After being threatened by Tao Shang, Yuan Shao was no longer in the mood to be angry with Cao Cao. He sat down angrily, looking back and forth at Cao and Tao, then picked up the wine that had just been filled, raised his head and drank.
A big mouthful.
Cao Cao was about to offend Yuan Shao, but when Tao Shang disrupted the situation, he was almost defeated. He glared at him dissatisfied and sat down.
The pottery merchant looked back and forth between the two of them with a smile, and said: "I know that if you want the peace talks to succeed, there must be additional conditions. You two might as well talk about what conditions you have. The three of us are sitting here this time.
, then we might as well discuss it carefully... What if this matter is indeed negotiable?"
Just as Cao Cao was about to speak, Tao Shang suddenly said to him: "As for what Brother Meng De said just now, about the unreasonable demands for people to surrender, I think there is no need to repeat them! If Brother Meng De is not sincere about peace talks,
, then you might as well leave first, Tao will never force you to stay, it is enough for me and Mr. Yuan to discuss it here."
Tao Shang's words revealed Cao Cao's thoughts, and his teeth were filled with hatred, but it was absolutely impossible for him to withdraw now.
If he leaves and Yuan Shao and Tao Shang secretly unite to plot against him, wouldn't it be extremely dangerous for him?
Among the three, the one who is most interested in peace talks is Yuan Shao. After all, he is the one who needs to relieve his energy the most now.
He took a deep breath and said: "It's actually easy to get Yuan to stop his troops. In this campaign, you two are leading the troops to invade Hebei. As long as you two withdraw from Hebei, you will usurp Yuan's land."
How about when the city is handed back and Yuan agrees to reconcile and does not pursue the matter further?"
The pottery merchant laughed when he heard this. Yuan Shao's words were simply a dream. How could there be any reason in the world to spit out food after eating it?
Besides, I didn't sincerely negotiate peace with him. The pottery merchants had finally won half of Qingzhou. The next step was to take over Qingzhou and conquer Jizhou.
The pottery merchant saw no reason to return the captured city.
But now he just wants to buy time. He needs to take advantage of this meeting to bargain with Yuan Shao for a few days.
At that moment, the pottery merchant shook his head and said, "Mr. Yuan, what you said is wrong. Back then, you raised troops without authorization and went south to attack Xuzhou and Cao Mengde's Central Plains territory. Now that the army has been defeated and counterattacked, you want us to return all the troops.
How can there be such truth in the world? Although you lost the Battle of Guandu, we also suffered a lot of losses because you raised troops without authorization. These cities now actually belong to the apology you paid to us... We did something wrong.
How can Mr. Yuan not know about things that even children know about having to bear the consequences?"
From the moment they met until now, Tao Shang's words resonated with Cao Cao.
Cao Cao nodded and said: "Yes, the land of Three Rivers should belong to Cao."
Cao Cao joined forces with the Guanzhong princes and the Black Mountain Army to advance and captured Hanoi County, and also gathered the nearby lands east of Hexi and Hexi. The Land of Three Rivers is now under his control.
Yuan Shao stood up angrily and said: "In this case, there is no need to continue talking."
Facing Yuan Shao's anger, neither Cao Cao nor Tao Shang had any reaction.
Cao Cao naturally hoped that Yuan Shao would flip the table and get out, and it would be best if this so-called farce in his eyes was messed up.
The reason why the potter did not respond is also very simple.
Yuan Shao is bluffing. The person who needs peace talks most right now is actually himself.
Sure enough, after a while...
Then he saw Yuan Shao sitting down and muttering: "Even so... we can't give up the land of Sanhe and the territory east of Qi to you... we still need to re-draw the boundaries."
Tao Shang smiled and said: "If Mr. Yuan can say this, it means that this matter can be discussed!"
Yuan Shao raised his eyebrows when he heard this.
From what the potter said, it seemed like there was a way to do it.
"Then according to Mr. Tao's wishes, how should you and I divide the land east of Qidi?"
Tao Shang smiled and said: "Mr. Yuan, I want to state two things. First, I am already the prime minister of the dynasty. It is inappropriate for you to call me Mr. Tao. Second, the division of territory cannot be decided today.
You and I need to go back and discuss it carefully with our subordinates and make sufficient preparations before we can study it. After all, this territory is not divided into big pieces. You and I can cut it at will with one knife, right?"
Yuan Shao nodded suddenly, secretly thinking that what the pottery merchant said was reasonable.
Cao Cao sneered and said: "Then according to Master Taiping's wishes, we won't be able to go back for a while, and we will have to live next to Zhangshui for a while?"
The pottery merchant smiled and said: "Brother Meng De, if you miss home, it's okay to go back first. I won't stop you."
Cao Cao was speechless when he heard this.
When I was young, I saw the pottery merchant filling up the wine and saying: "Today's matter has been settled, and tomorrow's matter will be discussed tomorrow. The three of us will take advantage of the snow scene to cook wine and meet each other here. The next day, it will be passed down to future generations. It is not a bad idea."
What a wonderful thing, what do you two think?"
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were not in the mood at first, but after hearing what he said, that was the reason.
As a master, face work is still relatively important. After all, everyone wants to be famous forever, so that when future generations criticize themselves, they can give a thumbs up and praise... instead of spitting hard.
Take a sip.
When they were young, they were both free and unrestrained people, but they had been fighting for hegemony for a long time, and they had forgotten their passion back then.
As they drank hot wine and looked at the snowy scene, they suddenly remembered those days, and felt an indescribable emotion in their hearts.
Cao Cao looked up at the sky and saw snowflakes flying. The sky was as white as ice and smoke, giving it an indescribable sense of beauty.
"Origin."
Cao Cao suddenly said: "Since we left Luoyang, we have been in the world for nearly ten years. Although you and I are enemies today, we still know each other. I want to ask you, who can you call me husband in this world?"
As a hero?"
Yuan Shao looked back and forth at Tao Shang and Cao Cao, and said: "In the past, Yuan once thought that my brother Gao Dao, Sun Wentai, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, Liu Yan and his son of Yizhou, you and me, and Tao Taiping, can all be called
We are heroes, but now that most of the heroes have been destroyed, only you and me and Tao Taiping are still alive. From the looks of it, you and me should be heroes."
Cao Cao also sighed: "The road is narrow-minded, Sun Jian died young, Ma Teng and Han Sui were thieves at the frontier fortress, Liu Yan and his son were the defenders, Liu Biao was capable, but not heroic. Liu Bei was a man, but it is a pity that he has been mediocre so far.
There is no achievement...Sun Ce and Lu Bu are brave, but they are only brave men. As Benchu said, the heroes are the three present."
The pottery merchant chuckled.
Cao Cao turned to look at him: "Does Master Taiping have any different opinions?"
Tao Shang looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "Brother Meng De, what is the definition of a hero? Can you tell me?"
Cao Cao was stunned when he heard this.
What is the definition of a hero?
What the hell are you talking to me about?
Tao Shang ignored Cao Cao and continued: "In Tao's view, heroes do not refer to ability, but to quality. Those who are selfless and selfless, willing to take risks, willing to benefit the people, and willing to seek benefits for the world, even at the expense of themselves. In this way
Only those who are brave are heroes... But in these years, what we have done, haha, at best we are just heroes or overlords."
Yuan Shao turned to look at him and said dissatisfiedly: "In terms of Master Taiping, who in this world can be called a hero?"
The potter took a sip of wine and said: "There may be heroes among the people, but I don't know who they are... What I know is that at least among the princes like us... there are no real heroes, haha, not even one.