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

Chapter 353 Please appoint Xuande as the Prince of Yan!
Suppressing his doubts for the time being, Cao Cao raised his eyes and stared at Guan Yu for a long time. Seeing that Guan Yu remained kneeling and refused to rise, Cao Cao finally let out a long sigh and comforted him.

"Yun Chang, don't be anxious. Xuan De and Cao Cao are both Han officials, and we are committed to protecting the country together. If he is in trouble, how could I not come to his aid?"
However, these are all the words of Yuan Ying's letters and may not be reliable.

The latest military intelligence from Yanzhou should arrive from Luoyang soon. Once we receive the intelligence and learn of Xuande's current situation, we can discuss the matter further.

Although Guan Yu knew that Cao Cao's words made sense, and that the news of his elder brother's defeat in Yanzhou was all said in the letters from Yuan Shao's camp, it was possible that it was a lie to lure him away and create discord between him and Cao Cao.

But deep down, I was concerned for my elder brother's safety, fearing that if I arrived even a moment later, I would be separated from him forever, and it would be too late to regret it. So I still bowed deeply.

"I beg the Prime Minister to grant my request!"

"enough!
Yun Chang, you are the Marquis of Hanshou, a title bestowed by the Emperor himself. Yet look at you today, disregarding the overall situation and only wanting the Prime Minister to act out of personal favoritism.

Are you a subject of the Han dynasty, or merely a subject of Liu Bei?

The more Cao Cao saw Guan Yu doing this for Liu Bei, the angrier he became. He wanted to use this opportunity to kill Liu Bei, but he was worried that Guan Yu would hold a grudge. Moreover, Yan Province could not be lost, lest the emperor in Luoyang be robbed.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, he still earnestly advised Guan Yu.

“Yun Chang, don’t blame me.”

The Han Dynasty is currently in decline, its affairs are in disarray, and the army of the puppet Han is located just outside the pass.

At this point, how could you or your army possibly leave Huanyuan Pass?

If Huanyuan Pass falls, Yuan Shao's army will advance unimpeded into the capital, bringing disaster upon the Emperor. Is this what Xuande (Liu Bei) would want to see?

Guan Yu opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

Cao Cao raised his hand to stop him and comforted him, saying:

"Of course, Yanzhou is equally important and cannot be lost."

I will immediately write a letter requesting that a portion of Duan Wei's army, which is defending the north, be transferred to support Yanzhou. Additionally, another 5,000 Imperial Guards from Luoyang can be dispatched to Yanzhou to provide advance support.

As Cao Cao spoke, his gaze deepened, and he looked intently at Guan Yu, who was about to speak several times but held back. His smile grew even more gentle.

"Although according to this letter, Xuande is already in a precarious situation in the vast Yanzhou, the reason for this precarious situation is simply that Xuande's reputation is tarnished and he is difficult to control his subordinates."

Cao Cao could petition the Emperor to bestow upon Xuande the title of King of Yan, in recognition of his meritorious service in resisting the puppet Qi regime and in supporting the Han dynasty for the past twenty years!

Emperor Gaozu established the White Horse Alliance, declaring that any non-Liu family member who became king would be attacked by the entire world.

Now, Xuande is a member of the Han imperial family and a great-grandson of Emperor Jing. Granting him the title of king would boost the morale of the Han dynasty.

At that time, Xuande will use the king's decree to rally the people of the four directions and issue imperial orders to govern the prefectures and counties!

With this imperial edict as proof and the king's decree as a written document, it should be enough to gather our forces, regroup, and fight Lü Bu again.

"Yun Chang, what else do you have to worry about?"

Cao Cao's words were cryptic and full of meaning.

The Prince of Yan? A prince who only commands the commandery of Chenliu? Xuande, this time you'll see if you don't die!
Anyway, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and Lü Bu have all declared themselves kings. In this chaotic world, the hearts of the people are divided, and the so-called White Horse Alliance is worthless.

If this drags on for a while longer, Ma Teng of Liangzhou could probably be called the King of Liang.

Rather than waiting for Liu Bei to wander around and choose which king to call himself in the future, it's better to suppress Liu Bei now and force him to become the King of Yan.

This would not only squeeze Liu Bei dry, but also gather his last bit of popularity and good fortune to resist Lü Bu in Yanzhou and buy time for Luoyang.

Secondly, having lost the land of Qi, Lü Bu, who covets the restoration of Yan Province, will surely fight him to the death!

Thirdly, there's Guan Yu right in front of us. Look, I've already made your elder brother a king because of your request. You can't make things difficult for me now, can you?
This imperial favor of bestowing the title of king is boundless, Yun Chang, you can't possibly say that I'm harming Xuande, can you?
As for whether there would be any negative consequences if Liu Bei were granted the title of king?

Leaving aside the fact that Liu Bei could have easily become king if he wanted to in this chaotic world, his title of King of Yan, which only encompassed one prefecture, was enough to make the whole world laugh.

The Prince of Yan, caught between the King of Han, the King of Qi, and the King of Wei, Xuande, if you don't die this time, who will?

Moreover, at present, only Liu Bei can help him to support the emperor and fight against the rebels, making him a more reliable ally than Lü Bu.

Even if there are future troubles, it will be Yuan Shu and his people who will have a headache.

Guan Yu: "???"

No, I requested to go and support my elder brother, but you directly bestowed the title of king upon him. What's going on here?

Although something felt off, Guan Yu was truly speechless after Cao Cao's move.

Not only was his plea silenced, but he also had to accept Cao Cao's favor.

After all, this is the title of king!

Unlike self-proclaimed kings like Yuan Shu and Lü Bu, if he were to be granted the title of king by the emperor and his family's honor restored, his elder brother's lifelong struggle on the battlefield to support the Han dynasty would have been meaningful, and his ambition to revive the Han dynasty would have a chance to be realized.

My older brother will be very happy!

This is such a great favor from Heaven. How could Guan Yu not accept Cao Cao's kindness and continue to withdraw when Huanyuan Pass was in danger, leaving Cao Cao, who had been so kind to him and his elder brother, to stand alone and helpless?

Fortunately, Cao Cao had already made arrangements and continued to send troops to support his elder brother.

Thinking of this, Guan Yu sighed deeply and expressed his gratitude.

"I, Guan Yu, swear that I can never repay the kindness that Cao Cao has shown to my elder brother, even if it means my death."

We will temporarily follow Cao Cao's advice and wait for news from Yanzhou.

However, if my elder brother is truly in mortal danger, I, Guan, can leave my troops behind to help Cao Cao resist the rebel Yuan.

Even if it means traveling thousands of miles alone, I will go to find my elder brother and keep our promise in the Peach Garden.

Guan has already made this clear in advance, and hopes that Lord Cao will grant his request.

Cao Cao: "."

What's so great about Liu Bei that you would travel thousands of miles alone to find him?

Hmph! So be it. He has the mandate of kingship but no real power. The last Lü Bu who claimed the title of king in this way brought about the downfall of the Qi Kingdom in a single day.

I only hope that Liu Bei is truly capable and can hold out for a few more days, so that Luoyang in the rear will not be in danger soon.

At this time, Cao Cao's attitude towards Liu Bei was extremely complicated. He wanted Liu Bei to stay as an ally and share the burden, but he also wanted Liu Bei to die early so that Guan Yu would be loyal to him.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, Cao Cao suppressed his emotions and comforted Guan Yu with a smile on his face.

"Since Yun Chang made this promise, Cao Cao accepted it."

Next, at Huanyuan Pass, we'll still have to rely on Guan Yu.

"I will do my utmost, even unto death, to repay this debt!"

After Guan Yu, Cao Cao continued to receive these officials who voluntarily came to present their letters and surrender. On the surface, he smiled and asked those who had finished handing over their letters to wait aside.

Finally, as dawn broke and a ray of morning light appeared, the long night came to an end, and Cao Cao finished receiving his last letter to Yuan Shao.

Just as everyone was silent and waiting for Cao Cao to announce the final result of the matter tonight, a servant came to report.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, the matter has been settled. The traitors who were found to have written the letters have all been brought in, and those who were not found to have written the letters are under close surveillance."

Cao Cao nodded and ordered:

"Bring it up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the officials saw a group of soldiers escorting seven or eight generals and civil officials inside.

Cao Cao glanced at them coldly and asked:
"Cao Cao has treated you all well, why have you changed your minds?"

These people were terrified and begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Prime Minister, I was confused for a moment!"

"Your Excellency, I do not intend to keep this letter to yourself. Rather, I was thinking that it was late at night and I did not wish to disturb Your Excellency. Therefore, I wish to submit it after dawn."

"Prime Minister, I am only one person and I should bear the blame. I beg the Prime Minister to have mercy and not implicate my entire family."

"Treason and collusion with Yuan are crimes that cannot be punished by death. Even I myself was executed along with my entire clan, let alone you?"

Looking at the clear evidence of Cao Cao's head being cut off to replace his head, not to mention the criminals on the ground, even the officials watching from the sidelines, who wouldn't be terrified?
Some guilty officials, knowing they were doomed to die, were so passionate and vehement that they pointed at Cao Cao and cursed him.

"Traitor to the nation, you shall die a horrible death!"
With hundreds of thousands of troops under the Han King pressing in, and massive chariots impervious to swords and spears, who could withstand such military might and national treasures?
We are not plotting rebellion, but merely seeking survival!
"You have now cut off our path to survival. The day Huanyuan Pass falls, under the iron hooves of the Han army, we will all be reduced to dust!"

The strong man glanced disdainfully at the weeping crowd around him and rebuked them:
"A true man should die when he is dead; why bother with anything else?"
We are merely going ahead; we will wait for him in the afterlife.

Cao Cao was furious and immediately ordered his men to execute him in public!
Watching these officials behead one by one, their bodies splattered with blood, each one of them was horrified and still felt lingering fear, secretly thinking that they were glad they hadn't kept the letters hidden.

Standing amidst these corpses, walking through pools of blood, Cao Cao gestured to his ministers, but none dared to meet his gaze.

He nodded in satisfaction and began to explain to everyone.

"Gentlemen, please do not worry. I was just joking with you."

In reality, Cao Anmin had not communicated with Yuan, but had already informed me of these letters from Yuan's camp.

Previously, he had cut off his hair as a substitute for his head, feigning concern for Yang Xiu's accusations, while neglecting to guard against the messenger Yuan, all in order to turn the tables on him.

As Cao Cao spoke, he pointed to the heads rolling on the ground and said, "You see, I can clearly distinguish who is loyal and who is treacherous."

Indeed, they had tricked out so many traitors who colluded with Yuan Shikai.

The courtiers: "."

Everyone was filled with trepidation and dared not utter a word of other concern.

Everyone said that Cao Cao thought, "Wise!"

Seeing the fear in the crowd, Cao Cao knew that this act of making an example of someone had intimidated them, and the next step was to appease them.

So, as planned, he ordered his men to count the letters. Including those that were handed over voluntarily and those that were found during the search, there were a total of 126 letters. Just as he was about to order them to be burned to reassure the people, he suddenly realized something was amiss.

We were supposed to have 132 letters, but we only got 126.
Where did the other six letters go?
Cao Cao thought to himself: This is bad!

If we burn the letters now, it will be difficult to tell who has the remaining six letters.

Therefore, he ordered his attendants, "First, check each name one by one, compare it with the letters and the officials present, and record it in a book."

By doing this, Cao Cao was at least able to exclude those on the list from keeping the letters.

Upon hearing Cao Cao's arrangements, how could the ministers not feel terrified upon careful consideration?
Why did Cao Cao record names? Did he still have doubts about us, and therefore record names to pay special attention to us?
The courtiers were terrified and dared not speak.

Cao Cao looked up and saw his ministers looking so frightened. He realized they had misunderstood, so he quickly explained the matter of the 132 letters and told them not to panic.

The ministers breathed a slight sigh of relief, but they were still very suspicious. After all, whether or not Yuan's camp had sent 132 letters was up to Cao Cao to decide.

Who knows if you made up this excuse on purpose just to write us down and see what happens next?
Seeing that the ministers were either fearful or suspicious, clearly very wary of Cao Cao, Xun You knew that tonight's events could not end so easily, otherwise there would be endless troubles.

He hurriedly stepped forward to advise him, saying:

"Prime Minister, you mustn't!"

Cao Cao was clearly very suspicious of the six missing private letters, and he only raised his eyes to give Xun You a cold look.

"Gongda? Are you trying to obstruct my investigation into the matter of the privately possessed letters?"

Because Cao Cao himself knew that there were indeed 132 letters, and the current list was also to clear the assembled officials of any suspicion.

This was to help them, not to harm them, so they didn't think there was anything wrong with it and just wanted to find out the six letters they had hidden as soon as possible.

He secretly believed that if Yuan Shu had any follow-up plans tonight, they must lie in these six private letters, the details of which even Cao Anmin was unaware of.

Seeing Cao Cao's expression, Xun You knew that the crux of the problem lay in the gradually crumbling trust between the ruler and his minister.

Cao Cao may not have intended to harm his ministers by recording this list, but his ministers neither know nor dare to fully trust him, who was just testing people's hearts and making an example of them.

The ministers may not have kept the letters, but Cao Cao was unaware of them and dared not completely trust the ministers who had just been made an example of after a few traitors emerged.

Xun You sighed inwardly, for he had seen the whole picture from a single glimpse. Although he was unaware of the full scheme of the Han King outside the city that night, he knew nothing of what was to come.

But from what he saw before him, he knew that the King of Han had been manipulating people's hearts and controlling the world behind the scenes for more than ten years, and his reputation was well-deserved!

Xun You knew that if he told the truth now, there was absolutely no one among the officials who had concealed the letter.

Even if he didn't dare to guarantee it, Cao Cao might not believe him.

But the real challenge now is no longer whether someone is hiding a letter to Yuan Shao. The real killer move of the King of Han is clearly the alienation of Cao Cao's ministers from their lord!

This must be stopped!
Fortunately, Xun You was quick-witted and devised a plan in a short time, so he said to him:

"Prime Minister, I am not trying to hinder you, but to help you."

"I have some confidential matter to discuss with you; please allow me a moment to speak with you privately."

Cao Cao thought Xun You had some clues or strategies to help him find the traitor among his ministers, which was perfectly acceptable.

So the two went into the inner room, and seeing that no one was around, Xun You advised:
You believed the list was useless and would only alienate the people. He suggested that the Prime Minister could burn the list and letters in public after leaving to appease the officials.

Seeing Cao Cao frown, Xun You then did the opposite, saying:

"My lord should think this through carefully. If you and Cao Anmin had planned everything in advance, then all the ministers would be under your control. How could six letters be missing for no reason?"

Cao Cao nodded; this was precisely what troubled him. Then Xun You said:

"It is possible that Yuan Shu knew in advance that Cao Anmin would betray him, and therefore took precautions and prepared a backup plan."

Perhaps some people receive more than one letter; they give one away and keep one hidden, thus losing six letters in total.

If that is the case, then the list compiled by the Prime Minister is meaningless!

"It would be better to burn it, so that the thieves will lower their guard and we can see what happens next."

(End of this chapter)