Three Kingdoms

After arriving in Pingyang and hurriedly meeting Zao Zhi, Yang Xiu had been waiting with Xu You in the post house for Fei Qian's summons.

General Zhengxi is busy with affairs.

Although Yang Xiu somewhat knew that this was just an excuse for General Zhengxi and a ploy to dampen his own spirit, he could only admit it with helpless pinching of his nose, but now...

At first, Pingyang Posthouse only had two courtyards, the east and the west, which were originally quite spacious and sufficient. However, after Yang Xiu occupied one and Xu You occupied the other, General Pingdong's envoys had to live in one of the courtyards outside. As a result, there was a new one yesterday, Wen Hou Lu Bu’s...

Last night, Yang Xiu couldn't sleep well, for fear that someone would climb over the wall in the middle of the night. Terrified, I clutched my collar and spent the whole night in a daze. I finally waited till dawn. The huge black circle couldn't even be covered by the pink powder. I could only force myself to stay calm and still put on a calm look. He greeted Xu You calmly, and then stared at the courtyard door with longing eyes, hoping that Fei Qian, the General of the Expedition to the West, would summon him soon so that he could end this journey.

Xu You across the yard looked at Yang Xiu stretching his neck to look around after about half an hour, and couldn't help but lower his eyes and chuckle a few times. Xu You also heard about what happened outside the post house yesterday, and found it interesting. However, it was interesting, and Xu You had no intention of standing up for Yang Xiu. The Yang family is now a thing of the past, and there is no benefit to be gained. It’s just that General Fei of Zhengxi lurked here, which is called really fat...

Xu Youba smacked his lips. I originally thought that Zhengxi Feiqian would be rich, but I didn't expect that he would be so fat! If I can't take advantage of this opportunity to make a profit, I'm afraid I will regret it for the rest of my life. So Xu You was not in a hurry and thought about how to take advantage of the current situation to get more of Zheng Xifeiqian's fat.

"Here comes someone..." Xu You said slowly, "Let's just say that I'm not feeling well today and I won't see any visitors... Well, I can keep the list of famous assassins until I see it and I can make a decision tomorrow..."

Xu You looked at the gloomy sky. After eating his breakfast, he threw off his sleeves and went back to the house to sleep.

Xu You became less and less anxious, which made Yang Xiu even more unable to sit still. This anxious mood spread unknowingly in Yang Xiu's small courtyard, affecting other Yang's entourage.

Yang Xiu couldn't sleep, and naturally these followers couldn't sleep either. They accompanied Yang Xiu and waited hard on the front porch of the courtyard.

The weather was freezing. Seeing this, the postmen at the post station helped bring a lot of braziers to keep the Yang soldiers warm, so that they could endure longer.

Yang Xiu's personal bodyguards have basically been responsible for the Yang family for many years. If we talk about it seriously, they must have some kind of relationship with Yang Xiu. Seeing Yang Xiu's appearance, he can't help but make up for it. There was a lot of discussion in one place. No one knows what will happen in the future, and there are all kinds of speculations, which are circulating in this small yard.

Seeing that the sun was turning westward inch by inch, that there was still no movement on the streets, and that there was still no news. Even the charcoal for the brazier used for heating had been burned out. The postman of the posthouse quickly sent someone to the warehouse to collect it. It couldn't be delivered for a while, so I had no choice but to put out the brazier first and wait for the charcoal to arrive.

These Yang family members who had been discussing all day were no longer nervous or anxious. Moreover, the energy of the early breasts had long been exhausted. In addition, the charcoal in the brazier was broken. They really couldn't help but eat it. My feet were so cold that I jumped up and down.

"Oh! This damn postman, why didn't you remove the charcoal earlier? If there is no brazier in the middle of the night, you won't even be able to drink hot soup, and your teeth will be frozen!"

"Don't say it's the postman's fault. Looking at so many braziers, it's inevitable to use them too harshly. Haven't we already gone to get them? What can you do in a hurry..."

"It's not that I'm impatient. Logically speaking, I've been in Pingyang for three to five days. Now we're in this situation. I don't expect to have anything to eat, drink or enjoy. But at least we can't keep showing off like this, right? This Zhengxi is too stingy. Some, the daily ration of grain and grass is not enough to fill the teeth, so we can only let people buy it. The food and drink expenses are quite a lot every day. How can we go to Hongnong after a long time? Do we have to eat all the way back? Huh? !”

"Oh shit, we're in this situation now, so just be more at ease. You kid, just calm down and don't keep provoking troubles. Will you be willing to provoke some troubles when the time comes?!"

"Shut up, everyone! Shut the hell up! Don't be too noisy! If you make any more noise, you'll be kicked out of the hospital!" said a non-commissioned officer who looked like a team leader.

"Let's go, let's go!"

In the courtyard, the noise in the corridor below the hall also reached Yang Xiu's ears. He couldn't sit still in the lobby and started spinning around with his hands behind his back, countless thoughts rolling around in his mind.

Why is there no movement yet?

It's hard for Zheng Xi, so you expect my family and Lu Bu's family to be defeated?

Impossible. If this is really the case, Zhengxi should conceal the matter of Lu Bu's envoy so that we can take it lightly. We will definitely not let Lu Bu's envoy openly in front of me like this...

So is this blackmailing the Yang family?

Or do you want to take advantage of the fishing net?

In this case, why not learn Ban Dingyuan?

Yang Xiu glanced at the wall, then looked at his slender and delicate hands. He couldn't say that he didn't have calluses, but they were just a little bit on the side of his middle finger, which was caused by holding a brush.

Yang Xiu was unwilling to show weakness to Lu Bu's envoys, and he didn't have much of a bachelor's mentality. Although he could be resourceful when planning others, and he was also very energetic when speaking about scriptures, when his own family was faced with a life-and-death decision, Yang Xiu may not have the extraordinary courage to take action...

…………………………

"Fengxiao, you haven't changed your name yet? Doesn't Mr. Cao know?" Above the Pingyang Festival Hall, Fei Qian pointed to the brazier lit in the hall and asked the guards to move closer to Guo Jia.

Make friends at a distance and attack at close range.

The Pre-Qin Dynasty had proved that this kind of diplomatic strategy was extremely excellent. Naturally, Fei Qian summoned the farthest envoy of General Pingdong, Guo Jia, according to the geographical division.

Although Guo Jia is difficult to deal with, compared to the other three, the conflict of interests must be the smallest, and it is also the easiest to reach some common agreements.

"... General, this wine is exquisite..." Guo Jia guzzled down another bowl of wine, "Mr. Cao naturally knows the name of a certain person... But it can't be changed, it can't be changed... If a certain person changes it , let alone other things, just this trip... Haha, the head of the Guo family is still in Jizhou..."

The banquet was not luxurious, but it was sumptuous. There were no delicacies, just the big fish and meat common in the North. But the wine was really good. It was brewed from corn and warmed on a small red clay stove. It was extremely mellow. Guo Jia liked it very much and drank one bowl after another.

Guo Jia put down the wine bowl, his face slightly red, and said, "General, if you put Yang Lu together, aren't you afraid that the two families will fight?"

Fei Qian laughed and said, "If we hadn't put them together, wouldn't the two families have fought?"

"Haha, it's true..." Guo Jia raised his head and smiled, and then said, "But even if Marquis Wen takes over Luoyang, he will be defeated sooner or later..."

"Yes, it's a defeat, but who is willing to lose?" Fei Qian said while cutting a piece of roasted lamb leg with a knife, "I'll challenge Yin Wu and fight against Jingchu. Go deep into its obstruction, A journey to Jing. There are clues about where to go, and the thoughts of Tang and Sun. Who is Yin Wu, and who is Jing Chu?"

Guo Jia straightened his back suddenly and stared at Fei Qian, with beads of sweat suddenly appearing on his head.

"Um...what's wrong?" Fei Qian threw the mutton into his mouth and muttered.

Guo Jia pretended to wipe his sweat casually and said: "It's okay, it's okay. I drank good wine and felt comfortable all over..." Although he said this, Guo Jia felt a little uneasy in his heart. What did Zheng Xi guess?

While drinking, Guo Jia carefully observed Fei Qian's expression and wondered, was it just a coincidence that he mentioned "Jingchu" just now?

It must be a coincidence.

There is no way that General Zhengxi has any supernatural powers. If he really did, Guo Jia would simply go back and persuade Cao Cao not to play. Everyone can see all the cards clearly. How can he play such a game?

After calming down, before Guo Jia could put down the wine bowl, he heard Fei Qian say another sentence without raising his head: "How about it? When will Duke Cao send troops?"

"Pfft! Cough! Cough cough..." Guo Jia spit out the drink in his mouth, not caring about choking, and turned to look at Fei Qian, "General... how did the general know?"

Fei Qian cut another piece of mutton, then put down the knife and said, "Because Fengxiao is here... isn't this obvious?"

"Huh?" Guo Jia was dumbfounded, then shook his head and said, "Actually, the general didn't know about it at the beginning, right?"

"You can say that..." Fei Qian did not deny it.

"Huh..." Guo Jia then exhaled and said, "So, what do you think, general?" Fortunately, not bad, this is within the acceptable range of Guo Jia, but in his mind, The evaluation and danger level of Fei Qian could not help but increase by several orders of magnitude.

Fei Qian waved his hand and said: "Words are not important, what is important is actual benefits, right?"

"Uh, yes." Guo Jia asked directly, "So what does the general need?"

Fei Qian pondered and motioned to Guo Jia to eat food and drink first.

Guo Jia nodded without urging, and when he saw Fei Qian's hesitation, he felt slightly relieved. Just now, he was basically being led by Fei Qian, the General of the Expedition to the West, which made Guo Jia very uncomfortable. Now he just made it public and said that Fang moved back some.

In fact, Fei Qian is not as powerful as Guo Jia imagined. It is just Fei Qian's own judgment plus specious words...

Guo Jia came all the way from Yanzhou, definitely not to express his condolences to Cai Yong as he said on the surface, or to express his love for the Wei family in Hedong. These are not very big things, they are just for use. To cover up its true purpose. Judging from Cao Cao's current situation, combined with Cao Cao's actions in history, Fei Qian can basically guess that Cao Cao is preparing to fight.

the reason is simple.

Cao Cao must fight. If he doesn't fight, there will be no way out. Sooner or later, he will be trapped in Yanzhou and die. It is obviously unrealistic to fight to the north, and it is also impossible to fight to the west.

To the west of Cao Cao is Lu Bu and Heluo. In addition, Lu Bu has just made a high-profile statement that he wants to help the country and let the emperor rule personally. Then Cao Cao follows up to attack Lu Bu. Isn't this to declare to the world that he opposes the emperor's personal rule and Liu Xie? Is it the same as before?

Therefore, even if there is any unresolved conflict between Cao Cao and Lu Bu, they can only put it aside for the time being and wait until this wave passes.

Fei Qian absolutely did not believe that Cao Cao had the courage and strength to challenge Yuan Shao at this stage, so Cao Cao had only two directions left, either go east and attack Xuzhou, or go south and attack Yuzhou. Everyone knows that Xuzhou is a soft persimmon. In Yuzhou, Yuan Shu's main force has gone to the southern front. It is a time of emptiness. Whether he wants to attack Xuzhou or Yuzhou, Cao Cao is worried that his home will be ransacked. Therefore, Fei Qian, who had some connections with Lu Bu and Jingzhou, became the best battlefield mediator. As long as an agreement is reached, Cao Cao can at least rest assured that he will not have to send troops from Yanzhou, only to have his hometown raided by others. Cao Cao certainly didn't want to experience the pain of Yanzhou's rebellion a second time.

"First, Wancheng..." Fei Qian tapped on the table gently.

Guo Jia rolled his eyes and said, "If Cao Gong goes to Wancheng, we can deliver..." Wancheng is now in Yuan Shu's hands, and Liu Biao also wants to get it back, so Guo Jia's subtext is also obvious. Anyway, Wancheng There are also people from Jingxiang in the area. Whether you want a better Wancheng or a dilapidated Wancheng depends on how Fei Qian and the people in Jingxiang communicate. As for who to hand over to, Guo Jia and Cao Cao don't care, Zheng Xi and Liu Biao can discuss it themselves.

Guo Jia was really worried that Fei Qian was only verbally agreeing without seeking some actual benefits, because only when people get practical things can they really do this seriously.

Fei Qian nodded slightly and said: "Second, the caravan." Cao Cao naturally needs weapons and food to fight, and Fei Qian also needs gold, silver and copper to promote Tongbao. This should have been a matter of mutual benefit, but the problem was solved after the war. When they get up, many red-eyed soldiers will be difficult to control. If there are no strict orders and restraints, the caravan will be in great danger.

"Caravan?" Guo Jia asked.

Fei Qian nodded in confirmation.

Guo Jia clapped his chest and said, "No problem! As long as all caravans marching to the west are disciplined and law-abiding, they will be able to pass without hindrance under Cao Gong's rule!"

Fei Qian ignored the backdoor hidden in Guo Jia's words, because Fei Qian also knew that no matter what it is, there is a honeymoon period. Once the honeymoon period is over, just like the three guarantees policy, Fei Qian will no longer enjoy various benefits, so Fei Qian Qian raised his third finger and said, "The last item is Tong Bao. Tong Bao cannot be refused for any reason within Duke Cao's territory."

Fei Qian asked someone to bring some Tongbao to Guo Jia.

Guo Jiazi looked at it carefully, frowned and checked the quality of Tongbao again, and said, "If the general's Tongbao is of consistent quality, Duke Cao has no reason to refuse." Guo Jia didn't know much about economics. But for Tongbao made of such material, Zhengxi must not be able to make much profit, right? But since Zhengxi proposed it, it wouldn't hurt to agree.

"Good!" Fei Qian raised his wine bowl and gestured to Guo Jia. These matters will naturally be taken over by Xun Chenhui, and then the relevant provisions will be drawn up, and then they will be brought back to Guo Jia as a formality through blood-based alliance. Of course, this kind of treaty is always effective when it is approved and invalid when it falls out. As for how long it can last, no one knows.

Guo Jia was naturally overjoyed. Having accomplished most of his goals, he naturally felt a lot more relaxed. He picked up the wine bowl and signaled to Fei Qian. He had just drank half of it when he heard Fei Qian say again: "Then when will Mr. Cao... Break up with Mr. Yuan?"

"Pfft..." Guo Jia spit out another mouthful of wine...