Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

Chapter 197 Zhang Jin pays homage
Lu Bu did not have a good life this New Year. Although under Chen Gong's plan, he was able to occupy nearly half of Xuzhou and barely gained a foothold, but compared to Cao Cao who had the entire Yanzhou as capital, he was only a few A few states and counties are not enough to support the long-term confrontation between Lu Bu and Cao Cao.

It can be said that if Cao Cao is unwilling to give up Xuzhou and raises troops to attack again in the new year, Lu Bu's chances of winning will be slim.

Lu Bu only relied on his bravery and the Xiliang cavalry. However, if he wanted to support his soldiers, he needed a lot of food, grass and baggage.

He had already consumed most of the gold and silver grain and grass obtained in Yanzhou. In order to supplement the loss of horses, he also needed to send people to Hanoi, Youzhou and other places to buy good horses. This was another huge expense for Lu Bu.

Sometimes Lu Bu also wondered why Cao Cao was so lucky. The Yellow Turban Rebellion gave him territory and soldiers... It was almost like a state and millions of soldiers fell from the sky.

That's all, but the emperor and his officials were welcomed into Xuchang without making a sound. This was what made Lu Bu feel the most outrageous. Even if it was said that Er Yuan had won the emperor, he would not be so unbelievable.

After all, compared with the reputation of the princes in the world, Cao Cao is really... It cannot be said that he is outstanding. Even when he settled in Dongjun, he only had a few thousand people under his command.

Why did Cao Cao catch up with all these good things? Why don't I, Lu Bu, have such an opportunity?

Lu Bu thought back to those days. If he hadn't been too eager and Guo Si and Li Jue had noticed the signs, he might have been the one who occupied Hanoi and had the emperor now...

This thought only briefly circulated in his mind, and was soon suppressed by another thing.

A few days ago, Chen Gong proposed to Lu Bu that he marry his daughter Lu Lingqi to Yuan Shu's son, and the two families formed an in-law alliance to jointly resist Cao Cao. After this was accomplished, Xuzhou was divided between them.

If Wu Ju and others were just allowed to stay in Jiaozhou as envoys, Zhang Jin would hold his nose and admit it. But a few months ago, it suddenly came out that Liu Biao sent troops to plunder Cao Cao's grain and grass. Not long after the Fanmiao rebellion, Cangwu prefect Shi Huang fell seriously ill. And die.

"The general was once a hero, is he now reduced to selling his daughter in order to survive?!"

At that time, Yuan Shao was busy pacifying the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou. Jizhou was a place where heroes from all sides wanted to compete for the Four Wars. It was often invaded by foreign tribes such as Nu, Wuhuan, and Xianbei. It was not easy to completely control this state. It was easy. Not long after he pacified Jizhou, he began to busy expanding to Bingzhou.

Zhang Jin was worried that if he directly expressed his feelings and told Liu Biao's ambitions, Cao Cao might not be on his side. After thinking about it several times, he chose to test Cao Cao's attitude by asking for help from the court, and at the same time, it also gave Liu Biao a little deterrence. , telling him not to go too far.

He is now in his early forties and has only one daughter. He doesn't know if he will have any more children in the future. He wants to marry off this only daughter to form an alliance... Lu Bu feels that he has not reached this point yet.

Even though he had made good alliances with Cao Cao, Liu Biao and others, no one could have imagined that Cao Cao, who occupied the smallest territory, would suddenly rise like a rock.

Just a few heavy snowfalls a few years ago caused many cattle and sheep to freeze to death. Yuvluo also used this meeting to send envoys again, hoping to get the emperor's permission to return to the Huns' court with his tribe. But as before, the written statement fell silent and received no response.

Lu Bu felt unhappy about being told that entering Xuzhou in winter would have both advantages and disadvantages for him.

Generally speaking, winter is the time to store food, and Lu Bu should not worry about food and grass. However, Xuzhou was plundered by Cao Cao and his soldiers were exhausted. Even though it gave Lu Bu an opportunity to take advantage of it, it also put him in a dilemma of insufficient food and grass.

From then on, Fan Xin's younger brother Fan Miao led the county people to attack the government, and shot Dan Meng with poisonous arrows. The crowd gathered to wreak havoc. Jiaozhi Prefect Shi Xie sent troops many times to try to quell the rebellion, but all ended in failure.

Yan had been married to Lu Bu for many years and had only given birth to this daughter. She was always well-educated, but when she heard that Chen Gong had set his sights on her daughter, she was furious. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows stood upright.

Forming an alliance with Yuan Shu can be said to be Lu Bu's best choice at this time. If it were anyone else, most of them would immediately adopt this plan when Chen Gong proposed it, but Lu Bu was hesitant.

Even when Cao Cao raised millions of troops to attack Xuzhou and occupied Jingzhou, Liu Biao, who seemed to be watching the success or failure of the world, extended a tentative hand to the land of Jiaozhou.

Zhang Yan, who currently occupies Heishan, used Zang Hong's letter to successfully persuade the Zhang brothers, who had resisted for several days, to surrender and return to Yanzhou. Not only did Zhang Yan receive assistance from Cao Cao, he even participated in this part of the trade and was responsible for escorting them back and forth. Cattle and sheep from Huvrault and silage sent to Hanoi.

At the great court meeting at the beginning of the year, planners from all over the country gathered in Xudu to "plan the affairs of the world" to the emperor. Everyone knew that most of these accounting books would eventually fall into the hands of Cao Cao, and they would probably not be in the eyes of the emperor, so they removed all Tributes, the authenticity of the political achievements in these accounting books... Only those princes know clearly in their hearts.

He was already undecided, and when he was whispering at night, some clues slipped through his words, which made his wife Yan notice.

This allowed Yuvluo to gradually establish a relatively stable trade relationship after trading with Cao Cao once.

For Huvrault, these cattle and sheep were all his property and resources. In order to preserve excellent breeding cattle and sheep, he had to sell cattle and sheep in exchange for enough silage and winter supplies.

This is also an important reason why he was able to seize several prefectures and counties in Xuzhou with lightning speed.

"Chen Gong wants to marry a daughter, so why doesn't he marry his own daughter instead of teasing the general? How can he, an outsider, have the right to dictate the general's family affairs?!"

"Jiaozhi rice is ripe again in summer and winter, and farmers can plant it again at one year old." As a place with a long history of rice cultivation, Jiaozhou rice can be ripened twice a year and the yield is quite abundant. However, due to the fact that the local people "major hunting", most of them The barbaric slash-and-burn method was adopted, so that although Jiaozhou was suitable for producing grain, it still needed to purchase grain from Jingzhou and other places.

Zhang Jin has almost become accustomed to the turmoil in the prefectures and counties, just because this level of rebellion does not make him anxious.

Yan's words were fierce and his attitude was firm.

Jiaozhou is located in a remote area, the environment is harsh, the people are uneducated, and there are rebellions caused by the Nanman. Previously, Dan Meng, the prefect of Jiuzhen, hosted a banquet for his wife and father Zhou Jing. The meritorious Cao Fan Xin invited Zhou Jing to dance with him, but Zhou Jing was unwilling to do so. Xin still wanted to force him, but Dan Meng was so angry that he killed Fan Xin in the county with a stick.

This can't help but make Zhang Jin suspicious. There are many epidemics in Jiaozhou, and it is normal for officials to die of illness. But why don't you die sooner or later? You, Liu Biao, took away Cao Cao's food and grass, and this person died?
You also deliberately left the envoy in my territory. Do you want to use the geographical advantage to control my grain trade and threaten me to cut off my grain trade if I don't give in?

Winter is not a good time to raise troops to attack, but most of his soldiers are from Xiliang. The bitter cold in Xiliang makes these Xiliang people more able to endure the cold, and their advantage in fighting in winter is greatly improved.

What really made him wary was Jingzhou Shepherd Liu Biao.

On the surface, Wu Ju entered Jiaozhou to discuss the grain trade. In fact, Zhang Jin and Liu Biao knew exactly what the purpose was.

Yan was beautiful, and Lu Bu loved his wife very much. He was thinking about his daughter's marriage, so he had to tell Yan. Over a few glasses of wine, he told Yan exactly what Chen Gong had planned that day.

At present, only one place in Dong County has consciously made silage from wheat green seedlings for storage. Compared with crude silage, barnyard grass and other feeds, silage made from wheat green seedlings can be stored longer, and the cattle fed Sheep and other livestock are also in better condition.

Lu Bu had no choice but to shelve the matter. Even so, some rumors still leaked out.

Due to its special geographical location, Jiaozhou was generally regarded as a barbaric land at this time, and it could not attract the attention of the princes who focused on the Central Plains. If it were not for Zhang Jin's sudden appearance, Cao Cao would not have taken it. The eyes are scattered here.

This caused a rift in the old covenant friendship.

The only person who really asked the emperor for help, apart from Yuvluo's tribe who was forced to stay in Hanoi, was the governor of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin.

Also trapped by the severe cold is the Yuvluo tribe in Hanoi. As nomadic people, winter is extremely difficult for their cattle and sheep.

Due to the accumulation of various factors, Zhang Jin finally decided to make a petition to the court through the Great Court Meeting, hoping that the court could send troops to help him quell the rebellion in the territory.

In addition, Yuan Shu in the south was separatist in Huainan and wanted to go north. As a result, except for Zhang Jin, who had immediate interests, almost no one knew that Liu Biao ordered his Wu Ju to enter Jiaozhou at this time.

He used to be a retainer of General He Jin, and he had a relationship with Cao Cao, but he was not familiar with him. His impression of Cao Cao was that he seemed to be Yuan Shao's younger brother, and Yuan Shao had an alliance with Liu Biao.

Of course, Dong County's use of green wheat to make silage was just an accident. If it hadn't been for the sudden rainstorm, no one would have thought of using precious green wheat as feed.

Perhaps in the eyes of other princes, Liu Biao, who was old and sick and had the possibility of raising a child, had lost his heroic aura when he "rided into Jingzhou alone", but to Zhang Jin, the governor of Jiaozhou, which is adjacent to Jingzhou, the old tiger still has The ability to bite prey only lacks the accuracy to kill with one blow.

Liu Biao's actions were too covert, Jingzhou and Jiaozhou still maintained a superficial calm, and no one in Xudu connected Zhang Jin's request for help from Cao Cao to Liu Biao.

The only one who was somewhat aware was Zhong Ping, who was already ready to help Liu Bei escape.

He thought he would have to wait for a long time for an opportunity for Liu Bei to leave Xudu in a logical manner, but unexpectedly, this opportunity appeared in front of him.

Since he brought home the brocade robe and jade gifted by Liu Xie, Zhongping put the brocade robe and jade belt and other belongings rewarded by Liu Xie at the bottom of the box and never looked at it again.

Except for drinking with Huo Qiu until she was very drunk and sleeping in the military camp for a night, the rest of the time was the same as usual. When it was time to go to court and when it was time to compile books, the life was so regular that it seemed like he was retiring.

Later, Liu Xie also summoned Liu Bei and Fu Wan to the palace to meet each other. They were both given new crown clothes. Only the new clothes of his uncle Dong Cheng were sent to the house.

Such actions naturally aroused Cao Cao's suspicion.

In Xi Zhicai's view, the young emperor Liu Xie was using a blind trick. Among these people, only one of them carried the items Liu Xie wanted to pass on.

He focused on Zhongping, but Zhongping's daily activities made him unable to help but have self-doubt. Could it be that he was overthinking it, and that the little emperor was really just giving new clothes as usual, and had no other purpose?
Zhongping's monotonous and repetitive life could not dispel Cao Cao's suspicion. Although he had told Xi Zhicai to pay more attention, Cao Cao still could not trust Liu Xie. Based on his understanding of the little emperor, it was definitely not his character to hold back.

The previous incident between Tuxian and Lu Bu sounded the alarm for him. On the surface, he occupied Yanzhou and served the emperor. He seemed to have great power and unparalleled glory.

But in fact, the time he took control of Yanzhou was too short, the people in the territory were undecided, and many nobles had other plans behind their backs. Welcome to the emperor did bring him tangible benefits - using the excuse of welcoming the emperor, he defeated the previous attack The part of Yuzhou occupied by Suigu and other Yellow Turbans was legitimately taken over to himself; as soon as the emperor entered Xudu, many nobles immediately chose to be on his side, and even chose to dedicate all their wealth to tie their interests to the Cao family. On the warship; the recruitment order issued also attracted more talents to join him, giving him enough officials to replace him.

But the disadvantage is that the existence of the emperor also fuels the ambitions of some people. On the one hand, he rises to the top like a god, which makes the generals of the Cao family and the Xiahou family have the desire to go further.

On the other hand, some nobles in Yanzhou said that they did not have the urge to take risks when it came to the emperor who was just around the corner. They were more willing to unswervingly "support the emperor" and take risks to gain greater wealth.

Cao Cao's hunting of Xu Tian was more about identifying internal unstable factors and eliminating them one by one than showing his control over Liu Xie, so as to avoid the recurrence of "people fight at the front, and the family is behind." The passive situation of "stealing".

After all, if the mascot of the Emperor hadn't won over a wave of people's hearts for him first, and if Zhong Ping hadn't conveyed the news to Xun Yu in time, Yanzhou would still be his now... No one could say for sure.

Cao Cao's feelings towards Zhongping were very complicated.

He is waiting now. He knows that the one who is most anxious and frightened at this time is Liu Xie. No matter how hard Zhong Ping is, as long as Liu Xie can't help but urge, Zhong Ping will have to take action...

That was also the best time for him to close the net.

Cao Cao considers himself a decisive person, but when he is alone in the night, for a few moments, he really hopes that Zhongping can maintain his current calm, even if he just stays in Xudu and hangs around?

"I heard that Lu Bu intends to marry Yuan Shu. Is this true?"

Zhong Ping thought that since Xu Shao came from Yangzhou, he should know more about whether the news was true or false.

He remembered that in history, Lu Bu regretted halfway and took his daughter back to Xuzhou. He wondered if Lu Bu would make up his mind to marry Yuan Shu this time.

If Lu Bu and Yuan Shu really join forces, it will really be a trouble for Cao Cao now.

"I just heard some rumors, but looking at Lu Bu's reaction now, it seems that he has no intention of marrying his daughter."

Xu Shao hung out with Zhongping for a few days under the name of Qingtan. When they got along with each other in private, he became more and more confident. He no longer added some numerology that made people feel confused, but became very straightforward.

"You're not planning to use this as an opportunity to recommend the emperor's uncle to go to Xuzhou to escape, are you?"

He has not met Liu Bei yet. It is true that he also admires Liu Bei's courage when Tao Qian asked Kong Rong for help. However, this does not seem to be enough to make Zhong Ping determined to fight with such a small soldier. People who have no territory run away together.

There was a strange look on his face. He didn't think the physiognomist would ask such a question with an obvious answer: "If I open my mouth, it will only be counterproductive... You know about Zhang Jin's request for help, right?"

Xu Shao actually had some vague suspicions, but when he heard Zhong Ping's confirmation, he was surprised: "In a place like Jiaozhou... I really doubt whether you want to help General Zuo or harm him... Are you sure he will agree with you? s arrangement?"

Zhong Ping actually didn't know for sure. Jiaozhou's bad reputation was far greater than its good reputation. No, in fact, it didn't have much reputation at all now.

Generally speaking, apart from being exiled and appointed by the court, no one would go to that ghost place.

However, this also leads to the fact that if someone suggests that Liu Bei go to Jiaozhou to quell the chaos, it will most likely make everyone think that this person wants to kill Liu Bei, and will not suspect anything else.

"This matter still requires some planning."

Zhong Ping has already thought about the person who took the initiative to recommend Liu Bei to Jiaozhou. What he is hesitating about now is how to explain this matter to Liu Bei.

"In that case, I am willing to be this lobbyist."

Xu Shao stopped holding monthly reviews a long time ago, but he still regarded fortune telling as a pleasure, and even planned to write a book on fortune telling in his later years to spread throughout the world.

In his opinion, Zhongping's face is so strange, so those who want to follow him must not be simple, and this trip will definitely not disappoint him.

Apart from the fact that Sun Qian really wanted to join Zhong Ping and come to be his guest, Xu Shao was actually attracted more by the peculiarities of Zhong Ping.

He did not live in Zhong Ping's house on weekdays, and visited Cai Yong's house more often. In the eyes of others, Xu Shao simply accepted Zheng Xuan's instructions, so he only took care of Zhong Ping. The relationship could not be said to be very close.

It is more appropriate to ask Xu Shao to visit Liu Bei than to go to him or Sun Qian himself.

When Zhongping thought of this, he wanted to accept it directly, but after a while he felt it was inappropriate.

"No, it's better to wait a few more days."

He silently apologized to Liu Xie in his heart. Although it was unethical to say this, he should return some of the wool he had collected on himself for so long.

After Xu Tian's hunt, Liu Xie seemed to have only summoned three people: himself, the emperor's uncle, and Fu Wan... Can Dong Cheng, who has been ignored until now, be able to endure it any longer?

If Liu Xie summons him alone again next time, even if Dong Cheng is not in a hurry, that old guy Zhang Xi should take action.

In the past, the issue of the Clothing Order had been hanging over his head like a sharp knife. He was afraid that Dong Cheng would still initiate this matter, because according to Zhongji's character, he would definitely be involved.

He was not optimistic about Liu Xie's belt edict. If this edict was exposed, it would not have much effect except allowing Cao Cao to go on a killing spree and monitor Liu Xie more closely.

Of course, if Liu Bei is asked to get the edict and leave Xudu, the effect will naturally be different...

Zhongping suddenly stood up and pulled out the box he used to store the jade belt from the inside of the bed, and used a dagger to cut open the jade belt in front of Xu Shao.

Winter clothes are slightly thicker than ordinary clothes. When the silkworm wadding is peeled away, a roll of extremely thin white silk cloth is revealed.

Zhongping no longer had to unfold the piece of cloth. The faint ink marks on the back of it could let him know the result in advance - the thing in his hand was definitely not the secret edict that Liu Xie wanted to convey out of the palace.

"It seems there is no need to trouble Mr. Zijiang."

Zhong Ping's tone was gloomy. Unexpectedly, Liu Xie stabbed him in the back again without saying a word. He originally felt guilty towards Liu Xie because he wanted to use Dong Cheng to get ahead.

Now it seems……

He exhaled, as if he had completely relieved a certain burden in his heart, unfolded the piece of cloth, and after reading the content on it, threw it into the burning brazier.

The corners of the white cloth were burned and curled, and the burnt yellow ink marks were faintly used to ward off evil and bring good luck during the New Year.

Xu Shao was a little confused, but then he vaguely understood Liu Xie's plan.

I thought that the real secret edict should be on Liu Bei or one of them, but Liu Xie chose to push Zhong Ping out as the target, making everyone, including Zhong Ping himself, think that the secret edict was in his hands...

This means that Liu Xie was wary of Zhongping from beginning to end. Perhaps from the moment he wrote the edict, he knew that Zhongping would not support his move.

Perhaps it was precisely because he guessed that Zhong Ping would not take the initiative to open the jade belt to check that Liu Xie made a risky move and chose to gamble this time.

Xu Shao thought about what Zhong Ping had just said. He didn't need to visit Liu Bei. Does that mean Liu Bei was about to come?

In other words, the real secret edict is in Liu Bei's hands? !

Zhongpei's heart was as calm as a pool of stagnant water, and he knew that this strategy was really disgusting.

Regardless of whether Liu Bei takes the initiative to come to him to discuss the secret edict, as long as Liu Bei uses this secret edict one day, Zhongping will think of the days when he was used as a shield, and this thorn will pierce his heart and cut him off. The thought of having a close relationship with Liu Bei.

Unfortunately, the person who set up this scheme miscalculated two things:
First, as a time traveler, over the years, Zhong Ping's endurance has collapsed, rebuilt and deepened countless times. Second, and most importantly, Zhong Ping only had sympathy and love for Liu Xie... not A true "loyal minister".

To sum it up, maybe it was because the first meeting in Beiman Mountain made a particularly deep impression on him. Most of the time, Zhongping still regarded Liu Xie as the child hiding behind the haystack, rather than the emperor.

This level of provocation is not enough to make him interested. At most, it just reminds him and makes him realize more clearly that he cannot rely too much on the memories of his previous life.

Regardless of whether the edict was in his hands or in the hands of Liu Bei, as long as there were no signatures and Zhongji's name appeared on it, he would be satisfied.

There is only one thing that puzzles Zhongping now, and that is: Could Liu Xie really come up with such a bold and sinister plan?

(End of this chapter)