Chapter 307 Disaster Is Coming
To the north of Wancheng, at the entrance of Jackdaw Road, is Zhi County.

There is an iron smelting and forging base here from the Qin and Han dynasties.

Liu Bei was inspecting the recovery of smelting here when the military situation of the Xudu Incident was brought to him.

It was difficult for Liu Bei to accept this drastic change emotionally.

From the beginning to the end, he refused to submit to Cao Cao; as a key player in the Battle of Guandu from the preliminaries to the finals, Liu Bei had always been very clear about how much luck played a role in Cao Cao's victory.

That's why he dared to launch the Northern Expedition, but Liu Biao was not supportive.

He was very clear about the various branch structures of Cao's army, and in his eyes, Cao Cao's direct lineage was only about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

But in the eyes of Liu Biao and the vast majority of people in the world, Cao's army of more than 100,000 soldiers was extremely brave.

A small move can affect the entire body. If you attack Cao Cao in one county, Cao Cao will come out in full force.

In Liu Bei's eyes, as long as he could destroy a few of Cao Cao's fist troops, Cao's army would become unstable.

It was really unexpected that the black bear ran to the outside of Xudu City and touched it, which made Cao Cao lose his mind and make such a ruthless decision of fighting to the death.

If Cao Cao could hold on for another two months...

As for the emperor's safety, Liu Bei still believed it.

No matter how crazy Cao Cao was, he would not harm the emperor.

Liu Bei had no choice but to leave Zhi County first. When he returned to Wancheng, more people brought the news to Wancheng, urgently asking Liu Bei to send troops to rescue the emperor.

Among them was an old acquaintance, Lu Zhao, the defender of Luyang.

Lu Zhao came here in person, following the Jackdaw Road. As soon as Liu Bei returned, he caught up with him.

In a garden in the city, Liu Bei gave Lu Zhao a grand reception.

Lu Zhao was in a very bad mental state, as if he was frightened.

He was extremely tired from traveling day and night. He put on a short white coat and tied a white scarf on his head. "The officials and soldiers of our state have long been dissatisfied with the thief Cao, so they welcomed and served Lü Wenhou. Later, because the emperor moved to Xu, the thief Cao held the emperor hostage, so the officials and soldiers of our state had no choice but to submit. Now that Xudu has changed and the pillars of heaven have collapsed, the officials and soldiers of our state should be ready to fight bravely and take the lead to eliminate the thieves!"

As Lu Zhao spoke, he took out a scroll from his bosom and held it in both hands: "This is written in blood by our soldiers. We are willing to follow Lord Xuande to lead the troops eastward and rebuild the country!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei sat on the sidelines with expressionless faces. This matter was too serious.

Even Zhang Fei was frightened. No matter how brave he was, he would not dare to kill the emperor's entire family.

Powerful officials in all dynasties would kill emperors and princes quietly. They either caused them to die of illness or disease, and they did not dare to kill them all in succession.

You, Cao Cao, are so good that you kill the entire family at once.

Liu Bei still didn't believe it, and frowned: "General, it's great that you are willing to lead the people to fight against the enemy with me. But there is no solid evidence that the emperor was harmed, so you must not talk about it anymore."

Lu Zhao glanced around and found that the only person present whom he was not familiar with was Xu Shu.

I think he is also Lord Xuande's confidant.

Then Lu Zhao looked up at Liu Bei with a sincere expression: "The emperor was killed, and I did not spread rumors. Mao Jie, the East Cao of Cao's palace, is my fellow villager. Now I endured humiliation and hid by Cao's side. When I heard about the change in the palace, I sent my sons and daughters to tell me in a secret letter."

As he spoke, Lu Zhao took out two palm-sized pages of silk book from his arms. There were obvious needle holes and thread ends on them, as if they were taken out from the lining of clothes.

There are two pages of silk book, one for Lu Zhao and the other for Liu Bei.

Liu Bei stayed in Xudu for such a long time and attended many banquets, big and small, that his network of contacts basically expanded to the limit of what Cao Cao could tolerate.

With the silk book in front of him, Liu Bei still found it hard to believe: "How could Cao Mengde be so unwise?"

Xu Shu took a closer look at the contents of the silk book and said, "My lord, as the saying goes, the arrow is on the string and has to be shot. At this point, Cao Cao can no longer control it."

"Eh~!"

Liu Bei let out a long sigh, feeling that Cao Cao's downfall was somewhat dull.

And there is the emperor. The emperor has endured humiliation for so many years, and he still behaves so firmly when the time comes, which makes him respect and love him even more.

Such a rare wise ruler, who could quickly save the people of the world from disaster, was actually murdered by Cao Cao...

Taking a deep breath, Liu Bei calmed down and looked at the road ahead: "Please return to Luyang to appease the people. After the news from Xudu is verified, I will issue a letter to all quarters, calling on loyal and righteous people to join us in the national crisis and fight against the traitors!" "Yes."

Lu Zhao bowed and said, "I am a low-ranking general with low talent and moral integrity, and I am afraid that I will not be able to convince the people. The three generals under Lord Xuande, Guan, Zhang, and Zhao, are brave enough to defeat ten thousand men, and are all famous in the world. I implore Lord Xuande to send one of them to calm the army."

Liu Bei also understood Lu Zhao's concerns. The army was in a panic now. If you keep being polite here, you might turn around and find that the Luyang defenders have collapsed and scattered in all directions.

He went to see Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but Guan Yu declined, saying, "Brother, three thousand new soldiers from Xinye will soon be arriving, and I cannot be left alone during the training."

Liu Bei went to see Zhang Fei again. Zhang Fei frowned and said in embarrassment: "Brother, I am related to the Xiahou family. I don't know the positions of Xiahou Miaocai and Xiahou Yuanrang. I should not go to Wankou."

Lu Zhao glanced at Zhang Fei sideways, feeling that Zhang Fei was retreating in order to advance.

As expected, Liu Bei said, "The one who plotted to murder the emperor was Cao, what does it have to do with Xiahou clan? Yide doesn't need to worry. He should immediately select the best soldiers of his army to follow General Lu to Luyang in the north and take the opportunity to persuade Xiahou Yuanrang and Xiahou Miaocai."

Seeing Liu Bei's personal judgment, Zhang Fei stood up and bowed: "Yes, I will obey your command."

Then Zhang Fei looked up and asked, "If the Great Sima Hei sends troops to Heluo, will I promise Xiahou Yuanrang to send troops to rescue him?"

"Just say something kind and soothe them."

Liu Bei thought about and analyzed Black Bear's character. Now that the emperor is gone, everyone's shackles are gone.

What the black bear dared to do in the past, the governors, provincial governors, and generals who are from royal families dare to do now.

After thinking for a while, Liu Bei said, "I will send envoys to Guanzhong, Jingxiang and Hebei. When the matter of Xudu is confirmed, Huainan, Jiangdong and Yizhou will also send envoys. If Xiahou Yuanrang is willing to lead the people of Heluo to attack Cao, the envoys from all parties can gather in Luoyang to discuss state affairs."

"Yes, I understand."

Zhang Fei was emboldened, and Xiahou Dun provided Luoyang for all parties to discuss together. How could he have the nerve to hold Xiahou Dun responsible?
After all, the Cao family and the Xiahou family were just normal intermarriages between big families from the same hometown, and they were not different branches of the same family.

What's more, there was no in-law relationship between Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao's generation or the next generation.

The closest relative was Xiahou Yuan, who married the Ding sisters together with Cao Cao, but Cao Cao had already divorced Mrs. Ding.

Therefore, the marriage ties between this generation and the next are not deep.

After rescuing Xiahou Dun, it was only natural to rescue Xiahou Yuan.

As long as the two Xiahous are alive, there is a chance to preserve a few descendants of the Cao family... As long as Cao Cao is quickly wiped out, these are trivial details that can be ignored!
After winning over the two Xiahous and attaching themselves to Zang Ba and other generals, the Qingzhou soldiers were again wavering in their stance.

What else does Cao Cao have left?
Lu Zhao felt relieved when he saw that the brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan both had a way out.

Anyway, those who plotted to murder the emperor were from Qiaopei and Ruying. What did that have to do with him, a native of Chenliu?
Lu Zhao immediately followed Zhang Fei and when they were far away, Liu Bei could no longer control his anger.

He drew out his sword and chopped the beam with his backhand. The blade sunk three inches into the beam and was firmly embedded.

He gritted his teeth and glared: "I must kill all three clans of Cao Cao!"

Guan Yu lowered his head. He was somewhat suspected of arson during the Xudu Incident.

Mrs. Du, who was brought back, was pregnant. Together with Qin Lang, Mrs. Du now has three sons and the one in her belly.

But Guan Yu also knew that he should not rush to persuade Liu Bei now. After the anger subsided, Mrs. Du’s children would still be able to survive.

After all, the oldest is only three years old. What harm can it do?
Xu Shu frowned and said nothing. He also knew the reason for his lord's anger.

Killing the emperor is one thing, but killing an emperor in his twenties who can endure humiliation and die bravely in battle is another thing.

Besides, allowing soldiers to kill the emperor is a shocking event that has not been seen in hundreds of years.

The person killed was a wise ruler. As long as Cao Cao died, he would be turned into a mummy and become a collection of the Liu family.

After Liu Bei's anger subsided a little, Xu Shu advised: "My lord, Jingzhou Liu Jingsheng and his son are not a concern. The one in trouble now is Hei Da Sima. If he insists on taking Luoyang, Xiahou Yuanrang will not be his opponent. Even if our army goes all out, it will be difficult to stop him."

It’s not that Xiahou Dun is incompetent, it’s that the Heluo defenders have lost their cohesion.

If Black Bear acts quickly, he can recruit the Heluo defenders without fighting.

The Heluo area is crucial. It is the only barrier to keep black bears out of Guanlong in the future.

(End of this chapter)