Although Xun Yu, Yang Xiu, and Sima Lang were not optimistic about Zhen Geng's discordant plan, Cao Cao asked Zhen Geng about the relevant details with great interest. Zhen Geng, who had been prepared for a long time, naturally had to answer all questions, and in the end, he lost no time in mentioning Cao Cao to Cao Cao who appeared in Gaojiawu.

Cao Cao, who was still in high spirits a moment ago, couldn't help frowning when he heard that Cao Pi, the second son who was supposed to stay by Cai Ji's side, had actually participated in the battle of Gaojiawu, and said, "Oh? Zihuan in Nanpi? ”

"Absolutely." Zhen Geng clenched his fists and nodded to confirm, "At that time, the minister saw that the second prince was wearing a military uniform, leading the soldiers straight to Gaojiawu, and he didn't dare to come forward to recognize him for fear of causing trouble. ”

At this moment, seeing that Zhen Geng said with a nose and eyes, Xun Yu couldn't help but twist his long beard and sighed, "It seems that Lord Qi still doesn't trust the second son." ”

Sima Lang also nodded and agreed, "It is said that Qi Guo once sent martial arts students to the military government to train soldiers. The lord of Qi transferred the second son away before giving birth, as if he was afraid that the son would be unfavorable to him. ”

"Don't be afraid!" Yang Xiu smiled coldly and said, "If the second son unfortunately dies on the battlefield, the Qi lord can choose another good couple!" ”

As soon as Yang Xiu's words came out, Cao Cao's face suddenly darkened a little. It is true that Cao Pi's performance in Qiying has never satisfied Cao Cao. But at present, the marriage relationship between Cao Pi and Cai Ji can at least contain Cai Ji, making the latter unable to marry with the family in Hebei. However, in the Han Dynasty, from the emperor's relatives to the common people, people's concept of chastity was relatively weak compared to later generations, and it was rare for a woman to be widowed and remarry someone else. Therefore, if Cao Pi really died on the battlefield as Yang Xiu said, then Cai Ji can justifiably get rid of this royal marriage. and then renew a marriage that is more favorable to him.

On the other hand, Zhen Geng saw that Cao Cao's brows were tightly knit and his face was uncertain, so he cautiously said, "Your Majesty." The sword on the battlefield has no eyes, why not take the son back to China? ”

"No!" Cao Cao waved his hand and categorically rejected Zhen Geng's proposal. In his opinion, Cao Pi's current situation is certainly dangerous, but as long as Cao Pi is still Cai Ji's husband and is still alive, he can use marriage to contain Cai Ji. Even if Cao Pizhen died in Qi State, Cao Cao could make a fuss about his son's death. On the contrary, if Cao Pi "abandoned his wife and daughter" and fled back to Wei without permission, it would make Cao Cao politically disadvantaged. was thus pinched by Cai Ji. So Cao Cao lowered his head and thought for a moment, and commanded in a deep voice, "You will send someone to secretly protect Zihuan." Remember, don't let Zihuan and Qi Guo know about this! ”

"Whoa."

Cao Cao saw Zhen Geng surrender his order. Then he resolutely ordered, "As for the separation of the monarchs and ministers of the Qi State, we will act according to the plan of the Qing." ”

Zhen Geng was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately kowtowed and swore. "The minister will not disappoint the king!"

Yang Xiu on the side looked at the little-known Zhen Geng, and won Cao Cao's appreciation with just one discordant plan. Not to be outdone, he also followed. "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that in addition to dividing the monarchs and ministers of the Qi Kingdom, he can also take advantage of the situation to win over Changshan Zhang Yan and make it available to the monarch."

It is said that Zhang Yan took advantage of Cao Cao's trap to seize Changshan County in one fell swoop, although the place it occupied was not large, it was stuck in Cao Wei's throat. After Cao Cao escaped, he planned to drive Zhang Yan away from Changshan. But Zhang Yan has Cai Ji's support behind him, and no matter how hard and soft Cao Cao is, he can't succeed. Therefore, after listening to Yang Xiu's words at this moment, Cao Cao slightly hesitated and said slightly, "Gu Yi once sent Tao Shengxiu of the old department of Montenegro to envelop Zhang Yan, but they were all like mud cows entering the sea and there was no news. ”

Seeing that Cao Cao was worried about the unsuccessful persuasion of Zhang Yan. Yang Xiu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and said, "Your Excellency doesn't know anything. In the past, Zhang Yan once sent people to Kyoto to beg for surrender, and was awarded the title of general of the middle of the peace, and he had to be a filial and honest official. It can be seen that he has great ambitions and is not comparable to ordinary thieves. Tao Sheng is just a small official, and it is not surprising that Zhang Yan does not pay attention to it. ”

Regarding Zhang Yan's initiative to send people to the capital to contact Zhao'an in his early years, Cao Cao also heard about it. Thinking that in the face of Zhang Yan, who took the initiative to surrender, Emperor Ling of Han only gave him the false title of "General in Peace and Difficulty". However, when Zhang Yan negotiated with the imperial court, he did not dislike the "Zhonglang General" official and small officials, but wanted the imperial court to ask for a special power - "filial piety and honest officials". It is said that in the Han Dynasty, filial piety and honesty were made officials, and officials were the main ways for scholars in the Han Dynasty to enter the official career. Zhang Yan tried his best to ask the imperial court for the right to recommend filial piety and officials, apparently trying to win over the powerful family in order to gain a firm foothold in Hebei. Although Zhang Yan was finally defeated by Yuan Shao, he once again fell into a rogue. However, compared with Zhang Niujiao, Yu Poison, and Qi Gu, Zhang Yan does have its advantages.

So after listening to Yang Xiu's analysis, Cao Cao took the opportunity to ask, "Then according to Dezu's opinion, who should be sent to entrap Zhang Yan?" ”

"Yang Feng." Yang Xiuchengzhu reported a name in his chest.

"Yang Feng? But Black Mountain Captain Yang Feng? Sima Lang asked.

"That's it." Yang Xiu showed a smug smile when he said this, "In the past, Yang Feng and Lei Gong, Bai Bo and others raised troops, and Emperor Ling couldn't ask for it, but sent Bai Feng to be the captain of Montenegro, and he had to raise filial piety and honesty. By his persuasion to surrender Zhang Yan, he will definitely be able to succeed! ”

Yang Feng, recommended by Yang Xiu, can be regarded as Zhang Yan's old-timer. This person is not only older than Zhang Yan in the Yellow Turban Army, but also the first person in the Yellow Turban Army in Montenegro to be recruited. I think I should have a lot of common language with Zhang Yan. So in the face of the confident Yang Xiu, Cao Cao laughed directly without consulting Xun Yu's opinion this time, "If this matter is successful, I will remember the first merit of Dezu!" ”

At this moment, Cao Pi, who was far away in Nanpi, did not know that his father was planning how to calculate his wife and daughter. Since he has not yet received permission to visit relatives, Cao Pi, who is a first-time father, can only continue to stay in Nanpi Zhechong Mansion as his team deputy as "Cao Xu". On the contrary, the soldiers of the Qi camp were stained with Cao Pi's light, and each of them received an additional small jar of liquor to celebrate the joy of the Qi lord, which filled the military governments everywhere in a joyful atmosphere.

However, Cao Pi, as a party concerned, knows that the current situation in Qi is far from being as peaceful as it seems on the surface. Cai Ji's risky birth of a daughter not only failed to solve the heir problem, but pushed their family of three to the forefront. Are your mother and daughter okay? How does the civil and military affairs of the Qi State view the monarch's childbirth? Will Qi Guohaoqiang have rebellious thoughts? How will the princes of all sides perceive the joke? Will the king blame him for Cao Pi's incompetence? These questions all bothered the young Cao Pi.

You must know that Cao Pi has always tried his best to prove to the world that he is not his father's pawn, and he is not a son who sold his body to his daughter's family on the orders of the emperor. He, Cao Zihuan, both civil and military, is qualified to become Cai Anzhen's man. But right now, he can't do anything. I can only stay in Nanpi like an insignificant bystander.

This night, Cao Pi tossed and turned for a long time and couldn't fall asleep. So he simply got up and stepped on the bright moonlight to go to the recruit barracks to make rounds. Previously, in view of the fact that the First Battle of Gaojiawu exposed a series of problems such as the low combat effectiveness of the armed guards and the lax discipline, Zhang Qing specially ordered all localities to strengthen training and strictly investigate military discipline in order to rectify military affairs. As a result, only one day later, a few small gangsters who secretly set up gambling games in the barracks were found in Nanpi Zhechong Mansion. Although Cao Pi's team was not found to have any problems. But at this moment, he still strolled lightly to the barracks, wanting to give a cadre a surprise inspection. Who would have thought that Cao Pi heard someone whispering in the house when he walked to the door.

"When do you say you can get liquor?"

"I heard that it's time to return home from farming."

"Busy farming? Don't you have to wait for a month? ”

"Wait for the month, wait for the month. Li Harrier, what are you anxious about? ”

After hearing clearly that his subordinates were talking about when to make wine, Cao Pi couldn't help but laugh dumbly, thinking that this dry white ding was simple, and he could get carried away with the altar of wine, and he didn't need to worry about the affairs of his family and country. However, just as he was about to turn to leave, he suddenly heard another conversation in the room.

"The gentleman is generous, and everyone has a wine reward for giving birth to a daughter and a baby."

"How can the daughter of a king be compared to a mortal! I heard the old witch say that the king is the Nine Heavens Xuannu descended to earth. Thinking about it, the daughter of the Xuannu must also be a goddess. ”

"The pious woman of my village also said that the king is the savior sent by the Emperor of Heaven."

"Laifu, I heard that you have seen the king, can this matter be serious?"

"Don't listen to him! He also said that the deputy of the team will accompany you. ”

"I'm not bragging! That year, Jun Shang took a colorful Luan car to Nanpi. My father and I were at the gate of the city to meet us. The guards who got on and off the bus really looked like team deputies. ”

"Then what do you say?"

"I... I didn't dare to look up. ”

"Tsk! He also said that he didn't blow it nonsense. ”

"I'm not bragging. I can swear to God! ”

"Alright. No matter what the king looks like. Now the rest of them can get land and live and work in peace and contentment, all thanks to the king's gifts. ”

"Yes, the king also sent a doctor to the village to provide free medical treatment for the old and weak. Cured my uncle's leg disease. ”

Cao Pi stood outside the house and listened to the illiterate soldiers in the room, chattering about the many virtues and policies that Cai Ji had implemented in recent years. In a trance, I seemed to understand what Mencius said: "There is a way to win the world, to win its people, and to win the world." There is a way to win the people, to win their hearts, and to win the people. There is a way in his heart, and he gathers with it as much as he wants, and he does not do anything evil. In his opinion, Cai Jiguang's moral administration is "to get his heart and the way"; It can make the people feel grateful for his kindness and spontaneously worship his mother and daughter as goddesses. It is "the way to win its people". It is true that the soldiers in the house are all little-known people, but Cao Pi believes that there are thousands of ordinary people like them in the world who enjoy the virtue and politics of the Cai family. As long as there is the support of these people. Cai Ji's country will not be easily shaken.

Thinking that ordinary people can still support Cai Ji's mother and daughter without reservation, Cao Pi suddenly realized that as Cai Ji's husband, the most important thing to do now is to stick to his post and trust Cai Ji. Because his wife is not the delicate woman who spreads her hands and waits for a man to save her when she is in trouble. His wife is a generation of heroes who have a kingly strategy and are unparalleled in the world.

At the same time, under the same bright moon, Tai Shici was worried about how to deal with the "evidence" left by Zhen Geng. It is said that since the day of the battle to conquer Gaojiawu, the Qi army turned the entire dock wall upside down, and then collected a lot of evidence of Gaojia's collaboration with the enemy. Among the many evidences that are both true and false, especially the brocade box left by Zhen Geng next to the bodies of Gao Na and Liu Tong is the most eye-catching. As the chief general under Cai Ji, Tai Shici had cooperated with Zhang He many times in his early years, and the two had a good relationship in private. So Tai Shici didn't believe that Zhang He would betray Cai Ji. But many of the evidence in the brocade box are openly and secretly pointing the finger at Zhang He, who is far away in Xuzhou, and it seems that the evidence is conclusive, making it irrefutable. So Tai Shici, who felt that the situation was serious, strictly ordered his subordinates not to publicize the matter to the outside world, and on the other hand, he recruited Xin Bi and Zhang Qing into the palace to discuss countermeasures.

With the flickering lights, Zhang Qing and Xin Bi read the evidence in the brocade box one after another. Zhang Qing obviously didn't expect that the Jizhou smuggling case could still involve Zhang He, so he frowned tightly and didn't know what to say for a while. Xin Bi read all the evidence seriously, and finally asserted to Tai Shici, "This is a divisive plan, so that you must not take it seriously." ”

"Yu doesn't believe that Junyi will have two hearts." Tai Shi Ci nodded and agreed.

Zhang Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Tai Shici and Xin Bi didn't believe that Zhang He would collaborate with the enemy. So he then proposed, "If it's a divisive plan, why not just burn the contents of the box?" ”

Xin Bi glanced at Zhang Qing and asked meaningfully, "The general thinks that the thing in the box is only to separate the king and the general?" ”

Tai Shi Ci was mentioned by Xin Bi like this, and immediately understood the crux of the problem. Indeed, the evidence in this brocade box seems to be framing Zhang He. But in essence, it is not testing his Tai Shi Ci and testing the monarchs and ministers of Qi State. If he really burned the evidence in the brocade box, or deliberately concealed it and did not report it, the person behind it would inevitably make the matter known to everyone through other means. At that time, not only Zhang He will not be able to wash away his grievances, but even he and the civil and military forces in Jizhou will be charged with forming a party for personal gain. Thinking of this, Tai Shici, who was deeply in a dilemma, frowned again, "George is reasonable. Burning the contents of the box is self-defeating. However, if the contents of the box are presented to the king, I am afraid that it will be in the hands of the person who designed it. ”

"Is that still up or not?" Zhang Qing asked cautiously.

This time, without waiting for Tai Shi Ci to respond, Xin Bi had already said categorically, "The stakes are very high, since you have submitted it!" ”

"Why? If General Jun Yi is convicted because of this, how can he be born? Zhang Qingxin exclaimed.

Xin Bi turned his head and asked, "The general is credible that the general is collaborating with the enemy?" ”

Zhang Qing shook his head without hesitation and said, "I don't believe it." ”

Xin Bi smiled and asked rhetorically, "The general doesn't believe that the general is collaborating with the enemy, how can the king fall for such a divisive plan?" ”

Zhang Qing listened to what Xin Bi said, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was really the case, and he couldn't help scratching his head and laughing. Tai Shici on the side also nodded and sighed, "Yu has followed Jun Shang for many years, but he doesn't understand Jun Shang as well as George." ”

"The two of you are concerned and chaotic." Xin Bi humbly waved his hand, and then emphasized to the two of them in a serious tone, "Since ancient times, the purpose of discord has been to punish the heart, so Bi thinks that only the monarch and the minister trust each other and work together can break this divide!" (To be continued.) )