The next day, when he was about to return to Xiangyang, an envoy from Xuchang arrived to test his words.
Liu Qi has persuaded Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun to let the envoys meet with them first to express their intentions, and they will explain the preliminary conditions.
After the meeting, the envoy met Liu Qi again. The person who came was named Hu Zhi. After the meeting, he thanked Liu Qi again and again and praised Liu Qi for his kindness.
Hu Zhi was worried all the way on this mission, worried that Liu Qi would be as ruthless as Wang Lang.
After the tea ceremony, Hu Zhi couldn't wait to ask: "I wonder when the two generals will return to Xuchang?"
He was ordered to come here this time mainly to test Liu Qi's tone. If he could directly bring the two generals back, how could Cao Cao not reward him for such a great achievement?
Liu Qi said with a smile: "General Zhang's wedding is coming soon, and he will need the help of his mother's family. It will be a lot of trouble, so I have to ask the two generals to stay a little longer. After the wedding is over, they can go back with their mother's family."
"Ah? This..." Hu Zhi's heart sank. Looking at Liu Qi's gentle smile, he suddenly felt sinister and hesitated: "I'm afraid this will delay the situation for too long, and the Prime Minister won't be worried."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "It's okay, just choose a good and auspicious day as soon as possible and get married as soon as possible. The two of them are already married. They only need the blessings of their mother-in-law's family and don't need many mundane gifts."
Hu Zhi still couldn't figure out Liu Qi's temper, and he didn't dare to force it, so he had to agree vaguely and said with a smile: "General Xiahou dotes on this woman the most. I expect this matter can be completed within one month."
Liu Qi took a sip of tea, then suddenly sighed and shook his head.
"Does the general have something on his mind?" Hu Zhi's heart skipped a beat, fearing that Liu Qi would suddenly change his mind.
"Exactly!" Liu Qi frowned and said, "A certain person went out of the city yesterday and encountered a fight between two families. There has been no decision on this matter yet. If it is not decided early, it may lose the support of the people. This is why we are in trouble."
Hu Zhi thought to himself that Liu Qi couldn't even resolve a small civil dispute. It seemed that he really relied on Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu. Reporting this matter to Cao Cao after he returned home would definitely make him feel relieved.
With his mind spinning, he cupped his fists and said: "Since the two families have made peace, the general is in trouble and I am incompetent. I am willing to do my best to be bold. I wonder if I can file a complaint?"
Liu Qi said: "Yesterday when I went out for inspection in the city, I saw Li Er's cow eating the seedlings of Zhao Si's family. Zhao Si seized the cow and used the cow to cultivate again. Li Er saw that the cow had been used and was unwilling to compensate for the loss. Zhao Si refused to return it. Niu, what should we do?"
Hu Zhi said with a smile: "Although the oxen have plowed the land, they did something wrong after all. What's more, the seedlings have already sprouted. If they grow again, they will affect the harvest. In my opinion, all losses should be compensated. This is punishment! Plowing the land can only be done to make amends, not to do anything else." Compensation, just imagine if the cattle had not gone out of control, why would Zhao Si have done this? Everything happened because of Li Er's lax supervision, so compensation is reasonable."
"Good advice, sir!" Liu Qi suddenly realized, clasping his fists and saying, "As the saying goes, listening to what you have to say is better than ten years of reading and being taught."
"Where is it!" Hu Zhi returned the greeting, laughing secretly in his heart.
Liu Qi couldn't handle such a simple matter, let alone a major national matter? It seems that this person is nothing to worry about.
Just when he was feeling complacent, he heard Liu Qi slowly say:
"Prime Minister Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops marched south. The lives of Nanyang were devastated, the people were displaced, the fields were destroyed, and how many innocent people were dumped in the wilderness. Who should bear the consequences of these losses?"
"What?" Hu Zhi's hand holding the tea trembled, and the tea spilled unconsciously. He looked at Liu Qi in surprise, "General, could you be..."
Only then did I understand what Liu Qi had just said. It turned out that he had already dug a hole for himself to jump into.
But how can civil disputes be compared with national events?
You robbed my territory and asked me to pay for its management. There is no such thing as this in the world. It is simply too much!
Although he was angry in his heart, Hu Zhi was too embarrassed to say anything, so he hurriedly said: "Didn't you say... that the ransom has been waived?"
"Since the two families are married, it seems reasonable to collect ransom!" Liu Qi nodded slightly.
"That's true!" Hu Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Qi raised his eyebrows and smiled: "But ransom and compensation are two different things. I spared the ransom of the two generals for personal reasons, but the loss of Nanyang concerns all the people. I dare not make the decision, so I ask Prime Minister Cao to make the decision."
"This..." Hu Zhi's smile froze on his face and he asked cautiously: "I wonder how much compensation the general plans to ask for?"
Liu Qi said: "The spring plowing season has passed. It will take half a year to resettle the people. In addition to the buildings, etc., it will cost at least five million yuan..."
"Five million?!" Hu Zhi stood up in shock.
For Cao Cao's southern expedition, the total amount of money and food allocated from various places was only three million. Liu Qi's request was too much.
Liu Qi sighed: "I really don't know how expensive firewood and rice are, and I have no choice but to do it! But now I am in charge of Nanyang at the beginning of my life. I have a low-level official position. I want to govern the land of Nanyang. I am afraid that people will not accept it. When the time comes, I will have to ask Prime Minister Cao to send people to Nanyang." Help.”
"Hiss..." Hu Zhi took a breath of air. Liu Qi not only wanted money, but also an official position.
Looking at Liu Qi at this moment, this kind-faced and slightly immature young man looked like a murderous demon without spitting out bones.
After being stunned for a long time, Hu Zhi's heart had already turned cold. He cupped his fists and said, "General, I don't dare to make the decision privately. I will tell the truth to the Prime Minister and wait for him to make a decision."
Liu Qi waved his hand and said with a smile: "Sir, there is no need to worry. Anyway, the two generals have nothing to worry about in Nanyang. They don't have to train troops, let alone fight, and they rarely have leisure. It's just a good time for them to rest."
Hu Zhi secretly cursed the little fox in his heart. He no longer had the secret joy when he first arrived, and rushed back to Xuchang with full of worries. The biggest gain of this trip was to see that the two generals were safe and sound.
After seeing off the envoy, Liu Qi, Zhang Fei and others rushed to Xiangyang. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan were guarding Nanyang, and Wenpin and Lu Chang were guarding the main road. No matter how many tricks Cao Cao tried, he would not be able to make a comeback.
It's already July in the blink of an eye. Looking back on this decisive battle, it really was like a dream. The cruelty of the war was shocking, but the joy of victory was also hard to extricate.
Obtaining endless resources in wars and conquests, this most primitive pleasure of plunder, cannot be described in words. The continuous conquests of human beings since their birth are probably a return to their true nature.
As the troops crossed the Xiangjiang River to Xiangyang, the people lined the streets to greet them, singing and dancing. If Liu Qi had not turned the tide and blocked Cao's army, they would have suffered the same fate as their companions who were used as food for the army.
This battle made Liu Qi's prestige surpass that of Liu Biao and Liu Bei, and he officially became the number one person in Jingzhou!
After crossing the river, Liu Qi seemed to have left the front line. He relaxed, soaked in the sunshine, enjoyed the cheers, and felt a little fluttering in his heart.
After several months of war, he was proud of his life on the battlefield, but disappointed in love.
You can't have your cake and eat it too, it's a big problem how to catch the beauty of the world!
