Cao Cao took a deep breath and knew that it was not easy for Xia Houmao to raise money, so he patiently said: "Those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters. You have also gone through many battles, how can you still act like a noble disciple?"
Xia Houmao's heart trembled, and he clasped his fists and said, "My son-in-law realizes his mistake."
Cao Cao said again: "I will return to my old life today. There is no room for failure in the water village. I give you one month to build a chain. Can you do it?"
"Promise to complete the task!" Xia Houmao was panicking. He bid farewell to Cao Cao and returned to the library. He told what happened just now, his face extremely ugly.
Zhang Wei was wounded all over, with several whip marks on his face, lame legs and swollen hands. He sighed: "There are so many wars in the army, and it's really not worth it for a general to stand up for a villain."
Xia Houmao gritted his teeth and said: "Sir, don't worry, sooner or later I will ask Man Chong to kneel at my feet and let you do whatever you want."
Zhang Wei cupped his fists and said, "I have been living in poverty for half my life. I can't thank you enough for Master Meng for not giving up. Why do you want anything else?"
"This is not your business alone!" Xia Houmao pulled Zhang Wei to sit down and comforted him: "Although you are a housekeeper now, you are still my guest. I have never treated you as a servant. I should have sent you back." I’m recovering from my injuries, but there’s something going on right now, and I have to ask you to share my worries.”
Zhang Wei was deeply moved and nodded: "What's the big deal about a minor injury? General, I will not hesitate to die even if I ask you to do so."
Xia Houmao asked in a low voice: "Han Xingtang - sir, do you have any connections?"
"Ah?" Zhang Wei was shocked and hurriedly swore: "General, I know clearly that I have cut off all contact with Jingzhou for a long time. That Man Chong is obviously a false accusation..."
"I am not doubting Mr. Xia!" Xia Houmao stopped Zhang Wei and explained: "Right now, the army is short of funds, but the Prime Minister wants me to build a series of warships. A clever woman can't make a meal without rice! I originally wrote a letter to Xuchang, asking Mr. to deal with it. Who knows about this matter... Alas!"
Zhang Wei was surprised: "General, are you going to borrow money from Hanxingtang?"
"Not bad!" Xia Houmao sighed helplessly: "The prime minister has one month to complete the deadline. Five million dollars, only Hanxingtang can be used immediately. When this is over, I will take back Maolintang to make a living, and next year I will go to the outside of the Great Wall to collect a batch of medicinal materials. The hides can be paid off in one month.”
Zhang Wei looked embarrassed and said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid I'll borrow money from Han Xingtang to build weapons to deal with Liu Qi..."
"That's why I need you to come forward and handle this matter secretly!" Xiahou Mao said: "We must not let them know the use of this money, otherwise the military orders are like mountains, and when the deadline is up, my life will be at stake!"
Zhang Weiyan said: "I share weal and woe with the general, and I will do my best to handle it. I wonder what the general will use as collateral?"
"I really have nothing now!" Xia Houmao smiled bitterly.
Thinking back when he was in Ye County, he was worth more than a billion and how prosperous he was, but now he had to struggle for millions of dollars. He felt inexplicably sad. He gritted his teeth and took out the land deed from his arms: "This is the land deed of my family's ancestral home. The prime minister has given me a thousand acres as a gift, let’s mortgage it first.”
Zhang Wei took it solemnly and said: "If we go to Jingzhou to borrow money, I'm afraid the distant water cannot save the nearby fire. The round trip will take at least a month. Han Xingtang also has property in Jiangdong, so I'll cross the river and go south."
Xia Houmao frowned and said, "Huainan was occupied by the Wu army. How can the money from Jiangdong be transported to Xuzhou?"
Zhang Wei replied: "The general just said that General Cao Hong has taken the Lujiang River, and the money can be transported to the Lujiang River by water. Half a month is enough!"
Xia Houmao said helplessly: "There is still half a month left, which is barely enough. I have to borrow my father's name to borrow supplies on credit."
"Without further delay, I'll leave immediately!" Zhang Wei didn't dare to delay, took a few sips of tea in a hurry, and then left.
Seeing Zhang Wei limping out of the door, Xia Houmao was very relieved. He thought that his husband and wife were at odds and his brothers turned against each other, but this Zhang Wei was loyal and his eyes were moist. He smiled happily and said: "These years have been ups and downs, and the situation has changed. , only accepting Zhang Wei back then was my most correct choice."
…
In Xuyi Water Village, Liu Qi also celebrated with Lu Xun and others. The news from Xuchang was sent, which was like a shot in the arm for Jiangdong Wenwu.
If there were still people who were resistant to Liu Qi before, but because of Huang Gai's face and prestige, they followed the crowd and decided to surrender sincerely.
No matter how stupid you are, you can still see the current situation. If you don't follow Liu Qi to prosper the Han Dynasty, the day lily will be cold.
While celebrating, Liu Qi sighed: "I was expecting General Huang to send troops and pretend to be at odds to deceive Cao Cao's thieves. But I didn't expect my second uncle and Kong Ming to be so quick. They defeated Xuchang and captured Zhang Liao in one fell swoop. I was afraid that Cao Mengde would return to Yanzhou." Got it!"
Zhou Tai said with a smile: "Wouldn't it be better if Cao Cao retreats? We will advance by land and water and attack Xuzhou, making it difficult for him to take care of himself. The battle in the Central Plains can be decided!"
Lu Xun said: "Cao Cao may not return to the Central Plains. Now the general is in Huainan, and there are rumors of discord between the generals. Cao Hong has entered the Lujiang River, and taking Huainan is just around the corner. Cao Cao wants to turn the tide, but the only way is to decisively fight in Huainan and defeat the general. This is a plan that will sink the ship. !”
"Bo Yan's words are reasonable. If Cao Cao retreats, he will just drink poison to quench his thirst." Liu Qi suddenly understood and said with a smile: "I have been waiting to deploy in Huainan for a long time, why is Cao Cao the same? He is not willing to give up!"
Just as he was about to send someone to inquire about Cao Cao's movements, Chen Dao came in to report that a fisherman asked to see him and ordered him to be brought in. He saw that he was covered in scars and seemed familiar.
Zhang Wei knelt down as soon as he entered the door: "My subordinate Zhang Wei, I have met my lord."
"Are you Zhang Wei?" Liu Qi was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up with his own hands. He looked up and down, almost beyond recognition, and asked, "What happened?"
Zhang Wei told Man Chong briefly about his suspicions about him and the torture. He was supposed to stay in Xuchang to recuperate, but Liu Ye asked him to come to see Xiahou Mao with his injuries. He planned to use this to alienate the kings and ministers of Wei State, but unexpectedly he was Xia Houmao was sent to handle the matter.
"If all the subjects of the Han Dynasty were as loyal and loyal as Mr. Liu Qi, why would this happen?" Liu Qi sighed with emotion, pulled Zhang Wei to his seat, and asked about Wei Ying's navy.
Jiangdong generals were surprised and funny after hearing this. They didn't expect that Xia Houmao's confidant was Jingzhou Xizao. No wonder he always suffered defeats, but they couldn't laugh or cry about Xia Houmao's borrowing money.
Who in the world doesn't know that although Hanxingtang is said to be the property of the Xi family, it is actually managed by Liu Qi's wife, Xi Xuan. It is simply unheard of to borrow money from it to deal with Liu Qi.
After hearing this, Liu Qi smiled and said: "It seems that the Wei army is short of money and food, and it is already a powerful foreign force."
Zhang Wei took out the land deed and asked, "What about borrowing money?"
Liu Qi naturally put the land deed into his sleeve and said: "You can recuperate first and wait for my news."
Lu Xun said: "The thief Cao really refused to give up. He must be waiting for news from Lujiang in Hui Shouchun and act according to his plan."
Liu Qi signaled everyone to retreat, leaving only Lu Xun and Zhou Tai, and discussed: "If Shouchun rebels, Cao's thieves will be suspicious, and there should be someone in the navy to respond. General Zhou once risked his life to save Sun Quan, so it is reasonable to take the opportunity to raise troops." Among them, do you dare to go to the Wei camp and pretend to surrender to Cao Xiu?"
Zhou Tai said proudly: "This is just a Wei camp, someone looks at it like a grass bank on the Huaihe River. General, just give me your orders."
Liu Qi was overjoyed, and the three of them discussed strategies and promoted Lu Xun to the rank of general of the auxiliary state and governor of Pingbei, commanding the Jiangdong navy, and then rushed to Shouchun.
