After Xiahou Mao left, Cao Cao was lost in thought for a long time, but then he saw Cao Chun come in with a happy face: "Congratulations, Prime Minister!"
Cao Cao asked, "Where does the joy come from?"
Cao Chun handed over the letter: "Guanzhong battle report, Zilian borrowed Sima Yi's strategy and defeated Ma Teng's troops. The three of them died in Chang'an. The disaster in Guanzhong has been eliminated!"
"Oh?" Cao Cao half sat up, opened the letter and read it, but his brows were furrowed and his expression was solemn.
In the letter, Cao Hong reported the war truthfully, praised Sima Yi for his ability to use troops, and said that being a literary official was a waste of his talent, so he requested that he be kept in Chang'an as a military advisor.
Cao Chun came to deliver the victory report, hoping that Cao Cao would be happy, but he was instead filled with sorrow and asked in confusion, "When the army in Huainan was defeated, the Prime Minister was still laughing, so why is it that when the victory report from Guanzhong was received, he is sighing?"
"Sima Zhongda..." Cao Cao sighed, and after a long pause, he said, "He defeated Ma Teng and his son in this battle. He was very smart and prepared to foresee the enemy. He is truly a great general! However, he has been in Xuchang for several years, and no one knows that he can command troops. How cunning is he?"
Cao Chun smiled and said, "Sima Yi is well-read and well-informed. He taught the students in Xuchang. He didn't get the position, so naturally he was unknown. When the Prime Minister employs people, he has never asked about their background, but only their talent. Now that such a wonderful person has appeared, it must be God's help to the Cao family!"
Cao Cao's eyes were slightly stern, and he said slowly: "This man has the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf, I'm afraid he is not a minister to me!"
Cao Chun said with disdain, "With us assisting the Prime Minister, what can a mere Confucian scholar do?"
Cao Cao glanced at him and said, "This boy is in his prime. If he takes charge of the military, when you and I are old, who will be able to control our young men?"
Cao Chun was startled, and clasped his fists and said, "The matter of employing people is entirely up to the Prime Minister."
He just admired Sima Yi's talent, but never interfered in employing people and doing things. However, deep down in his heart, he still felt that Cao Cao was afraid of a Confucian scholar, which was a bit groundless.
"Five-Stone Powder!" Cao Cao hooked his fingers, crumpled up the letter and threw it away, then ordered, "Call the military advisor, Yuan Rang and others to discuss matters."
Since taking this medicine, although it worked in the short term, my spirit became increasingly lethargic afterwards. In the past two months, I have become increasingly thinner and have lost my appetite.
At first he thought it was caused by excessive indulgence after taking the medicine, so he tried to restrain himself a little. However, during this expedition to Huainan, he had not touched a woman, but the symptom did not improve.
Thinking of He Yan's skinny and pale appearance, Cao Cao suspected that the Five Stones Powder had a backlash effect. However, he had to take it every time his headache attacked and the pain was unbearable.
After the defeat at Hefei, the generals were panicked and the morale of the army was unstable. There would definitely be another major battle in Guanzhong. He had no choice but to take medicine and take charge of the matter.
Xun You, Le Jin and others all fled back over the mountains. Cao Ren came back with injuries, leaning on a crutch, and walking with his legs apart, like a swaying goose.
Cao Cao sighed, "Since I started my uprising, I have been working with the country to eliminate evil and harm. I vowed to clear the four seas and conquer the world. This battle should have taken Huainan and Jiangdong, but who knew that it would be ruined by Liu Qi."
"Prime Minister, I swear to avenge this!" Cao Ren's face turned pale and he gritted his teeth.
He was frightened away by Liu Qi's empty camp and suffered this injury, becoming a laughing stock of the entire army, which was more humiliating than being captured twice.
Cao Cao glanced around and asked, "The alliance between Sun and Liu will eventually become a serious problem. What should we do?"
Liu Fu said: "The Jiangdong navy is strong and cannot be defeated in a short time. Now that the rainy season has arrived, it is better to withdraw the troops. We can recruit soldiers in Huainan and train them in Huaishui and Hongze. Once the navy is trained, it will not be too late to fight again."
Xun You said: "Prime Minister, do you still remember Guo Fengxiao's plan? Now that the army is heading south, Sun and Liu will naturally work together. Once the troops retreat, they will surely fight each other."
Liu Fu nodded and said, "Military Advisor, what you said is very true. Bi Yan'er is cold-hearted and ungrateful by nature. Since he betrayed me, he will definitely plot against Liu Qi. With the Pengli thieves adding fuel to the fire, there will be resentment soon. Why don't you just sit back and watch the fight?"
It was Liu Fu who mediated the marriage between Cao Cao and the Sun family. It was also Liu Fu who recommended Sun Quan's filial and honest officials. Now that he was bitten back and repeatedly invaded Huainan, Liu Fu hated Sun Quan to the core.
Cao Cao nodded and said, "Ma Chao will surely raise an army to avenge Ma Teng's death. I am worried about the situation in Guanzhong. Since Huainan cannot be attacked, I will leave Zixiao there to guard it. Build warships, recruit soldiers and train them immediately. Train the navy in Huai and Si in the hope of revenge."
Cao Ren accepted the order and clasped his fists, saying, "When the Prime Minister pacifies Guanzhong, my navy will also be well trained. We will control half of the country and march south of the Yangtze River. How can Liu Qi and Sun Quan, who are just ants, stop us?"
Cao Cao also ordered Cao Xiu to command the navy, Zang Ba, Zhu Ling and others as deputy generals, and Xiahou Dun and other generals returned to Xuchang to prepare to support Guanzhong.
All the civil and military officials went to prepare. Cao Cao sat alone in the mansion, looking south, muttering, "Mr. Qiao, Mr. Qiao, your two daughters are both beautiful, but why are they stranded in Jiangdong? They cannot follow me to the Bronze Sparrow Tower and enjoy all the glory and wealth. It is a lifelong regret."
Cao Cao and Qiao Xuan were close friends and often visited each other. When Cao Cao first met the two Qiao sisters in Luoyang, he was struck by how beautiful they were, even though they were not yet 160 years old.
Later, the Ten Eunuchs seized power and Qiao Xuan resigned and retired. Cao Cao never forgot the two Qiao sisters, so after bringing the emperor to Xuchang, he appointed Qiao Xuan as Grand Marshal and invited him three times to take the position, but there was no response.
When he was about to forcibly recruit them, Sun Ce took over Lujiang first and captured the two Qiao sisters. Now they were married women, which made Cao Cao even more eager. He was about to step into Jiangdong, but failed at the last moment.
"Liu Qi, you little brat, ruined my good deeds!" After taking Wu Shi San, he missed Er Qiao even more.
Cao Cao became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He suddenly swept the books, papers, and pens on the table to the ground, stood up and glared at the door, growling with gnashing teeth, "I hate not being able to eat your flesh!"
At this moment, someone rushed in through the door and saw Cao Cao cursing. He was so scared that he knelt on the ground and said, "My lord, please spare my life. This is not my fault."
"Cao Gan?" Cao Cao was startled, then he collected his thoughts and asked, "Why are you here in the army if you are not serving at home?"
Cao Gan was Cao Cao's household slave, responsible for guarding Madam Huan's residence. Cao Chong had been ill in the past two years, and he was needed to manage both internal and external affairs. Why would he come to Huainan
Cao Gan burst into tears and said, "Young Master, he, he..."
"What happened to Cang Shu?" Cao Cao stood up in shock again, pointing at Cao Gan with trembling fingers.
"The young master is ill!" Cao Gan knelt on the ground and did not dare to look up.
"Ah!" Cao Cao raised his head to the sky and yelled, spreading his arms, "How unkind is Heaven to us, the Cao family?"
After he finished speaking, he vomited blood and fell backwards. The personal guards stepped forward to support him. Seeing that Cao Cao's face was distorted and he had fainted, they hurriedly called for a doctor to come and treat him.
After a flurry of activity, Cao Cao slowly woke up, silently shedding tears and muttering, "Heaven is jealous of talents, Heaven is jealous of talents..."
Cao Chong was a genius. He was smart, kind, and different from others since childhood. He was deeply loved by Cao Cao, who even planned to make him his heir in the future. However, he died young, which made him heartbroken and even lost all hope.
At this moment, I suddenly remembered the Battle of Guandu. Yuan Shao missed the opportunity to fight because his young son was ill. I once laughed at him for not distinguishing the important from the unimportant. Today, I feel the same pain and understand his pain.
"Hurry, Wushisan..." Cao Cao clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot, "Return to Xuchang tonight, I want to see Cang Shu for the last time!"