webnovelfull Chapter 504 Cao Cao Entrusts His Last Matters
Chapter 504 Cao Cao Entrusts His Last Matters
When Cao Cao mentioned his son-in-law Liu Xie, a rare hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes.
This son-in-law is not an obedient puppet, but the rightful heir of the Liu family with strong political skills and the ability to endure hardship.
To be honest, even if Cao Cao himself were in Liu Xie's position, he wouldn't be confident of turning the tables. However, Liu Xie had made Cao Cao very busy and flustered over the years, which made Cao Cao wary of him.
Cao Cao himself had such difficulty suppressing Liu Xie; if it were Cao Pi, he would have been played to death by Liu Xie in no time.
Cao Cao continued, “I, your father, have fought my way up from the battlefield. I can control the emperor and suppress fierce generals. But you can’t. If you don’t become emperor and don’t give the arrogant soldiers and fierce generals the power and status they deserve, those arrogant soldiers and fierce generals, as well as the local gentry, will join the emperor’s side and demand the power and status they want. At that time, you will face a pincer attack from the emperor and the fierce generals and gentry.”
"This is like Xu Huang being surrounded in the west city by the big-eared thief and Guan Xing. Being attacked from both sides, he was bound to die. The only way to survive was to eliminate one side first and then face the other side with all his might. You are the same. You must pull the emperor down and sit on the throne yourself to remove the emperor's worries about attacking from behind. Do you understand?"
In modern terms, this means that Cao Cao's proud and fierce generals were also ambitious and always wanted to improve. If Cao Pi didn't help them improve, they would go to Liu Xie to help them improve. It didn't matter who led them to improve, as long as they could improve.
Moreover, compared to Cao Pi, those arrogant and fierce generals probably hoped that Liu Xie would lead them to progress. After all, Liu Xie was the rightful emperor of the Han Dynasty. Once he took power, not only Cao Pi, but even the threat from Liu Bei could be eliminated in an instant.
Cao Pi said worriedly, "I understand, but Father, what if Liu Bei launches a northern expedition under the pretext of opposing me after I become emperor?"
Cao Cao shook his head and said, "No, after you become emperor, Liu Bei will naturally become emperor as well. He won't go north to cause you trouble. Although that big-eared scoundrel is full of benevolence and morality, he also has ambitions. Otherwise, for whom have he been busy fighting in the south and north all these years?"
"I am 80% certain that after you become emperor, Liu Bei will definitely follow suit, rather than attacking you first and then becoming emperor. There are two reasons for this. First, Liu Bei has been even more warlike than his father in recent years, and his generals and soldiers are all tired of war and unable to launch a northern expedition. In addition, the four provinces need to be consolidated. If a northern expedition is launched without consolidation, there will be trouble in the rear. Liu Bei is an old and shrewd man, and he cannot possibly not understand this point."
"Secondly, although Liu Bei was in good health, he was over sixty years old. At fifty, one knows one's destiny; at sixty, one's ears are attuned. Even if one is in good health, one will start to prepare for the end of one's life at this age. Moreover, Liu Bei's legitimate son Liu Shan was still young, and his adopted son Liu Feng had made military achievements. How could he not prepare for the end of his life and pave the way for his son?"
"You must understand that becoming emperor is a defying the heavens. Whether it's you or Liu Bei, you will encounter unimaginable resistance if you want to take that step. His son Liu Shan can't handle this. Therefore, Liu Bei must become emperor in his lifetime to help his son take this most difficult step. Do you understand?"
"Even if we take a step back and assume that you are defeated by Liu Bei's Northern Expedition after becoming emperor, it is still better to lose to Liu Bei than to lose to the emperor. If we lose to Liu Bei, our Cao family will still have a way to survive, but if we lose to the emperor, our Cao family will be wiped out. Do you understand?"
If they lost to Liu Bei, the Cao family would only lose Cao Pi, and at most, their eldest grandson Cao Rui. But if they lost to Liu Xie, the Cao family would be wiped out, and even the earthworms in their yard would be chopped up.
The reason is simple: Liu Bei, like Cao Cao, conquered the world through real battles and had the unique control over the country that only a founding emperor could have, so he was not afraid of Cao Cao's rebellion.
But Liu Xie was different. He could only seize power by attacking the Cao family's coup. Whether they were emperors or powerful ministers, those who seized power through coups all had a common problem: they became very insecure and suspicious because they lacked control over the lower classes. They were always worried that the person who had taken power would take it back. The best way to dispel this suspicion was to uproot and eliminate the target of the coup and his family.
For example, if Liu Xie were to truly defeat Cao Pi and regain imperial power, the first thing he would do is to exterminate the entire Cao family, completely extinguishing any thought of a counterattack from the Cao family. Only in this way could Liu Xie sleep peacefully.
As for the Cao family's status as maternal relatives, it was useless in the face of power. Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, how many maternal relatives and their entire families had been wiped out by successive emperors? The emperors of the Liu family were all perverts, and they showed no mercy when it came to dealing with their own relatives.
This is the difference between losing to Liu Bei and losing to Liu Xie. Cao Cao, being an old and shrewd man, understood this very well, so he would rather the Cao family lose to Liu Bei than lose to his son-in-law.
Cao Pi nodded emphatically, and Cao Cao reached out and said, "Help me up, and bring me the brush and ink."
Cao Pi helped him sit up and brought over a table. Cao Cao then used an oil lamp to write two letters, one to Liu Bei and the other to Guan Yu.
After finishing writing and drying the ink, he solemnly handed the letter to Cao Pi and said, "I have fought with Liu Bei all my life. We are both sworn enemies and confidants. I believe Liu Bei will give me some face. If you win in the future, burn these two letters. If you lose, give these two letters to Liu Bei and Guan Yu. They will spare our Cao family's life for my sake."
It's the Cao family's way out, not Cao Pi's.
Even if Cao Cao was naive, he dared not hope that Liu Bei would let Cao Pi, who had usurped the throne, go.
A dying man's words are often good. Knowing he was nearing his end, Cao Cao naturally had to consider his son and family. For the sake of his family, he didn't mind bowing his head to Liu Bei and begging for mercy once.
Of course, this was under the condition that Cao Pi lost to Liu Bei. If Cao Pi had been able to defend the Cao family's foundation, these two letters would not have been published, and Cao Mengde would not have had to bow down to the big-eared thief.
Cao Pi solemnly folded the letter and put it in his bosom, asking, "You just said that the first thing is to become emperor, so what's the second?"
Cao Cao said, "What I just said was only the worst-case scenario. You can't really rely on these two letters from your father. We still need to take precautions to stop Liu Bei. The most important thing to stop Liu Bei is unity. Our Cao family must unite."
"I know you don't get along well with your younger brothers, and you even have a grudge against your uncle Zilian (Cao Hong) over a loan. There's even a rift between you and your father, Yuanzhong (Cao Rui). But Zihuan, once you become emperor, you will be the emperor. An emperor must have the magnanimity of Liu Bang, who embraced all rivers and lakes. You should try your best to forgive those who have had conflicts with you and turn them from your enemies into your allies..."
"Liu Bang was able to forgive and accept Yong Chi, who had betrayed him many times. Liu Xiu was able to swear by the Luo River to forgive and accept Zhu Wei, who had harmed his brother. You should also accept and tolerate your relatives in the same way. Only when your relatives are of one mind can they break through all obstacles and stop Liu Bei, protect the Cao family's foundation, and secure your throne. Do you understand?"
Cao Cao was known for his sternness and had always been either beating or scolding Cao Pi. He had never spoken to Cao Pi so kindly before. Cao Pi was moved to tears and said in a choked voice, "Father, I remember everything. I will definitely follow your teachings, treat my brothers and sisters well, and unite the clan to fight against Liu Bei."
These words were spoken with great sincerity, but Cao Cao knew his own son well and was not sure how much Cao Pi could do without him. After a moment's thought, he said, "Later, in your name, give an order to your third brother (Cao Zhang) to go to Guanzhong and be under Man Chong's command to guard the Guanzhong defense line. Don't worry about letting him fight against Liu Bei on the front line. Guanzhong is separated from Luoyang by Tongguan Pass, so you don't need to worry about him leading his troops back to fight."
"Your third brother is a simple-minded warrior with no political acumen. You really don't need to worry about him. As long as you take the place of an elder brother, he will naturally be a loyal younger brother to you. As for your fourth brother (Cao Zhi), he's just a bookworm who's gone mad from studying. Let him focus on his studies and just ignore him."
"The key is Yuan Zhong (Cao Rui). If you want to quickly stabilize the situation after you become emperor, you must establish an heir. Yuan Zhong is intelligent and can inherit the family business, but the rift between you and your father is too deep and it is not suitable for you to live under the same roof. After you become emperor and establish an heir, just send Yuan Zhong to Ye City. If you are no match for Liu Bei, Yuan Zhong may become the last hope of our Cao family."
Cao Pi nodded emphatically, tears streaming down his face, and said, "I have remembered Father's words, and I will do my best to follow them."