With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 124, Let Gongsun Zan Die in a Different Way

Mi Heng shook his head. "It wasn't Cao Cao who sent me, it was His Majesty. I really didn't expect that everything would turn out exactly as His Majesty predicted."

Mi Heng scrutinized Gongsun Zan and shook his head repeatedly. "The first thing His Majesty told me to do when I saw you was to make you take a good look in the mirror! Gongsun Zan, you were once a hero of your time, a warlord who fought against Dong Zhuo, but today you are so desolate and haggard. Do you... do you even recognize yourself?"

Gongsun Zan was stunned for a moment, then said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't believe His Majesty sent you. What difference is there between His Majesty being in Cao Cao's hands and being in Dong Zhuo's hands? It must be Cao Cao who sent you."

Mi Heng knew he didn't believe him, so he took the letter out of his pocket. In fact, Liu Xie had written two letters.

One of them was a letter that insulted people, the same one that Yuan Shao and his men had seen before.

In the other letter, Liu Xie's tone was noticeably more polite.

Upon reading the first letter, Gongsun Zan's face contorted with rage, his eyes practically spitting fire. He abruptly stood up, drew his sword with a clang, and prepared to kill Mi Heng.

Mi Heng laughed disdainfully, "Gongsun Zan, you are now at your wit's end, surrounded by Yuan's troops. I'm afraid you can only show off your power in front of someone as weak as me."

Anyone who read Liu Xie's first letter would find it difficult to remain calm.

When it comes to cursing, Liu Xie was utterly ruthless, almost unleashing the most notorious curses of later generations.

For example, saying things like "Gongsun Zan, you son of a bitch!"—after all, he was the emperor, so he had to be more restrained when cursing.

Upon opening the second letter, Gongsun Zan gradually calmed down.

Although you seized Youzhou and forced Liu Yu to his death, and deserve to be executed, I still remember that you were once a powerful figure beyond the Great Wall, repeatedly leading troops to strike back against the foreign tribes that invaded the borders of our Han Dynasty. The prestige of the White Horse General did not come from thin air.

In the northern border region of Youzhou, the mere mention of General Gongsun Zan on his white horse strikes fear into the hearts of all. You, my lord, have upheld the prestige and dignity of the Han Dynasty, and I shall record your merit.

As Gongsun Zan watched, his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

Having already reached a dead end and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Yuan troops, Gongsun Zan knew his death was imminent. However, he never expected to receive praise from the emperor before his death.

General Baima! He strikes fear into the hearts of the barbarian tribes north of Youzhou! This is not Liu Xie's boast, it is not an exaggeration at all.

Although Gongsun Zan was furious and ungrateful and made many mistakes, he did indeed show his prowess in dealing with the foreign tribes!
When the feudal lords were attacking Dong Zhuo, the ministers were even more eager to help, traveling thousands of miles to Suanzao to assist in the battle.

At Hulao Pass, facing the strong and well-equipped Xiliang army, you showed no fear. While the various warlords hesitated and harbored their own schemes, you remained upright and magnanimous, refusing to engage in infighting like Liu Dai and his ilk.

The Yellow Turbans in the Qingzhou and Bohai areas were largely suppressed thanks to your efforts, and you have ultimately rendered meritorious service to our Han Dynasty.

Gongsun Zan never expected that the emperor would remember his merits. A warm feeling welled up in his heart. Being recognized and praised by the emperor was something Gongsun Zan might not normally care about, but when his life was in danger, it made him feel especially warm.

Although Yuan Shao was powerful, he was not without weaknesses. You should never have relied on Yijing Tower and tried to use this fortified stronghold to resist Yuan Shao. No matter how much grain you stockpile, Yijing Tower will ultimately be unable to defeat Yuan's army.

If Yuan Shao were to dig a secret tunnel underground, penetrate deep into the heart of Yijing Tower, and then set it ablaze, how would you respond?

Upon seeing this, Gongsun Zan's eyes widened in horror.

Looking at Mi Heng, he asked in surprise, "This is the first time His Majesty has sent you here. He has never sent anyone before. How did His Majesty know that I built Yijing Tower? How did he know the layout of Yijing Tower and how did he know that I stored grain inside?"

Faced with Gongsun Zan's series of questions, Mi Heng smiled and said with a respectful expression, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, unfathomable and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like us. Your Majesty even predicted Yuan Shu's ascension to the throne. I ask you, is what Your Majesty said in your letter correct or incorrect?"

Gongsun Zan nodded. "Yes, I do intend to use Yijing Tower to contend with Yuan Shao. I have also prepared enough grain. Your Majesty has been right about all of this. However, Your Majesty said that Yuan Shao would dig a secret passage to attack. Could it really come true?"

Gongsun Zan was half-believing and half-doubting, but a strange sense of fear had already crept into his heart.

Mi Heng asked, "Let me ask you this: if Yuan Shao really sent people to dig a secret passage directly underground to the core area of ​​Yijing Tower, and then set it on fire, how would you deal with it?"

“This…” Mi Heng left Gongsun Zan speechless.

Gongsun Zan paced anxiously back and forth in the room, sighing frequently, and sweat gradually beaded on his forehead.

Mi Heng laughed loudly: "Although Yijing Tower appears at first glance to be layered and stacked with arrow towers and watchtowers, it is ultimately constructed entirely of wood. Once set on fire, it will instantly become a sea of ​​fire, and everything will be reduced to ashes. Since His Majesty can guess your weakness, and Yuan Shao has so many strategists around him, surely someone will have thought of it. Digging a secret passage is not a difficult task. Yuan Shao has so many soldiers and generals; he can easily dig the passage in a short time."

Gongsun Zan continued reading; there was another passage to follow.

Whether you ultimately lose or die, the situation is indeed difficult to reverse, but you are, after all, a renowned hero. As a military general, you should die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide. I believe you still have some spirit left.

As a regional lord, are you willing to be cowardly and trapped to death in Yijing Tower?

Even if you die, don't you want to take a few more people with you to the underworld?
Gongsun Zan, the dignified General of the White Horse, I'd like to see just how many people you can bring on your journey.
Even if you can't kill Yuan Shao, can't you at least kill one of Yuan Shao's sons? Can't you at least kill one of Yuan Shao's generals?

I am in Xuchang, waiting to see if General Baima will die a heroic death or a pathetic one.

Liu Xie's meaning was simple: death was perhaps inevitable, but he wanted Gongsun Zan to die in a different way.

Liu Xie hoped that Gongsun Zan could act like a man and take as many people down with him before he died!

Gongsun Zan read it three more times. He even picked up the letter from Liu Xie that had scolded him and read it carefully again.

After a long while, Gongsun Zan turned around and ordered, "Come here, bring me a mirror."

Mi Heng reminded him from the beginning that Liu Xie should look in the mirror first.

With trembling hands, the maid brought over a mirror.

Gongsun Zan looked in the mirror and, like Lü Bu who was trapped in Xiapi, could hardly recognize himself.

His face was haggard, his hair was disheveled and loose, and his beard was as messy as wormwood. The white-horse general who rode his horse with a whip and struck fear into the hearts of his enemies was almost gone.

Mi Heng watched quietly from the side, observing the changes in Gongsun Zan's facial expression.

At this moment, Mi Heng sincerely admired the emperor. Despite being thousands of miles away, the emperor was still able to predict the situation and control people's hearts so accurately.

As expected, after a while, Gongsun Zan suddenly shouted and angrily smashed the mirror on the ground.

The mirror shattered, and a shard of glass splashed onto Gongsun Zan's face, cutting it and drawing blood. "How did I end up like this?"

Gongsun Zan shouted in disbelief, loudly questioning himself.

Gongsun Zan then turned and went into the inner room, quickly washed his face, and after tidying up, returned, looking much more energetic.

Mi Heng nodded and praised, "It seems that Your Majesty's painstaking efforts have not been in vain."

Gongsun Zan cupped his hands in greeting, "I apologize for my previous neglect."

Mi Heng smiled and said, "That's about right. I should leave Yijing Tower as well, but before I go, I'll have to trouble General Gongsun a bit."

"Speak, what advice do you have?"

Mi Heng said, "Don't worry, I won't ask how General Gongsun deals with things next. I still need to go back and report to His Majesty. However, Yuan Shao knows that I only brought a letter with insults, so you'll have to beat me up and kick me out."

"This?" Gongsun Zan was taken aback. "Wouldn't that be unfair to you, sir?"

Mi Heng shook his head, involuntarily looking towards Xudu, silently thinking, "If we're talking about grievances, who in the world can compare to the emperor's grievances?"

Because Yijing Tower had already been heavily surrounded by Yuan Shao's troops, when Mi Heng left Yijing Tower with Yuqing, it did not arouse Yuan Shao's suspicion. Yuan Shao even generously saw him off.

No one expected that Gongsun Zan would suddenly cheer up because of a letter.

Without this letter, his life trajectory would not have changed at all, but now, his fighting spirit has been rekindled.

Even if it means death, we must inflict heavy damage on Yuan Shao.

Liu Xie didn't care; it was pointless for Gongsun Zan to kill a few Yuan soldiers.

No matter how many Yuan soldiers die, once Youzhou is pacified, Yuan Shao's military strength will expand rapidly.

Killing Yuan Shao's soldiers is useless; killing Yuan Shao's sons, his generals, and his strategists is what will be effective!
Even if Yuan Shao's strength were slightly weakened, it would increase Cao Cao's chances of defeating Yuan Shao in the future!
…………

Cao Cao and his entourage returned to Xuchang safely. As soon as they entered the city, Cao Cao hurriedly summoned Xun Yu and others and briefly explained the situation of the expedition.

In fact, the good news had already been sent back to Xuchang, but Xun Yu had no way of knowing the specific details.

After listening to Cao Cao's explanation, Xun Yu fell silent, his face filled with worry.

The atmosphere in the room remained silent for a long time before Cao Cao sighed, "Wenruo, Your Majesty has reaped considerable rewards from this campaign. Not only has Your Majesty taken Lü Bu's daughter as a concubine, but you have also won over Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and Gao Shun to your side. These three are no ordinary people."

Guo Jia nodded. "Yes, putting aside others, what should we do with Lü Bu? Should we use him or not?"

Man Chong also said, "Even though Lü Bu is incredibly skilled and unmatched in the world, we must always consider his status. Don't forget, he is now the emperor's brother-in-law."

Xun Yu, Man Chong, Mao Jie, Dong Zhao, and others did not accompany the army on this expedition, but the emperor went out for a stroll and picked up a brother-in-law of the emperor, who was also the invincible brother-in-law of the emperor. Anyone would be surprised, and no one can ignore Lü Bu's martial prowess.

Everyone's brows were furrowed, and their faces were filled with worry.

After a while, Guo Jia said again, "I think we should wait and see. You might as well see His Majesty's attitude first. If His Majesty wants to give more important positions to Lü Bu, Chen Gong and others, then we can adapt to the situation. I think His Majesty will respect your opinion."

Xun Yu nodded in agreement, "His Majesty has always respected your views, and this time will likely be no exception."

Cao Cao nodded. "Alright then, I'll go to the palace now. I absolutely cannot wait until tomorrow's morning court to ask for instructions, lest His Majesty act on his own initiative. Once the appointments of Lü Bu and the others are announced in court, things will become somewhat troublesome."

Having made up his mind, Cao Cao didn't even have time to catch his breath before rushing to the palace.

Upon meeting Cao Anmin and inquiring, Cao Anmin replied, "Uncle, His Majesty is currently in the Lingyan Pavilion."

"Lingyan Pavilion?"

Cao Cao was suspicious, so he turned around and headed towards Lingyan Pavilion. From a distance, he saw a large crowd gathered outside the pavilion, including Dong Cheng, Wu Shuo, Yang Biao, and others.

Cao Cao thought to himself: Could it be that His Majesty is using this opportunity of subduing Lü Bu to stir up momentum and seize power?

Cao Cao was constantly on guard against this, because Liu Xie would soon be eighteen years old.

As Liu Xie grew up, he became increasingly intelligent and quick-witted, and he repeatedly made surprising moves. How could Cao Cao not worry?
"Cao Sikong".

When Zhong Ji saw Cao Cao, he greeted him with a smile, and Ji Ping and the others also bowed in greeting.

Ji Ping, Yang Biao, and others had already received a warning from Liu Xie, so they treated Cao Cao relatively politely.

Dong Cheng, Wu Shuo, Wang Zifu, and others remained unchanged, their faces cold and devoid of any smiles in front of Cao Cao.

Cao Cao nodded reluctantly to them and strode into the Lingyan Pavilion. Lu Xun was leaning on a stool, while Liu Xie stood on it, writing something with a brush.

When Cao Cao approached, he looked up and saw Liu Xie writing down his achievements.

It says:

In this campaign against Xuzhou, Cao Cao's army maintained strict discipline and did not harm the people in the slightest. He almost drew his sword to commit suicide simply because someone trampled on a small wheat field. This campaign can be described as a brilliant military strategy. He subdued Xiaopei, captured Pengcheng, reclaimed Xuzhou without bloodshed, and pacified Xiapi.

After watching for a while, Cao Cao's doubts disappeared, and he even showed a hint of pride.

He never expected that, just after returning to Xuchang, while he was thinking about how to deal with the emperor, the emperor would actually be writing down his achievements.

While he was happy, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

"Your Majesty, Lord Cao has arrived," Lu Xun coughed lightly, reminding him.

Liu Xie turned around and smiled, "So it's Lord Cao! You've come at the right time. Thanks to Lord Cao, the court has successively pacified Nanyang and Xuzhou. I believe that next year, the traitor Yuan Shu won't last long either. With Lord Cao, what do I have to fear from the world!"

Gentlemen, what do you think of Gongsun Zan?
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(End of this chapter)