Chapter 271 Wanting to recruit this son-in-law
Cao Cao is worthy of being one of the few military strategists of this era. After a moment of reflection, he said: "Xuande can send a general out of Qiao County and go south along the Miao River. As long as we conquer If Long Kang can reach Shouchun City, he will be defeated. By messing up the situation and attacking the enemy halfway, the battle in Runan can be done in the field while avoiding the fortified city, which will achieve twice the result with half the effort."
As soon as Cao Cao spoke, everyone in the hall fell into deep thought. .
These people naturally included Liu Feng. After thinking about it carefully, he had to admit that Cao Cao still had a lot of skills.
Based on his knowledge of Yuan Shu, he had to admit that Cao Cao's plan had merits.
However, Liu Bei did not need to make special adjustments for this, because in the original plan, Zhang Fei led the way.
"Thank you to the general for teaching me. Feng Ding will pass on the general's advice to my father."
Liu Feng said politely, and also flattered Cao Cao by the way.
After all, Cao Cao is actually very face-saving, and he is actually quite similar to Liu Bei in some places. It is no wonder that Cao Cao regards Liu Bei as his only opponent.
"Hahaha, it's not just arrogance. Xuande still needs a lot of experience in using troops."
Cao Cao burst out laughing, stroking his beard and said with a smile: "Other than that, is Xuande fully prepared? If you need help, Soldier, there is no need to be polite, just speak frankly."
When Liu Feng heard this, he immediately felt that Cao Cao had not drank enough and actually wanted to set a trap for him.
Are Cao Cao’s troops so easy to borrow?
Besides, during this trip south, Liu Feng brought out a lot of secrets. The counterweight trebuchet alone was a secret that was better exposed as late as possible.
Cao Cao clearly wanted to borrow troops, but it was true that he wanted to find out the news.
But since you started talking, don’t blame me for being rude.
"Speaking of asking for help, my nephew has something to ask for."
As soon as Liu Feng said these words, not to mention Cao Cao's face changed slightly, even the other people in the hall became a little nervous. stand up.
When Liu Feng saw this scene, he sighed in his heart, it was hard to be deceived.
Cao Cao hurriedly added: "My nephew has enough troops and food, and he has been ordered to fight against rebellion. I can't think of anything missing from my nephew."
Now that Liu Feng has opened his mouth, where else can he go? Asking you to shrink back, he sighed with a grimace and said: "The general doesn't know something. Xuzhou suffered a few disastrous defeats in the past and was extremely short of weapons. Later, although my father tried his best to supplement them, it was only a drop in the bucket. I have heard for a long time that the general's Qingzhou army's combat power is amazing. , the weapons are well prepared, so my nephew wants to borrow a thousand sets of armor."
Speaking of this, Liu Feng also explained thoughtfully: "My nephew is willing to give food as a reward, and he can get two hundred at the same time. "
When I came to Beijing this time, I heard Dong Zhao mention that Yang Feng and Zhang Yang had purchased more than 200 war horses for Liu Feng in the land of Sanhe. Most of these horses were second-class. Horses can be used as collateral.
Cao Cao was originally thinking about how to politely refuse the other party. Even if he couldn't shirk, his bottom line was just to lend fifty to one hundred sets of armor to help.
Cao's army actually didn't have much iron armor at this time. Even though he took over the Yanzhou arsenal and won three field battles with Tao Qian, he captured almost half of the Xuzhou army's ordnance.
Coupled with the wealth accumulated by the Yellow Turban Army's rampage in Qing, Yan, Xu, and Jizhou, Cao's army only had more than a thousand sets of iron armor.
Cao Cao later wrote in the military intelligence record: Yuan Benchu had ten thousand armors, I had twenty armors, Benchu had three hundred horse armors, and I cannot have ten.
Yuan Benchu’s armored collars are ten thousand sets of iron armor (chain armor, zhajia), while Cao Cao’s twenty armored collars are twenty sets of expensive and fine Mingguang armors. They are not one at all. Something happened.
It is obvious that Cao Cao is playing tricks here, playing a game of comparison between donkey's lips and horse's mouth.
Later, Cao Cao once gave Cao Zhi a set of Mingguang armor, and Cao Zhi even wrote a special article "A List of Armors Given to Ministers by the First Emperor" to show off. It can be seen that the preciousness of Mingguang Armor is not the same as chain armor and zhao armor.
Therefore, Cao Cao was able to produce a lot of iron armor (mail armor, piercing armor) at this time.
It’s just that this thing is also a consumable. Even if it is damaged and can be re-forged, the labor cost is quite expensive.
Nowadays, Cao Cao only has less than 2,000 sets of armor, so how can he lend more than half to Liu Feng.
Cao Cao instinctively felt that something was wrong, not to mention the risk of Liu Feng defaulting on his debt.
But Liu Feng offered to rent grain and use war horses as collateral, which was different.
Cao Cao swallowed the polite refusal in his mouth, and at the same time expressed his full favor with his eyes.
After receiving the news, Man Chong stood up decisively and asked: "I wonder at what price Zhengnan wants to rent the armor?"
"The lease period is one year. I am willing to rent the armor for one month for one stone of corn." If there is an extension, if it is delayed by one month, the payment will be doubled. If it is less than one month, it will be calculated as one month. If there is damage, one can pay twenty dan of grain according to the price. "
Liu Feng was obviously early. Being prepared, he pinched his fingers and quoted the price to the other party.
There is no shortage of food in Xuzhou now. If the lives and combat capabilities of more veterans can be protected by iron armor, this deal will undoubtedly be a good deal.
Cao Cao also made a secret calculation in his heart. Now the price of corn in Luozhong has risen to six hundred yuan per stone.
If calculated based on this price, the price given by Liu Feng is obviously quite generous.
Not to mention anything else, if a set of armor was damaged, if full compensation was required, the compensation would be 12,000 yuan. The purchase price of a set of armor is only 6,000 to 8,000. Even if the price increases now, it will not increase to 12,000.
After all, in troubled times, iron armor is no longer eligible for free sale and circulation, and has long been monopolized by warlords everywhere.
If you calculate it like this, the profit rate is as high as 80% to 100%.
The most important thing is that Cao Cao's situation this year is indeed much better than last year, but he is really short of food.
Although the current Yanzhou is not as white as Pengcheng, it is at least a lot of trouble, otherwise Cao Cao would not have entrusted all state affairs to Cheng Yu.
How much people in Yanzhou like Cao Cao now are just like how filial Lu Bu is to his godfather.
The only concern is whether I can get the armor back if I lend it out.
In fact, this is also the problem. Cao Cao and the others want to earn rent, but they can't resist Liu Feng's desire to earn their capital.
The worst thing to do is to pay more food when the time comes.
Cao Cao couldn't make a decision for a while, so he replied: "This matter is very important. My dear nephew, let me think about it carefully."
< br>Liu Feng also had dates but didn’t have dates to fight three poles, so he naturally had no objection to this.
Everyone is happy if Cao Cao is willing to borrow it. As for whether the armor will float much, it depends on how much food the widow Cao wants.
If Cao Cao doesn't want to borrow it, that's okay. Anyway, he doesn't really rely on this armor to fight. By the way, it can also make Cao Cao owe a favor. After all, he wants to ask if there is anything he needs help with.
How can I feel sorry for you if I ask you not to help?
That night, after the banquet, Liu Feng returned home to rest.
Cao Cao did drink a little too much and staggered Liu Feng to the entrance of the main hall, unable to walk.
Liu Feng naturally would not ask for more gifts, so he left immediately and turned around to leave with Xu Chu.
After returning to the main hall, Cao Cao was silent. Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Cao Ang, Xiahou Dun and others all thought that he was thinking about the conditions proposed by Liu Feng.
After all, this is what they are thinking about now.
Unexpectedly, a moment later, Cao Cao suddenly asked: "I want to recruit this son as my son-in-law, what do you think?"
Everyone was stunned, and then suddenly realized that it turned out that Cao Cao thought for a long time and actually wanted to recruit Liu Feng as his son-in-law.
Cao Cao now has a lot of sons. The famous Ang Pi Zhangzhi has been born, and heirs such as King Cao Biao of Chu. But he only has one daughter, who will be the future leader of Qinghe. Princess.
This daughter was born to Cao Ang's mother, Cao Cao's common wife, Mrs. Liu.
Mrs. Liu gave birth to two sons and one daughter, and passed away after giving birth to King Cao Shuo.
This Cao Shuo is the real second son of Cao Cao, and he is also his legitimate son. He should still be alive at this moment.
Cao Pi was only the third son, so we can only say that he was really lucky.
If Cao Ang dies and Cao Shuo does not die, it will not be Cao Pi's turn to succeed.
Because Cao Shuo was not only the legitimate son in terms of etiquette, but he was also raised by Cao Pi's biological mother Bian, so he was the natural brother of Cao Pi. At the same time, Cao Shuo was also deeply loved by Cao Cao.
But Cao Ang and Cao Shuo both died. It can only be said that Cao Pi's luck was really good.
Princess Qinghe's elder brother is Cao Cao's designated heir, and his younger brother is deeply loved by Cao Cao. He is also raised by Cao Cao's first wife, Mrs. Ding, which shows how much he is loved.
It turns out that Cao Cao planned to marry Princess Qinghe to Ding Yi, who was Ding Chong's eldest son, and thus became closer to the Ding family.
But Cao Pi intervened and persuaded Cao Cao to marry his sister to Xiahou Dun's son Xiahou Mao. Needless to say, the reason was that the Ding brothers were Cao Zhi's die-hard supporters.
As soon as Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, he killed the Ding brothers to establish his authority. His previous actions seemed to be done specifically to prevent his sister from becoming a widow.
Although Cao Cao and Cao Pi regarded the eldest princess Qinghe as a treasure, Liu Feng was indifferent to her gratitude. The Qinghe princess colluded with Xiahou Mao's younger brothers to murder her husband and almost killed Xiahou Mao. The reason was just because Xiahou Mao had a bad relationship with her and did not have a side wife.
Fortunately, Duan Mo, the captain of Changshui at the time, spoke up and persuaded Cao Rui, and Xia Houmao survived.
How dare Liu Feng want such a wife?
Cao Cao was really drunk, otherwise he wouldn't have asked such a question so abruptly.
Besides, after he finished asking, he passed out drunkenly on the table, which shocked the officials.
Cao Ang quickly got up, stepped forward and helped Cao Cao with his attendants, and helped him to the back hall to rest.
Everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, but after Cao Cao got drunk, everyone in the hall became thoughtful and each had something to gain.
Liu Feng knew nothing about all this.
Early the next morning, he took a bath, changed clothes, and entered the palace to meet the saint.
The emperor's impression of Liu Feng was as good as ever, especially when he heard that Liu Bei was going south to attack Yuan Shu again, Liu Xie was very happy.
But waiting for Dong Zhao to ask the emperor to issue an edict to remove Yuan Shu from the post of general Zuo, and at the same time remove the title of Yang Zhaihou.
The emperor Liu Xie looked hesitant. If he issued this edict, he would really offend Yuan Shu to death.
Just when the emperor Liu Xie hesitated, Zhong Yao said: "Yuan Shu has relied on the children of the Yuan family and has been disobedient for a long time. He has never sent anyone to Luozhong to pay homage to the emperor. If the emperor can Punishing them can extend the power of the emperor and expand the hearts of loyal ministers."
Liu Xie's face clearly showed emotion, and he was obviously moved by Zhong Yao.
Seeing this situation, Liu Feng was ready to give the final word and said: "Your Majesty, Yuan Shu has another crime, which is unpardonable."
"What crime?"
Emperor Liu Xie looked over in surprise and said doubtfully.
Liu Feng raised his head and replied: "Yuan Jiujiao is good at hiding the jade seal passed down to the country. His rebellious and disobedient heart is clearly exposed. If your Majesty does not punish him as soon as possible, he will rebel sooner or later!"
"What!?"
The emperor Liu Xie straightened up suddenly, looking at Liu Feng with an expression of surprise and panic: "The jade seal of the country is on the left...where is Yuan Shu?"
" Exactly!"
Liu Feng replied sternly: "I heard that the imperial seal was found by Sun Polu after he defeated the Dong thieves and entered Luoyang. The leak was known to Yuan Shu, so he took Sun Polu's wife and children hostage as a threat, and forced Sun Polu to hand over the imperial seal to him."
Finally, Liu Feng did not forget to add: "According to the ministers. I know that it has been six years since the imperial seal fell into the hands of Yuan Shu.”
The emperor looked excited, but he forced himself to endure it.
At this time, General Cao Cao's memorial was also sent up.
Emperor Liu Xie hurriedly started reading. In the memorial, Cao Cao also supported Liu Bei in sending troops south to conquer Yuan Shu.
Liu Xie thought of the news that Zhong Yao sent to the palace last night. Liu Bei was even willing to support the imperial court in imposing taxes on Hebei.
After much hesitation, Liu Xie finally made up his mind and agreed to Liu Bei and Liu Feng's request.
After receiving the approval of Emperor Liu Xie, Zhong Yao immediately drafted an edict on the sidelines.
Liu Feng was overjoyed, but he said respectfully to the Emperor Liu Xie: "I have sent people to Shouchun to order Yuan Shu to hand over the imperial seal as soon as possible, and go into the palace to plead guilty to His Majesty in person. If so, There is still loyalty in his heart, so he will definitely not refuse. If he still dares to refuse, there will be no need to persuade him. "
"Good! The emperor was very moved when he heard this. Liu Feng showed such restraint and respected the emperor so much. This made Liu Xie very moved and happy.
So, the emperor Liu Xie said to Zhong Yao: "My dear sir, you can add a sentence to the edict, commanding Liu Qiaoqi to supervise all matters in the three southeastern states. From the prefecture to the pastoral level, all matters can be decided by oneself."
Liu Feng immediately thanked the emperor for his kindness.
Although there is no such thing as the emperor, Liu Bei can still decide everything in the three southeastern states.
But after adding this sentence, it means that he really intervened under the order. Even if he directly takes down Yangzhou Shepherd Liu Yao, it will not cause any waves.
It can be seen that the emperor was really moved.
Liu Feng struck while the iron was hot: "Your Majesty, please sit in peace in Luozhong. It can take as short as one year or as long as several years. As long as the imperial seal is really in the hands of Yuan Shu, the ministers and his son will definitely return it to Zhao intact for your majesty."
Liu Xie was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay! Very good!"
No wonder Liu Xie was so excited. In fact, the gold content of his emperor position was not enough.
Not to mention the wrath caused by his father Ling Emperor, the real successor is actually his brother Liu Bian.
Liu Bian is the real son of the queen and the crown prince. One of his two uncles serves as a general and the other as a cavalry general. No matter the identity process, they are completely flawless.
But Liu Xie only ascended the throne after Liu Bian was deposed by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was recognized by the world as a rebellious official who brought disaster to the country and the people. This shows how low the gold content of Liu Xie's throne is.
If it weren't for these two sons of Emperor Ling, Liu Bian would have been poisoned to death by Dong Zhuo's order.
As long as Liu Bian is still alive, Liu Xie may be forced to abdicate due to Wang Yun's madness after his success.
It was precisely because Liu Xie's legal rationality was relatively low and his gold content was not high that Yuan Shao in Hebei had the idea of making Liu Yu the emperor instead.
Yuan Shu even felt that destiny was mine, and the highway should be high.
If Liu Bei can retrieve the imperial seal, it will be a huge benefit to Liu Xie, which undoubtedly shows that destiny still favors Liu Xie.
Otherwise, why would the imperial seal that had been missing for several years be recovered by Liu Xieren?
But this can actually be said in two ways. After all, this time I went south to conquer Yuan Shu, I really wanted to find the imperial seal.
The person who recovered the imperial seal happened to be named Liu.
Liu Xie could not think of this at this time, and his heart was filled with good impressions of Liu Bei and Liu Feng. It is a pity that he is still very poor now, otherwise he would really want to reward Liu Feng with some good things as a token of appreciation. It’s a beautiful idea.
After receiving the edict from the emperor to remove Yuan Shu from all official positions and titles, Liu Feng got another piece of good news.
Cao Cao is willing to lend 500 sets of armor, and the price will be the same as Liu Feng's, but Liu Feng still needs to mortgage 200 horses with the other party.
Liu Feng didn't care about this. Even if he brought the two hundred horses back, they might not be of much use. The food given to Cao Cao was also Cao Cao's food, so why not do it.
So, Liu Feng immediately agreed.
Cao Cao directly took out 500 sets of iron armor from Luozhong's army and gave them to Liu Feng. Liu Feng handed over 200 war horses to the other party, and then took the edict, armor and the remaining more than 40 A war horse left Luozhong.
While leaving, I stopped by Gong County and had a meal with Yang Feng and Han Xian to maintain our friendship before continuing south and returning to Xiang County.
Liu Feng left in such a hurry. Besides getting everything, there was another reason.
That is Chen Guo.
This time when he went to Cao Cao for a banquet in Luozhong, Liu Feng was quite worried that Cao Cao would mention Chen Guo.
Although Liu Feng also found an excuse to at least delay it for this year, Cao Cao did not take the initiative to mention it. Perhaps it was because the recent exchanges with Yuan Shao involved too much of his energy and attention.
The pressure on Yuan Shao was so great that even though Cao Cao looked down on him, he was still quite honest physically.
But from Cao Cao's perspective, Chen Guo was actually a hot potato.
Now Chen Guo has begun to deliver grain to the imperial court. Although it is handed over through Liu Bei, Liu Bei himself is a Yuzhou herdsman, which is reasonable.
If Cao Cao wants to occupy Chen State, the best way is to win over Chen Wang Liu Chong and Prime Minister Luo Jun. Forced substitution is the worst option.
Because the prestige of Liu Chong and Luo Jun in Chen State is too high.
Or simply learn from Yuan Shu and find someone to assassinate Liu Chong and Luo Jun. In this way, the Chen Kingdom will be leaderless, and he can naturally enter at the right time and take control of the situation.
But Liu Bei now maintains a good relationship with Liu Chong and Luo Jun, so Cao Cao cannot use off-board moves.
Therefore, Cao Cao may also have a headache about this matter.
Everyone is no longer barefoot, so many things have to be negotiated.
(End of this chapter)