Cao Thief

Chapter 246 Relatives? ([-] words, ask for a monthly pass!)

Liu Bei and Zhang Liao can be regarded as old acquaintances.

Anyway, when Liu Bei and Lu Bu were in Xuzhou, they also had such a honeymoon period.Regardless of whether Lu Bu attached himself to Liu Bei at first, or Liu Bei attached himself to Lu Bu later, the two sides had a good memory.It's just that Liu Bei and Lu Bu are not the kind of masters who are subordinate to others, and they are equally ambitious, so that in the end, they turned their faces and became enemies.

But this did not prevent Liu Bei and Zhang Liao from becoming friends, even though Zhang Liao had beaten Liu Bei in Peiguo and fled in embarrassment.

At the same time, the relationship between Guan Yu and Zhang Liao is also good. Both of them are masters with super martial arts skills, so it is inevitable that there will be a sense of sympathy for each other.

Now, Lu Bu is about to perish, and Liu Bei lives under the fence...

"Liu Xuande, you are not reconciled!"

Cao Peng saw Liu Bei's intention and smiled at Gan Ning.

In Liu Bei's letter, he not only wanted to win over Zhang Liao, but also wanted to bury himself.With Liu Bei's wisdom, couldn't he guess that if he went to Xudu with Cao Cao, he would be like a bird in a cage.Of course, he will not be willing to become Cao Cao's vassal, and will try his best to stay in Xuzhou.Xuzhou, which has lost Lu Bu, will inevitably be in chaos for a while.And Liu Bei is quite prestigious in Xuzhou, and Mizhu Mifang is an old courtier in Xuzhou.If he can stay in Xuzhou, he will definitely get more development opportunities.

But the premise is that he can stay.

If Liu Bei can recruit Zhang Liao, Zhang Liao will temporarily withdraw from Xu County and flee to Peiguo.

It used to be Liu Bei's territory. Although he was chased away by Zhang Liao later, after all, he had operated there, and he had a small foundation...

Zhang Liao retreated to Peiguo, where he could get Liu Bei's secret support.

And Liu Bei can also use the excuse of Zhang Liao's military chaos and stay in Xuzhou to continue his ideals.

In short, once Liu Bei really recruits Zhang Liao, it will really become a troublesome matter.Cao Peng will never allow such a thing to happen, at least for now, he will not sit back and watch Liu Bei recruit Zhang Liao.

"Without this letter, I would almost have forgotten about Zhang Liao."

"How does the young master plan to act?"

Cao Peng thought for a while, then smiled, "Now I can't separate myself, but I have to keep Wenyuan safe first, and at the same time, I have to teach Liu Xuande a lesson."

"lesson?"

Cao Peng raised his head and glanced at Xia Houlan.

"Where is the messenger?"

"In the forest outside the camp, the general will send people to guard him."

"Kill him, and then hand over the body and this letter to General Cao Hong."

Xia Houlan was taken aback, not quite understanding what Cao Peng meant.But since Cao Peng gave the order, Xia Houlan could only obey the order and turn around to leave.

"Why did you kill the messenger?"

"Actually, even if the messenger is handed over to Duke Cao, Duke Cao will not embarrass Liu Bei, and may even get rid of the messenger.

Mr. Cao is now in the limelight, and he will not kill Liu Bei, at most he will warn him.That being the case, it doesn't matter whoever kills. "

After saying this, Cao Peng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Since when did you become so indifferent?
In his heart, human life seemed to have become indifferent, and he would kill as soon as he said it, without any hesitation.This is not my character...

Cao Peng sat there for a while, then shook his head vigorously.

Maybe it was too much pressure some time ago, which made me numb?

It's better to concentrate, deal with the matter of Xiapi first, and then try to adjust your mentality.

"Xingba, you immediately send someone back to the prime minister, and secretly ordered Deng Zhi to try to go to Xu County and stabilize Zhang Liao... After I finish my work here, I will go to Xu County."

Gan Ning responded, turned around and left in a hurry.

--------------------------------

The next day, it was just dawn.

Liu Bei was about to go back to the army tent to rest after he had been around in his small camp, when he heard the report from the small school: Cao Sikong is welcome! "

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu went out for a walk early in the morning, so they were not in the camp.

Liu Bei didn't dare to slack off, quickly changed his clothes, and followed the small school to Cao Cao's residence.

Cao Cao lived in the former government office in Xiapi County, and Dianman and Xu Yi were on duty outside in military uniform.It was very cold and there was ice under the eaves.Liu Bei came in a hurry, Dianman and Xu Yi didn't give him a good face, they just let Liu Bei go into the house by themselves.

Liu Bei also knew that these two people and Cao Peng were sworn brothers.

He robbed Cao Peng's food and grass before, how could Dianman Xu Yi give him a good face.

While crying secretly in my heart, I was a little surprised at the same time.Because during this period of time in Cao Ying, he found that Cao Peng and the generals of Cao Ying had a very good relationship.Especially the generals of the Cao family, such as the descendants of the Cao surname and Xiahou family, have a very close relationship with Cao Peng.

He began to regret that he shouldn't provoke Cao Peng.

There are two braziers in the house, and the charcoal fire in the basin is very prosperous.

Cao Cao was wearing a brocade robe and was flipping through the files. When he saw Liu Bei coming in, he laughed and got up, stepped forward to hold Liu Bei's hand, and sat down together.

"Xuande, I have been busy with official duties these two days, so that I have neglected Xuande, please don't blame Xuande."

"Where did Sikong come from to say that? I am already grateful for Bei Minggong's taking him in. Besides, Bei has been very carefree recently, so there is nothing to be negligent about."

"It's good to be free, but if people are too carefree, they will inevitably have distracting thoughts."

"what?"

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat.

From Cao Cao's words, he heard a hint of implication.

"Ming Gong was joking."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and his face sank, "Xuande, I heard people say that you are familiar with Zhang Wenyuan from Xu County?"

"This one……"

"Wen Yuan is capable and talented, but now he is trapped in Xu County, and he is at the end of his rope. I want to recruit Zhang Wenyuan, but I can't find suitable candidates around me. If I stay in Xu County, it will not be a long-term thing. I am thinking about this I heard that Xuande and Zhang Liao were old acquaintances, so I would like to invite Xuande to take a hard trip to Xu County. It would be best if Zhang Liao can be persuaded to surrender, but if he cannot be persuaded to surrender... In short, we must not let him escape to Peiguo."

Liu Bei secretly took a deep breath in his heart.

What does Cao Cao mean by these words?
Smart as Liu Bei, how could he not hear it.

"Duke Ming may have misunderstood. Since the first year of Xingping, Bei and Lu Bu have fought repeatedly. How can there be any friendship?"

"That's a pity!"

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and suddenly smiled.

"Since you don't know it, forget it, just pretend that I didn't mention it.

Xuande, the Xuzhou War is coming to an end, and I want to return to Xudu after the war.However, Xuzhou still needs someone to guard it. I don't know what Xuande wants? "

The meaning in those words is to tell Liu Bei that I am going to let you stay in Xuzhou.

Speaking of which, this book fits Liu Bei's mind.

But for some reason, Liu Bei felt a strong murderous intent.In this small room, there is an aura of gold and iron... Liu Bei believes that as long as he dares to nod, Cao Cao will immediately turn his face and take the other's head.Cold sweat ran down his spine and wet the skirt of his clothes.

"My lord, this must not be the case.

How can Xuzhou be able to live in Xuzhou with little talent and little learning?If he really had such talent, he wouldn't have been driven out of Xuzhou by Lu Bu back then, leaving him homeless.

Now that Ming Gong has newly acquired Xuzhou, he still needs to send a strong person out of the town.

I really don't dare to take on this important task. I also invite Ming Gong to choose another wise man. "

"That's a pity!"

Cao Cao smiled and said nothing about it.

He and Liu Bei exchanged pleasantries without saying a word, but every word made Liu Bei tremble with fear, and his whole body was covered in cold sweat...

After a while, Liu Bei made an excuse and left.

As soon as he left, Guo Jia and Xun You walked into the room.

"Liu Xuande, you really have great ambitions."

Cao Cao raised his head with a gloomy look on his face.

"Ming Gong, why don't you take it down to avoid future troubles?" Xun You frowned and asked softly.

"If Liu Bei is killed today, I'm afraid it will be true... However, when he returns to Xudu with me, there are plenty of opportunities to get rid of him."

That being said, it can be heard that Cao Cao is still a little bit reluctant.

Xun You wanted to speak up, but Guo Jia pulled him away and shook his head at him.

"However, that Zhang Liao...it would be a pity to kill him."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then asked: "Feng Xiao, who do you think should be sent to Xu County, and who is Zhang Wenyuan to surrender? This person is indeed capable."

Guo Jia thought for a while, "I recommend someone, and it may be successful."

"Who?"

"I was drinking with Changwen some time ago. I heard from Changwen that Cao Youxue had a good relationship with Zhang Liao in the past. Later Zhang Liao gave Cao Youxue [-] soldiers and horses as guards. At first, Zhang Liao did not approve of Lv Bu's attack on Haixi, and because of this He was driven out of Xiapi and stationed in Xu County... Cao Youxue must be involved in this. If so, why not let Cao Youxue go to Xu County as an envoy to surrender Zhang Liao to Duke Ming?"

"It's that brat again."

Cao Cao couldn't help laughing.

I have a good impression of Cao Peng and Cao Cao.

The family worked for themselves, and went to Haixi alone with their brother-in-law. This war made their food supply even more difficult.

It's just that this kid's temper is too stubborn, which made Cao Cao quite embarrassing before.And up to now, he is still unwilling to apologize to Cao Cao.

But the more this is the case, the more Cao Cao feels that Cao Peng has integrity.

"By the way, how is Junshi doing now?"

Junshi, Cao Peng's father, is now the supervisor of Zhuye in the Shaofu, Cao Ji, the fifth doctor.

Guo Jia was taken aback, and smiled awkwardly, "I'm not sure about that."

Xun You said with a smile, "Since Jun Shi became the supervisor of Heyi, he has been devoted to his duties and has been extremely diligent. Heyi Workshop has returned to its former prosperity since he took charge of it. In the past year, it has made more than [-] knives and shields. Hundreds of sets, and the rest of them were farm tools, which made a lot of achievements... In addition, he supervised and improved a kind of Caogong plow, which was more effective than the plow used earlier. Before conquering Xuzhou, Xiu Ruo made a special trip to inspect it. It is indeed worthy of the name of Yinmo Juzi. It is estimated that in the coming year, Heyi Workshop will produce five thousand pairs of swords and shields, and over a thousand armors... Zihe admired the armor produced by Heyi Workshop very much, and said that tigers and leopards will be successful , Cao's father and son should be the first to contribute."

In the past year, Cao Cao's attention has been focused on the war, so he really doesn't know much about the Heyi Workshop.

"Cao Gongli?"

Cao Cao couldn't help laughing, "What kind of thing is this?"

"It is said that Junshi modified it based on the gadgets his son Cao Youxue conceived when he was a child, and unexpectedly succeeded.

After trying it out, Gong Ruo found that this plow saves labor and is easier to build than before, and plans to promote it in the coming year.As for the name of Cao Gongli, it was also suggested by Jun Shi.It is said that if Mr. Cao hadn't given him a chance, it would be impossible to imagine this, so he ordered Mr. Cao to plow under the surname of Sikong. "

Gongruo is the name of Zaozhi, the former captain of Tuntian and now General Zaozhi of Tuntian Zhonglang.

Cao Cao nodded, "The Cao family are all pure and good people."

He suddenly felt a little emotional and scratched his head.

The use of Cao Ji at the beginning was also due to Cao Ji's contribution to donating stirrups and Takahashi saddles.The Heyi workshop had been abandoned for many years, and Cao Cao also tried to let Cao Ji take over.Unexpectedly, Cao Ji really made it, and the results are outstanding.Now Cao Gongli has been built again, and the credit is very great...

Before that, Cao Ji had donated [-] knives to strengthen the fighting power of the Huben army.

At that time, Cao Cao excused Cao Ji's short time in office and did not give him a promotion, but only gave him the title of five doctors.

Now it seems that this title may be given a little lightly.

After pondering for a while, Cao Cao said: "Junshi has made such a contribution, so he must be rewarded, otherwise everyone's thoughts will be chilled. Now that the Heyi Workshop has reopened, I want to appoint Zhuye as the captain and let Junshi take over. Another salute He Yihou, what do you think?"

Since the Han Dynasty, the titles were mainly divided into two classes: king and lieutenant.

In the early Han Dynasty, there was a rule that if you are not the king of Liu Wu, you will not be rewarded for your merits.It's just that since the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there have been a large number of titles of eunuchs, relatives, and Enzehou, which has corrupted the principle of no merit.Of course, the sequence of titles like county, township, and Tinghou has not changed.It's just that there are many more names.This kind of title is only for meritorious service, it has no actual fiefdom and eunuch, and it cannot be hereditary.

Even eunuchs and relatives can be named marquises, let alone Cao Ji has made great contributions?
But the problem is that to make Cao Ji a marquis, the consent of the courtiers must be obtained.

Guo Jia was better, but Xun You's attitude became extremely important.

As for the official position of Captain Zhuye, it was a real promotion.Prior to this, the Shaofu had already set up a captain of Shuiheng, who was in charge of the boats and equipment of the water army, and a captain of Diancao who was in charge of providing food for the successor army.The duty of Lieutenant Zhuye is to supervise the manufacture of weapons, armor and equipment... Comparing a thousand stones, that is to say, he can get a salary of nine hundred dou every month.As far as this promotion is concerned, to be honest, no one is more suitable than Cao Ji.

Cao Ji did a good job in Heyi Workshop, and now he has expanded his talent.

Xun You thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Captain Zhuye, none other than Junshi... It's just that Junshi's qualifications are slightly insufficient for this Marquis of He."

Is it lack of qualifications?

No!

To put it bluntly, it is a matter of origin.

Although Xun You didn't explain it clearly, Cao Cao heard the meaning.

He thought for a while, then turned to Guo Jia and said, "What good idea does Feng Xiao have?"

This question of origin is really a troublesome matter.

Guo Jia thought for a while, then suddenly asked: "When Junshi was reporting his duties in the middle of the year, I heard him say that he was born in Nanyang, but his ancestors were not from Nanyang... It is said that his ancestors lived in Zhenghe. It was moved to Zhongyang Mountain after the Marquis Gong... I don’t know if it’s true.”

Xun You spit out a mouthful of water, looked up at Guo Jia, and was speechless for a while.

And Cao Cao coughed violently, and it took him a while to recover, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

You ask why these two people have such a strong reaction?

That still needs to start from the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty.Gaozu Liu Bangxing Han had a man named Cao Can in his tent, who was from the same hometown as Emperor Gaozu.

This person may not be as famous as Zhang Liang, Han Xin and Xiao He, but he is the number two figure among the heroes of Xing Han.

Later generations had Xiao Gui and Cao Sui, and it was this Cao Shen.Cao Shen had a son named Cao Yu (ku, two tones), who was Marquis of Pingyang, and served as Yushi doctor in the post-Gao period.After Emperor Xiaowen came to the throne, he was dismissed as a marquis, and after his death, he was given a posthumous title of waiting.Cao Qi's son, Cao Qi, was a Marquis for seven years, and his posthumous title was Jianhou; Cao Qi's son, Cao Shi, married Princess Pingyang, and he was a Marquis for 23 years, and his posthumous title was Yihou; The eldest princess died in the 16th year of Hou.This Cao Xiang is the "Common Marquis" that Guo Jia mentioned.

Cao Xiang's son, Cao Zong, was implicated in the mutiny launched by the prince of Emperor Wu in the second year of Zhenghe, and was convicted and executed.

The Cao family's feudal state was subsequently abolished, and the Cao family's children also wandered in all directions.One of the descendants settled in Qiao County, which is later known as Hao County, Anhui Province.

Cao Cao, that is, was born in the Cao family in Qiao County.

Guo Jia said that Cao Ji was a descendant of the "Common Marquis". Didn't he mean that Cao Ji and Cao Cao were of the same clan?
If this is the case, don't say "He Yihou", even if Cao Ji is named Guanzhonghou or Guanneihou, no one will object.

Cao Cao thought to himself: I just asked you to help me think of an idea, but I didn't ask you to draw relatives for me!
For a while, Cao Cao couldn't laugh or cry, looked at Guo Jia and shook his head again and again.

Unexpectedly, Guo Jia said seriously: "My lord, this is not Jia's nonsense, but Cao Ji said it himself. Wen Ruo was there at the time, and he was very surprised when he heard it. But we can feel that Jun Shi is not Literally speaking, he didn't even know that Cao Gong was also the successor of Cao Xiangguo, so he just talked about it casually. Wen Ruo also checked Jun Shi's genealogy. His ancestor was named Cao Min, who settled in Zhongyang Mountain in the fourth year of Zhenghe. , is the No. 19 son of Gonghou, but he is not a descendant... If Gongda hadn’t mentioned it today, I would have almost forgotten about it.”

"You said that, really?"

Cao Cao couldn't help but became interested.

But Xun You cowardly said: "The Yinmo giant..."

"Yinmo Juzi is not a fact, but a random rumor in the market. When I met Junshi for the first time, he explained it clearly."

"In that case, Cao Ji is really a member of the Sikong clan?"

"This one……"

Cao Cao was also a little uncertain.

In the second year of Zhenghe, Cao Zong was convicted and the feudal state was abolished. Cao's children scattered, and no one knew the whereabouts of the clan.But listening to what Guo Jia said, it seems that there is something to it.If Cao Ji is really a descendant of the Cao family, it seems to be a good thing for Cao Cao.

Clan is big!

And Cao Ji is indeed capable, can make knives, and can also forge farm tools.

The three members of his family have also made meritorious service... For the Cao family, it is undoubtedly a good thing to be able to take back the children who were exiled in the past.

Of course, if Cao Ji and his son's family have no skills, Cao Cao may not agree.

But the problem is...

After Cao Cao pondered for a long time, "Leave this matter aside for the time being. I will investigate this matter thoroughly after I return to Xudu. If Juan Shi is really a descendant of my clan, it will also be a great blessing for my Cao family."

Xun You nodded after hearing this.

Returning to the clan and recognizing the ancestors is not a trivial matter, and it really needs to be cautious.

After all, Cao Zong was convicted in the second year of Zhenghe, that is, 90 BC.Almost 300 years from now, who can say clearly?
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On the eighth day of December, Cao Peng was restless in his small tent.

Today is the time he and Lu Bu agreed, and it is also the day for Lu Bu to express his attitude.Therefore, he has been afraid to rest, waiting for the answer.

Time, little by little.

Just after the fourth watch, Xia Houlan suddenly rushed into the small tent excitedly.

"My lord, there is a fire at the north gate... Lu Bu agrees!"

Cao Peng stood up suddenly and rushed out of the small tent.Looking in the direction of the north gate, I saw the flames soaring into the sky!He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief!

(End of this chapter)