Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

"Report, Your Majesty... I have already found out that General Xiahou... he has been captured by the Han army—"

"Report, my king, the Han army... the Han army is powerful, Yangping Pass... Yangping Pass is difficult to defend. If... if there is no support, then... then within an hour, Yangping Pass will definitely fall--"

"Report, Your Majesty, we have already found out that the one stationed in Hanzhong City is... Hao Zhao under Guan Lin. He is very good at defending the city. I heard that back then... when Lu Meng's army was approaching, it was he who held on to Changsha City, causing... Lu Meng to be defeated and severely crippled—"

This…

It can be said that good fortune never comes alone and misfortunes never come alone, or it can be said that when it rains it pours.

At this moment... Cao Cao, who was already suffering from a severe headache and complicated mood because he could not break the city... after hearing these unfavorable reports that came in like mushrooms after a rain, his cheeks turned even darker, and the tension and panic in his expression had reached the extreme level.

For a moment, he really had the feeling that it was over... it was over, he was inevitably going to die in this city.

"Report..."

However, this is not the end...

Disaster-like urgent reports continued to arrive, like poisonous thorns piercing Cao Cao's skin, destroying this old man who was already over 60 years old.

Seeing that Cao Cao was in a trance, Jia Kui quickly scolded, "Don't you see the king's current state? No matter what it is, retreat first and report back later--"

In stark contrast to Jia Kui's attitude, Cao Cao, despite the great pain, still ordered: "Report, report the matter! Humph, these are not enough to defeat me. I want to hear how dangerous this situation can be. Report... Report to me!"

“Yes… yes…” the scout said hurriedly, “Your Majesty, a fire suddenly started in Hanzhong City… in Hanzhong City. From the smell, it seems that the Hanzhong defenders have burned all the food and grass in Hanzhong…”

The sound of the scout is stumbling...

On the other hand, for Cao Cao, this piece of urgent news was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

With a "pop", Cao Cao fell backwards.

"Your Majesty——"

"Your Majesty——"

Jia Kui, Jia Xu, and a group of deputy generals quickly helped Cao Cao up.

"Why is your Majesty like this?"

I heard someone in the crowd asking this.

Cao Cao groaned in despair, "I didn't expect that the food and grass in Hanzhong City were also burned... In this case, what's the point of me taking this city with all my efforts? I want food and grass, what's the point of me having this lonely city? What's the point?"

It is hard to imagine that such a sad and mournful voice came from Cao Cao's mouth. People all remember his domineering and powerful side, but who could have imagined how miserable he was in such a desperate situation?

really…

Following Cao Cao's words, the Wei army generals, whose morale was already low, could not help but talk in low voices and whisper to each other.

"If so, should we still attack Hanzhong City?"

"The king has already said that what we want is food. What's the point of this isolated city? The food has been burned. What's the point of taking over Hanzhong City?"

"Have we already lost? Can we...can we still go back to the North?"

More and more whispers were heard, like dark clouds... covering the entire Wei Army's central camp. The atmosphere here was extremely cold.

Cao Cao did not answer the questions of these soldiers, not because he did not want to answer, but... even he did not know the answer at the moment.

Has he lost yet?

Can he... still go back to the North?
This sixty-year-old man was at the most confused and helpless time in his life.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

It was Cheng Yu’s son Cheng Wu. He rushed over and saw Cao Cao being supported by someone. He didn’t bother to ask what happened here.

He immediately handed the letter in his hand to Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, please have a look... This is my father... This is an urgent letter that my father sent from the barbarians... Your Majesty, please have a look, Your Majesty, please have a look..."

Cheng Wu had not read the urgent document and handed it to Cao Cao immediately.

It was this urgent letter that suddenly... made Cao Cao see a beam of light in the pitch-black night. He quickly unfolded it, as if he had a premonition that this... might be his life-saving straw.

As the text in the urgent document appeared, the hesitation, confusion, hesitancy and helplessness in Cao Cao's eyes disappeared, and instead, "Hahahaha...hahahaha..." he actually began to laugh out loud and wantonly.

"Ha ha ha ha…"

This kind of desperate laughter stunned everyone...

For a moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on Cao Cao and on the urgent document.

At this time… Cheng Yu was not there, so his son Cheng Wu quickly asked, “What did father mention in the letter? Why did the king laugh like that?”

“Hahahaha…” Cao Cao’s laughter still didn’t stop. He laughed heartily a few more times, then waved his long sleeves, straightened his back, and stood with his head held high.

Just like Cao Cao, the King of Wei, who waved his whip, stood on the Jieshi Mountain in the east, and commanded his troops to attack. He is back again.

"You ask me why I am laughing? Hahahaha, I am laughing at Zhuge Liang's lack of strategy, laughing at Fa Zheng's lack of wisdom, laughing at Liu Xuande's infatuation, laughing at Guan Lin's cleverness in scheming, but ultimately failing at the last hurdle, hahaha, hahaha..."

After another burst of hearty laughter, Cao Cao's tone became higher and his momentum became more excited and passionate.

This...Cao Cao's sudden change in mood left all the Wei generals confused for a moment.

He continued speaking, holding up the urgent letter and looking at Cheng Wu: "Your father, Cheng Yu, is indeed my sun, hahahaha... He successfully persuaded the barbarians to go north. These barbarian warriors... not only helped me to completely capture the big-eared thief's Chengdu, but also assembled tens of thousands of troops and are about to arrive at the Hanzhong battlefield!"

"They will bring me, they will bring our Wei army inexhaustible food. They will also join us in attacking the big-eared thief from both inside and outside. Hahaha, this big-eared thief is Shaozhi. Does he think that if he seizes my Hanzhong and burns my food and grass, I will be homeless? Hahaha, in fact, the one who is really homeless is this big-eared thief! Hahaha...hahahaha..."

Is it going to be a good time?

Cao Cao's words and this letter from Cheng Yu undoubtedly... boosted the morale of the entire Wei army.

The help from the barbarians is certainly icing on the cake, but the food and grass they can bring is really a timely help...

The Wei army now has no shortage of soldiers or combat power, but it lacks... only food and fodder!

Even... just with this urgent report, the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse and became fifty-fifty.

That’s right, in the decisive battle between Wei and Han, one side lost Hanzhong and lost its food supplies, while the other side lost Chengdu and cut off its food supply…

Everyone, don't laugh at each other. The Han and Wei dynasties, as always, forced a 50-50 split.

At this time, Cao Cao issued the final military order, "Since Hanzhong cannot be captured, then we should simply not attack it. Pass on my order, and all troops should immediately retreat to Yangping Pass and wait for the arrival of the barbarian army, and then attack from both inside and outside... and strangle the big-eared thief and the Shu army!"

"promise--"

Everyone gave up.

Soon... the command flag was waved, and the sound of the gong rang out again...

Although the Wei army was retreating... it was obvious that the news brought by Cheng Yu's letter had already spread to the entire army. The entire Wei army seemed to be suddenly full of energy and spirit, and the morale that had fallen to the bottom... was at least half restored!

Everything...seems to be moving in a positive direction——

But… just as the counselors were leaving, Cao Cao’s personal soldiers suddenly approached Jia Xu and Jia Kui and whispered, “The King of Wei invites you two to get into his carriage?”

Well…

Jia Xu and Jia Kui looked at each other and inexplicably felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere.

Just now... because of Cheng Yu's letter... isn't it that things are turning around? Isn't everything developing in a positive direction? How come...

But the two men did not think much about it. They bowed, agreed, and got on Cao Cao's carriage.

But... as soon as they entered the carriage, they felt something was wrong...

Although Cao Cao was sitting cross-legged as if meditating in the carriage, his hands were uncontrollably clenched tightly, as if he could crush the stone steps into pieces.

Is this...is this impatience?

Jia Xu and Jia Kui had never seen Cao Cao like this before...

After the two men entered the carriage and the guards closed the door, the carriage slowly moved forward. Cao Cao's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and his expression became extremely solemn.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?" Without waiting for Jia Kui to ask.

Cao Cao had already raised his index finger, signaling them not to speak, but the next sentence made Jia Xu and Jia Kui's mood instantly plummet.

"This letter looks like Zhongde's handwriting, but it must be fake. It was forged by Zhuge Cunfu—"

Cao Cao first chanted, then his expression became more solemn, and his tone became extremely meticulous.

Soon, the low, muffled voice rang out again.

"My life...is probably going to stay here!"

……

Outside the city of Chengdu, the sun was scorching. Spears, swords, and halberds reflected a cold light under the sun. The animal bone armor, which was quite characteristic of southern China, displayed the unique majesty and dignity of the barbarians.

In the army filled with tigers, leopards, wolves and falcons flying in the sky, Zhuge Liang held a carrier pigeon high in the air, and it flew up from the woods, flapping its wings straight into the sky.

Guan Suo saw Zhuge Liang releasing the carrier pigeon and asked with a smile, "Is Zhuge Liang imitating Cheng Yu's handwriting to write a letter to Cao Cao again?"

"Yes!" Zhuge Liang gently fanned his feather fan and walked to a tiger. It seemed that after staying in the barbarian camp for a few days, he had also learned some skills to tame these beasts. He reached out his hand and stroked the tiger's forehead while sighing, "I hope my handwriting can deceive Cao Cao for a little longer..."

Just as Zhuge Liang had just chanted this sentence.

Hua Man suddenly came over, saw Guan Suo, and held him tightly, but her eyes were looking at Zhuge Liang, "Mr. Zhuge, my father sent me to invite you to come in and tell me about the new irrigation method of the farm tools... My father and the cave masters haven't figured it out yet!"

"Okay!" Zhuge Liang glanced at Hua Man and Guan Suo who were looking very intimate, smiled faintly, and then walked towards the camp.

Never thought...

Following the report from the barbarian soldiers outside the gate, the entire camp, including Meng Huo, Zhu Rong, all the cave masters, and all the tribal leaders stood up.

There was no one sitting in the main seat in the tent, which was obviously reserved for Zhuge Liang.

"Sir... I finally invited you..." Meng Huo stepped forward enthusiastically, "Quick, quick... Sir, please sit in the main seat..."

Meng Huo's enthusiasm surprised Zhuge Liang: "Please come, King Barbarian... Please come, King Barbarian..."

"You, my brother... just sit down if you are told to. If you don't sit down... who dares to sit here?"

Following Meng Huo's words...

Zhuge Liang had no choice but to sit down reluctantly.

But he explained, "Now, the barbarian soldiers are marching towards Hanzhong, and Cao Cao still thinks that Chengdu has fallen. I and the civil and military officials of Chengdu have all become prisoners. At this time, I should not sit here!"

"Oh...what are you afraid of?" Because they were sitting close to each other and because he was rough, Meng Huo put his hand on Zhuge Liang's shoulder, "Don't think about those things. We cave masters and leaders are all clear. Sir, you are the one who can make our Nanzhong live a prosperous life. Sir, just sit here and it doesn't matter if the news gets out. If we can't sneak attack that Cao thief, we can still fight openly. Are you afraid of him?"

This…

Now that things have come to this, what else can Zhuge Liang say?

"Whatever..."

He waved his feather fan calmly and changed the subject. "Then... let's continue discussing how to promote agriculture in Nanzhong! In fact... there is a way... to emulate the grand occasion in Dujiangyan!"

Zhuge Liang has entered the state of a teacher to the barbarians, a wise master who enlightens them.

As for...hiding it from Cao Cao...

Let him be!

Having said that, the change in the barbarians' stance can actually be seen from many clues, and Cao Cao... may not be able to see through it!

...

...

"Quack quack—"

Yangping Pass, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse, the magpies fly south -

It seemed that after a day and night of attack and defense, this pass became more and more majestic and unbreakable.

Of course, it was also fortunate that if the Wei army had not abandoned Hanzhong and returned to provide support, Yangping Pass would have been captured by the Shu army by now.

And following Cao Cao's decision.

A large number of Wei troops were stationed at Yangping Pass, which made the Shu army dare not be careless. They retreated first and then made plans.

Now... it's night again...

Standing on the city wall of Yangping Pass, you can see crows gnawing on the bodies of the deceased at the foot of the pass from afar, and the "cackle" sound is endless.

Jia Xu and his son Jia Mu appeared at the city gate. His son Jia Mu was responsible for guarding a section of the pass and was on patrol as usual. His father Jia Xu followed beside him, but his steps were slow, and it was obvious that he was worried. The atmosphere became increasingly cold and silent.

"call--"

As Jia Xu sighed, Jia Mu couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore. He asked, "Since father got on the carriage of King Wei... and came back, he has been sighing all the time? I really don't know what father is sighing about. Aren't the barbarian troops coming soon? Hasn't the big-eared thief's Chengdu been lost? This way, this way, this way... Due to the situation, the two sides are at most in a balance of power? What is father afraid of?"

Jia Mu couldn't stand the atmosphere and because his mind was so complicated, he just threw out everything he was thinking.

On the other hand, Jia Xu seemed not to be affected at all by his son's words, and sighed as usual, "Alas!"

…Accompanied by a heavy “sigh”, Jia Xu’s low but relieved and gentle words finally came out.

"My son, you are still living in a dream now!"

"Ah...what's wrong?" Jia Mu asked hurriedly.

Jia Xu explained, "The letter from Cheng Yu, haha, the King of Wei saw it. The barbarians are heading north... haha, it's true that they are heading north, and they are bringing soldiers and food with them, but I'm afraid... they are not attacking Liu Xuande, but our great king Cao Mengde! They are not friends but enemies!"

“Ah…ah…” Jia Mu looked at his father in disbelief.

"This is very simple..." Jia Xu explained in depth, "Liu Bei relied on his benevolence and the support of the people to develop to where he is today. How could you naively think that after Chengdu was captured, the barbarians would be able to march straight north without any difficulty? Haha... Let me tell you, if Chengdu was captured, even if Zhuge Liang was captured, the states and counties in Shu would definitely gather their last troops to march to Chengdu to save the foundation of their lord Liu Bei... It is precisely because of this that the barbarians would have to go through many obstacles and be intercepted when they go north... How could they reach Hanzhong so easily... so quickly? This itself has a huge loophole..."

At this point, Jia Xu's analysis became bolder. "In my opinion, Cheng Zhongde has probably been defeated by Zhuge Kongming. Now he... is probably already beheaded, and this letter... is probably copied by Zhuge Liang to confuse the king! Haha... my son may not know that Zhuge Kongming's calligraphy is comparable to Zhong Siqing's... copying such a letter is a piece of cake for him!"

Uh…

If Jia Mu was still immersed in the surprise after the situation changed again... then now, his father's words brought him shock, a huge shock.

He would never doubt his father's analysis...

Similarly, he keenly captured the meaning of his father's words.

"Dad? You mean, the King of Wei saw through this fake letter, so... so he wants to..."

"Run!" Jia Xu narrowed his eyes. "He specifically called Jia Kui and me into the carriage to tell us that he planned to use these 300,000 soldiers as bait to help him escape from here!"

This…

Jia Mu was stunned, his eyes widened, "Three hundred thousand soldiers... the King of Wei... doesn't want them all?"

"What are three hundred thousand soldiers?" Jia Xu waved his hand. "Back then, Lü Bushe was kind to him, Chen Gong was kind to him, Xu You was kind to him, and Xun Lingjun was also kind to him, but in the end... which one of them is still alive in this world?"

At this point, Jia Xu turned his back, put his hands behind his back, and continued to sigh: "Cao Cao... even after so many years, he is still the same Cao Cao, the Cao Cao who said, 'I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me'..."

"Then..." Jia Mu asked hurriedly, "Then... which road does the King of Wei plan to evacuate from? Qishan Road? Chencang Road... No, no, no, the Shu army is guarding outside Yangping Pass, and Xiabian City has also been lost. These two roads are no longer accessible, so... we can only risk passing through Hanzhong and take the Baoxiadao, Tangxiadao, and Ziwu Valley? That's right... Shangyong and Fangling have been lost, and... only these few roads can lead to Guanzhong... Dad, which road does the King of Wei want to take... exactly?"

Under Jamuna's urgent questioning...

Jia Xu blurted out slowly as always, "Not at all! Cao Cao wants to take a path...that no one knows about!"

Jia Mu's eyes were still wide open: "Then... will father go with him too?"

"Ha ha…"

But Jia Xu smiled faintly, and then asked unexpectedly, "Why should I leave? I am a meritorious official in Shuzhong and a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty! If it weren't for me, Chengdu might have been conquered by the southern barbarians. Liu Xuande and Zhuge Kongming would have to thank me! And what I have done is enough to make our Jia family... enjoy peace and prosperity!"

This…

Undoubtedly, his father's words shocked Jia Mu again.

He pondered for a long time before continuing to ask Jia Xu, "So, father is waiting for the southern barbarians to arrive and when Yangping Pass is breached, he is going to tell Liu Bei, the King of Wei, the escape route?"

Ever since Jia Mu asked this question, I felt it was redundant...

Because, from what his father mentioned today, from his tone today, he...he had found the answer.

And this... made him feel even more creepy.

Jia Xu's voice continued, although it was very low, it was unusually steady and firm, "Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si, Duan Wei, Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao... Haha, how many lords have I served in my life? Cao Cao is the sixth, but he may not be the last! And these lords have flashed by in this era like a revolving lantern, only your father... In the end, I survived, and I live a very stable life... Guess, why is this?"

"I...I don't know!"

At this time, Jia Mu was already in a state of confusion and had no energy to think.

Jia Xu answered on his own.

"In fact, the answer to this question is very simple, just one answer!"

"That is a principle that I, your father, will always adhere to no matter what the situation is. That is, anything can hurt the harmony of heaven, but it must not hurt the harmony of culture—"

...

…(End of chapter)