Liu Mang finally escaped. Jia Xu, the old fox, arrived in time and asked a soldier to inform Liu Mang that something important had happened outside the study. Qiao Yu knew that a man had a career in addition to women, so she didn't disturb Liu Mang. She left the study with her face still red and a little panic. After all, she was kissed by Liu Mang. Warmth surged in her heart, and her girlish feelings rippled again. Although she put on her clothes, she didn't tidy them up properly because Liu Mang's hands were unruly just now. As soon as Qiao Yu left, Zou Rong also came out! She didn't look much better than Qiao Yu when she came out. Although her clothes were not disheveled, her face was even worse than Qiao Yu's. The makeup on her face was ruined and was wiped away by a white liquid.
As soon as the two came out, they immediately tidied up their clothes. Although Liu Mang spent a lot of effort, he still tidied up his clothes. His lower body was no longer as calm as before. He had a place to shelter himself from the wind and rain, and his private parts were once again shrunk!
"Madam!" After putting on his clothes, Liu Mang cupped his fists towards Madam Zou, who had just wiped the traces on her face. Liu Mang felt a little guilty in his heart. It was he who caused Madam Zou to become so embarrassed.
"Why are you still calling me Madam?" Madam Zou rolled her eyes at Liu Mang. Although she said that she came to seduce Liu Mang to find a home for herself, she didn't expect it to turn out like this. No matter how much Liu Mang paid attention to his hygiene, there would always be a smell. The smell in her mouth made Madam Zou very uncomfortable. She also didn't expect that this bad guy's thing would be like this. However, she still achieved her goal, didn't she?
Although the two of them didn't have sex, it also meant that their relationship had become unclear.
"Zou, Zou!" Liu Mang shouted several times but didn't know how to address her. It was Madam Zou who smiled and said, "My name is Zou Rong. You can call me Rong 'er!" Zou Rong said her name. When she was under Liu Mang's robe, she heard Liu Mang call his wives Ling 'er, Yu' er, and Fang 'er. She also wanted to get closer to Liu Mang, so she said such a nickname....
"Rong, Rong 'er!" Liu Mang struggled and finally shouted this name. Madam Zou was a beauty. To be honest, who didn't like a beauty? However, it was risky to accept this beauty. The three women at home were difficult to deal with. Then there was the Xiliang Cavalry. Madam Zou's identity was the old master of the Xiliang Cavalry, Zhang Ji's widowed wife. Liu Mang didn't show his greed for Madam Zou outside Shouchun before, so the Xiliang Cavalry quickly submitted to him. But if he accepted Madam Zou now, what was the difference between him and Cao Cao? He was Liu Mang. Although he liked beautiful women, he didn't like women. He liked Liu Mang. He liked to accept other people's wives.
"Yes!" Madam Zou nodded. There was a kind of shyness on her face. For many years, the name Rong 'er had not been mentioned. People called her Madam Zou, Madam Zou, or Aunt. They had never called her by her name! So when Liu Mang called her name, Madam Zou suddenly changed from a young woman to a shy girl.
"Alas!" Liu Mang looked at the traces on Madam Zou's face that had not been cleaned up. Liu Mang sighed and gritted his teeth. He and Madam Zou were like this. Could he really push Madam Zou out? This was not Liu Mang's style. But what about the two tigers at home? It was difficult. The gentleness that Qiao Yu showed before was because he was very obedient and didn't have an affair. If he was found out, then he could only wait for the volcano to erupt. There was no way out. Liu Mang could only grit his teeth and said to Zou Rong, "I will take responsibility!" Then he walked out. He still had things to discuss in the main hall! Although Jia Xu came to save the situation, in fact, he really had something to do. Otherwise, several soldiers would not have come after Jia Xu sent one soldier. These soldiers were not sent by Jia Xu to save the situation. They were really sent by Xu Shu and Liu Mang. Even Zhou Cang and Guan Hai were waiting outside Liu Mang's mansion with sabers. This meant that something really happened.
"My Lord!" Liu Mang was led to the main hall by the soldiers. When he arrived at the main hall, almost everyone was already in place. Only Zhang Liao and the others were in advance because they were the vanguard. The Black Flag Army of the Central Army had also set off. Therefore, Zhang Liao, Xu Sheng, and the others were not present. The other generals were present, and the three foxes were all in the main hall. Although the three of them had disagreements, at this time, they were communicating with each other with a serious expression. It seemed that this matter was not small. Otherwise, the three of them would not be like this.
"My Lord is here!" When Liu Mang entered the main hall, a soldier reminded everyone present that Liu Mang had arrived.
"My Lord!" Everyone cupped their fists and greeted Liu Mang.
"What happened?" Liu Mang sat on his seat and asked the three incompetent advisors below.
"My Lord, something big has happened!" Xu Shu was the military advisor of the entire Yangzhou. He was also the person with the highest position in the entire army besides Liu Mang. Therefore, he spoke directly. Liu Mang rarely saw Xu Shu like this. The most recent time was during the siege of Shouchun. Liu Bei used the fake Lu Lingling as bait. Xu Shu had no choice but to open the city and surrender. But now, he was like this again. This meant that the matter was not small.
"Speak!" Liu Mang took a deep breath and prepared himself for the bad news that Xu Shu was about to tell him.
Sure enough, Liu Mang did not guess wrong. When Xu Shu opened his mouth, Liu Mang was really stunned. This news really shocked Liu Mang. The seven or eight envoys that he sent out all gave the same answer. That is, they did not buy any provisions.
No provisions! What is this? Liu Mang was really stunned. Provisions were a key factor that limited the entire army of Liu Mang and even the entire Lvbu's Army. This was because in Shouchun, millions of people were crying piteously for food. It could be said that Liu Mang was feeding millions of people, unlike other warlords who only needed to feed their own army. Those people had their own rations.
When Liu Mang's conscription order came out, it was directly played by Sun Ce of Jiangdong. Millions of people emerged from all over Yangzhou and even helped Jiangdong get rid of Shanyue. It could be said that Sun Ce of Jiangdong was very grateful to Liu Mang.
Whether it was Jiangdong's Sun Ce, Yuzhou's Liu Bei, or even Xu Du's Cao Cao, they all wanted to see Liu Mang's Army collapse and be completely destroyed by the rioting people. This way, they would have one less opponent for their hegemony.
Liu Bei, Zhang Xiu, and Sun Ce wanted to besiege the Lvbu's Army and swallow it up. This had already forced Liu Mang into a dead end and he almost succeeded. Because he did not bring Cao Cao of Xu Du to play, and also because Liu Mang wanted the ballista in Liu Mang's hands, Cao Cao sent 100,000 rations to Liu Mang. This way, he could repay Liu Mang's favor. Secondly, he could make Liu Mang owe him a favor. Most importantly, although Cao Cao defeated Hebei's hegemon, Yuan Shao, in the battle of Guandu, it would still take a long time for him to truly unify Hebei and become the hegemon of Hebei. Cao Cao did not want to face a hegemon of the Central Plains after unifying Hebei. Therefore, what Cao Cao needed was a Central Plains that could not be unified. Therefore, whether it was Liu Bei or Sun Ce, they were not in line with Cao Cao's interests. This was the real reason why Cao Cao saved Liu Mang.
Liu Mang really won the battle. In the end, with Zhang Xiu's life, 20,000 Xiliang Cavalry were lost in Yangzhou. Liu Bei's army was also completely defeated. Even General Chen Dao and his beloved White Eared Heavy Armor died in Yangzhou. It could be said that the siege of Yangzhou was completely broken.
After that, they would have to wait for the next harvest. However, Liu Mang still did not have any rations. Without rations, they would naturally have to buy them. Liu Mang had money, which was the foundation left by Yuan Shu in Shouchun. However, Liu Mang really did not expect that he would not be able to buy any rations even if he had the money!
"Tell me! Why didn't you buy any rations? " Liu Mang rubbed his head. It was really painful. He did not expect that it would reach this point. Not selling any rations! Hehe, although Liu Mang had enemies nearby, not all of them were enemies. What were these people thinking? Could it be that the destruction of the Lvbu's Army would benefit them greatly?
"Reporting to Milord, Sun Ce of Jiangdong. Before our envoy arrived, he was beaten back by Jiangdong's army." Xu Shu was the first to speak about Sun Ce of Jiangdong. The envoy sent to Sun Ce of Jiangdong really did not arrive in front of Sun Ce. It should be said that he did not even cross the Yangtze River before he was beaten back. Not only was he beaten back, but his daughter was also taken away.
"Hmph! Sun Ce! " Liu Mang slammed the table. His eyes were cold. Fortunately, Liu Mang was mentally prepared. Although he and Sun Ce of Jiangdong did not directly go to war, who did not know that the siege of Yangzhou was planned by Jiangdong. Jiangdong Sun Ce of Jiangdong was the mastermind. How could Sun Ce of Sun Ce of Jiangdong not sell his daughter? However, he did not expect that after the envoy was beaten back, his daughter was also taken away. But it did not matter. Since Liu Mang had eaten his daughter, he naturally had to spit it out. Linhuai was enough for Liu Mang to make up for it.
Liu Mang was now waiting to see what kind of expression Sun Ce would have when he found out that he had swallowed his territory in Huainan. He also hoped that Sun Cejun would be so angry that he would lose his mind and attack with his army. This would allow Liu Mang to besiege the enemy.
"After that, it will be Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi!" Xu Shu continued to explain to Liu Mang. Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, these two brothers, were enemies and allies at the same time. However, in this battle for the right of inheritance, they were on the verge of death. Originally, although Cao Cao had defeated Yuan Shao in Hebei, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. With the support of the four provinces in Hebei, it would be really difficult for Cao Cao to defeat him. Even Yuan Shao might be able to turn the tables. Unfortunately, the two brothers were not united. After Yuan Shao fell ill, he left behind a huge flaw, which was that he did not have an heir. Both Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang wanted to obtain the right of inheritance in Hebei, not to mention their enemy, Cao Cao. The two brothers had already started to fight each other. The younger brother blamed himself for not listening to his father's orders and for not recognizing him as the Lord of Ji Province. The older brother accused his younger brother of putting his father under house arrest and wanting to poison his father to take over Hebei. Cao Cao could just sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor. The news that Liu Mang sent out this time made Liu Mang not know whether to laugh or cry.
When it came to Yuan Shang, Yuan Shang's condition for selling provisions was to attack Yuan Tan. As long as Liu Mang sent troops to attack Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang would immediately take out 100,000 provisions. Not only would he sell them for free, he would give them to Liu Mang for free.
As for Yuan Tan, he also gave Liu Mang the same condition. As long as Liu Mang sends troops, he will also give 100,000 provisions. Not only provisions, but also gold. Liu Mang looked at the two conditions in front of him and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The rewards of these two conditions were really generous. 100,000 provisions and gold. But Liu Mang knew that he couldn't get it. Attack Yuan Tan? If Liu Mang wants to go to Qingzhou, he can only go by land. Both land and sea, Liu Mang doesn't even have an entrance to the sea. How can he go there? Moreover, Liu Mang's navy hasn't formed yet. How can he go there? If he goes by land, how can Liu Mang go there? Yangzhou and Qingzhou were separated by Xuzhou. Does Lao Cao know how to travel the streets?
As for attacking Yuan Shang, that is simply a fantasy. Unless they fly over, it is impossible to achieve. Therefore, these two messengers are useless. However, the condition given by Liu Mang's messengers to Yuan Xi is somewhat reliable.
Yuan Xi was the son of Yuan Shao, the younger brother of Yuan Tan, and the elder brother of Yuan Shang. After Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan, he made Yuan Xi the Governor of Youzhou. This Yuan Xi could be regarded as Yuan Shao's best son. Not only was this person capable, but he also managed Youzhou well. It was even better than when Gongsun Zan was still alive. Moreover, this Yuan Xi didn't have the slightest ambition. His younger brother was Yuan Shang, but he had a good relationship with Yuan Tan. Therefore, when Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan fought, Yuan Xi didn't affect him. Liu Mang believed that if the successor of Yuan Shao was Yuan Xi, then Lao Cao would be in big trouble. Unfortunately, Liu Mang could only think about it. He didn't even know whether this Yuan Shao could have a good ending in the hands of his favorite son, Yuan Shang, let alone making a will.
Yuan Xi's condition was much more reliable. He wanted Liu Mang to send troops to attack Cao Cao. However, he didn't. Yuan Xi had more foresight than his elder brother Yuan Tan and his younger brother Yuan Shang. It could be said that he was a bystander. As long as they defeated Cao Cao, let alone Hebei, even the whole world might belong to their Yuan family. At that time, they could fight for hegemony. At that time, whether it was his younger brother Yuan Shang or his elder brother Yuan Tan, they could become the overlords of their own regions. However, Cao Cao was the one who could really destroy them. As long as Cao Cao was alive, whether Yuan Tan or Yuan Shang won, they could only give it to Cao Cao. However, his two brothers didn't think so much. They only thought about how to get Hebei after their father died.
"Attack Cao Cao?" Liu Mang frowned as he calculated the pros and cons. The main reason was that Yuan Xi's condition was too tempting. A total of 200,000 shi of grain and fodder, 20,000 war horses, and countless gold, silver, and jewels! "What do the feudal lords in the Central Plains lack the most? It was not the number of people, the number of generals, or the wisdom of the strategists. It was the war horses and cavalry. You can see how important cavalry was in the Central Plains and even in the Jiangnan region when Sun Ce used up all of Jiangdong's resources to form 5,000 Yuzhou Iron Cavalry.
Cao Cao's territory is close to Yangzhou. The closest place is Xuzhou, which is where the Lvbu's Army came from.
"My lord, it's best not to take Yuan Xi's wealth!" Xu Shu was the first to stand up and oppose.
"Huh? Why is Yuan Zhi doing this? " Liu Mang was a little confused. Although Cao Cao's Army was strong, Cao Jun's main force was in Hebei. There were not many soldiers in the Central Plains. Xuzhou was even more so. The Lvbu's Army was driven out by Cao Cao. If Liu Mang and Cao Cao fought, then the Lvbu's Army's fighting strength would increase by 30%. After all, it was a battle of revenge. The morale would be very high. But now, Xu Shu said that Cao Cao should not be attacked. Why was that?
"My lord, although Cao Cao is a traitor, don't forget that he has helped you before!" Xu Shu cupped his fist and said to Liu Mang. Although Cao Cao's reputation was not good, Cao Cao had helped Liu Mang before. Whether it was the title of King Of Shu, the title of General of the Southern Expedition, or the 100,000 grain and fodder Cao Cao had done for Liu Mang.
"The title of King Of Shu, General of the Southern Expedition?!" Liu Mang coldly snorted. "At that time, Lü Bu's army broke out of Cao Cao's encirclement and left Xu Province. Liu Mang's contribution was huge. Cao Cao was afraid that Lü Bu would get his hands on Liu Mang. Therefore, he wanted to use Lü Bu's suspicious personality to raise Liu Mang's title and official position. This way, Lü Bu would be suspicious of Liu Mang and finally kill Liu Mang!
However, Cao Cao miscalculated. Although Lü Bu was suspicious, Lü Bu would not be suspicious of his own son-in-law. It must be known that Lü Bu only had one daughter. As long as someone married Lü Bu's daughter, it would be equivalent to obtaining Lü Bu's foundation. With such a person, why would Liu Mang need to sow discord?! Therefore, this sugar-coated bullet was eaten by Liu Mang. Liu Mang quickly obtained the title of King Of Shu and obtained many benefits from this title.
"But who knows!" Xu Shu shook his head and said to Liu Mang. Although this was Cao Cao's plan, no one knew about it. Even if there were some ambitious people who knew about it, these people were in the minority. Everyone knew that Cao Cao helped you return to the Imperial Clan and even declared you as the King Of Shu in front of the Han Emperor and gave you the title of nobility. The ancients cared about reputation. Three people would make a tiger.
"100,000 provisions?!" Liu Mang shook his head in disdain. "Although this 100,000 provisions was given by Cao Cao as a timely gift, it was indeed my, Liu Mang's, painstaking efforts. In the Battle of Guandu, without the letter from Liu Mang, how could Cao Cao win? What a joke! Moreover, Cao Cao gave the provisions because he wanted the ballistae. This is only a relationship of interest! Cao Cao is not a good person at all. How could there be gratitude?! " Liu Mang was simply disdainful. This did not mean that Liu Mang looked down on Cao Cao. For a formidable person like Cao Cao, Liu Mang would still maintain a proper respect. What he disdained was the gratitude that Cao Cao gave him.
Hearing Liu Mang's complaints, Xu Shu shook his head in disdain and sighed bitterly. "But no one knows!" Liu Mang gave Cao Cao a letter that stated the key points of the Battle of Guandu. He wanted to win against Wu Chao. This was one of the reasons why Cao Cao was determined to attack Wu Chao and win the Battle of Guandu. However, no one knew about this reason. Liu Mang's letter was a private one and would not be made public. In order to keep it a secret, it was given secretly. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the whole world to say that Cao Cao wanted to win against Yuan Shao by attacking Wu Chao. That was why Liu Mang's kindness to Cao Cao was unknown. However, Cao Cao was different. He gave Liu Mang a hundred thousand provisions. There were hundreds of carts and dozens of transport ships there. This was Cao Cao's kindness to Liu Mang. That was why the world thought that Cao Cao was very kind to Liu Mang.
"Damn it!" Liu Mang fiercely hammered his fist. "Is there no other way?" “
"There really is no other way!" Xu Shu said to Liu Mang. "My lord, if you start a war with Cao Cao, your reputation will be ruined. Although you can use the name of cleaning up the emperor and helping the Han dynasty to get rid of the traitors, in the eyes of many people, my lord, you are ungrateful! Moreover, Cao Cao's Xu Province is currently empty. My lord, you are taking advantage of the situation. Therefore, you cannot attack Cao Cao. Not only can you not attack him, my lord, you have to reject him righteously. Only then can you maintain your reputation! " Xu Shu's words were that if Liu Mang attacked Cao Cao, he would be ungrateful. In the eyes of the ancient people, being ungrateful was very serious. It was so serious that everyone would despise you.
"Men, drag Yuan Xi's messenger out and behead him!" Liu Mang also knew that the current situation was not good for him. He could only give up on the benefits in Yuan Xi's hands and kill Yuan Xi's messenger. This would tell the world that he, Liu Mang, was a person who was ungrateful. Yuan Xi's messenger, who was still waiting for the news in Shouchun, did not know that he was about to become a ghost under Liu Mang's sword.
However, this person's life was not meant to end. Just as Liu Mang was about to drag him out and kill him, a voice suddenly rang out. "Wait!" Just as the soldiers were about to carry out their orders, a middle-aged scholar stood out with a smile on his face. His smile was very creepy. Isn't this the old fox, Jia Ling, Jia Wenhe?!
"My lord, although you can't attack Xu Province, you don't have to kill Yuan Xi's messenger!" Jia Xu said to Liu Mang with a smile. Killing Yuan Xi's messenger would offend Yuan Xi. Jia Xu was not Liu Mang. Liu Mang knew the history. He knew that the three Yuan family brothers were no match for Cao Cao. There were even two allusions. One was calmly waiting to be killed.
After Gongsun Kang captured Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi alive, Yuan Shang felt that the ground was cold and asked Gongsun Kang for a seat. However, Yuan Xi said, "Our heads will be sent to Cao Cao thousands of miles away. Why do we need a seat?"
In the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Yuan Shao recorded that Yuan Xi said, "The head travels tens of thousands of miles. Where is the seat?"
Later, in the Han Dynasty, it was recorded that Shang Kang said, "Before death, the cold is unbearable. We can sit together." Kang said, "The head travels tens of thousands of miles. Where is the seat?"
There was another one. Although it was not Yuan Xi, it also showed that Yuan Xi's ending was called Imperial Kindness and Righteousness. After losing Ye City, the decline of the Yuan family was inevitable. Yuan Xi's subordinates, Jiao Tan and Zhang Nan, rebelled and ordered all the officials in Youzhou to swear their allegiance to Cao Cao. However, Youzhou's special envoy, Han Heng, did not agree. He said, "I have received great kindness from Yuan Shao and Yuan Xi. Now that the Yuan family is defeated, I can't save my wisdom and I can't die. I am already lacking in righteousness. If you want me to surrender to Cao Cao now, I can't do it."
These two allusions described that none of the three Yuan family brothers had a good ending. Liu Mang did not care about offending such a dead person.
"Hmph, do you have a better idea, Jia Wenhe?" Liu Mang looked at Jia Xu unhappily.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
