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

Chapter 214, Man Chong is arrested

"There's a fire outside! People are fighting!" Twelve-year-old Cao Zhang shouted as he ran.

The commotion tonight was so great that even the Cao family was alerted.

The Cao family members thronged together, emerging from their houses into the courtyard, gazing anxiously at the flames still burning in the night sky.

The sounds of fighting and shouting outside kept coming, testing everyone's psychological defenses.

For so many years, Xudu has been under the control of the Cao family.

But tonight, the Cao family was completely kept in the dark, unaware of what had happened in the city.

Bian also came to the courtyard, and everyone gathered around her without prior arrangement.

With Cao Cao away, Lady Bian managed everything perfectly, big and small, inside and out. She had an innate ability to control the overall situation.

Although Madam Ding was the principal wife, her unambitious and unassuming nature made her less adept at winning people's hearts than Madam Bian, who was shrewd and resourceful.

Lady Bian glared at Cao Zhang, then called the steward Cao Fu over and instructed him, "Cao Fu, go outside and see what's going on tonight."

Cao Fu agreed and left with a few guards.

Bian looked around at everyone, her voice not loud but extremely authoritative, "No one is allowed to go out tonight."

"Yes, Madam," everyone replied in unison.

Cao Fu turned back shortly after, his face clearly showing panic. "Madam, something terrible has happened! There are many guards standing outside the door."

"Who are they? Were they sent by Xiahou Dun and Man Chong to protect us?"

Cao Fu shook his head. "It doesn't look like it."

Lady Bian was puzzled. "Take me to see."

"Mother, I will go with you." Cao Zhangtian, who was fearless, also shouted that he wanted to go with her.

Bian shook her head and refused, "You stay at home and are not allowed to run around."

Cao Fu accompanied Bian Shi out of the mansion. Bian Shi glanced to both sides and sure enough, there were many people standing there, one line on the left and one line on the right of the mansion gate, with no less than several hundred people.

These men were in perfect military formation, all holding swords and spears, standing motionless, looking as if they were protecting the Cao family.

"lady."

When Bian came out of the mansion, one of the captains walked over, but Bian felt that he was a stranger to him, as if she had never seen him before.

Bian asked, "Who are you?"

The man replied, "I am merely a captain, and tonight I am ordered to protect the safety of the Cao family."

"What happened tonight?" Bian asked curiously.

Lady Bian had never been to a military camp. Not to mention the captains, she couldn't even recognize all the generals around Cao Cao.

"Madam, it is Xu Du Ling Man Chong who is causing trouble in the city. However, you don't need to worry too much. The situation will be brought under control soon."

"What? You're saying Man Chong is causing trouble?" Lady Bian stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"Yes, it is absolutely true. Man Chong took advantage of His Majesty and Lord Cao's absence to set fires everywhere, with ulterior motives."

Although Lady Bian was a woman, she was very intelligent. How could Man Chong possibly cause trouble?

She hurriedly asked, "Where is General Xiahou?"

The man shook his head. "General Xiahou is not here for the time being; he has left the city."

"And whose orders were you acting on?"

"It is His Majesty's order."

"what?"

Lady Bian took two steps back in shock, and a terrifying thought suddenly popped into her mind: "It's not Man Chong who is rebelling, it's the emperor who is rebelling."

This idea is insane. The whole world belongs to the emperor, so how could the emperor possibly rebel?
Lady Bian absolutely refused to believe that it was Man Chong who was causing the trouble.

The man then advised, "Madam, it's not safe outside. You should go back."

Bian Shi longed to go out and see the place. These guards seemed to be protecting the Cao family, but Bian Shi knew that they were also controlling the Cao family.

People outside can't get in, and I'm afraid people inside can't get out either.

Bian was ultimately just a woman, and with no one to consult with on such a big matter, she immediately lost her composure.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but blame himself in his heart: "Where is Xiahou Dun? Where on earth has he gone?"

Cao Cao appointed Xiahou Dun to guard Xuchang, but at the crucial moment, Xiahou Dun was nowhere to be found, which nearly drove Lady Bian to her death with anger.

Bian returned to the courtyard, growing increasingly anxious. She instructed Cao Fu, "Find a few capable guards and have them sneak out from the backyard. We must find Xiahou Dun as soon as possible."

Cao Fu understood immediately and quickly sent his men out.

However, there were also guards at the back gate, and the guards sent out were surrounded as soon as they jumped out of the courtyard.

One of the guards tried to force his way out, but was shot dead on the spot with a crossbow bolt.

Soon, the body was carried to the Cao family's residence. The other party offered no explanation and continued to guard outside the Cao family's residence.

But Bian was startled; this was clearly a warning.

Tonight, everyone needs to behave themselves. Nobody is allowed to go out. Give up on that idea as soon as possible.

The battle on Man Chong's side was also gradually coming to an end.

Lu Xun's troops, in terms of both numbers and strength, far surpassed Man Chong's soldiers.

Man Chong was left with only a few dozen people. He was no match for them and was eventually pinned to the ground and tied up with ropes.

Lu Xun coldly glanced at Man Chong's men who were still alive by sheer luck and said, "The bandit leader Man Chong has been captured alive. He has committed a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family. I advise you to lay down your weapons immediately. Otherwise, if you continue to be stubborn, you will only face death."

Man Chong shouted at the top of his lungs, "Nonsense! I did not plot a rebellion!"

Lu Xun waved his hand, "He's too noisy, shut him up."

The soldiers searched around but couldn't find anything suitable.

One soldier simply took off his shoes, removed the cloth binding his feet, and stuffed it directly into Manchong's mouth.

In ancient times, there were no socks; both men and women bound their feet with cloth.

The foot cloth was smelly and long, which was a great humiliation to Man Chong.

His eyes widened, his face filled with anger, his eyeballs almost popping out.

Man Chong was very unwilling, and even with her mouth gagged, she was still struggling.

Lu Xun sneered and ignored him. Not only was Man Chong accused of treason by the emperor, but he would also soon be abandoned by Cao Cao.

This is naked politics. Once Liu Xie successfully seized Xuchang and took control of power, even if Cao Cao had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to continue protecting Man Chong.

Cao Cao had to sacrifice a pawn to save his king!
Upon seeing that Man Chong had been captured, the soldiers he had brought all looked at each other in bewilderment, and soon dropped their weapons on the ground one after another.

Just as Lu Xun was about to lead his men away from the courtyard, Qin Qingtong ran out of the room, chuckling smugly. "I'm with you guys. I've done a great service tonight."

Lu Xun glanced at him expressionlessly, then ordered Qin Qingtong to be sent directly into the secret passage and eventually taken to Jia Xu.

With a smug look on his face, Qin Qingtong fawned over Jia Xu and said, "I have done as you instructed, and Man Chong has been arrested. So... how about you give Yunying to me as a reward?"

Jia Xu nodded to him and said, "You did a good job. There's a secret room over there. Go inside and wait for a moment. Soon, I'll have someone bring you the woman you're with."

Qin Qingtong rubbed his hands together excitedly, as if he could already see Yunying throwing herself back into his arms, the two of them embracing tightly once again, burning together...

However, two hours passed quickly. Suddenly, Qin Qingtong felt a sharp, intense pain in his internal organs. He collapsed to the ground in agony, curled up, and began to convulse violently. Before long, he stopped breathing.

Lu Xun led his men away from the courtyard. He immediately sent people to scout out the situation in various places. As they marched forward, they would occasionally encounter Cao army guards. Lu Xun didn't waste any words and wiped out each squad he encountered, sweeping through the enemy lines as he went.

Now that Xiahou Dun is gone and Man Chong is under control, dealing with Cao Cao's soldiers in the city has become much easier.

Hearing the commotion, Hua Xin curiously peeked out of her house, just as Lu Xun and his men were passing by her gate.

Seeing Lu Xun and his men wielding sharp blades, their weapons dripping with blood, Hua Xin shrank back in fright and hurriedly closed the door again.

He dared not go out into the street to get involved in this kind of scene tonight; he might lose his life if things went wrong.

Lu Xun ignored Hua Xin. Not far away, Zhang Cheng was besieging his own men, so Lu Xun quickly led his men to rush over.

Zhang Cheng surrounded dozens of men in black and had already killed half of them, but he also suffered more than a hundred casualties.

Upon seeing another group of people arrive, Zhang Cheng was taken aback. Lu Xun's forces outnumbered his own by several times. Zhang Cheng hurriedly waved his hand and ordered a temporary halt to the fighting.

Lu Xun fixed his gaze on him and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Zhang Cheng replied, "I am Zhang Cheng, a colonel under Xiahou Dun. And who are you?"

Lu Xun recounted Zhang Cheng's situation to him word for word.

"Zhang Cheng, a colonel, is from Guangping in Ji Province. He is twenty-five years old this year. He has an elderly mother and an older sister who married far away to Beihai..."

Zhang Cheng stared wide-eyed in surprise, "You...who exactly are you? How do you know so much about my situation?"

Lu Xun replied calmly, "I am Lu Xun. I was ordered by His Majesty to quell the rebellion in the city. Man Chong has now been captured alive. When His Majesty returns, he will naturally deal with him severely. Captain Zhang, tonight, will you be aiding and abetting the wicked, or will you obey His Majesty's orders?"

As they were talking, Man Chong was pushed to the front of the line.

Upon seeing Man Chong bound, Zhang Cheng's expression changed drastically.

What on earth happened? How did Man Chong suddenly become a troublemaker and get arrested?

"Um... I wanted to ask, is it really Magistrate Man who is causing trouble?"

Zhang Cheng was, after all, just an ordinary captain, and he was not aware of the complex relationship between the emperor and Cao Cao.

Lu Xun sneered, "Are you questioning His Majesty?"

Zhang Cheng shook his head, feeling somewhat flustered. "That's not what I meant, it's just..."

Zhang Cheng wanted to plead for Man Chong, but Lu Xun directly ordered, "I don't have time to waste words with you here. Come on, kill!"

At Lu Xun's command, the archers strode forward, their cold arrows aimed directly at Zhang Cheng at such close range.

Zhang Cheng sensed something was wrong and was about to say something when, with a gesture from Lu Xun, countless crossbow bolts shot towards him all at once.

Puff puff!
Zhang Cheng was riddled with bullets on the spot, and the soldiers nearby were also not spared, with a large number falling down instantly.

The fact that the enemy had so many powerful crossbows stunned all of Cao Cao's soldiers. In particular, the sight of Zhang Cheng dying right before their eyes completely shattered the courage of many to resist.

"His Majesty has decreed that anyone who resists shall die!" Lu Xun said coldly, scanning them.

"I am willing to surrender."

"I would like that too."

Many people readily dropped their weapons and chose to surrender.

They didn't want to end up like Zhang Cheng, riddled with bullets and dying without knowing why.

These ordinary Cao soldiers were just trying to make a living; there was no need for them to risk their lives.

These people were gathered together by Lu Xun and placed under centralized custody.

This time, Lu Xun brought four thousand men from Mangdang Mountain, and there were people specifically responsible for guarding the surrendered soldiers.

Zhang Cheng was slow-witted and was shot to death without even realizing it. Hou Lei, on the other hand, was much quick-witted. Seeing that Man Chong had been captured and that Lu Xun was acting on the emperor's orders, Hou Lei decisively chose to surrender.

Previously, Liu Xie had specifically asked Zhao Yun to learn about Xiahou Dun's subordinates, so when Lu Xun met these captains, he could tell them about the situation of almost every one of them in detail.

After taking Hou Lei away, Lu Xun led his men straight to the south gate.

He ran into Liu Biao on the way, who said to him, "Just now, Xiahou Dun returned."

Lu Xun halted the troops. "To catch the thief, catch the king. We must capture him. Only in this way can Xuchang be completely under His Majesty's control."

Just as Lu Xun was about to continue towards the South Gate, Taishi Ci also rushed over.

"Let me join you. How can we deal with Xiahou Dun without me?" Taishi Ci said with great pride.

He muttered to himself, "We didn't get a good fight outside the city, this is the perfect time to settle things."

Lu Xun nodded, and the two joined forces, heading straight for the south gate to attack.

Xiahou Dun had just returned when he was stunned by the chaos in the city. There were arsonists and fights. Overnight, Xuchang had turned into a noisy battlefield.

Xiahou Dun hurriedly asked Xiahou Lan, "What exactly happened? Who is causing trouble?"

Xiahou Lan shook his head. "General, I'm not quite sure either, but people are shouting all over the city that the rioter is Magistrate Man."

Xiahou Dun flew into a rage, "Nonsense! This is utter nonsense! How could Man Chong possibly cause trouble?"

"General, they're coming this way, look."

Someone spotted Lu Xun and his group approaching and hurriedly alerted Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun followed the sound and, with the help of the torchlight, quickly saw Lu Xun and Taishi Ci.

What surprised him most was Taishi Ci. Xiahou Dun's right eye widened. "How is this possible? He was clearly outside the city just now, how did he reappear inside the city?"

In the blink of an eye, they were only a hundred paces apart when Lu Xun ordered his troops to stop.

Xiahou Dun recognized Lu Xun and shouted, "Lu Xun, what are you doing here?"

Lu Xun smiled and said, "His Majesty is proficient in divination. He had already foreseen that Man Chong would rebel tonight, so he ordered me to come and quell the rebellion. General Xiahou, please rest assured, Man Chong has been brought under control by me, and the rebels in the city will soon be eliminated. I have also sent a large number of troops to protect the Sikong Mansion."

(End of this chapter)