"The journey of the sun and moon, as if from within it, the stars brilliantly spread, as if from within its expanse..."
Cao Cao stood in a corner of the secret chamber, hands clasped behind his back. After listening to the reports from his loyal generals, he sighed with emotion.
"Lu Bu!"
"The Sun clan of Jiangdong! The Lu family, the foremost among the Four Great Clans of Wu Commandery!"
"The Ma clan of Xiliang!"
"And the support of the Cao clan, the Xiahou clan, and their kin!"
"Haha, seeing Yu'er's capabilities, I can finally rest assured!"
Illegitimate children were not allowed in the family registry, let alone become the heir apparent.
This was an ironclad rule.
For Cao Cao to forcefully overturn this rule, there was only one chance: the moment Lu Yu's true identity was revealed. Cao Cao needed to ensure the support of the majority, at least, there should not be significant opposition!
Now, it seemed Yu'er's influence was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
It was also fortunate that he was his son.
Otherwise...
If the idea of "living in seclusion" had not been proposed, Cao Cao would likely have harbored apprehension.
But then...
"Heh heh..."
With a wry smile, Cao Cao lamented, "Before, it was one Marquis's residence with two wives. This was to win the support of the Han court and the Cao and Xiahou clans for Yu'er. But now... Lu Lingqi, Lu Bu's daughter, Sun Shangxiang of the Sun clan of Jiangdong, Ma Yunlu, the county princess of Xiliang... three more have been added, and all are formidable characters. I fear it will be one Marquis's residence with five wives?"
Cao Cao spoke, his voice filled with emotion.
Gou He, a general standing behind him, stroked his beard. His insight was incredibly sharp; he could see through Cao Cao's thoughts at a glance.
"It seems King Wei harbors some apprehension."
"Speak, I wish to hear it!" Cao Cao turned around.
Gou He narrowed his eyes and explained meticulously, "The reason the Great Han declined from revival to fall is inseparable from the influence of maternal relatives. Often, when the emperor passes away, the maternal relatives seize great power and control the court..."
"Recently, Chen Fan and Dou Wu, and further back, Deng Yu and Liang Ji. The new emperor, to seize power, must necessarily defeat the maternal relatives. To defeat the maternal relatives, he must support the eunuchs. The struggle between maternal relatives and eunuchs caused the Great Han's affairs to become increasingly chaotic, and the country's fortunes to decline daily. My Lord does not wish for Great Wei to follow in the footsteps of Han!"
Cao Cao laughed heartily, "I thought this bright sunny day was just a good day for killing, but who knew... I would hear such insightful words from Lord Gou."
Just then, Gou He cupped his hands and said, "If this is indeed the case... then I should congratulate my Lord!" "In what way?"
"My Lord, consider this," Gou He said meticulously. "If a Marquis's residence has two wives, then the future Crown Princess would have two individuals. Truly, after my Lord passes away and Zi Yu inherits the throne of King of Wei, it will give rise to two powerful factions of maternal relatives: one is the Han court, and the other is the meritorious officials of Qiao and Pei, led by the Cao and Xiahou clans... While Zi Yu is alive, it is fine. Once Zi Yu is gone, then let alone the maternal relatives and the new king, even these two factions of maternal relatives will fight to the death, to the point of mutual destruction. Great Wei will enter the cycle of maternal relatives, eunuchs, and new kings that befell the Great Han."
Gou He's words caused Cao Cao's eyes to close slightly, his brow furrowing. Clearly, what Gou He said was precisely what he was thinking.
"Lord Gou has indeed poured a basin of cold water on me!"
"No! This is not cold water," Gou He continued. "Because of the presence of Cai Suo, no matter how many principal wives there are, there is truly only one 'heir apparent's consort'... Precisely because Cai Yan is indifferent to worldly matters, this can resolve this dispute once and for all!"
If the system of maternal relatives could not be fundamentally changed...
Then dilute it.
Gou He's theory was very advanced, and Cao Cao's receptiveness was even more so...
At this moment, Xu Zhu walked into the secret chamber.
"King Wei, Miss Cai Yan has been invited!"
With the Dragon Soaring Camp's entry into the city, a thousand women also returned to Xudu. Xu Zhu personally went to fetch Cai Suo, and no one would question it.
Upon hearing Miss Cai Yan's name, Cao Cao's brow slightly lifted. "From now on, she cannot be called Miss..."
As these words left his mouth, Gou He smiled knowingly.
Counting it, since the news of Cai Yan's pregnancy spread, the medical department had sent many people to examine her. Now... it had been eight months, right?
As for Xu Zhu, he scratched his head, "Miss Cai Yan is King Wei's virtuous sister. If she is not called Miss, then what should she be called?"
Xu Zhu was also troubled...
This was unaddressable!
Of course, his words successfully amused the two in front of him.
Cao Cao and Gou He laughed heartily, and as their laughter subsided, Cao Cao mused, "My virtuous sister... ultimately, she will be a generation younger than me! How can I explain this to Master Cai in the netherworld!"
Gou He also laughed, "Miss Cai Yan thought she was meeting her elder brother, but who would have thought this elder brother has suddenly become a father? My Lord can be considered a 'happy father,' can't he?"
"Hahahaha..."
These words made Cao Cao laugh uncontrollably again.
What a...
— "Happy father"!
Who would have thought that one day, he, Cao Cao, and Cai Yong could forcibly be put into the same generation!
...
...
"The lament of the weak, the roar of the strong."
Amidst the whistling cold wind... tens of thousands of reinforcements instantly surged into the enemy formation. The rebels beside them pressed forward, endless...
But their blades were ten times, a hundred times sharper...
Their emotions were even more excited, more passionate!
At this moment, Cao Bu...
He finally understood the helplessness and desolation of Chu Hegemon Xiang Yu when he faced "singing from all sides."
Lost...
He was going to lose!
"Husband..."
On the battlefield, a sudden voice emerged.
Cao Bu looked up and saw Guo Nuwang, clad in armor, his official wife, now riding over.
"Why have you come... This place, this place is dangerous! We've lost, your man has lost!"
Cao Bu grabbed Guo Nuwang and shook her shoulders desperately...
Guo Nuwang gritted her teeth, "Husband, do not be disheartened. Father... Father has allied with a group of Han officials. They have mobilized over ten thousand troops and will be arriving soon!"
Guo Nuwang's father was Guo Yong, a native of Guangzong, Julu Commandery, Ji Province, and a fellow townsman of the great virtuous teacher, General of Heaven Zhang Jiao!
Speaking of which, the Guo family was a major clan in Julu Commandery, even being recommended to the position of "Prefect of Nan Commandery."
He held some prestige among the officials loyal to the Han dynasty...
And for his son-in-law to inherit the grand lineage, he spared no effort in traveling around and secretly mobilizing over ten thousand elite troops from various regions to Xudu!
"Perhaps, perhaps there is still room for maneuver if Father leads troops to attack," Guo Nuwang tried her best to encourage her husband. "At this point, there is no turning back..."
Biting her lip tightly, Cao Bu's eyes, where a faint light had been, flickered again.
Guo Nuwang's words were too true...
— There was no turning back!
In an instant, Cao Bu raised his head again, his gaze like a torch.
"Fight, fight..."
It seemed...
He wanted to use this single word to ignite the dormant fighting spirit within him.
With a "whoosh," he picked up the weapon that had fallen to the ground. "Everyone, follow me and kill, kill our way into this Sima Gate! As long as Lu Yu is killed, this world will still be my heir apparent's! You will have achieved the merit of supporting the dragon. Kill..."
This cry had some effect...
The suicidal guards, whose morale had been low, once again erupted with soaring fighting spirit. They madly united and charged towards the inner gate of Sima Gate. As long as they passed through here, the future would be bright!
But...
"Report..."
A scout quickly reported intelligence from the outer perimeter. "Prefect Guo's more than ten thousand troops fell into an ambush while entering the palace gate!"
"Report. Outside the city gate, General Huang Zhong of the Dragon Soaring Camp leads an archer and crossbow unit defending the outer city walls."
"Report. King Wei's Consort Cai, along with Generals Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, leads the Jingzhou navy to surround King Wei's palace!"
"Report... General Cao Chun, leading the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, is charging back and forth within Prefect Guo Yong's army formation!"
"Report... In Xuzhou, the Danyang soldiers led by Chen Deng have broken through Sima Gate and are attacking from behind us!"
"Report, the retreat route from Mangdang Mountain is blocked by the Taishan Army. Young Master, we have no retreat left!"
Continuous reports echoed in Cao Bu's ears...
This time, not only Cao Bu, but even Guo Nuwang's eyes widened to their fullest extent due to excessive shock.
The reinforcements rushing to Lu Yu's aid emerged one after another like bamboo shoots after rain...
And like poisonous thorns, they unceremoniously pierced into the depths of Cao Bu's heart.
This was a heart-wrenching... pain!
"You... what are you saying? My father-in-law..."
"Report. Young Master Cao, Prefect Guo Yong has fallen... Outside King Wei's palace, our reinforcements have surrendered, surrendered."
This...
After a moment of stunned disbelief, burning tears rolled down Cao Bu's eyes at this moment, melting the hardened ground that had been frozen by the biting cold wind.
And these tears could not be held back, falling "pat, pat" like pearls from a broken string.
In contrast, Guo Nuwang...
With a "thump," she knelt down...
Who would have thought that her father, Guo Yong, was like a clown?
Before anything could begin, everything was already over!
Cao Bu desperately tried to find Wu Zhi... his first strategist.
Unfortunately... Wu Zhi had already been shot through like a sieve!
It was difficult for a scholar like him to survive on such a difficult battlefield.
The last pillar of support... was also lost?
"Young Master..."
Just then, Shi A, after cleaving an armored soldier in front of him, quickly approached Cao Bu. "Your subordinate will cover the Young Master's escape. If the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood to burn!"
As he spoke...
Shi A cleared the way with his sword. His swordsmanship was tricky and fierce, and wherever he passed, there was a mist of blood. He truly carved out a bloody path for Cao Bu!
Ahead was the outer gate of Sima Gate...
The retreat route from Mangdang Mountain was blocked, and this was the only place to escape.
Even though...
Even if they passed this gate, there would still be heavy encirclement ahead.
But... even so!
— Could they even pass through this gate?
Suddenly, a Fangtian Hua Ji seemed to descend from the heavens.
Before the halberd arrived, the sharp edge of the halberd whistled. This strike was powerful and heavy. Shi A, sensing danger, raised his sword to block...
"Clang!"
The weapons clashed fiercely, crossing each other...
In the thin twilight, Shi A's face was grim, his expression dazed. Large beads of sweat dripped onto the ground. As everyone was bewildered, a line of blood appeared at his neck...
"Waa..."
He cried out and fell downward, his wide eyes still filled with astonishment.
But this astonishment would not last long.
Because...
His eyes were splitting further and further apart. Shi A, along with his saber, was cleaved into two halves!
This scene happened too quickly. Many people had not yet reacted...
It was simply... as easy as chopping vegetables and melons. This top swordsman under Cao Huan, their master, had actually been killed in a single blow, without any ability to retaliate!
This...
Cao Bu's hand holding Guo Nuwang trembled, his pupils almost bursting out.
But soon, trembling and panic replaced the quivering and astonishment, because standing behind the Fangtian Hua Ji was none other than Jiu Yuan's Lu Fengxian!
At this moment, Lu Bu's red cloak fluttered in the wind. The Fangtian Hua Ji still dripped with blood, and he slightly raised his hand, pointing at Cao Bu with his little finger.
— "Anger, despair, you should savor them well!"
— "Heh heh, are you ready to accept my judgment, General?"
...
....
The blood-red sun filled the sky, also dyeing this bloody and slaughterous Purgatory!
But...
In the underground secret chamber... it was extremely quiet, eerily quiet... unusually quiet!
Cai Zhaoji had just been led into this chamber by Xu Zhu...
She thought she was being taken to a safe place, but when she saw... the person in front of her...
Her face quickly turned to astonishment and shock!
Because, kneeling in front of her was her good elder brother, her good brother, Cao Cao, who should have been in his coffin!
For a moment...
Cai Zhaoji was so astonished she could not breathe...
But this astonishment could not last long.
Because...
When King Wei Cao Cao spoke...
An even greater astonishment was about to appear again.
— "Zhaoji... what I am about to say, what I am about to tell you, you may not be able to accept for a while, but... this is a reality that truly exists, a fact that no one can change."
— "Your brother Yu, he... he actually..."
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Chapter Six Hundred and Eighty: Are You Ready to Accept My Judgment, General?