What Cao Cao said was without any fireworks, but to Cao Peng's ears, it was like a huge thunder exploding in his ears, making him tremble.
It's not that he has something wrong in his heart, but this sentence has too many meanings.
Do great things?
What counts as doing great things?
This standard varies from person to person, so it is difficult to say clearly. But in Cao Cao's current status, this "big deal" is a bit scary. Even if Cao Peng had no guilt in his heart, he suddenly heard Cao Cao say such a sentence.
Be frightened and have some fear.
"Uncle, how do you say this?"
Cao Cao laughed but did not answer.
I saw him walking out of the pavilion, holding Cao Peng's arm, and they went into the pavilion and sat down together.
A beautiful maid offered warm jade syrup. Cao Cao picked up a cup, smiled slightly and said, "Ah Fu, please drink this cup before it's too late."
The wine was good, but Cao Peng had no confidence in it, and it had no taste in his mouth.
When Cao Cao put down his wine glass, Cao Peng smiled bitterly and said, "Uncle, please help my nephew clear up his doubts, otherwise my nephew will be frightened and unable to appreciate the taste."
"Yeah?"
Cao Cao smiled, his eyes almost narrowed into a straight line. After a while, he said in a deep voice: "If Ah Fu didn't do anything wrong, why are you so flustered?"
"It's not that there's something wrong in my heart, it's actually that my uncle is different now.
My uncle is now in charge of the government. He is under one person and above ten thousand people, and his momentum is extraordinary. When my uncle said it, he felt confused and confused. He was afraid out of respect, and panicked out of fear... This is not a loss or a loss of heart.
"My uncle's imposing manner makes my nephew feel panicked."
You, old man, are not an ordinary person now. We, the people like you, need to think twice about your words.
What Cao Peng said was the truth, and Cao Cao couldn't help laughing.
"Ah Fu, you are talented and knowledgeable, but not the best; you are quick-witted, but not the sharpest; you are brave, but not invincible; you are proficient in military affairs, but you are not the best at strategy. Among all people,
You are the best in the world, but I trust you, do you know why?"
You are a jack of all trades, good at everything, but not good at anything.
This may also be a distinctive feature of later generations.
Information explosion, knowledge explosion, so that no matter what aspect, you can know something. And the knowledge after 1800 years will undoubtedly have advanced significance for this era. However, this alone may not be enough.
So that Cao Cao takes it seriously.
Cao Peng heard this and scratched his head in embarrassment, "My nephew doesn't know."
"Then let me tell you, you dare to tell the truth."
"ah?"
"How could I not know what you just said?
However, except for you, no one dares to speak so wildly in front of me. I like this about you, so I also believe that you, Afu, are open-minded."
"Nephew, I'm scared."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Don't be anxious and panicked. I have something to ask you, and you have to answer it well."
Cao Peng hurriedly replied: "As long as my uncle asks, my nephew will tell you everything he knows."
"Hahaha, what a man who knows everything and speaks everything... Ah Fu, let me ask you, who is Yuan Xuanshuo? Does the collapse of Yizhou have anything to do with you?"
"this……"
Cao Peng never expected that Cao Cao would suddenly ask about this matter, which surprised him more or less. However, if he thought about it carefully, he was not surprised at all. What he did in Yizhou, since he was warned through the law
Song, then Zhang Song would inevitably reveal the news in his words. Cao Cao knew about it, but it didn't mean anything. It's just that Yuan Xuanshuo...Cao Peng was a little embarrassed, not knowing whether he should tell the truth.
However, after much thought, Cao Peng decided to conceal Li Ru's identity.
It's not anything else, but Li Ru's identity is too sensitive. How would Cao Cao react if he knew Li Ru's identity? Kill him or use him? It would be a trouble for Cao Cao. Similarly, with
For Cao Peng, it was also a headache.
"Yuan Xuanshuo is from Chang'an.
Xuan Shuo is not his real name, but his monastic name... He was the abbot of Baima Temple earlier. When my fourth brother was killed, my nephew was ordered to serve as the Northern Lieutenant of Luoyang to investigate the matter. By chance, he discovered that Yuan Xuan Shuo was quite talented, so he forcibly
Conquer him and keep him by your side.
This person is good at wealth and has many fantastic ideas.
I had discussed financial issues with him in Hexi before, and came up with this method after accidentally talking about the pros and cons of coins. At first, my nephew didn't think too much about it, he just hoped that through this method,
He purchased a large amount of supplies from Yizhou to supplement the needs of Hexi. But later, his nephew discovered that the wealth was so wonderful that it was hard to describe, and it actually had a huge impact in Yizhou. He originally wanted to know about it with his uncle, but he didn't want to be the governor of Nanyang, so he
Put this matter behind you. However, regarding this matter, my nephew once mentioned something about the opening of the Central Bank Building...but there was no experience at that time, so most of them were just conjectures, and my uncle failed to pay attention."
Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, and thinking about Cao Peng's memorial, it seemed that he did mention this issue.
But Cao Cao didn't pay much attention to it at that time, so I really can't blame Cao Peng.
"Afu, please tell me in detail how you operate in Xichuan?"
Speaking of which, what happened in Xichuan was just a guess made by Cao Cao. In his opinion, except for Cao Peng, no one else could have such a fantastic idea. As for Yuan Xuanshuo, he really didn't
He knew the details. He just got a general idea from Zhang Song, so he asked Cao Peng. Who is Yuan Xuanshuo? It is not important to Cao Cao! What is important is that Cao Peng put forward a brand-new strategic idea, which made him quite popular.
I'm curious. Throughout the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and even the Han Dynasty for nearly a thousand years, there are many such examples. But most of the time, economic warfare was carried out as an auxiliary means of war, and no one ever used it alone.
Judging from the current situation in Yizhou, this economic war has had a good effect.
This also aroused Cao Cao's strong interest, so he called Cao Peng and asked him in detail.
Cao Peng didn't hide anything, he told it in detail.
In fact, this method of economic warfare is not only used in Yizhou. Even before the attack on Yizhou, Cao Peng's Mobei strategy also contained traces of this economic war. However, the two methods are different. Yu Yi
As far as the state is concerned, Cao Peng disrupted the market and attacked the currency of Xichuan; as for the Mobei Qianghu Xiongnu and other foreign tribes, he used slave trading to disrupt the situation in the north of the Great Wall through profit, create conflicts among ethnic tribes, and trigger
The war between tribes made the situation in northern Saibei even more chaotic.
Cao Cao listened very carefully and nodded in praise from time to time.
After the two talked for a while, Cao Cao suddenly changed the subject and asked: "Ah Fu, what do you think I want to conquer Jiangdong?"
This question really surprised Cao Peng.
Because he had already negotiated with Jia Xu, he would not directly oppose Cao Cao's opinions.
But now Cao Cao took the initiative to propose it, which made Cao Peng feel a little embarrassed. He didn't know whether Cao Cao would agree after he expressed his opinion. If he didn't agree, would there be resistance, which would add discomfort to Guo Jia's persuasion in the future?
Necessary difficulties and troubles.
"this……"
"Ah Fu, there are only you and me, uncle and nephew, here now.
Don’t think of me as prime minister, and don’t think of yourself as a subordinate, just say it boldly.”
"Then nephew, please speak boldly."
Cao Peng thought about it and felt that he should give Cao Cao a warning.
He thought for a while, organized his words, and then said in a deep voice: "What does uncle think we have to fight against Jiangdong?"
Cao Cao said quite proudly: "Now I have pacified the north, and my troops and horses are strong.
In October, the corvee levy was launched, and in just two months, an army of 200,000 was raised... Now, more than 100,000 new infantrymen of the Jingxiang navy have been obtained, and the force is strong enough to fight against Jiangdong.
At the beginning, Ah Fu, you also said that a battle with Jiangdong would require a naval force.
More than 100,000 Jingzhou navy troops have returned to me. Their strength is far superior to that of Jiangdong, so we can defeat them in one fell swoop."
Cao Peng was silent!
After a while, he whispered: "Uncle, do you know the difference between sheep and tigers?"
"oh?"
"The navy of Jiangdong and the navy of Jingzhou are comparable to sheep and tigers.
The Jiangdong Navy, since Sun Bofu took charge of Jiangdong and Chai Sang was established, has gone through countless battles, big and small, and is comparable to that of a tiger; while the Jingzhou Navy seems to be powerful, but because Liu Biao valued literature over military, the navy's combat effectiveness was low, and compared with Jiangdong.
In battles, there are few victories, and they are comparable to sheep.
Sheep, no matter how many there are, are still sheep.
No matter how few tigers there are, they are still tigers...one eats grass and the other eats meat. When a sheep and a tiger meet, who will win and who will lose?"
"this……"
"Moreover, the terrain in Jiangdong is complicated, and it cannot be accomplished in a single battle.
Moreover, due to the limited terrain, my uncle's tiger and leopard cavalry, which are galloping all over the world, may not be able to be used in Jiangdong. Jiangdong mainly uses naval forces, supplemented by infantry. Moreover, the mountains are crisscrossed and the terrain is dangerous. Even though my uncle has hundreds of
With thousands of people, how can they resist the temptation in a narrow space?
If millions of people cannot spread out, how can we talk about the advantage of military strength?
Therefore, my nephew believes that if we want to capture Jiangdong, we need a wolf-like naval army, and an infantry army that can adapt to the terrain of Jiangdong. But these things cannot be achieved overnight. In addition, my uncle thinks, who can
Can he command the navy to resist the generals outside the river? As far as my nephew knows, there are countless good water warriors in the east of the Yangtze River... Not to mention Zhou Yu, the commander of the navy, there are also He Qi, Zhu Ran, Ding Feng, Xu Sheng, Jiang Qin,
Zhou Tai was good at water warfare. The infantry generals, including Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and others, were veterans of three generations and were loyal to the Sun family.
With these people here, my uncle is afraid of difficulties if he wants to seize Jiangdong."
When Cao Cao heard this, he frowned.
"Could it be that there is no one in my account who can compare with him?"
"If it's an infantry battle, with Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Lejin Yujin, Uncle Yuan Rang, Uncle Miaocai, Uncle Zizi Lian, and Uncle Zixiao on the northern plain, we can all fight with him. But if it's a water battle,
With my uncle’s current manpower, I’m afraid it will be difficult to find a suitable candidate.”
"so……"
Cao Cao felt a little unhappy.
But if you think about it carefully, what Cao Peng said is not unreasonable.
Land warfare and water warfare are two different things, and they really cannot be compared. Cao Peng is right. Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan can fight, but most of them are generals in land warfare. In Jiangdong, water warfare is the main force. They
Can you withstand the methods of Zhou Yu and others?
There is another meaning hidden in Cao Peng's words.
If you go to fight Jiangdong now, you are giving up your advantage in land warfare and fighting with water warfare, which you are not good at.
This is not a war between thousands or tens of thousands of people, but a war between hundreds of thousands of people. Once you lose, can you bear this kind of loss?
In other words, once you fail, you will have to spend more effort to capture Jiangdong.
If Cao Cao was full of confidence in conquering Jiangdong before, then Cao Peng's words made him a little shaken.
But he was only shaken and could not change his mind.
At this time, Cao Cao wanted to succeed in one battle and did not want this situation of division and separatism to continue. If he gave up this opportunity to conquer Jiangdong, it might take a long time to find such an opportunity again... This
This is also one of the reasons why Cao Cao insisted on conquering Jiangdong.
Cao Peng did not persuade him any further.
There are some things that need to be done immediately, so he doesn't need to be aggressive.
If he is pushed too hard and Lao Cao becomes angry and insists on conquering Jiangdong, that will be a big trouble.
What's more, Cao Peng has already given Cao Cao a bait: The situation in Yizhou is getting worse day by day, which is the best time for you to seize Xichuan.
How to choose depends on Cao Cao's decision!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++
On New Year's Eve, the party lasted until late at night.
Cao Cao didn't seem to be affected by Cao Peng's words. During the banquet, his face was full of spring breeze and he was in high spirits. When the wine was in full swing, Cao Cao actually composed a poem on the stage of the state pavilion. The poem he composed was called Dan Ge Xing.
Astonishingly, it was his famous song "The Duke of Zhou spits out food, and the world returns to its heart".
Cao Peng was at the table, listening quietly.
But the shock in my heart cannot be expressed to others.
Cao Cao still revealed his ambition to the world, Duke Zhou expressed his support, and the world returned to its heart... His determination to rule the world seemed unshakable.
Even Zhang Song couldn't help but be overwhelmed by Cao Cao's heroic spirit and praised this short song repeatedly.
But Cao Peng saw a hint of worry in Jia Xu's eyes. The two looked at each other, neither of them spoke, but they were anxiously looking forward to Guo Jia's early arrival.
The next day, the first day of the first lunar month.
Cao Cao officially presented to the imperial court and conferred Liu Zhang the title of Grand Situ, ranking among the three princes.
However, what is different from history is that Cao Cao recruited Zhang Song as the prime minister and asked Zhang Song to stay in Xiangyang. Zhang Song did not have any objections to this. Liu Zhang sent him here just for the title of the Three Dukes.
Now that Liu Zhang got what he wanted, it no longer mattered whether Zhang Song went back. After staying in Xiangyang for a few days, Yan Yan took the imperial edict and embarked on his way back to Chengdu.
Cao Peng was ordered to see Yan Yan off again and took Yan Yan to the state border.
When he came, Zhang Song was the leader, Yan Yan was the assistant, and Luo Meng was the deputy general; now when he returned to Xichuan, only Yan Yan was left.
Luo Meng was originally from Xiangyang. In his early years, he followed his family to Xichuan to escape the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Now, Jingzhou has surrendered and Xiangyang is stable.
In his heart, Luo Meng naturally hopes to stay in his hometown. After all, no matter how many years he lives in Xichuan, he will always be an outsider to the people of Yizhou. But in Xiangyang, it is different. Here, he can feel
The feeling of falling leaves returning to their roots.
Yan Yan did not blame Luo Meng, but instead tried her best to help Luo Meng.
During their stay in Xiangyang, Yan Yan and Huang Zhong became very close. On the one hand, they were similar in age, and on the other hand, Huang Zhong was brave and brave, which earned Yan Yan special respect. The two often competed in martial arts in the school field, and the result was that
They formed a deep friendship. Luo Meng wanted to stay in his hometown, so Yan Yan found Huang Zhong. Through Huang Zhong, he asked Cao Peng to take care of Luo Meng. Cao Peng agreed without hesitation.
Immediately, Cao Peng accepted Luo Meng as a general and served in the Hu and Pao Cavalry on the order of the Grand Governor of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
When he arrived at the border of Wu County, Cao Peng suddenly said to Yan Yan: "Old General, if you have any difficulties in the future, please send someone to let me know... This is my token. The old general can hold my token when the time comes.
, tell me. But if I can help, my friend will never refuse."
This is a great gift.
Cao Peng used this way to tell Yan Yan how much I respect you.
Yan Yan secretly sighed in her heart: This Mr. Cao is indeed a person worth making friends with. Looking at his sincerity alone, few people can compare with him.
However, as he belongs to Liu Zhang's tribe, how could he possibly interact with Cao Peng?
If one day he really has to confront Cao and Peng's two armies, then he will never show mercy. As for this token, it can find a way out for his family.
"Yan, thank you for your consideration, Master."
Yan Yan stood on the horse, raised his hands and thanked Cao Peng, and then led his troops on the way home.
Looking at Yan Yan's leaving figure, Cao Peng couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
"Master, since you value Shunhua so much, why not keep him?" Huang Zhong walked to Cao Peng and whispered: "Then Liu Zhang is a man without ambition. Even if Master keeps Shunhua, he will have nothing.
Complaints. In my opinion, what Liu Zhang did was nothing more than a false reputation."
Shun Hua is Yan Yan’s cousin.
It sounds a bit feminine, and it is said to be taken from the allusion of "There is a woman riding in the same car, her face is like Shunhua" in "Poetry Zheng Feng".
Cao Peng smiled slightly and said, "Uncle Zhong, it's easy to keep General Yan behind, but it's hard to keep his heart... His ancestral home is Bajun, and he has served Xichuan for generations. Even if I force him to come here, I'm afraid he will still be here."
Cao Ying, my heart is in Yizhou. Instead of doing this, it is better to let him go back. If there is a chance to meet again in the future, it will be easier to talk to him if there is a feeling of affection. Since he accepted my token, he also accepted my affection. I can't keep it.
It doesn't matter whether you keep him or not... What matters is that having this affection is enough! As for Liu Zhang, hehe..."
Cao Peng sneered and refused to comment.
But to Huang Zhong's ears, Cao Peng's sneer contained a lot of content.
But at the moment, he still can't tell what it is. But Huang Zhong believes that Cao Peng will never target it without aim...
Just like that, we stayed in Wu County for one night.
At dawn the next day, Cao Peng and Huang Zhong led the troops and embarked on the return journey.
Three days later, the group arrived in Fancheng, and Cao Peng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fancheng seemed as peaceful as when he left. After two months of rest, Fancheng slowly began to return to its former prosperity.
Return to the government office and take off your armor.
Cao Peng was about to go back to his room to take a rest. Unexpectedly, before he could return to his room, he heard Kou Feng coming to report: "To report to the Governor, the Prime Minister has sent someone to ask for an audience outside the door."
"ah?"
Cao Peng was startled and felt a little strange.
He had only left Xiangyang a few days ago, so why did Cao Cao send someone here?
"Bring him in."
After a while, I saw an acquaintance walking into the government office under the guidance of Kou Feng.
Cao Peng asked in surprise: "Why are Ziyi here?"
Jiang Qian quickly handed over his hand and respectfully replied: "By order of the Prime Minister, I ask the Governor to go to Xiangyang immediately to discuss important matters!"
