Chapter 16: Separation

Cao Mengde did not leave the jujube camp.

If he walked away and was slapped in the face, Yuan Shao would be offended to death. The current situation is that Cao Mengde cannot really offend Yuan Shao.

In the original history, it was not until Cao Mengde defeated Yuan Shu, extended his power to Jianghuai, and captured Xuzhou that he truly formed a pattern of opposition to Yuan Shao. Before that, Yuan Shao's biggest opponent was Yuan Shu. Cao Mengde can only be regarded as Yuan Shao's younger brother.

Speaking of the world structure in the late Han Dynasty, at the beginning, many people thought that the Jiuding artifact would fall on the Yuan family. Either Yuan Shu or Yuan Shao. Especially Yuan Shao, people's hope reaches the sea, and the world follows him. People like Xun Yu and Guo Jia also worked under Yuan Shao in the early days.

Of course, these are still out of the question.

For Cao Mengde, positioning is very important for the time being. He can point at Yuan Shao's nose and tell him that he is wrong. This is because he and Yuan Shao are good friends and have worn the same pair of pants since childhood. But he can't really offend Yuan Shao.

Once he offends Yuan Shao, he will be in trouble.

Don't talk about the planned governor of Dongjun. If he offends Yuan Shao, he will be like Liu Bei and wait until he joins Dong Zhuo. Wandering around, waiting for a possible opportunity.

This cannot be tolerated.

In the camp, candles were lit, and Cao Mengde ordered more than ten of his men to disperse outside the camp, and screened away the rest. Zhao Yu also asked Dian Wei to go out and wait.

The two of them looked at each other for a long time without saying a word under the dim candlelight.

Cao Mengde finally sighed: "I looked at the princes from all walks of life in the big tent today, and they seem to be in harmony with each other. Maybe they will collapse before the end of the year."

After a pause, he continued: "Sir, Liu Gongshan and Qiao Yuanwei have made a clever calculation. Liu Gongshan and Qiao Yuanwei have become incompetent. Qiao Yuanwei will definitely oppose Liu Gongshan's suggestion, and Liu Gongshan will definitely refute Qiao Yuanwei's idea. In my opinion, Qiao Yuanwei will definitely oppose it." Wei's death is imminent. And the collapse of the Allied forces must be caused by this incident."

Zhao Yu nodded slightly: "If Qiao Mao doesn't die, the position of the governor of Dongjun will not be vacant. Isn't this a good thing for Mengde?"

Cao Mengde sighed and shook his head: "A good thing is a good thing, but after all, I can't let it go... Sir, I know that this world is irreversible. In front of Sir, I, Cao Mengde, will not lie. , what I want. However, I am a Hanchen, but it is always a thorn in my heart that is hard to get rid of. "

He stood up, and the elder's shadow was drawn in the light: "I, Cao Shen, the ancestor of Cao Mengde, was the second in the founding of the country, and was granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang. Although the power of the Cao family fluctuates, it is connected with the fate of the Han Dynasty. Now he is my queen. People...sigh..."

"You are thinking too much." Zhao Yu laughed: "Your ancestor, Marquis Pingyang, was the right-hand man of Gao Emperor Liu Bang, and both were from Peixian County. But your ancestor is your ancestor, and you are you. After four hundred years of Han Dynasty, the fate of the country has come to an end, and it cannot be done by manpower. It can be saved. If you are ambitious, you should take peace of the world as your own responsibility. Only then can you live up to the reputation of your ancestors. Look at this camp, where flies and dogs live. The fourth and third princes of Yuan Benchu ​​have great prestige in the sea, but in my opinion, But they are nothing but withered bones in the grave. People like this have ambitions, but no talents to match their ambitions. Only you, Cao Mengde, are the destiny."

After hearing this, Cao Mengde was happy and worried, and said: "After all, I have a hurdle in my heart. I am sad."

"Just don't think about it."

Zhao Yu smiled softly and said: "You should think about how to stabilize the relationship with Yuan Shao. When Qiao Mao is dead, you can defeat the traitors and make great achievements, and sit on the position of East Commander's governor as you wish, and obtain this base. Crucial.”

Cao Mengde sat down and nodded with deep approval: "What Mr. said is true."

Said: "I already have an idea about this matter. Yuan Benchu ​​lacks everything, and I haven't reached the point of waiting for him to ask for help. Yuan Benchu ​​has a close confidant who is also good to me, but this person is greedy, and I If I bribe him with a lot of money, he will definitely speak for me in front of Yuan Benchu. Such a big thing can be decided."

"Oh?" Zhao Yu's heart was spinning, and a name suddenly popped up: "But Xu You Xu Ziyuan?"

Cao Mengde was surprised and said: "Sir, you also know Xu Ziyuan? It is this person! Although Ziyuan is talented, he is greedy, and he has a similar temperament with Yuan Shao. As long as he is given a lot of money, he will definitely succeed."

Zhao Yu praised: "In other words, if you don't bribe Xu Ziyuan, the position of East Commander's governor will most likely fall on you, but you can take precautions against the slightest and make it 80% sure to achieve 100%, which is rare."

Cao Mengde smiled proudly: "I just know Xu Ziyuan. If I don't know who he is, I won't know what to do."

"You are so self-effacing," Zhao Yu curled his lips and said, "Even if you don't know who Xu Ziyuan is, as long as you know who Yuan Benchu ​​is, there are still ways to do it. If a fly doesn't bite a seamless egg, he has a seam. If he doesn't bite, he won't bite."

Cao Mengde was startled, then laughed and said: "Sir, this is a good statement. Although it is crude, it is consistent with human nature. This method of calculation is based on the human heart. If you calculate the human heart, you are 80% sure. The remaining 20% ​​is up to God's will. .”

By the end of the conversation, the two chatted randomly and felt much more relaxed.

Finally, Cao Mengde said: "I plan to ask Yuan Benchu ​​for orders to lead troops to Hanoi in the name of threatening Heluo. Once the rebels attack Dongjun, I will be able to react immediately and defeat them."

...

In the following days, Cao Mengde never mentioned the events of that day. He only drank and had fun with various princes. At the banquet, he asked Yuan Shao for orders to go to Hanoi, and received permission from his alliance leader.

So he returned the same way, only there was one more Dianwei.

Cao Mengde was very good at reading people. If he didn't see Dian Wei, he wouldn't say anything. But at first sight, you can tell that this is a warrior.

Be kind to him too.

Dian Wei was quite moved.

Dian Wei is nothing more than a ranger in the marketplace, and to put it bluntly, the rangers were originally a group that evolved from aristocratic retainers. This group is supported by the nobles, and then works for the nobles at critical moments. They are the so-called roosters, dog robbers, and butchers of dogs and pigs.

Rangers have mixed reviews, some do evil and some do good to others. But no matter which one it is, there is one characteristic, that is, one promise can be worth a thousand dollars, and one will never regret it even after nine deaths.

Such a person is very comfortable to use.

Of course, Dian Wei is now Zhao Yu's domestic servant, but this does not prevent him from liking Cao Mengde.

Riding lightly all night and rushing back to Zhongmou the next day, Cao Mengde began to prepare for leading troops to Hanoi. As for Zhao Yu, after meeting the princes, he settled in his small yard again and started various experiments. Dian Wei, on the other hand, was regarded as a servant by Zhao Yu. Today he was short of feldspar, so he asked Dian Wei to look for it.

But Dian Wei enjoyed it.

This guy is a big-bellied foodie. All the powerful generals in the past ate a lot. Like Lian Po, when he was eighty years old, he could still eat several bushels of rice and several kilograms of meat in one meal. Dian Wei was in his prime, and he was even more honest. As for the food in Zhao Yu's family, as the mother-in-law and Wang Po became more and more skilled in cooking, the food they cooked became closer to modern food, and they could swallow even the most delicious food in their mouths.

Although he is wise and foolish, he is also a simple man. You can eat and sleep, but you don't necessarily have to fight and kill. How wonderful.

I would mention martial arts to my boss Zhao Yu every now and then, but except for Zhao Yu who would give him some pointers when he was interested, the rest would just go away.

At this stage, Zhao Yu has no intention of teaching skills.

Chen Gong went to Puyang for more than a month and finally came back.

It turned out that Cao Mengde invited Chen Gong to go to Puyang to attack the front station.

Puyang is the seat of Dongjun. Cao Mengde naturally takes this place to heart as he eyes the position of Dongjun's governor. Chen Gong took a lot of gold and jewelry to Puyang to establish connections and open up various joints, so that Cao Mengde could smoothly take over as the prefect of Dongjun and clear some obstacles.

Now that Chen Gong is back, it means that some joints in Puyang have been opened.

Cao Mengde is also ready to break camp and go to Hanoi. Before that, he ordered Cao Chun, Cao Ren's younger brother, to go to Yangzhou to meet Xiahou Dun. As for Cao Ren, he was sent back to Qiao County in Pei State by Cao Mengde. Cao Mengde's father, Cao Song, was afraid of the disaster caused by Cao Mengde's rebellion and wanted to go to Langya, Xuzhou to avoid disaster. Cao Mengde asked the steady Cao Ren to escort him.

As for Cao Chun, also known as Cao Zihe, he was the one who escorted Wei Zi's body back to his hometown earlier. Later, he returned to Zhongmou and first trained the army with Cao Hong. After Cao Hong went to Hanoi first, he followed Xia Houyuan to train the army.

Cao Mengde sent Cao Chun to meet Xiahou Dun. After three days of reorganizing the army, more than 3,000 men broke camp and headed for Hanoi.

This time, Chen Gong did not follow him because Chen Gong was still Zhongmou Ling. Zhao Yu did not follow him, because Zhao Yu went to Puyang by separate routes and settled there first.

Zhao Yu was not worried at all that Cao Mengde would not be able to deal with the bandits who were about to invade. If he could not deal with the bandits and Zhao Yu had to follow him personally, then Cao Mengde would be useless and there would be no need to support him.

Just outside Zhongmou, Zhao Yu said goodbye to Cao Mengde, turned around and got on the carriage, swaying, one with Cao Mengde heading north, the other heading east, and drove away.

Zhao Yu and his party had three carriages. He rode in his own car, and Dian Wei rode in front to lead the way. The latter two are used by the family's servants.

Such as the cook Wang Po, and the two maids who usually serve. Wang Po is a member of a large family, while the two maids are orphans.

Yanzhou Dongjun is a county spanning both sides of the river. Some are to the north of the river, and some are to the south of the river. The county governs Puyang, which is on the south bank of the river.

Dongjun borders Qinghe County of Jizhou to the northeast, Wei County of Jizhou to the north, and Sili Hanei County to the northeast. Speaking of which, Dongjun, located half on both sides of the river, is not strategically located. Although this is a grain-producing land in the Central Plains, it is divided into two parts by a large river and is geographically isolated.

But on the other hand, this is a God-given treasure. Occupying Dongjun, one can look to Jizhou to the north, Yanzhou and Yuzhou to the south, Qingzhou and Xuzhou along the river to the east, Sili Luoyang and Guanzhong to the west along the river. Although it is a land of four battles, if it can be defended, it will be an excellent foundation.

During the Han Dynasty, floods also broke out in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and many of them were controlled. A hundred years ago, Wang Jing, a water conservancy expert during the Ming Dynasty, regulated the river, rectified the river course, and built many ditches to divert floods. The benefits continue to this day. Therefore, there are not many floods in the middle and lower reaches of the river and the Heluo area. Abundant water resources indicate that this is a land of plenty.