Chapter 317

Jia Xu continued,

"Yuan Shao sent troops out of Qingzhou, killed Tian Kai, the Inspector of Qingzhou appointed by Brother Brother Gongsun Zan Zan, and occupied most of Qingzhou; Brother Brother Gongsun Zan Zan is trapped in Youzhou and cannot advance an inch."

Liu Bei nodded; Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were still more capable than other warlords. He only hoped Brother Brother Gongsun Zan Zan could drag Yuan Shao down for another year or two so he could develop.

After the meeting, Guo Jia and the others expressed that the breathing technique the lord had them practice was too magical; their bodies had become stronger, and they could take in a few more concubines.

Liu Bei?!

"Fengxiao, I had you practice this so you could take good care of your body and work for me for a few more years!"

Guo Jia indicated that the lord should rest assured; he understood, he understood everything!

Three more months passed.

Cao Cao crushed Lu Bu's army in Julu, besieged it for two months, broke Yongqiu, massacred the city, and executed Zhang Chao and his family; Yanzhou was terrified.

Zhang Miao was killed by his subordinates while on his way to defect to Yuan Shu.

Lu Bu originally wanted to defect to Yuan Shao but was attacked by Yuan Shao's troops. Just as he was at his wit's end,

Liu Bei sent someone to pull strings, letting Lu Bu accept Tao Qian's aid and garrison in Xiaopei, forming a pincer formation with Tao Qian to resist Cao Cao.

For the first time, Lu Bu felt that Liu Bei was a good person, but he would absolutely not give away his daughter!

Cao Cao was furious and campaigned against him, but couldn't break him!

As long as Tao Qian was alive, even if Cao Cao could break a few cities, he couldn't take Xuzhou for the time being.

After the great war in the Central Plains, it entered a rare period of brief peace.

The people, however, were afraid; Cao Cao massacred cities from time to time, and the fields were desolate.

The people migrated in all directions: Bingzhou, Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and also Jizhou.

At this time,

06 Far from the eyes of everyone, Chang'an began to undergo a great change!

The contradictions between Li Jue and Guo Si, the Xiliang soldiers who occupied Chang'an and held the power of the imperial court, became increasingly intense.

The two raised troops to attack each other for months, with no clear winner!

This, however, made life miserable for the people near Chang'an, who fled with their families, most of them fleeing to Bingzhou.

Emperor Liu Xie sent someone to propose to Li Jue the request to return east to the old capital, Luoyang, and with difficulty obtained Li Jue's permission.

Dong Cheng, who had been a subordinate of Niu Fu, was appointed General of Pacification and escorted the Emperor east with Guo Si!

Guo Si, however, went back on his word and wanted to hold the Emperor hostage to Liangzhou.

Li Jue, who was in Chang'an, felt too lonely and didn't want the Emperor to leave, so he led troops to pursue!

The Emperor also sent out edicts everywhere, asking everyone to come to Luoyang to serve the King.

All places soon knew of these major events!

Puyang City.

Cao Cao was organizing his army and preparing to campaign east against Lu Bu again!

After learning the news of the Emperor moving east to Luoyang, he immediately summoned his advisors to discuss.

"The Son of Heaven is fleeing and has urgently summoned the warlords of the world to Luoyang to serve the King; what do you think?"

Xun Yu bowed with cupped hands.

"My lord, the Emperor moving the capital to Luoyang is a major event concerning the world!"

"Emperor Gao Zu held a funeral for Emperor Yi, and the world turned to him; today the Son of Heaven is covered in dust, and my lord can serve the Son of Heaven to command the disobedient..."

Xun Yu said a lot, meaning that the Emperor must be welcomed immediately!

Cheng Yu also said,

"My lord, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity; the warlords are fighting, and with the Son of Heaven in your hands, you can hold the Son of Heaven to command the warlords!"

Xun Yu frowned; although the meaning was similar, Cheng Yu's phrasing was somewhat...

Cao Cao stood up abruptly; everyone was fighting, and they were all separatist forces.

With the Son of Heaven, he represented the imperial court; he could promote whoever he wanted, and if he wanted to recruit any talent, a single edict would suffice.

"Isn't that eared thief Liu Bei known for his benevolence and loyalty as a member of the Han imperial clan? I'll let you—no, the Son of Heaven will let you—go fight Yuan Shao and Brother Brother Gongsun Zan Zan; will you go or not!"

"If you don't go, that's resisting an order!"

With the sharp sword of the Son of Heaven, this was a major turning point for Cao Cao from a local warlord to a powerful minister who held the reins of the world!

Xi Zhicai bowed with cupped hands.

"My lord, Luoyang has Li Jue to the west, Liu Bei to the north, and Yuan Shao to the northeast; it is not a place to hold for long."

Cao Cao also thought of this; if he went to Luoyang to be a powerful minister, his strength wouldn't allow it, and there were too many powerful forces around.

"Xu County is a land of fish and rice, connecting to the Yellow River in the north, the Huang-Huai Plain in the east, Jiangxia Commandery in the south, and facing the Nanyang Basin in the southwest; it can serve as the new capital!"

This way, Cao Cao could firmly control the Emperor in his hands.

Cao Cao ordered his generals to hurry and assemble the cavalry.

He was also somewhat anxious about gains and losses.

"Liu Bei and Yuan Shao are closer to Luoyang; will they go to seize the Son of Heaven?"

Xun Yu bowed with cupped hands.

"My lord, Yuan Shao is full of plans but lacks decisiveness, and there are many factions among his advisors; I estimate this matter won't be discussed for a while."

Cao Cao nodded; Xun Yu's analysis was very correct. By the time Yuan Shao reacted, he would have long since welcomed the Son of Heaven to Xu County—no, Xu Capital!

Xun Yu continued,

"Liu Bei has always been known for his benevolence, righteousness, and loyalty; he will go to welcome the Son of Heaven."

"However, he also doesn't want to go welcome him!"

Cao Cao??