"Yuan Shao is dead?" In Liaodong, Yang Chen heard the news in the mansion and immediately stood up.
"Yes, Daren!" The intelligence officer who sent the information nodded to Yang Chen.
"Is the news certain?" Yang Chen frowned and asked the intelligence officer.
"Daren, Cao Cao, Cao Mengde has already sent a memorial to Cao Cao in Bohai Sea." The intelligence officer said to Yang Chen.
Yang Chen nodded heavily. "I know, you can go now!"
"Yes!"
Yang Chen paced back and forth. Cao Cao had sent a memorial to the world, this was certainly not fake. Fanyang was broken, Yuan family brothers were missing, now Bohai Sea was finished, Yuan Shao was also dead. It could be said that the entire Hebei Cao Cao was invincible.
Yang Chen shook his head, this was bad news for Yangzhou. Once Cao Cao freed his men, then Yangzhou would bear the brunt. After all, in the world, only the Yangzhou Army could compete with Cao Cao.
"It's time to leave Liaodong!" Yang Chen thought for a long time and shouted. "Come."
"This subordinate is here!" A housekeeper came in. This person was an assistant that Yang Hong gave to Yang Chen. He was afraid that Yang Chen was young and frivolous and had no experience.
"Housekeeper Tong, have the guests of the Yuan family already boarded the ship?" Yang Chen asked Housekeeper Tong. A few days ago, the old and weak women and children said that Yuan Xi's family came to ask Yang Chen for help. Yang Chen couldn't make up his mind, so he had to send them to Yangzhou first.
"Not yet!" Housekeeper Tong shook his head, because Gan Ning's navy warships and caravans had not returned yet. It was impossible for them to arrange a warship or a cargo for Yuan Xi's family alone.
"If not, then arrange it as soon as possible! Also, let someone go to Guangling Prefecture and send a message to General Gan Ning, let him come back as soon as possible! There is something important to discuss. "Yang Chen said to Housekeeper Tong. Yang Chen didn't know the situation of Liaodong Wang Gongsun Du.
"DRen, what do you mean?" Butler Tong also heard the seriousness of the matter from Yang Chen's words.
"Liaodong Gongsun Du and my Yangzhou are just friends of money. He can embarrass Cao Cao for benefits, but he can also offend us for benefits." Yang Chen said to Butler Tong.
"I understand." Since Yang Chen said this, Butler Tong nodded and said, "I will arrange it!"
"Come back quickly!"
Soon after Steward Tong left, the concierge shouted, "Oh no, oh no, my lord, my lord!"
A gatekeeper rolled and crawled toward the inner mansion. The threshold was very high. He did not pay attention and directly hit the threshold and fell in front of Yang Chen.
"Don't be so flustered!" Now, Yang Chen was no longer the young man who was still by Lu Su's side. Now, Yang Chen was more and more calm, just like his father Yang Hong.
"DRen, DRen, the Liaodong Army, the Liaodong Army surrounded our mansion!" The gatekeeper said to Yang Chen in a panic.
The gatekeeper didn't see the slightest panic from Yang Chen's face. Instead, Yang Chen was expressionless and couldn't see the slightest movement. "They really came?"
Yang Chen's face was expressionless, but his heart was bitter. In Liaodong, he dealt with small and big affairs, and was appointed by Liu Mang as the Liaodong General Manager. To be honest, Yang Chen was very fond of this diplomatic envoy in Liaodong. He promoted the style of the Han Dynasty for His Highness, did business with Liaodong, transported a steady stream of warhorse resources through the waterway, and then exchanged armor for the familiar gold and silver. It made Yang Chen feel very accomplished, but he also knew that he may not stay in Liaodong for long.
"Come with me to see!" Yang Chen ordered the people under him.
"Yes!"
Yang Chen stepped into the front hall from the inner mansion. Sure enough, the soldiers there were fierce, and their faces were all resolute. Yang Chen naturally knew that these were veterans who had been on the battlefield.
Looking at their armor and swords, Yang Chen couldn't help but sneer. These were definitely the elite soldiers of Liaodong, because their weapons and armor were all from Yangzhou.
The armor and swords produced in Yangzhou could reach a hundred gold in Liaodong, and in the black market, even five hundred gold couldn't be bought.
Therefore, in the hands of Gongsun Du, the soldiers who could wear such armor and weapons must be Gongsun Du's confidants.
Sure enough, Yang Chen saw a familiar figure.
"Manager Yang, I trust you have been well since we last met!" A smiling figure, who looked somewhat similar to Gongsun Du, Yang Chen knew him, he was Gongsun Du's eldest son, the future successor of Liaodong, Gongsun Kang.
"Oh, what wind blew our Young Master Gongsun Kang here, it is simply an honor." Although Yang Chen was angry in his heart, he still looked at the person with a smile on his face.
"Manager Yang, Kang came this time to talk about a business with Manager Yang." Gongsun Kang also looked at Yang Chen with a smile and said.
"Oh?" Yang Chen looked at Gongsun Kang doubtfully. "What kind of business can make Young Master Gongsun Kang so arrogant?" Although Yang Chen was puzzled, he looked like he was ridiculing them. Talking about business, naturally, he came with a smile and sincerity, not with these soldiers eyeing him covetously.
"Oh, Manager Yang is talking about this!" Gongsun Kang looked at the soldiers behind him and said to Yang Chen, "Steward Yang, you don't know. This business is too important, and the value is too great. So, this little brother can't not bring the soldiers here! Please forgive me, Manager Yang. Come, say hello to Manager Yang! "Gongsun Kang shouted to the soldiers behind him.
"Hello, Manager Yang!" The soldiers behind Gongsun Kang shouted in unison.
"Oh!" Yang Chen's eyes narrowed deeper, this was not a greeting, but a demonstration.
"Manager Yang, business is business, I want to talk about my business." Gongsun Kang began to unfold the dagger.
"Say it!" Yang Chen was very free and easy at this time, he asked Gongsun Kang to sit, and let the female servant bring tea to Gongsun Kang.
"Liaodong, although it is bitter and cold, there are a lot of worries. In the east, the Fu Yu people and the Fu Yu people are all ready to move. My father recently received news that Goguryeo, Dongchuan King Han Zaishi is ready to move, and wants to send troops to my Lelang County and Xuandou County. My father is very worried, so he specially asked me to come and discuss with Manager Yang, whether it is possible to buy some excellent armor and weapons from Manager Yang for the frontline soldiers, in the territory of my great Han!" Gongsun Kang's words were very pleasant to hear, he was simply comparing himself to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing who were resisting foreign enemies.
If it was an official who was not familiar with the affairs of Liaodong, he would really be persuaded by him, but unfortunately, although Yang Chen's time in Liaodong was not long, he was very clear about the division of power in Liaodong.
What kind of country was Goguryeo? It was a small country on the edge of Liaodong, it only had a few dozen cities, and there were also Fuyu and Dongwo Zu eyeing covetously, wanting to annex Goguryeo, how could they invade Liaodong? Moreover, in these years, our Liaodong King really did not idle, he drove the wolf to swallow the tiger, when Goguryeo was strong, he joined forces with Goguryeo to besiege Goguryeo, when Fuyu was strong, he joined forces with Goguryeo to attack Fuyu.
This hand of driving the wolf to swallow the tiger was played very well, even the Dongchuan King of Goguryeo became Liaodong King Gongsun Du's interference.
In these years, it was a good thing that Gongsun Du did not attack Goguryeo, the Dongchuan King of Goguryeo would burn incense and pray to Buddha, how would he dare to take the initiative to invade Liaodong, wasn't this courting death?
"Say, how many armors and weapons does Liaodong King want?" Yang Chen smiled and asked Gongsun Kang on the side.
"Manager Yang is very straightforward, my father does not want much, 12,000 armors, 30,000 swords are enough. Once the soldiers in the front line get these elite weapons and armors produced in Yangzhou, they will inevitably defeat Goguryeo, at that time, those barbarian places will also be incorporated into the subordinates of the Central Plains, Manager Yang's great kindness and benevolence will never be forgotten by the people of Liaodong!" Gongsun Kang said to Yang Chen.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Yang Chen suddenly laughed, only 12,000 armors, only 30,000 swords, Yang Chen turned his head, did he have these weapons and armors? Yes! And the number was almost the same as what Gongsun Kang said, what did this mean, it meant that Gongsun Kang's people had already penetrated deep into Yang Chen's people, otherwise, he would not be so clear about how many armors and weapons he had.
"I don't know if Manager Yang has so many armors and swords in the treasury?" Gongsun Kang asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Yang Chen answered very straightforwardly, people asked you so, if you said no, wouldn't it be a joke? He came prepared, and also to warn him, Yang Chen, that is, there are already people among you, don't play tricks with me.
"Good, straightforward, since Manager Yang has so many weapons and armors, I also brought the money, then let's start the transaction! The soldiers in the front line can't wait! "Gongsun Kang said to Yang Chen with a smile.
"Come! Bring all the gold up here! "Gongsun Kang shouted to the generals behind him.
"Yes!" Soon, seven or eight big men carried a big box into the main hall, and put the box on the ground, the box was very heavy.
"Open them!" One by one, the boxes were opened, the golden gold almost made people's eyes blur, these were all money ah.
"Manager Yang Chen, this is the money to buy the armors! Manager Yang Chen, please check! "Gongsun Kang said to Yang Chen.
"No need to check!" Yang Chen was very indifferent, although the gold was real, the amount was not small, at least a thousand gold, but this money, not to mention more than ten thousand armors, even ten sets of armor, he could not afford it, what was the point of Yang Chen checking or not checking?
"Gongsun Kang, what do you mean? Do you want to buy and sell by force? You are not afraid of our Yangzhou King Of Shu, His Highness.. "Manager Tong behind Yang Chen couldn't stand it, stepped forward and scolded Gongsun Kang. Thousands of gold to buy ten thousand armors, plus thirty thousand swords, you think this is cabbage, you can sell it casually, even the cost of Yangzhou is more than this price.
"En?" Gongsun Kang's small eyes narrowed, a group of soldiers behind him also began to put their hands on the swords.
"Back down!" Yang Chen shouted to Manager Tong, now he was a fish on the chopping block, no matter how much he argued, it was useless.
"Manager Yang, it's best to control your dog, if he randomly throws it out and bites people, it's not good, I can only help Manager Yang to chop him up!" Gongsun Kang said as he pulled out the sword in his hand and waved it twice, the meaning of threat was obvious.
"This is not a trouble for Gongsun Kang, I will take care of my dog myself, if you want to talk about raising a dog, Prime Minister Cao still has the knack, if I have time, I will also ask Prime Minister Cao for advice, I want to ask him how he can not give the dog bones, this dog will bite people for him. You say, Gongsun Kang! "Yang Chen looked at Gongsun Kang indifferently and said.
"You!" Gongsun Kang was angry, he was the eldest son of the King of Liaodong, the future successor of the King of Liaodong, who dared to talk to him like this, this Yang Chen was clearly scolding him, Gongsun Kang, as a dog of Cao Cao, taking Yangzhou as a knife was to please Cao Cao. Wanting to be a dog of Cao Cao, he was ashamed and angry, but then he suppressed this heart, today he came to buy things, not to use force.
"Manager Yang, today's business, do you want to do it or not?" Gongsun Kang looked at Yang Chen angrily. He couldn't wait for Yang Chen to say that he didn't want to sell. Then, he would have an excuse to make a move. His father told him before he acted that if he didn't offend Yangzhou, he should try his best not to offend Yangzhou. If he offended Yangzhou to death, he would have no way to escape. Therefore, he told Gongsun Kang not to use a sword. Although Gongsun Kang was very disdainful of his father's actions, he still had to listen to his father's words. After all, his father had more than one son. If Yang Chen refused, then Gongsun Kang would have an excuse to make a move.
"Sell, why not!" Yang Chen's answer was very simple.
"Daren?" Housekeeper Tong was anxious, aren't you selling at a low price? Even if Gongsun Du did not dare to be so presumptuous.
Yang Chen waved his hand to stop Housekeeper Tong, how could Gongsun Du not know what happened here? Without Gongsun Du's words, even if Gongsun Kang had ten times the courage, he would not dare to come here.
"Not doing business when there's business to be had is not something we businessmen should do!" Yang Chen said to Gongsun Kang with a smile, "I just don't know if Gongsun Kang knows that these armors and weapons are bought by Gongsun Kang, we also have a free service!"
"Oh? What service? " Although Gongsun Kang was angry that he could not take the opportunity to teach Yang Chen a lesson, he was still very happy to see that Yang Chen could only sell those armors worth millions of gold.
"This service is very simple, that is, my Yangzhou army will personally show the use of these weapons and armors to Liao Dong Wang and Gongsun Kang, I don't know if Gongsun Kang is ready!" Yang Chen asked with a smile.
Yang Chen's words were also a naked threat, that is, you forced to buy and sell, please Cao Cao, are you ready to go against my Yangzhou? Are you ready to go to war with my Yangzhou?
"Hahahaha!" Gongsun Kang suddenly burst into laughter. He looked at Yang Chen and said sarcastically, "This service is really good. His Highness King of Shu is indeed a good businessman. But I don't know if His Highness King of Shu's army is all heavenly soldiers who have descended to the world, and can cross the vast sea to come here? If it is really possible, then this Gongsun Kang will be looking forward to it! "Gongsun Kang doesn't care at all, although your Yangzhou army is strong, you and I are separated by Cao Cao's territory on land, Cao Cao will not let you cross his territory to attack Liao Dong, this sea route is thousands of miles away, how many troops can you send to Liao Dong? This is not a home battle, it is an away battle, whether it is weapons, armors or army food, they all have to be transported from Yangzhou, if you have less troops, his Liao Dong army is not a vegetarian, if there are more troops, not to mention that Cao Cao will help Liao Dong, do you have the ability to transport food thousands of miles away? Therefore, Gongsun Kang didn't care about Yang Chen's threat at all.
"Since Gongsun Kang knows, that is the best! Come, move the gold back, open the treasury door for Gongsun Kang, let Gongsun Kang choose the weapons and armors. "
"Then I have to thank Steward Yang and His Highness King Of Shu for his generosity, goodbye! Hahahaha! " Gongsun Kang brought the troops back, he was very proud on the way, 10,000 sets of Yangzhou's new armors and 30,000 sets of Yangzhou's new swords, this was worth a million gold, and he got it just like that. How could he not be happy?
"My Lord, we just gave out those weapons and armors?" Steward Tong was very unwilling, how could they not know the value of those weapons and armors? Even according to the cost price, it was more than 100,000 gold, it was gone, it was gone in their hands, how could they not feel pain? Even if they were prodigal, they shouldn't play like this.
"What can we do if we don't hand it over?" Although Yang Chen was smiling indifferently, his heart was as painful as a knife. He represented His Highness King Of Shu, but now he was being blackmailed and robbed by a duke of a remote place in Liaodong, it was simply a disgrace. However, he had to bow his head under the eaves.
"Steward Tong, let the people in the mansion prepare to pack up!" Yang Chen said to Steward Tong.
"En?"
"We are leaving Liaodong!" Yang Chen said to Steward Tong, they couldn't stay in Liaodong, they had to leave as soon as possible. "No, no need to pack up, let's go directly, let the dock prepare the ship!" Yang Chen didn't want to have too many dreams, he had to leave as soon as possible, as for what kind of package there is, there is nothing in Yangzhou.
"Yes! Yes! "
"Oh, right, bring that girl with me!" Yang Chen said to Steward Tong.
"En?" Steward Tong was stunned for a moment, he didn't want to pack up and leave directly, but he wanted to bring the girl with him?
"We have to keep this girl well, this is the reward that the King of Liaodong asked our Yangzhou army to bring!" Yang Chen's face was gloomy, it was almost dripping water.
"Yes!"
Soon on the sea of Liaodong, a ship with the flag of Yangzhou followed the sea and went towards the direction of Yangzhou.
"What did you say? Yangzhou's Liaodong general manager Yang Chen left? " Gongsun Du was waiting for the good news of his good son in his own mansion, but he didn't expect that the good news would come, he also waited for the news of the departure of Yangzhou's Liaodong general manager Yang Chen.
"Yes, Milord, the messenger of Yangzhou left on a ship!"
"Chase, hurry up and catch up with them!" Gongsun Du was angry, he shouted at his men, who let them secretly let the messenger of Yangzhou leave?
"Father, don't chase, that Yang Chen has left for half a day, we can't catch up with him even if we chase." Gongsun Kang said to his father, the warships of Liaodong were mainly turreted ships, it was difficult to catch up with those ships of Yangzhou.
"Sigh!" Gongsun Du sighed, he also knew that he couldn't catch up with them. "Come on, drag out those who are responsible for guarding the Yangzhou messenger's mansion and kill them!" Gongsun Du said angrily.
"Father, why do you have to be like this, he is just a messenger of Yangzhou, it's good that he left, if he didn't leave, I plan to take his head to Cao Gong to report the good news!" Gongsun Kang said very indifferently.
"Kang 'er, you are confused, confused!" Gongsun Du shook his head and sighed bitterly, "This messenger of Yangzhou, he is Yang Chen, you don't know his identity, his father is the King Of Shu Liu Mang, and this Yang Hong only has one son, as long as this Yang Chen is still in my Liaodong, the King Of Shu Liu Mang will not dare to act rashly, now that this Yang Chen is gone, sigh!" Gongsun Du regretted, if he had known earlier, he would have sent troops to talk business with Yang Chen and then take him under house arrest.
"Father's worry is nothing more than the King Of Shu Liu Mang of Yangzhou sending troops! There is no need to worry, the King Of Shu Liu Mang of Yangzhou, I admit that he is very good at war, the troops under his command are all elite, but father, don't forget, if the King Of Shu wants to send troops, he must first ask Cao Gong whether he agrees or not, if we go by water, then it would be better, we can take the King Of Shu Liu Mang's troops to Liaodong! " Gongsun Kang was very confident. In the current war, regardless of whether you go by land or by water, you have to go ashore. You came from afar, and the bumpiness on the water is no less than on the land. There are only a few ports in Liaodong. As long as we block this port, no matter how strong your Yangzhou Army is, it will be useless.
"Maybe!" Gongsun Du shook his head, he didn't know why, but there was always a trace of worry in his heart.
"Father, now is the time to send that big gift to Cao Gong!" Gongsun Kang said excitedly to Gongsun Du.
"You go arrange it yourself, I am tired, I will rest for a while!" Gongsun Du waved his hand and said to Gongsun Kang, these days, Gongsun Du had begun to try to delegate power, letting Gongsun Kang take charge of the affairs of Liaodong. This was like Cao Cao's submission to Cao Gong.
"Yes!"
In the Bohai Sea, Cao Cao's army has been stationed in the city, although the people of Nanpi still have some resistance, after Cao Cao's army took out the army's provisions and distributed it to the people, letting them pass through the winter peacefully, the people's hearts began to change in the direction of Cao Cao.
"How many people live in Carouse!" Cao Cao was drinking his favorite Du Kang Wine in the governor's mansion in Nanpi City, playing his musical instrument and admiring the martial arts there.
In the past, Cao Cao should be happy. With Hebei taken, it could be said that Cao Cao had completed the unification of the entire north, more than half of his so-called great undertaking was completed.
However, Cao Cao was not happy. A close friend had died a few days ago, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, his former boss. Cao Cao used to think that he would hate him, after all, Mr. Perfect was always the natural enemy of losers. However, after Yuan Shao's death, Cao Cao realized that he did not hate him. On the contrary, he missed the days when the two of them were innocent and supported each other.
As the saying goes, the words of a dying man are kind. In his final moments, Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu had really stirred up Cao Cao's heart of friendship.
Yuan Shao's death and the departure of a close friend, who had gone to Yangzhou, made Cao Cao wonder how he was doing now.
Cao Cao then thought of Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao. Cao Cao used to place great importance on his great undertaking, but after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, Cao Cao realized that if he did not have a few close friends in his life, what was the point of living?
"Fengxiao, I'm waiting for you to come back and sing with me at Carouse!" Cao Cao drank two mouthfuls of wine, and as usual, he hugged the singer and began to discuss the origins of life.
Cao Mengde had plenty of sons and daughters, and he had over twenty children in total. There was no point in having more, and he was getting old, so he was no longer as capable as he wished.
"Is the master still in the mansion?" Cheng Yu had also rushed over from Fanyang City and asked Xu Chu.
"Yes!" Xu Chu nodded.
"Go and inform him that Cheng Yu wants to see the master." Cheng Yu was a person who placed great importance on etiquette. Of course, this was what Cheng Yu said. In fact, he also wanted to be like Guo Jia and be able to enter Cao Cao's room without informing him. That was a kind of honor.
"Zhongde, come in quickly. You came just in time to accompany me for a few drinks!" Cao Cao knew of Cheng Yu's arrival and asked Cheng Yu to quickly come in and accompany Cao Cao for a few drinks.
"My lord, regarding the matter of drinking, let's wait for the master to return to Xu Du. Let's not go back until we're drunk. Although the master has pacified Hebei, there are still some things that need to be done." Cheng Yu rejected Cao Cao's invitation and said to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao shook his drunk head and sat up. This was how Cao Cao was. If he wanted to play, he would play to his heart's content. However, when it came to work, he would be even more serious.
There were only two things that Cheng Yu wanted to talk about. The first was the whereabouts of the Yuan family brothers. If he didn't kill the Yuan family brothers and obtain their heads, Cao Cao wouldn't be able to feel at ease for even a moment. This was because these two people were incapable of accomplishing anything, but were good at ruining things.
In addition, the Yuan family had the prestige of the Three Dukes of the Fourth Generation. If these two people were still alive, his Hebei would fall into turmoil.
"My lord, according to the report from the Border Guard, the Yuan family brothers have already left seclusion and are heading northwest." Cheng Yu reported to Cao Cao.
"Northwest?" Cao Cao frowned. Northwest of Youzhou was Xianbei Wuwan's territory. This matter wasn't easy to handle.
However, even if it wasn't easy, he still had to do it. "Then I will send out the Ferocious Cavalry. I will definitely chase the Yuan family brothers back." Cao Cao wouldn't allow these two people to live. If these two people were content to share equally, then it wouldn't be a problem. However, these two people's ambition and ability were simply heaven and earth apart.
"Ferocious Cavalry?" Cheng Yu was a bit hesitant. If the Ferocious Cavalry left seclusion, then there might be a misunderstanding. What kind of people were the Ferocious Cavalry? They were Cao Cao's trump card. If they left seclusion, then what would the other tribes think? They would think that Cao Cao was sending out troops to exterminate them. If they were instigated by someone with ulterior motives, then a great war would break out.
"Who needs to know what they think! There aren't any people in Youzhou who are familiar with border affairs. Tell them that my Han Dynasty is chasing after these two thieves. If anyone dares to shield them, then kill them without mercy! "Cao Cao fully displayed the image of an ambitious and ruthless person.
If you want to fight, then let's fight. If you stop me, then I will beat you.
"Milord, if this is the case, then Ferocious Cavalry alone is not enough!" Cheng Yu said to Cao Cao. It was not that Ferocious Cavalry was not elite enough, but outside of the Great Wall, there were thousands of miles of grassland and desert. If they were to really set off, then it would be really difficult to find them.
"How is Zhang He now?" Cao Cao suddenly asked out of nowhere.
"Zhang He has been reflecting on his mistakes in the mansion these days. Sometimes, he would go to the barracks to train." Cheng Yu told Cao Cao this information.
"Good, tell him that he has rested enough. It's time for him to go to the battlefield. Let him continue to command the great halberd warriors. With Ferocious Cavalry as the leader, he will go to the Great Wall and find those two treacherous sons for me!" Cao Cao knew that half of the reason why his elder brother, Yuan Shao, jumped off the city wall was because of those two treacherous sons. Therefore, Cao Cao also had the confidence to kill those two treacherous sons.
"Milord, the great halberd warrior has already defected once, could it be?" Cheng Yu had some doubts. This great halberd warrior had almost ruined Cao Cao's plan. If it was not for the Yuan family's brother destroying the city wall, then Hebei would have fallen into chaos again.
"Don't worry, it won't happen. Those two pieces of trash are not worth the great halberd warrior's defection!" Cao Cao said disdainfully. The reason why the great halberd warrior had defected was because of Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao's prestige was not something those two treacherous sons could compare with. If those two had half of Yuan Shao's prestige, then Cao Cao would not have been able to take over Hebei so easily.
"Milord, what should we do with the First Battalion?" Cheng Yu asked.
The First Battalion was left behind by Yuan Shao. After Yuan Shao hanged himself, the First Battalion surrendered. Cao Cao did not make things difficult for them. He only took away their weapons and horses and placed them in the barracks. They were provided with two meals a day.
Cao Cao's feelings towards the First Battalion were very complicated. If you wanted to disperse them, Cao Cao was really reluctant. These were all elite heavy cavalry. They had even defeated the elite heavy cavalry of the White Horse Alliance. They could be said to be the trump card.
But if he did not disperse them, then the morale of the First Battalion would not be quelled. This was because they only listened to three people. One was Yuan Shao, the second was Ju Yi, and the third was Wen Chou. Yuan Shao hanged himself, Ju Yi was killed by Yuan Shao. You could say that there was still Wen Chou.
This was Cao Cao's suffering. Wen Chou would rather die than surrender to Cao Cao. Wen Chou also had an important mission, which was to go to the border and persuade or disband the foreign armies left behind by Yuan Shao. Once these foreign armies were used by the Yuan family, then there would be endless troubles. If it was not for this mission, then Wen Chou would have already committed suicide to follow Yuan Shao.
"Milord, Xiahou Chun, Le Jin, Xu Huang, and several other generals want to be the First Battalion's commander!" Cheng Yu said to Cao Cao.
Who doesn't like elite troops? The First Battalion was not an ordinary person. Even if they could not become the trump card, they would still be elites. Last time, when the Ferocious Cavalry's commander was killed because of Cao Chun, the Ferocious Cavalry's commander almost started a fight. This time, the First Battalion's commander had started again.
Cao Cao had a headache. Since he could not do anything about it, he might as well not do anything about it. "Let them go. Whoever can convince the First Battalion's commander will be the First Battalion's commander." Cao Cao regretted his words the moment he said it.
This was because there were some hooligans in the First Battalion. Le Jin wanted to rely on his talent in commanding troops to convince the First Battalion's commander. He spoke until the heavens broke. Although there were some First Battalion's commanders who admired Le Jin, the majority of them were just ordinary soldiers. There was no point in talking to them about the art of war.
On the other hand, Xu Huang was a bit more honest. He relied on force. He ran to the First Battalion's commander and put down his battle axe. He said that he would fight ten people. Ten people was not enough, so he said he would fight twenty or thirty people. In the end, he was surrounded by thirty people and was beaten black and blue.
This was still considered good. The most hooligan was Xiahou Chun. This guy did not talk about the art of war nor did he fight. This hooligan ran to the brothel of Nanpi City and invited over a hundred Sister Yao. He also bought a lot of pork and directly brought it to the First Battalion's commander. In short, those who follow this daddy will have meat to eat, girls to sleep with, and money to spend. Do you want to come or not?
This caused an uproar. How many men did not like women? Being locked in the First Battalion's commander made them sullen. This meat, girls, and money made them agree to join Xiahou Chun's command.
This time, Le Jin and Xu Huang could not stand it. One of them shouted until his voice became hoarse, and the other was almost beaten to death. Xiahou Chun, you defeated us with just a bunch of Sister Yao and pork. Won't this be embarrassing to death?
Everyone went to Cao Cao together. In the end, Cao Cao could only punish each of them with fifty boards. Xiahou Chun was beaten up, but in the end, he still got the First Battalion's commander.
Cao Cao now had two major things to do. One was to hunt down the Yuan family brothers, and the other was to deal with Gongsun Du of Liaodong.
It was time to settle the score with him.
When Cao Cao started the discussion, Xiahou Chun was the first to actively ask to participate. Because he had just taken over the First Battalion, he wanted to fight a good battle and show off.
Cao Cao also had the intention to let Xiahou Chun take the lead and train the First Battalion's commander.
Xiahou Chun was very smug over there, making Le Jin and the others gnash their teeth in anger. However, something that made Le Jin and the others happy soon happened.
"Report! Gongsun Du of Liaodong sent a messenger to ask to see the Prime Minister! "The messenger from Liaodong sent a message, saying that Liaodong sent a messenger to see Cao Cao.
"No, no, hurry up and let him go back to wash his ass and wait. Grandpa's First Battalion will soon arrive at the city. Naturally, we will teach him a lesson!" Xiahou Chun was the happiest.
"My lord, war is the most important thing. Since Gongsun Du of Liaodong sent a messenger, we might as well meet him!" Le Jin said. Le Jin had always been known as a scholarly general.
Cao Cao nodded.
Xiahou Chun was anxious. If they stopped fighting, he would not play anymore. "Shorty Le, you did it on purpose!"
As soon as Xiahou Chun said this, Le Jin's face turned dark. Le Jin was indeed a little short, but that didn't affect Le Jin's strategy and tactics. But you can't say that in front of him.
"Xiahou Chun!" Cao Cao was a little dissatisfied.
"Is it true? This Shorty Le, this Le Jin, must be retaliating because I took his First Battalion! "Xiahou Chun still wanted to call Le Shorty Le, but when he saw Cao Cao's gloomy face, he swallowed his words.
"Xu Gongming, tell me, is this the right gift?" Xiahou Chun also pulled Xu Huang, thinking that Xu Huang was also a general and wanted military achievements. He would definitely stand on the same side as him.
Unfortunately, his wishful thinking was wrong. Xu Huang shook his head. "General Xiahou Chun, General Le Jin is right!" “
It was over. Four of them had spoken, and three of them had objected. Xiahou Chun had no way to talk nonsense.
"Go, bring Gongsun Du's messenger here!" Cao Cao waved his hand, and soon, Gongsun Du's messenger was brought over.
"Wuwei General, Huben Lieutenant Gongsun Kang under Liaodong Governor greets Prime Minister Cao!" The person walked into the tent and bowed to Cao Cao who was sitting on the main seat.
"Wuwei General, Liaodong Prefecture?" Cheng Yu and the others pondered. This official position was given to Gongsun Du by Cao Cao. However, Gongsun Du disliked Cao Cao, or rather, he wanted to be a local tyrant. Therefore, he did not pay attention to Cao Cao and threw the seal that Cao Cao gave him on the ground. Later, Cao Cao was forced to give him the title of Liaodong Prince, but Gongsun Du still did not accept it.
Now, he had taken back the title of Wuwei General.
When Le Jin heard Gongsun Kang's words, he knew that this battle would not be fought.
"I wonder if Wuwei General's seal is still fine ~!" I heard that the table in Liaodong is very smooth, so it is easy to drop the seal and damage it! " Cheng Yu said sarcastically. He was mocking Gongsun Kang. Didn't he throw the seal that Cao Cao gave him? Why did he do it again?
"Sir, my father was deceived by a thief, so he did not accept Prime Minister Cao's appointment. However, my father admires Prime Minister Cao very much. As soon as Prime Minister Cao arrived in Nanpi, my father sent me to greet Prime Minister Cao." Gongsun Kang said with a flattering smile.
"Your name is Gongsun Kang? Are you Gongsun Du's son? "Cao Cao asked Gongsun Kang.
"Yes!" Gongsun Kang nodded and said.
"Why don't you want to be Liaodong Prince and now you want to be Wuwei General?" Cao Cao asked.
Gongsun Kang was a little embarrassed, but he was also confident, "Prime Minister, you are so generous!"
"Haha!" Cao Cao smiled indifferently. Whether to fight Gongsun Du or not was just a matter of Cao Cao's love. To fight Gongsun Du, Cao Cao did not even need to send all of his 300,000 troops. As long as he let the vanguard, he could send 100,000 troops to Liaodong. With the four provinces of Hebei and the Central Plains as his backing, Gongsun Du was really not in Cao Cao's eyes.
"If you do as you say, then our Lord will lose face. Hurry up and get out of here. Gongsun Du dared to throw away our Lord's seal. Let him clean his ass and wait for us!" Xiahou Chun's words were very vulgar, but Cao Cao did not punish him because this represented Cao Cao's thoughts.
You want to be Wuwei General? Weren't you very arrogant when you threw away the seal? If I don't do anything to you, how can I teach my younger brother a lesson in the future?
"Prime Minister, you are very generous. My father has suddenly come to his senses. Every time he thinks that he was blinded by lard that day and went against you, he hates himself in his heart. That's why I brought gifts to apologize to you. I hope you can let my father go!" Gongsun Kang knelt down and said to Cao Cao.
"Gifts? Do you think our Lord wants those things from Liaodong? What a joke. Our Lord has vast territory and abundant resources. What kind of things can't he buy?! "Xiahou Chun was determined to fight.
"Reporting to this General, the gifts my father asked me to bring are really not something that can be bought with money!" Gongsun Kang said to Xiahou Chun.
"Tell me!" Cao Cao was also a little interested. He wanted to see how much Gongsun Du was willing to pay for his head.
"Prime Minister, my father has taken out fifteen thousand sets of armor and thirty thousand swords as compensation. I hope you can forgive him!" Gongsun Kang said to Cao Cao who was on the other side.
"Haha, 15,000 sets of armor and 30,000 swords. Haha, what a big deal. Our army has 300,000 sets of armor and countless swords. Do you think we lack your 10,000 sets of armor and swords? What a joke! "Xiahou Chun laughed. It seemed that this battle was going to be a big one.
"General, I didn't bring ordinary armor and sabers, but the best armor and sabers I got from Yangzhou!" Gongsun Kang explained to the crowd.
"Yangzhou armor and swords?" Cao Cao was stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes lit up.
Cao Cao knew a lot about the swords and armor from Yangzhou because Cao Cao had suffered a lot in the hands of the Yuan family. After taking down Fan Yang, the first thing they did was not to immediately kill the Yuan family but to look for the new armor and swords. The Yuan family bought about 10,000 sets of armor and swords. Even so, they only had 2,000 sets of armor and thousands of swords. The rest were either taken away by the Yuan family or destroyed in the war.
Now, Gongsun Kang said that he had 15,000 sets of armor and 30,000 swords. How could they not be surprised?
"Is this true?" Xiahou Chun was also shocked.
"Every word is true!" Gongsun Kang said to everyone.
"With the wealth of Liaodong, how can they afford to buy such armor and weapons?" When Cheng Yu asked such a question, everyone couldn't help but nod their heads. Cao Cao also knew about this price from the captives. A new set of Yangzhou armor was worth more than a hundred gold. In the black market, it was worth five hundred gold. The 15,000 sets of new armor were worth more than a million gold. In addition to those war blades, the total value was close to two million gold.
This Gongsun Du took it out so easily. Could it be that Liaodong was really rich? If that was the case, then it would be better to capture Liaodong. Then, all of these would belong to Cao Cao.
"It's a misunderstanding!" Gongsun Kang also thought about this point. His forehead was sweating. If he didn't explain it clearly and attracted Cao Cao's greedy heart, then Liaodong would really be finished.
"How much are these weapons and armor worth?" Gongsun Kang was anxious and said the wrong thing. What did he mean by not much? These were already worth 2 million gold. How rich was Liaodong?
Gongsun Kang was about to cry. Liaodong had been a middleman for a long time in Yangzhou with the Yuan family brothers. However, they only made a few hundred thousand gold. That was almost the entire wealth of Liaodong. If they could take out 2 million gold, Gongsun Du would have already conquered the Central Plains and dominated the world. In short, they were rich and capricious.
But the key problem was that they had no money.
"Hu!" Gongsun Kang took a deep breath and said, "Prime Minister, these weapons and armors are only worth 1000 gold!"
"1000 gold? 1000 gold for these armors and swords? "Cao Cao frowned and asked.
"That's right!" Gongsun Kang explained how he bought these weapons and armors.
Everyone quickly understood that Gongsun Kang was burning the bridge after crossing the river. The Yangzhou family made him a middleman and made him a lot of money. Now, he suddenly dumped them. Not only did he dump them, he even robbed them. This was really not kind.
However, even though they despised the Gongsun Clan's attitude, they still happily accepted the 15,000 sets of new armor and sabers.
Cao Cao generously gave Gongsun Kang the title of Marquis of Xinyang. Cao Cao even wanted to invite Gongsun Kang back to Xu Du to become an official. In reality, he wanted to use Gongsun Kang as a hostage.
Gongsun Kang naturally wouldn't go. However, in order to appease Cao Cao, he made his son a disciple of a scholar under Cao Cao and let Cao Cao bring him back to Xu Du.
Cao Cao thought that Gongsun Du was old and might not be able to survive for many years. In order to prevent the situation in Liaodong from changing, he allowed Gongsun Du to do this.
When Cao Cao obtained the fifteen thousand sets of new armor and thirty thousand battle swords, the first thing he did was to have the Ferocious Cavalry and the great halberd warriors change their armor. The fifteen thousand men of the three major battalions changed into the new Yangzhou heavy armor. Although it was still very heavy, it was much better than the previous heavy armor that weighed thirty to forty catties. Normally, heavy cavalry would travel on two horses each. They would place their battle swords on one of the horses. When they got close to the battlefield, they would change into their armor and weapons and charge.
The Ferocious Cavalry and the Great Halberd Warriors were the first to arrive at the camp. Fifteen thousand new battle blades were exchanged for the remaining fifteen thousand blades. Everyone wanted the new armor and weapons. No one was stupid. The new swords were much stronger than the old sword. However, it was still a drop in the bucket.
All in all, Cao Cao's strength had increased by a level. The foreigners outside the Great Halberd Warriors and Ferocious Cavalry were already heading towards the Great Halberd Warriors under Zhang He's command.
Liaodong Gongsun Du's residence changed from Liaodong Prince Residence to Wuwei General Residence.
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