Chapter 86 Intrigue

Cao Zhang held a big Han communique in his hand and hurriedly stepped on the copper finch platform. The glittering copper finch on the top of the platform led his neck to the sky and spread its wings to fly. It seemed that he could hear its crisp chirping above the nine heavens the next moment.

"Father." Cao Zhang took off his shoes at the door and entered the dark Taixie. Although the Tongque platform is more than ten feet above the ground, which is much brighter than the flat house, Cao Zhang was still not used to it for a while when he walked in from the sunny outside. He stood at the door for a while when he took off his shoes. After a while, he saw Cao Qian standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back.

Cao Jian stood there silently, holding his hand on the window sill and tapping from time to time. Du Du's voice was very monotonous, but it was very clear in the silent copper finch platform. Cao Rui, who was sitting behind the board, glanced at Cao Zhang and shook his head quietly. Cao Zhang smiled and slowly walked behind Cao Shen.

"Ziwen, you're here." Cao Shen seemed to have just recovered. He turned his head and glanced at Cao Zhang. He saw the Han communique in his hand and smiled, "See Sun Shao's watch? What do you think?"

Before Cao Zhang could speak, he sip his lips first and said with a little regret, "Since he intervened in this matter, I'm afraid he can't fight."

Cao said yes and listened to the following.

"The Han communique was snapped up as soon as it arrived in Ye City. Some good people posted the communique at the gate for people to watch. It was widely spread in half a day, and many people bought paper to copy it. Everyone knows the prestige of the king of Yue now. Cao Zhang looked at the Han communique in his hand and shook his head with a wry smile: "This Han communique looks like a piece of paper, but it works like tens of thousands of troops. If there is anything, all the scholars in the world can know it. It's not so easy to hide it from them."

"It's not necessarily." Cao Qian said lightly, "It is people who write articles, and it is also people who print articles. However, there is no one we can trust in Luoyang now, and Yang Gong and Sun Shao are old friends, and there are many secret things, so of course there are more things that are beneficial to Sun Shao. However, Yang Gong is eighty-three years old. Even if he is in good health, I'm afraid he won't last for a few years. At present, the most important thing is to think about how to hold the seal in his hand. At least, he should understand how these Han communiqués came out.

Cao Chang nodded as if he were thinking.

"Ziwen, what do you think of Sun Shao's book?" Cao Xiu turned around, put his hands behind his back, slowly walked back to the couch, picked up the Dahan communique pressed by the Jinhu paperweight, and gently put it aside.

Cao Zhang squeezed his mouth and thought for a moment, revealing his beauty and shyness that were far from his face: "Sun Shao's big promotion of the harvest of Funan this time is very different from his previous style. I think that his intention is not to praise virtue for himself, but to the battle of Wu and Shu. He just wants to say that instead of taking a lot of effort. It's better to fight with each other. If you use less force, you will get more benefits.

Cao Shen raised his eyes and glanced at Cao Zhang, whose voice was a little excited, and there was a smile on the corners of his mouth. He heard from Cao Zhang's tone that he was envious and unwilling to Sun Shaohe's achievements. This son, who is full of learning from Wei Huo, is more tempted than everyone else. He can't wait to conquer the barbarians like Sun Shao now.

Cao Qian sighed secretly. As soon as he saw the article on Sun Shao's conquest of Funan and inviting Funan and Bora, he knew that Sun Shao had decided to intervene in Wu Shu's war, and the opportunity he wanted to profit from it had been lost. He was very sorry. He always thought that Sun Shao's expedition to Funan could not solve the problem in two or three years. He never thought that it took him less than a year to solve it, and by the way, he also solved Borneo. Sun Shao's article said that Funan is comparable to Jizhou, and Brah is more thousands of miles of sea territory. In terms of sea territory, the area is no less than that of the south of the Yangtze River, that is, in terms of island area, it is no less than a state. Cao Qian doesn't believe in this. He feels that Sun Shao is exaggerating his words. His purpose is not to exaggerate for himself, but to exaggerate the interests of conquering foreigners and get tired of those. The hearts of the civil war led further to the outside. Whether it is Funan or Borneo, they are all wild places. The land is vast and sparsely populated. Even if there are some rare things, how can they be compared with the Central Plains with rich household registration? There is only land and no household registration. Isn't that an empty word?

However, Cao Qian knew that not everyone was as calm as him, especially the hot-blooded and impulsive young man, who was not one or two people who were seduced by Sun Shao. The scholars of the Han Dynasty have the habit of traveling. Only if conditions permit, they will not enter the official immediately after adulthood, but go out to see the world. Now traveling to Yue and Jiaozhou is the first choice for young people. They take the sea boat of the merchants of Yue and go all the way south, from Qiantang to the South China Sea and Zhuya to see the new. The moon-told Yue is the dream of many young people.

Compared with the flow of people in previous years, such a wave of scholars is what Cao Qian is most worried about. The chiefs of Guizhou don't understand anything. They don't accept information as quickly as the scholars who can read and cut off the text. As long as they send a letter to the border, even if they get the news, they can't run away. More people just think about it when they are too poor to live. In the past few years, there has been no war. Cao Qian, like Liu Bei and Sun Quan, has consciously reduced taxes, so that the leaders of Guizhou can take a breath and not be attracted by the favorable conditions of Yue to leave their hometowns. Scholars are different. They continue to flow to Yue. Many poor scholars choose to become officials in Yue. Even the young people of famous families can't leave their families and eventually return to their hometowns. However, they bring the news of Yue, sometimes it is more fierce than staying in Yue.

The scholars are different from the head of Guizhou. Cao Qian can't simply restrict them through the ban, and he can't sit back and watch Sun Shao's crode people's hearts step by step. He must take measures to fight back. This time, Sun Shao went to Funan. Wu Shu started a war because of a small matter. This was originally a good thing. In order to let them fight, Cao Yan also showed his goodwill on both sides and took the initiative to withdraw the garrison in Hanzhong and Jianghuai. Seeing the confrontation between the two sides, he did not expect that Sun Shao quickly ended the war in Funan and turned his head and asked the emperor to mediate. At the same time, this kind of demagogic news was released through the Han communique.

People's hearts are confused, and the country will not be a country. Cao Yu looked at Cao Zhang in front of him with a heavy heart.

"However, I think that although the expedition of Yue is enviable, it cannot be imitated." Cao Zhang did not notice the worries hidden under Cao's calm face. He put away his smile and frowned slightly, as if he was very embarrassed.

"Why?" The contemplative Cao took back his mind and asked a question. Cao Zhangneng thought so, which made him very happy.

"There are sailors in Vietnam, which can go to the South China Sea, go on expeditions to the south, and even Borneo, but the three countries of Wei, Shu and Wu do not have such conditions. If we want to conquer the State of Wei, we can only go north and go to the prairie to expel the Xianbei people and the Wuwan people. It is a very dangerous thing to enter the prairie and fight with these barbants. It is possible to hit them hard, but it is a delusion to annihire them completely and determine the universe in one war. Once the war begins, the situation of painstaking management over the years will be broken, and the northern border will fall into the predicament of years of war. In case something happens to the south, we will be defeated on both sides.

"Hmm." Cao Wei nodded with the same feeling and motioned to Cao Zhang to continue.

"The State of Wu has the Yangtze River in the north, the State of Shu in the west, and the two sides in the southeast are surrounded by the State of Yue. Where did he go to conquer foreigners? I'm afraid he can only do the Shanyue in Yangzhou. Now most of these Shanyue have gone to Yue, and what he can do is really limited. And the State of Shu is not much better. At most, they are developing to the southern part of Yizhou. In addition, there is limited room to play. Therefore, the State of Yue can be used to conquer the outside world, and the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu are very difficult. We can only envy and not imitate the achievements of the King of Yue.

"Ha ha ha..." Cao couldn't help laughing, waved to Cao Zhang to his side, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Huang Xuer has grown up, and I'm very relieved."

Cao Zhang blushed and secretly glanced at Cao Rui and He Yan behind him. He rubbed his nose with embarrassment. He was really shy when he was in his thirties and was praised so much by his father.

"Unfortunately, there are not many people who can see this clearly." Cao Shen sighed and stroked his beard and said, "The Han communique is not in our hands. We just want to tell others this, but we can't do it."

"What does the father mean?" Cao Zhang asked tentatively.

"Sun Shao Pingding Funan, this time entrusted the mediation of Wu Shu to the emperor. He wanted to hold me to stand behind the emperor and wave the flag and shout. When things are done, it is the credit of the emperor. The prestige of the emperor will be greatly improved. If things don't work, we still have to be a thre for the emperor. With him on the side, I will control it. If I don't listen, I will become the target of public criticism. Listen, I will be used as a knife by him again.

Cao Zhang thought about it for a moment, but didn't come up with any good idea. Cao Qian may be able to work without effort, but as long as he responds to Sun Shao's call and supports the emperor's mediation of Wu Shu's war, this matter has actually come true - Wu Shu does not have the strength to deal with Wei and Yue at the same time.

"The emperor is grateful to Sun Shao's proposal and wants to make him a general. If your sister hadn't advised him with great righteousness, I'm afraid that the general's seal would have been sent out."

Cao Zhang was stunned and subconsciously glanced at Cao Yan's expression. Of course, he knew that the general was usually the queen's mother's family. Normally, after his sister Cao Jie was awarded the title of queen, Cao Shen should be the general. But at that time, because the Cao family had planned to usurp the throne, he had no interest in the general. Unexpectedly, it would be delayed until now. If Sun Shao became a general, wouldn't he have slapped Cao in the face? However, Cao Zhang thought about it again and couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Father, the position of general is higher than the third prince, and he must go to Beijing to serve. Will Sun Shao go to Luoyang to be a general?"

"Yang Gong has come up with this idea. He took Zhang Wen as an example and thought that the general could also help the case."

Cao Zhang raised his head in surprise. Although he suddenly didn't understand the deep meaning, he knew that Yang Biao's behavior was definitely not a simple decision, and there must be other intentions behind it. Cao Qian glanced at him and said with a smile, "If Sun Shao becomes a general, Yang Xiu will probably not be far from the position of the third prince."

Cao Zhang suddenly realized and then frowned. As a long history of Cao Zhi, Yang Xiu has been in the Han Dynasty. Since the stunning war in Ba County, Cao Zhi has not made any more satisfactory actions, saying that it tends to be mediocre. Cao Wei was already a little disappointed in him and refocused on Cao Pi. Cao Pi was appointed as the deputy prime minister last year. During this period, he was diligent and had good results. Prime Minister Zhong Yao is old. Once he dies, Cao Pi will become a righteous prime minister and take control of the power of the State of Wei. In contrast, Cao Zhi's performance is much worse. At this time, if Yang Biao won the position of general for Sun Shao, then Sun Shao would return the fruit and bound to introduce Yang Xiu to the court. As soon as Yang Xiu stayed, I'm afraid Cao Zhi would have no chance.

"So that's it. That can't make them too satisfactory."

"Yes." Cao Xiu nodded: "Then what can you do?"

"The minister feels that Zhang Wenyu was a lieutenant when he was a soldier in Xiliang. At a time of expedient, the Han Dynasty did not have the chaos in the west. The King of Yue has conquered Funan again. There is no reason to take the position of general. If he wants to be a general, let him go to Luoyang."

"Hahaha..." Cao Shen laughed loudly. This reason was very legitimate, and with the strength of the State of Wei, if he objected, he would not dare to force it. Cao Wei said to Cao Zhang with a smile, "Aren't you afraid that Sun Shao will be dissatisfied with you?"

"What am I afraid of him for?" Cao Zhang curled his lips disapprovingly and frowned, "It's just that it's impossible for my father to be a general."

"I don't want to be a general." Cao Qian waved his hand and said, "I'm old. I just want to spend the rest of my year in Ye City, and I don't want to be involved in those right and wrong. Sun Shao and you are of the same generation. If you want to fight with him, you have to fight. I don't want to bully him.

Cao Zhang smiled and didn't dare to say anything. He said that the vertical was very sinister. You can't beat him. We are not his opponents. He thought for a second time and said, "Since my father has no intention to do this, and my brother is the prime minister, it is not appropriate to go far away, so it's better to let Zijian go."

"Zijian?" Cao Wei turned his head and looked at him: "Do you think he is suitable?"

"I think he is suitable." Cao Zhang nodded affirmatively: "Although he and Sun Shao have not met, they have been friends for a long time. In addition, Yang Xiu's mediation will definitely be properly resolved."

Cao Shen pondered for a moment, but still shook his head: "I think it's better to let you go than let him go."

"Me?" Cao Zhang was stunned. After a while, he shook his head repeatedly and said, "I don't want to be a general. If my father thinks that I still have some military skills, why don't you let me be the general of the State of Wei? I am willing to ride thousands of horses across the desert..."

"If you become a general of Luoyang, you can't cross the desert?" Cao Yan curled his lips and looked a little disdainful: "Jizi, as soon as I praised you a few words, I showed my original shape again."

Cao Zhang's eyes turned and he was very speechless.

"You become a general, go to mediate the matter of Wu and Shu on behalf of the emperor, and then mention the joint expedition of Wei and Shu to the west." Cao Wei waved his hand and said, "In line with the power of Wei and Shu, it is not impossible to ask the emperor to give the support of the State of Yue and take the Western Regions. Although Zijian has the ability to fight, he can only be a general under your account at most.

Cao Zhangran, I don't know what to say. However, when he thought that he might lead the Wei and Shu army to the Western Liang Dynasty or even the Western Regions, he couldn't help but be excited. He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Can Sun Shao agree?"

"He wants me to help the emperor mediate, so he can't help but give me some benefits." Cao's domineering blink of an eye and sneered. After a while, he muttered, "It's a pity that I'm old. Otherwise, I really can't bear to give you this opportunity for the Western Expedition."

Cao Zhang couldn't help but feel a little gloomy. He looked at Cao Qian's snow-like hair and sighed secretly. His father was really old.

... Zhuge Liang held Yu Ruyi in his hands, looked at the letter on the case, looked at Zong Yu sitting opposite, and smiled: "It seems that King Yue knows your identity."

Zong Yu smiled silently: "King Yue is scheming. He knows my official career very well, and it is not difficult to guess the relationship. However, in my opinion, he is also very clear about the relationship between General Guan, General Zhang and the king.

"He is a smart man, how can he not know everyone's surname?" Zhuge Liang put down Yu Ruyi and opened a brocade box on the case, which was a gift brought to him by Sun Shao Tuozong. There is only one ivory book knife in the brocade box, and there is nothing else. The handle of this ivory book knife is carved into a dragon's head, and the handle of the knife is also engraved with thin dragon scales. Although it does not look gorgeous, the ivory is warm and cute, simple and exquisitely carved. At first glance, it is a top-class craftsmanship.

Zhuge Liang fell in love with it at a glance. If Sun Shao gave him gold, silver and jewelry, he might not be eye-catching, but this book knife is just right for his appetite. He looked at it over and over again and praised, "Good knife."

"Does the Prime Minister see what kind of iron this is?" Zong Yu suddenly said.

"Iron?" Zhuge Liang was a little surprised. The book knife is used to cut the rope and cut the envelope. It doesn't need to be too sharp. What special good iron needs to be used?

"This is Tianzhu Iron, in Zhuya, this is called Yan Iron." Zong Yu took a step forward and pointed to the pattern on the knife and said, "Look, Prime Minister, this iron pattern is quite strange, like a dark flower. The weapons made by Tianzhu Iron are very sharp, and it is difficult to find a knife. Every time a knife appears in the market, it is immediately collected by people. The king of Yue said that this book knife was specially customized for the Prime Minister. I'm afraid that I can't find a second one in the world to make a book knife with this kind of iron.

Zhuge Liang stagnated, and some of them gently scratched the envelope with a knife. The envelope separated silently, and there was a clear knife mark on the dim surface. It's really sharp." Zhuge Liang nodded repeatedly, carefully put the knife into the sheath, carefully inserted it into the belt, and touched it again. Then he pulled out the letter and read it.

Sun Shao's letter was very simple and straightforward. He told Zhuge Liang that Guan Yu was old, and it was probably impossible for him to change his temper. He didn't want Guan Yu to be defeated by Wu Jun, and he didn't want them to fight again. He will write to persuade Guan Yu, hoping that Zhuge Liang will also give him a thin face and put up with it. In order to repay Zhuge Liang, he is willing to assist Zhuge Liang to pact down Yizhou. After the conquest of Funan, he added tens of thousands of Funan soldiers. Most of these people are good at jungle warfare. If they enter Yizhou to fight the rebellion, they will definitely get twice the result with half the effort. After the pactization of Yizhou, Zhuge Liang had a war achievement, and opened up the business road to Tianzhu, which was also of great benefit to the people's livelihood of Yizhou.

Zhuge Liang finished reading word by word, and finally slowly put down the case, picked up Yu Ruyi again, was silent for a long time, and said, "How did he persuade General Guan?"

"I don't know." Zong Yu shook his head: "But looking at his tone and Queen Guan Feng's Anran, it seems that he is sure to solve the contradiction between General Guan and everyone."

"It's a mystery." Zhuge Liang's mouth was crooked and a little helpless. He now knows that the reason why Guan Yu has a lot of opinions about him and finds awkwardness with him everywhere is that Sun Shao has drugged him. But it was useless for him to know it. Guan Yu was so arrogant that he even contradicted Liu Bei and didn't give him a chance to explain at all. Besides, he would not take the initiative to explain to Guan Yu. If someone can persuade Guan Yu, Sun Shao is probably the only one in the world. Sun Shao sent money to send horses. He was so good to Guan Feng that he had nothing to say. Over the years, he has made great achievements in the war and expanded thousands of miles. Whether materially or spiritually, he has given Guan Yu the capital to be proud of him. Of course, under the cover of such a big general as Yu, the merchants of Yue were also like fish in water in Shu, and everything went well. In turn, these merchants gave Guan Yu more benefits. Although Guan Yu is just a county marquis, among all the nobles in Shu, only Liu Bei, the king of Shu, is probably stronger than Guan Yu.

Zhuge Liang knew that with Guan Yu's military achievements and Liu Bei's relationship with the king and minister, with a strong foreign aid like Sun Shao, it was almost delusional that he wanted to suppress Guan Yu. He was destined to wait patiently for Guan Yu to die in the shadow of Guan Yu. For a person like him who does not seek wealth, but seeks an opportunity to display his ambitions, such a word is doomed to be painful.

Now Sun Shao has sent an opportunity. He has no reason not to accept it. Otherwise, if Sun Shao and Guan Yu join hands, he will have no power to fight back at all, not to mention that his brother Zhuge Jun is still in Sun Shao's hands. He will not believe that Sun Shao can't find out the role of Zhuge Jun in it. It can be said that it is as easy as pinching an ant for Sun Shao to kill Zhuge Jun.

Of course, the conditions proposed by Sun Shao are indeed very attractive. As long as they can cooperate, he can win the meritorious service in Yizhou County. His brother Zhuge is safe and sound, and his brother Zhuge Jin can also successfully become the prime minister of the State of Wu. At the thought that the two brothers were the prime ministers of Wu Shu, Zhuge Liang was a little excited. In addition to the excitement, he was a little eager to try. Maybe this will be an opportunity to test his and his brother's ability.

"The peace talks are okay. Let Wu Guo promise to send Zhang Yi back and promise that such a thing will never happen again." Zhuge Liang said, "Deyan, go back to Jiangling, the king's place. I will say that it won't be too difficult."

"Oh." Zong answered and said curiously, "Mr. Prime Minister, do you also believe that the King of Yue can explain General Guan?"

"You can't believe it. Anyway, no one can talk about him as our general except him." Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "In fact, compared with this, what is more difficult is how he let the State of Wu withdraw first without hurting the face of our general."

(to be continued)