Cao Cao really gave himself an official position, and he also gave him a big official title.
According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, the highest commander of the national army is the general, followed by the hussar general, chariot general and guard general, and then the front, rear, left and right generals. These eight generals are the central military rank.
Under the eight generals, there are generals such as Si Zheng, Si Zhen, Si Ping, and Si An, and then there are generals such as Tui Ni, Po Lu, and other miscellaneous generals, and then there are generals such as Zhonglang and Xiaowei.
Yan Liang jumped from captain of the Yue Cavalry School to General of the Right in one fell swoop, crossing four levels in a row. It was like he was flying upwards on a rocket.
Of course, although the right general's name is great, it is just a name. If you don't have the strength, even if you directly become the emperor, others will think you are nothing.
Now that Yan Liang has the strength and the title of General Right, he can justifiably establish offices and appoint officials, recruit troops, and claim to the outside world that he is an upright division and fights for the imperial court.
Then Liu Bei just used the title of Zuo General and Yuzhou Mu to fool around and cheat.
As for those false titles such as Yanzhou Mu and Wancheng Marquis, they just sound pretty and that's all.
After hearing Mao Jie read out the edict, Yan Liang got his wish, felt happy, and immediately wanted to accept the edict.
At this time, Jia Xu, who was standing next to him, shook his head slightly at Yan Liang, indicating that he should not accept the order.
"Pretending to attack Wuguan and force Cao Cao to be promoted to an official position is obviously a plan by you, the old cunning guy Xian. Now that Cao Cao has fallen into the trap, why do you advise me not to accept it?"
Yan Liangliang was suddenly suspicious. However, he had an insight into people's hearts and soon realized that there must be some mystery hidden in the decree read by Mao Jie. He did not know it for a while, but Jia Xu heard it first.
Thinking of this, when Yan Liang's words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.
At that moment, he laughed and said, "Mao Ye has come a long way and has had a hard journey. Come here, please send Mao Ye to rest first so that he can be greeted. Don't be slow."
Mao Jie was stunned and said hurriedly: "But General Yan, His Majesty's will is still here. Are you..."
"The imperial decree doesn't have wings and can't fly away. It won't be too late to pick it up another day."
Yan Liang pushed and pulled him casually, waving his hands to ask the left and right to invite Mao Jie out.
As soon as Mao Jie left, there was no one else in the tent.
Yan Liang then turned his gaze to Jia Xu, "Mr. Wenhe, just now you advised me not to accept the order. What did you see?"
"The military position of General Right and the title of Marquis Wancheng are nothing, but doesn't the general think there is something mysterious about the position of Yanzhou Mu?" Jia Xu stroked his white beard and said with a smile.
"Yanzhou Mu..."
Yan Liang muttered these three words silently, his eyes rolling around. Suddenly, a strange color flashed in his eyes.
"Hmph, what a good Cao Cao, he is indeed quite treacherous, and he is so insidious even after being sent to an official position."
Yan Liang snorted coldly, with sarcasm on his face.
In today's troubled times, it is useless to hold titles such as state pastor, occupying territory is the king.
It seems that Liu Bei holds the title of Yuzhou Shepherd, but who really thinks he is Yuzhou Shepherd?
Previously, Yan Liang only regarded the title of Yanzhou Mu as a false title and didn't pay much attention to it. However, after Jia Xu reminded him, he saw through Cao Cao's insidious intentions.
Who is in Yanzhou's hands now? Of course it's Yuan Shao.
Once Yan Liang accepted the title of Yanzhou Mu, it was tantamount to announcing to Yuan Shao, I am the lord of Yanzhou, and you, Yuan Shao, have taken over my territory, so why don't you give it back soon.
This would be tantamount to openly provoking Yuan Shao, the most powerful prince in the world.
Obviously, this was done deliberately by Cao Cao in order to provoke a dispute between him and Yuan Shao.
Although Yan Liang had offended Yuan Shao, and he was not afraid of Yuan Shao, it was only a private conflict.
If you accept the position of Yanzhou Mu, it will be equivalent to publicly announcing to the world: I, Yan Liang, will be against Yuan Shao from now on.
Yuan Shao is a man who cares about face. It is obviously not a wise move to openly break with Yuan Shao at this time when Nanyang has just experienced the baptism of war.
"The general saw through Cao Mengde's trick at a glance. He was really smart." Jia Xu said with a smile, not forgetting to compliment Yan Liang.
Yan Liang pondered for a long time, but then said: "Cao Cao's move is quite sinister, but it seems that the position of right general is not enough. The title of Zhou Mu is still somewhat useful, and I really want it."
The right general has the power to appoint military officers to the government, and the state pastor also has the power to appoint prefects and other local civil servants. As a prince, Yan Liang is both the leader of the military commanders and the leader of the civil servants. Naturally, he is the most powerful to hold the positions of both the right general and the state pastor.
good.
After a pause, Yan Liang smiled at Jia Xu and said: "Mr. Wenhe, since you have seen through Cao Cao's conspiracy first, you must have a countermeasure. This matter is up to you. You must think of a plan for this general."
The best of both worlds.”
"Ah?" Jia Xu was suddenly embarrassed.
Obviously Jia Xu thought that Yan Liang would at best not accept the title of Yanzhou Mu, but he did not expect that his lord would be so "greedy" and wanted the position of Yanzhou Mu without offending Yuan Shao.
"This is really a problem..."
Jia Xu was thinking hard with her fingertips and tapping her forehead, while Yan Liang just drank wine leisurely, relaxed and not worried at all.
After a while, Jia Xu's frown relaxed, and something mysterious flashed through his narrowed eyes again.
Looking at his expression, Yan Liang knew immediately that he, the poisonous man, had another "bad idea".
Jia Xu then moved his seat closer and told Yan Liang his strategy.
Yan Liang listened with a bad smile on his face. He couldn't help but give a thumbs up to Jia Xu and said with emotion: "Mr. Wenhe, you are indeed someone who has done things around Cao Cao, and you have also tainted our Prime Minister Cao."
His habits are really yin."
"General, are you praising me or hurting me?" Jia Xu looked innocent.
Yan Liang laughed.
######
In the evening of that day, Yan Liang held a small banquet in the army and warmly entertained Mao Jie, the visitor from Chang'an.
Before the banquet, Yan Liang burned incense and laid out the table in a formal manner, accepting the imperial edict with due etiquette.
Of course, Yan Liang refused to kneel because he was wearing armor.
The change in Yan Liang's attitude made Mao Jie feel puzzled and relieved at the same time.
In fact, Mao Jie knew before he went out as an envoy that granting Yan Liang the title of Mu in Yanzhou was a strategy proposed by Xun Yu to Cao Cao in order to provoke a fight between Yan Liang and Yuan Shao.
However, Mao Jie knew that Jia Xu had surrendered to Yan Liang and knew how powerful this poisonous man was. He was afraid that Jia Xu would help Yan Liang see through the mystery of the imperial edict and refuse to accept it, or that Yan Liang would be furious and his own life would be in danger.
But now, all worries are gone. Yan Liang accepted the order so happily, which made Mao Jie feel sincerely relieved.
In order to show hospitality and enthusiasm, Yan Liang specially selected several camp prostitutes to dance and entertain.
The drum music was loud and the wine was rich. After a few rounds of wine, the atmosphere in the tent became more and more relaxed.
"Xiao Xian, I cut off several Xiliang princes for Cao Gong, which can be considered as a great help for Cao Gong to establish Guanzhong. To be honest, he gave me such a few false titles, so I didn't suffer at all."
Yan Liang revealed Cao Cao's previous conspiracy by pretending to be drunk.
Mao Jie didn't want Yan Liang to speak so freely. After being exposed, he felt a little embarrassed. He didn't know how to respond, so he had to lower his head and quickly drink a few sips of wine to cover up his guilty conscience.
"Also, when Duke Cao was defeated at Guandu, I traveled thousands of miles to go to King Xu Duqin and rescued Duke Cao's daughter from Yuan Jun's sword. Speaking of which, I was still the savior of the Cao family. Even so,
Shouldn't Duke Cao repay his kindness?"
Yan Liang wanted to try to squeeze some more money out of Cao Cao.
Mao Jie was depressed, thinking about King Qianli Qin, you raided Xudu, obviously to take advantage of the situation.
But suddenly, Mao Jiemeng remembered something again.
A smile suddenly appeared on his embarrassed face, and Mao Jie cupped his hands and said with a smile: "How can the Prime Minister forget the general's contribution, so in addition to the imperial court's reward for the general, the Prime Minister also has some personal gifts of thanks."
Then, Mao Jie took out a letter from his arms and gave it to Yan Liang with both hands.
"Personal thank you, when did Cao Cao become so generous?"
Yan Liang's curiosity aroused, so he took the letter and read it. After reading it, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
It was a letter written by Cao Cao himself, in which he stated that he was willing to marry his daughter Cao Jie to Yan Liang. From now on, the Cao and Yan families would become friends with Qin and Jin.
"Interesting, Duke Cao originally wanted to ask me to be his son-in-law."
Yan Liang said, showing the letter to his left and right.
Mao Jie laughed and said: "The general is the hero of the world, Duke Cao is the prime minister of the dynasty, and Jiaojun and Duke Cao have a common enemy. If we can become friends with Qin and Jin, they will be a good match."
Cao Cao wanted to win over him through marriage. How could Yan Liang not know this clearly?
However, Cao Cao was right. Now that Yuan Shao was so powerful, he was not only Yan Liang's biggest enemy, but also the most feared enemy of all the princes in the world.
Since ancient times, using a weak enemy to fight against a strong enemy is nothing more than forming an alliance to fight against a strong enemy.
Although Cao Cao's proposal was based on his own interests, it was not necessarily a bad thing for Yan Liang.
Suddenly, Yan Liang thought of Cao Jie's pretty face and the way he had stripped him naked that day, and his heart skipped a beat.
Yan Liang then turned his attention to Jia Xu and asked for his opinion. The poisonous man smiled slightly and nodded secretly to him.
Since Jia Xu also liked it, Yan Liang had no worries and happily agreed.
Mao Jie was overjoyed, and hurriedly talked about the marriage between the two families, and even toasted Yan Liang repeatedly.
After a few glasses of wine, Yan Liang suddenly changed the topic, "This marriage has been agreed upon. After I have troubled Mao Ye to return to Chang'an, I will convey my respect to Duke Cao. In addition, I also ask Mao Ye to convey my respect to Mr. Cao."
By the way, I will bring this form back to His Majesty the Emperor."
With that, Yan Liang glanced secretly, and Jia Xu handed the dish he had prepared long ago to Mao Jie.
"General, you're welcome. It's just a little effort."
Mao Jie agreed happily, opened the watch and took a glance at it.
With just one glance, Mao Jie's expression changed drastically.
