Chapter five hundred and sixty-eight, the exchange of trustworthiness
Now that he had reached a replacement agreement with Cao Cao, Liu Zhang sent Zhong Yao from Chang'an to Hulao Pass. Liu Zhang didn't like such a hard-earned guy very much. In addition, he always preached about the good of aristocratic families, Liu Zhang even more
He didn't want him to have contact with his son. But Zhong Yao was Cai Yong's student. Even for Cai Yong's sake, Liu Zhang couldn't always keep him in prison. He couldn't kill him, and he couldn't imprison him, so Liu Zhang simply sent him away.
Go back and leave your worries to Cao Cao!
When Zhong Yao and Kong Rong both arrived, Cao Cao and Liu Zhang contacted each other again and agreed on a date for the exchange. As for the exchange location, both sides thought it best to be in front of the two armies! In full view of the public, both Liu Zhang and Cao Cao
, will not break their promise. For the sake of fairness, both sides decided to send two generals to pick up the prisoners. Cao Cao sent generals Lu Bu and Xu Chu, while Liu Zhang sent Zhao Yun and Dian Wei!
The appointed day soon arrived, and Liu Zhang and Cao Cao lined up at Hulao Pass. The military formations separated, and Liu Zhang rode forward and said: "Brother Meng De, we will meet again in a few days!"
"Brother Ji Yu, you are more ruthless!" Cao Cao also said with a wry smile: "You do everything for talents, even the slightly smarter children, you are really good!"
Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Brother Meng De, haven't you heard? Education should start from childhood! Don't bully young people into poverty, God knows whether these young people will be you and me in the future? The world belongs to them after all, we are old!"
Cao Cao almost burst out laughing when he heard this. He pointed at Liu Zhang and said, "You Liu Jiyu, you are only in your early forties and you say you are old. Who am I?"
"Half of it is buried!" Liu Zhang said with a smile: "Without further ado, where is Kong Rong?"
"Here he is!" Cao Cao waved his hand, and Kong Rong walked up tremblingly, escorted by Lu Bu and Xu Chu.
Seeing that Kong Rong's Confucian robe was a little messy and his face was a little pale, Liu Zhang smiled and asked, "Doctor Kong, are you okay?"
"Is it Mr. Qin? He's fine!" He raised his head and glanced at Liu Zhang, who was sitting high on the horse. A different meaning flashed in Kong Rong's eyes.
"It's fine!" Liu Zhang said with a smile: "It seems that Brother Meng De is quite trustworthy!"
"Stop talking nonsense. Where is Zhong Yuanchang!" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and asked Liu Zhang for help. He hoped that Liu Zhang did not bring Zhong Yao, so that he could justifiably kill Kong Rong!
"Please Zhong Yao!" Liu Zhang was much more polite than Cao Cao. Zhong Yao was neither tied up nor escorted. He was completely free! He saw Zhong Yao walking out of the military formation under the care of Zhao Yun and Dian Wei. Not only did he not look like a prisoner, he even looked like a prisoner.
His face was full of red light, his movements were elegant, and Zhao Yun and Dian Wei were more like escorting him. Cao Cao had a murderous look in his eyes.
"Meet the Prime Minister!" Seeing Cao Cao, Zhong Yao quickly bowed and saluted, but he did not see the killing intent in Cao Cao's eyes.
"No courtesy!" Cao Cao suppressed his murderous intention and said with a smile: "Yuan Chang has suffered!"
"Not at all!" Zhong Yao said: "Although Duke Qin and I are enemies, Mr. Cai is the master of the family, so Duke Qin did not treat me badly. Not only did he provide me with delicious food and drink, but he also allowed me to come and go freely. It's just that
I’m just not allowed to leave the city!”
"That's great!" Cao Cao nodded and asked, "Brother Ji Yu, can we exchange it?"
"Then let's get started!" Liu Zhang shrugged. His face was noncommittal, which made Cao Cao a little depressed.
Although Liu Zhang's intentions were unclear, it did not hinder the exchange of prisoners. Under the escort of four generals, Kong Rong and Zhong Yao slowly walked to the formation. After arriving at the formation, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Lu Bu, and Xu Chu stared at each other.
, the atmosphere was very tense. The trembling Kong Rong and the meteor-like Zhong Yao formed a very sharp contrast!
"Let's go!" Lu Bu pushed hard, pushing Kong Rong to stagger.
Kong Rong turned around, glared at Lu Bu fiercely and said, "Ding Jianyang, the prince and master are all my close friends. If you treat me like this, how will you see them in the future?"
"Master Kong, each one has his own master now. You can't blame me!" Lu Bu felt quite ashamed when he heard the two names that he had already forgotten. But he would not say anything because Xu Chu was still here.
"Hmph!" Kong Rong said angrily: "Everyone has his own master? Your lord should be the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, not Cao Cao! Lu Fengxian, if you still remember Ding Jianyang and Wang Zishi, take good care of your majesty. If you are an ungrateful person with a bad heart and a dog's heart,
Disciple, just think I’m talking nonsense!”
"What are you talking about? Get out of here!" Before Lu Bu could answer, Xu Chu pushed Kong Rong hard.
Kong Rong was pushed again and staggered. He glared at Xu Chu and said: "I thought Liu Bei was a loyal man and his brother would be loyal to the Han Dynasty. Unexpectedly, before Liu Bei's body was cold, his brother became Cao Cao's lackey!"
From this point of view, Liu Bei is not a loyal person!"
"You dare to insult my elder brother?" Xu Chu's eyes widened, murderous intent burst out, and he stretched out his hand to grab Kong Rong!
"Humph!" Dian Wei snorted coldly, punched Xu Chu and said, "Anyone who dares to bully our army, believe it or not, I will kill Zhong Yao!"
"You..." Seeing Dian Wei's move, Lu Bu also held down the sword at his waist, and Zhao Yun immediately faced off with Lu Bu. The tension between the four of them was tense, and the war was about to break out!
"What are you doing?" Liu Zhang saw something was wrong in the formation from a distance, and immediately said angrily: "Cao Mengde, do you want to break your promise?"
"Zhongkang, Fengxian, bring Yuanchang back!" With the current situation, it is unwise to go against Liu Zhang. Cao Cao doesn't want to let the conversation slip. Besides, if he breaks his promise now, it will lower his prestige in the army. In fact,
The gain outweighs the loss!
"Humph!" Xu Chu snorted coldly, and he and Lu Bu picked up Zhong Yao and ran to the army, while Zhao Yun and Dian Wei also carried Kong Rong back to Liu Zhang!
"Meng De, I never thought that you would keep your promise one day!" He ordered Kong Rong to be sent back to Hulao Pass, but Liu Zhang turned around and teased Cao Cao.
"Hmph!" Cao Cao snorted coldly: "Liu Jiyu, don't be proud. Sooner or later, I will let you know how powerful I am!"
"Do you have a strong mouth? I'm afraid you have teeth! Bite me!" Liu Zhang laughed loudly and said: "Mengde, you should think about when to surrender! Don't continue to resist, it will not be beneficial to the country or the people!"
"I won't quarrel with you!" Cao Cao spurred his horse and turned around and said, "The whole army listens to the order and withdraws!"
"You will want to quarrel with me one day!" Liu Zhang sneered and said to the people around him: "Cao Cao is gone, let's go back too!"
The two armies withdrew their troops back to their camps. Cao Cao and Liu Zhang were in different moods. Liu Zhang only wanted to save Kong Rong to suppress Shilin, and had no intention of reusing him. Therefore, he didn't care whether Kong Rong was his or not. But Cao Cao
It was different. He was willing to exchange Zhong Yao. He just wanted to reuse him, but Zhong Yao's attitude made him hesitate. He didn't know if Zhong Yao had surrendered to the enemy!
With full of doubts, Cao Cao returned to the camp and called Zhong Yao into the Chinese army's tent without saying a word. The two sat opposite each other, but the atmosphere in the tent was very solemn. After a long while, Cao Cao finally calmed down.
Said: "Yuan Chang, tell me about your life in Chang'an!"
"This..." Zhong Yao asked with a wry smile: "What does the Prime Minister want to know?"
"You have been in Chang'an for three or four years, don't you have anything to tell the truth about?" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and his tone was a bit unkind!
Zhong Yao sighed: "Prime Minister, I know you doubt me, but I really have nothing to say! As soon as I arrived in Chang'an, I was taken into prison. I wasn't released until Man Chong left. Then I
I was under house arrest in the inner city of Chang'an. Although I could move around on weekdays, few people would talk to me! The servants in the inner city of Chang'an didn't know how Duke Qin trained them. They almost didn't talk to strangers, except to ask for directions.
Others will ignore you! Later, when I got acquainted, everyone knew that I was a prisoner of Duke Qin. Even if they talked to me, they would not say a word about military affairs. What can I tell you? "
"This..." Cao Cao frowned and asked, "What about Cai Bozhe? Don't you know how to get things out of his mouth?"
"I think so!" Zhong Yao said with a bitter smile: "My teacher is obsessed with calligraphy and literature. He has long since ignored government affairs and devoted himself to practicing calligraphy. Especially after Liu Zhang produced books and paper, I may not be able to see him for ten days and a half.
His side!"
"Books and paper?" Cao Cao's eyes lit up and he said, "Do you know the origin of books and paper?"
"I probably know something!" Zhong Yao said: "The teacher once vaguely mentioned that the book and paper were the idea of Duke Qin, and were executed by the Ministry of Works under Duke Qin. As for the specific situation, the teacher does not know! However, according to the teacher
He said that Duke Qin brought out the books and paper for a big event. But the teacher didn’t say what it was!”
"It should be the imperial examination!" Cao Cao smiled bitterly and shook his head. Although Zhong Yao said that Liu Zhang made the book and paper, he was not surprised at all, because Liu Zhang had already made so many surprising things that he was numb!
"No! It's not the imperial examination!" Zhong Yao said: "If it's the imperial examination, you only need paper, so why bother to get so many books? The prime minister didn't know, the teacher gave all the collection to Qin Gong for printing, and it is said that it has been printed
Millions of books. If they are only used for imperial examinations, why bother to produce so many books?"
"How many million copies?" Cao Cao asked dumbfounded: "How much does the book cost?"
"I don't know, it's said to be very cheap!" Zhong Yao pinched his chin and said, "The collection of books in the teacher's home has basically been replaced by paper books. According to the teacher, the price of so many books in his home is not as high as the price of one book before!"
"This..." Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said: "Yuan Chang, Liu Zhang once sold books and paper in Fuguan. Do you know the price?"
"I don't know!" Zhong Yao has been in prison for so many years. He must know!
"Paper is worth a hundred dollars a piece, and books are worth ten thousand dollars a piece!" Cao Cao said with a bitter smile: "If you go by what you said, the truth and the noble families under the jurisdiction of Wu Hou will be deceived by Liu Zhang!"
"No...it can't be!" Now it was Zhong Yao's turn to be stunned. He looked at Cao Cao with a bitter face and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. For the first time, he doubted whether his choice was wrong!
Waving his hand to Zhong Yao to leave, Cao Cao really didn't want to ask any more questions. Many times, the more he knew, the more ignorant he felt. Now, the more he knew about Liu Zhang, the more fearful Cao Cao became. Instead of letting these things disturb his mind
, it is better to choose not to know and concentrate on fighting Liu Zhang!
Compared with Cao Cao's depression, Liu Zhang was in a much better mood. Even Cai Yong would be grateful to him for rescuing Kong Rong, because Kong Rong was one of Cai Yong's few friends. Back at the Chinese army's tent, Kong Rong had already After waiting here for a long time, Kong Rong immediately bowed to Liu Zhang when he saw him return.
"Uncle Kong, what are you doing!" Seeing Kong Rong performing this great gift, Liu Zhang hurriedly helped him. Kong Rong was a great scholar and a friend of Cai Yong, so Liu Zhang did not dare to accept his great gift!
"Mr. Qin, thank you very much for saving my life!" Even though Kong Rong was a scholar, his determination could not be changed by external forces. Liu Zhang failed to support him! Of course, this was not because Kong Rong was strong, but because of his strength. It was Liu Zhang who didn't dare to use force to avoid hurting him!
"Oh, Uncle Kong is trying to kill me!" Since he couldn't help him up, Liu Zhang had no choice but to avoid him. He smiled bitterly and said, "You have worked hard for the Han Dynasty all your life, and you are a rare loyal minister. How can I watch you die? ?You must never do such a big gift again, otherwise if my father-in-law finds out, he will be rude to me!"
"Brother Bo Jie is so lucky to have such a beloved son-in-law!" Kong Rong shook his head and said, "If I had a daughter, I would also like to marry Duke Qin!"
"Uncle Kong is so ridiculous!" Liu Zhang couldn't bear it. Although Kong Rong was good-looking and his son was quite handsome, Liu Zhang was not interested in his daughter. Not to mention that he didn't have one. Even if he did, Liu Zhang wouldn't. Yes! In order to shut up Kong Rong, Liu Zhang said with a smile: "Now Hulao Pass is in a decisive battle with Cao Cao, and it is not safe. How about I send you to Chang'an to reunite with your son?"
"This..." Kong Rong nodded and said: "That's very good. I can't help Duke Qin here, I can only be a burden. However, I have something to say, please don't blame Duke Qin!"
Seeing Kong Rong's serious face, Liu Zhang smiled and said, "Uncle Kong, please tell me!"
Kong Rong said: "I don't know what conflict you have with His Majesty, so that you don't recognize Your Majesty as the emperor. Now, Your Majesty is the only bloodline of the late Emperor in the world. Please put aside the past grudges and save Your Majesty from the fire and water. I would be very grateful!"
"Uncle Kong, there are some things you will know when you get to Chang'an!" Seeing that Kong Rong had just escaped, he was still thinking about Liu Xie in his heart. Liu Zhang admired his loyalty very much. However, Liu Zhang did not want to say more, there were some things It is best for the person concerned to speak up to create a shock! The conflict between Liu Zhang and Liu Xie originated from He Lingsi and Wang Meiren, and even because of the inheritance of the throne, it can only be explained by the Queen Mother He and Liu Bian!
"This..." Kong Rong was a little unhappy. He felt that Liu Zhang was perfunctory with him, so he sat down on his chair and said angrily: "Mr. Qin, if you don't make it clear, I won't leave!"
Seeing Kong Rong relying on his old age, Liu Zhang was a little helpless. He couldn't escort Kong Rong away. In order to avoid misunderstanding, Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Uncle Kong, you only need to go to Chang'an to meet two people and you will understand! If not those two people hope to have peace. If you are not willing to participate in the struggle for power, then where will it be Liu Xie’s turn to become emperor?”
"What do you mean..." Kong Rong's eyes widened and he was about to blurt out. Liu Zhang covered his mouth and made a silencing gesture!
"As long as you know, don't tell me!" Liu Zhang asked with a smile: "Uncle Kong, are you willing to go to Chang'an?"
"Woooo... You're suffocating me to death. You want to murder me!" Kong Rong snorted twice. Only then did Liu Zhang realize that he was still covering his mouth and quickly let go. Kong Rong breathed a long sigh of relief and said: "My Whether to stay or go is entirely up to Duke Qin..."