Chapter 111 Cao Cao beat his chest in annoyance: Zilie gave me a chance! I didn’t seize it!!
Chapter 111: Cao Cao beat his chest in annoyance: Zilie gave me a chance! I didn’t seize it!!
late at night!

Cao’s army camp!

The lights are on now.

In the central army tent,

An atmosphere of panic spread.

"The Prime Minister entered Jiangling City to keep his appointment during the day, but today, at this time, he has not returned to the camp! This..."

"Could it be, could it be that Liu Zilie really set up an ambush in the city?"

"I heard from the spies that there seemed to be shouting and killing in Jiangling City today?"

"It's okay. General Cao Chun is leading three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry outside Jiangling City. If there is an accident, the Prime Minister will be safe."

"But, but there is no news about General Cao Chun and the three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry..."

There is no news about Prime Minister Cao!
There is no news about Cao Chun’s three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry now!
Everyone fell silent, and the uneasy expressions on their faces became more and more serious.

Many people looked at Generals Cao Ren and Cao Hong...

Since Prime Minister Cao is not here, only these two cousins ​​of Prime Minister Cao can make the decision.

"Although there is no news from the Prime Minister, from my perspective, he should be fine." Cao Ren's forehead was already wet with sweat, but he still pretended to be calm and reassured people.

"Not to mention harming the Prime Minister, it is of little benefit to Liu Zilie. This time when he enters the city, he also has four generals, Xu Chu, Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang..."

"I heard that Liu Zilie is still seriously injured and he is unlikely to take action. As long as Liu Zilie does not take action, no matter how many soldiers there are in Jiangling City, they will not be able to stop these four generals from protecting the Prime Minister and killing their way out of the city!"

Cao Ren tried his best to appease the people in the big tent. No matter whether he believed it or not, he had to make the civil and military officials in the tent believe it first.

At this moment,

There was a commotion outside the tent. Cao Ren frowned and was about to go out to check.

A voice suddenly came from outside the tent: "The Prime Minister has returned to the camp!"

The Prime Minister is back?
Wow~
In an instant, the civil and military officials in the tent suddenly stood up from their seats.

suddenly,

The tent curtain was lifted, and five figures stepped into the tent. They were none other than Cao Cao, Xu Chu, and Zhang Liao.

Suddenly, there was silence in the tent.

Everyone stared at the five people in front of them in amazement...

The four generals were covered in blood and wounds!
Embarrassed.

Prime Minister Cao's hair was crooked.
disheveled hair,

The brocade robe was now tattered, and covered in dirt and dust...

How can this be called the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty?
It’s more like saying they are refugees who were robbed by bandits!
Everyone instinctively had a thought in their mind...

What happened to Prime Minister Cao when he entered Jiangling City today?
Cao Ren was the first to react: "Prime Minister, this is..."

"Ah!" Cao Mengde sighed, "It's hard to put it into words... Zixiao, we got a bunch of cavalrymen back from outside. They have done a great deed today. You should reward them handsomely on my behalf."

A group of cavalrymen have made great contributions?
What great achievements have they made?
Cao Ren was puzzled, but he still went out of the tent to reward the cavalrymen on behalf of his prime minister.

Inside the tent, Cao Hong couldn't help but blurt out: "What on earth did the Prime Minister encounter in Jiangling City today?"

Cao Cao sat back on his seat and spoke slowly, "What happened today is really unbelievable. As soon as I entered Jiangling City, I saw that big-eared thief..."

The Big Eared Thief is also in Gangneung?!
Everyone in the tent was shocked.

Huo Housang told Cao Cao everything that happened in Jiangling City, no matter how big or small.

I was in danger several times, and was rescued by reinforcements several times...

Liu Bei was captured by me several times! !

When mentioning Liu Bei, Prime Minister Cao punched the table in anger.

boom! ~
"What a shame! How hateful!" Cao Mengde was filled with indignation: "Liu Xuande's kung fu of escaping is really amazing. I almost killed him several times, but he always escaped at the critical moment!"

"I don't know when we will be able to capture Liu Xuande next time."

Prime Minister Cao was filled with anger and regret. He knew in his heart that today might be his best chance to get rid of Liu Xuande, but unfortunately he missed it.

"Prime Minister! The Prime Minister was in danger today. It must be the trick of Liu Zilie!" Xu Chu, who was standing aside, became even more ferocious with anger on the remaining half of his face.

"This guy is so cunning! Although Xu Chu is honest and straightforward, he is not stupid. Liu Xuande must have been invited by Liu Zilie to make us fight each other so that he can take advantage of us!"

As soon as Xu Chu finished speaking, he was immediately approved by the other three generals:
"That's right! Lord Tiger is right!"

"I was wondering why we were only allowed to bring 300 soldiers into the city. This is clearly to let us fight with Liu Xuande!"

"Humph! I'm afraid Liu Xuande has also been tricked by Liu Zilie like us!"

Yes, this Jiangling City was actually a trap set by Liu Zilie.

It was a trap set up specifically for him by Cao Mengde and Liu Da'er!

Cao Aman has always been famous for his resourcefulness and ability to guess people's minds, but he never expected that he would be pecked by the geese after hunting them all day long!
"Liu Zilie!" Cao Mengde almost squeezed out these three words from his teeth: "I just thought that he really wanted to accept me as his adoptive father. I also saw that he is indeed a great talent. I can't bear to see him being plotted against by the Sun and Liu families..."

"I was moved by his pity and love for his talent, so I went to the meeting in Jiangling. I never thought that he would dare to plot against me like this!"

"He has a heart that deserves death! He has a heart that deserves death!!"

Prime Minister Cao was furious.

Everyone in the big tent had already looked at each other in astonishment.

They could never have imagined that Liu Zilie had set up such a bold scheme in Jiangling City!

Among the counselors,

Only Xun You seemed to be thinking about something. He twirled his beard and said, "Prime Minister, in your opinion, I'm afraid there is something else going on in today's meeting in Jiangling."

Is there something else going on?

Cao Cao was startled: "Gongda, what do you mean by that?"

In an instant, all eyes in the tent were cast on Xun You.

Xun You said in a deep voice: "Liu Zilie is not a rough warrior, but now Jiangdong and Jingnan are working together to plot against him. Only the Prime Minister can save him from danger. If he harms the Prime Minister, wouldn't he be courting his own death?"

"This person is not so foolish."

"On the contrary, since Liu Zilie has occupied Jiangling, he must be plotting to take over the four counties in southern Jing. Now the four counties in southern Jing are occupied by Liu Xuande, and the father and son have long been at odds with each other..."

Prime Minister Cao was so smart that he immediately realized: "Gongda's intention is that Liu Zilie wants to..."

Xun You: "It was Liu Zilie who wanted to use the lord's hand to get rid of Liu Xuande!"

"If Liu Bei dies at the hands of the lord, Liu Zilie can firstly easily take over the four counties of southern Jing, secondly he can relieve his anger, and most importantly... he won't have to bear the infamy of being a patricide!"

Is Liu Zilie going to use Cao Mengde to kill the big-eared thief?
Cao Cao was lost in thought. He suddenly remembered what Wei Yan had said to him on the way to Jiangling...

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is." Cao Mengde murmured to himself: "No wonder Wei Wenchang asked me to bring a few more generals..."

"No wonder Wei Wenchang told me not to take off my armor..."

"No wonder when I was in the most dangerous moment, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were able to enter the city unimpeded without any obstruction..."

I understand, I understand everything!

Everything is right!
It turned out that Liu Zilie had no intention of plotting against me at all, he really wanted to use me to get rid of Liu Xuande!

"Alas! What a pity, what a pity!" Prime Minister Cao's face was filled with regret: "If Liu Zilie had written to me privately and explained the matter clearly, I would have made more preparations. Why would I have let that big-eared thief escape?"

Although it seems that Liu Wu was using Cao Mengde to kill Liu Bei.

But Prime Minister Cao did not show any anger or dissatisfaction, because he was more eager to get rid of Liu Bei than Liu Wu!
Cao Cao was about to say something.
suddenly,

There was a commotion outside the tent.

"Get in!"

The tent curtain was lifted, and Cao Hong, with a gloomy face, escorted a tied-up captain into the tent.

Cao Cao looked up.

This captain turned out to be the leader of the cavalrymen who rescued him today.

"Zixiao, why?" Cao Cao frowned. "I told you to reward them on my behalf, why did you tie him up?"

Cao Hong: "Prime Minister, I asked them which army they belonged to, but they hesitated and could not tell me. I asked all the generals in the camp, and they all said that they did not have such troops..."

"These guys are not our soldiers at all. They are clearly spies!"

The cavalryman who saved him was not from Cao’s camp?

Then why would they save themselves? !

Cao Mengde stood up suddenly: "Who are you? What is the purpose of saving me?!"

The captain was straightforward and revealed his true identity directly: "We are certainly not soldiers of Cao's camp, but we are definitely not spies! My brothers and I were originally under the command of General Wei Wenchang of Jiangling..."

"This time, I am under the order of General Wenchang to disguise myself as Cao's army to protect the Prime Minister's safety!"

Wei Wenchang, Wei Yan's soldiers?
Prime Minister Cao was stunned, his thoughts racing...

Wei Wenchang is Liu Zilie's subordinate, this must have been Liu Zilie's instruction!
It turns out that Zilie had secretly arranged everything in order to successfully kill Liu Bei, even taking Gu's safety into consideration, but Gu...

"Hey!~"

Prime Minister Cao beat his chest and stamped his feet, his face full of regret: "Zi Lie gave me a chance, but I didn't seize it!!!"

……

...Jiangdong, Jianye.

The sun is rising, and the river surface is sparkling with golden light.

Wow~
The river waves surged gently, lapping against the shore.

The river surface near the shore was already filled with densely packed warships and tower ships.

It looks like a giant beast hill, magnificent and majestic!
Looking around,

All you can see are ships stretching for thousands of miles, and masts like clouds!
Nearly half of the ships of the entire Jiangdong navy are now on the riverside.

On the shore, the black masses of soldiers were like a dark cloud sweeping across, covering the land along the river.

The shields gathered like layers of iron walls,
Spears and swords gathered together like a dense iron forest!
The wind from the river howled, blowing the flags fluttering and making them rise and fall unsteadily, just like the rising and falling waves in the center of a big river!

at this time,

A general issued an order: "The Marquis of Wu has ordered all troops to board the ships!"

"Get on board, get on board quickly!"

"Don't push me, or I'll beat you up!"

"The boat will depart soon, don't delay."

"Hurry up……"

In an instant, the entire Jianye shore became restless. Countless soldiers formed several long dragons and slowly boarded the boats under the arrangements of generals and captains from all sides.

From a distance, it looked like dark clouds rolling endlessly.

Now,

There was a group of people on the riverside dock, some wearing armor, some wearing brocade robes, looking at the soldiers boarding the ship.

The leader was none other than Marquis Wu of Jiangdong, who still had a wound bandaged on his head.

Liu Wu stood with his hands behind his back, side by side with Sun Quan. Sun Shangxiang had her hair tied up in a bun and supported Liu Wu with a gentle look on her face. From time to time, she looked at Liu Wu with a blush on her face, without any trace of her former rudeness.

"I originally wanted to send 30,000 troops to help Zilie take the four counties south of the Yangtze River. Unfortunately, Zilie is too modest. He only wants 10,000 troops. Isn't that too few?" Sun Quan's face was full of regret.

Today is the second day of Liu Wu's wedding, and it is also the time when he and his new wife Sun Shangxiang leave Jiangdong. Wu Hou Sun Quan personally sees his brother-in-law off.

The 10,000 Jiangdong soldiers who were boarding the ship were one of the bets after Sun Quan lost the bet with Liu Wu...

Since Liu Wu had subdued the civil and military officials of Jiangdong, Jiangdong had no choice but to fulfill its promise and help Liu Wu capture the four counties in southern Jing.

Jiangdong's help to Liu Wu in conquering the four counties of southern Jing was naturally more than just a verbal agreement. These 10,000 Jiangdong soldiers were the meat cut off by the Marquis of Wu.

However, the Marquis of Wu had originally planned to send out 30,000 troops, but was rejected by Liu Wu. The new son-in-law from Jiangdong only wanted 10,000 soldiers to take with him.

Compared with his arrogance when he punched the Jiangdong generals and argued with the Eastern Wu officials in the palace that day, Liu Wu was so polite that he seemed like a different person.

"I am really ashamed of my uncle's kindness." Liu Wu nodded slightly to Sun Quan: "Zi Lie has just arrived in Jiangdong, how can he take all these soldiers and horses of my uncle?"

"Besides, the matter of Jingnan is, after all, a feud between Zilie and Uncle Liu. I really don't want to trouble you too much..."

"Ten thousand soldiers are enough."

Liu Wu saw through this brother-in-law's plan at a glance...

Now, not counting the thousands of old soldiers, Liu Wu has only 30,000 new soldiers under his command. It is still unknown how powerful these new troops will be when they are brought to the battlefield.

If I really led 30,000 Jiangdong soldiers to attack Jingnan...

It is said that it is easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away.
By the time the four counties of southern Jing are conquered, if these 30,000 Jiangdong soldiers refuse to leave and come to usurp the throne...it seems inappropriate for him to fall out with Jiangdong right after marrying Sun Shangxiang.

Therefore, Liu Wu had no choice but to decline the "good intentions" of the lord of Jiangdong.

Seeing that Liu Wu described the conquest of the four counties in southern Jing as a feud between him and Liu Bei, Sun Quan could not say anything more at this moment. He could only shake his head regretfully and said: "In this case, I, Jiangdong, can only treat Zilie poorly."

As he spoke, Sun Quan looked at the twelve Jiangdong generals, Zhou Yu, and Taishi Ci behind him. His eyes twitched slightly, "This time you will follow Zilie across the river to help him take the four counties of southern Jing. You must do your best!"

"If anyone dares not obey Zilie's orders, I will not let him off easily!"

The fourteen Jiangdong generals in front of him were all old friends of Liu Wu from Shentingling. They were the second bet after Sun Quan lost the bet with Liu Wu!
These fourteen people will be like the ten thousand Jiangdong soldiers. They will follow Liu Wu to leave Jianye today and help Liu Wu capture the four counties in southern Jing.

Looking at these Jiangdong elites in front of him, Sun Quan felt really painful and uneasy...

He thought of Lu Xun and Gan Ning, one a civil official and the other a military official, both of whom he had originally planned to use as his trusted confidants. However, after going to Xiling City, they were like they had been drugged by Liu Wu and none of them wanted to return to Jiangdong.

If only a few of these fourteen people came back after crossing the river, wouldn't Jiangdong be...

Thinking of this,

Sun Quan suddenly felt regretful. He regretted agreeing to Liu Wu's request, but as the lord of Jiangdong, he never joked about his words. It was too late to regret now.

But on second thought,
Although sacrificing these fourteen Jiangdong generals is somewhat dangerous, if Jiangdong can safely take Hefei City and obtain the main road to the north, making Jiangdong's ambition to conquer the Central Plains no longer an empty talk, then taking some risks is worth it...

As soon as Wu Hou finished speaking, the fourteen people, led by Zhou Yu, looked solemn and bowed to Wu Hou: "We will follow General Zilie's lead!"

It would be better if I didn't say this.

speak out,
Sun Quan, who had just comforted himself, felt even worse.

Liu Wu also bowed to the fourteen men and said, "Thank you all for your hard work in this battle."

Zhou Yu and other generals returned the greeting one after another: "How dare we?"

Everyone looked at Liu Wu, feeling emotional.

No one could have imagined that the young man who had overwhelmed all the Jiangdong generals with his own strength on Shenting Ridge has now not only become Jiangdong's son-in-law, but also their chief commander.

There is nothing more mysterious than this...

"Lord Wu!" A soldier came hurriedly to report: "All 10,000 Jiangdong soldiers have boarded the ship and can set off at any time."

Sun Quan looked at Liu Wu and said, "Zi Lie, what do you think?"

Liu Wu: "There is no time to lose. Zilie will board the ship now and take his leave first."

Sun Quan cupped his hands and said: "In that case, I wish my brother-in-law to obtain the four counties of southern Jing as soon as possible."

On the river,

Liu Wu's boat slowly approached the shore. The cool river breeze blew towards him, and Liu Wu's thoughts were flying...

His original plan,

It is to train a new army and build ships within half a year, and then march south to seize power in the four southern Jing counties in one fell swoop!
But plans cannot keep up with changes. Liu Bei's sudden move disrupted all Liu Wu's previous plans. In this case, he simply stopped waiting!
now,

Jiangdong's 10,000 soldiers, plus Jiangdong's 12 generals, Zhou Yu, and Taishi Ci can all be used by him...

In Jiangling, with Teacher Feng Chu in charge, I think nothing will go wrong.

As long as the news came from Jiangling, Liu Wu could lead his army south.

Go straight to the Public Security City,
Swallowing the four counties of Jingnan! !
call! ~
The wind is getting stronger.

He thought of that snowy night in Gong'an.
Liu Bei's words are still ringing in my ears:
"Back then, the country was in chaos and the Yellow Turbans were rising up. My father raised an army in Zhuo County to serve his country and met the two brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. From then on, the three of us served on the battlefield and made great achievements."

"Unexpectedly, my father's luck was bad. He had a bumpy journey and fought wars everywhere. Even in his middle age, he still hadn't achieved anything."

"It is only now that we have this foundation. Cao Cao was defeated at Red Cliff and is no longer able to move south."

“You have made an invaluable contribution!”

"I have overcome many difficulties along the way to where I am today. Although I have the help of Generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Military Advisor Zhuge Liang, I cannot do without your contribution."

……

"In order to reassure people, your father wants to make Ah Dou the crown prince."

"From now on, Adou will not only be your brother, but also your young master."

"Since you are Adou's subject, you should remember your duties as a subject to the monarch!"

……

Why?
"Why what?!"

"Why don't you make me the crown prince?"

"What did you say?"

"I said... why didn't father make me the crown prince?"

"You mean you've shed too much blood and killed too many people over the years... You deserve the credit, and you deserve the hard work..."

"So, as a father, I shouldn't make a seven-year-old child the crown prince, but you, the eldest son?"

"Is it?"

"Ah."

"Rebellious son! How dare you!!"

"Adou is precious. He grew up under his father's lap and cannot endure hardship! How can he be like you, who has been used to suffering since childhood?"

"If he doesn't want to be the crown prince, will he be made a subject? If he goes into danger like you, who knows when he will lose his life?"

"As the elder brother, you should give way to your brothers. Now, not only are you unwilling to assist Ah Dou, you even want to compete with him for the position of the crown prince. You are really shameless!"

Recalling this, Liu Wu's breathing became heavy, and he whispered to himself: "Liu Xuande."

"If you don't give me..."

"Then I'll get it myself!!"

　There are three chapters today, totaling 15,300 words. That’s all for today. I’m so tired, so tired. I’m going out to eat some barbecue to make up for the missed hours. Good night, brothers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)