Two hours later, a hunting-style massacre finally ended. The strong man in black who commanded the ambush came to the river and carefully inspected every black-green corpse that had either been shot to death or frozen to death. He followed Cao Jun recognizes people together.
"General Xiahou, look. Li Li's body is here." After checking for a while, Cao Jun finally let out a cry of joy. The burly man in black looked along where Cao Jun pointed. He saw something. The body of an old man with gray hair, already in his fifties or sixties, lay there.
The man in black grinned and said: "Haha. Okay. The envoy sent by Zhang Liao was killed on Runan's territory. Let's see how Cao Ang made it clear to Zhang Liao this time. Cao Ang, this kid, wants everything for his own glory and wealth. Surrender. Where will I be left?"
Cao Jun was more attentive than the man in black. After smiling, he said to his subordinates: "Search his body to see if there is anything left." They were ordered to kill the man, but they still have another task. They need to know what the imperial court is doing. Li Li’s reason for coming south this time.
It didn't take long for his subordinates to come back and report: "Sir, this old man has a letter in his arms."
"Oh. Let me take a look." The tall man heard this and grabbed the letter. But as soon as he unfolded it, he was shocked. After a while, he started to chuckle and said: "This... this is the old master's handwriting." letter."
Cao Jun was also startled. He exclaimed, "This is a letter written by my old master. Are you sure, general?"
The general surnamed Xiahou replied: "This can still be wrong. I once served as a close guard by my old lord's side. I will never mistake my old lord's name."
Cao Jun asked: "Oh, General, what does the letter say?"
The man in black surnamed Xiahou took a closer look. His face was suddenly full of disbelief. He murmured to himself: "How is it possible? How is it possible? The old master actually let Cao Ang..."
Cao Jun curiously asked: "What do you want Cao Ang to do, my lord?"
The man in black said: "Let Cao Ang..." At this point, the man in black suddenly realized. He shook his head and said: "Don't ask any more questions. These are not things we should know. Knowing too much will be detrimental to you and me... …”
"Yes, yes... the general is right..." Cao Jun nodded repeatedly.
The man in black, Su Rong, ordered: "Okay, hurry up and pack up. I'm still waiting to go back to meet the Second Young Master. As for you, you have to disappear for a while. When this matter is over, the Second Young Master will give you a good treatment." arranged.”
Cao Jun saluted and agreed to go and do his work. When he walked away, the man in black looked around and saw that there was no one around. Then he let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thankfully, I intercepted this letter. What if this letter fell into Cao Ang's hands? Who would It can prevent Cao Ang from defecting to Zhang Liao. It's strange. How could the old master write such a handwritten letter? Forget it. Give the letter to the second son and Sima Military Advisor. They will naturally figure it out..."
I couldn’t figure out what was going on. The man in black murmured to himself, shook his head and sighed...
…………
"What? Li Li was intercepted and killed on the road passing by Ruyin. Who? Who dared to do this after eating a bear's heart and a leopard?" Cao Ang was furious when he heard the news reported by his men in Shouchun City. He immediately He ordered his subordinates Wen and Wu to be summoned together.
Cao Ang was furious in the hall. The civil and military officials in the hall lowered their heads and remained silent. Zhang Liao sent people to Shouchun to see Cao Ang, but they were intercepted and killed on Cao Ang's territory. Regardless of the identity of the ambusher, his intention was obviously I don’t want Cao Ang to have an easy time.
General Cao Rendao: "My lord, the sergeants sent to search found hundreds of corpses by the Cihuai River in Ruyin County. It is estimated that it was the servant Li Li sent by the imperial court this time and the servants who escorted him. These people should be He was killed by arrows. However, he was beheaded afterwards. The identities of these corpses cannot be confirmed, let alone whether Cao Jun is among them..."
Cao Ren is Cao Ang's uncle. He was the general who commanded the army during Cao Cao's time. After Cao Ang took over the family business, Cao Ren became Cao Ang's first general. The troops and horses of the two counties were mobilized and commanded by him.
"There must be some people who don't want to see me reach a peace agreement with the imperial court, so they are causing trouble. These people... are becoming more and more lawless." Cao Ang thought to himself. He glanced at the people in the hall angrily, but he could not say these words. Externally, he took over the banner of fighting Zhang Liao from his father. It was also because of his father's reputation that he gathered so many people around him.
The Cao family, the Xun family, the Xiahou family, the Sima family... If others knew that they wanted to seek peace, it is estimated that many people here would break up and go their separate ways.
When something like this happened, it was clear that some people did not want to see him and Zhang Liao make peace. But the matter had already happened and could not be undone. He was upset for a long time. Cao Ang could only sigh and said: "The imperial envoy was killed in Runan. Lords. How to deal with it.”
Military advisor Sima Yi said: "My lord, things always happen on our territory. No matter how we try to excuse ourselves, we can't escape the relationship. When Zhang Liao heard about this, he became furious. He will definitely send troops to attack us in the coming year. I hope your lord will do it soon." Prepare."
Cao Ang took a deep look at Sima Yi. He was not a fool. If something like this happened, it was probably Sima Yi who did it. But what could he say? The whole family took refuge in him, and he did his best to assist him. He just hoped that he would It is indeed unreasonable to inherit his father's ambition and carry the banner of fighting against Zhang Liao. But now he wants to join Zhang Liao.
Therefore, although Cao Ang was full of prejudices against Sima Yi, he could only patiently say: "What does the military advisor think should be done?"
Sima Yi said: "Zhang Liao's southern expedition is imminent. My lord can order General Cao Ren to strengthen his troops and strengthen the combat readiness of the two counties. In addition, send people to Liu Bei to ask for help. Ask him to send troops to support us."
Cao Ang sneered angrily and said: "Liu Bei. Liu Bei only has a territory of more than one county in Nanyang and Yingchuan. He has 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and horses. In the north, he also has to bear the pressure from Zhang Liao, Yuzhou, Guanzhong, and Sili. How can they have time to take care of it? It’s up to us.”
Of course, Sima Yi could notice that Cao Ang was different from the past. He seemed to be angry with him. But he didn't care. His eyes flashed with a smile and he said: "My lord, you must not underestimate Liu Bei. This man is a hero of his generation. Now there are people around him." Crouching Dragon Zhuge Liang's assistance is even more powerful. My lord, my subordinates might as well give my lord some information first. If Zhang Liao goes south in the coming year, Liu Bei will definitely have more than the 60,000 to 70,000 troops at his disposal."
Cao Ang said in disbelief: "How could Liu Bei borrow Liu Biao's hundreds of thousands of Jingzhou soldiers?"
Sima Yi didn't explain either. He just smiled slightly and said, "Master, there is no need to make random guesses. You will know when the time comes."
Seeing that Sima Yi was so confident, Cao Ang also gained some confidence and said with emotion: "Since the military advisor said so, well, just do what the military advisor said. Zhang Liao's southern expedition is imminent. All the princes should work together to retreat together. Strong enemy."
Seeing that Cao Ang was forced to resist the order, Sima Yi felt happy. Anyway, Cao Ang agreed to meet Zhang Liao in battle. It was still necessary to let Cao Pi arrange things. He just walked out of here later. .This kid Cao Pi will definitely pester him to find out...
Sure enough, as soon as he left the gate of the county government, Cao Pi jumped into Sima Yi's carriage regardless of avoiding suspicion. He couldn't wait to say: "Master. Master, didn't you say before that you would join forces with Xia Houyuan and Xun Yan in the hall today to force the palace and ask Cao Ang to give way? Did you assume the position of lord? Why didn’t you make any move until the end?”
Sima Yi said calmly: "Isn't this normal? Second Young Master, I promise to help you rise to power. But don't forget that there is a prerequisite. I will only help you if your lord really wants to join Zhang Liao." , the Xun family means the same thing as me. But you can also see that the master is not only interested in his own safety. There is no other way. He is still willing to fight Zhang Liao. Since the premise is not established, of course I can't help You are on top."
Cao Pi opened his mouth but couldn't find a reason to argue. He suddenly became dejected.
Sima Yi looked at Cao Pi. In any case, Cao Pi had made great efforts to intercept the envoy. Sima Yi decided to appease Cao Pi's anxious mood. But he had to consider the overall situation. Although several families were fighting against Zhang Liocai They gathered under Cao Ang, but Cao Ang still had a few confidants around him. For example, Cao Ren, who held military power, was loyal to Cao Ang. Moreover, his prestige in the army was very high. Even Sima Yi was usually afraid of him.
Sima Yi said: "Second Young Master, please be patient. In fact, Second Young Master's action is very meaningful. Hasn't Second Young Master already read that letter? No matter whether Mr. Cao is willing or under coercion, once the Lord gets it, After writing this letter, they will definitely surrender to Zhang Liao without hesitation. And with Cao Gong’s prestige, the Xiahou family will definitely turn to support Cao Ang. With the support of the army, the situation will really be over by then."
After a pause, Sima Yi said again: "Now that the lord has promised to Zhang Liao, the second young master has actually not lost anything. There will be opportunities in the future. And my promise to the second young master is still valid. If the lord still wants to submit to Zhang Liao, our family will definitely do so." Let's launch a campaign together to help the second young master take the position of lord. What the second young master needs to do now is to try to win over the people in the Cao clan who are unwilling to submit to Zhang Liao. To consolidate the still wavering Xiahou clan, the only way is to get the support of more people. The second young master has a better chance. Just like today, even if we succeed in forcing the lord to give up his throne, the mess left behind will not be enough for the second young master to withstand Zhang Liao's attack."
"Master taught me... I was too impatient..." Although he was a little dissatisfied, Cao Pi also knew that what Sima Yi said was reasonable. He sighed. Cao Pi handed over his hands and left. Before leaving, he seemed to have thought of something. He turned around and asked : "Master, my disciple, I have something that I don't understand. Just now you said in class that Liu Bei doesn't just have the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses at his disposal. Where else can he get reinforcements?"
There was a trace of caution in Sima Yi's eyes. He said: "Just keep your eyes wide open and look at Jingzhou. Zhuge Kongming will find a way."