Chapter 259: He is just a puppet. Can he keep the imperial seal? The emperor's surname is Liu, and Liu Bei's surname is also Liu!
Xiao Fang played with the jade seal in his hand and took another look at the two brothers. He figured out what was going on in their minds.

These two brothers probably did not want to present the imperial seal to Liu Bei, otherwise they would have done so long ago. Why kept it hidden until now?

He even secretly came to discuss the matter with me, hoping that he would make a decision.

Xiao Fang guessed that the two brothers Guan and Zhang did not want to take the imperial seal for themselves, but were afraid that if they gave the seal to Liu Bei, Liu Bei would then send it to Xu Du and give it to the puppet emperor.

There's nothing you can do about it. It's your surname, Liu, not Cao or Yuan.

Your identity as a descendant of Liu, the uncle of the Han emperor, is actually a double-edged sword.

Needless to say, the benefits are obvious. As the Liu royal family, it is only natural for them to fight against traitors who usurp the throne, and they naturally carry the aura of justice.

Naturally, there are many disadvantages, such as the imperial seal.

Whether it is Sun Jian, Yuan Shu, or Lu Bu, once they got the imperial seal, they could all take it for themselves.

They will certainly suffer from slander, but it will not have much impact on them.

Old Liu is different.

You, Liu Bei, are the great uncle of the Han emperor appointed by the emperor. You always say that you want to fight against the Han traitors, support the Han Dynasty, and serve the emperor!

Now that you have obtained the imperial seal, you keep it for yourself and do not return it to the emperor. What do you want to do?
Do you want to learn from Yuan Shu?
The impact of this kind of slanderous public opinion on Lao Liu's prestige and reputation, and on the public opinion, cannot be ignored.

There is no way. People's demands on good people are often much more stringent than those on bad people. This has been the case throughout history and is not surprising.

So for Old Liu, if he got the imperial seal, he would naturally send it to Xudu to present it to the emperor without hesitation, both for public and private reasons.

But our soldiers worked hard to conquer Huainan and got the imperial seal, but now we are giving it to Xudu for nothing. Not to mention the two brothers Guan and Zhang, even the other generals would naturally be unwilling to see this.

"General Yunchang, General Yide, what do you think, should we present this imperial seal to our lord?"

Xiao Fang was not in a hurry to express his opinion and kicked the ball back to the two brothers.

Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard, as if he was still thinking about how to express his attitude.

Zhang Fei did not hesitate, waved his hand and shouted:
"If we give this jade seal to brother, he will definitely send it directly to Xudu without saying anything."

"I think that this imperial seal must not be sent to Xudu to be given to the emperor!"

"Military Advisor, think about it. Everyone knows that the emperor is a puppet of Cao Cao. If we send the imperial seal to Xudu, isn't it the same as giving it to Cao Cao?"

"Besides, you also said that Cao Cao might be defeated by Yuan Shao. If Xudu falls by then, who knows, the imperial seal might fall into the hands of Yuan Shao again."

"By then, that old villain will have taken control of the two rivers and obtained the imperial seal. What if he follows his brother Yuan Shu's example and becomes a traitor, usurping the throne and proclaiming himself emperor?"

"The Imperial Seal is a symbol of destiny. If Yuan Shao were to claim the throne with this thing, wouldn't that make people think he was the one with destiny?"

Zhang Fei talked a lot about the disadvantages, obviously opposing sending the imperial seal to Xudu to the emperor, and then hesitated whether to present the seal to Lao Liu.

Xiao Fang had to admit that the reasons Zhang Fei gave were indeed very reasonable.

Although Cao Cao in history did not become emperor during his lifetime, he first called himself a duke and then a king as a person without a surname, paving the way for his son Cao Pi to become emperor.

Later, Cao Pi forced Liu Xie to abdicate and handed over the imperial seal, proving from the legal and destiny that Cao's replacement of Liu was the will of heaven.

It was inevitable that the Cao family would usurp the Han Dynasty. If Old Liu gave the imperial seal to Cao Cao, wouldn't it be tantamount to helping the Cao family usurp the Liu family's country?

As for Yuan Shao, there is no need to mention it. His ambition to usurp the Han Dynasty is even more obvious than Cao Cao's. If the imperial seal falls into his hands, there is no guarantee that he will not be the second Yuan Shu.

Yu Gong, this imperial seal cannot be sent to Xu Du.

"General Yunchang, what do you mean?"

Xiao Fang still did not express his opinion and looked at Guan Yu again.

After a brief silence, Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard and said:
"I naturally agree with what Yide said. We cannot let this imperial seal fall into the hands of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao."

"Even if this imperial seal is delivered to the emperor, he cannot protect it. Why not let my brother protect it?"

"The Han Dynasty belongs to the Liu family. The emperor's surname is Liu, and my brother's surname is also Liu!"

Guan Yu expressed his attitude, and the tone of his last sentence was profound.

What Xiao Fang wanted was his attitude in his last sentence.

The emperor’s surname is Liu, and Liu Bei’s surname is also Liu!

Your Emperor Liu of Xudu only has the title of Emperor, but is actually a puppet of Cao Cao. You can hardly protect yourself, so how can you talk about protecting the Han Dynasty?

My brother Liu Bei is a man of great bravery and strategy. He dominates the two states of Jing and Yang. He has many brave generals and wise counselors under his command, and an army of one hundred thousand armored soldiers. He can compete with Yuan and Cao!

My brother is the only descendant of the Liu family who can defeat the Han thieves and save the Han country.

Now, he has obtained the imperial seal, which symbolizes the destiny.

My brother Liu Xuande should be the emperor of the Han Dynasty!
It is impossible for Guan Yu to say it so bluntly, but this is what he meant.

Zhang Fei rolled his eyes a few times and suddenly understood what his second brother meant. He jumped up excitedly as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

"Second brother is right. The Han people belong to the Liu clan. They all have the surname Liu. Why can't my brother sit on the throne of the emperor——"

"Cough cough~~"

At the critical moment, Xiao Fang coughed lightly a few times, interrupting Zhang Fei's outspoken speech.

"General Yide, there are some truths that we just need to know in our hearts. It is better not to speak them out before the time is right."

Xiao Fang couldn't say it directly, so he could only hint and remind him in a subtle way.

Zhang Fei was also rough but meticulous. He was stunned at first, but then he understood Xiao Fang's hint. He couldn't help but smile foolishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Military Advisor is right. I am indeed a little anxious to talk about these things at this time~~"

"Look at me, I'm such a straight-forward person, I can't control my mouth!"

After Zhang Fei blamed himself for a while, he suddenly realized it and said with wide eyes:

"Military Advisor, we came to ask you what to do. Why haven't you said a word about your intentions after we have said so much?"

"Military advisor, you have to come up with an idea." Guan Yu also looked at Xiao Fang with expectation, waiting for Xiao Fang to come up with a foolproof plan.

What Xiao Fang asked just now was just to find out the attitudes of his two brothers. Now after listening to what they said, he naturally had an idea in his mind.

"General Yide, besides the three of us, does anyone else know that you got the imperial seal?"

Xiao Fang looked at the jade seal in his hand and asked again.

Zhang Fei hurriedly said, "Except for the three of us, there was no one else. The prisoner was seriously injured and died after handing over the imperial seal."

Xiao Fang nodded slightly and put the jade seal back into Zhang Fei's hands.

"In that case, the imperial seal will be kept by you, General Yide. Don't rush to present it to the lord."

"After all, you know the Lord's character better than I do. As long as you present the jade seal to him, no matter how reasonable your words are, even if he has to talk until his lips are worn out, he will definitely send it to Xudu."

"Let's take a step back. Even if the Lord is persuaded by us to leave the imperial seal behind, if the news gets out, the Lord will be slandered."

"My lord is not Sun Jian, not Yuan Shu, and certainly not Lu Bu. These people can ignore the people's support, but my lord cannot."

"So the best option now is to keep this from the Lord. Out of sight, out of mind."

Xiao Fang gave a solution.

Zhang Fei seemed to realize something and put the jade seal back into his arms.

"Military Advisor, you are right. I will continue to keep the imperial seal. I don't need to bother you, brother."

"But I can't keep it a secret from my brother forever. Military Advisor, when do you plan to let me confess to my brother? I can't keep this treasure hidden forever, right?"

Zhang Fei scratched his head again and began to hesitate.

Xiao Fang patted Zhang Fei's shoulder heavily and said solemnly:

"Don't worry, that day won't be too far away. When the lord has achieved his goal and the people of the world are in favor of him, that will be the time for you to present the imperial seal!"

Then he changed the subject and smiled and comforted:
"Besides, you and the lord are brothers, and you did this all for the lord's good. Even if the lord finds out the whole story later, can he still blame you?"

Zhang Fei said "Oh", and the worry on his face was dispelled.

Then he put the jade seal in his pocket and said with a smile:

"Military Advisor, whatever you say is what I will do. I don't want to think too much about it. I will hand over the imperial seal whenever you ask me to do so."

The three of them looked at each other and couldn't help but smile at each other.

...

Guandu, Caoying fortress.

Inside the central army tent, Cao Cao sat on the throne with a sullen face and a furrowed brow.

"Sikong, I followed Sikong's instructions and changed the large measure to a small measure to distribute food to the soldiers. After eating the small measure for more than a month, the soldiers have already noticed something is wrong and there are complaints in the army."

"Sikong, please forgive me for speaking frankly. If you continue to distribute food in such small quantities, there will be mutiny in the army."

Wang Hu, the grain officer, half-knelt in the tent and reported with a bitter face.

Cao Cao took a deep breath, seemed to have made some kind of decision, and said:
"Do you remember that I told you that day that if the army's morale was unstable, I would borrow something from you to calm the army's morale?"

Wang Hu was stunned for a moment, then nodded blankly:
"I do remember Sikong saying this, but I don't understand what I can do to help Sikong calm the troops."

Cao Cao raised his hand and pointed at Wang Hu's head, saying coldly:
"I want to borrow your head to appease the army and calm the soldiers' complaints!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tent changed their expressions.

Wang Hu was even more frightened, and knelt down hurriedly and said:
"Please spare my life, Sikong. What crime have I committed? Why do you want to chop off my head?"

Cao Cao looked helpless and sighed:
"Not only are you innocent, you have also done great things. But I had no choice but to do this."

"Just go on your journey with peace of mind. I will take care of your wife and children. Don't worry about them on your way to the underworld."

After saying this, Cao Cao waved his hand and shouted:
"Come here, drag Wang Hu away and behead him in public, and then announce to the three armies that Wang Hu embezzled our army's rations and changed the large measure to a small measure. I have now found out, so I will behead him!"

The tiger soldiers on both sides rushed forward and dragged Wang Hu away.

"Sikong Cao, I have not committed any corruption. I have only followed your orders. I am wronged~~"

Wang Hu's grief and indignation and cries gradually faded away until they disappeared outside the tent.

Cao Cao's eyes welled up with tears, and he said helplessly:
"If it weren't for the situation, if it weren't for Yuan Shao's pressure, I wouldn't have taken such a bad approach."

"Wang Hu, ah Wang Hu, it is I, Cao Cao, who am sorry for you. I am sorry~~"

As he spoke, Cao Cao burst into tears.

Seeing this, Guo Jia could only sigh and comfort him:
"Sikong did this to fight against Yuan Shikai. He had no choice but to do so. I believe everyone can understand Sikong's difficulties."

"If Wang Hu had not been sacrificed, the army would have been in chaos and countless people would have died at the hands of Yuan Shao."

Cao Hong and others all agreed, comforting Cao Cao and offering various favors.

Cao Cao took advantage of the situation and wiped the tears from his eyes. He stood up, picked up the wine glass and walked outside the tent. He raised his glass and bowed to Wang Hu's head hanging high in the distance.

"Wang Hu, you have made great contributions to the country and the world. I, Cao Cao, would like to offer you this glass of wine!"

"When I, Cao Cao, defeat Yuan Shao and win this battle, I will erect a monument and build a temple for you, so that you can be worshipped by the descendants of my Cao family for generations to come!"

After making a solemn oath, Cao Cao solemnly poured the wine on the ground.

As soon as the wine landed, Cheng Yu came hurriedly and said solemnly:

"Sikong, news just came from Huainan that Liu Bei has captured Shouchun and killed Lu Bu!"

Bang!

Cao Cao's hand shook and the wine glass fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)