When Cai Ji reported Ma Chao's name, Guo Jia knew that the two of them thought of each other again. This tacit understanding made Guo Jia's heart warm, and then he happily said, "It's Ma Chao." Since the king can make Zhang Yan enter Changshan, why not help Ma Chao knock on the three assistants? ”

However, Cui Yan, the head of the household sitting next to Guo Jia, was not as optimistic as him. Seeing Cui Yan frowning and saying, "Ma Teng's father and son are both hostages in Yecheng, how dare Ma Chao raise an army to rebel against Cao?" ”

Guo Jia waved his hand and pointed to the point, "Uncle Zhi's words are wrong, in the past, Ma Chao knocked on the pass and begged for a seal, how could he ever think of Yecheng's father?" ”

"The last time Ma Chao knocked on the gate to ask for sealing, he was in response to the call of the Son of Heaven. Now that the dust has settled on the relocation of the capital and the division of the seal, what name does Ma Chao have to raise troops again? Cui Yan shook his head again and again, obviously still skeptical about using Ma Chao to contain Cao Cao.

However, Li Min, who was diagonally opposite, analyzed based on his experience in contact with the Hu people for many years, "It is said that Ma Chao is from the Hu girl, and the Hu people are cold and thin, if they are tempted to benefit, they will definitely be able to be used by the king." ”

"Having said that, with Ma Chao's strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult to compete with Cao Wei." Tian Feng lowered his head and groaned.

Facing the ministers who expressed their opinions, Cai Ji couldn't help but review the history of another time and space in his mind. Familiar with history books, of course she knows Ma Chao's character as a cheating father. Imagine that in history, when Cao Cao unified the north and sat on the Son of Heaven, Ma Chao dared to contact the warlords of Liangzhou to rebel against Cao. And now that Cao Cao occupies only half of the north in this plane, and there is no Son of Heaven in his hands, how can Ma Chao be willing to submit to Cao Cao in this situation. However, Wang Xiu and Tian Feng's concerns also have a certain reason. Humanity is "famous", and Ma Chao in history also took Cao Cao's opportunity to use Liangzhou to crusade against Zhang Lu. Fang Cai instigated the warlords of Liangzhou to rebel against Cao with him.

Thinking about it, Cai Ji now has Wang Han, a Xiongnu horse merchant who is active in the northwest region all the year round, and Koji Yan, who was born in a family of Liangzhou Xingwu. No matter which card is played, she has the confidence to use it as a lever to stir up the situation in the northwest. Therefore, it is not difficult to lure Ma Chao to contain Cao Cao. How difficult is how to use Ma Chao as an opportunity to provoke more Liangzhou warlords to rebel against Cao. It's not like the last time Ma Chao knocked on the level, and it ended hastily without danger. The key point of this opportunity in history is in Hanzhong. However, now that the course of history has deviated from the original trajectory, and the situation in the entire north has also undergone qualitative changes, will Hanzhong still become a key point?

It is said that the reason why Cai Ji was able to successfully lay out Hebei and eradicate the Yuan family in one fell swoop was to take the opportunity to know the future, and secondly, to seize the fate of the two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu who intended to be emperors. But now not to mention that Cai Ji can no longer learn from the future, that is, Cao Cao has become more cautious after the loss of the Son of Heaven, and no longer expands as wantonly as before.

Just when Cai Ji was hesitant because of the change in the course of history. Guo Jia couldn't help but take the initiative to ask, "What is your concern?" ”

Cai Ji, who came back to his senses, raised his head and looked around at the people present, and then coughed lightly. "Lone is thinking about how important it is for the Lord of Wei to take Hanzhong in the west and invade Cai Qi in the east?"

As soon as Cai Ji's words came out, the ministers didn't feel that her thinking jumped. On the contrary, Guo Jia and others believe that she has grasped the crux of the problem. If Cao Cao is obsessed with dealing with Cai Ji. Then even if Ma Chao and other Liangzhou warlords were provoked to rebel against Cao, Cao's army could defend against the rebels by holding on to the cities of Sanfu. After all, siege is not the strong point of the Liangzhou army, and Ma Chao and others, who have run out of food and grass for a long time, will definitely retreat. In fact, the last time Ma Chao knocked on the gate to ask for a seal, the crisis was resolved by Cao Jun with a strong wall. But if Cao Cao had the intention to follow the example of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, first took Guanzhong, then entered Shudi, and finally settled the Central Plains, then he would not allow Ma Chao and others to cause trouble in Sanfu.

Guo Jia was obviously inclined to the latter, and when he saw that he twisted his beard, he asserted, "Cao Cao has the ambition to dominate the world. Hanzhong is the place where it must be taken. Now Hanzhong Zhang Lu and Xiliang Ma Chao are in the same breath and branches, and they are each other's inside and outside. If Cao Cao was involved in Hanzhong. Ma Chao will rise up against Cao. ”

Cui Yan also nodded this time, "It is said that Zhang Lu claims to be the king in Hanzhong, and refuses to pay tribute to the Son of Heaven, and often fights with Liu Zhang of Western Shu, so the Lord of Wei is afraid that he will use this as an excuse to crusade against Zhang Lu." ”

The conversation between Guo Jia and Cui Yan reminded Cai Ji that Cao Cao was far from alone in trying to get his hands on Hanzhong. In a flash of inspiration, I saw her blurt out, "Or Zhang Lu was forced to take the initiative to surrender Cao!" ”

"Forced to do it? Why? Li Min was puzzled. In his opinion, there was no warlord near Hanzhong, except for Cao Cao, who could actually threaten Zhang Lu.

But Guo Jia said the answer on behalf of Cai Ji without thinking, "Liu Bei." ”

"Liu Bei? How did Liu Xuande get involved in Hanzhong in Jingnan? Li Min asked.

"It's a way to Yizhou." After Guo Jia finished speaking, he set his eyes on Cai Ji.

"Exactly." Cai Ji met Guo Jia's gaze, nodded slightly, and said, "As Cui Shangshu said, Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang have been fighting all year round, and if Liu Zhang asks Liu Bei for help, Liu Bei will have a reason to get involved in Hanzhong." ”

"Liu Zhang is not afraid of Liu Bei's false ways?" Wang Xiu, the secretary of the Criminal Department, who had not spoken much, was surprised.

"If a man is blinded by profit, he will not be spared its bait." After Cai Ji finished speaking, he unconsciously sighed faintly. In later generations, Liu Zhang is the best annotation of the idiom of luring wolves into the room. However, Cai Ji thought that even if Liu Zhang did not take the initiative to invite Liu Bei into Shu, Liu Bei would still find other reasons to seize Yizhou according to Zhuge Liang's tailor-made Longzhong pair, and then personally lead the troops from Yizhou out of Qinchuan to compete with Cao Cao for the world. Needless to say, with Cai Ji instigating Liu Xie to move the capital to Xiangyang, sealing Liu Bei's road from Jingzhou to the Central Plains, Hanzhong became Liu Bei's only exit to the Central Plains.

Guo Jia saw through that Hanzhong was the next eye to stir up the situation in the world, so he advised Cai Ji to lay out the northwest as soon as possible, so as to ignite the powder keg of Hanzhong if necessary. At this moment, seeing that Cai Ji had already grasped the crux of the problem, Guo Jia continued to speak along the way, "The gentleman is reasonable, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu, Ma Chao and others have their own ghosts, Hanzhong is in danger, and he will have a battle one day." Therefore, the minister thought that the war in the northwest was together, and the king could take advantage of Cao Wei's lack of time to look east to train troops in Liaodong! ”

"Training Liaodong?" Cai Ji, who heard Guo Jiaxian's voice, hurriedly asked, "What did Mr. Fengxiao say this?" ”

Guo Jia replied. "It has been more than half a year since the monarch reorganized the army, and although the four armies of Lulong, Chengde, Wuning, and Henghai and the soldiers of various prefectures have begun to take shape, the four armies are in their own formations. The government soldiers lacked experience. Therefore, the ministers thought that they could take the opportunity of the crusade against Goguryeo, and the Lu Long army was the main one, supplemented by the government soldiers to fight Liaodong. In this way, in three years at most, or at least one year, the king will definitely be able to train the army of 100,000 tigers and wolves! ”

Cai Ji listened to what Guo Jia said, and couldn't help but think of the two-mountain round battle between China and Vietnam in later generations. As the second stage of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, the Chinese army transferred troops from various military regions in 84 and 89 to take turns in battle. Concentrated pull-out operations against Lao Son and Yin Son controlled by the Vietnamese army. As a result, Vietnam was unable to recuperate due to the long-term war, and its national strength was becoming increasingly empty. More importantly, a decade of opportunity was wasted, and the opportunity for the economy to take off was missed. China, on the other hand, has trained its army through the two-mountain round battle.

According to Guo Jia's setting, Qi chose Goguryeo, which is located in the northeast, to train its troops, and there is no need to worry about the expansion of the war. It will not affect the economy and people's livelihood in the hinterland of Qi country. It is indeed quite the style of the Sino-Vietnamese War in later generations. However, the tug-of-war between large countries and small countries can drag down small countries, but it does not mean that large countries will not have losses. No, Tian Feng, who was in charge of the finance of the Qi State, shook his head busily and said, "The Qi State was just founded, and all kinds of waste are waiting to be revived, how can it be in Liaodong to waste the country's capital." ”

Guo Jia argued, "Goguryeo is a small country and a widow. As long as it is properly deployed, there is no worry about consuming the country's capital. ”

Seeing that Guo Jia and Tian Feng were arguing. Cai Ji lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and decided to draw on the experience of later generations to fight a limited war in Liaodong, that is, a war with a limited purpose in a certain area and using a certain armed force. Although this idea was put forward by the Americans, it is clear that the Chinese military knows it better. From the 38th parallel to the 17th parallel, from the Sino-Indian War to the Sino-Vietnamese War, the Chinese army of later generations was always able to withdraw quickly after achieving the goal. If Cai Ji wants to train his troops without affecting the hegemony of the Central Plains, he also needs to have corresponding wisdom and restraint. Therefore, before implementing the Liaodong strategy, she must first draw a line, a line that limits the war to a certain range.

"Then it will be bounded by the Liao River." Cai Ji Langsheng interrupted the dispute between Guo Jia and Tian Feng, and said on the spot, "If the army is sent to Liaodong, not an inch of land will be given to the west of the Liao River, and the east of the Liao River will be mainly harassed by rangers. ”

Tian Feng was mainly afraid that the Qi army would go deep into the hinterland of Goguryeo, and then put his limited manpower and material resources into the bottomless pit of the extremely cold land outside the Saiwai. At this time, since Cai Ji had demarcated the scope of the battle in public, Tian Feng naturally took advantage of the situation and said happily, "If that's the case, you can give it a try." ”

As the strategies of the northwest and Liaodong were finalized one after another, Wang Xiu couldn't help but rub his hands and said, "When Cao Cao is trapped in the northwest and sees that the king's army has been completed, I don't know how he will feel?" ”

Li Min even said unceremoniously, "You have this 100,000 tigers in your hands, why be afraid, encompassing the four seas and annexing the eight wildernesses, just around the corner!" ”

However, just when the monarchs and ministers of Qi were eager to try, Jia Xu warned Cai Ji in a serious tone, "The king is clear, the one who takes the first military power, and the one who builds the capital is Shangdehua." 100,000 tigers are considerable, but Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce each have their own talents, and there are more capable people under the tent to help, and they are all difficult to plan. The way of the husband and the soldier, win first and then fight, measure the enemy and judge the general, and then there is no last resort. Therefore, the minister thought that the king still focused on rest and recuperation, and after the foundation was stable, the momentum of everything could be achieved. ”

Jia Xu's words at the moment seemed a little cold. But Cai Ji knew that the old gentleman in front of him was not deliberately against her. In fact, since Cai Ji was crowned and established, Jia Xu, who is known as a poisoner, has rarely made strange schemes, but has repeatedly reminded Cai Ji to recuperate and lay a good foundation, and not to rush to use force. Cai Ji also knew that she had a shallow foundation as a woman, so in the past year, the monarchs and ministers of Qi had focused on rectifying internal affairs and adopting a more conservative defensive stance militarily. It's just that during this period, Cao Cao kept making small moves behind his back, which made Cai Ji annoyed. It is no wonder that when Guo Jia proposed to contain Cao Cao, Cai Ji would unthinkingly think of Cao Cao's embarrassment of being chased by Ma Chao and abandoning his robe.

However, for the bitter admonition from Jia Xu, Cai Ji still nodded honestly and agreed, "Wenhe's public words are reasonable, the lonely foundation is shallow, and it is really necessary to consolidate the foundation and cultivate the yuan." ”

Of course, Jia Xu knew that Cai Ji had long been tired of Cao Cao's tricks behind his back, so he was eager to teach Cao's father a lesson. However, in Jia Xu's view, the time is not yet ripe for a war between Qi and Wei. As for Guo Jia's plan of "training troops in Liaodong", it is indeed exquisite, and it is rare for Cai Ji, as a monarch, to have the insight to control the war west of the Liao River. But war has always been full of uncertainties. If Cai Ji can't grasp the proportions halfway, it is very likely to set himself on fire. Not to mention that there are still many problems within the Qi State, which will eventually turn into disasters if they are not dealt with in time. So Jia Xu didn't stop this time, but further analyzed for Cai Ji, "Today's princes from all walks of life have a shallow foundation, and they are by no means the kings alone. Cao Cao did not respect the law of etiquette, and the young and the young were disorderly; Liu Bei is on the border, and it is difficult to find talents; Sun Ce is impatient and unprepared. In the past, the monarch hibernated for several years, accumulated thick and thin, and annihilated the Yuan family in one fell swoop. Since there are pearls and jades in front, the king must not give up the last one. ”

Jia Xu's heartfelt words made Cai Ji and others, who were full of ambition a moment ago, fall into contemplation. If you think about it carefully, Jia Xu's analysis is really right. Cao Cao in history did not pay much attention to etiquette, and swayed left and right on the issue of establishing a prince, almost repeating the mistakes of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao. Liu Bei's Shu Kingdom was too small in territory and too small in population, which made it difficult to sustain the lack of talents in the later period. Sun Ce was even more affected by his impatient and reckless character, and finally died.

It is worth mentioning that these defects of Cao, Liu, and Sun are also reflected in the current plane. For example, Cao Cao has not officially established Cao Ang as the prince. After Sun Ce, who was named the Duke of Wu, returned to Eastern Wu, it is said that he indulged in safari all day long, and lived a good life. In contrast, Liu Bei, who only occupies half of Jingzhou, suffers from limited resources and starts the trick of making a lot of money in advance. As for the lack of heirs, the selection of talents is controlled by the family, and the existence of semi-independent armed forces in the territory, it is a common problem that all families have more or less common.

For Cai Ji, Guo Jia is her best friend, and Jia Xu is her strict teacher. Jia Xu's sentence "On the shallow foundation, it is by no means the king alone" not only shows the common problems of all the princes at present, but also points out the key to fighting for hegemony for Cai Ji. Thinking back then, Cai Ji accelerated the downfall of the two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu by laying out Youzhou and Taiping Road, but the capital that really made her annex Hebei counties and gain a firm foothold was the foundation accumulated by Donglai for several years in a row. It can be seen that accumulation is not only the way that Jia Xu passed down to Cai Ji back then, but also the foundation of the Qi State.

At the moment, in the face of the advice from Master Yan, Cai Ji solemnly swore an oath, "Wenhe's advice will be remembered by Lonely." (To be continued......)