Wuxia: The Super Slave Master

Page 270

Indeed, Luo Chen was speechless for a moment because of the hatred and reason he spoke. Shi Xie didn't say anything more, but simply closed his eyes.

"I have one more request!"

"Say it!"

"Please treat my subjects and people well!"

Luo Chen nodded and sighed, "However, I have no intention of killing you, nor will I let you go. I have a secluded paradise where you can take good care of yourself for the rest of your life!"

After he finished speaking, several soldiers helped Shi Xie up and led him away.

Xu Jing and Liu Ba were brought up by the soldiers.

"My lord, what should we do with these two?"

Luo Chen personally untied the ropes from the two of them and said with a smile, "You may go now?"

The two were taken aback, not expecting Luo Chen to let them go so easily.

Xu Jing asked, "Is what you say true, sir?"

Luo Chen nodded: "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond!"

So the two turned around and walked outside. When they were about to reach the main tent gate, they turned around again. Luo Chen had just been thinking, "Isn't my charm enough to make you all bow down?"

"Thank you, sir. We'll be taking our leave now!"

"What? He actually left?" Luo Chen slammed his hand on the table.

"You're really leaving?"

"What are you doing staying here instead of leaving?"

"Guards! Drag Xu Jing away and behead him!"

Zhao Yun rushed forward in a flash, and with a swift stroke of his longsword, Xu Jing's head fell to the ground. Then, Luo Chen looked at Liu Ba and said, "You may leave. Although I wanted to keep you here, since you don't want to serve under me anymore, I won't force you!"

Looking at Xu Jing's burning hot corpse, Liu Ba immediately understood Luo Chen's meaning and knelt on the ground.

"I'm not leaving, no, I'm not leaving, I pay my respects to my lord!"

Luo Chen laughed heartily and quickly helped him up: "Sir, you are very righteous. I will certainly live up to your expectations in the future. Guards, give him a reward!"

Zhao Yun took a bottle containing the essence of a demon king and handed it directly to Liu Ba in front of him.

Luo Chen looked at him with a wicked grin, as if he would suffer the same fate as Xu Jing if he didn't drink the contents of the bottle. After Liu Ba drank the Demon King's blood, he felt a violent shaking on the top of his head.

Luo Chen smiled calmly, it seemed he had gained another obedient subordinate.

But most importantly, Liu Banai is a top-notch financial expert. With him around, Mom will no longer have to worry about financial planning in Jingzhou!

On the other side, Liu Bei feigned submission to Liu Zhang, but secretly colluded with Liu Song on this side.

"Uncle Liu is indeed a man of imposing presence. I will agree to what you have said!"

Liu Bei smiled to himself without showing any emotion. Ever since his two wives betrayed him, he had vowed to kill Luo Chen. The only way to do this was to find a way to obtain Yizhou.

Thinking of how Liu Bei could use the geography of Yizhou to deliver a devastating blow to Luo Chen, he recalled Luo Chen's pleading appearance under his command and couldn't help but laugh.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu looked at him with concern. Why had their elder brother been acting like a madman lately, suddenly laughing all day long? However, they only worried for a moment before continuing to drink.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao was busy with farm work all day long, even personally helping the farmers harvest rice straw.

Xun Yu stepped forward at this moment: "Prime Minister!"

Cao Cao turned to Xun Yu and said, "Xun Yu, you're here? Good, help me out!"

The two men worked together to load a stone onto the carriage. Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu, wondering why this old man, who usually hated physical labor, had time to come here today.

"Just say what's on your mind, there's nothing to hide!"

"Yes, Prime Minister, Luo Chen has already pacified the South China Sea and other areas!"

Cao Cao was slightly taken aback, then let out a disdainful laugh: "I originally thought Shi Xie was a hero, but I didn't expect him to be captured by Luo Chen in such a short time!"

Xun Yu nodded: "Prime Minister, it should be our turn next!"

Cao Cao shook his head: "Luo Chen has Liu Zhang on his left and Sun Quan on his right. I don't think he dares to do it. Why don't you make Sun Quan the King of Wu and see how Luo Chen reacts?"

Since ancient times, no one in the Han dynasty who was not surnamed Liu could become a king. So, isn't this giving Sun Quan too much credit?

"Only the Prime Minister!"

Xun Yu still held onto hope for the Han dynasty, a fact that was an open secret to Cao Cao's faction!

"Think about it, I've given Sun Quan such a great honor, do you think Luo Chen is willing to accept it? They will definitely harbor resentment. We'll take this opportunity to divide them up, and then join forces with one of them to deal with both of them directly. Do you understand?"

Xun Yu nodded: "But Prime Minister, things haven't been peaceful in the north lately!"

Cao Cao was aware of this. He carefully cut off a rice stalk and said to Xun Yu, "Hmm, this is indeed a problem. Here's what you should do: appoint Han Sui to an official position to sow discord among them!"

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

Cao Cao's order quickly reached Ma Teng and the others, and Ma Teng smiled coldly.

"Look, the letter of amnesty has arrived!"

Han Sui and the others knelt on the ground immediately: "Your humble servants will never betray our lord!"

Ma Teng nodded: "I know you don't know how, so what are you planning to do next?"

Jia Xu, who had been silent all along, stepped forward: "Reporting to my lord, since that's the case, why can't we turn the tables on them?"

Ma Teng asked him to explain his plan. After Jia Xu finished speaking, Ma Teng thought it made a lot of sense, so he readily agreed. At this moment, Jia Xu said, "This Luo Chen just took Wancheng from Cao Cao. He must have extraordinary abilities. I suggest we write a letter inviting him to launch a night attack on Xuchang to contribute to our plan and also to welcome the Emperor!"

Ma Teng nodded: "Okay, let's do it your way!"

The next day, Ma Teng led his army to stroll around near Xuchang. When the news reached Cao Cao's ears, he was surprised to find that Ma Teng had not come to attack Xuchang, but to surrender. Cao Cao sent people to investigate, and sure enough, it was exactly as Ma Teng had said about his subordinates rebelling.

Could it be that Ma Teng has really come to surrender to him?

At the same time, Luo Chen also received a letter from Ma Teng, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What is your lord laughing at?"

Pang Tong didn't understand Luo Chen's smile, but Luo Chen looked at him and said, "Our chance has come!"

Chapter 179 The Opportunity Has Arrived

Luo Chen explained to Pang Tong, "Ma Teng's feigned surrender must be due to an inside accomplice! If we seize this opportunity to attack Runan, do you think Cao Cao will fall for it?"

Zhuge Liang entered at this moment: "My lord, what a great opportunity! My lord!"

Pang Tong smiled and said to Zhuge Liang, "What, Master Kongming, you know about this too?"

Zhuge Liang was slightly taken aback, and then Pang Tong mentioned what Luo Chen had just said. Zhuge Liang sighed, "I never expected that my lord had seen through everything so early on. I, Kongming, am truly impressed!"

Luo Chen laughed and replied, "You two, stop pretending to be modest. Come on, let's discuss the next steps!"

The three of them locked the gate and stayed there for two days, devising over a hundred plans. Pang Tong preferred using surprise attacks, while Zhuge Liang favored a steady and methodical approach. Both plans had their strengths, so Luo Chen combined them. The two admired Luo Chen's wisdom and increasingly felt that they had made the right decision to drink that so-called Demon King's Blood!

Meanwhile, Cao Cao, who was far away, generously accepted Ma Teng's surrender. To him, Ma Teng's surrender was very useful. At this moment, Xun Yu was worried that there might be something wrong with this. Otherwise, how could the two sides have acted as if they had killed each other's parents just yesterday?

The next day, they came to surrender. Cao Cao hesitated for a moment, so he set up a military camp outside Xuchang City and arranged for Ma Teng and others to stay there. Ma Teng moved in reluctantly.

At this very moment, Luo Chen suddenly raised a large army and rushed towards Runan. Meanwhile, Sun Quan of Jiangdong also dispatched three armies to launch a surprise attack on Shouchun and Guangling.

As if it had been agreed upon long ago, Cao Cao immediately dispatched a large army to provide support. However, this time, due to concerns about Ma Teng, he did not send troops from Xuchang.

Luo Chen wrote a letter, instructing Ma Teng to make sure he didn't have anything going on with his younger brother when communicating with the informant in the city, as the man was having an affair with his concubine.

After receiving Ma Teng's message, Huang Long turned green with anger. He immediately arrested his younger brother and gave him a severe beating. Only then did he realize that his brother had been having an affair with his sister-in-law.

That is, Huang Long's wife. This made Huang Long's rebellious intentions even stronger. Following Luo Chen's advice, he arrested the two of them and hanged them in their cell in the middle of the night.

After he left the cell, there was already someone waiting outside the door; this person was Cheng Yu.

"Isn't this Lord Cheng Yu? May I ask what brings you here?"

Cheng Yu sneered: "Stop pretending. Aren't you the mole that Lord Ma Teng planted here?"

Huang Long gasped, wondering how he knew.

Who knew that what Cheng Yu said next would be even more astonishing: "I'm telling you without hesitation, I'm from Luojingzhou. He was worried that you would delay things, so he specifically ordered me to come here to help you!"

I never expected that Luo Jingzhou would be so meticulous. After rescuing His Majesty in the future, I will definitely ask His Majesty to reward him, at least to the rank of one of the Three Dukes or Nine Ministers.

Luo Chen, who was far away, naturally did not need his help. Not only that, he had already taken half of Runan in just one night, leaving only a few generals stubbornly resisting in the inner city.

In fact, Luo Chen deliberately kept Kong Rong alive. He wanted to see how long Cao Cao could endure. Ma Teng received a letter from Luo Chen instructing him to wait until the army arrived before carrying out the plan.

After discussing it with Jia Xu, Ma Teng also felt that it made a lot of sense.

Urgent letters from Runan arrived in Xuchang one after another, and Cao Cao slammed his fist on the table as he read them.

"Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, what do you two think?"

Cheng Yu stepped forward: "Your Excellency, Runan really cannot be lost!"

Xun Yu stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, let Runan City fall if it is lost. If the Prime Minister wants to go to its aid, then execute Ma Teng first!"

Cheng Yu sneered, stepped forward, and pointed at Xun Yu's head while cursing!

"You, Xun Yu! I've long heard that you still have hope for His Majesty, but I never imagined you would actually collude with the enemy!"

Xun Yu was completely bewildered. What he said before was all correct, but he had never colluded with the enemy. Xun Yu was still very honest about this!

"What makes you say that? Over the years, have I ever betrayed the Prime Minister?"

Cheng Yu sneered: "But over the years, you're the only one who insists on calling our lord 'Prime Minister,' isn't that right? Let me ask you again, if the Prime Minister hadn't led troops to the rescue, and Runan had fallen into Chen's hands, wouldn't Xuchang be in grave danger? Let me ask you again, if our lord had killed Ma Teng, who came to surrender, how would the world view our lord? Aren't you putting our lord in a position of injustice!"

Faced with such a serious accusation, Xun Yu was so angry at Cheng Yu that he felt like his lungs were about to explode. So he pointed at Cheng Yu and said, "I still have hope for the Han Dynasty, but the Prime Minister has already declared that things are not going well, and he doesn't care. So let alone killing Ma Teng, even if he killed you for no reason, there would be no problem!"

Cao Cao was good at everything in his life, even his suspicious nature was a good thing. But his biggest flaw was that he was too concerned about his own face. Now that his ministers were talking about him like this, it was indeed embarrassing for him.

"Enough! Have you two said enough? I have already made my decision. Guards, take Xun Yu away and place him under house arrest. And Cheng Yu!"

Several guards quickly came up and pulled Xun Yu away, while Cheng Yu respectfully bowed.

"I should have listened to you back then and killed all those who had betrayed the court. But it's too late now. I'll be leaving the city to you for a while. Remember to keep a close eye on them!"

Cheng Yu nodded: "Yes, my lord!"

That address of "My Lord" filled Cao Cao with such joy and satisfaction. Only then did he realize who was truly loyal to him.

So Cao Cao led 100,000 troops and left Xuchang. As soon as he came out, Ma Teng walked up to Cao Cao alone.

“My lord, I have long heard that the civil officials in the city are worried about me. I request that the Prime Minister take me with him to Runan as well.”

Cao Cao smiled and said, "You just stay put. When I come back, I will definitely see that you have defeated that unfilial son!"

Ma Teng feigned gratitude and knelt down on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Cao Cao brandished his long whip and rode away with his soldiers. Just then, a smile suddenly appeared on Ma Teng's lips, a smile tinged with malice.

Chapter 180 Welcoming the Little Emperor

Cao Cao thought that his city was in danger this time, so after traveling for two days, he stopped his horse and his men immediately went up to ask him what was wrong.

"Prime Minister, what's wrong with you?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard: "This is bad, Xuchang is in danger!"

Just a day earlier, Ma Teng and Huang Kui in the city had coordinated their plans. In the middle of the night, they suddenly opened the city gates, and thousands of elite soldiers rushed into the city.

Luo Chen and Ma Teng had already reached an agreement. As soon as they entered the city, they slaughtered everyone who was still sleeping, and then rushed straight to Cao Cao's house, where his wives and concubines were taken to reward his soldiers.

They grabbed Cao Chong directly. At this moment, Cao Zhi had just finished dressing and walked out the door. He was about to ask what had happened when Ma Xiu grabbed him.

Soon after, Cao Cao's family fell into Ma Teng's hands, and Xun Yu and others were also arrested, but their families were not harmed.

"I didn't expect that I would still miscalculate!"

Xun Yu knelt on the ground, looking at the person in front of him, and suddenly sighed with endless emotion, while his younger brother was also on the side.

"Isn't this actually a good thing? At least the Han Dynasty is saved!"

Xun Yu suddenly laughed: "Do you think His Majesty will have a good ending after falling into Luo Chen's hands?"

This time, it was Xun You's turn to be stunned.

"You mean, Ma Teng is going to make a big move?"

Xun Yu sighed: "You're overthinking it. What great things can this brute achieve? In this world, only two people can make such a plan. The first is Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, and the second is Luo Chen of Jingzhou. Who do you think is more likely to succeed between the two of them?"

Xun You finally understood: "Then it must be Luo Chen. Back when General Lü was still alive, I advised him to get rid of this person, but he wouldn't listen. Now you see what's going on, right?"

Amidst their sighs, Ma Teng arrived at the city's treasure vault early, while Ma Xiu and Ma Tie walked forward.