Cao Cao's spies quickly received accurate information from Liaodong. It was indeed His Highness, the King Of Shu. Liu Mang had come all the way from Yangzhou to support the allied forces. He had transported the weapons, armor, and provisions to Liaodong. His Highness, Gongsun Du, was the middleman.
As for the title of King of Liaodong that Cao Cao had given to Gongsun Du, Gongsun Du had put it aside. No matter how good the title was, it was useless. It wasn't as good as gold.
The Yuan family's brothers were really rich people. In the blink of an eye, the deal with Yangzhou had reached two million gold. Gongsun Du had also received nearly three hundred thousand gold.
These are all real benefits, shining gold. You, Old Cao, are just a letter of appointment. Why do I have to risk my life for you? If I help you, I won't have any money left. If he lost money, Lao Cao would pay for it.
However, Gongsun Du was a person who knew how to conduct himself. Although he was doing business with the Yuan family's brothers, he didn't directly refuse Cao Cao. He put aside Cao Cao's messengers and entertained them. He even brought them to his mansion from time to time to attend banquets. However, he didn't mention that Cao Cao had taken advantage of him.
This made Cao Cao very angry. He even listened to Guo Jia's suggestion to see if he could buy some new armor and weapons from King of Liaodong. He even offered a higher price than the Yuan family's brothers. After all, Cao Cao was now considered a local tycoon. Cao Cao's price really made Gongsun Du's heart beat faster. Unfortunately, the King Of Shu's messengers also thought of this and warned the King of Liaodong. If he found any weapons or armor that Cao Cao used on the battlefield, then he would directly cut off the trade with Liaodong. As a result, Gongsun Du gave up on this idea. After all, the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, was the supplier.
If Liu Mang canceled this trade out of anger, who would Gongsun Du cry to?
Therefore, Gongsun Du didn't sell any weapons or armor to Cao Cao, which made Cao Cao very angry.
The Yuan family's brothers relied on the weapons sold by the Yangzhou Army to block several attacks from Cao Cao, which made Cao Cao's face more and more livid. The nobles in Hebei Province also began to make some small moves.
In the camp of Cao Cao's army, Cao Cao's generals were reporting to him.
Hearing his subordinates' reports, Cao Cao almost pulled out his saber.
This was already the fifth family. Some people from Jizhou Province were transporting fodder and money from Jizhou Province to Youzhou Province in order to support the Yuan family's brothers. How could Cao Cao tolerate this?
"Damn it, damn it!" Cao Cao angrily shouted, "I'm going to kill them, kill them!"
Cao Cao wasn't stupid. Those who were using the banner of a caravan were transporting supplies for Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang. "Men, arrest all of these five families and throw them into prison!"
"My lord, now is not the time!" Guo Jia stood on the side and stopped Cao Cao. Guo Jia also wanted to help Cao Cao destroy these nobles because these people no longer had the concept of a country. It could even be said that if the nobles gave them more, they would immediately rebel against Cao Cao. Guo Jia was also angry, but he also knew that these people couldn't be killed. Once they were killed, it would be easy. However, this would cause the entire Jizhou Province to be alienated from Cao Cao. At that time, more people would support the Yuan family's brothers.
"I can't kill this, I can't kill that. Then what should I do?" Cao Cao was so angry that he didn't even give Guo Jia a good face.
"General Zhang He, you are familiar with the terrain of Youzhou Province. General, please send out the great halberd warriors as scouts to stop all the caravans passing through Youzhou from Jizhou." Guo Jia prepared to send out Zhang He's heavy cavalry to act as scouts to stop the caravans passing through Jizhou.
"Yes!" Zhang He cupped his hands and left. His great halberd warriors were indeed familiar with Youzhou.
"Even if Zhang He's great halberd warriors can catch many people?" Cao Cao angrily said. Youzhou and Jizhou were thousands of miles apart. There were only 5,000 great halberd warriors. How could they be impenetrable? Guo Jia was just trying his best to do what he could.
"It would be great if Ziyuan was still alive!" Cao Cao even had such a thought. It would be great if Xu You was still alive. With Xu You suppressing the nobles in Jizhou, they would not be so rampant. One of the reasons why they jumped out now was that they were afraid that Cao Cao would settle accounts with them after Xu You's death. Even Xu You, Cao Cao's childhood friend, was killed by Cao Cao. How could they, who had once opposed Cao Cao, have a good end? Therefore, they might as well take the risk to find their former master.
Hearing Cao Cao's words, Guo Jia didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Milord, Mister Ziyuan's life naturally has its benefits. His death also has its benefits."
"Hmm!" Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia with doubts.
After Xu You and Xu Ziyuan were killed, no one dared to challenge Cao Cao's dignity. Cao Cao slowly rose from an ordinary person to a god. Just like an emperor, if an emperor was approachable once or twice, it would be fine. But if he was approachable all the time, it would naturally give people the illusion that the emperor was also an ordinary person. Slowly, people would think that since the emperor is an ordinary person, why can't we be the emperor?
Now, Xu You was destroying the rhythm of Cao Cao's transformation. How could Guo Jia let him go? After Xu You's death, some people's reverence for Cao Cao came back. Naturally, they did not dare to make any moves. For example, some people in Xu Du. Yanzhou's Zhili was more stable, and the disadvantage was that some people in Jizhou were making moves.
Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao, who was still thinking about the pros and cons. His words completely dispelled Cao Cao's thoughts, "My lord, Hebei is in a state of war. If you want to become the prosperous granary of the north again, you will need a lot of money."
Guo Jia's words made Cao Cao's heart move.
"Now that these people have come out, we have money." Guo Jia said indifferently. It turned out that our Chancellor Guo Jia had begun to plan for the future of Hebei. Hebei had been in a state of war for a long time. When the Yuan family left Jizhou and Bingzhou, they plundered everything. It could be said that the granary of the north had now become a desolate place. If you want to restore the glory of the past, you must invest a lot of money. Cao Cao had pacified the north, but he still needed to lead the army to the south. A lot of money must be invested in the army. How could there be any extra money to develop Hebei?
Now that these nobles of Jizhou jumped out, it was different. Guo Jia's original plan was to use the money of these nobles of Jizhou to develop Hebei. It was just that he had been suffering because he had no excuse.
But now, this excuse and this weakness had been sent to Cao Cao's hands by them. After the war, Cao Cao would definitely settle the accounts with these five nobles. After exterminating these five nobles, he would make an example of them. The other nobles of Jizhou could only hold their noses and pay the money. At that time, there would be no need to worry about not having enough money.
"Ziyuan, you are really my loyal minister." Cao Cao said to Xu You, who had already been reincarnated.
Cao Cao's army began to attack the city again. Although the Yuan family had new weapons and armor, they were not fully equipped for the army. Cao Cao had 300,000 troops under his command. The Yuan family had too many places to defend.
The battle lines were drawn, and the flames of war were everywhere in Youzhou.
On the other side, the Yuan family's army used the new weapons and armor to annihilate Cao Cao's 10,000 troops. Soon, Cao Cao counterattacked and destroyed a camp of the Yuan family's army.
"Cough cough!" Guo Jia stood in the cold wind and kept coughing. This made Cao Cao very worried.
Guo Jia looked at the city on the other side. Cao Cao's 300,000 troops had been fighting for more than a month, but they had only taken five cities in Youzhou. And they were all small counties. If they really wanted to take Youzhou, how long would it take? Cao Cao's army had already lost 30,000 to 40,000 troops. This could not go on.
"The Yuan family's brothers, Gongsun Du, King Of Shu, Liu Mang!" Guo Jia thought about these three forces.
That's right, now Cao Jun was not fighting against one person, but against three forces. Liu Mang of Yangzhou sold weapons and armor, and Gongsun Du sold provisions. With the support of these two forces, the Yuan family's brothers could persist until now.
"Fengxiao, you should go back. It's windy outside!" Cao Cao stepped forward and said to Guo Jia with concern. He even took off his mink coat and put it on Guo Jia.
"Thank you for your concern, Milord!" Guo Jia smiled at Cao Cao. "It doesn't matter, Jia."
"A centipede dies but never falls down. I didn't expect my brother Benchu's second son to be such a talent!" Cao Cao sighed. Originally, Yuan Shao's two sons were nothing in Cao Cao's eyes. What was the use of these two idiots? If it wasn't for Cao Cao, these two brothers would've probably killed him.
However, Cao Cao did not expect that Yuan Shao's second son, Yuan Xi, who had been quiet and inactive, would suddenly shine.
It could be said that Yuan Xi was definitely a genius to be able to turn the Youzhou Defense War into such a state. After all, Yuan Xi was facing Cao Cao's top strategist, Guo Jia and the others.
"If Brother Benchu's successor was Yuan Xi, I'm afraid that I, Cao Cao, would not be here today!" Cao Cao replied with a smile. Who knew that the world was unpredictable? Just like Cao Cao's victory in the Battle of Guandu, who could have imagined that Cao Cao would win?
"Milord, what did you say just now?" Guo Jia suddenly caught the message in Cao Cao's words.
"I said that the world was unpredictable?" Cao Cao asked with doubt.
"No!" Guo Jia shook his head.
"If Brother Benchu's successor is Yuan Xi!" Cao Cao repeated.
"Yes, that's it!" Guo Jia's eyes lit up.
"What's wrong?" Cao Cao asked with doubt.
"Milord, who's the commander-in-chief of the opposing army?" Guo Jia asked Cao Cao with a smile.
"The commander-in-chief of the army? Of course it's Yuan Xi. " Cao Cao and the Yuan family army had been fighting for such a long time, how could he not know who the commander-in-chief was?
"No!" Guo Jia shook his head and denied Cao Cao's words, "The commander-in-chief is not Yuan Xi."
"If it's not Yuan Xi, then who is it?"
"To be precise, the commander-in-chief is a compromise between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan." Guo Jia explained to Cao Cao.
Yuan Xi's strength was the weakest among the three brothers. It was no wonder. Yuan Tan was Yuan Shao's eldest son while Yuan Shang was Yuan Shao's favorite youngest son. These two sons naturally occupied 80% of Yuan Shao's strength. Yuan Xi could at most obtain 10% of the inheritance rights.
Therefore, the main strength of the Yuan family army was still Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang's troops. Yuan Xi could become the commander-in-chief because Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan refused to submit to each other. It was only after compromising that Yuan Xi could become the commander-in-chief.
"Your Majesty, in my army, your orders must be firmly carried out. However, our commander-in-chief Yuan Xi is not like that." Guo Jia told Cao Cao. "Your Majesty, do you still remember the first time when we forced Youzhou into a corner?" Guo Jia reminded Cao Cao, "Obviously, the Yuan family army could have bitten off Xu You's army and escaped far away in exchange for the greatest benefits at the lowest cost. However, the Yuan family army suddenly rushed out and chased after Xu You. Therefore, General Zhang He and General Xu Rong seized the opportunity to defeat the enemy!"
"You mean the Yuan family army does not follow Yuan Xi's orders?" The Yuan family army was not a monolithic unit at all. Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang both subconsciously regarded each other as enemies. How could they be a monolithic unit?
If the Yuan family army turned their fists and truly united, Cao Cao would not be able to take down Youzhou. However, it was not certain now.
"What we need to do is to split the Yuan family army!" Guo Jia sneered and looked at the city wall.
"Where is General Xu Huang's troops?" Guo Jia asked Cao Cao.
"Xu Huang is in Zhuo Commandery!" Cao Cao pointed at the location on the map and said to Guo Jia.
"Who is the general of Zhuo Commandery?"
"Cen Bi!" Cen Bi was a general under Cao Cao's command. His strength was around first-class. He had 10,000 elite troops and 30,000 auxiliary troops. He was stationed in Zhuo Commandery. Xu Huang's troops could be considered as the main force of Cao Cao's army. It was precisely because of Cen Bi's strength that Cao Cao sent Xu Huang to restrain him.
"Cen Bi!" Guo Jia thought for a long time. "Yuan Tan's subordinate." Guo Jia said to Cao Cao. "Milord, send out the order for General Xu Huang to return. Let General Xiahou Ba and General Xu Huang switch positions. "
"Let Zhong Quan fight against Cen Bi?" Cao Cao opened his eyes wide and looked at Guo Jia in confusion. Who was Xiahou Ba? He was Xiahou Yuan's second son. His mother was Cao Cao's wife, Madam Ding's younger sister. It could be said that he was Cao Cao's nephew.
Although he was capable, he was still young. This time, it could be said that he followed Cao Cao to see the world.
Therefore, Cao Cao did not give him a high official position. He was only the Wing Commandant. In fact, he was the leader of a group of auxiliary troops. He was responsible for logistics. He had a lot of troops under his command, a total of 30,000. However, his combat power was greatly reduced. If he encountered the local elite troops, 5,000 elite troops would be enough to defeat and annihilate them in the wilderness. Letting Xiahou Ba fight against Cen Bi, hehe, wasn't this courting death?
"Although General Xiahou Ba only has 30,000 auxiliary troops, Milord, it shouldn't be a problem for them to defend the stronghold for ten days to half a month." Guo Jia smiled and looked at Cao Cao. He knew that Cao Cao was worried about his nephew. After all, Cao Cao had high hopes for him. If there were any losses, Cao Cao wouldn't be able to explain it to the Xiahou Family.
"Defend the stronghold?" Cao Cao was even more confused. They were attacking Youzhou Province. Zhuo Commandery was an important place. Only by taking it down could Cao Cao enter the hinterland of Youzhou Province without any worries.
"Milord, if we let Yuan Tan's troops go and attack Yuan Shang with all our strength, what do you think Yuan Shang will think?" Guo Jia asked Cao Cao.
"Let Yuan Tan go and attack Yuan Shang with all our strength?" The more Cao Cao thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. In this world, inequality didn't exist. If Cao Cao let Yuan Tan go and attack Yuan Shang, Yuan Shang would definitely feel resentful after losing a large number of troops. As for how resentful he would feel, it would depend on Cao Cao. At that time, it would be hard to say how close the relationship between the two brothers would be.
Guo Jia's idea was to have Cao Cao place his second-line troops and auxiliary troops outside of Yuan Tan's defensive line. This way, Yuan Tan wouldn't dare to send his troops back. After that, Cao Cao would send all his elite troops to attack Yuan Shang's stronghold. This would create a gap between the Yuan family and his brothers.
"Good!" Cao Cao immediately made a decision, "Tomorrow morning, Zhong Quan and Xu Huang will take over the defense."
"No, we have to act now!" Guo Jia shook his head and said to Cao Cao.
"Let them travel through the night?" Cao Cao asked doubtfully.
"Yes, Milord. Time waits for no one." Guo Jia explained to Cao Cao. "If this drags on, Yuan Xi's position as the commander-in-chief will be solidified." Guo Jia said worriedly.
Indeed, in Youzhou, after Yuan Xi became the commander-in-chief, the Yuan family and his brothers had always suffered defeats. However, they had won a series of victories. Even if they couldn't win, they wouldn't suffer any losses.
It was precisely because of this that Yuan Xi had accumulated a lot of prestige in the Yuan family army. All the generals in the Yuan family army liked to listen to Yuan Xi's command. Even the strategists and generals of the Yuan family brothers would speak good words for Yuan Xi. If this drags on, perhaps the Yuan family soldiers would really change allegiances. After all, a reliable lord could lead them to victory. Who would be willing to be with those two nonsensical second generations?
"Second brother is really the reincarnation of Sun Wu. You command troops like a god!" Yuan Shang wasn't stingy with his praise. His eyes were also smiling. Because watching Cao Cao's army suffer in the hands of Yuan Xi was a very good feeling.
"Yes, with second brother here, we don't have to worry about that traitor Cao not retreating." Yuan Tan was also very complacent. Fighting against Cao Cao's army was a win-win situation. When Cao Cao's army retreated, they would be able to launch a counterattack. Yuan Tan had long been tired of living in Youzhou.
The civil and military officials on the side were also talking about the city war with Yuan Xi.
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Yuan Xi said modestly. Only Shen Pei, Guo Tu and the others didn't say anything. They wanted to remind their lord that this second young master's prestige might be increasing. However, they didn't know what to say. One must know that this was a matter of life and death. Otherwise, they wouldn't have joined forces. After all, the blood feud between the two sides wasn't small.
If the entire alliance was destroyed because of their words, there wouldn't be a place for them in this world.
There was another reason. If they followed Yuan Xi, they would be able to obtain victory. If Yuan Tan or Yuan Shang were the commander, they would have been chased out of the Yalu River by Cao Cao. Therefore, they pretended not to know anything. As long as they didn't let Yuan Tan (Yuan Shang) take advantage of them, everything would be fine.
"Third brother, how many new armors and weapons do you have?" Yuan Xi asked Yuan Shang. This made Yuan Shang vigilant for a moment. Could it be that his second brother wanted his weapons and armors? It was a little funny. Yuan Xi's prestige in his army was growing day by day. He didn't think about how to eliminate the influence. Instead, he was vigilant towards these small amounts of money.
"Less than a thousand!" Yuan Shang gave a number.
"Hmm?" Yuan Xi furrowed his brows. This third brother wasn't telling the truth. "Third brother, it's not that I want your weapons and armors. I want to know the number of a big problem."
"That's right, third brother. Why are you so stingy? Since second brother has asked, how can you lie to second brother? If this is a lie on the battlefield, second brother, I have two thousand sets of armors and three thousand battle swords. " Yuan Xi was very vigilant at the beginning. However, when he heard that Yuan Xi didn't want them to hand over their weapons and armors, he let go. He even cheated his third brother.
"I'm stingy? Hehe, someone is generous. Why did he say that the three thousand sets of armors and five thousand battle swords were two thousand sets of armors and three thousand battle swords? "Yuan Shang also poked Yuan Tan's foot.
Yuan Xi helplessly listened to the two brothers bicker. However, he slowly learned some information from the two brothers.
Yuan Shang had two thousand five hundred sets of armors and seven thousand battle swords. On the other hand, Yuan Xi only had five thousand battle swords. However, he had five hundred more sets of armors.
The two of them together could really form a heavy armored infantry. If these heavy armored infantry were to mount a war horse, they would become heavy cavalry. Yuan Xi really wanted to unify these weapons and armors. One must know that although weapons were good, if they couldn't be used in a large-scale battle, they would be useless. With so many people, even if they stood there and let you kill them, you would still die of exhaustion.
However, Yuan Xi also knew that he was just thinking about it. If he let his brothers take out these things, it would be no different from killing them.
"Big brother, third brother, do you have any money? If you do, try to buy more of these armors and weapons. If we want to form an organization, these two thousand will only be a small victory. If we want to drive Cao Cao out of Hebei, we will need a large number of troops. Yuan Xi couldn't get it himself. He could only wait and see if his two brothers could take out some money to buy more and form a large army.
"Money!" Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were in a dilemma. Although they also wanted more armors and weapons, the price was too expensive. Gongsun Du refused to lower the price several times. Gongsun Du was just a middleman. He couldn't decide the price.
"No need, five thousand is enough!" Yuan Xi said to his two brothers.
"Second brother, this is a serious matter. Can you delay it?" Yuan Shang asked Yuan Xi. This business was worth hundreds of thousands of gold, so he still needed to think about it carefully.
"Second brother, I also need some time!"
"Good! Big brother, third brother, I hope you can give me an answer by tomorrow morning! "Yuan Xi also nodded and began to see them out.
…
Xu You was killed! Cao Cao's vanguard suffered heavy losses? This was good news. It was enough to make Yangzhou's King Of Shu happy for a while. As long as Cao Cao's footsteps were delayed in the north, then the Central Plains would be safe.
"Those weapons and armors seem to be very popular in Hebei!" Liu Mang said with a smile.
"Of course. How can the weapons and armors from Yangzhou's Ministry of Works not be good?" Xu Shu nodded at Liu Mang.
"Milord, Gongsun Du sent a letter asking if he could sell to Cao Cao!" Mi Zhu said to Liu Mang.
Mi Zhu was the Minister of Commerce, which was also the Minister of Revenue. He was a big money bag in Yangzhou. These businesses were all done by his people.
"Cao Cao is also interested? How much is it? "Liu Mang asked Mi Zhu with a smile.
Of course, Gongsun Du hoped that Liu Mang would sell his weapons to Cao Cao. That way, he would be able to earn more money.
"Gongsun Du sent a letter saying that Cao Cao is willing to buy the armor for 150 gold and the saber for 80 gold." Mi Zhu said to Liu Mang.
"Haha, that Gongsun Du really knows how to do business." Liu Mang laughed. "Gongsun Du earned 20 gold out of the 50 gold just like that. Including the cost price we gave him, he really made a killing."
"Huh?" Mi Zhu didn't quite understand, so Yang Hong explained it to him. In Cao Cao's army, Gongsun Du was willing to pay 200 gold for a set of armor and 100 gold for a set of sabers.
Not to mention the portion that Liu Mang allowed Gongsun Du to earn, there was an extra 50 gold for the armor and 20 gold for the saber. This difference in price naturally went into Gongsun Du's hands.
"Tell Gongsun Du that Cao Cao is offering a thousand gold for a set of armor and five hundred gold for a set of sabers. If Cao Cao can afford it, then sell it. If he can't afford it, then don't ask. " Liu Mang's face suddenly turned cold. This Gongsun Du was simply eating from the bowl and looking at the pot. He had already made a few hundred thousand gold from the Yuan family, and he was still not satisfied. If it wasn't for the Yuan family holding Cao Cao back, Liu Mang would not have sold the saber to Gongsun Du.
"Yes!" Mi Zhu nodded. Cao Cao would definitely not sell the armor. Even Cao Cao could not afford to pay 1,000 gold for a set of armor.
"Milord, the Yuan family's brothers have also come to the Commerce Department." Mi Zhu continued.
"The Yuan family's brothers have come to the Commerce Department?" Liu Mang asked. "What's wrong? Is the weapon not good enough?"
"The Yuan family's brothers would like to ask if Milord can lower the price of the armor a little." Mi Zhu asked Liu Mang. The cost of the armor was 10 gold and 5 gold, but Liu Mang had sold them for 100 gold and 50 gold. This was ten times the profit.
In Mi Zhu's opinion, lowering the price was not a big deal. After all, it was a small profit but quick turnover.
"Impossible!" Liu Mang refused without even thinking about it.
"Milord? Won't we be able to earn back the profit by selling two more sets? "Mi Zhu tried to persuade Liu Mang, but Liu Mang shook his head.
"Zi Fang, you don't understand. Our weapons can only be sold in Yangzhou. It's just like how Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu did not sell their war horses. If we want war horses in the Central Plains, we have to buy them from Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu. In the Central Plains, a war horse can be sold for 20 gold or 30 gold. A good war horse can even be sold for more than 100 gold. At that time, Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu lowered the price." Liu Mang narrowed his eyes as he explained to Mi Zhu. In the end, Liu Mang had his eyes on Yuan Shao's wealth. With the Yuan family's many years of business in Hebei, they definitely had a lot of wealth. If the Mi family was said to be a rich merchant in the Central Plains, then the Zhen family would be a rich merchant in Hebei. It was not unheard of for the Zhen family to spend a lot of money like this.
Wanting Yuan Shao's wealth was one thing. Another thing was that Liu Mang did not want these weapons to flow to Hebei. This was because if Hebei went further north, it would be the territory of the foreign races. It would be bad if these steel weapons and armor fell into the hands of the foreign races. Furthermore, Liu Mang did not have much hope that the Yuan family's brothers could stop Cao Cao. This was because history told Liu Mang that the Yuan family's brothers were no match for Cao Cao. If Liu Mang lowered the price, then the Yuan family's brothers would end up losing to Cao Cao. That would be a huge joke. Wouldn't that be giving away weapons and armor to Cao Cao for free? The Yuan family's brothers were only a transition for Liu Mang. They would be enough to hold off Cao Cao for a while.
"But Milord, the Yuan family's brothers don't seem to have much money left!" Mi Zhu wanted to say something, but the officials in Liaodong reported that the Yuan family's brothers could not afford to spend so much money. Originally, they spent a few hundred thousand to buy provisions. Now, it had become a few hundred thousand.
"They don't have money!" Liu Mang frowned. If the Yuan family's brothers really could not afford it, then it would be difficult. After all, the Yuan family's brothers only had one province. Their foundation was limited.
Liu Mang thought that the Yuan family's brothers had things that Liu Mang needed. Liu Mang would not selflessly give them to the Yuan family's brothers. After all, they had to make a deal.
The Yuan family's brothers did not have money. What about warhorses? Liu Mang had Gongsun Du to sell them to him at a low price. Gongsun Du would not lie to him and sell him shoddy goods. What about weapons and armor? He still needed to buy these things from Yangzhou.
Liu Mang could not think of what the Yuan family's brothers could give him in exchange. It seemed that the Yuan family's brothers did not have anything valuable other than people. Liu Mang had no use for people. Could it be that they were human traffickers?
No! People? Liu Mang suddenly thought of something. Whether it was the 21st century or ancient times, or even the future, what was the most valuable thing? It was not ores or energy, but talents. Yes, talents.
What kind of talents did the Yuan family's brothers have?
"Who is the Yuan family's strategist? Who is the general? " Liu Mang asked Yang Hong. Yang Hong was in charge of Hebei's intelligence.
"The Yuan family's eldest son, Yuan Tan's strategist, Guo Tu." Yang Hong reported to Liu Mang.
"Guo Tu?" Liu Mang thought for a while and shook his head. This person was upright. Although he was a talent, he was not what Liu Mang wanted. This was because this person was very good at internal strife.
"The Yuan family's eldest son's generals, Cen Bi, He Yan, Wang Hu." Yang Hong said a few names, but Liu Mang did not know any of them. Cen Bi seemed to be a small fry. Liu Mang did not need someone who could be killed in an instant.
"Xin Ping." This was Yuan Shang's strategist. Liu Mang did not want someone who was an expert in internal strife. Although as an Emperor, he needed to pull one side and fight another to maintain the balance of power, Liu Mang did not need this. This was because he could only do this when he became an Emperor and the world was at peace. Right now, he had not truly achieved success yet, and he was already thinking about internal strife. Wasn't he courting death?
This was not what Liu Mang wanted. This Yuan family's brother seemed to have no value.
Just as Liu Mang was frowning, a small official suddenly spoke.
"Milord, Tian Feng, Tian Yuanhao, seems to be in the hands of the Yuan family's brother." The small official said.
Liu Mang looked over. It turned out to be an acquaintance. It was Pang Shi's son, Pang Shanmin. Pang Gong knew that his precious son was not good at scheming. Therefore, he wanted to send Pang Shanmin to Liu Mang's side to see if Liu Mang could help. Liu Mang also found a position for Pang Shanmin that did not involve scheming. Pang Shanmin was a professor in Yangzhou Academy. Pang Shanmin would be able to teach students like his father. This way, Pang Shanmin would not need to worry about scheming.
Sooner or later, Pang Shanmin would have students all over the world. He would not be able to escape from becoming a great scholar.
The reason why Pang Shanmin came to Shouchun was because he wanted to borrow books from Liu Mang.
The ancient people had always been studying literature, but they rarely studied mathematics. Therefore, Pang Shanmin, who was influenced by his father in Lumen Academy, did not know much about multiplication tables. Since Liu Mang's Yangzhou Academy taught this, Pang Shanmin could only start from scratch.
"Tian Feng? Isn't he dead? "Liu Mang subconsciously said this sentence.
"Master Yuanhao is dead?" Pang Shanmin stared blankly for a moment before bursting into tears. No matter what, Tian Feng was still a great scholar. For people like Pang Shanmin, he was an idol. Now that his idol was dead, he naturally had to cry.
"Milord, how did you know that Tian Feng and Tian Yuanhao are dead?" Yang Hong asked doubtfully.
"Isn't it?" Liu Mang scratched his head. "Wasn't Tian Feng killed by Yuan Shao after Yuan Shao defeated Guandu?" Liu Mang still remembered. During the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Tian Feng was a strategist under Yuan Shao. He was upright and had advised Yuan Shao many times, but his advice was not accepted. Cao Cao's strategist, Xun Yu, once said that Tian Feng was "strong but offended his superiors." Later, Tian Feng was imprisoned by Yuan Shao because he dissuaded Yuan Shao from attacking Cao Cao. After the Battle of Guandu, Tian Feng was killed by Yuan Shao.
"Milord, that Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, fell into a coma after the Battle of Guandu. How could he have the time to kill Tian Feng and Tian Yuanhao?" Yang Hong shook his head and said to Liu Mang. When Yang Hong was under Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu was defeated. He always wanted to go to Hebei to find his brother, Yuan Shao. Therefore, in order to pave the way for Yuan Shu, Yang Hong sent out spies. Tian Feng was really not dead.
"Tian Feng is not dead!?" Liu Mang's eyes suddenly lit up. If Tian Feng was not dead, then this Yuan family's brother really has the conditions to make a deal.
"If Tian Feng is not dead, then what about Ju Shou?" Liu Mang asked again.
He wanted to get the exact information from Yang Hong, but Yang Hong shook his head and said, "Milord, this Hong does not know!" Some people said that Ju Shou died in Guandu, while others said that Ju Shou was killed by Yuan Shao. After all, Ju Shou was a loyal follower of Yuan Shao. There were even some who said that Ju Shou was killed by Yuan Shao.
"Ju Shou, Tian Feng! Good, as long as I can get this person, it means that this deal is not a loss! " Liu Mang could not wait and said to Mi Zhu, "Zi Fang, I'll have to trouble you. Send an official from the Commerce Department to contact the Yuan family's brother. Tell him that I want Tian Feng and Yuan Shao's old generals. You can discuss the price, but this Tian Feng must be obtained."
Liu Mang suddenly found a treasure trove and was very excited. Yuan Shao was indeed defeated, but many of the endings were different from before. Those generals and scholars who were supposed to subdue Cao Cao were also left behind.
This Tian Feng, who should have died long ago, was still alive.
Liu Mang was thinking whether or not he could go to the Yuan brothers to see if he could obtain more things.
"Yes!" Mi Zhu nodded. Soon, a messenger boarded a warship and headed to Hebei.
From Liaodong Gongsun Du's territory, Mi Zhu's subordinates were escorted by Gongsun Du's troops to Youzhou, which was occupied by the Yuan family's brother.
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