Cao Xian was copying a bamboo slip, but secretly looked out the window from time to time. At this time, the window of Yuan Xi's bedroom was lowered, and then the lights inside went out.
She groaned, bit the penholder, and muttered, "Why is it so early today?"
Seeing her distracted look, Cai Zhaoji, who was pacing back and forth in the room, took the bamboo slips, slapped Cao Xian on the shoulder, and teased: "It's okay to lose focus, but don't write wrong words."
Cao Xian looked down and saw that the last two words were written in the wrong strokes. She took the linen cloth soaked in water and carefully wiped off the ink. She turned back and said with a smile: "Sister, you have such good eyesight. You can still see my mistakes from so far away." .”
Cai Zhaoji smiled and said: "I'm just used to it. My mother died young, and I compiled and copied many of my father's classics. I wrote a lot of words since I was a child."
Cao Xian wiped the bamboo slips dry, and Gonggong neatly filled in the words, and said enviously: "Our family has much fewer classics than my sister's, and my handwriting is also very average. I'm afraid I will never be able to write as well as my sister."
Cai Zhaoji said: "How old are you? You have a bright future. This classics compiler attaches great importance to it. I entrust it to you because he is the most at ease."
After hearing this, Cao Xian sighed and said, "Why do I feel that the young master appreciates this in me more than my female virtues such as my appearance?"
After hearing this, Cai Zhaoji smiled and said, "What's wrong with that?"
"Aren't these your strengths?"
Cao Xian approached Cai Yan and pointed to the dark Yuan Xi's bedroom outside the window. There was a faint sound coming from inside, "My wife's appearance is nothing to say. Is the young master bullying her like his elder sister?"
Cai Zhaoji was stunned, "Why are you bullying me?"
Cao Xian said mysteriously: "I heard my sister crying in the young master's room several times at night, isn't it?"
Cai Zhaoji's face became hot after hearing this, she lightly hit Cao Xian, and said angrily: "At such a young age, there are all kinds of messy things in my head."
Cao Xian didn't know why, and he wanted to hide it. Let's see if I catch him one day and see how the young master bullies you.
What happened in Xuzhou has spread throughout the states.
Chen Deng got up from the posthouse early in the morning, thinking that he had made no progress in Yecheng for more than half a month, and there was no point in staying any longer.
Yuan left him alone, and he had already been mentally prepared. After all, at the beginning, Yuan only verbally supported Liu Bei's acquisition of Xuzhou. In terms of real relationship, Cao Cao was much closer than Liu Bei.
Chen Deng has figured it out these days. Many people in Yecheng are more inclined to Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao's army is approaching Xiapi Tan City under the banner of rescuing Xuzhou. Chen Deng understands that this must have bad intentions.
If Cao Cao occupied Xuzhou, he would definitely not spit out this piece of fat again, but for local nobles like Chen Deng, this is almost the worst case scenario.
Cao Cao's two massacres of Xuzhou have already created a rift with the Xuzhou gentry. It can be said that no matter who takes Xuzhou, the resistance will not be as great as Cao Cao's.
However, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were on good terms, and Jizhou could not count on him. Chen Deng's only hope now was Yuan Xi. If he could capture Yuyang, go south from Qingzhou to Xuzhou, and join forces with Liu Bei, he might be able to save half of Xuzhou.
But it’s only half.
Chen Deng felt that if the six counties of Xuzhou, Guangling and Xiapi fell into Sun Ce's hands, he would never get them back.
He sighed, Liu Bei was a good lord, but it was a pity that none of his officials obeyed anyone, especially the lack of a decisive figure who could convince Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, which led to so many problems.
He ate hastily and began to pack his luggage, preparing to return.
What Chen Deng didn't expect was that a batch of urgent letters came to the inn at this time, one of which was for him.
Chen Deng couldn't help but widen his eyes after getting it. This letter was written to him by Yuan Xi, but the sign of the place where the letter was sent was from Xuzhou!
When he carefully read the contents of the letter, he was even more shocked. Yuan Xi attacked Yuyang secretly, secretly passed through Youzhou Sea Road, went straight to Xuzhou, and went directly from the Yangtze River to the city of Guangling, Sun Ce's rear base camp, and captured Guangling in a sneak attack!
Now Sun Ce has returned to the army to rescue him. He has been unable to defeat Guangling several times, and the two sides are in a stalemate.
Yuan Xi sent a letter from the waterway, telling Chen Deng that he had to conceal his purpose before, so as to prevent the secret from being leaked, and it would not have the effect of a surprise attack.
Now he is fulfilling his promise and assisting Liu Bei in retaking Xuzhou.
Chen Deng saw it and stood up excitedly. Yuan Xi was indeed a man of faith and he did not let him down!
He continued to look, and his face became serious.
The letter also said that Sun Ce and Yuan Xi were at odds and were attacking Guangling for several days. Although there was no problem in defending the city for the time being, Yuan Xi was worried that Cao Cao would reap the benefits and take the opportunity to capture Xiapitan City.
However, it was inconvenient for Yuan Xi to mobilize his troops, so he could only block Sun Ce, but he could not take care of Xiapi.
If Liu Bei still wants to take back Xiapi, he can only find other reinforcements.
So in the letter, Yuan Xi told Chen Deng that if he wanted to help Liu Bei make a comeback, there was only one person in Yecheng who could help Liu Bei.
Yuan Tan just returned from Qingzhou.
But if you want to seek his help, you need to pay a corresponding price.
Chen Deng thought about the words in Yuan Xi's letter, and suddenly realized that Liu Bei really had what Yuan Tan needed in his hands!
He quickly asked his servants to stop, took out all the unsent gifts in his bag, wrote a name letter on them, and took them with him to visit Yuan Tan.
Yuan Tan was at his residence, talking to Guo Tuxinping and several advisers. The New Year was approaching. After arranging Qingzhou affairs, he came back to meet Yuan Shao.
But he was a little irritable at the moment. Among the great advisers who were close to him, Xun Chen appeared less and less. Only brothers Guo Tu and Xin Ping Xinpi still supported him.
Although the counselors of Yuan Shang's faction are somewhat restricted, their situation is much better than that of Yuan Tan.
Now Yuan Shang is becoming more and more powerful, and most of the nobles in Yecheng have taken refuge in Yuan Shang. After all, everyone sees the general trend, and Yuan Shang must be the future leader of Jizhou.
As a result, Yuan Tan felt very uncomfortable. Although Yuan Xi helped him prevent the adoption, the disadvantage was getting bigger and bigger, but he and he still couldn't think of a way to deal with it.
He returned to Jizhou this time to tell Yuan Shao about the difficulty of defeating the Taishan thieves.
It has been almost two years since he occupied Qingzhou. Only the Qingxu acquaintance and the hundreds of thousands of Taishan bandits in the deep mountains are helpless. Yuan Shao is also very unhappy about this.
Yuan Tan understood that if he was unable to defeat the Taishan bandits again, his status in Yuan Shao's heart would plummet.
However, it is really difficult to deal with hundreds of thousands of Taishan bandits. Yuan Tan wants to ask Yuan Shao for help, but the money, food, soldiers and horses of Jizhou are all transferred to Yuan Shang. Now Yuan Shang is waiting to see Yuan Tan's joke, how can he be willing to send troops happily?
When Yuan Tan was worried, a guard sent a message saying that Xuzhou envoy Sinong Dianwei Chen Deng wanted to see him.
As soon as Yuan Tan heard Chen Deng's name, he knew the other party's intention, and said displeasedly: "Yuan Liu Alliance, it was the third brother who took action to save Xuzhou. I have too much time to take care of myself, so how can I have the energy to help him?"
"Let him go back."
The guard went out and came back, saying, "Then Chen Deng said that Mr. Yuan Xi asked him to come."
When Yuan Tan heard this, he pondered, what did Yuan Xi ask Chen Deng to do?
Yuan Xi is a man of foresight and will never find someone to steal him for no reason. Thinking of this, Yuan Tan said: "Let him come in."
After a while, Chen Deng walked in slowly and said, "Chen Deng, Xuzhou, pay my respects to the envoy."
At that time, the governors and governors of the state were all called envoys. At this time, there were four Yuan people in the world who could be called envoys.
Yuan Shao was the governor of Jizhou, Yuan Shu was the governor of Yangzhou, Yuan Tan was the governor of Qingzhou, and Yuan Xi was the governor of Youzhou.
Yuan Shu, who occupied parts of Jingzhou, Yuzhou, and Yangzhou, was not a governor or governor of a state at first, but held a military position. He served as Henan Yin, Huben Zhonglang General, and a former general. Later, after he joined forces with Sun Jian, he expressed Sun Jian was the governor of Yuzhou and proclaimed himself the governor of Yangzhou.
Of the thirteen states in the world, the Yuan family occupies nearly half, and is unparalleled in the limelight. These four state governors are all self-appointed, but strictly speaking, they are very different.
The official positions of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were more legitimate than that of Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi. This involved Yuan Shao's intentional or unintentional restrictions on Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi in the Han system.
When Yuan Tan saw Chen Deng coming in, he nodded and said, "Mr. Wenlong, please sit down. Why are you here today?"
Chen Deng explained Liu Bei's difficulties and finally said: "If you can help Liu Yuzhou solve Xuzhou's difficulties, Xuzhou will do its best to help in the future Taishan bandits."
After hearing this, Guo Tu said: "Mr. Wenlong understands the needs of the young master, but Liu Yuzhou cannot protect itself. Xuzhou has lost most of it and its troops are scattered. How can we talk about the future?"
After hearing this, Chen Deng said: "Master Haojiao knows that Master Xianyi has taken action and occupied Guangling City."
Several counselors were shocked when they heard this. Xin Ping lost his voice and said: "How is it possible? Isn't Mr. Xian Yi attacking Yuyang?"
Chen Deng told about Yuan Xi's letter, "Deng came here this time because Master Xian Yi pointed out that now is an excellent opportunity."
"Once Xuzhou is pacified, the envoy can transport troops by sea and attack the Taishan bandits by outflanking them from the north and south without being blocked by them."
After hearing this, Yuan Tan became thoughtful.
The reason why Taishan bandits have become a stubborn disease is because there are large stretches of deep mountains between Qingzhou, which are difficult for horses and infantry to enter. Taishan bandits hide in them and are difficult to exterminate, just like Zhang Yan's Black Mountain bandits.
Xin Pi stroked his beard and sighed: "Master Xianyi really used his troops like a god. He attacked Yuyang in the open and attacked Guangling secretly. This wonderful move revitalized the situation in Xuzhou."
"In this way, Mr. Xiansi can indeed mobilize troops in Qingzhou, go directly to Haixi via sea ships to merge with Liuyuzhou, and attack Xiapi."
"But mobilizing troops, money and food will cost a lot of money. If Xuzhou doesn't show anything, I'm afraid Mr. Xiansi won't be able to explain it."
Yuan Tan listened and nodded in agreement.
Chen Deng thought to himself that this was the difference between Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan. Although they both knew that Xuzhou would definitely pay the price, Yuan Xi fought before talking, while Yuan Tan talked before fighting and made a decision.
Chen Deng thought about it for a while and said, "Liu Yuzhou must decide the matter of territory himself."
"But another thing is that Deng can make a commitment for Liu Yuzhou in advance."
"Elevate Mr. Xiansi to be a talented person."
As soon as this incident came out, Yuan Tan was immediately moved.
(End of chapter)
