Chapter 309: The Patriots, Xuchang Rebellion To say what Cao Cao understood from Jia Xu's words, it is simply a matter of nominal priority. Before this, Xun Yu, Guo Jia and others acted too upright. This made Cao fall into a logical trap, that is, the emperor and Liu Bei were one family. Unknowingly, he found himself on the opposing side of Liu Bei and the Han Dynasty. In this situation, Yuan Shao might want to deal with him, and Liu Bei might also want to deal with him. This made him overlook one thing: there is a priority in righteousness, and the same was true for Liu Bei. Why was Qin Zhen able to help Liu Bei rise and become powerful? In addition to Qin Zhen's own prediction of the situation, there was also the passport of Yuan Shu's enthronement. Because Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor first, it became politically correct to attack Yuan Shu. Since Liu Bei joined in, he had to let Liu Bei go in order to maintain the dignity of the Han Dynasty.

And the situation he is facing now is a similar situation! He was not afraid of Yuan Shao, but he was afraid that Liu Bei, Liu Biao and others would trip him up from behind. If that is the case, then why didn't he follow Qin Zhen's example and make the attack on Yuan Shao a politically correct thing to do? For example, now that Yuan Shao has proclaimed himself emperor, Cao Cao would be serving the country by attacking Yuan Shao. With such a golden signboard, how dare Liu Bei stab him in the back? Once Liu Bei dares to stab in the back, the banner of supporting the Han Dynasty will collapse in an instant! In this way, even if he lost, Liu Bei would lose the hearts of a large number of scholars. This is a method of kidnapping, which completely turned Yuan Shao into their opposite. Someone may say here, Yuan Shao is not stupid, why does he want to become emperor? But it doesn't matter if Yuan Shao doesn't proclaim himself emperor. There are plenty of ways to turn Yuan Shao into a public enemy of the Han Dynasty. For example, he intended to murder Emperor Xian, or even assassinate the king and plot a rebellion! Didn't you want to stop me, Cao, from moving the capital? I asked you to stop me! Even if you don't send troops, I will secretly send a troop to pretend to chase you! It would be best if Liu Xie suffered some minor injuries on the way, or even his life was in danger. Once this news spread, Cao Cao would insist that it was Yuan Shao who did it and call on all the princes in the world to attack Yuan Shao. At that time, even if Liu Bei hated him to the core, he would have to follow him to attack Yuan Shao! Others dare not talk about this strategy, let alone think about it. Naturally, Jia Xu did not dare to say more and could only hint at the issue. This is also the reason why he told Lao Cao in private. Because this strategy is unfilial and unethical, even Dong Zhao and others would be terrified when they heard it! Thinking of this, Lao Cao looked at Jia Xu again, with only admiration in his eyes. "If I had received the assistance of Lord Jia earlier, I wouldn't have to worry so much!" But Cao Cao's praise made Jia Xu bow and say:

"It's just picking up someone else's plan. With your wisdom, you will come up with a good plan sooner or later!" He picked up someone's lost plan, and the one he picked up was of course Qin Zhen's. He then turned around and praised Cao Cao, not daring to take any credit for it. Seeing him like this, Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying with interest: "Mr. Jia is acting like this because he is afraid of Mr. Cao?" You are so cautious old man. Are you afraid of me, Old Cao? When Jia Xu heard this, he shook his head calmly and said: "It's not because I'm afraid of him, but because I respect Cao Gong's wisdom and strategy, that's why I persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender." I am not afraid of you, but I respect you. Don't forget that it was me who persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender! His words were neither humble nor arrogant, which made Cao Cao happy and he said: "So the reason why we attacked Zhang Xiu was not for Nanyang, but for Lord Jia alone!" He no longer had any doubts and asked Jia Xu how to resolve the problem between Xun Yu and the emperor. Jia Xu didn't want to reveal too much, but seeing Cao Cao like this, he could only say in a deep voice: "There is no conflict between Lord Xun and Lord Cao. The reason is that the emperor is close to Liu Bei and resents Lord Cao." "We can solve this problem by alienating the emperor from Liu Bei!" Cao Cao's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he hurriedly asked Jia Xu how to sow discord. Jia Xu replied: "See the story of Gengshi and Guangwu, just let the emperor know!" The so-called story of Gengshi and Guangwu tells the love-hate relationship between Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Emperor Gengshi. After Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, the throne was vacant, and the Green Forest Army supported Liu Xuan as emperor, calling him Gengshi. Originally, Liu Xiu and his brother Liu Yan were both subordinates of Emperor Gengshi. But later, his brother Liu Yan became so successful that he was killed by Emperor Gengshi. Liu Xiu became disloyal because of this, and after being sent to Hebei, he took the opportunity to raise an army. At that time, there were hundreds of thousands of mercenaries, and he was called the Bronze Horse Emperor by the people of Guanzhong. This also led to Emperor Gengshi's defeat and death! Jia Xu brought up this matter now to let Cao Cao know that Liu Xie might not really be of the same mind with Liu Bei. The reason why Liu Xie was loyal to Liu Bei was because Liu Bei was away and Liu Xie thought Liu Bei would obey him. But if the court really fell into Liu Bei's hands, Liu Bei might become the next Liu Xiu. Now that the pros and cons have been made clear to Liu Xie, would Liu Xie still not support Liu Bei? You have to know that Liu Xie wanted to take control of the government again, not to be a puppet. The only goal of this young emperor is to make his own decisions! If Liu Xie knew that Liu Bei would threaten his life, I think he would not be noble enough to not fear life or death! This strategy is to start from human nature and forcibly change Liu Xie's ideas. Instead of being like Xun Yu, who worshipped Liu Xie highly and let Liu Xie do whatever he wanted! When Cao Cao heard this plan, he clapped his hands and laughed, praising it repeatedly: "What a good plan to sow discord! Lord Jia is a man who is devoted to the country!"

Smiling like this, all the worries in his heart disappeared. Why should he go to the emperor to apologize? The fact that you, Liu Xie, can still become emperor is all thanks to me, Cao! Now, if you refuse my request to move the capital, I will give you to Liu Bei! I'm afraid that after he explains this matter clearly, Liu Huihui will beg him to move the capital quickly! What is a man who is good at planning for the country? This is a man who is good at planning for the country! With just a few words, Jia Xu solved all his current problems. Compared to Jia Xu, Guo Jia and Xun Yu were too young. Thinking of this, he pulled Jia Xu's hand and said affectionately: "If I can win this battle, Lord Jia will be the first to achieve the credit!" "After the war, I intend to let Lord Jia take charge of the Shangshutai. I wonder what Lord Jia means?" He thought that such a generous reward would make Jia Xu grateful. Unexpectedly, as soon as the words came out, Jia Xu took a step back, clasped his hands and bowed, saying: "This proposal is not acceptable. Xun Wenruo is a talent who can assist the king. If he becomes prime minister, he can help Duke Cao to rule the world!" "Xu is old and lacks energy, so it is difficult for him to take charge of the power." "If Lord Cao is willing to reward me, please give me land and houses to increase my wealth." "This way, when I retire in the future, I can enjoy my old age in peace!" His words were flawless, he first praised Xun Yu, then said he had no desire for power, and even told Cao Cao that he would retire in a few more years. He looks like he has seen through fame and fortune and doesn't want to be mixed with too many external things. Cao Cao felt relieved when he heard these words. No one could make him feel more at ease than this wise yet low-key strategist. He immediately said that it was impossible for you to retire. The country still needs great talents like Jia Gong to stabilize the situation! However, after saying these two sentences, he did not mention the idea of ​​letting Jia Xu be the Minister of the Chancellery again. In order to clear Jia Xu of suspicion, he did not even give him any reward on the spot, but just let Jia Xu quietly leave Cao's mansion through the back door. Therefore, after a discussion, Cao Cao decided on a strategy and was no longer hesitant. That night, Xun Yu returned from the palace and told Cao Cao that he could enter the palace to meet the emperor. But Cao Cao refused on the spot, and instead took out Guo Jia's intelligence and questioned Xun Yu: "If Wen Ruo only knew that Cao was guilty of disrespecting the emperor, did he know that the emperor wanted to kill Cao?" Xun Yu was horrified when he saw the information, and he quickly defended himself: "I really don't know about this matter. How dare Dong Cheng and others conspire against Cao Gong?" He was a very smart man. As soon as he saw Dong Cheng and others plotting, he knew it was Liu Xie's suggestion. When Cao Cao questioned him, he hurriedly said that he knew nothing about it.

If he knew about this, he would never persuade Cao Cao to enter the palace! After all, Liu Xie intended to kill Cao Cao, and once Cao Cao entered the palace in person, he would be at risk of being killed. No wonder as soon as he entered the palace and explained his purpose to Liu Xie, Liu Xie readily agreed. It was obvious that Liu Xie had probably already developed murderous intentions towards Cao Cao and wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of him. Thinking of this possibility, he looked at Cao Cao in panic and said: "I don't know how the Minister of Works intends to deal with the matter of the Emperor's uncle. This must be due to the advice of treacherous people, and the Emperor is young and does not know." "Cao Gong must not blame the emperor for this, nor should he be offended by it!" He also knew that Cao Cao was dissatisfied with Liu Xie and was afraid that Cao Cao would do something to Liu Xie. When Cao Cao heard this, he immediately pretended to be angry and said: "If the ruler wants his subjects to die, and the subjects do not die, they are disloyal. This is the way of a subject." "Since the emperor wishes to sentence Cao to death, Cao should enter the palace and accept his death!" Having said that, he walked out of the mansion, looking like he was ready to die bravely. This immediately shocked Xun Yu. He didn't want Cao Cao to harm Liu Xie, but he also didn't want Cao Cao to die at the hands of Liu Xie. Although he knew that it was Cao Cao's angry words, he still grabbed Cao Cao and said: "It's just a bunch of scoundrels causing trouble, how can Lord Cao be so lax!" "Since they are treasonous, they should be arrested one by one!" "With the current situation like this, how can the world be without Cao Gong?" Seeing him trying to stop him, Cao Cao turned around and said in a deep voice: "If that's the case, if I kill Dong Cheng, I will exterminate all the people involved. I wonder if you are guilty?" Xun Yu hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but from Cao Cao's expression he knew that he had to agree. "As long as Lord Cao does not offend the emperor, you can proceed!" At this point, he also knew that he could not save everyone else and should save Liu Xie first. As soon as Xun Yu agreed, Cao Cao no longer hesitated and ordered the city gates to be closed and the entire city to be under martial law. In less than an hour, the army entered Xu County and took control of the situation. As soon as the news came out, Wu Shuo and others were shocked and hurried to Dong Cheng's house to report the news. When Dong Cheng heard this, he knew that the matter had been exposed, and he immediately summoned his followers and said: "Now I am following the emperor's secret decree to kill Cao the thief, but unexpectedly this man has ordered martial law." "You must have known about our conspiracy. We helped the emperor get out of Chang'an in the past, and today we can help him get out of Xu County!" "Now the imperial city's guards are all our men, everyone follow me to welcome the emperor!" Dong Cheng was promoted from a colonel to a general of chariots and cavalry, so he was certainly not stupid. He knew that Cao Cao had imposed martial law and he would not be able to break through the city gate.

The only way was to hold Liu Xie hostage and use him to open the city gate. After saying this, he walked out of the mansion with his entourage, ready to take action. At the same time, Wang Fu, Wu Zilan and others mobilized their troops. As soon as they reached the street, they met generals Cao Chun, Cao Hong and others. The two sides immediately engaged in hand-to-hand combat in Xu County, and the sudden shouts of killing resounded through the night sky. All the civil and military officials in the court had experienced war, and when they heard the sound, they all closed their doors. The two sides fought for a while, and Dong Cheng saw that he could not win the battle, so he led his troops straight into the imperial city. The reason why Dong Cheng wanted to win over Zhong Ji was because the Changshui Cavalry Captain was one of the eight schools of the imperial guards. Even if Cao Cao mobilized his troops, he could enter the palace first. Liu Xie had already fallen asleep at this time. When he heard the noise outside the palace, he was immediately shocked. Not long after, he saw Dong Cheng entering the palace in military uniform. He exclaimed: "Why did the uncle come into the palace so late at night? Why did he look like that?" Dong Cheng saw his panic-stricken face, frowned, knelt on one knee and said: "Your Majesty gave me the imperial edict in the past, ordering me to kill the thief Cao." "Now that Cao the thief has learned of this, the matter has been leaked. Your Majesty, please leave as soon as possible." "I will lead Your Majesty out of Xu County and head to Huainan!" According to his thinking, as long as Liu Xie was with him, Cao Cao would be cautious. But he didn't expect that when Liu Xie heard this, his face turned pale and he said: "Cao Cao has countless elite soldiers. Now that the truth has been revealed, we must blockade the city!" "How many soldiers does the uncle have? How can he escort me out of the city?" Liu Xie had seen Cao Cao's troops before, so he refused to leave no matter what. When Dong Cheng saw this, he immediately knelt down and begged, but Liu Xie just shook his head and refused. After a short delay, a soldier came and shouted that Cao's army had arrived outside the palace. When Dong Cheng heard this, he was filled with despair and could only order his guards to block the palace gate and prevent Cao's army from entering. (End of this chapter)