After Xuchang's four holy decrees came down, Liu Bei was driven to Baqiu by Liu Qi to station, knowing that it was Lin Mo's calculation, but he had no choice but to stabilize Liu Qi first, and then slowly dissolve this barrier.

The situation in Jiangdong is also fluctuating, and the four major families are determined to cut off relations with Sun Ce, everyone is just a cooperative relationship of interests, and there is no reason to accompany Sun Ce for your funeral.

From this point of view, both Liu Bei and Sun Ce have fallen into great passivity.

Compared with the two of them, Cao Cao's situation is the most tricky.

As soon as the Son of Heaven issued an edict, Cao Cao's identity was gone, but he became a heinous national thief, and the two states were in an uproar for a while.

Even at the beginning, everyone knew that Cao Cao was blackmailing the princes of the Son of Heaven, but after all, it was legitimate, and even the scholars of the Quartet came to him for this.

But even if this edict finalized the fact that he was a thief, there was varying degrees of turmoil in Jing and Yizhou.

On the other side of Yizhou, there was a situation where some counties were out of control, and they directly refused to pay a fixed amount of taxes and money and grain to Chengdu every quarter.

In a hurry, he could only ask Cao Cao for help, after all, the entire Yizhou did not leave him many soldiers and horses, so that he could not draw people to quell the chaos.

Cao Cao dares to go to Yizhou now, so he can't come back to Jingzhou, of course he understands this truth.

He even knew that some people here might really want to take the opportunity to get rid of his control because of the edict of the Son of Heaven, but more people were afraid that they had already developed a rebellious heart when they saw him suffer a big defeat, lose his troops and lose the Central Plains, but they just wanted to take this opportunity to put gold on their faces.

But no matter what, he must sit in Jingzhou, as long as he leaves, he will lose not only the two places of Nanjun and Nanyang, but also more than 80,000 Jingxiang water divisions.

The Jingzhou Navy is his biggest reliance now, and if this force is lost again, then he will not have any capital to resist.

Of course, the Yizhou turmoil can't be ignored, all Cao Cao can do is to send Cao Ang to lead the troops, and Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, Meng Da and other old Yizhou departments will participate together, so the effect will be much better.

In fact, compared to the turmoil in Yizhou, what really made Cao Cao uneasy was the relatively calm Jingzhou.

Moreover, he also knew that there was only one person he had to deal with, Cai Mao.

I have to say that the trick of declaring Cao Cao as a traitor and promoting Cai Mao to the governor of the water division is extremely clever.

On the one hand, Cai Mao's temperament is as greedy as a jackal, as poisonous as a snake and scorpion, and a child of a family with no bottom line.

But on the other hand, even if you have your heart for Cai Mao, you can't keep him from these two holy decrees, what Cai Mao thinks in his heart, he has already sold his master once, and he doesn't mind selling it a second time at all.

Moreover, this first time the traitor may be morally untenable and be criticized, but this second time it is a holy purpose, even if you kill Cao Cao, others have to praise you for getting rid of thieves for the country.

Therefore, Cao Cao knows very well that if he wants to break this situation, he doesn't need to care what other people think, just get Cai Mao.

"Meet the Lord!" Outside the council hall, a rugged man in armor, a tasseled helmet, and a short beard strode in and gave him a shot.

Cao Cao, who was sitting sideways on the handsome chair, didn't look at him squarely, just lowered his head and clasped his nails and muttered: "De Jue, I am also an old friend, thinking back to the days in Luoyang City, you and I went to see Liang Mengxing together, at that time, we didn't expect that today would become a pivotal figure in the Han world." ”

Cai Mao was a little confused, and she mentioned some old things in a good manner, and after a while, she smiled and said: "Yes, it's been thirty years in a flash, and the white horse has passed, and the time is gone, which is embarrassing." ”

"What makes me even more embarrassed is that when my life was rough and I encountered setbacks, my old man wanted to fall into the well for me!" Cao Cao suddenly roared angrily, and immediately turned his head and stared at Cai Mao viciously.

Cai Mao was frightened by this sudden change of face and took two steps back, and hurriedly knelt down on one knee and said, "Why did the lord say this, the last general will be loyal to the lord!" ”

"Loyal?"

Cao Cao, who had a cold face, sneered, and then picked up a silk cloth from the table and threw it in front of Cai Mao, "I think you are loyal to Lu Bu and Lin Mo." ”

Cai Mao hurriedly picked up the silk cloth on the ground, it was okay not to look at it, but when he saw that his frightened head shrank, his face immediately turned blue.

The above content is a reply letter, simply put, it is to scold Cao Cao as a national thief, and now he has begun to contact all forces, ready to eradicate him at the right time, and when the time comes, Cao Cao's head will be offered, and the signature will be signed, Cai Mao.

The worst thing is that this trace is exactly the same as his, and even he can't recognize it.

"Nothing to say, right?"

Cao Cao looked coldly at Cai Mao, whose eyes widened because of surprise, and snorted coldly, "Drag it out, cut it!" ”

As soon as the words fell, Xu Chu on the side walked over, his right hand clasped on Cai Mao's shoulder, out of martial arts instinct, Cai Mao wanted to get up and struggle, but with Xu Chu's other hand also pressed down, Cai Mao couldn't move.

Of course, the water battle is very fierce, but in this land battle, Xu Chu can press Cai Mao to the ground and rub it.

"This is a frame-up, my lord! Lord! The last general has never written any letter to Lin Mo, and the last general has been framed by villains! As Xu Chu dragged him upside down, Cai Mao roared hysterically.

Yes, I wanted to defect to him, but I didn't have time to act.

In fact, with such thoughts, it's really no wonder that he Cai Mao.

When he returned to Cao Cao, what he valued was that he was dominant in the Central Plains, coerced the Son of Heaven, and held the title of Tianxian, when the form was so strong, most people in Jingzhou were willing to bet on Cao Cao.

Who knew that Sizhou lost so many soldiers and horses in one defeat, and the two states of the Central Plains didn't say anything about it, and even the Son of Heaven was lost.

On the other hand, Lu Lin's momentum is so fierce that it can be said to be an unprecedented height since the chaos in the world, even if Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others were tied together, they were not as strong as their son-in-law is now.

Not to mention, even Huang Zu has defected to him Lu Lin, why can't I vote?

The crux of the matter is that this idea has just come out and has not yet been carried out, and as a result, this kind of thing happened, and Cai Mao felt that she was more wronged than Dou E.

At the same time, he also knew that Cao Cao must have murderous intentions, because the person who did it was Xu Chu.

Seeing that Cai Mao was about to be dragged out of the door, Cheng Yu stood up and said: "Lord, General Cai is an upright character, if it is really what he did, he will definitely not deny it like this, and he must not wronged a good person." ”

As soon as Cheng Yu opened his mouth, Cao Cao finally raised his forehead towards Xu Chu and signaled him to stop.

Cai Mao seized the opportunity to crawl towards Cao Cao, almost crying and shouting: "Lord, the last general is willing to swear to the heavens that there will be no such thing. This."

Seeing that Cai Mao was speechless, Cheng Yu helped again, "Maybe it's Lin Mo's discordant plan, he just wants us to have civil strife, when he broke the tenth department in Sizhou, it was with a letter that couldn't be distinguished from true and false that Ma Teng and Han Sui slashed and killed each other, and the lord must not be fooled." ”

"Ah, yes, yes, Mr. Cheng is right, this must be Lin Mo's discordant plan!" Cai Mao seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, and even didn't care about her identity, kowtowing like pounding garlic.

Cao Cao didn't look at Cai Mao either, but looked at Cheng Yu, and said suspiciously: "Then how do you prove that this is Lin Mo's discordant plan, if it is true, then wouldn't my head be taken down by him at any time?" ”

Cheng Yu was stunned, obviously there was no way to prove it, so he looked at Cai Mao.

Rather teach me to bear the world, stop teaching the world to bear me, Cai Mao now has a deeper understanding of this sentence.

If you can't prove your innocence, then today's fate is afraid that you can't avoid the knife of the neck.

The problem is, this kind of thing made out of nothing, there is no way to confirm or overturn, how can Cai Mao prove it, he can only explain desperately, "Lord, this must be a thief imitating the handwriting of the last general, please think about it, if it is really the last general who wants to surrender to the enemy, why not put a big seal?" ”

Cao Cao just looked at him sideways, didn't speak, and didn't believe it all over his face.

Cai Mao said again: "Lord, if the last general really intends to join the enemy, at least he will protect the family away, at least he will communicate with his subordinates, the lord can make people investigate, if the last general has a trace of dissent, there is no need for General Xu to do it, and the last general will lead the neck to kill himself!" ”

The sonorous and powerful guarantee could not make Cao Cao relieve his doubts, he still looked at Cai Mao coldly, indifferent.

"Mr. Cheng, sir save me." Cai Mao, who really had nothing to say, could only pull Cheng Yu's coat and pray.

"My lord, I can't prove General Cai's innocence, but I am willing to believe in him, so let General Cai write to the court in the name of the governor of Jingzhou, sing praises to the lord, and reprimand Lu Lin for coercing the princes of the Son of Heaven to use His Majesty's hands to make an edict."

Cheng Yu glanced at Cai Mao and continued: "It won't be long before this edict will spread to the world, and then the world will know that General Cai is innocent." ”

Cao Cao's eyes lit up and he nodded with satisfaction, "This is a good idea." ”

Ahh

Cai Mao's heart cooled when she heard this, if she did this, she could indeed prove her innocence, but it would be equivalent to cutting off her way to Lin Mo.

With such a report, even if you sincerely defect to Lin Mo in the future, you will doubt it.

Of course, Cai Mao didn't want to do this, but now he can't help but don't want to.

It is true that the Cai family has a very great influence in Jingzhou, and if Cao Cao really does it, then he may not be able to suppress the aftermath, but if he takes out this letter, he may not be able to block the mouths of the people.

Cai Mao didn't dare to gamble, and immediately promised: "Lord, the last general is willing to go back to the house immediately to write a newspaper!" ”

Cao Cao didn't speak, but stood up and stepped forward to help him up, and then squatted down and patted the dust on his knees, which made Cai Mao a little flattered.

"Dejue, don't blame me for being suspicious, we are in a different place, what will you think when you read such a letter?" Cao Cao said with a painful face.

"The last general understands, and please believe in the sincerity of the last general." Cai Mao was moved in her heart, and she deeply understood that it was not easy for Cao Cao.

"Go ahead."

Cao Cao pressed his hands on his shoulders and said earnestly: "If it is confirmed in the future that this is Lin Mo's discordant plan, I will personally apologize to you." ”

"The last general will not dare!" After Cai Mao nodded, she flicked her cloak and turned around and walked away quickly.

Looking at his back, the kindness on Cao Cao's face receded, and Ling Yan's killing intent was reflected in his eyes.

"Hahaha"

It wasn't until Cai Mao left that Xu Chu laughed, "The lord scared him half to death with such a trick, it seems that he really doesn't have the courage to join the enemy." ”

"Don't you want to vote?"

Cao Cao, who was carrying his hands behind his back, half-squinted his eyes and muttered coldly, "If I don't cut off this delusion as soon as possible, he will be the next Huang Zu." ”

With that, Cao Cao turned around and returned to the handsome chair.

Xu Chu frowned and glanced at the outside of the hall, and then puzzled: "Since the lord doesn't trust him, why don't you just take this opportunity to kill him, it's a hundred?" ”

"You can't kill it."

"The lord is afraid that the Cai family is powerful?" Even Xu Chu knew how huge the Cai family's background in Jingzhou was, so he subconsciously asked.

"What is the Cai family?"

Cao Cao sneered disdainfully, and Cheng Yu, who was holding his hands in front of him, lowered his head and took over the words: "The Cai family is not terrible, but the terrible thing is that under the general trend, I know that he has different intentions but can't kill him." ”

"I don't understand that." Xu Chu scratched his head.

Cheng Yu sighed and explained: "In the first battle of Huainan, Jiangdong's sailors were almost completely lost, and the few people left behind were difficult to take on the big job; In Jingnan, Huang Zu defected, and although Liu Bei had 20,000 sailors in his hands, he could not use them.

And then Lu Lin wants to go south, there will be a fierce battle of sailors on the Yangtze River, if Cai Mao is killed at this juncture, then even we will have a situation where there are no generals available for the water army, and then there will really be no one to stop Lu Lin from dominating the world. ”

Speaking of this, Xu Chu suddenly sighed, "That's why the lord wants to design such a play, which can not only deter Cai Mao, but also cut off his thoughts of defecting to the enemy, wonderful, haha, wonderful!" ”

"If you want to calculate people's hearts, I'm afraid I still have to learn from Lin Mo." Cao Cao smiled wryly.

After the four holy decrees came down, it was enough to cause turmoil in the three parties, and I have to say that for the use of the Son of Heaven, this kid is better than me.

He knows who uses what decree, and who does not use the decree more effectively than using the decree, he knows everything clearly, and he has a good time.

"My lord."

Outside the hall, Wen Ping ran in quickly, holding a bundle of bamboo slips in his hand, "General Xiahou came to report that the 10,000 Liu troops stationed in Wuling had suddenly withdrawn. ”

Hearing this, Cao Cao and Cheng Yu exchanged a look, obviously a little confused.

What does Liu Jun want to do, release the empty Wuling City, isn't he worried that he will take advantage of the situation?

Or is it a ploy to lure the enemy?

Liu Bei was driven to Baqiu by Liu Qi, but Cao Cao knew that in fact, Liu Qi would still be willing to listen to Liu Bei in terms of military and political choices, at least he could listen to Zhuge Liang's words.

Therefore, this should not be Liu Qi's own behavior.

But what does that mean?

After hesitating for a while, Cao Cao's eyes lit up, and then he smiled with relief, "I'm still a smart person." ”

After that, he stood up and walked towards Wenpin, "Zhongye, I was defeated in Sizhou, and I lost the Central Plains and the Second Prefecture, and the hearts of the people in Jingzhou are floating, but I know that you have never wavered, and I will keep your mind in my heart." ”

"The Lord is serious."

Wen Ping arched his hand and said: "Since the last general is the main general, he can only do his best, and in addition to this, he will only die." ”

Wen Ping is a loyal and courageous person, which Cao Cao really believes.

After Liu Biao's death, Jingzhou's civil and military surrendered one after another, only he upheld his loyalty to Liu Biao and never took the initiative to show favor, which shows that he is not a person who flatters and seeks glory.

Including the turmoil in the two states this time, Wen Ping never made any remarks from beginning to end, just did his part in a down-to-earth manner, who wouldn't love such a general.

"Zhongye, then, I want to work hard for you one more thing."

"Please command, my lord!"

"Take a trip to Changsha for me." Cao Cao let out a long sigh.

"Changsha?"

Seeing that Wen Pinghu was puzzled, Cao Cao explained: "Do you know what it means for Liu Jun to suddenly withdraw the Wuling garrison? ”

Wen Ping shook his head.

"They also understand that Lu Lin's power is too large, and if we continue to fight on our own, we will definitely not escape the fate of being annexed in the end, especially after Huang Zu surrendered to the enemy, they no longer have a decent sailor warrior in their hands.

Therefore, the wisest choice now is to ally against Lu Lin. ”

Cao Cao paused, revealing a touch of disdain, "But our Uncle Liu Huang is based on benevolence and righteousness, and he has repeatedly said that I am a national thief, how can he have the face to send an envoy to ally with me."

Therefore, he withdrew Wuling's soldiers and horses, so as to tell me that Jiangling did not need to garrison too many troops, and that the forces should be aimed at Lülin in the north. ”

Wen Ping nodded suddenly, "So, the lord wants the last general to send an envoy to Changsha and give Liu Bei a step for them?" ”

"It's not entirely like that, after all, you are familiar with Liu Qi, and he can listen to your words." Cao Cao looked at the scenery outside the hall from afar, and seemed a little distracted.

In fact, in his heart, he still looked down on Liu Bei and Liu Qi.

If the alliance is not an alliance, it is meaningless at all, and the state of confrontation over the years cannot be eliminated by relying on an alliance.

But Cao Cao was still willing to do this, mainly because he really didn't have the extra troops to guard against Liu Bei.

What's more, Liu Bei still has 20,000 sailors on hand, which is a force that cannot be underestimated.

People, when life and death are at stake, they will always be willing to let go of old hatreds to protect themselves, and then discuss grievances with each other after the crisis has passed.

Cao Cao agrees with this.

"Rest assured, the lord will not disgrace his life!" The sonorous and powerful guarantee of the clerkship.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for your good news." Cao Cao patted his arm, ritual trust.

There is no way, now that the Son of Heaven is not in his hands, it is not so easy to reward his subordinates with any marquis position, and more often than not, he can only show his trust to show grace.

God, after so many years, it suddenly is gone, and it is really a little uncomfortable.

Xun Yu didn't follow, but chose to turn back to Xuchang halfway.

All of this makes Cao Cao feel very unmotivated now.

When people are not satisfied, it is always easy to think of some past events and people who have left.

Dian Wei, Guo Jia, Xiahoudun, Cao Xiu, Cao Chun, Li Dian, Le Jin.

Even Xun Yu is gone.

The old people are withering one after another, like falling leaves in the wind.

Fortunately, now Lu Lin is also recuperating and building a sailor warship, and finally gave himself some time.

I just hope that in the next north-south showdown, I can not repeat the mistakes of the past.

(End of chapter)