Xiapi City, Chen Mansion.

Chen Jue, the head of the Chen family, was sitting in the courtyard, making tea with a leisurely expression, and there was no anxiety between his eyebrows.

I don't know how long it took, but a sound of footsteps came into Chen Qi's ears, and after a while, he saw a young man in his twenties walking over quickly.

"Father!" The young man said respectfully, it was Chen Qi's eldest son, Chen Deng, Chen Yuanlong, the current captain of Xuzhou's Diannong School.

"Yuanlong is back...... How's it going? Chen Jue replied lightly when he heard this, and as he spoke, he picked up the tea bowl and tasted it.

"Father, there is news from the front line that Cao Cao has broken through Tancheng and slaughtered nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians in Tancheng!" As soon as Chen Deng finished speaking, he heard "Bang!" With a bang, the tea bowl in Chen Jue's hand fell directly to the ground.

It's just that Chen Jue didn't notice anything about this, only to see him stand up and stare at Chen Deng suddenly, his eyes were full of stunning light. Where does that majestic gaze look like an old man who is already sixty-two years old? But he was shocked and asked, "Is this serious?!" Then Cao Mengde really slaughtered the soldiers and civilians of Tancheng?! ”

"It should be true, Tao Envoy Jun can't use this matter to deceive me and others. In addition, this time he convened us and others to discuss the matter, and finally fainted because of his anger......" Chen Deng said, and told Chen Qi about many things at the meeting.

"Alas, how can this be?!" Hearing Chen Deng's words, Chen Qi sat down heavily and sighed, his tone full of helplessness.

"Father, although the child knows that Cao Cao's move is to reduce casualties and at the same time deter us and others. But the matter ...... The child really can't agree with ......," Chen Deng sighed as he shook his head.

Chen Deng had the ambition to help the world and help the people when he was a teenager, and when he was promoted to filial piety and honesty as the magistrate of Dongyang County, he regarded the people as children, and used his own money to raise the elderly and children who had no one to take care of. After being appointed by Tao Qian as the captain of the Diannong School, although he was very disdainful of Tao Qian, thinking that he was just a pretending person, he was also conscientious in doing things.

Originally, Chen Jue's father and son didn't want to get involved in the Xuzhou dispute between Cao Cao and Tao Qian, because in their opinion, neither side was a master. In this case, no matter who wins and occupies Xuzhou, it will not make much difference to them.

Cao Cao won, naturally it is impossible to offend the local family in Xuzhou. And even if Tao Qian wins, it is impossible to make a move against the Chen family. Not only because the ministers are the captains of the agricultural school of Qianshi, but also because the Chen family is a big family in Xuzhou!

Although Chen Jue, as the head of the contemporary Chen family, has only been the biggest official, he is only a county order, and then he directly resigned and lived in seclusion until now. But in Xuzhou, who dares to ignore him or the existence of the Chen family? His grandfather Chen Zhu was the county guard of Guanghan in Yizhou, and his uncle Chen Qiu was the imperial lieutenant of the Ling Emperor Liu Hong. And his two younger brothers also served as county guards. Although it is not as good as the top families such as the Yuan family, the Chen family is in Xuzhou, which is also famous.

It can be said that whether it is Cao Cao or Tao Qian, or someone else who leads Xuzhou, the only thing that can be done for the Xiapi Chen family is to win over. This is also why Chen Qi was able to be so leisurely before, because he had this confidence.

But now, Cao Cao slaughtered nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians in Tancheng, which not only showed his determination to take Xuzhou, but also showed his attitude towards the Xuzhou family. After all, would a person who can do such a thing without scruples care about a family? After all, no matter how big the Chen family is, it is not as strong as Tao Qian. If Cao Cao really ignored the damage and insisted on destroying the Chen family, then even if the Chen family's counterattack brought huge casualties to Cao Cao, it would inevitably wipe out the clan.

Of course, the premise of all this is that the Chen family does not intend to submit Cao Cao......

"Yuanlong, the matter has come to this ......" Chen Qi looked at Chen Deng, his lips moved slightly and wanted to say something, but before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Chen Deng.

"Father, the child really can't agree with this! Cao Mengde wants to rule Xuzhou, yes! But it should never be done by such means! In this case, how can the child believe that he will treat the people of Xuzhou well? Chen Deng looked at Chen Qi and said loudly.

"But with the current situation in Xuzhou, coupled with the impact ......of Tao Yuanjun's coma," Chen Qi shook his head and sighed when he heard this.

"Indeed, if you only rely on Tao Yuanjun, it will be difficult to resist Cao Mengde's attack, but what if you don't rely only on Tao Yuanjun?" Chen Deng looked at Chen Qi and said meaningfully.

"Yuan Long is talking about the Yuan Highway in Jiujiang?" Chen Qi muttered when he heard this, but as soon as he finished speaking, he directly denied this choice. "No, Yuan Highway's style of acting Yuan Long, you definitely don't like it, it's definitely not him. In this way, the ...... who can meddle in the affairs of Xuzhou" Chen Qi groaned, and his eyes became brighter when he looked at Chen Deng.

"Yes, it is Qingzhou Liu Xuande Liu Envoy!" Chen Deng said in a deep voice, "According to what the child heard, since Liu Qingzhou took office in Qingzhou, he has been benevolent and loving to the people, and he has won the love of the people of Qingzhou. Under Liu Yuanjun, Bing Genju, Wang Shuzhi, and Kong Wenju are also world-famous talents. What's more, there are countless elite soldiers and fierce generals under his command, and his strength is probably still above Cao Mengde. If you can ask Liu Yuanjun for help, the danger of Xuzhou will definitely be lifted! ”

"Hmm...... I have also heard a lot about Liu Yuanjun's deeds......" Chen Qi stroked his beard and groaned when he heard this, but after a while, he frowned and said, "But Liu Yuanjun and Tao Yuanjun are in-laws, if you invite them, I'm afraid it will be ......" Chen Qi was halfway through his words, and suddenly shut up again.

I saw him frowning and pondering, and after a long while, Chen Qi suddenly looked at Chen Deng with a smile and said, "Haha! It deserves to be Yuanlong! With you, there are successors to the Chen family! ”

Saying that, Chen Qi smiled at Chen Deng and said, "Leave this matter to Yuanlong, I believe you already have the best way in your heart!" In addition, from today onwards, you will be the head of the Chen family! When he said this, Chen Qi's tone was full of relief, because he knew that the Chen family would inevitably become more prosperous in Chen Deng's hands.

"Father, ......" Chen Deng didn't look excited when he heard this, but looked at Chen Qi with some hesitation.

"Yuanlong, my father is already sixty and two this year, so he can't stay in this position all the time, right? Although you are still young, whether you are literary or courageous, you are enough to take on the position of head of the family. Chen Qi looked at his ministers and laughed lightly.

"Okay, I've made up my mind, no need to say more." Seeing that Chen Deng seemed to want to say something, Chen Qi waved his hand and smiled, "And this is not only for you, but also for the Chen family!" ”

Hearing this, Chen Deng didn't say much, but said deeply, "Please rest assured, the child will never let his father down!" ”

Mifu.

Like Chen Deng, after Tao Qian fell into a coma, Mi Zhu hurried back to the mansion and began to discuss with his brother Mi Fang. Because he found that the opportunity he had been looking for and waiting for had finally appeared.

"Big brother, is this really possible? Although it sounds like the situation in Xuzhou is very grim now, you don't know who Tao Qian is, so how can you be defenseless? Mi Fang heard Mi Zhu's words and asked with a suspicious look.

Mi Fang did not have any good feelings for Tao Qian, and Tao Qian had promised Mi Zhu that as long as he sent an envoy to Qingzhou to facilitate his marriage with Liu Bei, he would promote Mi Fang to be entrusted with important tasks. And in the end, the marriage was completed, but Mi Fang still failed to be promoted.

But even so, Mi Fang did not underestimate Tao Qian because of this, after all, as a member of the Mi family, his brother Mi Zhu was always educating and reminding him, so Mi Fang knew a lot about many things that should be known and should not be known.

"Guarding is definitely guarding, but Liu Yuanjun is not a simple character. Although he is benevolent and generous, as long as he finds a suitable reason to let him continue to stay in Xuzhou, he can justifiably take Xuzhou ......sooner or later," Mi Zhu said in a deep voice, his tone was full of admiration and admiration for Liu Bei.

Hearing this, Mi Fang didn't say much, he didn't know much about Liu Bei, but he knew his eldest brother Mi Zhu very well. The character who can make him so admired will definitely not be a simple person.

"Big brother, but if our Mi family wants to let Liu Yuanjun stay in Xuzhou, I'm afraid it will be very difficult......" Mi Fang thought about it and said again, "Once Cao Cao is repelled, then Tao Qian will definitely find an opportunity to let Liu Yuanjun return to Qingzhou." And those families in Xuzhou may not be able to help us. ”

"There will be a way...... Now that the situation is complicated, I believe that it is impossible for those families to have no other ideas......" Hearing this, Mi Zhu said in a deep voice, but although his tone was calm, his eyes full of worry betrayed his heart.

The Mi family is the largest businessman in Xuzhou and a large landowner. The family has been operating reclamation for generations, and by Mi Zhu's generation, there are nearly 10,000 domestic servants and diners raised by the family alone, not to mention those who are attached to it. And the wealth of the Mi family is even more consistent! This is not the kind of large-denomination coin that Dong Zhuo minted.

It can be said that there is almost nothing in Xuzhou that can be compared with the Mi family, even if it is a family. It's just that...... In this era, the strength of a family is not only based on money and the number of diners in the family. It's like the Chen family, maybe not as rich as the Mi family, but it's not necessarily much worse to go. Although they don't raise so many diners, if they have a conflict with the Mi family, then the Mi family will definitely be unlucky in the end.

The two were discussing, and suddenly a subordinate hurriedly came, "Family master, Captain Chen is here." ”

"Chen Yuanlong? What did he come to do? Mi Zhu muttered suspiciously.

"Don't you want to take the opportunity to force the family to join their Chen family?" Mi Fang put forward her own ideas.

"Hmm...... It shouldn't be, with the strength of the Chen family, even if he replaces Tao Yuanjun, it will be difficult to stop that Cao Mengde. And although the other families are currently headed by the Chen family, if the Chen family really wants to rule Xuzhou, the other families may not be willing to ......," Mi Zhu groaned when he heard this.

Thinking about it, Mi Zhu turned his head to Mi Fang and said, "Zifang, you go down and prepare first." No matter what method is used, it will definitely be a cost. ”

Mi Fang didn't say much when she heard this, and turned around and left directly. Not long after, Chen Deng appeared in front of Mi Zhu under the leadership of his subordinates.

"Don't drive, now that the situation is urgent, Deng is uninvited, and I hope don't drive to be surprised." Chen Deng came to Mi Zhu and said politely.

"Captain Chen is so polite, Zhu has always admired Captain Chen's personality and knowledge, Captain Chen came to the cold house this time, Zhu was overjoyed~" Mi Zhu laughed when he heard this, and immediately welcomed Chen Deng into the secret room in the mansion.

After the two sat down and exchanged polite words, Chen Deng said directly, "The master of the Mi family, Jun has been in charge of the contact with Liu Qingzhou for a while ago, and I want to have a lot of friendship with Liu Qingzhou, right?" ”

"Oh??" When Mi Zhu heard this, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and then he pretended to be casual and said lightly, "Friendship is not discussed, but it is just that I was ordered to go to Qingzhou a few times." ”

"Hehe, if the head of the Mi family has no friendship with Liu Qingzhou, he won't come this time, as the head of the Chen family!" Chen Deng immediately smiled when he heard this.

Hearing Chen Deng's last words, Mi Zhu's gaze at Chen Deng suddenly changed, and he saw that his expression was solemn, and then he said in a deep voice, "Since Captain Chen is here as the head of the Chen family, then Zhu will not hide it." Yes, Zhu has some personal friendship with Liu Yuanjun. ”

"Then I don't know what Liu Qingzhou is like?" Chen Deng asked with a curious look when he heard this, "Although there are many rumors in the world, it is just hearsay after all. Therefore, I came this time, but I also hoped to get more information from the mouth of the head of the Mi family. ”

"Oh? The head of the Chen family believes so much that Zhu will not open his mouth? Mi Zhu asked with a smile when he heard this.

The head of the Mi family laughed, no one in Xuzhou knew that the head of the Mi family treated people generously, honestly and elegantly. If you can't even believe the words of the head of the Mi family, then who else can believe the words? Chen Deng said with a chuckle.

"Haha, the head of the Chen family praised it falsely." Mi Zhu laughed when he heard this, and then said his knowledge of Liu Bei. He really had something to say, not because he was praised by Chen Deng, but because he knew that if Chen Deng really didn't know anything about Liu Bei, he wouldn't be sitting here at all.

"If Liu Yuanjun is really such a master, Deng, this time it is not in vain." After Mi Zhu finished speaking, Chen Deng was silent for a moment, and then looked at Mi Zhu and said with emotion.

"In Zhu's opinion, Liu Yuanjun will definitely not disappoint the head of the Chen family, the Chen family, and even the people of Xuzhou!" When Mi Zhu heard this, he said in a solemn voice with a meaning.

Hearing Mi Zhu's words, Chen Deng nodded, then stood up and said, "Then, please leave this matter to the head of the Mi family, by the way, please ask the head of the Mi family to say hello to Liu Yuanjun on behalf of the Chen family." ”

"Please rest assured that the head of the Chen family will definitely convey the kindness of the Chen family to Liu Yuanjun." Mi Zhu also stood up and replied to Chen Deng.

After Chen Deng left, Mi Zhu immediately summoned Mi Fang to advise him, and then set off for Tao Qian's mansion.