Chapter 734 Farewell, Victory!
On the table, wine cups were set out, and Yang Xiu was tapping his chopsticks, composing a song.
"Cast aside life for the edge of a blade, how can one cherish their own life? Not even caring for parents, how can one speak of wife and child. To be ranked among the brave, one must not be preoccupied with private matters. Sacrificing oneself to meet the nation's crisis, viewing death as a return."
This should have been a song of grandeur and spirit, but at this moment, for some unknown reason, it carried the sorrow and desolation of an ending era... Yang Xiu sang absently, holding wine but not drinking, his father's image flashing through his mind. His eyes slowly reddened, and he stopped singing...
Until the song ended, Yang Xiu gazed at Cao Zhi, who sat across from him... He remained silent for a long moment.
Heh heh...
After a long while, Yang Xiu smiled faintly and said loudly, "Among your many poems, Zi Jian, this 'Song of the White Horse' is the one I love most. It touches the heart and moves the ears, resonating deeply... It perfectly matches my current state of mind!"
Cao Zhi sighed, "Why did you, De Zu, spread rumors that my elder brother was personally leading the expedition against Guan Yu?"
Yang Xiu's expression was unusually sincere, as if he had embraced a resolve to face death without regret. "Truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth. Once... during the Battle of Wancheng, when Cao Anmin was imprisoned by your father, who could have known... that this was precisely the best arrangement for him!"
Cao Zhi gave a bitter laugh, "This is the first time my elder brother has personally commanded troops. De Zu, by doing this, you have touched his tiger's whiskers. To enforce military discipline, His Majesty will surely punish you severely!"
Yang Xiu's eyes turned red. "What appears dark before our eyes is not necessarily black... Moreover, youth is fleeting, it happens only once. A long time ago... the proud and arrogant Yang Xiu in the Imperial Academy is already dead. The one remaining now should do something more meaningful. There is no room for turning back or regretting in life. My teacher chose me to be this military advisor, to lead the intelligence division of the School Affairs Bureau. I must leave some mark, and have my name inscribed in the annals of Great Wei's future unification!"
Cao Zhi looked lost, "But... doing this will implicate your family!"
Yang Xiu said emotionally, "Hahaha... The Sima family of Sishui, a prestigious clan, didn't they vanish from this world in a single night? What of the Yang family of Hongnong, four generations of dukes and three lords? The Great Wei is about to unify the world, not the Han Dynasty... Besides, Zi Jian is also a disciple of my teacher. You should trust your teacher. Others may not see through this scheme, but my teacher certainly sees it clearly!"
As soon as he finished speaking...
The sound of footsteps echoed from outside the tent. Cao Xiu, leading a squad of soldiers, strode in and cupped his hands, "Young Master Zi Jian, by His Majesty's imperial decree, we are here to apprehend Yang Cao, of the Intelligence Division!"
Yang Xiu was grabbed by the soldiers. He deliberately shouted loudly, "What crime have I committed?"
Cao Zhi quickly stepped forward to stop them, "Wen Lie? Is it about the rumors De Zu spread that His Majesty is personally leading the expedition?"
Cao Xiu offered no explanation, only replying coldly, "I am merely carrying out orders to arrest him. For anything else, Young Master Zi Jian should ask His Majesty! Guards, take him away..."
As he spoke, the soldiers twisted Yang Xiu and dragged him out.
Cao Zhi was about to give chase...
Inciting unrest among the troops, spreading rumors...
This was no small offense. The lightest punishment was dozens of blows with a cudgel, the heaviest... decapitation at the辕门 (chariot gate), as a warning to others.
But as Cao Zhi took a step, his arm was suddenly grabbed. Cao Zhi looked up... who else could it be but Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao!
Though Guo Jia appeared frail, his grip was like a vise, and Cao Zhi could not break free despite his efforts... Guo Jia advised, "Zi Jian, if I were you, I wouldn't wade into this murky water!"
"But..." Tears welled up in Cao Zhi's eyes. He and Yang Xiu had always been good friends. How could he stand by and watch him...?
"Zi Jian," Guo Jia's hand did not loosen its grip. He narrowed his eyes, "If you don't trust Yang De Zu, then at least you should trust His Majesty!"
This...
Because of Guo Jia's words, Cao Zhi sat frozen. He bit his lip.
At this moment, he remembered Yang De Zu's words from earlier, "Truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth..." and that line, "What appears dark before our eyes is not necessarily black!"
Then... where was the light?
With this thought, Cao Zhi loudly recited, "Cast aside life for the edge of a blade, how can one cherish their own life?"
...
...
-- Inciting unrest among the troops, eighty blows of the military cudgel, to be executed immediately!
"Crack crack crack..."
Outside the chariot gate, under the gaze of countless eyes, Yang Xiu was pressed to the ground... Before receiving eighty blows, he fainted after only thirty.
Cao Xiu, fearing that he would actually kill this direct disciple of His Majesty, hurried to report. But Lu Yu's words were unyielding.
-- Continue!
Crack! Crack!
Yang Xiu was revived with water, and received another thirty blows. Yang Xiu had lost more than half his life...
Yet, even so, the final twenty blows fell as scheduled...
Fortunately, Cao Xiu had privately instructed the executioners, otherwise... these eighty blows would have been enough to take Yang Xiu's life!
In the main army tent...
Many pleaded for Yang Xiu.
"Your Majesty, what crime has Yang Cao committed?"
Lu Yu asked sternly, "The news of my personal expedition against Guan Yu is rampant in the army. Yang De Zu spread it. Great Wei has always rewarded and punished clearly. If he has made a mistake, he must bear this punishment. Not only him... his family will also be implicated!"
Lu Yu waved his hand, "Issue my decree, arrest all members of the Yang clan of Hongnong, and imprison them. They will be dealt with upon my victorious return!"
"Yes!" Dian Wei, standing nearby, cupped his hands and accepted the order.
Everyone withdrew...
At this moment, only Lu Yu remained in the vast main army tent. Outside the tent... the crackling sound of the military cudgels at the chariot gate seemed to strike Lu Yu himself.
Just then...
Cheng Yu slowly entered the tent.
He noticed Lu Yu's expression, "Is Your Majesty feeling melancholic?"
"No!" Lu Yu slightly restrained the expression on his face. His hands trembled slightly, and he remarked emotionally, "I never thought Yang De Zu could be so persistent, so formidable!"
Cheng Yu cupped his hands, his face full of solemn respect. "Your Majesty summoned me here... perhaps not for Yang De Zu!"
"Heh..." As the words escaped, Lu Yu smiled, but only for a moment. Lu Yu's expression became grave... "The trap has been set, now we wait for the bait to bite. However..."
Lu Yu pulled Cheng Yu to his side, "General Cheng, regarding Jingzhou, I do not trust others' words. This trip still requires you to go."
This...
With just Lu Yu's words, Cheng Yu's expression became meticulous. He seemed to recall his actions over the past decade, infiltrating enemy territory time and again, persuading enemies to surrender...
Recalling the glorious years of the past.
As he grew older, he often lived by those pleasant memories...
Now, being entrusted with such an important task again, Cheng Yu's emotions instantly became excited... "Does Your Majesty want me to persuade Guan Yu to surrender?" Cheng Yu asked.
"No..." Lu Yu shook his head, "Liu, Guan, and Zhang's oath of brotherhood in the peach garden, their sworn kinship, makes betrayal impossible. However... Mi Fang, Meng Da, and Liu Feng... whom Liu Bei sent to assist Guan Yu in Jingzhou... all have opportunities!"
Hmm...
Hearing these three names, Cheng Yu instinctively felt something was amiss...
Not to mention Meng Da, a prominent official of Shu. When welcoming Liu Bei into Shu, he was almost the primary contributor, dedicating himself wholeheartedly...
And Liu Feng and Mi Fang were even less likely to surrender.
One was Liu Bei's adopted son.
Liu "Feng", Liu "Shan", the Fengshan combination.
As for the other... his sister was Liu Bei's concubine! The Mi family had invested all their fortune in Liu Bei when he occupied Xuzhou.
These three could all be called "loyal to the death"!
It was impossible to sow discord, let alone persuade them to surrender.
Cheng Yu wanted to voice his doubts, but... in the end, Cheng Yu swallowed all the words he wanted to say.
He felt... he should be like his former self, placing the word "courage" on his forehead, and go forward without hesitation!
Moreover...
In all his past missions, wasn't he always like this?
Which one of them had a face that looked like it would surrender?
"Does General Cheng have nothing to ask?"
"Since it is Your Majesty's arrangement, then Your Majesty must have made perfect plans. What Your Majesty wishes to tell me, I will listen to... What Your Majesty does not wish to tell me, I will depart immediately..." Cheng Yu's tone was quite firm.
Lu Yu nodded slightly and patted his shoulder.
-- "Have a safe journey!"
-- "Wishing General Cheng a triumphant return!"
...
...
Shu, Zaitong.
Liu Bei was staring blankly at a map when Li Yan suddenly blew open the curtain and strode in.
He cupped his hands in a solemn manner and said, "Your Majesty, according to reports from spies, Yang Xiu spread rumors that Cao Yu was personally leading the expedition to Jingzhou and was severely punished by Cao Yu, receiving eighty blows of the military cudgel and is on the verge of death!"
Hmm...
Liu Bei narrowed his eyes and turned around, "This Yang De Zu is Cao Yu's direct disciple. Eighty blows of the military cudgel, this punishment is not light this time!"
"This is the overt punishment... however..." Li Yan changed his tone, "I believe that this punishment for Yang Xiu... was deliberately carried out by Cao Yu for Your Majesty and this old minister to see."
Liu Bei's eyes fixed, "What do you mean?"
"Isn't Cao Yu most skilled in psychological warfare..." Li Yan explained, "Now, General Guan and Your Majesty are splitting forces to leave Shu. General Guan flooded Jiangling and in one go brought the flames to Jingzhou. This must have exceeded Cao Zi Yu's expectations... And Cao Zi Yu himself must have wanted to personally lead the expedition, but unexpectedly Yang Xiu's loose tongue leaked this matter, hence... he severely punished Yang Xiu! The purpose..."
Before Li Yan could finish, Liu Bei interjected, "The purpose is the fact that Cao Yu is going to Jingzhou!"
"Precisely!" Li Yan appeared very excited... "The more he punishes Yang Xiu, the more it shows his guilt, the more he creates the false impression that he is not going to Jingzhou. Otherwise... for such a matter, he could have punished him in private. Why make the army restless? I heard Yang Xiu was at the chariot gate, punished by military cudgels under the witness of tens of thousands of troops, almost leaving his life there!"
Li Yan appeared confident...
He seemed to have seen through everything, seen through Cao Yu... seen through his psychological warfare.
For a moment, Liu Bei closed his eyes, falling into a long meditation.
Over the years... he had suffered too many losses at the hands of Liu Yu.
Precisely because of this, Liu Bei and the officials of Bashu would deliberately simulate Cao Yu's deployments of putting himself in a desperate situation and then escaping, time and again. It was precisely by carefully reviewing these past events that Liu Bei and the entire court of Bashu realized that Cao Yu was never simple. His overt actions were likely intended to conceal a grander scheme!
"So that's how it is..."
After a long time, Liu Bei murmured. He lamented, "If not for Minister Li, I would have been deceived by that Cao Yu once again. However... since our army is certain that Cao Yu is going to personally lead the expedition against my second brother, then according to Minister Li, how should we respond?"
"Accelerate the northern expedition of the Shu roads..." Li Yan blurted out. He had already prepared this speech. "Currently, the entire Great Wei, Your Majesty and I are only concerned about Cao Yu. If he leaves the Shu roads, then all three northern expeditionary forces of the Shu roads can advance in unison, leaving Cao Yu unable to attend to both ends! As for..."
Li Yan's gaze shifted to Jingzhou on the map. "Heh heh... Jingzhou is thousands of miles away from Hanzhong. Even with Cao Yu galloping at full speed, it will take more than a month to arrive. And in the meantime... the commander in Jingzhou is merely an incompetent relative of the empress. Your Majesty can issue an urgent imperial edict to General Guan, ordering him to immediately attack Xiangyang and Fancheng. Once Xiangyang falls into General Guan's hands, then Your Majesty can take advantage of the situation and advance from the Shu roads. General Guan can also march north to Jingzhou... In this way... Great Wei will be on the verge of collapse. Even if the northern expedition encounters obstacles, Your Majesty can use the Yangtze River as a line to incorporate southern Jing and Jiangdong, thereby dividing north and south. In this way... within ten years, Your Majesty can rival Cao Wei and unify the world!"
Li Yan spoke word by word, each sentence forceful and powerful.
He had thought about this speech for a long time this morning. It was stated with certainty and sound reasoning...
Even Liu Bei was moved.
Hiss...
Liu Bei smacked his lips. He repeatedly deduced Li Yan's words. Finally, he grasped Li Yan's hand.
"To gain Minister Li is like Emperor Gao getting Zhang Zifang!"
As he said this, Liu Bei did not think of Zhuge Liang at all... let alone who had tirelessly worked to achieve the current military strength over the past five years!
"Minister Li, if I pacify Cao Wei and unify the world, then you will be my foremost contributor!"
Liu Bei tightened his grip on Li Yan's hand, tears welling up in his eyes.
Li Yan cupped his hands, "I will go through fire and water, without hesitation!"
...
...
Jingzhou, outside Fancheng, Guan Yu's camp.
Outside the main tent at this moment, countless soldiers and armor stood in formation, guarding vigilantly.
Inside the main tent, Guan Yu sat in the commander's seat. On the desk before him lay a rolled-up copy of "The Spring and Autumn Annals". However, at this moment... his spirit had no time to attend to this "Spring and Autumn Annals"...
Even the most vivid stories were no match for the ever-changing battlefield situation.
"His Majesty has decreed that Cao Yu is employing a feint, concealing his purpose of personally leading the expedition against you, Marquis. His blade is aimed directly at you. However... Hanzhong is thousands of miles from Jingzhou, and Cao Yu himself will not arrive for another month. His Majesty has ordered you to capture Xiangyang and Fancheng within a month and establish a stronghold... When Cao Yu arrives, defend the city firmly! Let Your Majesty's great victory on the Shu roads echo with that of Marquis..."
The imperial edict read by Ma Liang painted a picture for Guan Yu and his troops... of a resolute northern expedition against Great Wei, establishing unprecedented merits.
However, Guan Ping asked doubtfully...
"His Majesty judged that Cao Yu would personally lead the expedition because Cao Yu punished Yang Xiu. This deduction is sufficient, but the opponent is Cao Yu... Father, you must still be extremely cautious!"
As Guan Ping finished speaking...
Guan Yu's gaze turned to the armored soldier beside him.
The soldier understood and quickly reported, "According to intelligence from Luoyang City, Cao Yu not only punished Yang Xiu, but also punished the entire Yang clan of Hongnong... imprisoning them in the imperial prison!"
As this armored soldier finished reporting, another armored soldier said, "In addition, our spies in Chang'an Commandery... also discovered carriages arriving from Hanzhong. After a brief supply stop, they departed eastward!"
These two pieces of intelligence...
Guan Yu gained more trust, "If that Cao Zi Yu is employing a feint, then why would he punish Yang De Zu with military cudgels, and severely punish the Yang clan of Hongnong? And this cavalry moving from Hanzhong towards Jingzhou, heh heh, besides Cao Zi Yu, who else could it be?"
As his voice fell...
Guan Yu suddenly stood up, his demeanor uncharacteristically changed. His eternally expressionless face... at this moment, his eyes shot out sharp, murderous glints!
...
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ps:
bq.
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