Chapter 2136: The Final Battle

  The Tian Shi Sect has turned against us, which isn't surprising. Liu Xuan had long expected that the Tian Shi Sect would turn against them after all, the Zhang family of Hanzhong wasn't willing to stay hidden in a remote area forever.

  However, for the entire winter, the Tiandihui did not make any more major moves. They seemed to just want to loudly shout "Rebellion!" and then continue staying in Hanzhong, doing whatever they were supposed to do.

  However, because of the occupation of Hanzhong by the Tianshi Dao, the connection between the imperial court and Yizhou was completely cut off. If they wanted to communicate with each other, they had to either take a big detour through Yizhou or secretly pass through Hanzhong Prefecture.

  The Tianshi Dao rebellion was basically equivalent to giving Liu Yan a layer of protection, now Liu Yan can safely be his local emperor in Yizhou, and Liu Xuan really had no way to deal with him.

  "Don't bother with Tian Shi Dao for now. Although Tian Shi Dao has rebelled, it's also difficult for him to invade Yongliang and other places."

  Liu Xuan directly gave this instruction at the morning meeting on the second day, but just because Tiandao won't attack the imperial court for the time being, the imperial court can't relax its vigilance. First of all, the troops to be sent should be dispatched, and the generals in charge of garrisoning should also be hastily assigned.

  This matter was easily resolved, Liu Xuan directly appointed Xiahou Yuan under Cao Cao's command to be transferred from the Hu Bao cavalry, and then led 5,000 imperial guards to guard the key road from Hanzhong to Yongzhou.

  "Should we send troops to guard the small road at noon in the valley?"

  Huang Wan's proposal made Liu Xuan pause, but after thinking about it, he decided to consult a professional. Cao Cao thought for a moment and said: "The small road in the valley is difficult to pass, especially since most of the troops and horses can't get through, only a small number can pass through, and that's under the condition that the weather isn't particularly bad for several consecutive days. If there's heavy rain or strong winds, it's highly likely that this group of soldiers will be buried on that small road!"

  Moreover, even if they come out of that road, they probably won't have much combat power. Also, because it's difficult to bring supplies, they can't bring siege engines. Although the Ziwu Valley is not far from Chang'an, it's still hard to threaten the safety of Chang'an!

  At present, there are more than 20,000 Imperial Guards in Chang'an City. In addition, there are also the Hu Bao Cavalry, the Hu Bao Army and the Yu Lin Army, three elite forces stationed here. Unless someone has a problem with their brain, they would not think of using a small force to attack Chang'an.

  Everyone heard Cao Cao's explanation that although the small road in the valley of Zi Wu was a path, it was not a route for marching troops at all, so there was no need to worry too much.

  Just then Cao Cao suddenly said: "However..."

  But what was not said, however, Liu Xuan suddenly understood - that the Sub-Mountain Valley is not suitable for ordinary soldiers to walk, but who knows if the Tian Shi Dao will cultivate a group of people with special skills like Liu Xuan and then pass through from there?

  "In that case..."

  Lü Bu immediately understood and said, "Let Song Xian and Hao Meng lead 500 soldiers to set up camp at the entrance of the valley. If anyone comes out of the valley, they will never return."

  Five hundred soldiers are not many! Placing five hundred soldiers there is a surveillance meaning, and even if people come out of the valley, the number will not be too large. Five hundred soldiers blocking the entrance to the valley can hold back for many days, giving Chang'an enough reaction time.

  Wang Yun and Yang Biao thought for a moment, feeling that Lü Bu's proposal was the most stable, so they all spoke out in agreement. Liu Xuan saw that everyone was saying this, so he agreed - afterwards, he dispatched troops to inform Liu Bei of the matter.

  Because today is the Grand Court Assembly, all civil and military officials are present. The few people who were just called out also responded immediately, several of them exchanged glances, feeling that this opportunity was handed to them on a silver platter, if they messed it up, it would be embarrassing, no matter what, they had to do a good job with this task.

  Apart from this, Cao Cao actively submitted a memorial and asked to resign as the leader of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

  "Oh?" Liu Xuan was really surprised, didn't expect Cao Cao to suddenly do such a thing. Especially since the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were trained by Cao Cao himself, could it be that he's just giving up on them like this?

  Think carefully, of course it won't be like this. Cao Cao is using retreat as an advance because Liu Xuan had previously said that the general would only lead a large army during wartime, and although he could have his own soldiers in peacetime, there were strict regulations on their numbers. The Hu Bao cavalry has almost become Cao Cao's private army, and over time it will inevitably attract gossip - Cao Cao doesn't care about these things, but he needs to consider the emperor's feelings. If he really thinks there is something that will cause him trouble every day, Cao Cao won't be able to bear it either.

  So he responded to the emperor's call, and let the Tiger and Leopard Riders go out, at least they could not be directly under his own jurisdiction. In this way, the emperor would feel that his orders had been supported, and Cao Cao could also avoid some deliberate attacks.

  At the same time, it can also be used to probe the attitude of the Son of Heaven towards oneself...

  The last thought of Cao Cao was just a flash in his mind, and he immediately threw it away without thinking deeply. However, he resigned as the leader of the Tiger and Leopard Riders, and didn't even suggest a successor, so Liu Xuan suddenly understood Cao Cao's idea.

  Fortunately, he had already determined his attitude towards Cao Cao, so after Cao Cao resigned, he immediately approved it, but then appointed Cao Ren as the leader of the Hu Bao Cavalry, and the original commander of the Bao Qiwei was succeeded by Cao Hong.

  The formation of the Tiger and Leopard Riders underwent slight adjustments, and then due to Cao Cao's efforts in training the Tiger and Leopard Riders, he was directly promoted to General Who Guards the East. This is equivalent to a direct promotion of two ranks, plus that Heaven-Defying Sword, Cao Cao can be said to have become one of the most powerful figures among the current imperial court martial officers, even surpassing Lü Bu.

  Seeing Cao Cao like this, Lü Bu thought for a moment and actually imitated Cao Cao, wanting to hand over his own Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

  His move startled the civil and military officials of Cao Wei, but many of the officials who did not get along with Lü Bu immediately showed joy: "Lü Bu actually handed over the Tiger Guard, what is there to fear after that?"

  It's precisely because Lü Bu's temper has never been good, and many people in the imperial court have a bad relationship with him. Moreover, Lü Bu was originally under Dong Zhuo's command, and some people here still remember their old grudges. They were afraid to speak out because of Lü Bu's powerful army, but now he actually wants to hand over his troops? Isn't that seeking death?

  They only regarded Lü Bu as a powerful warlord today, and it was also because Lü Bu had troops and generals. If Lü Bu didn't have soldiers and horses, I'm afraid the Son of Heaven wouldn't even bother to see this 'three-surname family slave!' - Although this title wasn't shouted out by Zhang San's mouth, there were many scholars in Chang'an who hated Lü Bu, and they also pinned this title on Lü Bu's head. They just dared to shout it out in private.

  Liu Xuan took a look at Lü Bu and didn't think much of him.

  Lü Bu now also understands his own weight - sending war horses, sending soldiers, and even helping him cultivate, what else can be considered heavy?

  Lü Bu sometimes appears to be brave but not thoughtful, but he is not a fool! He knows that with the emperor's protection, he doesn't need to worry about troops and horses. When fighting, the Son of Heaven will naturally dispatch them for him. More importantly, he feels that his current strength makes troops and horses somewhat meaningless.

  With the emperor's favor, his own strong strength, excellent weapons, and robust war horses, Lü Bu had enough reason to be confident in his future.

  These are the real reasons why he dared to hand over his troops, unfortunately these things are unknown to most Chinese ministers.

  Liu Xuan knew, so he also agreed to Lü Bu's resignation. However, it was a headache for him to decide who would take over the command of the Hu Bao Army. At the same time, with the change in leadership of the Hu Bao and Hu Jia armies, the military system seemed to need to be readjusted as well.

  "Commander of the Tiger Guards, is there anyone suitable you'd recommend?"

  Lü Bu remained silent, it seems he really didn't want to bother anymore. On the other hand, Cao Cao had just dismissed the leader of the Hu Bao cavalry, and Liu Xuan was about to appoint another member of the Cao family to the position of leader of the Hu Bao cavalry. Cao Cao was already very satisfied with this. Although the Hu Bao army is good, if he were to fight for it, it would be a hot potato, so it's better not to get involved.

  On Wen's side, there were people who didn't want to speak out, and some even directly proposed letting Taifu Yang Bi or Sili Xuewei Huang Can take over.

  "A bunch of bastards!"

  Liu Xuan took a look at these people who were speaking, basically they were all low to mid-level officials. These people usually didn't speak much, but once they did, it was basically because they had received instructions from others. But today's matter was completely unexpected, yet this group of people proactively jumped out, which could only prove one thing - these people stood very close with certain individuals, and even proactively helped to strengthen the power of the forces they relied on.

  Most of this guy's proposals are entirely self-serving, and Liu Xuan is too lazy to respond, but he's afraid of missing out on some truly insightful words, so he listens carefully sentence by sentence. Unfortunately, after listening for half a day, they're all just these useless remarks.

  "I had said it before, but it seems some people have forgotten what I said completely!"

  Having listened for a while, Liu Xuan became increasingly annoyed and glared at the crowd. He let out an angry hum, his voice like thunder, which echoed in the great hall, causing everyone to be shocked and their heads to spin, followed by a wave of suspicion.

  He had said long ago that those in high positions cannot directly control the army, otherwise Cao Cao and Lü Bu would not have come up with this move at this time. This is just to show that they are supporting the emperor's decree. But these guys actually ignored their previous words and couldn't be tolerated.

  He gave a signal with his eyes to Xun, who was seemingly lost in thought. Xun immediately nodded slightly towards Liu Xuan without anyone noticing his action.

  Liu Xuan knew that Xun had already taken note of these people and was just waiting for an opportunity to slowly eliminate them from the court.

  "Although Meng De and Feng Xian's resignation was a bit unexpected, it cleared out the annoying people in the court, which is also a good thing."

  As for the Hu Baojun problem, he decided to sort out the new military system first and then decide who would take charge.

  Also for this reason, after the court meeting was over, he kept the Minister of War Huangfu Song, the Left Assistant Minister of War Liu Ye, the Central Protector of the Army Liu Bei and Cao Cao, Lü Bu to continue discussing in the side hall, discussing the further reorganization of the troops.