"Recently I have been studying the Sichuan Army's new policy. I feel that if I implement it, I will definitely do a better job than Li Yan and Huang Quan. There are also banks that I can manage.
If I serve as a local official in the Sichuan Army, the place I govern will definitely be more prosperous than other places, do you believe it?"
Cao Cao looked at Lingju. Lingju didn't speak, his delicate fingers were still playing the strings, but there was obviously a layer of sadness on his pretty face.
Cao Cao didn't get an answer from Lingju and didn't care. He was used to talking to himself in front of Lingju over the years. He raised his head and looked at the garden outside again with a calm smile on his face: "Actually, sometimes I think about it.
, took several subordinate officials to the fields to guide the people in farming and see the crops that were about to be harvested.
When there is a famine, it is also a good life to tie up my trousers and follow the soldiers to rescue and provide disaster relief, write some administrative reports every month, and wait for the imperial court to give me Cao Cao monthly money. It is a good life, but it is a pity."
The smile on Cao Cao's face gradually faded, replaced by a feeling of loneliness and desolation: "Unfortunately, maybe Xu Shaoquan guessed wrong. I can neither be a hero in troubled times nor an able minister in governing the world. God will not give me this opportunity.
"
The sound of the piano suddenly stopped, and Cao Cao looked up at Lingju. Lingju lowered his head, and Cao Cao could only see his white forehead and the flowing hair.
Lingju suddenly raised his head and said seriously to Cao Cao: "Cao Cao, no matter where you go, whether you are alive or dead, Lingju will stay with you and play the piano for you."
Cao Cao looked at Ling Ju and his heart suddenly surged. How many years had he been waiting? How many years had he been silently waiting for this sentence?
I originally thought that I would never hear Lingju's words and would leave this world with endless regrets.
But just when I was numb to Lingju's neglect, just when I was used to Lingju's accusations against me, just when I was despairing, I unexpectedly waited for these words.
"Really?" Cao Cao felt his heart beating violently.
"If you are a hero, I will be behind you. If you are an official of the Sichuan Army, I will be by your side. If you become an ordinary citizen, I will be in the kitchen of your home. If you are underground... I will be there too." Ling Ju said Xu Sheng.
As he stood, his face was extremely calm. And it was this calmness that showed the determination in Lingju's heart.
Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter, and the gloom was swept away, and he laughed extremely happily: "Lingju, with your words, why should I regret that Cao Cao died?
The hegemony I have been pursuing for half my life has come to nothing, but with you sincerely by my side, I, Cao Cao, have no regrets."
…
The Sichuan army forced Bingzhou, and Cao Zhang was ordered to retreat to the Taihang Mountains. The Sichuan army marched straight in, and soon included most of Bingzhou, and the important town of Jinyang. All Shangdang fell into the hands of the Sichuan army.
That night, Liu Zhang was silent while holding a letter, his face full of disbelief. Huang Yueying saw him at the side and said to Liu Zhang: "My lord, what does the letter say?"
Liu Zhang put down the letter and said to Huang Yueying after a while: "Yueying, do you believe it? Zhelan's persuasion is effective. Cao Cao is really going to surrender. I don't believe it. I can't believe it either. Yueying, do you believe it?"
?"
"Oh my god, it's incredible." Huang Yueying was obviously surprised. She took the letter and looked at it carefully. Liu Zhang asked: "Is this a false surrender?"
"Fake surrender?" Huang Yueying frowned for a while and slowly shook her head: "Even if it's a fake surrender, as long as Cao Zhang makes way for us, how grateful I am to Cao Jun's fake surrender. When the time comes, even if the Sichuan army's life is used to surround Cao Jun, I will
Open the road to Taihang Mountain."
Both Liu Zhang and Huang Yueying knew that if they attacked the dangerous terrain of the Taihang Mountains, Cao's army's capital was close at hand, and they would fight to the death, and they would be extremely cautious, which would cost a lot of lives of Sichuan soldiers.
If it is a false surrender, as long as the Huguan pass is opened and the Sichuan troops rush in, even if Cao's troops are on all sides and they shoot arrows, set fire, open the floodgates and release water at the Sichuan troops, Huang Yueying will rush over at all costs.
What's more, it's so easy to fall into the trap? With the current combat power of the Sichuan army and the current morale of the Cao army, how much can be lost no matter what?
Fake surrender, Huang Yueying couldn't get it.
Huang Yueying shook her head: "Even if it's a fake surrender, we will fall for it, but Cao Cao can't be that stupid. It shouldn't be a fake surrender."
"That is to say." Liu Zhang asked cautiously: "Is it true?"
Huang Yueying nodded slowly.
Liu Zhang only felt a breath of cold air. This was simply beyond his imagination. Would Cao Cao, a great hero of his generation, surrender?
When he first attacked Liu Bei, Liu Zhang never thought that Liu Bei would surrender. When Sun Quan retreated to cultivate immortality, Liu Zhang did not believe that Sun Quan would actually cultivate immortality at such a young age.
This is because of Liu Zhang's understanding of Sun Quan and Liu Bei, or in other words, his deep impression of them.
And this impression that Cao Cao would not surrender was much more profound than that of Sun Quan and Liu Bei. If Liu Zhang were told at another time that Cao Cao would surrender, Liu Zhang would not believe it anyway.
But now a rational analysis shows that this is really a surrender, which made Liu Zhang unable to recover for a long time.
"Lord, don't think about it." Huang Yueying was shocked in her heart. Although she did not have the impression of Liu Zhang's later generations, she still understood the temperament of the princes in the world. Now that Cao Cao was about to surrender, it would be difficult for her to accept it for a while.
But Huang Yueying knew that in the face of emergencies, it was urgent to deal with the problem. Huang Yueying said to Liu Zhang: "Whether it is a fake surrender or not, we have broken into this dragon's pond and tiger's den. As long as Cao Zhang opens the Hu Pass, we will attack Yecheng."
Time is very tight, and the letter states that Cao Cao will massacre family officials in Yecheng. This is clearing the way for him to surrender, and it is also clearing the way for us.
However, there are still a large number of clan troops along the Yellow River. They are completely loyal to the clan. If we arrive late and hear about the sudden change in Yecheng, these clan troops may jump over the wall in a hurry, return to Yecheng's aid, and regain control of the political situation.
Although it is not a threat, it is still quite troublesome and we need to send troops immediately."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Liu Zhang made up his mind and said, if Cao Cao surrenders, then the Sichuan army will not need to launch a world unification war, and can directly pacify Hebei. If Cao Cao is destroyed, can Jiangdong survive?
"But there is one thing, my lord, I need to make up my mind first, so as not to be in a hurry when the time comes." Huang Yueying reminded.
"What's the matter?"
"How to arrange Cao Cao."
Liu Zhang frowned. This was indeed a headache. Huang Yueying said: "Cao Cao was a great hero. He once traversed the Central Plains and swept Hebei. He had countless men and women under his command.
Now that he has surrendered the entire Hebei Province, even if we incorporate his forces, Cao Cao's influence cannot be underestimated.
We must make a decision early on how to deal with Cao Cao, so as not to enter Yecheng and not know how to deal with the surrendered civil and military forces, as well as Cao Cao himself."
"What do you mean?" Liu Zhang asked.
"Three strategies: upper, middle and lower." Huang Yueying said slowly: "The best strategy is to learn from Xiang Yu and kill them all, including Cao Cao's family members and close men and women, after they are incorporated.
The reason why this is the best policy is because it works once and for all.
Don't worry, my lord, this policy will not do any harm to your lord politically. First, our people's morale and military morale are as solid as a rock and will not be lost just by killing a group of surrendered generals.
There is no need to worry about the civil and military affairs of the DPRK. My lord also said that most poor families would like to be granted a higher official position, and it would be better if they do not have Cao Jun.
Second, this move will not cause a loss of credit, because..." Huang Yueying smiled and said: "We will be unified soon. Those families in Jiangdong will not surrender, and it is expected that Sun Quan will not surrender either. We don't have to trust them.
When the time comes, we can wipe out all the upper echelons of Jiangdong and avoid future troubles."
"Where is Zhongce?" Liu Zhang asked.
Huang Yueying knew what Liu Zhang was worried about, so she didn't say anything more, and replied: "The best strategy is to keep it, and wait until the world is peaceful before finding an excuse to kill him. This should be the way of a normal king."
"As for the next best option, I would like to keep Cao Cao, so that my lord can gain some reputation for benevolence and righteousness, and gain some trust and hope. However, my lord's reputation as a tyrant is not only considered so by the family. We, the people under the jurisdiction of the Sichuan Army, also know that my lord kills without blinking an eye, and this kind of benevolence and righteousness etc. , it is of no use to the lord.
On the contrary, there are a lot of unstable factors. Your lord should know that our victory over Cao Jun is basically due to the combat power of our army. In fact, Cao Jun is no worse than us in civil and military affairs. Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jiacheng Yu, Zhang Liao, Xu Huangtian, Yu Cao Ren, none of them are better. Reciprocal.
If you keep all these people, there may be trouble one day."
"I choose the next strategy." Liu Zhang hesitated for a long time and said.
"Well? Why?" Huang Yueying was a little confused. She thought Liu Zhang would choose the middle policy because of those concerns, but she didn't expect Liu Zhang would choose the worst policy.
Liu Zhang let out a long breath and said: "I do have some concerns in my heart, apart from things like faith and justice, I also have Zhelan.
If it were my other wives, I wouldn't worry so much, but Zhelan is different, because it would have been impossible for Cao Cao to get to where he is today without Zhelan, at least he would have to wait many years.
In the battle of Chang'an, Zhelan did not attack the Sichuan army, so Zhang Liao's army was defeated and Cao's army was no longer able to resist.
In the battle of Xiahetao, Zhelan sent troops to the rear of Xianbei and Wuhuan. Not only did he fail to assist Cao Cao, but he also cut off Cao Cao's other three reinforcements. Only then could we take over Bingzhou and Xiahetao.
Now that Cao Cao surrendered, it was partly because of Zhelan's advice.
I know what Zhelan is thinking. She doesn't want to see me fighting with Cao Cao, let alone anyone dying, so she chooses to help me and quickly end the war between the Sichuan Army and Cao Cao Army.
Without Zhelan, Cao Cao would not surrender. She persuaded her father to surrender to save Cao Cao's life, but I killed Zhelan's father because of it. I felt sorry for Zhelan.
I can risk everything for the great cause, but I can’t do this, I don’t think I can reach that step yet.”
"But……"
Huang Yueying was about to speak, but Liu Zhang waved his hand to stop him: "Don't worry about the threats from Cao Cao and Cao Cao's generals. I think our Sichuan army can still tolerate another Cao Cao."