It is true that Cai Ji knew that Cao Cao had been hit this time early on, but he never thought that he had not seen him for just over two years, and the generation of heroes who had been full of ambition to coerce the Son of Heaven to make the princes become a gray-haired, haggard, dry and thin old man. Sighing, Cai Ji couldn't help but sigh in his heart: There is nothing more embarrassing in the world than that the beauty is twilight, and the hero is at the end.

However, Cao Cao is Cao Cao in the end, and although he looks down-and-out at the moment, he has not yet reached the point of desperation. Facing the three coalition forces that were pressed by the army, this tyrant immediately stood up and shouted and asked, "What do you want to do here, what do you want?" ”

It's a pity that the three princes on the opposite side didn't eat Cao Cao's set at all, so they listened to Liu Bei drag up a long voice and said-for-tat, "Lone and Wu Hou are begging for thieves, and now the victory and defeat have been divided, and Meng De is too rude to say goodbye!" ”

Seeing that the other party made it clear that he was first luring Cao Cao out of the city by luring the snake out of the hole, and then intercepting it in the middle of the road to force him to honor the "Yunmengze Covenant", Sima Lang, who was in charge of negotiating with the three families before, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. But seeing that he was forced to calm down, he slapped his horse and stepped forward and sang a circle to the three princes opposite, "Prime Minister Cao Cheng was ordered by the Son of Heaven to escort him north, and he couldn't be lazy in an emergency. ”

Who knew that Sun Ce on the other side was not as "polite" as Liu Bei, and saw that this little overlord raised his hand and raised his halberd and pointed at the tip of Cao Cao's nose through Sima Lang and said, "Don't talk nonsense!" Cao Mengde, you will not cut the land to send your son today, and you don't want to leave this place for half a step! ”

"Shaft! Hugh is arrogant! Seeing Sun Ce's arrogant and arrogant attitude, Cao Ren immediately showed the spear in his hand and wanted to fight with the opponent for 300 rounds. was stopped by Cao Cao raising his hand. At present, the enemy is outnumbered, and it is obvious that the Cao army is not the opponent of the three coalition forces when it comes to forcibly breaking through. For today's plan, the only way to calm down the group of tigers and wolves in front of you is to calm down the group of tigers and wolves in front of you, and when Xiangyang has the Son of Heaven and reinforcements, things will turn around.

Come to think of it. Cao Cao couldn't help but turn his gaze to Cai Ji, and then said to him, "I heard that the Marquis of Qi proposed to set the capital, return the emperor to the emperor, divide the princes, and use the feudal screen Han. Now my son Xiu has returned to the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven has also moved the capital to Xiangyang. Wouldn't it be a backfire for you to block the lonely way here! If this is the case, the soldiers under the lonely command are not afraid of the fish dying and the net will be broken! ”

Cao Cao's meaning is clear. That is, Cao Angfang Liu Xie moved the capital to Xiangyang in order to save him Cao Cao from trouble, if the three coalition forces dared to hurt him Cao Cao at all, it would be a breach of contract. When the fish dies and the net is broken, Cai Ji's plan to divide the seal will also be empty. And Cao Ren is also worthy of being Cao Cao's confidant and favorite general, as soon as Cao Cao's words fell, he waved his hand to signal Cao Jun under his command to put on a decisive battle posture.

Facing the threat from Cao Cao. Cai Ji smiled slightly and arched his hand. "Cao Gong's words are wrong. Ding is Ding, Mao is Mao, and the right general's return to the Son of Heaven is in response to the mandate of heaven. The battle between Gong and General Zuo and Marquis Wu also needs to be explained to the world. Ji Nian Shao had the courage to persuade the public, but the account was settled as soon as possible, so that he could go north with Yu and the others to resume his life and participate in the grand event. ”

"But the previous account? Qi Hou also wants to ask for debts from Lone? Cao Cao sneered with a sneer.

"Definitely." Cai Ji waved his hand and said, "Ji has never responded to the edict of the clothes belt, how dare he be cheeky and ask for credit." ”

As soon as Cai Ji's words came out, Liu Bei and Sun Ce's faces both showed a look of relief. No matter how Cai Ji cut off his beard halfway. At least in the matter of the edict, her attitude is still fair. At this point, Liu Bei no longer doubted Cai Ji's sincerity for him, and continued to pressure Cao Cao. "It's rare that the Marquis of Qi understands the righteousness so well, Meng De still has to resist stubbornly, as for the death of more than 10,000 Cao soldiers?"

And just when Cai, Liu, and Sun were attacking and threatening Cao Cao to submit to him, Cao Cao's fourth son, Cao Zhi, interrupted the conversation with his immature voice, "Yu Yuan is a servant, and I ask the generals to let my father go north." ”

As soon as Cao Zhi's words fell, Cao Cao's third son, Cao Zhang, also lost the spear in his hand and stepped forward to say, "Yu is also willing to serve as a servant." ”

Seeing that the famous Chen Siwang Cao Zhi in history was about to enter the pledge, Cai Ji couldn't help but feel a sigh of regret in his heart. You must know that the reason why Cao Zhi can enjoy the name of "Talent and Eight Buckets" in later generations is not only because he himself has the talent of Tianzhong, but also because he has lived in the hinterland of the Central Plains for a long time and is deeply influenced by Heluo culture. "River" refers to the Yellow River, and "Luo" refers to the Luo River, and the basin where the two rivers meet is one of the sources of Chinese civilization. On the other hand, in Jingzhou, where Liu Bei was located, the Eastern Wu occupied by Sun Ce was far less prosperous in literature than in the hinterland of the Central Plains at the end of the Han Dynasty. In Cai Ji's view, Cao Zhi is free from the nourishment of Heluo, which is tantamount to a pearl secretly casting.

However, regret is regret, Cai Ji did not come forward to prevent Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang from entering the hostage. After all, there will be sacrifices to defuse the current impasse. Since Cao Zhi and Cao Zhangken came forward to fulfill their filial piety for Cao Cao, Cai Ji could only sigh faintly and said, "Cao Gong has such a filial son, and his good life is enviable." ”

Thinking of sending his two young sons to serve as servants, Cao Cao was also heartbroken and humiliated. But as a generation of heroes, his self-esteem can't allow him to show his true feelings in front of his opponents. So Cao Cao only glanced at Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang, and then turned to pretend to be tough and make fun of Cai Ji, "Qi Hou only needs to have a round house with a lonely son Huan to get a filial son." ”

Cai Ji was so teased by Cao Cao that he had to smile wryly and shut up. However, Liu Bei urged impatiently, "Meng Dexiu has to say that he cares, how to cash in on the land cut?" ”

Now Cao Cao also knew that it was impossible to send away the "tiger wolf" in front of him without a little blood, so he immediately waved his hand and asked loudly, "Where is the treaty?" ”

Liu Bei glanced at Chen Zhi behind him, who immediately held up a silk book and rode to the front of Cao's army. At the same time, Xu Chu also patted the horse at Cao Cao's instructions, took the silk book from Chen Zhi's hand and handed it to Cao Cao. Cao Cao opened the silk book and quickly scanned it up and down, and then solemnly stamped his official seal on the silk book in front of everyone.

Seeing that Cao Cao signed the alliance under the city, Liu Bei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But he didn't dare to slack off, after all, the treaty on the paper could be torn up at any time, and only after honoring the contents one by one, Liu Bei could put aside the big stone hanging in his heart. So after exchanging glances with Cai Ji and Sun Ce, he took the opportunity to invite Cao Cao. "The past is over, please Meng De and the others go north to the saint with the rest."

Cao Cao frowned and wanted to refuse, but looking at the coalition forces all over the mountains and fields around him, he had to swallow back the words that came to his mouth. In this way, under the coercion of the three coalition forces. Cao Cao went all the way north, and as he went, he handed over the strongholds of the city occupied by Cao's army to Liu Bei one by one as promised. By the time the brigade arrived in Xiangyang County, it was the end of December of the eighth year of Jian'an.

At the end of the year, there was a festive atmosphere everywhere inside and outside Xiangyang City. For the people of Xiangyang City, the eight years of Jian'an, which is about to pass, are a year of great ups and downs. In this year, Liu Biao, the state pastor, first raised troops to attack Cao, and then Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Sun Ce, and Zhang Xian joined forces to fight against Cao. But when the people of Xiangyang were looking forward to the success of Liu Envoyjun's Northern Expedition, Liu Biao was inexplicably frightened to death by Cao Cao's technique of heaven and earth cracking. Next is the infighting of the heirs of the Liu family, and Mrs. Cai opens the city to surrender to Cao. As a result, Cao Thief, who was once spurned by tens of millions of people, became the new owner of Xiangyang City in a blink of an eye. However, before everyone could get used to the new master, Cao Cao died in Chibi soon after. Not only were hundreds of thousands of Cao's naval divisions destroyed by Zhou Yu's raging fire, but even Cao Cao himself fled into Dangyang City under Guan Yu's pursuit. And soon after, he was flooded by Liu Bei, and Dangyang was completely trapped in the city, and his life and death were uncertain.

At that time, rumors were rife in Xiangyang City, some people said that Cao Cao was dead, and some people said that Sun Ce was about to enter Xiangyang. What's more, some people pinched their fingers and said that Liu Bei and Uncle Liu Huang would win the world. In short, in the eyes of most people, Cao Jun, who defended the city, was already a grasshopper after the autumn, and it would not be a few days before Xiangyang changed hands, but no one thought that the owner of Xiangyang City would be today.

The Son of Heaven moved the capital to Xiangyang - this news was like a golden cake that smashed on the heads of every person in Xiangyang City. You must know that after Liu Biao's careful management for many years, today's Xiangyang City is the largest city in Jingzhou, and its scale is close to the Shouchun City run by Yuan Shu back then. However, the people of Xiangyang City always felt that something was missing. Especially when you meet Central Plains visitors. Inevitably, you will be ashamed of yourself. To put it bluntly, the Central Plains is to repeatedly create military disasters, and it is the location of the royal capital after all, and the people of the Central Plains have a sense of superiority from the bottom of their hearts since ancient times. Now if the son moves the capital to Xiangyang today, Xiangyang City will become the center of the world, and even the people in Xiangyang City can be stained with some nobility at the feet of the Son of Heaven, and there is no need to be inferior in front of the Central Plains people.

In fact, long before the Son of Heaven left south, well-informed merchants from Jing and Yang began to transfer their property to Xiangyang. When Liu Xie himself arrived in Xiangyang, the counties of Jingbei were completely boiling. In just ten months, there were more than a dozen rebel armies and nearly 10,000 people rushed to Xiangyang Qinwang. For a time, the entire Xiangyang City was crowded, and the wine shops and restaurants were full of chivalrous warriors who played swords and sang and Confucian scholars who talked loudly.

In the face of so many diligent kings and righteous people. On the one hand, Liu Xie was pleased that the people's hearts were available, but on the other hand, his reason told him that these rabbles were definitely no match for Cao Jun. As the saying goes, a thousand troops are easy to get, and a general is hard to find. Liu Xie can recruit tens of thousands of soldiers with the century-old prestige of the Han Dynasty, but famous generals who are good at fighting cannot be summoned by saying that they can be called. Therefore, although Liu Xie was dissatisfied with Cao Jun, he had been restraining his rebel army for nearly half a month, and had a tolerant attitude towards the forbidden department and Cao Zhenbu. It wasn't until he learned that Cai, Cao, Sun, and Liu had arrived in Xiangyang County that Liu Xiefang hurriedly summoned Wu Shuo into the palace to discuss the next step.

The imperial palace where Liu Xie is located is the mansion of Liu Biao in the past, and it has long been transgressed in terms of its scale and magnificence. Even Liu Xie himself felt that Liu Biao's mansion was far more comfortable than his residence in the palace in Xudu. It must be known that Cao Cao was a thrifty man by nature, and his daily necessities in the house were still simple, abandoning a piece of ornate carvings, and even his underwear was a coarse cloth shirt with patches. Although Cao Cao did not use the same strict standards to demand Liu Xie, the imperial palace of Xu Du only met the imperial specifications. In short, Prime Minister Cao Cheng would rather recruit more soldiers and horses than spend an extra cent on the Son of Heaven. So considering that Liu Biao left such a comfortable ready-made palace for himself, Liu Xie didn't bother to investigate the crime of trespassing of that "Uncle Liu Huang".

Wu Shuo, under the guidance of the chamberlain, bypassed the huge shadow wall, passed through the circular arrangement of government offices, and came to the imperial study located in the east. Liu Xie, who had been waiting here for a long time, couldn't wait to ask when he saw Wu Shuo, "Wu Qing, when will Cai, Liu, and Sun lead the troops into the city?" ”

Wu Shuo replied, "Back to Your Majesty, Cai, Cao, Sun, and Liu have agreed with each other that they will only camp outside the city, and no one will be allowed to lead troops into the city without being summoned by Your Majesty. ”

"Not going into the city?" Liu Xie frowned slightly, obviously dissatisfied with Cai Ji and the others' arrangement. You must know that Liu Xie is waiting for Cai Ji and others to help him drive away the Cao army in the city.

Seeing this, Wu Shuo hurriedly explained to him, "Your Majesty, the Cai, Liu, and Sun families have a large number of allied troops, and it may be inconvenient to enter the city together. If His Majesty is worried that Cao Jun has two hearts, he can order the three families to send 500 soldiers into the palace to escort him. ”

Liu Xie's eyes lit up when he heard what Wu Shuo said, and he suddenly got up and nodded repeatedly, "Wu Qing is reasonable. I heard that Zhishen had gone south with the Marquis of Qi, and this time I decided to summon Zhishen to go deep into the palace. ”

However, Wu Shuo was not as eager as Liu Xie, but seeing that he lost no time in speaking to the young emperor in front of him, "Your Majesty, although General Li is loyal to His Majesty, if His Majesty wants to revive the Han Dynasty, he must also recruit talents for his own use. ”

"I don't want to recruit talent. However, most of the people who have recently entered the palace to recommend themselves are unashamed and embarrassed. Liu Xie sighed helplessly.

Wu Shuo also knew that there was a lack of talented people in Jingzhou. However, Xiangyang is the new capital that Liu Xie picked by himself, so he naturally has to bear the corresponding shortcomings after moving the capital. Thinking of this, Wu Shuo persuaded Liu Xiegui, "Don't worry, most of the recent self-recommenders are from poor families, and it is inevitable that the good and the bad will be uneven." Later, there will be children of the Jingzhou family to vote, and His Majesty only needs to select loyal and righteous people to take important positions. ”

"If the Jingzhou family has the heart to be loyal to the imperial court, why hasn't they come to King Qin so far?" Liu Xie frowned and asked.

Why don't you come to King Qin? It's not that I'm afraid that Cao Cao will suddenly turn around and liquidate, and I want to wait and see for a while. Wu Shuo sighed in his heart that people's hearts are not ancient, and then explained to Liu Xie bitterly, "Your Majesty, if the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if people are observed, there will be no disciples." The Jingzhou family may have unspeakable secrets at the moment, but as long as they serve the imperial court, they have the Han family in their hearts. ”

Liu Xie is not a stunned young man who didn't know how to advance or retreat in the past, after listening to Wu Shuo's words at this moment, he had to sigh and wave his hand, "Let's go, first order Cai, Sun, and Liu to send five hundred soldiers into the palace to escort them." (To be continued......)