After seven days of marching, Cao Jun finally appeared at the gate of Luoyang City.
Returning to the old capital of Luoyang, Cao Cao was full of emotions. He recalled that when he was promoted to Xiaolian, he entered Luoyang, the capital, as a prince. When he was appointed as the northern captain of Luoyang, he executed Uncle Jian Shuo with a five-colored stick. This offended the powerful and was transferred to Dunqiu Ling. .
Looking back on the prosperous Luoyang back then, and seeing the desolate scene of Luoyang now after Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, I couldn't help but sigh.
Nowadays, the world has changed, times have changed, and the prosperity of the past has long been turned into a passing cloud.
Guo Jia saw that Cao Cao was looking at the gorgeous city walls that were stripped away in front of him, leaving only the ruins of the vicissitudes of the city wall. Guo Jia knew that he was recalling the past, and said: "After the prosperity has faded, there is only one life of desolation. The majestic century-old man has become When the dust of the work is gone, talented people will emerge from generation to generation, and each will lead the way for hundreds of years!"
Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia and said with a smile: "Ah~ the words of filial piety have more profound meaning. Now that I, the Emperor of Han Dynasty, am still in Xudu, how can I say that I have turned into dust? Well... There are talented people in every generation, and I am already the best. My lord, I dare not have any more extravagant hopes!"
He knew in his heart that Guo Jia meant to let him act like a king, but after the field hunting, he found that it was too early to act now, so he pretended not to know what he said.
Guo Jia smiled slightly and stopped answering.
In one sentence, he knew what Cao Cao meant.
Cao Cao ordered the army to rest for the night, and sent a letter to Guguan tomorrow morning, and then brought the generals and horses into Luoyang City to rest.
As soon as the front foot entered Luoyang City, Ji Shu came from behind.
The messenger rushed all the way to Cao Cao, took out the envelope from his arms and handed it to Cao Cao, saying loudly and naively: "Prime Minister, everything has changed."
Cao Cao calmly took the envelope, opened it slowly, lowered his eyes and read it carefully.
His face gradually became ugly.
He actually froze there in a daze, staring at the letter in his hand without blinking.
"Ming Gong!" Seeing Cao Cao's abnormality, Guo Jia whispered from the side.
"hiss--!"
Cao Cao took a breath of cold air and woke up with a start. He touched the sweat on his forehead, his eyes were bright and round, and he said with a chill on his back: "I'm shocked too!"
"Ming Gong, why are you so pale?" Guo Jia saw that Cao Cao's usually calm face turned pale and sweat broke out on his forehead.
Cao Cao wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his cuffs, handed the letter to Guo Jia and said: "Xu Du has changed. The Eastern Expedition to Zhang Xiu must be suspended, and we need to return to Xu Du immediately for processing."
Guo Jia took the letter and looked at it, and was shocked.
Unexpectedly, there would be a fire in the backyard on the way to Bingfa Pass. The fire was not as big as usual. If Xia Houchun and Xun Yu hadn't responded in time, things would have gotten out of hand.
At the same time, he predicted that the person who sent the letter to Xia Houchun and Xun Yu might be Zhang Xiu's people.
There was a storm in my heart.
How terrifying is Zhang Xiu's method? He even extended his minions into the Xudu Palace.
"Ming Gong, this matter involves your Majesty and must be handled with caution, otherwise it will inevitably arouse the common indignation of all the princes in the world." If the princes of the world, especially those from the Han clan like Liu Biao, knew about it, it would inevitably cause some unnecessary controversy. trouble.
Cao Cao nodded: "Return to Xudu and write a letter to Cheng Yu, asking him to stabilize Ma Teng and Han Sui and prevent them from internal strife. It is best to repair their relationship. We will fight again next year and win Guanzhong!" "
"Here!" Guo Jia promised.
Cao Cao did not dare to wait any longer, so he led Dian Wei, Xu Chu and a thousand personal guards back to Xudu overnight. Other soldiers and horses gradually withdrew under the leadership of various generals.
…
After two days of running around, Cao Cao returned to Xudu disgraced.
In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Cao Cao's confidants gathered together.
Xia Houchun rushed into the palace and captured Dong Cheng who was beating the drum. He also captured Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji, Wu Shuo and Wu Zilan alive.
Cao Cao sat in the middle and looked at the belt edict on the long desk, furious.
He said angrily: "Last time, Dong Cheng falsely conveyed the imperial edict and pardoned his serious sins because of the ministers' pleading. Unexpectedly, disaster happened again today. It is really hateful! Today, the emperor is weak and harming the ministers is a loss of state and cannot be enshrined in the ancestral temple. I want to abolish it." The emperor restored him as King Hongnong and established a new king. What do you think?"
Seeing that Cao Cao's arrogance had not subsided, his confidants were too frightened to speak out.
Xun You remonstrated: "You can't be Ming Gong! The reason why Gong is so powerful and commanding the world is that he bears the name of the Han family. Now that the princes are not at peace, if they rush to abolish and establish things, they will definitely cause the princes of the world to move. Please be clear. Think twice."
Other advisers immediately seconded the proposal: "Please, Ming Gong, think twice!"
Cao Cao thought again and again, pondered for a moment, and nodded with a cold face: "Let this matter go, but Dong Cheng and others' crimes are unforgivable. Anyone who pleads to stop him this time will be treated as the same crime. Come! Bring these five traitors together. His whole family, old and young, were escorted to various gates and beheaded, and their heads were hung at the east gate."
At noon that day, the entire Xudu city was filled with blood, and more than a thousand people were killed.
After killing Dong Cheng and others, Cao Cao led a thousand soldiers with swords and rushed into the palace to kill Dong Cheng's sister, Concubine Dong Guifei, and to frighten Liu Xie.
When Xia Houchun led the army into the palace, Liu Xie felt as if his bones were being ripped apart by cramps.
The plan to attack Xu Du and regain power failed when Xia Houchun's army entered. What greeted him next was the boundless and bottomless abyss.
When Cao Cao rushed in with a sword, Liu Xie was already ready to die.
Cao Cao's face was as cold as frost, his eyes were sharp and murderous, and his tone was cold: "Dong Cheng gathered people to rebel, does your Majesty know?"
Liu Xie laughed wildly: "I personally issued the edict, how could I not know?" Then he puffed up his chest, proudly raised an imperial air, looked at Cao Cao, and shouted majestically and unyieldingly: "The prime minister entered the palace with a sword in anger. , are you going to kill the king?"
Cao Cao looked at her coldly: "Of course I don't dare, but Concubine Dong Guifei is a traitor and a member of the same clan and cannot live in the harem." Then he ordered the people around him: "I will capture her!"
Liu Xie ordered: "Cao Cao, do you dare?"
Cao Cao looked sideways and sneered silently.
Empress Fu said: "Concubine Dong is already five months pregnant. I hope the Prime Minister will take pity on her, so she can be demoted to the cold palace. When she gives birth, it is not too late to kill her."
Cao Cao shouted angrily: "If it weren't for the defeat of heaven, I would have been killed. How could I have kept this traitorous sister? Do I want to keep this rebel sister to avenge my mother?"
So, the warriors on the left and right dragged Concubine Dong Guifei to kill her.
Liu Xie was so sad that he looked at Concubine Dong Guifei with tears in his eyes and said: "I am born like a puppet and cannot protect you. Don't blame me for bowing under the nine springs!" After saying this, he broke down in tears.
Concubine Dong Guifei sobbed and said: "I can serve your Majesty for my whole life. If there is an afterlife, I am willing to remarry and serve you!"
Queen Fu burst into tears.
Cao Cao was furious. "Stop being a daughter, strangle her to death outside the palace gate!"
The warrior dragged Concubine Dong out.
Liu Xie looked at Concubine Dong being dragged out with blurred eyes, his heart was twisting in a knife; his beloved concubine died because of the failure of his plan.
Cao Cao snorted coldly and walked out.
When he arrived at the palace gate, he stared at the palace supervisor coldly and said: "From now on, anyone with relatives or clansmen who dares to enter the palace gate without my will will be killed! If the guard is not strict, he will be killed for the same crime!"
The palace supervisor only called him "Nai".
Just in case, Cao Cao mobilized 3,000 of his close friends to serve as the imperial army and ordered Cao Hong to lead them.
From then on, the palace was cut off from the outside world. Except for Cao Cao, no one else was allowed to enter or leave the palace. Liu Xie was completely placed under house arrest.
