Soon Cao Chun brought over a lot of meat soup with his guards.
Upon seeing this, the ministers were immediately moved to tears.
They exclaimed that Cao Cao was a truly loyal minister who worked for the benefit of the people.
Liu Bian didn't care about anything else and couldn't wait to start eating.
While wolfing down his food, he said to Cao Cao, "Cao Mengde, after meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness."
Cao Cao smiled broadly and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. It is our duty to be loyal to Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, Luoyang is now in ruins. I beg Your Majesty to move the capital to Xuchang! I will do my best to protect Your Majesty and help you recover the lost territories!" Cao Cao suddenly knelt on the ground, appearing loyal and righteous.
"This..." Liu Bian fell silent; he did not want to move to Xuchang.
As Liu Bian grew older, he came to understand the true state of the Han Dynasty.
From the moment he became emperor, he was a puppet.
Now that I've finally escaped the den of demons, I don't want to be a puppet anymore.
But judging from Cao Cao's appearance, he didn't seem like someone like Dong Zhuo who would force him.
This left Liu Bian in a dilemma.
Because he wanted to recover lost territory and revitalize the Han Dynasty, he needed an army.
Cao Cao occupies the two provinces of Yan and Xu, which could potentially provide assistance.
"Your Majesty, Cao Mengde's words are absolutely right, this old minister seconds it!" Some ministers hurriedly echoed, hoping to dissuade Liu Bian.
They really didn't want to flee anymore. Without the protection of soldiers, these unarmed civil officials didn't know when they would die.
Why not accept and protect them when someone is willing to do so?
Moreover, Cao Cao doesn't seem to be the same kind of person as Li Jue or Guo Si at all.
Wang Yun stood silently to the side, observing Cao Cao and the other ministers, and made a plan in his mind.
"Your Majesty, since Cao Mengde is so willing, why not agree to his request first?" Wang Yun whispered in Liu Bian's ear.
Liu Bian sighed, then said, "Then let's do as Minister Cao says and move the capital to Xuchang!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" the crowd hurriedly flattered.
Cao Cao was secretly delighted, but on the surface he remained calm, cupping his hands to Liu Bian and saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Cao Cao's trip was not in vain; he not only captured Chang'an, but more importantly, he seized control of the emperor.
Upon returning to Xuchang, Cao Cao's first memorial to the emperor was to attack Qingzhou.
It was only at this moment that the ministers realized that Cao Mengde and Dong Zhuo were birds of a feather!
However, he was not as tyrannical as Dong Zhuo. But when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
Cao Cao controlled two provinces, and every time he met the emperor, he would kneel and bow, showing him great respect.
Liu Bian thought Cao Cao genuinely wanted to revitalize the Han Dynasty, so he readily agreed.
Subsequently, Cao Cao launched an attack on Qingzhou!
Upon receiving this news, Yuan Shao flew into a rage and berated Cao Cao for being treacherous and shameless.
"Cao Mengde is truly hateful!"
Xu You sighed and said, "My lord, Cao Cao has welcomed the emperor into Xuchang. With the emperor's decree, he has ordered the recapture of Qingzhou. There's nothing we can say about it."
Speaking of this, Yuan Shao felt even more resentful, regretting that he hadn't listened to Xu You's advice to welcome the emperor.
Xu You looked utterly helpless. The Imperial Seal of the State was something that could once attract the attention of various feudal lords, but now, a living emperor himself didn't want it.
In the end, Cao Cao took them back. Now, Cao Cao had a legitimate reason to attack anywhere.
If you disobey an imperial edict, you will be guilty of treason.
The emperor is like a divine weapon in Cao Cao's hands; he can kill whomever he wants, and he will even be in the right.
"I absolutely cannot stand by and watch Cao Cao take Qingzhou!" Yuan Shao said through gritted teeth.
Although Xu You is right, Cao Cao's attack on Qingzhou is now perfectly justified.
But Cao Cao wasn't stupid; he would definitely send envoys to contact Yuan Shao.
If Yuan Shao complies, it would be disobeying the imperial decree.
"My lord, the current situation is very unfavorable for us," Xu You sighed.
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and said, "I plan to personally lead the army to support Qingzhou, and at the same time contact Yuan Shu to ask him to send troops to attack Xuzhou!"
"My lord, please think it over carefully. I'm afraid Yuan Shu won't easily obey your orders," Xu You said worriedly.
Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "Although Yuan Shu is an extremely incompetent man, he still has some brains."
"I'm afraid he'll send someone to contact me on his own initiative, without me even needing to contact him!"
Both of them belonged to the Yuan family, but Yuan Shu was the legitimate son, while Yuan Shao was the illegitimate son.
However, Yuan Shao was older than Yuan Shu, and his reputation and abilities were superior to Yuan Shu's.
This is why Yuan Shao appeared to be stronger than Yuan Shu on paper.
But no matter what, Yuan Shu is still a member of the Yuan family, and now he has occupied most of the counties in Yuzhou and Yangzhou, so his strength should not be underestimated.
Three days later, just as Yuan Shao had predicted, Yuan Shu sent an envoy to Ji Province.
At this point, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu temporarily put aside their personal grudges and formed an alliance.
Yuan Shu attacked Xuzhou to contain Cao Cao!
Yuan Shao attacked Qingzhou, thus beginning a direct confrontation with Cao Cao.
Everything is proceeding according to Lu Li's plan, and Qingzhou and Xuzhou are about to descend into a chaotic battle.
When Sun Ce learned that Yuan Shu had sent troops to Xuzhou, he immediately summoned Zhou Yu to discuss the matter.
"Gongjin, my chance for revenge has come!"
Sun Ce was very excited and said to Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu said calmly, "Bo Fu, calm down first!"
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