Chapter 207: Poaching from Old Liu? Sorry, you are not my type! Liu Bei: Jing Lue should be one of the Three Dukes!
Shaofu!

The emperor's decree was to appoint Xiao Fang as Shaofu and summon him to Xudu to take up the post!

Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that the first decree given to Liu Bei was the emperor's decree, while the second decree given to Xiao Fang was an decree containing Cao Cao's private agenda.

The purpose, of course, was to use the emperor's name and the official position of Shaofu as bait to lure Xiao Fang to Xudu.

Who is Xiao Fang? He is Lao Liu’s strategist!

With his extraordinary wisdom, he single-handedly helped Old Liu to become the one who now owns half of Jiangnan and is in a position to compete with Yuan and Cao!

Cao Cao wanted to use the emperor's hand to legitimately cut off Lao Liu's left and right arms!

This is the advantage of using the emperor to control the princes!
This was not the first time Cao Cao used this trick. He had previously used the name of the emperor to summon many talents from the princes to Xu Du.

Now Cao Cao obviously wants to repeat the same trick, using the same method to poach Lao Liu and trick Xiao Fang to Xu Du.

Shaofu was one of the Nine Ministers.

Not to mention a poor scholar like Xiao Fang, for most famous scholars, the position of Nine Ministers is an unattainable high position in this lifetime.

In order to lure Xiao Fang away, Cao Cao spent a huge amount of money, but it was still quite generous.

Liu Bei saw through Cao Cao's evil intentions, and naturally frowned, feeling disgusted.

"Master Xiao, please accept the order."

Dong Zhao walked forward with a smile and placed the imperial edict in front of Xiao Fang.

All the generals in the hall suddenly became nervous, fearing that their military advisor Xiao would really be tempted by the high position of Shaofu and accept this imperial edict.

Only Liu Bei's slightly frowned brows relaxed at this moment, and a hint of disapproving sneer flashed in his eyes.

That sneer seemed to mock Cao Cao's despicable behavior, and also revealed a kind of trust in Xiao Fang.

"Envoy Dong, I, Xiao Fang, cannot accept this decree."

Xiao Fang naturally knew that this was Cao Cao's trick, and he refused on the spot with a cold expression.

Dong Zhao frowned slightly and pretended to be surprised:

"Master Xiao, this is the emperor's order. How dare you disobey it?"

Xiao Fang smiled, and his smile was full of sarcasm.

"It is a well-known fact that Cao Sikong uses the emperor to control the princes.

"Is this decree of the emperor his original intention, or was it given by Minister Cao under duress? Do you think we need to tell him clearly?"

Since Cao Cao was using tricks, Xiao Fang did not give him face and directly exposed the essence of the decree.

Dong Zhao was stunned.

He obviously did not expect that Xiao Fang would not play by the rules and bluntly said in public that Cao Cao was using the emperor to control the princes.

After being stunned for a moment, Dong Zhao felt embarrassed and his mind raced as he tried to reorganize his words.

"We are all smart people, so there is no need to use those high-sounding official jargons."

"Please ask Envoy Dong to go back and tell Cao Sikong that I am honored by his appreciation for me, Xiao Fang. Unfortunately, he is not my cup of tea... No, he is not my cup of tea."

"My wife's family is the Zhuge clan, but they are from Xuzhou. Cao Sikong conquered Xuzhou twice and slaughtered people in Xuzhou, causing rivers of blood to flow!"

"If my lord had not sent troops to rescue Tao Qian, Xuzhou would have been massacred by Cao Sikong, and the entire Zhuge family would have been slaughtered by him long ago!"

"If I were born in Xuzhou, I, a humble scholar like myself, would have probably become an innocent soul under the sword of Cao Sikong!"

"Although I am not a man of great virtue, I have my own bottom line in my heart. For a lord like Cao Sikong, even if I am mediocre all my life, I will never bother to serve him!"

Xiao Fang did not beat around the bush and rejected Cao Cao's attempts to win him over in front of everyone. He also ruthlessly pointed out Cao Cao's evil deeds of massacring the city.

Dong Zhao looked embarrassed again, with sweat on his forehead. He was unable to refute Xiao Fang and could not speak to defend Cao Cao.

Xiao Fang's gaze turned to Lao Liu again.

"In terms of how he treats the people, Cao Cao always massacres the people in the city and treats them like grass, but my lord always takes the city but never harms the people. His reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known to everyone in the world."

"In terms of employing people, although Cao Cao claimed to be a man of talent, the people he employed were either his relatives from the Cao and Xiahou clans, or famous people from wealthy families such as Xun Yu. Apart from Guo Jia, how many poor people did he employ?"

"And I, Xiao Fang, a humble scholar, was entrusted by my master with the important task of being his advisor, and he obeyed my orders."

"Under my lord's command, there are Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Wei Yan, Gan Ning... there are countless heroes from humble backgrounds. If we talk about employing people based on their talents, my lord is the one who truly employs people based on their talents!"

"In terms of military strategy, my lord destroyed Zhang Ji, defeated Liu Biao, killed Yuan Shu, and defeated Sun Ce. He was invincible in every battle. Even if he is not better than Cao Sikong, he is at least on par with him." "In terms of ambition, my lord is the uncle of the Han emperor. He is determined to support the Han Dynasty, eliminate the Han thieves, and rebuild the Han Dynasty!"

"You, Cao Sikong, claim to serve the emperor and command the disobedient, but you leave Yuan Shu, the usurper who proclaimed himself emperor, alone and instead attack my lord, the great uncle of the Han emperor."

"I think our Sikong Cao's ambition is to become the second Yuan Shu sooner or later."

"Master Dong, please think about it. Cao Sikong is inferior to my master in every way. He is also cruel and suspicious, and has the ambition to usurp the Han Dynasty. What reason do I have to betray my master and join his army?"

Every word written by Xiao Fang was as sharp as a knife, dissecting Cao Cao thoroughly inside and out.

Although some parts of it may be slightly exaggerated, it is generally objective and fair.

Dong Zhao was speechless and stood there in embarrassment, unable to utter a single word.

There was no way. Even as a representative of the pro-Cao faction among the Han officials, he had to admit at this moment that every word Xiao Fang said about Cao Cao was true.

There was even a moment when, deep in his heart, he actually agreed with Xiao Fang's evaluation, and suddenly felt that Liu Bei was indeed more worthy of the title of wise leader than Cao Cao.

But the next moment, Dong Zhao reacted suddenly, remembering that he was a supporter of Cao, and how could he be shaken by Xiao Fang's words.

So after coughing a few times, Dong Zhao pretended to be displeased and wanted to protect Cao Cao.

"Envoy Dong and I each serve our own masters. I know you are going to defend Cao Sikong next. I can guess what you want to say. There is no need to waste your breath."

"As the saying goes, justice lies in the hearts of the people. Who is the wise leader that the people of the world truly hope for? The public will have their own opinion in the future. There is no need for you and me to argue here."

Xiao Fang didn't give Dong Zhao a chance to speak, and he bowed:

"If this imperial edict is truly the will of the emperor, please ask Envoy Dong to report to the emperor. I am ill and I am sorry that I cannot serve as an official in the court."

"If this imperial edict is the intention of Cao Sikong, please also ask Envoy Dong to reply to Cao Sikong that General Zuo has been very kind to me, and I believe that General Zuo is the one who will pacify the troubled times and rebuild the Han Dynasty. I will serve him with all my heart and soul until my death!"

Dong Zhao was full of words of defense, but they were abruptly blocked by Xiao Fang's resolute words.

Hearing this, all the generals on both sides breathed a sigh of relief, and were even infected by Xiao Fang's words, feeling their blood boiling.

A look of relief appeared on Old Liu's face.

With his ability to judge people, he had never doubted from the very beginning that Xiao Fang would be tempted by the position of Shaofu and abandon him to join Cao Cao.

Old Liu still has this confidence in his heart.

However, after seeing Xiao Fang publicly reject Cao Cao's recruitment and hearing his resolute and solemn expression of his determination, Old Liu couldn't help but feel deeply gratified.

As for Dong Zhao, he had a lot of words to defend and excuse Cao Cao, but when they came to his lips, he was bluntly retorted by Xiao Fang.

"Mr. Xiao, you have to think clearly."

"The Shaofu is one of the Nine Ministers. Many scholars from scholar families cannot reach that level in their lifetime, but you can achieve it easily."

"From this, we can see how much the emperor values ​​you and how much Cao Sikong appreciates you."

"Although General Zuo has defeated Sun Ce and pacified Jiangdong, the territory he controls is only the land of Jingzhou and Jiangdong."

"Sikong Cao was ordered by the emperor to punish the disloyal, and now he has taken control of the four states of Yu, Yan, Xu and Si, dominating the Central Plains!"

"When Cao Sikong pacifies the north and goes south to hunt with General Zuo on the Yangtze River, I hope Mr. Xiao will not regret your choice today."

Dong Zhao's face darkened and he threatened Xiao Fang.

The meaning was clear: you, Liu Bei, are strong, but you are ultimately confined to a corner of the south of the Yangtze River, occupying only the marginal territories such as Jingzhou and Jiangdong on the chessboard.

We, Cao Sikong, have already occupied Tianyuan and are holding the banner of justice under the Emperor. Sooner or later we will destroy Yuan Shao and unify the north.

Afterwards, he would lead his troops south, drink from the Yangtze River, and it would be easy to recover the south.

When that time comes, you, Xiao Fang, must not regret your ignorance of the current situation today!
Liu Bei's face suddenly darkened.

You threatened my military advisor right in front of me and made such wild statements, as if it would be easy to destroy me?
Do you really think I, Old Liu, have no temper?

Liu Bei then stepped forward, looked proudly at Dong Zhao, and said loudly:

"With my talent as Jinglue's military advisor Wang Zuo, how can a mere position of Shaofu be worthy of his peerless talent?"

"Don't worry, Envoy Dong. When he leads our Jingyang righteous army north to Xuchang to welcome the emperor back to the old capital, he will definitely petition the emperor to reward Jinglue with the title of one of the Three Dukes to honor his merits!"

Welcome the emperor and return to the old capital!
When Liu Bei uttered these eight extremely domineering words, Dong Zhao's face suddenly changed and he couldn't help but shudder.

(End of this chapter)