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

Chapter 211, Man Chong's Rebellion

Jia Xu nodded. "As long as you do as I say and get things done, I will hand Yunying over to you."

Even though it was a poison without an antidote, Qin Qingtong had no doubts whatsoever.

Because he could only trust Jia Xu; if he didn't agree, he would still face certain death.

Now, Jia Xu has given him hope. Not only does he have a chance to survive, but he can even elope with his sweetheart Yunying. Naturally, Qin Qingtong will not refuse.

Seeing that Qin Qingtong had swallowed the poison, Jia Xu nodded and then said, "Listen carefully, what you need to do next is..."

Xiahou Dun led his troops eastward at breakneck speed. The journey of over thirty li was not far, but it still took him quite a while.

As they got further and further away from Xuchang without finding any trace of Liu Bei, Xiahou Dun became somewhat anxious.

"Where are people?"

The scout was also somewhat bewildered. "We spotted it not far ahead earlier. Has it left?"

Xiahou Dun was furious, and as the sky grew darker and his vision blurred, he noticed that the sky was getting darker.

Xiahou Dun turned his horse around. "Let's go back first."

Suddenly, dust billowed in the distance as a troop of cavalry appeared, accompanied by a standard-bearer holding a large banner that fluttered in the wind, bearing the inscription "General Liu, Left."

There were only a few hundred people, and the leader was a man on horseback holding a gun, who looked very imposing.

Xiahou Dun was taken aback and shouted, "Who goes there?"

The leading military officer sneered, "I am insignificant, but the name of my general will give you quite a shock."

Xiahou Dun then followed up by asking, "Who is your general?"

The man replied loudly, "It is indeed the current Imperial Uncle, General Liu Bei!"

Xiahou Dun's face immediately turned furious, and he gritted his teeth and said, "It really is Liu Bei."

Xiahou Dun saw that there were only a few hundred people on the other side and mistakenly thought that Liu Bei was nearby.

Xiahou Dun spurred his horse forward, brandishing his spear, and charged at the enemy. The man was also a brave general, and he fought Xiahou Dun single-handedly.

Although Xiahou Dun was highly skilled, he was surprised to find after exchanging blows that this person was not simple at all. His marksmanship was sharp and his attacks were decisive. The two fought a series of fierce battles, and Xiahou Dun was unable to win.

As darkness fell, after a while, the man feigned defeat and retreated.

Xiahou Dun immediately led his men to give chase. The two fought intermittently, but as they chased, it grew darker and darker, and soon Xiahou Dun lost sight of the pursuer.

The other side has few people and is a small target, making it easy for them to find a place to hide.

Xiahou Dun was worried that he would be ambushed at night, so he had no choice but to turn back.

But halfway there, the group of people inexplicably caught up from behind, sticking to Xiahou Dun's group like a plaster.

Xiahou Dun angrily turned around and gave chase again. Those people quickly retreated. Xiahou Dun chased for a while, then refused to chase anymore. But as soon as Xiahou Dun turned around to return to Xudu, those people would harass him again.

This cycle repeats itself endlessly; you can't drive them away, and you can't beat them up—it's incredibly frustrating.

Moreover, the leading general kept shooting arrows to kill people as he got closer. This man was extremely accurate with his arrows and succeeded one after another. He alone killed more than a dozen of Xiahou Dun's subordinates, which almost made Xiahou Dun explode with anger.

If you chase them, they'll run; if you turn around, they'll catch up again.

It's just like that, clinging to you, sticking to you, you can't get rid of it or drive it away.

Xiahou Dun finally gritted his teeth, turned back at full speed, and planned to return to Xuchang as soon as possible, simply ignoring them.

"Hey, they've gotten away! Brothers, after them!" The leader of that group was none other than Taishi Ci.

After Xiahou Dun left, he did not return for a long time, but soon something changed in Xuchang.

Night had fallen, the streets were deserted, and even the night watchmen were almost nowhere to be seen. Darkness enveloped the land, and the vast majority of Xudu's residents were fast asleep.

Suddenly, a house in the west of the city caught fire.

After four years of silence, the night in Xuchang finally erupted in excitement.

At first, Man Chong didn't take it too seriously, mistakenly thinking it was just an ordinary family accidentally catching fire, so he sent a team of guards to patrol. But not long after, fires broke out in houses in the east, south, and north of the city.

The fire grew denser and fiercer, flames soaring into the sky, tongues of fire swirling and raging across the night sky like flying dragons, and the shouts gradually became chaotic.

Man Chong sent out many guards, but as the situation became increasingly dire, he quickly sensed danger.

"This is bad. Someone must be instigating this from the shadows. Could it be that these troublemakers have secretly colluded with Liu Bei?"

A fire broke out in the east, catching more than a dozen houses off the ground. A squad of guards rushed over and found Dong Cheng leading people to put out the fire. Dong Cheng was giving instructions while muttering curses under his breath.

"Imperial Brother-in-law, what exactly happened?" A platoon leader arrived with his soldiers and asked curiously.

Dong Cheng shook his head. "I don't know either. It must be the work of thieves."

As he spoke, Dong Cheng carefully examined the guards. There weren't many of them, only a dozen or so.

Dong Cheng gave a cold snort. He had been holding back for a long time, especially after Qin Qingtong's betrayal, which made him feel guilty and eager to make a good impression.

Just as he was about to order an attack on the guards, a group of men in black suddenly appeared in the distance. These men moved with lightning speed and rushed towards the guards.

Some carried knives, some carried swords, and they rushed over quickly. Before Dong Cheng could react, the man in black at the front shouted, "Man Chong has rebelled! By imperial decree, we are to kill the traitor!"

This was a unified code to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. As soon as Dong Cheng heard it, he knew that it was one of his own people.

There weren't many men in black, only a dozen or so, but that was enough to deal with the guards!

Before the guards could figure out what was going on, the man in black rushed forward, his sword flashing, his attacks swift and decisive, without a word.

Someone leaped forward and cleaved a guard in the throat with a single stroke, the corpse instantly collapsing to the ground. Often, the fight would be over in just a few moves, the cold light flashing swiftly through the night sky, the sounds of "thud thud thud thud" echoing continuously.

In the blink of an eye, only the squad leader remained. He stared in shock at the men in black surrounding him and shouted, "Who exactly are you people?"

His response was a blinding glint of cold light; in an instant, several steel knives fell mercilessly upon him.

Even as the squad leader collapsed to the ground, his life force rapidly fading from his body, he still didn't understand who had killed him.

Having dealt with the group of guards, the man in black didn't linger. Without even glancing at Dong Cheng, he decisively disappeared.

Looking at the dozen or so corpses on the ground, Dong Cheng clenched his fists excitedly, "Yes, that's how it should be!"

Dong Cheng had been looking forward to this day for far too long. Although there were only a few hundred men in black, they were scattered in various places, specifically targeting the smaller guards.

Most of these guards were drawn there by the fire, and each team was not very large.

Xun Yu had already fallen asleep when he was suddenly awakened. Although he hadn't been on the battlefield for a long time, his intuition for danger remained very sharp.

As soon as he woke up, he heard a series of crisp fighting sounds. Then, through the window, he saw that the night sky outside had turned fiery red.

"Oh no, something must have happened!"

Xun Yu hurriedly put on his clothes, pushed open the door, and went into the courtyard.

The sounds became clearer; a fight was taking place outside the courtyard wall, with the clanging of knives and spears clearly audible, and the surrounding fire continued to blaze and emit black smoke.

Many people in the house were also awakened, and lights were turned on in many rooms.

Xun Yu was extremely worried and hurriedly led his men to open the gates of the mansion, wanting to go out and see what had happened.

As soon as the gates opened, a man in black was seen standing outside, and he had clearly been standing there for a long time.

"Lord Xun".

The man in black clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xun Yu and said very politely, "There was a disturbance tonight. We are here on imperial orders to kill the traitors. Lord Xun need not worry."

"Who are you?"

Xun Yu found the other party very suspicious, and as he spoke, Xun Yu ordered his guards to take down the man in black.

The man in black laughed and said, "Lord Xun, I am His Majesty's man. His Majesty has long anticipated that Man Chong would rebel. We are ordered to kill the traitor. There is no need to trouble Lord Xun with tonight's matter."

These few words contain a wealth of information.

First of all, this was the emperor's arrangement, and Xun Yu's eyes widened in surprise.

He hadn't expected the emperor to launch such a stunning counterattack at this moment.

Previously, the emperor would at most argue with Cao Cao and try to gain some benefits. For example, if the emperor wanted to leave the city or go on a military expedition, he simply wanted more freedom and more room to maneuver, or he wanted to find an opportunity to eliminate a few people, such as the deaths of Cao Chun and Cheng Yu.

However, Xun Yu never expected that the emperor would launch a mutiny directly in Xudu.

This indicates that the emperor wanted to seize power and take the throne.

Secondly, tonight it was Man Chong who started the rebellion; it was Man Chong who rebelled, and he did so in the name of the emperor, thus defining the matter.

There's another layer of meaning here: Liu Xie once again took care of Cao Cao, because Xiahou Dun was the top figure left by Cao Cao to guard Xuchang.

Now it is Man Chong who is rebelling. Liu Xie is both firm and gentle, and he has made a step forward to Cao Cao, which is a very important step.

If it was Xiahou Dun who declared the rebellion in the emperor's name, Cao Cao would also be implicated, since everyone knows that the Cao family and the Xiahou family are essentially one family.

Cao Cao was originally adopted into the Cao family from the Xiahou family!
Xun Yu hurriedly asked, "Has His Majesty already returned from Guandu? Where is he? I need to see him."

Xun Yu deduced that the emperor must have secretly returned, given the importance of the matter.

To everyone's surprise, the man in black shook his head. "Lord Xun, His Majesty instructed that there was no need to hide anything from you. You can tell him the truth. His Majesty is still in Guandu. How could Lord Xun be so forgetful? The great enemy Yuan Shao has just been eliminated, and Cao Cao and His Majesty are busy dealing with the defeated Yuan army. How could His Majesty possibly return to Xuchang? Man Chong is not worth His Majesty's troubles."

"What? His Majesty hasn't returned?"

Xun Yu was not just surprised, he was utterly shocked!

Such an important matter, at such a crucial time, yet the emperor was not even in Xudu, entrusting such a momentous task as capturing Xudu to others.

Xun Yu could hardly believe it. Had His Majesty gone mad?
Looking at the raging fire all around and hearing the increasingly intense fighting sounds, Xun Yu, based on his understanding of Liu Xie, clearly concluded that His Majesty was not insane.

If His Majesty is not insane, then it can only mean that His Majesty had already arranged everything, and that His Majesty was confident that he could handle this matter completely without having to personally intervene.

What incredible self-confidence!

The emperor wanted to seize power, but he himself did not show up.

The guards behind him had already drawn their swords, and they were all looking at Xun Yu, waiting for his orders.

The man in black did not draw his sword, but stood quietly in front of Xun Yu, showing no intention of making a move.

The man in black spoke again, "His Majesty believes that Lord Xun will prioritize the nation and the overall situation. The one causing trouble tonight is only Man Chong!"

Xun Yu was caught in a painful struggle, torn between two options and unsure of what to do.

Just then, another group of men in black, brandishing blood-dripping swords, swiftly passed by Xun Yu. Upon seeing their companions, one of the men in black shouted, "By imperial decree, we kill the traitors!"

The men in black responded in unison, "We are ordered to kill the traitors!"

The voices were clear and loud, revealing a fearless killing intent.

Soon, these people passed by, and not long after, even more intense fighting sounds came from not far away.

"Kill! Man Chong is rebelling! By imperial decree, kill the traitor!" The shouts shook the heavens, repeatedly striking Xun Yu's heart.

Xun Yu hesitated for a long time, then waved his hand weakly and said to the guards behind him, "Put away your weapons."

These guards were all from Xun Yu's household. They only obeyed Xun Yu's orders. Everyone sheathed their swords and took a step back.

If Xun Yu insists on intervening, then tonight he will be openly standing up against the emperor.

Looking at the man in black again, Xun Yu asked curiously, "Just who are you?"

The man in black laughed heartily, "I am truly insignificant. I am merely a commoner from the martial world, who has had the honor of drinking with His Majesty once, nothing more."

The man in black glanced at Xun Yu again, then turned around and watched as he drew his long sword and charged towards the distance.

Xun Yu stood there, stunned, muttering to himself, "Where did these people come from? How many secrets does His Majesty still hold?"

The guards sent out by Man Chong were constantly ambushed, suffering heavy casualties.

Someone ran up to Man Chong and reported, "Something terrible has happened! A large number of men in black have suddenly appeared in the city and have already killed hundreds of our guards."

"This?" Man Chong stared wide-eyed in surprise, unable to believe it.

First, people started setting fires everywhere, then suddenly a lot of assassins in black appeared. Man Chong's mind was in a state of shock. He muttered to himself, "What on earth is going on tonight?"

With Xiahou Dun gone, Man Chong grew increasingly flustered. After a while, he was suddenly startled. "It seems the thieves had planned this all along. Perhaps General Xiahou was deliberately lured away by them."

(End of this chapter)