Han Xiang

Chapter 634 The deal is done and must die

After hearing this, Cao Cao remained indifferent and felt a sense of helplessness welling up in his heart.

Suddenly I felt that I needed everything by myself, but no one could help share the burden.

Needless to say, outsiders such as Sun Quan and Liu Cong, even our own people have their own thoughts. This is the so-called human nature.

Those who are in a superior position are so lonely.

Power is like poison, it makes people addicted and lost.

Cao Cao became an 'addict' and would only hold on tighter and tighter without letting go.

But his political wisdom is different from ordinary people. Even if he already hates Xun Yu, he is still able to tolerate it.

With verbal promises to stabilize Xun Yu and ensure that the soldiers on the front line continued to cook, Cao Cao rushed to Wancheng to supervise the battle.
Unfortunately, just after arriving in Linying and paying homage to Cheng Yu who died tragically, Cao Hong received bad news from Luoyang.

The emperor Liu Xie was actually still alive, and miraculously arrived in Hongnong, where he and Liu Bei went to Hangu Pass to persuade them to surrender.

Cao Cao's head was about to burst. He resisted the headache and immediately transferred to Luoyang.

The imagination in his heart suddenly became a reality, which made Cao instantly sit up and down.

If Liu Xie is really alive, who is the newly enthroned emperor of Yecheng?I, Cao Mengde, still want to be shameless?
Cao Cao was shocked when he heard this, and Liu Bei was equally surprised to see Liu Xie at that time.

After all, Xudu was hundreds of miles away from Hongnong, so it was a miracle that he could escape quietly.

In mid-October, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang held a night discussion after dinner to discuss how to cleverly break through Luoyang's defense line.

It is difficult to supply supplies on the Bingzhou front line, which is very unfriendly to the people of Guanzhong.

However, Cao Hong and others defended the pass with heavy troops. To break through, Guan Yu was the only one who put pressure on Jingzhou.

Liu Bei really wanted to increase troops for Jingzhou, but Guanzhong and Liangzhou had not recovered their strength, so he could only recruit more troops from Hongnong and Hedong.

This would not only require the soldiers to take a detour, but also weaken the advantage accumulated in Sili, which would play into the hands of Cao Cao's tired army.

There are also more important reasons. Liu Xie died in a fire and the new king Liu Xi ascended the throne in Yecheng. This accident caught Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang off guard.

Liu Bei's strategy of "welcoming the emperor and returning the old capital" was to take Liu Xie back from Cao Cao's hands, but the current situation is obviously no longer applicable.

Now that Liu Xie has passed away, the clothing and belt edict has become useless.

As the saying goes, a teacher must be famous, and Liu Bei needs a new slogan.

The two were talking by candlelight at night when Chen Dao suddenly burst in with excitement on his face, breaking the silence in the room.

After a while, Luo Yicheng introduced Liu Xie in disguise.

In the past, Liu Bei had an audience with the emperor in Xudu and hurriedly grabbed Zhuge Liang to perform the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers.

After the pleasantries were over, Liu Bei gave his mansion to Liu Xie as a temporary palace, while he and Zhuge Liang stayed in the army.

Through communicating with Luo Yicheng, Liu Bei finally knew the whole story.

It turns out that not long after Longxiang was granted the title of Xudu, underwear "franchisees" came to visit. They guessed that Luo Yicheng was from Hefei and expressed their willingness to cooperate in rebelling against Cao Cao.

Loyalty has a price, capital pursues profit.

Luo Yicheng knew that he could no longer lurk in the future, and he also planned to do something big one last time.

He hit it off with the visitor, and soon a force formed within Xu Du, and many courtiers loyal to the Han Dynasty joined him.

When everyone was plotting countermeasures for the rebellion, someone suddenly wanted to send the emperor out, and then they came up with a plan to burn the palace and escape from the golden cicada.

It was a pity that Cao Cao came back to control the situation in time, and Liu Xie, his children, wives and concubines were hidden in the city. Fortunately, Cao Zhen only focused on the Xun Mansion at that time, so that they could be transferred out of the city in disguise.

At that time, Cao Cao focused on Huainan and was unable to send Liu Xie to Hefei.

Luo Yicheng, on the advice of others, took the emperor's disguise as a grain transporter and headed west.

The reason why the journey was so smooth was because the Henan nobles were responsible for the logistical supplies in the Central Plains, and the people who submitted the certificate to Luo Yicheng were the leading party among the Yingchuan nobles' children.

This is just like the later national army, which had "highly aware" businessmen inside. They could rely on their identities to deliver intelligence, supplies, and even important people across the war zone.

Luo Yicheng was shrewd and flexible, and assisted by the nobles' children to use connections and money to open the way. At the same time, the new king ascended the throne to attract attention, making this westward journey a thrilling one.

After two months of transfer, Luo Yicheng took Liu Xie to take a small road, bypassing Hangu Pass and arriving at Hongnong.

Crossing Cao Jun's defense area was no child's play. The more people there were, the easier it was to be exposed and arrested. Therefore, Liu Xie's children, wives and concubines were temporarily settled in the countryside of Yingchuan.The fertile fields and land in Yingchuan were all in the hands of noble families such as Xun Zhong, Chen Han, and others. The officials in the county and townships were all descendants of the noble families.

Some people were adding tenants to their farm. Even Xun Yu and other gentry leaders couldn't figure it out, and Cao Cao's soldiers couldn't find them.

On the way to transfer, Liu Xie heard that Cao Cao had established a new king in Yecheng. He thought it was his son, so his mood did not fluctuate.

Only when they arrived at Hongnong did they learn the truth. Liu Xie scolded Cao Cao for being a thief and asked Liu Bei to take him to Hanguguan to declare his sovereignty.

As the saying goes, there are no two days in the sky and no two kings in the country. If King Langya, who is close to Cao Cao, is allowed to secure the throne, Liu Xie's disguise will be in vain.

Ordinary soldiers did not know Liu Xie, but Cao Hong once accompanied Cao Cao to welcome him to Xudu, and later went to the palace to meet Cao Cao many times. He was very familiar with Liu Xie's appearance and voice.

On the second day after Liu Xie arrived in Hongnong, he and Liu Bei went to Hangu Pass to reveal their identities. When they saw Cao Hong, they even ordered Cao Cao to come to see him.

When Cao Hong saw Liu Xie next to Liu Bei, he rubbed his eyes on the spot and thought he had seen it wrong. He thought he had been confused last night?
Cao Cao has announced that the emperor has passed away, and Xun Yu also led his ministers to pay tribute to Liu Xie, but who is this person in front of him?

What went wrong?

Zhuge Liang proposed a plan to shock the mountain and shake the tiger. The confused Cao Hong couldn't resist it at all, so he walked down to Hangu Pass to summon Cao Cao.

Cao Cao received the news and rushed to Luoyang.

However, after meeting and confirming with Cao Hong, he did not go to Hangu Pass to meet him.

Cao Cao didn't know how to face the emperor, and he actually went to Hangu Pass and was convinced that Liu Xie was still alive, so what did he support Liu Xi?
The funeral has been held and a new king has been established.

Like a tree making a boat, Liu Xie must die.

Cao Cao first gave Cao Hong some instructions, then frowned and asked:
"Zilian, when Liu Xie appeared in Hongnong, he should have passed through the Luoyang Defense Area. During the war, were you so lax in your military management?"

"None of my business"

Cao Hong waved his hand hurriedly: "Prime Minister, you know me. How can you relax at this critical moment of life and death?"

"How does Liu Xie explain?"

"Please, Prime Minister, please wait for a while. I will definitely give you an explanation within one day."

Seeing Cao Hong patting his chest in assurance, Cao Cao nodded happily.

"I'm going to Wenqian (Lejin) Camp for inspection, and I'll take care of the Hangu Pass issue first. You have plenty of time left, so you need to check carefully."

"only."

"Go."

"Ok."

Cao Hong said goodbye to Cao Cao in Luoyang and immediately rode to Hangu Pass, but when he saw Liu Xie, he suddenly turned his face like a book.

"Bold Liu Bei, the late Emperor has died in the fire. How dare you find someone to pretend to be someone else? His ambition is obvious. How can I fall into the trap? If you want to fight, I will accompany you with both hands and use tricks to make money? Hum hum."

"Cao Hong, you are so presumptuous!"

Liu Xie shouted sternly: "I order you to surrender."

"Hahaha"

Cao Hong wiped his beard and laughed loudly: "Are you addicted to pretending to be the emperor? I deliberately tried to test it a few days ago. How dare you touch your nose and face? Why don't you retreat quickly!"

"you you."

Liu Xie was so angry that he couldn't breathe.

Seeing this, Liu Bei comforted him: "Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon body. It's not worth getting angry with this man. Cao Hong suddenly turned against him today. It must have been because of Cao Cao's instructions. He supported King Langya as the new king. He must be preparing to usurp the Han Dynasty."

"Cao Thief!"

Liu Xie clenched his fists and raised them to his chest, but found that he had no other strength except his fists.

Even in the Xudu court, none of those 'loyal ministers' who could only talk were around now.

Looking sideways at Liu Bei, he has the same courage as Cao Cao, but is more approachable.

"Uncle Emperor, can I trust you?"

(End of this chapter)