After the defeat of Nanyang, Cao Cao moved his capital to Yecheng and led his own army to guard Xuchang. He has been recuperating in his mansion.
After taking Wu Shi Powder, he got out of control and had to take it once every half month. The illnesses of other people in the house also healed themselves soon after taking the elixir made by Zuo Ci.
Zuo Ci became famous in Xuchang. As a Taoist priest who traveled around the world, he was more popular than a doctor. Everyone came to ask for elixirs and even fortune-telling.
But Zuo Ci never played tricks on divination, and only focused on refining medicine. After Cao Cao sent someone to make a secret visit, he decided to allocate part of the funds for the construction of Tongque Tower to build Qingyun Palace in Shaolin.
From then on, Zuo Ci was known as Zuo Banxian in Xuchang and even the Central Plains, and no one missed Hua Tuo, the miracle doctor.
I just came out of Qin's room that day, and I was still recalling the coquettish behavior on the water bed. Cao Zhang rushed in and shouted: "Father, something serious has happened. Go and take care of your eldest brother and brother-in-law!"
Cao Cao said displeased: "Why are you so alarmed?"
"Father, he...they sold all the furniture in the mansion."
Cao Zhang is only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he has been tall and tall since he was a child, almost the same as an adult. He has been martial and impulsive since he was a child.
"Oh? Zihuan is so short of money?" Cao Cao was startled, then sighed: "Just sell it, just in time to buy some new ones."
Cao Zhang said anxiously: "He also sold the weapons used by the boy to practice martial arts."
"Sell it, sell it, I'll order someone to build it." Cao Cao laughed, this guy was here for this reason.
Cao Zhang's face turned red from holding back: "My mother's big round bed was also sold by him."
"Sell it, just sell it, just change it to a water bed." Cao Cao frowned slightly.
Cao Zhang added: "Brother also sold the palace furniture this morning..."
"How dare you!" Cao Cao was furious when he heard this, and he stood up and said, "You are a traitor and do not do your job properly. How dare you do this?"
Cao Zhang said hurriedly: "I'm going to call my eldest brother right away."
"Slow down!" Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Zihuan is always cautious in doing things and will never act recklessly. It depends on what he wants to do. It is reasonable for him to be a father."
Cao Zhang was greatly disappointed. He turned around and left with a cry. Cao Cao suddenly asked, "Who asked you to report this?"
Cao Zhang said: "The third brother said that the eldest brother is greedy for money and does not care about literature, so he reminded his father to stop him earlier."
"Got it!" Cao Cao sighed. Cao Pi and Cao Zhi had been fighting openly and secretly.
In the past, the competition was all about knowledge, but now it is about scheming. The children have grown up, and I don't know whether to be happy or worried.
When he was worried, Cao Chun hurriedly came to report: "Liu Qi is getting married. Lu Su of the Eastern Wu Dynasty went to congratulate him. Sun Quan wants to marry Liu Qi with his sister. The two families have formed an alliance."
Cao Cao was shocked when he heard this and hurriedly said: "Go and invite Jia Wenhe to see you."
Guo Jia died of illness in Hebei, Cheng Yu died in Nanyang, Xun Yu often stayed in Yecheng to supervise all officials, Xun You was in Huainan, and Jia Xu was the only one who could discuss important matters.
In the study, Cao Cao ordered Cao Chun to report the information carefully, and then said: "I represent Zhou Yu as the governor of Jiangxia. I originally wanted to annex Sun and Liu Zi, and then sent troops to Nanyang to avenge the previous shame. Unexpectedly, they formed an alliance instead. This should be What should I do?”
Jia Xu twisted his beard and said with a smile: "Sun and Liu are enemies of the world. Sun Quan did not want to take revenge, but took the initiative to marry him. He was afraid that the prime minister would go south. Liu Qi was afraid of the head and the tail, and was unable to stand alone. He wanted to make him resist our army with all his strength so that he could take advantage of the opportunity. This move is For the benefit of Jiangdong, it shows that the people in Soochow are actually afraid of the Prime Minister Hu's power, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
Cao Cao frowned and said: "But the marriage between the two families will eventually be a big trouble. If we send troops to Nanyang, Huainan will definitely send troops. It will be difficult for me to take care of both ends. There will be no hope of conquering Jiangnan!"
Jia Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister. Sun and Liu are not married yet. Just use a little trick to make his old hatred linger and add new hatred. The two families will be like fire and water, and the Prime Minister will reap the benefits."
Cao Cao hurriedly asked: "What's the plan?"
Jia Xu twisted his beard and said slowly: "Sun Quan is afraid of the Prime Minister and wants to use Liu Qi as the vanguard. Why doesn't the Prime Minister do the opposite? He has sent a large number of soldiers to Hefei in person to make a move to the south of the Yangtze River. Sun Quan will definitely ask Jingzhou for help. Liu Qi orders Guan Yu To guard Jiangxia, we must send troops to support from the waterway, and we can do things on the river. Guan Yu is arrogant, and if he is angered, the two families will definitely fight."
"Now that Liu Bei is dead, it's a pity that General Yun Changhu can't be used by me!"
Mentioning Guan Yu, Cao Cao sighed and asked: "But the north and south of the Yangtze River are all controlled by Jiangdong, how can we do anything?"
Jia Xu said: "Since Zhou Yu trained troops at Chaisang, he has conquered the Yuzhang clan bandits and purged the territory. However, the mountains are high and the water is deep. How can he eradicate them all? The Peng family in Pengli has lived here for generations. After calling himself Pengyue, he gathered tens of thousands of people and secretly We must accept many heroes, but now they are forced by Soochow, and the rabbit will die and the fox will be sad. The prime minister only needs a piece of edict to confer an official title on him, and he will happily come to join him."
"How wonderful!" Cao Cao was also a very smart man. He could tell the truth with just one point. He smiled and said, "You can make Peng pretend to be a soldier from Soochow, and take advantage of the soldiers from Jingzhou to march eastward to support them, and attack them along the way. The two families will definitely become enemies."
Jia Xu nodded and said: "If Liu Qi does not save Sun Quan, the two families will fall out of harmony and the marriage will fail. The prime minister can seize Huainan, seize the Lujiang River, occupy Ruxu, and intimidate Jiangdong. It is not known whether Sun Quan can be destroyed first."
"Determine Jiangdong first?" Cao Cao was startled, stroking his beard and thinking for a moment and asked, "Sir, what are your suggestions?"
Jia Xu said: "Liu Qi rose up against the trend, and the battle of Nanyang was widely expected. Now Jingzhou's soldiers are brave and brave, and their morale is strong. They are united and determined to fight to the death against the prime minister. There is no rush to attack!"
Cao Cao also knew that he had lost the hearts of the people in Jingzhou. He sighed in his heart and frowned and said: "But Sun Quan has commanded the Wu and Yue people and is firmly entrenched in the Three Rivers. Our naval force has not yet been completed. With Zhou Yu commanding the troops, it may be difficult to cross the river."
Jia Xu said: "Jiangdong seems to be dangerous, but in fact it is not difficult to break! Sun Quan has not been in power for a long time, and his prestige is not enough. The wealthy families are seeking their own peace, and the mountains and rivers have not yet returned to their homes. Sun Ce massacred famous people, and the emperor and his ministers were in harmony with each other. The people of Jiangdong We are afraid of the prime minister's power. If we approach him with a large army, everyone will be frightened, and the powerful families will seek surrender to protect themselves. What can Sun Quan, the newly appointed lord, do?"
Cao Cao twisted his beard and pondered for a long time, and said with emotion: "Wen He's words are true and reasonable! Wolves are afraid of tigers, so they will flock together and attack; sheep are afraid of tigers, and they will run away when they see them. They are all seeking to protect themselves, and the sheep will eventually become Eat from the tiger's mouth!"
Jia Xu squinted her little eyes, her eyes rarely softened, full of memories, and said with a chuckle: "Tianshui is rich in persimmons. Every season, the mountains turn red, and people pick persimmons. The soft ones are the sweetest. There is a saying in the northwest. Words: Pick the persimmons that are soft and pinch them!"
"Oh? Hahaha -" Cao Cao laughed while stroking his beard, and sighed helplessly: "It seems that Liu Qi, the wolf cub, will be left to be eliminated later."
Speaking of the northwest, Jia Xu added: "If the Prime Minister sends troops to Huainan, Xuchang only needs one general to guard it, but Ma Teng is hesitant to advance and retreat in Guanzhong, so defenses need to be strengthened."
Cao Cao asked: "Isn't it enough for Cao Hong to guard Chang'an and have Zhong Yao and others to help him?"
Jia Xu said: "If it's just Ma Teng, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm afraid that if Liu Qi secretly unites with him, the trouble will be far greater than the marriage between Sun and Liu!"
"Well -" Cao Cao thought for a moment and knew that Zhong Yao, Zhang Ji and others were not good at strategy, but there was no one available at the moment, so he asked, "Who can be the military advisor?"
Jia Xu said: "I think Sima Zhongda, the son of Sima Fang, is not only knowledgeable, but also knows the art of war and strategy. He is only a literary assistant and has not achieved his position. Why not reuse him?"
