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

Chapter 182: If Lao Liu wants, he can directly become emperor! Cao Cao: Force me to kill Cao Pi? Kill my own son?
Why was Xiao He worried before that welcoming the emperor would be a double-edged sword?
Isn't it because he is worried that Liu Xie is in his prime and is unwilling to be a nominal king, so he will find ways to make trouble and try to snatch the military power from Liu Bei?

Cao Cao was naturally not afraid of dealing with such an "ambitious" emperor.

Just kill him and it's over.

If you dare to make trouble, I will kill you. I will kill all the Han officials who are loyal to you, clip your wings, and turn you into a lonely man, so that you will never be able to make any more tricks.

It was naturally impossible for Liu Bei to follow Cao Cao's example, and it was even more impossible for him to harm those Han officials who were loyal to the emperor.

But if you don't use some domineering means and don't kill people, it would be a bit difficult to suppress the emperor's troubles.

Now that the emperor has died at the hands of Cao's army, Xiao He's worries no longer exist.

The emperor died and the throne was vacant. As a descendant of the Liu family, Liu Bei controlled half of Jiangnan. If he wanted, he could even directly inherit the throne and ascend the throne to become emperor!

Of course, proclaiming oneself emperor at this time was indeed a big step.

After all, Jiangdong was just settled, and Liu Bei only had Jingzhou and half of Yangzhou in his hands, and he did not have the hard power to become emperor.

Then let’s establish an emperor first to make the transition.

When establishing a new emperor, the first choice is naturally Liu Xie's lineage, as their bloodline and status are the most legitimate.

Liu Xie had only one son, Liu Xi, King of Jiyin, who happened to escape the disaster and was brought back by Zhao Yun.

The key point is that Liu Xi is only five years old.

What ambitions could a five-year-old have? What did he know about power? What could he accomplish? What threat could he pose to Liu Bei?
By establishing Liu Xi as emperor, Liu Bei was able to hold the righteousness in his hands and use it to recruit people from all over the world who supported the Han and opposed Cao.

He could also lead his army with confidence to defeat Cao Cao and recover the Central Plains without having to worry about a young and strong emperor at home who was always plotting against him and holding him back.

Perfect...

Xiao He's mouth corners curled up secretly, and the big stone in his heart gradually fell to the ground.

"Military Advisor Xiao!"

A heavy voice interrupted Xiao He's thoughts.

When he looked up, he saw Kong Rong walking towards him with a sad face.

Less than a month later, this great scholar of the time had half his hair turned white and looked much more haggard, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

It was obvious that the death of the emperor dealt him a heavy blow mentally.

"Mr. Kong, the Emperor..."

Xiao He stepped forward and bowed, wanting to comfort Kong Rong, but he didn't know where to start.

Kong Rong took out a bloody cloth from his bosom, held it in his hands tremblingly, and said:

"Military Advisor Xiao, this is the Emperor's will. Please pass it on to Lord Xuande."

The emperor's will?

Xiao He hurriedly lowered his head and unfolded the blood edict.

He appointed his uncle Liu Bei as the general, and assisted Liu Xi of Jiyin in succeeding the throne and defeating Cao Cao...

A flash of surprise appeared in Xiao He's eyes.

This emperor's will is really a pleasant surprise!

With this edict, it means that Old Liu can legitimately support Liu Xi to succeed to the throne, and can also legitimately take charge of military and political power as a general to fight against Cao Cao!
With the emperor's will in hand and the emperor's only prince also here, from now on, this righteous status will be completely transferred to Lao Liu's hands!

How could Xiao He not be surprised?

But this kind of thing can only be kept in the heart and naturally cannot be expressed, let alone in front of Kong Rong.

"Mr. Kong, what's the matter with this will? How was the emperor murdered?"

Xiao He suppressed his secret joy and couldn't help but feel curious again. He wanted to know what kind of mentality the emperor had when he wrote this edict to entrust his son to his care.

Kong Rong sighed and told the whole story with tears in his eyes.

When Xiao He heard Kong Rong say that the emperor jumped off the imperial chariot with his last breath before dying in order to delay Cao's pursuers and buy them time to cross the river, he couldn't help but be shocked.

A sense of awe arises spontaneously.

It has to be admitted that Xiao He did have the idea of ​​secretly plotting to help Liu Bei get rid of the emperor, who was a stumbling block.

However, after weighing the pros and cons, he still did not take action.

Firstly, considering that Liu Bei pursued the way of benevolence and righteousness and worked to support the Han Dynasty, as a minister of Liu Bei, he secretly attacked the Han emperor, which was contrary to Liu Bei's ideals.

The two also thought about the emperor. Although he was not an easy person to deal with, he had struggled for half his life to regain power from Cao Cao, to turn the tide and support the crumbling Han Dynasty.

Xiao He also felt guilty for having harmed such a responsible and courageous emperor.

So after thinking it over again and again, he gave up the fleeting idea.

Now it seems that his choice that day was correct.

Before his death, the emperor was still thinking about restoring the Han Dynasty and even performed the heroic feat of jumping off a chariot to stop Cao's army. He was indeed a responsible emperor worthy of the world's respect.

"What a pity! If he were born in a peaceful and prosperous era, the emperor would surely be a wise ruler..."

Xiao He sighed, then handed the blood edict back to Kong Rong and said,

"This is a serious matter. It would be better if we wait for my master to arrive in Wancheng and then have Young Master Kong personally hand over this blood decree to him."

Kong Rong was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Xiao He meant.

As one of the Nine Ministers of the court and the only person present before the emperor's death, the emperor's will would only be convincing if he handed it to Liu Bei personally.

Kong Rong then sighed and carefully took back the blood edict.

Next, Xiao He led the remaining officials to welcome the queen and her son into the city, and vacated the county government office to settle them down.

At the same time, he sent people north to recall Wei Yan and Ma Chao, ordering them to quickly retreat to Wancheng with an army of 20,000.

Then he sent a messenger to the south to report to Liu Bei, who was on his way to Jingzhou, that the emperor had been assassinated and asked Liu Bei to rush to Wancheng to take charge of the situation.

...

A hundred miles southeast of Xudu is Ruyang City.

At dusk, nearly 50,000 Cao's vanguard troops began to set up camp outside the city and cook.

Heading north from Ruxukou, Cao Cao led the vanguard army and traveled day and night for ten days, until they were exhausted and exhausted.

Now they were only a hundred miles away from Xu Du. After confirming that Xu Du was safe and sound, Cao Cao finally breathed a sigh of relief and decided to rest in Ruyang City for one night.

In the main hall of the county government.

The county magistrate offered fine wine and delicious food, and Cao Cao was finally able to have a hot meal.

Just as Cao Cao picked up a bowl of hot wheat rice and was about to put it into his mouth, the Tiger Guards hurried in and reported that Xun Yu had an urgent report delivered from eight hundred miles away.

"Read it!"

Cao Cao didn't realize the seriousness of the situation yet. He just raised his chopsticks and continued to shovel rice into his mouth.

"On the third day of this month, Kong Rong, Wei Huang, Geng Ji, and several others rebelled. They gathered nearly a thousand private soldiers, raided the imperial palace, abducted the emperor and empress, and fled to Xudu, heading south to join Liu Bei."

"Our army divided into several groups to pursue him. Prince Zihuan caught up with the emperor east of the Ying River and actually ordered him to be shot!"

"The people of the capital are in turmoil. Please ask the Prime Minister to return to the capital to take charge of the situation!"

Inside the palace, there was a moment of shock.

All the counselors and generals who were wolfing down their food were shocked, and all the wine and food in their mouths spat out.

Cao Cao was so shocked that his face turned pale, his hands trembled, and his chopsticks fell to the ground in shock.

"Bang!"

Cao Cao turned the bowl upside down on the table and shouted excitedly:
"What did you say? Say it again?"

Cheng Yu, Cao Chun and the others, not caring about the loss of their manners by spitting out their food, jumped up and looked at the Tiger Guards in astonishment.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Lord Xun reported that the Emperor was abducted from the city by Kong Rong and other treacherous ministers. Prince Zihuan, while pursuing them, shot and killed the Emperor… the Emperor…"

The tiger guard was so frightened that he trembled and dared not say anything more. He hurriedly stumbled forward to present the urgent report to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao snatched it away and couldn't wait to unfold it and take a closer look.

Every word and sentence was clear. Cao Cao could even read between the lines the anger Xun Yu was feeling when he wrote it.

The silk book fell out of his hand and Cao Cao fell down with a thud. He felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss and was frozen into an ice sculpture.

"Zihuan actually killed the emperor? He actually dared to kill the emperor?"

"That's impossible. He definitely doesn't have the guts. How could my son, Cao Cao, be a regicide?"

"Impossible, this is impossible-"

Cao Cao trembled and talked to himself, shaking his head continuously, unable to accept this incredible fact.

Cheng Yu and the others hurriedly stood up, picked up the urgent report on the ground and took a closer look.

In the lobby, there was an uproar in an instant.

Everyone was shocked and stunned, and they all looked at Cao Cao in horror.

The emperor is dead!

This means that the banner of justice that Cao Cao had held in his hands for more than ten years fell.

The power to hold the emperor hostage and control the princes was thus wiped out!

This was a heavy political blow to Cao Cao, and its destructive power was no less than the disastrous defeat during his southern expedition to Jingzhou.

The key point is that the emperor was killed by Cao Pi, your son Cao Cao!
The legitimate son of the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty actually murdered the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!
This is an unprecedented wonder!
Doesn't this just confirm your reputation as a traitor and troublemaker?
What will the civil and military officials in the court think of you?

How will the people of the world view you?

Haven't we, who follow you, Cao Cao, also become accomplices of the enemy and traitors who cause chaos in the country?

Everyone was naturally aware of the serious consequences, but no one dared to speak out loud. They could only look at Cao Cao in panic.

"Prime Minister, this matter is of great importance. It happened too suddenly. The specific circumstances are still unknown."

"The most important thing right now is to return to Beijing immediately so we can find out the truth."

Cheng Yu was the first to calm down, and he hurriedly bowed and tried to persuade him.

Cao Cao's body was shaken, and then he came to his senses. He jumped up and shouted:

"Pass on my order, the entire army will set off immediately and return to the capital!"

So Cao Cao didn't even bother to eat, and immediately took 50,000 soldiers who had just set up camp, and rushed to Xu Du day and night regardless of his fatigue.

At dusk the next day, the city of Xudu finally came into view.

When Cao Cao entered the city, Xudu was already covered in mourning. Xun Yu, the Minister of the Chancellery, had ordered all the soldiers in the city to wear mourning clothes and mourn for the emperor.

At nightfall.

Cao Cao also changed into mourning clothes, knelt in the Golden Palace, and bowed three times to Liu Xie's coffin.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am a step late, a step late~~"

After the worship, Cao Cao held the coffin and cried bitterly.

The more people tried to persuade him, the more Cao Cao cried his heart out, and he even fainted several times.

It was not until late at night, when the sad drama was almost over, that Cao Cao stopped and wiped away his tears.

All the ministers left, and only Xiahou Dun, Xun Yu, Cao Pi, Wu Zhi and other parties involved were left in the mourning hall.

"Yuan Rang, Wen Ruo!"

Cao Cao immediately changed his tone to one of reproach and asked:
"I ordered you to defend Xudu. Why were you so careless as to allow that rabble to abduct the emperor and take him out of the city?"

Faced with Cao Cao's "bite back" style of questioning, Xun Yu looked at him coldly and was unwilling to even explain.

"Prime Minister, Liu's army is marching north from Luyang, intending to capture Luoyang. After discussing with Wen Ruo, we have no choice but to..."

Xiahou Dun had no choice but to stand up and tell the story of how he was forced to withdraw troops from Xudu to strengthen the defense of Luoyang, resulting in a shortage of troops in Xudu, giving Kong Rong and other rebellious ministers the opportunity to rebel and kidnap the emperor out of the city.

Cao Cao's resentment was blocked by Xiahou Dun's explanation.

There is no way. The other party will attack you and you will have to rescue them. Xiahou Dun and Xun Yu's responses are reasonable and you can't find any fault with them.

"Prime Minister, I believe that the most important thing now is to punish those who murdered the emperor and give an explanation to the civil and military officials in the court and to the people of the world!"

Xun Yu, who had been holding his breath, finally spoke.

His gaze was like a knife blade, shooting towards Cao Pi who was trembling with fear, and his tone showed no sign of concealing his anger.

Cao Cao frowned.

He originally wanted to discuss this matter with Xun Yu in private, but he didn't expect that the other party would break the unspoken rules and make it clear in public.

This was obviously to force him to deal with Cao Pi and not give him the opportunity to cover up.

Cao Cao was unhappy, but he couldn't make excuses.

So, in anger, he kicked Cao Pi to the ground and shouted:

"You are such an audacious and rebellious fool. Tell me, how did the emperor get killed?"

Cao Zhi and Yang Xiu, who were standing aside, looked at each other secretly, with a sneer on their lips as if they were watching the fun.

Cao Pi, who was kicked to the ground, ignored the pain and knelt down in front of Cao Cao in a hurry.

"Father, please calm down. When I heard that the emperor had been kidnapped, I immediately led my personal guards out of the city to pursue him. We chased him all the way to the east bank of the Ying River before we caught up with him."

"At the time, Wu Zhi was afraid that the emperor would be lost after crossing the Ying River, so in a desperate situation he ordered his arrows to be released, hoping to kill the rebels and capture the emperor's chariot."

"Who would have thought that the arrow had no eyes and hit the emperor by mistake."

Cao Pi defended himself with a feeling of grievance and put all the blame on Wu Zhi.

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at Wu Zhi again, asking him if he was responsible.

"Prime Minister, this humble general, this humble general..."

Wu Zhi hesitated and was not willing to answer, his eyes secretly glancing at Cao Pi.

Cao Pi winked at him and nodded secretly, suggesting that he should take it first as agreed, and he would plead for him later.

Wu Zhi had no choice.

After all, it was he who gave the order, so either he would take the blame alone, or he would drag Cao Pi to take the blame as well.

If he chose the former, at least Cao Pi agreed to plead with Cao Cao on his behalf, so there was still a glimmer of hope.

After weighing the pros and cons, Wu Zhi had no choice but to bite the bullet and admit what Cao Pi said.

Cao Cao sighed inwardly, then waved his hand in anger and shouted:
"How dare you, Wu Zhi, murder the emperor! This is truly treasonous!"

"Come here, drag Wu Zhi away and behead him, and exterminate his entire clan!"

The left and right tiger guards rushed forward and dragged Wu Zhi away.

Wu Zhi was horrified and pleaded with Cao Pi:

"Prince Zihuan, save me!"

"You promised me that you would plead for me and protect me!"

"I am following your orders—"

The Tiger Guards were also very sensible. Before Wu Zhi could shout out, they stuffed his mouth and stopped him from "talking nonsense".

Cao Pi knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a single breath from beginning to end, let alone plead for Wu Zhi.

"Wen Ruo, are you satisfied with my handling of the matter?"

Cao Cao turned his gaze to Xun Yu, and there was a hint of pleading in his tone.

That look seemed to be begging Xun Yu, let's just end this matter here, give me some face, and don't make things difficult for my son.

Xun Yu was still furious and said sternly:

"Wu Zhi was a subordinate of Cao Pi, and the soldiers who fired the arrows were all his personal guards. Cao Pi cannot escape blame for the emperor's assassination."

"If the Prime Minister only kills Wu Zhi but not Cao Pi, how can he convince the people?!"

(End of this chapter)