And at the moment when Cao Cao was beaten by Guan Yu and lost his armor and fled in a hurry, Cao Ren, who was sitting in Lujiang, was surrounded by Sun Ce and Zhou Yu left and right, and he couldn't advance or retreat. In other words, although the scale of Tatexian County is not large, it is not a military town. But the city is adjacent to the banks of the Huai River, and on the other side of it is the boundary of Runan County. If the Cao army entrenched in Tatexian County was not eliminated, Sun Ce would obviously not be able to advance into the Central Plains with peace of mind.

Seeing that the heavy rain for several days caused the river to rise, Sun Ce couldn't help but take advantage of the sunny sky and pull Zhou Yu along the Huai River to investigate, trying to find a suitable location to burst the embankment and flood the Huai River. However, after the two galloped for several miles, Zhou Yu never spoke. Sun Ce, who was anxious, couldn't help but ask after him, "Gongjin, how is it?" ”

Zhou Yu shook his head very dryly and said, "The water level is not enough." ”

"Tsk..."Sun Ce spat in disappointment and said angrily, "If you knew this was the case, it would be better for Ce to intercept Cao Cao!" Save the tiger and return to the mountain! ”

The relationship between Zhou Yu and Sun Ce is like brothers, and they have nothing to talk about in private. So at this moment, in the face of Sun Shizhi's childish complaints, Zhou Yu not only frowned, but asked with a smile, "It seems that Bo Fu is quite dissatisfied with Huarong's first battle?" ”

Sun Ce patted his chest and boasted loudly, "Of course! If you plan to make a horse, you will definitely be able to take the head of the thief! How could he be as incompetent as Guan Yu, let go of the Cao thief, and add to the joke! ”

Zhou Yu did not echo Sun Ce to blame Guan Yu for letting Cao Cao go, but continued to ask with interest, "If Bo Fu takes off Cao Cao's head, what should he do?" ”

Sun Ce raised his hand and pointed to the north shore. He said energetically, "Since I crossed the river to the north and went straight to Xudu!" ”

"What about after taking down Xu Du?" Zhou Yu asked again. "But you want to stay in Xudu and coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes?"

Hearing Zhou Yu mention "coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes", Sun Ce touched the short beard on his chin, lowered his head and thought, "It's not appropriate." Sun's foundation is in Jiangdong, and it is when the son of heaven goes south. After saying that, Sun Ce raised his head and saw Zhou Yu looking at him with a smile, and he hurriedly asked cautiously in his humble heart. Is there a mistake in saying this? ”

"What Bo Fu said, every word is fine, how can there be a mistake." Zhou Yu hugged his fists and said happily.

Coercing the Son of Heaven to make the princes is certainly infinitely beautiful. However, if the hostage itself is not strong or has a shallow foundation. Instead of being able to command the princes, it will lead to fire. In the past, Dong Zhuo, Guo Yan, Li Dao and others were greedy for pleasure in Luoyang and Chang'an, so that they stayed away from Xiliang and became rootless driftwood. In the end, they were broken one by one. Cao Cao, on the other hand, wisely moved the Son of Heaven into his sphere of influence. As a result, he was able to successfully control the Son of Heaven, and in the name of the imperial court, he recruited celebrities and scholars, or used the imperial court's gifts to provoke relations between princes.

If Sun Ce wants to learn from Cao Cao's coercion of the Son of Heaven to order the princes, he is naturally not exempt from vulgarity. It's just that the location of Jingzhou and Yangzhou is too southerly after all, and once the Son of Heaven is moved away from the Central Plains, the influence of the Han Court will inevitably be greatly reduced, and even cause the disgust of the people in the Central Plains. However, this is not a problem for Zhou Yu, who is planning to "divide the world into two". And at this moment, what made him most gratified was that Sun Ce's thinking was completely based on the overall situation, and was not affected by his false name. This means that Sun Bofu seems to have grown from a military general to a real prince.

Zhou Yu's recognition also made Sun Ce overjoyed. But he thought about it for a while, and asked with some puzzlement. "In that case, why did Gong Jin let Liu Xuande intercept Cao Xuande's back road in the first place?"

For Sun Ce's questions. Zhou Yu had already prepared, and when he saw him stroking the horse's mane, he smiled leisurely, "Grandson has clouds, don't be forced to be poor." Although Cao Cao was deeply injured this time, the hundred-legged insect died but did not stiffen, and in time, Cao's army would flock to Nanjun to rescue Cao Cao. Liu Xuande has always regarded himself as a member of the Han clan, and such a heavy responsibility for the thief was entrusted to the emperor's uncle. ”

Zhou Yu said the last sentence with a bit of sarcasm and abuse. Sun Ce sneered unceremoniously, "The people who weave mats and sell shoes dare to call themselves imperial uncles? ”

Originally, after the Son of Heaven issued an edict, there were rumors that the Son of Heaven recognized Liu Bei as the emperor's uncle in the edict and ordered him to send troops to rescue him. However, the vast majority of the princes scoffed at this rumor. This is because the edict has long been gone, and its content cannot be verified at all. Second, once the identity of Liu Beihuang's uncle is recognized, he will change his direction and become angry with others. The princes would not do such stupid things.

As Sun Ce finished complaining about Liu Bei's identity as "Uncle Huang", Zhou Yu restrained his playfulness and said decisively, "On the occasion of Liu Cao's war, Bo Fu should take advantage of the Northern Expedition to force Cao Ang to hand over the Son of Heaven!" ”

Sun Ce nodded approvingly, then frowned and asked, "Gong Jin's words are reasonable, but Cao Ren is in front, how should Yu and the others break through the city?" ”

Zhou Yu raised his eyes and looked at the city from afar, and said after a moment of silence, "Cao Cao is trapped in the sun, and Cao Ren must be anxious." There is a way to surround the teacher, maybe Bo Fu should let Cao Ren have a way to live. ”

"Let Cao Ren live?" Sun Ce lowered his head and chewed on Zhou Yu's opinion, but he never thought that a sharp scream of a woman suddenly sounded in his ears. Sun Ce raised his head and followed the prestige, and saw three riders on the official road not far away, chasing an out-of-control carriage all the way.

Without any words to discuss, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu only exchanged glances, and then they both jumped down from the embankment and rushed to the carriage. I saw Zhou Yu driving and suppressing the frightened pack horse. Sun Ce boldly jumped into the carriage and grabbed the reins. With a long neigh, the carriage finally stopped galloping

Not long after, the rider who followed closely behind also came out of breath. Seeing that an old man at the head immediately turned over and dismounted and walked in front of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, and gave him a deep bow, "Qiao Xuan of Wancheng thank the two generals for saving their lives. ”

However, the old man's thanks did not receive a reply from the two. Because of the broken bamboo curtain, the twenty-eight-year-old Sun Ce and Zhou Yu felt for the first time what it means to be "the emperor descended to Beizhu, and his eyes were sad." ”

Sun Quan didn't know that his eldest brother had found him a sister-in-law, and at this time he was following Cai Ji's chariot through the streets of Longkou and heading towards the Qihou Mansion. After a year, there seems to be no change inside and outside Longkou, and there is still a crowd of people. Merchants gathered, and the scale of the city also increased. However, Sun Quan still saw some doubts from some details.

For example, on both sides of the official road, you can watch the gongs and drums and colorful flags fluttering. However, there is a lack of "famous children" in the crowd that greets each other. It must be known that although Sun Quan has not been in Longkou for a long time, with his good conversation, he still got to know many children of the big clans and clans in Qing and Xu Prefectures in the lecture hall. In Sun Quan's impression, those well-dressed gentlemen would never miss any opportunity to get close to the Marquis of Qi. Regardless of whether Cai Ji was out on patrol or returning to the city, they would inevitably appear in the welcoming crowd or pretend to be reserved, or scratch their heads, or be wild and uninhibited, in short, they would do everything they could to attract the attention of Qi Hou. But now, those familiar or unfamiliar faces of Sun Quan are all gone.

For Sun Quan, who has experienced the pain of losing his father since he was a child and has experienced the warmth and coldness of the world. He was no stranger to such a snobbish face of the clan tycoon. Thinking back then, Sun Quan's father, Sun Jian, begged to destroy the Yellow Turban, persuaded Dong Zhuo, and saved the Han seal. Wei Zhen Hanluo, once an official to the general of Po Yu, was appointed by the imperial court as the Taishou of Changsha. However, with Sun Jian's death in the second year of Chuping, the local clans and wealthy clans that once surrounded Sun Jian abandoned the Sun family one after another. If it weren't for Sun Quan's eldest brother, Sun Ce, to gather the old department in time to provoke the girder, the Sun family would probably disappear. How can there be today's scenery.

If Sun Jian died, there were still several Sun Ce brothers who inherited the family business. The current Cai Ji is really alone. The princess had no heirs and no clear heirs. Once Cai Ji dies violently, the huge foundation she has laid will also disappear. And the change of the white wolf just now is to completely expose this weakness of Cai Ji in front of everyone. Therefore, it is no wonder that some local clans and wealthy clans will take a wait-and-see attitude at this time.

However, Cai Ji's current situation is a great time for some people to get ahead. No, when Cai Ji's car arrived at the Hou Mansion, Mrs. Cai, who had been waiting here for a long time, stepped forward before Lan Ling, Ling Hujiu and others, led Liu Biao's second son Liu Cong, and respectfully saluted Cai Ji, "Liu Men Cai." I've seen Qi Hou. ”

For this clan sister who was forced over by Cao Cao, Cai Ji is really a bit of a bogeyman. This is because she grew up in an orphanage in her previous life and lacked experience in dealing with relatives. Second, Mrs. Cai is the sister of Cai Ji in this life. is also Liu Biao's widow, and her identity is too special, and if she doesn't handle it well, it is very likely that Cai Ji's reputation will be damaged.

Seeing Cai Ji walking out of the carriage with a smile on his face, he helped Mrs. Cai up and said, "Mrs. Cai doesn't have to be polite." This son must be the Marquis of Chengwu. ”

Marquis Chengwu was a title inherited by Liu Cong from his father Liu Biao. In fact, before Liu Cong came to Qingzhou, Cao Cao also used the name of the Son of Heaven to give this young son a rather disgusting official title - Qingzhou Assassin. However, Liu Cong himself was quite well-behaved, and hurriedly saluted Cai Ji with his son and nephew, "Liu Cong has seen Qi Hou. ”

Although Liu Cong's posture is low, his mother, Mrs. Cai, is not a fuel-efficient lamp. As Liu Cong finished his salute, Mrs. Cai did not retreat, but further bowed to Cai Ji and said, "Hou Jun has worked hard all the way, and there has been good wine and food in the house, and Hou Jun is invited to enter the house to rest." ”

Seeing that Mrs. Cai put on a posture of the steward of the Hou Mansion in public to welcome Cai Ji into the mansion, the expressions of Lily of the Valley, Ling Hujiu and others who were standing in front of the Hou Mansion changed one after another. Seeing that Lily of the Valley bit her lower lip and lowered her head in shame, Ling Hujiu, who had always had an unruly temper, simply rolled her eyes behind Mrs. Cai. It turned out that soon after Mrs. Cai arrived in Donglai, she relied on the identity of Cai Ji's sister to pick her nose and eyes at the entire Qihou Mansion, either blaming the people in the mansion for not understanding etiquette, or complaining that the furnishings in the mansion and the degree of use could not match Cai Ji's identity as a general and a general. And Lily of the Valley and the others still can't refute it. Because although Lily of the Valley has won Cai Ji's trust, she is only a maid from the county order family after all, and she has never seen a real wealthy compound, let alone understood the complicated etiquette of the upper nobles. In fact, if it weren't for Cai Ji's backhouse relationship, which was so simple that it was outrageous, and he himself did not put the score of "opening the mansion with the three divisions" in private, with the way of taking care of lily of the valley, the huge Qihou Mansion would have turned the sky upside down.

On the other hand, Mrs. Cai was born in a Nanyang family and is Liu Biao's wife, so she is naturally familiar with the aristocratic life and various etiquette systems of this era. So even if Mrs. Cai pointed her nose and scolded "cheap maids don't know how to be polite", Lily of the Valley could only accept Mrs. Cai's various instructions willingly and humbly. After all, although Mrs. Cai's words are mean, she is reasonable, and people can't refute them. And Mrs. Cai also saw this point, so she took the initiative to get involved in the internal affairs of the Hou Mansion without Cai Ji's consent, and took the opportunity of this welcome to command Lily of the Valley to "straighten" the Hou Mansion up and down.

Mrs. Cai was confident that Cai Ji would definitely be impressed by her after seeing the "new" Hou Mansion. Because in her eyes, the Qihou Mansion is full of some dirt buns that don't understand etiquette and have never seen the market. If the young Qi Hou wants to take care of his mansion and not be regarded as a joke by the world, he must rely on her clan sister to help.

Managing the mansion for Cai Ji is only the first step in Mrs. Cai's implementation plan, and her ultimate goal is to make Cai Ji recognize Liu Cong as her adopted son. You must know that Cai Ji is already twenty-two years old, and it is unknown whether he will be able to give birth in a few years, or whether he will have a son. At that time, Cai Ji will need to adopt a son to solve his heir problem. Liu Cong is Cai Ji's nephew and a son of the Han clan, and in Mrs. Cai's opinion, her son is the most suitable candidate for Cai Ji's adopted son. Of course, before that, Mrs. Cai also needs to win Cai Ji's trust, so that the female prince believes that her family's obedient and filial Cong'er will send her to the end of her old age.

Cai Ji looked around the changes in the expressions of the people in front of the Hou Mansion, and knew more or less what had happened in the Mansion in the past few months that she had been in the north. In fact, Cai Ji also knows that according to the standards of this era, her mansion has many problems, and as her status gradually rises, Lily of the Valley is indeed no longer suitable to serve as the steward of the Hou Mansion. However, this does not mean that Mrs. Cai's mother is qualified to get involved in Cai Ji's back house. In fact, Cai Ji already had the best candidate for the Hou Mansion steward in her mind, and that was another Mrs. Cai standing behind her-Cai Yan.

And just when Cai Ji was secretly thinking about how to deal with the widow of Liu Yuanjun in front of him, Guo Jia lost no time in stepping forward from the back row and reported to Cai Ji, "Lord, Jingzhou is in an emergency, Prime Minister Cao Cheng has been defeated by Huarong, and he is now trapped in Dangyang." ”

Guo Jia's timely appearance made Cai Ji breathe a long sigh of relief, so she quickly cleared her throat and announced loudly, "This matter is very important, and all the gentlemen will go to the council hall with Gu to talk about things." ”

"Whoa." As Qi Yingwen and Wu Qi proclaimed, Cai Ji bowed to Mrs. Cai with a slight apology, and then went straight to the council hall surrounded by Guo Jia and others.

Mrs. Cai can rely on her noble status to recklessly give Lily of the Valley and other Hou Mansion subordinates, but she can't meddle in the military affairs of the Qi camp, let alone conflict with important officials like Guo Jia. So even if Guo Jia ruined the plan, Mrs. Cai finally had to watch Cai Ji's back go away and secretly gritted her teeth and stomped her feet. (To be continued......)