Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 95 It's Not Easy for Anyone

Chenliu City was quiet for some time, and Wei Xiaobao and Liu Xie had already made up their minds that after returning to Luoyang, it would be much safer to be accompanied by a group of former officials of the Han Dynasty than to stay alone in Chenliu. Wei Xiaobao would also have the opportunity to go to Shouchun to inquire about the whereabouts of the jade seal.

But Wei Xiaobao and Liu Xie waited for a long time but did not see any movement from Cao Cao until they heard the news that Lu Bu had fled to Xuzhou.

Cao Cao summoned his advisers and generals to discuss the matter, and Wei Xiaobao then realized that there were different opinions in Cao Cao's camp about whether to escort the emperor back to the capital.

Cao Cao said, "Lü Bu has fled to Xuzhou and taken refuge with Liu Bei. His men, including Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, have also gathered with him, and Chen Gong has also joined him. Now is the perfect time to attack Xuzhou and capture Lü Bu. What do you think?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "This old fellow only thinks about occupying territory and doesn't even mention Liu Xie's affairs."

Xun Yu said: "No!"

Cao Cao's expression changed slightly. He asked, "Wen Ruo suggested the other day that I should establish a strong foundation to control the world. Now that Yanzhou is pacified, why can't we attack Xuzhou?"

Xun Yu said, "Liu Bei, Lu Bu, and Tao Qian's former followers in Danyang are locked in a conflict within Xuzhou. Sooner or later, internal strife will erupt. If we attack Xuzhou first, it will only unite them and allow them to resist. Furthermore, the most important task now is to escort the Emperor back to the capital."

Cao Cao stood up and paced, lost in thought for a long time before saying, "I've considered this for a long time. Since entering the government, I've always wanted to serve the court, but with the eunuchs' power and the factional strife, I've had the desire to serve my country but no power to do so. When Dong Zhuo was in power, I was entrusted by Minister Wang to assassinate him. After the plot was exposed, I fled Luoyang. Unwilling to give up, I traveled north to contact Benchu, and together we raised the banner of rebellion against Dong Zhuo. Unfortunately, the various princes harbored ulterior motives, and our campaign was ultimately halted midway. After establishing myself in Yanzhou, I realized that in troubled times, the only way to achieve great things is through military leadership. Now that I have the foundation of Yanzhou, if I turn my back on Xuzhou and instead serve the emperor and return to the capital, wouldn't that be self-destructive?"

Wei Xiaobao agreed in his heart: "What Cao Cao said is right. I finally won some money, who would be willing to give it away with both hands?"

Xun Yu said, "Currently, the various princes are divided. Yuan Shao occupies Jizhou, his son Yuan Tan controls Qingzhou, Gongsun Zan has Youzhou, and in Liaodong there's Gongsun Du. In the Central Plains, our lord holds Yanzhou, Liu Biao holds Jingzhou, Liu Bei and Lü Bu hold Xuzhou, and Yuan Shu controls Huainan. South of the Yangtze River, we have Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, Shi Xie, the governor of Jiaozhou, and Wang Lang, the prefect of Kuaiji. In the northwest, there's Ma Teng, and in the southwest, Liu Yan. How can we balance such a situation with just a large army and a wide range of generals? I'm afraid that just three men—Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, Zhang Xiu of Wancheng, and Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army—are capable of causing unrest among the various princes."

After hearing Xun Yu's words, Wei Xiaobao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "So, before the Han Dynasty fell, the world was already in such chaos? The fact that the Qing Dynasty only had three vassal kings was already giving Xiao Xuanzi a headache. So, from this perspective, Emperor Liu Xie was already a mere figurehead."

Cao Cao lowered his head and thought silently.

Xun Yu continued, "When Emperor Gaozu led the Eastern Expedition in mourning for the Righteous Emperor, the whole nation was united. My lord has also raised the banner of righteousness in Yanzhou. Although it has been difficult, his heart has always been with the royal family. We have joined you because of your ambition to help the world."

Wei Xiaobao laughed in his heart, "Liu Xi was eventually robbed of the throne by Cao Cao's son. You actually said Cao Cao's heart was with the royal family? But that's possible. After all, Cao Cao is not me. I don't know what will happen in the future. Maybe he doesn't have any thoughts of usurping power yet. When Wu Sangui surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he didn't think of rebelling. It was all because the regent and the old emperor made him the King of Yunnan. As a result, his army was strong, so he dared to rebel now."

Xun Yu added, "With Yuan Shao hesitant, Yuan Shu harboring ill intentions, and Lü Bu and Liu Bei powerless, now is the perfect time for you to return to the capital in the service of the Emperor. This will not only satisfy the people, but will also help you command the other princes and earn you a reputation as a wise minister for eternity."

Wei Xiaobao couldn't help but burst out laughing, cursing in his heart, "Xun Yu looks smart, but he's actually a complete fool. He didn't see Cao Cao's ambitions at all. When he finds out Cao Cao wants to rebel, he'll probably regret it like crazy."

Human hearts are unpredictable and the world is unpredictable. How could Xun Yu know at this time that he had created the power of Cao Wei, but this power would eventually destroy him.

Cao Cao heard Wei Xiaobao's laughter and asked, "Sir, you are so wise. Can you tell me what decision we should make?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "You should have sent Liu Xie back to the capital and then taken him to Xuchang. If I hadn't been so obsessed with going to Shouchun, you would have done it long ago. But Xun Yu has already explained this matter very clearly to you. If I say more, wouldn't it be like I was persuading you to do this? Then wouldn't I be blamed for the fall of the Han Dynasty?" Wei Xiaobao shook his head and said, "Xun Yu's words make a lot of sense. I have no objection."

Cao Cao originally wanted Wei Xiaobao to give him some peace of mind, but after hearing what he said, he began to ponder and hesitate again.

Guo Jia asked, "My lord, are you going to wait for Yuan Shao to make the first move? Everyone knows that you nominated Yuan Shao as the leader of the alliance. Are you willing to follow Yuan Shao's lead for the rest of your life?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Guo Jia's words really work. Xun Yu's words are no match for this one! Even if Cao Cao isn't thinking of rebelling right now, he definitely wants to be the boss. Zheng Keshuang, that pretty boy, was unconvinced when he heard that my master was the military advisor for the Turtle Killing Conference. Besides, given Cao Cao's personality, how could he allow Yuan Shao to keep dominating him?"

Sure enough, Cao Cao, who was still hesitant, finally made up his mind after hearing what Guo Jia said. He said, "I can tolerate the hatred of Tao Qian for killing my father, and I can also tolerate the hatred of Lu Bu for seizing the city from me! I will escort the emperor back to the capital tomorrow!"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "No wonder this old fellow has achieved great things. He listened to people's advice and had a full meal."

The next day, Cao Cao sent an envoy to deliver a letter to Yang Feng, who was stationed in Luoyang. He also prepared an imperial carriage for Liu Xie and led a large army to Luoyang.

Wei Xiaobao was worried that Cao Cao would know the truth, so he didn't dare to approach Liu Xie along the way, and followed behind with Shuang'er and the other two girls.

When Liu Xie arrived in Luoyang, he temporarily lived in the home of Zhao Zhong, one of the Ten Attendants of that time. Wei Xiaobao did not see him for more than a month.

Cao Cao felt that Luoyang was too close to Jizhou and was worried that Yuan Shao would send troops to seize the emperor after he figured it out. So he decided to move the capital to Xuchang on the grounds that the Luoyang Imperial Palace was severely damaged and the cost of repairing it was too high.

Although there were some people in the court who opposed it, and even close subordinates such as Xun Yu did not support it, they were ultimately unable to stop the relocation of the capital.

On the way to Xuchang, Guo Jia asked Wei Xiaobao, "Sir, will this move by the General have any negative consequences?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "You guys changed your tune pretty quickly. You realize it's inappropriate to call Cao Cao lord anymore. After all, Liu Xie seems to be the boss now. It's a pity for that unlucky old man Zhang Jue. He was tricked into rebelling by his two brothers back then, and now he's just a puppet in Cao Cao's play."

Seeing that Wei Xiaobao didn't answer, Guo Jia urged again, "Sir?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Oh, I think it's pretty good."

After all, Xuchang is closer to Shouchun, so it will be more convenient to inquire about the imperial seal in the future. Besides, Wei Xiaobao had also heard the story of Cao Cao's relocation of the capital in the teahouse.

Guo Jia sighed and said, "There were already disagreements over the emperor's service, and now the relocation of the capital has created new problems. I'm worried that the general's plan will not be accomplished, and the army will also be divided into factions like those in Jizhou and Xuzhou."

Wei Xiaobao was suddenly stunned, thinking to himself, "It seems that every dynasty is the same. Even under Xiao Xuanzi there are two factions, those who support and those who oppose the reduction of the feudal fiefdoms. Even those who oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty are divided into the Tang King and the Gui King. It turns out that whether it is being the emperor, being a prince, or even rebelling, the people under him will have different ideas. It seems that achieving great things is really not easy."

(End of this chapter)