Cao Thief

Chapter 162 The Great Earthquake in Shangtun ([-])

Before I knew it, I had entered Gu Yue.

After a first snowfall, the temperature in Haixi dropped sharply and became even lower.The ground was frozen hard, and people felt uncomfortable walking on it.

Cao Cao's battle in Wancheng went smoothly. Not only did he quickly capture Zhixian County, Wuyin and other places, but he even approached the city of Wancheng.

Originally, there was another natural barrier in Wancheng, which was Yushui.Zhang Xiu ordered people to demolish the bridge, but he did not expect Cao Cao to launch an attack in the middle of winter.In this way, Yushui, whose surface was frozen, could no longer resist the advance of Cao Cao's iron cavalry...

Zhang Xiu immediately sent someone to Liu Biao's office in Xiangyang for help.

While sticking to Wancheng, he also sent envoys to negotiate peace with Cao Cao.

But this time, Cao Cao was very resolute.Dian Wei and Xu Chu were the vanguards, and they took turns to launch fierce attacks on Wancheng.

Zhang Xiu only resisted for five days, and had to abandon the city to break through and fled to Rangcheng to continue to resist.

Once Wancheng was broken, the gate of Nanyang County was opened.

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Nanyang County is playing in full swing.

Haixi County, however, seems to be tepid, as if there is no action.

Deng Ji invited Dai Gan from Danyang to be the Facao, and added Buzhi, the chief secretary, Puyangkai the county magistrate, Zhoucang Xiahoulan, the county lieutenant, and Cao Caopeng, the soldier, and his team has begun to take shape.However, after Deng Ji returned from Huailing, all his attention seemed to be focused on the renovation of the North Market in Haixi County.He seemed indifferent to other things, not even military affairs.

Logically speaking, Deng Ji's indifference to military matters is understandable.

But Haixi's two county lieutenants and one soldier Cao didn't pay much attention to military affairs.

One led fifty patrolmen to urge Chen Sheng's households to repair the city walls and build roads at the same time; the other accompanied Cao Peng and was busy counting the property in Chen Sheng's farm all day long, seemingly indifferent to other things .Facao Daigan ordered people to build prisons and set up torture halls.In my free time, I would also go to the Caozhu Office in the North Market to check the public security situation.

To the people of Haixi, people like Deng Ji seem to be a little out of business.

But in this way, the Haixi people felt relieved.

Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, what they are most afraid of is the sudden imposition of corvee by the government.If this is inappropriate, it is likely to trigger a conflict with the pirates.The Haixi people, who had finally calmed down, didn't seem to be interested in this kind of war.

The inaction of Deng Ji and others also gave Haixi people more recognition for him.

I'm not afraid of your inaction, but I'm afraid of your messing around.

Even if Deng Ji eradicated a Chen Sheng, but if he wanted to make the Haixi people surrender completely, Deng Ji had not done enough, and he needed to continue to work hard!
However, many people still felt a little strange from this calm.

This is so abnormal!

Whether it is Deng Ji or Cao Peng.

The means and determination they have shown before should not be so silent.

The more silent it is, the more it shows that Deng Ji and others are planning big actions.But what is this big move?For a while no one knew.

The nine leaders of the North Market came to visit one after another.

But all the news I got was that the county magistrate was in ill health and could not see guests for the time being.

Or in other words: My son is busy with official duties now, I am afraid I don't have time to see you... If there is anything, you can report it through Cao Cao's office.

After that, it was a big closed door.

Brother Deng Ji, what the hell is he doing?
So, under all kinds of desperation, the heads of the nine major groups thought of Wang Cheng again.In any case, Wang Cheng can be regarded as a great think tank in Haixi County, and he seemed to be very close to Deng Ji before, so the leaders of the nine major groups came to Wang Cheng's house together, but Wang Cheng was not there.

According to family members, Wang Cheng went out!

But where exactly, no one knows.

Right now, the Nine Leaders are really in a hurry...

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"Ah Fu, this is fine, why did you come to visit Dr. Mai?"

Deng Ji sat in the car and asked with a smile: "I remember that you used to be disgusted with this kind of thing and never cared about it."

"I heard that Dr. Mai's health has improved in the past two days.

Last time you went to visit, but did not see him, listen to the teachings of the elders.In terms of etiquette, there are still some shortcomings.Dr. Mai is the most cautious in Haixi, and you are Haixi's parent officer. It is also a good thing to visit often, right? "

Deng Ji scratched his head and looked at Cao Peng.

He suddenly smiled, "Ah Fu, do you have other ideas?"

Cao Peng showed a naive face, shook his head and said, "What can I think? It's just that I have some respect for Dr. Mai."

"Respect?"

Cao Peng nodded vigorously, "Brother-in-law, think about it, Mai Gong was considered a member of the imperial court at the time. After returning home, he did good deeds and accumulated virtue, and when encountering pirates, he was able to resist bravely. This in itself is very admirable. You can also Ask Mike about the situation of the pirates."

"Well... that's not bad."

Deng Ji couldn't find anything wrong, so he simply stopped asking.

Regarding the assumption made by Cao Peng and Pu Yangkai before, neither Cao Peng nor Puyang Kai discussed it with Deng Ji...

It's best not to tell anyone about this kind of thing without proof.

Cao Peng imitated the golden man and kept silent, and it was even more impossible for Puyang Kai to discuss this matter with Deng Ji.

As for Wang Mai?

I was so busy in the North Market every day, and I took turns guarding with Deng Fan, and I didn't even have time to go back to the Yamen, so how to ask?

"Brother-in-law!"

"kindness?"

"Brother Hutou, it's about time for the crowning ceremony."

According to the "Zhou Rituals", men perform the crown ceremony at twenty.

However, in the Han Dynasty, this age limit was not particularly strict.For example, in the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang received the Biaozi and Zizheng at the age of 12, and performed the crown ceremony; another example is Princess Guantao, who conferred the crown ceremony on Dong Yan face to face.During the time of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu visited Runan and saw Zhou Fang's cleverness, so he crowned him and became a county official at the age of 16.There are too many such examples.

Including the table characters, some are given by the elders, and some are taken by oneself.

It seems that Cao Peng chose the word 'Youxue' for himself, which is not right from the point of view of etiquette, but no one blamed him.

Deng Ji was stunned for a moment, thinking carefully, Wang Mai and Deng Fan have already started to work now, it seems that it is time to hold a crowning ceremony for them.

After the crown ceremony, you are an adult!
Deng Ji can also give them more tasks in the future.

"Well...I have to discuss it with Aunt Hong and Uncle Juye."

"Of course we need to discuss it, but can you choose words for them?"

"Are you in such a hurry?"

Cao Peng nodded again and again, "Of course it's urgent...Nowadays you can be regarded as one of your own. If you don't have a sign, you will be looked down upon after all. Besides, if you give them a sign, they will be happier. You even if they Elder brother, it’s Shangguan again, it should be like this.”

"Well, let me think about it."

Deng Ji pondered for a long time, then said softly: "Tiger's name is Mai, and Mai has the meaning of winning, so let's call him Bo Sheng, how about it?"

"Wang Mai, Wang Bosheng?"

It doesn't sound bad, and it makes sense.

Gain fame, Bosheng...

Cao Peng applauded again and again, "What about the big bear?"

"Fan is the law, and the law should be strict. How about calling him strict law?"

Sure enough, it is a criminal name, and the three sentences are inseparable from the line.

Cao Peng suddenly asked: "Brother-in-law, how to explain the word love?"

"Love?" Deng Ji asked which 'love' it was, and said with a smile: "There are many interpretations of the word love, such as benevolence, such as..."

"Benevolence?"

Deng Ji nodded, "What's wrong?"

"Brother-in-law, what is Mairen Maigong's nickname?"

After returning to Haixi, Cao Peng also inquired about the names of some people.

Most of these people are well-known figures.But there was no one named Zi Ai.

According to his deduction, the status of this 'Zi Ai' in Haixi County should not be too low.But the problem is, Cao Peng can't ask blatantly: Who is Zi Ai!
Wouldn't that scare the snake away?

Zi Ai, Ren...

Deng Ji smiled and said, "Mai Ren's name? Hehe, why do you ask this?"

"Just curious."

"Oh, this table character has always been associated with a person's name, and a character is the interpretation of a name.

For example, Mai Gong’s name is Xiong, and Xiong is a strong and majestic creature, so Mai Gong’s name is Ju Wei, which means very majestic; Mai Ren’s name is Ren, and benevolence is benevolence.So his nickname is Zi Ai.It's a pity that Mai Ren is greedy for good wine and has failed Mai Gong's love. "

Deng Ji talked eloquently, but behind Cao Peng, he didn't listen to a word.

Ziai, Mairen is Ziai!
No wonder, no wonder...

Cao Peng suddenly laughed.

No wonder there is no clue about the private salt trade in the copybooks left by the previous county magistrates.

It's not that they don't want to check, it's that they have no way to start.If I hadn't discovered it by accident in Xiapi, I'm afraid I wouldn't have suspected that drunk.

In terms of family background, Mai Ren is the son of an official.

Why sell private salt?

On the one hand, it is because of its huge benefits, on the other hand...

"Brother-in-law, why did Mai Gong become an official?"

Deng Ji was startled, and said in a low voice, "There are many reasons why Mr. Mai became an official, but to put it bluntly, he still has no money."

"Oh?"

"I've heard people say that when the first emperor was alive, he bought and sold official ranks. An official position like the Taizhong doctor cost at least a million dollars, tens of millions of dollars. It seems that Mai Gong didn't pay the money, so he didn't take it for a long time. The Taizhong doctor was driven back home."

No money-Zhi Shi-Mai Ren smuggled salt!
In an instant, Cao Peng seemed to have figured out the main reason why Mai Ren participated in the smuggling of salt.

It's just that he comes from a good background and his family background is not bad.Those who sell private salt are mostly outlaws, so it is impossible to link him with private salt.In addition, Mai Ren didn't come out on his own, but secretly controlled a huge private salt network, so it was even more secretive.

Cao Peng couldn't help frowning, a thread that had never appeared before gradually became clear in his mind...

"Maybe, I'm wrong again?"

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing, I just thought of something."

"whats the matter?"

"This...we'll talk about it when we get back."

Deng Ji didn't ask any more questions. Based on what he knew about Cao Peng, even if he asked, it wouldn't be of any use.

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The car battle stopped outside the gate of Maijia Farm.

Mai Ren stood outside the gate of the farm early, with a bright smile on his face.

"Magistrate Deng, why are you here?"

"I heard that Mr. Mai is in good health, so I came to visit him. Mr. Mai is an old man in Haixi. As a county magistrate, I haven't been taught by Mr. Mai yet."

Mai Ren hurriedly said, "Magistrate Deng is being polite."

His eyes, inadvertently, swept across Cao Peng's body.

Cao Peng cupped his hands, "Haixi soldier Cao Cao Peng, I have met Ren Gong."

"Mr. Cao, why do you need to be polite? I have heard for a long time that you are a dragon and a phoenix. When I met you today, you are indeed a good-looking talent."

It's really strange to say that Cao Peng has been in Haixi for more than a month, yet he hasn't met Mai Ren.They have heard about each other, but Mai Ren rarely shows up, and the only time he came to the door was the night when Deng Ji eradicated Chen Sheng.On that day, Cao Peng happened to be in charge of ambushing Chen Sheng on Changjie.Therefore, Mai Ren only saw Cao Peng from a distance, but he didn't see his appearance clearly.

Cao Peng smiled slightly and retreated behind Deng Ji.

At this time, he is not the host and guest.

"Is it convenient for Maggie to see guests now?"

Mai Ren hurriedly said: "My father is admiring the plum blossoms in the backyard. He can sit down, but it's a bit inconvenient to talk. Even I have difficulty listening."

"Oh, then please benevolent to report."

"No, no, County Magistrate Deng, please follow me."

Cao Peng followed Deng Ji and walked into Mai's manor.

In terms of area alone, the Mai family's estate is even half the size of Chen Sheng's estate.But when you walk in, you can feel the difference between the two.One is solemn and solemn, although there are no luxurious carvings, it can make people feel awe.

And the other one is magnificent and beautiful.

But no matter how you look at it, you have the temperament of an upstart!
Cao Peng and Deng Ji walked through the corridor led by Mai Ren himself.

Pass through the courtyard and into the backyard.In a quiet small courtyard, plum blossoms are planted.A small detached attic with lowered window screens.

The wind blows, the red plums fluctuate, and the dark fragrance floats.

The window screen was rolled up, fluttering, like white clouds floating in the air, in a sea of ​​red plums, it looked extraordinarily moving.

"Mai Gong, you really have a unique style."

"That's right, my father didn't like plum blossoms before, but for some reason these years, he likes this piece of red plum blossoms.

I also told my father that red is too gaudy, so it's better to plant some rare flowers.But my father disagreed, saying that he only loved Hongmei. "

Cao Peng was on the side, listening quietly, but didn't say a word.

After Mai Ren finished speaking, Cao Peng suddenly said: "Red plums are gaudy and gorgeous, and you can see them everywhere...but once they are in full bloom, the scenery is quite impressive."

Mai Ren was startled, and then laughed out loud.

But there was a hint of disdain in his eyes, as if he didn't take Cao Peng's statement seriously.

After Cao Peng finished speaking, he never spoke again.He and Deng Ji walked across the flower path and stopped at the porch of the attic.

Deng Ji said loudly: "Hai Xi ordered Deng Ji to come here to pay a visit to Mai Gong."

In the attic, there was a moment of silence...

After a while, a confused voice came from inside, but it was very vague. Anyway, Cao Peng couldn't quite understand it.

Mai Ren frowned, then smiled bitterly, stepped forward and said softly: "My father said that he is not feeling well, and I'm afraid he won't be able to meet County Magistrate Deng."

"I see!"

Deng Ji didn't show any displeasure, and said with a smile: "Deng Ji came here to be presumptuous, and disturbed Mai Gong's rest. Since Mai Gong is unwell, how about Deng Ji coming back another day?"

In the attic, there was no answer.

Mai Ren and Deng Jifu came out again, apologizing repeatedly along the way.

Deng Ji showed great generosity, as if it didn't matter.And Cao Peng followed closely behind Deng Ji, suddenly felt a chill run up his spine, straight to the top of his head.

He shuddered and turned around abruptly.

Behind the sea of ​​flowers, the window screens fluttered on the attic, but no one was there...

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I can't stand it anymore, I really can't stand it anymore!

Although relying on everyone's strength to achieve the transcendence, I am very excited, but the physical fitness is really extreme!The single chapter is amazing, let him go to the clouds, I believe, everyone can see the hard work of the old and the new - those who still have tickets in their pockets, smash them out, let's continue to sing forward today!

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There is one more sentence I forgot to say, thank you brothers and sisters!

With readers like you, I will admit it even if I die! ! ! ! ! !

(End of this chapter)