Cao Pi, who was far away in Liaoxi, didn't know that he had already become a dispensable outcast in the eyes of his father Cao Cao. In fact, even if he knew that his father might use the siege of the white wolf to seek Cai Ji's territory, Cao Pi had no time to feel sorry for himself at this time. Pinching his fingers, it has been almost a month since the main force of the Qi army was trapped in the White Wolf River. In the past twenty days, although the Qi army has repelled the attacks of the Gongsun army many times, it has not been able to wait for the expected reinforcements. The only known reinforcements were wiped out halfway by the Bunton. Fortunately, with Tian Chou's wit and Zhao Yun's martial bravery, the Qi army finally survived that crisis. But Cai Ji did not get by because of this, on the contrary, in order to get rid of the current predicament as soon as possible, Cai Ji has been worrying day and night these days. Cao Pi, as Cai Ji's personal guard, naturally had to follow and stand aside to serve tea and water for her. This is not that Cai Ji deliberately supported Cao Pi, but the effort of boiling and pouring water is often enough for her to review a document or make a small decision.

On this day, Cao Pi was boiling water for Cai Ji outside the tent as usual, and saw Sun Quan walking to his side, making a gesture to roast the fire, and curiously asked, "Zihuan boils water again." Qi Hou only drinks boiling water? ”

"Qi Hou once said that drinking raw water will cause epidemics." Cao Pi threw the firewood into the fire and replied without raising his head.

Sun Quan couldn't help but smile slyly when he heard this, and whispered in Cao Pi's ear, "Qi Hou trusts Zihuan, aren't you afraid that Zihuan will be secretly poisoned?" ”

However, in the face of Sun Quan's whispering like a poisonous snake, Cao Pi was unmoved, "If there is an accident for the Marquis of Qi, it will be difficult for Pi to survive." ”

"Oh, Zihuan is planning to die for Qi Housheng?" Sun Quan laughed.

"Sun Gongzi thinks that Qi Ying's civil and military forces will not avenge Qi Hou? Or does Sun Gongzi want to replace him? If so, Pi can recommend one or two for the son. Cao Pi raised his head and teased Sun Quan with a smile.

Sun Quan couldn't help but smile bitterly and smack his lips when Cao Pi asked this. In fact, Sun Quan at this time had already dispelled the idea of seducing Cai Ji. Because of his observations over the past few months, he has realized that Cai Ji is not an ordinary woman, and even if she gets married in the future, she will not be subject to her husband. On the other hand, the man who ties the knot with him will be constrained at every turn, and even ruin his future. With such an obvious loss-making deal, Sun Zhongmou would not have jumped into the fire pit. And the reason why he deliberately provoked Cao Pi again and again was simply to sabotage Cao Cai's marriage.

Seeing that Sun Quan was gagged by himself. Cao Pi lowered his head again and picked up the firewood by himself. In Cao Pi's eyes, Sun Quan is just a son and brother of Ye Gong and a good dragon, once he really lets him change positions with himself, he will definitely slip away faster than a rabbit. And Sun Quan's reaction at this moment just confirmed Cao Pi's judgment.

However, Sun Quan did not stop there, but seeing that he licked his dry lips, he whispered to Cao Pi again, "Does Zihuan hate Ling Zun?" Do you hate Qi Hou? ”

Cao Pi glanced at Sun Quan, and then calmly said frankly, "My father sent Pi to marry the Marquis of Qi on the order of the Son of Heaven. Therefore, the father and the Marquis of Qi respected for a day, and Pi wanted to be a husband and wife with the Marquis of Qi for a day. ”

Cao Pi's words are not perfunctory Sun Quan, in fact, this is his true state now. The initiator of Cao Cai's marriage was neither Cao Cao nor Cai Ji, but the Son of Heaven in the city of Xu. As long as the Son of Heaven does not take back the emperor's order for a day. And Cao Cao and Cai Ji are determined to respect Han, so this marriage must continue. So if you really want to say who Cao Pi hates, the only one is the Son of Heaven who sits in the hall.

Sun Quan obviously didn't expect that the second son of Cao in front of him could see it so thoroughly. At this moment, Sun Quan really felt a little sorry for Cao Pi. Of course, it was only a little bit, after all, Cao Cao's destruction of an outstanding son was a good thing for Dongwu after all. However, thinking that he might also be buried with Cai Ji and others, Sun Quan, who was quite depressed, couldn't help but put his arms around Cao Pi's shoulders and sighed. "Zihuan is really a reasonable person. It's a pity that both of us are trapped in such a place of death, and I don't know if we will ever see the peach blossoms in this life. ”

Cao Pi shook off Sun Quan's hooked hand. Lifted the kettle and stood up and said solemnly. "Pi will not die here, Qi Hou will definitely escape."

Watching Cao Pi carry water and leave, Sun Quan pulled the corners of his mouth disappreciatively. He was not as optimistic as Cao Pi and the soldiers of Qi Ying. In Sun Quan's view, Cai Ji does not have the support of his clan, and once he encounters a life-and-death crisis, it is difficult to guarantee that he will not find another person. It must be known that Sun Quan still remembers the scene when his father Sun Jian died in battle, and the lower parts of the tent will scatter. At that time, if it wasn't for his uncle Wu Jing to take him in, it would be difficult to have the achievements of his Sun brothers today. Therefore, compared with the word loyalty, Sun Quan believes in blood ties more in his bones. And as Cai Ji was trapped for a longer time, the test of the civil and military forces of the Qi camp did kick off.

——————

Outside the flat city. By the Mulberry River, the flags were rolling, the drums were ringing, and about 40,000 Qi troops were gathering on the Baili school field. Zhang Liao was dressed in a thick armor robe. Straddle the gray shadow horse, looking at the mountains of grain, grass and ordnance piled up around him being stacked onto the car, the fast horses and soldiers running back and forth are like carps crossing the river, their faces are gloomy and almost dripping. After a while, I saw him pull the reins and turn his head to Pang Tong behind him and ask, "Shiyuan, we have withdrawn from Pingcheng with great fanfare, and Gongsun Kang will really suspend the siege of the Lord after hearing the news?" ”

Faced with Zhang Liao's question, Pang Tongpai, who was also dressed in military uniform, immediately stepped forward and stood side by side with him, "Guo Tu instigated Gongsun Kang and the two thieves to trap the lord on the bank of the White Wolf River, aiming to induce Cao Cao to turn against the lord, so that he could profit from the chaos. Until Cao Cao and us are defeated, he will not take the life of the Lord lightly. ”

"How did Guo Tu conclude that Cao Cao would betray the alliance? If you are not chaotic and the reinforcements arrive first, then won't he be defeated? Zhang Liao frowned and asked. Obviously, he didn't believe that Guo Tu would be so big for an uncertain goal. You must know that once things fail to develop as Guo Tu expected, then the only way to wait for Guo Tu and others is a dead end.

However, how did Zhang Liao know that in Guo Tu's eyes, Gongsun Kang and Badun were just tools for him to deal with Cao Cao and Cai Ji. Therefore, as long as the ultimate goal is achieved, even if both of them die at the hands of Qi Jun, Guo Tu will not feel pity. However, even Pang Tong, who had already seen Guo Tu's intentions, did not dare to pat his chest at this time and guarantee that Guo Tu would definitely act according to his estimates. After all, the situation on the battlefield is full of variables. And this time the battle is even more about Cai's life and death, and he can't afford to have a half-point difference. Therefore, at this moment, although Pang Tong was eager to immediately ride his horse and whip to Liaoxi to rescue Cai Ji, his reason and duty as a military advisor still made him decide to follow Guo Jia's plan.

"Guo Tu is a stubborn person, and he will do his best to implement what he believes. What's more..."Pang Tong paused when he said this, and then lowered his voice and whispered to Zhang Liao, "The Qingzhou Sailor has set off. ”

Zhang Liao listened to what Pang Tong said. The brow that had been tightly locked stretched in an instant. It is said that after learning that Cai Ji was in distress, Zhang Liao's first reaction was to order troops and horses to rush to western Liaoning to rescue Cai Ji. However, Pang Tong said that this move would force Gongsun Kang and the two thieves to step up the siege of the Lord. Therefore, if you want the Savior to go up, you need to paralyze the thieves first, so that they think that the camp has been in civil strife behind the camp, so that they can repair the plank road and secretly cross the Chen Cang. Although Zhang Liao also understands the truth of throwing rat traps, it is not a way to consume it like this. Fortunately, at this moment, I heard that Qingzhou had sent troops, and the big stone hanging in Zhang Liao's heart finally fell to the ground.

"So good, so good." Zhang Liao breathed a long sigh of relief, turned his head to look up at the towering Pingcheng city wall in the distance, and said reluctantly, "It's just a pity that Pingcheng." ”

"We will not withdraw from Pingcheng. And the state will not be stupid when urinating, and if the state is not chaotic, Zhong Yuanchang will not send troops. How can a city or a place affect the life of the Lord! Pang said with a solemn face. In fact, Pang Tong didn't know that the withdrawal of the Qi army from Pingcheng was tantamount to giving up the merger state that had just arrived. But now, if you want to save Cai Ji, you must paralyze Guo Tu, and you must gather the troops that were scattered before. Compared with other states and counties, the Qi army had the weakest control over the annexed states and had the shallowest foundation. Losing a merger is not a pain in the way of the Tsai party. Not to mention, in Pang Tong's eyes, nothing is as important as Cai Ji's life.

Under the infection of Pang Tong, Zhang Liao was also arrogant. Shi Yuan is reasonable. until we are delivered back to the Lord. It must be re-ordered and stated! ”

In the spring of the eighth year of Jian'an, with the withdrawal of Zhang Liao and Pang Tongbu from Pingcheng, the foreign clans in Bingzhou, who had previously sworn allegiance to the Marquis of Qi, once again carried forward their stunt of turning their faces faster than turning books, and they rose up on their own. Seeing the wolf smoke rising in the territory of Bingzhou, Zhong Xuanxuan, who was the lieutenant of Sili at the time, even sent troops to suppress the chaos on the grounds of quelling the chaos.

If Zhong Xuanshang still adheres to the bottom line of "the teacher is famous". Hou Cheng, who was far away in Xuzhou, completely tore off the last layer of fig leaf, and brazenly sent troops to attack Donghai County from Xiapi. The reason why Hou Cheng is so fearless is that he got Cao Cao's hints, and secondly, because Gao Shun, the Taishou of the East China Sea, was transferred by Cai Ji to garrison Liyang. It must be known that Hou Cheng betrayed Lu Bu and ambushed Chen Palace in Baimen Tower. originally wanted to make a great contribution in front of Cao Cao. But who Zeng Gaoshun actually let Cai Ji enter Xiapi City one step ahead of him, thus taking away the reputation of Hou Wei's first merit at his fingertips. Although Hou Cheng finally got his wish and took over the seal of Xiapi County from Cao Cao, he has always lived in the shadow of Gao Shun all these years. Because it was also the surrender of Kaesong, Gao Shun, who kept the small Lu Bu family, won a reputation for loyalty and righteousness in the outside world, but Hou Cheng, who set a trap in Baimen Tower, was ridiculed for betraying the lord.

Annoyed and angry, Hou Cheng wanted to find an opportunity to find Gao Shun's bad luck early on. This time when he learned that Cai Ji was trapped in western Liaoning, Hou Cheng applauded the fall of the new lord of Gao Shun, and on the other hand, he casually found an excuse to send troops to plunder the cities in the East China Sea. Hou Cheng's banditry soon alarmed Zhang He, the Taishou of Xiapi, who was sitting in Xuzhou. However, just as Zhang He was planning to gather troops and horses to defeat Hou Cheng, he ushered in the visit of Xiao Jian, who was in the middle of Xuzhou's governance.

"Still?" In the study room of the Langya County Mansion, Zhang He asked the old man sitting opposite with a puzzled expression, "How do you say this?" ”

I saw Xiao Jian's hand twisting his long beard and sighed, "Qi Hou is trapped, and he is stupid, and now he is not the only one who peeps at Xuzhou." As far as the old man knows, Yanzhou Zangba has already stationed troops on the border of Xu Yan, and Huo Huo, who sharpens his knife, has a tendency to cross the border and invade. If the general rashly led the troops to recruit Hou Cheng, wouldn't Zang Ba have an opportunity to take advantage of it? ”

Hearing Xiao Jian mention Zang Ba, Zhang He immediately raised his eyebrows and snorted coldly, "Just a slave also wants to take advantage of the fire to rob!" ”

Xiao Jian knew that Zhang He had always looked down on Zang Ba, who was born as a thief, but the current situation could not tolerate Zhang He's support. As Xiao Jian said earlier, the news that Cai Ji was trapped in western Liaoning made the hearts of Xu, Qing, and Yan Zhuzhou fluctuate. Because if Cai Ji can't get out alive this time, then the states and counties under his rule will inevitably fall apart again. Under such circumstances, Zang Ba, who was born as a local snake, was far more able to win the hearts of the local sect party than Zhang He, who came from outside. However, the Xiao family is by no means an ordinary sect, and even if Xiao Jian himself wants to change his court, he will go directly to Cao Cao, instead of trading with Zang Ba and other goods. Of course, as far as the current situation is concerned, Xiao Jian does not intend to immediately defect to Cao Cao. After all, Cai Ji is still alive, and Cai's party is also quite powerful in Qing and Xu Erzhou. Now Tou Cao will only become the target of public criticism, and he is not a person inside and out.

But Xiao Jian also didn't want Zhang He to expend limited troops for the Cai family. Because in his eyes, Zhang He is the door brick of his Xiao family. It must be known that Cao Cao has always been harsh to the family clan, but he only loves military generals. If Xiao Jian can persuade Zhang He to join Cao with his soldiers and horses at a critical moment, then Cao Cao will inevitably look at him differently from Xiao Jian, and the Xiao family will also be able to rise with it. As for Cai Ji. Xiao Jian is also very grateful for his contribution to the people of Xuzhou over the years. But who let this Qi Hou not leave a son and a half daughter.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jian immediately puffed up his three-inch tongue and said to Zhang Heyou, "General Mingjian, there is a way that two fists are difficult to defeat four hands, if the general misses Xuzhou because of a mistake, how can he be worthy of Qi Hou?" ”

"Then according to the opinion of the governance, how should he deal with it?" Zhang He lowered his head and muttered, "Do you want to let Hou Cheng wreak havoc in the East China Sea?" ”

Xiao Jian waved his hand disappreciatively, "Why should Hou Cheng's rebellion alarm the general to personally lead the troops to fight." According to the old man's opinion, the general can repair a letter asking Prime Minister Cao Cheng to uphold justice for the East China Sea. ”

"Please Prime Minister Cao Cheng administer justice?"

"Exactly." Xiao Jian twisted the goat's whisker a little proudly, but suddenly realized that the atmosphere at the scene was a little wrong. So he quietly glanced at Zhang He, but found that Zhang He was staring at him at this time. For a moment, Xiao Jian only felt a chill down his spine, and under the weakness of his heart, he quickly changed the conversation and added, "Prime Minister Cao Cheng and Qi Hou have formed an alliance of in-laws, if they can mediate, they may be able to eliminate a military disaster." ”

After listening to Xiao Jian's slightly embarrassing explanation, Zhang He did not answer Xiao Jian's mention directly, but said solemnly, "Qi Hou Yu He has the grace of knowing each other, and before Qi Hou returns to the south, no one will want to step into North Xuzhou half a step!" (To be continued......)