Three Kingdoms: Wolong's brother-in-law, tricking Liu Bei into seizing Jingzhou

Chapter 434 Cao Zhi kneeled down to Lao Liu! Cao Cao, how dare you laugh at others? Your sons are all dogs and pigs!

Pingtao City, when the setting sun is setting in the west.

Liu Bei had already climbed up the city wall, looking north and overlooking the entire battlefield.

Five miles to the north, the ground was littered with Qin soldiers' corpses, and the plains were littered with scattered weapons, flags and drums.

Teams of Han soldiers returned victoriously, each with the heads of Qin soldiers hanging around his waist to seek credit.

The generals climbed up the city wall one after another, came to meet Liu Bei and report the results of the battle.

Ma Su counted these battle results one by one and finally came to a conclusion:
In this battle, 8,000 enemies were killed, nearly 10,000 were captured, and countless weapons, flags and drums were seized.

The 20,000 Qin troops under Cao Ren were almost wiped out.

"To annihilate Cao Ren's entire army in one battle, the Prime Minister's plan is truly a brilliant one!"

Liu Bei smiled with admiration and turned his gaze to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang smiled faintly and waved his feather fan gently:

"The total number of Qin troops in Bingzhou is about 70,000. In this battle, our army annihilated 20,000 enemies, which is considered a heavy blow to the enemy."

"Your Majesty, you can order the soldiers to rest in Pingtao for three to five days, and then continue north to besiege Jinyang."

Liu Bei smiled with a hint of doubt, and asked in confusion:
"Prime Minister, since we have already dealt a heavy blow to Cao Ren, why don't we seize the opportunity to pursue him northwards and surround Jinyang as soon as possible, instead of resting for three to five days?"

All the generals looked at Xiao Fang with puzzled eyes.

Everyone was not satisfied with the killing and wanted to strike while the iron was hot and raze Jinyang City to the ground.

But at this critical juncture, Xiao Fang asked everyone to rest for two days. Can the generals rest?

"I just said that the Qin army has 70,000 soldiers in Bingzhou. Our army killed 20,000 enemies in this battle. Cao Ren still has 50,000 soldiers."

"The remaining 50,000 troops are currently deployed along the Jingxing and Huguan lines."

"If we pursue too hastily, Cao Ren will see that there are no troops left to defend Jinyang, and will definitely abandon Jinyang, gather the remaining 50,000 troops, and retreat to Shangdang County, or retreat north to Yanmen County to put up a desperate fight."

"Whether it's Shangdang County or Yanmen County, most of them are mountainous areas, easy to defend but difficult to attack, which is not conducive to the deployment of our large army."

"The plains around Jinyang are flat, which is convenient for our army to camp around the city and attack from all sides, which can maximize our military advantage."

"That's why I ask Your Majesty to rest for three to five days before you can lead your troops north to attack Jinyang."

Xiao Fang pointed his feather fan in all directions and revealed the secret.

Liu Bei and his generals suddenly came to their senses.

Xiao Fang wanted to give Cao Ren a chance. He summoned troops from Huguan and Jingxingguan, and returned to defend Jinyang, so as to complete the battle and annihilate all the Qin troops in Bingzhou.

Jinyang is the capital of Bingzhou. Unless Cao Ren is forced to do so, he will definitely abandon Huguan and other dangerous places and concentrate all his remaining troops in Jinyang to defend it.

Although Jinyang is a strong city, it is located on a plain, and its difficulty in attacking is far less than that of Huguan Pass, Jingxing Pass and other pass cities.

"What the Prime Minister said is absolutely true."

"The terrain around Jinyang is open and flat, which is conducive to the deployment of our army. There is also the Fen River, which is convenient for our army to transport food and military supplies."

"After Cao Ren withdraws his troops to Jinyang, General Huoqi's Hebei Corps will be able to break through Huguan, Jingxing, Yanmen and other strategic passes without a fight, and march westward to Jinyang to join your majesty."

"With more than 200,000 troops in our army, we can surround it from all sides. Are you still afraid that we can't break through the isolated city of Jinyang?"

Fa Zheng stroked his thin beard and added something, obviously agreeing with Xiao Fang's strategy.

Liu Bei agreed with this and said with a smile:

"The Prime Minister is indeed a man of foresight. Okay, let's follow your advice and let the soldiers rest in Pingtao for three to five days."

"Pass the order down, take out all the wine and meat to reward the soldiers of the three armies!"

Inside and outside the city, the cheers of the Han army soldiers resounded across the plains.

Just as Liu Bei was about to go down the city wall with his ministers to drink celebratory wine together, his personal guards excitedly climbed up the city wall.

"Your Majesty, General Zilong led his troops to capture Lishi, and ran into Cao Cao's son Cao Zhi fleeing westward."

"General Zilong took advantage of the situation and captured him alive. We have sent someone to send him back to Pingtao. He is now at the foot of the city, waiting for your majesty's decision!"

Cao Zhi, son of Cao Cao!

Captured alive by Zhao Yun!
This is a blessing from heaven.

Liu Bei, who was already in a very good mood, was even more excited when he heard the unexpected surprise from Zhao Yun.

"I heard that Cao Zhi is Cao's favorite son, and Cao intends to make him the crown prince."

"I didn't expect Zilong to be able to capture this thief alive. This feat is comparable to his capture of Yuan Shang back then!"

Liu Bei was delighted and praised Zhao Yun highly.

Although Fa Zheng was also delighted, he also looked doubtful:
"Cao Ren is heading north, clearly intending to flee to Jinyang and continue the fight."

"Why did this thief Cao Zhi go in the opposite direction from Cao Ren and flee westward?"

The joy on Liu Bei's face gradually faded, and a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes.

"Cao Zhi came to Bingzhou to help Cao Ren, but only to gild his reputation and gain military merits, in order to increase his bargaining chips in the competition for the throne with his brother Cao Pi."

"At this time when the Qin army in Bingzhou is about to be destroyed, I don't think he has the courage to stand together with Cao Ren. This time he must be thinking of taking advantage of Cao Ren's attempt to attract our army to intercept him and take the opportunity to abandon Cao Ren and flee west to Guanzhong."

"What a pity, he didn't have that luck. He just happened to run into Zilong on the way. He deserved it."

Xiao Fang saw through Cao Zhi's wishful thinking at a glance.

Liu Bei's doubts were resolved, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"Cao Cao was a great hero, but his sons were only Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang. It's really sad."

"Come, bring the Han traitor Cao Zhi here."

The word "Han traitor" has already defined Cao Zhi's nature.

You, Cao Cao, deposed the Han Dynasty and usurped the throne. You are a traitor to the Han Dynasty and naturally everyone has the right to kill you.

All the members of the Cao family should be executed. Cao Zhi, as Cao Cao's son and the fake Qin Chenliu King, should be guilty of the same crime as Cao Cao and should also be executed.

What's more, Cao Zhi also participated in Cao Ren's shameless acts of colluding with the Huns, ceding fiefdoms and marrying off daughters, and betraying the Han people.

As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei swore a vow that day to kill Cao Ren and his nephew.

Now that Cao Zhi has been captured, how can we keep him?

In a moment, Cao Zhi, covered in blood, was dragged onto the city wall and pressed in front of Liu Bei.

The fourth son of the Cao family, just like his brother Cao Ang when he was captured, was naturally ashamed to kneel in front of Liu Bei. He endured the severe pain in his body and struggled to get up.

Seeing this, Chen Dao stepped forward and tried to force Cao Zhi to kneel down.

However, Liu Bei waved his hand and stopped Chen Dao.

Although Cao Cao was a traitor to the Han Dynasty, he was also passionate about supporting the Han Dynasty and even sacrificed himself to assassinate Dong Zhuo.

At the Suanzao League, everyone looked down on him, but Cao Cao was the only one who recognized a hero and had some respect for him.

Because of these two points, Liu Bei only had national hatred towards Cao Cao, but no personal hatred, and even had some respect for him in his heart.

Naturally, his attitude towards Cao Cao's son was different from that towards Yuan Shao's son, and he did not force Cao Zhi to kneel before him.

Chen Dao did not stop him and let Cao Zhi struggle to stand up and look directly at Liu Bei.

"Cao Zhi, do you admit your guilt?"

Liu Bei's eyes were as sharp as blades, and his casual words contained a sense of dominance and severity.

Cao Zhi's heart trembled. He didn't dare to look directly into Liu Bei's eyes and quickly looked away.

"It's just a matter of success and failure. What crime have I committed?"

Cao Zhi felt uneasy, but when faced with Liu Bei's questioning, he was still able to give a good response.

"The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, but the crime is not punishable by death!"

"You and Cao Ren are my enemies, but you are willing to collude with the Xiongnu, cede land and marry a daughter to me, and sell out my Han territory. You are willing to be a sinner of my Han family!"

"This crime is unforgivable!"

Liu Bei pointed at Cao Zhi and pointed out his crimes in a harsh voice.

Cao Zhi's body trembled, and the generosity, fearlessness and calmness he had pretended to have were instantly replaced by guilt.

"me……"

Cao Zhi mumbled, not knowing how to explain himself, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Since there is nothing to say, then just accept the punishment with peace of mind."

Liu Bei didn't bother to say anything more, and waved his hand and shouted:
"Drag this thief away and behead him. Send his head to Pubanjin and hang it up to deter the Qin army!"

Chen Dao waved his hand and the Bai Li soldiers rushed forward, ready to capture Cao Zhi.

Cao Zhi was so frightened that his legs went weak and he fell to his knees at Liu Bei's feet.

What the spirit of Cao Cao's son, what the character of the Qin emperor, what the self-esteem of the Chenliu prince...

At this moment, everything vanished.

There was only one thought left in Cao Zhi's mind:
Live!

Liu Bei frowned slightly, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Obviously he did not expect that Cao Zhi, like Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, knelt without hesitation when facing life and death.

"The plan to collude with the Xiongnu was proposed by Yang Xiu, and the decision was made by my father, Cao Ren. It has nothing to do with me."

"At that time, I tried to dissuade and remind my uncle that colluding with the Xiongnu and ceding land to the Xiongnu would surely be despised by the Han people all over the world, but my uncle would not listen and insisted on doing it his own way."

"This matter really has nothing to do with the guilty minister."

"I am willing to submit to Your Majesty and I am willing to surrender to Your Majesty~~"

Cao Zhi not only knelt down, he also prostrated himself on the ground and begged bitterly, and at the same time put all the blame for colluding with the Huns on Yang Xiu and Cao Ren.

The surprise in Liu Bei's eyes turned into astonishment.

He really didn't expect that Cao Cao's son would be so afraid of death.

Yang Xiu would be fine, but Cao Ren is his uncle.

In order to save his own life, he even went so far as to put the blame on his uncle and put all the blame for colluding with the Huns on his uncle?

Xiao Fang just sneered and was not surprised.

If we really were to rank the second generations of the princes' families at the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Zhi would definitely be among the last few.

Cao Cao always laughed at Yuan Shao's sons and said they were all dogs and pigs, but in fact, most of his own sons were dogs and pigs.

Yuan Tan was able to capture Qingzhou and expand the territory for the Yuan family.

In history, after Yuan Shao died of illness, Yuan Shang struggled to support Hebei, and with Yuan Tan as his guide, he managed to hold off Cao Cao for seven years.

Which of your sons, Cao Cao, has this ability?
Cao Pi ascended to the throne of emperor by inheriting your legacy, Cao Cao, and by giving power to the noble families, but what did he do in the end?
He sat back and watched the outcome of the Battle of Yiling, missing a great opportunity to destroy Wu.

Later, he was fooled by Sun Quan. In anger and humiliation, he launched three attacks on Wu, but was defeated by Sun Quan's 100,000 troops again.

Not only did he make no achievements in military strategy, he also had no outstanding political achievements. When he chose a regent before his death, he chose Sima Yi, an ambitious man.

At this level, it's not much better than dogs and pigs.

As for Cao Zhi, apart from his extraordinary literary talent and ability to write poetry, there is nothing else that stands out.

Guan Erye’s troops surrounded Fancheng and shocked the whole of China. Cao Cao ordered him to lead the army to rescue Cao Ren, but he actually got drunk before going to the expedition!
Isn't this just an embroidered pillow, a piece of waste that looks good but is useless?

After he failed in the competition for the throne with Cao Pi, in order to save his life, he had to kneel down and surrender to Cao Pi, begging for mercy.

Such a fool, in history, could bow his head and beg for mercy from Cao Pi in order to save his life. Why can't he humbly beg for life from Liu Bei now?
(End of this chapter)