My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 172: Stop pretending to be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, you just want to be King Wen of Zhou! Cao Cao was shocked: Liu Bei actually killed my son?

Yandu Port.

Inside the big tent of the water camp, Cao Zhang was drinking one cup after another.

He was holding his breath.

After his eye injury healed, he repeatedly asked Cao Cao for permission to participate in the attack on Ruxu Fort.

However, Cao Cao politely declined with various reasons and refused to allow him to lead the army into battle again.

It would have been fine if he hadn't been allowed to lead the army into battle, but now Cao Cao sent him back to Guangling County, and he ran to Yandu to enjoy the sea breeze and meet that idiot Sun Quan.

Cao Zhang couldn't understand why, and felt resentful, so he could only drink to drown his sorrows.

"Master Ziwen is the Prime Minister's legitimate son, but the Prime Minister didn't allow him to lead the army to attack Ruxu Fort because he was afraid he might make another mistake. This shows how much the Prime Minister loves his son..."

Deputy General Lu Zhao couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so he spoke to comfort them.

Cao Zhang was stunned, but after his reminder, he suddenly understood a little, and the resentment on his face faded a lot.

"Although Sun Quan is a lost cause, he was once the ruler of Jiangdong and still has considerable appeal to the people of Jiangdong."

"The Prime Minister wants to recapture Jiangdong and will use him in the future to stir up public sentiment in Jiangdong and destabilize Liu Bei's rear."

"If that is the case, the Prime Minister sent Prince Wen to personally welcome Sun Quan, precisely to show courtesy to Sun Quan and win his heart."

Lu Zhao then explained Cao Cao's intention of sending him to Yandu.

Cao Zhang suddenly realized what Cao Cao meant. His expression turned from gloomy to bright and he couldn't help but sigh.

"So my father was so attentive. I was wrong to blame him. I really shouldn't have..."

Cao Zhang showed some remorse, and then his face burned with hatred:

"But I must avenge this blindness. Now that I've brought Sun Quan back to the camp, I must convince my father to let me lead the troops into battle!"

"If I don't flatten Ruxu Fort, take Jiangdong for my father, and kill that big-eared thief, I'm not worthy to be Cao Mengde's son!"

Cao Zhang became more and more angry as he spoke. He smashed the wine glass on the table and swore a curse with gritted teeth.

As soon as he finished speaking, the personal guards outside the tent came in and reported that dozens of warships appeared on the sea outside the port, flying the flag of "Sun".

Lu Zhao's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "General Ziwen, it must be Sun Quan who has arrived!"

Cao Zhangteng stood up, his face showing contempt, and snorted coldly:
"That bastard Sun Quan has finally arrived. I'll pick him up and return to Ruxukou as soon as possible so I can ask my father for permission to razing Ruxuwu!"

Cao Zhang immediately left the tent, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the pier.

Standing on the shore, I looked into the distance and saw more than 40 warships coming north along the coastline and slowly heading towards Yandu Port.

As the boat approached, Cao Zhang, after repeated reminders from Lu Zhao, reluctantly suppressed the contempt on his face and prepared to greet Sun Quan with courtesy.

In a moment, more than forty warships sailed into the pier and approached the shore.

However, the Jiangdong soldiers on the boat were reluctant to get off, as if they were waiting for something.

Cao Zhang couldn't help but frown.

What does Sun Quan mean?
The boat docked but he didn't get off. Could it be that he was waiting for me to get on board and ask him to get off?

You are a stray dog, you are too arrogant.

"Master Ziwen, the Prime Minister has instructed us to treat Sun Quan with courtesy, ahem..."

Seeing that Cao Zhang was unhappy, Lu Zhao, who was standing beside him, hurriedly coughed and reminded him.

Cao Zhang snorted disdainfully and whipped his horse whip:
"He is the ruler of a fallen country, a dog without a home. What qualifications does he have to act so arrogantly in front of me?"

"Go and meet him if you want. I'll stand here and wait for him!"

Lu Zhao was helpless. Knowing the temper of the second young master, he dared not persuade him anymore. He had to ride his horse forward and board the flagship.

As soon as he got on the boat, Lu Zhao felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere.

Although the Jiangdong soldiers around him were all wearing Jiangdong army uniforms and armor, they stared at him with hostility, as if they were staring at a prey that had come to their doorstep.

Moreover, these Jiangdong soldiers all held the hilts of their swords tightly, as if they were ready to rush forward at any time and chop them into meat paste.

This strange atmosphere made him feel a little uneasy.

He searched the crowd, trying to find the face with "blue eyes and purple beard", but he could not find it.

So Lu Zhao had no choice but to swallow his saliva and said loudly:
"I am Lu Zhao, a deputy general under Prime Minister Cao. I have come with my son Ziwen to greet the Marquis of Wu. May I ask where the Marquis of Wu is?"

A warrior as strong as a tiger stepped forward slowly and sneered:
"Lu Zhao, right? I've captured that boy, Sun Quan, alive and sent him to Moling to be presented to my lord."

"I am Gan Ning, a general under Lord Xuande!"

Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment.

He understood every word the man in front of him said, but when they were put together, he looked confused and couldn't come to his senses for a moment.

Gan Ning and Sun Quan were captured alive, Duke Xuande...

Each word boomed in his ears like thunder. After a moment of trance, Lu Zhao suddenly woke up, his expression changed drastically with horror.

"You are not Sun--"

"brush!"

Before Lu Zhao could scream, Gan Ning shook his tiger arm and swung his sword.

A head flew out, fell under the boat, and rolled directly in front of Cao Zhang.

Cao Zhang looked at Lu Zhao's head and was stunned for a moment, unable to react.

The Cao army soldiers on the pier and on the shore were all stunned, and they thought they were seeing things.

Sun Quan, who came to seek refuge like a stray dog, actually killed General Lu who came to greet them on board the ship?
What's happening here?
Is Sun Quan crazy?
Just as Cao Zhang and Cao's army were stunned, Gan Ning on the deck had already jumped onto his horse and pointed his bloody blade fiercely at the Cao army under the boat.

"I am Gan Ning, the general serving under Lord Xuande!"

"I have captured that bastard Sun Quan alive, and now I have come to take Cao Zhang's life!"

The domineering and sarcastic shouts rang out like thunder, making the Cao army on the shore feel numb.

Cao Zhang's body shook, and he woke up instantly. He suddenly looked up at Gan Ning in horror.

"Fell into a trap!"

These three words suddenly burst out in my mind like thunder.

That useless guy Sun Quan must have been intercepted by Liu Jun's navy on the way.

This Jinfan thief, disguised as a Jiangdong soldier, drove right under their noses, intending to kill them by surprise!
Cao Zhang, who had woken up in shock, drew his sword and shouted:

"It's Liu Jun, quickly form a battle formation to repel the enemy!"

It's too late.

Gan Ning on the boat had a look as sharp as a blade and slashed down first.

Liu Jun's archers, who had been lying in ambush, immediately appeared, and countless sharp arrows whizzed down from the boat.

"Puff puff!"

Hundreds of Cao's soldiers were caught off guard and were nailed to the ground in an instant.

After a round of arrows, Cao's army was thrown to the ground and their horses were thrown into chaos.

"Brothers, follow me to the shore, kill Cao's army without a single piece of armor left, and make my name, Gan Ning, famous—"

Gan Ning roared like a tiger, rode his horse, and with his sword in hand, he jumped off the warship first and rushed towards the panicked Cao army.

With a flick of his sword, he beheaded the three Cao soldiers who were still in a daze.

Thousands of naval soldiers appeared on each ship, jumped off the ship one after another, and rushed towards Cao's army on the shore.

The Cao army in Yandu had only a thousand people and was caught off guard by Liu's army, which was several times larger than theirs. How could they resist?
In an instant, Cao's army was thrown into disarray and chaos, and fell into a state of collapse.

"Protect Master Ziwen, retreat quickly!"

Seven or eight tiger guards surrounded Cao Zhang and were about to flee towards Yandu City.

Cao Zhang was not a completely reckless man. Seeing that the situation was not good, he wanted to escape with the support of his personal guards.

Unexpectedly.

Gan Ning, who was more than ten steps away, spotted the one-eyed young general at a glance and recognized his identity.

"Blind dog of the Cao family, if you have the guts, don't run away and fight me to the death!"

Gan Ning cursed loudly and rode his horse straight towards Cao Zhang.

The phrase "the blind dog of the Cao family" instantly exposed Cao Zhang's scars and deeply hurt his self-esteem.

Ever since Huang Zhong shot him in the eye and he became a one-eyed dragon, Cao Zhang pretended to be indifferent, but in fact he was extremely inferior in his heart. What he feared most was being mentioned about his blindness.

Everyone in Cao's army, including Cao Cao, naturally tried to appease him and pretended nothing was wrong. They never dared to bring up any irrelevant issues in front of him.

Who would have thought that although Cao's army tried to coax him, Gan Ning did not indulge him and directly rubbed salt into his wounds.

"Jinfan thief, I'm going to kill you——"

Cao Zhang was so angry and ashamed that he let out a loud cry, turned his horse around, and rushed towards Gan Ning with his sword in hand.

A sneer appeared on Gan Ning's lips.

The provocation worked, and Cao Zhang turned around and fought back to fight him to the death.

Just right!

Gan Ning's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and the long sword in his hand slashed out with the force of thunder.

Cao Zhang, who was coming towards him, had a distorted and ferocious face, like a mad beast, and was slashing madly with the long sword in his hand.

When the two swords collided, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked.

When the enemy passed by, Cao Zhang turned his horse around and slashed with the second and third swords like a madman.

Gan Ning swung his long sword back, using a sharp and domineering sword style calmly to easily resolve Cao Zhang's attack.

The two men then started fighting.

Ten moves passed in a flash. As Cao Zhang's fury faded, he suddenly realized that he was actually at a disadvantage.

In other words, Gan Ning's martial arts were originally better than his.

Now that he was blind in one eye, his strength was affected invisibly and weakened a bit more than before.

After ten moves, Gan Ning had already felt out Cao Zhang's strengths and weaknesses. Suddenly he shouted loudly and his sword moves increased dramatically.

The overwhelming sword shadows came down layer by layer, instantly enveloping Cao Zhang.

Cao Zhang had no choice but to grit his teeth, muster up all his strength, and fight back with his sword.

Another ten moves passed.

Cao Zhang has been suppressed to the point where he is overwhelmed and unable to cope.

Only then did he feel regretful and realized that he should not have acted impulsively and fallen into Gan Ning's provocation, forcing him to fight back.

"If the fight continues like this, I'll definitely die under the sword of this Jinfan thief. Isn't that a great shame and humiliation?"

Cao Zhang's fighting spirit collapsed immediately. He rolled his eyes a few times, gritted his teeth, attacked fiercely with a few swords, turned his horse around and left.

When he turned around, his face changed in shock.

While he was fighting Gan Ning like crazy, Liu's army had already captured the ferry and killed Cao's army, forcing them to scatter in all directions.

When Cao Zhang wanted to leave at this time, he suddenly discovered that Liu's army was everywhere.

The hundreds of Liu troops in front of him were like a solid wall, blocking his escape direction.

"Cao family dog, you can't escape today, you will die!"

Gan Ning let out a sarcastic roar from behind him, and with a knife in his hand, he chased and slashed at him like lightning.
Just as Cao Zhang was panicking and distracted, the blade behind him came slashing towards him.

When Cao Zhang turned around, the blade was already in front of him and it was too late to resist.

"not good--"

Cao Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and endless fear suddenly surged in his eyes.

It is unavoidable and unstoppable!
Cut it off with one knife.

Half of Cao Zhang's body, from shoulder to waist, was cut off in a flash.

A howl of agony was heard, and Cao Zhang's two broken parts fell off the horse.

"I actually died at the hands of a pirate... a pirate..."

Cao Zhang, who had fallen to the ground, was unable to finish his last words, his face frozen in a moment of grief, anger and despair.

A desperate death.

Gan Ning cut off Cao Zhang's head and held it high in the air.

When the generals and soldiers saw Cao Cao's son being beheaded, they were all ecstatic, waving their weapons and cheering loudly.

"Congratulations, General, for your remarkable achievement!"

"Congratulations, General, for your remarkable achievement!"

The eight hundred direct descendants of the Jinfan soldiers all knew the importance of the head in Gan Ning's hand, and they all congratulated him with joy and excitement.

Gan Ning laughed heartily and shouted:

"Take away all the military supplies seized from Yandu Port and return to Jiangdong!"

The excited cheers arose again.

So Gan Ning moved all the food and military supplies in the harbor and sailed away with Cao Zhang's head.

Only half of Cao Zhang's body was left, and the ground was in a mess.

...

Ruxuwu.

A meeting is underway.

Protected by Xu Chu and other powerful guards, Cao Cao arrived at Ruxu Fort and explicitly demanded that Liu Bei appear in person to answer his questions.

Liu Bei, who had already rushed to Wubi from Moling, naturally would not show weakness. He immediately ordered the gate to be opened and rode out under the protection of Zhao Yun and other white horse volunteers.

The two old enemies met again across a trench.

"I was ordered by the Emperor to take over Jiangdong. As the Emperor's chosen uncle, you should be loyal to the court and obey the Emperor's orders. Why are you instead leading your own troops and blocking the imperial army from crossing the river?"

"Liu Bei, what you have done is nothing short of treason. Are you worthy of your status as a relative of the Han Dynasty and the trust the emperor has placed in you?"

Cao Cao pointed his whip at Liu Bei and questioned him righteously, relying on his status as the emperor who controlled the other princes.

Liu Bei immediately understood.

Cao Cao had been attacking Ruxu for a long time but failed. Seeing that his military strategy was not working, he resorted to literary tactics and came to engage him in a verbal battle.

However, talking was obviously not his forte. Faced with Cao Cao's seemingly "righteous" questioning, he didn't know how to fight back for a while.

"My master is the emperor's uncle, chosen by the emperor himself. It is precisely out of loyalty to the court and the emperor that I am following the imperial edict to attack you, the traitor who is causing chaos in the country!"

Another righteous voice sounded from inside the dock.

Liu Bei looked back and saw Xiao He spurring his horse and waving the whip, slowly walking out from the wall and standing beside him.

As soon as Cao Cao asked that question, Xiao He guessed his motive. Thinking that he could not let his lord suffer any loss, he decisively stood up and retorted on Liu Bei's behalf.

Liu Bei's eyes lit up, and he immediately pointed his whip at Cao Cao:
"My military advisor is absolutely right. I am following the Emperor's secret decree to attack you, the Han traitor. I have every right to do so!"

Cao Cao swallowed and his face turned dark.

There's nothing we can do. It's our fault that we failed to keep a good eye on the puppet emperor, which led to him creating the Secret Decree.

Although all the conspirators were killed by him, Liu Bei managed to escape.

Moreover, this Yidaizhao incident caused a lot of uproar and was known to everyone in the world.

Liu Bei took out the secret decree to make his point and is legitimately going against you. What can you do?

Cao Cao was speechless, his eyes darting around, unable to find any words to fight back.

"Cao Cao, you want to be King Wen of Zhou. You dare not usurp the Han Dynasty during your lifetime, but you want to eliminate people like my master who support the Han Dynasty in order to pave the way for your son, your Cao family, to usurp the Han Dynasty."

"Everyone knows your true intentions, Cao Cao. Why are you pretending to be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty? You're only making people laugh at you!"

With a sarcastic look on his face, Xiao He casually exposed Cao Cao's wishful thinking hidden in his heart.

Cao Cao was startled and looked at the young scholar in surprise.

King Wen of Zhou was a minister of the Shang Dynasty, but his son King Wu of Zhou defeated King Zhou of Shang and founded the Zhou Dynasty.

This idea had been quietly growing in his mind since he pacified Hebei and wiped out Yuan Shao.

But the time is not yet ripe, and he has not mentioned it to anyone, not even to his brothers Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren.

But this unknown thought was actually seen through by the counselor beside Liu Bei?

"Could he be..."

Cao Cao shuddered, and the name immediately flashed through his mind.

"Cao Cao, if you truly consider yourself a Han minister, do you have the courage to return military and political power to the emperor and retire with my master?"

Xiao He once again dug a trap for Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was speechless when asked.

Give up military and political power, retire and retire to the countryside?
How is that possible?

But if you refuse, wouldn't you be admitting in front of so many people that you are abusing your power and holding the emperor hostage?

Cao Cao secretly gritted his teeth, knowing that he had lost this verbal battle and brought humiliation upon himself.

"Boy, you are really eloquent and witty!"

Cao Cao had no choice but to change the subject and asked:
"If I'm not mistaken, you are that Xiao He!"

Xiao Hezi had no need to deny it, so he said frankly:

"That's right, I won't change my name, Xiao He is me."

Cao Cao suddenly tightened the whip in his hand, and his eyes shot towards Xiao He like a knife.

We finally meet!
That strange man who passed by me...

That country bumpkin who, with his ingenious schemes, helped Liu Bei destroy his dream of conquering Jingzhou and unifying the world...

That Liu Bei accomplice who caused the deaths of his own brothers and nephews in Jiangdong with a snap of his fingers...

He just stood in front of him so arrogantly, separated by a trench!
He also had a barrage of words, seeing through his own wishful thinking and satirizing him to the point of being completely destroyed!

Cao Cao's heart was burning with rage, and he pointed his whip at Xiao He:
"Xiao He, do you think you can single-handedly help Liu Bei resist a million-strong army?"

"Sooner or later I will make you understand what it means to try to stop a chariot with a mantis arm, and what it means to go against the will of heaven!"

"When I conquer Jiangnan, annihilate Liu Bei, and capture you alive, you will know that the thing you regret most in this life is abandoning me and joining Liu Bei instead!"

Hearing Cao Cao's arrogant words, Xiao He only smiled coldly:
"Cao Cao, I can't say whether I will regret it in the future. I only know that you will soon regret sending your son to Yandu to meet Sun Quan!"

Cao Cao was stunned at first, and suddenly a sense of foreboding came over him.

at this time.

The sound of horse hooves rang out, and a rider came galloping over, shouting:

"My lord, the enemy general Gan Ning disguised himself as a Jiangdong fleet and raided our Yandu Port!"

"Prince Ziwen was unable to retreat and was killed by the enemy general Gan Ning!"

A bolt from the blue struck from the sky.

Cao Cao's face turned pale with horror.

(End of this chapter)