Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3905 Knowing it's impossible, yet still doing it

For Cao Ren, it was completely unimportant whether these young men from Yingchuan and the gentry of Yuzhou were unaware of the truth or had been deceived into coming.

Does it really matter that much to the superstructure of the Han Dynasty, Shandong, and Central Plains, whether it was voluntary or forced?

It's just a pretext for loyalist policies towards the emperor.

In Cao Ren's view, it didn't really matter whether these Yingchuan youths were fools, smart people, or obedient boys sent by their families. Once they embarked on this path, they had to bear the consequences of their choices.

Moreover, even if these people were left behind to continue living aimlessly and enjoying the legacy of their families, they would most likely be purged of their land and households by the new policies of the General of the Cavalry, or perhaps be taken over and bullied by other emerging powerful families. In the end, they would still be unable to escape the fate of their families declining and becoming wanderers...

It's better to make the most of what we have now.

Cao Ren's gaze was cold as it lingered on Xun Yu. "It would be better to let him die for the king, bearing the name of loyalty and valor, at the Sishui Pass, sacrificing himself on the battlefield! Perhaps then he will earn a reputation for loyalty and valor, and his name will be recorded in history… In these chaotic times, he will have maintained his integrity to the very end…"

Xun Yu was struck as if by a silent thunderbolt, his whole body trembled violently, he froze on the spot, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Yes, these people are highly likely, or rather, they are going there to die!
Xun Yu understood this clearly, and Cao Ren understood it as well!

It's simply impossible to defeat the Flying Cavalry with these men...

Cao Ren's words were extremely cold-blooded, almost devoid of humanity!
However, the gloomy and bloody undertones in Cao Ren's words subtly pointed in a certain direction...

A direction that is more terrifying, darker, and more insidious than mere military means!
That's not just about the life and death of these young people, but also about the underlying logic of how the entire Cao Cao Group deals with crises!

Xun Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

Cao Ren glanced at him, his eyes revealing some displeasure. "Wenruo, do you know why, throughout history, in siege warfare, new recruits have always been sent first?"

Before Xun Yu could answer, Cao Ren continued, even speaking very bluntly, "Because places where people have died will drain the courage of those who come after... But if the dead are people they know, whether they are fellow villagers, relatives by marriage, or brothers in the clan... then that courage will turn into resentment! And when that resentment has accumulated enough, even the most cowardly person will charge forward with red eyes..."

"The common people... are like the soil. The soil needs frequent turning to grow crops... one crop dies, another grows... As for the occasional groans during turning, they're just the sounds of the earth..." Cao Ren stared at Xun Yu. "It's late... let's rest... tomorrow... we'll have to turn the soil again..."

Xun Yu understood.

A chill, a thousand times more biting and piercing than the winter wind outside the tent, instantly surged up from the soles of his feet, spread wildly along his spine, and rushed straight to the top of his head, freezing his limbs, bones, and internal organs into ice!

Of course, Xun Yu's "understanding" didn't mean he was unaware of Cao Cao's plans, nor that he was unaware of Cao Ren's cruelty. Rather, Xun Yu naively believed that "Yingchuan is special..."

Yingchuan is "protected" by Xun Yu!

They should be excluded from this plan!

Xun Yu joined Cao Cao back then because, compared to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao clearly needed the support of Yingchuan in Yuzhou more.

The emperor was welcomed to Xu County, and because the emperor was in this place, this place naturally became the "hometown of the emperor"!
When Cao Cao sent the Qingzhou soldiers to their deaths, Xun Yu remained silent.

When Cao Ren cornered the Jingzhou troops, Xun Yu remained silent.

When it came to abandoning Ji Province and using it as a buffer zone, leaving the people and gentry of Ji Province to suffer the ravages of war, Xun Yu naturally did not object.

When he gathered gentry from all over the Central Plains to recreate the Alliance of Suanzao, Xun Yu remained silent even knowing that these gentry youths were just cannon fodder...

Until the people of Yingchuan took the stage, Xun Yu was in pain, spoke out, and objected...

All of this was originally a strategy pre-planned by Cao Cao!
Use someone else to do your dirty work!
Or rather, this was a meticulously planned and extremely brutal "expenditure"!
The troops gathered from all over Shandong, especially the sons, retainers, and even some family members of influential local gentry and powerful families, under the impeccable banner of "loyalty to the emperor and love for the country," and sent them to Sishui Pass to fight the Flying Cavalry Army.

On this bloodiest frontline battlefield, if victory were to be achieved by chance, all would be well and Cao Cao's crisis would be averted. At the same time, these local forces in Shandong and the Central Plains would also be severely weakened by heavy losses and would no longer be able to form an effective check on Cao Cao.

Of course, this seems unlikely to be achieved now, but there's always a chance of luck...

So if we are defeated...

Even if you are defeated, it still has its "usefulness"!
After the defeat, Cao Cao would likely die and his country would be destroyed, and his hegemony would come to naught. At the same time, Cao Cao would also create a huge hidden danger for Fei Qian!
This is completely different from Huangfu killing the Yellow Turbans before!

When Huangfu killed 100,000 Yellow Turbans, the Shandong gentry applauded and cheered wildly. They even composed folk songs for Huangfu, which were sung far and wide...

If the Shandong youths gathered by Cao Cao and Cao Ren were to die at Sishui Pass, then a powerful landmine formed from their blood and bones would be planted on the road to Fei Qian's rule over the Central Plains!

Such a large-scale bloody massacre involving so many powerful local clans must have sown an intractable fear and deep hatred towards the Flying Cavalry regime in the hearts of the Shandong gentry!

This is tantamount to sowing the deepest seeds for possible future resistance and turmoil!
This is the vicious "legacy" that Cao Cao left for Fei Qian before his defeat!
Cao Cao wasn't simply asking for help!

He is actively carrying out a bloody scheme that goes beyond the military level, fueled by the lives of countless "his own people"!

Before this, Xun Yuzhen really thought that Yingchuan could be "exempted"!

"But, but Yingchuan..." Xun Yu's voice trembled, each syllable seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from broken ice, "Yingchuan... is different..."

Cao Ren did not admit it directly. He simply looked away from Xun Yu and returned his gaze to the cold map and roster in front of him, as if he was avoiding the question or had lost patience.

Cao Ren's voice was weary, indifferent, and even carried a hollow, resigned air. "I... am merely following orders. Wenruo, it's late. You've been working tirelessly for days, your mind and spirit are exhausted. Go back to your tent and rest early. Tomorrow... tomorrow I'll need your assistance to quickly reorganize the various units and familiarize them with the basic flags. The day after tomorrow... at the latest by dawn the day after tomorrow, we must break camp and set off, traveling day and night to reach Sishui."

Xun Yu didn't know how he moved his legs, which felt as heavy as lead, or how he walked out of that oppressive and suffocating general's tent, completely disoriented...

Outside the tent, the night wind was biting cold, howling across the empty camp, stirring up withered grass and dust, which slapped coldly against Xun Yu's face and body.

Xun Yu felt his heart sinking, sinking...

It felt as if I had fallen into an eternal abyss, and even my consciousness was about to be swallowed up by the extreme cold and darkness.

He raised his head blankly and looked up at the deep night sky.

The Milky Way still shines brightly in the winter night, with countless stars moving indifferently along ancient and constant trajectories, shimmering with cold light, silently looking down on him, as if looking down on this land that is about to be stained with even more intense bloodshed.

Ambition, scheming.

Deception, sacrifice.

Hope, despair.

When mixed together, it becomes the bitterest poison.

Xun Yu suddenly recalled a sentence Cao Cao had uttered many years ago, after drinking, with a hint of self-mockery and perhaps a touch of ruthlessness...

"I would rather betray others than be betrayed by them!"

Xun Yu once thought that this "burden" meant to carry on one's back...

He believed that Cao Cao had to bear the burden of the world's strife, suffering, accusations, and infamy...

Xun Yu has always preferred to interpret it as a self-protection and code of conduct that a warlord in a chaotic world had no choice but to adopt in a cruel environment. Although it has flaws, it is understandable.

However, at this moment, under the cold night sky of the Yingchuan camp, Xun Yu truly understood the deeper, more thorough, and more despairing meaning behind those words.

Loyalty and ideals, ruthless political maneuvering, the will to uphold justice and the means to achieve hegemony, are twisted together at this moment, exuding a suffocating and nauseating stench of blood.

Xun Yu stood alone in the biting wind, his slender figure cast long, distorted shadows on the ground by the campfire behind him...

In a daze, he seemed to have aged twenty years overnight.

The ideals he pursued, the edifice of "restoring the Han dynasty" and "making the ruler like Yao and Shun," seemed to be mercilessly drawn into, torn apart, devoured, and collapsed by an irresistible dark vortex... All he could do was watch helplessly as a powerless bystander...

……

……

However, the new information brought new changes.

When news broke that Guan Yu had raised an army and was advancing north, with his forces aimed directly at Xuchang, it was like another heavy hammer blow to Cao Cao's camp.

After a brief moment of astonishment, a new hope suddenly ignited in Xun Yu's eyes!
This news is a crisis!

More importantly, this news gave Xun Yu an excellent reason!

It can free him from despair and allow him to uphold his original moral principles!
Xun Yu went to Cao Ren's military tent again.

"General Zixiao! Guan Yu has marched north; Xuchang is in grave danger!" Xun Yu's voice, usually gentle and composed, was now urgent and forceful. "Xuchang is the capital of the Han Dynasty. Although the Emperor is temporarily away, the palaces and books remain, and the families of many officials are still here. It is a symbol of the Han Dynasty in the hearts of the people! If Xuchang falls into Guan Yu's hands, the people of the Central Plains will be terrified, and the imperial authority will be utterly destroyed! This is not merely the gain or loss of a single city or place; it concerns the fate of the entire nation and the stability of the people's hearts!"

Xun Yu stared intently at Cao Ren. "Please, General, grant me some troops! I am willing to lead the men of Yingchuan to reinforce Xuchang under cover of darkness! Firstly, to protect the old capital and uphold the honor of the Han Dynasty; secondly… the defenses of Xuchang are still reliable, and perhaps… we can hold off the advance of the Flying Cavalry from the south for the Prime Minister!"

Cao Ren was making final preparations for his upcoming westward march when he heard this, and his brows furrowed in worry.

Cao Ren looked at Xun Yu with a complicated expression and remained silent for a long time.

In that gaze, there was weariness, impatience, and anger that had seen through Xun Yu's deeper intentions.

"Hmph... Wenruo..." Cao Ren shook his head and said, "I know your thoughts. But how can matters of state be so important as military and national affairs as to abandon the overall situation because of the danger in one place? The Prime Minister has written a letter saying that the situation inside the pass is critical, ordering us to rush to the rescue immediately! The Emperor is currently at Sishui Pass, not in Xuchang! The main force of the General of Chariots and Cavalry is also at Sishui, not the detachment in Nanyang! Can't Wenruo distinguish which is more important?"

Cao Ren stood up, raised his hand, and pointed towards Sishui Pass. "If Sishui falls, and the Emperor falls into the hands of the traitor Fei, then all will be lost! At that time, not only will Xu County be at risk, but the entire Central Plains, even the whole country, will change hands! What if Guan Yu comes? Even if he takes Xu County, burns the palaces, and loots the books, so what? As long as the Emperor and the Prime Minister are still alive, Xu County can be recaptured at any time! Conversely, if we divide our forces now, delaying our reinforcements to Sishui Pass and causing the pass to fall… what use is preserving ten Xu Counties?!"

Was Cao Ren wrong?

That's right.

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu did not back down. Instead, he stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "General Zixiao! Xuchang is not just a city; it is the very foundation of the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains! The people of the world, especially those in Shandong, hold Xuchang in their hearts! If Xuchang falls, the people's hearts will scatter! Even if the Emperor is still within the pass, in the eyes of the people, the Han Dynasty will already be more than half dead! I am not unaware of the urgency of rescuing the pass, but the importance of Xuchang concerns the very foundation of the Han Dynasty's rule; how can it be lightly abandoned?!"

"The Han Dynasty's orthodox tradition?" Cao Ren suddenly burst into laughter. "What orthodox tradition exists in this world today?!"

Cao Ren took a step closer to Xun Yu, staring at him intently. "You keep talking about Xu County, the lineage, the people's hearts… I see, you're reluctant to leave Yingchuan! Reluctant to leave Xu County! Reluctant to leave your Xun clan, and all these ancestral graves and estates of the great families of Yingchuan! You're afraid these descendants will die at Sishui Pass, and you won't be able to face the elders of Yingchuan, and your reputation, Xun Wenruo, will be tarnished! Isn't that right?!"

These words pierced through all of Xun Yu's high-sounding reasons and tore away the last remaining warmth between Cao Ren and Xun Yu...

Or you could call it a fig leaf.

Xun Yu gritted his teeth, his beard trembling.

Xun Yu, a representative of the Xun clan of Yingchuan, considered himself a man of integrity and took it upon himself to support the Han dynasty.

However, is his "Han Dynasty" and his "empire" completely separated from the land of Yingchuan where he was born and raised, and from the villagers and their families who are connected to him by blood?
He couldn't stand by and watch these young people become cold pawns to be wasted, just for the sake of "loyalty and righteousness"?
When he wanted to return to Xuxian County, didn't he feel an overwhelming sense of attachment to his homeland, his hometown, and his responsibility as a local leader?

With the fall of Xu County and the fall of Yingchuan, the flames of war were about to reach his homeland. Wasn't this the scene he feared most deep down?
Xun Yu could not avoid these questions.

Inside the large tent, there was an eerie silence.

The torchlight flickered between the two men, sometimes illuminating Cao Ren's bloodshot eyes, and sometimes revealing Xun Yu's furrowed brows.

After a long while, Xun Yu slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was a pain that was almost desperate.

He stopped arguing and trying to cover it up, and simply admitted in a hoarse voice, "Yu... truly cannot let go... cannot sit idly by and watch Xu County fall, cannot... watch these Yingchuan youths..."

Xun Yu paused, as if using up all his strength, "Yu... my mind is made up! General, you have been ordered to rush to the aid of Sishui, and I dare not obstruct you... But I beg you, General, allow me to lead those who wish to go to Xu County to leave the camp and return east... I will defend Guan Yu and preserve the dignity of the capital... for the sake of the world... and for the sake of the Prime Minister, to do my utmost!"

This is a request that borders on a complete break.

This means that Xun Yu will disregard Cao Cao's overall strategy and take a portion of the fresh troops that should have gone to Sishui Pass to a place that Xun Yu considers more important...

Cao Ren stared intently at Xun Yu, his chest heaving violently.

He was well aware of the consequences of letting Xun Yu take the men away...

But he also knew that once the seemingly frail Minister of the Imperial Secretariat made up his mind, he was incredibly difficult to sway...

Force them to stay?

Xun Yu enjoyed extremely high prestige among the young men of Yingchuan, and the consequences of his forceful suppression were unpredictable.

"You...you're disobeying orders!"

Cao Ren squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

"Yu...willingly accepts his punishment."

Xun Yu bowed deeply, his waist bent low, yet his expression was utterly resolute. "Once the situation in Xuchang has somewhat stabilized, or...or after the war within the pass has ended, I will personally go before the Prime Minister to receive my punishment. Today, I beg the General...to grant my request!"

A suffocating silence fell once again inside the tent.

Finally, Cao Ren abruptly swung his arm, turned around, his back to Xun Yu, clearly suppressing his anger, and said, "Fine! If you want to leave, then leave! I'm willing to go with you to Xuchang; you can go and gather the supplies yourself! But I've already stated that I will not provide you with a single coin of provisions or weapons! From now on, whether you live or die, whether you achieve merit or demerit, you, Xun Wenruo, will bear all the consequences!"

"Thank you... General, for your kindness."

Xun Yu bowed again, his voice bitter.

He knew that from this moment on, a huge, irreparable rift had formed between him and the Cao Cao group he served, in their choice of which path to take!

He ultimately chose his homeland and the specific "symbol of the Han Dynasty" in his heart, thus deviating from Cao Cao's overall strategy...

That night, Xun Yu did not make any further incitement. He simply and calmly informed some of the officers and men from Yingchuan in the camp that he would lead a contingent of troops eastward to reinforce Xuchang and defend against Guan Yu.

Out of admiration for Xun Yu and instinct to defend their homeland, about half of the Yingchuan youths quietly packed their belongings and gathered under Xun Yu's command.

Before dawn, before the first light of day appeared, the cold wind was biting.

Xun Yu led his force of over a thousand men and silently left Cao Ren's camp, heading east on their way back to Xu County.

He didn't look back at the lights of Cao Ren's camp to the west, nor did he look at the young faces behind him...

He simply straightened his back, as if to shoulder all the guilt and hope.

Cao Ren watched as the long, eastward-bound army disappeared into the dawn mist, his face ashen.

A moment later, Cao Ren tossed his cloak aside and said in a deep voice to his trusted aide, "Accelerate the reorganization of the remaining troops, and march west today!"

He knew in his heart that with Xun Yu gone, the road ahead would be even more difficult.

Just as Xun Yu 'resolutely' headed towards Xuchang, Cao Ren also had his own 'insistence'...

At this moment, no one can say who is right and who is wrong.

What they "uphold" is the "morality" in their hearts.