Cao Shuo led the army, advancing thirty or twenty miles a day, and came to the outside of Wu County in less than a day.

Accompanying Cao Shuo, Pang Tong asked in a low voice: "Gongzi walked slowly all the way, could it be that he wanted to give Sun Quan a chance to escape?" ”

"Even if I march in a hurry, it is impossible to capture Sun Quan." Cao Shuo said: "It's better to march slowly, so that the people of Jiangdong know that our army has come to Qiu without committing any crimes." This time to break through Jiangdong, I want to take the whole of Yangzhou. Everywhere under my rule, the people are the most important resource. Capturing and killing Sun Quan is a trivial matter, but retaining the people is a major matter. ”

"At first, it was true that many people fled, but then when the army did not do anything to those who were left behind, some people turned back." Pang Tong said: "This time the son came to Jiangdong, and there were not many people who were damaged. ”

"With the people, I will be able to recruit a large army in the future." Cao Shuo said: "No matter where Sun Quan escapes, I can capture him." Rather than exhausting the soldiers with their lives, it is better to march slowly and stabilize the captured Jiangdong land first. ”

Pointing to the city wall of Wu County in front of him, Cao Shuo said: "In the future, Yangzhou will not be in Anhui City." That's it. ”

"The Sun family has been running Wu County for many years, and it is indeed richer here than Wancheng." Pang Tong replied: "It's just that after this war, there must be chaos in Wu County. There may be people who take advantage of the fire to loot and destroy the city. ”

"That's what I'm worried about." Cao Shuo said: "Pass the order, and the army will immediately break through the ...... of Wu County."

Cao Shuo was about to give the order, and a guard came to him.

The guard bowed and saluted, and said to Cao Shuo: "Enlightened son, Zhang Zhao asks to see." ”

"Zhang Zhao?" Cao Shuo asked in surprise: "He didn't withdraw with Sun Quan?" ”

"Nope." The guard replied, "He has been waiting for his son here. ”

"Ask him to come and talk." Cao Shuo instructed the guards.

The guards retreated, and Cao Shuo asked Pang Tong, "What does Shiyuan think Zhang Zhao wants to do here?" ”

"I think I want to persuade Childe to quit the army." Pang Tong replied.

"This person is also very pedantic." Cao Shuo said: "I have broken through the Yangtze River, and if I go back, I will do it except for a fool." ”

"That's what Childe said." Zhang Zhao replied: "However, there are many righteous people in Jiangdong, and there are not a few fools like Zhang Zhao. ”

Smiling slightly, Cao Shuo said: "When Shi Yuan said this, I like this fool a little. ”

The two were talking, and the guard led Zhang Zhao to come.

In front of Cao Shuo, Zhang Zhao first bowed, and then actually knelt down.

"What is Zhang Gong doing?" Cao Shuo was taken aback and asked Zhang Zhao.

"I implore the king of the five states to withdraw his troops." Zhang Zhao said: "In the past, the king of Wuzhou came to Jiangdong, and it was not wrong for Wu Houli to be thoughtful, and the Sun family also married the young lady to the king. But who would have thought that the king would immediately send troops to attack Jiangdong when he returned to the north bank, which made people feel cold when they thought about it. ”

"It's not that I want to fight Jiangdong, it's that Jiangdong is trying to harm me first." Cao Shuo said: "Zhang Gong may not know that Zhou Gongjin held a banquet that day and tried to order the knife and axe to kill me during the banquet. Fortunately, I found out early, otherwise who would have cried out for me? ”

"What Zhou Gongjin did was his fault." Zhang Zhao said: "If the king feels indignant, just capture him and kill him, why implicate Jiangdong?" Imburing the Sun family? ”

"I can't understand Zhang Gong's words." Cao Shuo asked with a smile: "Could it be that Zhang Gong thinks that without Wu Hou's instructions, Zhou Gongjin dares to harm me?" ”

"I don't think Wu Hou will." Although he agreed with Cao Shuo's statement from the bottom of his heart, Zhang Zhao still said stiffly: "If Wu Hou harms the king's intentions, he will not marry the young lady to the king." ”

"This is Wu Hou's strategy." Cao Shuo said: "If he doesn't marry his wife to me, how can I rest assured, and how can I relax my vigilance?" At the beginning, I took Zilong and Shuzhi with me, and Wu Hou also knew that it was not easy to kill me, so he discussed such a method with Zhou Gongjin. ”

"Maybe the king has a point." Zhang Zhao said: "However, the old lady is not false to the king at all. ”

"That's right." Cao Shuo said: "I got Jiangdong, if my mother-in-law is willing to stay here, I will honor her and provide for her to die." ”

"However, the old lady is also a member of the Sun family after all." Zhang Zhao raised his head and looked at Cao Shuo and said, "The king's surname is Cao, and the old lady recognizes the ...... surnamed Sun."

"My wife's surname is Sun." Cao Shuo said: "No matter whether you give birth to a son or a daughter, it is nothing more than to provide for the elderly." I am willing to support my mother-in-law, but can't I? ”

"It's better to ...... than to be so troublesome," Zhang Zhao wanted to open his mouth to persuade Cao Shuo to withdraw from Jiangdong.

Without waiting for him to speak, Cao Shuo said: "If Zhang Gong wants to persuade me to return to Jiangbei, it is better to avoid opening his mouth." I can't be the Lord in this matter, and even if I do, the Lord will never do it. ”

"Childe really wants to exterminate the Sun family?" Zhang Zhao asked.

"It's not right for Zhang Gong to say that." Cao Shuo asked, "Since the army crossed the river, how many people from the Sun family have I killed?" ”

After Cao Jun crossed the river, he really didn't kill even a single person from the Sun family.

Zhang Zhao was speechless when he asked again.

"I know that Zhang Gong is a loyal and righteous person, and I can't bear to harm you." Cao Shuo said: "Let's go, go to Sun Zhongmou, and witness that I will break the Sun family and dominate the world in the future." ”

Sun Quan had previously told Zhang Zhao that Cao Shuo was a person who loved talents.

When he came to persuade Cao Shuo, he would probably be persuaded to surrender in turn.

To his surprise, and beyond Sun Quan's expectations, Cao Shuo didn't plan to leave Zhang Zhao behind, but to let him go.

Looking at Cao Shuo in amazement, Zhang Zhao asked, "The king wants to let me go?" ”

"You're not my captive." Cao Shuo said with a smile: "When I capture you one day, it won't be so easy to let you go." ”

failed to convince Cao Shuo, Zhang Zhao was full of chagrin.

But he also refused to stay by Cao Shuo's side to do things, since Cao Shuo was willing to let him go, he didn't say more, and bowed and said: "I will retire first, and in the future, I may only be able to meet the king on the battlefield." ”

"Gong Zhang can work with Wu Hou, and when I see you on the battlefield one day, let me capture you." Cao Shuo first grinned, said this to Zhang Zhao, and then instructed left and right: "Send Zhang Gong." ”

A guard next to him stepped forward and said to Zhang Zhao: "Zhang Gong, please!" ”

Seeing Zhang Zhao leave, Pang Tong asked Cao Shuo: "Zhang Zhao is a talented person in handling internal affairs, so Gongzi just let him go?" ”

"Man is not here in his heart, what is the use of me keeping him?" Cao Shuo said: "He is different from Zhou Tai, Zhou Tai is a veteran of the battlefield, and he is the one who wants to kill me when he is put back." Zhang Zhao is only good at internal affairs, he helped Sun Zhongmou to control the local area, and I can directly get a rich territory in the future, why not? ”