Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 164 Request the execution of nine generations of their family as a warning to others!
"Prime Minister Cao has arrived? Prime Minister Cao, please come in quickly! The Emperor has granted you permission to enter the palace with a sword and shoes, and you are not required to bow before the Emperor."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."

Upon entering the Chongde Hall, Cao Cao surveyed the room and saw that all the civil and military officials present were looking at him with cold eyes.

He recognized most of the faces; they were all members of the imperial faction, led by Grand Tutor Liu Yao and Grand Commandant Yang Biao.

If it weren't for the fact that Yuan Shao to the north and Yuan Shu to the south are both extremely powerful, leaving him besieged on both sides and under immense external pressure, he wouldn't want to cause internal strife at this time, thus losing the emperor's reputation for righteousness and giving the two Yuans leverage over him.

Therefore, he was cautious; otherwise, he would have eliminated all those people present long ago.

Then, a man kneeling in the field appeared. He was tall and strong, and extremely brave. He was none other than Xu Huang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies who was supposed to lead the army against Yuan in Liang.

Upon seeing Cao Cao arrive, Grand Tutor Liu Yao, who was a student of the emperor, naturally understood his intentions and stepped forward to confront Cao Cao.

"Prime Minister Cao, your family has been fed by the Han dynasty for generations and has received imperial favor for generations. Now you do not think of repaying your country. How are you any different from beasts?"

Having been reminded by Dong Zhao, Cao Cao remained calm and composed, and instead arrogantly rebuked him.

"We fought day and night without removing our armor, fighting for the court to punish traitors and rebels, and striving to save the Han dynasty from collapse."

Now that Li and Guo have been beheaded and the two capitals have surrendered, this is not due to my service to the country. Could it have been accomplished by Grand Tutor Liu's words in the palace?

"you"

Liu Yao was so angry that he had no choice but to get straight to the point and say with a cold laugh.

"Then let Prime Minister Cao explain why your general Yue Jin, who was sent to conquer Yingchuan, ended up on the Liang battlefield."
He personally demonstrated his authority, took command of the General Who Pacifies the East, and sent letters of surrender flying into the city, causing the previously stable Liang Kingdom to collapse overnight.

Yang Feng was a righteous man who protected the emperor and escorted him on his return journey eastward!
On the battlefield of Liang, he turned the tide several times, and in order to serve the emperor, he was loyal and righteous, and vowed never to surrender.

Unfortunately, because of those letters from Yue Jin, which misled people, the soldiers in the city coerced such a loyal and righteous man into surrendering to the enemy. Isn't that tragic?
The situation in Liang was beyond saving, and Xu Huang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, immediately ordered Cao Chun to lead 10,000 troops back, which led to today's defeat.

"Does Prime Minister Cao really think you bear no responsibility whatsoever in this matter?"

what!
When Cao Cao first heard that Yue Jin had entered the Liang Kingdom battlefield to persuade people to surrender and to sow discord among the people, how could he not be shocked and angry?

Good, good, good. The other day Wenruo spoke up for you, saying that your surrender might not be sincere and that there would be a chance to set things right in the future.

But what else can be said now?
As for Liu Yao's later statement about Yang Feng's loyalty and righteousness, Cao Cao couldn't help but laugh. What loyalty and righteousness could Yang Feng possibly have? It was nothing more than what Dong Zhao said: "Today, if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

When Cao Cao heard that Xu Huang had returned after his defeat, he had brought back ten thousand men from Cao Chun's army. A look of surprise appeared in Cao Cao's eyes. He thought to himself that although Xu Huang was a confidant of the emperor, he was indeed a famous general and a righteous man!

Not only did they not take the opportunity to harm Cao Cao's army, they also preserved this elite force for him.

Thus, on the Liang battlefield, the losses were either the emperor's trusted confidants, the Black Mountain bandits, or the Xiongnu. Cao Mengde's losses were merely Mao Jie and five thousand garrison troops.

However, both the Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan and the Black Mountain bandit leader Zhang Yan probably wished that their subordinates, such as Huntuye or Sun Qing, who held great power, would die as soon as possible.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have agreed so readily to send the two of them to fight against Yuan Shu.

It can be said that the one who is truly heartbroken right now is the emperor, who sits high on the dragon throne, his twelve jade tassels veiled beneath his flat-topped crown, his expression unpredictable, and who remains silent. After all, the emperor currently only has the armies of Yang Feng and Dong Cheng under his command, and at most, the Xiongnu people under the command of the Right Wise King Qu Bei.

With Yang Fengyi's surrender, his entire army was lost, which was equivalent to the emperor's army losing half of its strength. How could the emperor, who had received Liu Yao's guidance and support and wanted to make great strides in Luoyang, accept this?
It's no wonder that this farce occurred, where Xu Huang, who had clearly suffered a defeat and was apologizing, was instead being questioned by the current prime minister.

After all, under these circumstances, punishing Xu Huang further would only weaken the emperor's power. If the commander-in-chief Xu Huang could not bear the blame, then the prime minister who formulated this strategy for Liang should be summoned to take responsibility.

If you were to ask Cao Cao for such a thing, how could he possibly agree? The crux of the matter lies in Liu Yao's final statement:
[Xu Huang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, immediately ordered Cao Chun to lead ten thousand troops back!]

Regardless of Xu Huang's true intentions, or whether he immediately ordered Cao Chun to withdraw his troops.

But in fact, this confidant of the emperor not only did not harm his Cao army, but also helped him save 10,000 elite troops when the Liang Kingdom was suffering defeats everywhere. He had to accept this favor.

As for how this matter should be characterized, Liu Yao's previous words had already hinted at it quite clearly.

Le Jin!

Clearly, both the emperor and Liu Yao's faction understood that, given the current situation, they were powerless against him, the Grand Chancellor of the Han Dynasty who held the reins of power.

The person who should truly be punished at this court assembly is Yue Jin; all responsibility must be placed on Yue Jin, who surrendered after his defeat at Yingchuan.

This would allow them to justify Liang's defeat by claiming that the defeat at Yingchuan and Yue Jin's surrender were justified, thus reducing Xu Huang's guilt.

The reason for this sudden rebuke and the need to hold Cao Cao accountable was that such words of shirking responsibility onto Cao Cao's subordinates could not be spoken by Xu Huang, nor by the emperor; they had to be spoken by Cao Cao himself.

However, for Cao Cao, if Yue Jin had not surrendered, he would have risked the wrath of the entire court and even defied the emperor's will to protect Yue Jin, so as not to discourage his subordinates.

But Le Jin surrendered!

And he surrendered completely, even causing defeats on the battlefields of Yingchuan and Liangguo because of him.

Therefore, at this moment, Cao Cao's thoughts were in perfect harmony with the emperor's.

The emperor needed to find someone to shirk responsibility for Xu Huang, and Cao Mengde was also looking to kill him as a warning to others!
He smiled slightly, his cold eyes meeting Liu Yao's.

"Grand Tutor is right. Yue Jin betrayed his country and joined Yuan, which led to the defeats in Yingchuan and Liangguo. Yuan Shu's power is now firmly established and it will be difficult to stop him."

Such treacherous and wicked officials, who have no ruler or father and have sided with rebels, deserve to be killed by everyone!
"I have failed in my judgment of character, which has tarnished Your Majesty's virtuous reputation. I hereby accept a one-year salary deduction."

As Cao Cao spoke, his voice suddenly turned cold, and he stared intently at the assembled officials, none of whom dared to meet his gaze.

"Le Jin and Le Wenqian have failed the Emperor's grace and deeply disappointed me!"

He should be stripped of all official titles and ranks, reduced to a commoner, and subjected to the punishment of being hanged and dismembered. Although he is currently hiding under the command of the traitor Yuan, all discerning people in the world should kill him!
Whoever presents the head of a man to Luoyang will be granted a title of nobility and a reward of a thousand gold pieces.

Your Majesty, I request that Your Majesty execute Yue Jin's entire clan, including over a hundred members of his family. They should be beheaded tomorrow, and their heads displayed at the East Gate as a warning to others!

(End of this chapter)