Three Kingdoms: I don’t want to fall in love in troubled times

Chapter 214 The widow cannot sleep

"Wow---"

The Yellow River with fine ice edges flows slowly, a long yellow talisman rises from the bow, and the thick yellow talisman swings in the wind.

The bamboo body of this talisman alone was eight feet long. Even though Cao Cao was rushed to protect him by his eldest son Cao Ang and a group of relatives and brothers, he still saw the token representing the emperor's envoy through the cracks in the people.

"Zixiu," he stood on tiptoe and patted his son's shoulder, "There's no need to stand in the way for my father. These Liangzhou people are envoys sent by the imperial court in the west."

"Mengde", Cao Ren heard this from behind and stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Should we wait for these people to come ashore, capture them and send them to Yuan Benchu?"

In terms of composition, Cao Cao is now Yuan Shao's die-hard younger brother.

At least that's what everyone thinks.

After returning from Danyang recruiting troops, he was willing to serve as a thug to help Yuan Shao kill the former prefect Wang Kuang and occupy Hanoi County. In return, Yuan Benchu ​​also gave Cao Cao a place for his already weakened power, so that he could gradually build up his wealth. .

And he got the excuse to send troops to Yanzhou, and Yuan Shao also contributed a lot to it - now the princes of Guandong are all beggar-thy-neighbors, and are very guarded against the allies who were called brothers not long ago. If it weren't for Yuan Shao's reputation as a guarantee, Liu Dai would not be so easy. Just let him bring his troops in.

It can be said that Yuan Shao did not choose to sit back and watch when Cao Cao was in the most difficult time of his youth, but gave him a hand. From the perspective of repaying his kindness, it was not too much to help Yuan Benchu ​​arrest the envoy.

"." Cao Cao squinted his eyes and looked at the talisman, but shook his head, "The ownership of Jizhou is not something we can interfere with. We should prepare for the war in Puyang. Even though we are a ragtag group, we cannot take it lightly. We can't lose. get up."

What Yuan Shao could offer was nothing more than an official position granted privately, and he had obviously already obtained it. At this time, he and Lu Zhi were competing for the throne. There would be no additional benefit in trying to flatter Lu Zhi. Instead, he would offend Lu Zhi and make him a mess for nothing.

More importantly, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao seem to be wearing the same pair of trousers, but there have always been major political differences between them, that is, how to treat the emperor?

Some clues can be seen from the support of Liu Yu. During the process of Yuan Shao and Han Fu discussing this matter, Cao Cao was one of the few princes who clearly opposed this matter. His attitude was second only to Yuan Shu in his fierce attitude. Considering his Under the protection of Yuan Shao, the weight of this difference became even heavier.

This kind of difference related to political ideals cannot be easily resolved by the personal relationship between the two or the favor of Yuan Shao. Otherwise, there would be no need for Cao Cao to make trouble for himself, return to his hometown to rise up, and spend all his wealth to gather the coalition forces.

He, Cao Mengde, has never been anyone's younger brother, let alone the kind of follower.

With an order, the generals who originally formed a wall of swords in front of Cao Cao divided into two teams and made way for a spacious passage. The men with short stature strode forward and bent down to welcome the angel holding the talisman ashore.

"."

"."

Sun Zi and his eyes met, both feeling a little ridiculous.

Cao Cao looked at Sun Zi, who had only a slight green stubble on his mouth, and raised his eyebrows slightly - is this hairless boy an envoy sent by the emperor? Is it because there is no one available in Chang'an, or is it because what happened to the five ministers in the past scared them so much that they dare not go on missions?

Just the choice of this envoy was enough to make Cao Cao think about it and secretly speculate about the situation of the Chang'an court.

Compared to Cao Mengde, who had ten thousand thoughts, Sun Zi's thoughts were much simpler. The young man's face was filled with joy, and he wished he could ask Boss Cao to sign an autograph for him - Oh my god, I've met my idol!

Since Dong Zhuo had received the lunch early, the Liangzhou army immediately withdrew hastily to the west. Although Sun Jian in this plane still regained the old capital of Luoyang, he was inevitably suspected of trespassing, and his military exploits and reputation were greatly reduced.

Therefore, Cao Mengde, who "everyone hesitated and I headed westward alone" when the Jujube Alliance formed an alliance, became the only bright spot among a group of insect princes and gained countless popularity.

Moreover, there is a saying that the country is unlucky and the poet is lucky. During this period, Cao Cao produced many excellent works. His writings were simple and unpretentious, without any decoration. He was famous for his deep feelings and majestic charm. In terms of poems, they almost surpassed the contemporary ones, and they were faintly... The posture of becoming a leader in the literary world.

Although he is not ranked in terms of power and territory, this does not prevent the heroic general Cao Mengde from being a well-deserved hero in the hearts of many young scholars. How bad can a person who cultivates poetry be?

"General Cao?"

"Angel?"

As if exchanging secret codes, the two of them cautiously called each other's positions and confirmed again and again. It was only after Xu Jiashu landed that the appearance of their old acquaintance Han Fu completely confirmed the identity of the envoy.

"I wonder why General Cao crossed the river?" Sun Zi, who had succeeded in chasing stars, asked excitedly: "Is he going east to Qingzhou to save the people of Si from fire and water?"

Good guy, Xu Jiashu on the side murmured to himself, Cao Cao saved the people from fire and water, what kind of hell joke is this?

You know, this boss will do a lot of dirty things in the future, such as forced relocation and massacre of cities. He has nothing to do with caring for the people. As an mvp player who played all the games in the late Han Dynasty, kda is also one of the best. He is The disciple was probably deceived by his compassionate poems.

While being generous and sad, at the same time slaughtering the city and killing people, this is the contradiction between Cao Cao.

He may have great sympathy for the concept of "common people", but it is obvious that he has never been soft-hearted when it comes to concrete lives. This is what is called loving abstract people rather than concrete people.

To put it bluntly, Mr. Ye just loves dragons.

"No." Mr. Ye, I mean Cao Cao, smiled and waved his hands. When he smiled, he always liked to squint his eyes and squeeze out wrinkles at the end of his eyes, but he looked straight at the other person with a very harmless look, "This is I came here in response to Liu Gongshan's request to clear the siege of Puyang."

Not sure whether it was to get more information about Chang'an or simply to appreciate this young talent, Cao Cao stopped Sun Zi's arm and pulled him forward while introducing him, "This is Zixiao, this is Zilian, and this is Yuan." Rang and Miaocai are all members of my clan, and they can support each other in life and death."

After that, he patted Cao Ang on the back again, full of pride, "Quinzi Zixiu, be respectful and filial, which comforts my heart!"

Looking past the generals of the Cao Wei clan, Xu Jiashu followed Cao Cao's movements and saw a tall young man scratching his head and laughing sheepishly, as if he was not used to his father praising him in front of so many people.

Cao Ang, Cao Cao's eldest son, was born to his ordinary wife, Mrs. Liu. Mrs. Liu died early, so she was raised by Mrs. Ding, who treated him as her own.

Cao Ang, Cao Shuo and Princess Qinghe, who were also born to Mrs. Liu, were probably the three most beloved children in Cao Cao's life - a blood friendship in their youth, without the contamination of power and position, nor age and status. The huge gap between people is often purer than after they become successful and famous.

For example, Zhu Biao to Zhu Yuanzhang will always be the only son of Zhu Zongbing, who was still working under Guo Zixing's account at that time, and his wife Ma. They are different from those mass-produced princes who later became emperors and established the system. They are truly together. A father and son who depend on each other for life.

At a young age, Cao Ang began to travel around with his father and several uncles in the clan. Under Cao Cao's words and deeds, he became familiar with various affairs in the army. It was obvious that he should focus on training.

When it comes to educating his son, Cao Cao is considered a master figure, but what is unexpected is that as the first generation product that he went all out for, Cao Ang was actually educated by his shady father to become a pure and good gentleman.

After the three envoys met with the generals of Cao Cao's army, Xu Jiashu took advantage of the perfect daylight and carefully observed Cao Cao's military appearance.

After this period of precipitation, although they are still not as good as the frontier armies that have been fighting for a long time like Bingzhou and Liangzhou, they are not comparable to the Yellow Turban bandits. Moreover, there are generals from the Cao and Xiahou clans who lead their own battles. With hundreds of people acting as the skeleton, it can be said to have a completely new look.

A simple evaluation is that although the equipment and training level are average, the resilience and morale are already top-notch.

Imagine that an army of less than 10,000 people is personally commanded by Boss Cao, and the captains and army commanders under his command are all famous generals from the Cao Wei clan in history. What is the effect?

The joint bonus is directly filled up.

The fully equipped Cao family army may not be the most powerful army, but in terms of cohesion, this group of soldiers from Qiao County is unparalleled. Even if Boss Cao has not yet made a fortune at this time, he still cannot be underestimated.

"What are the deputy envoys looking at?" A young man's clear voice sounded behind him. Xu Jiashu turned around and saw that Cao Ang, whom he had just met, was looking at him curiously. The young man's eyes were clear. Although he was looking straight at him, he was not intimidating. Bored.

Is this Cao Zixiu who is willing to give up his mount for his father to escape in the desperate situation of Wancheng, and stay behind to break up the family?

It has to be said that Lao Cao's family really had a genetic mutation that gave rise to such a character.

"It's nothing." Xu Jiashu shook his head, "General Fenwu's military appearance is so majestic, so I couldn't help but take a second look."

"Does the deputy officer mean what he said?"

"nature."

"That's good."

Cao Ang looked around, also looked at the assembled Cao army, and sighed softly, "Although my father is confident on the surface, he is actually quite complicated in his heart. He feels that the opportunity is rare, and he is afraid of another defeat on the battlefield."

"Worrying about gains and losses," Xu Jiashu subconsciously added.

"Yes! Yes!" Cao Ang clapped his hands, "It's just about worrying about gains and losses. This is a wonderful saying!"

After saying this, he didn't forget to look up at the deputy envoy, who was not much older than him. He was worthy of being appreciated by the court at such a young age, and his words were extraordinary. My father wanted to take a chance on his last family fortune, but it wasn't like this. Worrying about gains and losses?

Hearing this, Xu Jiashu started to talk as usual, "Young Master Zixiu, don't worry. Although the Black Mountain bandits are powerful, if you look closely, most of them are followers. Even the remnants of the Yellow Turbans can be regarded as the main force, just showing up." It’s just a rabble, so why should we be afraid of it?”

Although Cao Cao suffered great losses under Xu Rong, who did Xu Rong lead? Those are the Xiliang frontier troops, some of the most elite in the world!

The armed forces of the Black Mountain Bandits may seem like they have a large number of people, but in fact they are mostly grass-headed kings who want to take advantage of the troubled times. As long as they are willing, they can use the banner of the Black Mountain Bandits. In the fish and meat village, Zhang Yan may not even know what he is doing. How many people are there down there?

If the problem of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans is that the organizational structure is too crude, then the Black Mountain Bandits have no such thing as an organizational structure at all, and they just pull off the tiger skin in name.

Except for Zhang Yan, Yu Du and other famous bosses may have some field troops, and most of them just go down the mountain to fight in the autumn wind. However, Cao Jun, who has low morale, is only afraid of enemies whose panel attributes will crush him. The thieves and bandits who turn white immediately are their professional counterparts.

Even if Xu Jiashu doesn't know the specific battle process of Cao Cao's occupation of Yanzhou, it can be seen from the speed of his comet-like rise in the simulation that the group of local chickens and dogs in Yanzhou are most likely not his enemies.

Instead of worrying about the war with the Black Mountain bandits, it is better to prepare for the coming famine.

In fact, the Great Famine in the Central Plains was not something that everyone expected - Qingzhou fell rapidly due to waste Jiaohe's laissez-faire. It was difficult for the outside world to obtain specific information, and there was insufficient understanding of the local tragedy, so that in history Qingzhou When the Yellow Turbans poured into Yanzhou, the governor Liu Dai was caught off guard and was killed in one encounter.

So Xu Jiashu changed the topic and said quietly: "With General Fenwu's military strategy, it will not be difficult to defeat the Black Mountain bandits. What is difficult is that there will be a great famine in the Central Plains. When the land is thousands of miles away, we should prepare early."

"Great hunger?"

When Cao Ang heard this, he was slightly stunned.

It's not that he was shocked by things like famine - when it came to starving people to death, let alone the swaying men, this kind of thing had never stopped for a thousand years. Although Cao Ang was a pure-hearted young master, he was not surprised at all. It was even strange that he didn't see a few hungry corpses on the road when he went out one day.

However, in an era where famine is the norm, what kind of tragic scene can be described with the word "Great Famine"?

"Yes," Xu Jiashu said slowly, "The Central Plains seems to be full of heroes, but in the end only those with enough soldiers and enough food can survive."

Enough food for soldiers, four seemingly simple words, are actually the ticket to enter the game of power - the extinction-style population reduction has begun to take shape. If you have enough people in your hands and can feed these people, you must first If you achieve these two points, you will be qualified to go on stage to compete in martial arts and strategies.

"I don't know the name of the deputy envoy?" Cao Ang secretly remembered these words and was about to tell his father, but he did not forget to ask about the identity of the person who made the suggestion.

Xu Jiashu did not answer directly, but just asked: "Can Zixiu be promoted to Xiaolian?"

"The time has not come yet," Cao Ang blinked, "I just follow my father to familiarize myself with military affairs first, and then repay the favor of the Han Dynasty in the future."

"Just in time," Xu Jiashu waved his hand, "we will meet again in the future."

According to the original world line, when Cao Ang promoted Xiaolian, the emperor should have already been in the hands of Cao Cao, but now it is not necessarily the case. Cao Cao cannot get the emperor, so if Cao Ang wants to get a decent family background, he has to go to Chang'an. At that time It's not too late to make friends with him.

Obviously, compared to the opportunistic Yuan Shao, Cao Cao's rise was almost unstoppable - among the states in the Central Plains, fierce fighting was going on in Yuzhou, Qingzhou was reduced to ruins, and Xuzhou maintained a large degree of stability under the auspices of Tao Qian. isolated.

In other words, apart from the Black Mountain bandits and the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, Cao Cao's only remaining opponent is Liu Dai, who cannot even defeat the Yellow Turbans. Yanzhou will almost certainly fall into his hands. In this case, it is better to make a good relationship with Boss Cao. Let him feed more hungry people, preserve the strength of the Central Plains, and gradually exert influence with the help of Cao Ang in the future. This eldest son of Cao Cao, who originally died young, will be of great use.

Well, it's definitely not because I recruited his two masterminds.

The envoy needs to continue heading southwest to Yuzhou, while Cao Cao needs to go east to find the main force of the Black Mountain bandits. The two parties only walked together for a short distance before heading to their destinations. Xu Jiashu, who was determined to return to Chang'an, soon brought five hundred Liangzhou with him. The big horse disappeared from Cao Ang's sight.

The young man relayed the contents of the conversation to his father in detail.

"Although the Han Dynasty is declining, it still hides its dragons and crouching tigers." Cao Cao clapped his hands and regretted that his attention was attracted by the disciplined Sun Zi. "It's a pity that such a talented person cannot be used by me!"

In just a few words, the judgment of the situation in the Central Plains has gone straight to the essence. If there is such a person to assist him, Cao Cao will not have to figure out everything by himself - these brothers have no choice but to be loyal to force. I don't like to use my brain very much.

After Cao Cao sighed, he casually asked Cao Ang, "Besides these, what else did the deputy envoy say?"

"."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ang hesitated and hesitated to speak.

There is no way, even if this is a message, it is too treasonous.

"Zixiu, tell me quickly." Cao Cao picked up the water glass nonchalantly, "Is there anything we can't talk about between you and me, father and son?"

"The man also said that my father should not sleep with other people's wives." Cao Ang hesitated and finally answered: "If a widow cannot sleep with her, there will be a big disaster."

"puff--"

Cao Cao spurted out all the water.

Where did this kid find out?

Rumors are all rumors!

(End of this chapter)