Cao Cao's Wrath!

"At the end of December in the second year of the Ganping era, just before the New Year, Cao Cao and Jiang Zhe and others finally arrived in Xuchang."

Cao Cao ordered Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Yue Jin, and other generals to bring the more than 10,000 fine horses to the military camp outside Xuchang City. Cao Cao, along with Jiang Zhe, Xiahou Han, Zhao Yun, Li Tong, Dian Wei, and other generals, returned to Xuchang first.

Guo Jia and Xi Zhiyou, following Cao Cao's orders, were to inventory the spoils of their trip to Yizhou before reporting back. They watched as the extremely irresponsible Jiang Zhe vanished in a flash. The two men, gazing at the mountains of cargo and provisions, could only exchange bitter smiles in silence.

With his two beloved wives at home on his mind, Jiang Zhe, along with generals Li Tong and Zhao Yun, hurriedly returned to the Jiang family mansion of Minister Situ. Cao Cao, having given instructions to Guo Jia and Xi Zhi on some important matters, left the military camp.

Jiang Zhe and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Shouyi is truly something!" Cao Cao shook his head, and he and Dian Wei mounted two fine horses and headed towards Xuchang. These two warhorses were two of the more than ten thousand warhorses they had tricked Yuan Shao of Yizhou into giving them. Whenever Cao Cao recalled that day, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"I, Cao Mengde, have a glorious reputation for generations!" Cao Cao cracked his whip and rode off, with Dian Wei following closely behind. However, the sight of Dian Wei's warhorse swaying precariously made one break out in a cold sweat.

I, Cao Mengde, am back! Gazing at the familiar gates of Xuchang, Cao Cao smiled slightly, thinking to himself, "Good, Shouyi, you've left me to be with your two beautiful wives. Heh heh, I won't let you have your way."

Suddenly, Cao Cao's expression changed slightly as he stared in astonishment at several houses near the north gate that had been completely burned down. He reined in his horse in surprise and looked around.

"Whoa!" Dian Wei spurred his horse to a halt and asked Cao Cao in surprise, "My lord, why have we stopped?"

Cao Cao, with a solemn expression, slowly rode his horse toward the governor's mansion in the city. Dian Wei scratched his head in confusion and followed behind Cao Cao on his horse.

A moment later, the two finally arrived at the governor's residence. Looking at the corner that had been burned to the ground, Cao Cao's expression grew increasingly grim. He dismounted and handed the reins to the guards at the governor's gate. He and Dian Wei hurried inside.

Xun Yu was working in his residence when Wenren Jin frowned. Looking up, he was surprised to see Cao Cao enter with a grave expression. He quickly rose and bowed, saying, "Xun Yu greets my lord!"

Cheng Yu and Li Ru also stood up and bowed.

Cao Cao waved his hand and said in a deep voice to Xun Yu and the other two, "Wenruo, I came from the north gate and saw countless ruins of houses along the way. Why is that?"

"This..." Xun Yu hesitated for a long time before speaking, "Reporting to my lord, it was after you and Shouyi went north to Yizhou that some people in the city harbored ulterior motives and plotted a rebellion, which led to..." "How dare they!" Cao Cao's face turned cold, and he said angrily, "Who dares to be so presumptuous?"

Xun Yu frowned and lowered his head, remaining silent. Cheng Yu, standing beside him, said calmly, "Reporting to the lord, it is Liu Ai, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, and Yang Feng, the Commandant of the Guards!" With that, Cheng Yu recounted to Cao Cao the events of that day involving Xu Changsheng.

Cao Cao was taken aback by Liu Bei's words, finding it utterly unbelievable. He paced back and forth in the hall, lost in thought.

"Liu Ai!" Cao Cao sneered, pointing towards the palace, then hesitated, before finally exclaiming in anger and sighing, "Outrageous! Outrageous!"

"My lord!" Xun Yu called out to Cao Cao with concern.

"Outrageous!" Cao Cao strode to an empty seat, slammed his hand on the table, and exclaimed. "I, Cao Mengde, am so concerned for the Han Dynasty, yet I never imagined..." He rose, bowed to Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and Li Ru, and said sincerely, "Without you all, I would have nowhere to go!"

"You flatter us, you flatter us!" Xun Yu and the other two hurriedly returned the greeting.

"Yuan Shu!" Cao Cao took a deep breath. He said coldly, "You dared to attempt to seize Sichuan while I was away… You wait, this grudge I, Cao Mengde, will surely avenge!"

Cheng Yu gazed at the imposing Cao Cao, inwardly praising him, and smiled slightly as he spoke.

"My lord, I wonder how you intend to deal with these traitors..." "Zhongde!" Xun Yu shouted at Cheng Yu, both surprised and furious.

"Hmm?" Cao Cao looked surprised, staring at Cheng Yu's strange smile with a puzzled expression. He seemed to understand something, and after a long pause, he spoke. "Since Liu Ai is already dead, I, Cao Mengde, will spare him this time; but Yang Feng has always been arrogant and domineering. This time, he must not be forgiven. Execute him in the marketplace, and leave his body to rot. And leaving the body is one thing, but I fear Shouyi will come and complain about me again." "Heh!"

Looking at Cao Cao, who seemed utterly bored, Cheng Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly and said with a faint smile, "Wouldn't that just be letting Yang Feng off easy?"

"Oh?" Cao Cao looked at Cheng Yu with suspicion. "Then what do you intend to do?"

Before Cheng Yu could answer, Li Ru, sitting opposite him, said calmly, "Since ancient times, those who plot rebellion have always been punished by executing their entire clan, numbering nine generations. In my opinion, they should all be killed as an example to others!"

Cao Cao opened his mouth, about to speak, when Xun Yu suddenly bowed and said, "My lord, although Yang Feng deserves to die a thousand deaths, his entire clan is innocent. If you can show leniency, the people of the world will surely praise your benevolence!"

Cao Cao glanced at Li Ru, then at Xun Yu, his expression hesitant.

"Then so be it!" Cheng Yu said with a faint smile. "The Yang Feng residence will be confiscated, all the men of the clan will be sent to the army, and the women..." "Hmph, let's follow the Han Dynasty's custom!"

Xun Yu felt a pang of reluctance. He glanced at Cao Cao, then finally said, "My lord..."

Is that alright?

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao had no mind to deal with this matter. He was troubled by something else. Hearing Xun Yu's words, he nodded and said, "You two discuss this matter with Shouyi. I will decide on the matter first!" After saying that, he and Dian Wei turned and left.

Xun Yu was startled. He had a vague idea of ​​where Cao Cao was going and exclaimed, "Zhu Pi!" But before he could finish, Cheng Yu pulled him aside and gave him a meaningful look.

"Sigh!" Xun Yu sighed and returned to his seat helplessly, but he could not calm down for a long time. "What should I do?"

Xuchang Imperial Palace!

Just as Emperor Liu Xie received news that Cao Cao had entered Xuchang, he and Dong Cheng were filled with unease.

Sima Lang, standing to the side, watched the emperor and his minister with a calm expression, secretly shaking his head in his heart.

"Thump, thump, thump!" Suddenly, a series of light footsteps came from outside the palace, and then a eunuch hurriedly entered, bowing to Liu Xie and reporting, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Feiting and General Cao of the Tiger Guard request an audience!"

"Hmm?" Liu Xie exchanged a surprised glance with Dong Cheng, who was equally astonished, and paced back and forth in the room a few times. Hesitantly, he said, "I'll say I'm not feeling well today and won't see you!"

"This," the eunuch said with difficulty, "Lord Cao said that he must see His Majesty today?"

"What?" Liu Xie's face flushed red as he said angrily, "How dare he say such a thing?"

"He...he...this is outrageous! Outrageous!"

Liu Xie immediately turned to look at Dong Cheng. He said angrily, "Father-in-law, now that things have come to this, how do you expect me to handle this?"

Dong Cheng frowned and pondered for a moment, but ultimately remained silent.

Seeing Dong Cheng's expression, Liu Xie was furious. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Sima Lang sneering beside him out of the corner of his eye. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Does my dear minister have a good plan?"

Sima Lang smiled slightly and said to the eunuch, "Go, go and summon Lord Cao!"

The eunuch glanced at Liu Xie furtively, then lowered his head, waiting for Liu Xie's reply.

"You!" Liu Xie's voice faltered, and he said to Sima Lang with an unfriendly expression, "What do you mean by this, my dear minister?"

"Heh!" Sima Lang chuckled faintly. He glanced coldly towards the doorway and said, "At this moment, it's no longer a matter of His Majesty not wanting to see you; you can simply refuse! However, Your Majesty can rest assured. Your Majesty is the ruler, and Lord Cao is a subject. There is a distinction between ruler and subject. How could Lord Cao possibly defy the world... Heh, Your Majesty, rest assured!"

"Curse!" Liu Xie gave Sima Lang a deep look, pondered for a moment, then pointed at the eunuch and said, "Go. Summon Cao Mengde inside!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The eunuch replied as if granted a pardon and hurriedly withdrew.

Seeing Liu Xie staring straight at him, Sima Lang smiled slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Hmph!" Liu Xie snorted coldly, angrily saying, "My dear minister, you possess great talent, yet you have no intention of assisting me!"

"No!" Sima Lang shook his head and said in a deep voice. "Since Your Majesty says I do not wish to assist you, then this humble subject will offer Your Majesty a plan. However… whether Your Majesty dares to use it is none of this humble subject's concern!"

"Hmm?" Liu Xie looked somewhat confused and raised his hand, saying, "Tell me!"

Sima Lang cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Xie and said with a faint smile, "This humble subject remembers that Your Majesty has over a hundred imperial guards by your side. Why doesn't Your Majesty secretly have your trusted guards lie in ambush beside Cao Mengde? With a single command, they can all attack. Even if Cao Mengde is skilled in martial arts, how could he possibly defeat over a hundred men? We can simply accuse him of disrespect..."

"Hiss..." Liu Xie gasped upon hearing this. Even Dong Cheng stared at Sima Lang in astonishment.

"No…" Liu Xie was in a panic. He shook his head repeatedly, saying, "If that happens, I will die without a burial place!"

"Hehe!" Sima Lang chuckled. "So it's not that this humble subject doesn't wish to assist Your Majesty, but rather that Your Majesty doesn't wish to use this humble subject's plan. Since Lord Cao has come at this moment, he must have something to discuss with Your Majesty. This humble subject takes his leave!"

"Boda!" Liu Xie was both shocked and angry as he watched Sima Lang bow to him and then turn to leave.

Dong Cheng, also filled with apprehension, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Cao Mengde must be resentful and has come to demand an explanation. Although Sima Boda's plan was flawed, it can still prevent Cao Menghui from acting rashly!"

"Hmph!" Liu Xie shook his head with a cold laugh and said indifferently, "Father-in-law, you may also step aside. I will meet with Cao Mengde alone!"

Although Dong Cheng was more than willing, he had to say the right thing, so he hesitated and said, "What if Cao Mengde rises up in rebellion?"

"Hmph! If Cao Mengde truly desires to pacify the world, then I would never dare to touch him! So what do I have to fear? Father-in-law, step aside!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Dong Cheng bowed. He hurriedly left the room, but unexpectedly, he bumped into Cao Cao and Dian Wei as soon as he stepped out of the door.

Seeing Cao Cao's icy gaze, Dong Cheng was secretly alarmed and hurried past with his head down.

"Hmph!" Cao Cao didn't bother him. He just secretly regretted that this old scoundrel hadn't participated in the rebellion, otherwise he could have just beheaded him to save himself the trouble.

He ordered Dian Wei to guard the door and prevent anyone else from entering. Cao Cao straightened his clothes and shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, your subject Cao Cao requests an audience!"

"Please come in, my dear minister!" Liu Xie called from inside.

Cao Cao entered, bowed deeply, and proclaimed, "Your subject Cao Cao greets Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"Rise, my dear subject!" "What a waste," Liu Xie sighed inwardly, waving his hand and saying softly, "Please take a seat, my dear subject!"

"No need!" Unexpectedly, Cao Cao slowly rose, his eyes filled with anger as he looked at Liu Xie. To Liu Xie's astonishment, Cao Cao angrily said, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, I have never wronged you, why do you treat me this way?" (To be continued)

.