Cao Pi looked suffocated in Mrs. Ding's arms. How could he possibly know Mrs. Bian's attitude towards Mrs. Ding?
Fortunately, Cao Pi is a child who is indeed small-minded sometimes, but he is not lacking in it.
After reacting for a few moments, Cao Pi responded: "What are you talking about, Aunt Ding? These are all old things. How can my mother still hold grudges?"
Mrs. Ding was noncommittal about this.
"I did do a lot of things in the past that make me blush when I think about it now. How could your mother forget so quickly?"
"I know your mother well. She looks soft and weak on the surface, but in fact, she is probably as strong as an average man in her heart. If she remembers it, you don't need to hide anything."
Cao Pi:......
Regarding this difficult elder in front of him, Cao Pi was speechless to the extreme.
I already said I forgot about it, so why not just let this matter go?
So Cao Pi once again looked at He Yan for help... huh?
I don’t know when, but He Yan had already sat down to the side, sipping on the candied fruit on the plate and watching the show leisurely!
"What the hell! Come here and save me!"
"Why are you so anxious? If Aunt Ding wants to hug you, just let her hug you for a while! Do you understand respecting your elders?"
"It means it's not you I'm hugging!"
After the two of them finished talking with their eyes again, Cao Pi finally began to struggle a little, allowing Mrs. Ding to let go of him.
Mrs. Ding held Cao Pi's hand reluctantly: "Pier, I haven't seen you for a few years and you have grown so big! In one or two years, I'm afraid I will be as tall as your brother Zixiu."
Cao Pi did look a bit like Cao Ang in appearance, but he couldn't stand Mrs. Ding's repeated calls to Wan Wan, so she replied with a smile: "Brother, he is quite handsome and has a heroic face. I am still not as good as him!"
"
"That's true!"
Cao Pi:???
Mrs. Ding looked at Cao Pi for a long time, and finally realized that Cao Pi was not Cao Ang after all, and she became a little depressed again.
"Aunt Ding."
He Yan, who finally had a chance to speak, revealed the purpose of his trip——
"The prince and I are here to take you back to Xuchang on the orders of Sikong."
"Now that chaos is about to arise in the north, you and Ding's stay here in Chenliu will eventually make Sikong more worried... Why don't you please follow me back to Xuchang, so that it will be easier for me and other juniors to give you a gift?"
A filial piety."
Only then did Mrs. Ding notice the presence of He Yan, and asked with some confusion: "Who are you? I don't remember Mengde having such a beautiful child as you."
"Junior He Yan, in the past, he went to Sikong Mansion with his mother Yin to avoid trouble. It is normal for Aunt Ding not to remember."
Mrs. Ding seemed to have some impression: "I remembered, your child is called Yulang... When he was a child, he was just like a doll carved from beautiful jade. Now that he has grown up, he looks even better."
And then...well, there was no more.
Mrs. Ding continued to stare at him with a look that made Cao Pi extremely creepy, and streams of cold sweat came out of Cao Pi's back, soaking his clothes in an instant.
"Back to Xuchang? He knows how to protect people after all, but who can he protect?"
Mrs. Ding's longing for Cao Ang is true, but her resentment towards Cao Cao must also be true.
"In the entire Sikong Mansion, probably more people want me to die than want me to go back. That's your father. Does he really want me to go back?"
When He Yan and Cao Pi heard this, they looked at each other and were both shocked by Mrs. Ding's words.
They originally thought that Mrs. Ding didn't go back because Mrs. Ding was still having a temper with Boss Cao, but now it seems... that's not necessarily the case.
"Pier, please wait a moment."
Mrs. Ding stood up slowly: "I have something that I would like you to help deliver to your mother."
Seeing Mrs. Ding leaving, Cao Pi moved closer to He Yan, completely confused.
"He Yan, was that Aunt Ding just now? Why do I feel that she is different?"
Cao Pi also speculated on his own: "It's good to talk about people when they are about to die. Do you think she had some serious illness and that's why she changed her gender?"
He Yan rolled his eyes at Cao Pi: "Can't you just hope for someone to do something nice?"
Looking back at the place where Mrs. Ding disappeared, He Yan said: "Aunt Ding is a smart person. She used to embarrass so many aunts in Sikong Mansion, but that's not necessarily because of her nature... Now that she has no heir, there is no reason for her to be with her anymore.
We juniors are in trouble."
"The things I want to give to Aunt Bian now are definitely gifts to turn conflicts into friendship. You can accept them calmly later."
Cao Pi was puzzled: "Since you let go, why don't you go back with us? Why are there more people looking forward to her death than those looking forward to her return... She sounds like my mother is some jealous woman!"
"What she said makes sense."
He Yan turned to Cao Pi and asked: "If Aunt Ding goes back and rekindles her old relationship with Sikong, and gives birth to a little brother for you, then who is the legitimate son between you and him?"
"hiss--"
Cao Pi took a breath, but his focus was a little different from others——
"Are you sure she can still have children at her age?"
He Yan's head was full of black lines: "I told you just in case!"
Cao Pi also became entangled at this time: "Are you sure that a woman like her would think so deeply?"
"When it comes to the issue of illegitimate children and concubine children, women think more than you think!"
He Yan grabbed another piece of candied fruit and threw it into his mouth: "But this is okay. As long as you and Cao Zhi, Cao Zhang's house is not dead, dad will never think about taking Aunt Ding back. In this big issue of right and wrong, dad still
I can understand it!"
Cao Pi also grabbed a piece of candied fruit, but he was unable to swallow it.
"He Yan."
"Um?"
"This thing is unreasonable!"
"what happened again?"
"How can an elder be unable to return home because of the younger generation's problems?"
Cao Pi scratched his head: "If you say it was Aunt Ding and Dad who had a conflict, I can understand it, but if you say it's because of me that Aunt Ding can't go home... then wouldn't I be guilty of being unfilial?"
People in the Han Dynasty were extremely sensitive to "filial piety".
Originally, Cao Pi didn't care at all whether Mrs. Ding was willing to go back, but if Mrs. Ding couldn't go back to Sikong Mansion because of him, that would be a completely different matter.
"nothing dealing with you!"
When He Yan saw that Cao Pi refused to eat, he quietly snatched the piece of candied fruit from his hand.
"Filial piety is essentially between you, your father and your mother. Why should it be extended to others?"
"But……"
Seeing that Cao Pi still wanted to argue with him, He Yan asked directly: "Then you take Aunt Ding back as your own mother and take care of her yourself!"
Cao Pi swallowed back his words: "I just asked..."
While the two were chatting, Mrs. Ding also walked out of the inner room and handed Cao Pi a box.
"Please Pi'er give this to your mother on my behalf."
"Don't worry, Aunt Ding, I will definitely bring you."
Perhaps in order to gain another chance, Cao Pi asked Mrs. Ding: "Aunt Ding, are you really unwilling to go back with us?"
"No."
Mrs. Ding answered decisively this time.
But when Mrs. Ding saw Cao Pi's eyes, she relaxed her eyebrows and gave Cao Pi a smile: "The main reason is that I'm used to staying here and want to be quiet. There are so many people coming and going in Sikong Mansion.
It's a bit hard to get used to living here... Every time your father is away, it is your mother who is supporting Sikong Mansion. She must be able to understand the difficulty of this. You should also be more considerate of your mother and don't let her work too hard.
"
Seeing what Cao Pi wanted to say, Mrs. Ding waved her hand: "Go, go."
Seeing this, Cao Pi had no choice but to leave with He Yan, who started eating candied fruits crazily when he entered the mansion. However, he looked gloomy on the road, and anyone who looked at him could tell that he was filled with bitterness.
"He Yan."
"What are you doing again?"
"I still feel that the reason why Aunt Ding can't return to Sikong Mansion is because of me."
He Yan sighed: "What exactly do you want? Do you really plan to take Mrs. Ding back?"
Cao Pi glanced at He Yan coldly: "You don't understand this time."
"I think it must be because of me that Aunt Ding doesn't want to go back and have a conflict with my mother."
"Everyone has sacrificed so much for me, overtly and covertly... As expected! There are really too many things I have to bear!"
He Yan:......
Patting Cao Pi on the shoulder: "I just like the way you are always full of motivation!"
————————
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The two returned to Xuchang with Mrs. Ding's gift. Cao Pi went to deliver errands to Mrs. Bian, while He Yan came to Cao Cao and told all of Mrs. Ding's original words.
"She's quite smart!"
Cao Cao sneered a few words, closed his eyes, and told He Yan: "Since she doesn't want to come, then place the battlefield north of the river!"
"Get your soldiers ready, and when next spring comes, follow me to Liyang to take care of those two juniors!"
"Here!"
Mrs. Ding's refusal made Cao Cao's stubborn temper begin to rise, and he planned to have a decisive battle with Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang next year after the preparations are complete.
For several days, Cao Cao gathered his staff together to plan the war against Hebei.
Guo Jia saw something was wrong with Cao Cao, but instead of asking Cao Cao, he touched He Yan's side and asked, "Did you offend Sikong? Why does Sikong look so high-spirited now?"
"I didn't mess with it!"
He Yan quickly threw away the big pot: "It's not because of Mrs. Ding that Sikong has to rush to use troops against Hebei to prevent Yuan Tan from suddenly coming and hurting Mrs. Ding."
Guo Jia frowned: "Sure enough, it's just motivated!"
"It's okay to act out of emotion. Hebei actually needs some emotion now."
He Yan asked Guo Jiadao: "Isn't it? They chose to appoint Yuan Shang as the leader in order to allow him to stabilize the situation in Jizhou as soon as possible. If Yuan Shang is given enough time, maybe he can really reunify the north. In that case
Yuan Shangke has become Sikong’s fierce rival!”
Guo Jia did not agree with He Yan's analysis.
"It is true that we cannot give Yuan Shang time, but it does not mean that we must fight a frontal battle with Yuan Shang."
"The best situation for Sikong is to let the two brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang fight each other, and then reap the benefits!"
He Yan yawned and nodded: "You are right, but it always needs an opportunity, right?"
"The best opportunity is for them to be defeated by Sikong once."
"As long as they can be defeated once, the people under Yuan Shang will naturally have their own tricks to give Yuan Tan an opportunity...otherwise Yuan Tan is not a fool and will not directly pounce on Yuan Shang."
Guo Jia looked at the map and patted his forehead with some regret: "If I had known better, I wouldn't have gone to Cangting! Now that Yuan Jun's forces south of the river have been wiped out, if he wants to win, he really can only attack on the north bank of the river.
Got it!"
"We must fight to the north bank of the river, and it is best to capture Liyang."
He Yan pointed at Liyang with his finger: "Liyang is actually not far from Yecheng. Taking this place will cause instability in Hebei. Otherwise, how can Yuan Tan have enough reason to take action?"
"Then Li Yang really must be beaten."
Guo Jia touched the tip of his nose: "If we want to attack Hebei, we must not wait until the grain harvest is over in the autumn! At that time, the river is in flood season, and the water level has risen, which is actually detrimental to our army."
"It is best to use troops in summer, when the water level is not high. If the weather is good, it can even be treated as daytime at night, which can reduce the probability of our army being discovered when crossing the river and avoid being attacked halfway across the river..."
As soon as he talked about sending troops, Guo Jia started chattering endlessly and began to consider the feasibility of military operations from all aspects. His whole person was like a tight instrument.
"Fengxiao, are you so tired?"
He Yan said: "It is winter now. Even if we send troops in summer, there will still be half a year!"
Guo Jia shook his head: "For marching and fighting, half a year of preparation is actually very late."
"Let's not talk about food, grass and baggage. Just understanding the terrain and transporting soldiers will take a long time to prepare. It's not too late to make a plan now!"
"You will understand this when Marquis Shen personally leads an army some time!"
What Guo Jia said about leading troops was obviously not a small-scale battle like when He Yan went to Lujiang to fight some bandits or when he followed Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin and other big guys to gain experience.
What he is referring to is a real legion-level battle!
Guo Jia pointed at the map and compared prices for a long time: "The biggest problem now is to be wary of Yuan Tan in Liyang to prevent him from coming to cause trouble when the army is crossing the river. If this is solved, it will not be difficult for our army to capture Liyang.
!”
Cao Cao had said before that he saw Yuan Tan's intention to attack him halfway, and as someone who has been with Cao Cao, Guo Jia must have also seen Yuan Tan's intention.
He Yan, who was fishing next to Guo Jia, heard that Guo Jia had a headache, so he reminded him in a low voice: "It would be better to use a chariot!"
Chariot?
Guo Jia turned around and asked incomprehensibly: "Why a chariot? Can a chariot prevent Yuan Tan from invading our army?"
He Yan dipped his finger in ink and drew an extremely strange formation on the map: "Placing the chariots on the outermost periphery to form a crescent moon, wouldn't it be possible to protect the soldiers at the dock?"
This formation was the waterway coordinated warfare method used by the God of War Liu Jinu two hundred years later to defeat the Hu people in the north - the Yanyue Formation!