"My lord, you can't do this!" Zhou Tai, who was closest to Sun Quan, jumped up and grabbed Sun Quan's arm.
"Don't stop me!" Sun Quan struggled hard and shouted, "Zhou Tai, do you dare to disobey my order?"
"It's my fault for not guarding well enough. If you want to kill, my lord, kill me first!" Zhou Tai's arms were like iron hoops, grabbing the blade and turning towards himself.
"Stop!" Cheng Pu stood up, snatched the ancient ingot knife, and shouted: "The three generations of the Eastern Wu foundation and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, how can the lord give up so easily?"
This shout was like a bolt from the blue. Sun Quan was shocked and took two steps back to lean against the side of the boat. He said sadly, "How can I lead the army if I bring disaster to your reputation?"
Cheng Pu advised: "In the past, Emperor Gaozu was defeated in many battles, but the Battle of Gaixia laid the foundation for the Han Dynasty's 300-year history. How can we judge a hero by his success or failure? My lord, you have inherited the foundation laid by your father and brother, and you are responsible for the safety of Jiangdong. You must not forget the trust given by the Marquis of Wu before his death."
All the generals knelt down and begged. Sun Quan stood silently for a long time before reluctantly agreeing. He felt defeated and disgraced in this battle.
He ordered his generals to reorganize the troops and train the navy in Chaohu Lake. At the same time, he sent people to Lujiang to report the news and transferred Zhou Yu to the front line to take charge of the situation and avenge the humiliation.
…
The Eastern Wu sent troops to capture Lujiang and attack Hefei. When the news reached Xuchang, all the civil and military officials were shocked.
Cao Cao was defeated in Nanyang and his 300,000-man army was wiped out. Since returning to Xuchang, he has been drowsy all day long, muttering "water and fire disasters". Who would dare to add fuel to the fire at this time
Cao Hong and Cao Xiu consulted with Xun Yu, who said, "Sun Quan saw that the Prime Minister had lost in Nanyang and wanted to take the opportunity to seize Huainan. The Wu army made a surprise attack to the north, so Sun Quan will definitely come with a light force. With Zhang Wenyuan guarding Hefei, we can be safe for the time being."
Cao Hong asked anxiously, "What should we do if we wait for Zhou Yu to arrive in Huainan?"
Xun Yu said: "General Xiahou Yuan is in Xuzhou and will not sit idly by. As long as Zhang Liao blocks Sun Quan and deploys defenses along the Fei River, the Eastern Wu will cross the river to the north without the advantage of ships, so there is no need to worry."
Cao Xiu frowned and asked, "So how should we prepare now?"
Xun Yu said: "Now that Nanyang has been lost, Liu Qi's prestige has been greatly shaken. The most urgent task is to rescue Generals Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, reorganize the troops, and calm the people's hearts..."
After a pause, he continued, "The matter of Cheng Zhongde has caused the Prime Minister to lose the support of the world. We must make a decision as soon as possible to save face."
Cao Xiu looked at Xun Yu and felt guilty. He coughed and said, "Sir, do you have any good ideas?"
Xun Yu hesitated, "This is a serious matter. We can only wait until the Prime Minister's condition improves and then discuss it together."
"Sun Quan, you ungrateful brat!" Cao Hong cursed. "The Prime Minister is unable to manage the affairs at the moment. I will go to Huainan in person and ask Bi Yan'er about this in person."
Xun Yu nodded and said, "For the matter of Yangzhou, we need a general to stabilize the morale of the army. If General Cao is willing to go, that would be the best."
After the two men left, Xun Yu sighed helplessly and came to the Prime Minister's Mansion, where he saw Jiang Ji, Dong Zhao and others were there, discussing the matter of moving the capital.
After Liu Qi captured Nanyang, he might send troops to Xuchang at any time, and the civil and military officials in the court were also ready to move. What would happen if they secretly colluded
Everyone has reached a consensus on moving the capital, but they are still arguing over whether to move to Luoyang or Yecheng.
Although Luoyang was the imperial capital, after it was burned down by Dong Zhuo, most of it became ruins and fell into disrepair and had long been abandoned.
The reconstruction and renovation would be extremely costly. Cao Cao had just pacified the north and was still fighting wars everywhere. He was short of troops, money and food, let alone repairing the palace.
Cao Cao established his government in Yecheng for convenience. He did not have to pay an audience with the emperor every morning and evening to greet him. He did not have to hold court to discuss everything. All decisions, big or small, could be made with just a memorial.
If the emperor were moved to Yecheng, he would be just like in Xuchang, being watched by those ministers everywhere and causing many troubles.
Xun Yu laughed and said, "The Prime Minister has his own decision on the matter of moving the capital. You can leave it to the civil and military officials to handle it as usual. We should share the Prime Minister's worries."
Jiang Ji was puzzled and asked, "Moving the capital is related to the foundation of the country. Discussing this matter and making preparations early is to relieve the Prime Minister's worries. What could be more important than this?"
Xun Yu said: "Save Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun."
When everyone heard this, they all lowered their heads. This matter was a national affair at best, and a private affair of the Cao family at worst. If they interfered rashly and angered Liu Qi, causing him to kill the two, who would be held responsible
Dong Zhao asked calmly, "What good plan do you have?"
Xun Yu said: "Liu Qi detained the two generals but did not harm their lives. He must be asking something of the Prime Minister, just like last time. We can send someone to negotiate with him first to test Liu Qi's intentions. When the Prime Minister's condition improves, we can discuss it in time."
Dong Zhao nodded and said, "Mingsong is right. I will send someone to Jingzhou immediately to test Liu Qi's intentions."
Xun Yu asked again: "The matter of Cheng Zhongde is already known to the whole world. Do you have any plan to remedy it?"
Several people looked at each other, and Jiang Ji asked, "What do you think, Wen Ruo?"
This matter is even more sensitive. Everyone knows that Cao Cao must have given his approval behind the scenes. Any unwarranted comment will result in fatal disaster. If not handled carefully, it will lead to eternal infamy. Who dares to stand up
The three most important things now are all competing to deal with the seemingly important but actually insignificant matter of moving the capital. No one dares to make a decision to save people and make amends.
Xun Yu sighed inwardly, thinking that they were all old foxes. Although he had a plan, he could not interfere and could only wait for Cao Cao's decision.
Upon learning the battle report from Nanyang, Xun Yu was shocked. He never expected that Cheng Yu would openly kill people for military rations in Nanyang. This was completely different from when he was in Yanzhou.
When he recommended Cheng Yu, he called him a "wise man of Yanzhou". He didn't expect that he would be so cruel and completely inhumane. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad that he died in the chaos of the army.
In the past few years, Cao Cao had been working hard to improve his reputation and maintain his court. After pacifying the north, his reputation was greatly enhanced. However, this move caused him to fall from grace and be despised by people all over the world.
Although Cheng Yu avoided a mutiny, the truth was revealed and it was even more serious than the massacre of Xuzhou. He would surely be reviled by future generations. Letting Cheng Yu take the responsibility alone would not be enough to appease the public anger.
After returning home, Xun Yu hid in his study, feeling heavy in his heart. The Battle of Nanyang had made him quite disappointed with Cao Cao, but instead he was somewhat looking forward to the rise of Liu Qi.
"Success and failure are all due to Xiao He!" After a long time, Xun Yu suddenly sighed.
That night, the Prime Minister's Office secretly sent someone to invite Jia Xu to meet Cao Cao together with Cao Xiu.
Cao Cao was lying on the bed, looking listless. Cao Cao asked: "What is the current situation in Nanyang?"
Cao Xiu reported: "Liu Qi did not send troops, but Sun Quan took the opportunity to march north..."
Cao Cao's face changed slightly, and Cao Xiu quickly changed his words: "Although Lujiang was lost, Zhang Liao defeated Sun Quan in Hefei and shocked Jiangdong. Third uncle has already rushed to Yangzhou to assist, so Prime Minister, don't worry."
"Bi Yan'er..." Cao Cao snorted slightly, and suddenly shed tears and said, "Nanyang is a place where I feel sad. Mr. Cheng has misled me. What a pity!"
Cao Xiu hurriedly consoled them, saying, "The imperial court has sent envoys to Jingzhou to negotiate, and they will certainly try to rescue the two generals."
Cao Cao sighed, looked at Jia Xu who was folding his arms and saying nothing, and said: "Although Cheng Yu died in the king's service, what he did may not be enough to appease the public anger. There are countless people in the world who are jealous of Cao, and they will definitely speak ill of him and put the blame on me. Does Wenhe have any countermeasures?"