Chapter 819: 781. Xun Yu Reaffirm His Loyalty
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Then, almost as if fate had held him back for a reason, Xun Yu received the news. He had been in quiet contemplation in his own residence, hands folded before an altar dedicated to the Han Dynasty, when a runner burst in, face stricken. “Master Xun Yu! The Chancellor, he collapsed! He is in his quarters now, unconscious!”
Xun Yu rose in an instant, his face turning pale. “What did you say? When? How?”
“Monts ago! He was on his way to do sothing, when he suddenly stopped, said nothing, and fainted!”
Everything else vanished in that instant. The endless debate within his heart, his objections to Cao Cao’s ambition, the betrayal he felt at the thought of the Han ending by his lord’s own hands, all of it fell away.
There was no hesitation.
Xun Yu grabbed his cloak and raced through the streets of Luoyang, ignoring the startled glances of passersby. His mind was a storm. “This can’t be… I haven’t… I haven’t spoken to him. What if… what if it’s too late?”
When he arrived, he found the entire courtyard outside Cao Cao’s quarters filled with the people he had known for decades. Advisors and generals, nobles and servants, all stood in varying states of anxiety and confusion.
Xun Yu’s arrival caused a ripple.
“Master Xun Yu!” Jia Kui stepped forward.
“What happened? What’s the latest news?” Xun Yu asked imdiately, his voice raw with urgency.
Tian Feng shook his head. “We’re still waiting. My lord is inside with Lady Bian and the physicians. They haven’t co out and said anything yet.”
Cheng Yu crossed his arms, trying to hide the tremor in his fingers. “It was a sudden thing. It should be a massive headache, the servants said as they saw my lord hold his head. Then he collapsed.”
Xun Yu bowed his head, guilt stabbing him in the chest. “I could never forgive myself if sothing happened to him and it’s too late for …”
They all turned as the door to the room suddenly opened.
Lady Bian stepped out first, her face lined with worry but her posture regal. Behind her followed two court physicians, their expressions serious.
“My lady,” Cheng Yu spoke softly. “How is my lord?”
Lady Bian took a breath. “The physicians have told … it is exhaustion. A severe headache, brought on by excessive ntal and emotional strain. They believe he has not rested in weeks, perhaps months, and it has taken a toll on his health.”
The entire assembly let out a collective breath.
“He needs rest. Complete rest,” she continued, her voice firm but vulnerable. “He must not be disturbed by work or politics. He must sleep, eat, and recover. The weight he carries is too great to let him work right now.”
Jia Kui stepped forward. “May we see him, my lady? Even if it’s briefly?”
“One at a ti,” Lady Bian said. “Only a few minutes. He is awake now, but still weak.”
Xun Yu lowered his head. “May I go first, my lady?”
Lady Bian t his gaze. For a long mont, she said nothing. Then she sighed and nodded.
Xun Yu stepped inside.
The room was dim, the heavy curtains drawn. The sll of herbal dicine clung in the air. Cao Cao lay on the bed, pale but awake, his eyes half lidded.
“Wenruo,” he said, his voice little more than a whisper.
Xun Yu dropped to his knees beside the bed. “My lord… forgive . I should have co and seen you sooner with my decision.”
Cao Cao smiled weakly. “You… were always loyal, Wenruo. Even when you disagreed with . I never doubted you once.”
Tears welled in Xun Yu’s eyes, but he kept his voice steady. “I was wrong to delay, my lord. After hearing what happened to you, I have made my decision my lord. Whatever happens to the Han… I am yours to command.”
Cao Cao reached out, placing a hand on Xun Yu’s arm. “Let us not speak of that now. Just stay. Talk to . As we used to.”
Xun Yu nodded. And for a while, they spoke not of emperors or dynasties, but of books they once read, of battles they survived, of friends they buried.
After reaffirming his loyalty and spending a long, quiet mont reminiscing beside Cao Cao, Xun Yu erged from the chamber renewed, not in spirit alone, but in purpose. Whatever doubts had once clawed at him had now been buried in that dim-lit room where the weight of old friendship and duty had triumphed over ideology.
By the ti morning mist crept through the eaves of the Cao Clan’s residence, Xun Yu was already seated at a long table in the administrative hall of Luoyang alongside Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Cheng Yu, Jia Kui, Tian Feng, and Xu You. They weren’t there for tea or pleasantries. Scrolls, ink, and sealed docunts lay scattered before them like battlefield maps.
“Now that Master Xun Yu has joined us,” Cheng Yu began, glancing up, “we can begin preparations in earnest.”
Guo Jia tapped his fingers over the petition draft. “If we are to convince the ministers and nobles to accept our lord’s ascension, we must be unflinching. The tone must balance righteousness and inevitability. A natural step, not a coup.”
Xun Yu nodded, taking the scroll and beginning to and it with elegant, sharp brushstrokes. “We emphasize that Emperor Xian’s abdication is voluntary, done in recognition of our lord’s stewardship of the realm. We cite the Mandate of Heaven, not personal ambition.”
Xi Zhicai smirked slightly. “And what of the naysayers?”
Xun Yu’s brush didn’t pause. “We remind them that the Han has lived beyond its season. The people no longer trust its na. What they trust now… is order. And His Excellency is the source of that order.”
The other advisors exchanged glances. There was a new fire behind Xun Yu’s eyes, no longer just the scholar or loyal servant of Han, but a statesman prepared to wield power in full.
But he did not stop there. After finalizing the early draft of the petition, he turned his attention to the upcoming western campaign. Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai had spent weeks navigating the tangle of terrain, weather patterns, and tribal movent in the Gansu Corridor and Qinghai Plateau, but their greatest limitation had been logistical stability. That was Xun Yu’s strength.
By noon, he had not only improved the structure of supply convoys, but also established a centralized logistical route connecting Tianshui and Wudou to Chang’an.
“We cannot afford delays,” Xun Yu muttered, tracing a finger along the map. “If the tribes on the corridor and plateau cut off our supply lines, the entire campaign collapses.”
Xi Zhicai, standing beside him, rubbed his chin. “Then we need forward bases, small garrisons along the route to protect the convoys.”
Xun Yu nodded. “Exactly. And we must ensure that Chang’an remains a steady anchor. If the western front falters, we have a steady anchor to help us regroup in Wudou and Tianshui to push again.”
From there, supplies could be shipped by riverboats to frontline depots every ten days. Granaries were assigned. Horse fodder ratios were calculated. Even local transport taxes were adjusted to ease requisitions.
By the end of the day, the upcoming western expedition had tripled its efficiency without adding a single soldier. Reports were quickly drawn up and delivered.
At Cao Cao’s bedside, Lady Bian was gently coaxing her husband to finish a bowl of herbal soup. The scent was strong, but palatable, and she carefully wiped the edge of his mouth with a silk cloth.
“You’re smiling husband,” she noted, watching the lines at the corner of his mouth soften.
Cao Cao’s voice was still faint, but steadier than before. “It’s Wenruo. You saw him, didn’t you? His eyes were different. He ca back to .”
Lady Bian nodded with a faint smile. “He has taken charge of everything. The entire household has noticed. Your generals and advisors are working in harmony. He even fixed the expedition logistics in a matter of hours.”
“Then perhaps the soup isn’t healing ,” Cao Cao muttered, allowing himself to lean back with a sigh. “Perhaps it’s peace of mind.”
Lady Bian chuckled softly. “Then finish the bowl. You’ll need more peace for what’s ahead.”
Back in Xiapi, capital of the Hengyuan Dynasty, Lie Fan sat within the strategic chamber of the Inner Palace alongside three of his most trusted minds, Xun You, Jia Xu, and Sima Yi. Opposite them sat Gongsun Gong, whose composed deanor did not disguise the intensity in his eyes.
Before them, a table was laid with a detailed map of the northeastern reaches, showing Goguryeo and the southern kingdoms of Baekje, Silla, and Gaya. Colored stones indicated movents, fortresses, and intelligence sources.
“The Oriole agents embedded all around Goguryeo’s southern border have confird recent activity,” Lie Fan said, tapping the Gaya region with a lacquered stick. “The southern kingdoms have begun discussing a defensive alliance. They suspect Goguryeo of falling under foreign sway, ours.”
Gongsun Gong narrowed his eyes. “They’re not wrong, Your Majesty. But alliances take ti. That buys us a small window.”
“I concur with Governor Gongsun, Your Majesty.” Sima Yi said, fingers steepled. “If they form a tri alliance, we face not one frontier conflict, but three. Coordination between Goguryeo and ourselves must be flawless.”
Xun You tilted his head. “Baekje has the most to lose from conflict. They lie between two possible threats. Divide them diplomatically or isolate them militarily, and the tri-alliance collapses.”
Lie Fan nodded. “I want you, Gongsun Gong, to coordinate closely with Li Wei in Goguryeo. Our goal isn’t conquest, it’s total influence. Puppets, yes, but loyal ones.”
Jia Xu leaned forward, eyes gleaming with calculations. “We plant seeds of fear. Bribe officials. Spread rumors of Gaya’s ambitions to absorb Silla. Whisper in Baekje’s ears that Silla courts Goguryeo loyalists. We fracture them from within.”
“Then we strike,” Gongsun Gong said coldly. “One at a ti.”
It was a ruthless plan, but a clean one. And Lie Fan, Emperor though he was, knew how to dirty his hands when the dynasty’s future demanded it.
At that mont, a young page in simple robes entered and bowed low. “Forgive the interruption, Your Majesty. I bring an urgent letter that require Your Majesty attention.”
Lie Fan took the sealed ssage and stepped away from the table. The others watched as he moved near the tall palace window, where sunlight stread through translucent silk curtains.
He opened the letter.
His brows tightened as he read, lips pressing into a thin line. The air around him seed to cool. When he turned, there was no anger, only disappointnt. “Xun Yu has chosen Cao Cao,” he said simply. “He’s cast off his loyalty to the Han. He joins them now in preparing the petition to force Emperor Xian to abdciate and declare Cao Cao as Emperor.”
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Na: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 34 (201 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 ( 20)
VIT: 623 ( 20)
AGI: 623 ( 10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0
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