Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 802: Subjugating Chen Gong
Hearing this, Chen Gong looked ashamed.

"If I hadn't done anything unnecessary, Your Majesty could have easily persuaded Zhang Miao to surrender. I have indeed committed a crime against the court, and Your Majesty's refusal to punish me is already a great favor."

At this time, Deng Yuan asked curiously: "Then how did Your Majesty make Zhang Miao surrender sincerely, and how did you make a bet with Mr. Chen Gong?"

When he asked this question, many civil officials and military generals showed anticipation on their faces, and were obviously very curious.

Liu He looked at Chen Gong and said, "It would be more appropriate for Gongtai to speak about this himself."

Chen Gong bowed and said, "I obey your order."

He looked at the generals and sighed, "Alas, your majesty is so wise and wise that it is rare in history. It is reasonable that Meng De was defeated by your majesty..."

He quickly gathered his endless thoughts and said, "The reason why I appeared from behind the screen at that time was for no other reason than to seek death."

Everyone was shocked. Are there people in this world who would voluntarily seek death for no reason?
Chen Gong seemed to see their confusion and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"I have long heard that your majesty is wise and intelligent. If I don't step in and let him persuade him, Zhang Miao will surrender sooner or later. Then Meng De... oh no, it will be Cao Cao, and he will be surrounded by enemies. Your majesty is the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Now the court in Luoyang is in its heyday. There are thousands of good generals, millions of soldiers, sufficient food and grass, and excellent equipment. Unifying the world is not only what people want, but also just around the corner. There is almost no suspense. Zhang Miao is a coward by nature, so how could he think of anything else? I didn't agree directly, firstly to wait for the price, and secondly because of my friendship with him."

Zhao Yun nodded slightly, "Yes, that is indeed true. When General Gao took over Chenliu and Zhang Miao came to Luoyang, Your Majesty went to the palace to greet him. Zhang Miao seemed terrified, but in fact he was overjoyed. At the banquet that night, when Your Majesty was present, he was still restrained. After Your Majesty left the table and told everyone to do as they pleased, he drank to his heart's content. I'm afraid he might not have been so happy when he had his first son. This shows that Your Majesty's promise to him must have far exceeded his expectations."

Guan Yu said with some disdain: "A clown who stole the title of Marquis of a county. Even his two sons have been appointed as county magistrates. What else can he be dissatisfied with?"

Even he, the emperor's sworn brother, who had made outstanding contributions and was the best in the army, was only given the title of a county marquis until now. Who the hell was Zhang Miao? Being on the same level as him, Guan Yu was naturally very dissatisfied.

Of course, his dissatisfaction was directed at Zhang Miao. He naturally knew that Liu He's reward was for the sake of the overall situation.

Chen Gong nodded and said, "The two generals are clear-minded and their words are reasonable. I also know Zhang Miao's character very well, so I predict that his rebellion against Cao Cao is a foregone conclusion. Once this happens, Cao Cao's entire family will be wiped out. I was dissatisfied with his inhumane behavior and abandoned him, but after all, we have known each other for many years and have shared joys and sorrows. How can I watch him end up like this?"

"Share the joys and sorrows? Humph..." Guan Yu seemed to be quite disdainful of these four words.

Although his voice was soft, Chen Gong heard it and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

"Of course, the friendship between me and Cao Cao is naturally not comparable to that between your majesty and General Guan and others. Your majesty and the generals are loyal and righteous, which is enough to be recorded in history and serve as a role model for future generations."

Guan Yu looked at him coldly and snorted, "You have some knowledge."

Chen Gong continued, "I know that after I left Cao's camp, Cao Cao secretly sent many people to monitor me. One reason was to protect my family out of old friendship, and the other was that he was worried that I would know too much of his information. If I defected to others, it would definitely cause great harm to him. Although I went to Chenliu secretly, he didn't know about it. However, if I died in Chenliu, Cao Cao would know about it within two or three days. Even if it was difficult for him to find out, I would make some arrangements and find a way to inform him."

Deng Yuan slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I understand. You are thinking that since you can't stop Zhang Miao from rebelling, you might as well use your life to inform Cao Cao and let him take precautions."

"That's right." Chen Gong admitted readily.

"Your Majesty is wise, and the generals are brave. Although Cao Cao was on guard, it was difficult to change the defeat. However, he could at least make some arrangements for his family so that the whole clan would not be implicated and killed. In this way, I would not become a sinner who brought disaster to the country, and I could also preserve the friendship with my old friend. Although this action is a serious crime, it was also a last resort. Thinking about it now, I am really ashamed..."

"What happened next? How did His Majesty make a bet with you?" Deng Yuan asked impatiently.

Chen Gong smiled bitterly again. "I thought that since I had ridiculed the emperor and stopped him from persuading Zhang Miao to surrender, His Majesty would kill me without hesitation, and I could also use this opportunity to intimidate Zhang Miao and force him to surrender quickly. Unexpectedly, His Majesty not only did not do so, but also treated me with great courtesy. Chen Gong really judged others by his own standards. I am ashamed of myself."

"After I told him my name, His Majesty immediately guessed my intention of appearing in Zhang Miao's mansion. He did not blame me, but persuaded me kindly, and even promised me a high position and generous salary, and persuaded me to serve the court. However, I was determined to save my friend at the time, not only did I not agree, but I repeatedly made sarcastic remarks, which led to the subsequent bet." When he said this, Deng Yuan and others became more and more focused.

Chen Gong cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty said that I am loyal to Cao Cao, but Cao Cao may not be loyal to me. This person is fickle by nature. He will do anything to achieve his goal. He will only betray others, not others. He is indeed the most treacherous hero in the world. Moreover, the world has been in chaos for many years, and the people have suffered a lot. The only right thing to do is to unify the country as soon as possible and bring peace to the world. How can a small righteousness compare to that?"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty is wise, it is indeed so."

"I agree with this, but I find it hard to believe that Cao Cao would completely disregard our friendship. If he had any friendship at all, I would have sacrificed my life to repay him. So I was unwilling to listen to your Majesty's good advice. At this time, your Majesty said that he wanted to make a bet with me."

"Your Majesty wants me to go to Cao's camp to meet Cao Cao and inform him of the whereabouts of the imperial army in the name of tipping off, including your Majesty's later trip to the border to ask the Xianbei for help. Afterwards, I can enter Chenliu City and ask General Gao Shun for a few days' leniency and not to engage in battle."

Gao Shun suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty has already informed me of this plan."

Zhao Yun said, "I understand. If Cao Cao has any loyalty or gratitude towards you, his old friend, he will not attack the city and put you in a deadly situation. On the contrary, if Cao's army insists on attacking the city, it means that Cao Cao is deliberately using you to make the defenders in the city relax so that he can launch a surprise attack and capture the city. This will naturally prove that what Your Majesty said is true."

Chen Gong bowed to Zhao Yun and said, "I have long heard that General Zhao Yun is calm and thoughtful. Seeing him today, I can see that he is indeed true. This is exactly what you said."

His expression suddenly darkened. "Alas, Cao's army has not made any movement in the past few days. Even the grain supervisor sent by General Gao has left the city safely. I was convinced that I would win this bet, but who would have thought..."

"Who would have thought that he would take advantage of the grain carts returning to the city to attack the city brazenly and without mercy? Such a scheming strategy is obviously well prepared. I'm afraid that he made such a plan after you left Cao's camp. It shows how cruel he is."

Zhao Yun took over the conversation.

Everyone finally understood what was going on and looked at Liu He with even more admiration.

"Your Majesty has a keen eye, and Chen Gong had to obey. I climbed up the city wall and saw Cao's army attacking swiftly, with Cao Cao standing on his horse in the distance. I was immediately disheartened and just wanted to die quickly. When the generals under General Gao came to kill me, I thought I was free from this, but I didn't expect that they just knocked me out, pretended to kill me, and then hid me in a private place in the city. They would release me only after Your Majesty's plan succeeded and General Gao regained control of Chenliu."

"After this incident, I have severed my friendship with Cao Cao and no longer have any concerns about him. Your Majesty is magnanimous and has spared my life. I am grateful to you. However, I have committed a sin and have no merit, so I dare not accept the reward from the governor."

He knelt down in front of Liu He again.

Liu He did not help him this time: "Gongtai, have you forgotten? It was because you reported to Cao Cao that Cao Cao believed it and made such a plan. I had expected this, so I ordered the Eagle Guard to make the follow-up plan and inform Bo Ping. Only by luring the enemy into a trap could we almost wipe out Cao Cao's 250,000 troops. Otherwise, how could we win this battle so easily? Your contribution is no less than Bo Ping's, not to mention that you are full of strategies and can definitely be qualified for the position of a county."

“But, I am a commoner…” Chen Gong wanted to refuse, but Liu He’s face darkened.

"Why? Do you despise the Han Dynasty and are unwilling to serve me and the people?"

As soon as he said this, Guan Yu's eyes turned upside down and he took half a step forward, as if he was ready to attack Chen Gong at any time.

Upon seeing this, Chen Gong broke out in sweat and fell to the ground and kowtowed.

"I dare not even think of this. Serving the Han Dynasty and benefiting the people is my lifelong wish. Thank you, Your Majesty, for not abandoning me. Chen Gong is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

Liu He looked down at Chen Gong with a smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)