amaotonovel Chapter 483 Liu Bei didn't want Cao Cao to die?
Chapter 483 Liu Bei didn't want Cao Cao to die?
The four words "heading straight for Luoyang" struck Liu Bei like a morning bell, making him dizzy but also filled with excitement.
That's Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty, with a higher political status than Chang'an. If we can really take Luoyang, we won't need to fight any more battles, and we can easily restore the Han Dynasty.
Liu Bei had never imagined that his dream of restoring the Han Dynasty was so close to him, so close that it seemed he could reach out and touch it. Therefore, he was completely stunned when he heard these words.
Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Chen Dao, and the others were equally shocked, looking at Guan Xing as if he were a monster.
How did you come up with such an imaginative tactic: to block Cao Cao at Wuguan Pass and then march straight to Luoyang?
Is this how you raided Jianye and attacked Sun Quan's stronghold back then?
Zhu Ran, Hu Zong, Pan Zhu, and the others were equally shocked, and in their hearts, they praised Guan Xing wildly: "He truly deserves to be called the living Huo Qubing, Guan Anguo. He's amazing!"
After the initial excitement subsided, Zhang Fei shouted excitedly in his hoarse voice, which could be heard from ten miles away: "Brother, this can be done! If Cao Cao is blocked at Wuguan Pass, he can only retreat back to Guanzhong and circle back to Luoyang along Tongguan Pass. How far will that circle be?"
"On the other hand, it's less than 700 li from Xiangyang to Luoyang, and the terrain along the way is flat and easy to travel. If we're fast, we can reach the city of Luoyang in five or six days."
"More importantly, Cao Cao was unable to return in time from Guanzhong, and Cao Ren was tied down by my second brother in Yuzhang. There were not many troops defending Luoyang. This method is similar to my second brother's surprise attack on Jianye that day, but our situation is much better than my second brother's when he only had two or three hundred remnants."
"We have 30,000 troops, 20,000 of them from Anguo, plus 60,000 from Shenyi who can quickly come to our aid, totaling over 100,000. We can definitely take a big gamble."
Suppressing his excitement, Liu Bei asked, "Zilong, what do you think?"
Zhao Zilong was fearless and would not back down at this time. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "We can take a gamble. Even if we can't take Luoyang, just blocking the Wuguan Pass and making it look like we are attacking Luoyang will be enough to scare Cao Cao. Given Cao Cao's current physical condition, he might even be scared to death on the spot."
Cao Cao had the Office of Military Affairs, and Liu Bei naturally had his own intelligence agency as well. Although it was not as comprehensive as the Office of Military Affairs, it was still able to gather some basic information, such as the matter of Cao Cao taking Hua Tuo to Guanzhong.
Why did Cao Cao bring a personal physician on his expedition? What kind of good person would bring a physician on their expedition? Do you think Liu Bei did?
Liu Bei slapped his thigh, about to make up his mind, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zhu Ran seemed hesitant to speak. He quickly changed his question and asked, "General Zhu Ran, do you have a different idea?"
Zhu Ran clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "General Guan's method is risky, but there is still a chance of success. However, I have a concern that I am not sure if I should mention."
Liu Bei laughed and said, "Speak freely!"
Zhu Ran hesitated for a moment before saying nervously, "Although Xiangyang and Luoyang are close, there is still the important town of Wancheng in between. Wancheng is also a necessary route for the Wei army's supplies. There should be a lot of supplies stored in the city. If Xiahou Shang retreats to Wancheng and holds it, he should be able to hold out until Cao Cao returns by detour."
"Even if Your Majesty is a brilliant strategist and can easily capture Wancheng and march to the gates of Luoyang, don't forget that the Emperor is still in Luoyang. If Your Majesty were to see the Emperor..."
He didn't dare say the rest, but Liu Bei was stunned.
Yes, Emperor Liu Xie is still in Luoyang. What should we do if we actually capture Luoyang and see the emperor? Should we hold the emperor hostage like Cao Cao did, or should we kill him?
If that were the case, wouldn't I become Cao Cao? Liu Bei, known for his loyalty and benevolence, would become Cao Cao in his old age. Wouldn't he be ostracized by the world for ruining his own image?
But what if you don't want to be like Cao Cao? Should you return power to the emperor?
Why?
He had fought for half his life and finally conquered half of the country with hundreds of thousands of troops. But before he could even enjoy his newfound power, he had to hand it over. How could he bear to do that?
Besides, he has already openly declared himself king, and is only one step away from the throne. It would be a lie to say that he doesn't covet it. I, Old Liu, am also ambitious. Otherwise, why would I have been fighting all these years?
More importantly, if power were truly returned to the emperor, would the emperor treat him kindly or would he eliminate him by any means necessary?
It is highly likely to be the latter, and not only himself, but also his sons Liu Feng and Liu Shan, and his nephews Guan Xing and Zhang Bao will be eliminated by the emperor to prevent future troubles.
Although Emperor Guangwu's descendants all ascended the throne at a young age, they were all ruthless and showed no mercy when it came to killing powerful ministers. The current emperor, Liu Xie, was the same. Although he was a puppet who was put on the throne by Dong Zhuo at a young age, he was also a ruthless person who dared to play the game of the imperial edict under Cao Cao's nose.
Liu Bei felt that if he truly returned power to the emperor, he would definitely not live to a ripe old age. After all, although Liu Xie was a puppet, he was a qualified politician with the bloodline of Emperor Gaozu.
Compared to Emperor Liu Xie, Liu Bei suddenly found Cao Cao incredibly endearing.
But in doing so, the capital city of Luoyang and the emperor residing within it seemed to have become a hot potato—easy to eat but hard to digest.
Liu Bei stared at the Han River, caught in a moral dilemma. After much deliberation, he tragically realized that he desperately needed Cao Cao, and that a living Cao Cao was more beneficial to him than a dead one.
If Cao Cao were alive, he could seize territory and win over the people under the pretext of obeying the imperial edict to attack Cao Cao, and even use the huge external pressure caused by Cao Cao to complete internal reforms. But if Cao Cao were dead, he would have to face Emperor Liu Xie, his living ancestor, directly. He couldn't hit him or scold him, and he had to be on guard every day. Just thinking about it is frustrating.
The main issue is that his character is completely different from Cao Cao's. He can't treat the emperor like Cao Cao did, but the emperor can use any means necessary to deal with powerful ministers like them, which is just awkward.
After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Bei sighed and said, "Recapturing Luoyang and restoring the Han Dynasty is my lifelong ambition, and protecting the Emperor is our duty as subjects. How can we give up just because Xiahou Shang is holding Wancheng? But..."
"However, our army has been fighting for days and the soldiers are exhausted. In addition, the supplies in the rear are running low, so I am afraid that we are temporarily unable to launch a northern expedition. I am ashamed to face the Emperor."
Guan Xing had only considered how to defeat the Wei army and was only thinking about military matters. He hadn't really thought about the political aspect. It was only after Zhu Ran's words that he suddenly realized that Liu Bei's biggest enemy at present was not Cao Cao but Emperor Liu Xie.
The most pressing issue for Liu Bei right now is how to seize the legal right from Emperor Liu Xie and inherit the throne legitimately without incurring public condemnation.
Historically, Liu Bei inherited the throne after Cao Cao's death and Cao Pi's usurpation. At that time, Liu Xie had already abdicated and the Han Dynasty had collapsed. There was no problem for Liu Bei to inherit the throne and continue the Han Dynasty.
But things are different now. Emperor Liu Xie is still on the throne. What will we do with this guy if we really recover Luoyang?
So now, let alone taking Luoyang, even if Cao Cao gave Luoyang to Liu Bei for free, Liu Bei couldn't accept it. He had to wait until Cao Cao died and Cao Pi usurped the throne before he could consider taking back Luoyang.
Guan Xing decisively changed his tune, saying, "Your Majesty is mistaken. Our army has been fighting for years, leaving nine out of ten households in Jiangnan devastated. It is indeed not suitable for another expedition. Moreover, the three prefectures of Jing, Yang and Jiao have just been recovered and are still unstable. We must stabilize our rear before we can launch another expedition. Otherwise, if we force an expedition when our rear is unstable, problems will arise."
"As for Your Majesty's grand ambition to restore the Han Dynasty and the Emperor's edicts, Your Majesty has never forgotten them all these years, and has been working hard and on the path. His Majesty knows Your Majesty's loyalty and understands Your Majesty's difficulties, and will certainly not blame you."
Zhu Ran, Hu Zong, and the others echoed each other's sentiments. When Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun saw that the plan to launch a surprise attack on Luoyang had fallen through, they decisively changed their minds and asked Liu Bei not to take the risk.
The rest was straightforward. The army continued its march. On the way, Liu Bei pulled Guan Xing aside and whispered, "Write a letter to your father and Shen Yi, and tell them not to push Cao Ren too hard. Just escort him out of the country politely. We still need external pressure from Cao Cao to promote land reform later, so we can't beat Cao Cao too badly this time."