Just when Xu Chu was hesitating, he saw Cao Cao waving his hand at him.

Seeing Cao Cao's move, Liu He smiled faintly, pulled out the big knife on the ground, walked in front of Xu Chu, and returned it with both hands.

Xu Chu hesitated for a moment, but still took the knife with both hands.

Liu He returned to Cao Cao's side, pointed to a rugged path next to the road, and said with a smile: "Let's just go?" ”

Huarong Road is a high mountain on one side and a dangerous beach on the other side, and this long path is actually between the high mountain and the dangerous beach, and there is another path.

The two walked slowly halfway up the mountain, and at the foot of the mountain, Han Jiajun and Xu Chu, who were worried all the way, were following all the way.

There was nothing to say all the way, and in the end, it was Cao Cao who took the lead and broke the deadlock.

"What does Mr. have to say, you can make it clear that Cao's army is defeated here, and the general of the defeated army can accept any result."

The corners of Liu He's mouth showed a faint smile, this competition to see who can calm down, it seems that he has won.

"If you lose this battle, I'm afraid you can only be the king, not the emperor." After Liu He calmly finished saying this, he sat on a big stone on the side of the path, and made a "please sit" gesture to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao did not refuse, and sat beside Liu He generously, "Mr. Don't hide it, I Cao Cao has never thought of being an emperor in my life." ”

Liu He smiled: "Don't want to be an emperor? Is it for the sake of the common people in the world? ”

Cao Cao smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I don't dare to say this kind of big talk, but I think Mr. should be able to understand, in my part, if you don't want to be an emperor and don't want to be mediocre, then you will want to do something to some extent." Whether it's to satisfy your vanity, or to leave a name in history, no matter what the reason, you always want to try to change something. ”

Liu He was a little surprised, this man, who was called a hero in troubled times by later generations, spoke so frankly, and even revealed a bit of truth.

"What do you want to change?" Liu He asked.

Cao Cao looked into the distance, was silent for a long time, and said slowly: "Standing at the head of that Xuchang City, at a glance, it is prosperous. I often wonder if this is the hope of the Han dynasty or the last dying struggle. Until one day, it happened that a procession of gongs and drums passed under the city, and I looked at it for a long time and found that the faces of those people were all smiling from the heart. At that moment, I realized that this world is not from his Han family, let alone my Cao Mengde's, but from these people. Sir, do you know how much the number of households in the world has decreased since the Yellow Turban Rebellion? ”

The specific number Liu He does not know, but he knows that the Three Kingdoms period is the most serious historical period of population decline in Chinese history, and the average life expectancy of people is even lower to a terrible point of less than 30 years old.

And Cao Cao, who is a very popular minister, is in Xuchang City, and he knows the situation of household registration in the world well, in the face of Cao Cao's question, Liu He tried to guess: "It's been reduced by half?" ”

Cao Cao shook his head and said softly, "Three out of ten." ”

Liu He frowned, "Even if this is the case, do you still want to fight this battle?" ”

Cao Cao sighed, "Because of this, this battle must be fought. Sir, do you remember Dong Zhuo's entry into Beijing? After Dong Zhuo, there was Li Dao Guo Yan, although these people did not hold the government for a long time, they caused chaos in the world, and princes everywhere rose up. The Han dynasty, affected by the power struggle between eunuchs and relatives, has almost lost the majesty of the royal family, coupled with Dong Zhuo's gang making such a fuss, now the only thing left is blood orthodoxy. The world says that I coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes, it's ridiculous, who in this world will listen to the words of the Son of Heaven of the Han family? If that were the case, how could I have this defeat today? ”

Cao Cao stood up, walked to the side of the path, and stood with his hands behind his back, "What I can do now is to use the last bit of luck of the Han family to pacify the princes of all walks of life, even if it is a little price, it must be done." If left unchecked, once it enters a tug-of-war situation, then the country's national strength will be exhausted, and at that time, it will still be the people who suffer. ”

Cao Cao turned around abruptly and said excitedly: "May I ask sir, should this battle be fought?" ”

Liu He was silent for a long time, and suddenly laughed out loud, "I've grown so big, it's the first time I've heard someone say something that shouldn't be done so high-sounding."

Cao Cao was puzzled: "Sir, what do you mean by this?" ”

Liu He stood up, walked to Cao Cao's side, and stood side by side with him, "If you win this battle, of course you are qualified to say such things, but now, you have lost, and it is still when the strength of the other party is ten times that of the other party." There are more than 100,000 soldiers under your command who have died in battle, and these people are not ordinary people in your eyes? Do they deserve to die on your ambitious road of no return if they join the army and take your pitiful salary? ”

Cao Cao let out a long sigh and slowly closed his eyes.

Liu He said calmly: "Now let me ask you again, will this battle be fought or not?" ”

Cao Cao's face was pale, and his voice was already soft and weak, "Fight, the people are still in dire straits, if you don't fight, after Cao Cao, it is inevitable that there will be no second Dong Zhuo, and I am afraid that it will be even more miserable at that time." It's wrong to fight, it's wrong not to fight, there is a way to have both worlds in this world? ”

"Yes!" Liu He replied without hesitation.

Cao Cao opened his eyes and looked at Liu He in disbelief, "Sir, is this true?" ”

Liu He nodded, "There is a way, but it's not time yet, three years later, I will personally go to Xuchang City to find you, and when the time comes, I will naturally tell you what the solution is." Of course, I have my considerations for the reason why it is limited to three years, and after this battle, I think you also need to recuperate, and in the short term, I am afraid it will be difficult to experience another big war. ”

Cao Cao was silent for a long time, and cautiously probed: "Mr. won't kill me today?" ”

Liu He smiled and shook his head, "If I kill you, the world will only be more chaotic, without you Prime Minister Cao Cheng, I don't know what that Xuchang City will become." However, I also have one condition. ”

"Sir, please."

"If I don't kill you today, one day if I fall into your hands, you will also surround my life, what?"

Listening to this sentence, which was like a child's house, Cao Cao even suspected that Liu He was joking with him for a while, but looking at Liu He's serious appearance, Cao Cao finally nodded.

"Come, high-five." Liu He said, raising a hand and reaching out to Cao Cao.

Now, Cao Cao didn't have any reason to refuse, and a moment later, a crisp high-five echoed in the valley.

"Okay, if there is really such a day as Mr. said, I will definitely let Mr. go."

Liu He, who had already strode away, stopped when he heard this, turned around, and smiled brightly.

"That palm just now is our three-year covenant. If there really is such a day, whether you will kill me or not, let's talk about it then. ”