Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 324 Unpredictable People
Wei State, Yecheng.

The emperor designated the ten counties of Hedong, Hanoi, Weijun, Zhaoguo, Zhongshan, and Changshan as the territory of Wei.Cao Cao made three resignations and three concessions, but could not resist Liu Xie's canonization edict, and was finally granted the title of Duke of Wei.

After being granted a title in Xuchang, Cao Cao returned north to Yecheng and established an ancestral temple, civil and military affairs.At that time, Xun You was the minister, Mao Jie and Liang Mao were the ministers, Zhong Yao was the Dali, and Wang Lang was the prefect of Wei County...

Although the Kingdom of Wei was established, there was no heir apparent, which is quite imaginative.

Cao Cao wore the robe of Wei Gong and was so powerful that he was followed by Yang Xiu, Sun Quan and other attendants.

While walking, Cao Cao saw craftsmen comparing dimensions at the gate, seemingly making a new one there.

"Meet Mr. Wei!"

Seeing Cao Cao coming, the craftsmen knelt down to greet him.

Looking at the gate, Cao Cao raised his lips slightly and asked, "Who asked you to wait to rebuild this gate?"

"This~"

The leading craftsman hesitated a little and said, "We will follow the Prime Minister's order and rebuild this gate."

"Ah?"

Cao Cao looked to the left and right and said with a smile: "When will I let you wait to rebuild this gate?"

Seeing this, Yang Xiuchu walked to Cao Cao's side and replied: "To report to Duke Wei, on that day Duke Wei wrote the word 'huo' on the side of the door. There was a word 'huo' on the inside of the door, which was actually the word 'kuo'. Xiu mistakenly thought that Wei Gongdang means that the door is too wide, so I ordered craftsmen to rebuild the door."

"Ha ha!"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and said, "Dezu is really astute."

"Wei Gong is too praised!"

Yang Xiu thought he understood what Cao Cao meant, so he laughed a few times and said humbly, "I wonder if Duke Wei is satisfied with this sect?"

Sun Quan sneered in his heart and said: "Wei Gong, Quan thinks this new gate is too narrow. It should be wider so that it looks better."

Cao Cao glanced at Sun Quan with admiration and said, "What Zhongmou said makes sense. This door should be wide, not narrow."

"This?"

Yang Xiu was immediately confused. Did he misunderstand what Cao Cao meant?

Could it be that Duke Cao meant that the door was narrow rather than wide?

Cao Cao put his hand on his belt and said with a smile: "When I wrote 'Huo' on the door, I didn't mean that it was too wide, but I wanted you to make the door wider."

"promise!"

Looking at Cao Cao's retreating figure, Yang Xiu was slightly stunned.

Sun Quan passed by Yang Xiu with a vague look of disdain on his face.

In terms of wit, he is not as good as Yang Xiu.But when it comes to understanding Cao Cao's intentions, Yang Xiu is not as good as Sun Quan.

Cao Cao was not unhappy because Yang Xiu guessed what he was thinking, but because Yang Xiu did not ask Cao Cao for instructions, so he took the initiative and ordered the craftsmen to change the family.

How could this make Cao Cao happy?

When Sun Quan said those words, he actually gave Cao Cao a choice, whether to agree with Yang Xiu's words or choose to suppress Yang Xiu.

There is no doubt that Cao Cao chose to suppress.He wanted Yang Xiu to know not to be clever and think he could figure out his thoughts.

Yang Xiu rushed to Cao Cao's side and said, "Xiu mistakenly met Duke Wei's wishes. Please punish Duke Wei."

Cao Cao patted Yang Xiu on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Dezu is very witty, but sometimes you should think too much to avoid making mistakes."

"promise!"

"Wei Gong, all generals, both civil and military, are already at the Tongque Tower, waiting for Wei Gong to arrive in person." the attendant reported.

"good!"

Cao Cao, surrounded by his attendants, attended the banquet on the Tongque Terrace in person.

Amidst the sound of drums, Cao Cao stepped up the stairs.Literary, Confucian, and military figures all stood on the bronze bird platform, elegantly dressed.The warriors hold axes, axes and halberds, showing their majesty to everyone.

"I will pay my respects to Duke Wei!"

Cao Cao stood on the bronze bird platform, and the civil and military officials on the left and right shouted in unison.

"Free gift!"

Cao Cao motioned to the left and right to avoid courtesy and said with a smile: "I have been fighting with you for decades to defeat Dong Zhuo, defeat Yuan Shao, destroy Lu Bu, and defeat Wuhuan, and then China will be at peace. Today's banquet should be used to reward you for your hard work in the battles and writing documents." , drink to your heart’s content, and return home exhausted.”

"promise!"

The crowd shook hands.

After a while, the sound of drums resounded on the bronze bird platform, warriors chanted hymns in unison, and singers danced in costumes.

Cao Cao held a jade bottle in his hand, drank wine and watched the dance, stroking his beard with pride.

In the drinking room, Cao Cao saw that Ma Chao was unhappy and asked, "Meng Qi, why can't we have a big banquet today? Is it that the food and wine are not as good as your taste, or that the singing and dancing are not beautiful?"

Ma Chao hesitated a little and said: "I would like to inform Duke Wei that there are few such feasts in Guanxi, and few such beautiful dancers."

"Then why are you unhappy?" Cao Cao put down the jade bottle and said with a smile. "A real man should gallop on the battlefield and make achievements. Now that Chao has lived in a gentle country for a long time, his ambition will soon fall!" Ma Chao sighed.

Cao Cao stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Meng Qi is very fond of Lonely Heart. When he was young, he wanted to establish a reputation, drive away prisoners, conquer Xianbei in the north, and was awarded the title of General of the Western Expedition. But now that he is old and old, it is difficult to leave the battlefield."

As he spoke, Cao Cao raised his wine bottle and said: "The world is not at peace, and strong men still have time to work hard. If you are willing, you can follow Gunan to conquer Bashu and kill the enemy and achieve meritorious service."

Ma Chao held up the wine bottle, flattered and said: "Wei Gongrong is here, how dare Chao not serve Wei Gong."

Cao Cao's eyes fell on Ma Teng and said with a smile: "It is truly a great blessing for me to have Meng Qi as my son.

Ma Teng looked humble and said with a smile: "The dog is a little brave, but he can compare with the prime minister's son."

Cao Cao drank all the wine in the jade bottle and said: "The orphan Pi seems to be good at both civil and military affairs, but his military strategy is hard to say, and it is hard to say that he knows the military. Although Zizhi is brilliant in literature, he is bold and unrestrained, and it is difficult to assume the responsibility. Although Zi Zhang was brave enough to fight, he could not lead a large army. Meng Qi was a man of extraordinary valor and possessing both civil and military skills. He is truly a hero of this generation!"

In the Battle of the Wei River, although Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao within a few months, he was deeply impressed by Ma Chao's bravery and commanding ability.

Of course, that's all. Cao Cao would not say such words. The core is that Cao Cao is worried about his heir.Judging from today's world situation, Liu Bei will definitely not be destroyed in the short term.

His next generation successor must have the ability to deal with this kind of chaos. If Cao Pi was excellent in both civil and military affairs, he would not be hesitant and difficult to make a decision.In comparison, Ma Chao is much better. Since he can fight and command an army, he is quite enviable.

Ma Teng repeatedly said that he did not dare, and instead praised Cao Pi, Cao Zhi and other Cao Cao's descendants from another angle, and signaled Ma Chao to speak too, so as not to offend the brothers Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhang.

However, to his surprise, after thinking for a while, Ma Chao suddenly stood up and walked out of the queue in front of everyone's surprised eyes. He knelt on one knee and said, "I am so lucky to be appreciated by Duke Wei. If you don't give up now, I will be more willing to do so." I worship you as my foster father, and I will go through fire and water, no matter what." (Note [-])

"This~"

Ma Teng looked anxious and shouted: "Chao'er can't do this."

Cao Cao was sitting on the couch and saw Ma Chao kneeling on the ground, stroking his beard, not knowing what he meant.

Jia Xu secretly complained, stood up and walked out of the queue, cupping his hands and saying, "There is no wine in Xu's pot. Can I get some wine from Wei Gongan?"

"allow!"

Duke Cao's eyes flickered, and when he saw Jia Xu's expression, he knew that he had deep meaning.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to get a drink, Jia Xu whispered: "Can Ming Gong remember the past events of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?"

Before Cao Cao could react, Jia Xu took the jug and retreated.

Seeing Jia Xu retreating, Cao Cao suddenly woke up. Ma Teng had almost died at his hands. It was only thanks to Cheng Gongying's dissuasion that Ma Teng was not killed by him.From this point of view, Ma Chao didn't care much about Ma Teng's life.Ma Chao may want to use this to gain his trust, but I'm afraid I can't believe it now. I'll do more research on Ma Chao in the future.

Cao Cao got off the bed and helped Ma Chao up, and said with a smile: "Meng Qi is sincere, Gu knows it. However, Meng Qi is a general under Gu's tent, and there are many things wrong with talking about father and son. From now on, Meng Qi will treat Gu with loyalty, and Gu will treat Qing with kindness. Even though they are not father and son, they are still better than father and son, how beautiful it is!"

As he said that, Cao Cao took Ma Chao's hand and said deliberately: "Meng Qi is drunk! Gu is also drunk!"

"promise!"

Ma Chao's face turned red and he felt deeply embarrassed.He originally wanted to take advantage of Cao Cao's trust and return to Kansai to look for opportunities to re-establish his foundation, but unexpectedly, Cao Cao reacted, vetoed his request, and took back his words.

After looking at Jia Xu, Ma Chao cursed in his heart.

As if to ease the awkwardness of the atmosphere, Cao Cao took Ma Chao's hand and went to bed together to show their closeness.Under Cao Cao's words and actions, the embarrassing atmosphere has passed.However, these scenes came into Cao Pi's eyes. After reading the previous words, Cao Pi was already unhappy with Ma Chao.

Sun Quan kept looking at Ma Chao, as if he had other thoughts.

After the banquet was over, the attendants stepped up to the stage, raised their hands and said: "To inform the Duke of Wei, Liu Zhang sent an envoy to report urgently that Guan Yu has conquered Jiangzhou, and now the gates of Bashu are wide open. I am afraid that they will not be able to hold on for long. Liu Zhang is looking forward to Please ask Wei Gong to send troops to rescue, swear to be your vassal, and dare not rebel again!"

After finishing this military report, there was a lot of civil and military discussion at the scene, and they seemed to be amazed by Liu Bei's speed.

"Duke Wei!"

Xun You stood up and came out of the queue, cupped his hands and said: "This is to the Duke of Wei. Jiangzhou is the gateway to Bashu. Jiangzhou is defeated. If we don't send troops to rescue, Bashu will be captured by Liu Bei. It's time to send out troops now, don't hesitate!"

Cao Cao's expression changed slightly and he said: "I originally wanted to march south next year, but now that the city of Jiangzhou has been destroyed, we will have to march!"

After a pause, Cao Cao thought about it and said: "Hanzhong is the northern border of Bashu. If you want to enter Bashu, you have to go to Hanzhong. Now Liu Bei has asked the Confucian scholar Lu Xun to stick to it. It is best to take Hanzhong first and look down at Bashu."

"Come on!"

"exist!"

"I ordered Xia Houyuan, the general who conquered the west, to supervise the troops and horses of Longyou to go ahead and make him the vanguard of our army." Cao Cao said.

"promise!"

"Duke Wei!"

Seeing that Cao Cao was arranging the plan to march into the army, Jia Xu admonished him and said: "In order to prevent the enemy invaders from distinguishing between true and false, the prime minister can order Cao Zhengnan to send troops to the public security in order to scare the enemy invaders."

Cao Cao nodded with satisfaction and said: "The people here ordered General Zhengnan to attack Gong'an and spread the word that he would march to Jiangling alone so that Liu Bei would have difficulty in distinguishing the direction of our army's advance."

"promise!"

As he said that, Cao Cao looked at Ma Chao and said with a smile: "The general once defeated Hanzhong, and now he is marching south. It's time for Meng Qi to accompany him and break the enemy's edge!"

Ma Chao raised his eyebrows with joy, cupped his hands and said, "Chao should serve Duke Wei and plot Hanzhong and send troops to Bashu."

① "Dian Lue": Chao Zhiyue (Han Sui) said: "In the past, Zhong Si was appointed as Chao's envoy to take over the general, and the people of Guandong could not trust him again. Now Chao has abandoned his father and regards the general as his father. The general should also abandon his son and take Chao as his father." As a son."

　one more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)