News from Guanzhong continued to spread. Chang'an was lost, Xia Houyuan was captured, Xu Huang was defeated and fled to Hedong. Zhao Yun and Ma Chao led 100,000 Xiliang troops to march eastward. The counties in Longyou and Guanzhong surrendered, and the Central Plains was shaken.
When Xinpi saw that most of the Jingzhou troops outside the city had withdrawn, he initially thought that Zhuge Liang's march westward to Hulao Pass was in response to the troops in Guanzhong joining forces to capture Luoyang. Go to Aoshan to inquire about news.
In the evening, Tan Ma reported that Lu Qian had committed suicide in ambush, and sighed: "The big thing is over!"
When it was getting dark, Gan Ning and Chen Dao returned to Xingyang City and surrounded the city on all sides. There were not many soldiers and horses left in the city, half of them were new soldiers, and people were panicked.
The reinforcements were delayed in arriving, and Simpi was worried about defending the city. Suddenly, the defenders brought a letter, which was written by Zhuge Liang himself.
"Zhuge Liang, the commander-in-chief of the Han army, wrote to the governor of Yin Xinjun in Henan: Since Dong Zhuo's rebellion, Wang Gang has been weak, the sky has descended into chaos, traitors have taken advantage of the provocation, and the world has been grinding its teeth. All wise and brave men have sought out the Ming Lord to eliminate national calamities. In the past, Cao Cao raised a rebel army to fight against the thieves, supported the emperor on his wings, watched the wind at home, and united civil and military forces. He was indeed a hero at that time. He followed the general trend and abandoned Yuan to join Cao Cao. He thought it was a wise choice.
However, human nature is changeable. Today, Cao Cao is powerful and tyrannical. He is tyrannical and traitorous. He oppresses the emperor, harms the loyal and good, usurps Zhaoran, and Dong Zhuo even more so. The public servants of Cao and Wei actually helped Zhou to do evil, and it was the end of the world for them to betray their roots!
Fortunately, the Yan Han Dynasty is not over, Liu Boxi has been entrusted with the imperial edict, talents have come forward, the Han Dynasty is in sight, and Cao Dang is still alive. You are a wise man who has been favored by the Han Dynasty. You are willing to change your plans and return to your ancestors. You can offer Xingyang to stabilize Henan and save the country and bring peace to the people. Then the Han Dynasty will be very lucky, the world will be very lucky, and you can also be famous in the later generations.
If he resisted stubbornly, the land of Henan would be exposed to war again, the city would be in ruins, and his reputation would be ruined. Liang couldn't bear to sit back and watch, so he sent a letter to his subordinates to inspect the palace in detail. "
After reading it, Xinpi sighed softly and looked at the flickering lights on the case without saying a word for a long time. In order to surrender to Cao Cao, his brother was killed and the family was slaughtered. Only his own family was left to be ostracized and moved to Henan. Now it is not easy. If we gain a foothold, will we repeat the same mistakes again?
When he was feeling depressed, the eldest son Xin Chang took his robe and put it on, and said: "The enemy is at hand, and the people in the city are unstable. I wonder what my father's plan is?"
"Kong Ming has a letter delivered..." Xin Pi pointed to the letter on the table and said with a wry smile: "In the past, the heroes were completely defeated. Cao Mengde fled to Mobei and made the same mistake as Yuan's. Isn't it God's will?"
After looking at it, Xin Chang frowned and said: "Prime Minister Cao was already terminally ill during the Northern Expedition. He knew that he was not going to die soon, so he attacked the foreign tribes to protect his reputation! Since he thought that his great cause was difficult to achieve, why should his father continue to be obsessed with this? Look, my child. Kong Ming’s letter contains good intentions, Liu Qi is a clan member of the Han Dynasty, and he followed the trend back then, so why is he hesitant today?”
Xin Pi sighed: "Back then, the brothers of the Yuan family fought and destroyed themselves. I had no choice but to do this. Now the foundation of the Cao family is still there, but it was abandoned halfway? What's more, if I surrender again, won't I become the traitor of the second minister and a villain?"
Xin Chang shook the letter and said, "My father is trying to prosper the Han Dynasty and eliminate violence. He has always been a minister of the Han Dynasty. He is not an official of Wei Gong. How can he talk about two ministers?"
"Hiss——" Xin Pi's eyes narrowed slightly. As the saying goes, caring leads to chaos. Now that he was in the middle of the situation, his mind was complicated, which made it difficult for him to make a decision for the moment.
After a moment of silence, he then said: "Your sister and the Yang family are getting married soon. If she decides to marry her at this time, Yang Dan and I will be our own masters. I'm afraid she will be ruined for the rest of her life. What should I do?"
"This..." Xin Chang frowned. Marriage is no small matter. If the Yang family breaks off the engagement because of this, it will be a shame for the Xin family.
"How can you care about your children's personal affairs for the sake of the country?"
When the father and son were worried, they heard a clear voice coming from the back of the hall. A woman in her twenties and eighties, with beautiful features and a shrewd look in her eyes, came out. She was her daughter Xin Xianying.
Xin Pi said: "Ying'er hasn't had a rest yet?"
Xin Xianying said: "The enemy is approaching the city, danger is imminent, and the whole family is in catastrophe. Who can sleep peacefully? My mother just made ginseng soup and brought it to the study. When she saw that my father was not there, she came to the lobby."
Xin Pi sighed: "As a father, my mind is in a state of confusion. How can I still drink?"
Xin Xianying smiled and said: "This matter is easy to hear. A wise man will follow the trend. My father has already made a decision. Why do you have any doubts?"
"Oh?" Xinpi knew that his daughter had been very smart since she was a child, so he laughed and said: "My father doesn't know how to make a decision, how can my son know that he has made a decision?"
Xin Xianying said: "If my father had devoted himself to serving the Cao family, he should have torn this letter into pieces and sacrificed his life as generously as Lu Qian did to achieve great justice..."
"Bastard!" Xin Pi said displeased: "I bear the humiliation and bear the burden just to protect you. If I hadn't seen the opportunity early, you would have died in your infancy. Now that you have finally taken root, how can you abandon your family and ignore it?"
Xin Xianying nodded and said: "My father has worked very hard. The child has known it for a long time. Since it is for the family, what does the daughter's marriage matter? From the daughter's point of view, the ancestor of the Yang family was a minister of the court, and he may not have specialized in Cao Wei. If he didn't know Regarding current affairs, wouldn’t getting married affect the children? If my father really thought about the family affairs, he should have made a decision long ago, otherwise things would change sooner or later. "
Xin Pi suddenly realized, raised his forehead and said, "If it hadn't been for Xianying's reminder, I would have almost missed the important event. I have been working for the Han Dynasty wholeheartedly. Since the Cao family has a disobedient heart, I should part ways with him to fulfill my duty as a subordinate."
Xin Xianying said: "It is not because of my daughter's greed that the Cao family will wither now, leaving only the clan members. Liu Qi has many talents, both civil and military, and they are all outstanding men in the world. If there is a break with the Yang family this time, it means that God's daughter has another marriage. If I can marry Liu Qi, an important official, it will be a great blessing for my daughter both in public and private matters!"
"What my son said is absolutely true!" Xin Pi's eyes lit up, he stroked his beard and laughed: "Xianying has his own intelligence and ambition that exceeds that of men. He cannot be matched except by the heroes of the world."
Xin Chang clasped his fists and said, "Since father has made a decision, it is no longer necessary to delay. My son is willing to go out of the city to meet Zhuge Liang overnight to avoid a long night and many dreams."
At this time, Xin Pi took off his burden and felt much more relaxed. He immediately ordered Xin Chang and his family to leave the city quietly to discuss the dedication of the city with Zhuge Liang.
Arriving at the Jingzhou Army camp, he handed over the letter of surrender and waited for the defenders to report. Walking in the maze-like camp, Xin Chang was secretly surprised, remembering that Zhang Liao's attack on Zhuge Liang failed, and there was indeed a secret in the camp's deployment.
When I came to the main tent of the Chinese army, I saw a man with a feather fan and a silk scarf, who was sorting out official documents. It was Zhuge Liang, the military advisor and general. Seeing that his expression was focused, the soldiers did not dare to disturb him and could only wait aside.
Zhuge Liang read the last few battle reports, counted the money and food personally, ordered his soldiers to send orders to guard the camp, and explained all the details clearly before meeting Xin Chang.
Zhuge Liang pointed to the banquet aside and said with a smile: "I have already informed you that your Majesty must be aware of the current affairs and prepare a small amount of wine to welcome the young master. I have been busy with official business just now, so I have been a little neglectful. I hope you will forgive me for any rudeness."
Xin Chang hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "I've heard about Wolong's reputation for a long time, and today I saw that it is indeed well-deserved. Sir, he does things so meticulously, it really makes me ashamed."
Zhuge Liang invited Xin Chang to sit down and said with emotion: "I have been entrusted by General Liu with major affairs in the Central Plains. I have to be careful and careful. Only by doing everything myself can I feel at ease."
