"Hypocrisy, preaching, it's all for reputation, it's worthless, worthless!"
In Xuchang City, Cao Cao casually threw a piece of letter on the table and sneered: "Zhou Gong spits out food for his guests, and the whole world is at peace. Liu Bowei is so arrogant."
Liu Fu stroked his beard and smiled, "What the Prime Minister said is very true. Liu Qi's poem 'Short Song' is full of words and phrases, pretending to be profound. At such a young age, he pretends to be worried about the world. It is indeed too artificial."
Cao Cao showed disdain on his face and asked, "Liu Qi wants another five million in money and grain before he releases the hostages. What should we do?"
Liu Fu replied: "I think Liu Qi will ask for an exorbitant price just like he did last time. It is not too much for the Prime Minister to reduce it by half."
Jiang Ji nodded and said, "What Censor Liu said makes sense. Why not give Liu Qi a higher rank and reduce his taxes and grain? Liu Qi will definitely agree to this, since he is related to General Xiahou."
Cao Cao asked: "How should I best confer the title?"
Jiang Ji said: "The Prime Minister once gave the General of Chariots and Cavalry to Yuan Shao, and then defeated Yuan Shao and conquered Hebei. This is a good omen! Why not appoint Liu Qi as the General of Chariots and Cavalry again, and take advantage of the victory. In the future, we will surely conquer Jiangnan."
Cao Cao frowned and said, "Yuan Shao was a man of three generations who served as ministers for four generations. His prestige was extremely high at the time, and the whole world respected his orders. Liu Qi is only a young man, but he has been promoted to a high position and a prominent position. This is a bit too much."
Jiang Ji said, "Liu Biao has ordered Liu Qi to take charge of Jingzhou and be the General of Zhennan. According to reports from spies, I am afraid that he will not live long. Liu Qi will attack Chengwuhou. It is better to do him a favor. It is just an empty title and can save millions of money and food. I hope the Prime Minister will consider it."
Cao Cao thought for a moment and sighed, "This is the only way. I will submit a petition today to confer the title of Marquis of Xiangyang and General of Chariots and Cavalry on Liu Qi. As for money and food… I will only give two million at most. I hope you can take care of it yourself!"
The imperial court had already appointed Liu Biao as General Zhennan and Governor of Jingzhou, and gave him the power of pretending to be an emperor. Liu Qi also took over Liu Bei's seal of Left General. Whether he was given a higher title or not could not interfere with his actual power. If it could save money and food, Cao Cao would certainly be happy.
After Jiang Ji left, Cao Cao asked Liu Fu, "You have governed Yangzhou well before. Now Sun Quan has attacked Lujiang and coveted Huainan. Most of Yangzhou has been occupied by Wu. Do you have any countermeasures?"
Liu Fu replied, "When I was in Shouchun, I built water conservancy projects and dredged the water transport in Jiujiang to facilitate the transportation of money and grain. In the Hefei area, high fortifications were built, many wood and stones were piled up, and thousands of hu of fish paste were stored for war defense. Now Zhang Wenyuan is guarding Hefei, which can ensure that there is no risk. However, the navy of the Eastern Wu is strong. If we want to take back Lujiang, it may not be easy. It is better to let Sun Quan. Now Huang Zu is dead, Liu Qi sent Guan Yu to guard Jiangxia and eye Jiangdong. Sun Quan is in a dilemma in Huainan. Seeing this advantage, he will definitely withdraw his troops. If the Eastern Wu turns to attack Jiangxia, the Prime Minister can take the opportunity to raise troops for revenge. The north and the south are in a confrontation. No matter how powerful Liu Qi is, he will surrender!"
"Hahaha, this is a great plan!" Cao Cao laughed and clapped his hands, "Exchange the mere land of Lujiang for Nanyang and Jingzhou, that's what I want!"
He immediately sent Liu Fu as an envoy to Huainan to negotiate with Sun Quan. As long as the Eastern Wu withdrew from Chaohu, he would recommend Sun Yu as the prefect of Lujiang and Zhou Yu as the prefect of Jiangxia, so that the Jiangdong base could expand again.
After everyone left, Cao Cao picked up the letter again and looked at the poem on it. He felt that Liu Qi was a great threat. At such a young age, he had the ambition of Zhou Gong. What would happen to him when he grows up
After a moment's silence, he called Cao Chun over and asked, "How is the plan for assassinating Liu Qi going?"
Cao Chun said, "Liu Qi has recently been inspecting the four counties in southern Jing. Judging from his itinerary, he will definitely cross the river from Youjiangkou, Wuling, and return. I have discussed with Dong Zhao that we want to bribe the Wuxi Barbarian King with a large sum of money and send assassins to attack. The Wuxi Barbarians are proficient in both land and water, and are best at ambushing and hunting. If they ambush from the water, Liu Qi will have nowhere to escape and will surely die."
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard and said, "Instead of spending a large sum of money to persuade the Wuxi barbarians to rebel, it is better to bribe their assassins. Regardless of whether they succeed or not, they will definitely make enemies with Jingzhou, and Wuling will be in chaos!"
Cao Chun clasped his fists and said, "What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right. This is exactly Dong Zhao's plan. Rather than bribing the Wuxi barbarians, it is better to lure them to send troops. Regardless of success or failure, they will definitely rebel. This can be said to kill two birds with one stone."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and laughed, "Liu Qi, Liu Qi, this time I will make it difficult for you to protect both ends. If you don't die, you will lose a lot of skin!"
At this moment, a personal soldier suddenly delivered a letter. It was sent by Zhong Yao in Chang'an. Cao Cao hurriedly opened it and was furious after reading it: "Ma Teng, you dare to disobey my orders! How dare you!"
Cao Chun asked: "Could it be that Ma Teng is unwilling to serve in the court?"
Cao Cao snorted slightly and said in a deep voice: "This must be the defeat of Nanyang. I have lost my prestige, and old Ma Teng also despises me, so I am waiting and watching."
It turned out that Ma Teng and Han Sui had been fighting constantly due to conflicts among their subordinates. Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao and others to mediate between the two, and appointed Ma Teng as the general, stationed him in Huaili, gave him the title of Marquis of Huaili.
Xun Yu was afraid that the Xiliang army would continue to cause chaos, so he suggested recruiting Ma Teng to the court to serve the emperor. At this time, Ma Teng was far away from Xiliang, and Cao Cao had pacified Hebei and was extremely powerful, so he would definitely agree.
Cao Cao sent Zhang Ji to persuade Ma Teng, who had agreed to go to the capital two months ago. However, after arriving in Chang'an, he suddenly changed his mind and returned to his base. It was obvious that he had seen Cao Cao's defeat and was waiting and watching.
Cao Chun said angrily: "Ma Teng and his son are fickle, why don't you send troops to destroy them?"
"Huainan is not pacified yet, Guanzhong is not the place to use troops!" Cao Cao sighed helplessly and said in a deep voice: "Let Ma Teng stay in Huaili for a while. I have my own countermeasures. The most important thing is to get rid of Liu Qi first."
Ma Teng's wait-and-see attitude made Cao Cao furious. The prestige he had accumulated with great difficulty was destroyed by Liu Qi alone. The Battle of Nanyang became the shame of his life, and his hatred for Liu Qi became even greater.
After Cao Chun left, Cao Cao recalled Xun Yu, who had escorted the emperor to Yecheng, and discussed with him, "Ma Teng is unwilling to come to the capital to serve you. He must have seen my defeat and has second thoughts. What should we do?"
Xun Yu had already heard the news, and he replied: "Ma Teng and his son have been in Xiliang for a long time, and their prestige is very high. They should not be sent back to Xiliang. If they are allowed to station troops in Huaili, it will only bring trouble to the tiger. Why not use the strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf?"
Cao Cao hurriedly asked, "What's the plan?"
Xun Yu said: "Zhang Lu has occupied Hanzhong and killed the Han envoy. It is rumored that he intends to establish himself. Why not appoint Ma Teng as the governor of Hanzhong and order him to attack Zhang Lu and attack Hanzhong? This will not only eliminate the threat from the heart, but also weaken Zhang Lu. Zhang Lu is a thief who is also a ghost. He is not good at commanding the army and will definitely be defeated by Ma. Regardless of the outcome, the Prime Minister should take advantage of the fact that both sides are injured and send troops to Guanzhong. Hanzhong will be easily captured!"
Cao Cao was delighted when he heard this and said, "I have heard that Liu Qi has long intended to take Yizhou. Liu Zhang is weak and the people in the country are undecided. If he succeeds, he will be a threat to us. By taking Hanzhong, we can plan for Yizhou and contain Liu Qi. Wen Ruo's move is far-sighted."
Xun Yu said, "Recently, Ke Bineng asked Yan Rou, the commander of the Wuhuan, to pay tribute to the imperial court. The Xianbei are rampant in the northern desert and will surely be a great threat in the future. Why not recruit Xianbei cavalry like the Wuhuan and form a division to conquer the Central Plains? This will not only weaken the Xianbei, but also replenish our forces. We will not be afraid of even the Xiliang cavalry."
Cao Cao frowned slightly. Although he did not want to recruit foreign troops, he had to do so due to the situation.
He then presented a memorial to appoint Ke Bineng as the Chanyu of the Xianbei, and ordered Yan Rou to reward the leaders of the Xianbei tribes and recruit soldiers with a large sum of money. Anyone who entered the Central Plains and made contributions would be promoted and rewarded, and would be treated equally.