HLnovel Chapter 431 Cao Cao's Four Evils Have Gone to Jiangxia! Huang Zhong Advises Han Xuan to Surrend
Chapter 431 Cao Cao's Four Evils Have Gone to Jiangxia! Huang Zhong Advises Han Xuan to Surrend
Su Yu also specially accompanied Huang Chengyan on his trip to Jiangxia.
In addition, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Cheng Yu also followed behind.
厮！
This lineup, if you didn't know better, you'd probably think they were going to raid and exterminate a family!
Cheng Yu has resigned from his original position as Prefect of Xuzhou and returned to the capital to take up a post.
However, Cheng Yu's son, Cheng Li, is also quite capable and is currently receiving special training; he will definitely be given important responsibilities in the future.
With the four scourges of Cao Cao's camp all gathered together, one can imagine how terrifying their intimidation was.
thus.
When Huang Zu met with Su Yu and the other three scourges of Cao Cao's camp in the Jiangxia council hall, his face was so stiff that he could barely speak.
"Prefect Huang, please don't be nervous."
"We have come here today because we each have important matters to attend to."
"I hope Prefect Huang will forgive my inconvenience over the past few days."
Would Huang Zu dare not forgive him?
These four men were notorious; Su Yu and Jia Xu, in particular, need no further explanation.
Whether Guo Jia came to rob tombs or not, no one can say for sure.
And then there's Cheng Yu. Ha, don't be fooled by the fact that Cheng Yu hasn't made a move much in recent years.
Even a slight attack would cause catastrophic damage!
After all, while others were still at the level of tricking people, Cheng Yu was practically eating them up! (Of course, this scene never appeared in the book.)
Huang Zu, trembling with fear, arranged accommodations for the four scourges of Cao Cao's camp.
On the way, Su Yu said to Guo Jia:
“Fengxiao, Huang Zu is one of our own. Don’t get carried away and rob his ancestral grave.”
Guo Jia took a swig of wine and laughed:
Is Guo that kind of person?
"But throughout the land, most of the famous tombs have already been looted, and Jiangdong has also been looted long ago. (Before Sun Ce died, Guo Jia led a tomb-raiding team to Jiangdong to rob tombs.)"
"Only Yizhou remains untouched."
"Sigh, how boring Guo's days will be after he steals all this!"
Seeing Guo Jia's melancholy, Su Yu said:
"Where have you even gotten to?"
"Have you heard of the pyramids? Have you heard of the pharaohs? You've probably never heard of either."
"The road you'll be walking from now on—I mean, the tomb raiding you'll be doing—is still a long way off!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia's eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled Su Yu aside to talk about it, curious about what those things Su Yu had just mentioned were.
Cheng Yu and Jia Xu, being older men, were not as energetic as Su Yu and Guo Jia.
The two strolled leisurely, seemingly harmless, honest, and simple-minded people, as if they were detached from worldly affairs.
……
荆南
Changsha
In the council chamber
Upon hearing the news that Jingbei and Jiangxia had surrendered to Cao Cao, Han Xuan, the governor of Changsha, was on high alert, actively training his troops and adopting a posture of being ready to fight Cao Cao's camp to the death.
This was purely Han Xuan trying to save face and force himself to regain confidence.
In the past, when conflicts broke out between Jingnan and Liu Biao, Han Xuan would also put on a similar show of force.
But he didn't know that Cao Cao's strength was far greater than that of Liu Biao in the past.
No matter how tough you adopt a stance, it won't work.
Once Cao Cao's camp turns its attention to him, he will only have two options left: surrender or death.
The guard entered from outside and reported to Han Xuan:
"Reporting to the Prefect, General Huang is outside requesting an audience."
"Oh? It's Hansheng. Please come in quickly."
Han Xuan was very happy.
The Hansheng he mentioned was Huang Zhong.
Soon, Huang Zhong, who was over fifty years old at the time, walked in.
(The current timeline is 201 AD. Historical records do not accurately record Huang Zhong's age, but Guan Yu once referred to Huang Zhong as an old soldier, proving that Huang Zhong was older than Guan Yu, and most likely older than Liu Bei as well.)
Liu Biao did, in fact, manage Jingnan.
Several years ago, not long after he took control of Jingzhou, he sent his nephew Liu Pan to Jingnan.
But Liu Pan passed away five years ago.
Huang Zhong was a subordinate of Liu Pan, and strictly speaking, he did not have a direct master-servant relationship with Liu Biao.
Han Xuan seized the opportunity to recruit Huang Zhong, keeping him in Changsha and making him a veteran general there.
And now, Huang Zhong is also a trump card in Han Xuan's hands.
Despite his advancing age, Huang Zhong's martial arts skills were still unparalleled.
Not only was he skilled in archery and horsemanship, but he also wielded the greatsword with dazzling speed and power.
"How has Xu'er been feeling lately?"
Han Xuan asked Huang Zhong with concern.
Huang Zhong cupped his hands in greeting and replied:
"On behalf of Xu'er, I thank the Prefect for his concern."
“But Xu’er’s illness is really troublesome.”
"After so many years of treatment, we can only barely maintain the status quo and cannot eradicate the root cause of the disease."
Han Xuan also sighed:
"Xu'er is fortunate to have a father like Hansheng."
"By the way, Hansheng, what brings you here today...?"
Huang Zhong picked up a map from Han Xuan's table and pointed at it, saying:
"My lord, Cao Cao has already occupied Xiangyang, and Huang Zu has led the Jiangxia navy to surrender to Cao Cao."
"I have something I would like to say to the Prefect."
Han Xuan raised his hand and said:
"Hansheng, please speak freely."
Huang Zhong pointed north of Changsha and sighed:
"If Cao Cao launches his attack from Jiangxia, Changsha will be indefensible."
"Moreover, Cao Cao's army is powerful and cannot be resisted by Changsha."
"The governor has recently adopted a tough stance. Is he determined to be an enemy of Cao Cao?"
Han Xuan frowned and sighed:
"it's not true."
"But Cao Cao's style of doing things has always been domineering."
“If I surrender to him, Changsha will lose its prestige, and there is no guarantee that he will not purge the people of Changsha.”
Han Xuan put on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance.
Huang Zhong nodded and said:
"The Prefect's concern for the people of Changsha is admirable."
"But I heard that Huang Zu of Jiangxia made a condition to Cao Cao before surrendering: he would not allow Cao Cao to harm the people of Jiangxia, otherwise he would die rather than surrender."
"Cao Cao agreed to Huang Zu's request."
"If the governor were to make similar demands, Cao Cao would surely not refuse."
Han Xuan's lips twitched violently.
Was he, like Huang Zu, worried about the people?
How can it be!
For Han Xuan, continuing to lord it over Changsha was his greatest wish.
Surrender? Would Cao Cao really let him continue as the governor of Changsha?
However, Han Xuan could not say these words directly to Huang Zhong.
He also wants to lose face.
Therefore, they can only use ordinary people as examples to make up stories.
"General Huang, do you mean you want this prefect to surrender?"
Unbeknownst to them, Han Xuan's address to Huang Zhong changed from "Han Sheng" to "General Huang," indicating a clear shift in their relationship.
Huang Zhong quickly cupped his hands in greeting:
"Your Excellency has misunderstood my meaning."
"If Cao Cao is utterly ruthless, and the Prefect insists on going to war with him, I, Huang, will stand firm until the very last moment!"
Han Xuan nodded expressionlessly.
Was Cao Cao cruel?
Under Su Yu's influence, Cao Cao could hardly be described as cruel.
First of all, they never massacred a city or harmed innocent civilians who were implicated by the defending general.
Second.
The tax standards in Cao Cao's camp were also much better than those at the end of the Han Dynasty, allowing more and more people to live and work in peace and prosperity.
Han Xuan didn't not want to surrender; rather, he wanted to ensure he could continue to be the local tyrant in Changsha, oppressing the people.
To put it bluntly, their refusal to surrender is solely for their own selfish interests.
But judging from Huang Zhong's attitude, it seems he won't pay the price for his own personal gain.
This undoubtedly made Han Xuan feel like he had punched cotton; he couldn't criticize Huang Zhong, but he was really unhappy inside.
Seeing Han Xuan's bad expression, Huang Zhong realized that he had said the wrong thing.
But Han Xuan's expression suddenly changed, and he said in a gentle tone:
"Hansheng, rest assured, with me, Han Xuan, here, I will ensure the safety of the people of Changsha!"
Huang Zhong looked grateful:
"Thank you, Prefect, for protecting Changsha."
Watching Huang Zhong's departing figure, Han Xuan's lips curled into a smile.
Like him, there were three other men in Jingnan who were unwilling to relinquish their power.
Han Xuan's goal was to form the Jingnan Alliance and make Cao Cao feel the pressure from Jingnan!
……