Chapter 304 Falling apart
Yang Xiu ran very fast, and when Cao Ren met Cao Cao, Yang Xiu decisively left the city to escape the summer heat.

Before he could wonder whether his actions were appropriate, fires began to break out all over the city.

Arson is the signal, and too many people are involved in arson.

Some are just unwilling to accept it, while others just want to warn others.

He did not dare to flee to Guanzhong, and instead went down the Ying River, preparing to surrender to Liu Fu, the governor of Yangzhou.

Yang Xiu only took half a step forward, and after him, the people of Xudu fled in all directions.

It was totally beyond the control of Cao's army. Even the scholars from Qiaopei and Ruying were fleeing!
It is difficult to have the determination to die on the spot, but there is still the determination to escape from Xudu and draw a clear line.

In the evening, Cao Cao was exhausted both physically and mentally, so he came to see Xun Yu off in person.

After having his hair shaved, Xun Yu vomited blood and died. When Cao Cao arrived, Xun Yu had been changed into clean clothes and was lying quietly in the front hall.

Xun Yu was lying quietly on a low couch made up of five or six low tables. His delicate skin made his face look even paler.

Cao Cao stood in front of the door without saying a word. The Xun family members and disciples in the pavilion stood up and hid behind the screen, then went out through the side door.

After the area was cleared, Cao Cao stepped over the threshold and walked in. After twelve or thirteen steps he arrived in front of the couch.

Looking down at Xun Yu who was deep in sleep, Cao Cao let out a long sigh: "I never thought that Wen Ruo would die before me."

Cao Xiu, who was following behind him, lowered his brows and remained silent. He also had not slept all night.

The situation was now extremely bad. Some soldiers who had participated in the attack on the palace, seeing so many officials and civilians fleeing, actually broke out of the camp and fled.

The truth of what happened in the palace can no longer be concealed.

The truth is no longer important. Since the start of the campaign against the Liu clan, the Xudu court had already been in name only!
Even if the emperor is alive and well, he can only deceive the scholars and common people inside.

The situation was now too dire. The queen had committed suicide by jumping into the fire, and too many court officials and almost all the eunuchs and female officials had perished.

Even if there really is a prince alive, no one in the world would believe the authenticity of this prince.

Everything is gone and there is no going back.

This is even more tragic than when Black Bear captured Chang'an and Yuan Shang supported the new emperor.

But if you don’t do this, if the Liu brothers dare to lure the black bear this time, they will have to unite with Liu Bei next time!
If we don't take action in advance, we will have to face Liu Bei and Chang Xi, as well as fight against the other Lius and the emperor. If we are unlucky and the emperor is out of our control, then surrendered generals like Xu Huang and Zhang He will definitely turn against us!
Only by eliminating the Liu clan in advance can we avoid the embarrassing and desperate situation of being attacked from all sides and the emperor being attacked from within.

There is no way, there is really no way.

Cao Cao's greatness lies in the fact that he started his career in the Central Plains, a land surrounded by wars, and successfully established his hegemony.

It would be more accurate to say that this hegemony was the legacy of the Han Dynasty rather than Cao Cao's.

With the emperor captured, who would dare to attack Cao Cao except the participants of the Yidaizhao?

Even Lu Bu, since the emperor gave his permission, had never taken the initiative to attack Cao Cao.

If you don't have the emperor in your hands, do you think Lu Bu will mess with you?
At this moment, Cao Cao felt helpless and frightened.

He stepped forward and grabbed Xun Yu's stiff arm. After subconsciously and instinctively pinching Xun Yu's palm to confirm that he was really dead, Cao Cao could no longer control his sadness.

Collapsing on the edge of the couch, Cao Cao was filled with remorse, but he couldn't cry out.

He didn't expect that he was still so weak.

It would have been fine if Black Bear was not afraid of him, even Yuan Shang was not afraid of him. The loss before and after the Battle of Liyang was only more than 12,000 people, but it directly stimulated the enthusiasm of Liu Bei and the Liu clan to act.

The so-called Han army in Xudu and Cao army had begun to disintegrate since their defeat in the Battle of Liyang.

When the black bear appeared outside the city of Xudu, it was just a matter of time before a mutiny occurred.

It was precisely because of the internal instability that Cao Cao actively traveled and inspected various places.

You know, starting from last summer, he stayed in the Chenliu camp for a full six months!

What he feared was being attacked by a black bear when traveling; this year he overcame this concern, but a black bear took advantage of his absence and attacked Xu Du.

It was only because Liu Bei was hesitant and cautious. If these people had been more courageous, Xu Du might have changed its flag at that time!

As long as the Han emperor appeared on the city wall at that time, a decree would allow Cao Hong's troops to watch, and all the soldiers under the staggered labor system would instinctively obey the Xu Du court and the emperor.

Therefore, if Liu Ruo and his men had been more courageous that day, there would have been no need for Black Bear to take action, and Cao Hong would have most likely been killed on the battlefield!
That's why Cao Cao took a long detour back to Xu Du and launched a purge almost without any planning.

No one can stop.

Empress Fu Shou, this crazy woman... This is not Fu Shou's fault, this is just the sequelae of the secret decree to kill Concubine Dong and Dong Cheng. Cao Cao was deeply saddened, and his mind was clear.

It was difficult to express his grievances, resentment and sadness, but after confirming that Xun Yu was dead, Cao Cao didn't want to say anything more.

Fortunately, the Liu brothers were not very well prepared, and sadness and anger are better than failure.

Cao Cao calmed down his emotions, rolled up his sleeves to wipe away the tears that were flowing silently, and said to Xun Yu before leaving: "Wen Ruo, you still don't believe me."

Concealing his disappointment, Cao Cao left here and returned to Sikonggong Mansion.

Military advisors Xun You, Jia Xu, and Cheng Yu stood in front of the mansion to greet him, and Cao Cao was distracted for a moment.

Around this time last year, if he had returned to the palace, he would have had more than ten military advisors and strategists, but now Guo Jia, Xu You and Lou Gui are all missing.

The Yanzhou soldiers suffered heavy losses in the battle of Liyang, and the 3,000 new Jiyin troops that Cheng Yu had spent a year and a half to reorganize by recruiting bandits and refugees were completely wiped out.

In this state, how could Cheng Yu have the face and mood to lead the troops and supervise Yanzhou again?
How do the soldiers and scholars in the counties and prefectures of Yanzhou view Cheng Yu? How do the people of Jiyin view Cheng Yu?
Cheng Yu was seriously injured and it was difficult for him to gain the support and trust of the local public opinion.

The foundation for commanding troops has been cut off, and he can only become a mere strategist.

As for arranging Cheng Yu to other states, how could the soldiers, scholars and military officers in these areas dare to follow and obey Cheng Yu's orders?

If you were a little cruel and violent, the officers and soldiers could tolerate it, and their families could trust you; but when your entire army was defeated and only your life escaped, who would dare to trust you with their lives at the risk of their lives?
So Cheng Yu’s current condition is not much better than Cao Cao’s.

Cao Cao also felt the despair and regret of Li Jue and Guo Si at that time.

The crowd surrounded Cao Cao and he felt that the mansion was empty. Many of the officials had probably fled.

These officials are the heroes of each county and represent local public opinion.

If these people flee back to their hometowns and spread rumors, what dignity will the Xudu court still have?

It was not until this moment, when Cao Cao saw that the Sikong Mansion, which was once full of talented people, had become an empty mansion, that he felt the strong appeal of the Han Dynasty.

After sitting down, Cao Cao couldn't help but think of Yuan Shu.

Up to now, he still couldn't figure out Yuan Shu's confidence and reasons for becoming emperor.

I can more or less grasp some of the ideas in front of me. Yuan Shu, who was at the end of his rope, chose to become emperor just to take a gamble.

If he won the bet, he would have changed his fate and overthrown the Han Dynasty. However, Yuan Shu lost the bet, and his huge power fell apart in the blink of an eye.
In any case, before his death, Yuan Shu really fulfilled his desire to be an emperor.

Even after Yuan Shu's death, his corpse and tomb were preserved intact.

After everyone was seated, Cao Cao said, "The traitors were plotting rebellion, and I was not careful at the time, so I ordered the rebel army to attack the emperor. This crime cannot be redeemed even if I die. I want to submit a petition to the court to apologize for my crime and select another wise man to protect the country."

Xun You casually bowed and said: "Mingsir, at this time when the government and the people are in turmoil, how can you give up so easily?"

"If we don't punish the crime of negligence, it will be difficult to rectify the criminal law."

Cao Cao looked up at the passing clouds and felt even more worried: "I will resign from the position of Minister of Works."

Cheng Yu then spoke up: "Without you, how can the government and the people be at peace? In my humble opinion, you might as well demote yourself by three ranks and still run your government as usual."

"Demote yourself three levels?"

Cao Cao thought, there are roughly five ranks for officials above two thousand stones, namely Shang Gong, Gongwei, Shang Qing, Qingwei, and Ci Qing.

To divide it more specifically, the Three Dukes are equivalent to the General of Cavalry and the General of Chariots and Cavalry; below them is the General of Guards, and below them are the Four Generals.

The Four Generals are also ranked among the upper ministers.

Cao Cao thought seriously and said: "Then I will open a government office as the Right General."

As for the former general Cao Ding, he would naturally be held accountable and demoted.

Seeing that no one objected, Cao Cao looked around and asked, "I am only concerned about Guanzhong now. What should I do?"

Cao Cao looked at Jia Xu, who remained silent. Jia Xu knew there was no way out. "Mingsir, the Grand Marshal requested only the position of Shangshu Xingtai. Give it to him now."

As long as he did not claim to be a king and did not replace the official system of a kingdom in Guanlong, Guanlong would still be under the rule of the Han Empire.

The Shangshu Xingtai was the external branch of the Shangshu Tai of the Han Empire. As long as the Shangshu Xingtai was still in operation, it would naturally follow the legal system of the Xudu court.

Without anyone else adding anything or refutation, Cao Cao nodded: "Let's follow Wenhe's lead."

Jia Xu was humble and sat there with a low profile. His response to Cao Cao was just a bow, and then he returned to silence.

(End of this chapter)