Chapter 306: Xun Yu discusses the situation and asks to kill Dong Zhao In July of the fourth year of Jian'an, taking advantage of the gap after defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao led his troops back to Xuchang. And his purpose was only one, to move the capital! Move the capital before Yuan Shao went south! Originally, Cao Cao had proposed this matter in February, but it was delayed until July. The reason for this was mainly due to the movements of Yuan Shao and Liu Bei, which was also Qin Zhen's plan. In order to prevent Cao Cao from moving the capital, they informed Yuan Shao to send troops to Hedong, and let Guan Yu threaten in the direction of Runan. Under such circumstances, Cao Cao's plan to move the capital north or south was directly threatened by the two families. After all, to go north from Nanyang to Guanzhong, one needs to pass through the Nanyang Plain which is hundreds of miles long. Both Liu Biao and Liu Bei might lead troops to block the way, and you can’t be sure what might happen along the way. As for entering Guanzhong from Luoyang via Hongnong, before Hedong is completely stabilized, the capital will be pursued by Yuan Shao's cavalry if it is moved! Therefore, if Cao Cao wanted to move the capital safely, he had to open a completely controllable channel. In addition, there was another thing that Cao Cao had to be wary of, and that was the obstruction from his ministers.

The most important person among them is Xun Yu, an important subordinate of Cao whose seniority is second only to Qin Zhen. With Qin Zhen's departure, Xun Yu actually started to have conflicts with Cao Cao early on. The most direct thing was that after Cao Cao went north, Xun Yu stopped Dong Zhao's intention to move the emperor first. Cao Cao was very clear about these things, but at that time he had to face pressure from Yuan Shao and had to return. After winning a partial victory, he led his troops directly back to the city of Xuchang and summoned Xun Yu to his mansion. At this time, in Sikong Mansion, Cao Cao was sitting on the couch eating, and Xun Yu was standing beside him. Both of them seemed to be silent, making the atmosphere in the mansion a little solemn. Amidst the solemnity, there was also a certain silence; even the sound of Cao Cao chewing could be heard clearly. Xun Yu could no longer remember how many times Cao Cao had met him in his study. But he had never felt such torment as he felt at this moment, as if he was in a furnace. But he didn't say a word, just lowered his head quietly, without looking around. "If you have come this far, don't you have anything to say to Cao?" Suddenly, Cao Cao put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his oily beard, and looked up at Xun Yu. Hearing this, Xun Yu felt as if a heavy burden had suddenly been placed on his shoulders. He silently shook his head and said: "I don't know why my lord wants me to do this, so I don't know what to say!" Upon hearing this, Cao Cao couldn't help but get off the bed, put on his shoes, put his hands behind his back, looked at Xun Yu several times, and said in a deep voice: "If you don't know the text, I might as well tell you the truth!" "May I ask why Wen Ruo wanted to stop me from moving the capital?" Xun Yu faced Cao Cao's scrutiny without wavering in the slightest, and said in a deep voice: "I have never stopped my lord from moving the capital!" Before he could finish his words, Cao Cao slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily: "Don't you think that Cao doesn't know about Xu County?"

"When I sent troops to Hedong, I entrusted the matter of moving the capital to you!" "Although Guan Yu's troops surrounded Shangcai at that time, Liu Bei's main force was still in Jiangdong!" "Dong Gongren saw that the enemy was strong, so he asked the emperor to go first and then mobilize the ministers." "If you hadn't obstructed this matter, how could the relocation of the capital have been delayed until now?" "The Xun Wenruo whom Cao knew is a sincere gentleman, why don't you dare to admit it here today?" As he said this, his face was naturally very fierce, without a trace of kindness. Because Xun Yu now is just like Qin Zhen in the past, which makes him feel very scared. Looking back to the past, before Qin Zhen left, he gradually developed conflicts with him, just like Xun Yu. They even gradually went their separate ways and ended up speaking to each other unkindly. How similar is Qin Zhen at that time to Xun Yu now? But both of them are the same, they hold important positions and are indispensable! It can even be said that Xun Yu is more important to him now than Qin Zhen was before. It was because when Qin Zhen left, the situation he was facing was very good, and the departure of Qin Zhen was not enough to affect his foundation. But now it’s different, he is about to face a big battle, and Xun Yu is his heart. As long as there is any problem with Xun Yu, he will face a total collapse. So he really wanted to ask clearly what exactly you, Xun Yu, were thinking! If you can still get along, then get along well and don't secretly trip him up. If you think that I, Cao, am incapable of assisting you, then just say it clearly. It can be said that as long as Xun Yu cannot provide sufficient reasons now, he will not be merciful. But amid his roar, Xun Yu raised his head, looked at Cao Cao with despair and said: "Could it be that Lord Cao can no longer trust even Yu?" "Could it be that in Lord Cao's eyes, Yu is as untrustworthy as those villains?" Compared to Cao Cao's severity, Xun Yu was more sad than fearful. He suddenly seemed to understand how helpless Qin Zhen was when facing Lao Cao that day. What can you do when everything you say and do is no longer trusted? But his character was far less hard-headed than Qin Zhen's. After saying these two sentences, he sighed: "Lord Cao only said that I was obstructing the relocation of the capital. May I ask Lord Cao, what good would it be to relocate the capital at that time?" Cao Cao frowned when he saw him like this. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Xun Yu lowering his eyebrows and saying: "Lord Cao saw that the two families were advancing, and thought that he could find peace by moving the emperor to Guanzhong." "Don't you know that Liu Bei was given a title by the emperor to achieve his current status?" "So if the emperor did not move, Liu Bei would not dare to move his army, and Cao Gong's retreat was thus safe until now." "Otherwise, if we move the capital at that time, Guan Yu will definitely abandon Shangcai and pursue us!" "Liu Bei has deployed more than 100,000 troops in the Central Plains and Xuzhou. If Guan Yu moves, Liu Bei will have to mobilize troops to support him."

"If Zang Ba contacts Yuan Tan to march to Mount Tai, Xu Shu will go north to threaten Xuchang." "According to the time, Yuan Shao's army will arrive in Weijun just in time, so we can take advantage of the situation and advance." "If the two families attack at the same time, how will Cao Gong respond?" When Cao Cao heard this, his brows furrowed, and he stared at Xun Yu and said: "But didn't you tell me before that Liu Bei wouldn't dare to attack our army together with Yuan Shao?" The basis for his courage to go to war now is based on Xun Yu’s strategic judgment. But now Xun Yu suddenly came up with a joint attack by the two families, which made him feel embarrassed. If the situation really reaches that point, then forget about holding on! I'm afraid the entire Yanzhou can't withstand the fierce attack from the two families for three months! When he asked this, Xun Yu sighed again and said, "The reason why I made this judgment is that Cao Gong respects the emperor and commands the princes!" "If Lord Cao respects the emperor, Liu Bei will naturally not dare to attack our army because of Yuan Shao's military strength!" "But what has Cao Gong done since Dong Gongren made his suggestion? Hunting in Xutian, forcing the emperor to move the capital!" "Is this the behavior of a minister? How is this behavior different from Dong Zhongying in the past?" "If this gets out, Yuan Shao will be fine, but how can Liu Bei tolerate it?" "Besides, if the two families act together, Liu Bei may not be afraid of Yuan Shao's power!" "Because although Liu Bei has just conquered Yangzhou and Xuzhou, Yuan Shao also needs to rest and recuperate." "If the two families take Yanzhou, they will temporarily cease fighting and will not attack each other." "When Yangzhou and Xuzhou are stabilized next year, Liu Bei will no longer be afraid of our army, so why should he be afraid of Yuan Shao?" "Besides, does Lord Cao know Qin Zhen? With this man's plan, how could Yuan Shao easily attack us?" "I am afraid that the two families will not fight each other, but will jointly take Guanzhong and welcome the emperor first!" "Although Dong Zhongying had a strong pass in the past, he still had to move the capital to avoid the attack of the Guandong coalition army." "Now there are only Liu Bei and Yuan Shao in Guandong. If they mobilize at the same time and attack from all sides, where should Cao Gong move to?" Having said this, he took a deep breath, raised his head weakly and said: "I have been urging you to respect the emperor and follow the kingly way, but you have been believing in the words of the tyrant." "Now that the court is full of criticisms of Cao Gong, how dare Yu move the emperor westward?" "This is all Lord Cao's plan. Why doesn't Lord Cao believe what I say?" As he spoke, Xun Yu felt helpless. He knew exactly what Cao Cao was thinking. The worst that could happen is that he would retreat back to Guanzhong and wait for the two families to fight, and then he would gain the upper hand. But if you, Cao, want to do this, you must first meet a prerequisite, that is, to ensure that the two families will not launch a joint attack after they seize Yanzhou! Haven’t you seen that even a powerful country like Qin was almost defeated by the coalition forces of the six nations? Now Liu Bei and Yuan Shao occupy seven states. If they take Yanzhou, how will you withstand the simultaneous attack of the two great princes? This is also the reason why he always advised Cao to persuade Liu Xie first before moving the capital.

But he judged that Liu Xie would never take the initiative to move the capital, and the talks between Cao Cao and Liu Xie would definitely fail. That's why he has been trying to stabilize the court and not allowing Dong Zhao and others to move the capital! But he didn't expect that rejecting Dong Zhao's stupid move would make Cao Cao so angry. He even returned to Xu Du directly, questioning whether he was deliberately trying to trip him up. Just like questioning Qin Zhen in Wancheng at the beginning, questioning his starting point. Not to mention Qin Zhen, a founding member, even he felt a chill in his heart. Faced with his eyes, Cao Cao was stunned for a moment. This look seemed familiar. Qin Zhen left at the beginning because he could not persuade him in this way. Is he going to use the same old trick now to force Xun Yu away? In a trance, he grabbed Xun Yu's hand and said earnestly: "If you had said this earlier, how could I blame you for doing this?" "It's because the situation is so unfavorable now. Cao is attacked from all sides, and none of his ministers can be trusted." "Thinking of how Qin Zixuan abandoned me in the past, I was afraid that Wen Ruo would follow suit." "If I had known you would say this, I would not have been so surprised!" At this point, he saw that Xun Yu's face was still full of worry, so he shouted outside: "Come quickly, bring me the whip!" Xun Yu was disappointed and in a very low mood, but when he heard him want to take the whip, he was surprised and said: "My lord, why do you want to take the whip?" Cao Cao saw his expression change, and said seriously: "In the past, Lian Po humiliated himself and bare his body to carry a thorny stick. Now Cao is a lowly man. In front of such a powerful enemy, he still does not know your good intentions. He should be punished." "It's hard to find brambles here, so I can only use a horse whip. I hope you'll forgive me!" As soon as he finished speaking, someone outside the mansion brought a horsewhip. Cao Cao knelt in front of Xun Yu and presented the horsewhip with both hands. Xun Yu was shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly supported Cao Cao and said: "Mr. Cao is a respected person, how can you kneel on the ground? Stand up quickly." Seeing him being supported, Cao Cao forced himself to stand up, lowered his head and said: "If Wen Ruoruo does not forgive Cao's crime, Cao will kneel down and not get up." Seeing Lao Cao playing tricks, Xun Yu was embarrassed and said hurriedly: "When have I ever blamed Lord Cao? I just saw that Lord Cao was so receptive to the words of treacherous flatterers, so I tried to persuade him." "If we talk about blaming, when did I dare to blame Cao Gong for anything?" Hearing this, Cao Cao felt guilty, even though Xun Yu was like a fence-sitter, wavering between him and the emperor. But in the face of any of his actions, Xun Yu always tolerated it.

However, he kept pressing her again and again, making Xun Yu feel like a young wife, who was neither accepted by anyone nor by anyone. Thinking of what he had just said, he grabbed the horse whip and whipped himself on the back, saying; "Wen Ruo, there is no need to say anything more. This is all Cao's fault. But if it would vent Wen Ruo's anger, I would whip Cao to death right here. What's the harm?" The whip hit his back with a snapping sound, which startled Xun Yu. For a moment, he forgot the feeling of grievance just now, and quickly grabbed the whip and said: "I am not angry at all. I hope you will stop, or I will be ashamed!" After he finished speaking, Cao Cao stopped and looked at Xun Yu cautiously and said: "Wen Ruo is really no longer angry about Cao's disrespectful words before?" When Xun Yu saw this, he smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying that he was not surprised. When Cao Cao saw this, he stood up, grabbed Xun Yu's hand and said with a smile: "If Wen Ruoru can vent her anger, then this whipping will not be in vain!" Seeing him like this, Xun Yu had no choice but to agree with him and no longer felt any resentment. After saying this for a few sentences, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu what he should do now! Even though Cao Cao was full of confidence before fighting Yuan Shao, it was only when the situation became serious that he realized how great the pressure was! Since Xun Yu pointed out that he might be attacked by the two families, he sought a solution. Otherwise, if Liu Bei stayed in Shouchun, even if he went to fight, there would be leaks from the rear! But facing Cao Cao's question, Xun Yu turned serious and said: "To break this situation, please kill Dong Zhao first, and then apologize to the emperor!" When Lao Cao heard this, the joy on his face disappeared immediately. He couldn't bear to kill Dong Zhao just to break the impasse! (End of this chapter)