Chapter 156: Cao Mengde, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, wants to purge the emperor’s side!
Chapter 156: Cao Mengde, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, wants to purge the emperor’s side!
Woo! ~
The Fire Cloud Sword slashed across! There was a sharp sound of breaking through the air.

Poof! ~
A cold light flashed and blood spurted out!

After Dong Zhuo, Ma Teng, who ruled Liang Province together with Han Sui, died.

Coming from humble beginnings, he could not even get married at first and could only marry a Qiang woman. Later, when the situation became turbulent, he joined the army and finally rose to become a local lord.

He once led troops to fight against Li Jue and Guo Si.

On the eve of the Battle of Guandu, three thousand war horses were sent to Cao Cao.

He once participated in the Yidaizhao incident in Xuchang with Liu Bei.

But now, Ma Teng Ma Shoucheng, the leader of a northwestern warlord who commanded 30,000 to 40,000 Xiliang cavalry, has completely withdrawn from the stage of history and his career has come to an end.

Anyway,

Eventually, he was killed by Cao Cao in Xuchang City.

Cao Mengde walked over slowly, looking at the scarlet blood on the ground and the torn body of Ma Teng.
boom! ~
There was a dull thud as Cao Cao stomped hard on Ma Teng's head!
Even though Ma Teng was dead, Cao Aman still felt unsatisfied: "You old Qiang thief!"

"You dared to sign the imperial edict back then!!"

Stepping on and cursing at the same time!

At this time, Ma Teng's head was like a ball, and Cao Mengde showed off his ball skills.

"Since I have never cared about the secret decree, you should just keep your head down and live your life obediently!!"

"How dare you rebel again?!"

boom! ~
Ma Teng's head was kicked far away.

Cao Mengde then stopped, closed his eyes slightly, and began to calm himself down.

Originally, 30,000 soldiers were stationed in Jingbei, and Yu Jin was sent to lead 30,000 reinforcements to Fancheng for support. At this point, the area of ​​Xiangfan could be said to be impregnable.

What's more, Xu Huang has 20,000 soldiers in Wancheng ready to support at any time...

But all of this became uncertain with the heavy flood in Xiangfan and the bursting of the Han River dike.

The main force Liu Wu brought with him to the north this time was the Jingzhou navy...

At present, we can only hope that Cao Ren and Yu Jin can hold on in Xiangfan until Xu Huang arrives to support them...

After a flood in Xiangfan, Xu Huang's 20,000 soldiers from Nanyang became the top priority.

"I just hope they can hold Liu Zilie in Xiangfan and wait for the follow-up reinforcements." Cao Cao let out a long sigh. Now he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Jingbei has a total of 80,000 troops, which is already one-third of Cao Mengde's troops, but these 80,000 are all elite troops...

The losses in the Battle of Red Cliff were great.

Later, tens of thousands of people were killed in the two battles of Xiling and Jiangling...

Cao Cao had already begun to feel uneasy.

"Eighty thousand, eighty thousand troops are stationed in Xiangfan. Even if Liu Zilie has great ability, he can't swallow them all in one go!"

Cao Mengde could only comfort himself in his heart. He turned around and was about to get on the carriage, but suddenly a man rode over on horseback and said, "Prime Minister!"

"Prime Minister!"

It was Xun You, the chief strategist under Cao Mengde. He had originally gone to the Prime Minister's Residence to discuss with Cao Cao about Liu Wu's march north, but he heard that Ma Teng was trying to escape and Cao Mengde was personally leading his troops to encircle and kill him.

"Prime Minister, you must not do that!"

"Prime Minister, you must not kill Ma Teng!"

However, when the Cao camp strategist got closer and saw the headless body lying on the ground, he felt his scalp tingling: "Prime Minister, who is this?"

"Why is there no leader?"

Cao Aman sat down and said calmly, "Ma Teng's head was kicked far away by me."

"The Prime Minister is so confused!!" Xun You collapsed upon hearing this.

"Ma Teng just wanted to escape, how can the Prime Minister kill him?!"

Cao Mengde: "This old Qiang thief deserves death. He humiliated me and even said that he would send troops to attack me when he returns to Xiliang..."

"I don't want to kill him, but he insists on seeking death..."

"My lord, he wants to die and you will help him?!" Xun You's face turned red and he almost pointed at Cao Cao's nose and cursed him.

Seeing Xun You making such a big fuss, Cao Mengde suddenly reacted and slapped his forehead: "Ah!!"

"I was disturbed by Liu Zilie's trip north, and seeing that this old Qiang thief was so arrogant, I couldn't help but kill him!"

"It would be fine if the battle in Xiangfan goes smoothly, but if it goes badly, I'm afraid I'll have to face Jingzhou heading north and Liangzhou heading east at the same time!"

Jingzhou is now Liu Wu's territory, and the situation of the Xiangfan battle is still unclear. At least Cao Cao has not received any further military reports.

The latest military report was the one sent by Xu Huang when he sent troops from Wancheng. We only knew that Liu Wu led the Jingzhou navy northward, there was a heavy flood in Xiangfan, and the Han River broke its dike.

Liangzhou is currently the territory of Ma Teng and Han Sui. Ma Teng is actually the representative sent to Xuchang by the Liang warlords.

Cao Cao killed Ma Teng.
That would be tantamount to completely breaking off relations with the Liang warlords...

I'm afraid that the Liang warlords are going to merge with Liu Wu's Xiling Group!
……

……

Inside the palace.

Emperor Liu Xie sat on the dragon throne, and below him was Jian Yong who was granted a seat.

"Even if Cao Cao wanted to hide what happened in Xiangfan, he couldn't. The Han River burst its dike, Xiangfan was hit by a flood, and Awu led the Jingzhou navy northward. I just don't know if the battle of Xiangfan can be won..."

Jian Yong bowed and said, "Don't worry about the battle of Xiangfan, Your Majesty. Liu Jingzhou will definitely win this battle!"

“Thus forcing Cao Mengde to give in.”

Having said that, the emperor did have confidence in Liu Wu. After all, in the Battle of Xiling, Liu Wu had captured Cao Mengde alive.

But the worry between Liu Xie's brows still could not be dissipated. Once Liu Wu lost the Battle of Xiangfan, Liu Xie's situation would probably be even worse than before.

"Cao Cao has 80,000 troops in Jingbei, and they are all elite soldiers."

"I am really worried about Wu..."

"Now, Wu and I are in a relationship of mutual benefit and mutual loss. Wu was able to win the Battle of Xiangfan, and Cao Cao was terrified. He will be a little more respectful to me in the future."

"But if Ah Wu loses, Cao Cao will definitely settle accounts with me. I really don't know how many Han officials will bleed..."

Just then,
Deng!
thump!
Ding!~
There was the sound of orderly footsteps, accompanied by the sound of armor leaves crashing into the ground.

After a moment, Cao Mengde rushed in with a serious look on his face, sword in hand and leading his troops.

When Liu Xie saw this scene, he was already sweating profusely.

The last time such a scene appeared was when the Yidaizhao incident happened...

"Prime Minister Cao, what do you want to do?!"

Liu Xie finally plucked up the courage to speak.

Cao Cao stood still and bowed to Liu Xie as if to deal with the situation: "I am guilty of disturbing the emperor's presence."

"I led the army here this time, not for anything else, but to clear the court of corrupt officials!"

"This Jian Xianhe deserves to die!"

Jian Yong sat there motionless, still calm and composed.

Liu Xie asked: "Jingzhou is serving him, what crime can he have committed?"

"Could the Prime Minister have made a mistake? You must know that Jian Yong was brought back from Xiangfan by the Prime Minister..."

"He is guilty of deceiving the emperor!" Cao Cao scolded fiercely.

This voice is addressed to the Son of Heaven.

Liu Xie was so frightened that he fell off the throne and his whole body was shaking subconsciously.

As time went on in Xuchang, it became clear that Cao Aman had accumulated great power in the eyes of the emperor, and this cast a deep shadow on Liu Xie's psychology.

"What a joke, what a joke..." Jian Yong stood up calmly and said, "Cao Mengde, if we talk about deceiving the emperor, the only person in the world who can be compared with you is Dong Zhuo who was stabbed to death by Lu Bu's Fang Tian Hua Ji!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao laughed and said, "Jian Yong, I, Cao Mengde, am the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty and a minister of the Han Dynasty. Whose minister are you, Jian Yong?"

"What qualifications do you, Jian Xianhe, have to talk to me about serving the country?!"

"The Han Dynasty has more than tens of millions of people. These thirteen states are on my shoulders!"

"You must know! Without me, Cao Mengde, there would be countless people in this world who would be kings and emperors!"

"Whether you bully the emperor or not is not your turn to say, Jian Xianhe!!"

"You are just a running dog of Liu Zilie, and you dare to bark in front of me and the emperor?!"

The Han Prime Minister Cao Mengde got furious.

These words not only stunned Jian Yong, but even the emperor on the dragon throne was stunned.

At that moment, Jian Yong became a little more honest: "I, Jian Xianhe, am a Jingzhou official, an official under the Jingzhou governor. The Jingzhou governor was appointed by your majesty, and I, a Jingzhou official, was also appointed by your majesty."

"So, the governor of Jingzhou and I, Jian Xianhe, are both your majesty's subjects. Your majesty is the emperor of the Han Dynasty, so I can only be a Han minister in the prime minister's words."

"Speaking of running dogs..."

"The Jingzhou official is just an official of the Jingzhou governor, so he can't be considered a running dog, right?"

"If the Prime Minister really means running dogs..."

"Then I, Jian Xianhe, am naturally a Han official like the Prime Minister, and naturally a lackey of the Emperor in front of the Emperor."

At the end of his speech, Jian Yong had already bowed slightly to the emperor.

"You!!" Cao Mengde was extremely angry!

Jian Yong: "Why? Does Prime Minister Cao feel wronged as a Han official?"

Cao Cao was furious!
Who the hell is a running dog like you? !
How could I, Cao Mengde, be a running dog? ! !
Who the hell is not a Han minister? !

Even though no one in the world knows me, I, Cao Mengde, am still the most loyal and devoted minister of the Han Dynasty! !

"You actually say that I am a running dog. If it weren't for me, Cao Mengde, I don't know how many people in the world would be worthy of your name..." Cao Cao was about to refute subconsciously, but was stopped by Xun You.

The strategist Xun You whispered, "Prime Minister, Jian Yong is just a lobbyist, why bother wasting your breath on him..."

This brought Cao Cao back.

"His Majesty!"

"We have all been deceived by Liu Zilie!"

"Liu Zilie wanted to lead his troops north under the pretext of paying homage to His Majesty, but little did I know that he had evil intentions. Paying homage to His Majesty was fake, and he was taking the opportunity to attack Xiangfan. I actually believed him and was deceived by him..."

"There is a severe flood in Xiangfan right now, and the soldiers in Xiangfan are still fighting hard!"

"He led the Jingzhou navy northward, which must have been a long-term plan!" "Your Majesty, please issue an edict to reprimand Liu Wu..."

Before Cao Mengde could finish speaking, Jian Yong interrupted him. Anyway, what happened in the hall today was enough for him, Jian Yong, to be famous throughout the ages.

"Cao Mengde! You are really the thief crying thief!"

"It was you who first stopped Liu Jingzhou from leading his troops north. Liu Jingzhou was eager to meet the emperor, so he had no choice but to send troops to Xiangfan. What he wanted was nothing more than to open up a passage into the Central Plains!"

Seeing Jian Yong like this,
Cao Cao simply stopped pretending and said, "Jian Yong, Liu Zilie told me in a letter that you are his uncle and have done him a favor?"

Jian Yong: "Whether I have a favor or not, I am still a Jingzhou official and a Han minister of the emperor!"

Cao Cao sneered: "Liu Zilie also said that if I hurt your life, he would imitate my story of losing my father in Xuzhou and plunder Xuchang like I slaughtered Xuzhou..."

"There is His Majesty in Xuchang, and he wants to plunder Xuchang!"

"Your Majesty, please listen to this. How disloyal is Liu Zilie to his king and father?"

"That's right. His father Liu Bei has been beaten to a pulp by him. Now, his lord is coming for you, Your Majesty?"

Unexpectedly,

Emperor Liu Xie didn't know what was going on, but seemed to be infected by Jian Yong's courage to remain unmoved despite being threatened by an axe. He actually said weakly: "Zi Lie and I are not monarch and subject, but brothers..."

"Besides, the only thing in Xuchang that belongs to me is the imperial palace. Zilie's plan to plunder Xuchang should not be directed against me..."

"His biological father, Uncle Liu, was beaten and fled. Isn't the Prime Minister also his adoptive father..."

Liu Xie finished speaking.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely strange.

Deathly silence...

I am just a puppet emperor, what kind of king am I?
Who among you really treats me as a king?
I, Liu Xie, have been a puppet emperor for so many years. Don’t I have any self-awareness?

What binds me and Liu Wu together is not the duty of a monarch and his subjects, nor the righteousness of the emperor, but the brotherhood between me and him...

You guys can fight and kill as you please! Don’t involve me!!
Liu Wu has no king and no father. I am just a puppet emperor, not his king!

As for Wu Fu, Liu Xuande has been defeated by him, and now he will deal with you, Cao Mengde!

It was you, Prime Minister Cao, who kept shouting "My son is fierce, my son is fierce" all day long...

At this moment, Cao Mengde felt that he was being attacked.

At this moment, even Jian Yong was a little surprised. This emperor was no ordinary person. He actually had the courage to say such words, and he also had a clear mind.

After taking two deep breaths, Cao Mengde looked up at Liu Xie, wanting to eat this suddenly naughty emperor alive!
But he couldn't do that.

Because he was a Han minister.

Forcing down his anger, Cao Mengde turned and looked at Jian Yong.

Cao Mengde pointed his finger at Jian Yong. Prime Minister Cao was so angry that he was shaking all over: "You are a man who deceives the emperor with your lies!!"

"The emperor is about to be led astray by a villain like you!!"

"I, Cao Mengde, am bringing my troops into the palace today to purge the emperor's entourage!"

"Someone, bring this guy to me..."

But at this moment, Cao Cao was quickly grabbed by the corner of his clothes, and he whispered: "Prime Minister, the outcome of the Xiangfan battle is unknown. If Jian Yong is really killed..., there will be no room for maneuver!"

After hearing this, Cao Cao turned his head and clenched his fists.

In a moment,

He walked up to Jian Yong and looked at him coldly, with murderous intent that he couldn't suppress.

Jian Yong was not afraid either. He accepted his fate and said, "Prime Minister Cao, don't listen to Liu Jingzhou. He won't plunder Xuchang. He just wants to scare you."

"Prime Minister Cao, please... clear your court!"

Before Jian Yong could finish, Cao Cao had already made his move. With one punch, Jian Yong fell to the ground, and blood flowed from his nose...

then,

Canglanglang! ~
The long sword is unsheathed!

Snap! ~
The long sword was thrown to the ground again...

With a long scabbard in his hand, Cao Mengde swung the sword and struck Jingzhou dozens of times in the imperial palace hall in front of the emperor, showing his great power.

Seeing this scene, Liu Xie, who was sitting on the dragon throne, felt reluctant, but he at least let out a long sigh of relief.

Until Cao Mengde gasped and said, "Come here, throw this guy into jail!"

"Execute him in the autumn!"

After Autumn...

It’s just autumn...

We still have to wait for the result of the Battle of Xiangfan...

Jian Yong, with a bruised face and nose, was taken away by a group of armored soldiers. Before leaving the hall, he did not forget to say, "Cao thief!!"

"Liu Xuande is his biological father, yet he still lost the four counties of Jingnan! What about you, a fake foster father?!"

"Wait!"

"Cao thief! You can't protect the Central Plains!!"

Jian Yong finally finished speaking.

After hearing these words, Cao Cao did not get angry again, nor did he chase after Jian Yong to beat him again. He just stood there in a daze.

Because of Jian Yong's last few words, Cao Mengde felt as if... his heart had been broken.

He moved his feet in a daze and bumped into Xu Chu, whose face was half exposed.

"Zhong Kang..."

"Zhongkang, do you still remember what you said in Xiling?"

Xu Chu scratched his head: "It's been almost a year since Xiling, how can I remember it..."

"I remembered!"

"My Lord! I told you at that time that the Fang Tian Hua Ji was specifically designed to stab my godfather!"

"I said that at the time, right?!"

"See! You just won't listen to me!"

"At that time I just..."

……

……

into the night.

Xuchang was completely silent.

In the Prime Minister's Mansion,

Cao Mengde tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep...

"roll!"

Cao Mengde kicked the wife he had just found a few days ago off the bed and sat up.

can not fall asleep……

Ever since he learned about the flood in Xiangfan and that Liu Wu was leading the Jingzhou navy northward, Cao Cao has lost his appetite.

Why not kill Jian Yong?
because of him……

He was really afraid that Liu Wu would plunder Xuchang and really attack!

How many times have you woken up from a dream?
What happened outside Xiling City had left a shadow in his heart...

He kept talking about his son Lie. Wasn't he thinking of using this blatant way of fantasy to suppress his fear of Liu Wu?

In the darkness, Cao Cao muttered to himself: "This Liu Wu is much more difficult to deal with than Liu Bei..."

"Liu Bei only annoyed me, but Liu Wu frightened me..."

Outside the Prime Minister's Mansion,

A scout dismounted!
"Urgent report!!"

"Urgent report!!"

"Urgent news from Nanyang!!"

Xu Chu tied up the bamboo slips, thought for a moment, and then said, "I know the military situation is urgent, but I don't know what it is, after all, the Prime Minister has fallen asleep."

"Well, read it to me first. If I think it's really urgent, I'll go wake up the Prime Minister. If it's not urgent, you can present it tomorrow morning."

The scout began to read:

【There was a major flood in Xiangfan, and the Han River burst its banks.】

[…Xiangyang and Fancheng have been captured, Yu Jin, Man Chong, Lu Chang, and Cao Ren have all been captured…]

[…Liu Zilie tricked Wancheng into opening up and completely occupied Nanyang…]

The scout was still reading,

[…20,000 Nanyang soldiers were trapped by the Jingzhou navy…]

[…Xu Huang was captured alive by Zhao Zilong…]

The scout was still reading,

[…80,000 troops, all destroyed…]

【………】

Finally finished reading...

The scout looked up, but found that Xu Chu had disappeared.

Cao Mengde's bedroom,
The door had been kicked open.

As soon as the wife climbed onto the bed, Xu Chu pulled her back.
Xu Chu grabbed Cao Mengde's arm: "My Lord!!"

"It's over, Xiangfan is all over!!"

"Nanyang is finished too!!!"

　Sorry, it's a little late. Don't wait for the next chapter. I'll stay up all night to write it, and you can see it when you wake up tomorrow morning. Good night, brothers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)