When the sixteen-character initiative of "Bu Du Dingding, returning the political son of heaven, dividing the princes, and using the feudal Ping Han" caused an uproar in Xudu, Cai Ji, who was the initiator, had already taken Guo Jia, Zhao Yun and other civil and military generals to the south and Zhang He, who was sitting in Xuzhou, to join Zhang He at the foot of Weishan at the intersection of Qing, Xu, Yan and Henan.

Weishan is the southern gate of Qingzhou, and under it is Weishan Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake north of the Huai River. Every July and August, 100,000 lotus flowers in the lake compete to open, the lotus fragrance is overflowing, the lotus leaves are connected to the sky, and the beauty is overwhelming. Although the current Weishan Lake has passed the flowering period, but in the golden autumn and October, the sky on the lake is the same color, and the reeds are woven with gold, and it is another pleasant scenery.

On the occasion of the season when the fish fat lotus root is ripe, Cai Ji set up a Chinese tent on the shore of Weishan Lake and set up a banquet near the water. Song of Solomon, that is, accompanied by the singing of songs of Yale. Pitching pot is a kind of throwing game evolved from salute archery, with the wine pot as the target during the banquet, the participants are 5~9 feet away from the pot, take turns to project a certain number of arrows to the mouth or ear of the pot, according to the number of arrows thrown or the pattern of the arrows respectively give a certain "number", "number" is the winner, and the loser is punished with wine. During the Qin and Han dynasties, whenever the scholars and doctors feasted and drank, they would be entertained by "Song of Songs" and "throwing pots". However, perhaps the noble doctor of the late Han Dynasty was tired of playing with the Song of Songs throwing pots since he was a child, or he disliked the Song of Songs throwing pots that paid attention to red tape. In short, the popular way to feast is to indulge in alcohol without getting drunk. However, Cai Ji has always been disgusted with drinking bad drinks, and in her opinion, drinking wine is enough to drink lightly, and treating wine as white water to swallow cattle is simply death. It is no wonder that in the history books from the Three Kingdoms to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there are often records such as "drunk and rotten to death". If you drink alcohol in liters, it's no wonder that you don't drink stomach bleeding and liver cirrhosis.

In contrast, the Song of Solomon pitcher is not only elegant, but also keeps the feaster restrained. Just like at this moment, Cai Ji and the ministers sat in the tent. Among them, there is a copper kettle, each of whom impromptuates or writes poems or throws pots, and those who cannot sing or miss the pitching pot will be fined a glass of wine. Guo Jia, Xin Bi, Cui Lin, Cai Yan, and other civil officials are self-inflicted with poems. Cai Ji, Sun Quan, Zhang He, Zhao Yun, Li Da and other generals invariably chose to throw pots to determine the victory. But no matter whether it's the Song of Solomon, or throwing a pot, no one will deliberately let go of water for an extra glass of wine.

After a round of playing, it was soon Cao Pi's turn to appear. Because he knew in advance that Cai Ji's purpose of going south this time was to join Sun Ce to mediate the siege of Dangyang, Cao Ergongzi's mood was quite relaxed at this time. Skilled in poetry, he chose the Song of Solomon as usual. I saw him glance at a pair of mandarin ducks not far away who were biting each other's necks on the lake to show their intimacy, and immediately sang aloud with feeling.

"Pan Pan Pool. There is duckweed. Flowing water, with the wind.

Hibiscus is fragrant, and Hanlian is glorious. Chaocai actually. Xi Peiqiying.

Whoever picks the legacy, thinks in the court. Pisces flounder, mandarin duck cross-necked.

There is a beautiful person, as graceful as Qingyang. Bosom friends and songs. Good for fun. ”

The poem written by Cao Pi is called "Autumn Hu Xing". It belongs to Yuefu's "Xianghe Song. Clear Tunes. The original meaning of the ancient words was to write the story of the Qiu Hu opera wife of the Lu man, and praise the steadfast sentiment of the Qiu Hu wife. Cao Pi borrowed the tune of Qiu Hu Xing, not only describing the scenery in front of him, but also offering his hospitality to Cai Ji in a timely manner. It turned out that although Cai Ji had created a proud foundation so far, he had never made much progress in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry and songs. Only relying on the natural and beautiful voice and the musicality cultivated by the information of later generations, he has made some achievements in music. Of course, as the overlord of one party, Cai Ji will only show his singing voice in private. However, thinking that Cao Pi's "Qiu Hu Xing" that was handed down to future generations was actually made to compliment himself, Cai Ji's cheeks turned red in an instant, and he couldn't help but bow his head shyly.

At the same time, Cao Pi's "Autumn Hu Xing" also moved everyone present. Because most people didn't expect that Cao Pi, who was a proton, would dare to boldly show his love to his master at such a sensitive moment. And Cai Ji's reaction to this is even more intriguing.

Could it be that the Lord has really been in love with the Cao family for a long time?

Some people involuntarily speculated in their hearts about Cai Ji's thoughts. And Cao Pi himself was deeply uneasy in front of everyone. You must know that when he wrote his poems, he was completely inspired by a flash of inspiration. It wasn't until the strange gazes cast by the Qiying civil and military forces around him that Cao Pi realized that he had been too carried away before. So much so that he overstepped the identity of the proton. But Cai Ji's demeanor of bowing his head made the sixteen-year-old Cao Pi faintly moved.

And just when Cao Pi's heart was ape, he saw Guo Jia holding a wine cup and laughing loudly. "Zihuan is quick to think, and Yu punishes himself with a glass of wine!"

Xin Bi and the others, who came back to their senses, hurriedly poured wine and raised their glasses, and echoed in unison, "Drink together, drink together." ”

As a result, Cao Pi's poem to show his love was quickly revealed. Only Sun Quan watched Cao Pi sitting beside Cai Ji and showing off. It is true that Sun Quan has long given up pursuing Cai Ji, but seeing Cai Ji accept the love poem presented by Cao Pi still makes him jealous. I even felt that my nasal passages were overflowing with a strong sour smell.

Acerbity? Sun Quan was stunned for a moment, then sniffed carefully, and found that the air was not only filled with acetic acid, but also faintly wafting with another familiar smell. Crab? The word "crab" came to Sun Quan's mind, and the next moment he saw Lily of the Valley leading a group of maids to carry a plate of boiled river crabs and fish.

It is said that as early as in the "Zhou Li", there was a record of Chinese people eating crabs, but the way to eat crabs at that time was mainly to make crabs with teeth and claws into crab sauce. Before the Tang and Song dynasties, the eating rule of the whole boiled river crab was limited to the south. Because in the eyes of the ancient northerners, the crab is a monster that can ward off evil spirits, and it is even more strange for the Jiangnan people who have the wind of crab eating. It was recorded in the later "Luoyang Jialan Ji" that Yang Yuanshen of the Northern Wei Dynasty ridiculed Chen Qingzhi, a general of the Southern Liang from the south of the Yangtze River: "The ghost of the Wu people lives in Jiankang." Small crowned hats, short clothes. Call yourself Anon, and speak Apoon. The mushroom is rice, the tea is made into pulp, the soup is sipped, and the crab roe is sipped. Handle cardamom and chew betel nut. When I first arrived in Middle-earth, I missed my hometown. Go in a hurry and return Danyang. ”

Therefore, when the two river crabs, one male and one female, were put on the table for food, except for southerners like Sun Quan, as well as people like Guo Jia and Zhang He who had traveled to the south or lived in the south, the faces of the rest of the civil and military people from the north changed. Although Cai Ji has never been in the south in this life, the memory before the crossing makes her miss the delicious hairy crabs. It must be known that due to the limitations of productivity and geography, no matter how hard Cai Ji tries, he cannot change the reality of the lack of oil and materials in the catering of the Han Dynasty. Hairy crab can be regarded as one of the few delicacies that can restore the taste of future generations in its original form. This time it is rare to come to Weishan Lake. Let's ask Cai Ji how could he let go of the great opportunity to enjoy the crabs and flowers.

Of course, it is better to be happy alone than to be happy with everyone, in order to let his subordinates taste wine and eat crabs with him, Cai Ji specially prepared eight famous crabs in later generations. The maid peels the crab for the subordinates who can't eat crabs. Although Wen is not as happy as Wu to eat, it is better to eat and be elegant and will not ruin the image. Especially seeing the maid use delicate small hammers, small spoons and other devices to disassemble the river crab, it made Sun Quan, who had eaten crabs, ashamed of himself, and deeply felt that the wealthy family in Jiangdong would not enjoy it as well as the Jingzhou family.

Taking advantage of the maid's stall of warm wine and crab peeling, Cai Ji leaned on and asked Zhang Hetan casually, "General Junyi, why don't you see Xiao Zhizhong?" ”

It is said that Xiao Jian hinted that Zhang He took refuge in Cao Cao when Cai Ji was trapped in western Liaoning. Now I see that Cai Ji is unharmed. On the contrary, Cao Cao was in danger of being in the sun, and Mr. Xiao, who was deeply hit, dared to meet Cai Ji again. However, although Xiao Jian was disloyal to Cai Ji, he has assisted Zhang He in most of Xuzhou in an orderly manner over the years. No wonder. At this moment, in the face of Cai Ji's inquiry, Zhang He hurriedly excused Xiao Jian, "Xiao Zhizhong was infected with wind and cold and failed to go out with Yu, and I ask Qi Hou to forgive me." ”

"It doesn't matter." Cai Ji waved his hand generously. In fact, she didn't mean to pursue Xiao Jian. After all, Mr. Xiao did not cause substantial damage to Cai Ji's rule in Xuzhou. As for the saying of killing chickens and setting an example for monkeys, Wang Yanyun alone is enough. So Cai Ji turned the conversation around and asked about the situation in Xuzhou, "When I heard about the siege of the white wolf, Zang Ba and Hou Cheng attacked the East China Sea. I wonder what the current situation is? ”

As soon as Zang Ba was mentioned, a slight disdain immediately appeared on Zhang He's face. I saw him flick his long beard and clench his fists and said proudly. "The slave He Laoqi Hou is worried, and he expelled the two thieves from the country early, and now the north of Surabaya is owned by Hou Jun."

Zhang He is not bragging. Earlier, Zang Ba and Hou Cheng did invade Donghai County, but they were soon expelled by Zhang He's troops. When Cao Cao's army was defeated and Chibi was trapped in Dangyang, Zang Ba and Hou Cheng were even more curled up in Changyi and Xiapi all day long, not daring to act rashly. Zhang He took the opportunity to send troops to take the cities of Luhu, Peixian, Guangqi, Liuxian, Quyang, and Haixi one after another, and pressed the border line of the Qi army to the two cities of Xiapi and Pengcheng in one fell swoop. If it weren't for this, how could Cai Ji be so leisurely on the shore of Weishan Lake and enjoy the scenery and crabs with everyone.

Thinking of Zhang He's support for him all the way since the crossing, as well as his excellent performance in Xuzhou, Cai Ji couldn't help but praise sincerely. "The general is really a good general in the world, and the country depends on it!"

At this time, Zhang He was also glad that he could meet an open-minded master like Cai Ji. Because if you change to the previous Yuan Shao. At this time, he will definitely be afraid of Zhang He, and even secretly kill him like he did with Koji Yi. On the other hand, the woman in front of her not only never clotistic, but also never jealous of her subordinates. However, before Zhang He could open his mouth to show his loyalty to Cai Ji, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the tent, interrupting the conversation between him and Cai Ji.

"Report ——! Enlightening the Lord, Wu Hou has arrived in Peiguo and is hunting in Dangshan. ”

Hearing that Sun Ce was invited to go north, but deliberately stopped at Dangshan Mountain for a safari, Cai Ji glanced at Sun Quan meaningfully, and then smiled coquettishly, "It's rare that Wu Hou has this Yaxing." ”

Coincidentally, Sun Ce, who was hunting in Dangshan at this moment, heard that Cai Ji and his ministers were feasting on the shore of Weishan Lake, and he also sneered and teased, "Tasting crab feast? It is rare for Qi Hou to have this Yaxing. ”

Zhou Yu, who stood side by side with Sun Ce, tasted another taste from it, "It seems that Cai Anzhen is determined to win the alliance." ”

"Alliance? Cai Anzhen is also wishful thinking. Sun Ce snorted coldly with a stalk on his neck.

Zhou Yu knew that Sun Ce was quite dissatisfied with Cai Ji's sideways behavior. In Sun Ce's view, it was their group of Jiangdong athletes who defeated Cao's 300,000 army with only 50,000 soldiers and horses when Cao Cao was at its peak, and such a record was comparable to the Battle of Changping in the previous year. But Liu Bei and Cai Ji were not only grateful to Jiangdong Jian'er for sacrificing their lives to resist Cao, but instead came out one after another to compete with him Sun Ce for the Son of Heaven and the limelight. It's really tolerable, it's unbearable.

However, dissatisfaction is dissatisfaction. Cai Ji asked Lu Su to bring the "big plan of separation" to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, which was quite attractive to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. It must be known that according to the report from the spies in Jingzhou, Cao Cao in Dangyang City had already sent Liu Ye and Yang Xiu to envoy Liu Ying to negotiate peace with Liu Bei. Thinking that Liu Bei would take the opportunity to ask Cao Cao for the Son of Heaven. Once Cao Cao agreed to exchange his life with the Son of Heaven, Liu Bei would inevitably replace Cao as a new generation of ministers of the Son of Heaven. This is undoubtedly an extremely bad thing for Sun Ce, who is also developing in the south.

In contrast, Cai Ji's initiative of "dividing the capital, returning the Son of Heaven, dividing the princes, and vassalizing the Han" also cut off Sun Ce's desire to coerce the Son of Heaven to make the princes. His placement of the Son of Heaven in Xiangyang will undoubtedly block Sun Ce's westward expansion in the future. However, once this plan was achieved, the other princes, including Cai Ji, would also not be able to obtain the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven in Xiangyang is not in the way of Sun Ce's family. Liu Bei's road to the north and Cao Cao's road to the south will also be blocked. On the contrary, Sun Ce can take advantage of the situation to obtain the sub-seal, so as to achieve the long-cherished wish of the Sun family to establish a country in Jiangdong. Therefore, even if there is unwillingness in his heart and dissatisfaction in his mouth, Sun Ce still has to be invited to meet with Cai Ji at this time to discuss how to join forces to achieve the division of the countries.

Thinking that Cai Ji controlled the overall situation of the world without spending a single soldier, Zhou Yu's mind couldn't help but think of a passage from Confucius in the Ji chapter of the Analects, "Those who are born to know are also on the top, those who learn and know are second, and those who are sleepy and learn again and again." Sleepy and not learning, the people are the next step. Cai Ji is undoubtedly what Confucius called "the one who is born to know". This world-famous female prince is not only very young, but has never worshipped any famous family as a teacher, but she has the talent of Guan Zhong and the tyrant of Qi Huan at the same time. Except for the way bestowed by God, Zhou Yu couldn't think of any other reason to explain Cai Ji's shocking appearance. Taking a step back, even if the sixteen-character proposal proposed by Cai Ji this time came from the hands of Jia Xu, Guo Jia and other staff, Cai Ji, as the monarch, must have enough vision and courage to seize the opportunity. Otherwise, no matter how brilliant the strategy is, it is just a flower in the mirror.

Of course, teaming up with tricky characters like Cai Ji will inevitably lead to the suspicion of seeking skin with the tiger, and you must not take it lightly. However, just when Zhou Yu was secretly thinking about how to work with Cai Ji to seek the greatest benefit for Sun Ce next, he suddenly saw Lu Su riding a horse all the way down the mountain to Sun Ce, panting and getting off the horse to report, "The lord of Qi, the Son of Heaven ordered the lord to escort and move the capital together with Cai Anzhen, Liu Xuande, and Cao Mengde." (To be continued......)