Guo Jia stood on the shore and watched the little white sails gradually drift away, the expression on his face was both solemn and complicated. Although Cai Ji's trapping in western Liaoning made him anxious, the ups and downs of the Central Plains made him feel like he was walking on thin ice. It must be known that as time passes, the surrounding princes and Haoqiang will sooner or later learn the news that Cai Ji is trapped. Therefore, it will not be long before the states and counties under Cai Ji will be besieged by various forces. These attacks may be blatantly and directly fighting, or they may be sneaky and covertly intriguing. But no matter what kind of attack, it will be an extremely severe test for the emerging Tsai party.

In fact, even if Cai Ji was not in danger, Cao Cao, as an "ally", would never miss any opportunity to infiltrate, provoke, and subvert Cai's territory. No, Cao Cao only took Jingzhou on the front foot, and drove the Cai family, which is the largest family in Xiangyang, to Donglai on the back foot. It would not be a big deal if you had received more relatives in the past. After all, the northward migration of the Cai family in Xiangyang can somewhat change the outside world's impression of the weak foundation of the Cai Ji clan. But now it is an eventful autumn, and for the sake of stability within the Qi army, Guo Jia can't help but be a villain.

Seeing the last warship sail away from Jimo Port, Guo Jia straightened his robe lifted by the sea breeze, turned to Huang Zhen who was standing behind him and asked, "Huang Fuyin, has Cai Dejun moved in the past few days?" ”

It is said that the position of Fu Yin should have appeared after the Tang Dynasty, but in view of the fact that Longkou City has now become the political, economic, and military center of Qi, Cai Ji changed the position of Longkou Yin to the same level as Taishou. Anyway, the Han Dynasty already had Jing Zhaoyin, who was in charge of the Jingshi, so there is no need to explain much, and outsiders also know the weight of Longkou Yin. At this moment, in the face of Guo Jia's inquiry, Huang Zhen, who was the Yin of Longkou Mansion, couldn't help frowning slightly and replied, "Back to the military division, Cai Deqi is no different. On the contrary, Mrs. Cai sent several henchmen and servants to wander around the city one after another, as if to inquire about the news of the Lord. ”

"Liu Cai's ......" Guo Jia twisted his long beard and played with it for a long time. resolutely ordered, "Send people to monitor Liu and Cai's two mansions, and record the people who enter and leave the two mansions together." ”

"Whoa." Huang Zhen replied with a long sigh of relief. It must be known that although the Cai family brothers and sisters were expelled from Jingzhou by Cao Cao, one of them is the Marquis of Hanyang Ting, and the other is the widow of Liu Jingsheng, and they are both related to their own masters, so if you talk about the identity of Huang Zhen, you can't afford to offend. However, with the bad reputation of the Cai family brothers and sisters in Jingzhou, Huang Zhen had to be wary of the two of them. Fortunately, at this moment, Guo Jia personally issued an order to monitor Liu and Cai's second mansions, and Huang Zhen could finally put aside his burden and concentrate on guarding against the Cai family's brothers and sisters from making trouble.

In fact, at the same time as the Qi fleet set off for the north, Mrs. Cai, who was in Longkou, had already learned the news that Cai Ji was trapped in western Liaoning from her confidants. Mrs. Cai, who felt that the world was about to change dramatically, recruited her brother Cai Mao into the house without saying a word. Although Cai Mao also heard some rumors from the streets and alleys in the morning. But the fact that a prince was trapped outside the border was still too sensational after all. Therefore, after listening to Mrs. Cai's introduction, Cai Mao couldn't help but question, "This is true!" Qi Hou is really trapped in Liaoxi? ”

"It's true. Sima Wang Xu of Zhuo County is a former friend of his late husband, and he said that the Marquis of Qi has been trapped for more than ten months, and now everyone in Youzhou is in danger. Mrs. Cai swore an oath.

Cai Mao heard that the source was so accurate. There was still some suspicion, but when I saw him, he sighed and hugged his head and wailed. "Woohoo! I thought that I could enjoy wealth by taking refuge in Qi Hou. But he never thought about it before he got out of the tiger's den. and into the wolf's den. ”

Seeing that her brother was so unproductive, Mrs. Cai couldn't help but glance at Cai Mao and said, "You are a dignified seven-foot man, how can you commit yourself to a woman's skirt and ask for wealth!" ”

Cai Mao ignored her sister's ridicule, and said with a wry smile with her hands, "Qi Hou's foundation is still shallow. If he dies in Liaoxi, don't say that he is rich, I am afraid that our lives are in danger! ”

"Misfortune and blessing are relied upon, and blessing and misfortune are lurking. How do you know that our lives are in danger? Instead of rising to the top? Mrs. Cai smiled with a smile on her face.

But Cai Mao was so frightened by Mrs. Cai's smile that she shuddered. Because he knew that every time Mrs. Cai laughed like this, something big would happen. So in a state of anxiety, Cai Mao hurriedly asked, "What did Sister say this?" ”

"If Cai Anzhen dies in Liaoxi, Qi Chen will set up a new lord. After Jingsheng Gong, Wu'er is the son of the Han clan, how can he not be the lord of the land! Mrs. Cai raised her eyebrows and said smugly. Indeed, if only in terms of background, there is no one in the entire Longkou and even Qingzhou who can compare to Liu Cong. If Cai Ji really has an accident, there may really be some families who value their background and bloodline to recommend Liu Cong as the main one. So it is not delusional that Mrs. Cai will have this self-confidence.

But this time, as soon as Mrs. Cai's words fell, Cai Mao jumped up like a rabbit with her tail stepped on and sealed her mouth, "Sister be cautious!" Beware of the walls with ears! ”

Mrs. Cai shook off Cai Mao's hand and snorted coldly, "I'm telling the truth. ”

"Having said that, you have to wait for Qi Hou to really have an accident before you can mention it. Otherwise, I am afraid that giving people a handle will be disadvantageous to Gongzi Cong. Cai Mao wiped the cold sweat on her forehead and said. In fact, Cai Mao didn't know that his nephew was noble, and he might have the opportunity to inherit Cai Ji's family business. But Cai Ji's Wenchen generals are all human spirits, how can they be easy to match. What's more, Cai Ji is not dead now, if Mrs. Cai jumps out at this time to preach that Liu Cong's noble status can replace Cai Ji, it is a naked rebellion. It's no wonder that other ill-intentioned people take the opportunity to get rid of it!

Sure enough, hearing Cai Mao bring out her son Liu Cong, Mrs. Cai finally put away her aggressive posture, but she still sneered unwillingly, "That's it!" We're here to see what happens. I'm afraid that Cai Anzhen's father-in-law Cao Mengde will not be in a hurry. ”

Facts have proved that although Mrs. Cai thinks so highly of herself that she doesn't know whether to live or die, her grasp of the general trend is quite accurate. Compared with Mrs. Cai, who was looking for news everywhere, Cao Cao learned the news of Cai Ji's trapped in White Wolf Mountain from the spies in Youzhou early in the morning. It's just that he has always been cautious, and at first he only regarded this message as a rumor released by Gongsun Kang. It wasn't until Zhong Xuan's letter from Taiyuan confirmed that there was indeed an abnormality in the Zhangliao Pang Command Department in Bingzhou. Only then did Cao Cao believe that Cai Ji was really in life-and-death trouble this time. Like Madame Cai, Cao Cao also invited his henchmen to discuss countermeasures at the first time, but what he wanted was not a corner of the land, but the entire north.

"Now Cai Anzhen is trapped in the White Wolf River in Liaoxi, I don't know what you have to say about this?" Cao Cao asked while playing with the dagger in his hand while looking around at the civil and military forces under his command.

Although the timely surrender of Cai Mao's sisters and brothers allowed Cao's soldiers to take Xiangyang without blood, Liu Bei gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in Changsha. thus won most of Jingzhou. At the same time, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu of Eastern Wu started a tug-of-war with Cao Hong in Lujiang. Therefore, when Cao Cao ordered all the civil and military forces to gather in the council hall, most people thought that Cao Cao was going to discuss with them how to crusade against Liu Bei and Sun Ce to unify Jingzhou. But I never thought that before this ass was settled, my own lord actually said that Cai Anzhen was trapped in the snow field outside the gate.

"Prime Minister, is this true?" Like Cai Mao, I couldn't believe that this was true when I heard about such an earth-shattering change.

At this time, Cao Cao took out a letter from his bosom and unfolded it in public, "This is Zhong Yuan's handwritten letter, if you don't believe it, you can circulate it yourself." ”

After that, Cao Cao asked his entourage to pass the letter down. Zhong Xuan's letter was like a boulder that caused an uproar in the hall. There are those who are dumbfounded for a while, there are those who talk to each other, and there are those who bow their heads and ponder. At this moment, I saw that the new chief bookkeeper Yang Xiu suddenly got up and said aloud with a high spirit. "Cai's reckless risk, now the seclusion and chaos, just need Wang Shi to set the north. This is God's help to the prime minister! ”

Yang Xiu is the son of Yang Biao, the former lieutenant, and has recently been hired by Cao Cao as the chief secretary to be in charge of internal and external affairs, and his radical remarks can be regarded as representing the opinions of Cao Ying's Shaozhuang faction. Even Cao Cao twisted his beard with his hands after listening to it, showing a slightly drunk face. Obviously, Yang Xiu's sentence "Heaven helps the prime minister" broke Cao Cao's mind. Seeing this, the civil and military forces on the side took advantage of the situation and echoed it together.

But in the midst of a call for "northward expansion". Suddenly, someone whispered and denied, "The teacher is unknown." I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public. ”

Cao Cao opened his eyes and followed the prestige. I saw Shang Shuling Xun Yu, who was sitting on the left-hand side, bowing his hand to him, "The lord is Mingjian, Cai Anzhen and the lord have an alliance of marriage. This time, Cai Anzhen was in a crisis in western Liaoning because of his respect for the king, and if the lord took advantage of the danger of others, he was afraid that he would be criticized by the world. ”

Xun Yu's words made many Cao Ying's civil and military forces, including Cao Cao and Yang Xiu, show embarrassment. In fact, Cao Cao didn't know that if he suddenly turned around and attacked Cai Ji, he would be scolded as a shameless villain. But when he thought that the current Qi camp was in a state of leaderlessness, Cao Cao really didn't want to give up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So he pretended to cough lightly and asked Xun Yu. "Then how should I deal with it according to Wen Ruo's opinion?"

"Consolidate the foundation and cultivate the yuan, step by step." Xun Yu replied.

Cao Cao couldn't help frowning when he heard what Xun Yu said. In fact, since the fall of Yuan Shao, Xun Yu has advised Cao Cao more than once to persuade him to temporarily stop fighting abroad and recuperate. However, Cao Cao felt that he should destroy Yuan's power and actively send troops to sweep the southern princes. Now the results of the Battle of Jingzhou have proved that his judgment was not wrong. On the contrary, Xun Yu's words seem quite conservative.

However, before Cao Cao could open his mouth to discuss with Xun Yu, Yang Xiu had already retorted first, "Ling Jun's words are wrong. Heaven does not take it. Instead, they are to blame. Cai's crisis today is all self-inflicted, and what does it have to do with the prime minister! ”

Xun Yu was unmoved, "Cai Anzhen is good at governing people's livelihood, and his reputation among the people is quite high. If Cai Anzhen finally escapes, and the lord fails to take the land, then the Cai family will be in the same situation with the lord from then on. At that time, Cai Ji, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce will be surrounded by three parties, how should the lord deal with it? ”

In the face of Xun Yu's calm analysis, most of the civil and military forces who had actively advocated northward expansion fell into silence. Only Yang Xiu was unconvinced, "If the Cai family dies in the end, it will be ......"

"If the lord breaks the contract and sends troops, and Cai Anzhen dies in Liaoxi, then in the eyes of the remnants of the Qi camp, the lord is also taking advantage of the danger of others." Xun Yu stopped talking, no longer ignored Yang Xiu, and instead Cao Cao said, "Therefore, Yu thinks that the Lord is now waiting to see what happens, and it is not too late to send troops to expand north after Cai Anzhen's death." ”

In fact, Xun Yu did not oppose Cao Cao's expansion to the north. It's just that in his opinion, any battle should be famous, so that it is king. But at this moment, Cao Cao thought that Xun Yu's idea was too wishful thinking. It is of course the best choice to send troops to expand eastward after Cai Ji's death. But what if Cai Ji didn't die in the end. Then didn't he Cao Cao miss a great opportunity to eliminate the Cai clan in vain. As the saying goes, taking advantage of his illness to kill him, Cao Cao is not willing to let go of any opportunity to kill Cai Ji.

On the other hand, Xun Yu's words also gave Cao Cao a new inspiration. I saw that after Cao Cao lowered his head and pondered for a moment, the corners of his mouth raised a trace of cunning arc, "Let's go, then we won't expand eastward for the time being." However, if there is a small time to take the opportunity to make chaos and harass the land under the rule of the Marquis of Qi, Lone should also send troops to share the worries of the Marquis of Qi. ”

After hearing what Cao Cao said, everyone also showed a knowing expression on their faces. It wouldn't be long before the powerful and bandits in the states and counties under Cai Ji would hear the wind and cause chaos everywhere, and Cao Cao, as an ally at that time, would naturally send troops to help Cai Ji put down the chaos. As for when Cao Jun will be able to quell the chaos, it depends on whether Cai Ji can return to the Central Plains alive. Even if Cai Ji was finally unharmed, Cao Cao might not necessarily spit out the meat he ate.

At this time, Cao Cao was obviously very satisfied with his arrangement. So after discussing the specific operational matters with his subordinate Wen Wu, he waved his hand and announced the dismissal of the meeting. However, just as Cao Cao walked out of the meeting hall with square steps, a childish voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Father."

When Cao Cao looked back, he saw that his fourth son, Cao Zhi, was running towards him out of breath. Cao Cao couldn't help frowning and scolded Cao Zhi, "Zijian, why are you so flustered? ”

Cao Zhi stopped and took a breath, and then respectfully bowed to Cao Cao and said, "Father, the child heard that the Marquis of Qi was trapped in Liaoxi, I don't know if the second brother is okay?" ”

Hearing Cao Zhi mention Cao Pi, Cao Cao's eyelids jumped involuntarily. It must be known that Cao Cao didn't consider Cao Pi's situation at all when he was calculating how to kill Cai just now, and he didn't care whether Cai Ji would take Cao Pi after learning that Cao Jun was secretly cheating. In fact, after learning that Cao Pi failed to win Cai Jifang's heart and was regarded as a servant and a proton, Cao Cao took the right to have a son missing. But at this moment, seeing that the young Cao Zhi attached so much importance to brotherhood, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel soft, so he immediately stepped forward and stroked Cao Zhi's forehead, and sighed, "Zihuan is trapped in the White Wolf River with the Marquis of Qi, although he is anxious, he is helpless. ”

Of course, Cao Zhi knew that Jingzhou and Liaoxi were thousands of miles apart, and now it was completely difficult for his father to send troops to rescue Cao Pi. Saddened, he had to bite his lip and comfort himself, "Second brother will definitely return home safely." (To be continued......)