Chapter 259: Appeasing Cao Bao
“There are two things at this stage. First, without affecting the production of iron utensils and weapons, make every effort to increase the production of iron armor.”
Liu Feng’s summary Said: "Second, make every effort to expand the scale and training of the apprentice team and form it into an institutionalized system to lay the foundation for the imperial court to open a workshop academy in the future."
Liu Qian and others immediately accepted the order and expressed their opinions. Try your best.
Afterwards, Liu Qian began to complain: "Young Master, it's just about money and food. As a result, there will be a lot of shortages."
Liu Feng waved his hand very generously and said: "Don't worry about money and food. You can make a report to me later and I will make up for it for you."
When I come back this time, the Mi family alone has to settle the accounts. The funds are no less than hundreds of millions, the treasury is full, and the warehouses are abundant. Allocating an additional batch of money and grain to the iron factory will not cause any pressure.
Before coming to Xiapi, Liu Feng had carefully considered whether to take out the three-piece horse set-high bridge saddle, bilateral iron stirrups and iron horseshoes.
After careful consideration, he felt that the time had not come yet.
Although the speed of information dissemination in this era is very slow, the security measures in this era are also very poor.
It is actually quite difficult to keep something secret.
The three-piece set immediately has no technical content at all. It is very easy to reproduce and manufacture it, and it does not take too much time.
Instead of getting these three things out so early and then letting other princes steal their lessons, it is better to focus on setting up horse farms and expanding the production of war horses.
It only takes three months to half a year in advance to produce enough three-piece horse suits, and it also leaves enough training time for the knights.
Therefore, when he came to Xiapi this time, he did not start the project, but inquired about the quality of the iron ingots currently produced, which was related to the follow-up process of the three-piece set.
After visiting the iron factory, Liu Feng returned to Xiapi City.
As soon as we arrived at the city gate, Cao Bao was already waiting there.
Cao Bao learned that he had come to Xiapi, and it was Liu Feng himself who conveyed the news.
I just didn’t expect that the other party could go so far as to greet me outside the city gate as the dignified Prime Minister of the State of Pi.
Liu Feng thought, if the other party didn't know his route, with Cao Bao's diligence, he would definitely have traveled dozens of miles from the city to greet him.
But Liu Feng didn't mind, and was even very satisfied with Cao Bao's attitude.
Cao Bao has made contributions to the old Liu family, is an original shareholder, and is also a quasi-in-law. He has to be enshrined as a memorial memorial for both affection and reason, so as to show that the old Liu family never forgets its roots and will repay kindness.
This kind of archway must be erected, and every prince has such a role in his family. And from the current point of view, Cao Bao's performance can no longer be considered qualified, at least it must be rated as excellent.
If this is the case, then Liu Feng has to give some face to this prospective father-in-law, and he can't do such heartbreaking things as if he were to live in poverty unless the situation is urgent.
“I heard that my virtuous son-in-law has returned, but I did not go far to welcome him. I hope that my virtuous son-in-law will forgive me.”
Cao Bao's words were strange, even confusing and suspected of being unethical.
But none of the Xiapi officials behind him dared to point out this, and even cast extremely envious glances at Cao Bao.
This Cao Bao is just a Danyang hero, barely able to get along with some nobles.
Just because he invested in Liu Bei early and married his daughter to be Liu Feng's side wife, he became very prosperous.
At present, he is already the de facto prime minister of the country with two thousand stones. Even if it is difficult for the three ministers and nine ministers in the future, it may not be impossible for him to be the governor of a state or even the pastor of the state.
Thinking of this, the officials behind Cao Bao such as Chang Shi, Gong Cao, Chief Secretary, etc. all turned red with envy.
Don’t underestimate these people. Everyone here, whether it is personal reputation, family background or status, is far above Cao Bao.
But now, they can only crawl under Cao Bao's body and are willing to serve as his assistants.
Just because of this young man who came from afar.
After seeing Cao Bao, Liu Feng jumped off his horse, saluted Cao Bao respectfully and said, "I have worked hard for my father-in-law to go out to greet him personally. How dare I be my son-in-law?"
Xu Chu also followed closely behind him, holding a knife with one hand and standing behind Liu Feng.
The majestic Xu Chu attracted a lot of attention for a while, and everyone was shocked by such a warrior.
But soon, everyone's eyes returned to the only protagonist present - Liu Feng.
Liu Feng's attitude in front of Cao Bao was very respectful and approachable. This scene made the Xiapi officials a little surprised and looked at each other in confusion.
Although Cao Bao often brags and describes the relationship between him and Liu Feng as being extremely close, most of them don't really believe it.
After all, Liu Feng is no longer just Liu Bei's son. He can also command tens of thousands of troops to escort the emperor for thousands of miles, escort the emperor back to the east, sweep away the Yingchuan Yellow Turban, win the praise and admiration of the powerful people of the Central Plains, and become even more trusted and relied upon by the emperor. General Conquering the South.
You, Cao Bao, are not even worthy of carrying each other's shoes. It is just a political marriage with early investment, but now your value is running low. There are even many people who are looking forward to Liu Feng viciously behind his back. Regret the marriage.
But it wasn't until they saw Liu Feng's attitude towards Cao Bao that these people realized that things might be a little different.
Cao Bao smiled broadly and took the initiative to hold Liu Feng's hand and help him up: "Why should a good son-in-law be so polite? You've been working hard on the journey, haven't you? Come back home with me as soon as possible. Take a rest."
Having said this, Cao Bao turned around and said to his subordinates: "Liu Zhengnan has been traveling hard, so he should have a good rest tomorrow night. Meet me, Xiapi Qunying.”
"Thank you Ming Gong!"
The Xiapi officials present, led by Chang Shi and meritorious officials, all bowed their heads in gratitude.
"In that case, you guys will have less time to accompany me."
Cao Bao nodded reservedly and invited Liu Feng: "Xianxiang, let's get in the car then?"
Liu Feng nodded, and then he also said to the Xiapi officials: "Gentlemen, I will stay with you for now. I will serve you wine to apologize for your sins at the banquet tomorrow."
"Don't dare."
The local snakes led by Pi Changshi Chen Chang immediately felt flattered. They did not expect that Liu Feng would actually take care of their feelings.
"In this case, that boy will excuse me now."
Liu Feng said politely again, and then followed Cao Bao into the carriage that had been waiting for a long time, and went straight into the city.
Xu Chu led the horse and followed closely, followed by two hundred mounted guards who entered the city one after another.
Chen Chang, the chief official of Xiapi, looked at the carriage going away and couldn't help but said to Gong Cao, Wu Guan and others: "I have heard for a long time that Liu Zhengnan is known as a talented and good scholar. Now that I see him today, he is indeed well-deserved."
"What Chang Shi said is true. Both Liu Qiaoqi and his son are lovers of talents, respect the virtuous and capable, and great governance in our state is just around the corner."
Gong Cao Zhou Song nodded in agreement and said the same thing. Praise and good words, obviously no matter what they think in their hearts, they no longer dare to slander Liu Bei and his son easily.
On Liu Feng and Cao Bao's side, the carriage did not stop until it entered Xiapi Prime Minister's Mansion.
When Liu Feng and Cao Bao got off the carriage, Xu Chu and other guards were already guarding them outside the carriage.
Liu Feng told Xu Chu: "Zhongkang, you can take a rest today. You have been working hard to guard me day and night these days. You can arrange a guard shift later, and you can rest with the others."
Xu Chu responded respectfully. After being appointed as the captain of the personal guard by Liu Feng, he immediately integrated into his new position, working diligently and seriously.
Liu Feng turned to Cao Bao again and said: "My father-in-law, I would like to trouble you to settle them down and provide them with food."
Cao Bao immediately nodded to express his understanding: "Please don't worry, good son-in-law. The personal guards will be arranged in my palace, and the meals will be delivered later."
After settling Xu Chu and other personal guards, Liu Feng and Cao Bao went to the main hall.
At this time, a banquet had been prepared in the main hall, and it was obvious that Liu Feng had been waiting for him for a long time.
Liu Feng is personally quite satisfied with Cao Bao's performance over the past six months.
Cao Bao actively leaned on them and his son, and took the lead in the previous anti-corruption campaign in Xuzhou, taking the initiative to hand over the stolen money, and then cooperated with the state government to clean up the Xiapi officialdom. It can be said that he has made great achievements in hard work.
Even Liu Bei had a great change in his view of Cao Bao and praised him highly.
Since Cao Bao's performance is so excellent, Liu Feng will naturally not be stingy with his paintings.
"This trip to Beijing opened Feng's eyes. The important ministers at the emperor's feet are all uneven, and their talents vary greatly."
Liu Feng brought the topic to the center of the imperial court and sighed: "Many of them are ranked high The high-ranking officials in Jiuqing are actually not very talented. They only work in vain, and when it comes to practical work, they are far inferior to their father-in-law."
When Cao Bao heard this, he immediately became interested: "Unexpectedly, the central official, So incompetent?"
Liu Feng said with a smile: "That's it, now that the three princes are in power, the emperor has no talents to supplement him."
At this point, Liu Feng paused deliberately and glanced at Cao Bao's expression.
The latter listened attentively and was quite immersed in it.
So, Liu Feng continued: "To tell you the truth, in Feng's opinion, my father-in-law's ability, fame and talent are no less than those of Jiuqing." "This... how can I deserve this. "
Cao Bao was just listening to Liu Feng talking about things in Luozhong. He was so fascinated that he suddenly heard Liu Feng say that his talents were worthy of Jiu Qing. He suddenly woke up with a start, waved his hands and started to refuse.
Liu Feng laughed and said: "My father-in-law is too modest."
After saying that, the conversation changed to other things.
On the other hand, Cao Bao was agitated by Liu Feng's words. He wanted to continue, but he was worried about being looked down upon by Liu Feng.
In fact, Liu Feng's words were intentional. He was actually testing Cao Bao and wanted to see the other party's attitude towards Ru Luo.
Nowadays, we are in troubled times, and this is already the consensus of people all over the world.
In troubled times, the famous nobles at the center of the imperial court are far less valuable than in peaceful times.
Take Sangong and Jiuqing as an example. Twenty years ago, they were among the top twenty beings in the world.
But now, he is not as noble as a powerful governor.
Especially when the Xiliang warriors rebelled, their prestige was even more ruined, and even the three gongs and nine ministers were almost starved to death.
Liu Feng deliberately promoted Cao Bao to join Luo as the Sangong and Jiuqing, so that he could replace Liu Feng and his son and become the core of the Liu family camp officials in Luozhong.
But this also depends on whether Cao Bao is willing. He is obviously very stubborn on this issue.
If it goes against Cao Bao's wishes, the result is likely to be more gain than loss.
At present, it seems that Cao Bao still has a strong yearning for MG, which is undoubtedly a good signal.
That night, Cao Bao asked Liu Feng for help, and Liu Feng also respected him very much.
The two went in both directions, and the atmosphere at the banquet was naturally kept warm.
Especially when Cao Bao was drunk, he used his drunkenness to ask Liu Feng when he could marry Cao Qing and take her into Liu's house. Liu Feng gave a straightforward answer.
After getting the answer, Cao Bao couldn't help but be happy.
Although Liu Feng was talking about getting married next year, Cao Bao was still heartbroken.
Seeing that Cao Qing was getting older, Liu Feng also got engaged with the Mi family. And as Liu Feng's age increased, Liu Bei was bound to start thinking about Liu Feng's wife.
As a result, Cao Bao's urgency became even stronger.
Fortunately, Liu Feng finally gave the exact time this time, and Cao Bao breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Feng smiled bitterly in his heart. Whether it was the Mi family or the Cao family, as his status improved, he felt a little impatient.
They were just as anxious before, but they had never been as worried about gains and losses as they are now.
The reason is that although the identity gap between the two parties has begun to appear before, the overall situation is still within the standards of marriage.
But the reputation, official titles and hard power that King Qin brought to Liu Bei and his son this time were too powerful.
Liu Bei suddenly became a hussar general, and even Liu Feng himself got the title of general of the southern expedition.
Even if the Mi family and the Cao family are tied together, they are no longer worthy of Liu Feng. Moreover, one of them is a wealthy businessman and the other is a military leader.
If Liu Bei and his son regret their marriage, I am afraid public opinion will still be on their side. This is the fundamental reason why the Mi family and the Cao family are anxious.
There is almost no cost for Liu Bei and his son to break the contract, and neither the Mi family nor the Cao family have any way to counter the other party.
Fortunately, Liu Bei and his son were kind and generous, and had no intention of regretting the marriage. They also gave an exact date for the wedding.
Cao Bao was so happy that he got drunk.
Cao Bao was so drunk that he lost his temper, and naturally the family banquet could not continue.
Liu Feng simply didn’t like drinking very much, so he simply ended the family dinner and personally helped Cao Bao back to his bedroom.
While waiting to leave, Liu Feng glanced at the back room inadvertently and happened to meet a pair of clear eyes.
But soon, those eyes disappeared like a frightened rabbit.
Liu Feng hesitated for a moment, and then laughed. It seemed that his future wife at least had pretty eyes.
After Liu Feng left, Cao Bao on the bed shouted his daughter's name with drunken eyes.
Sure enough, a beautiful woman came out from behind the house, it was Cao Qing, the daughter of Cao Bao.
Looking at his father who had collapsed into mud, Cao Qing and his maid helplessly stepped forward.
First, he personally fed Cao Bao the sobering soup held by the maid, and then covered him with a quilt, but he didn't want his big wrist to be suddenly pinched tightly by the other party.
"Qing'er, you...do you...do you know why you are so happy to be a father today?"
Cao Bao grabbed his daughter's wrist and giggled.
Cao Qing looked at his father helplessly, while catering: "I wonder if there is something good that makes my father so happy."
"Not bad!"
Cao Bao suddenly raised his voice and said loudly: "Today, the young master finally made a date with you. I will welcome you to the house next year at the latest."
Cao Qing was slightly surprised when he heard this. .
She also had some idea of Cao Bao's mentality. Unlike her father, Cao Qing himself was quite happy-go-lucky.
Even if Liu Feng broke off the engagement, Cao Qing would not have much resentment.
As the status difference between her and Liu Feng became larger and larger, and Cao Bao's value to Liu Bei and his son became smaller and smaller, Cao Qing was actually mentally prepared to have his marriage regretted.
I never expected that Liu Feng would be so affectionate and righteous, starting well and ending well.
Cao Qing was thinking about it, but Cao Bao burst into tears and complained to his daughter: "These days, people like Chen Chang and Zhou Song are respectful on their faces, but in their hearts they look down on their fathers. They all I thought that a good son-in-law would regret his marriage, so we were just waiting to see the joke between us father and daughter.”
A wry smile flashed across Cao Qing's jade-white face, and then he patted his father's hand to comfort him.
Unexpectedly, Cao Bao suddenly burst into tears and laughed again. While laughing, he scolded: "It's ridiculous for these villains. How can they know the virtues of my virtuous son-in-law?"
As he spoke, , Cao Bao's voice gradually became quieter, replaced by an increasingly loud roar.
Cao Qing is not as optimistic as his father. In his opinion, Liu Feng is thoughtful, young and wise, and can be said to be deep-minded and resourceful.
In the past, less than half a year after Liu Bei arrived in Xuzhou, he dared to come to his father to make a deal with just a baby.
Cao Qing really didn't know what the future would be like for such a young man to be his husband.
Liu Feng returned to the room where he was staying and was about to take a rest when he heard a servant asking for an audience.
Liu Feng opened the door, only to see a pretty maid being escorted in front of him by two sturdy guards.
The maid lowered her head respectfully and said tremblingly: "Mr. Lang, this is the lady preparing sobering soup for you, and I asked you to drink it while it's hot."
Liu Feng was a little surprised. , I didn’t expect that Cao Qingxin was quite careful, so he drank it happily.
This hangover soup tastes sour and sweet, and is quite delicious. After drinking it, I did feel a little bit less drunk.
"Thank you girl for me."
After finishing the drink, Liu Feng gave a warning, and the maid hurriedly left.
Liu Feng then slept until dawn the next day, then got up to wash himself.
That night, at the banquet specially arranged by Cao Bao, he showed great reliance on getting close to Cao Bao, which made Chen Chang, Zhou Song and others feel uneasy.
They often laughed at Cao Bao, and even in official matters they were quite conflicted.
After all, the Xiapi Kingdom was less affected by the disaster, and the local powerful nobles were not seriously harmed, and none of them were wiped out like the Pengcheng Kingdom.
Therefore, Cao Bao's stay in Xiapi Kingdom was actually quite frustrating, and he often had to face the opposition of Chang Shi and Gong Cao.
However, after all, Cao Bao had Liu Bei and his son as his back-up, so Chen Chang and Zhou Song did not dare to be too presumptuous, and the two sides finally reached a fragile balance.
Now Liu Feng specifically stands up for Cao Bao, which makes the latter very touched.
(End of this chapter)