Chapter 128: The Fall of Cao Wei
The city wall of Luoyang looks even more weathered in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Zhuge Liang stood at the foot of the city, his eyes firm and deep, as if he could penetrate the thick city walls and see everything inside the city.

He knew that as long as he captured this city, the road to reviving the Han Dynasty would become smoother.

He took a deep breath, clenched the feather fan in both hands, waved it slightly, and ordered the entire army to attack.

Suddenly, war drums beat, the sound of horse hooves was deafening, and the soldiers of Shu Han rushed towards Luoyang City like a tide.

Cao Rui in the city was sitting on the dragon throne at this moment, his face pale and haggard.

He looked at the Shu Han army surging like a tide outside the city, his heart filled with resentment and despair.

He didn't understand why Cao Wei, once the most powerful country, had fallen to such a state and was attacked at the gates of Luoyang.

A large area of ​​Cao Wei's land has been occupied by Shu Han. If Luoyang City is broken again, the fate of the country and the family will be inevitable.

Cao Rui's heart was filled with resentment. He was unwilling to see his body become so weak at the age of 30, and even more unwilling to see the Cao Wei territory being taken away so easily by Shu Han.

He recalled the past year, and it seemed as if Shu Han had undergone earth-shaking changes overnight, while Cao Wei was gradually declining.

If he were given time, if he were given ten years, he believed that he would be able to turn the tide, destroy Shu Han, and unify the world.

However, the reality is cruel.

He has no time and no good health.

He looked up outside the city, which was already a sea of ​​fire and the sound of shouting and killing was deafening.

He knew it was too late. Cao Wei's kingdom was already in danger.

Outside Luoyang City, the siege was in full swing.

Under the leadership of Zhuge Liang, the soldiers of Shu Han fought bravely and defeated the enemy with great momentum.

The soldiers of Cao Wei fought desperately, but it was too late to turn the tide.

During this thrilling siege, Cao Rui's heart was filled with regret and unwillingness.

He knew that he was powerless to change the situation and could only watch Cao Wei's kingdom burn to ashes in the flames of war.

His body was too weak, so weak that he could only watch all this happen quietly.

But he is the emperor of the Great Wei, and even if he is going to die, he will die for the country.

On the city wall of Luoyang, Cao Rui's gaze gradually dimmed with the afterglow of the setting sun.

He looked outside the city and saw the flag of Shu Han fluttering on the battlefield. His heart trembled with the sound of war drums and shouts of killing.

He knew that the city's defenses were in jeopardy and that Cao Wei's territory was slipping away bit by bit in his hands.

At this moment, Zhuge Liang was standing at the foot of the city, his eyes firm and deep, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.

He knew that as long as he captured this city, the road to reviving the Han Dynasty would become wider.

The Cao Wei soldiers in the city were exhausted and their morale was low.

Many of them were veterans who had followed Cao Rui in his battles, but at this moment they were powerless to turn the tide.

Cao Rui looked at them, his heart filled with guilt and helplessness.

It was he, Cao Rui, who failed to protect the Cao family's kingdom!

He was not a wise and capable ruler, but rather a king who lost his country.

On the battlefield outside the city, the soldiers of Shu Han fought bravely. Many of them were warriors fighting to revive the Han Dynasty.

They were not afraid of sacrifice, only because they had a common belief in their hearts: to revive the Han Dynasty and glorify the family.

A hint of determination flashed in Cao Rui's eyes.

He knew that he could not just watch Cao Wei's territory being taken away by Shu Han.

He stood up, took a deep breath, and prepared to lead the battle himself.

However, at this moment, a general ran in in a hurry, panting and reporting: "Your Majesty, something is wrong! The Shu Han army has broken through the east gate and is now heading towards the palace! Someone in Luoyang City colluded with Shu Han and opened the city gate for the Shu Han army."

After hearing this, Cao Rui felt depressed.

It's over! It's really over!

At this moment, he was powerless to save the situation.

He turned and looked at the imperial palace behind him, where he grew up and where he was the symbol of his status as the Son of Heaven.

However, at this moment, he could only watch it being occupied by the enemy.

His heart was filled with regret and unwillingness, but the reality could not be changed.

The Cao Wei regime began to decline in his hands.

How would he explain to Cao Pi and Cao Cao when he went down there, as he was the king of a fallen country?

On the battlefield outside the city, Zhuge Liang had a victorious smile on his face.

He knew that at this moment, he was one step closer to his goal of reviving the Han Dynasty.

He looked towards the direction of the imperial palace in the city, his heart full of emotion and expectation, and stepped into Luoyang City.

At this last moment, the anger in the heart of Cao Rui, the emperor of Wei, was like a violent storm and could not be contained. He looked at the Shu Han army surging like a tide under the city, and his heart was filled with endless sorrow and helplessness.

He understood Shu Han's determination to destroy Cao Wei. After all, they were enemies and irreconcilable opponents.

The fight between them is destined to be a life-and-death contest. The winner will step on the corpse of the loser and rule the world.

However, what made Cao Rui angry and sad were the ministers who had once worked with him to protect Cao Wei.

Some of them chose to betray under the powerful offensive of the Shu Han army, and chose to cooperate with the Shu Han from inside and outside, preparing to welcome the Shu Han army into the city.

"Are there still loyal ministers in the Wei Dynasty?"

Cao Rui asked himself in a low voice, his voice full of despair.

He recalled that since he ascended the throne, he had been working hard to govern the country and build Cao Wei, wanting to make the country strong and unify the world.

However, he did not expect that at this last moment, so many people from aristocratic families would choose to betray him.

In Luoyang, some noble families had already seen the power of Shu Han. For their own benefit, they were willing to collude with Shu Han and betray Cao Wei.
These aristocratic families occupied important positions in the court of Cao Wei, and their betrayal undoubtedly dealt a fatal blow to Cao Wei.

Cao Rui began to reflect on who actually owned the world of Wei.

Is it the world of aristocratic families?

Or is it still the Cao family's world?
He thought of his grandfather Cao Cao's great talent and his father Cao Pi's hard work and diligence, and they all worked hard to revitalize Cao Wei.

However, by his generation, Cao Wei had fallen into such a predicament.

But in order to win over these aristocratic families, my father adopted Chen Qun's suggestion and implemented the Nine-Rank System.

The Nine-Rank System did win the support and praise of the aristocratic families, but at the same time, the power of the aristocratic families expanded further in the Wei Dynasty.

The Nine-Rank System placed emphasis on birth and family background in selecting talents, which led to the increasing expansion of the power of aristocratic families in Cao Wei.

Now, these aristocratic families wanted to betray Cao Wei and collude with Shu Han, which undoubtedly added fuel to the demise of Cao Wei.

Cao Rui's heart was filled with regret and unwillingness.

He hated himself for not seeing all this clearly earlier and not taking measures to curb the expansion of the power of the aristocratic families. He hated even more the ministers and aristocratic families who betrayed Cao Wei and sold out the interests of the entire Wei Dynasty for their own benefit.

No king and no father!

No king and no father!
However, it's too late now.

Cao Rui knew that he no longer had the ability to undo what had happened.

He could only watch Cao Wei's territory burn to ashes in the flames of war and silently endure this unprecedented anger and sorrow.

Don’t these aristocratic families care who the emperor is?

Is it the Cao family or the Liu family? What does it have to do with them?

No matter who owns the world, they will need their help to govern it.

Cao Rui figured this out easily, but how could he not be angry?
The Great Wei treated the aristocratic families well as national talents, but is this the return the aristocratic families gave them?
When the Nine-Rank System was implemented, it was no wonder that those aristocratic families praised it as the most perfect system in hundreds of years.

Ha ha!

If it is beneficial to them, then it would be the most perfect system.

But Cao Rui now had no solution.

The Great Wei has perished.

The city of Luoyang fell in the war, and Zhuge Liang's Shu Han army finally captured this ancient capital.

There was total silence in the palace, with only the occasional sound of soldiers' footsteps breaking the dead silence.

Cao Rui, the emperor of Wei, once had the ambition to unify the world, but now he could only sit quietly on the dragon throne, waiting for the arrival of the Shu Han army.

His eyes were filled with reluctance, despair, sadness, and anger.

Zhuge Liang walked into the palace and glanced at his former rival.

He saw the determination and helplessness in Cao Rui's eyes, and also saw his dignity and pride as a monarch.

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh in his heart that if he was given ten years, Cao Rui might really be able to change the situation in the world.

However, there are no ifs in history.

Cao Rui didn’t have ten years.

And Zhuge Liang relied on the help of the Zhutian chat group, and his victory could be said to be a bit unethical.

But unfortunately they are opponents, and Zhuge Liang will not show mercy.

Zhuge Liang walked up to Cao Rui, bowed deeply, and said, "Liang greets the King of Wei. Surrender, King of Wei. Cao Wei is dead."

Zhuge Liang gave Cao Rui the last bit of dignity as the emperor of Wei.

But Zhuge Liang would never acknowledge that Cao Rui was the emperor.

He only has prestige, the orthodoxy in the world still lies with the Han Dynasty.

Cao Rui was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Prime Minister Zhuge, I know you are a talented person. If I surrender, can you guarantee the safety of my family and people?"

Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, they are no longer the subjects of Cao Wei. They will be the subjects of the Han Dynasty from now on."

Zhuge Liang's words almost made Cao Rui suffocate.

At this point, he didn't care about anything anymore.

Cao Rui took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He said softly: "Good! Good! Good! Zhuge Liang, remember, the noble families in this world cannot be trusted. You have to unify the world and put an end to this chaotic world. I hope that in the next life, we can become friends and work together for the well-being of the people of the world."

After saying that, Cao Rui drew the sword from his waist, and with a flash of sword light, he resolutely slashed across his neck.

A great leader just disappeared in the torrent of history, leaving behind only a sigh and a pool of blood on the ground.

As the emperor of Cao Wei, he knew that he could not surrender because that would be a betrayal of his ancestors and it was his last dignity and respect as the emperor of Wei.

He wanted to meet his father and grandfather with this dignity and tell them that he had tried hard to be their proudest son.

Unfortunately, the Wei Dynasty went to destruction in his hands, which was probably the fact that he could hardly face.

Father, oh father, you have never opened your eyes to look at me.

I have worked hard for all these years just to tell you that I am your best son.

But now the Wei Kingdom has been destroyed in my hands.

I'm afraid you'll laugh at me if I go down here!
He was filled with guilt and self-blame, and he was afraid that his father would laugh at him and blame him.

But all this is irreversible, and he can only leave this world with regret and unwillingness.

Zhuge Liang looked at Cao Rui's body silently, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

He felt sorry for the demise of Cao Wei, but was also pleased with his own victory.

The destruction of Cao Wei was only the first step in reviving the Han Dynasty. The next goal was to destroy Eastern Wu and unify the world.

He looked at Jiangdong in the distance, his heart filled with expectation and worry.
I know what’s going on on the battlefield over there. I wonder if the soldiers of Soochow are also fighting bloody battles for the future of their country like them.

The Shu Han soldiers around were cheering, with light of victory flashing in their eyes.

They did it, they successfully captured Luoyang and returned to the old capital. At this moment, they seemed to see the hope of revitalizing the Han Dynasty and the possibility of creating another glorious Han Dynasty with their own hands.

Zhuge Liang was also infected by the emotions of the soldiers. He looked at them with a smile, his heart full of confidence and determination.

Nothing can stop them from moving forward.

He is nothing but a rat from Jiangdong.

Jiangdong battlefield.

Sun Quan was old but still ambitious.

Especially in his later years, he became more stubborn and cared more about his reputation.

When he learned that Liu Chan of Shu Han was going to lead the army in person, he chose to lead the army himself without hesitation. This decision shocked and worried all the civil and military officials in the court.

Sun Quan's military achievements, especially in the Battle of Hefei, where he led an army of 100,000 but failed to defeat Zhang Liao's thousands of troops, were nicknamed "Sun Shiwan" by later generations.

But precisely because of this, Sun Quan wanted to lead the army in person to wash away the past shame.

He thought to himself: "Although I can't deal with Cao Wei or Zhang Liao, can I deal with a little kid who is still wet behind the ears?"

However, although Liu Chan led the army personally, he knew very well that he was not a good general, so he handed over full command to Jiang Wei.

This move surprised Sun Quan a little, but he didn't take it to heart.

He believed that Liu Chan was only so arrogant because he relied on the foundation left by Zhuge Liang, and that Jiang Wei was just a rising star and was not to be feared.

Sun Quan did not realize that although Jiang Wei was young, he was both wise and brave, and had learned the true skills from Zhuge Liang.

On the battlefield, Jiang Wei made strategic plans and gave decisive commands, which enabled the Shu Han army to win victory after victory.

Although Liu Chan did not trust Jiang Wei, he trusted his father-in-law Zhuge Liang. He knew that Zhuge Liang would not make a mistake in choosing a person, so he confidently handed over the command to Jiang Wei.

(End of this chapter)