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

Chapter 351 Please execute Cao Cao's entire family!
Cao Anmin?
Has a letter from the King of Han arrived?
Upon hearing this astonishing news, Yang Xiu's mind raced with thoughts.

First of all, the letter from the King of Han must be a trap!

He had offered Cao Cao a suggestion to emulate the military merit system, which was well-intentioned, but Cao Cao schemed against him, raising the reward amount to a level that the court could not afford, in order to gain a momentary thrill and motivate the people.

However, once the incident comes to light, the military rewards will be difficult to fulfill, and Cao Cao will inevitably step forward to appease public anger.

This is because Cao Cao suspected Yuan Shu's nephew and wanted to eliminate him, so he squeezed out his last bit of value before his death.

Not only could he guess what was going on here, but Cao Cao was also on guard, so he had been very cautious lately, not giving himself any chance to cooperate with Yuan Shao and surrender the city.

The scheme behind this was something that Cao Cao could guess, and it was impossible for Yuan Shu, who was known as the greatest strategist of his time, not to guess it.

Then the problem is coming!

Since Yuan Shu has guessed that Cao Cao wants to kill me, and I am nearing my end, I will betray Cao Cao and join Yuan Shu if given the chance.

Why send a letter urging surrender? Isn't that redundant?
Whether or not one is in contact with Yuan Shikai has nothing to do with this letter. Regardless of whether this letter exists, those who are meant to be in contact with Yuan will do so in their own time, and those who do not wish to be in contact with Yuan will find it useless to send ten letters!
Thinking about it this way, there's something very wrong with this letter!

Is the King of Han trying to kill me?
Yes, since I know Cao Cao's scheme, and Cao Cao himself knows it, then Yuan Shu must also be able to figure out that Cao Cao knows I know it!
Once you realize this, it becomes obvious that in Yuan Shu's eyes, I am already a useless person!

After all, I was being watched and guarded against by Cao Cao, and no matter how hard I tried to get in touch with Yuan Shao, it was difficult to make any moves under Cao Cao's nose.

Since he is a useless person, then...
Wait a minute? Even if I am a useless person, I still harbor the ambition to serve Yuan Shu. There is no reason for Yuan Shu to want to kill me.

Unless I'm useful!
Only if I am of use, whether this letter or my death, can achieve some goal for Yuan Shu, would it be worthwhile for him to send this letter urging me to surrender.

So, what use am I?

Perhaps this is where the opportunity for survival lies!
"Young master, the Marquis of Duting has come to visit and has been waiting outside the mansion for quite some time."

Seeing that Yang Xiu had not responded for a long time, the servant outside the door couldn't help but call out to remind him.

Yang Xiu's expression shifted between light and shadow in the flickering candlelight. He did not answer, but merely frowned slightly and murmured a name.

"Marquis of Duting, Cao Anmin!"

So, what is the stance of this Marquis of Duting who sent the message?

If he were truly delivering a letter for the King of Han, how could he have bypassed Cao Cao and delivered the letter directly to me?
It should be noted that, on the surface, all these people from outside the city, whether Cao Anmin or his retinue, seemed to be getting along peacefully.

But given Cao Cao's suspicious nature, how could he not take strict precautions? I'm afraid that if Cao Anmin dares to make the slightest move tonight, his head will roll in an instant, and how could he possibly send the letter?

The only possibility that Cao Anmin could have made it back to his home alive is that he was sent by Cao Cao!

Could it be that the letter was fake, forged by Cao Cao, who ordered Cao Anmin to test my loyalty?
impossible!
Cao Cao is going to kill me. He knows I know he's going to kill me, so why bother with all this mystery and testing my loyalty?

If it wasn't Cao Cao, then this letter really was sent by the King of Han?
What's the point?
Knowing full well that I was in league with Yuan Shao, he sent me a meaningless letter, and then Cao Anmin, a man who had endured hardship and bided his time, betrayed this matter to Cao Cao.

Is this going to kill me now?
So what is the point of the King of Han? Just to kill me?

But killing me would be equally meaningless to the King of Han!
"Young Master? Have you rested, Marquis of Duting?"

Hurry up! I'm about to die, and you're urging me to be reincarnated?
Pressed relentlessly, Yang Xiu only said:

"I have already rested. Please wait in the side hall while I change my clothes and come back."

After the servant acknowledged and withdrew, Yang Xiu continued to ponder deeply, his brows furrowed tightly.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out the significance of what happened tonight.

"Unless...this matter itself is meaningless!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he muttered to himself.

"Whether it's this letter, Cao Anmin's visit, or my life or death, Yang Xiu's life or death."

For the King of Han, none of this matters!

When would someone deliberately do something meaningless?

While he was trying to cover up what he really wanted to do!
The reason why it's pointless to think about it is because it's all just a smokescreen put out by the King of Han!

What meaning does a pretense used to distract others need to have?
The King of Han is using me as a trap; he is deceiving me!

They were only deceiving Cao Cao!
"Good good!"

Yang Xiu suddenly laughed bitterly. Cao Cao wanted to kill me, so he deliberately plotted before killing me to squeeze out my last bit of value.

The King of Han knew that Cao Cao wanted to kill me, so he used me as a pretext to squeeze out the last bit of value from me before Cao Cao killed me.

"Hahaha, Xiu prides himself on being clever all his life, but he never expected to end up in such a state!"

However, once he understood this, Yang Xiu was no longer flustered; he knew he wouldn't die today.

Since the King of Han was only using him as a decoy and had no intention of killing him, nor did he care about his life or death, then there was no need to worry about the King of Han's schemes.

If I can get past Cao Cao tonight and he doesn't kill me, I'll have a chance to live.

What might be incredibly difficult for others was a piece of cake for Yang Xiu!

Cao Cao had already decided on his own death date!

If the military merit system is insufficient to cover expenses, I should kill myself before the incident is exposed, citing collusion with Yuan. If Cao Cao wants to find someone to take the blame later, and cannot find me, Yang Xiu, wouldn't he be in trouble?
So today, as long as we are in sync with the King of Han and keep our conversations private with Cao Cao, and don't give anyone a reason to accuse us of colluding with Yuan Shao, so that Cao Cao won't have to kill us, we can save our lives.

"Young master, are you alright now?"

Marquis Duting has been waiting in the side hall for quite some time.

Before the servant could finish speaking, Yang Xiu pushed open the door and came out. However, to the servant's utter horror, he saw a cold, murderous intent flash across Yang Xiu's face as he chuckled and gave an order:
"Quickly arrest Cao Anmin and then inform everyone that Cao Anmin has been caught red-handed in collusion with Yuan Shikai!"

All that talk of enduring hardship and plotting rebellion—we've all been fooled by this seemingly loyal but actually treacherous Cao Anmin.

He entered the city tonight, feigning humiliation and hardship, to eavesdrop on news from Yuan's camp before returning.

In reality, it was to secretly use Yuan Shu's letter to criticize me, urging me to cooperate from within and without, and to defect in the face of battle!

However, my Yang family has been high-ranking officials for generations, enjoying the Han dynasty's stipends. If we do not think about serving our country, how are we different from rotten wood and decaying grass?
He's talking to me? That's wishful thinking!

What Cao Anmin? He's a completely meaningless person, why bother meeting him?

What's the point of reading the Han King's letter? It's a meaningless letter.

Want to squeeze every last drop of value out of Xiu? Then everyone should just give up!
Take them all! Take them all! Take them all!

Watching the servant's terrified figure run off to announce the news, Yang Xiu sneered repeatedly.

"Xiu Jin, upholding justice and serving his country, was not misled by the traitor Yuan, and eliminated the traitor for the country, bringing Cao Anmin and his stolen goods to justice."

So, Lord Cao, how should you respond?
Surely you can't kill me just because I'm too loyal and upright?

This is inappropriate in public.

As for Yang Xiu, no matter the outcome, as long as he survived this crisis tonight by relying on his righteous and awe-inspiring facade, he was all that mattered.

So, in Cao Cao's eyes, he was already a dead man. No matter how much Cao Cao wanted to kill him, he would still have to keep him alive until the military merit system came to light, and then make the most of him. As for how to survive then, that would depend on the King of Han's methods.

Since all that happened to me tonight was a pretext set up by the King of Han, and the King of Han had left me no way out except to righteously report Cao Anmin.

So all I have to do is go with the flow and follow the only path to survival left by the King of Han, which is tacitly understood and in line with the King of Han's plan.

It is likely that if Cao Anmin is caught red-handed and accused of colluding with Yuan Shao, given his status as Cao Cao's nephew, it will surely cause a great uproar in Cao Cao's camp.

Such a grand facade should be eye-catching enough to help the King of Han achieve his scheme, right?
The two of them were of one mind, which enabled the King of Han to succeed in his plan. If Cao Cao had already been defeated and killed before he killed them, they would have had a way to survive!
With the news that Yang Xiu had betrayed Cao Anmin to Yuan Shao and had been caught red-handed, how could Cao's camp not be in an uproar?

How could the ministers miss such a good opportunity? How could they not step forward to help when Chancellor Cao was in crisis?
Before long, the side hall of Yang Xiu's residence was packed with people, all pointing and whispering among themselves at Cao Anmin, who was being held captive in the hall.

"What? Cao Anmin didn't actually endure hardship and bide his time, but actually surrendered to Yuan Shikai, and he's been lying to us all along?"

"This person's acting skills are superb; he not only fooled us, but even the Prime Minister?"

"Deceive the Prime Minister? I doubt it. You all know Cao Anmin is..."

"Shut up! How dare you discuss something like this? Are you out of your mind?"

"Indeed, let us say a few less words."

This Yang Dezhu seems to be quite reckless, daring to expose something like this.

"Silence! Remember, loose lips sink ships!"

Let's wait for the Prime Minister to arrive and see how he decides. We, as his subjects, will simply obey orders.

The hall was bustling with people, all talking amongst themselves. Only Yang Xiu stood in the hall, holding the unopened letter in his hands, closing his eyes to rest, without saying a word.

But Cao Anmin, who was inexplicably detained, was completely bewildered!
Damn it! Have I become a traitor to Yuan Shikai?

Alright, although it's true that I'm in league with the traitor Yuan, I've already spoken with my uncle beforehand and am just following orders.

How can this be interpreted as me being in cahoots with Yuan Shikai?

The main problem is that the plan changed too quickly.

In Cao Anmin's mind, if what the King of Han said was true, Yang Xiu had long harbored the intention to communicate with Yuan Shikai, then seeing him arrive with the King of Han's letter would be a good sign.

Shouldn't he have carefully invited himself in, waited until he had opened and read the letter from the King of Han, and then made a decision?

Whether we hand the letter to Cao Cao to prove our innocence, or whether there are other arrangements in the letter from the King of Han, we can discuss it further.

Cao Anmin had already planned it all out. When he met Yang Xiu, he would immediately reveal all the things he had discussed with Cao Cao to Yang Xiu and then ask him for advice.

After all, the King of Han had instructed him before his departure that Yang Xiu had long harbored ambitions to ally with Yuan Shikai and was one of his own.

Little did he know that he would be betrayed by Yang Xiu before he even got to meet him.

So, I, Cao Cao's nephew, am a true ally of Yuan Shu, and you, Yuan Shu's nephew, are a true traitor to Cao Cao!
At this moment, Cao Anmin felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to the discussions around him.

Fortunately, he obeyed the orders of the King of Han and betrayed Yang Xiu before even meeting him.

Otherwise, when Cao Cao arrives, Cao Anmin won't know how to explain himself.

A moment later, as a figure walked in, the entire place fell silent, and no one made a sound.

The man who arrived was none other than Cao Cao!
He walked slowly in, and when he sat down in the main seat, he coldly surveyed the entire room.

Cao Cao was genuinely furious. This Cao Anmin was truly more trouble than he was worth.

The uncle and nephew planned to use Yang Xiu's affair to attract their attention and that of the court officials, so that they could send out the 132 letters in a reasonable way.

But that's not the way to attract them!

Now everyone's attention has been drawn in, but the truth has also been lured in.

Although it could be stated that Cao Anmin was acting on his orders to test Yang Xiu, if it were stated so openly, wouldn't all the officials know about this tactic? How could the 132 letters then be used to test them?

For Cao Cao, there was only one option left: stall!

Now that Yang Xiu's matter has become so big, leaving him in a state of utter chaos, it would seem perfectly reasonable for the officials to return and find Tong Yuan's letter there.

Many people would assume this was a tactic by Yuan Shu, using Yang Xiu and Cao Anmin in the open to divert attention while secretly sending them a message.

As Cao Cao pondered, he noticed Yang Xiu's somber expression and silence. Yang Xiu, displaying righteous indignation, stepped forward and offered his advice:
"Now Cao Anmin is pretending to endure hardship and bide his time, but he is actually trying to communicate with Yuan Shikai by secretly sending him letters to express his loyalty and righteousness."

With a heart full of loyalty and fervent passion, how could I accept this letter from Yuan? Therefore, I present it to the Prime Minister.

Now that Cao Anmin has been caught in collusion with Yuan Shikai, with both the man and the stolen goods confiscated, the evidence is irrefutable. We request the Prime Minister to handle this matter accordingly.

Cao Cao's face was ashen as he took the unopened letter from Yang Xiu and read it.

The gist of the inscription was that the military merit system could not last, Cao Cao wanted to use you as a scapegoat, and finally advised his good nephew Yang Xiu to find a way to cooperate from within and without and submit to the Han state, which would be a great achievement.

After reading it, Cao Cao looked at it intently, seemingly disdainful of the letter, and did not open it. Therefore, he knew nothing about its contents. He glanced at Yang Xiu, who had a loyal and righteous expression on his face.

He sneered, and instead of showing the letter to everyone, he only showed it to the people to reassure them:

"Anmin, now that the man has been caught red-handed, what else do you have to say, given our relationship as uncle and nephew?"

Cao Anmin wanted to explain that all of this was something they had planned together, but seeing Cao Cao's signal, he knew that the plan was still in progress and could not be exposed at this time.

Therefore, he could only lower his head and sigh, "I have nothing to say."

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction and ordered, "Take him away and execute him at noon tomorrow as a sacrifice to the flag."

In any case, the truth about this plan will be revealed before dawn.

At that time, neither Cao Anmin nor the execution of his entire clan due to his collusion with Yuan Shikai will occur.

All he needs now is to find an excuse to get through tonight.

He then asked Man Chong, "If someone in your family is in league with Yuan, what crime should they be charged with?"

Man Chong was shocked and exclaimed, "How can the Prime Minister be accused of a crime?"

“I make the laws myself, and I break them myself. How can I convince the public?”
Now that Cao Cao has been executed, you may return to Luoyang and then exterminate his entire family.

After saying this, he drew his sword and attempted to commit suicide.

The crowd was terrified and rushed forward to stop them.

Seeing the ministers snatch the sword, he vowed to prevent him from killing himself.

Cao Cao pondered for a long time before saying, "Since my ministers have requested it, I will spare my life for now, cut off my hair in place of my head, and save it for when I can be of use again."

He then cut off his own hair with his sword, threw it to the ground, and said, "When I return to Luoyang, I will personally exterminate my entire clan to uphold the law."

The assembled officials were all terrified, prostrating themselves on the ground, their faces ashen.

(End of this chapter)