In May of the third year of Guangxi, Liu Wei issued an edict to worship Cao Cao as the general of Zhendong, leading Jiyin Taishou and Fei Tinghou. Rank 2,000 stones. gave him the right to be arbitrary in the military and government, ostensibly to guard Yanzhou to prevent civil uprisings, but in fact it was a representative of the forces arranged by the imperial court in Yanzhou.

At the same time, in order to appease Liu Dai, he was given the position of Yanzhou pastor, so that he could rule Yanzhou in the real sense, which was a political transaction. As for what he said in the recital, he asked for money and food, then he was very embarrassed, and the court was now relatively tight.

When Cao Cao took office, in order to show his favor, Liu Wei personally saw him off, all the way from Chang'an to Xinfeng County. Cao Cao knew that he couldn't send it anymore, so he persuaded Liu Wei to stay.

Liu Wei ordered people to simply put down some wine and food at a stone pavilion on the outskirts of Xinfeng County, which was regarded as saying goodbye to Cao Cao at the end, and at the same time pulling Liu Bei as an accompaniment.

Liu Bei returned to Chang'an with Liu Wei after the Hanqiang peace talks, and after participating in the celebration banquet and reward, he also went to serve as the Qiang Protectorate.

It's just that the relationship between him and Cao Cao is not as good as that of Liu Wei and Cao Cao, and there seems to be a tension between the two. The reason why he also followed Liu Wei to send Cao Cao so far was completely because Liu Wei deliberately brought him.

Although he was defensive against the two of them, Liu Wei still had to admit that Cao Cao and Liu Bei were both heroes and heroes of this era, and the two usually had no intersection, and now they had to go their separate ways, and it was a grand event to be able to get them together.

In the stone pavilion, a large stone was roughly polished into a stone table, on which was placed a plate of green plums, a plate of side dishes, and a bottle of pear wine was boiled, and the three of them sat around and drank the wine.

The weather in May is approaching the beginning of summer, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter. When the wine was half-drunk, the three of them were already sweating profusely.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei pulled up their big sleeves and fanned the wind. Liu Wei took out a folding fan from his waist, stretched it out in a chic manner, and slowly shook it gently.

Liu Wei was originally as fair as jade, but he began to grow and develop over the years, becoming more handsome and extraordinary. In addition, it is easy to wear white clothes, and with this extremely elegant folding fan, it shows the style of an elegant scribe.

Looking at the fan in Liu Wei's hand, Cao Cao and Liu Bei's eyes lit up.

During the Han Dynasty, fans had already appeared. In China, the earliest history of fans can even be traced back to the time of the Yellow Emperor. Until the Han Dynasty, it was roughly divided into two types: feather fan and group fan. A feather fan is a fan made of feathers, (the kind that Zhuge Liang takes.) Originated during the Zhou Dynasty. The group fan is based on the feather fan, using bamboo as a frame, and using silk silk instead of feathers to make a fan, also known as a fan, which began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. At this time, some people had already begun to paint on the fans.

Although lupine fans and group fans were loved by scholars of this era, they also had the disadvantage of being inconvenient to carry. Except for Zhuge Liang's pervert who never leaves his hand all day long, and takes it wherever he goes, most people only use it in their home life. Especially in recent years, the development of group fans has become more and more feminine, so there are even fewer scholars who use group fans.

However, the new folding fan that appeared in Liu Wei's hand did not have the inconvenience of feather fans and group fans. Liu Wei made a hook at the handle of the fan, hung it on the belt, took it off and unfolded it when it was in use, and put it away and hung it on the waist when not in use, which was very suitable for carrying out.

Seeing Cao Cao and Liu Bei looking at the folding fan in their hands, Liu Wei couldn't help but smile slightly, and explained: "This fan was thought of by chance, so I made it and used it to cool off and get hot." ”

Liu Wei has had a reputation for being good at building since he was a child, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei are not suspicious. Seeing that the two of them were curious, Liu Wei handed the folding fan to the two of them to enjoy.

Respectfully took the folding fan, and the two saw that the fan was spread out in a semicircle, and the rows of fan bones were made of bamboo. The fan batter is white Luoyang paper, which is slightly thicker than the usual writing. On one side, the scenery of mountains and rivers is painted, which should be the handiwork of a court painter.

Mountains and rivers in hand, pointing out the country. Cao Cao nodded in his heart, very meaningful.

turned the fan over, and on the other side was Liu Wei's handwritten inscription: The same big man, the same dream.

Cao Cao felt awkward for a while, but it was not good to comment on what the emperor wrote. I wanted to grin but didn't dare, and the expression on my face was extremely rich.

Liu Bei was much more cheeky than Cao Cao, and sighed at the inscription on the fan, and praised: "I heard that Your Majesty's words are unique and self-contained, and I am really extraordinary when I see it today." ”

Cao Cao squinted at Liu Bei, and secretly scolded him for being shameless and flattering.

However, the sycophant who despised Liu Bei in his heart did not dare to have any contempt for him. Everyone is in the same hall, and Liu Bei's outstanding and extraordinary ability is obvious to all. How can a person who has the ability and can pat the leader's ass be underestimated? In Cao Cao's eyes, this person can bend and stretch, and he is definitely a hero.

slapped Liu Bian's ass, and Liu Bei's next words revealed his intention to flatter Liu Bian: "Your Majesty, this thing is so novel, can you borrow your subordinates to play with it for a few days." ”

didn't say it directly, just borrowed it from Liu Wei. But Liu Bei borrowed something, how could he return it. Liu Wei was coaxed by Liu Bei to be happy, and he didn't care about these gadgets, so he said generously: "How much is this thing worth?" If Xuande likes it, I will give it to you directly. ”

Liu Bei was overjoyed and immediately thanked him. Then he immediately unfolded the fan, followed Liu Wei's example and shook the fan slowly, and came out with an elegant style.

Cao Cao felt remorseful for a while. My skin is still not thick enough.

Originally, he also liked Liu Bian's folding fan, but he was embarrassed to open his mouth to Liu Bian. As a result, Liu Bei took the lead. Squinting at Liu Bei's vassal and elegant appearance, he couldn't help but purse his lips, revealing a contemptuous expression.

Liu Wei couldn't help but laugh when he saw Cao Cao showing a disdainful expression to Liu Bei, who seemed to be wearing five bars and ecstatic. I don't know if the two of them were killed, or if there was a feud between the Ninth Generation. Even though both of them have embarked on a different path from their original history, the two sides still can't get together.

But this is also what Liu Wei is very happy to see. Both of them are the strongest heroes of this era, if they join forces, I am afraid that no one in the world can control it, and Mao Taizu can only play soy sauce when he crosses over.

Seeing Cao Cao depressed, Liu Wei also knew that he needed to appease his emotions, and opened his mouth and said: "If Meng De also likes this kind of folding fan, I will write down the production method in a while, you can take it to Yanzhou to open a fan-making workshop to make folding fans by yourself, and at the same time, you can also raise military funds in Yanzhou." ”

Liu Wei sent Cao Cao into Yanzhou, but he did not give him too many soldiers, but gave him military funds to recruit troops in Yanzhou. It was not intended to embarrass Cao Cao, but the Yuan clan still had a lot of power in the court, and Liu Wei needed to shrink his forces to deal with the turmoil in the court that might be caused by the eradication of the Yuan clan in the future. Moreover, Liu Wei, a strong army such as the Xiangxi Yuan Army and the Northern Army, was reluctant to let Cao Cao take it away. In case it is really a meat bun beating a dog and never going back, it will be too late for Liu Wei to cry.

However, even if it is military funds, the imperial court can't take out so much now. Originally, the treasury was not rich, and the use of the imperial court has always been supported by Liu Wei using the huge amount of property left by Emperor Ling of Han. However, after Liu Wei succeeded to the throne, many of the administrative measures were all places where money was sought. In particular, he ordered Cai Yong to run a school, many poor students are admitted for free, and they can eat and drink, learn well and make money, although because of insufficient funds, this treatment is now limited to Mengxue, but the money spent is also huge, almost half of the property left by Emperor Ling. Coupled with the rebellion of Li Dao and Guo Yan, after a war, the preparation of food and grass before the war, the supply of military materials and ordnance during the war, the rewards for soldiers after victory and the pensions for the dead and wounded, which one is missing money? In the near future, Liu Wei will also establish two new armies, the Three Auxiliary Army and the Pingcheng Army, and the principle of high welfare and high treatment has always been adopted for the army.

Not to mention that Liu Wei is also preparing to build a road between Chang'an and Luoyang, although they are all prisoners of war from the Xiliang rebels, even if they are not paid, more than 20,000 prisoners of war will have to eat twice a day. It's another big expense, Liu Wei can't sleep for money in the past few days, and he is determined to take some measures to open up sources and reduce expenses in the near future.

Cao Cao, who was in front of him, could not provide much help when he entered Yanzhou, so he could only let him raise military funds on his own. It is conceivable that the imperial court's control over Cao Cao's army that entered Yanzhou may be weaker than that of other armies. However, there is no way to do it, and Liu Wei can only try his best to make some remedies. A few days ago, he gave Cao Cao the method of making paper, hoping that he could raise funds with it. There is also the production process of today's fans, but this is only a remedy. With Cao Cao's ability and personal charisma, it was definitely very easy to build an army loyal to him in a region that was out of the jurisdiction of the imperial court.

The only remedy that Liu Wei could do was to increase Cao Cao's loyalty and affection to the imperial court.

Seeing off thousands of miles is this purpose, and so is Shiting's farewell, including handing over the production process of folding fans to Cao Cao.

Liu Bei saw that Liu Wei rewarded Cao Cao with the method of making folding fans, so it was his turn to be envious, jealous and hateful. It has nothing to do with Cao Cao's ability to make a lot of money because of this, but the favor of the Son of Heaven and the position in the emperor's heart.

However, he also knew that Cao Cao was earlier than he became a dragon, so naturally his position in Liu Wei's heart was more important. If you want to increase the weight in Liu Bian's heart, you have to work hard.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei looked down at the folding fan in his hand, and comforted himself in his heart: "What's the big deal about opening a fan shop." The Son of Heaven didn't say that you should be exclusive. The production process of the folding fan is simple, and you can see it at a glance. When I return to Qiangdi, I will open one! ”

Later, Liu Bei went to Qiangdi, and he really opened a fan-making workshop like Cao Cao. However, the difference is that the folding fan produced by Cao Cao's fan workshop is well-made, and the upper route, the fan bones are made of ivory white jade, and the cost is expensive, especially Cao Cao used his relationship in the Han literary circle to find a famous person at that time to inscribe and paint on it, the number is not much, and the price is expensive. The fan made by Liu Bei's fan workshop is cheap, and the ordinary materials used are all bamboo, and the fan bone and fan surface are also a piece of white paper, and the buyer himself inscribes and paints on it, basically taking the grassroots route.

The different fan workshops opened by the two people actually imply the difference in the two people's concept of governance. Cao Cao followed meritocracy, while Liu Bei focused more on the common people.

Talking about Yanzhou, Liu Wei suddenly asked Cao Cao again: "Can Mr. Xi Zhicai also enter Yanzhou with Meng De?" ”

Cao Cao couldn't help but blush when he heard Liu Wei's question.

Xi Zhicai was originally a scholar recruited by the imperial court, and Cao Cao hit it off at first sight after talking to him, so he kept him privately. Xi Zhicai himself was also infected by Cao Cao's personal charm and was willing to assist him wholeheartedly.

However, the paper can't contain the fire, Xi Zhicai is such a big person who goes in and out of Cao Cao all day long, and he is a talented and high-profile figure, which will naturally make the court find out. Seeing Liu Wei ask today, Cao Cao was worried, first, he was afraid that the imperial court would ask Xi Zhicai to go back - he and Xi Zhicai got along for a long time, and they had a similar temper, their feelings deepened, and they were reluctant to give up. Second, he was afraid that the court would misunderstand him and have different ambitions, especially at this time, the court sent him out of Yanzhou and gave him great rights, so Cao Cao himself would be suspicious.

He was speechless, thinking about how to explain to Liu Bian.

However, Liu Wei smiled generously and said: "Although I appreciate Mr. Xi Zhicai's talent very much, since I am familiar with Meng De at first sight, I will not stop me if I am willing to follow Meng De into Yanzhou. Moreover, Meng De started from scratch, which was full of difficulties, and he also needed the assistance of competent people. As for the conquest, forget it. ”

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this, and thanked him: "Thank you, Your Majesty." ”

Liu Wei then said: "But you can't let Mr. Xi Zhicai follow you into Yanzhou without a name. In this way, you recommend Xi Zhicai to the imperial court, and I issued an edict ordering him to be the magistrate of Jiyin County, so that he can receive your love. In addition, I heard that Xi Zhicai's health is not very good, when you go back to Luoyang, go to the divine doctor Hua Tuo, and I will also order him to heal Xi Zhicai, so that you can also do your best. ”

Liu Wei said so intimately, Cao Cao could only say that he was moved at this time. With red eyes, he got up again and bowed, and said, "Your Majesty's kindness to the ministers ......"

Liu Wei waved his hand and said, "If you contribute to the country, I will naturally not be kind to you." ”

The three of them then talked about the situation in Yanzhou, and Liu Bei thought that Liu Dai was brave and resourceful, and he was stubborn and self-serving, so it was not enough to cause trouble. Cao Cao also thought so deeply after hearing this. Just from Liu Dai's stupid trick of showing the imperial court's assistance, you can see how low Liu Dai's IQ is. How good Liu Yan is to learn from the family, he has never been targeted, and he successfully blackmailed the court to get his son back, and then immediately cut off contact with the court, and then cut off the land and defended himself.

But thinking about it again, the reason why Liu Yan can do this also has Yizhou's own geographical advantages. And Liu Dai's Yanzhou ...... Cao Cao shook his head, Yanzhou is the land of the four battles, and the incompetent cannot live!

Thinking of himself, Cao Cao also had some drums in his heart. Can you really control Yanzhou by yourself?

Speaking of Liu Dai, Liu Wei saw Cao Cao shaking his head again and again, so he asked: "Meng De also thinks that Liu Gongshan (Liu Daizi) is not the leader of the Yanzhou heroes?" ”

Cao Cao said arrogantly: "Liu Gongshan is not a hero! Yanzhou people are outstanding and capable, how can Liu Gongshan be unified? ”

Liu Wei looked at Cao Cao's appearance and suddenly moved in his heart, so he followed his words and asked: "According to Mengde's words, who in the world can be a hero?" ”

Cao Cao was dumbfounded, commenting on the heroes of the world and pointing out the country is indeed a heroic thing, and it is a happy thing to be with Xun Yu, Zhong Xuan, and even Liu Bei and others. But standing opposite was today, but Cao Cao had some relatives in his heart.

Cao Cao didn't speak, and Liu Wei set his eyes on Liu Bei. Liu Bei, who had been prepared, was just drinking at this time, and did not make eye contact with Liu Wei at all. There is no freedom at all in the original history in the same scene.

Liu Wei looked funny, and secretly scolded Liu Bei in his heart for being an old fox. Cao Cao and Liu Bei didn't squeak, and Liu Wei said to himself: "I see that there are all those who do nothing in the world, and only Mengde and Xuande who can really be called heroes are the only ones!" ”

With a snap, the chopsticks in Cao Cao's hand fell to the ground, and Liu Bei choked on a mouthful of wine and coughed violently.

Liu Wei looked up at the sky, the sun was shining, and there were no clouds. It seems that Cao Cao and Liu Bei can't use thunder as an excuse.

Looking at Cao Cao and Liu Bei again, Cao Cao's face was pale and he stood in place. Liu Bei coughed endlessly, looking at it as if he was pretending, either thinking about countermeasures in his heart, or waiting to see how Cao Cao answered.

Cao Cao was even more scared than Liu Bei. In terms of talent, prestige, and the existing rights in his hands, he is higher than Liu Bei, and more importantly, Cao Cao has been with Liu Wei for a long time, and he knows Liu Wei's character very well. Liu Bian's personality is usually quite generous, and there are some things that he won't care about even if you point at his nose and scold him, but once it comes to the rights in his hands, Liu Wei will immediately show his fangs and bite anyone who violates his rights!

If Liu Wei said that they were the only virtuous ministers and fierce generals in the world, Cao Cao could still thank him and say a few words about His Majesty's reputation, but Liu Wei said that they were heroes, which was a big bad thing for Cao Cao.

The meaning of a hero is numerous. Wei Qing and Huo Quzhi, who destroyed the Huns and established meritorious services for all generations, are heroes and great national heroes. And Liu Xiu, the Guangwu Emperor who pacified the troubled times and unified China, was also a hero, but he was an imperial hero.

What kind of era creates what kind of heroes, and now the world is in turmoil, and what is needed is an imperial hero like Emperor Guangwu who ends the troubled times and reorganizes the rivers and mountains.

Liu argued that Cao Cao and Liu Bei were heroes in troubled times, so it was better to directly say that they had the appearance of emperors.

Cao Cao was stunned. What does Liu Wei mean by this? Is it temptation, or is it ......

Cao Cao suddenly felt a shudder, and he suddenly wanted to slap himself a few times. Because he remembered that the place where they were staying now was the outskirts of Xinfeng County, and there was a very famous place not far to the east - Hongmen.

Looking at the guards around him, who were originally to protect Liu Wei, with three layers inside and three layers outside, with clear swords and guns, Cao Cao felt a little cold and gloomy feeling in his back.

Looking up, although Zhang Tao, Hu Che'er and others, who were standing on the side guards, did not mean to come up to dance the sword, their eyes were quite unkind. (Cao Cao forgot that Zhang Tao and the others never had many smiling faces when they were on duty.) ）

I am wise in my life, how did I enter the Hongmen Banquet!

Seeing that Cao Cao's face was pale and silent, Liu Wei smiled and leaned over to pick up the chopsticks that had fallen on the ground and put them on the stone table. Liu Bei also stopped coughing dryly, (my throat was really unbearable, and I couldn't pretend to be able to do it.) looked at him in amazement.

Liu Wei continued: "Meng De and Xuande, don't doubt it, I am not the kind of person who is jealous of the virtuous and has a narrow heart. In my heart, you are indeed a great hero who calms the world, but I am not willing to be mediocre! ”

Cao Cao and Liu Bei got up at the same time, bowed and said, "Your Majesty ......"

Liu Wei waved his hand, and continued with burning eyes: "Now that the Han family is in decline, and the world's young people are ready to move, it is necessary for heroes in troubled times like Meng De and Xuande to come forward to sweep away the world and relieve the people of Li from hanging upside down!" Although I am young, I am willing to continue to improve, and when the time comes, you and I will work hand in hand to level the world and build a foundation for my Han Dynasty for thousands of years. At that time, the three of us will go down in history and achieve a good story of monarchs and ministers. ”

After Liu Wei finished speaking, he took Cao Cao and Liu Bei's hand and held it tightly, as if he was making a silent promise to them. Cao Cao and Liu Bei were already boiling with blood by Liu Wei's words, and Liu Bei burst into tears at that time, crying: "Your Majesty will not give up, and you will bring your ministers to the end of Weimo, and the ministers are willing to follow Your Majesty to the death, help the royal family, and rejuvenate the Yanhan." ”

Cao Cao was also moved with red eyes, and said: "In this life, I am willing to be a pawn in front of His Majesty, charge into battle, and never give up!" ”

The three of them clasped their hands and held on for a long time.

************

In a post house in Changyi, Yanzhou, Cheng Li had already packed his luggage and was ready to leave Yanzhou early tomorrow morning to visit the Ming Lord.

Although Liu Dai worked hard to keep him and promised to be a high-ranking official, he still refused politely.

In his eyes, Liu Dai is not a person worthy of assistance.

But the world is so big, who can let him pay for it with his talents?

Cheng Li thought about it for a long time on the couch and fell asleep unconsciously.

In his sleep, Cheng Li found that he was actually on Mount Tai, and a round of red sun erupted in front of him, rising.

From a distance, the red sun is like the size of a disc, struggling to make a move, and there is a lot of weather in the sky and the earth.

Cheng Li was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but stretch out his hands to hold that round of red sun.

After waking up from a dream, Cheng Li jumped up from the collapse.

The scene in the dream was still vivid, and Cheng Li couldn't help but be amazed.

The ancients were superstitious and believed that dreams were a harbinger of something in real life. For example, Xibo Hou Jichang dreamed that a tiger had wings and flew into the main hall, which indicated that the Western Zhou Dynasty would be assisted by a sage, and later he really sought the great sage Jiang Shang by the Weishui. And Mount Tai has a huge political symbolic significance after Qin Shi Huang enshrined Zen, and the red sun represents the appearance of the master.

Cheng Li dreamed that he was standing on Mount Tai with the red sun in his hand, didn't it indicate that he was about to meet the lord of the human monarch who could assist him.

With such an interpretation, Cheng Li suddenly woke up. For some reason, he suddenly remembered the person that Jibei Prime Minister Bao Xin said.

Cao Cao.

Maybe the master I've been looking for is this person?

(To be continued, stay tuned for the next chapter.) ）