu Huang.

Hearing footsteps, Xu Huang looked up and asked, "Marquis Zhao, is there something you need?"

"General, His Majesty is not adequately guarded. Should we send more men?"

Xu Huang pondered for a moment and replied, "General Xingyi and Dong Cheng have recently developed a growing rift, and both sides are keeping a close eye on the defenses around His Majesty."

If we rashly send more men, Dong Cheng might see it as us overstepping our authority, giving him ammunition against us and escalating the situation.

Zhao Yuan stepped forward and whispered a suggestion: "General, several soldiers on the patrol posts along the south wall of the Imperial Camp have fallen ill from the cold these past few days, and there have been vacancies on the posts."

We can select a few trustworthy veterans from the camp to take up the sentry posts on the south wall.

On the surface, they were on duty to reinforce defenses and patrol, but in reality, they had deployed their own men around the imperial tent.

Dong Cheng's men simply assumed it was a routine rotation, seeing nothing unusual and finding no fault with it.

Xu Huang looked up at Zhao Yuan, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes: "Your method is not bad."

However, the transfer of troops by the Imperial Guard is no small matter, and I cannot make such a decision on my own.

I will go to see General Xingyi tonight and explain this matter.

If he nods in agreement, you should take your men and carry it out tomorrow.

Once it's done, you'll be credited for it!

"Thank you, General!"

Zhao Yuan bowed respectfully and slowly withdrew from the military tent.

The moment the curtain fell, he couldn't help but raise his hand and gently press the short blade in his pocket through his clothes.

In early March, Cao Cao, following the agreed plan, dispatched Cao Hong with 5,000 light cavalry westward to welcome Emperor Xian of Han, who was returning eastward.

Cao Hong was not in a hurry to march, after all, he had received news that the emperor had not yet crossed the Yellow River.

But when he reached the vicinity of Xingyang, Cao Cao's urgent military order suddenly arrived.

The messenger's mount was exhausted to death, lying on the ground with blood and foam all over its mouth and nose.

Cao Hong unwrapped the sealing wax; inside were only two lines: Yuan Shao has dispatched Chunyu Qiong with ten thousand cavalry towards Mengjin. You must pass through within ten days.

The river must be correct.

Cao Hong handed the letter to his deputy, Cao Chun.

Cao Chun frowned after reading it.

I had heard rumors that Yuan Shu had sent generals to welcome the emperor.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao also sent troops.

Originally, their five thousand light cavalry were more like a trial run, since Cao Cao had not given them any death orders.

But if Yuan Shao were to make a move now, the situation would likely be completely different.

The difficulty for Yuan Shao in welcoming the emperor was undoubtedly much less than that for Yuan Shu.

Once the emperor is welcomed to Ye City by Yuan Shao, it will be extremely difficult for Cao Cao to turn the tide.

Cao Hong sent Cao Chun to deliver the order: there would be no rest that night; they should travel through the night.

The soldiers had barely dismounted and had barely taken a few bites of their rations when they heard the bugle call to assemble again.

Someone couldn't help but mutter a few complaints, only to be kicked in the shin by the village headman. He then sullenly mounted his horse and continued on his way.

The caravan set off again under the cover of night, heading west along the official road.

After a day of rapid travel, the scouts ahead suddenly turned back, saying that a large number of troops were stationed at the dangerous passes around Chenggao, and that flags with the characters "Dong" and "Chang" written on them were planted on the hilltops.

Cao Hong reined in his horse and sent the scouts to investigate the enemy's strength again.

Not long after, the scouts returned and reported: "Dong Cheng has about three thousand men, who are holding the high ground east of Chenggao Pass."

Changnu's forces numbered over two thousand, and they were encamped on a hillside west of the pass. The two camps were separated by a dry ditch, and they did not communicate with each other.

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The guard immediately handed over the map.

Cao Chun dismounted and came to Cao Hong's side to examine the map together.

"The fact that they are stationed separately shows that they are not of one mind."

But the pass is blocked from the front; if we force our way through, even if we manage to get through, the casualties will be devastating.

Cao Hong pondered for a moment, then said to Cao Chun, "Send someone back to Xudu to report that Chenggao Pass has been blocked by Dong Cheng and Changnu's combined forces."

A direct assault won't be easy; please have your elder brother send more men.

"Yes, sir!" Cao Chun replied and turned to arrange for the messengers.

Cao Hong ordered his troops to retreat five miles to set up camp and cook a meal.

But the day after Cao Hong arrived outside Chenggao Pass, people inside the pass suddenly began to whisper among themselves, saying that Changnu had sent someone to Hanoi, probably to bypass Dong Cheng and meet the emperor alone.

That night, rumors began to circulate in Changnu's camp that Dong Cheng had already sent his family south.

If the pass cannot be defended, he will lead the emperor to retreat to Jingzhou.

That night, when Changnu was patrolling the camp, he overheard two soldiers squatting by the fire discussing Dong Chengnan's retreat.

But he did not order an investigation into the source of the rumors.

Upon returning to his tent, he immediately ordered more spies to be sent to keep an eye on Dong Cheng's camp.

Around noon, the emperor and his entourage finally crossed the Yellow River.

The group traveled south for half a day and arrived at the northern suburbs of Luoyang.

The ruins of Luoyang gradually came into view.

Back then, Dong Zhuo burned down Luoyang.

The once prosperous eastern capital of the Han Dynasty has been reduced to this dilapidated state.

Many ministers couldn't help but sob quietly.

Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, was also overcome with grief.

After nightfall, a patrol team sent by Dong Cheng to the west failed to return on time.

The captain in charge of counting the number of people waited for more than an hour before finally sending men to search along the patrol route.

They found the bodies of the patrol team at the foot of a small hill not far from the main camp.

There were twelve people in total, all of whom had their throats slit from behind. The cuts were clean and fatal, with no signs of struggle.

But one person still had a breath left.

He lay at the bottom of the pile of corpses, with a penetrating wound on his right shoulder, blood soaking through half of his leather armor.

The captain squatted down in front of him and anxiously asked, "Who did it?"

The man spat out several mouthfuls of bloody foam before finally managing to say, haltingly, "Chang—Changnu's people—they're behind the earthen mound."

They ambushed us—saying they wanted to join forces with Cao Cao to eliminate General Wei—”

After saying that, the man breathed his last.

The captain dared not delay and hurriedly returned to report to Dong Cheng.

It was midnight.

The spies that Changnu sent to keep an eye on Dong Cheng suddenly returned to report.

They said that there was a sudden commotion in Dong Cheng's camp, which seemed to be a troop mobilization!

After listening, Changnu fell into deep thought.

He suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard during the day, and a sense of unease crept into his heart: "Could it be that Dong Cheng has really colluded with Cao Cao?"