Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3921 A gentleman seeks for himself, a petty person seeks from others
Cao Cao was originally the challenger.

Now, however, they have become guardians.

Undoubtedly, Cao Cao's calculations this time were almost a desperate attempt to survive, not much different from a battle with his back to the river.

If successful, it will naturally be a brilliant plan that will be admired for generations to come...

Cao Cao's strategies were also quite shrewd.

Unlike most ignorant officials or ordinary gentry who only saw the surface of the problem, he, as a native of the Han Dynasty, clearly understood that the problem of the Han Dynasty lay in the land and the issue of land annexation.

He also tried his best to solve the problem of powerful clans and wealthy families seizing land...

Historically, it was Cao Cao's large-scale land reclamation that enabled the State of Wei to accumulate sufficient resources, ultimately making it the victor in the Three Kingdoms period.

Even though it was ultimately attacked by Sima Yi, it was indeed a significant agricultural policy initiative by Cao Cao.

Early civilian and military settlements were important measures for Cao Cao to consolidate his power and restore the economy. Unfortunately, Cao Cao's measures did not become a system of succession, so naturally they were not implemented by Cao Pi.

So where did those last remaining fields and farmers go?

Without a doubt, it has been acquired yet again.

Moreover, the methods used are still very old-fashioned, and I'm afraid no keyboard warrior would be able to stand it.

First, they complain that the profits they've already made aren't enough, and then the bureaucrats intensify their exploitation, with deductions made from both above and below.

Then came a group of upright officials, local powerful clans and gentry who stood up to "speak out for justice," to set standards for the military-agricultural system and to investigate corruption. They then submitted memorials one after another, stating that the military-agricultural system was rotten to the core and had harmed countless people. In the end, of course, the virtuous scholars and officials of all ranks unanimously agreed that the military-agricultural system should be abolished.

Consequently, Sima Yan of the Western Jin Dynasty completely abolished civilian settlements, retaining only some military settlements, and their scale was also greatly reduced.

This is the method of the powerful aristocratic families...

Cao Cao experienced this firsthand.

Therefore, he is currently filled with resentment.

Out of anger at the betrayal of these powerful clans, Cao Cao's strategy also included the idea of ​​making Fei Qian and these powerful clans fight to the death...

As for whether it can be achieved...

That's a different matter.

Cao Cao tied his personal life and death to the social contradictions of the Han Dynasty, and plotted potential future conflicts. Although it was an extremely cold political calculation and strategic planning, it also revealed the tragic and desolate feeling that Cao Cao was almost willing to sacrifice himself for his cause.

Cao Ren, listening from the side, was heartbroken and overwhelmed with indescribable grief. He knelt down and pounded his forehead against the ground with a heavy thud, his throat choked with sobs, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Having explained the contingency plan for this worst-case scenario, Cao Cao seemed to have unloaded the heaviest burden from his heart. After the maniacal smile faded, the weariness on his face crept back into wrinkles.

All that's left is to calmly face it all...

Cao Cao straightened his clothes, patted Cao Ren on the shoulder, and said, "Zixiao... I entrust these matters to you... Ah... I still need to bid farewell to His Majesty... Before I leave, I must give His Majesty an explanation."

……

……

No matter how much tidying up is done, the "Emperor's Residence" inside Sishui Pass still reveals a touch of desolation.

In the dim candlelight, the charcoal fire flickered weakly.

Liu Xie sat alone behind an ordinary lacquered wooden table, not wearing a crown, but only in his emperor's everyday clothes. Although he tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor, his eyes were filled with lingering worry and fear.

Faced with Cao Cao's sudden visit, Liu Xie tried his best to appear calm with a numb expression, but the trembling hands in his sleeves betrayed him.

Although Liu Xie knew that this air of authority was insignificant in front of Cao Cao...

Oh, not only in front of Cao Cao, but also in front of Fei Qian, even in front of the whole world, it was pitifully weak.

Cao Cao was not wearing his conspicuous armor, but only a slightly worn red and black court robe.

Cao Cao's face now lacked its usual sharpness, displaying only weariness and haggardness. "Your subject Cao Cao greets Your Majesty."

Cao Cao's unusual calm only made Liu Xie more anxious...

Liu Xie cleared his throat, swallowed, and tried to make his voice as steady as a line, without any rise or fall or tremor. "Prime Minister, no need for formalities… What brings you to this audience so late at night?"

Cao Cao slowly raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Liu Xie's. "Your Majesty, I have come to take my leave."

"Resign...resign?!" Liu Xie suddenly lost his composure, and his tone trembled.

Liu Xie's bad premonition suddenly intensified.

What does this mean?!
Is he going to throw himself into Sishui Pass?

How did our friendship, which was supposed to last forever, suddenly capsize?
"Exactly."

Cao Cao's face remained impassive. "General Fei, the Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry, recently sent an envoy to invite me to his camp tomorrow to discuss the specifics of ending the war and welcoming Your Majesty back to the old capital, Chang'an. To prevent the people of Shandong and the Central Plains from suffering the ravages of war, and for Your Majesty's early return to peace… after much deliberation, I have decided to accept his invitation and go in person."

Of course, some of what Cao Cao said was true and some was false.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind!
Wait, what did I just hear?
Cao Cao...is he going to personally go to the enemy camp?

Go to the camp of the Flying Cavalry, surrounded by a large army and filled with fierce generals and strategists.
This isn't negotiation, this is clearly...

It's like walking into a trap; it's like facing a life-or-death situation!
No, it's a certain death!
An extremely complex emotion suddenly surged into Liu Xie's heart...

Whether his feelings towards Cao Cao stemmed from fear, resentment, or some kind of twisted dependence, one fact remains undeniable...

Over the years, it was Cao Cao who managed to keep this symbol called "Son of Heaven" a mere shell of the chaotic, bloody, and ruthless world outside.

It was Cao Cao who kept the empty shell of the "Han Dynasty" from completely collapsing, allowing Liu Xie to remain on the throne, even if he was just a magnificent puppet...

Even sitting here, he is still the emperor, the Son of Heaven, His Majesty, the ruler of all people…

If you move your buttocks, will it still be like this?
Now, Cao Cao, the pillar supporting this illusory palace, is about to break, collapse, and disappear!
So what will Liu Xie face now that he has lost this buffer?
Was he forced to transform into the shape of Fei Qian?
Or will we be met with the impact of the new era without any buffer?
In the torrent of overthrowing the old order, is it ecstasy or death?

Is the future bright or bleak?
Will they find liberation, or fall into another, even more terrifying abyss?

Liu Xie had no answers; his heart was filled with endless fear of the future.

"Prime Minister! This...this has come to this?!"

Liu Xie's voice trembled uncontrollably, and he even leaned forward unconsciously. "In a battle between two armies, even if there is a peace treaty, sending a high-ranking official as an envoy is sufficient! The Prime Minister is the pillar of the nation, my right-hand man, whose fate is tied to the safety of the empire. How can... how can he risk his life to personally venture into the den of wolves and tigers? If... if... if he harbors malicious intentions, and has laid weapons in the camp, wouldn't the Prime Minister's departure be... wouldn't it be..."

Cao Cao looked up with some surprise, seeing the undisguised and genuine fear in the young emperor's eyes. A smile of relief suddenly appeared on his face, but his heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Over the years, Cao Cao used various means to restrain and coerce Emperor Liu Xie, which was necessary for his political maneuvering. However, deep down, Cao Cao may still have retained some loyalty to the Han Dynasty and the emperor.

The 'loyalty' passed down from Cao Cao's father and ancestors...

Cao Cao and Liu Xie were once rivals, but at this moment they seemed to understand that they were not simply emperors and powerful ministers, but also "emperors" and "eunuchs"!
It's two sides of the same coin; it's the last stand to maintain the old system!

On this stage, which is about to come to an end, a strange yet genuine feeling arises between the two...

Cao Cao spoke slowly, his voice low and deep, "Your Majesty, things are no longer like ordinary envoys, where mere back-and-forth arguments can resolve the situation… What the Fei family needs is far more than empty words or imperial insignia!"

Liu Xie's eyes widened, his hands gripping the armrests of the throne tightly. "He...he...what does he want to do? Could it be...he wants to..."

The great fears of the past surged forth like a tidal wave!

Blood, death.

Even the silk ribbon couldn't satisfy Fei Qian's needs, so there's only one left...

"If I do not go, they will surely think we have no sincerity, and the flames of war will inevitably spread to Shandong and the Central Plains... But now, our food supplies are running low, and we are short of arrows and stones. Even if... we perish together, we will still be sitting and waiting for death."

Cao Cao did not answer Liu Xie's question because there were some questions that even Cao Cao himself did not have the answers to.

What will Fei Qian do after he becomes emperor?
Should we 'worship' him like he does?
Or should we abandon it completely?
Judging from the new system that Fei Qian is now implementing in Guanzhong, Cao Cao believes that the latter possibility is more likely!

Whether from Guo Jia's account of his visit to Guanzhong or from the descriptions of spies who secretly investigated, the people in Guanzhong under Fei Qian's rule only knew of the General of the Cavalry, not the Emperor!

What was the emperor to those people?
It is a distant symbol, but the cavalry, who are closer to home, are the ones that the people of Guanzhong recognize and are even willing to actively protect!
This was extremely frightening for Cao Cao...

Cao Cao's life was rooted in the Han Dynasty. Unlike Fei Qian, he could not sever his feelings for the Han Dynasty.

Politicians need to be rational, but they are also human.

"I am going... I may offer myself as a hostage, or I may use my words as a weapon... for Your Majesty, for the Han dynasty..." Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "To fight for... ah... to fight for a way out..."

Cao Cao stepped forward and bowed deeply to Liu Xie, his tone revealing a hint of guilt. "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to live up to Your Majesty's high expectations… Since welcoming Your Majesty, I have failed to fulfill my duties, to pacify the land and quell the chaos, instead causing Your Majesty to suffer this torment of displacement and unrest… It is all my fault!" "If, on this journey, I can use my meager body to bring Your Majesty future peace, stabilize the realm, and give the Han dynasty a chance to breathe… then even if I die in the enemy camp, my soul scattered, I will… have no regrets!"

Cao Cao's words were a mixture of genuine emotion and carefully crafted rhetoric, a blend of truth and falsehood.

Liu Xie was completely stunned.

As he gazed at Cao Cao's unusually aged and haggard face in the dim candlelight, fragments of his memories involuntarily surged forth...

These years of peaceful life in the Xudu Palace, though without real power, have never truly lacked for necessities...

At least it wasn't like the stinky cow bones of Guanzhong.

Although Cao Cao repeatedly defied his will, Cao Cao's daughter still married into the palace and gave birth to a prince...

At least in the Central Plains region of Shandong, the order of the Han Dynasty and the dignity of the emperor were maintained.

A complex and indescribable sorrow suddenly welled up in Liu Xie's nose, making his eyes feel hot...

Liu Xie opened his mouth, but found that he seemed unable to say anything.

Is this an attempt to keep them?

What stance should be taken to retain them?

Is this encouragement?

Encouraging Cao Cao to go and die?

Or is there something else you want to tell me?
What qualifications or wisdom does he have to give advice to the person in front of him?

"Can't...not go?" Liu Xie could only ask this in the end.

Cao Cao remained silent and shook his head.

Liu Xie took a deep breath, "Prime Minister...please...take care! I...I...I'm still waiting...waiting for the Prime Minister's return..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Cao Cao said no more and once again paid his respects with great ceremony.

Cao Cao's movements were not fast. It was unclear whether it was because of his advanced age, declining physical strength, or because he was making a final, formal farewell. Therefore, every move he made seemed particularly slow and solemn.

Then Cao Cao slowly straightened up, glanced at Liu Xie one last time with a complex and unfathomable look in his eyes, and then turned and left the empty and desolate hall.

Liu Xie watched Cao Cao's retreating figure, which, in the flickering lantern light at the entrance of the hall, seemed to appear somewhat hunched and lonely, before finally merging completely into the boundless darkness outside the door.

After Cao Cao left, the door to the side hall was carefully closed again by the eunuchs, making a soft but muffled sound, as if isolating the last bit of noise from the outside world, and also severing Liu Xie's connection with the person he had previously hated, felt helpless about, and yet depended on...

"Your Majesty..." the eunuch said in a high-pitched voice, his backside sticking out, "It's late... Please take care of Your Majesty... Please rest..."

"Get out!" Liu Xie suddenly erupted in rage, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Get out! All of you get out!"

The eunuch immediately shrank back, disappearing into the darkness with a distinctive rustling sound.

Silence returned to the hall, with only the flickering candlelight casting Liu Xie's solitary figure into the darkness.

Liu Xie was panting, unable to calm down for a long time.

His impotent rage could only be vented on the eunuchs who cared for and served him.

Just like a spoiled child who always has a bad attitude towards their parents, constantly blaming their family of origin or biological parents.

Now, the palace that sheltered us from the wind and rain is about to collapse!

Tomorrow will decide life or death!
Great Han!

The nation!

And myself...

A biting wind, seemingly appearing from nowhere, swept through the hall, causing the candlelight to flicker wildly and almost go out. This startled Liu Xie, who nearly cried out!

The candlelight flickered, distorting all the surrounding objects into shadows of varying sizes, which groveled and shifted on the walls like ferocious beasts emerging from the darkness, coveting Liu Xie's flesh and blood!
Or perhaps...

What about Liu Xie's imperial robes and the throne beneath his buttocks?

Or something else?
Liu Xie suddenly shivered!
An unprecedented sense of loneliness surged over him and instantly engulfed him!
Only now did he truly realize that he could not live without Cao Cao!

His feelings towards Cao Cao were no longer simply black and white, love or hate, fear or dependence...

After tomorrow, where will this world go?
Where will this emperor go?

What will be the final chapter of this magnificent Han Dynasty, this four-hundred-year-old empire, and its destiny?

What followed was a feeling of drowning panic and weightlessness that overwhelmed Liu Xie.

Cao Cao was once the biggest shadow hanging over his head, but he was also the pillar that prevented him, the emperor, from falling into the dust completely!
Over the years, he had hated Cao Cao's autocracy, his execution of Dong Cheng, and his forcing him to resign as Empress Fu. He also deeply resented Cao Cao for imprisoning him like a puppet. But at this moment, realizing he was about to leave Cao Cao, Liu Xie had to admit that he still had a dependence and affection for Cao Cao, and realized that he was actually the same kind of person as Cao Cao…

The rabbit dies and the fox grieves; creatures grieve for their own kind.

One was an emperor imprisoned, the other a powerful minister about to be executed. Although their positions seemed different, they were actually just insignificant pawns in the torrent of history, swept up in the surging tide of history that transcended individual will, heading towards an unpredictable end.

If Cao Cao were to die, how would Fei Qian treat himself?

Or, could one gain freedom?

Is it possible for me to not be the emperor?
But the next moment, Liu Xie realized that this was impossible.

Liu Bian's death was to let Liu Xie know that a deposed emperor would never have a good end!

If Liu Xie loses his throne, he will face a choice between three options!

Cao Cao's calm words, "Though I die without regret," seem to be a kind of relief after admitting defeat...

What about Liu Xie?

Where does his liberation lie?
The candle flame suddenly leaped, bursting into a burst of light, before dimming slightly.

The shadows inside the hall seemed to grow even darker, and a chill seeped in from all directions.

Liu Xie unconsciously wrapped his robes tighter around himself, but felt no warmth whatsoever.

The surrounding darkness, carrying an invisible chill, crept in, seemingly trying to strip him naked!
He resisted as much as he could, but it seemed to be to no avail...

He gazed towards the palace gate, as if he could still see Cao Cao's slightly hunched back...

What will happen to Sishui Pass, the Han Dynasty, and Liu Xie's life after tomorrow?

What can he do at a time like this?
What should he do?
he does not know.

I'm sorry, he doesn't understand. He's not a nine-year fish, nor is he a keyboard warrior.

The teacher didn't teach it, the father didn't mention it, and those self-proclaimed loyal ministers didn't say a word about it!
Something seemed to flash through Liu Xie's mind, but he forgot it, it was blurry, and he couldn't grasp it at all...

Liu Xie wanted to cry, but who could he cry to?

He has cried before...

He wept in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he wept before Dong Zhuo, he wept before the Empress, but none of his weeping had any effect…

He had considered it...

He once envisioned how to govern the world, how to treat his court officials, and how to ensure that all the people of the world could live in peace and prosperity...

All he can do now is sit on this cold throne and wait for tomorrow to come, for someone else's judgment to be delivered!

Liu Xie gritted his teeth, as if chewing on his fear and swallowing his sorrow.

This state of being completely at the mercy of others was perhaps the most familiar normalcy for Liu Xie during his imperial career.

I'm used to it...

It can't be changed...

Even if I wanted to change it, I wouldn't know how...

He slowly closed his eyes, letting complex emotions churn within him, then settle, finally transforming into a heavy sigh…