It was not only Mrs. Cai who was left in place by Cai Ji, but also her titular fiancé Cao Pi. At first glance, when he heard that Cao Cao's army was defeated Huarong, the second son of the Cao family was shocked and shocked like falling into an ice cave. It must be known that as early as on the way to Longkou, Cao Pi had learned from Cai Ji that his father Cao Cao had been defeated in Chibi, and almost half of the 300,000 Cao troops were killed or wounded. But who would have thought that Cao Cao, who had only been working for a few days, would suffer a heavy blow in Huarong again, so that he was trapped in the sun and could not advance or retreat.

Is my father okay now? Have the uncles come to the aid of the teacher? Can Dangyang City still be strong? Can you stop the Sun-Liu coalition? - It is true that Cao Pi had already realized that he was just an abandoned son left by his father in Qiying, but at this time, he still couldn't help but secretly pay attention to Cao Cao's safety and the victory or defeat of Cao Cao's army in his heart.

And just when Cao Pi was hesitating whether to further inquire about the news, He Yan, who had been hiding behind the team, secretly came up and whispered to him, "Zihuan, it's not good!" The prime minister was not only defeated by Huarong, but also trapped in Dangyang City by Liu Bei's 100,000 army. ”

Cao Pi glanced back at He Yan in surprise, then pulled the latter into an unobtrusive corner, and asked in a deep voice, "Is this true?" ”

"This matter has long been spread throughout Longkou. It is widely known that the Marquis of Qi abandoned the marriage of Cao Cai and raised troops with the Sun and Liu families to attack Cao. When He Yan said this, his face showed trepidation. In fact, it's no wonder He Yan is so timid, just last year he was trapped in the Zunjing Pavilion with Cao Pi, if Cai Ji hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Now if Cai Ji really dissolves Cao Cai's marriage as the outside world said, won't he and Cao Pi become the target of public criticism again? No. If you don't know it, you will be pushed to the guillotine and become a sacrifice to the battle flag. Thinking of this, He Yan shuddered involuntarily, and then grabbed Cao Pi's sleeve and pleaded. "Zihuan, you must persuade Qi Hou to stick to Cao Cai's marriage this time, otherwise... Otherwise, the rest of your lives will be in danger! ”

"Whether to break the contract or not, Qi Hou has his own decision, when it will be his turn to get Pi Yizi." Cao Pi shook his head self-deprecatingly. I think that Cao Pi also pleaded with Cai Ji for his father who was trapped in Guandu. But now that I think about it, I actually have a certain number in my heart whether to send troops to Du Caiji, and I don't need him to intervene with such a proton. The current situation is the same, if Cai Ji feels that Cao Cai's marriage is still beneficial to her, she will continue to keep it. If Cai Ji feels that this marriage contract is no longer profitable. Even if Cao Pi knelt in front of him and wept and wailed, it was impossible to change the decision of the female prince.

Seeing that Cao Pi refused to beg Cai Ji, He Yan couldn't help but secretly slander in his heart. You and Qi Hou have been together for more than two years, even if you raise a flying cang, you will eventually be involved. Not to mention the human being. However, considering Cao Pi's temper. He Yan didn't say this after all, but pleaded with him with a bitter face, "Even if you don't want to maintain Cao Cai's marriage, you can also persuade Marquis Qi to spare Yu and wait for immortality with the love of Zihuan for two years." ”

He Yan's words reminded Cao Pi. Thinking of Cai Ji's promise under the mulberry tree in the past, Cao Pi couldn't help but calm down, and turned to comfort He Yan, "Shuping rest assured." The Marquis of Qi had promised Pi that Cao Cai would be at war or not. None of them will take our lives. ”

"Is that true?" He Yan asked tremblingly.

In fact, Cai Ji promised not to kill Cao Pi back then, and did not mention He Yan. But Cao Pi believes that with Cai Ji's mind, he will not be embarrassed by He Yan. So he immediately nodded categorically at He Yan and said, "It's true." ”

He Yan almost cried with joy when he heard what Cao Pi said, and saw him hug Cao Pi violently and thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you Zihuan!" Qi Hou really couldn't bear Zihuan! ”

Cao Pi pushed away He Yan who was glued to his body, and then blushed and lost his mind, "How can I say that I am reluctant, it's just because of interests." ”

A sentence of interest exhausts Cai Ji's attitude towards the Cao Cai Alliance, that is, how long the Cao Cai Alliance can last depends on whether this alliance is beneficial to Cai Ji's long-term interests. Just like Cai Ji at this time, he sat upright in the council hall and listened carefully to the opinions expressed by the martial arts below, so as to make a proper judgment on the new form.

"Liu Xuande really has an army of 100,000?" Looking at the newly sent information, Cai Ji smiled slightly sarcastically.

Cai Ji has always scoffed at the practice of the princes in this era who like toads to blow the atmosphere and lie about the strength of the troops. Doubling your own strength by two or three times, or even more than ten times, sounds very majestic, and it is best to bluff the opponent. But if you don't scare the enemy, you will be defeated by the opponent. Then the oolong is bigger. Just like this time in the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao claimed to lead 300,000 troops south to attack Wu, but was defeated by Zhou Yu's 30,000 people, and the sailors lost their armor and lost their armor, and achieved an epic victory in vain. And now, Liu Bei's so-called 100,000 army, not to mention how much water it has mixed in, at least it has incorporated a lot of Liu Biao's old troops or Cao's descendants, so that he can swell his troops to such a point in a short period of time. However, these new recruits can often only fight with the wind, and if the war is unfavorable, they will turn to the front. Just as Guan Yu led the Northern Expedition in history, at the beginning, the Megatron China attracted the Jingzhou tribes to vote one after another, and the momentum frightened Cao Cao almost moved the capital. But as Lu Zi understood that Yi crossed the river, and Mi Fang and other rear guards rebelled, Guan Yu had no choice but to lead the army to retreat, and the tens of thousands of troops around him dispersed. In the end, when the god of war was defeated and left Maicheng, there were only more than ten horsemen with him.

Of course, complaining and complaining, Cai Ji is most concerned about what to do next. So after putting away the information, Cai Ji asked the ministers, "How do you think Lone should deal with the current situation?" ”

"Since Cao Cao has been trapped in Jingzhou, we should take advantage of the situation to regain the lost land of Jingzhou!" Guan Cheng, who had just returned from Liaodong, said this, and because he and Xin Bi had taken the sea route, the fleet led by him and Xin Bi had arrived at Longkou a day earlier than Cai Ji's chariot.

However, as soon as Guan Cheng's words fell, Cui Yan, who was sitting opposite, had already opened his mouth to object, "The Lord and Cao Cheng have formed an alliance of marriages, and attacking Cao at this time is afraid that the world will criticize him as falling into the ground." ”

Guan Cheng retorted disappreciatively, "Cao Jun seized my Pingcheng and broke the contract first, so why should the Lord talk about morality with him." ”

It turns out that Guan Cheng is not the only one who has the idea of terminating the contract, and Huang Zhen, who is also an old minister of the Cai family, also echoed and said, "Lord Mingjian, Cao Cao is cruel and murderous. The perverse act has long been indignant. The Lord has no connection with this fang, but it is in accordance with the way of heaven. and shall be praised by the world. ”

Huang Zhen's sonorous and powerful words were straightforward, and the martial arts were excited. Li Da, who once served the left and right officials of the Son of Heaven and worshiped Yu Linlang, straightened up and clenched his fists to ask Cai Ji to fight, "Da is willing to be the vanguard, take Xu Du directly, and save the Son of Heaven from fire and water!" ”

It is said that as early as the outbreak of the Yidai Edict incident, Li Da once asked Cai Ji to send troops to Xu Du to rescue the Son of Heaven, but in the end, Cai Ji used "respecting the emperor" to plug the pond. Seeing that Li Da, who had an upright personality, once again took the initiative to invite Ying to fight, Cai Ji couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. Obviously, sending troops directly is not the best option that Cai Ji wants. At least the move didn't get her what she wanted. But Cai Ji can't directly refuse Li Da just like that.

So after a moment of silence, Cai Ji turned his head to Guo Jia, who was sitting on the side, and asked, "What does Mr. Fengxiao think?" ”

Facing the burden thrown by Cai Ji. Guo Jia looked around at the colleagues present, and replied loudly with a folding fan in his hand, "Jia thinks that with today's situation, the master has three strategies to choose from: upper, middle, and lower. The next step is to do it. Sit on the fence. After the three families of Cao, Sun and Liu divide the winners and losers, they will make a decision. The middle strategy is to respond to Sun Liu, raise troops to attack Cao, and take Xu Du directly. ”

Huang Zhen and the others heard that their own construction was commented by Guo Jia, and they were all overjoyed. In the eyes of everyone, Guo Jia is deeply trusted by Cai Ji, and Cai Ji will not oppose the scheme approved by him. Even rumors spread that the Marquis of Qi obeyed Fengxiao's words.

However, Cai Ji at this time will not be satisfied with the middle or lower strategy. Seeing that she was busy asking Guo Jia, "What is the best policy?" ”

Oh, yes. If an immediate attack on Cao is only the middle policy, then what is the best policy? Everyone who was whetted by Cai Ji turned their eyes to Guo Jia, hoping to hear the shocking strategy from his mouth. Who knew that Guo Jia casually closed the folding fan and sold it away, "Shu Jia is a shallow learner, and the best policy needs to be asked by Yu Wen and Gong." ”

At first glance, it seems that Guo Jia is making fun of everyone, but Cai Ji is not angry because of this. On the contrary, at this time, she had already seen that Guo Jia's previous so-called upper, middle, and lower three strategies were actually paving the way for Jia Xu. Thinking about it, Guo Jiading already knew that Jia Xu's thoughts were contrary to everyone. Inevitably, this old gentleman had some scruples, so Guo Jia first appeased everyone with the theory of the middle strategy and the next policy, and then led to Jia Xu's true thoughts. So what is Jia Xu's strategy to make Guo Jiagan be a green leaf to help?

Prompted by curiosity, Cai Ji hurriedly turned around, bowed respectfully to Jia Xu, who had not spoken, and said, "Please also ask Wenhe Gong to teach." ”

With Jia Xu's wisdom, he can naturally see that Guo Jia is paving the way for him. So after casting a meaningful glance at Guo Jia, Jia Xu cleared his throat and replied, "Back to the Lord, according to the old man's opinion, the best policy is to respond to the king of Zhaoqin." ”

As Jia Xu said the words "King Ying Zhaoqin" word by word, many people's faces showed incomprehensible expressions. It must be known that the Son of Heaven had already issued an edict more than half a year ago, calling on the princes from all over the country to crusade against Cao Cao. If Cai Ji wants to "respond to the edict of King Qin", he only needs to sacrifice the edict again. But what is the difference between the best strategy and the middle policy? With such a question, Huang Zhen couldn't help but ask Jia Xutan, "Ying Zhaoqin Wang, but does it mean the edict?" ”

Jia Xu shook his head, and then explained in a deep voice, "The authenticity of the edict is doubtful, and it can't be counted. Only when the Son of Heaven personally decrees and summons the Lord to enter the capital can he convince the princes of the world. ”

After Jia Xu mentioned this, the Qiying civil and military forces, including Cai Ji, immediately opened up. Of course, Jia Xu still has one thing that he did not say, that is, no matter what the authenticity of the edict is, Cai Ji is now crusading against Cao Cao, and he is just picking up people's teeth. In the eyes of the world, the main forces to crusade against Cao Cao are Sun Ce and Liu Bei after all, and she Cai Ji is at most a character who falls into the ground. And if the Son of Heaven of Han had issued another decree and summoned Cai Ji to King Xu Duqin, the situation would have been very different. This holy decree not only highlights Cai Ji's special status in the eyes of the Son of Heaven, but also allows her to take the initiative in the next negotiations with Sun Ce and Liu Bei. This strategy fully satisfies Cai Ji's needs for fame, righteousness, and territory, and if it is successfully realized, it can indeed be called the best policy. I just always felt that something was wrong.

"The Son of Heaven is trapped in the hands of the Cao family, how can he issue an order to summon the Lord to fight Cao?" Li Da's question brought many people back to reality from their imaginations. That's right. Since the outbreak of the edict, Liu Xie, the son of the Han Dynasty, was imprisoned in the deep palace by Cao Cao, and he could not get in touch with the outside world at all, let alone send an edict to summon Cai Ji to crusade against Cao Cao.

However, Jia Xu scoffed at Li Da's question, so he snorted coldly and said, "King Zhaoqin should be able to kill Cao and save Cao." ”

At first glance, when he heard the word "save Cao", Li Da suddenly got up and pointed at Jia Xu and asked sharply, "What does Mr. mean by this?" ”

Who knew that Jia Xu didn't pay attention to Li Da's anger at all, but Xin Bi on the side interjected, "Whether it's killing Cao or saving Cao, after this battle, Cao Mengde is afraid that it will be difficult to coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes." ”

"Well, in order to help Cao Mengde break the siege, it is not impossible to change the son of heaven to enter Donglai." Cui Yan's younger brother Cui Lin also nodded in agreement.

In fact, Li Da just wanted to do his part to save the Son of Heaven from the tiger's mouth. But there are always people who use all kinds of high-sounding reasons to prevent the Lord from sending troops to save the Son of Heaven. Li Da admits that he is clumsy and clumsy, and he can't fight like Dr. Wu. So he could only look at the strategists in the hall with a blushing face, and you said words that he didn't understand at all, and for a while he couldn't stand or sit.

"Zhishen, you sit down first." Cai Ji sighed secretly and relieved Li Da, who was at a loss. In fact, Cai Ji didn't know what Li Da was thinking, but as Cui Yan said, whether it was killing Cao or saving Cao, it was just a bargaining chip for Cai Ji in exchange for benefits. And she herself does not plan to welcome the Son of Heaven into the dragon's mouth. So after some consideration, Cai Ji finally said slowly, "Although the best policy is wonderful, it is just as Zhishen said, whether to issue an edict or not, it is not in the Son of Heaven, but in the Cao family, so I am afraid that it will be difficult to succeed." ”

Everyone listened to what Cai Ji said, or turned their heads to each other, or nodded yes. But no matter what the reaction, it seems that most people think that Jia Xu's "Ying Zhaoqin King" is difficult to achieve. Not to mention that the Son of Heaven of Xu Du could not issue an order to ask for help from abroad. Even the Cao family, until the point of exhaustion, would not rashly ask Cai Ji for help in the name of the Son of Heaven. After all, since the battle of Pingcheng changed hands, the contradiction between the Cao and Cai families has become an open secret. At present, even if Cai Ji offered to help Cao Jun, Cao Cao would not dare to accept this "kindness".

However, just when everyone thought that the "best policy" was useless, Guo Jia confidently said to Cai Ji, "The lord's words are wrong. Since the edict is issued or not, it is in the Cao family, not in the Son of Heaven, then let the Cao family issue an edict to ask the Lord. ”

Cai Ji knows that Guo Jia has never been untargeted, and since he dares to speak like this, there will be corresponding countermeasures. Thinking of this, Cai Ji couldn't help but think about it, and hurriedly asked, "Mr. Fengxiao, how do you say this?" ”

Guo Jia and Jia Xu exchanged glances, and then asked with a smile, "Does the Lord remember Montenegro Du Changhu?" (To be continued......)