As Liu Bei and Cao Cao each drank the wine they were offering to each other, it meant that the "Hanshui Treaty" proposed by Cao Cao officially came into effect.

Perhaps this agreement to temporarily divide the boundaries between the two families and to stop fighting together was not put into writing, nor was it stamped with the royal seal of either party.

But both Liu Bei and Cao Cao knew that what could determine whether the "Hanshui Treaty" was valid did not lie in the words and vague credibility, but in the situation.

As Cao Cao said about the current situation, if we continue to fight, both families will lose in the end.

As long as the situation remains unchanged, the "Hanshui Agreement" will naturally remain in effect.

But if the situation changes, the two families will not be far away from fighting again.

After reaching the "Hanshui Agreement" with Liu Bei, Cao Cao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained calm.

He felt that a rainstorm was coming and felt a little unwell again, so he already had the intention of leaving.

A smile appeared on Cao Cao's face, and he said to Liu Bei: "Xuande, today you and I are having a drink and discussing our ambitions. Maybe it will become a good story in the future."

"But unfortunately, neither you nor I can convince each other today."

"You and I are like a bronze mirror, each reflecting the other side of us."

"It's just that this is interesting. In life, friends are rare, and opponents are also rare. With you here, my life will not be so boring."

"Let future generations judge whether your and my ambitions are right or wrong."

"Today, the rain is coming, and I will return to the north. When I say goodbye, I would like to say goodbye to you for the last time as an old friend."

"I'll take the first step."

After finishing speaking, Cao Cao stood up from the bow of the boat and bowed to Liu Bei.

Cao Cao's bow reminded Liu Bei of the time when Cao Sikong, who was determined to help the Han Dynasty, bowed to him by the Mishui River to welcome his arrival.

Time flies, how could Cao Sikong, who was full of passion back then, become today's thief Cao Cao?

Liu Bei stood up and bowed back to Cao Cao, just like Liu Xuzhou thanked Cao Sikong for welcoming him.

After the two kings bowed to each other, the two cloud dragons in the sky seemed to feel something and disappeared into the sky.

It seems to reflect the final outcome of the two kings, with no winner or loser in the end.

After Liu Bei paid his respects, Cao Cao immediately turned around and walked into the cabin, asking Xiahou Shang to punt back to the north bank.

At this time, Cao Zhen followed Cao Cao back to the cabin. Cao Cao looked at him and asked, "Do you remember that Mi Yang?"

Cao Zhen nodded cautiously.

Cao Cao put his hands behind his back and looked at the already dark world. He told Cao Zhen:

"Remember him, he will become your greatest enemy in this life."

There is another talented person in the world, but it is a pity that Cao Mengde will never have the chance to compete with this talented person again in this life.

...

After Cao Cao left first, Liu Bei ordered Guan Ping to punt the boat, leaving Mi Yang beside him.

Liu Bei ordered Mi Yang to sit in front of him, and Mi Yang sat down as ordered.

Liu Bei looked at Mi Yang, who he had trained with his own hands, and Liu Bei asked: "Do you know why Cao Cao deliberately brought only his nephew out to meet him today?"

Faced with Liu Bei's question, Mi Yang thought for a while and replied: "Is Cao Cao hinting that he has a successor to the Cao family?"

Mi Yang's answer brought a smile to Liu Bei's face.

"You are very smart. You have lived up to Gu's expectations for you."

"It's just that you're not right yet.

Cao Cao's move was intended to tell Gu that if we want to calm down today's troubled times, the strength of one generation is not enough, and we need the relay of future generations."

"Although Gu has always wanted to put an end to this troubled world with his own hands, Gu is already sixty this year."

"In my sixtieth year, I don't know how many more years I can fight."

"Among the ministers I hold in high esteem is Kong Ming, who is already forty this year."

"And the prince is only fourteen."

"The years have passed by in vain and cannot be saved. The future of the great man may fall on the shoulders of your next generation."

"Among the next generation, you are the most talented, the most accomplished in battle, and the closest to the prince."

"The prince is young, but you can assist him for a long, long time."

"Even if the world can be pacified in Gu's generation, it is difficult to conquer the world and even more difficult to defend it."

"Zisheng, are you willing to inherit Gu's ambition and bring true peace to all people in the world?"

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he looked at Mi Yang with clear eyes, looking forward to his answer.

Facing Liu Bei's attention, Mi Yang was moved in her heart. Maybe Liu Bei said this because of his feelings after meeting Cao Cao today.

Maybe Liu Bei was taking precautions.

But no matter what, Liu Bei's regard and expectations for him are profound.

Mi Yang bowed to Liu Bei and solemnly promised: "I will die to fulfill the king's ambition!"

Mi Yang's generous response made Liu Bei laugh. Cao Cao has a successor, so why not Liu Bei?

While Liu Bei was talking to Mi Yang, Guan Ping had already returned to the south bank holding the boat.

When the boat stopped, Mi Yang helped Liu Bei get up and they stepped onto the shore together.

After Liu Bei and others came ashore, Guan Yu and others who had been guarding the shore for a long time gathered around them.

Seeing that all the ministers were there, Liu Bei remained calm and ordered the ministers to return to the tent to discuss matters.

After Liu Bei and the ministers returned to the commander's tent, Liu Bei informed the ministers of the "Hanshui Treaty" he had just discussed with Cao Cao.

After hearing this, all the ministers in the tent had different expressions.

But they all agreed with the two families' joint strike, including Guan Yu.

Yizhou has been severely weakened since the Battle of Hanzhong. If Liu Bei had not insisted on rescuing Guan Yu, Yizhou would not have mobilized troops for at least a year.

Not to mention Jingzhou, it has experienced several wars and its national strength and people's livelihood have been severely damaged.

If Guan Yu had not defeated Xu Huang and harvested a large amount of food and grass last year, I am afraid that the tens of thousands of troops would have been out of food by now.

Moreover, it has slowly entered spring, and the time for spring plowing is approaching. A year's spring plowing is related to the year's grain harvest, and there must be no delay.

It's just that although we have to retreat, we can't be careless about how to retreat.

After all, Cao Cao has always been deceitful and cannot be completely trusted to his words.

Liu Bei first looked at Zhang Fei and ordered him to lead his troops back to the three eastern counties and temporarily supervise the important affairs of the three counties.

Previously, in order to stabilize the three eastern counties, Zhang Fei brought the local powerful Shen brothers with him. This was a temporary measure after all.

The loss of two prefects in Dongsan County was ultimately detrimental to the development of local people's livelihood.

After Liu Bei issued the order, Zhang Fei immediately went out to take orders.

But before Zhang Fei left, Liu Bei specifically told Zhang Fei again: "Your punishment is too bad, and you are also whipping healthy people every day, and you have orders on your left and right. This is the way to bring disaster."

"Don't do it again!"

Liu Bei was good at understanding people. He knew that although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were both famous generals, they both had shortcomings in their characters.

Guan Yu treated his soldiers well but was proud of the scholar-bureaucrats; Zhang Fei respected gentlemen but showed no sympathy for villains.

Although most of the reasons for the disaster in Jingzhou were Sun Quan, Guan Yu's character was also an inducement.

So now, before facing Zhang Fei before leaving, Liu Bei specifically gave him instructions.

Facing Liu Bei's admonition, Zhang Fei's face was moved, and then he bowed to Liu Bei and left.

Liu Bei had given similar advice to Zhang Fei countless times, but Zhang Fei never changed it.

Liu Bei was quite helpless about this.

After arranging the affairs of the three eastern counties, Liu Bei did not issue any more orders.

After all, the 100,000 Wei troops on the opposite side have not withdrawn, so it is impossible for him to mobilize too many troops and leave.

At this time, Ma Liang paid homage to Liu Bei and said: "If the two sides stop their troops, what should we do with the captured Wei army?"

As soon as Ma Liang said this, a look of embarrassment appeared on Liu Bei's face.

According to common sense, if the captured soldiers are young and strong, they can be organized into one's own army. If they are old and weak, they can be moved to sparsely populated areas to reclaim wasteland.

However, this method can be used against the Wu army, but it cannot be used against some Wei army.

Because there was an innovative invention in Cao Wei's military system, which was the "missed service system."

In the early years of Jian'an, in order to prevent his soldiers from betraying and strengthen his control over military power, Cao Cao adopted a policy of staggered military service in newly conquered areas and border areas.

Dingfu is not recruited from the local area, but dispatched from far away; the same is true for military service, soldiers must be separated from the location of their families and families.

This is the so-called "people's forced labor and each household lives in one place", which was sometimes called "wrong service". It was intended to prevent families from fleeing and rebelling.

This move was very unreasonable, but it effectively prevented soldiers from defecting.
To be continued...