Chapter 270: Retreat (I)
In the relatively simple room, there was a smell of medicine. www.biquge.info A few people stood quietly in the corner of the room, like sculptures, motionless, and only the eyes that blinked from time to time could prove that these people were still alive.
In this deliberately created quiet environment, an old voice said slowly: "What have Yuanlong and Zizhong been doing recently?" Or is it close to the newcomer Yan Fuxian and Liu Xuande? β
It was Tao Qian, the lord of Xuzhou, who spoke, but one of the heroes of the sour jujube alliance was now lying on the sickbed, with a wet towel on his forehead, and his face was full of sickness. Compared with the high spirits of the year, Tao Qian at this time is obviously much older.
Perhaps only the slight glimmer of light in the cloudy eyes can prove that this seriously ill old man is not completely dazed...
But...
Even so, who can be the enemy of time?
Not to mention that Tao Qian's qualifications are already very mediocre, at best, he is a master of success, that is, he is really a hero, can he still be able to defeat the enemy of time?
"That's right, lord..."Looking at Tao Qian on the sickbed, Cao Hong's eyes showed a trace of worry, but he quickly hid it well. During this time, Mifu held countless banquets, and every day they would entertain the generals from Qingzhou or Yan Shao himself, and Yan Shao and others were also happy to go, it is said that the two would have a secret meeting from time to time, it is difficult to say what they are secretly planning..."
"And that Chen Yuanlong, since he brought Liu Bei back from Youzhou, he has also been by Liu Bei's side every day regardless of his identity as the helmsman of the Chen family, as if he was Liu Bei's adviser. There are three major families in Xuzhou, and now two of them seem to have their own ideas, and the lord has to think about it more..."
It's just that when he looked at Tao Qian's body, the worry in his eyes was difficult to hide.
He wasn't really worried about Tao Qian's body, but as Tao Qian's most important person, Cao Hong himself didn't have any ability, and being able to get Tao Qian's favor was nothing more than observing words and emotions and being obedient enough, and the position he got now had nothing to do with Tao Qian.
But if Tao Qian died, it can be imagined that in front of the new Lord of Xuzhou, I am afraid that there will be no place for him Cao Hong.
Don't look at Cao Hong's high position in Xuzhou, it is all because of Tao Qian's favor, in fact, several really powerful people in Xuzhou, such as Chen Yuanlong, Mi Zhu and even Cao Bao with the same surname as him, do not have a good impression of him.
Now that Chen Yuanlong and Mi Zhu have begun to find their next home, and although Cao Bao has not made any moves, considering the Cao family's power in Xuzhou, no matter who arrives in Xuzhou, it is impossible to treat the Cao family badly, you can imagine what kind of fate will happen if you don't think about it more often...
At least, there is no doubt that there will never be his Cao Hong's position at the highest peak of Xuzhou's power...
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After listening to Cao Hong's narration, Tao Qian's already ugly face became a little more ugly, and he sighed leisurely. "What can I do? Now that I'm like this, it's understandable that Yuanlong and they are looking for a new backer behind their backs..."
The tone seemed flat, but from his eyes, it could be seen that his heart was not as calm as he said.
waved his hand with some difficulty, and the people in the room quietly dispersed from the corner one by one, leaving only Cao Hong himself to help Tao Qian up from the sickbed.
Looking at the roof that he had seen many times during this time, Tao Qian smiled bitterly. "Zigao, how many years have you followed me?"
"This..."Cao Hong lowered his head and calculated, and replied. It's been seven years..."
"Has it been seven years?" Tao Qian seemed to be a little surprised by this answer, but it was a little expected.
Seven years, if it weren't for such a long time, how could he have promoted Cao Hong, a person who has almost no ability except for flattery, to his current position?
However, in the face of time, this time he could not continue to help this person who had followed him for many years.
"Yuanlong They are understandable, I know very well what the situation of my current body is, I am afraid that I will not survive for long, if I can live to see Cao Jun retreat, it is already a blessing for me, as for the rest, I dare not hope anymore, and Xuzhou should also have a hero who can shelter this place after me, Yuanlong and Zizhong They just made what they thought was the most correct choice..."
"But the prince of the house, the prince of the house still has two sons, why should he give up the foundation of Xuzhou to outsiders?" But there was no one else around, and Cao Hong began to speak a little freely.
"My two sons?" Hearing Cao Hong talk about his two sons, Tao Qian coughed for a while, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "With my two uncompetitive sons, how can I support the foundation of Xuzhou, if I really hand over the land of Xuzhou to the two of them, it will take less than half a year for Xuzhou to fall into the hands of Yan Shao, Cao Cao and even Yuan Shu..."
If he could, why didn't Tao Qian want to hand over the foundation of Xuzhou to his son?
Although he is recognized by the imperial court as a Xuzhou pastor, there is no doubt about one thing, that is, he has also put a lot of effort into this land, and these efforts will definitely not be inferior to anyone.
Just gave the foundation to outsiders in such a plain way, Tao Qian also felt unwilling in his heart, not to mention that there were two of his most trusted subordinates in this matter? This kind of thing feels aggrieved even if you think about it. In the past time, he didn't treat Chen Deng or Mi Zhu badly at all, but now that he is not dead, the two of them have already begun to look for the next home, and they are also looking for two people at the same time, how can Tao Qian not be angry, but what if he is unwilling?
In the final analysis, Xuzhou has never been his Tao Qian's Xuzhou, but the Xuzhou of the Xuzhou family, seeing that he is about to die as a Xuzhou pastor, it is understandable that Mi Zhu and Chen Deng will do this...
"No matter what, I'm afraid that my two uncompetitive sons can't do it, at this time Yuanlong and Zizhong are also forced to do it, if Xuzhou can have support in the future, I am also happy, but..."Looking at Cao Hong, Tao Qian asked in an inquiring tone. Zigao, you have been out during this time, and you have had a lot of contact with Yan Fuxian and Liu Xuande, do you think which of these two people is more suitable to take my place? β
In Tao Qian's view, Yan Shao is undoubtedly the most suitable role. Although it was extorted from Xuzhou in the process of going south this time, the strength of the Qingzhou Army was the strongest one, and it was fully capable of protecting the peace of Xuzhou.
As for Liu Bei...
This Liu Bei is just a nobody, if it weren't for the matter of the Tiger Prison, Tao Qian wouldn't even remember that there was such a person. But even so, he was not very impressed, because he was sick in bed, except for Liu Bei who was in charge of receiving him when he first came, there was almost no intersection between the two, and his understanding of Liu Bei was not very clear.
However, in Tao Qian's impression, Chen Deng is a very smart person, and if you want to say who is the most capable in Xuzhou, Chen Deng is definitely the first place deservedly. And being so highly respected by Chen Deng, it can also be seen that this Liu Bei does have some skills.
"Is this..."I have to say that Cao Hong has really not been idle during this time, and he has indeed made observations, after all, Tao Qian's body is there. If there were other things, maybe you could count on this old man to turn the tables, but time is something that no one can beat.
Tao Qian, who is gradually approaching death, has lost all possible opportunities to turn the tables. In this case, how can a treacherous person like Cao Hong not want to find a way out?
And Cao Hong's choice...
"Liu Bei, Liu Xuande!" After muttering for a while, Cao Hong expressed his opinion.
"Oh?" Although he was also optimistic about Liu Bei and Tao Qian, he didn't expect his deployment to be so decisive when making a decision, which made him a little surprised, "Why?" β
"Because he is from Qingzhou and represents the interests of Qingzhou, if he really lives in Qingzhou in the future, how can he not be proud of the Qingzhou scholars? The interests of Xuzhou have basically been divided among the various families, and if the people of Qingzhou come, the only way to get something is to cut a knife from the Xuzhou family..."
Yes, if Yan Shao controls Xuzhou, it will definitely open the door to the family in Qingzhou. And the influx of the Qingzhou family will inevitably damage the interests of the Xuzhou family. Cao Hong is seen as a person who is good at flattery, and he is also from a family, otherwise he would not have been promoted and appointed by Tao Qianββββββ people like Tao Qian are precisely the ones who value their family background the most. If the background is not good enough, even if the ability is strong, it is useless, otherwise it will not be until now, Xuzhou does not even have a hero who can handle it.
Comparatively, Liu Bei is better to control, after all, Liu Bei himself does not have much strength, and he cannot influence the will of the Xuzhou family at all. On the contrary, in order to get the support of the Xuzhou family, I had to make more compromises to the Xuzhou family, which is also the most critical point.
Of course, there is another point that is good for him Cao Hong, as I said before, Liu Bei's strength is too weak. Even if he finally moved into Xuzhou, he couldn't bring in too many of his own people, which gave Cao Hong a chance to meet the source. The new state pastor is settled, and he is always needed to help understand the situation in Xuzhou, right? In this way, Cao Hong also has his own opportunity to stabilize his position.
Even if his position in the end cannot be the same as it is now, at least it is much better than completely losing power. On the other hand, Yan Shao? As a Qingzhou pastor, his subordinates are already innumerable, which can be seen from Yan Shao who came with 5,000 cavalry, which is actually more useful than the 100,000 soldiers and horses in Xuzhou. How can there be less people to use under such people?
It is conceivable that after arriving in Xuzhou, the first thing Yan Shao did was to replace the henchmen of the former state pastor. Over the years, relying on Tao Qian's power, Cao Hong has also done some angry things in Xuzhou, if he is really found out, he can't expect Tao Qian to come back from the dead and pull him along, right?
Although Tao Qian said that he was sick and dying, it didn't mean that he really became an old fool. Hearing Cao Hong's words, he also had his own calculations in his heart.
Xuzhou always has to be handed over to one person to inherit, and his own sons themselves know very well that those two sons are loyal and honest people. If it is peaceful and prosperous, it will not hurt to hand over Xuzhou to the two of them, but if you do this in such a chaotic era, it will only harm your two sons, and if you don't get one right, it is very likely that you will be cut down and eradicated.
The best choice is to choose someone who is compatible and can take care of the interests of the Tao family at the same time.
This person can't be Yan Shao, because Yan Shao's strength is too strong, and he is too strong, and he doesn't need Tao Qian's help at all, so...
The space for choice seems to shrink a lot in an instant...
Looking at Tao Qian, who was contemplative, Cao Hong understood that he already had his own thoughts in his heart, and he didn't bother, just stood quietly next to him, waiting for Tao Qian's order.
But just when the room became silent, there was a sudden knock on the door, as if something urgent was going on.
Tao Qian, who was lying on the sickbed, frowned slightly, glanced at Cao Hong, Cao Hong nodded knowingly, and raised his voice. "Come in!"
With permission, soon a person walked in briskly from outside, Cao Hong and Tao Qian looked at each other, and it turned out to be the housekeeper of Tao Mansion.
The housekeeper walked quickly to Tao Qian and Cao Hong, stopped beside the two, and said with a happy face.
"Master, I'm so happy!"
Hearing this, Tao Qian and Cao Hong glanced at each other, not knowing where this joy came from.
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The walls were not very tall, they were covered in blood, and the paths of the walls were littered with fallen corpses, and the armor and blades each of them were telling them who they were.
In a bloody battle, no one can guarantee their own safety, even the most brave generals, let alone just some ordinary soldiers?
It is not known how many sergeants fell on the top of the wall, and there were even a few ladders on top of the outside of the wall, which were not knocked down.
"Check it out for me, you must not let go of a person from Lu Bujun!"
"No!"
On the same path, a man who looked like an officer shouted loudly, the armor on his body was torn, almost everywhere there were damages, and some of them even dripped, which made people feel frightened, but this officer still shouted everywhere as if nothing happened.
The officer's roar made all the sergeants present resound, and some of them quickly participated in the search for survivors.
Among them, if it is your own person, of course you will be well treated, although the amount of medicinal materials and other materials in the city is also very scarce, but if you can help, you will still help. Who can guarantee that it is he who lies down now, and it will not be himself who lies down next? At least among these people present, I'm afraid that none of them dared to play this package ticket.
However, the target of this was limited to the soldiers in Cao's army, but did not include the people of Lu Bujun. Some of the people who were injured and could not move casually and could only stay on the city wall were tied up under the coercion of the Cao soldiers and waited for the final judgment, and those who were too seriously injured to continue treatment were found and dealt with one by the Cao soldiers who were in charge of the search...
It seems that he has noticed the fate of his companions, and a Lu Bujun is lying on the city wall and pretending to be dead. But he didn't expect Cao Jun to have experience along the way, and soon found him out, and saw a sergeant who seemed to be an officer walked over, carrying a ring knife in his hand, and just dragged the neck of the soldier who pretended to be dead and cut it.
At this moment, the soldier who pretended to be dead could no longer continue to pretend, but unfortunately it was useless to struggle hard, and in the end it only intensified his death speed.
However, what was really chilling was that the officer who gave him the last blow didn't look at him until the end, just lowered his head and continued to look for the next target, and that's it...
Looking down at the soldiers and horses of Lu Bu who were receding like a tide below, Xun Yu, who was standing on the city wall, let out a long sigh. Pools of blood pooled under his feet, and his feet were wet with blood.
Smelling the pungent smell of blood, which he hated the most, but now it seems that he has become accustomed to it.
Uh-huh, I'm sorry, I'll make up for it right away!
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