In the Wei camp in Huaibei, Cao Cao lay on the bed again, with a white scarf covering his head, feeling vaguely that his headache was about to flare up again.
A letter from Xiahou Dun was delivered, in which he apologized for his defeat. The whole camp was shocked and Cao Cao was so angry that he fainted on the spot.
He stared blankly at the tent above his head. The golden thread embroidery of dragons and phoenixes looked vivid, but it did not arouse his interest at all.
It is said that toothache is not a disease, but it can be fatal when it happens. However, compared with headache, it is not worth mentioning at all. I feel anxious and regretful.
For three years, he had been commanding outside the Great Wall with great confidence and was invincible. Although he had experienced hardships, he was happy. His victory over the Xianbei was enough to make his name famous for posterity. Why did he have to return to the capital and fight wits and courage with these foxes, big and small
"How could Zhou Gongjin, a great man from Jiangdong and a minister entrusted with the care of the emperor, be secretly colluding with Liu Qi?" Thinking of Sima Yi's previous advice, Cao Cao sighed, "Hiss—"
Cao Cao covered his head in pain. Whenever he thought for a moment, he would feel as if the back of his head was churning with confusion, which was the precursor to a headache attack.
Just as he was forcing himself not to think about military and political affairs, the guard suddenly came to report that Jiang Gan had returned to the camp and was waiting for orders outside the tent.
Cao Cao sat up suddenly and asked: "How dare you come to see me?"
Just as he was about to scold him and beat him out of the camp, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and ordered someone to summon him into the tent. Seeing Jiang Gan, dusty and indignant, he said coldly, "What else do you want to say?"
Jiang Gan was deeply distressed and said, "Your Majesty, I had originally formed an alliance with Zhou Gongjin and had sent a letter to him. But General Xiahou secretly mobilized his troops and ruined the whole thing. All our efforts were in vain!"
On the way back, Jiang Gan received a reply from Cao Cao. Seeing that he was appointed as the governor of Qingzhou, he was so angry that he trembled all over. Along the way, he cursed Xiahou Dun's ancestors for eighteen generations several times.
Cao Cao snorted coldly, "Yuan Rang has commanded troops for many years, don't you know how to advance and retreat? You must have been deceived by Zhou Lang and let your guard down, which led to this great defeat."
"I have seen Zhou Yu again!" Jiang Gan hurriedly took him into the city for the second time. Zhou Yu told him about how he was angry about Xiahou Dun dividing his troops to attack Beihai, and he stamped his feet and complained.
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment and said: "Since Zhou Gongjin really wants revenge, do you dare to go to Qingzhou again and make it happen?"
Jiang Gan suddenly perked up and said, "I have a letter from the Prime Minister, and I am willing to go there."
"Very good!" Cao Cao nodded slightly, motioned Jiang Gan to come to the bed, and whispered: "I suspect that Zhou Lang and Liu Qi are secretly colluding. You go there this time, under the pretext of handing over Qingzhou, stay in the mansion and secretly gather information. If you can find evidence, there will be a generous reward."
"Is there such a thing?" Jiang Gan pulled his beard and frowned. Although he felt that Zhou Yu would never betray his master and surrender to the enemy, he was eager to prove himself and hurriedly accepted the order and left.
Cao Cao sat alone for a while, and when his headache eased a little, he ordered people to summon Cao Ren, Sima Yi and others to discuss matters.
Cao Chun first reported: "According to the scouts, Sun Hao of Jiangdong has fled to Lingnan, Sun Yu is still holding his troops in Lujiang, and Sun Fu and Sun Fu have been defeated in the battle against Yu Jin and Zhang He in Yuzhang. They have retreated to Nanchang. If we don't rescue them soon, I'm afraid they will be hard to resist."
"Humph, among all the sons of the Sun family, except Sun Bofu, no one can fight!" Cao Cao was suddenly angry at the Sun family for not fighting, and gritted his teeth and said, "Yu Jin and Zhang He are traitors, I will kill them."
This was originally his trusted general, but he became a serious threat to him. The more Cao Cao thought about it, the angrier he became.
If Liu Qi did not have these two people, he could only transfer Guan Yu to Jiangdong to quell the rebellion, which would relieve the pressure on the Central Plains.
Now he has no one available, and he is still attacking his allies. As the situation gets worse, the problem cannot be compensated by adding a general.
Sima Yi offered a suggestion: "Although the Shanyue tribe in Danyang has been suppressed and pacified by the Eastern Wu, there is a clan called Peng in the territory of Poyang Lake, and they are irreconcilable with the Wu army. Why don't you send an edict to lure them? Peng Hu and others were previously conspired by Liu Qi and Zhou Yu, and they will definitely raise an army to seek revenge. With the help of these natives, they can stop Yu Jin's troops."
Separated by the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, Cao Cao was out of reach at this time, so he immediately sent people to contact the Poyang Lake bandits, promising high-ranking officials to send troops to assist Sun Fu, delaying the situation for a while.
Cao Ren said: "Sun Yu is hesitating in Lujiang. He must be suspicious of Sun Quan's surrender of power. Zhang Fei is also eyeing him covetously. We dare not act rashly. If we recruit him first, we can connect the north and south of the Yangtze River from Pengli, and there is no need to attack Hefei by force."
"We don't know the strength of Jiangdong now, let's wait until Yang Dezu returns from the funeral before discussing it again!" Cao Cao rubbed his forehead and said, "Just now I ordered Jiang Gan to return to Qingzhou to monitor Zhou Lang and also to lure the tiger away from the mountain. When he goes south to Guangling, I will eliminate the Wu soldiers in Qingzhou in one fell swoop. What do you think?"
Cao Ren nodded and said, "Prime Minister, this is a brilliant plan. Zhou Yu's troops are in Qingzhou, which is like a thorn in our throat. We can't feel relieved until we get rid of it."
Sima Yi said, "Zhou Gongjin is a man of great strategy. He has already sent troops to attack General Xiahou. The Prime Minister has made an alliance with him regardless of past grudges. I'm afraid he is wary! If he pretends to attack Guo and secretly liaises with Liu Qi to seize Xuzhou, wouldn't that be a self-defeating move?"
"Attacking Guo through a false pretext?" Cao Cao's eyes were slightly grim, and he pulled his beard and sneered, "Am I a man like Yu Hou who is seduced by money and beauty?"
While they were discussing military affairs, a personal soldier came to report that Yang Xiu had returned to the camp. Cao Cao hurriedly ordered someone to bring him in. Seeing Yang Xiu's rosy face, Cao Cao was greatly encouraged: "How was Dezu's trip?"
"Thank you for fulfilling your mission!" Yang Xiu bowed and clasped his fists. Seeing that there were so many people around him, he did not rush to answer, but first brought a food box: "Liu Qi heard that the Prime Minister had never tasted pineapple cakes, so he gave him a box before leaving. Please be sure to taste it."
"Oh?" Cao Cao looked at the food box and saw Cao Chun and the others' eyes widened. He waved his hand to signal everyone to leave and asked, "So it seems that Liu Qi has no suspicion?"
"That's right!" Yang Xiu saw that there was no one around, so he untied his hair and took out a piece of cloth from his headscarf. "This is a letter written in blood by Sun Quan himself. He is being held hostage by Liu Qi and has no choice. If you can help him recover Jiangdong, I am willing to submit to Wei."
Listening to Yang Xiu's report, Cao Cao sighed: "Sun Zhongmou is the son of a pig and a dog. If he had a son, he would have one like Sun Zhongmou and Liu Bowei!"
After carefully reading the blood letter, he nodded and said, "This letter comes at the right time. I want to invite Dezu to Lujiang again, tell him the truth about meeting Sun Quan, and agree to fight Liu Qi together. What do you think?"
Yang Xiu was overjoyed and said, "I am willing to go."
Cao Cao said, "Rest for two days, then it won't be too late to go again."
Yang Xiu clasped his fists and said, "The military situation is urgent and the war is in full swing. Now is the time to make achievements. Soldiers are fighting bloody battles against the enemy. Why should I be afraid of the hardships of traveling?"
"It's good to be young!" Cao Cao was very pleased. He seemed to see his own shadow in Yang Xiu. He opened the brocade box and said with a smile: "This pastry is for you."
Yang Xiu was flattered, but waved his hand and said, "I was smart enough to divide the pastry before. Liu Qi specially sent it to me this time, how dare I use it again?"
Cao Cao laughed and said, "Since Liu Qi gave it to me, it belongs to me. What's wrong with giving it to you?"
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Prime Minister!" Yang Xiu was overjoyed. He swallowed the pineapple cake in two or three bites, looking very happy, and left after paying his respects.
Cao Cao stared at the box of pastries and hesitated for a moment. Finally, he could not help taking out a piece. His eyes widened after just one bite. Even the imperial palace’s royal meals had never had such delicacies.
"As expected, it was made by Madam Sun herself," Cao Cao licked his lips, and suddenly felt his headache relieved a lot. He leaned over to the brocade box and took a deep sniff, laughing softly, "Ah, the fragrance is still lingering—"