Can I get to the other side?

After crying bitterly, Xu You wiped the tears from his face, looked at Cao Cao, and asked, "Why... do you want to tell me this?"

He was now under house arrest in this small courtyard by Cao Cao, and knew nothing about the situation and news outside. Cao Cao could have completely not told him about his selection into Lingyun Pavilion.

He could even use some worse means, such as concealing the truth about his entry into the cabinet, erasing his name from the list, and creating the illusion that he had been forgotten by the emperor, in order to further attack him.

But Cao Cao did not choose to do so.

Cao Cao collected his thoughts and said disdainfully, "Although I will do anything, I will not use such a boring trick."

"Besides, this little trick can only deceive you for a while at most. With your intelligence, it won't take long for you to realize that I am deceiving you. What's the point?"

It's not that Cao Cao didn't think about deceiving Xu You, but even if he made Xu You despair and even defected to him through this method, it would not have much effect.

Because once Xu You regained his freedom, he would definitely know the truth.

Of course, there is another reason, that is, he disdains to do it.

"The imperial army will soon go south. That will be the day for me to fight to the death with the imperial court. If I succeed, I will succeed. If I fail, I will die."

"If I fail in the end, I hope you can promise me one thing."

Cao Cao said slowly. This time, the emperor built Lingyun Pavilion, which made him feel an unprecedented crisis.

The power that people burst out in the face of visible interests is terrifying. In order to enter Lingyun Pavilion and leave a name in history, the civil and military officials of the imperial court will do their best.

Even if he controls most of the south and has countless elite soldiers and generals, he is not sure that he can win.

Xu You was silent for a moment, and then asked, "What's the matter?"

Cao Cao looked at him deeply, and then said, "If you wait for that day to come, you will know it yourself. It's too early now."

After that, Cao Cao left the courtyard.

Although the pressure is huge, he has no way out now. Now the world is uncertain, and everything is possible.

He will never just sit there and wait for death!

...

The news of Lingyun Pavilion caused a great response in the court and the country.

Not long after, Emperor Xian of Han also issued an imperial decree, announcing the establishment of Dengtian Pavilion, with the same system as Lingyun Pavilion, and announced the first list of names.

However, the influence of Dengtian Pavilion was far less than that of Lingyun Pavilion. After all, it was an imitation, and its momentum was far less.

The key lies in the short poem "Lingyun", which is not only catchy, but also very popular, so that even some children can recite it.

However, Cao Cao did not care about this matter. He sent invitations to the major families in Jingzhou, Jiangnan, and Jiangdong, inviting the heads of the major families to come to the banquet.

Xiangyang, the prefect's mansion.

The banquet has been set up in the hall of the mansion, and the table is full of guests with luxurious clothes and extraordinary demeanor.

They are all the heads of the Jingzhou gentry, Jiangnan, and Jiangdong gentry who came to the banquet invited by Cao Cao.

But they all have bitter faces.

In the face of Cao Cao's invitation, they actually didn't want to accept it, but Cao Cao's military power was strong now, and Jingzhou, Jiangnan and Jiangdong were all under his control. They didn't dare to refuse even if they wanted to.

After all, Cao Cao issued an edict in the name of the "Son of Heaven". If they didn't obey, they would violate the edict of the "Son of Heaven" and would be directly eliminated.

So they could only choose to come to the banquet obediently.

To be honest, many heads of noble families were very nervous about today's banquet, because as noble families, they had heard the wind that the emperor in the north was about to march south.

At this point, Cao Cao gathered them all together, and they all vaguely guessed what Cao Cao's purpose was, which was nothing more than winning them over or asking them to contribute money and effort, etc.

"Today's banquet is not simple."

The head of the Huang family sighed and said with some regret.

The Huang family is a native gentry in Jingzhou.

It is also a first-class family.

Sitting next to him were the heads of the Wujun Zhang family and other families.

The Zhang family of Wujun, together with the Gu family, the Lu family, and the Zhu family, is known as one of the four Wuzhong families. They are very influential in the Jiangnan area.

"Alas, in this situation, who can stay out of it?"

The head of the Zhang family said helplessly.

After a pause, he looked at the heads of the families and said in a low voice: "What do you think of this dispute over the true and false emperor?"

This is undoubtedly a sensitive topic. The faces of the heads of other big families all changed slightly.

Each of their eyes flickered.

In fact, they all have their own judgments about the true and false emperors. Everyone knows that the emperor in the north is the real one, but it's just that these words are not easy to say.

After all, now they are aristocratic families with roots in the south. If they offend Cao Cao, they can't survive.

They are all very clear about Cao Cao's methods.

"Hahaha, this kind of thing is not something we can criticize. Let's drink, drink!"

The head of the Pang family suddenly laughed loudly and winked at everyone.

Because Cao Cao walked into the hall at this time.

The heads of the families reacted immediately, and they immediately shut their mouths and stopped talking.

"What are you talking about? Why don't you tell me?"

Cao Cao walked to the main seat and sat down, then asked with a smile, his eyes swept over the heads of the families one by one.

The heads of the families were a little uneasy when they heard this, and finally the head of the Gu family laughed dryly and said, "We are just discussing the reason why the emperor summoned us here."

"After all, it is the emperor who gives this banquet. This is a great honor. We are really flattered."

Hearing this, other family heads also spoke in agreement.

Cao Cao smiled slightly, picked up the wine bottle, poured himself a glass of wine, and said: "Actually, it's not that important, but there are some things that I need to discuss with you."

"But before that, I want to ask you a question."

"You must have heard about the news that the false emperor from the north is about to go south, so I would like to ask you, who do you think can win this battle?"

Hearing his words, the atmosphere at the table froze.

No one expected Cao Cao to ask such a sharp and straightforward question!

The expressions of all the family heads were even stiffer.

To tell the truth... is there any need to say it?

How could the emperor in the north hold the orthodoxy and the people's support could be compared to the false emperor in Xiangyang City?

Although your strength, Cao Cao, is not weaker than that of the imperial court, you have lost a bit in the overall situation, not to mention the recent impact of Lingyun Pavilion is extraordinary.

So even though the battle hasn't started yet, the imperial court already has a great advantage.

But even though they thought so in their hearts, they definitely would not dare to say such words in front of Cao Cao.

"Haha, Sikong, what are you talking about?"

The head of the Zhang family laughed, cupped his hands and said, "A false emperor is a false emperor after all. How can he be compared with the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty?"

"We all believe that Sikong can lead the royal army to defeat the false emperor, eradicate Lu Bu and other traitors, and regain the country of Han Dynasty!"

These words were spoken with great sincerity and awe-inspiring righteousness.

Cao Cao frowned, then relaxed.

He put down the wine glass in his hand, then looked at the heads of the families, and said with a faint smile: "The head of the Zhang family is right."

"Lü Bu and Yuan Xi pretended to be emperors. These two thieves are ambitious and want to steal the country of the Han Dynasty. As a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, I should do my best to defeat the thieves."

"But to be honest, many people in the world have been deceived by the false emperor, thinking that the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty is in the north and not in Xiangyang."

"Fuck, even though I have the desire to beg for help, I still feel powerless."

"I sincerely invite all the family heads to come here today because I have a plan, and I hope that all the family heads can help me."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

The error-free version is being read! 6=9+Book_Bar debuts this novel.

All of them are good at mixing mud and Tai Chi, but Cao Cao asked them to help so openly and straightforwardly, which was really unexpected.

"Sikong, we have provided a lot of food, grass and materials, and have done a lot to defeat the thieves. How else can we help?"

The head of the Lu family said with a troubled expression.

They are already doing it by providing food and supplies, and they are still allowed to continue to help. Is it possible for them to risk their entire family to fight?

This is absolutely impossible.

Cao Cao smiled, not angry at the words of the head of the Lu family, and said, "I know what you are taking into consideration, so how about you let me analyze the pros and cons with you?"

"Now my chances of winning against the puppet emperor's court are not great. You all know this, and I know it too. There is no need to hide it."

Cao Cao said this fact frankly, which surprised all the family heads, and their eyes changed when they looked at him.

Before Cao Cao finished speaking, he continued: "But if I lose, it may not be a good thing for you and the family behind you."

"You all have helped me, and you will definitely not be able to escape the liquidation afterwards. With the cruelty of Lu Bu and Yuan Xi, it is inevitable that the family behind you will not be wiped out just like the family wiped out the Yuan family."

"Everyone...aren't you afraid?"

All the family heads fell into silence upon hearing this.

Because Cao Cao mentioned their sore spots!

This is what they are most worried about. Although they were forced to help under Cao Cao's coercion, who knows whether the emperor will severely punish them afterwards?

The Yuan family was exterminated not even two years ago!

But if they fully support Cao Cao now, they will really have no chance to defend themselves afterwards.

"I have a list here."

Seeing that everyone was silent, Cao Cao took out a piece of paper from his arms and said with a smile: "You all know that your Majesty has decreed to build the Dengtian Pavilion, so that the names of all the meritorious ministers can be included in it and leave their names in history. ”

"In order to commend you for your help to the court, I plan to ask your Majesty to list your names in the Dengtian Pavilion."

"What do you think?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked!

"Sikong must not do it!"

The head of the Huang family exclaimed: "My Huang family's merits are not enough to enter the Dengtian Pavilion. Sikong is really flattering me!"

"This quota should be reserved for other meritorious officials!"

Entering Dentian Pavilion means being tied to Cao Cao's warship, with no room to get off the ship!

When Cao Cao is defeated in the future, the list on the Dengtian Pavilion will be the list of people who will be liquidated by the imperial court!

The heads of other major aristocratic families were also panicked. They never expected that Cao Cao would use this method to threaten them!

"How can I, Zhang He De, be listed in Dengtian Pavilion? Please Sikong, please remove me, Zhang, from the list!"

"Yes, I, the Gu family, have contributed very little and my merits are negligible. I really don't have the honor to enter Dengtian Pavilion."

"Please Sikong think twice!"

All the family heads refused one after another, staring at the list in Cao Cao's hand, wishing they could rush up, grab it and tear it into pieces!

This is not a list of heroes, this is clearly a list of deaths!

Cao Cao took in everyone's reactions, and the next moment, the smile on his face disappeared. He snorted coldly, "I thought you were all loyal to the Han Dynasty, but I didn't expect you were just pretending to help!"

"Do you want to support that fake emperor?"

Cao Cao's tone was full of threats.

The heads of the families felt very annoyed after hearing this.

This Cao Cao is really disgusting!

The head of the Zhou family took a deep breath and said helplessly: "Sikong, why don't you tell us the strategy first? How do you need us to cooperate?"

Cao Cao's intention was very clear. If they were unwilling to help, they would be listed in the Dengtian Pavilion.

The faces of the other heads of the families were as if they had eaten a fly, and they all agreed.

Cao Cao's expression eased a little after seeing this, and he said: "The false emperor is about to march south. I plan to have His Majesty move to Changsha and build a defense line along the Yangtze River to destroy most of the docks and only retain some docks."

"This is a huge project, and I need your full help!"

Cao Cao stated his intention. Xiangyang City is too close to Sizhou and is not safe. He needs to cross the river and move to Changsha.

The Yangtze River is a natural defense line, and he needs to rely on this defense line to resist the court.

Hearing Cao Cao's words, the heads of the families felt more bitter.

If they don't help Cao Cao, their names will be listed in the Dengtian Pavilion. If they help Cao Cao, if Cao Cao is defeated, they will also be liquidated.

It is really a dilemma.

Cao Cao saw the faces of the family heads and knew what they were thinking, so he said in a deep voice: "Everyone, now you have no other way to go except to help me defeat the false emperor."

"I, Cao Cao, promise you here that after defeating the false emperor and recovering the Han Dynasty, I will give you unimaginable wealth and glory!"

"Now tell me, what is your decision?"

Faced with Cao Cao's words, the family heads struggled for a while, and finally sighed and chose to compromise.

"My Huang family is willing to help Sikong fight against the false emperor."

"My Pang family is willing to help Sikong fight against the false emperor."

"My Zhang family...!"

The family heads expressed their attitudes one after another.

There is no way, just as Cao Cao said, they have no other choice but to embark on this pirate ship.

"Okay! I toast to you all!"

Cao Cao laughed loudly and raised his glass to toast everyone from afar, "When we defeat the false emperor, you will all be the greatest contributors!!"

As long as the defense line is built to block the route of the imperial navy to the south; coupled with the great help of the major families, he can make the entire south into an iron plate!

By then, even if the imperial army approaches, he will have nothing to fear!