I've been rushing to the project in the last week, and I apologize for the lack of updates.

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Although the breach of the embankment made it impossible for Cao Ren to pursue Liu Bei south, it did not prevent Cao Cao from taking over a large area of counties south of the Huai River. As Zhuge Liang said, Liu Biao Xinye's defeat made the entire Jingzhou suddenly fall into a panic without a leader. If the big clans south of the Yangtze River can still survive by virtue of natural dangers, then many counties and counties north of the Yangtze River have only one way left to surrender in the face of the Cao army that has been driving straight into the Yangtze River. In just ten months, a large number of county towns north of Jiujiang and Lujiang were all in Cao Cao's pocket, and Cao Cao took advantage of the situation to express Liu Fu, a native of Pei, as the assassin of Yangzhou, and had the intention of continuing to move eastward to get involved in Jiangdong.

Although Liu Biao and Liu Bei were defeated by Cao Cao one after another, Sun Ce, who had a strong personality, did not retreat because of this, but relied on the Dongwu Naval Division to swim upstream from the soaring Huai River water network and wait for an opportunity to seize Dongcheng, Zhongli and other important towns in the lower reaches of the Jianghuai River. In addition, Sun Ce also personally led an army of 20,000 to besiege Guangling, and also had a drum to push the territory of Eastern Wu to the Huai River.

In the face of Sun Ce, who was not afraid of tigers with newborn calves, Cao Cao certainly had the heart to frustrate his spirit, but he lacked a decent warship in his hands to deal with the Eastern Wu sailors. So he had to order Zang Ba to rush to the aid of Chen Deng in Guangling, and on the other hand, he stepped up to threaten Liu Biao, who was huddled in Xiangyang. After all, as long as Liu Biao is removed, Cao Cao can take all the Jingzhou sailors under his command, so that he will not worry about running out of ships to go south.

In fact, Sun Ce was far more than the princes who held Cao Cao in check. No, just as Cao Cao and Sun Ce were confronting Jianghuai, the Southern Xiongnu Shan Yu Huchuquan, who was far away in Bingzhou, was in a dilemma about how to reply to the envoys of Cao and Cai. It is said that Hu Chuquan is about forty years old, with thick bones, slightly chubby, and the two thick and long eyebrows on his face make him not angry and arrogant. However, at this moment, the Southern Hun Shan Yu frowned and walked back and forth in the big tent, and let out a slight sigh from time to time.

It turned out that ten days ago, Zhong Xuan, the captain of Sili, sent his chief bookkeeper Fu Gan to the Xiongnu court to persuade Hu Chuquan to serve Cao Cao. If it was changed half a year ago. Hu Chuquan must have paid tribute to Cao Cao without saying a word. But at the moment, Hu Chuquan did not dare to stand in line, because Heshuo was not Cao Cao alone, and to be more precise, the force that could pose a real threat to Huchuquan in Bingzhou at this moment was not Cao Cao, but Cai Ji, the female prince from Qingzhou.

Although Hu Chuquan didn't know Cai Ji, let alone met Cai Ji, he knew that Cai Ji had Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun under his command, and these fierce generals alone were enough to make him dare not make a mistake in front of Cai Ji. What's more, that female prince had just used an artifact to launch a landslide and earth splitting technique not long ago to capture Pingcheng. Of course, Hu Chuquan also did not dare to refuse Cao Cao, after all, he was defeated by Zhong Xuan in Guanzhong back then, and he had personally seen Cao Jun's fierceness.

It's just that he hasn't waited for Hu Chuquan to finish dealing with Fu Gan. On the other hand, Qihou Caiji, who was in Pingcheng, also sent an envoy. Compared with Zhong Xuan, who came to lobby, Cai Ji's attitude was obviously tougher, and he not only ordered Chuquan to send troops to chase down Budugen, but also asked him to return a woman surnamed Cai who was taken away by the Hun soldiers. For the previous one, Hu Chuquan can still escape with the root of the step, and there is no trace to be found outside the pass, so as to prevaricate. On the contrary, it was the latter that made Hu Chuquan feel very embarrassed.

In fact, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Central Plains, there has been infighting among the upper echelons of the Southern Xiongnu from time to time. Hu Chuquan and Yu Fuluo's father, Qiang Qu, died at the hands of his subordinates. After Huvro succeeded to the throne. The participants were afraid of retaliation and did not approve of the new single Yu, so they set up another single Yu. So Yu Fuluo had no choice but to go to the Han Court to appeal. It took several years to be recognized. Therefore, the population of the Xiongnu now accounts for half of the state. But in terms of combat power, the Southern Xiongnu may not even be as good as the Wuhuan people in Youzhou, let alone the Xianbei people who have always been fierce. In fact, the relatives of the Southern Xiongnu, the Northern Xiongnu, were driven away without a trace by the Xianbei people, and there was no news. Therefore, Pingcheng's request for chasing down Budugen, Hu Chuquan actually has more than enough strength but not enough.

And Hu Chuquan's Shan Yu position was passed down from his brother Yu Fuluo, and the current Zuo Xian King was Yu Fuluo's eldest son. Although it is the tradition of the Huns to end brothers. But there has always been a bitterness between Hu Chuquan and Zuo Xianwang. Now this nephew of Hu Chuquan is in the prime of life, and he has a lot of prestige among the Southern Xiongnu tribes. And the woman surnamed Cai that Cai Ji asked for was the concubine of King Zuoxian. Thinking of his fuel-efficient nephew, Hu Chuquan's brows were completely twisted. However, just as Hu Chuquan was standing in place and bowing his head in contemplation, he suddenly heard a report from someone outside the leather tent. "Shan Yu, Tiefu Butz asks to see."

Hu Chuquan, who came back to his senses, took a deep breath, then sat back on the throne, cleared his throat, and said, "Bring him in." ”

After a short time, the guard led a man in Han costume, who was about thirty years old, into the big tent. If there were Longkou officials at this moment, they would definitely recognize this person at a glance as Wang Han, a horse merchant who often went in and out of the Qihou Mansion. It turned out that Wang Han's real name was Batz, and he was a member of the Tiefu tribe of the Xiongnu, and "Wang Han" was just a Chinese name he took in order to facilitate his business in the Central Plains. And the Tiefu tribe where he belongs is a relatively special tribe in the Southern Xiongnu. It must be known that the Tiefu people are formed by the mixed blood of the Huns and the Wuhuan people, the Xianbei people, and even the Han people, so they are called Zahu by the outside world. At the same time, it is precisely because of the complex bloodline that the Tiefu people are good at communicating with different races, so many people make a living from business, and Wang Han is one of the more successful merchants.

At this moment, I saw Wang Han walking forward with a familiar look, and respectfully saluted Hu Chuquan, "Butz has seen Shan Yu. ”

"What is it that Butz is here today?" Hu Chuquan waved his hand and asked Wang Han in a businesslike tone.

Facing Hu Chuquan with a cold face, Wang Han didn't care about it and said, "The villain came today to send wealth and wealth. ”

"Say! How many horses do you want this time? Hu Chuquan impatiently interrupted Wang Han's flattery. Although the upper class of the Xiongnu had intermarried with the Han family many times, the tribes of the steppe still paid great attention to their bloodlines in their bones. To be more precise, blood relationship is the most important yardstick for judging the kinship and distance between people in the various tribes of the grassland. In this regard, the Tiefu tribe was an outlier among the Xiongnu, and people like Wang Han, who made a living from merchants, turned their backs on the traditions of the Xiongnu, which made Huchuquan quite ashamed. However, there is no shame in it, and Huchuquan still needs clansmen like Wang Han to sell livestock for the Southern Xiongnu, so as to exchange for salt, ironware, silk, lacquerware, and even grain from the Central Plains.

Wang Han was accustomed to seeing Hu Chuquan's arrogant face, and although he felt humiliated in his heart, he still had a smile on his face and happily explained, "No, the villain is here for the salt and iron monopoly this time. ”

"Salt and iron monopoly?" Hu Chuquan raised his head and looked at Wang Han with a puzzled expression.

Wang Han saw that Hu Chuquan was already attracted to him. He hurriedly gave his hand to answer for him, "Don't hide it, the Marquis of Qi has ordered the monopoly of salt and iron in the two states, and from now on, the salt and iron tools in the two states will be monopolized by the Yanchang." ”

"Qi Hou! It's that woman again! Hu Chuquan slammed the armrest, gritted his teeth, and said.

"What's going on?" Wang Han pretended to be surprised.

"See for yourself!" Hu Chuquan didn't care about Wang Han's identity, so he directly threw the letter at his feet to Wang Han's feet.

Wang Han leaned over and picked up the letter, glanced up and down, and then immediately bowed his hand to Hu Chuquan and said, "Congratulations to Shan Yu!" ”

Hu Chuquan Tie snorted coldly with a blue face, "What a joy? ”

"Shan Yu Mingjian, Qi Hou regards Shan Yu as his own family. Shan Yu only needs to meet the two orders of Qi Hou. From now on, the Southern Xiongnu will be able to set up a market with the two states of Youhe. Wang Han explained to Hu Chuquan with a posture.

After hearing what Wang Han said, Hu Chuquan first froze for a moment, and then smiled coldly and said, "This kind of honor is not blessed. Gu Da can be in the same market with Cao Cheng, and there is no need to be his own family with Cai Anzhen. ”

Seeing that Hu Chuquan's attitude was so tough, Wang Han's eyes rolled and he smiled slightly. "I don't know that Qi Hou is the first salt merchant in the Central Plains. Even Prime Minister Cao Cheng also needs to buy salt from Qi Hou. Now it can be bought and sold directly with Qi Hou. Why should you be exploited more? ”

"Really?" Hu Chuquan asked with a slight hesitation.

"It's true. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to the Central Plains to investigate. Wang Han's words were not to fool Hu Chuquan. As the first three businessmen to cooperate with Cai Ji, Wang Han has seen with his own eyes how Cai Ji has become the first salt merchant in the Central Plains step by step. It is not an exaggeration to say that ninety percent of the salt south of the Yangtze River now comes from the salt fields of Qingxu and Xuzhou under Cai Ji's rule. Among them, nearly forty percent of the salt was imported into the prefectures and counties under Cao Cao's rule. At first, these salts were resold from Qingzhou to Yan and Henan by some local clans. However, after Cao Cai's marriage, Cao Cao directly purchased these salts from Cai Ji, and then distributed them to local government monopolies, and even resold them in Guanzhong and Hanzhong. As for the private sale of salt, in the prefectures and counties under Cao Cao's rule, it was a capital crime of beheading. Of course, there were also Haoqiang, who was not long-sighted, who continued to smuggle salt secretly, but after Cao Cao killed chickens and set an example for a few families. No one dared to challenge Prime Minister Cao's authority for selling salt. And the person who is currently in charge of Cao Cao's salt monopoly is Cao Cao's brother-in-law Zhen Yao.

Although Wang Han saved a huge family business by selling horses, the profits from selling horses were still not as profitable as selling salt. Seeing that Zhen Yao was making money in the Central Plains by selling salt, Wang Han was naturally blushing. But he is neither Han Chinese, nor does he have a sister like Zhen Yao who marries Cao Cao and other big princes as concubines. It is difficult to meddle in the salt trade in the Central Plains. On the contrary, Zahu's identity is his greatest advantage. So after secretly planning for himself, Wang Han turned his attention from the Central Plains to his hometown of the Southern Xiongnu. It must be known that the Southern Xiongnu guarded the key points outside the Saiwai, and the Southern Xiongnu Wang Han could trade with the Xianbei, Di and other tribes outside the Saiwai, and the huge profits were not smaller than those in the Central Plains. As the so-called wealth is in danger, in order to make money in the future, the first step for Wang Han to do is to persuade Hu Chuquan to join Cai Ji.

In fact, Hu Chuquan didn't plan to completely fall to Cao Cao at the beginning. Just because he heard that Cai Ji was going to use salt and iron to sell the materials of the Southern Huns, Hu Chuquan let out cruel words with a surge of blood. At this time, I heard Wang Han say that Cai Ji actually controlled the salt of the entire Central Plains, and Hu Chuquan was stunned, so he couldn't help but feel a little weak. Seeing that he lowered his head and muttered for a moment, he sighed helplessly and said, "Lone doesn't want to be with Qi Hou." But how could the woman surnamed Cai be the wife of King Zuoxian, and she was afraid that King Zuoxian would not let go. ”

Wang Hanlai had imagined various reasons for Hu Chuquan's opposition to Cai before, and preset a countermeasure, but he didn't expect that it would be a woman who would hinder Hu Chuquan from serving Cai Ji. At this moment, after listening to what Hu Chuquan said, Wang Han couldn't help but laugh dumbly, "The left and right are just a woman, and the villain is redeemed for Shan Yu." ”

"The woman surnamed Cai is the concubine of King Zuoxian." Hu Chuquan glanced at Wang Han meaningfully and reminded.

"If King Zuo Xian loves beauty, the villain will exchange twenty for beauty; If King Zuo Xian loves money, the villain will redeem him with a thousand taels of gold. Wang Han patted his chest and reassured. Obviously, in his opinion, spending this price in exchange for the future monopoly of salt outside the Saiwai is obviously a profitable deal.

Hu Chuquan saw that Wang Han was so happy, and his heart was also happy. As far as he knew, King Zuoxian's concubine was already a half-old, and she didn't deserve twenty taels of beauty and a thousand taels of gold. It's just that he ransomes people to his nephew as Hu Chuquan, firstly, he can't save face, and secondly, his nephew doesn't necessarily appreciate it. And at this moment, if Wang Han comes forward, the situation will undoubtedly be much better. Not to mention that Wang Han is so generous, he is not afraid that King Zuo Xian will not agree. As long as the concubine surnamed Cai is returned to Pingcheng, Cai Ji can be temporarily appeased. On the other hand, Hu Chuquan is also good at pursuing the Xianbei people. Thinking of this, Hu Chuquan couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Batz Ru is really timely and rainy!" ”

"If you can share your worries, the villain will be happy." Wang Han humbly bowed down and bowed.

Although Hu Chuquan didn't know about the salt monopoly, he could guess what wishful thinking Wang Han was making. After all, there is no such thing as a cake falling from the sky in this world. However, from the perspective of Hu Chuquan, it is not a good thing to let Wang Han take care of the salt and iron monopoly for him. After all, Hu Chuquan himself doesn't know how to do business, and he doesn't have the energy to run such a cheap business, all he has to do is sit in the leather tent and wait to collect the money. Thinking about this, Hu Chuquan waved his hand at Wang Han and instructed, "Butz often walks around in Han Land, so it is better for you to contact the envoy of Pingcheng on behalf of Gu." ”

Wang Han, who heard the sound of Hu Chuquan's strings, hurriedly clenched his fists and said, "Huh." The villain will not live up to the trust. ”

Facts have proved that Zuo Xianwang's appetite is far greater than Hu Chuquan and Wang Han's imagination. Wang Han finally redeemed Cai Zhaoji from King Zuoxian at the price of 20 Mei Ji, 1,000 taels of gold, and a pair of white bi, and dedicated her to the Southern Xiongnu Shan Yu Huchu Spring. After Hu Chuquan got Cai Zhaoji, he immediately sent a messenger to return him to Pingcheng. Cai Ji, who got the news, also sent soldiers and horses to Shuofang to respond. After several twists and turns, one day in September of the seventh year of Jian'an, Cai Ji finally ushered in the legendary Cai Wenji in Pingcheng. (To be continued......)