Yuan Shao let Zhang He lead an army alone and assisted him in fighting the Black Mountains. It was obvious that he intended to focus on cultivating him.
However, Zhang He did not show the joy that Yuan Shao imagined.
He just bowed his hands respectfully and said, "No."
When Wen Chou heard this, he immediately became anxious: "Lord, how can we only let Jun Yi go to fight? A certain family is also willing to accompany the lord to fight that thief Chu Feiyan!"
Yuan Shao laughed loudly and said: "General Wen is so loyal and brave, and Yuan is very comforted. However, we still need strong generals to stay in Yecheng. You will be assigned here to protect Yuan's foundation. This is a great thing to do." General Wen can’t do it, it’s really hard for Yuan to entrust it to others.”
Jushou stroked his beard and said with a smile: "The Black Mountain thieves don't need to trouble generals like General Wen. It's enough to have Zhang Junyi accompanying them."
Yuan Shao and Ju Shou's words were very helpful to Wen Chou. He chuckled and then left with Zhang He.
Zhang He kept his head down from beginning to end and did not make any remarks.
After the two generals left, Yuan Shao began to discuss matters with Ju Shou about Cao Cao and the pottery merchant.
"Note: Although this method of driving a wedge between Cao Cao and Tao Shang has been planned for a long time and carried out with lightning speed, neither Cao Cao nor Tao Shang are easy to deal with. Both of them are people with vicious eyes. Do you think they are serious? Will there be a war over this?"
Jushou nodded affirmatively and said, "Don't worry, my lord, Cao Tao and I will definitely start a war."
Yuan Shao squinted his eyes and thought carefully for a while before shaking his head.
"I don't think so. Cao A'hao, no one in the world knows him better than Yuan. That kid is not a person who can be fooled casually. He is very resourceful and cunning. That's what he is! In terms of deceit, , I consider myself inferior to Cao Cao... Although there are no omissions in our plan, he may not believe it."
Jushu shook his head and said: "Ming Gong, whether Cao Cao believes it or not, he will definitely send troops."
Yuan Shao raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this: "Why?"
Ju Shou made plans for Yuan Shao: "Cao Cao today is very different from back then. In recent years, the territory of Cao Cao has expanded rapidly, especially after the First World War in Chang'an. It reaches Shanyang Feng County in the east, Hangu Huashan in the west, and Yanjin in the north. The port, south to Mangdang Liang Kingdom, are within its jurisdiction. Looking at the world, its power is only lower than that of the lord. Moreover, the emperor is still surrounded by him. Although the lord deliberately gave it to him... But Cao Cao is no longer Ordinary princes, imagine that his father is dead, and the evidence points directly to the Tao family in Xuzhou. If Cao Cao doesn't even say a fart, wouldn't he become the laughing stock of the world?"
Yuan Shao suddenly realized what he said and said: "You are right. Cao Cao has just brought the emperor to Yanzhou, and his prestige is not enough. Even to save face, he has to attack Xuzhou!"
Jushu added to Yuan Shao: "And most importantly, I don't believe that Cao Cao doesn't covet the land of Xuzhou... Just as the lord's strategy is to annex the four states of Hebei and go south to compete for the world, Cao Cao must also have his strategic plan, such as If Ju’s estimation is correct, it means to gather the entire Zhongzhou, and in the current Zhongzhou realm, apart from Cao Cao, the largest force is naturally..."
"Xuzhou!" Yuan Shao continued Ju Shou's unfinished words with a smile and said with satisfaction: "That's right, even if there is no such thing as his father, Cao A'ao will never let go of Tao! We just gave him an excuse. An excuse he's wanted for a long time!"
Ju Shou said slowly: "Tao Qian of Xuzhou was not of concern at first, but now there is a Tao Shang, a young master of Taiping, who is running rampant in the southeast. This Zicheng can be said to be Cao Mengde's opponent! According to Ju's opinion, these two people can be said to be rivals in chess.
If you meet a good talent! Ming Gong, let them go and fight. It will not be easy for these two people to kill each other! In the end, it is very likely that they will be in a stalemate.
Ignore them, just gather the four states of Hebei, and wait until the lord's power becomes great, without the constraints of the gentry, and when the army can sweep the world, the emperor in Cao Cao's hands, the salt and iron in the hands of the pottery merchants, are not all Ming Gong's.
What’s in the bag?”
Yuan Shao smiled and said one word: "Good!"
…
…
Jinling City, County Sheriff's Mansion.
The pottery merchant happened to have some free time today, so he went for an outing with Diao Chan and Xiao Ying'er outside Jinling City.
Seeing that the half-year period is coming soon, that is, the wedding date of Diao Chan and the pottery merchant is getting closer and closer.
The pottery merchant believed that there were some things that should be put on the table with Diao Chan.
If he didn't say it out loud, the potter would feel unhappy all over...
"Dowry?" Diao Chan stared at the pottery merchant in surprise and said in disbelief: "You asked me for a dowry?"
The pottery merchant said with a smile: "I'm not asking you for a dowry, I'm asking Wang Situ for a dowry. After all, he is the most respected among the three princes. How can he marry a girl without paying a penny? What a loss to Lord Situ! It won't sound good if it gets spread.
ah."
Among the time-travelers, this little bastard is probably the first to marry one of the four beauties and also ask for money.
Diao Chan had been with the pottery merchant for a long time and seemed to have picked up some of his habits. She waved her hand and answered honestly.
"No!"
Seeing that the potter's expression seemed a little disbelieving, she immediately smiled and said: "It's not like you haven't seen how the Situ Mansion in Luoyang was burned to ashes. Where can we, father and daughter, find a dowry for you?"
When the pottery merchant heard that this was the reason, he felt relieved.
"The Situ Mansion was destroyed, but isn't the Taiyuan Wang family still there? Can we ask the Wang family to send it back from their old residence in Taiyuan?"
Diao Chan said hesitantly: "The problem is that the old residence of the Wang family in Taiyuan is thousands of miles away from here, and the Hebei army is roaming all over the place. If it is robbed by bandits again, wouldn't it be worth the loss?"
The pottery merchant suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Madam is still thoughtful."
After a pause, the pottery merchant smiled again and said, "Otherwise, madam, can you write me an IOU?"
Diao Chan was so angry that she wanted to hit him.
The two of them were wandering around like this, and while they were having fun, they saw Little Ying'er running towards them behind them, holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Master Tao, sister, there seems to be someone following us?"
The potter turned his head in confusion.
But I saw a figure suddenly sneaking behind a tree, his movements and hiding skills...
How should I put it? It's very clumsy.
Pei Qian, who had been secretly protecting the pottery merchant from afar, had already seen the figure, but he did not catch it. He just suppressed a laugh and shook his head helplessly.
Diao Chan could see clearly who was coming now. She pouted, patted the pottery merchant lightly, and said resentfully: "Go, don't just watch, I'll wait for you here."
The potter touched his nose and said helplessly: "I'm going to figure out what's going on?"
"They must be here for you." Diao Chan chuckled: "You wouldn't let the older girl come up and ask you first, right?"
The potter sighed, shrugged, and walked towards the figure behind the tree.
"Hi, Miss Mi, what a coincidence." The pottery merchant smiled and greeted Mi Zhen behind the tree.
Mi Zhen was startled, her little face turned red with embarrassment, and she looked around vigorously.
"Hey! Hey? What are you looking at? I said hello to you, didn't you see?" The pottery merchant waved his hand vigorously at her.
Mi Zhen seemed to come back to her senses. She blushed, reached out to smooth the hair behind her ears, and said with a chuckle: "Mr. Tao Fu, you are here too."
"Yeah, I'm here for an outing, why are you here?"
Mi Zhen whispered: "I, I'm here for an outing too..."
The potter suppressed his laughter and asked, "Are you alone?"
Mi Zhen pursed her lips and nodded slightly.
After a while, Mi Zhen suddenly said: "Master Fu..."
"What do you want to say, Miss Mi?"
Mi Zhen's head dropped even lower, her hands seemed to be grabbing the hem of her skirt, rubbing it back and forth: "Master Fu, are you and Sister Chan getting married?"
The pottery merchant nodded lightly and said: "Yes, this is what my father and Wang Situ have already decided. Calculated, the wedding date is not long ago. If Miss Mi is free by then, she might as well come and watch the ceremony together.
That's it... By the way, I can donate a decent red envelope to the Mi family."
Mi Zhen's expression became extremely complicated. She hesitated, as if she had something to say. But when her words came to her mouth, her words became fragmentary: "Mr. Tao Fu, you are getting married, I...I...
This, alas!"
Tao Shang was silent for a long time, and then suddenly said: "Miss Mi, Tao knows what you are worried about. Is it because of your brother?"
Mi Zhen's beautiful eyes suddenly widened.
"Do you know about me?"
Tao Shang smiled helplessly and said: "Tao is not a fool. Your brother wants to bring you and me together. Tao can naturally see it. But the problem is that this matter has always been about your brother's shaving off his head and choosing his own son.
The girl is just someone who is being ordered around. For the sake of the family, being ordered by Brother Mi to come here across the border and do something you are not good at is really difficult for you."