Chapter 85: Stabbing the King in the Street is Not an Option

Lu Su stayed in Yecheng for several days, and in the end he only met Liu Wu twice.

On this day, Lu Su received a piece of news that shocked and disturbed him.

The two great generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led an army of 100,000 to Jizhou.

However, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were not stationed in Jizhou.

Instead, the troops were divided into two, with Zhang Fei leading an army of 20,000 to Youzhou. However, it was Yuan Xi who offered Youzhou to Liu Wu, and Zhang Fei went to garrison Youzhou.

Guan Yu led an army of 80,000 and attacked Qingzhou and Xuzhou directly.

His son Guan Ping and the general Zhou Cang led an army of 30,000 to Xuzhou.

Guan Yu first went to Qingzhou.

After hearing the news, Lu Su could no longer sit still.

Without even saying goodbye, he rode straight back to Jiangdong at full speed.

Lu Su was completely shocked by Liu Wu’s actions.

First, he ordered Zhao Yun to march into Shouchun, threatening to cut off Zhou Yu’s retreat, forcing Zhou Yu to abandon Xuzhou and retreat.

Now, Liu Wu actually wants to take over Youzhou, Qingzhou and Xuzhou.

This made Lu Su immediately conclude that Liu Wu was really a bad person.

What about forming an alliance?

Now Liu Wu actually wants to have the whole thing to himself and is threatening Zhou Yu to withdraw his troops. What is Liu Wu going to do?
Even though Lu Su was the world’s top counselor and strategic master, he felt a huge sense of crisis when faced with Liu Wu’s actions.

……

Yecheng, the residence of the General of Cavalry, the meeting hall.

In the hall, Liu Wu sat in the main seat.

Li Yan had a respectful look on his face, standing aside like a student.

Liu Wu took the letter of repentance written by Li Yan, which stated that Li Yan deeply reflected on his words and deeds, and should not have behaved like that yesterday just to get Liu Wu’s attention.

This is obviously not good.

“It seems that what I’m asking you is what your ambition is? What kind of person do you want to be? What qualities and behaviors should the person you want to be have? How do you behave? You are able to recognize your own shortcomings.”

“Take this with you. When you return to Xiangyang City, hang it above the meeting hall of the General of the Cavalry’s residence.”

Liu Wu threw Li Yan’s letter of repentance to the other party and said.

Li Yan’s face flushed instantly when he heard Liu Wu’s words, but he didn’t dare to contradict Liu Wu, and hurriedly said, “Yes!”

At this time, Li Yan had already thought that if his letter of repentance was hung in the meeting hall of the General of Cavalry, then he, Li Yan, would really become a laughing stock.

I’m afraid that everyone who works for Liu Wu will laugh at him.

“Do you know why I hung your confession in the meeting hall of the General of Cavalry’s residence?”

Liu Wu suddenly asked Li Yan.

Li Yan’s face trembled when he heard this, but he did not dare to neglect it. After a slight hesitation, he bowed and said:

“General Huqi hopes that Yan will read the letter of repentance every day, repent and warn himself not to commit the same mistake again?”

What Li Yan said was quite standard, but Liu Wu shook his head.

“Today, this may seem like a letter of repentance to you, but to me, it is like a medal, an honor, and a weapon to help you succeed. One day, when people look back at this letter of repentance, it will become a good story!”

Liu Wu looked at Li Yan, a smile appeared on his face and he said with a smile.

When Li Yan heard what Liu Wu said, his whole body was shocked and he looked at Liu Wu in disbelief.

What did Liu Wu say just now?
Today’s letter of repentance, however, is a medal, an honor, and a tool to promote success.

Someday, when people look back at this letter of repentance, it will become a good story!
To Li Yan, these words were definitely not as simple as ordinary words. They also reflected Liu Wu’s expectations, trust, and even anticipation for him.

Today’s letter of repentance will be tomorrow’s medal and tomorrow’s good story!
How high must Li Yan have reached to make people think so?

Li Yan bowed solemnly to Liu Wu, and said with a complicated expression:
“Thank you very much for your trust, my lord.”

Li Yan called Liu Wu “Lord”.

When Liu Wu heard Li Yan’s changed name, he couldn’t help but look at Li Yan with relief.

In ancient times, addressing someone as “Lord” meant respect and loyalty to the person with the highest power. This title contains profound historical and cultural connotations. It is not just a simple title, but also a symbol of power, status and emotion.

The most basic meaning of the word “Lord” is the title used by subjects to address the monarch. It is equivalent to the modern “Your Majesty” or “Emperor”, and is a very formal and respectful way of addressing. In ancient China, especially during the feudal period, “Lord” usually referred to princes, monarchs, leaders and other people who controlled the fate of a country or region and possessed supreme power and authority. They were the objects of the subjects’ loyalty.

It can be said that Li Yan’s initiative to call Liu Wu “Lord” was a sign of his loyalty to Liu Wu.

Inside the hall, Gan Ning was also looking at Li Yan with strange eyes.

He was somewhat confused as to why Liu Wu valued the county magistrate named Li Yan so much.

“General! We just got the news that Lu Su’s place is deserted and he has returned to Jiangdong. Should we send someone to kill him so that Jiangdong will not react to the events in Youzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou so early?”

Gan Ning bowed to Liu Wu and asked.

When Liu Wu heard Gan Ning’s report, he waved his hand, looked at Li Yan, and said with a smile:

“Lu Su returned to Jiangdong without even saying hello. Do you know why?”

Li Yan hurriedly bowed to Liu Wu and said, “My lord, if what I guessed is correct, Lu Su must have been fooled and has gone back to Jiangdong to pass on the message!”

Li Yan’s answer this time was quite standard, but Liu Wu was not satisfied and said:
“You are right, but your strategy has worked. Lu Su has been thrown into disarray. Next, Jiangdong will also be thrown into disarray!”

Liu Wu’s words made Li Yan bow respectfully to Liu Wu without saying anything.

Liu Wu’s wake-up call a few days ago made Li Yan think deeply about himself.

He also understood that there was something wrong with him. Although the matter was small, even insignificant, if he allowed this problem to continue to magnify, how would he survive?

A true famous official or counselor should regulate his own conduct.

“General, I don’t understand. Now we have the advantage in Xiangyang. We don’t need to go through so much trouble. Just get rid of Lu Su to prevent him from returning to Jiangdong to report the news. Then, after seizing Qingzhou and Xuzhou, Jiangdong will only have Yangzhou and will not be able to fight against us at all. By then, the entire Guandong will be unified by us.” Gan Ning heard what Liu Wu and Li Yan said, and knew that Lu Su was fooled and went back to report the news. Gan Ning raised his doubts.

Undoubtedly, in Gan Ning’s view, if time drags on, there will be variables. Now I have the advantage. In addition to Lu Su, I have occupied several states in Guandong. Even if Sun Quan is helpless, he has no choice but to surrender. Why bother with so much trouble? Isn’t it just a matter of a knife?

In the hall, Liu Wu and Li Yan raised their eyebrows when they heard Gan Ning’s words.

Li Yan looked at Gan Ning, who was obviously more brave than smart.

Li Yan knew Gan Ning, who was Liu Wu’s trusted general, so he didn’t dare to say anything.

Liu Wu was so angry at Gan Ning’s words that he felt a little funny.

“Xingba, you see, the problem is so simple!”

“Well, let me ask you a question. If one day, my power is strong enough, and even most of the states in the world have been conquered by me, and I want to go further, but the emperor is quite unwilling to give up and runs around trying to bring me down, if you were me, what would you do?” Liu Wu was a little amused by Gan Ning’s words, and then threw a rather tricky question to Gan Ning.

Liu Wu’s question made Li Yan’s eyes fixed, but his expression did not change.

Gan Ning, on the other hand, was quite excited when he heard the ambition expressed by Liu Wu.

He had a very good relationship with Liu Wu. It can be said that he was the first general to work for Liu Wu.

If Liu Wu became the emperor, he would at least be a general.

Gan Ning smiled and said:

“That’s easy, my lord. Please forgive Ning for his presumptuous words. If it is Ning, then, should he be sentenced to death directly?”

As soon as Gan Ning finished speaking, Li Yan’s expression changed instantly and he looked at Gan Ning as if he was a fool.

Why would Gan Ning say that?

Even though Li Yan understood that Gan Ning said this, it was not because he was disloyal to Liu Wu.

Although Li Yan understood that Gan Ning was simply looking at the problem from that perspective.

However, being so crude and simple is simply seeking death.

At this time, Liu Wu’s expression also became serious. He looked at Gan Ning and slowly shook his head and said:

“Xingba, you really think too simply.”

“I can tell you that if I do as you said, because of the Jiangdong incident, killing the envoy Lu Su will make me cut off from the princes. All the princes in the world will no longer form an alliance with me, and may even keep their distance from me.”

“And because I want to ascend to the throne, I will sentence the emperor to death, or even kill him directly, then…”

Having said this, Liu Wu stopped talking and did not say any more.

These words reminded Liu Wu of a famous event in history that happened not long after him.

The historical incident of “stabbing the emperor in the street” refers to the incident in which Cao Mao was assassinated in the street during the Three Kingdoms period.

The background of this incident took place at the end of the Cao Wei regime.

At that time, the Sima family gradually took control of the government, and Cao Mao, as the emperor, had actually become a puppet of Sima Zhao. Cao Mao was deeply dissatisfied with Sima Zhao’s autocratic behavior and tried many times to take back power, but all failed.

Faced with Sima Zhao’s relentless pressure, Cao Mao decided to take extreme action. He planned to personally lead the palace guards and servants to attack Sima Zhao’s mansion and try to regain power by assassinating Sima Zhao.

This plan seemed extremely risky and naive, but at that time, Cao Mao had no way out.

On June 260, 6 AD, Cao Mao boarded a chariot and led a limited entourage to Sima Zhao’s residence. Before leaving, he revealed his plan to his close ministers, but was dissuaded by everyone. However, Cao Mao was determined and insisted on carrying out the assassination.

Soon after Cao Mao’s convoy left the palace, it encountered an army sent by Sima Zhao to intercept it. The leading general was Sima Zhao’s brother Sima Yi and his troops, including the Central Guard General Jia Chong and the Crown Prince’s Sheren Cheng Ji.

Faced with the armed forces of the Sima family, Cao Mao’s caravan seemed outnumbered and weak.

Street assassination:

During the confrontation between the two sides, Cheng Ji, under the instruction of Jia Chong, drove his horse and charged towards Cao Mao’s chariot. Although Cao Mao fought back, he was stabbed in the chest by Cheng Ji due to the disparity in strength and fell under the chariot.

Afterwards, Cheng Ji stabbed Cao Mao again from behind in public, killing him on the spot.

This was the first time in history that an emperor was assassinated in the street.

A famous historical scene!
The assassination of Cao Mao immediately triggered severe turmoil in the Cao Wei regime.

Although Sima Zhao temporarily stabilized the situation, his notoriety of regicide put him in a passive position politically. In order to wash away this stain, Sima Zhao had to suspend the plan of Wei-Jin abdication and instead divert domestic attention by fighting to destroy Shu.

However, the assassination of the emperor, who was surrounded by the halo of the true emperor in feudal society, caused such a huge impact that even the Sima family had not expected.

This incident was regarded by later generations as a manifestation of the extreme power struggle.

Cao Mao was assassinated in the street as an emperor, which made Sima Zhao bear the notoriety of regicide and seriously damaged his image and prestige. In the feudal era of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, regicide was regarded as disrespectful, which greatly reduced Sima Zhao’s trust among court officials and the people.

Cao Mao’s death aroused anger and dissatisfaction inside and outside the court, and the Sima family faced tremendous pressure. They had to spend more energy to calm the public opinion storm in the court and the country, and deal with threats and challenges from other forces.

Although Cao Mao’s rebellion ultimately failed, his actions slowed down the Sima family’s pace of usurping the throne to a certain extent. Sima Zhao may have originally planned to achieve a peaceful transition of power through the Wei and Jin dynasties, but Cao Mao’s killing disrupted his deployment, forcing him to reconsider and adjust his political strategy.

Internal conflicts intensified: Cao Mao’s rebellion also intensified conflicts within the Sima family. Some family members or confidants who were dissatisfied with Sima Zhao’s regicide may have begun to have different intentions and may even secretly plan actions against Sima Zhao. This internal instability further weakened the ruling foundation of the Sima family.

Cao Mao’s death in the street laid the seeds of disaster for the Sima family.

In 420 AD, Liu Yu, a relative of the Han Dynasty, abolished Emperor Gong of Jin and proclaimed himself emperor, establishing the Liu Song Dynasty. He then ordered the execution of all Sima family members, which led to the near extinction of the Sima family.

It was not only a revenge for the Sima family’s long-term control of government affairs, which caused the people to suffer. As a descendant of the Han Dynasty royal family, Liu Yu also had a patriarchal hatred for the Sima family’s usurpation of the Han Dynasty and the destruction of Shu Han. Therefore, after becoming emperor, Liu Yu took the action of massacring the Sima family to vent his personal anger and consolidate his regime.

The incident of stabbing the emperor in the street emerged in Liu Wu’s mind. When Liu Wu looked at Gan Ning again, his eyes were very strange.

……

Lu Su hurried south, riding at full speed, and soon returned to Hefei.

“Lord Wu, Liu Wu may have already determined to take over Guandong for himself and exclude us. We should make plans early.” Lu Su told Sun Quan about Liu Wu’s attitude with an unpleasant look on his face.

Without Cao Cao, Lu Su was in a bad mood because of the emergence of Liu Wu, who was ambitious and equally capable.

Inside the hall, Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Yu Fan, Zhuge Jin and others had already changed their expressions. When Lu Su finished speaking, Sun Quan and Zhang Zhao even turned red in the face.

“This is too bullying, too bullying.” Zhang Zhao shouted angrily.

(End of this chapter)