Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 229 Sima Yi proposed to use the fake emperor to seize Qingzhou!

Jia Xu's words instantly attracted Liu Xie's attention and aroused great curiosity in him.

Qingzhou is currently occupied by Yuan Tan's tens of thousands of troops.

What strategies can Jia Xu use to capture Qingzhou?
All the ministers in Tai'an Palace also turned their eyes to Jia Xu.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Jia Xu did not keep the secret and said directly: "Your Majesty, my plan is very simple, which is to hand over the fake emperor to Yuan Tan."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Everyone was stunned by Jia Xu's words.

Hand over the fake emperor... to Yuan Tan?
Xun Chen was the first to come to his senses and couldn't help asking, "Is the Minister of the Central Secretariat joking?"

"Since the false emperor has been captured by Lord Wen and is on his way to Yecheng, it is natural that your majesty must personally order his execution. In the name of the true emperor, how can you hand him over to Yuan Tan?"

Xun Chen thought Jia Xu's words were too absurd.

Not only him, but all the ministers in the palace felt the same.

Regardless of whether it is ridiculous or not, the key point is, what is the connection between handing over the false emperor to Yuan Tan and seizing Qingzhou?
"What does Wenhe mean by this?"

Liu Xie's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not deny or question it immediately.

He believed that with Jia Xu's wisdom, he would not say such a ridiculous statement for no reason, and there must be some mystery behind it.

Jia Xu said calmly, "Your Majesty, according to the information I have received, Yuan Tan has deployed troops all over Qingzhou and guarded all the passes very tightly in order to prevent Lord Wen from leading his troops to help Your Majesty."

"It will be extremely difficult for the team escorting the fake emperor to pass through Qingzhou and reach Yecheng. In this case, I think it would be better to send the fake emperor directly to Yuan Tan."

"Although Yuan Shao is a traitor, he respects Your Majesty as the legitimate emperor. Therefore, after Yuan Tan obtains the false emperor, the most likely thing he will do is to kill him. This will save Your Majesty a lot of effort. It will also allow Cao Xing, who offered the false emperor, to act as an internal response."

"If Yuan Tan does not kill the false emperor, Your Majesty can announce this to the world. Yuan Shao's reputation will be completely ruined, and his army will also mutiniate. Your Majesty can also take this opportunity to join forces with Duke Wen to attack Qingzhou!"

In Jia Xu's opinion, since it is very difficult for the team escorting the false emperor to reach Yecheng, it would be better not to send them there and let Yuan Tan decide whether to kill or not.

If the fake emperor is killed, everyone will be happy. Cao Xing can also be used as an insider.

But if you don’t kill… that would be interesting.

As long as this matter is made public, all the righteousness that Yuan Shao has always upheld will vanish into thin air, and he will be directly branded as a traitor!
By then, not to mention the Qingzhou army under Yuan Tan, the Jizhou army and even the armies in the three states would mutiny.

You must know that until now Yuan Shao is still trying to return to Yecheng under the pretext of rescuing the emperor.

This is an open conspiracy.

Killing or not killing, there are only benefits.

But Liu Xie did not hesitate after hearing this, and said coldly: "No! The fake emperor cannot be handed over to Yuan Tan!"

His tone was firm, leaving no room for ambiguity.

He knew that the strategy proposed by Jia Xu was highly feasible and the probability that Yuan Tan would not kill Emperor Xian of Han was very small.

But he didn't want to take even the slightest risk.

The dispute over the true and false emperor has lasted for several years.

Emperor Xian of Han was the last stain on his legitimacy as the Son of Heaven. He had to get rid of it. Only in this way could he fully grasp the power of the Son of Heaven!
Seeing Liu Xie's resolute attitude, the ministers who were originally tempted by Jia Xu's proposal swallowed back the words that were about to come out of their mouths.

They realized that this was a minefield that the emperor could not touch.

The false emperor must die.

But at this moment, Zhang He walked into the hall, bowed to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, there is a man outside the palace who claims to be a subordinate of General Cao Xing and requests an audience with you."

Cao nature?
All the ministers were shocked. They had all read the memorial presented by Lu Bu and naturally knew that the general in charge of escorting the fake emperor was called Cao Xing.

Just now, Jia Xu wanted him to offer the fake emperor to Yuan Tan as an internal support.

Liu Xie's eyes changed slightly, and he felt something was wrong in his heart.

"Xuan!"

Zhang He bowed and retreated.

A moment later, he walked into the hall with a man wearing coarse linen clothes, who looked no different from an ordinary citizen.

As soon as he entered the hall, the man bowed to Liu Xie with a standard military salute, and said respectfully: "Wang Chong, a subordinate of General Cao, pays respect to Your Majesty!"

"No gift."

Liu Xie raised his hand slightly and asked, "Why are you the only one here alone? Where is General Cao? Where is the team escorting the fake emperor?"

A trace of bitterness flashed across Wang Chong's face, and he clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, not long after we escorted the false emperor into Qingzhou, Yuan Tan's army began to mobilize frequently and deployed troops to guard the passes of all sizes. It seems that they are defending against the invasion of Lord Wen."

"Our team is now trapped in Dongguan County. We are currently hiding in the mountains disguised as an ordinary merchant caravan to avoid the patrolling Qingzhou Army. We are now in a dilemma and I am afraid we will not be able to reach Yecheng as scheduled."

"Therefore, General Cao has specially sent me to report the situation to Your Majesty."

Everyone in the hall was surprised when they heard this, and they couldn't help but look at Jia Xu, because everything was exactly as he expected!
The team escorting the false emperor was trapped in Qingzhou.

It is impossible to cross the border at the moment!

Sitting on the dragon throne, Liu Xie's expression looked rather ugly.

He never expected that when Yuan Shao attacked Ji County, he asked Yuan Tan to return to Qingzhou to guard against Lu Bu.

Now is the time when the Qingzhou army is mobilizing on a large scale. Although the team escorting Emperor Xian of Han is pretending to be a merchant caravan, there are too many people and they will definitely be investigated.

The best way was to let Cao Xing take two or three people with him and Emperor Xian of Han on the journey with light luggage.

But in this way, once the whereabouts are exposed, there will be no chance of escape at all.

"Why didn't they just kill Emperor Xian of Han when they captured him? Why did they send someone to Yecheng? Lu Bu would never do such a thing. It must have been Chen Gong's suggestion!"

Liu Xie was quite annoyed.

He believed that with Lu Bu's reckless character, his first reaction after capturing Emperor Xian of Han would be to chop him to death with a single blow and then send his head to him.

Just like the last time when they sent Sun Ce’s head.

Only a counselor like Chen Gong would look ahead and behind, think about all sorts of things, and insist on sending Emperor Xian of Han to Yecheng to be dealt with personally by him.

It's really a waste of time!
Liu Xie took a deep breath and said to Wang Chong expressionlessly, "Go back and tell General Cao that since we can't send the fake emperor to Yecheng, then execute him on the spot."

"Just have someone send the body here afterwards."

For him, as long as Emperor Xian of Han died, it didn't matter how he died or whether he should be judged personally.

People like Chen Gong may have taboos, but he doesn't care.

Now Cao Xing and others are trapped in Qingzhou and may be discovered by Yuan Tan at any time. Killing Emperor Xian of Han directly is the best option.

"promise!"

Wang Chong breathed a sigh of relief and clasped his fists in acceptance of the order.

"Wait a minute."

Sima Yi suddenly stood up and stepped out of the line, bowed to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan. If it works, we can capture Qingzhou in one fell swoop!"

Sima Yi spoke in a firm tone, his face full of confidence.

Liu Xie was in a very bad mood, but he had to suppress his impatience and asked, "What's Zhongda's plan?"

When it comes to playing with people's hearts, Jia Xu is an expert.

However, in terms of military strategy, the talent displayed by Sima Yi is no less than that of Jia Xu.

Given time, it is inevitable that he will surpass Jia Xu.

Therefore, Liu Xie was also willing to listen to Sima Yi's ideas.

Sima Yi said bluntly: "Your Majesty, I also plan to start with the fake emperor, but I will not hand the fake emperor over to Yuan Tan, but use the fake emperor as bait to seize Qingzhou."

"Bait?" Liu Xie raised his eyebrows, "Tell me in detail."

Seeing that Liu Xie was not angry and wanted to continue listening, Sima Yi felt refreshed and said in high spirits:
"Your Majesty, the reason why Yuan Shao asked Yuan Tan to return to Qingzhou from Youzhou was, firstly, because he was worried that Duke Wen would take the opportunity to attack Qingzhou, and secondly, he was worried that Your Majesty would abandon Yecheng and go to Xuzhou."

"Therefore, if Yuan Tan suddenly finds your Majesty's whereabouts in Qingzhou, what choice do you think he will make?" Liu Xie couldn't help but be moved when he heard this, and roughly guessed Sima Yi's thoughts.

"What Zhongda meant was... to have the fake emperor pretend to be me and show up in Qingzhou, so that Yuan Tan would think that I was going to Xuzhou, thereby attracting his army to scatter and capture me. Then, I and Lord Wen would take the opportunity to attack Qingzhou?"

He didn't read so many military books and battles in vain.

He understood as soon as Sima Yi put it so simply.

At present, only a few people know that the false emperor was captured by Lu Bu. Yuan Tan is unaware of this, and does not know that the false emperor is currently in Qingzhou.

"exactly……"

Sima Yi was a little surprised. He didn't expect that Liu Xie would understand what he meant just after he started.

Your Majesty is actually good at military strategy?
Guo Jia, who was standing by, pondered for a moment and frowned, saying, "This plan sounds feasible, but it is too crude when you think about it carefully. How could Yuan Tan be so easily deceived?"

"Moreover, Qingzhou has a full 25,000 troops stationed there, while Weijun only has 20,000 troops. If they want to threaten Qingzhou, they must send out all their forces."

"But if this happens, Wei County will be left empty. If Yuan Shao leads his army to attack, Ye City will surely fall!"

Guo Jia pointed out the loopholes in Sima Yi's strategy incisively.

Not to mention whether Yuan Tan would be so easily fooled, the disparity in military strength and the threat from Yuan Shao in the rear meant that this strategy was doomed to fail.

Weijun’s 20,000 troops are the last trump card.

If these 20,000 troops were to move, and Yuan Shao were to lead his troops to attack directly, what would they be able to resist?
By that time, before Qingzhou is taken, Yuan Shao will come from behind and surround us, thus losing both the wife and the soldiers.

"Zhongcheng, listen to me carefully."

Sima Yi was not in a hurry and began to explain his overall plan in detail: "Let's talk about the troops first. Weijun has 20,000 troops, and Duke Wen also has 20,000 troops, a total of 40,000 troops, and they are all elite."

"Forty thousand troops attack Qingzhou at the same time. Yuan Tan will definitely not be able to resist."

"As for the issue of Yuan Shao leading his troops to support us, I think Your Majesty can go and recruit the Black Mountain Army, and have them delay Yuan Shao's army in Youzhou, buying time for us to attack Qingzhou."

"The leader of the Black Mountain Army, Zhang Yan, was once recruited by the previous emperor. If Your Majesty issues an order to recruit him again and offers him a high position and generous salary, he will most likely choose to join the army."

"More than 100,000 Black Mountain troops, even if they are just a mob, can at least delay Yuan Shao for some time. We only need one month."

"As for how to deceive Yuan Tan..."

Sima Yi analyzed and solved the problems one by one. When it came to the last question, he paused and turned his gaze to Yuan Xi.

Everyone looked over there as well.

"See what I do?"

Yuan Xi's expression changed slightly, and he said with a dark face: "I have already broken with Yuan Shao. Although Yuan Tan is my brother, he is now on the opposite side of me. How can he believe what I say?"

Sima Yi laughed and said, "General Yuan, you don't understand. In the eyes of Yuan Tan and Yuan Shao, it is you and General Zhang Liao who are holding the emperor hostage."

"All you need to do is to play a trick with General Zhang, pretending to be hunted and fleeing to Qingzhou, and then seek refuge with Yuan Tan, and tell him that General Zhang Liao is planning to take His Majesty back to Xuzhou."

"And at this moment, the traces of the emperor have been found in Qingzhou, and at the same time, Duke Wen's army is stationed at the border of Xuzhou... General Yuan, do you think Yuan Tan will believe it? Will he mobilize the army to hunt down the emperor?"

Yuan Xi's face changed drastically when he heard this!

Let him use the self-torture trick to surrender to Yuan Tan?

What is the difference between this and seeking death!
Yuan Xi looked at Liu Xie and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, I think this plan will not work. Yuan Tan will definitely kill me!"

"I have made contributions to the Han Dynasty, and I have shed blood for Your Majesty. Even if I have no merits, I have worked hard, Your Majesty!"

Yuan Xi was really panicked now, fearing that Liu Hui would agree to Sima Yi's absurd plan.

This is not a self-torture tactic at all, it is clearly asking him to risk his life!
Liu Xie frowned and thought, feeling extremely conflicted.

Sima Yi's entire plan was well-connected and had few loopholes. The only problem was... he had to use Emperor Xian of Han as bait to lure Yuan Tan.

In other words, he could not kill Emperor Xian of Han for the time being.

But this was obviously inconsistent with his idea.

Emperor Xian of Han was a thorn stuck deep in his heart. He would feel uncomfortable until it was removed.

But on the other hand, there are huge benefits in annexing Qingzhou and connecting Jizhou, Xuzhou and Qingzhou. Once successful, he will be invincible from then on!

Even when facing Yuan Shao, he has the upper hand!

All the ministers looked at Liu Xie, waiting for his final decision - whether to choose to kill the fake emperor, or to use the fake emperor to fight for the entire Qingzhou.

"Xian Yi."

After a long while, Liu Xie looked at Yuan Xi with a serious expression, "If I recover Qingzhou and you are still alive, I will promote you to General of Chariots and Cavalry and let you lead an army alone."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi's face immediately showed joy.

Guo Jia, Jia Xu and others looked at each other and saw the admiration in each other's eyes. His Majesty is still as courageous as ever!

He is indeed a hero that only appears once in a thousand years!

As for Yuan Xi, he was already in despair when he heard Liu Xie calling his name; but when he heard the following sentences, despair instantly turned into surprise!

General of Chariots and Cavalry!

Leading an army alone!
Only Yuan Xi understood the value of these eight words, which represented the emperor's true trust and recognition of him!

In other words, as long as he completes this mission, he can truly become the emperor's confidant and his right-hand man!

With such a huge benefit in front of him, Yuan Xi struggled for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth, put on a heroic face, and said:
"I am willing to die for your majesty!"

He knew he had no room for refusal.

If he refused, he would be close to death.

In that case, why not just give it a gamble!
If you succeed, you will be on the rise!

Liu Xie nodded slightly, and then ordered Guo Jia and Jia Xu: "Feng Xiao, Wen He, you draft edicts for Zhang Yan and Wen Gong respectively."

"Appoint Zhang Yan as General of Pacification of the North, and tell him that if he prevents Yuan Shao from conquering Ji County before winter comes, he will be given the title of Marquis of Anguoting. If he defeats the enemy army and kills 10,000 heads, he will be given the title of Marquis of Anguoxiang. If he kills 30,000 heads, he will be given the title of Marquis of Zhending County."

"Inform Lord Wen to abandon Yangzhou, gather all the troops, and station them at the border of Xuzhou! This time we must conquer Qingzhou in one battle and connect the three states into one!"

"Sir, obey the order!"

Guo Jia and Jia Xu obeyed the order in a solemn voice.

Liu Xie looked at the deputy general Wang Chong and said, "I will give you an order later. You can take it back and give it to General Cao."

"Also, remember to remind General Cao that if the fake emperor dares to escape, or if the team is besieged by Yuan Tan and cannot escape, the fake emperor must be killed immediately!"

Liu Xie's tone was full of murderous intent.

He chose to risk the life of Emperor Xian of Han to fight for Qingzhou, but he still had to take out an insurance policy - no matter success or failure, Emperor Xian of Han must die!

After Lieutenant General Wang Chong received the order, Kong Rong stepped out and said:

"Your Majesty, when I was serving in Beihai, I recruited Wang Xiu and Wang Shuzhi to be my chief clerks. They are upright people, well-loved by the people, and I have a good personal relationship with them. Now they are serving as deputy drivers under Yuan Tan."

"I can write a letter and ask Wang Xiu to coordinate secretly."

Liu Xie was overjoyed. According to historical records, Wang Xiu once served as the prefect of Wei County and later as the Minister of Rites, the head of the Nine Ministers.

This man is extremely loyal and righteous. He suppresses the powerful and helps the weak, and is praised by the people.

Now with the relationship with Kong Rong, the possibility of him being an insider is very high.

Kong Rong added: "In addition, I plan to go to Beihai County secretly and contact those who are loyal to the Han Dynasty. Once the war starts, I will raise an army to respond."

After hearing this, Liu Xie's first reaction was that he didn't want Kong Rong to take any risks.

But if the two armies were at war, Kong Rong could summon people with lofty ideals to rise up in response, which would indeed quickly expand the results of the battle and shorten the time to capture Qingzhou.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Xie weighed the pros and cons, and finally nodded and said, "In this case, I'll trouble you, my dear. When you go to Qingzhou, please take Ziyi with you to protect yourself."

(End of this chapter)