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

Xiahou Dun was shocked.

He never expected that Cao Pi would stand up and advocate giving up Guanzhong.

Not only Xiahou Dun, but all the ministers present were surprised, and they all looked at Cao Pi.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was so solemn that it was almost suffocating. The flickering candlelight illuminated everyone's tense faces.

Xiahou Dun's face flushed, his eyes filled with anger. He took a step forward, clenched his hands into fists, and asked sternly:

"Prince, what do you mean?"

The sound seemed to be accompanied by rolling thunder, shaking the air in the hall slightly.

Cao Pi's eardrums were buzzing and his body couldn't help but tremble.

"You want your father to give up Yangping Pass, give up Hanzhong, and give up on avenging your uncle Miaocai?"

Xiahou Dun questioned again, his tone full of disbelief and anger.

Xiahou Yuan's death in battle was like a sharp blade that pierced him deeply.

In his opinion, Cao Pi's proposal at this moment was undoubtedly like rubbing salt into his wounds.

Xiahou Yuan is no other than your uncle, Cao Pi, who has watched you grow up.

Now that he is dead, how can you remain unmoved and cruel enough not to avenge him?
What's more, Hanzhong is the territory of the Qin Dynasty. As a prince, you don't want to defend the territory of the Qin Dynasty, but want to give up just like that!

Is this what a prince and a good nephew should do?
Cao Pi was about to speak.

Xiahou Dun did not give him a chance and continued:

"Even if we put aside the question of revenge for your uncle Miaocai, if Hanzhong is lost, the natural barrier of the Qinling Mountains will be useless, and the hundreds of thousands of troops of the big-eared thieves will be able to penetrate deep into the heart of Shuzhong without hindrance."

"At that time, his army marched southward and headed straight for Chengdu. How could we resist?"

As Xiahou Dun spoke, he paced back and forth, glancing at the ministers as if urging them to stand up and support him.

These stern questions were like sharp arrows, shooting straight at Cao Pi.

Of course Cao Pi knew what he said.

He had no choice but to do it.

Because he knew that Hanzhong was undefendable, and if he did not withdraw his troops, he would only sacrifice tens of thousands of soldiers in vain.

If we send more troops to Hanzhong, we will be adding more lives to the fire pit.

The final result was that not only would Qin suffer heavy casualties, but Hanzhong would still not be able to be defended. The Qin State would also lose its limited military strength and would be unable to resist the Han army's subsequent attacks.

By then, not to mention Hanzhong, even Chengdu will be lost, and the entire Yizhou will fall into Liu Bei's hands.

Yizhou is gone, Qin is gone, what is the significance of him being the crown prince of Qin?

Therefore, for his own sake, he also had to preserve the limited troops for Cao Cao.

However, faced with Xiahou Dun's questioning, Cao Pi didn't know how to respond for a moment.

He could only turn his head secretly and glance at Sima Yi for help.

Sima Yi swallowed.

Originally, he didn't want to stand out and just wanted to secretly control Cao Pi.

But in the current situation, Cao Pi could no longer cope with it, and was forced to take action.

A dry cough was heard, and Sima Yi stood up and walked out.

"General Miaocai has been killed in battle. Our Hanzhong troops have suffered heavy losses. Their morale has plummeted to the bottom and they have no fighting power at all."

"Liu Bei's army of hundreds of thousands is now attacking Yangping Pass, and Xiao Fang is here. If Your Majesty hadn't led the army north to Hanzhong, who could have stopped the big-eared thief?"

Sima Yi spoke sternly and slowly swept his eyes over everyone in the hall.

Everyone lowered their heads.

Cao Cao had lost his heroic spirit and was addicted to wine and sex, so it was naturally impossible for him to lead the army in person.

Since Cao Cao was not going, naturally no one among them dared to speak out, claiming that they had the confidence to clean up the mess in Hanzhong and resist Liu Bei's hundreds of thousands of Han troops.

Sima Yi's eyes fell on Xiahou Dun, whose arrogance also waned a little at this time.

He was naturally very clear about his own strengths and weaknesses, and of course he had no confidence in claiming that he could defend Hanzhong.

"So, General, you should also be aware that going to rescue Hanzhong will not only fail to avenge General Huoqi, but will also waste the few soldiers of our Great Qin!"

Sima Yi's voice was low, like a heavy hammer, hitting Xiahou Dun's heart.

"General, although the truth is cruel, we have to accept it!"

"Hanzhong is doomed. We can't hold it no matter what."

Every word Sima Yi spoke was cold, and he put the cruelest facts in front of Xiahou Dun. Every word was as cold as frost.

Xiahou Dun opened his mouth to speak, but when he opened his mouth, he found that his throat seemed to be choked by something and he couldn't speak.

He was at a loss for words.

"Besides, the death of the General of the Cavalry has caused great chaos in the army at Yangping Pass and even in Hanzhong."

"Even if we force our way north to help, Yangping Pass might be lost before our army arrives!"

"What should I do then?"

Sima Yi asked again sternly.

These words, like adding insult to injury, completely stumped Xiahou Dun.

The Qin general could only stand there in silence, speechless for a moment.

After a long time.

Xiahou Dun spoke again, his tone was much calmer, but still with a hint of unwillingness:
"But if we abandon Hanzhong and Liu Bei's army of hundreds of thousands crosses the Qinling Mountains and continues to attack Chengdu, what will happen?"

Sima Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sneered:
"General, don't forget that to the north of Chengdu, there is Jiange, the most important pass in Shu."

"That fortress is truly a place where one man can block the passage of ten thousand men!"

"We only need tens of thousands of troops to stop a million Han soldiers from marching south!"

"With Jiange Pass here, why should we be afraid of the big-eared thieves continuing to move south?"

Xiahou Dun was speechless, completely out of temper, and shut his mouth silently.

He was naturally very clear about how dangerous Jiange Pass was.

Just as Sima Yi said, that city pass was indeed a place where one man could block the passage of ten thousand.

As long as Jiange is there, Chengdu will remain as solid as a rock.

If this is the case, then what reason does he have to continue to insist on defending Hanzhong and seeking revenge for Xiahou Yuan?
After Sima Yi rejected Xiahou Dun's proposal, he retreated.

All the ministers looked at Cao Cao in unison.

Cao Cao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Cao Pi and Sima Yi with approval.

At the critical moment, it was his son who understood him best and stood up and said what he, the emperor, could not say.

Sima Yi also performed very well, successfully explaining the pros and cons and convincing Xiahou Dun.

"What the prince said is absolutely right!"

Cao Cao spoke slowly, with a hint of helplessness in his voice:

"Miaocai's revenge will definitely be taken back by me, and Yangping Pass and Hanzhong will definitely be taken back by me.

"only……"

Cao Cao changed the subject and sighed helplessly:
"For the sake of the overall situation and the survival of our Great Qin, I can only endure it temporarily."

After saying that, Cao Cao took a deep breath and shouted:
"Quickly convey my order, order Yan Yan, Cao Zhen and other generals at Yangping Pass and Hanzhong to abandon Hanzhong immediately and withdraw all troops to Jiange to defend it!"

Cao Pi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately praised Cao Cao for his wisdom.

All the ministers remained silent and no one objected.

Xiahou Dun glanced at Cao Cao and his son, then shook his head and sighed, with a hint of disappointment flashing across his face. (End of this chapter)