The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 103 Good Head
The atmosphere in the palace suddenly became solemn.

A large number of unfamiliar soldiers appeared in the palace, and the defense force of the entire palace reached a new level.

Sima Xun, wearing armor and leading many armored soldiers, hurriedly walked towards the Taiji Hall.

The armors collided with each other, making a series of noises.

Nearly a hundred fully armed soldiers followed behind Sima Xun. They marched in step and had sharp eyes. They were obviously the most elite soldiers.

When Sima Xun arrived at the West Hall, someone suddenly stood in his way.

The man blocking the road was an extremely tall warrior, followed by a dozen armored soldiers. Facing an "enemy" that was several times larger than himself, there was no fear in his eyes, he just stared at Sima Xun solemnly.

"What do you want to do, General?!"

This brave warrior was none other than Man Changwu.

Guo Jian placed him here to protect Cao Mao's safety.

Sima Xun said, "I have been ordered to protect Your Majesty. Please get out of the way immediately."

"Whose order was this?"

"It's the general's order!"

"Show me."

"Get out of the way!"

Sima Xun scolded again: "If you delay the general's work, don't think your uncle can protect you!"

Man Changwu should have been a close confidant of the Sima family because his aunt married Sima Gan. Who was Sima Gan? Sima Yi's fifth son, he was born to the same mother as Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.

Sima Yi had many sons, but only a few were truly favored by Sima Shi and Sima Zhao. The rest were half-brothers, but Sima Gan was their real brother.

With such an uncle, Man Changwu should have been safe in the Sima family, but his personality made it difficult for him to fit in.

"Alright, Man-kun, there's no need for this. Please move aside."

Cao Mao suddenly came out and spoke.

Man Changwu was stunned and slowly stepped aside.

Looking at this brave warrior, Cao Mao's eyes were full of complexity.

He had previously thought that this person was someone he could win over, but after getting to know him, he discovered that Man Changwu was different from everyone else.

Man Changwu was neither loyal to the emperor nor to the Sima. If you have to say, he was loyal to his duties.

He is actually somewhat similar to Guo Ze. Both are the kind of people who work diligently, but are also pedantic and inflexible.

Guo Jian is his superior, so he listens to Guo Jian. If Guo Jian asks him to stay here, then he stays here and does not allow anyone to approach.

In fact, such people are not annoying.

But, I can’t win him over.

Cao Mao was very frank at this moment. He raised his head and looked at Sima Xun in front of him without any fear on his face.

"Is Ziti here to kill me?"

Cheng Ji was standing on Cao Mao's left. Cheng Ji squinted his eyes and looked at the distance between himself and Sima Sun.

Sima Hui and others were standing on the right side. At this moment, they were very frightened and at a loss.

As for the eunuchs standing in the back, they looked at each other with murderous gleams in their eyes.

When Sima Sun heard Cao Mao's question, his expression changed and he suddenly felt a little unnatural.

"Your Majesty, how dare I say such a thing?"

"Then what do you intend to do by storming into the West Hall with hundreds of soldiers?!"

"I am here to protect Your Majesty. Rebels have appeared outside Luoyang. The general is very worried about Your Majesty's safety and has sent me to protect you."

"I see."

"What happened outside the city?"

Cao Mao asked again.

Sima Xun replied, "Don't worry, Your Majesty! They are just some petty rebels."

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes.

The two just stared at each other, neither of them rushing to speak.

It seemed as if a figure flashed through the Taiji Hall. Inside the many walls of the hall, eunuchs pressed their backs tightly against the walls, holding daggers, short swords and other weapons, nervously waiting for orders.

If Sima Xun could fly into the sky, he would be able to see that there were hundreds of eunuchs gathered in the corridors and beside the walls of the palace, hiding in the shadows of the huge Tai Chi Palace, as if they were about to rush out at the next moment.

The atmosphere was somewhat solidified.

Cao Mao smiled, looking at the armored soldiers behind Sima Xun, and took the initiative to break the solemn atmosphere. "Zi Ti, since Emperor Wen, there hasn't been such a murderous aura in front of Taiji Hall. Since you're here to protect me, why don't you stay and watch?"

Sima Xun hesitated and did not answer in a hurry.

Cao Mao frowned, "Ziti is unwilling to obey the imperial edict?!"

Sima Xun's forehead was covered with sweat. "Of course not, I just want to protect Your Majesty with all my strength."

"The soldiers are guarding the palace gate. How can the bandits fly in?"

Sima Xun pursed his lips and said to the surrounding soldiers, "Go and guard the palace gate."

Taiji Hall is the imperial palace within the imperial palace. As long as a few gates are guarded, no one inside the palace can break in.

Seeing Sima Xun order the soldiers to go back, Cao Mao also breathed a sigh of relief.

When the eunuchs told him that a large number of soldiers had broken into the palace, Cao Mao almost thought that Sima Shi was doomed and Zhong Hui wanted to get rid of him.

Therefore, he informed the eunuchs in advance to be prepared and to prepare to attack and kill people.

Even if I have to die, I will never let you live in peace. I will make you turn the world upside down!! General Zhendong will avenge me!!
But looking at Sima Xun's current attitude, these people don't seem to be here to kill him.

Cao Mao changed his strong attitude, smiled, took Sima Xun's hand and led him into the hall.

Cao Mao smiled and pulled Sima Xun to sit down, as if the confrontation just now had never happened.

"Ziti, there were so many people outside just now that I couldn't speak directly."

"Tell me, how could I, the great Emperor of Wei, be frightened by a traitor to the point of sending soldiers into the Taiji Palace to protect it?"

"Please don't blame me."

Cao Mao said sincerely.

Sima Xun suddenly realized, and the worry on his face immediately disappeared.

So that's how it is. Just now, he thought the emperor was going to turn against him, but he was scared. Although everyone in the Sima family knew what the general wanted to do, they didn't want to take the blame.

Even if it was an assassination of the emperor, this blame is not something that ordinary people can bear, and it will be a disgrace for thousands of years.

None of them wanted to break off relations with the emperor directly.

Now that he knew the emperor was a good person, Sima Xun was no longer worried.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you worry too much. Your Majesty is a mighty ruler. Just now, even I was frightened. Who dares to call Your Majesty a coward?"

Cao Mao scratched his head, looking a little ashamed. He looked around and asked in a low voice, "What happened outside?"

Sima Xun was stunned. He didn't want to answer this question.

Cao Mao said again: "I will never tell anyone! What happened outside?"

Sima Xun thought for a moment and said helplessly, "There are rebels rising in Heyin. The general has already sent people to suppress the rebellion. Your Majesty, don't worry."

Cao Mao was shocked.

"What??"

Cao Mao remembered that Sima Yan had told him that Guo Ze was serving as the county magistrate in Heyin. Heyin was in rebellion? Was it Guo Ze?

It’s broken!!
Cao Mao frowned.

He knew his own defense commander too well, and Guo Ze was definitely not the type to start a rebellion.

He was extremely pedantic and stubborn. How could a man who believed that the Han emperor abdicated voluntarily plot a rebellion?
It’s over, something’s going to happen to Guo Ze!!

Seeing the emperor's pale face, Sima Xun thought he was frightened and tried to comfort him: "Your Majesty, don't worry. It's just a small thief who has kidnapped officials, robbed and killed people. There are only a few hundred people. It can be quelled in one day."

Cao Mao nodded stiffly.

"That's fine, that's fine."

"Who will go to fight the bandits?"

"I heard it was Sima Ban of the Central Army and Yin Damu, the Changshui Commandant."

"That's it."

Cao Mao nodded. If Yin Damu sent troops, perhaps the situation could be turned around. Yin Damu would not say that he was cooperating with them in the rebellion, but if Guo Ze and others ran fast enough...
Cao Mao knew that no matter how much he worried, it would be in vain, as he was now unable to help Guo Ze.

I hope he can survive. Oh, Mr. Guo, Mr. Guo, why are you so anxious?
It would be great if we could be more patient. As the gateway to Luoyang, if we had prepared for one more year and found the right opportunity, I wonder how much more we could have played a role. What effect would it have if we started a rebellion now?

Sima Xun was chatting with Cao Mao, and he felt much more relaxed.

But he always felt a little uneasy and restless.

He raised his head suspiciously, only to see Cheng Ji, the head of the emperor's guards, staring at him.

There was something wrong with his eyes, they were fiery and there was a sinister smile on the corners of his mouth.

Is this guy crazy?
Why are so many people going crazy recently?
(End of this chapter)