Chapter 64: Cede land! Cede land!!

Chapter 64: Cede land! Cede land!!

There was heavy snow all over the sky. In the dead of night, the suspension bridge of Xiling City was slowly lowered.

The Han general, the Marquis of Anguoting, Cheng Yu, was already old and a little bit unable to withstand the winter wind and snow, but he still rode into the city with a solemn expression...

Cheng Yu was different from other counselors in Cao's camp. He could be a staff member in Cao's camp or a general outside. Moreover, Cao Mengde was his master for life.

When Cheng Yu was young, he always had a dream. In his dream, he climbed Mount Tai and held the sun in his hands.

Mount Tai is the mountain of power where emperors perform Fengshan rituals, and the sun symbolizes the emperor.

Holding the sun in both hands is like holding up the emperor! !
"I want to see the current Lord of Xiling City!" Cheng Yu said solemnly: "As long as you release the Prime Minister, my army will turn back immediately!"

"As long as the Prime Minister is safe, you will enjoy wealth and glory, and you can even present a memorial to the Emperor for promotion!"

Gao Shun looked at the old general with a white beard, without any response, he just turned around and walked forward, and Cheng Yu immediately followed.

Cheng Yu walked in the heavy snow, one step deep and one step shallow. He followed very closely, afraid of being a step slower.

When Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao were in power, they had recruited Cheng Yu many times, but Cheng Yu refused. Later, when Cao Cao recruited Cheng Yu to be an official, he went immediately!
Before leaving, his fellow Dong'a villagers asked him why?
Historical records: Yu smiled but said nothing.

What can I, a man of great stature, explain to you common people?

Cheng Yu believed that Cao Mengde's words "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray my reputation" coincided with his own thinking of treating the people as worthless. Cao Cao was not Cheng Yu's wise ruler, but his true self! !
He walked step by step in the snowy night. In all these years, Cheng Yu had never been so anxious and panicked...

Slowly, walking to the dungeon, Cheng Yu saw an unbelievable scene.

Snapped! ~
Gan Ning lashed out with the whip in his hand!

Cao Ren quickly leaned over and blocked the whip that tore Cao Cao's skin apart...

"Cao Cao! Don't you see what the situation is now? My lord wants to see you, but you don't even want to see him?!" Gan Ning said coldly and waved the whip again.

"Stop!" Cheng Yu's old body was shaking constantly. He hurried forward in three or two steps: "I'll persuade him!"

"I'll persuade him!"

"He is the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty. You must not treat him like this!!"

When Cao Mengde massacred Xuzhou, the Si River stopped flowing, which further deepened Cheng Yu's extreme idea of ​​treating the people as grass, and his recognition of Cao Mengde as my true Lord!

Later, during the fierce battle in Yanzhou, Cao Mengde's home was stolen by Lu Bu. Cao Mengde was left with nothing and had no food to eat. It was Cheng Yu who solved this problem.

How did he solve it?

Cheng Yu plundered Dong'a!

After robbing his hometown, there was still not enough food, so Cheng Yu made his Dong'e fellow villagers into dried meat and sent it to Cao Mengde...

When Cheng Yu first met Cao Cao, he was already fifty years old.

He met his true self when he was fifty years old!
"Prime Minister, why don't you go meet that man?" Cheng Yu's gray beard kept shaking, and it was unknown whether he was excited to see Cao Mengde or he couldn't bear to see Cao Cao's current situation.

When Cao Cao saw Cheng Yu, he couldn't help but feel sad: "It's not that I, Cao Mengde, don't want to see him, but I don't know how to meet him..."

"I have been a soldier all my life, whipping the four directions, and being a hero, but now I have become a captive of a little boy and a prisoner!"

"Zhongde, how can I go to Liu Zilie and beg for mercy?!"

"I can't do it!"

bass! ~
Cheng Yu rushed forward and grabbed the corner of Cao Cao's clothes on his chest. It was unknown how this old man could be so strong that Cao Mengde was unable to break free for a while.

At this moment, Cheng Yu's eyes were bloodshot, and there was a madness in his eyes: "My Lord! Let me ask you one question, which is more important, your face or your life?!"

Cao Mengde turned his head away. At this moment he really couldn't look Cheng Yu in the eye.

He couldn't answer!
Of course life is more important, but he can't say that I, Cao Cao, have no dignity...

"My Lord..." Cheng Yu burst into tears. He slowly let go of Cao Cao's clothes and said, "Do you really want to die?"

"If so, I, Cheng Yu, will be buried with you in this Xiling dungeon!!"

Before he finished speaking, Cheng Yu turned around and slammed the wall next to him!

No one in the field reacted.
Just listen, bang! ~
There was a muffled sound,
Cheng Yu's head was bleeding and he fell against the wall helplessly.

"Zhongde!" Cao Cao hurried forward to help.

Cao Ren also hurried over and stretched out his hand to feel his breath: "My lord, Mr. Cheng Yu should be fine..."

Only then did Cao Mengde let out a long sigh, and then he was at a loss for a long time, as if he was struggling with his conscience, before he spoke: "Okay, I, Cao Mengde, will go see Liu Zilie!"

Gao Shunyu and Gan Ning looked at each other, and Gao Shun shook his head helplessly.

When Lu Bu and Cao Cao were fighting in Yanzhou, if it weren't for Cheng Yu's efforts, Cao Mengde would have been defeated long ago.

Gan Ning smacked his lips and laughed: "Tsk, I've heard of the name of the ruthless general Cheng Yu for a long time. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved... I have to say, this old man is quite tough..."

……

……

In the Xiling County Mansion,

Liu Wu closed his eyes to rest. Although his eyes were closed and he wanted to fall asleep very much, Cao Cao had not arrived yet.

So he can't sleep!
Everything must be finalized tonight! Otherwise, it will be too late...

Da da! Da! ~
Gao Shun ran over in the snow and wind and said, "My lord, after Gan Ning's two whips and Cheng Yu's death, Cao Cao has finally become obedient."

Liu Wu: “Okay…”

If Cao Mengde really insists on enduring it tonight just to save face, it will cause trouble.

If Cao Cao does not cooperate, then everything Liu Wu and others have done these days will be equivalent to making wedding dresses for Jiangdong.

By then, even their small Xiling group might be swallowed up by Jiangdong...

Cao Mengde finally bowed his head, and Lu Xun was already restless: "Now that I have Cao Mengde in my hands, I can kill him or her at will. The offensive of the northern enemy has finally been eliminated! My lord, this time we must be as brave as possible, right?"

Liu Wu: “Of course…”

Lu Xun: "But the most important thing now is to stabilize Jiangdong. With the help of Cao Cao, Jiangdong dare not go north. Only then can we truly gain a foothold on both sides of the Yangtze River!"

"Otherwise, once Cao Mengde dies, the Central Plains will be in chaos. We have just experienced a fierce battle, and we have few soldiers and generals. Not only will we not be able to divide up much territory, but we are also likely to be easily defeated by Jiangdong or Liu Bei because of our old army and tired soldiers. Is this why the lord did not kill Cao Cao?"

Liu Wu smiled faintly: "Yes..."

After hearing this, Lu Xun was greatly encouraged: "But we must also be on guard against Cao's army's invasion of the south again. That's why you want to be the son-in-law of Jiangdong and use Jiangdong as a backing so that Cao Mengde will not dare to fight us easily in the future?"

Liu Wu: "Ascaris ..."

"My lord, are you saying that I am the worm in your stomach?" Lu Xun asked tentatively.

Liu Wu smiled again: "Yes."

"I, Lu Boyan, am honored to be the confidant of my lord!" At this moment, Lu Xun felt that he had reached the peak of his life! !
"Go on..." Liu Wu uttered three words for the first time.

He asked Lu Xun to continue performing...

Lu Xun paused and said, "We are now in the three forces of Sun, Liu and Cao. With Cao Cao, we can stabilize Jiangdong. Then there is only Liu Bei in the direction of Jingnan..." Bang! ~
A crisp sound,
Lu Xun clapped his hands suddenly, as if he had discovered something incredible at this moment!
He suddenly realized!
In an instant, it seemed as if he had returned to the beginning, when he and Sun Shangxiang had just been kidnapped by Liu Wu...

On the night of crossing the river to attack Xiling City, he couldn't understand why Liu Wu wanted to capture Xiling City, which was located between the three forces of Sun, Liu and Cao. How could he survive under the oppression of the three forces?

Now, he finally understood!!
The kidnapping of Sun Shangxiang was meant to replace Liu Bei in Jiangdong...

And if they could resist Cao Cao's torrential attack, they would be able to gain a firm foothold!
From the beginning, my lord has already determined who is a friend, who is an ally, who is an enemy, and who is a rival...

After single-handedly capturing Xiling City, Cao Mengde became his mortal enemy. Before Cao Mengde's army arrived, Liu Wu used Jiangling to trap Liu Bei and had an ambiguous relationship with Jiangdong, thus gaining a certain amount of power. In fact, he was fighting against Cao Cao together with Sun and Liu.

Now that Cao Cao has been captured and has the power of life and death in his hands, the current biggest enemy has become Jiangdong.

Once Jiangdong moves north, Xiling may be swallowed up at any time...

At this time, it is necessary to get closer to Cao Cao, maintain Cao Cao's power, and control Jiangdong.

At the same time, he wrote a letter, expressing his willingness to be Jiangdong's son-in-law and guard Xiling for Jiangdong! With the help of Jiangdong, Cao Cao would not attack Xiling again...

Only in this way can a balance be achieved!

Cao Cao is not the next opponent, and Sun Quan is not the next opponent either. Then who else could it be?
Liu Wu had already chosen his next opponent...

As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. Who else can understand Liu Bei's group better than Liu Wu? !

The next step is to rely on Cao Cao and Jiangdong to attack Liu Bei! Cannibalize Liu Bei! Finally completely replace Liu Bei! !

"Great!" Lu Xun was extremely shocked at this time...

It turns out that all of this had been planned by Liu Wu from the very beginning...

Before Lu Xun could get excited, he heard a voice coming from outside the door:
"Cao Mengde brought it here."

Before they saw the person, the voice had arrived: Gan Ning had led Cao Mengde to the place.

沙~
沙~
沙~
Accompanied by weak footsteps, the dishevelled Han Prime Minister Cao Mengde was brought in front of Liu Wu.

Liu Wu looked indifferent and did not even look at Prime Minister Cao, who was once so powerful but now a prisoner under his command, because there was really nothing to see.

Back then in the Central Plains, from the meeting of eighteen princes to fight against Dong Zhuo, to the drinking wine and discussing heroes in Xuchang, Liu Wu was always by Cao Cao's side, but Liu Wu hid himself very well, and Cao Cao never noticed him.

Cao Mengde's momentum at this moment can be said to be extremely weak.

But when he saw the figure on the bed, his falcon-like eyes immediately lit up.

This was the first time Cao Mengde really looked at Liu Wu. For some reason, he had a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this person many times, but he just couldn't remember where.

He sighed deeply: "In my life, I have never seen anyone as brave as you."

"Even if it was the unrivaled Lu Bu back then, it wouldn't work..."

"What's more, Lu Bu is brave but not wise, he is not as smart and brave as you!"

"Why do you think so?" Liu Wu spoke. He had a bit of energy and looked brave and resolute, and he didn't look weak at all.

After these words were spoken, Cao Mengde's heart was filled with turmoil.

What a great Liu Zilie!

In the daytime, he fought so hard, and his troops alone defeated seven divisions and fourteen divisions, not to mention his bravery when he suddenly rushed to the big flag and killed many generals in Cao's camp! At this time, he could still talk to me calmly...

Cao Mengde said solemnly: "You are truly a god."

After saying that, he bowed slightly towards Liu Wu...

Gao Shun and Gan Ning in the field couldn't help but look at each other. They both had strange expressions and the corners of their mouths could no longer suppress their smiles. Tsk tsk, old man Cheng's blood was not shed in vain, Prime Minister Cao's waist was at least bent.

The scene was silent.

Everyone stared at this scene in amazement...

Prime Minister Cao of the Han Dynasty, now the most powerful man in the world, bowed to Liu Wu.

Liu Wu was lying on the bed at this moment and didn't even look at him.

There was silence in the field.

silence.

Still silent...

Gradually, the scene became solemn and murderous.

Cao Cao also began to get nervous...

Liu Zilie, does he really want to kill me?!

Lu Xun, Gao Shun, Wei Yan, everyone started to get nervous, everyone started to get anxious!
Cao Cao has already bowed, but Liu Wu has not responded. It is time to give Cao's A Man a way out, otherwise how can the conversation continue?
There was a long silence.
Finally, Liu Wu's indifferent voice came again:
"You haven't answered me yet."

Cao Cao looked up, stunned...

What didn't you answer?
"You little brat! I've already done this, and you're not afraid of shortening your life!" Of course, at this time, Cao Cao only dared to mutter this in his heart.

Seeing that something was not right, Lu Xun stepped forward and said, "Prime Minister Cao, my master said that you haven't answered the question he asked you just now!"

"You said my master is both wise and brave. How do you know?"

After hearing this, Cao Cao secretly broke into a sweat...

The last time such a scene happened, it was Dong Zhuo who made Cao Cao walk on thin ice by treating him like this...

When Dong Zhuo was assassinated, he was lying on the bed like this. Ah Man waited by the bed and answered his questions. Suddenly, Ah Man seemed to have returned to the passionate old days...

"That Lu Bu is brave but not wise, he is just a common man."

"Just now in the dungeon, I reflected on the situation. Xiling was captured. When my army arrived in Xiangyang, I suddenly received news that Jiangling was occupied by Liu Bei..."

"Even Zhou Yu led a large army in a fierce battle but failed to capture Jiangling. How could Liu Bei dare to cross the river so easily?"

At this point, Cao Cao glanced around and said, "It should be you..."

"That's right." Liu Wu's lips curled up into a smile. At this time, Cao Mengde finally reacted.

"I don't know how you did it, but if you hadn't divided your troops in Jiangling, with Xiahou Yuan, the five great generals, and the 50,000-man army, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Cao Mengde was beating his chest and stamping his feet in frustration at this moment, but his performance was too exaggerated and it made people feel distracted.

Perhaps it was because Cao Cao had been in power for a long time, so he neglected to practice his acting skills, and he almost forgot his skills, so he was far inferior to Liu Bei.

Anyway, Liu Wu couldn't stand watching his performance anymore.

"A map."

Two words came out of Liu Wu's mouth.

next moment,
Hooray! ~
The huge map had been thrown aside by Lu Xun and spread out on the ground.

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment.
Then he put away his distracting expression and said solemnly, "What do you want?"

Liu Wu: “Cede the land!!”

(End of this chapter)