Chapter 288: Dilemma in Nanzhong, Liu Bei was badly beaten by Meng Huo’s father.

Chapter 288: Dilemma in Nanzhong, Liu Bei was badly beaten by Meng Huo’s father.

Xudu,

Imperial City!

All the officials went to the palace, like a dark cloud passing over the steps, headed by Zhuge Kongming, who was the prime minister.

No one argued with him.

Ever since Cao Mengde clamored in the hall some time ago to abolish Liu Wu's title of king, but was severely slapped in the face by Zhuge Liang, he has claimed to be ill and has never come to court again.

The reason was not as simple as losing face in public in front of Kong Ming, but that Cao Cao had already learned that Liu Wu had gone to the Western Regions.

Now it's completely clear.
When Liu Wu returns, Cao Cao will face an unprecedented crushing blow. Yes, a crushing blow.

The reason why Cao Cao claimed to be ill and did not attend the court was that he was really concentrating on how to integrate his forces to deal with Liu Wu...

When he reached Chengguang Hall, Kong Ming paused, and the civil and military officials behind him also stopped three or five steps away.

Zhao Yun, who was guarding the Chengguang Hall, whispered, "Prime Minister, the King of Wei hasn't come to court for a long time, and his advisers and generals are coming and going, and troops from all over the Central Plains are being mobilized..."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan: "Are you afraid that he will become desperate?"

Zhao Yun nodded: "After all, we are in Xudu, and I only have 300 personal soldiers. Even if we add the servants of the important officials in the court, we are still at an absolute disadvantage."

"The emperor is afraid that Cao Cao will suddenly take action to eliminate us and then establish a new ruler like Dong Zhuo did."

Kong Ming's expression became serious: "This can make the emperor feel at ease. After all, Cao Cao is a Han slave. If he really does this, it will be tantamount to his own destruction."

"If he really does this, it will give the King of Chu a legitimate excuse to attack him."

At this time, Zhao Yun already understood what Kong Ming meant.

After being together for such a long time, Kong Ming had already known Cao Mengde well enough. He judged that Cao Mengde was not Dong Zhuo.

Although Cao Cao did similar things, he had to do so if he wanted to survive and grow stronger.

Everyone has his or her original intention. Dong Zhuo's original intention was brutal ambition, while Cao Mengde's original intention was lofty ambition.

There was a time when Cao Mengde was extremely arrogant and his original intention began to waver. That was probably when his army marched south and took over Jingzhou on the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

However, the Battle of Chibi ultimately blocked his ambitions, and then Liu Wu completely rose to power. The three battles of Xiling, Xiangfan, and Tongguan completely sobered up Cao Mengde's mind, forcing him to return to his original position.

Finally, Zhuge Liang only left one last sentence for Zhao Yun: "Cao Cao is not Dong Zhuo. Facing the same thing, Dong Zhuo would act rashly, but Cao Cao would not. He would plan rationally..."

Zhao Yun nodded.

Then Kong Ming started walking towards Chengguang Hall, followed by all the officials, who filed in...

Emperor Liu Xie had been waiting on the dragon throne for a long time.
"Greetings to the Emperor..."

"My dear ministers, please stand up..."

"The King of Wei did not come to court again today..."

Xun Yu stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the King of Wei is seriously ill and is still recuperating."

Liu Xie naturally knew what was going on, but he still said, "The King of Wei is the most important minister of our Han Dynasty, a loyal minister. He has been ill for such a long time, what should we do?"

"I will send the imperial physician to the Prince of Wei's mansion today..."

"Your Majesty, no need..." Xun Yu was helpless: "The King of Wei is suffering from a heart disease, which cannot be cured by medicine."

Liu Xie seemed very surprised. He said in astonishment: "What kind of heart disease can make the King of Wei be like this..."

"I do have an idea. The world is in chaos right now, and the loss of men is severe. I don't know how many young women have lost their husbands, and their livelihoods have become a problem."

"I know that the King of Wei has always been fond of other people's wives. I will issue an edict to allow widows who are lonely and helpless to move into the King of Wei's palace. This way, we can have the best of both worlds..."

"What do you think, Prime Minister Zhuge?"

Zhuge Liang did not laugh. He waved the feather fan in his palm and said calmly, "It is a good idea to cater to his wishes. Your Majesty cares for his subjects and loves his people. This is a blessing for the Han Dynasty." "When the King of Wei learns about this, he will be deeply moved."

The atmosphere in Chengguang Hall was already very strange. Xun Yu couldn't stand it any longer. He coughed dryly and said, "Your Majesty!"

"There is a report from the southwest army, sent by Liu Bei, the King of Nanzhong."

"The King of Nanzhong said that he followed the imperial edict and led the elite troops of Yizhou to fight against the rebellious barbarians in Nanzhong. The barbarian leader Meng Bu was brave and good at fighting. The elephant army under his command was invincible. The Han army had to flee as soon as they came into contact with him."

"The Nanzhong barbarians still have rattan armor soldiers. The King of Nanzhong crossed the Lu River in May and went deep into the barren land. He suffered heavy losses and is still fighting now..."

"I hope the imperial court can provide assistance in terms of military equipment and food, or send counselors and generals to help in the battle."

In a nutshell, Liu Bei failed in the southwest.

This is the military situation in the southwest.

This is the situation in the southwest...

Gee...

The King of Chu killed many people in the northwest, captured Han Sui, fought against Ma Chao, and massacred the Western Qiang.

The King of Nanzhong was stuck in the quagmire of the northwest, unable to extricate himself, and even came to Xudu for help.

The court officials couldn't help but discuss it...

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Everyone is too accustomed to Liu Wu and thinks that everything is easy for him.

"You know, Liu Xuande is also a great man..."

"Except Cao Cao, Liu Bei was not afraid of Cao Cao."

"Who would have thought that he would be beaten black and blue by Meng Bu in Nanzhong..."

"Still asking the court for help? How can we help him?"

"Should we ask the King of Chu to send Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to help, or should we ask the King of Wei to send troops to raid Shu?"

……

"May I ask Lord Xun, what are rattan armor soldiers?" Zhuge Liang spoke.

He could see that Liu Bei was in real trouble.

The fact that this Southwest Military News fell into Xun Yu's hands is very telling.

Liu Bei was not asking Liu Wu for help, nor was he asking Cao Cao for help. Instead, he was asking the Han court for help, asking for advice...

At this time, Zhuge Liang was the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty and the head of all officials. In some ways, he was presiding over the court.

"May I ask Lord Xun, what are rattan armor soldiers?"

"The so-called rattan armor soldiers are barbarian soldiers wearing rattan armor. The rattan armor is made of wild rattan grown in the wild lands of the southwest. It is processed by skilled craftsmen and soaked in tung oil for 49 days before it is made. This armor is light and strong, can protect against arrows, cannot be cut by knives or stabbed by guns, and will not sink in water. It is invincible on the battlefield."

The feather fan is waved lightly,

In the court, Kong Ming closed his eyes slightly for about three breaths: "You can tell the King of Nanzhong that whether it is an elephant army or a rattan armor army, they can all be defeated by fire."

"But this action will harm the harmony of nature and shorten one's lifespan. I would like to ask the King of Nanzhong to be cautious..."

However, at this point,
Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed across Kong Ming's eyes...

No matter how big the fire is, can it compare to the Battle of Red Cliff?

After the fire, Kong Ming concluded that Zhou Yu's life span was almost shortened, especially from his facial features, so he would not live long.

But the last time Zhou Yu sent him to Xudu, his fortune had completely changed...

(End of this chapter)