Chapter 482 Yuan Shao: Haha, Cao Amu, you have today too!
It was night, the moon and stars were sparse.
Cao Jun's camp.
Central army, big tent.
Tang Mao held a banquet to prepare Cao Cao for becoming a horseman.
He sat high on the throne, with two guards on his left and right, each holding a yue, arranged on both sides, like two golden-armored gods of war. There were also sword and ax hands lined up on the left and right, majestic and domineering.
And in the direction below him, the horseman Cao Cao was sitting upright. He looked worried and slightly melancholy. Facing the eyes of everyone, he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl in.
"Come on, come on."
Tang Maogao raised his wine cup, invited all the generals, and said loudly: "Generals, starting from tomorrow, Mengde will temporarily leave the central army and go to the cavalry camp to feed the horses. Let's practice it together and do this."
Bottles of wine.”
But......
After Tang Mao finished speaking, after a long time, no one raised the wine baron.
All the soldiers in the audience looked angry and expressed their dissatisfaction silently.
Only a few scattered soldiers hurriedly raised the wine baron, and then slowly lowered it.
Most of them were officers promoted by His Majesty the Emperor through examinations, and were eventually placed in Cao Jun's camp for training. Now they have become well-known generals in Cao Jun's camp.
As for Cao Cao's old subordinates, all of them looked sad, and all their eyes were focused on Cao Cao, as if they were expecting Cao Cao's answer.
"Mengde."
Tang Mao turned his head and glanced at Cao Cao, and said coldly: "Why, aren't you going to give me face, general?"
Cao Cao nodded and bowed, hurriedly raised the wine cup and bowed in salute: "How dare you, how dare you, I was thinking about something just now, so I was a little distracted, I hope you will forgive me, general."
When the generals saw Cao Cao raising the wine cup, they had no choice but to raise the wine cup, but their faces still showed displeasure, especially his old partner Bao Xin, who refused to raise the wine cup.
Write the anger on your face.
"Yuncheng, what are you..."
Tang Mao turned his eyes to Bao Xin and said coldly.
"Yuncheng, what are you doing? Pick up the wine quickly."
Before Tang Mao could finish what he said, Cao Cao interrupted with a wave of his hand, frowning and reminding him.
"..."
call-!
Bao Xin took a long breath and reluctantly raised the wine baron, but the anger on his face remained unabated.
Tang Mao naturally knew what Bao Xin meant, but at the same time he understood even more clearly that Cao Cao's influence in the army was very important. Even if he represented the imperial power, it was still difficult to shake the trust of these old subordinates.
This is definitely not a good thing for the imperial power.
but......
Tang Mao is also an old fox.
In a situation like this, he would never pursue it in depth.
After all, Cao Cao is the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Even if he holds a war ax and patrols hunting on behalf of the emperor, he cannot easily touch Cao Cao's people. This is an unspoken rule, otherwise it will definitely cause unnecessary trouble.
"Ha ha."
Tang Mao looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, remembering this in his heart.
I don't have to worry about this matter for the time being, but I must report it to the emperor: "Come on, let's work together to practice Meng De and raise horses for the army. That is a hard job."
"However, the sage has said: When Heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility to this person, it must first strain its mind and will, strain its muscles and bones, starve its body and skin, deplete its body, and mess up its actions. Therefore, if you are tempted to endure it, it will benefit you.
Impossible."
"I believe it!"
Tang Mao's voice was loud and sonorous as he said: "After this experience as a groom, Meng De's future will be boundless. You must cherish it."
Cao Cao responded with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty's intentions will naturally be clear to you. Don't worry, Zhang, Cao will definitely cherish your Majesty's trust and will never betray your Majesty's trust."
"good."
Tang Mao spoke loudly.
Immediately.
He raised his neck and drank until the glass was dry.
Cao Cao followed Tang Mao and also drank heavily.
The wine has passed three rounds, and the food has passed the five flavors.
Bao Xin couldn't help it anymore, so he stepped forward and bowed his hands: "The head of the country, my last general, Bao Xin, have a request. I don't know whether I should make it or not?"
Tang Mao glanced at Bao Xin, knowing full well the relationship between this man and Cao Cao. He nodded and said, "General, if you have something to do, it's okay to say it."
Bao Xin then plucked up the courage and said sonorously: "Since His Majesty has decreed that Meng De should be a groom, I will naturally not dare to disagree. However, I am willing to accompany Meng De to feed the horses in the cavalry camp.
I ask the father-in-law to agree."
Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly winked at Bao Xin, telling him not to act rashly, but Bao Xin completely ignored him, as if he didn't hear him.
This made Cao Cao very anxious, so he simply said bluntly: "Yuncheng, what are you doing? Get out of here quickly!"
Bao Xin raised his head and said loudly: "I'm just asking to raise horses."
Cao Cao scolded him sternly: "You are a general in the army. Why are you raising horses? Is that your job?"
Bao Xin was confident: "You, Cao Mengde, can do it, why can't I, Bao Xin?"
Damn it!
Cao Cao never imagined that Bao Xin could be so proud of himself.
Although Bao Xin was like this, he was indeed a little touched.
but......
The more Bao Xin is like this, the more dangerous he is to those in power.
After all, he is a commander-in-chief who upholds integrity and manages the army on behalf of the Emperor.
Fortunately, now, his prestige in the army is so great, which is an extremely dangerous signal for His Majesty the Emperor.
In particular, His Majesty the Emperor doesn't even pay attention to aristocratic families, let alone a small commander like himself. I guess it won't be long before His Majesty the Emperor's butcher knife comes over his head.
Cao Cao originally just wanted to put on a show for Yuan Shao, but he never thought that it might bring another disaster to himself. It seemed that he had to prepare early to protect himself to the maximum extent.
At this moment, Cao Cao has made up his mind to have a good talk with Bao Xin after the banquet is over. This will be beneficial to the career development of both parties.
"good."
"very nice."
This time, Tang Mao, the head of state, was really angry.
His eyes swept across the tent full of civil and military officials, and he immediately said: "Is there anyone among you who is willing to feed the horses? If so, come forward and I, the general, can satisfy you."
Under him, General Cao Ren was about to stand up, but at the moment he was about to leave, he encountered Cao Cao's stern gaze, implying that he was not allowed to stand up.
Cao Ren naturally understood what his brother meant, so he sat down firmly and waved his hands to signal to the people around him not to act rashly. In fact, except for the generals of the Cao family, not many people dared to get up.
After all, they all came in due to taking exams. In a sense, they are His Majesty's people, which are essentially different from the generals of the Cao family.
Tang Mao looked around and saw that no one dared to move without permission, so he focused his attention on Bao Xin: "Yuncheng, since you also want to go to the cavalry camp to feed the horses, I will turn you into a general and follow Meng De.
Feed the horse."
Seeing that no one was with him, Bao Xin felt a little chilled, but in the end he still bowed and handed over, reaping the consequences for himself: "Thank you very much, General Chengcheng. I will take office tomorrow."
now.
The atmosphere of the banquet has completely changed.
It also far exceeded the expected effect.
Tang Mao was too lazy to continue acting. He waved his hand and said loudly: "Today's banquet is over. Generals, please go back to your camps. Don't delay tomorrow's military affairs."
All the soldiers raised their hands in unison: "Here."
Immediately.
They all got up and left the camp.
Early the next morning.
The rooster crows the dawn and the morning glow fills the sky.
Cao Cao rushed to the cavalry camp first, and the commander of the cavalry camp, Cao Chun, hurriedly received him and pulled him into the middle army: "General, although you are demoted now, as long as Yuan Shao is still there, we can reinstate him sooner or later."
"This cavalry camp is our own home. You should take a rest and take a rest. I will leave the horse raising to others. Don't worry. I promise not to let the emperor know about it."
Cao Cao took a deep breath and exhaled slowly: "Zihe, please don't make trouble. You'd better find some clothes for me quickly. I'm going to get out of the stable and feed the horses."
"General, you..."
Cao Chun frowned, with a look of reluctance: "How is this possible?"
Cao Cao was extremely confident: "Nothing is impossible. If you are asked to look for it, you will look for it. Oh, by the way, remember to look for both of them. I think Yuncheng will be here soon. I want to have a good chat with him. This
Guy, you are just looking for trouble for me."
"General, I..."
"Go quickly!"
Before Cao Chun could finish speaking, Cao Cao interrupted directly, his eyes seeming to contain a lot of anger.
Although there were so many people who were reluctant to leave and angry, Cheng Li acted very calm. He must have guessed it.
Cao Cao was not upset, after all, he was very familiar with Cheng Li.
only......
If Cheng Li could stop one or two, it would be more realistic.
After Cao Cao waited for a while, Bao Xin came to the central army.
"Mengde."
Bao Xin stepped forward, still angry: "I didn't expect you to actually come."
Cao Cao glanced at Bao Xin. There was no joy on his face. Instead, he looked slightly sad and remained silent.
Bao Xin noticed the change in Cao Cao's expression and whispered: "Meng De, what's wrong with you? Why do you look like this?"
Cao Cao was too lazy to talk nonsense to Bao Xin and said bluntly: "Yuncheng, after you finish defeating Yuan Shao, you leave the army and go to the center. I will personally recommend it to your majesty and I will guarantee to find you a good position."
"kindness?"
Bao Xin didn't know what he meant and was stunned at the same time. After a long time, he finally said: "Mengde, what do you mean by this? Isn't it nice for us brothers to be together?"
"how......"
Bao Xin frowned and said in a slightly teasing tone: "Now that you are rich, do you want to get rid of me, my brother? I know you are not such a person."
Cao Cao looked solemn: "Yuncheng, do you have to let me tell you everything?"
Only now did Bao Xin feel Cao Cao's solemnity: "Mengde, what do you mean by this?"
Cao Cao sighed and said softly: "Yesterday at the banquet, you shouldn't have stood up and spoken for me, and even fed the horses with me. Do you know that the abbot represents His Majesty?"
"I, Cao Cao, am in charge of the army on behalf of the Emperor and fight on the battlefield on behalf of the Emperor. This team is the Emperor's team, not my Cao Cao's team. How can you make me feel embarrassed by doing this? What do you think of Your Majesty?"
"this......"
After all, Bao Xin was also the Prime Minister of Jibei, so he was naturally very knowledgeable about these matters.
What's more, they have submitted to Liu Bian for many years, and they naturally understand the temper of His Majesty the Nanyang Emperor. He is definitely a person who can't get rid of the sand in his eyes, and must be killed if there is any sign of it.
How about the wealthy Nanyang family?
What about the Yuan family with four generations and three Dukes?
Now, aren't they all in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor?
If Cao Cao didn't react early, their fate and outcome would be like that of the Nanyang family, which would continue to divide and eventually be completely shattered.
Now, Cao Cao wants him to enter the center, clearly to prove to His Majesty the Emperor that he has absolutely no intention of forming a clique for personal gain, and is absolutely loyal to His Majesty.
Bao Xin had to admit that by doing this, Cao Cao could indeed preserve himself to the greatest extent, so that both parties could have a good ending, which was the best of both worlds.
"Yuncheng."
At this moment, Cao Cao's voice sounded again: "Do you still remember Sun Jian, the fierce tiger in Jiangdong?"
Bao Xin nodded: "Of course I remember."
Cao Cao stared at him with burning eyes: "Look at the generals under his command. One is the commander of the navy, the other is the general under Xu Rong's account, and the other is one of the eight wolf riders. Only a handful of them continue to follow him."
"Why did I, Cao Cao, try my best to push his generals to the center, Zilie, Zhongkang, and even Quanzi to study in Nanyang? In the final analysis, I want to gain His Majesty's trust."
"Because only in this way can Your Majesty trust me to command more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and only in this way can I command these more than 100,000 soldiers and horses with peace of mind."
"I just want to use my own efforts to become the imperial general who conquered the West and contribute my strength to the rejuvenation of the Han Dynasty. I never want to die midway."
"Yuncheng..."
Cao Cao patted Bao Xin on the shoulder: "I hope you can understand what I mean."
Bao Xin said in a long voice: "Mengde, I don't blame you for this, I blame myself for being too impulsive."
Cao Cao shook his head: "Actually, even if this didn't happen, I, Cao Cao, would still find a way to send you to the center. In the future, I would also gradually promote generals in the examination class to dilute the members of the Cao family."
"It should be said that it is better for me to do something to myself than for His Majesty to do it, so don't blame yourself. If you want to blame, blame me. I was too careful."
Bao Xin breathed out, raised his eyes to look at Cao Cao, and immediately broke into a faint smile: "I don't blame you, I don't blame you. This matter has nothing to do with you. I understand your thoughts, and you are also doing it for my own good."
"I, Bao Xin, still say the same thing!"
Having said this, Bao Xin reached out and covered his heart: "I, Bao Xin, will support you at any time. Since fighting Yuan Shao is our last day, we can finish the fight with peace of mind."
Cao Cao was deeply moved. Bao Xin had been silently supporting him since he had nothing. Now, he had to abandon Bao Xin because of his dream. It was indeed a bit unkind.
but......
People who understand you will naturally understand. There is no need to say anything, let alone explain.
Some words, if said too much, can actually hurt feelings.
But some words, even if they are not said, will naturally lead to mutual understanding and tolerance.
Cao Cao smiled calmly: "Yuncheng, let's go and feed the horses."
Bao Xin nodded: "Haha, let's go. After feeding the horse, we can go out for a walk and have fun."
*****
Jizhou, Handan.
At the city gate.
Hundreds of soldiers surrounded the gate.
Yuan Shao rode his horse and walked past, staring at the city gate that was being renovated, and nodded slowly: "Well, very good, from now on, we will be completely under martial law, and this matter is absolutely not allowed to be detected by the school affairs office."
The trial partner bowed and handed over, full of confidence: "Don't worry, my lord, the personnel are all carefully selected by me and are absolutely trustworthy. Moreover, they live and eat here and are not allowed to leave before the war begins."
"I think under these conditions, the school affairs office will not be able to detect the information. If the other party is really interested in this place, we can increase our strength and try to find the secret holes of the school affairs office and eliminate them all."
Yuan Shao smiled calmly: "Don't worry, Zhengnan, this matter has been handed over to Gongze. He will send people to guard the city gates day and night. If anyone is found acting suspiciously, they will be arrested and interrogated as soon as possible."
"This time, we would rather catch a thousand people by mistake than let one go. I really don't believe it. Will the people in the school affairs office show any flaws?"
The judge is very satisfied with Yuan Shao's attitude and the measures he has taken now: "If the master can really do this, even if we can't catch the school affairs office, the other party will definitely not dare to act rashly."
"As long as we can limit the intelligence transmission of the school affairs office, it will be very good news for our secret weapon. I believe that this time we will be able to break Nanyang's undefeated myth."
Although Yuan Shao has regained his confidence at this moment, he is not as confident as he was at the beginning. He is somewhat restrained and becomes conservative:
"I hope so."
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and gave Shen Pei a faint smile: "If we can really defeat Nanyang, I believe more and more people will join the momentum of opposing Nanyang."
The trial partner bowed his head and said, "My lord is wise."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded not far away.
Yuan Shao turned around and looked.
But I saw a Juechen riding in front of me, looking at them as my own scouts, and Xu You who came with them: "My lord, the latest information has been sent back from the direction of Yanzhou."
Yuan Shao seemed to realize something and hurriedly asked: "Oh? But Emperor Nanyang has already made some moves?"
Xu You nodded with absolute certainty: "That's right! The Emperor of Nanyang sent Tang Mao and the fake Jie Yue to Cao Ying in Yanzhou to take over his position as the general. Moreover, the Emperor also issued an order to let Cao Cao raise horses."
"What? Raising horses?"
When Yuan Shaowen heard this, he looked in disbelief and hurriedly confirmed again: "Can you confirm this news?"
Xu You nodded and said with absolute certainty: "It has been confirmed. Not only did Cao Cao go to raise horses, but his general Bao Xin also went with him. I heard that this made Tang Mao angry."
The judge on the side suddenly spoke and interrupted: "Tang Mao? Is he the father of Queen Tang Ji?"
Xu Youen said: "Yes, exactly."
The judge was astonished: "The abbot took action personally, and he came here under false pretenses. It seems that His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang has really begun to doubt Cao Cao. This is indeed the greatest good news for us."
"It's more than that."
Xu You immediately echoed: "Tang Mao actually held a banquet for Cao Cao after reading the edict, humiliating Cao Cao in front of all the civil and military officials in Cao camp."
"I heard that Bao Xin was so angry that he offered to raise horses with Cao Cao. As a result, Tang Mao actually agreed and let Bao Xin and Cao Cao raise horses together. It was so exciting."
Yuan Shao was proficient in political struggles and naturally understood the secret: "Tang Mao is testing Cao Cao's prestige in the army. For every Bao Xin, there will be thousands of Bao Xin."
"What's more, most of the generals under Cao Cao are all generals from the Cao clan. Now that this has happened, Cao Cao will definitely face a disaster."
Shen Pei then echoed: "Yes, His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang is not merciful to the aristocratic family, let alone Cao Cao. Tang's fake Jie Yue is a signal. He can behead the Jie Zhi officials at will without reporting."
Xu You took advantage of the situation and said: "I guess Cao Cao's life is not easy at the moment. He will definitely not be able to participate in the battle to encircle Jizhou in a short time. This is good news for us."
"It's more than that."
Yuan Shao was filled with joy and pinched a strand of beard under his chin: "Whether Cao Cao can save his life now is another matter, let alone the encirclement and suppression of our Jizhou."
"Ziyuan."
Having said this, Yuan Shao raised his eyes and looked at Xu You: "You have made great achievements in this matter. If you can defeat Nanyang in the future, you will be rewarded by high officials and generous salaries."
Yuan Shao was very aware of Xu You's money-grubbing temperament. He was not very interested in anything else, but he was definitely sensitive to "high-ranking officials and generous salaries."
Xu You hurriedly pretended to be excited, nodded and bowed: "Don't worry, my lord, my subordinates will do their best to assist the lord, defeat Nanyang, and achieve hegemony."
"kindness."
Yuan Shao nodded slowly, satisfied.
At this moment, Yuan Shao was very pleased to still have such a courtier following him: "Let's go back, let's go back and discuss the next response."
"I suddenly had an idea. Maybe we can continue to start with Cao Cao and make some breakthroughs. Even if it is difficult to win him over as one of our own, if there are changes in the future, it may not be a retreat."
The judge on the side nodded and nodded: "Cao Cao and my lord have known each other since childhood. So far, there has not been much direct conflict. We can indeed try to win over each other, especially under the current situation."
"If Cao Cao is dissatisfied with Nanyang, the more than 100,000 troops under his command will be the key to breaking the situation for us, and can even reverse the defeat in one fell swoop."
Xu You smiled: "Win over Cao Cao? Zhengnan, you are so brave!"
Shen Pei said very solemnly: "At this moment, we have to be bold. Anyway, we have nothing to lose. If it succeeds, we will turn defeat into victory in one fell swoop. If it fails, there will still be no loss. At best, it will be a waste of time."
Yuan Shaoshen nodded in agreement: "What Zhengnan said makes sense. We have no way to retreat now. Once we have the slightest hope, we can't give up. Besides, this matter is very likely for us to turn defeat into victory in one fell swoop. It's worth trying."
Xu You knew that Yuan Shao had been fooled, so he suppressed his excitement and nodded: "Since the lord agrees, my subordinates should go all out to assist the lord and capture Cao Cao."
Yuan Shao helped Xu You up with his own hands, and suddenly he said with high spirits: "Let's go back, let's have a good discussion."
The two of them raised their hands together: "Here."