The heads of Li Jue and Li Xian were lifted high and hung on the top of the Anyi city wall, neatly lined up with the head of Hu Feng, and fluttered in the wind.
In Anyi City, ministers and guards all showed rare knowing smiles.
For them, the death of Li Jue has been an indelible nightmare for the past few years. Ever since Li Jue and Guo Si entered Chang'an, they turned against each other and attacked each other, resulting in the Sili area being deserted for thousands of miles and filled with bones. From the royal nobles to the common people, everyone was in a state of constant fear, and now he is finally dead!
Emperor Liu Xie sat in the seat of honor, accepting endless congratulations from all the officials. Everyone praised the contributions of Cao Cao, Zhao Yun, and even Lu Bu, but they seemed to have completely forgotten about the Baibo Army, which was still in power the night before, and no one mentioned it.
All the officials were well aware that the Baibo Army had acted recklessly and insulted the emperor and his officials some time ago. Everyone had been holding a grudge for a long time, but under the pressure of their tyranny, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.
Today I heard that while fighting outside the city, Cao's army actually took the initiative to attack the Baibo army. One of the Baibo army's generals died and one escaped. The remaining Yang Feng dared not come back outside the city. This is really gratifying!
Liu Xie was also happy. After all, the nightmare that had tormented him for years was over. Although he knew that there would definitely be people who would covet and use him in the future, at least he could breathe a sigh of relief now.
Moreover, what happened inside and outside Anyi City made Liu Xie understand a truth, that is, he could use his identity to hint others to do something he wanted, and that was the case with the Baibo Army!
Although the Han court declined, in the hearts of many people, he, the emperor, was still the ruler of the world!
He looked at the ministers standing on both sides. Cao Cao naturally stood at the top, and opposite him was Lu Bu.
However, Zhao Yun, the greatest contributor to the battle outside the city, was standing far away at the bottom of the stairs.
Liu Xie narrowed his eyes. Zhao Yun seemed to have no desires, yet he had made the greatest contribution. How should he reward him?
Suddenly, the guards shouted, "Marquis Xu Huang of Duting, begs to see the emperor!"
Everyone fell silent and looked at Cao Cao, only to find that he seemed to have heard nothing.
Liu Xie said, "Let him in."
After a while, Xu Huang strode in. When he arrived in front of Liu Xie's steps, he bowed and said, "Huang has been ordered by the royal family to help General Yang Feng of Xingyi defeat Guo Si. I have come to report here!"
Liu Xie nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear minister. Where is General Yang?"
Hearing this, Xu Huang said in a deep voice: "General, I originally wanted to meet the emperor, but I was afraid of being plotted against. Now I am staying outside the city, respectfully waiting for the emperor's order."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals in Cao's camp behind Cao Cao snorted coldly, filled with murderous intent.
Xu Huang stood tall and fearless, his body as straight as a pine tree.
Cao Cao laughed and said, "I'm afraid there is some misunderstanding between the Duke of Duting and me."
"Han Xian and Hu Cai rebelled and attempted to kill General Dong Cheng. My subordinates saw this and had no choice but to stop them. Several ministers can testify to this."
"General Dong, isn't that right?"
Dong Cheng saw Cao Cao looking at him and stammered, "It is true that Han Xian and Hu Cai want to kill me, but..."
"That's it," Cao Cao interrupted Dong Cheng, "General, I can't get involved in the feud between you and Han Xian and Hu Cai. I just want to save him. For the rest, I'll leave it to the emperor to decide."
Dong Cheng was so angry that his face turned red. He was attacked by Han Xian and Hu Cai and was stopped by Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan. He was secretly rejoicing, but he didn't expect that after the other party killed Hu Cai and drove away Han Xian, they immediately turned around to deal with him. If Zhang Liao and Zhang He had not arrived in time, he would have died long ago!
But what really disappointed Dong Cheng was that when he came to Liu Xie to complain, Liu Xie had a calm expression and said that there must be some misunderstanding.
Dong Cheng immediately realized that something was wrong. It was obvious that Liu Xie's attitude was no longer on his side!
This was the first time that Dong Cheng became so panicked. He had previously been competing for power with the generals of the Baibo Army and had even tried to frame and attack each other. He knew that Liu Xie could not do without him and needed them to deal with Li Jue and Guo Si.
He suddenly realized that now that Li Jue and Guo Si were defeated and Liu Xie had Cao Cao and Wen Hou by his side, his position became dispensable!
Thinking of this, Dong Cheng felt even more anxious. It's not like he had taken the opportunity to do some inappropriate things, such as the assassination of Queen Fu Shou. However, he was too confused at the time and thought that no one could do anything to him.
However, if Liu Xie really wanted to settle this matter, his own fate would be worrying!
Now Cao Cao interrupted Dong Cheng with confidence. Dong Cheng found that Liu Xie had no intention of letting him explain himself. He realized that the situation had changed greatly and was immediately panicked.
After listening to Cao Cao's words, Xu Huang defended himself to Liu Xie, saying, "General Xingyi is determined to fight against the rebellion and has no second thoughts. Your Majesty, please understand."
After hearing this, Liu Xie sighed and said, "I have always known your loyalty."
Everyone, including Xu Huang, understood the meaning of these words. Liu Xie was talking about Xu Huang, not Yang Feng.
Xu Huang hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Huang will not let down the Heavenly Family."
"But Akira believes in General Xingyi's loyalty to the Imperial Family. If he really betrays, Akira will be the Imperial Family's vanguard."
Liu Xie sighed and said, "Marquis Duting is both loyal and brave. He is truly my right-hand man."
"My dear minister, please go back and rest first. I will make a final decision on the matter of General Xingyi."
After hearing this, Xu Huang realized that there was no point in saying more, so he bowed and left.
Liu Xie saw that although all the officials were present in the hall, they all had their own thoughts. He knew that all the forces were cautious in this situation. He thought for a moment and said, "Except for the people I have named, all of you should withdraw first and wait for me to summon you individually."
After hearing this, the officials looked at each other and withdrew one by one.
There were about ten people left behind by Liu Xie.
Yang Biao, Fu Wan, Dong Zhao, Zhong Yao, Kong Rong, Dong Cheng, Ding Chong, Zhong Ji, Wu Shuo, Wang Zifu and others.
These were Liu Xie's confidants, his real team. In comparison, the officials outside were mixed with a large number of spies from various princes.
Liu Xie also understood that there were spies among these ten people, but he could not give up on using people just because of suspicion.
As long as he regains power, these spies will sooner or later become his own people.
At the moment, these people each have their own roles and they monitor and restrain each other. Just like Dong Cheng, although he was unfaithful to Fu Shou, he might not be unfaithful to himself. All he wanted was greater benefits. Therefore, Liu Xie still kept Dong Cheng to restrain Cao Cao.
Seeing Dong Cheng's grateful look, Liu Xie sneered in his heart. Some people are just mean. If you treat them well, they will take it for granted. Wait until they suffer a great loss and then give them a good beating to let them know who is the master and who is the dog. Only then will they be grateful for your kindness.
The first person Liu Xie called in was Zhao Yun.
When he saw Zhao Yun coming in, he stood up and quickly walked down from the throne, took Zhao Yun's hand and said, "I have heard of your bravery, General."
"If the Han Dynasty has a great general like you, there is no need to worry about the Han Dynasty's prosperity!"
"General, are you willing to stay with me?"
Zhao Yun heard this and bowed, saying, "Please forgive me, my Lord. I dare not betray you, nor do I dare to betray you, my Lord."
After hearing this, Liu Xie felt a little unhappy. Xu Huang was like this, and so was Zhao Yun!
Am I not as good as them?
Don't they just have territory, money, food, and soldiers?
What I will have in the future is the whole world!
But Liu Xie understood that he had no food and no soldiers now, and no matter how good the generals were, they would be useless if they followed him.
The world has been divided up among the princes. I must find a place to gather the forces that truly want to join me, in order to restore the glory of the Han Dynasty!
Otherwise, he will just be the fish on the chopping board of others!
He sighed to Zhao Yun: "I really can't bear to part with you, General."
Zhao Yun quickly leaned forward and said, "I have no way to repay the emperor's appreciation. If the emperor is in trouble, I will go through fire and water and die in return."
Liu Xie laughed and said, "I am very pleased with what you said, General. I am afraid that when you come here, Envoy Yuan will also give you many instructions to stay, which will make it difficult for you to make a decision, right?"
Seeing Zhao Yun's hesitation, he asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Yun answered honestly: "When I came, you just told me to do what was convenient for me, without saying anything else."
"Young Master said that no matter what happens, Yun can just do what he wants."
Liu Xie was stunned, and then fell into deep thought. This fierce tiger of the Yuan family had such a deep mind!
No wonder Zhao Yun was so hesitant. Although Xionghu's words seemed magnanimous, they actually put Zhao Yun in moral shackles, making it difficult for Zhao Yun to change his allegiance!
No wonder the fierce tiger has gained such a great reputation over the years. No matter whether there are strategists and experts helping him behind the scenes, or whether the fierce tiger himself is cunning and scheming, he is not easy to deal with.
I think Yuan Xi also wanted to get a piece of the pie by chance, but he didn't expect that he would really succeed. As a member of the Yuan family, I can't trust him completely, but using him to contain other forces is a good choice.
The key is to grasp the degree.
Moreover, if Zhao Yun is loyal to him, he will pose a great threat to him in the future. The best way is to alienate the two of them and make Zhao Yun work for him!
Thinking of this, Liu Xie said to Zhao Yun: "General, you have made great contributions this time. You can ask for any reward you want. Although I am in poverty, I can still afford to give you a small official position."
Zhao Yun quickly replied, "I am following your orders to protect the royal family from the threat of the rebels and to support the Han Dynasty with all my heart. I have no other requests for anything else."
Zhao Yun's words made Liu Xie helpless, so he could only say, "I understand your loyalty and righteousness, and I will make my own decision later."
After hearing this, Zhao Yun bowed and left.
Liu Xie returned to his seat, feeling a little frustrated. He could hardly subdue a general under Yuan, so how could he fight against him in the future?
It seems that we still need to rely on the power of other princes.
He then said to the guards, "Ask Ju Su to come up."
Cao Chun, who was waiting at the door, saw Zhao Yun go in first, followed by Ju Su. He was upset about not having made any achievements today, and could not help but curse in a low voice: "Damn it, this time the Yuan family got the limelight!"
"If we had killed Guo Si today, we wouldn't have been suppressed by others. It's really frustrating!"
Cao Ren glared at him and said, "Shut up!"
"What nonsense are you talking about in front of the emperor's gate?"
Cao Chun immediately shut up and kept mumbling, but Cao Ren ignored him, thinking that such troublesome matters should be left to Ming Gong and Xun You. Cao Chun was such a fool, he was just worrying about something else.
Ju Su went in and met Liu Xie. Liu Xie opened the door and said, "I have heard in recent years that the fierce tiger of the Yuan family has become famous all over the world. He killed Gongsun, defeated Heishan, and defeated Sun Ce. He is really a young talent."
"Xionghu, you have made great contributions in saving me this time. What do you want from me?"
Ju Su heard this and said, "My son wants to ask the royal family for a title."
Liu Xie smiled slightly. It was easier to talk if you had something to ask for, so he asked, "Who is it?"
Ju Su replied, "Qu Yi, a general under your command, died on the way to welcome the emperor. Your Majesty has petitioned the Heavenly Family to confer a posthumous title on him."
Liu Xie was stunned. Dead person?
What is Xionghu planning?