Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 629 Since Cao Cao was born, why was Yu born?

Jinling City, the Prime Minister's Residence.

The candlelight flickered as a pot of medicine simmered over the fire, filling the room with a rich aroma.

Cao Cao lay on the couch, his face pale, surrounded by people.

"My life is hanging by a thread!"

"Prime Minister, what makes you say that?" Xiahou Yuan asked nervously.

Cao Cao replied in a low voice, "I have been struck by a steel whip, and my abdomen is in excruciating pain. My sternum is probably broken, and the blood is flowing uncontrollably. My life is in danger!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Ang, who was carrying the medicine, couldn't help but drop the medicine bowl to the ground.

Xiahou Yuan threw himself at Cao Cao's bedside and wept, saying, "Prime Minister, you are blessed by Heaven, how could you utter such ominous words?"

Cao Ang wiped away his tears and said, "Why doesn't the Prime Minister summon more physicians from the city to come and treat patients?"

Cao Cao sighed softly, "The illness is in the lungs and internal organs, and medicine cannot reach it. How can there be any reason to open the abdomen? Besides, even the imperial physician said that he could not do it. Why should we force it now!"

Cao Xiu said urgently, "If the Prime Minister abandons us and flees, the country will be without a ruler, and the army will be without a commander!"

Cao Cao scanned the area and asked weakly, "Where is Wenruo?"

"Yu is here!"

Xun Yu moved closer to the couch, bowed, and asked, "May I ask what your orders are, Prime Minister?"

Cao Cao reached out and took Xun Yu's hand, saying, "Youruo has worked hard for me for many years, following me from the Central Plains to the Southeast to establish our career. I have been seriously injured and will find it difficult to lead the military and government in the future. If I unfortunately pass away, you will take charge of the major military and government affairs, and whether to surrender or fight will be up to you."

"Prime Minister~"

Seeing that Cao Cao intended to entrust his son to him, Xun Yu was caught off guard and said, "With the eldest son here, why would the Prime Minister entrust me with such a great undertaking?"

Cao Cao forced a smile and said bitterly, "After such a crushing defeat, the people's hearts are in turmoil. How can we possibly build a foundation?"

As he spoke, Cao Cao sighed slightly and said, "I am about to die, and my only worries are my children and wives. To be honest, if you take charge of the military and political affairs of the country and negotiate with the Tang army about surrendering, the Tang people may pardon my wife and children because of your surrender."

The reason Cao Cao is entrusting such a great undertaking to Xun Yu is simply to use Xun Yu to negotiate with the Tang army and ensure that his wife's life is spared. If Cao Ang were to take charge, Cao Cao might surrender the city to the Tang army, but Zhang Yu would not pardon the Cao family.

Xun Yu dared not respond, but instead looked at Cao Ang, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Pi and others with a hesitant expression.

"Zixiu and Zihuan, come quickly to pay your respects to Uncle Xun. From now on, you must obey your uncle's orders!"

"promise!"

Cao Ang was a respectful and filial man. Knowing Cao Cao's intentions, he pulled his younger brother Cao Pi to bow and pay respects to Xun Yu.

"Meet uncle!"

"If I have known my friend for more than ten years, I hope he will accept my responsibility of entrusting his orphan."

Xun Yu hurriedly helped the two up and said, "Since the Prime Minister trusts me, I will do my best for the Prime Minister!"

"good!"

After saying only a few words, Cao Cao became drowsy and his consciousness gradually faded.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Xun Yu and his civil and military officials paid their respects one after another, leaving Cao Ang, Cao Pi and Cao Cao's wives and concubines to serve Cao Cao.

Upon leaving the Prime Minister's residence, Xun Yu encountered Lu Su, Liu Ye, Yu Jin, and others who had been waiting for a long time. He stepped forward to inquire about Cao Cao's health.

"How is the Prime Minister's health?" Liu Ye asked anxiously.

Seeing a group of people blocking the doorway, Xun Yu hesitated for a long time before saying, "The physician has no solution for the time being. Let's see if the Prime Minister can make it through the night."

Then, Xun Yu waved his hand and said, "Gentlemen, please return to your residences to rest and await the Prime Minister's orders before coming back."

"promise!"

Although the group was reluctant to leave, Xun Yu forcibly persuaded them to go.

"My lord, I see that the Prime Minister is seriously injured. I wonder how long he can hold on?" Lu Su was really worried. He returned shortly after leaving and asked.

Xun Yu hesitated for a moment, and seeing that no one was around, asked, "What do you think we should do now, Zijing?"

Lu Su sighed and said, "Having committed all our troops to such a disastrous defeat, the soldiers and officers are now disheartened. In my opinion, the only way to save Your Majesty and the lives of the soldiers and officers in the city is to surrender to the Tang. If we remain obstinate, the fall of the city will bring ruin upon the people."

Seeing this, Xun Yu frankly said, "To be honest, the Prime Minister's life hangs by a thread. To protect his wives, concubines, and children, he has entrusted his orphan to me. Once the Prime Minister passes away, I intend to surrender to the Tang. I wonder if you, Zijing, can act as my envoy?"

"I'm willing to do the hard work of dogs and horses!"

Upon learning that Cao Cao was on the verge of death, Lu Su lamented, "The world is in turmoil, and heroes are rising up everywhere. Cao Cao has established himself in the southeast. None of the heroes in China can withstand a single blow from Zhang Yu. Only Cao Cao's military strategy is outstanding. However, under the circumstances, Cao Cao cannot escape his fate of defeat and death."

"When the Han Dynasty was in decline, Cao Cao led his troops to assist it, a feat unmatched by anyone in the world!" Xun Yu sighed.

Entrusting his son to Xun Yu certainly took a toll on Cao Cao's spirit. After everyone left the room, Cao Cao first fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Cao Cao woke up again, feeling his strength gradually draining away, his limbs weak, his breathing rapid, and his chest aching unbearably.

"Zixiu?"

Awakening from a deep sleep, Cao Cao vaguely saw his sons weeping for him and calling out softly.

"Father!"

Hearing the shouts, Cao Cao felt as if his throat was blocked, and he couldn't speak!
In a daze, Cao Cao seemed to see his own life. As a young man, he hated evil and acted recklessly in the officialdom because of his background. He hated that he could not change the darkness of the officialdom, so he went into seclusion in his hometown. In middle age, he was passionate about serving his country and raised an army to cleanse the world. However, he lost Yanzhou due to the betrayal of Chen Gong and had no choice but to go south to Jianye in Yangzhou.

In his heyday, he controlled two states and commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers; in his decline, he was trapped in a lonely city, his army exhausted and his people impoverished.

"Zhang Yu?"

As he floated, Cao Cao vividly recalled the days he spent with Zhang Yu and Liu Bei in Luoyang, when the three of them discussed their ambitions together.

At that time, his ambition was still to become the General Who Conquers the West, hoping to revive the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei, on the other hand, wished to bring peace to the barbarians and restore his family's glory.

Zhang Yu's words were vague, yet he expressed a desire to drink with them ten years later. Now, it seems, could it be that Zhang Yu foresaw the chaos that would engulf the world?

If this was premeditated, Zhang Yu is terrifying! "Why was Cao Cao born if Zhang Yu was also born?"

As Cao Cao's consciousness gradually faded, Cao Ang, who was attending to him, noticed that Cao Cao had stopped breathing and cried out loudly.

"Father!"

"Father!"

"Prime Minister!"

Cao Pi, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Xiahou Yuan, and others wept bitterly, seemingly both saddened by Cao Cao's departure and distressed about their uncertain future.

Soon, news of Cao Cao's death spread throughout Jinling City, and Xun Yu was entrusted with the responsibility of governing the city's military and political affairs.

To appease the Cao family and to bid farewell to his old friend, Xun Yu first posthumously honored Cao Cao with the title of "Zhongwu" and granted him the rank of Grand Commandant in the name of the Han emperor. Immediately afterward, Xun Yu announced his surrender in front of all the civil and military officials, and sent Lu Su as an envoy to negotiate.

Inside the central command tent of the Tang army camp.

"Commander!"

"What is it?" Zhang Liao asked, pen in hand, as he wrote a military report.

"A messenger from Cao Cao's army has left the city, saying he intends to surrender!" the attendant reported.

"Please surrender?"

Zhang Liao raised his eyes slightly and sneered, "First you feigned surrender, now you've been defeated and surrender again. You keep doing this, don't think I can't break through the city?"

"Tell the messenger that unless he brings Cao Cao's head out of the city, I will never negotiate peace with him!"

The attendant hesitated for a moment, then respectfully said, "The messenger said that Cao Cao is dead, and Xun Yu is now in charge of the affairs of the city. Xun Yu knows the current situation and has therefore requested to surrender."

"Cao Cao is dead?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked with doubt, "Cao Cao is a cunning man, could there be something false about this?"

"It must be true!"

The attendant said, "Now white banners are hanging on the city towers, and soldiers are wearing hemp turbans, in mourning for Cao Cao!"

Zhang Liao put down his pen and said, "Let the Southerners wait outside for a while. Now, I will summon all the generals to the main tent for a meeting."

"promise!"

The attendant hurried away.

Not long after, Jia Xu, Xu Huang, Hao Zhao, Zhao Yun, Sun Zi and other generals learned of Cao Cao's death and hurriedly gathered at the main tent.

"Cao Cao died in the city last night, and Xun Yu is now in charge of affairs in Jinling. Xun Yu has no intention of fighting, and has ordered Lu Su to come out of the city to surrender. I wonder if we should accept?" Zhang Liao looked at Jia Xu and asked.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and recited, "The soldiers and officers in Jinling are making a great fuss, so it is probably true that Cao Cao has died. We should first summon Lu Su into the tent for questioning and see what his demands are in this surrender."

"What the Lord says makes sense!"

Sun Zi said, "Since we launched our campaign last October, it has been almost a year. If we can now persuade the southern rebels to surrender, the southeast will be at peace!"

"good!"

Zhang Liao nodded and said, "Summon the bandit envoy Lu Su into the tent!"

"promise!"

After a short while, under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, Lu Su calmly and humbly entered the tent.

"Han envoy Lu Su has come to pay his respects to General Zhang on His Majesty's orders!" Lu Su said.

"Humph!"

Ma Chao sneered, "The Han dynasty is gone, so what Han emperor is there? He's nothing but a false emperor!"

Lu Su said in a deep voice, "He has royal blood. At that time, the world was in chaos, and there were no sages in China. He declared himself emperor to prolong the Han dynasty. I don't know what's wrong with that?"

After a pause, Lu Su cupped his hands and said, "Now that a sage has appeared in the world, China, which has been in disarray, is united. My lord is leading his troops and officials to surrender, which is in accordance with the times. What is wrong with that?"

Ma Chao curled his lip and said, "The only emperor in the world is the Tang Emperor!"

Zhang Liao raised his hand to stop the dissenting voices and said, "The legitimacy of the realm is now clear. You have come out of the city to surrender. What do you want? And how can you convince me?"

Lu Su said, “Cao Cao is dead, and the people are eager for peace. If you are willing to accept this, all troops will be brought out of the city and placed under your care. Then, we will send troops back into the city to take over. With the city in our hands and the surrender of our troops, why would you not believe us?”

As for what you ask for~

After a pause, Lu Su said, "I hope the general will pardon the soldiers and officers in the city, and not harm a single life or plunder a single household!"

Zhang Liao frowned slightly and said, "Are you pleading for a pardon for the Cao family?"

Lu Su truthfully said, "Since Lord Cao is dead, many men have died in battle, and there are many old and weak people in the clan, I earnestly request that the general show benevolence and forgive Lord Cao for his past deeds."

"Does Lord Lu not understand the importance of eliminating all traces of the weeds?" Wen Ji roared angrily. "My family was innocent in the past, so why did Cao Cao execute them?"

"Commander, Cao Cao has many sons; he cannot be pardoned!"

Wen Ji stepped forward and said, "Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Cao Chun have all died in battle. If their descendants are not eliminated, they may cause chaos in the country in the future!"

Seeing this, Lu Su said urgently, "When we fought each other in the past, we were enemies. Moreover, when you served Cao Cao, did you not harm the lives of Tang soldiers?"

"Since you have already surrendered, we should settle old scores. When will this cycle of revenge ever end?"

Wen Ji retorted sarcastically, "The ruler of Lu is benevolent, but I am not a magnanimous person. I wonder if Cao Cao will treat the Tang emperor well if he is defeated?"

"You~"

"Let me think about the matter of pardoning the Cao family!" Zhang Liao interrupted Lu Su.

(End of this chapter)