Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

Chapter 141 Shocking change! Urgent report! Urgent report from Fancheng! (Pursue)

Yu Jin sneered: "I am trapped here now and cannot fight for the King of Wei. I sent you a memorial, can you prevent Sun Quan from attacking Huainan?"

Liu Bei chuckled: "Sun Quan is the lord of Jiangdong. If he wants to attack Huainan, I will definitely not be able to stop him."

"However, I, Liu Bei, have always valued affection and righteousness. If anyone gives me a peach, I will repay him with peach."

"Xu Huang told Yunchang about Sun Quan's plot to attack Nanjun and helped me protect Nanjun."

"I told General Yu about Sun Quan's plot to attack Huainan to repay Yunchang's kindness."

Yu Jin stared at Liu Bei suspiciously: "Liu Bei, do you think I am so easy to deceive? Sun Quan is your ally."

Liu Bei's tone was slightly cold: "I don't dare call myself Sun Quan's ally."

"Four years ago, while I was far away in Xichuan, I made a sneak attack on the three counties of Lingling in Changsha, Guiyang, and now I am taking advantage of Yunchang to attack Xiangfan in the north and made a sneak attack on Nanjun."

"How can such behavior be done by an ally?"

Yu Jin couldn't be fooled: "Do you really think I don't know? You just want to repeat your old tricks and make King Wei give up Xiangyang and Fancheng."

"If you take Xiangyang and Fancheng, there will be only Wancheng as a line of defense in the south of Xudu."

"Sun Quan can rule the roost on the water, but on land he is just a soft-legged shrimp. Even if he conquers Huainan, why should he be afraid?"

"But Liu Bei, you can compete with the King of Wei on land. To the King of Wei, you are more of a threat if you win Xiangyang and Fancheng than if you win Sun Quan of Huainan."

"Just give up on this idea. King Wei would rather give up Huainan than give up Xiangyang and Fancheng!"

Seeing Yu Jin tilting his head and looking sideways, Liu Bei was not angry and said slowly: "It is true that if I were Cao Cao, I would not give up Xiangyang and Fancheng."

"But it is Cao Pi who is in Wancheng now, and it is Cao Pi who is recruiting the troops stationed in Huainan."

"If Cao Pi learns that Sun Quan is going to attack Huainan, do you think he will give up Xiangyang and Fancheng, or give up Huainan?"

"General Yu, Cao Cao is already old. He was seriously ill when he was in Hanzhong. It is unknown how long he can live."

"If Cao Cao is still alive, you can still wash away your stigma when you return to the north; if Cao Cao passes away, can Cao Pi still tolerate you as a general?"

"Accept my conditions, and I will personally send you back to the north. Not only can you plead guilty to Cao Cao, but you can also persuade Cao Pi to temporarily abandon Huainan and guard Xiangyang and Fancheng as you wish."

Liu Bei's words made Yu Jin frown again.

Cao Cao was recuperating before going to Hanzhong. The main reason for retreating from Hanzhong was also that Cao Cao was seriously ill.

Thinking of Cao Pi, Yu Jin couldn't help but feel a little chilled.

If Cao Cao passes away, how can Cao Pi believe Yu Jin's words again?
  I'm afraid that from now on, he will be remembered as "the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty" instead of "the loyal ministers of the Great Wei Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty".

Thinking about Cao Pi's choice again, Yu Jin shuddered even more.

The troops stationed in Huainan were transferred by Cao Pi. If Huainan was lost, even if Xiangyang and Fancheng were defended, Cao Pi would not be able to escape the blame.

Even if Cao Pi knew that Xiangyang and Fancheng were more important than Huainan, he would choose to give up Xiangyang and Fancheng.

Now Cao Pi is just the crown prince of Wei, not the king of Wei yet!
  Cao Pi cannot bear the responsibility of losing Huainan!

Thinking of this, Yu Jin felt cold in his heart, and his eagerness to return to the north became even more urgent: "Liu Bei, I agree to your terms!"

Liu Bei laughed and handed the wine bottle to Yu Jin: "This wine is still warm. General Yu can drink this bottle to the full."

Yu Jin no longer refused, took the wine bottle, and drank the wine in one gulp.

Yu Jin was convinced.

Liu Bei invited Yu Jin to his residence and prepared hot water for Yu Jin to bathe and change his clothes. Since he was going to give Yu Jin gifts back to the north, Liu Bei could not lose his courtesy and magnanimity.

Yu Jin also asked Liu Bei to send Army Commander Ma Dongligun and Guard Army Hao Zhou to the north. Liu Bei did not hesitate and immediately agreed to Yu Jin's request.

In order to prevent him from escaping early due to the ban, Liu Bei ordered Chen to lead troops to guard him.

Just when Liu Bei was preparing to lead his troops to Fancheng, Zhang Fei from Xicheng hurriedly sent his eldest son Zhang Bao to deliver an urgent report from Shangyong.

"Shangyong's urgent report? What urgent report can Shangyong have?" Liu Bei was surprised by Zhang Bao's arrival.

Zhang Bao handed the urgent report to Liu Bei and said concisely: "Fa Shangshu sent people to Xicheng and asked my father to go to Shangyong immediately to take charge of the overall situation. He said that Meng Da had already sent troops to surprise Xudu."

Liu Bei was horrified: "How dare Meng Zijing leave his post without authorization and send troops to Xudu! Damn it!"

Along with the urgent report, there were two letters from Fa Zheng.

After carefully reading the emergency report and Fazheng's letter, Liu Bei became even more angry: "No wonder Xiaozhi vomited blood and fell into a coma. It was all caused by this idiot Meng Da!"

Fazheng was recuperating in Baidicheng. His condition was initially improving, but he vomited blood and fell into coma the day before Liu Bei sent troops to Jiangling.

Zhang Zhongjing's disciples who went to Baidicheng for medical treatment reported back that the condition was aggravated because of unstable lung qi.

In short, Fa Zheng was vomiting blood and comatose. This was not a normal change in his condition, but was caused by worry and anxiety.

Liu Bei originally couldn't understand why Fazheng's condition worsened due to worry and anxiety. It was not until Zhang Fei sent the urgent report and secret letter that Liu Bei figured out the reason.

Mengda and Dongsanjun were recommended by Fa Zai in front of Liu Bei, which was equivalent to Fa Zai's guarantee to Liu Bei with his own future and life.

But now, Mengda sent troops to Xudu without authorization, regardless of the safety of the three eastern counties.

Pulled around and moved the whole body.

If Cao Cao hears the news and takes the three eastern counties by force, not only will Meng Da's own retreat be cut off, Liu Feng of Nanxiang County and Guan Yu of Fancheng will also be implicated!

No wonder Fazheng was so anxious that he vomited blood!
  If Liu Bei failed in Jingzhou because Meng Da sent troops without permission, Fa Zhengding, who was already sick, would worsen his condition out of guilt.

If the heart disease is not cured, even with Zhang Zhongjing around, there is no way to cure it.

Zhuge Qiao, who was discussing military affairs beside Liu Bei, was also shocked at this moment.

"Mengda sent troops to Xudu without authorization?"

"Is this guy crazy?"

In Zhuge Qiao's eyes.

Mengda's decision to send troops to Xudu at this time was no less stupid than Wei Yan's surprise attack on Ziwu Valley.

The idea was great and the timing was great, but they didn’t consider follow-up force coordination at all.

If he really wanted to play with Meng Da, it would be equivalent to asking Liu Bei to bet all the troops and horses in Jingzhou, or even bet all the troops and horses in Yizhou, and fully cooperate with Meng Da to decide the outcome in a battle.

But how could Cao Cao allow everything to be lost?

After hearing the news, Cao Cao was bound to fight back crazily.

The garrison troops from Luoyang, Qing, Ji, You, Bing, Yu, Xu, Huainan, Wancheng, Xiangyang, and Fancheng will rush towards Xudu like crazy.

Guard against Sun Quan?
  How can we guard against Sun Quan when our family is gone?
  This is to allow Liu Bei and Cao Cao to have a life-and-death battle in advance!
  Liu Bei has an ally in Sun Quan?
  Sun Quan wished that Liu Bei and Cao Cao would fight to the death, then easily capture Huainan, and then take advantage of the opportunity to annex Jingzhou.

Meng Da's willful behavior, if he is not careful, will ruin all Liu Bei's efforts in Jingzhou!
  Zhuge Qiao took a deep breath, stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, although General Meng is arrogant, he is not a fool."

"If Xu Du had no internal support, General Meng would not have taken such a big risk to go to Xu Du."

"Who is General Meng's internal agent?"

Shangyong's change of situation was beyond Zhuge Qiao's expectation. While asking Liu Bei, Zhuge Qiao was also quickly guessing who was the insider.

[After the Seventh Army was flooded, Wei Xi of Yecheng took advantage of Cao Cao's stay in Luoyang and plotted with Changle Guard Chen Yi to attack Yecheng, the Wei capital. 】

[Chen Yi was frightened and secretly informed Cao Pi, the crown prince of Wei. In the end, Wei Xi was killed, and dozens of people died. 】

[But these people have no friendship with Meng Da, so how can Meng Da dare to lead troops to Xudu? 】

[Who made Mengda so confident that he could attack Xudu by surprise? 】

Liu Bei directly handed the urgent report and secret message to Zhuge Qiao, with a hint of murderous intent in his tone: "It's Pan Chengming!"

Zhuge Qiao was shocked: "Pan Chengming, how could it be him?"

Hearing that Meng Da's spy was Pan Jun, Zhuge Qiao instantly thought of the person involved in the Wei Xi case: Nanyang scholar Song Zhong, who was Pan Jun's mentor.

Zhuge Qiao quickly scanned the urgent reports and secret messages and understood: "No wonder Cao Pi appears in Wancheng. It's all because Pan Jun went to Yecheng."

"I didn't expect that jointly impeaching General Anhan and Prefect Mi to impeach Pan Jun would cause such a change."

Liu Bei suppressed his anger: "Aqiao thinks that if I cooperate with Meng Da Pan Jun, I can win Xudu?"

Zhuge Qiao shook his head and said firmly: "Absolutely impossible! Does the king still remember the events of Dong Cheng and Fu Wan in the past?"

"Cao Cao has many minions in Xudu and Yecheng. It is difficult to predict who is his enemy, who is his friend, and who will inform in private."

"What's more, Meng Da and Pan Jun made plans in private. We don't know the specific arrangements, so how can we cooperate?"

"What I'm worried about now is that the Lord doesn't know what's going on in Fancheng, and Brother Gongzhong doesn't know what's going on in Nanxiang City either."

"If Mengda Pan Jun falsely conveys the king's order and urgently summons the prince and brother Gongzhong to march into Xudu, if the prince and brother Gongzhong advance with troops, they will be ambushed."

"The top priority is to get to Fancheng quickly to prevent the prince and brother Gongzhong from being implicated by Meng Da Pan Jun and falling into Cao Cao's scheme."

"At the same time, send troops into Fangling to prevent Cao Cao from taking the opportunity to seize the three eastern counties."

Liu Bei slammed the table in a circle: "You're ruining my big job!"

Discussion room.

A general came in a hurry from outside, it was Guan Xing.

Seeing Guan Xing, Liu Bei thought of Zhuge Qiao's worries again, and his heart seemed to be in his throat for a moment: "Nephew, something happened to Yun Changchang?"

Guan Xing ignored his fatigue and said in an anxious tone: "A few days ago, Meng Da arrived in Nanxiang City and lied that he was ordered by his uncle to help Liu Feng defend the city."

"Mengda opened Nanxiang City again in the middle of the night and welcomed Wei general Cao Zhen into the city."

"Liu Feng was caught off guard and had only time to escape with Fei Sima and dozens of other horsemen. Cao Zhen led his army to pursue Fancheng. Liu Feng was protecting Fei Sima and was hit by three arrows. His death was unknown."

"My father was furious and led his troops to fight Cao Zhen. He ordered me to return to Jiangling City to mobilize troops."

With a bang, Liu Bei kicked away the documents in front of him.

"Tie Meng, how dare you do this!"

I'm really worried about what's going to happen.

Liu Bei's eyes instantly turned red, and his name for Meng Da also changed.

Liu Bei felt guilty because Liu Feng failed to become the crown prince; but when he saw Liu Feng going to Nanxiang City to prevent Cao's soldiers from going south, Liu Bei felt relieved.

If brothers, friends, and brothers are respectful, there will be no internal strife like Yuan Shao and Liu Biao's sons.

Now after several months of separation, when I heard the news about Liu Feng again, it was Liu Feng who had been shot by an arrow and his death was uncertain.

How can Liu Bei not be angry?
  "Beat the drums and gather the generals!" Liu Bei had no time to discuss tactical countermeasures.

Hearing the rapid beating of military drums, Zhao Yun, Huang Quan and other generals changed their faces and hurriedly came to the mansion to see Liu Bei.

"Your Majesty, what happened?" Huang Quan was the first to arrive and asked anxiously.

Liu Bei did not answer, but waited for all the generals to arrive before he informed the generals of Shangyong Urgent Report and Fancheng Urgent Report.

"Meng Zijing is not a human son! Who does he think he is? He led four thousand soldiers to attack Xudu! Now he betrayed the deputy general and led Cao Zhen into Fancheng. This crime should be executed!" Huang Quan scolded angrily.

Wu Ban even exclaimed: "Nanxiang has been lost, Shangyong has no soldiers, how can we defend it?"

Zhao Yun and other generals also looked livid.

They had just defended Jiangling, burned Lukou and retreated Sun Quan. Before they could even breathe, Shangyong and Nanxiang had another problem.

After Nanxiang fell, Meng Da sent troops to Xudu again, which meant that Nanxiang was directly exposed to Cao Bing's vision from Shangyong.

Although Meng Da may not really want Liu Feng to die, it is an established fact that Liu Feng was chased by Cao Zhen all the way to Fancheng and was shot by three arrows.

For the sake of selfish desires, all the soldiers in the army were affected by this. All the generals present gritted their teeth against Meng Da.

Liu Bei had no time to accuse Meng Da, nor did he want to delve into Meng Da's true intentions, so he immediately ordered:

"Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, Chen Shi, and Xiang Chong, the four of you quickly lead 3,000 cavalry to Fangling to assist Deng Fu, the prefect of Fangling, in defending the city. If there is any undecided matter, let Zhang Fei, the right general, make the decision."

"Zhao Yun, Zhao Rong, you two lead two thousand cavalry to Xiangyang, meet up with Zhao Lei, the commander-in-chief of Yunchang, and wait for the opportunity to decide."

"The rest of the generals, follow me quickly into Fancheng by water."

Liu Bei decisively issued an order to mobilize troops.

The generals also knew that the situation was urgent and did not dare to ask any more questions, so they went to prepare.

Zhuge Qiao clenched his fists: "I underestimated famous officials too much!"

"How many people who can be famous officials are willing to live under others for a long time? I used deception to plot against Pan Jun, so it is fitting that Pan Jun plotted against me."

"In the name of paying homage to my uncle, I acted with Brother Gongzhong to win the hearts of the people in Fanglingshan City, but I also suffered the jealousy of Meng Da. Brother Gongzhong also suffered because of me."

"Meng Da is taking revenge for personal gain. He deliberately gave up Nanxiang City to Cao Zhen to win Cao Pi's trust!"

"Nothing in this world can go as expected. You have a good plan, and I have a ladder. Who can really see through the world and predict things like a god?"

Thinking of this, Zhuge Qiao's face became even more ashamed, and he asked Liu Bei for forgiveness: "This disaster was all caused by my plot against Pan Jun! If I hadn't let Brother Gongzhong go to Nanxiang City, Brother Gongzhong would not have suffered this disaster. Please, Your Majesty Punishment.”

Liu Bei and Zhuge Qiao apologized in shame, and gently put their thick right palm on Zhuge Qiao's shoulder: "Ah Qiao, you have done a good job."

"Although Pan Jun and Meng Da's conspiracy involves you, it is not your crime."

“Don’t think too much and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

"Nine times out of ten things in life will go as planned. If you lose your energy when things don't go your way, how can you achieve great things?"

"There is a saying in the Book of Rites: Knowing shame is close to courage. The more difficult you encounter, the less you should be discouraged."

"Show up your courage to defend Jiangling City, and be brave enough to withstand the hardships of wind and rain."

"Behind you, there are military advisors, Yun Chang, and me!"

Liu Bei's voice was very contagious, and Zhuge Qiao's clenched fists gradually relaxed as he spoke each word with sincerity.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice." Zhuge Qiao thanked him sincerely, and his eyes gradually regained their composure.

Liu Bei said solemnly: "Although Yunchang and I are monarchs and ministers, we are brothers and sisters. Since you are Yunchang's son-in-law, you are also my son-in-law. As a family, there is no need to say thank you!"

Zhuge Qiao stabilized his mind, quickly sorted out the current situation and intelligence from all parties, and thought of ways to break the situation.

Wancheng.

Mengda arrived with his troops.

Cao Pi personally led the Wancheng civil and military forces ten miles out of the city to greet Meng Da, which surprised Meng Da.

When Meng Da approached, Cao Pi greeted him enthusiastically: "Meeting General Meng is like King Yan meeting Leyi."

Meng Da quickly returned the favor: "Your Majesty, you have given me too much praise. I am just a reckless person. How can I be compared with Le Yi?"

Cao Pi laughed: "General Meng is too modest. I have prepared good wine to help General Meng wash away the dust. Rui'er, pour some wine for General Meng."

Next to Cao Pi, a young man scooped up a bottle of wine. It was Cao Pi's eldest son, Cao Rui.

But seeing Cao Rui holding wine in both hands, he saluted Meng Da and said, "My father was very happy when he heard that General Meng had defeated Nanxiang City, and he specially ordered me to offer wine."

"Now that the weather is getting colder, my father is worried that the wine will be cold and will harm him, so he asks someone to warm the wine every quarter of an hour."

"The temperature of the wine is just right at this time. Please drink this bottle to the full, General Meng, to wash away the dust and bad luck. From now on, you will surely win every battle, which can be called 'always victorious'!"

Meng Da was even more frightened, and subconsciously looked at Pan Jun next to Cao Pi.

Pan Jun was worried that Meng Da would reveal his flaws, so he smiled calmly: "General Meng, I have said it before, the prince respects the virtuous and the virtuous, and the most respectful is the talented and wise."

"General Meng has the ability of joy and perseverance, but Liu Bei cannot recognize it. The prince was shocked when he heard that General Meng captured the three eastern counties without a single blow."

"The people who came to greet General Meng this time are all famous civil and military officials from Wancheng."

Meng Da calmed down and quickly took the wine bottle from Cao Rui's hand, drank it in one sip, and couldn't help but sigh: "Good wine! This wine is hard to find among the people. I wonder where it was brewed?"

Cao Pi laughed: "General Meng is so knowledgeable! This wine is the royal wine of the palace. Originally only the emperor could enjoy it."

"I am very familiar with the Emperor, and the Emperor specially gave me this wine."

"Frequent wine is not enough to express my sincerity for General Meng, so I sent someone overnight to Xudu to fetch this wine and give it to General Meng as a gift."

Meng Da was taken aback and his heart sank.

Can Cao Pi take the imperial wine that can only be enjoyed by the emperor?

When Meng Da looked at Pan Jun again, he saw Pan Jun deliberately avoiding his eyes.

Meng Da, who was confused and confused, was weighing whether to change his plan while talking to Cao Pi.

Meng Da's subtle expression changes were not hidden from Cao Pi's eyes. For Cao Pi, whose camouflage skills reached the clan level, Meng Da's expression disguise was too poor.

Cao Pi invited Mengda to the city and treated him warmly. He also designated a piece of land in Wancheng for Mengda to camp.

After the banquet was over, Cao Pi asked Cao Rui to put Mengda to rest in person, and he didn't seem to have any suspicion about Mengda.

"Father, that Meng Da may not be sincere." Cao Rui returned, his handsome face looking more dignified.

Cao Pi held the wine bottle and shook it gently: "Why does Rui'er think so?"

Cao Rui's tone was slightly cold: "Father treated me so kindly and asked my son to put Mengda to rest in person."

"It was late at night. But Mengda insisted on returning to the camp with the excuse that he was used to living and eating with the sergeants. Could it be that the mansion I arranged was not enough to sleep well?"

"When the child came back, he asked the chamberlain again. The chamberlain said that Pan Wenwen was too drunk and had gone back home early to rest."

"During the banquet, Meng Da and Pan Wenxue also went to the toilet one after another. They must have had a brief communication during the toilet."

"Mengda and Pan Wenxue will definitely meet privately and conspire tonight. Father, please be careful."

In just one banquet, Cao Rui was able to discern so many details, and Cao Pi was quite pleased.

The smarter Cao Rui is, the more face Cao Pi will have.

Cao Pi chuckled: "Rui'er has subtle observations and a sharp mind. Compared with those prodigies in Yecheng and Xudu, he is even better."

"If Meng Zijing didn't come here sincerely, then it's not hard to guess what he was thinking. He just wanted to follow the example of Dong Cheng and finish his old affairs with those scholars."

"Unfortunately."

"These people don't have a long memory at all. The foundation of my Cao family was built with one knife and one shot. How can the prestige in the army be shaken by a few scholars?"

“How can a bunch of ragtag people achieve great things?”

Cao Rui asked in a solemn voice: "My father guessed what Meng Da was thinking, but he still wanted to treat Meng Da politely. Could it be that he wanted to instigate Meng Da to rebel and make his pretense become true?"

Cao Pi drank all the wine in his hand and said in a firm and confident tone: "Mengda served Liu Zhang first and Liu Bei later, neither of them has sincerity."

"Just because Mengda has four thousand private soldiers!"

"These private soldiers are the brave soldiers recruited by Meng Ta, the former governor of Liangzhou. After Meng Ta's death, they returned to Mengda."

"With four thousand private soldiers in hand, how can Mengda be someone who has lived under others for a long time?"

"There is only one kind of person in this world who can feed a tiger like Meng Da!"

"That's the emperor!"

"Only an emperor can give Mengda the money, power, fame and fortune he wants."

"What Meng Da wants, Liu Zhang can't give it to, Liu Bei can't give it to, those group of scholars can't give it to him; the emperor can't give it to him either!"

"Only I can give it!"

Cao Rui pondered for a moment: "So my father deliberately brought the palace wine to hint to Meng Da. The emperor is just a puppet of the Cao family; if Meng Da is a smart man, he will definitely weigh the pros and cons."

Cao Pi laughed: "Rui'er is so smart, I feel so relieved."

"My Cao family only employs people based on their talents. As long as they are capable, it doesn't matter whether they are surrendered generals or bandits."

"If those scholars dare to cause trouble, just let Meng Da and Pan Jun lead the troops to put down the rebellion!"

"Meng Da and Pan Jun will either die with those scholars, or they will become my confidants in civil and military affairs and enjoy all the glory and wealth."

"I believe these two know who can really give them what they want."

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "That said, we still have to be prepared. It's better to let Hao'er lead the troops to supervise the transportation of grain and grass, and let Mengda lead the troops to escort."

"If Mengda is unwilling to serve his father and still has dissent, the child can inform his father in time."

Cao Pi smiled and said, "Rui'er isn't worried that I misjudged Meng Da and you were cut off by Meng Da as a sacrificial flag?"

Cao Ruihao said: "My father is in his prime, and Rui'er is not the only son."

"If father is wrong, then just kill Meng Da and Pan Jun and bury them with me!"

"If father's predictions are correct, then father will have one more powerful general and four thousand soldiers."

"Even if someone wants to covet my father's position in the future, my father will be able to deal with it calmly."

Cao Pi stood up with a drunken look in his eyes: "I have a Qilin in the Cao family, so why worry about the world not being able to return home? Hahaha!"

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  (End of this chapter)