Chapter 393: Presenting to the Marquis of Wu
“Brother, is Liu Zisheng really only fourteen years old?”
Cao Pi, who was following Cao Ang, had doubts and secret dissatisfaction in his eyes.
Cao Ang, who was walking in front, couldn't see Cao Pi's expression behind him. He just nodded: "Well, it is true that he is only fourteen years old, but..."
"Brother."
Cao Zhi also curiously interjected: "Just what?"
Cao Ang recalled several exchanges with Liu Feng, smiled and shook his head and said: "It's just that when you get along with him, you can't help but forget. His age makes him look like an adult gentleman."
Cao Pi and Cao Zhi looked surprised at the same time. At this time, the two young men were completely covered by Cao Ang's light and had no intention of competing at all.
Cao Ang is the eldest son with outstanding talents. He is recognized as the heir by Cao Cao and the entire Cao family group. He is also supported by his wife Ding and the Ding family as relatives. But Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were just concubines, young and completely uncompetitive.
At this time, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi admired Cao Ang very much and were proud of their elder brother.
When they heard Cao Ang praising Liu Feng, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi felt quite dissatisfied.
The only difference is that Cao Pi hid his dissatisfaction in his heart, while Cao Zhi argued directly: "Liu Feng is no more than a martial artist. Although he is good at fighting, he has never been famous. And I heard that he If I don’t study classics and have little knowledge of civilized arts, how can I compare with my elder brother, let alone my father?”
Cao Ang looked back at his brothers. Although he felt warm in his heart, he still scolded: "Liu Zisheng is extremely skilled in martial arts and is valued by his father. He always boasts and praises him. How can you slander him? Don't speak nonsense."
Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were scolded by Cao Ang, but they did not dare to defend themselves.
Cao Cao fought abroad all year round, and Cao Ang was more than ten years older than Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.
It can be said that Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were brought up almost single-handedly by Cao Ang since childhood, and they can be regarded as eldest brothers and fathers.
Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were not only afraid of Cao Ang, but also obeyed Cao Ang very much. After hearing this, they immediately lowered their heads and responded in unison: "Yes, brother."
********< br>
Early the next morning, Cao Cao entered the palace first.
Hearing Cao Cao's request for an audience, the emperor Liu Xie, who was still in the palace, was stunned.
After Liu Xie thought for a moment, he ordered: "Invite the general to the palace. I will go there later."
The eunuch left as ordered, and Liu Xie hurriedly changed his clothes.
It must be something big that would make Cao Cao come to the palace early in the morning. Although he was frightened and confused, he did not dare to delay.
Just as Liu Xie was changing his clothes, he asked: "Is there any news from the Three Gongs and Jiu Qing?"
Now among the three Gongs, Yang Biao and Zhao Wen are Liu Xie's core supporters, and Sikong Guo Gong is not Cao Cao's person.
Most of the Jiuqing are also inclined towards the emperor, because the existence of Liu Bei and his son has preserved the small warlords who are pro-emperor such as Yang Feng, Han Xian, Zhang Yang, etc., and the existence of these small warlords has restrained Cao Cao, making him unable to Dare to clean up blatantly.
In this way, Jiuqing maintained the original basic team, and generally stood on the emperor's side.
Liu Xie's situation is much better than that of the same period in the original time and space.
“Not yet.”
Eunuch Zhao Xi quickly shook his head.
Liu Xie became even more confused. After changing his clothes, he immediately went to the palace.
Cao Cao was sitting alone in the palace at this time. When he saw the emperor appear, he immediately stood up to greet him.
"A general does not need to be polite."
Liu Xie was very kind to Cao Cao on the surface, but there was deep disgust in his eyes.
For more than a year, Liu Xie and Cao Cao inevitably had various conflicts.
The young emperor eagerly wanted to learn from his ancestors, take power into his own hands, and control the world.
But Cao Cao was equally eager to cultivate party members and evade the emperor.
Being able to maintain a semblance of peace between the two of them is already the result of both sides taking action.
"In order to report to the emperor, I am here, even because General Zhengnan went south to attack Yuan Shu."
Cao Cao looked upright and generously said: "I heard that the minister has not yet come. It has been nearly a month since I was able to come up with the reward measures. I am shocked and doubtful. The minister's delay may hurt the hearts of loyal ministers and the people of the world. "
Liu Xie's heart skipped a beat and he realized something was wrong.
Just when Liu Xie was about to say something, Cao Cao stood up and kowtowed to Liu Xie: "I, the great general Cao Cao, commended Liu Feng for conquering the south. Liu Feng went south. , personally went to the front line, overcame thorns and thorns, marched 400 miles in three days and two nights, attacked Shouchun at night with 8,000 and 60,000 men, captured Yuan Shu in Huaibei, captured Sun Ce in Jiangdong, pacified the local area, calmed the troubled people, and recovered Yangzhou. This should be regarded as a great achievement. Ye."
"I recommended Liu Feng, the general who conquered the south, to be promoted to the position of general of the left, to worship Yangzhou Mu, to be promoted to the title of Wuhou, to envoy Chijie, and to open the government with the three divisions. "
Cao Cao shouted loudly. He shouted: "If this is not the case, it is not enough to repay Liu Zisheng's contribution. I beg your Majesty to play it accurately to comfort the hopes of the people in the world and the hearts of the people."
Liu Xie felt trembling all over for a moment.
It was both fear and anger.
How dare Cao Cao do this! ?
What about Liu Feng?
Did you get involved with Cao Cao?
Liu Xie's mind was suddenly filled with doubts, his hands and feet were cold, and he couldn't help but tremble.
The reason Liu Xie suppressed Liu Feng this time was naturally because Liu Bei and his son were too powerful and should not allow them to continue to expand. But at the same time, there is another point that is Cao Cao.
Originally Liu Bei and his son were in subtle opposition to Cao Cao, and the point of conflict was the emperor.
Liu Bei and his son are loyal ministers and pro-Emperor, so they will naturally suppress Cao Cao's pursuit of power.
But during this year, due to the relationship between Hebei Yuan Shao and his own strategic move to the south, Liu Feng and Liu Bei, who was influenced by him, tended to be closer to Cao Cao in their attitude towards Yuan Shao, and even had direct support. attitude.
Although this deterred Yuan Shao, it also gave Cao Cao the confidence to fight at court, and also aroused the fear of the emperor Liu Xie.
Liu Xie had to consider the consequences once Cao Cao and Liu Bei and his son joined forces.
Undoubtedly, Liu Xie never dreamed of seeing such disastrous consequences come true.
But now Cao Cao's performance made Liu Xie feel that he had messed up, and that terrifying scene was likely to come true.
"This...this, General..."
Cao Cao raised his head and glanced at Liu Xie, who could no longer hide his panic and anxiety.
The corners of Cao Cao's mouth raised slightly, but he asked respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am here."
Liu Xie was speechless, feeling deep resentment against Yang Biao in his heart.
********
Today's inner court of the Han Dynasty is almost empty, with wind leaking everywhere.
Soon, the news of Cao Cao's entry into the palace came out, including Cao Cao's praise for Liu Feng. After the Yang family received the news, it is said that Yang Biao almost fainted and hurriedly entered the palace to ask for an audience, but was refused by the emperor.
After receiving the news, Liu Feng burst into laughter.
Cao Mengde is really good at taking advantage of loopholes.
But no matter what, if Yangzhou is won, he will be confident to become the largest prince.
As a result, my family's needs for the emperor are different.
If we had previously hoped to use the Emperor to check Cao Cao, and Cao Cao to check Yuan Shao.
Now, Liu Feng's attitude has changed.
An emperor who makes too many small moves and gets in the way is really not as convenient as letting Cao Cao go up.
So, Liu Feng went to the palace in person that night and went to the general to pay a visit to Cao Cao.
"General, the foreign minister came here to ask for help."
Liu Feng behaved quite politely, completely losing his previous unruly attitude.
Looking at Liu Feng's respectful appearance, Cao Cao couldn't help but wonder whether Liu Zisheng was as obedient and obedient in front of Xuande.
"Zisheng is now also a famous general in the country, and he has stabilized Jiangdong. He can be said to be a civilized and martial artist, establishing principles and disciplines, and relieving the people. Why else do you need my help? Now Luozhong is waiting for nothing. prosper, Finance is like water without a source, so I can only move it from left to right, just to hold on for a while."
Cao Cao felt happy in his heart, but his mouth was full of water, leaving no room for the other party to cry and complain. room.
Hearing that Cao Cao was the first to suffer misfortune, Liu Feng was a little disdainful.
This Cao Cao is so ignorant. He is here to repay his kindness, but he treats himself as a thief. He is really too petty and does not have the bearing of a general at all.
"The general misunderstood the foreign minister."
Liu Feng respectfully explained: "The foreign minister went south this time to pacify Jiangdong, but he often heard that Jiaozhou was unstable. In the days before yesterday, his subordinates Send Zhao Yun to report urgently and hand it over to Zhu, the governor of the state. Fu was killed by the local powerful. Now Jiaozhou is in turmoil and rebellions are everywhere. It is urgent for the court to send an important minister south to appease him. "
Cao Cao heard the elegant meaning of Xiange and immediately understood that Liu Feng was repaying him, and immediately smiled. Bending his eyes.
“Oh!? That’s it.”
Cao Cao immediately cheered up. Although Jiaozhou was far away from the Central Plains and a poor state, it was said that its population now exceeded two million, and its products were relatively rich, but the transportation cost was too high.
But no matter what, this is the territory of an entire state.
Liu Feng actually expressed his support for himself so easily, which shows that the other party was also angered by the emperor.
Compared with the position of governor of Jiaozhou or even the position of pastor of Jiaozhou, Cao Cao was more interested in Liu Feng's resentment towards the emperor.
Cao Cao didn't know that Liu Feng's attitude and desires towards the emperor had changed. At this time, he was still thinking about whether it was possible to use this wave of conflicts to completely pull Liu Feng to his side, and then Completely ignore the emperor.
As long as Liu Feng expresses his agreement, Cao Cao can deal with Yang Biao's party and the more than a thousand Yulin army in the hands of the emperor without the other party taking action.
Cao Cao pondered in his mind that because of Liu Feng's existence, Cao Cao's manpower in this time and space was much less than in the original time and space, and many people were cut off in advance by Liu Feng.
At this time, the only people under Cao Cao who were capable were Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Xun Yu, and Cheng Yu.
Xiahou Dun and Xun Yu definitely cannot leave.
The former is to replace his main town base camp, and the latter is his Xiao He. Xiao He cannot be sent three or four thousand miles away to deal with logistics.
Both Cao Ren and Cheng Yu are qualified for the post of governor of Jiaozhou regardless of their ability or prestige.
It’s just that Yanzhou cannot do without Cheng Yu, and Yuzhou is also guarded by Cao Ren at this time. At present, Yingchuan County is about to be taken back. This county is also the strategic barrier to the south of Sili. It is impossible without a trustworthy general. .
After counting, Cao Cao found that he had no suitable candidate to take over the post of governor of Jiaozhou.
This is blinding.
After hesitating for a moment, Cao Cao said: "This matter is important, Zi Sheng, please let me think twice."
Liu Feng immediately nodded obediently: "In that case, the foreign minister will wait for the general's orders."
This boy is too submissive.
Seeing Liu Feng being so respectful, Cao Cao was surprised and suspicious, and he was not used to it.
But fortunately, the fat meat was left to himself, and Cao Cao also wanted to say something to appease Liu Feng.
So, he said: "Zisheng, don't worry about Yangzhou. I will do my best to help you. It's just that the emperor is now confused by the sycophant. He is close to the villain and far away from the loyal. I am afraid that I will be alone. Zi Sheng If you have good friends in the court, you can also walk around to ask for help. ”
Liu Feng narrowed his eyes. You, Cao Heizi, are indeed a traitor. At this time, do you still want to hunt down rabbits and explore your background in the court?
That night, Cao Cao held a banquet in honor of Liu Feng and did not let him go until late at night.
After the banquet, Cao Cao returned to the hall. While drinking the sobering soup, he asked Xi Zhong and Man Chong: "Zhicai, Boning, you have all heard about it. What do you think?"
Of course Cao Cao asked about the governor of Jiaozhou.
Xi Zhong and Man Chong looked at each other and fell into deep thought.
Man Chong came from a powerful family in Yanzhou, so he should form a party with Cheng Yu.
But he is usually a loner. Although he looks like a cruel official, his emotional intelligence is extremely high. Generally speaking, he is a Yanzhou native, but his relationship with the Yingchuan Party is still good. Okay, that's heresy enough.
After taking a look at Xi Zhong and finding that he was still deep in thought, Man Chong simply spoke first.
“My lord, I think Liu Zhengnan’s attitude is a bit suspicious.”
“Oh!?”
Cao Cao took a sip of the sobering soup and suddenly heard Man Chong's words. He immediately became energetic: "How do you say this? Bon Ning can tell you in detail."
Man Chong put down the soup bowl in his hand, straightened up and faced Cao Cao, who was on the throne, bowed his hands and said: "My lord, Jiaozhou is far away and remote, and the transportation is inconvenient. It has been separated from the Central Plains for a long time. This is the disadvantage of Jiaozhou. However, Jiaozhou is also a vast territory, with nine counties and fifty-four counties under its jurisdiction. Although it is a poor state, it is rich in products. In addition to rice, it is also rich in silver and copper metals, as well as spices, silk products, pearls, shells, colored glaze, jade, tortoise shells, rhinoceros horns, parrots, and elephants. , Peacocks and other rare treasures are just difficult to transport into the Central Plains."
"Bo Ning, please continue."
Cao Cao listened in rapt attention, and even urged.
Man Chong was encouraged and hurriedly continued: "My lord's hesitation is actually because Jiaozhou is far away and transportation with the Central Plains is difficult. But for Liu Zhengnan, Jiaozhou is his neighbor and has the advantage of shipping. The traffic is far better than ours. If I gain one point from Jiaozhou, then Liu Zhengnan’s gain from Jiaozhou should be five points, or seventy-eight points!"
Cao Cao nodded heavily: "I deeply agree with Boning's words!"
Man Chong then said: "Liu Zhengnan has no intention of being tempted by such a precious delicacy, and he entrusts his master so easily, but even There is no trace of reluctance. There must be a reason for this! Although it may not be a scam, it does have some drawbacks."
Cao Cao was horrified.
(End of this chapter)