"Impossible. Zixiao is a man of both civil and military abilities. How could he be captured?"
In the Prime Minister's Mansion in Xuchang, Cao Cao slammed the table in anger, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire.
Cao Cao had previously sent an envoy to persuade Guan Yu to surrender, but the envoy was scolded by Liu Qi. Cao Cao was furious and ordered Cao Ren to send troops to flatten Xinye and capture Liu Qi.
Then, battle reports came from Nanyang for two consecutive days. First, Cao Ren was defeated, and then Wancheng was lost and Nanyang fell. It was unbelievable.
Niu Jin knelt on the ground, sweating profusely: "Prime Minister, I saw it clearly, General Cao was indeed carried by someone, unconscious, I don't know..."
He didn't dare say the rest of the words, for fear of angering Cao Cao, who would behead him immediately.
"How dare you, Liu Qi, bully me?" Cao Cao stood up, his narrow eyes flashing with cold light, and said in a deep voice: "Pass on my order, send out troops in three days and massacre Nanyang with blood!"
"Prime Minister, this cannot be done!" Xun Yu was shocked when he heard this and hurriedly advised, "Hebei has just been pacified and the soldiers are exhausted. It is also the beginning of spring and there is a shortage of food and grass. It is not appropriate to send troops."
Cao Cao's eyes were red as he squinted at Xun Yu: "Wen Ruo wants to stop me from taking revenge?"
Xun Yu shuddered and clasped his fists, saying, "General Cao has been captured. The most urgent thing is to save him. If we suddenly send troops and anger Liu Qi, Zixiao's life will be in danger!"
"Hmm..." Speaking of Cao Ren, Cao Cao sat down slowly and asked, "If we send an envoy, he will definitely be rebuked by Liu Qi. What should we do?"
Xun Yu thought for a moment and replied, "Guan Yu's refusal to take the post of Left General has damaged the prestige of the court. We can give it to Liu Qi to reassure him. The envoy can go to Wancheng to negotiate."
Cao Cao nodded and said, "Let Yu Wenruo handle this matter!"
After Xun Yu left, Cao Cao calmed down and said, "Although Liu Qi had the help of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, he had never led an army, but he was able to defeat Cao Ren and take Nanyang. Such a strategy must have been planned by a master."
Cheng Yu nodded and said, "What the Prime Minister said is very true. Although Liu Biao has no intention of dominating, Jingzhou is home to many hidden talents. It is rumored that Liu Qi has been keeping a low profile for several years. Now he has made a stunning debut. He must have had the help of someone behind the scenes."
Cao Cao snorted and ordered Niu Jin, "Send someone to find out who is planning for Liu Qi."
"Yes, sir!" Niu Jin let out a long sigh and quickly stepped back, his whole body soaked with sweat.
"Since I started my army, I have never been schemed against like this before, except by Chen Gong!" Cao Cao became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He clenched his fist and said, "If I don't kill Liu Qi, I will never be able to relieve my hatred."
Cheng Yu said: "The Prime Minister originally wanted to march south, but was worried that he had no reason to do so. Liu Qi did not know his place and offended the tiger. This is a godsend opportunity! You can prepare troops and food in time, and when you rescue General Cao, you can lead a large army to capture Jingzhou, go down to Jiangdong, and sweep south of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop."
"Hahaha, Zhongde is right!" Cao Cao laughed and said, "A blessing in disguise."
He immediately ordered Xiahou Dun to mobilize troops from all directions, gather 200,000 elite soldiers in Xuchang, and gather food and fodder in preparation for the southern expedition.
Xun You offered a suggestion: "Prime Minister, if you want to take Jingzhou, why do you need to start a war? I have a plan that will take Jingzhou easily!"
Cao Cao hurriedly asked, "What's the plan?"
Xun You said: "Liu Qi killed Cai Mao and took over Jingzhou. The people in the territory will definitely be unstable. Han Song came to Xuchang to see the emperor before and said that there are many people in Jingzhou who are willing to surrender. You can send people to secretly instigate. In addition, Zhao Fan of Guiyang has close contacts with Cai Mao. Liu Qi punishes Cai to establish his authority. Zhao Fan will definitely be panic. You can spread rumors and promise him official titles. With him responding in the south, Jingzhou will be in chaos from north to south. Even if Liu Qi has the help of experts, he will be unable to take care of both ends!"
"This is a great plan!" Cao Cao nodded happily, stroked his long beard, squinted his eyes, and said slowly: "Zhao Fan alone is not enough to threaten Jingzhou. We need to borrow the power of Bi Yan'er."
Cheng Yu nodded and said, "Sun Quan sent his son to the court earlier but he did not come with the emperor. We can send an envoy to reprimand him and order him to attack Jiangxia. Sun is eager to avenge his father and will gladly accept the order. This will also save the court's reputation."
Cao Cao followed his plan and sent the famous scholar Wang Lang as an envoy to Wancheng to negotiate. At the same time, he sent people to various places in Jiangdong and Jingnan to seek the control of Jingzhou.
Wang Lang led his people to Nanyang, and saw troops and horses being mobilized wherever they passed, and the soldiers and civilians were happy. In the midst of tension, there was an atmosphere of joy, and he secretly sighed that people were missing the Han Dynasty.
Although Liu Bei was dead, Liu Qi emerged as a rising star and inherited his mantle to revive the Han Dynasty, and he might become a strong rival of the Cao family.
After arriving in Wancheng and reading the imperial edict, Liu Qi received the seal of the Left General, and he felt a little more confident.
After exchanging pleasantries, seeing that Liu Qi did not mention the captives at all, Wang Lang had no choice but to speak up: "General Cao Ren did not know the importance of the situation. He took advantage of the emperor's uncle's misfortune to send troops, which was against the will of heaven and led to his defeat. I wonder where he is now?"
Liu Qi said with a smile: "Don't worry, your Excellency. General Cao is enjoying good food and drink here. He is now reflecting on his offense against the Emperor's uncle!"
Wang Lang clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty has ordered us to take him back to Xuchang for trial. What do you think, General?"
Liu Qi smiled with a fake smile, raised his eyebrows and said, "Is this really what Your Majesty wants?"
Wang Lang coughed lightly and nodded, saying, "His Majesty was already deeply saddened upon hearing the news of his uncle's death. When he heard that Cao Ren had sent troops, he was furious and wanted to personally hold the trial!"
“Hahaha, Wang Lang, ah Wang Lang!” Liu Qi suddenly laughed up to the sky, pointed at Wang Lang and cursed: “You are a running dog who betrayed your master and sought fame!”
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. Liu Qi insulted the angel, which was an insult to the emperor.
Wang Lang was furious and stood up and said, "I am here on behalf of the emperor. How dare you, general, speak so arrogantly? This is a crime of great disrespect. Please respect yourself, general."
"You are an angel, but you are willing to be a lackey for Cao!" Liu Qi looked at Wang Lang coldly and sneered, "If you just came to announce the emperor's order to appoint a general, I would accept it. But Cao Ren is a prisoner, and you want to take him away with just one sentence. This must be the instruction of Cao. You dare to pretend to be the emperor's edict. What crime should you be punished for falsely conveying the imperial edict?"
“This…” Wang Lang’s face changed slightly. He took two steps back and dared not look at Liu Qi again.
Guan Yu and others nodded frequently and glared at Wang Lang. When he first came, everyone respected him as an envoy and a famous figure in the country, but now their eyes turned into contempt.
Liu Qi turned his back and said calmly, "My father was the governor of Jingzhou, but Cao Cao repeatedly invaded Nanyang and harmed the people. Cao Ren deserved his punishment. How could he just walk away?"
Wang Lang was extremely embarrassed. Hearing this, he hurriedly asked, "General, what are your conditions? Please tell me clearly."
Liu Qi then turned around, put on a smile, and asked, "What is the relationship between Cao Ren and Cao Cao?"
"They serve the king..." Wang Lang almost let the cat out of the bag, and quickly changed his words: "They serve the king, they are ministers of the same palace, and they are also from the same clan."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "So, Cao Ren is Cao Cao's cousin?"
"That's right! Cao Ren is the son of Cao Chi, Marquis Mu of Chen, and the cousin of Prime Minister Cao." Wang Lang was puzzled. Everyone knew this, so why bother asking
Liu Qi added: "I am a relative of the Han Dynasty and also of the same clan as the emperor. Do you agree with me?"
Wang Lang became more and more impatient, thinking, "How can I refute this?" But he had to nod again.
Liu Qi smiled slightly and said slowly: "Then exchanging a cousin for another cousin, this is reasonable, right?"
"He... Hoho..."
Wang Lang was about to nod when his face suddenly changed. He looked at Liu Qi in horror and made a strange sound in his throat.