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

Chapter 53 Cao Cao: Who is this Xiao He?

All the counselors and generals in the tent were shocked.

Cheng Yu frowned deeply and sighed helplessly.

Four hundred thousand hu of grain and grass were burned. Such a serious defeat, someone has to take the blame.

Cao Cao did not punish him, obviously not intending to let him take the blame.

If this had happened at the beginning of Cao Cao's career, with his magnanimity, he would have taken the blame himself and sincerely learned lessons from it.

But times have changed.

Cao Cao's territory was no longer just a corner of Yanzhou, but he controlled the entire north except Guanlong.

His status was also promoted from the governor of Yanzhou to the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, with power over the world.

The change in his status and strength also made Cao Cao extremely confident.

The most obvious evidence is that Cao Cao had just pacified Hebei at the beginning of the year, and after less than half a year of rest, he could not wait for his navy to be trained, and he mobilized the entire country's troops to march south to Jingzhou.

How could an inflated Cao Cao possibly take the blame for the defeat in this battle?
Then the person who can take the blame is only you, Yu Jin.

Originally, considering that you are an old entrepreneur, stripping your title and demoting you to a commoner and retiring to the countryside was the lowest point.

But you, Yu Jin, lost your composure and went against Cao Cao's will and made Liu Bei's "ultimatum" known to the public.

If Cao Cao doesn’t kill you, who will he kill?
"Prime Minister——"

Yu Jin was shocked and looked at Cao Cao in disbelief.

Obviously he had realized that he had just said something he shouldn't have said, which offended Cao Cao's dignity and brought him fatal disaster.

Cao Cao turned his head away and looked at him with disdain. He just glared at Xu Chu and waved his hand in annoyance.

Xu Chu only obeyed Cao Cao's orders, so he could only sigh and wave his hand to give orders to the tiger guards on his left and right.

A group of tiger guards rushed forward and captured Yu Jin.

"Prime Minister, please show mercy."

"Yu Wenze is indeed guilty, but he has, after all, followed the Prime Minister for over ten years and has shared hardships with him."

"I also ask the Prime Minister to show some mercy and pardon his death penalty, considering his meritorious service to Yuan Cong."

Cheng Yu couldn't bear it, so he had to stand up and plead for Yu Jin.

Le Jin and other old subordinates who started their own businesses in Yanzhou also stood up and pleaded for Yu Jin.

After all, they have been friends for more than ten years and have shared life and death on the battlefield.

It is one thing to feel ashamed of Yu Jin, but it is another to sit back and watch Yu Jin being beheaded.

"During the previous battle at Han River, he knelt down and begged for surrender to Guan Yu in order to survive. I, in consideration of his contribution to the Yuan Cong, have already forgiven him once."

"But he has no shame and is now asking for surrender to that big-eared thief!"

"Our four hundred thousand bushels of grain and fodder were all destroyed by him!"

"The crimes he committed are worthy of death. If I don't kill him, how can I explain this to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers?"

"I don't know how to reward or punish, so where is my prestige?"

Cao Cao was furious and scolded everyone who was begging for mercy.

Cheng Yu and his men were left speechless.

Cao Cao subdued the crowd and shouted:
"What are you waiting for? Push him out and behead him immediately!"

Seeing that everyone's pleas were in vain, the Tiger Guards did not dare to delay any longer and had to carry Yu Jin out.

At this moment, Yu Jin had lost all hope and felt extremely disappointed.

He sighed deeply, struggled to free himself, and bowed deeply to Cao Cao with his severed hand:
"Prime Minister, I have failed you. My crime is unforgivable. I am willing to be executed!"

"Before I die, I only want to ask the Prime Minister for two things."

Cao Cao didn't want to listen at first, but when he saw Yu Jin's broken hand, his heart tightened slightly, and he kept silent.

The left and right tiger guards saw that this was Cao Cao's tacit consent, so they did not forcibly take Yu Jin away.

"First, I ask the Prime Minister to consider the relationship between the monarch and his subjects and take care of Jin's wife and children."

"As for the second matter, I ask the Prime Minister to execute Liu Bei and Guan Yu to avenge my humiliation. I will rest in peace in my grave."

After making these two requests, Yu Jin bowed deeply:
"Jin believes that Liu Bei has completely changed since he was a child. He is no longer the same person today."

"I beg the Prime Minister to never underestimate Liu Bei again."

After saying these last words, Yu Jin was already in tears and turned to walk out of the tent.

Cao Cao glanced up at Yu Jin, his broken figure visible from behind. He raised his hand slightly, and for a moment he considered retracting his order. However, the words reached his throat, but he never uttered them.

You have no joke!

If you go back on your word after the order to kill has been issued, where will your dignity and prestige be?

Moreover, the slight bit of pity in his heart was not enough to overwhelm his anger towards the ban.

Cao Cao just remained silent and watched Yu Jin leave coldly.

A moment.

The Tiger Guards brought Yu Jin's head into the tent and presented it to Cao Cao.

Cheng Yu and others all shook their heads and sighed, their eyes full of regret.

Cao Cao looked at Yu Jin's head, and then saw the various sighs of regret among the people, and suddenly a trace of regret arose in his heart.

The anger on his face turned into helplessness, and Cao Cao sighed bitterly:
"It's not that I'm heartless and don't care about our old friendship, it's just that I really have no other choice."

"Yu Jin has committed such a heinous crime. If I fail to enforce military law, won't everyone in the army follow suit?"

"In an army like this, where no one has the will to fight to the death, what's the difference between them and a mob?"

"How can I, commanding such a ragtag group, wipe out the traitors like Liu Bei and Sun Quan, unify the country, and revive the Han Dynasty?"

"How can I live up to the trust placed in me by the Emperor, and how can I live up to your expectations of me?"

Cao Cao poured out his grievances to everyone, and when he spoke of his helplessness, tears welled up in his eyes.

Cheng Yu and the others were gradually moved, tears welling up in their eyes, and they hurriedly expressed their opinions, showing their understanding of Cao Cao.

Cao Cao then wiped away his tears and ordered that Yu Jin's body be sewn up and buried with the ceremony of a Marquis of Ting.

Cao Cao then raised a glass of wine and said solemnly:

"Wen Ze, I will take care of your wife and daughter. You can go on your journey with peace of mind."

"I will chop off Liu Bei's head sooner or later and place it before your spirit to pay tribute to your heroic soul in heaven."

After making the promise and vowing, Cao Cao poured all the wine in the cup onto the ground.

After this operation, Cao Cao sat back in his seat, took a few deep breaths, and gradually regained his former composure.

"Before leaving, Wen Ze reminded me that Liu Bei has been completely transformed and is very different from before, and told me not to underestimate him."

"What do you think Wen Ze means by this?"

Cao Cao mentioned Yu Jin's last words again, and a hint of suspicion appeared between his brows.

Or rather, deep down in his heart, he actually had the same feeling as Yu Jin.

"Prime Minister, in fact, Yu has always felt that Liu Bei is very different from what he was back then."

"From his surprise attack on Xiangyang, to his use of Huo Jun to defend Fancheng, to his use of Guan Yu to defeat our navy, and now, to his seeing through our strategy and launching a surprise attack on our Dengxian granary..."

"Putting all these things together, Yu can't help but speculate that besides Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei also had the recently returned Xu Shu. Could there be other wise and resourceful people offering him advice?"

Cheng Yu finally expressed his guess in front of everyone.

Liu Ye and other counselors nodded in agreement. It was obvious that these smart people had the same feeling as Cheng Yu, but they just never had the chance to point it out.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly, stroked his thin beard and asked doubtfully:

"What you said is not without reason, but if Liu Bei has a new strategist, this person's wisdom and strategy are extraordinary."

"In Jingzhou, is there any wise and resourceful person who could possibly see through your Cheng Zhongde's scheme?"

Cheng Yu was speechless.

Discussions broke out in the big tent, and the counselors racked their brains to screen all the famous people in Jingzhou.

Either they are just in name only, or their wisdom and strategies are limited and fail to meet the standards proposed by Cheng Yu.

After much discussion, no one could come to a conclusion.

Just when everyone's guesses were fruitless, Cheng Yu suddenly thought of something and took out a piece of information from a pile of silk books.

"Prime Minister, this is intelligence that my South Bank spies sent us several days ago. They said Liu Bei appointed a young scholar as his attendant. Could this be him?"

Cheng Yu said this and presented the silk book in his hand.

Cao Cao took it, curiosity in his eyes, and couldn't wait to take it.

After just one look, Cao Cao's curious expression turned into confusion, and he blurted out:
"Who is this Xiao He? How come I've never heard of him? Is there such a person in Jingzhou?"

(End of this chapter)