Huan Wen summoned Chen Caozhi in the quiet room of the inner courtyard. The maid guided Chen Caozhi to his seat and then left. There were only two people in the room, Huan Wen and Chen Caozhi. There were wine bottles and tea sets on the small rosewood table in front of him. Huan Wen said: "
Just drink and drink tea as you please."
The cold spring breeze blew through the room through the long window on the south, and the plain curtains were fluttering. Huan Wen's slender beard remained motionless, like an iron wire. He looked at Chen Caozhi without saying anything else.
Chen Caozhi calmly poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said without waiting for Huan Wen to ask: "Da Sima asked about the strategy of the Northern Expedition. Cao Zhi thought about it for a long time last night, and secretly thought that it was not the right time for the Northern Expedition."
Huan Wen appreciated Chen Caozhi's conciseness and neatness. Unlike some other celebrities who would not talk about the serious business and talk about a lot of empty words first. The most such person Huan Wen had ever seen was Xie Wanshi, but Xie Anshi was a person that Huan Wen could not see.
For those who don't know, Xie An had neither merits nor faults in his one year in Xifu. He served as the prefect of Wuxing County for more than one year, and he was unremarkable. He had a bit of Huang Lao's style of governing by doing nothing, but his reputation was not the same as that of the Japanese.
Julong is now the Censor Zhongcheng. Sima Yu, King of Langya, intends to appoint Xie An as the Censor Zhongcheng to participate in politics. However, considering that Xie An was promoted to the third rank of Censorship just four years after leaving Dongshan, which is against the regular system, Xie An still has to be the Censor Zhongcheng.
Another one or two years.
.Compared with Xie An's magnanimity and inaction, Xie Xuan and Xie Daoyun, the two descendants of the Xie family in Chen County, stood out. In the Gengxu Tuduan, they showed real talents like Chen Caozhi. It is inevitable that Xie Xuan will be promoted to a high position.
Huan Wen was really interested in Xie Daoyun. He wanted to see how far this Xie girl could go in her official career? How would the emotional entanglement with Chen Caozhi end? What would happen to the reputation of the Xie family in Chen County?
What impact will it have?
These thoughts flashed through Huan Wen's mind, and he said slowly: "I would like to hear Cao's detailed explanation."
Chen Cao said: "Now Fu Jian is learning the Han system, Wang Meng is assisting him, the Huns are surrendering, and the power of Di Qin is greatly expanded. There is no way to rush."
Huan Wen nodded and said: "At the beginning of last year, Cao Hub, the right king of the Xiongnu, and Liu Weichen, the left king of the Xiongnu, rebelled against Qin. I wanted to take the opportunity to attack Qin, but when Emperor Ai died, the Northern Expedition was put on hold, and Fu Jian defeated it in just a hundred days.
After conquering the Xiongnu virtuous kings Cao Hub and Liu Weichen, and moving more than 6,000 households of their heroes to Chang'an, Zhu Hu Suran said from this point of view that the Di Qin was indeed invincible, but Xianbei Murong was stronger than the Di Qiang. Since the Di Qiang was difficult to conquer,
Isn’t Murong even more difficult to kill?”
Chen Cao said: "The great Sima Mingjian, the Northern Erhu, Xianbei Murong and Murong are strong and Di Qiang are weak, but Di Qiang is on the rise, Wang Meng is a genius, Fu Jian uses it without doubt, thinking that Wang Meng will not die, and Di Qiang will not die."
Qin is difficult to destroy; and although Murong Murong of Xianbei is strong, according to Duan Siyan, the wife and brother of Murong Chui who came to surrender, the royal families are not in harmony, the emperor is young, and the empress dowager can allow the Hun family to monopolize power, and force the Duan family to rebel. Such things will happen again
The great Sima Kelu, Murong Ke and the brothers Murong Chui, foolishly thought that if the Di and Qiang wanted to expand, they would have to fight with the Murong clan. We, the Jin Dynasty, could just sit back and watch the snipe and the clam quarrel, waiting for the opportunity to make profit."
Huan Wen was silent for a long time and then said: "What Cao said is a prudent and long-term strategy, but Huan is over fifty years old and time has not waited for me. What can I do?" He also said: "The reason why Di Qin and Murong did not dare to go south is because there are
Wen is here, and I can't deny that once Wen dies, Hu Qi will go south, and Wang Meng and Murong Ke are both younger than me."
Chen Caozhi knew that Huan Wen was not bragging. Before Huan Wen was defeated by Murong Chui in his third Northern Expedition, Huan Wen's reputation had so frightened the Northern Hu that neither Di Qin nor Murong Yan dared to take advantage of the situation.
Chen Cao said: "In this world, there are those who are young and those who have longevity. Duke Huan has the appearance of those who have longevity. It is the time when great things can be done. It will not be too late for Duke Huan to write a poem to Emperor Wu of the Wei Dynasty in ten years. "
Huan Wen said happily: "Can you predict the longevity of a person by doing it? According to Ge Zhichuan?"
Chen Caozhi said vaguely: "I understand a little, um, I understand a little."
Of course Chen Caozhi knew the approximate lifespan of some famous figures in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. For example, Murong Ke only lived for a few years. The powerful Murong Yan Kingdom began to fall apart after Murong Ke's death. That was a good opportunity for the Northern Expedition, which must not be allowed to happen.
Fu Jian swallowed up the territory of Qian Yan, but some things have changed, such as Xie Wan. According to historical records, Xie Wan died the year after Shouchun was defeated and demoted to a commoner. But now three years have passed, and Xie Wan is still alive. Last time
I heard that Xie Daoyun said that when her fourth uncle was exiled to Wuyi Lane, he wanted to take the powder to relieve his worries. It was Xie Daoyun who stopped him. Xie Daoyun's attitude towards Wushisan was greatly influenced by Chen Caozhi. It can be said that Chen Caozhi extended Xie Wan's life.
.
Huan Wen was very excited and said: "Du Zigong of Ruxiang also said that Huan's life span is beyond the ears. Now Cao Cao also said it. He said that Huan still has ten years to live. In these ten years, Huan will definitely lay a solid foundation for the Huan family.
Foundation, will it help me?"
Chen Caozhi cupped his hands and said, "I should follow Duke Huan."
Huan Wen stroked his beard and laughed and said: "Huan and Cao Zhi have a sense that time waits for no one. Cao Zhi is twenty this year, and Lu's daughter has been waiting for Cao Zhi. If Cao Zhi wants to marry Lu's daughter, she will have to achieve great achievements. Cao Zhi
Give him encouragement."
Chen Caozhi smiled slightly and thought to himself: "Are you going to wait until Huan Wen becomes emperor to force the Lu family to marry me? How many years will it take?"
Huan Wen said: "Cao Cao said before that he would just sit back and watch the Qin and Yan fight, and I would sit back and reap the benefits. Although this statement is reasonable, I can't just sit and wait. What is missing in the east of the Yangtze River are war horses. Now I want to use the newly refined weapons from the west to attack Fu Jian."
Is it possible to change horses and join forces with Fu Jian to fight against Xianbei Murong?"
Chen Caozhi thought: "In this way, the course of history may be greatly changed." He replied: "Huan Gong has far-reaching plans. I expect Fu Jian will agree to join forces with Huan Gong to fight against Murong Yan."
"Okay!" Huan Wen clapped his hands and said, "Is it okay to ask Cao Zhi to serve as an envoy to Di Qin?"
Chen Caozhi bowed to his seat and said, "I don't dare to say goodbye."
Huan Wen's eyes showed admiration and he said: "I have secretly sent an envoy to contact Fu Jian to see what his intentions are. There should be a reply at the end of this month, and then he will officially send an envoy to Di Qin. Of course, he will do it in the name of the imperial court.
I am an official from the West Prefecture. It is not suitable for me to serve as an envoy to Di Qin as a member of the army in the West Prefecture. My rank is also low, and I am not qualified to be a good official. I will report to the imperial court and appoint another person. In this way, he can be promoted beyond the rank.
The words of those who criticize North Korea and China.”
After a long discussion, Chen Caozhi asked to resign, and Huan Wen said, "Cao, please wait a moment. My concubine knows that Cao is back and wants to see her. She has been waiting for a long time."
Chen Caozhi frowned slightly. He hadn't seen Li Jingshu for half a year. As soon as he returned to Xifu, this woman came again, but he had no reason to miss him.
Li Jingshu, in a plain white dress, entered gracefully. She first expressed her blessings to Huan Wen, then prostrated herself in front of Chen Cao's seat, saying, "Disciple Li Jingshu pays homage to Master Chen." A maid then presented the New Year's Apprenticeship Ceremony, all of which were valuable products in Sichuan.
Huan Wen said: "There is no need to refuse, these items are all from Shu. Shu people value righteousness and have been away from Shu for fifteen years. Some people come to visit and give gifts every year." It seems that Huan Wen knew that Li Jingshu was related to Shu people.
Li Jingshu said: "It's rare to see Master Chen, so I can't miss this opportunity. I want to ask Master Chen for advice." She ordered the maid to get the recorder and played a song "Changqing". This song was used by Chen Cao when he went to Kuaiji last year.
Before the soil was cut off, Li Jingshu could only play intermittently, and could not produce some high notes and low notes. But now, she can play in a smooth and melodious way, with an audible whine.
Huan Wen looked at it and enjoyed it. After Li Jingshu finished playing the piece, he said, "Qingqing practices this piece of music every day. It takes a lot of effort. How do you think she plays it?"
Naturally, Chen Caozhi wanted to praise him, give him some tips, and wrote a score of "Long Side" for Li Jingshu, and then left the general's mansion.
When Chen Caozhi returned to his residence in Fenghuang Mountain, his neighbor Xie Daoyun invited him over for a small banquet. Chen Caozhi walked over alone. Xie Xuan was already there. The three of them drank and talked.
Di Qin said to Xie Daoyun: "As expected, Zi Zhong will use the plan of combining vertical and horizontal lines for Duke Huan."
Xie Daoyun glanced at his younger brother Xie Xuan. Although there were all old members of the Xie family here, Ah Wei called her sister in front of Zizhong, which made her a little unhappy.
But I heard Xie Xuan say again: "Since Zizhong is the envoy to Di Qin, I, my brother, can be the deputy envoy."
Chen Caozhi glanced at Xie Daoyun and said: "We are going to Chang'an, a round trip of five thousand miles, and we won't be able to come back for half a year. Brother Yingtai. After all, brother Yingtai is weak and may not be able to do the job."
Xie Daoyun looked noncommittal. Chen Caozhi obviously thought that she was a woman and was not suitable to be sent as an ambassador. Although it meant concern, it was not what Xie Daoyun liked.
Xie Xuan didn't say anything more, he already had a plan in his mind. In the afternoon, Xie Xuan did not discuss with Xie Daoyun, but went to see Huan Wen, asked for orders from his sister Xie Daoyun, and went to Di Qin with Chen Cao. In Xie Xuan's opinion,
Although it is risky to go on a mission to Di Qin, it can allow my sister and Chen Cao to share hardships and see their true love over time. In this way, the relationship between my sister and Zizhong is completely incomparable to that of the Lu girl who is as delicate as a flower.
After hearing what Xie Xuan said, Huan Wen was very surprised. Xie Xuan certainly wanted to arrange a marriage between his sister Xie Daoyun and Chen Caozhi. It seemed that the Xie clan agreed to Xie Daoyun marrying Chen Caozhi. The question now is
Chen Caozhi was obsessed with Lu's girl.
Xie Xuandao said: "I hope that those who have joined the army will know Duke Huan well, and that they can make great achievements by joining hands with Chen Cao as an envoy."
Huan Wen hesitated and did not answer. For some reason, even though he knew that Xie Daoyun was a woman disguised as a man, he still recruited her into the Western Mansion. But sending a woman as an envoy to another country was unbelievable. If the secret was revealed, it would harm the country, and it would also affect the country.
Chen Caozhi hesitated and said, "I'll decide tomorrow after I've thought about it carefully."
After Xie Xuan resigned, Huan Wen shook his head, laughed, and said to himself: "It's really strange that Xie Youdu wants his sister to go with Chen Caozhi as an envoy to Fu Qin. Hey, is it true that the girl from the Xie family will not marry unless Chen Caozhi does?
"He added: "When Chen Cao comes later, I'll ask him what he thinks?"
Beside the small door, Li Jingshu was dumbfounded outside the plain curtain. She always liked to eavesdrop on Huan Wen's secret conversations with others. She had known that Huan Wen had rebellious intentions, and she never expected to hear such a strange news today. That Zhu Yingtai, who joined the army in the Xifu, turned out to be Xie Xuan's sister.
Who else could I have as a sister? Of course it is Xie Daoyun, who is known as the first lady of the Jin Dynasty. It turns out that Xie Daoyun is obsessed with Chen Caozhi.
Li Jingshu was surprised and filled with jealousy, but a charming smile appeared on her lips and cheeks.