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

Chapter 267 How could Jin possibly break Kongming's formation?
"How could you not have noticed anything?"

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Liu Yao immediately rekindled his chances, though he didn't know whether Cao Cao's camp had actually sent someone to contact the palace eunuchs or infiltrate the imperial guards, and what their true intentions were.

At least these phenomena, ironically, saved him. Liu Yao quickly seized the opportunity and said to Dong Cheng:

"It is precisely because His Majesty is completely unaware that he has hidden himself so deeply."

If even you and I can clearly sense the anomaly, how could Cao Cao's camp not know?
If that is the case, wouldn't Your Majesty be in grave danger?

The saying goes, "You must first deceive yourself before you can deceive others," and Your Majesty is now embodying this principle.

Lord Dong, believe it or not, if you were to question His Majesty about what I said today tomorrow, he would surely pretend to be completely oblivious, making it impossible for you to discern the truth from the falsehood!

Why? To deceive Cao Cao's camp with a mix of truth and deception, so as to achieve the goal of restoring the Han dynasty!

As Liu Yao spoke, his eyes turned cold, and he feigned a stern intimidation.

"Your Majesty's plans are far-reaching and beyond our comprehension."

"Lord Dong, I advise you not to be so clever. If Cao Cao discovers this and ruins His Majesty's grand plan, even a thousand deaths would not atone for your sins."

"This"

Although Liu Yao's words were strange, they seemed to make some sense. If His Majesty truly had a grand scheme and was therefore putting on a show to deceive Cao Cao, he would certainly not let himself see through the deception.

Having successively served as traitors to the state, such as Dong Zhuo, Li Guo, and Cao Cao, His Majesty is most adept at feigning authority while secretly plotting.

If I am indeed as Liu Yao said, and I did not understand His Majesty's implication that he sent me to find Liu Yao to assist in the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty...

Instead, they foolishly went to ask him in person, which made Cao Cao realize the plot and ruined their scheme. That would truly make them traitors to the Han Dynasty.

Despite this, he always felt that Liu Yao's seemingly reasonable explanation was shrouded in mystery and should not be taken too seriously.

He immediately raised a cold brow, glared at Liu Yao, and rebuked him:

"wrong!
As you said, His Majesty is being controlled by others and is currently putting on a show, so he will not tell us openly. Therefore, we cannot prove that what you said is false.

It's hard to tell what's real and what's fake. If what you say is true, then His Majesty is putting on a show for Cao Cao, and it's all part of a plan.

How can we prove that what you say is true?

If you are merely forging an imperial edict, attempting to sway people's hearts with your own words and empty rhetoric, harboring ulterior motives and plotting something sinister, wouldn't that be what truly undermines the foundation of our Han dynasty?

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao paused slightly, surprised that this Fatty Dong actually had some brains.

Based on his previous theoretical arguments, he did avoid being exposed as a fraud on the spot, but he could neither prove it nor disprove it.

Trying to persuade someone with reason is rather far-fetched.

Fortunately, he changed his mind and immediately showed a sorrowful expression. He turned to face the crowd with tears in his eyes, intending to move them with his emotions.
He smiled bitterly and recited aloud.

"My life is not for my own benefit, but for the sake of the Han dynasty."

He received secrets from her, and tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

Eliminating traitors is for the sake of the country; a loyal minister's heart is set on rectifying the government.

With unwavering loyalty, history will be recorded; with one might, the world will be saved from collapse!
Liu Yao is unworthy, yet as a member of the Han imperial family, he has lived a life of mediocrity and could have easily ended his remaining years in obscurity.

Your Majesty does not regard me as lowly or unworthy, but entrusts me with important matters, entrusting me with the various prefectures of Yangzhou, with the key task of resisting Yuan Shikai.

The old ministers failed in their duties, first losing the prefecture, then being trapped in Jiangdong, repeatedly defeated by Yuan, and losing all their territory.

In times of hardship, he fled to Chang'an, brought the emperor back east, and endured trials and tribulations.

When Luoyang was stabilized, His Majesty did not consider me incompetent, but still entrusted me with important matters, appointing me as Grand Tutor and serving as my teacher.

These ancient sage kings were none other than this. Even if I were to die ten thousand times, how could I repay such a special favor?

Your Majesty has secretly devised a profound plan, and has secretly issued an edict in your belt to appoint me as your successor. Since receiving this edict, I have been unable to sleep day and night, tossing and turning, racking my brains for a plan to revive the Han Dynasty.

Fortunately, the people's hearts were with them, and all the officials cared about the Han Dynasty. That's why so many righteous men and heroes gathered together, all for the purpose of eliminating Cao Cao and returning power to the emperor.

Who would have thought that today, considering you, Dong Cheng, as the emperor's brother-in-law, must possess a heart of loyalty and righteousness, I have specially come out to welcome you inside, so that we may discuss the important matter of reviving the Han dynasty.

I don't want you to come in and, without any explanation, accuse me of treason.

They did not believe what I said, and believed that I had gathered a crowd and was destroying the foundation of the Han Dynasty.

Then let me ask you!

Is eliminating Cao Cao a form of treason?

"To restore the Han Dynasty, would that mean undermining the very foundation of the Han?"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, pointing at Dong Cheng and tearfully questioning him!
"All those present were loyal and righteous men, and all those who conspired with him were ministers of the Han Dynasty!"

You can go ask them!

During this period of time, apart from gathering people to plot against the traitors and save the country, has Yao done anything to seek personal gain or harm the Han Dynasty?
Everyone trusts me, Liu Yao, and has come to restore the Han Dynasty. If my actions have harmed the Han Dynasty in the slightest, you, Dong Chengyan, need not say anything; all of you will not tolerate me!

I, Liu Yao, have exhausted all my efforts and schemes, seeking nothing more than to turn the tide and save the country, and to bring righteous officials to the court to uphold the Han dynasty.

Instead of conspiring with me to save the emperor and restore the Han dynasty, you make numerous accusations against me, claiming they are irrefutable, and I don't believe this or that.

Must I prove my words false so that everyone will stop following the imperial edict to eliminate Cao Cao and serve the emperor?

You'll be happy if you insist on proving that you, Dong Cheng, are right, letting that traitor Cao run rampant day by day, making His Majesty despair of being controlled by others!

Dong Cheng! The Emperor's brother-in-law!
What exactly are you up to?

Upon hearing Liu Yao's words, the entire room fell silent, followed by an uproar of indignation!
If Dong Cheng's sudden appearance earlier brought bombshell news that the emperor might not have known, making everyone feel incredulous and full of doubt about Liu Yao...

The subsequent debate between Liu Yao and Dong Cheng ended in a stalemate, with neither able to convince the other. They could neither prove the falsehood nor the truth, making it difficult to distinguish between the truth and the falsehood. This caused the public's attitude towards him to become one of skepticism.

At this moment, almost everyone shared a common hatred and stood on Liu Yao's side again.

Judging by both actions and intentions, was it wrong to eliminate the traitor Cao? Was it wrong to restore the Han Dynasty?

Regardless of whether it is true or false, what we are pursuing is not to follow behind the Grand Tutor, eliminate the traitor Cao, rectify the court and the country, restore a bright and just world, and establish a great Han Dynasty court where everyone is upright and righteous?
The goals are the same, the methods are the same, the elimination of Cao is the same, and the results are the same!

If that's the case, does the process matter? Whether it's true or false, what difference does it make?

Since so many of us are here, the right thing to do is to quickly come up with a good plan to get rid of Cao Cao and turn the tide.

You, Dong Cheng, came here out of nowhere and used all sorts of words to suppress the Grand Tutor, clearly trying to undermine our resolve to eliminate Cao Cao and restore the Han dynasty.

What's the big deal, Dong Cheng? Why are you so agitated? Are we all gathered here plotting to overthrow the Han Dynasty?
What are you thinking? Everyone here is a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty, and those who have come are all tested and righteous men who are dedicated to the restoration of the Han Dynasty.

If anyone harbors ill intentions and dares to speak out, they will be attacked by the crowd on the spot.

Listening to the lively discussions and seeing the intense emotions raging among the crowd, Dong Cheng suddenly exclaimed: Oh no!

He became like the former Liu Yao, and was stared at by everyone with suspicious eyes.

Thinking about it that way, it makes sense. To say that they were deceived by Liu Yao would mean that all of them were fools and idiots who were being used without even realizing it.

If the evidence were conclusive, that would be fine, but now that no one can convince anyone else, they naturally trust their own previous judgment more.

And accuse Liu Yao of having ulterior motives?
What sinister intentions did he harbor? Everyone present was utterly loyal and devoted; every face in sight was filled with righteous and virtuous men of the Han Dynasty!
The crowd gathered here, tossing and turning every night, unable to sleep, discussing how to restore the Han Dynasty and how to eliminate Cao Cao and save the country!
Dong Cheng: "."

How can you say someone has ulterior motives?
Liu Yao was clearly a great and loyal subject of the Han Dynasty!

At this moment, although Dong Cheng felt that there was something slightly off about Liu Yao's words, the man before him was firmly planted on the moral high ground of upholding the Han Dynasty, his position as stable as a mountain, unshakable.

If they were to truly resist him and argue their case, Dong Cheng feared that he, as a relative of the emperor and a confidant of the emperor, could be branded as having ulterior motives and being loyal to the Cao family.

Fortunately, seeing that Dong Cheng was caught in a dilemma, unable to accept the imperial edict or continue his investigation, Liu Yao took the initiative to show goodwill and offered words of comfort.

"The emperor's brother-in-law was also worried about the emperor and acted rashly in a moment of panic. Gentlemen, please do not be too harsh on him."

As for what the emperor's brother-in-law said about verifying my authenticity, it's actually very easy!
As the saying goes, "A thousand-mile dike is breached by an ant hole," and "Ice three feet thick is not formed in a single day."

Whether His Majesty is being controlled by Cao and plotting in secret is something that cannot be said openly, but Lord Dong can observe it indirectly from the shadows.

As Dong Gong once said, he had seen Cao Cao's camp contacting the eunuchs, and he also heard that Xu Huang had found Cao Cao's spies in the army.

If that's the case, I'm afraid what Lord Dong saw was just the tip of the iceberg. He only needs to go back and investigate secretly without alerting Cao Cao's camp.

If one were to discover a large number of Cao Cao's spies infiltrating the ranks, one would know that the situation is urgent, and what Yao said would not be untrue!

Liu Yao's words were actually giving Dong Cheng a way out.

After all, even if he goes back and finds nothing, would he dare to confront me?
He then turned around and said that he was a loyal subject of the Cao family, protecting the traitor Cao, and trying to ruin our great cause of restoring the Han dynasty.

Or perhaps Cao Cao's spies are extremely well hidden; they are not nonexistent, but they are difficult to detect in a short time. How would he deal with that?
In any case, Liu Yao is currently acting uprightly and waiting for the right path. All his actions and plans are aimed at supporting the Han Dynasty. Everyone is watching, so what does he have to fear?
As expected, Dong Cheng thought that Liu Yao's words made sense, so he left for the time being.

After seeing Dong Cheng off, Liu Yao and the righteous men who were dedicated to restoring the Han dynasty discussed the future for quite some time.

Such as, after the traitors are eliminated and the court is filled with upright officials, how we can assist the emperor to restore the glory of the Han Dynasty, and what kind of official positions we will each receive.

Having managed to evade the crisis of that night, the number of people plotting to restore the Han dynasty grew stronger day by day, coming to Liu Yao's residence every night in the following days. Just when Liu Yao was getting more and more troubled and felt that he was losing control of the situation.

During the gathering that night, Dong Cheng, who had been away for many days, actually returned!

Liu Yao was startled, thinking that he had come to confront him again, and was about to bring out his argument that Dong had contracted out the traitor Cao.

Unexpectedly, Dong Cheng was so excited that before Liu Yao was ready, he came up and tightly grasped his hand, his eyes filled with tears!

"Lord Liu!"
"Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty! Fortunately, we have Lord Liu; otherwise, we would be facing certain death without even realizing it!"

Liu Yao: "???"

As Dong Cheng spoke, he pulled over another person to come and see him; it was none other than Xu Huang!

"To be honest, ever since I left that night, I've had my doubts and always felt that something was amiss."

However, worried that what Liu Gong said might be true, he dared not ask His Majesty directly.

The next day, following Liu Gong's advice, he summoned General Xu Huang and together they secretly launched an investigation.

You don't know until you investigate, and what you find is astonishing. Just as Master Liu said.

Among the Imperial Guards, many officers and soldiers, both high and low, were either bribed or coerced by Cao Cao's forces, and the situation among the palace eunuchs was likely even worse.

We are deeply afraid of alerting the enemy and ruining the grand plan that Lord Liu and His Majesty have devised, so we dare not act rashly.

I never imagined that the situation would become so critical. I regret that I had doubted Liu Gong back then.

Fortunately, Liu Gong's determination to restore the Han dynasty was particularly firm and he was not swayed by me.

Otherwise, if our great cause is ruined by my single word, how can I face the Emperor?

Xu Huang also bowed and said, "I have failed the emperor's grace, allowing the army to be infiltrated by Cao Cao's traitors without my knowledge."

Fortunately, Liu Gong offered advice and helped save the Han dynasty.

Now, I request a plan to eliminate Cao Cao!

As for Xu Huang, he initially didn't believe it at all, but who would have thought that the investigation would turn out to be true.

Furthermore, Dong Cheng completely trusted Liu Yao because of this and continued to endorse him.

With a Grand Tutor, an Imperial Brother-in-law, and so many loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty, all deeply believing in the imperial edict hidden in the belt, how could it be fake?

How could the righteous men gathered around Liu’s residence not be overjoyed by what they saw?

To be honest, after what happened with Dong Cheng a few days ago, although people chose to believe Liu Yao because he had been trying to support the Han Dynasty from beginning to end, they couldn't help but have doubts in their hearts.

But what does this scene show? It shows that they had foresight, strongly supported Liu Gong, and were not deceived!
Look, even Dong Cheng, the emperor's brother-in-law who came to question Liu Gong a few days ago and spoke with great conviction, has been moved by Liu Gong's righteous act of reviving the Han dynasty and wants to join us.

How could the matter of the imperial edict hidden in a belt be fake?
The assembled officials then bowed respectfully and said:

"Please, Lord Liu, devise a plan to support the Han dynasty and save the nation!"

Liu Yao: "."

Damn it, what kind of plan do I have?!

He never expected that Dong Cheng would find out about the story he fabricated about Cao Cao's spies infiltrating the palace, which he had made up to deceive people.

Considering that Cao Cao has been hiding in a secret room recently, meeting with his ministers in his camp, he seems to be plotting something mysterious.

Liu Yao thought to himself, "This is bad. Damn it, could it be that my words have come true?"

They hadn't yet figured out how to eliminate Cao Cao without causing internal strife and weakening the court.

Cao Cao, however, had already made arrangements to deal with his own people first, without causing internal strife.
Liu Yao thought about it more and more and found it to be reasonable. If things really developed in this way, when the two sides started to fight, they would find that most of their troops had been infiltrated by Cao Cao's camp.

Indeed, there was no need for internal strife to solve the problem and allow the emperor to regain control.

Faced with his ministers' questions, Liu Yao temporarily suppressed his surprise and doubt. He first produced the imperial edict hidden in his belt, had Dong Cheng and Xu Huang sign it, and then, feigning composure, addressed the assembled officials:
"The best course of action now is to regroup the troops in Luoyang, and if we need troops, we should seek out Liu Bei!"

Everyone exclaimed, "Excellent!"

While the situation in Luoyang was turbulent and unpredictable, with Liu Yao stirring up trouble and Cao Cao harboring murderous intentions, on the other side, in Nanyang...

Deep in the mountains and dense forests, countless armored soldiers have been searching the mountains and seas for several days.

Xing Daorong looked exhausted and glanced at Zhuge Jin beside him.

"Mr. Ziyu, has your younger brother already run away? If so, let's hurry and chase after him."

We've been searching these mountains for days, and we haven't even missed a single bird.

Zhuge Jin frowned and said, "General, don't be anxious. This must be a formation set up by my foolish brother using grass, trees, rocks, and stones to create a mystery."

"what?"

Formation?

What the hell is this?

Even I, Lao Xing, don't understand.

Xing Daorong wiped the sweat from his brow, glanced at the composed Zhuge Jin in front of him, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since it was set up by your younger brother, surely you must have a way to break the formation?"

Zhuge Jin shook his head calmly, "Kongming's abilities far surpass mine, like comparing the bright moon to a firefly, or jade to a stubborn rock. How can I possibly understand him?"

Xing Daorong: "."

I feel like you're just being deliberately mysterious!
(End of this chapter)