News continued to come from Guanzhong: Chang'an was lost, Xiahou Yuan was captured, Xu Huang was defeated and fled to Hedong, Zhao Yun and Ma Chao led 100,000 Western Liang troops eastward, and the counties and prefectures in Longyou and Guanzhong surrendered, and the Central Plains was shaken.
Xin Pi saw that most of the Jingzhou soldiers outside the city had withdrawn. At first, he thought that Zhuge Liang was advancing westward to Hulao Pass to cooperate with the troops in Guanzhong to take Luoyang. But he thought that this move was too risky and was not like what Zhuge Liang did. Suddenly, he felt that something was fishy and sent people to Aoshan to inquire about the news.
In the evening, the scout reported that Lü Qian had been ambushed and committed suicide, and he sighed, "The great cause is over!"
As it was getting dark, Gan Ning and Chen Dao returned to the city of Xingyang and surrounded the city on all sides. There were not many soldiers left in the city, half of whom were new recruits, and the people were in panic.
The reinforcements were slow to arrive, and Xin Pi was worried about defending the city. Suddenly, the defenders brought a letter written by Zhuge Liang himself.
"Zhuge Liang, the General of the Han Army, wrote to Yin Xinjun of Henan: Since Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule, the king's power has been weakened, and the world has been in chaos. The treacherous heroes have taken advantage of the situation and the world is gnashing their teeth. All wise and brave people are looking for a wise leader to eliminate the national crisis. In the past, Cao Cao led an army to fight against the rebels, supported the emperor, and the whole country looked up to him. The civil and military officials were united. He was truly a hero at that time. You followed the trend and abandoned Yuan and joined Cao. Liang secretly thinks it is a wise choice.
However, human nature is changeable. Now Cao is powerful, tyrannical, and treacherous. He oppresses the emperor, persecutes loyal officials, and is clearly a usurper, even worse than Dong Zhuo. Your servants, Cao Wei, are actually helping Zhou to commit atrocities and betraying the bottom line!
Fortunately, the Han Dynasty has not been destroyed. Liu Bowei has received the will and the emperor has made outstanding achievements. The Han Dynasty is expected to be revived, and the Cao Party is lingering. You are a wise man, who has received the favor of the Han Dynasty. If you are willing to change your mind, return to your ancestors, offer Xingyang to settle Henan, save the country and bring peace to the people, then the Han Dynasty will be fortunate, the world will be fortunate, and your name will also be passed down to future generations.
If we resist stubbornly, Henan will be destroyed, the city will be shattered, and our reputation will be ruined. I cannot bear to sit idly by, so I wrote to my subordinates, asking them to investigate the matter in detail.
Xin Pi sighed after reading it and stared at the flickering light on the table for a long time without saying a word. In the past, because of surrendering to Cao, his brother was killed and his family was exterminated. Only his branch was left to be ostracized and moved to Henan. Now that he has finally established himself, is he going to repeat the same mistake
Just as he was feeling depressed, his eldest son Xin Chang took out his robe and put it on, saying, "With the enemy at hand, the people in the city are uneasy. I wonder what plans father has?"
"Kong Ming has sent a letter..." Xin Pi pointed at the letter on the table and said with a wry smile, "The former hero ended up in complete defeat, Cao Mengde fled to the northern desert and ended up repeating the mistakes of the Yuan family. Isn't this God's will?"
After reading it, Xin Chang frowned and said, "When Prime Minister Cao went north to fight, he was already seriously ill and knew that he would not live long, so he attacked the foreign tribes to protect his reputation! Since he thought that his great cause would be difficult to achieve, why do you insist on this? I see good intentions in Kong Ming's letter. Liu Qi is a relative of the Han Dynasty. He followed the trend back then. Why are you hesitating today?"
Xin Pi sighed, "Back then, the Yuan brothers fought and destroyed themselves, so I had no choice but to do this. Now the Cao family's foundation is still there, why should it be abandoned halfway? Moreover, if I surrender again, wouldn't I become a traitor and a treacherous villain?"
Xin Chang shook the letter and said, "Father was working to restore the Han Dynasty and eliminate violence. He was always a minister of the Han Dynasty, not a doorman of the Duke of Wei. How can you say he was a second minister?"
"Hiss—" Xin Pi narrowed his eyes slightly. As the saying goes, worry makes one confused. Now that he is in the middle of the situation, his mind is complicated, which makes it difficult for him to make a decision for a while.
After a moment of silence, he continued, "Your sister's wedding date with Yang is approaching. If you surrender now, Yang Tan and I will each be his own master, which may ruin her life. What should we do?"
“This…” Xin Chang frowned. Marriage is no joke. If Yang breaks off the engagement because of this, it will be a shame for the Xin family.
"How can we care about the personal feelings of our children when we are dealing with national affairs?"
Just as the father and son were worried, they heard a clear voice coming from behind the hall, and a woman came out slowly. She was about 28 years old, with beautiful eyebrows and a shrewd look in her eyes. It was their daughter Xin Xianying.
Xin Pi asked, "Ying'er, haven't you rested yet?"
Xin Xianying said: "The enemy is approaching the city, the danger is imminent, and the whole family is in trouble. Who can sleep peacefully? Mother just made ginseng soup and brought it to the study. Seeing that father was not there, she came to the hall."
Xin Pi sighed, "My father is in a state of confusion, how can I drink?"
Xin Xianying smiled and said, "This is easy. A wise man will follow the trend. Father has already made the decision. Why should he doubt it?"
"Oh?" Xin Pi knew that his daughter had been very smart since she was young, so he laughed and said, "I still don't know how to make a decision, so how can you tell that you have made a decision?"
Xin Xianying said: "If father had devoted his life to Cao, he should have torn this letter into pieces long ago, and sacrificed his life like Lu Qian did, to achieve justice..."
"Asshole!" Xin Pi said unhappily, "I endured humiliation and hardship just to protect you. If I hadn't seen the opportunity earlier, you would have died in your infancy. Now that you have finally settled down here, how can you abandon your family?"
Xin Xianying nodded and said, "Father, you are very thoughtful. I know that since you are considering your family, what does your marriage matter to? From my point of view, Yang's ancestors were ministers in the court, and they may not be dedicated to Cao Wei. If they are ignorant of the current situation, wouldn't it be a burden to me if I marry them off? If father really cares about the family, he should have made a decision earlier, otherwise there would be a change."
Xin Pi suddenly realized and held his forehead with his hand, saying, "If it weren't for Xianying's reminder, I would have almost missed the big thing. I have been working hard for the Han Dynasty. Since Cao has the intention of being disloyal, we should part ways with them, which is the duty of a subject."
Xin Xianying said: "It's not that I'm greedy. Now the generals of the Cao family are dying out, and only the clan members are left. Liu Qi has a lot of talents under his command, both civil and military, and they are all heroes of the time. If I break up with the Yang family this time, it will be God's will for me to have another marriage. If I can marry an important official of Liu Qi, it will be a blessing for me both publicly and privately!"
"My son, you are absolutely right!" Xin Pi's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard and laughed, "Xianying is intelligent and ambitious, and only a contemporary hero can match him."
Xin Chang clasped his fists and said, "Father, since you have made up your mind, there is no time to lose. I am willing to leave the city tonight to see Zhuge Liang, so as to avoid any more trouble."
Xin Pi now unloaded his burden and felt much more relaxed. He immediately ordered Xin Chang to take his family generals out of the city quietly to discuss the matter of surrendering the city with Zhuge Liang.
After arriving at the Jingzhou military camp and handing over the letter of surrender and waiting for the garrison's report, Xin Chang walked through the maze-like camp. He was secretly surprised, remembering how Zhang Liao had attacked Zhuge Liang but failed at the last moment. The deployment in this camp was indeed full of mysteries.
When they arrived at the central military tent, they saw a man with a feather fan and a blue scarf sorting out official documents. It was the military advisor and General Zhuge Liang. Seeing how focused he was, the soldiers did not dare to disturb him and could only wait on the side.
Zhuge Liang read the last few battle reports, counted the money and food personally, ordered his personal soldiers to guard the camp, and explained everything in detail before meeting Xin Chang.
Zhuge Liang pointed to the banquet nearby and said with a smile: "I knew your father would know the current situation, so I prepared some wine to welcome you. I was busy with official business just now and was a little negligent. I hope you can forgive me for my impoliteness."
Xin Chang clasped his fists and said, "I have heard of Wolong's great name for a long time. Today I see that his reputation is well-deserved. Sir, you are so thorough in your work. I am ashamed of you."
Zhuge Liang invited Xin Chang to take a seat and said with emotion: "I have been entrusted by General Liu to handle important matters in the Central Plains. I have to be cautious and careful. Only by doing everything myself can I feel at ease."