Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

"...General Liu, they are coming."

A burly man in heavy armor opened his eyes with a look of surprise on his face: "Jian Min's empty facade is actually quite useful."

"And Jian Shuo, a hypocritical man with nothing but good looks, but I never thought he could be so treacherous and even try to target the pillars of the country!"

An adjutant behind him frowned slightly upon hearing this and immediately reminded him: "General Liu, don't forget your master's revenge!"

When Cao Cao first took office as the Northern Inspector, he happened to encounter a granary fire. Before others could react and deal with it, she arrested the manager in the act and convicted him directly.

But later, the emperor took into consideration the friendship between the royal family and the fact that the fire did not burn much food, so he released the man without charge.

But the evil villain Cao Cao was unwilling to let him go, and in a certain case he successfully sentenced his father to death. From then on, General Liu was consumed by hatred, and one day he wanted to kill Cao Cao and destroy the Cao family to avenge his husband's murder.

"I will never forget the revenge for my brother's murder!"

General Liu turned and glared at the adjutant, but then changed the subject and said, "However, I was personally appointed by the Emperor. Although we have a common enemy, please do not confuse me with your Jian family."

There was murderous intent in the voice, as if the sword would fall if the adjutant said something wrong.

The adjutant naturally didn't dare to say anything more. He pretended to be perfunctory with the other party, but in his heart he was wondering how this person could be so hypocritical and want to clear his name after getting the advantage.

"Huh... the Jian family really are all cut from the same cloth."

General Liu turned his gaze away from him with disdain and looked behind him.

That was the flood shelter that Your Majesty used the day before.

But now, a raging fire is burning.

Kindness: Chapter 15: The Cry of Counterattack

Thick smoke rose up and charcoal spread for thousands of miles. When I looked up, I saw sparks everywhere.

"Something's not right..."

Liu Bei and Cao Cao saw the burning trees on the mountain from a distance, and their hearts sank to the bottom of the valley.

Although the former had anticipated this, he did not expect such a brutal method to be used, and the mountain was burned down as well.

There is no telling how much firewood there is on this mountain. If people get it, they can sell it for money, or use it for daily necessities. But now it has become useless props in the game.

"Damn it... We were just one step away," Cao Cao was naturally unwilling to accept. "But there might still be some remnants. Let's charge in!"

Liu Bei glanced at her, and the latter straightened her waist unwilling to be outdone, showing her proud chest, well, it was indeed like...

just.

He said in a deep voice, "It seems we're not the only ones around this mountain. There are others... Well, speaking of which, where are the imperial guards guarding this place?"

Cao Cao paused in his tracks at this remark, his expression darkening. "There's clearly a flood here, but I can't see any imperial guards putting out the fire, and I can't even see any sign of them."

"This……"

"It's the Jian family."

Liu Bei's expression remained calm. The arrow shot by the Master just now not only drove back Jian Min's troops, but also cut off his anger.

As the saying goes in military affairs, one should attack others but not be attacked by others.

If you keep getting stuck in the opponent's rhythm, you will gradually fall into a quagmire. Instead of looking for a glimmer of hope after falling into a desperate situation, it is better to sit on the other side of the game and take control of the chess pieces.

"Jian Min's goal has never been to take our lives," Liu Bei said as he took a few steps forward, the virus of intelligence gradually returning to his mind. "We made some noise when we left the city. The Jian family only needs to station people at the city gate to observe us and they'll know what we're doing."

"Then they sent Jian Min after us. Since we were acting alone to reach the scene as quickly as possible, Jian Min seized the opportunity to eliminate all of our men... Sigh, judging by his actions, Jian Min was looking for a chance to annihilate our forces, and secondly, to provoke us and make us come here without any reason."

"In this way, the plan is accomplished."

As mentioned earlier, Cao Cao was never a stupid person. Even as a hegemon who had not yet fully grown up, he still had a considerable degree of psychological quality and logical thinking.

She quickly took over Liu Bei's words, saying, "The Bishui Pavilion and even the mountains were engulfed in flames. If Dr. Lu hadn't shot that arrow, if Xuande hadn't been by my side, then I... would undoubtedly have been consumed by rage. After all the hardships of arriving here, I've found not irrefutable evidence, but this raging fire."

"In this way, everything is lost."

"It's not just that simple..." Liu Bei understood the treacherous nature of human nature better than Cao Cao. Sparks shone in his peach-shaped eyes. "The imperial guards guarding the Bishui Pavilion are likely already in the hands of the Jian family. They will rush over us when we 'angrily' rush into the sea of fire."

"When I was in the palace, Lord Meng De was charged with 'intentional escape' and 'intentional destruction of private property', etc. As long as the daughter of the Cao family was imprisoned, he could force the Cao family to work for the Jian family, and then find an opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop..."

If a family has existed for hundreds of years, how should it be dealt with? The charge of treason is the best.

The current emperor's strategy is probably to use eunuchs to deal with the aristocratic families. If he can win, it would be great, but if he fails, simply exercising the so-called checks and balances is a good thing for the emperor.

What a mean person! What a smart person!

Cao Cao also understood Liu Bei's implication, but neither of them talked much in this direction. One reason was that there was no way to solve the problem even if they talked about it, and the other was that the current focus was to deal with the Jian family, and they could not attack the enemy in vain.

"So, we shouldn't go in? But what we've paid along the way..."

“Nothing you put in is ever in vain.”

Liu Bei turned to look at the still somewhat immature future leader and said in a deep voice, "Since the other party can use psychological warfare, then we can also use psychological warfare."

"Oh?" Cao Cao became interested. "Xuan De, what can we do about this?"

-

"Report!"

The spy rushed into the camp and announced, "The eldest daughter of the Cao family did not enter the mountains and is now returning along the same route! And the people who were with her are nowhere to be found!"

"!!!"

General Liu stood up from his chair with a thud, his face furious. He shouted at his adjutant, "Aren't you Jian family full of confidence? Why didn't that kid go into the water-avoiding pavilion?"

He was indeed furious.

It was because the Jian family came with a series of plots to attack Cao Cao that General Liu agreed to set a fire when the other party came here to completely infuriate her so as to slander her as the criminal who set fire to the mountain.

Even if His Majesty blamed him in the palace, General Liu would at most be dismissed for poor supervision. To exchange this official position for Cao Cao's life is really a huge profit.

But now, with the finishing touch, just one step away... then why did Cao Cao suddenly leave?!

“…This, this, I don’t know either…”

The adjutant, who had connections with the Jian family, was also stunned where he was, completely unaware of how to deal with this sudden situation.

According to the original plan, if Cao Cao did not step into the mountains, Jian Min, who followed closely behind him, would send troops to encircle him together with General Liu. The two would serve as witnesses for each other and slander Cao Cao with charges.

But where is Jian Min? Where are you? Come out and save him quickly!

"It's really a piece of junk."

General Liu sighed, his military prowess still evident. He decisively declared, "Send out the cavalry to capture Cao Cao!"

"Hey...where is that kid from the Liu family?" the adjutant asked weakly.

"Liu family kid?"

"That's the man who traveled with Cao Cao."

Although General Liu didn't know the man's background, he still held a contemptuous attitude. "He's just an uncrowned child. If he disappears, then so be it. Perhaps he sensed danger and ran away alone."

He didn't believe that a young boy who was still wet behind the ears could have much influence on the current situation.

You have to know that the imperial guards are different from ordinary troops. Their cavalry are all the best among men. It may be difficult to catch Cao Cao on horseback, but to catch Cao Cao on foot, all you need is your hands, right?

General Liu's order was quickly responded to. Dozens of cavalrymen came out of the camp, crushed the dead trees and branches, and headed straight towards Cao Cao.

"...Don't panic. As long as Cao Cao shows up nearby, the game is already decided. It's just a little more complicated..."

General Liu clutched his chest, frowning slightly: "But, why am I so anxious?"

Most warriors have the ability to sense danger, and this intuition is also the biggest difference between veterans and recruits.

General Liu, who was one of the best among them, was so frightened that he turned his head to the side almost instinctively.

This side attack did save his life.

The blade, emitting a cold glow, had a few strands of hair on it. After missing the target, he did not stop and swung the blade towards the adjutant beside him.

Blood spilled.

When General Liu came to his senses and was about to draw his sword, the scene in front of him made his pupils shrink suddenly.

Three dark shadows appeared in the camp at some point. They held blades in one hand and held the messenger and adjutant hostage in the other.

And then...

Footsteps were heard from outside the camp.

The curtain was never opened, and the first thing that appeared was not a figure, but a wine glass thrown over.

General Liu subconsciously drew his sword and killed him, but he caught a glimpse of a figure coming towards him. Before he could put away his sword, the figure hit his right wrist.

I felt pain and couldn't hold the sword in my hand.

A strong hand stretched out from the front, gripped the hilt of the sword, and suddenly thrust it upwards.

A sword seals the throat.

When General Liu was about to die, he finally saw the face of the person in front of him clearly, and a trance flashed in his gray eyes.

——How could there be such a beautiful person in the world... Could it be that because my Liu family has committed heinous sins, the immortals have come down to earth to punish us?

Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please be careful.

The figure threw the sword to the ground, looked at the three shadows in front of him, and ordered: "Set up the scene, and then write a letter of confession and suicide in his handwriting."

He looked at the trembling messenger and adjutant again, his brows relaxed a little, and he made a "special group" gesture.

They don't need to pry open other people's mouths, nor do they care about the information they hold.

Because... there is a traitor within the Jian family.

Kindness: Chapter 16: Darkness Beneath the Fire

The fire still burns.

Several figures quietly left the tent, just like when they came, without attracting anyone's attention, coming and going freely.

The fire will cover everything.

Liu Bei came alone to the ruined pavilion. The flames illuminated his handsome face, and his peach blossom eyes were filled with solemnity.

Although the assassination was very smooth, many factors played a role in its success. For example, the fire did destroy the evidence, but it also destroyed the original base of the imperial guards.

For an army on the march, the most important thing is the quality of the base.

A good garrison can rely on its dangerous terrain to resist the enemy, while a bad garrison is often easily destroyed by a single blow.

General Liu, who hastily set up camp because he thought the area around Luoyang was absolutely safe, must have had his base camp empty and vulnerable.

Only then was Liu Bei able to succeed in his attack without revealing even the slightest flaw.

just.

As mentioned earlier, this is Luoyang.

Let’s not talk about anything else for now, just talk about the teacher who was far away on another mountain. The fact that she could shoot an arrow from that place was already amazing.

What about the others? There are so many talented people around the emperor, how can ordinary methods be hidden from them?

"This action will definitely expose my true identity..." Liu Bei narrowed his eyes, "But fortunately, Lord Meng De is here."

Even with irrefutable evidence in front of their faces, no one would believe that a minor kid from a grassroots background could organize an absolutely loyal team of Death Thorns.

No one believed that a child could establish a foothold in Zhuo County.

They only focus their attention on Cao Cao and believe that the Cao family is behind the scenes.

Although doing so may seem unfair to Cao Mengde on the surface, if she can manipulate it well, she can actually use this matter to gain more say in the family.

If everything goes well, in the eyes of others, Cao Mengde and Liu Xiaoer solved the case of the Water-Bidding Pavilion alone, and also found time to secretly cultivate their own foundation in Zhuo County. What a pair of dragon and phoenix are they?

But if everything goes wrong, Liu Bei will immediately sever ties with Cao Cao and go to the palace alone to commit suicide in front of the emperor.

When Liu Bei thought of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Dealing with the Jian family alone was exhausting enough, he was busy with thoughts, and even had to rely on Meng De's connections...

But the Jian family, who seemed to have great power in the court, was actually just a small figure in the entire Eastern Han Dynasty.

The aristocratic families headed by the Yuan family of Runan and the Yang family of Hongnong, the eunuchs headed by Cao Jie and Wang Fu, and the foreign relatives have weakened a little since the Empress Dowager Dou was defeated, but they still cannot be underestimated.

These three forces constitute the current imperial court.