After the defeat in Nanyang, Cao Cao moved the capital to Yecheng and led a large army to garrison Xuchang, where he stayed in his mansion to recuperate.
Since he started taking the Wu Shi San, he couldn't stop taking it and had to take it once every half a month. Other people in the mansion also recovered from their illnesses after taking the elixirs made by Zuo Ci.
Zuo Ci became famous in Xuchang. As a wandering Taoist priest, he was more popular than a doctor. People came to him to ask for elixirs and even to ask for divination.
But Zuo Ci never practiced divination or magic, he was just devoted to making medicine. After Cao Cao sent people to investigate secretly, he made up his mind to allocate part of the funds for building the Bronze Sparrow Tower to build the Qingyun Palace in Shaolin.
From then on, in Xuchang and even in the Central Plains, Zuo Ci was known as Zuo Banxian, and no one missed the great doctor Hua Tuo anymore.
One day, just after coming out of Qin's room, still reminiscing about the delicate state on the water bed, Cao Zhang rushed in and shouted, "Father, something terrible has happened, go and take care of my eldest brother and brother-in-law!"
Cao Cao asked unhappily, "Why are you so alarmed?"
"Father, he... they sold all the furniture in the house."
Cao Zhang was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he had been tall since he was a child, almost as tall as an adult. He loved martial arts since he was a child and had a tough and impulsive personality.
"Oh? Zihuan is so short of money?" Cao Cao was startled, then sighed: "Sell it, just sell it, it's a good time to buy some new ones."
Cao Zhang said anxiously: "He also sold the weapons that my son used for martial arts training."
"Just sell it, and I'll have someone make another one." Cao Cao laughed. It turned out that this kid came here for this purpose.
Cao Zhang's face turned red: "He also sold my mother's big round bed."
"Just sell it, it's just the right time to exchange it for a water bed." Cao Cao frowned slightly.
Cao Zhang said again: "This morning, my elder brother also sold the furniture in the palace..."
"How dare you!" Cao Cao was furious when he heard this, and slammed the table and stood up, "How dare you, a rebellious son who doesn't do his job properly, do this?"
Cao Zhang said hurriedly: "I'll go get my brother right away."
"Wait!" Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Zihuan has always been cautious in doing things and would never do anything wrong. Let's see what he wants to do. As a father, I have my reasons."
Cao Zhang was very disappointed. He said "oh" and turned away. Cao Cao suddenly asked, "Who asked you to report this?"
Cao Zhangyan said: "My third brother said that my eldest brother is greedy for money and profit, and does not study literature. I reminded father to stop it as soon as possible."
"I know!" Cao Cao sighed. There had always been an open and secret struggle between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.
In the past, they competed for knowledge, but now they are competing with each other for scheming. The children have grown up, and I don’t know whether to be happy or sad.
Just as he was worrying, Cao Chun came hurriedly to report: "Liu Qi is getting married, Lu Su of Dongwu went to congratulate him, Sun Quan wants to marry his sister to Liu Qi, and the two families have formed an alliance."
Cao Cao was shocked when he heard this and said quickly, "Go and invite Jia Wenhe to come and see him."
Guo Jia died of illness in Hebei, Cheng Yu died in Nanyang, Xun Yu often stayed in Yecheng to supervise officials, and Xun You was in Huainan. The only person who could discuss important matters was Jia Xu.
In the study, Cao Cao ordered Cao Chun to report the intelligence in detail, and then said: "I recommended Zhou Yu as the governor of Jiangxia. I wanted to make Sun and Liu annex each other and then send troops to Nanyang to avenge the previous humiliation. I didn't expect that they would form an alliance instead. What should I do?"
Jia Xu smiled and twirled his beard, saying, "Sun and Liu were enemies for generations. Sun Quan did not seek revenge, but took the initiative to form an alliance. He was afraid that if the Prime Minister went south, Liu Qi would be timid and unable to stand alone. He wanted him to fight against our army with all his strength so that he could take advantage of the situation. This move was for the benefit of Jiangdong. It also shows that everyone in Soochow is afraid of the Prime Minister's power and is not to be feared."
Cao Cao frowned and said, "But the marriage between the two families will eventually become a big problem. If we send troops to Nanyang, Huainan will certainly mobilize troops, making it difficult for me to take care of both ends, and there will be no hope of conquering Jiangnan!"
Jia Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister. Sun and Liu haven't gotten married yet. We can use a little trick to make them have new hatreds before their old hatreds are gone. The two families will be like water and fire, and the Prime Minister will reap the benefits."
Cao Cao hurriedly asked, "What's the plan?"
Jia Xu twirled his beard and said slowly, "Sun Quan is afraid of the Prime Minister and wants to use Liu Qi as the vanguard. Why don't you do the opposite? Lead a large army to Hefei and pretend to take Jiangnan directly. Sun Quan will definitely ask Jingzhou for help. Liu Qi ordered Guan Yu to guard Jiangxia and will definitely send troops to support him by water. You can act on the river. Guan Yu is arrogant. If you provoke him, the two families will definitely fight."
"Now that Liu Bei is dead, it's a pity that Yun Chang, the tiger general, can't be used by me!"
Speaking of Guan Yu, Cao Cao sighed and asked, "However, the north and south of the Yangtze River are all controlled by Jiangdong. How should we act?"
Jia Xu said, "Zhou Yu has been training his troops in Chaisang and has conquered the Yuzhang clan and cleared the territory. However, the mountains are high and the waters are deep, how can he completely eliminate them? The Peng family has lived in Pengli for generations. They claim to be the descendants of Peng Yue and have gathered tens of thousands of people. They must have secretly accepted many heroes. Now they are forced by Dongwu. The rabbit is dying and the fox is mourning. The Prime Minister only needs to issue an imperial edict to confer official titles on them, and they will gladly come to surrender."
"Brilliant!" Cao Cao was also a very smart man. He understood it immediately and laughed, "We can have Peng pretend to be a soldier from the Eastern Wu, and attack the soldiers from Jingzhou along the way while they are heading east to support us. The two families will definitely become enemies."
Jia Xu nodded and said, "If Liu Qi does not save Sun Quan, the two families will fall out and the marriage will fail. The Prime Minister can take advantage of the situation to seize Huainan, seize Lujiang, occupy Ruxu, and intimidate Jiangdong. It is also possible to destroy Sun Quan first."
"Let's conquer Jiangdong first?" Cao Cao was startled, stroked his beard and thought for a moment before asking, "What do you think, sir?"
Jia Xu said: "Liu Qi has risen against the odds, and the battle of Nanyang has won the support of the people. Now the soldiers of Jingzhou are well-trained and brave, and their morale is high. They are united and swear to fight to the death against the Prime Minister. We should not attack hastily!"
Cao Cao also knew that he had lost the support of the people in Jingzhou. He sighed in his heart and frowned, saying, "But Sun Quan has commanded the people of Wu and Yue and has taken control of the three rivers. My navy is not yet complete, and with Zhou Yu leading the troops, I am afraid it will be difficult to cross the river."
Jia Xu said, "Jiangdong may seem impregnable, but it is not difficult to break it! Sun Quan has been in office for a short time and lacks prestige. The noble families are seeking to protect themselves. The Shanyue have not yet returned to their loyalty. Sun Ce has slaughtered the enemies of famous scholars. The king and his ministers are in a state of disunity. The people of Jiangdong are afraid of the prime minister's power. If a large army is sent to them, everyone will be terrified. The noble families will surely surrender to protect themselves. What can Sun Quan, the newly appointed lord, do?"
Cao Cao stroked his beard and pondered for a long time, then said with emotion: "What Wenhe said is really true! Wolves are afraid of tigers, so they attack them in groups; sheep are afraid of tigers, so they run away when they see them. They both seek to protect themselves, but sheep will eventually become food for tigers!"
Jia Xu squinted his eyes, his gaze rarely softened, full of memories, and chuckled, "Tianshui is rich in persimmons. Every season, the mountains are red, and the people pick persimmons. The softest ones are the sweetest. There is a saying in the northwest: Pick the softest persimmons!"
"Oh? Hahaha—" Cao Cao stroked his beard and laughed, then sighed helplessly, "It seems that Liu Qi, this wolf cub, will have to be eliminated later."
Speaking of the northwest, Jia Xu said: "If the Prime Minister sends troops to Huainan, Xuchang only needs one general to guard it. However, Ma Teng is hesitant in advancing and retreating in Guanzhong, so we need to strengthen our defense."
Cao Cao asked: "Cao Hong is guarding Chang'an, with the help of Zhong Yao and others, is that not enough?"
Jia Xu said: "If it is just Ma Teng, there is no need to worry. I am afraid that Liu Qi will secretly ally with him, which will be far more dangerous than the marriage between Sun and Liu!"
"Hmm..." Cao Cao thought for a moment. He knew that Zhong Yao, Zhang Ji and others were not good at making plans, but there was no one available at the moment. He asked, "Who can be my military advisor?"
Jia Xu said: "I have seen that Sima Zhongda, the son of Sima Fang, is not only well-educated, but also deeply knowledgeable in military tactics. He is only a literary official and has not been given a proper position. Why don't you use him?"