Mentioning Sima Yi, Cao Cao suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked, "Sir, what do you think he is?"
Jia Xu replied: "I have only heard of his talent, but not of his person. Cui Jigui praised him for being smart, bright, and decisive. No one among the younger generations can match him!"
"No one can match him?" Cao Cao nodded and said, "Cui Zhizhi is good at understanding people, and his evaluation is not an exaggeration. But I don't know that this person is a hawk and a wolf, and he is not someone who has been under others for a long time."
After Cao Cao became prime minister, he appointed Cui Yan as the Eastern Cao Cao, in charge of evaluating and selecting talents, and forcibly appointed Sima Yi as the Literary Cao, in charge of classics and books, and supervising Cao Pi and other disciples to study.
A strange look flashed in Jia Xu's eyes: "I heard that the Prime Minister has recruited this person many times, and he refused to take up the post before. He only came to the house last year, but why did he say this?"
Cao Cao sighed: "I have heard about Zhongda for a long time. He was very smart since he was a child, and he followed Confucianism, so he admired his name and conquered the country. Who knew that this son was not pretending to be ill, and was almost deceived by him? He had such scheming ideas at a young age. , and you are not willing to return your heart to me, how can you dare to reuse him?"
Jia Xu laughed and said: "The Prime Minister is brave and decisive, powerful in the world, and popular. What can he do for a mere brat??"
Cao Cao shook his head and said: "Sir, you don't know. The depth of Sima Yicheng's palace is no less than that of Liu Bei! Liu Bei has big plans and great ambitions. He is a dragon in shallow water. Everyone knows it, but he just hasn't met it at the right time! This man is very tolerant. Like a dragon in the abyss, it hides in the dark and hides its power and bides its time when there is no opportunity. Although I am not afraid of him, I am afraid that in the future, my disciples will not be able to control it, and raising a tiger will become a problem!"
Jia Xu didn't expect Cao Cao to compare Sima Yi with Liu Bei. He was silent for a moment and then said: "The Prime Minister has always been good at employing people. He only chooses talents and makes his own decisions."
Cao Cao paused for a moment and then asked: "Is Ma Teng's trouble really greater than that of Sun Quan?"
Jia Xu said: "If there were no Liu Qi, Ma Teng would have nothing to fear! Now Liu Qi has attacked Wuguan and is spying on the pass. Ma Teng has also claimed to be a hero and a loyal and good man. If he is used by Liu Qi, he will be like a tiger with added wings; Sun Quan will inherit his father and brother. The foundation is unwilling to be subordinate to others and wants Liu Qi to use it. The two are not subordinate to each other, so there will be a fight, and the prime minister can wait for an opportunity to break it."
A gleam flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he said slowly: "If Liu Qi captures the Xiliang army, his power will be unstoppable!"
Jia Xu nodded and said: "Guanzhong is of great importance, and the Prime Minister should not take it lightly."
Cao Cao sneered and said: "Liu Qi, my son, is content in the south of the Yangtze River. There is nothing he can do for a while. If he tries to enter the Qin Dynasty, he will definitely lose more than he gains and regret it."
Jia Xu sighed: "It's a pity that I am old and cannot travel far to share the Prime Minister's worries."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "If Wen He stays in Xuchang, my heart will be at ease."
After seeing Jia Xu off, Cao Cao sighed loudly and murmured: "I am alone..."
Thinking back to the Battle of Guandu, although the force was weak, there were many talented people around, each showing their abilities and doing things with ease.
Nowadays, with the loss of soldiers and generals, there are fewer and fewer available people. It is difficult to have a drink and talk like Guo Jia did, or Cheng Yu, a confidant person, felt an inexplicable loss in his heart.
Especially when Yu Jin, Zhang He, and Li Dian were all persuaded to surrender by Liu Qi, Cao Cao couldn't understand it.
How could He De, a mere sick man and child, actually dig into his own walls?
When I was feeling emotional, I suddenly heard the noise of people outside and the jingling of bells. I couldn't go out, but I saw Cao Pi directing the servants to move furniture, which made people jump around.
"Zihuan, what do you want to do?"
When Cao Pi heard Cao Cao's voice, he was frightened. He quickly turned around and said in a panic: "Father, the child is here...replacing the furniture."
He had obviously asked about it, how could Cao Cao suddenly appear in the mansion when he was with Mrs. Qin?
Cao Cao walked over slowly with his hands behind his back and looked at Cao Pi: "If you don't want to study, what's the use of doing all this?"
"My child wanted to make money...to share his father's worries..." Cao Pi already felt guilty and was a little incoherent.
"It turns out that my father-in-law is at the house and he just wanted to see how the furniture looks like!"
At this moment, Xia Houmao led a group of people into the mansion, and there was a lot of noise from cars and horses at the door.
Cao Cao's face was gloomy: "Zilin, what are you two doing?"
Xia Houmao was bold. He stepped forward, clasped his fists and smiled: "The Chinese New Year is coming soon. My son-in-law will replace some furniture for his father-in-law. It is a sign of filial piety between the two of us."
Cao Cao said displeased: "Now the military situation is urgent and food and grass are scarce. I ordered the whole army to be frugal, but you two did the opposite, trying to make me... What are these?"
Just as he was scolding the two of them, he saw those people walking in carrying some tables and chairs. They were all of a style he had never seen before and looked very strange.
Xia Houmao smiled and said: "Father-in-law, these furniture are different. They are similar to the water bed. Although my son-in-law suffered a slight setback in Xiangyang, he was a blessing in disguise. He has a way to make money. Within half a year, he can help the prime minister. It also relieves the food crisis!"
"Oh?" Cao Cao followed him into the hall and looked at the square table and armchairs placed in the main hall. He was greatly surprised. He walked over and sat down and exclaimed: "Could this be the furniture of the Hanxing Hall that is rumored to be there?"
"Exactly!" Seeing Cao Cao's happy expression, Xia Houmao said proudly, "Liu Qi thinks he has a plan and regards me as his anointed son. However, my son-in-law is the best at running the family business, and you know it, father-in-law!"
Cao Cao rubbed the table and chairs, and suddenly frowned and said, "But if you use Han Xingtang's utensils and spread the word, won't you be laughed at by others?"
Xia Houmao said with a smile: "This is the Maolin Hall. He has the Hanxing Hall in Jingzhou, and we also have the Maolin Hall in the Central Plains. Tables, chairs and furniture are essential for every household. If Liu Qi can use this to make money and raise food, so can we!"
He was originally named Pi Maotang, but Cao Pi thought it didn't sound good, so he chose Huan Lin Tang, but Cao Pi vetoed it and did not want to get involved, so he simply used his own name and named Maolin Tang.
"Hahaha, that's wonderful!" Cao Cao looked at the two of them. Seeing that Cao Pi was still nervous, he nodded and said with a smile, "I don't think my son has grown up, and I know that I have to share my worries as a father!"
Cao Pi suddenly turned from worry to joy and said hurriedly: "The child saw that his father had been working hard on military affairs all day long, and he had a headache, but he was helpless, so he could only try his best."
"It's rare that you have such filial piety!" Cao Cao was worrying about employing people. He suddenly found that his junior had grown up, and he was quite relieved. He said with emotion: "You two are selling furniture, maybe because you don't have enough funds?"
Cao Pi lowered his head, with a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes, and said: "The child is unfilial. I wanted to give my father a surprise when the matter is completed, but I don't want to make my father angry."
He was full of hope when he went to borrow money from Cao Hong, but he was poured cold water on his head. He couldn't borrow a penny and was scolded. He has been holding a grudge since then. He wanted to file a lawsuit just now, but he thought that Cao Hong was close to Cao Cao. Finally I couldn't bear it.
"It's hard for you two to come up with these methods!" Cao Cao stepped forward and patted Cao Pi on the shoulder, "Tomorrow we will allocate two million dollars from the treasury. We must make Maolin Hall bigger and stronger. We must not lose to Liu Qi. .”
Cao Pi was overjoyed, trembling with excitement, and said hurriedly: "Thank you very much, father!"
Xia Houmao patted his chest confidently: "Father-in-law, please relax. Although my son-in-law cannot lead the army in war, he is willing to bear some of the money and food in the army to share the worries of my father-in-law."
"Okay!" Cao Cao nodded repeatedly, stroking his beard and laughing: "Who said my Cao family doesn't have a Qilin son?"
