flstandardbreds Chapter 146 Cao Cao learns that Guan Yu has married Xiao Qiao
Chapter 146 Cao Cao learns that Guan Yu has married Xiao Qiao
With the situation looking very promising, Cao Cao was in an unprecedentedly good mood, and he sat leisurely on his heels, reminiscing about his life.
He encountered many enemies in his life, but only two could be called archenemies: Yuan Shao and Liu Bei.
Yuan Shao was at his peak from the moment he appeared, defeating him to the point of despair and wanting to surrender. In other words, Yuan Shao was the only person he had ever met who made him want to surrender, not even Dong Zhuo.
Liu Bei, on the other hand, was just a commoner who wove mats and sold shoes when he first appeared, and he didn't even have a seat when he attended the Suanzao Alliance.
It is no exaggeration to say that Liu Bei was not taken seriously by anyone at that time, including Cao Cao.
But who could have imagined that Liu Bei was an unkillable cockroach? Not only was he unkillable, but he also grew stronger with each battle. From the Central Plains to Xuzhou, from Xuzhou to Xinye, then to Jingzhou, and finally to Bashu, Liu Bei chased him across most of the country without catching up, and was even thwarted by this guy in Hanzhong.
He didn't pursue his wife this diligently back then, can you believe how infuriating that is?
Now that the battle is finally over, Cao Cao is somewhat excited. After all, life is long, but it is not easy to meet a worthy opponent. Only by crushing such an opponent can one live a worthwhile life.
Cao Cao was getting happier and happier, but just as a smile appeared on his lips, a familiar sharp pain shot through his head, instantly shattering his good mood.
Not only that, the pain in his head also gave him a strange anxiety. He knew that his days were numbered, but that damned big-eared thief was healthy and strong.
More importantly, Liu Bei was six years younger than him and did not have any hidden ailments like headaches. If nothing unexpected happened, he would live for another ten or twenty years without any problem. If he really died before Liu Bei, could Cao Pi stop the attack of Liu Bei and his bunch of beasts?
Cao Cao grew increasingly agitated and irritable, and couldn't help but sigh, "Heavens above, I've fought with that big-eared scoundrel my whole life, am I going to lose in the end because of my lifespan? I'm not reconciled!"
Thinking of this, a ruthless glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he said with a desperate expression, "I'm going all out, you big-eared scoundrel. This time, I, Cao Mengde, will fight you to the death. Men, bring Liu Ye to see me."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Liu Ye rushed in, leaving Cao Cao utterly shocked. He asked incredulously, "You came so fast? Did you fly here or did you never leave at all?"
Liu Ye said with a strange expression, "I just returned to the office when I received an urgent report from Jiangdong. I dared not delay and rushed here to report to Your Majesty. As soon as I arrived at the door, I heard your urgent summons."
Cao Cao: “…”
If all the high-ranking officials in the imperial court were as proactive as you, wouldn't that be wonderful?
He shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts and asked curiously, "What happened to Jiangdong? Did Lü Meng fight his way back again?"
Liu Ye struggled to find the words, so he handed over the letter and said, "Your Majesty, please read it yourself."
Cao Cao took the letter and was dumbfounded. He looked up at Liu Ye and then down at the letter, looking up and down several times before exclaiming, "What? What is this? Guan Yu married Xiao Qiao?"
Liu Ye, keeping his eyes downcast, said leisurely, "It seems normal for them to be together, one a widower and the other a widow."
Cao Cao had never met Xiao Qiao, but he had heard of her beauty and seen her portrait. He had commissioned an artist to paint it during the Battle of Red Cliffs, and it was still hidden in a corner of his study.
The two Qiao sisters of Jiangdong were the women he dreamed of having, and the Bronze Sparrow Terrace was built for them. And now you're telling me that Xiao Qiao was defiled by Guan Yu?
Thinking of the unparalleled beauty of the Two Qiaos of Jiangdong, Cao Cao's eyes reddened with jealousy. He gritted his teeth and cursed angrily, "It's truly a case of a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung. If it weren't Guan Yu, why should he be the one to benefit from it?"
Although Xiao Qiao was over forty years old and her appearance was no longer what it used to be, the problem was that Cao Cao had never seen her look like this.
In Cao Cao's heart, Xiao Qiao was still the peerless beauty from the Battle of Red Cliffs. He wouldn't have felt anything if she remained a widow at home. But this remarriage completely severed all of Cao Cao's hopes. No wonder Cao Cao was not at ease.
Men all over the world are the same; they'll remember any beautiful woman they see, even if they've only seen her from afar and never had any interaction with her. They'll still feel uncomfortable when they find out that the beautiful woman is getting married.
If ordinary people have this mentality, let alone Cao Cao, whose eyes were red with jealousy.
The desire to possess or not possess is always restless. While feeling jealous, Cao Cao also thought of another unsettling matter.
Besides the two Qiao sisters of Jiangdong, there was another woman in his life whom he wanted but could not have, and whom he would always feel resentful whenever he thought of her: Zhen Mi.
When he defeated the Yuan family, he originally wanted to take Yuan Shao's daughter-in-law, Zhen Mi, into his household, but he was too slow and Cao Pi, that rebellious son, snatched her away. Whenever he thought of this, Cao Cao wanted to uphold justice and kill that wicked son, Cao Pi.
Liu Ye was speechless at Cao Cao's complaints, thinking to himself, "Is that the point? Shouldn't you be more concerned about the impact of their marriage?"
Liu Ye dared not interrupt and waited patiently until Cao Cao calmed down before weakly saying, "Your Majesty, if the two of them unite, Guan Yu will be considered integrated into Jiangdong, making it even more difficult to fight later. What should we do?"
Cao Cao bit his tongue hard to force himself to calm down, frowned and smiled bitterly: "What else can we do? Tell Cao Ren not to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. He should advance steadily and step by step. There is only one way to deal with Guan Yu: wear him down slowly. As long as we are not driven back to Jiangbei by Guan Yu, we will have succeeded."
The Battle of Xiangfan also left Cao Cao with a psychological scar. He no longer expects to achieve a quick victory over Guan Yu; he only needs to occupy part of Danyang and hold the Yangtze River defense line.
As long as the Yangtze River defense line is held and a foothold is established on the south bank as a springboard, even if the Wei army has the advantage, with the strong national strength of Cao Wei, they can slowly wear down the enemy and eventually turn their advantage into a victory.
In other words, Cao Cao was a wealthy man in front of Guan Yu, seeking stability rather than risk.
Mentioning the Battle of Xiangfan, Cao Cao remembered something else and frowned as he asked, "Is Wenze (Yu Jin's courtesy name) currently in Sun Quan's hands?"
Liu Ye's expression changed slightly. Yu Jin was now a taboo subject in the court, and few people dared to mention him. However, he could not refuse to answer Cao Cao's question, so he could only nod and say, "Yes."
Cao Cao said, "Send the messenger who went to Jiangling to deliver the imperial edict to contact Sun Quan and bring Wen Ze back to me."
Mentioning Yu Jin filled Cao Cao with rage. It was one thing for you to lose a battle, but for you to surrender immediately after a defeat was going too far.
You are the head of the Five Elite Generals personally appointed by me. If you surrender Guan Yu, where will you place me?
Liu Ye did not want to dwell on this topic any longer, and after receiving the order, he immediately changed the subject, saying, "I wonder what Your Majesty has summoned me for?"
Cao Cao then remembered his business and composed himself, saying solemnly, "I've been thinking about this. Liu Bei's surprise attack on Guanzhong might be an opportunity for us. Why don't we lure Liu Bei to Liangzhou, cut off his retreat, and then have a decisive battle with him in Yongliang?"
Liu Ye pondered, "Fishing requires bait, and catching the big-eared thief requires even heavier bait. Where does Your Majesty intend to use as bait? We can't use Chang'an, that would be too risky."
Cao Cao sneered, "Of course we can't use Chang'an, but there's another place Liu Bei wants as well."
After saying that, he suddenly turned around and slammed the map on the wall. Liu Ye followed his finger and couldn't help but exclaim, "Longxi?"
Cao Cao laughed and said, "That's right, it's Longxi. First, let Liu Bei go into Longxi, then launch a full-scale attack on Hanzhong through the three eastern counties. If we can successfully take Hanzhong, Liu Bei will be trapped in Longxi. The foundation he has worked so hard to build over the years will be cut into three parts: Longxi, Bashu, and Jiangdong, which are occupied by Guan Yu and his son. Then we can defeat them one by one. What do you think?"
Cao Cao's initial plan was to attack Hanzhong to lure Liu Bei back to reinforce it, thereby thwarting Liu Bei's plot to attack Guanzhong and forcing him back to Bashu, thus securing Cao Wei's territory.
But now Cao Cao's ideas have changed; he wants to completely take over Hanzhong, and then...
Kill Liu Bei!!!