Chương 328: Cao Cao forges an imperial edict to invite candidates

Zhuo County, Youzhou, the Prince of Yan's residence.

Liu Ce sat in the warm study, holding a newly delivered intelligence report, reading it with great interest.

"Tsk tsk tsk," he nodded as he watched, "Cao Cao's speech was quite emotional! Things like 'corpses littered the official road'... and 'rescuing the emperor'... tsk, if this were in modern times, he'd definitely be a top-tier orator!"

Guo Jia, who was standing nearby, peeked over and smiled, saying, "My lord, Cao Cao has recruited 5, 000 soldiers in Jiwu County, Chenliu, and Yuan Shao is also gathering troops. After the spring, he will probably head west to attack Dong Zhuo."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "That's good! Let them fight. We'll stay in Youzhou and do what we need to do."

Xun Yu said with a grave expression, "My lord, if they raise an army to attack Dong Zhuo, Luoyang will surely be thrown into chaos. What should we do? Continue to wait?"

Liu Ce smiled and said, "What else can we do?"

He looked at the crowd, his eyes gleaming:

"Let's just keep waiting."

...

In December of the sixth year of Zhongping, the wind and snow had already completely covered Cao Cao's army camp in Jiwu County.

The snow was falling heavily, without stopping for a day and a night. The snow on the top of the tent was half a foot thick, causing the tent to collapse a bit.

Even the heaviest snowstorm couldn't extinguish the warmth inside the central command tent—not from the burning charcoal, but from the warmth in people's hearts.

The tent flaps fluttered in the cold wind, and the candlelight cast long shadows of the people inside, swaying back and forth on the tent flaps.

On the table lay a map of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty. The location of Luoyang was heavily circled in red ink, the ink almost penetrating the hemp paper, showing how much strength the person who circled the map had.

Cao Cao, dressed in a black outfit, sat in the main seat, his eyes fixed on the two words "Luoyang".

Standing beneath his tent were all the wealth and strength he possessed at that moment: the calm and composed Xiahou Dun, the brave and decisive Xiahou Yuan, the meticulous Cao Ren, the pragmatic and shrewd Cao Hong... and Wei Zi, the filial and incorruptible official from Chenliu who had given up his entire fortune to help him raise an army.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Cao Cao to speak.

Inside the tent, only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the howling of the wind and snow outside could be heard.

"Gentlemen," Cao Cao finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "we have raised five thousand righteous soldiers in Jiwu and raised the banner of attacking Dong Zhuo, but that is not enough."

He paused, stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Luoyang:

"Dong Zhuo held an army of over 100, 000, controlled the emperor, and occupied a strategically important location."

You know better than I do what the Xiliang Iron Cavalry is like; they're an elite force that fought the Qiang people in Liangzhou for years, and every single one of them has a life on their hands.

"Even if each of our five thousand men were to fight ten men, it would be difficult to shake the foundation of the traitors."

Xiahou Dun nodded without saying a word.

He knew Cao Cao was telling the truth.

"I summoned you here today," Cao Cao said, turning around with a piercing gaze, "to decide on a momentous event that will shake the world."

Xiahou Yuan took a step forward and shouted, "Mengde, just say what you have to say! Through fire and water, my brothers and I will not back down an inch!"

Looking at these brothers who had followed him through thick and thin, Cao Cao felt a surge of warmth in his heart, then said solemnly:

"If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper; if the words are not proper, things will not be accomplished."

He pointed to the location of Luoyang on the map and said, "Although our uprising against Dong Zhuo is for the sake of the country and its people, in the eyes of the governors, prefects, and governors of all the provinces, we are ultimately just a private army that rose up without imperial decree, and we will never amount to anything. The emperor is currently imprisoned in the deep palace by the traitor Dong Zhuo, his fate unknown, so it's impossible for him to issue an edict to punish the traitor. Therefore..."

He paused, then his eyes suddenly sharpened as he said:

"I intend to forge an imperial edict. Using the emperor's secret decree, I will issue a proclamation to the world to punish Dong Zhuo, inviting governors, prefects, and administrators of all prefectures and counties to raise righteous troops and kill the traitor!"

The tent fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the candlelight and the sound of wind and snow pounding against the tent outside.

Xiahou Dun spoke first, his brows furrowed. His words weren't objections, but rather, they were precise and to the point:

"Mengde, forging an imperial edict is a capital offense, punishable by death for deceiving the emperor. Dong Zhuo has already been slandering you for treason, and if this matter gets out, it will give him ammunition. Even if you succeed in the end, you will inevitably be caught red-handed. Have you thought this through?"

Cao Cao didn't answer immediately. He walked to the tent entrance, lifted a corner of the tent flap, and looked out at the white snow.

The snow was falling heavily, and the world was a vast expanse of white, so nothing could be seen clearly.

He lowered the curtain, turned around and walked back to the table, laughing loudly.

The laughter carried a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve, sending a chill down the spines of everyone in the tent.

"How could I not know the advantages and disadvantages involved?"

He slammed his hand on the table and said:

"But what time is it now? The four-hundred-year-old foundation of the Han Dynasty is crumbling, the emperor is in disgrace, and the people are suffering! Dong Zhuo's iron hooves have trampled Luoyang, and millions of people have been displaced!"

"The court officials either kneel before the traitors or seek to protect themselves; the governors, prefects, and administrators of the empire, each holding significant military power, all cower in their own territories, watching from the sidelines!"

His voice grew louder and more indignant as he spoke:

"If we do not use the Emperor's name to gather righteous troops from all over the land, are we just going to watch the Han Dynasty perish at the hands of Dong Zhuo? This edict, though seemingly forged by me, Cao Cao, is in fact the wish of all the people under heaven, and was written by the spirits of the ancestors of the Han Dynasty!"

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming calm and resolute as he said:

"If this succeeds, I, Cao Cao, will personally confess to the Emperor the crime of forging an imperial edict; if this fails, I will bear all the blame myself and will not implicate any of you."

"Mengde's words truly demonstrate the virtues of a national hero!"

Wei Zi immediately bowed deeply to Cao Cao, his tone full of excitement.

This man from Chenliu, who had devoted all his wealth to helping Cao Cao raise an army, now had tears in his eyes and said:

"I believe this matter is entirely feasible! With the Emperor imprisoned and the world without a ruler, only by using the name of a secret edict can we legitimately rally the governors and officials of the land."

"I, in my humble opinion, am willing to continue to vouch for Mengde with the entire family's wealth and resources. This matter will surely garner support from all corners of the world!"

"I agree!"

Xiahou Yuan immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute, his dark face full of excitement: "Who cares about whether it's pretentious or not? Killing Dong Zhuo is a good edict! Mengde, just write it. Once the proclamation is written, I'll personally ride a fast horse to deliver it, and I guarantee it will spread throughout the land!"

Xiahou Dun pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "Since Mengde has such an ambition, how can we back down? Although forging the imperial edict is risky, there is truly no other way at the moment. However..."