Cao Shuo accompanied Xu Shu's mother until she had eaten before saying goodbye and leaving.

On the way back to his residence, Zhao Yun said to Cao Shuo: "How did the son know that mentioning Liu Xuande would make the old lady open her heart?" ”

"Do you know what the old lady is thinking?" Cao Shuo asked him.

Zhao Yun shook his head.

"She hopes that Xu Yuanzhi can cast himself under Liu Xuande's account." Cao Shuo said: "Since His Majesty recognized Liu Xuande's ancestry, many people have already thought that he is an orthodox Han clan relative. ”

"What does Childe think?" Zhao Yun asked.

"It's just selling dog meat with a sheep's head." Cao Shuo said with a smile: "When Liu Xuande got into trouble, in order to have a suitable name, he came up with such an idea. After recruiting Guan Zhang and Mi Zhu Mi Fang and others, he found that this name was very useful, so he simply kept it. ”

"But Your Majesty doesn't need to recognize the sect for him." Zhao Yun said: "What is the benefit of doing this, Your Majesty?" ”

"Your Majesty's recognition of Liu Xuande's ancestry, of course, is also beneficial." Cao Shuo said: "He thought that Liu Xuande would be a relative of the Han family, and he would be wholeheartedly devoted to the Han family and become a pawn of his control of the Cao family." How could you think of Liu Xuande's great ambition and reckless ruthlessness. ”

"Childe said this, but there is some truth." Cao Shuo said: "I met Liu Xuande at Gongsun Zhan, and I thought he was a generous elder at that time. ”

"And now?" Cao Shuo asked, "Do you still have that kind of thought?" ”

"It's long gone." Zhao Yun said: "For the sake of his own selfish interests, he can actually sell His Majesty, such a person feels terrible when he thinks about it!" ”

"He's terrible yet to come." Cao Shuo smiled slightly and said to Zhao Yun: "In the future, I will explain Liu Xuande's hypocrite side to Zilong in detail." ”

Cao Shuo was talking, and Zhao Yun pointed forward: "Childe, is that Zhongda and General Gao?" ”

Looking in the direction he pointed, Cao Shuo really saw a group of people appear at the corner of the street.

Although the light is very dim, it can still be seen that the two people in the front should be Sima Yi and Gao Shun.

"It's not them, who else can they be." Cao Shuo said: "I didn't plan for them to come to see me tonight, but since they are here, I can't drive them back." I'm going to have to sleep a little less tonight. ”

"The two of them are too ignorant, the son is tired all the way, he should always rest for one night, and it's not too late to talk about anything tomorrow." Looking ahead, Zhao Yun said.

Cao Shuo approached him and whispered, "Actually, Zilong's thoughts coincide with mine. ”

Zhao Yun smiled at each other.

When Sima Yi and Gao Shun saw Cao Shuo coming, they hurriedly sped up to catch up.

When they arrived, the two saluted Cao Shuo.

Sima Yi said: "The son didn't notice him when he came back, and it was really a sin that he didn't go to the city gate to greet him." ”

"That's it!" Cao Shuo waved his hand: "They're not outsiders, so many polite words." I originally wanted to invite you to the house early tomorrow morning to speak, but since I am here, I will make everything that needs to be said clear tonight. ”

Sima Yi and Gao complied, followed Cao Shuo, and walked along the street.

Along the way, Cao Shuo and others were talking about something less important.

Back at the residence, Cao Shuo led them to the front hall.

In the huge vestibule, many lights are lit, illuminating the hall.

Cao Shuo beckoned Sima Yi and the others: "Sit down and talk." ”

Everyone sat down, and Sima Yi asked Cao Shuo: "Gongzi is in a hurry to come back, is it to deal with Liu Xuande?" ”

"You should have seen my intentions." Cao Shuo asked, "What do you think about this matter?" ”

"Liu Xuande killed Che Zhou to occupy Xuzhou, and his intention couldn't be more obvious." Sima Yi said: "He should be recruiting soldiers and horses at this time, waiting to fight to the death with Gongzi!" ”

"I don't think he wants to fight to the death." Cao Shuo said: "He has a certain certainty of winning the capture of Huainan!" ”

"Zhongda!" Cao Shuo asked Sima Yi, "Did Shi Yuan say when he would be able to come back?" ”

"It's only for a few days." Sima Yi said: "A series of government affairs implemented by Gongzi in Huainan have been issued, and Huainan could have been safely guarded and made this place rich. Liu Bei made such a fuss, and things were a lot of trouble. ”

"It's nothing to worry about." Cao Shuo said: "When Shiyuan comes back, he will still send the soldiers down, but he must urge them to practice diligently and be ready to fight at any time." ”

"It's not easy to gather the soldiers when they are assigned." Sima Yi said: "In case Liu Xuande suddenly kills, our soldiers are insufficient, and it is easy to suffer a big loss. ”

"That's why we have to step up our efforts to let the scouts operate in the Xuzhou area." Cao Shuo said: "Spring is about to begin, and it is the busiest time for farming. The plan of the year lies in the spring, and if it is delayed, the soldiers and the people will be hungry next year. Liu Xuande really gave me a big problem. ”

Speaking of this, everyone's faces were not very good.

Zhao Yun thought for a while and said: "Son, otherwise, I will lead the troops to Huainan to hand over to Xuzhou, and pay close attention to Liu Xuande's actions." If he suddenly kills, he can resist for a while. With this time, Childe should be able to gather the soldiers. ”

"Zilong thinks Liu Bei is too simple." Cao Shuo said: "Without tens of thousands of troops, he will not easily use troops against Huainan. As long as he uses soldiers, he wants to take us down in one go. ”

"What does Childe think should be done?" Sima Yi asked.

"Wait for Shiyuan to come back, and send 10,000 soldiers and horses to you." Cao Shuo said to Sima Yi: "You will lead the troops to station Zhongli and keep an eye on Liu Bei's movements at any time. 10,000 horses to block tens of thousands of recruits should be more than enough. As long as I drag him for ten days and half a month, I will definitely be able to gather all the soldiers outside and launch a counterattack against Liu Xuande. ”

"This method is good!" Sima Yi said: "10,000 soldiers go out on the expedition, and the rest of the soldiers are still engaged in farming, even if the grain warehouse cannot be filled next year, at least the soldiers and the people will not go hungry." ”

"It's not that simple what I've arranged for you." Cao Shuo said: "When we found that Liu Bei had a strange move, we immediately took the initiative to attack, we must control the battlefield in Xuzhou, not fight them in Huainan." Huainan is already devastated, and can no longer withstand the ravages of a war! ”

"Childe, rest assured, I will definitely live up to my mission!" Sima Yi stood up and clenched his fists and said.

Cao Shuo waved his hand and said to everyone: "It's not early, you better go back and rest early." Things have been arranged, and I don't have anything for you to do after dawn. I've got to get a good night's sleep, and you guys do your own thing, and there's no need to report everything to me if it's not particularly important. ”

(End of chapter)