"Really?" Zhang Wei was surprised, then shook his head and said with a smile: "Young Master, don't lie to me. Among your fellow brothers, Cao Pi, Xiahou Ba and others are all outstanding. They are studying literature and martial arts, preparing to serve the country. But you are here, living a life of luxury and making money for fun. How can Prime Minister Cao entrust you with such an important task?"
"You know nothing..." Xiahou Mao took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "If I have the prime minister's secret order and serve the country, what will you do?"
Zhang Wei thought for a moment and asked, "If I really succeed, can I see Prime Minister Cao?"
Seeing that Zhang Wei dared to take the initiative to meet Cao Cao, Xiahou Mao became more and more convinced and said with a smile: "Don't worry, as long as you have made contributions, the Prime Minister will definitely reward you. In the future, you will be promoted to a higher position and honored, which will also bring honor to the family."
Zhang Wei clasped his fists and said, "May I ask what position you are in now, and what you want to do?"
Xiahou Mao coughed lightly, signaled everyone to leave, and told him about Cao Cao asking him to secretly investigate the intelligence of Jingzhou in the name of business.
There is no valuable information available in the Xiangyang Villa now, and Xiahou Mi is worried that there is no one available. If Zhang Wei is willing to obey orders, he will be of great use in the future.
Zhang Wei was overjoyed after hearing this, and bowed again, saying, "Young Master is truly my mentor. If you are willing to employ me, I will do my best."
Xiahou Meng said, "Do you know the duties of a spy? Can you find out the military situation in Jingzhou?"
Zhang Wei nodded and said, "I am most familiar with Jingzhou, and I have many old friends there. It is easy for me to get information, otherwise I would have been caught by Liu Qi long ago."
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Mao almost jumped up with excitement, clapped his hands and laughed, "God is really helping me!"
Zhang Wei said with emotion: "In fact, there are several soldiers in Ye County who are acquainted with me. I have met them several times in the casino, but they are in such a bad state that I cannot face them."
"How difficult is that?" Xiahou Mao waved his hand arrogantly, "From today on, I will support you with three thousand, five thousand, or ten thousand coins a day. You can spend whatever you want. The limit is half a month. If you can really find out important information, you will be credited for your contribution."
"Thank you, sir!" Zhang Wei bowed and said, "If I can help the Prime Minister take Jingzhou, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Xiahou Mao was secretly pleased with himself, and immediately held a banquet to welcome Zhang Wei. The two discussed how to gather information and establish an intelligence organization. The more they talked, the more they got interested, and they drank until they were drunk.
The next morning, Zhang Wei changed into a silk shirt and transformed himself into a handsome and elegant gentleman.
"As expected, clothes make the man!" Xiahou Mao was very impressed and ordered someone to bring the package to Zhang Wei. "I'll wait for your good news."
Zhang Wei went out with the package, and Xiahou Mao ordered his men to follow him. If the boy dared to run away with the money, he would be killed directly.
After breakfast, he went to Hanyuan Money House and found out that the manager was actually Liu Qi's brother-in-law Xi Ze, who originally ran a business in Changsha and was transferred to Ye County to open a money house. He became more and more certain that Liu Qi would not use troops here.
When Xiahou Mao came out of the money shop in the afternoon, his head was buzzing. He was still shocked by the money bills and deposits. Liu Qi's way of making money was simply unheard of, yet reasonable.
But Liu Qi was the leader of a region and his word was final. However, Liu Qi was just a commoner. Although he was Cao Cao's son-in-law, he might not be able to convince Cao Cao to do as he was told.
Seeing that yet another money-making plan was about to fail, Xiahou Mao became even more anxious and sighed all the way, wondering whether he should pull Cao Pi along and open a private bank in the name of the eldest son, following the example of Liu Qi
When they returned to the manor, the servants reported that Zhang Wei had lost all his ten thousand dollars in the casino that morning. He had a small amount left and stayed in a restaurant, where he fell asleep drunk.
The housekeeper was furious when he heard this and was about to go to Zhang Wei to settle the score, but Xiahou Mao stopped him. Since he had given Zhang Wei half a month, he had to keep his word. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were just a drop in the bucket for him.
For three days in a row, Xiahou Meng stayed at home, thinking about how to open a money shop. He discovered a fatal problem: the banknotes were more rigorous than official documents. Not only was the paper quality extremely high, but the handwriting was also not handwritten, which he could not do at all.
Just as he was feeling annoyed, Zhang Weixing rushed over. When he saw Xiahou Mao, he was stunned: "I haven't seen you for a few days. Why do you look so haggard?"
When they met again, their situations seemed to have been reversed. Xiahou Mao's eyes were bloodshot, his eyelids were swollen, his hair was disheveled, and he even looked a little dazed.
Xiahou Mao sighed, glanced at Zhang Wei, and asked in astonishment: "What are you doing?"
Zhang Wei touched his smooth cheek and sighed, "Although I escaped from Jingzhou, Liu Qi didn't care, but just in case, I still shaved my beard and changed my appearance. Let this be a reminder!"
Xiahou Mao came back to his senses and said, "My body and hair are given by my parents. Sir, you have endured humiliation and hardship, and I will never forget it. I wonder what you have gained in the past few days?"
Zhang Wei whispered, "I have already investigated clearly. Liu Qi's deployment of troops in Nanyang is just a bluff. He actually wants to secretly take Hanzhong. His troops may have already set out."
"What?" Xiahou Mao was shocked. "Is the news accurate?"
Zhang Wei patted his chest and guaranteed: "I lost tens of thousands of dollars to the soldiers, and I just got the information. I dare to guarantee it with my head!"
"Hehe, it's just as I expected!" Xiahou Mao suddenly sneered and nodded, saying, "You have done a great deed. I will remember it and report it to the Prime Minister today."
Zhang Wei hurriedly said, "My current identity is special. Before I succeed, I must not reveal it. Otherwise, how can I get information?"
"Yes, yes, sir, you are absolutely right!" Xiahou Mao patted his forehead and smiled, "Don't worry, your identity is known only to heaven and earth, you and I know it, and the expenses will remain the same in the future. When the day comes that you succeed, I will personally recommend you to the Prime Minister."
Zhang Wei thanked him profusely and left. Xiahou Mao also breathed a sigh of relief and ordered his steward to purchase more goods from Jingzhou. The goods from the north were being sold off, so they had to stockpile them in large quantities to make a fortune while people were unstable.
He then personally wrote three secret letters and sent them to Kunyang, Xuchang and Chang'an. His second uncle Xiahou Yuan had always looked down on him, and this time he would definitely make him look at him in a new light!
…
Liu Qi asked Guan Yu to train his troops in Nanyang and build up momentum, while secretly planning to take Hanzhong directly.
It happened that Kuai Yue resigned due to illness, so Liu Xian was appointed as the governor, and Zhuge Liang was appointed concurrently as the deputy driver, in charge of the affairs of Jingzhou. The four counties in southern Jingzhou were established as Xiangzhou, with Deng Zhi as the governor.
This time, the troops were sent to Hanzhong with the intention of a quick victory. In addition to Liu Pan and Huang Zhong, there were also two generals, Zhao Yun and Chen Dao, plus a few young men, such as Kou Feng and Liu Xian, which were enough to deal with Zhang Lu's generals.
Placing a second master in Wancheng would shake the Central Plains, and the Cao army's mentality towards Jingzhou would also change, from offensive to defensive, and they would be psychologically invincible.
The current situation is also in line with Zhuge Liang's plan for Liu Bei in history. If Pang Tong had not been reckless and died when taking Yizhou, Zhuge Liang would not have to go to Sichuan to help, and he and Guan Yu would have stayed in Jingzhou. How could Lu Meng have had any chance
Now he has better cards in his hand than Liu Bei, and the situation is clearer. If he can take over the two Sichuan provinces in one go, there is a great chance of reviving the Han Dynasty.