Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 801 The Original Plan
A few days later, in Chenliu City.

Except for Zhang Yong, all the other generals who participated in the battle of Yanzhou gathered in the residence of the Chenliu prefect, and each of them was very respectful.

Civil and military officials stood on both sides, as if they were attending court, solemn and dignified.

However, on the seat that originally belonged to the prefect Zhang Miao, there was now a person sitting there - the current emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu He.

The civil and military ministers who stood next were led by Guan Yu as the military general, but surprisingly, the first civil official was Chen Gong.

However, at this moment, Chen Gong showed neither joy nor fear. Instead, his face was complicated and confused, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your victory. You have conquered Youzhou and Yanzhou in one battle. May Your Majesty be blessed with great fortune and a long life!"

All the ministers shouted in unison, but only Chen Gong seemed absent-minded.

Liu He also noticed that he was distracted, so he asked, "Gongtai, you really played an indispensable role in our victory. If you hadn't visited Cao's camp at night, I would have been unable to lure him into a trap, and how could we have the current situation? Now that Zhang Miao is staying in Luoyang as an official, I would like to appoint you as the governor of Chenliu. What do you think?"

The prefect is the head of a county, with a rank equivalent to two thousand stones. In terms of rank and salary, he is only half a level lower than the nine ministers. You should know that even people like Qian Li, Zhang Long, Su Mao, Meng Jian, Shi Tao and others who have followed Liu He since childhood are only prefects now. The only difference is that Qian Li and others are prefects of important areas in the capital.

Among the surrendered generals who came to the court, only Xun Chen could directly become a prefect since Liu He ascended the throne. Xun Chen was a direct descendant of the Yingchuan Xun family, one of the top families in the world. He was also a brother or uncle of Liu He's confidants Xun Yu and Xun You. Moreover, Yunhai County was newly built at that time and urgently needed Xun Chen's talents, so he was given such an exceptional position.

The fact that a mere Chen Gong could enjoy the same treatment as him surprised many ministers and generals, especially those who had no idea about Liu He's statement that Chen Gong had "made indispensable contributions". They thought about it over and over again, but could not figure out how much contribution this Chen Gong had made. Among them, only Guan Yu and Gao Shun seemed to know everything, as if they had expected it. The rest of the people, even Zhao Yun and Deng Yuan, were very puzzled.

Amid the envy, jealousy, and confusion in everyone's eyes, Chen Gong was actually in a daze and did not respond at all to Liu He's reward.

Guan Yu immediately opened his eyes slightly and snorted coldly through his nostrils.

"Hmph, the emperor trusts you so much, it is reasonable for you to kowtow and thank him, how dare you ignore him and be so rude? Don't think that you can be so presumptuous just because you have done something great. Not to mention you, Chen Gong, even if it was Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, etc., who dared to treat the emperor like this, Guan would never forgive them easily."

After saying that, he took a step forward, raised his hands, and tried to grab Chen Gong and force him to kneel down.

"Yun Chang, stop."

Liu He shouted softly, and at this moment, Chen Gong also woke up from his daze.

Only then did he realize that the atmosphere around him was quite awkward. Everyone was staring at him with unfriendly eyes, especially Guan Yu's pair of strong and powerful hands, which had already reached out to him.

"I deserve to die... Your Majesty, please punish me..."

Chen Gong immediately knelt down on the ground.

Liu He waved at Guan Yu. Guan Yu glared at Chen Gong and then walked back reluctantly.

Liu He smiled and said, "Gongtai, there is no need to apologize so quickly. I have never said that I would punish you. Are you willing to accept the position of Chenliu Governor?"

Chen Gong was shocked. "Your Majesty, I am here because of a failed bet with Your Majesty. How can I claim credit for this? This is all due to Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight. I dare not accept such a generous reward. I only hope Your Majesty will not blame me because I am an old friend of Cao Cao. If you can let me go back home to reunite with my family, Chen Gong will be grateful."

After saying that, he prostrated himself on the ground. Seeing this, Guan Yu's expression looked a little better.

"Hmph, you know what's going on..."

As for the others, they were completely confused by the word "bet" mentioned by Chen Gong. Everyone looked at each other, having no idea what kind of bet this strange guy had made with His Majesty in secret, which led to the outcome of today.

Liu He's response to Chen Gong was also expected. "You are too modest."

He stood up, walked forward, and actually reached out to help Chen Gong up. Guan Yu's face immediately became gloomy again.

Chen Gong was flattered: "I am a guilty person, how dare I ask for support from Your Majesty?"

Liu He, however, looked as if it was a matter of course. He held Chen Gong's hand, turned around and looked at the many ministers and generals.

"Among you, except for Yunchang and Boping, I'm afraid the rest of you still don't know why the battle of Yanzhou happened so suddenly, and why there were so many strange things happening, as for today's situation, right?"

Everyone bowed their heads and said, "We don't know, and we hope Your Majesty will give us some advice."

After he finished speaking, only Deng Yuan was surprised and asked, "Wasn't the battle of Yanzhou caused by Zhang Miao's sudden rebellion, so Cao Cao suddenly led his troops back to recapture Chenliu?"

Liu He smiled and said, "Zi Yang is right. This is indeed caused by Zhang Miao's rebellion. However, have you ever thought about this? Zhang Miao has known Cao Cao for many years and has made great contributions under him. Why did he suddenly rebel and surrender to the court without any warning?"

His question left everyone stunned.

"This... is really a bit strange..."

Liu He pointed at Chen Gong and said, "This is the work of Gongtai."

Chen Gong bowed hurriedly and said, "How dare I, a humble commoner, ..."

"Hey, there's no need to be so modest." Liu He interrupted him directly.

"My dear ministers, you may not know that Zhang Miao of Chenliu is cautious and timid. I have long been trying to persuade him to surrender, so I have sent out many spies to various places in Chenliu to look for opportunities."

"When Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, I ordered Yuan Qing to go to Xuzhou alone to rescue him and ordered the Flying Eagle Guard to capture Cao Song as a threat. In fact, I also secretly set up a plan. After the morning court session that day, I secretly left the palace and rushed to Chenliu overnight to meet Zhang Miao in person."

His words shocked all the ministers.

"What? Your Majesty actually took the risk and went to Cao Cao's territory alone?"

"This is all due to our incompetence, which caused Your Majesty to take such risks. We are guilty."

Everyone knelt down and apologized, and Liu He smiled indifferently.

"Please stand up, everyone. This matter has nothing to do with you. Just listen to what I have to say."

Everyone stood up again, everyone pricked up their ears, and everyone's heart was filled with curiosity.

Liu He said, "When Zhang Miao first met me, he was very frightened. But when I asked him to surrender, he hesitated again and again. I promised him many things, including a title of nobility, but he was hesitant. This puzzled me very much. Then, a laugh came from behind the screen, and a man came out. It was Mr. Chen Gongtai."

Among the crowd, there were a few smart people who, after hearing this, had already vaguely guessed the cause of some things, and a look of understanding appeared on their faces.

Liu He continued, "After he revealed his identity, I understood everything. Although Chen Gong had betrayed Cao Cao in his early years, he still did not want to see him lose his reputation and his family destroyed, so he came to Chenliu because he was worried that Zhang Miao would rebel when he saw the situation was not right. Zhang Miao thought that Chen Gong was sent by Cao Cao, so he was naturally afraid and did not dare to agree to my request."

(End of this chapter)