"Hypocrisy, preaching, it's all about fame and reputation, it's worthless, worthless!"
In the city of Xuchang, Cao Cao casually threw a piece of paper on the table and sneered: "The Duke of Zhou spits out his blessings, and the world returns to his heart. Liu Boxi has such a loud tone."
Liu Fu stroked his beard and smiled and said: "What the Prime Minister said is absolutely true. Liu Qi's "Dan Ge Xing" is packed with words and phrases, pretending to be deep, and he puts on an attitude of caring about the world at such a young age. It is indeed too artificial."
Cao Cao had a look of disdain on his face and turned to ask: "Liu Qi still needs five million yuan in food before he can be released. What should we do?"
Liu Fu replied: "I expect that Liu Qi will just ask for a high price like last time. It is not an exaggeration for the prime minister to halve the price."
Jiang Ji nodded and said: "Liu Yushi's words are reasonable. Why don't we give Liu Qi a higher official position and reduce the money and food? And since General Xiahou has a good marriage relationship, Liu Qi will definitely agree."
Cao Cao asked: "How should I seal it properly?"
Jiang Ji said: "The prime minister once gave up the chariot general to Yuan Shao, and then defeated the Yuan family and conquered Hebei. This is a good omen! Why not worship Liu Qi as the chariot general and advance while taking advantage of the victory. In the future, he will be able to conquer the south of the Yangtze River."
Cao Cao frowned and said: "Yuan Shao, the Fourth and Third Duke, had a very high prestige at that time, and everyone in the world respected his orders. It would be too much for Liu Qi to become a high official at a young age."
Jiang Ji said: "Liu Biao has ordered Liu Qi to take charge of Jingzhou and lead the general Zhennan. I will report according to the details. I am afraid that his fate will not be long. Liu Qi will attack and become the Marquis of Wu. It is better to give him a favor. It is just a false name and can save millions of money and food. I hope." The Prime Minister will consider it."
Cao Cao thought for a moment and sighed: "That's all we have to do. I will grant Liu Qi the title of Marquis of Xiangyang and General of Chariots and Cavalry. As for money and food... I can only contribute two million at most. I hope this son can take care of himself!"
The imperial court had already appointed Liu Biao as the General of Zhennan and the Shepherd of Jingzhou, and he had the power of taking holidays. Liu Qi also received the seal of General Liu Bei Zuo. Whether he sealed it or not could not interfere with his actual power. If he could save money and food, Cao Cao would certainly be happy.
After Jiang Ji left, Cao Cao asked Liu Fu: "Ming Gong previously governed Yangzhou with great achievements. Now Sun Quan has made a surprise attack on Lujiang and coveted Huainan. Most of Yangzhou has been occupied by Soochow. Does Ming Gong have any countermeasures?"
Liu Fu replied: "When Xiaguan was in Shouchun, he built water conservancy projects and dredged water transportation in various parts of Jiujiang to transport money and grain. Hefei built high forts with many bricks and stones and thousands of dendrobiums of fish paste for war defense. Today, Zhang Wenyuan can be sure to guard Hefei, but the Dongwu navy is strong. It may not be easy to take back the Lujiang River, so it is better to leave it to Sun Quan. Now that Huang Zu has died, Liu Qi sent Guan Yu to guard Jiangxia and look east of the river. Sun Quan is in a dilemma in Huainan. Seeing this The good thing is that they will definitely retreat. If Dongwu turns to attack Jiangxia, the prime minister can take the opportunity to raise troops to take revenge. The north and the south will be facing each other. No matter how powerful Liu Qi is, he will be captured!"
"Hahaha, this is a great plan!" Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed: "Exchange the mere land of Lujiang for Nanyang and Jingzhou, what I want!"
Liu Fu was immediately appointed as an envoy to go to Huainan to negotiate with Sun Quan. As long as Soochow Wu withdraws from Chaohu, Sun Yu will be appointed as the prefect of Lujiang and Zhou Yu as the prefect of Jiangxia, allowing Jiangdong's foundation to expand again.
After everyone left, Cao Cao picked up the letter again and looked at the poems on the paper. He felt more and more that Liu Qi was a great threat. He had the ambition of Duke Zhou at a young age. When he grows up in the future, how can he still do it?
After pondering for a moment, he called Cao Chun and asked, "How are the arrangements for the assassination of Liu Qi going?"
Cao Chunyan said: "Liu Qi recently inspected the four counties in Jingnan. Judging from his itinerary, he must cross the river from the mouth of Wuling Youjiang and return. I discussed with Dong Zhao and wanted to bribe the Wuxi Barbarian King with a lot of money and send assassins to take action. Wuxi Barbarians are proficient in water and land and are the best. Ambush hunting, if the ambush is from the water, Liu Qi will have nowhere to escape and will definitely die."
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly and stroked his beard and said: "Instead of spending a lot of money to instigate rebellion against the Wuxi barbarians, it is better to bribe their assassins. Regardless of whether they succeed or not, they will definitely become enemies with Jingzhou and Wuling will be in chaos!"
Cao Chun clasped his fists and said, "What the Prime Minister said is absolutely true. This is exactly Dong Zhao's plan. Instead of buying off the Wuxi barbarians, it is better to induce them to send troops. No matter whether they succeed or not, they will definitely turn against them. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and laughed loudly: "Liu Qi, Liu Qi, this time it will be difficult for you to take care of yourself. You will have to shed your skin even if you don't die!"
At this moment, a letter suddenly came from the soldiers. It was from Zhong Yao of Chang'an. Cao Cao hurriedly opened it, and after reading it he said angrily: "What a Ma Teng, you dare to resist my order, how can you do this!"
Cao Chun asked, "Is it possible that Ma Teng doesn't want to serve in the imperial court?"
Cao Cao snorted slightly and said in a deep voice: "This must be Nanyang's defeat. I have lost my prestige. Ma Teng also despises me, so I am waiting and watching."
It turned out that Ma Teng and Han Sui were constantly at war due to conflicts between their subordinates. Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao and others to make peace between the two, and worshiped Ma Teng as a former general.
Xun Yu was afraid that the Xiliang army would continue to cause chaos, so he suggested recruiting Ma Teng to serve the emperor in the imperial court. At this time, Ma Teng was far away from Xiliang, and Cao Cao's power in pacifying Hebei was unmatched, so he would definitely agree.
Cao Cao sent Zhang Ji to persuade Ma Teng, who had agreed to go to Beijing two months ago. Unexpectedly, when he arrived in Chang'an, he suddenly changed his mind and returned to his base. Apparently he saw Cao Cao's defeat and was watching.
Cao Chun said angrily: "Ma Teng and his son are capricious, why don't they send troops to destroy them?"
"Huainan is not at peace, Guanzhong is no place to use troops!" Cao Cao sighed helplessly and said in a deep voice: "Let Ma Teng stay in Huaili temporarily. I have my own countermeasures. It is important to get rid of Liu Qi first."
Ma Teng's waiting and watching made Cao Cao furious. Liu Qi destroyed all the prestige he had finally accumulated. The Battle of Nanyang also became a lifelong shame for him, and he hated Liu Qi even more.
After Cao Chun left, Cao Cao recalled Xun Yu, who had sent the emperor to Yecheng, and discussed: "Ma Teng refuses to come to the capital to serve the emperor. He must have had second thoughts after seeing someone's defeat. What should we do?"
Xun Yu had already known the news, and when he heard the words, he replied: "Ma Teng and his son have been in Xiliang for a long time and have a high prestige. They cannot be sent back to Xiliang. If they are allowed to station troops in Huaili, they will be troubled by raising tigers. Why not drive the tigers and devour the wolves?" count?"
Cao Cao hurriedly asked: "What's the plan?"
Xun Yu said: "Zhang Lu separated Hanzhong and killed the Han envoys. It is said that he wanted to become independent. Why not worship Ma Teng as the prefect of Hanzhong and order him to challenge Zhang Lu and attack Hanzhong. This can not only eliminate the troubles of his confidants, but also weaken Zhang Lu. Zhang Lu Lu demons and thieves, who are also using ghost ways and are not good at running the army, will definitely be harmed by the Ma family. Regardless of victory or defeat, the prime minister will take advantage of both sides to suffer losses and send troops to Guanzhong. Hanzhong will be easily accessible!"
Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this and said: "I heard that Liu Qi has long wanted to capture Yizhou. Liu Zhang is secretly weak and the hearts of the people in the country are uncertain. If he succeeds, he will be a trouble to his confidants. If he captures Hanzhong, he can plan for Yizhou and contain Liu Qi. Wen Ruo will do this." It’s far-sighted.”
Xun Yu said again: "Recently, Kebi has been able to ask Yan Rou, the captain of the Wuwan School, to pay tribute to the court. The Xianbei are rampant in Mobei, which will be a big trouble in the future. Why not just like Wuhuan, recruit Xianbei cavalry to join the army and form a division to conquer the Central Plains?" It can weaken Xianbei and replenish its troops. Even the Xiliang cavalry will have nothing to fear."
Cao Cao frowned slightly. Although recruiting foreign troops was not what he wanted, he was forced by the situation and had to do so.
Then he granted Ke Bi the title of Chanyu of Xianbei, and ordered Yan Rou to commend the leaders of the Xianbei tribes and recruit troops with heavy sums of money. Anyone who made meritorious service in the Central Plains would be promoted to an official, and all would be treated equally.
