Now is the most critical time for Cao Cao, or in other words, since Cao Cao embarked on the road to struggle for hegemony, any moment is the most critical, and he cannot relax for a moment. It started when he defeated Yuan Shu and ended when he defeated Yuan Shao.
in this way.
A few days ago, Cao Cao sent an edict in the name of Emperor Liu Xie to Fei Qian in Guanzhong through the Shangshutai, expressing his praise and expectations for Fei Qian's preparations to regain the Western Regions, and then brought it back from Fei Qian.
After reading the reply form, I finally felt a little relieved.
According to the information passed from Yecheng, Yuan Shao was too ill to stay. This is Cao Cao's best opportunity...
All government affairs and military matters begin to revolve around this upcoming focus.
On the first day of the first lunar month, there was a court meeting, on the second day of the lunar month, the Sikong government meeting, on the third day of the lunar month, we went out to inspect the barracks for training, on the fourth day of the lunar month, we went to the fields, on the fifth day of the lunar month, we checked the inventory of soldiers and armor, on the sixth day of the lunar month, we met with the elders of Yanzhou Township, on the eighth day of the lunar month...
From one place to another, meeting one group of people and another group of people, Cao Cao was extremely busy every day, especially now because in the battle with Yuan Shao, he unexpectedly gained the upper hand, and some of them had made mistakes before
The gentry children who placed bets also hurriedly began to change the direction of their bets, and these people would also provide some materials and manpower that Cao Cao needed. Therefore, Cao Cao also wanted to meet and express his attitude, otherwise these gentry children would
Don't worry at all...
Of course, some people still have reservations, but these nobles no longer look down on Cao Cao as they did before. They no longer dare to scream about Cao Cao. After seeing him, they all treat Cao Sikong, respectful and humble.
It's incredible. As for what's going on behind the scenes, no one knows.
From the beginning of Chen Liu, to Jujube, and now, Cao Cao has been fighting and climbing all the way without knowing it. Some of the comrades who fought side by side have fallen, and some have died. The higher up, it seems that the people standing in the same place are different.
It is becoming more and more rare. In the past, although the mansion was not big, the brothers from the clan could drink and chat happily. But now that the mansion is bigger, it seems to be more and more deserted, and the noise of the past seems to have dissipated in the wind.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Cao Cao sat in a canopy car and walked slowly along the street. Pedestrians quickly moved to both sides and bowed solemnly to show respect. The street suddenly became quiet, except for some children who were still playing and excited in the alley.
of shouts.
Cao Cao turned his head slightly and looked around, and saw several children gathering together in the middle of the alley. They were carrying wooden swords and bamboo horses with each other. They seemed to be simulating the game of battle formation, waving, colliding, and arguing, playing with concentration.
He didn't even notice any movement in Daochang Street.
The car made a lot of noise and moved forward. His line of sight was blocked by the building. Cao Cao silently withdrew his gaze. His face remained unchanged, as if he didn't even move an eyebrow.
Once upon a time, the friends who wielded wooden swords and bamboo horses with Cao Cao have now become enemies of life and death. And now among the children playing together in the alley, some of them will glare at each other in the future.
Want to taste it and then have fun?
When he arrived at the government office, Cao Cao endured a slight headache after a busy day and walked to the backyard. He turned left as usual to go to the study room, but he heard the maid beside him reporting in a low voice: "Qi Sikong...
…Madam, please invite me…”
"Oh?" Cao Cao was stunned for a moment.
Madam, of course, is Madam Ding. The others can only be regarded as Madam at best. When addressing someone, even if they are addressed as Madam, they still add a surname. The only one who calls Madam directly is Madam Ding.
For this period of time, Mrs. Ding has been in a relatively autistic state. Cao Cao comforted her once or twice, but seeing that Mrs. Ding turned a deaf ear, she stopped spending time on this matter.
Things were so busy every day, so I just stayed in the study room.
Are you actually invited today?
Cao Cao was a little surprised, so he nodded and said, "Lead the way!"
The maid hurriedly moved forward on one side, but she was uneasy in her heart, because Mrs. Ding's tone before was not good, nor did she use the word "please", but... the maid did not dare to continue thinking, lowered her head, as if
Like a shrimp, he bent down to lead the way.
After turning around the corridor, Cao Cao saw that Mrs. Ding sitting in the hall was no longer as unkempt and disheveled as before, and he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, Cao Cao was also sad about Cao Ang's death, but as the leader of a political group, Cao Cao could not let his grief override his reason. Of course, part of the massacre of Xuzhou was because Cao Cao wanted to vent his anger.
On the other hand, because Xuzhou is considered the enemy's territory, weakening the other party is equivalent to strengthening himself. Even so, when he found that the situation had deteriorated and it was difficult to put down the butcher knife, Cao Cao immediately asked his brothers to stop the continued slaughter.
behavior, and claimed that those with lax military discipline had faked Cao's name...
Cao Ang's death naturally needs to be investigated, but large-scale massacres and exterminations can never be carried out on his own territory. Therefore, after Cao Cao killed the relevant male members of the family involved and distributed their wives and daughters, it was considered
This matter has been brought to an end for the time being and has not been expanded.
Otherwise, in their own territory, they would kill this one every day and that one tomorrow, and all the noble people would flee. How could they evaluate Hebei and put things in order?
However, Cao Cao had his own considerations, and so did Mrs. Ding.
"Madam...ah haha..." Cao Cao just said haha. He originally wanted to say something like the weather was really nice, but suddenly he felt that things were not exactly what he imagined, and the atmosphere did not seem to be the same.
Wonderful, so he stopped talking.
"Sit down." Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao without any expression of invitation and said.
Sometimes there is something strange about the relationship between men and women. Before getting married, whether they are acquaintances or in love, the woman will often not look directly at the man for too long. Even if she does look at him, she will always lower her head after a while, showing a certain attitude.
I don’t care if it’s a shy look or not, but basically most men stare at each other, and very few women do this.
But after getting married, the situation is reversed. Especially for old couples, the women often stare at each other because of something, while the men's eyes wander, which is completely different from before getting married.
The same goes for Cao Cao and Madam Ding.
Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao. Cao Cao sat for a moment, his eyes flickered, and he felt very uncomfortable, so he frowned and prepared to leave. "What can I do, Madam? I still have unfinished government affairs. If..."
"What day is today?" Mrs. Ding asked, "Do you still remember?"
Cao Cao suddenly felt numb in his heart (╯#-_-)╯╧═╧
In the Han Dynasty, there really were no Du Niang or Dog Brother who could provide some reference answers to help Cao Cao answer such questions, so Cao Cao remained silent and speechless.
There is a certain limit to human energy and attention. It is impossible to be like a computer that can search all the information by inputting a keyword. It is also impossible for Cao Cao to keep a booklet with him to mark these days, let alone Cao Cao.
At this stage, all the energy is focused on the next military operation. If you ask Cao Cao about the current situation of his troops, what are the food and salary reserves and gaps, etc., Cao Cao will definitely know...
But the problem is that Mrs. Ding is not interested in military and government affairs, so she doesn't care about these.
"..." Mrs. Ding was silent for a moment and said, "Today is Ang'er's birthday..."
The corner of Cao Cao's mouth twitched, and he was speechless. I don't even remember my own birthday, how could I remember other people's birthdays? In addition, Cao Ang's matter has come to an end at this stage, and it is not suitable to continue to expand indefinitely.
and being implicated, it seems that at that time some people heard that the assassins were shouting for revenge for the emperor, but were they really Liu Xie's instigator?
"Ang'er..." Cao Cao was silent for a moment and said in a deep voice, "This matter has been settled... There is no need to mention it again..." Cao Cao is a straight man, but he never knows any sweet words, so when he faces Mrs. Ding, he does not
It's quite straightforward. In the game, the process can be paused to allow the player to carefully weigh the dialogue choices, but in reality, once the words are spoken, they often cannot be taken back.
Mrs. Ding sneered: "This matter is settled? Haha... This matter is settled?"
Cao Cao frowned and stood up to go: "Someone still has government affairs to deal with..."
"What government affairs?!" Mrs. Ding's voice became sharp. "Does government affairs push the children to death one by one? Ang'er is dead! Dead! Are we going to force Yin'er to die too now?!"
Cao Cao stopped and lowered his voice: "Who said that?!"
"Haha!" Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao, "The Liu family is this son and daughter! I regard them as my own children! Now...now..." Mrs. Ding screamed, "You killed Ang'er?
If it’s not enough, I have to send Yin’er to that ghost place! What on earth do you want to do!”
Rationality and sensibility are always a pair of people who love and kill each other. No one can say that they can maintain extraordinary sensibility when they are absolutely rational. If Mrs. Ding is rational, she can support Cao Cao's decision, because it is not for one person.
It is a matter of a group of people and a political group. In such a political group, some people will eventually sacrifice and some will benefit, but it is impossible to let one person sacrifice forever, and it is impossible to always let one person benefit.
There is balance and compromise, but the problem is that Mrs. Ding does not want balance or compromise at the moment. She hopes that Cao Cao can take back his fate and prevent the eldest daughter from entering the palace and becoming an exchange between power and interests.
Mrs. Ding can understand, but understanding does not mean that she can accept it. Just like everyone knows that birth, old age, illness and death are normal in life, but when it comes, how many can say that they can accept it calmly?
"Let Yin'er go..." Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao expectantly, "There are other ways, and there are other people, right?"
But the problem is, except for Cao Cao's eldest daughter, whose age is relatively suitable, the rest are too young. He can't let Liu Xie marry a three-year-old child, right? And if such an opportunity is given to other people, let's not talk about it for now.
Do others dare to do it? Can Cao Cao himself be relieved and can he play a corresponding role?
The Cao family and the Xiahou family are brothers, right?
They are brothers, but there are not many brothers who turn against each other for power? Isn't this the case with the Yuan brothers? In theory, it is indeed possible to allow the daughters of important figures in the Cao family and the Xiahou clan to enter the palace, and to a certain extent, it is possible
On behalf of the Cao family and the Xiahou family, who can guarantee that no changes will occur in the future?
Therefore, only by sacrificing the eldest daughter Cao Yin can we ensure that Cao Cao's own power will not fall by the wayside.
Cao Cao was silent and then turned his head to the side.
"Cao Amo!" Mrs. Ding said angrily, "Ms. Liu held my hand before she died! Leave it to me! I agreed! I agreed! But now...now..."
"Ang'er is dead...for your bullshit cause! We can't mourn!" Mrs. Ding cried out, "But I've been watching every day! Watching Ang'er's body rotting bit by bit! It stinks! It's infested with insects!"
I tried my best to wipe and scratch... but still... there was still nothing I could do... In the end, I couldn't even touch it. Once I touched it, it would fall off in pieces..."
Mrs. Ding was wailing, but her tears had already dried up. She patted her thin chest hard and made a hollow sound, "Cao Amo! Do you know that my heart seems to be rotting like Ang'er?"
! Are there insects? Every day, every day, they are biting! It hurts! It hurts! Cao Amo! I hurt..."
"Madam..." Cao Cao looked up at the sky, "Stop talking..."
"Don't call me madam!" Mrs. Ding stood up unsteadily, "I don't deserve to be your wife! I have failed Mrs. Liu, I have failed Anger Yin'er... You are not worthy to be my husband either! You have failed me.
Mr. Liu, you also betrayed me... You, you are not the one I know, the Cao Lang I married..."
"You're not! You're not..." Mrs. Ding gritted her teeth and roared, and rushed out of the door, "My Cao Lang is dead, already dead..."
"Madam!" Cao Cao stepped forward and pulled, but Madam Ding struggled like crazy. She not only scratched and kicked her with her hands, but even opened her mouth to bite her. Cao Cao subconsciously shrank back and let go of his hand.
"Ho ho..."
Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao, then turned away after a moment, staggering out, her steps a little shaky, and she fell down in the courtyard with a "thud", covered in mud, and then crawled back laughing and crying.
He got up and headed outside.
Several maids bravely stepped forward to help, but they were chased away by Madam Ding, who scratched and scratched her. Then Madam Ding just walked out, shaking and tossing...
"..." Cao Cao felt that the veins on his head were jumping all the time. The pain made him irritated and made him angry. "Let her go! Leave her alone!"
Maybe if you express your emotions, things will get better after a while.
