Kuai Yue said calmly: "Cao's army rushed to attack Jingzhou. There is not enough food and grass yet. How can the army cross the river?"
Cai Mao glanced at Kuai Yue, snorted coldly, and said nothing.
But Liu Biao was in trouble. Whether it was Cai Mao or Kuai Yue, their opinions were reasonable, but what should he do? Liu Biao pondered for a long time and then said: "Why don't we wait and see for a while."
So everyone retreated, and Cai Mao left the Prefectural Mud's Mansion. He had nowhere to vent his grievances. When he returned to the mansion, his family said, "Sir, there is a guest from the north who wants to see you."
"A guest from the north?" Cai Hao pondered for a moment: "Invite him to the small hall to talk."
When Cai Mao arrived at the small hall, there was a man who had been waiting for a long time. Cai Mao knew the person who came, and he was Liu Ye.
Liu Ye has actually been famous for a long time now. He is not only a rare confidant of Cao Cao, but also the object of fear of many people. He is a descendant of Fuling King Liu Yan, the son of Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty. He has been brave and wise since he was a child. Xu Shao, a famous scholar in Runan, escaped from the war and went to Yangzhou.
It is said that Liu Ye has the ability to assist the emperor. Liu Ye is capable of both literary and military skills, and he is resourceful and courageous. He is outstanding in collecting intelligence, analyzing the situation in the world, analyzing the enemy's situation, and grasping the opponent's psychology. He was the leader of the Three Kingdoms era.
One of the most outstanding intelligence staff.
Liu Ye was very courageous since he was a child. When he was thirteen years old, he killed his father's favorite waiter according to his mother's orders. Then he confessed to his father frankly, and his father was surprised and forgave him. Later, the world was in chaos, and Yangzhou local people
Most of the powerful people were unwilling to suppress the strong and support the weak and were cunning and cruel. A group of people headed by Zheng Bao had their own soldiers and wanted to drive the people to the south of the Yangtze River. At this time, Liu Ye was very young and only in his twenties, because he did not want to
Instead of joining the others, Liu Ye took advantage of the opportunity when Cao Cao's envoy came to Yangzhou to visit Zheng Bao at his home, and arranged for strong men to kill Zheng Bao during the banquet. However, the arranged men did not dare to kill Zheng Bao because of fear, so Liu Ye killed Zheng Bao himself.
He borrowed Cao Cao's reputation to subdue Zheng Bao's men, and took Zheng Bao's head to his camp to recruit his men. From these two incidents when Liu Ye was young, we can see his extraordinary courage.
, and the subordinates who knew how to use Cao Cao's prestige to subdue Zheng Bao also initially showed their extraordinary wisdom.
Liu Ye's strength lies in intelligence. His analysis of the enemy's situation and situation is outstanding. When Liu Ye was still serving under Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, he correctly analyzed Sun Ce's strategy in asking Liu Xun to attack Shangliao. Liu Ye
Xun did not listen to his words and was unexpectedly attacked by Sun Ce and failed. When Cao Cao arrived in Shouchun, he wanted to attack the bandit Chen Ce. The generals he sent before failed. Cao Cao asked other counselors and they all said that they should not send troops. Only Liu Ye
Correctly analyzed the difference between the situation before and after. "In the past, the generals were under-equipped, but China has not been conquered." "Today, I will make a brief decision."
On that day, the army opened its gates and the prisoners collapsed." The result turned out to be exactly as Liu Ye said.
Liu Ye is a rather special person. Although he is both a first-class counselor, he is not the type of Xun Yu or Guo Jia. He strategizes and wins thousands of miles away. The effect of implementation is immediate. Instead, he expresses his opinions and plans.
Most strategies can only be proven correct after the fact, and often by that time, those who did not listen to his opinion regret it; on the other hand, Liu Ye's character planning skills seem to be much higher than his strategic level.
In the end, the characters he criticized were all very close to each other, almost exactly as he had originally expected.
I'm afraid such a person can only be described as a genius. Speaking of Liu Ye's first meeting with Cao Cao, there was an interesting episode. Cao Cao recruited five famous people from Yangzhou, including Liu Ye, Jiang Ji, and Hu Zhi. Along the way, others
In order to win Cao Cao's admiration after meeting, the four of them talked eloquently and sometimes stayed up all night. Only Liu Ye
He slept alone in the car without saying a word. When he met Cao Cao, Cao Cao asked the Yangzhou sages and the enemy's situation. The four of them rushed to respond and answered first. They met again. It was still the same. Cao Cao was very pleasant every time.
Only Liu Ye said nothing. The four of them laughed at him. As time went by, when Cao Cao felt there was no problem and stopped asking questions, Liu Ye started talking about a different topic. When Cao Cao understood it, he changed the topic. This happened three times.
Liu Ye believed that "it is appropriate to speak from afar with the spirit of conquering, and to use one's own ideas to make the most of one's opportunities. It is not appropriate to sit down and talk." Shortly after these conversations, Cao Cao gave Jiang Ji and other four people the command, and gave Liu Ye the role of confidant.
, whenever he encountered a difficult matter, he would write to Liu Ye asking questions, sometimes dozens of times a night. From then on, Liu Ye became a formal member of the Cao Wei Group...
As an outstanding counselor under Cao Cao, Liu Ye could be said to be inexhaustible in terms of strategy, and he basically made no mistakes. However, most of his opinions were not adopted. On the surface, he seemed to be favored, but in fact he was still somewhat frustrated.
This is related to Liu Ye's personal background. When Liu Ye defected to Cao Cao, although Cao Cao's status had been stable, he still needed to use the slogan of "Serving the Emperor" and still needed a large number of scholars loyal to the Han Dynasty to assist him.
As a descendant of the Han royal family, Liu Ye naturally became the best banner. Liu Ye's situation is the epitome of the last dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty from being exploited to decline and finally to destruction. Liu Ye's signature as a descendant of the royal family is also
It gradually evolved from useful to useless, and in the end even became a burden. With the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao did not need to obey the ministers loyal to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Liu Ye had gradually become a decoration. Of course, his opinions and
The suggestion was not taken seriously by Cao Cao.
In addition, this is closely related to the fierce political struggle within Cao Cao's account. When the Cao Wei Group was founded and developed, Cao Cao was still able to rely only on his talents. However, the more talents there were, the more complex the internal struggles became.
more and more intense.
Liu Ye was obviously a loser. Although he was entrusted with important tasks, he was not prominent among Cao's army. Naturally, it was Cao Cao's intention to cross the river to look for Cai Mao.
"General Cai." Seeing Cai Mao come in, Liu Ye had already stood up and saluted Cai Mao.
"Is it Mr. Liu? Please sit down." Cai Mao didn't seem abrupt. In fact, several letters from Cao Cao were sent by Liu Ye. Cai Hao knew it well. Liu Ye not only came to deliver the letters, but also sent them
He also took the opportunity to spy on Xiangfan's military situation, but Cai Mao didn't think it was a big deal, so he didn't take it seriously.
Cai Mao took the letter and read it for a moment. He raised his eyes and said, "What does it mean that Duke Cao went south to Jingzhou?"
Liu Ye smiled calmly: "It doesn't mean anything. There are endless disputes in the world. Duke Cao wants to eliminate all warlords, and he is following the emperor's order. Although Liu Biao is a member of the royal family, he secretly keeps troops and horses in Jingzhou, and the government orders are all out of Jingsheng.
This is a serious crime of rebellion. If Duke Cao wants to attack Jingzhou, it is appropriate to capture Liu Biao."
Cai Mao disagreed with this. Who didn't know that this big man had long existed in name only. Warlords who support their troops and respect themselves are everywhere, but he would not say such words. He only smiled slightly and said: "Could it be that Duke Cao is completely sure?"
Liu Ye smiled and said: "The person that Duke Cao is afraid of is just the Xiangfan Navy. Now that the Xiangfan Navy has gone to Jiangxia, there are only one hundred thousand infantry in Jingzhou. What does it mean in the eyes of Duke Cao? Now Duke Cao wants to pacify Jingzhou.
, at least 90% sure.”
"Oh?" Cai Mao felt unhappy and couldn't help but sarcastically said: "I still think Mr. Cao is 100% sure."
Liu Ye smiled and shook his head: "It's 100% sure, but there's only one thing. If it comes true, maybe it can be done."
"What is it?"
Liu Ye laughed: "I just asked General Cai to help Duke Cao!"
Cai Mao was immediately shocked. He didn't expect that Liu Ye was here to persuade him to surrender, so he quickly said: "Liu Jingzhou is related to me by marriage, how can I help Duke Cao?"
Liu Ye said: "General Cai is here. Liu Jingsheng is not a tyrant. Today, if Jingzhou is not captured by Cao Gong, it will be captured by Yuan Shu, Sun Ce and others. If Cao Gong captures Jingzhou, General Cai and Cao Gong have an old relationship, so he will naturally be a guest."
.But if someone else captures Jingzhou, I'm afraid General Cai will have to be a prisoner. Please think again, General Cai."
Cai Mao thought Liu Ye's words made sense. Liu Biao was indeed not a heroic leader. How long could he defend Jingzhou? The princes in the world attacked each other. Some became stronger as they fought, and some became weaker as they fought. No matter what, it was impossible.
We have to fight for one or two, but Liu Biao is better. What big things can be achieved by guarding Jingzhou?…
Cai Mao knew Cao Cao well. He was ambitious and resourceful. He used to be just a captain, but now he has two states, served as the emperor, and hundreds of generals under his command. The wise men are like crucian carp crossing the river, which one is better and which one is worse.
, there is no need to compare anymore.
Cai Mao hesitated for a moment. Cao Cao's army was about to arrive at the city. Cao Cao sent people to persuade him to surrender. If he refused at this time, what would he do if Cao Cao's army occupied Jingzhou in the future? He and Cao Cao were close friends. Should he go and ask for surrender again? But now
Surrendering was not only unjustifiable, but also made him feel a little unwilling to agree to this matter or not.
Seeing Cai Mao's hesitation, Liu Ye smiled and said: "Don't worry, General Cai. As long as General Cai is willing to help Mr. Cao, you will be the commander-in-chief of the Navy." He took out a copy of the imperial edict: "Here is a copy of the emperor's edict.
, as long as General Cai nods his head, he can be promoted to the title of Xinyehou and be granted a settlement of 3,000 households. What does General Cai think?"
Cai Mao's Adam's apple rolled, but he was still hesitant. He pondered for a moment and said, "What does Mr. Cao want me to do?"
Liu Ye said: "Try not to get away from Liu Biao. As soon as Cao Jun arrives at Xiangyang City, General Cai will light a fire in the city and leave the rest to us."
Cai Hao hesitated and said, "I wonder what Duke Cao will do with Liu Jingzhou?" After all, Liu Biao was related to him by marriage, and Liu Cong was also his nephew. With this relationship, Cai Hao was still concerned about Liu Biao's fate.
Liu Ye said: "Although Liu Biao made a big mistake, he is not worthy of death. He will naturally be sent to Chang'an. When the time comes, Duke Cao can say a few nice words in front of the emperor and he will definitely not lose his life."
Cai Mao said: "Mr. Liu, can you keep your word?"
Liu Ye said: "Naturally."
Cai Mao nodded: "In that case, I will agree to this matter and go back to tell Duke Cao that Cai Mao is willing to work hard for Duke Cao."
It was not easy for Cai Hao to make this determination, but he also felt Liu Biao's cowardice. If he continued like this, even if Jingzhou was spared today, but when Sun Ce and Yuan Shu came over, Cai Hao would probably be even more embarrassed. Now he has taken refuge with Cao Cao.
Undoubtedly the best choice.
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However, Liu Biao was hesitating whether to lead the army to Jiangling. Cai Hao suddenly changed his view at this time and believed that defending Xiangfan was the most important. He also listed the defenses of the two cities of Xiangfan and said to Liu Biao: "Cao Cao has come all the way, as long as our army
If we stand firm and wait for reinforcements, we will surely be able to repel Cao Cao."
Liu Biao was convinced and no longer considered retreating to Jiangling. He ordered Cai Mao to consolidate the city defense and observe the movements of Cao's army at any time. Cai Mao took the order.
A few days later, a group of Cao's troops suddenly appeared at the foot of Xiangyang City. Liu Biao was shocked and summoned Cai Mao urgently to ask, "I ordered you to send out scouts to observe the movements of Cao's troops. Why did Cao's troops suddenly appear? Why was no one reporting back before?"
Cai Mao said: "My lord, although I sent a scout, I did not find the movement of Cao's army."
Liu Biao asked dissatisfiedly: "Could it be that Cao's army fell from the sky?" He scolded Cai Mao, and then angrily returned to the backyard to rest.
Cai Mao was scolded, but he didn't resent Liu Biao. He went up to the tower to see Cao's army below the city. He had something to think about, so he called a few of his confidants to discuss it. That night, he sent people to set fires everywhere and opened the city gates.
Suddenly, more than 10,000 Cao troops swarmed into the city. The guard in the city was Cai Mao. Cai Mao rebelled, and no one stepped forward. The Jingzhou army was in chaos and fled for their lives.
In just one night, Cao Cao's army captured Xiangyang. After dawn, Cai Mao gathered the defeated troops in Jingzhou and formally surrendered to Cao Cao.
A few days later, Cao Cao led a group of troops and horses to Xiangyang, visited Cai Mao personally, entered his private room, called his wife, and said that he was an old friend of Cai Mao and wanted to meet Cai Mao...
In fact, Cao Cao and Cai Mao were indeed close friends. This matter needs to start with Cao Cao's grandfather, the eunuch Cao Teng.
Cao Teng is a figure with mixed reputations, but it cannot be denied that he did recommend several capable ministers to the court. Among them were Yu Fang, Bian Shao, Yan Gu, Zhang Wen, Zhang Huan, and Tang Xidian.
Six people. These six people are all good ministers.
The reason why I mention this is because Cao Song created the conditions for Cao Cao and Cai Mao to get acquainted. Because Zhang Wen among these people was Cai Mao's uncle.
Zhang Wen was credited with handling Boyu's rebellion in Beigong, Liangzhou. His subordinates Dong Zhuo, Tao Qian, and Sun Jian also accumulated their political capital in that battle.
Zhang Wen's wife was the sister of Cai Xi, the leader of the wealthy Xiangyang clan. Cai Xi was Cai Mao's father, so Zhang Wen was Cai Mao's uncle.
As a powerful local sect in Xiangyang, the Xiangyang Cai family was selective in their marriages. For example, Cai Xi's eldest daughter married Huang Chengyan, and his youngest daughter married Liu Biao as a second wife. Both women were Cai Mao's sisters.
Having said that, Zhang Wen entered the capital on the recommendation of Cao Teng, and later served as the Jiuqing. As he became more and more official, he naturally felt grateful for the kindness of the Cao family, so the relationship between the Zhang family and the Cao family is actually quite close.
As a nephew, Cai Mao often moved between Xiangyang and the capital, so he met Cao Cao under such conditions. Moreover, Cai Mao and Cao Cao knew each other when they were relatively young.
Therefore, when Cao Cao entered Jingzhou, the first thing he did was to go directly to Cai Mao's house, call Cai Mao's wife, and tell him about his relationship with Cai Mao.
Cai Mao was waiting in the back hall at this time. Logically speaking, he should have gone to the city gate to greet Cao Cao. However, after all, he was a surrendered general and betrayed his master. In addition, he was from a wealthy family, so there was still something in his heart that he couldn't let go of.
At this time, seeing Cao Cao coming to the door in person, he came out to greet him and said, "Mr. Cao, Cai Mao is here."
Cao Cao took Cai Mao's hand and laughed loudly: "How come De Gui is so polite after ten years of separation."
Cai Mao also knew that Cao Cao was different from the past, so he smiled and said: "Can Mr. Cao see Liang Hu?".
The two looked at each other and both laughed. There was an allusion to Liang Hu. Cao Cao wanted to be the magistrate of Luoyang, so he invited Cai Mao to visit Liang Hu, the official who was promoted at that time. The two arrived at Liang Hu.
At the house, Liang Hu refused to see them, so the two of them stood in front of Liang Hu's house and waited for a full day before leaving in dismay.
As Minister of Selections, Liang Hu turned away Cao Cao and Cai Mao who came to pay him a visit, and did not consider Cao Cao's request for the Luoyang Order. As time passed and the Central Plains was in turmoil, he had no choice but to shamelessly seek refuge in Jingzhou, and Cai Mao in Jingzhou
In this territory, Cai Mao was very narrow-minded. He humiliated Liang Hu several times, but he avenged his former hatred.
Now that Cao Cao has occupied Jingzhou again, in Cai Mao's mind, Liang Hu's life may be a little difficult. When Cai Mao mentioned this at this time, he not only wanted Cao Cao to punish Liang Hu, but also reviewed the two of them.
In those days, it was snowing heavily, but for the sake of your future, I stood with you in Liang Hu's house for a whole day. Based on this relationship alone, you have to take care of me, an old friend.
How could Cao Cao not understand Cai Mao's thoughts, caressing his back and said: "Without De Gui, how could Ah Ma be where he is today? If you can win Jingzhou, it will be your first achievement."
The pronunciation of Cao Cao's words was also very clear. He called himself Ah Man, which was to tell Cai Hao that I am still the Cao Ah Man before, and I am still an old friend, and I will take care of you to some extent.
"As for Liang Hu..." Cao Cao smiled: "Forget about the past. If he is willing to come to see me, I will reuse him."
This sentence can be regarded as deciding Liang Hu's fate. In fact, Cao Cao really had no intention of trying to deal with Liang Hu. After all, many years had passed since this incident. In addition, Cao Cao still admired Liang Hu's uprightness.
, after Cao Cao was a eunuch, he was still powerful in the court. Liang Hu was able to shut him out, which shows his uprightness.
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The relationship between Cao Cao and Cai Mao was found through a lot of information, so I will write it down briefly.