If you don't wear women's clothes, the big man will die!

Cao Cao asked curiously, "Did Zhicai never meet Feng Xiao after he left Yingchuan?"

Xi Zhicai called Guo Jia Fengxiao, which meant that the two had a close relationship and were close friends. Cao Cao called Guo Jia Fengxiao, which made Xi Zhicai feel a little strange.

"Could it be that the lord has met him since then?"

"No, I met him in Luoyang. At that time, I had just stepped into the officialdom, and I was serving as the northern lieutenant of Luoyang. I also hired Feng Xiao as my master."

Cao Cao thought of the impressions in his memory, and the biggest impression of Guo Jia was the prophet.

"It turns out that the lord and Feng Xiao have known each other for a long time," Xi Zhicai suddenly said. Not inferior to him.

"If my lord knows how to respect filial piety and wisdom, I'm afraid he wouldn't just let him spend his days wasted outside like this."

Living in waste is a lie, the last thing Xi Zhicai wants to see is Guo Jia going to help others to stop Cao Cao's great cause, not his bragging, Guo Jia is very lucky and deeply favored by heaven, whoever opposes him will be unlucky .

Cao Cao mused, "It's a long way to Jizhou. It's not appropriate for me to send a messenger to recruit Benchu's subordinates."

"It's easy to say, I'll write a letter and send it to someone. It's better to invite him over as a friend than to invite the lord."

Xi Zhicai got up to grind, and said casually: "Since Feng Xiao knows the master, I will directly mention your name to him. I think he will be happy to leave Jizhou to find you after hearing your name."

Cao Cao nodded again and again, held Xi Zhicai's hand excitedly, and said enthusiastically: "I am so lucky to have such capable counselors as you and Wen Ruo to help me. Zhicai thinks of everything for me, and I will reciprocate. Return your trust and attention, you are my 'Guan Zhong'!"

Cao Cao's palm was warm, like a furnace, holding Xi Zhicai's cold hand in it, the hot air flowed out continuously, like a little sun, emitting dazzling energy and light, the heat almost Can warm people's hearts.

Xi Zhicai was stunned, he was a little shy of the cold before, but he suddenly recovered, which made him miss the warmth of Cao Cao's palm, and he also murmured in his heart: The lord is so masculine!

Cao Cao was surprised by Xi Zhicai's cold hands, and said with concern: "Zhicai is afraid of the cold? Why didn't you tell me earlier? There is still an exquisite stove in the treasure house we confiscated, so I'll let someone bring it."

Xi Zhicai stopped him and said, "No need, what kind of stove do you want for a good looking one, how embarrassing it is to hold it?"

A big man holds a stove in his hand and is afraid of the cold, as if he wants to tell the whole world that he is false.

"What's there to be ashamed of?" Cao Cao asked strangely, "If you're afraid of the cold, wear thicker clothes, and when it's hot, wear less. Comfort and health are the most important things."

Xi Zhicai couldn't say no to him, so he could only lower his head and continue writing the letter to Guo Jia. He raised his eyes and saw Cao Cao staring at him intently, and suddenly felt a little bad taste in his heart, and couldn't help asking softly: "My lord compares me As your 'Guan Zhong', then what is Wen Ruo yours?"

Cao Cao replied without thinking, "Of course Xiao Yu is my younger brother. I watched him grow up."

Xi Zhicai's eyes suddenly turned subtle: "Brother?"

If he remembered correctly, Xun Yu regarded Cao Cao as his confidant.

Cao Cao recalled: "Xiao Yu was very tender when he was young, he was obedient and smart, but he was stupefied in reading." As he spoke, he showed a kind and gratified smile: "I never thought that he would grow up to be a child in just a few years. Time is amazing, it can make people grow old, and it can also make a child who is only around my waist grow taller than me."

Xi Zhicai covered his stomach and laughed loudly: "We should really let Wen Ruo come to listen to what the lord has to say."

Cao Cao quietly closed his mouth. Some time ago, he compared him to the bright moon, but today he suddenly regarded him as a younger brother. If Xun Yu heard about it, he would definitely be black-faced and take a cold breath.

With a strong desire to survive, he changed the topic: "In two days, when the handover of affairs is completed, we will set off for Lu County."

Cao Cao worriedly looked at Xi Zhicai with a somewhat pale face: "Can Zhicai's body withstand the long-distance fatigue? Why don't you stay here to cultivate for a while, and wait for Lu County and Mount Tai to be defeated?" Come again."

Xi Zhicai shook his head: "My lord knows that I won't be at ease, so instead of letting me worry about it here, why don't you just let me go with you."

"Okay," Cao Cao said inwardly, only to be clingy.

Being able to make outstanding people worship and follow him made Cao Cao so proud that his tail was so proud that he said kindly, "I'll ask someone to prepare a better carriage for you."

Cao Cao is like an old hen caring for its chicks, and he tolerates Xi Zhicai. His expression is very similar to that of the old hen Cao Song. The father and son are not the same, but their worrying problems are exactly the same.The counselor is delicate and weak, and needs the careful protection of the lord so that nothing will happen.

Today's carriages are mostly made of wood, if the road surface is not smooth enough, it will be very bumpy on the road, sitting in it is more painful than riding a horse, the bumps will cause problems, and the buttocks can't stand it.

Among the treasuries of the Yellow Turban chiefs, there are expensive carriages robbed from the homes of landlords and gentry. The wheels of the carriages are wrapped with thick leather, which is expensive at first glance, and the seats are padded with thick cushions.

Cao Cao is proficient in all kinds of crafts, and he also dabbles in carpentry. He can not only repair carriages, but also build them. Since he went to the battlefield, Cao Cao still has the idea of ​​building chariots. Then he thought that the flexibility of chariots was not enough, which would delay him. He fought and dispelled this idea.

Two days later, Cao Cao took Xi Zhicai, counted the troops, and took nearly [-] newly recruited recruits to support Lu County, which was fighting.

Two months later, Guo Jia, who was far away in Jizhou, received a letter from Xi Zhicai.

Xi Zhicai said in the letter: I have to meet the Lord of the Ming Dynasty. Feng Xiaoding does not know who he is. It is the person you know, Cao Cao.Feng Xiao knew Cao Cao well, and knew his excellence, so it was better to abandon Yuan Shao and turn to Cao Cao.Cao Cao is my lord of the Ming Dynasty. If you want to save the country from danger, raise troops to quell chaos, or achieve great things, Cao Cao will surely succeed.

Guo Jia thought for a long time before he remembered who Cao Cao was. It was the little dwarf who was upright to punish the Luoyang nobles, but was "deceived by Cao Cao" who lost his official position.

Guo Jia rubbed his chin: "Cao Man is strong and upright, he is clearly a loyal minister, how can he be a lord?"

He once thought that Xi Zhicai's lame eyes fell in love with that idiot Cao Man, but when he thought about Xi Zhicai's wit and cunning, he thought it was impossible.

What made Xi Zhicai say "Cao Cao is my enlightened master"?Guo Jia was very curious, and immediately went home to pack his luggage, planning to resign from his official position and go to Yanzhou to have a look.

Before leaving, Guo Jia also said to several counselors of Yuan Shao who had a good relationship with him: "Yuan Shao looks like a virtuous corporal, but in fact he is arrogant. It is obviously impossible to rely on the cooperation of several families with big surnames. He doesn't even understand this, and he still spends his time trying to balance the family. Once there are too many people, there will be chaos. He is not decisive enough and likes to listen to counselors Justify, listen to whoever is reasonable, it is easier to be led by the nose by the villain, and it is difficult for direct and loyal ministers to get ahead under him, so it is destined to not go far."

After Guo Jia said these ugly words, he abandoned his official position, patted his butt and left. He said everything that should be said. As for what those colleagues who made friends with each other because of working together would think of him in the future and what plans they would make, That is the choice of each person, and has nothing to do with him.

Guo Jia led the donkey, with the luggage hanging on the donkey, along the official roads, from all the checkpoints and towns, avoiding the war-torn places, stopping and watching the scenery along the way, like an outing, leisurely Go to where Cao Cao is...

The battlefield in Lu County in Yanzhou was as expected by Xi Zhicai. The morale of the Cao army was strong, and it was only a matter of time before they became prosperous.

Long before Cao Cao's support arrived, Guan Yu led the cavalry to conquer the plains of Lu County, and Xiahou Dun responded, and marched all the way to fill all the counties of Lu County with banners with the word "Cao" printed on them.After Cao Cao arrived, he joined forces with Xiahoudun, Guan Yu and others, and pursued them all the way to Mount Tai, until they drove all the yellow scarves into the high mountains of Mount Tai, forcing them to flee to Qingzhou across the mountains.

The winter of this year was extremely cold, especially in Mount Tai, where heavy snow fell continuously for half a month, almost freezing the entire mountain range.It was inconvenient and dangerous to travel in the snowstorm. Cao Cao ordered his troops to recuperate on Mount Tai and return home after the snow stopped.

Most of the yellow turbans in Yanzhou have been cleared away, and he no longer has to worry about a poisonous snake biting him at any time. Cao Cao is relaxed, and he has recruited the counselors and generals who have made great achievements this time to reward him.

Xi Zhicai fell ill again, and was traveling in the cold weather, even though he covered himself tightly, the frail counselor still caught the cold.

For people at that time, getting a cold would almost kill them.

"It's burning and burning, and the brain is going to be burned." The climate in Taishan County is not suitable for the weak to live in, especially because of the perennial invasion of the Yellow Turban, there are almost no people in Taishan County, and there are desolate scenes everywhere. The army is in the town. The central garrison seems to be isolated on an island, and the barren ocean is empty and boundless.

"Yanzhou originally had nearly a million people. During the reign of the first emperor," Liu Bei sighed, and said heavily, "The perennial wars and turmoil have caused the population of the people to wither. I don't know when this situation will recover."

Cao Cao is very optimistic about this: "As long as there is a stable environment, the common people will gather here, get married and have children. After ten or twenty years, new strong men will be born."

Xi Zhicai was ill, and Cao Cao thought that this year's New Year's Eve might be spent with the soldiers outside, and the food and grass in the rear were abundant, so he stopped training for the New Year's Eve.Summon the soldiers to celebrate the New Year together.

All the soldiers held a dinner in front of the bonfire. If there was no wine, they would eat meat and tea, play boxing puzzles, or sing loudly, compete with each other, and then gambled.

Cao Cao mingled with the soldiers, no matter whether it was playing or competing, he never lost.

The lively military career brought Cao Cao mental and physical sharpening. He gradually grew from the assistant minister who followed Lu Zhi and assisted others in doing things, to an excellent general who can make his own decisions and act alone.

He has means, foresight, courage, and no pretensions. When he smiles, he still has the purity of a teenager.

It was the first time Liu Bei saw such a contradictory character like Cao Cao. He didn't understand, what made Cao Cao go through so much and still maintain the vitality of a young man?

"What are you thinking about?" Cao Cao brought a piece of roasted chicken leg, handed it to Liu Bei, and sat down beside him.

Liu Bei said, "I'm thinking about how Zhou Mu grew up like this."

There is not much difference in age between the two of them, but there is too much difference in vision. Could it be because the education they received is different, and the imperial education is much better than the private education?

"How else can it be? Of course, it is the tempering of life and death. The more you have experienced, the more calm you will be when facing things."

Liu Bei said: "Only someone like Zhou Mu can be called a hero!"

"If you want to, you can also be a hero," Cao Cao laughed.

Liu Bei was slightly startled, secretly guessing what Cao Cao meant by saying this.

Cao Cao patted Liu Bei on the shoulder: "It's easy to be a hero. If you have money, you can be a hero. It's not easy to be a hero. It requires righteousness and sacrifice. Compared with a hero, I want to be a minister who can govern the world."

"Xiandi Liu's name is Xuande, and my name is Mengde. You see, there is only one letter difference between the two of us. We are so destined. I followed Lu Zhi to put down the Jiujiang Rebellion earlier, and I also served as the prefect of Jiujiang after him. Since Liu Xiandi is Mr. Lu's student , the knowledge of governing the world will not be bad."

The conversation with Liu Bei was quickly forgotten by Cao Cao. As one of Cao Cao's many subordinates, Liu Bei did not show himself, and was bored all day alone, so naturally he did not attract much attention from Cao Cao.

What made Cao Cao have a better understanding of Liu Bei was the letter of appeal for help sent from Beihai, Qingzhou in the early spring.

The person who asked for help was Kong Rong, Prime Minister of Beihai, Kong Rong who had the reputation of "Rang Li" since he was a child. Li Ying, Cao Cao's husband, once praised Kong Rong's talent.

After Cao Cao recruited, killed, and expelled the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou, the expelled Yellow Turbans arrived in Qingzhou and formed a new force.

They did not dare to invade Yanzhou, so they went to Qingzhou and took refuge in Guan Hai, the Yellow Turban general.

It didn't take long for Guan Hai's Yellow Turban Army to grow stronger. Adding the number of his own subordinates, they gathered more than [-] people!

Guan Hai wanted to seize the city, so he led an army to surround Beihai layer by layer, forcing Kong Rong, Prime Minister of Beihai City, to surrender the city.

Kong Rong panicked, and immediately dispatched his generals to look for rescuers. The first person he thought of asking for help was Liu Bei who was staying in Yanzhou and was the sheriff of Shanyang County.

Cao Cao felt very strange: "I am the governor of Yanzhou who is closest to him. Instead of asking me for help, he sent Tai Shici to ask Liu Bei for help?"

Xi Zhicai had a hoarse voice, covered his mouth and coughed twice, and said in a low voice: "Liu Bei gained a good reputation when he attacked Dong Zhuo. The Han Dynasty is orthodox, so it is reasonable for him to come to find Liu Bei, after all, he is a famous 'stubborn Confucian scholar'."

Liu Bei is the descendant of Liu Sheng, the prince of the Han Dynasty who was said to have given birth to more than 200 heirs. In terms of the blood of his ancestors, he is indeed related to the Han Dynasty.

Cao Cao also heard about Kong Rong's deeds. Before he came to Beihai to serve as an official, he was also an official in the Luoyang court. Dong Zhuo, who harbored a grudge, was demoted to Beihai, a place in dire straits, where he was threatened by the Yellow Turban Army every day.

"He asked Liu Bei for help, but Liu Bei's army is still mine. Why didn't he come to thank me? What I lost was my people, but what I gained was Liu Bei's reputation," Cao Cao said unhappily.

Xi Zhicai's eyes were meaningful: "It depends on how the lord looks at this matter. If he can take this opportunity to take over Qingzhou, it doesn't matter whether he is Liu Bei's reputation or Kong Rong's reputation."

"Stay in Qingzhou?! Zhicai has any new ideas?"

"Yuan Shao of Jizhou and Gongsun Zan of Youzhou are facing each other. Gongsun Zan has always wanted to take control of Jizhou, but Tian Kai, the current governor of Qingzhou, was appointed by Gongsun Zan. After Dong Zhuo's old army took the emperor hostage, the whole country has long been in chaos. If there is no imperial appointment, then Tian Kai’s reputation as Qingzhou Inspector is unfair.” Xi Zhicai said with a smile: “My lord, why don’t you appoint Liu Bei as Qingzhou Inspector and let him lead your army and subordinates to go What about breaking the siege of the North Sea?"

They still have the strength to spare now, the army can take a breather during the rest, and they have the strength to deal with Guan Hai.

"Gongsun Zan didn't know that you were watching by his side. He is now fully focused on Yuan Shao. Now everyone knows that Liu Bei is your subordinate, and the banners raised when he went out to rescue were also with the characters 'Cao' and 'Yan', my lord. Why bother about Prime Minister Bei Hai not asking you for help?"

As Xi Zhicai said, he took out his folding fan again with itchy hands. Every time he thought about details, he habitually opened the folding fan to fan the wind. Seeing this, Cao Cao took the folding fan and praised: "This idea of ​​killing two birds with one stone Wonderful, worthy of Zhicai.”

"But why both Zhicai and Wen Ruo are so wary of Liu Bei?" Cao Cao puzzled, "Wen Ruo said that Liu Bei is not a person who is inferior to others, and I can see that he has great ambitions and is dedicated to the people. , will be a good official in the future.”

Xi Zhicai sighed silently.

This is exactly where his heart is tired, their lord has no sense of crisis at all!

The lord's power only ends in Yanzhou, and what he thinks in his heart is to calm down the chaos, and what he thinks is to build for the people. He has put himself in the position of a courtier so far, and has no intention of becoming a king.Is it possible to wait until the rebellion is quelled and the place is governed, and then go back to serve as an emperor with the surname Liu, and rebuild the situation of the former emperor's time when the ministers were strong and the ruler was weak?

Xi Zhicai frowned: How can the lord's ambition be awakened?

Now that he has made up his mind to create a foundation with Cao Cao, Xi Zhi thinks about this issue silently.

It's better to get Qingzhou first.

On the other hand, after Lu Bu captured the Yellow Turban Army for Yuan Shao, he asked Yuan Shao for troops many times, but Yuan Shao refused.

Feeling very annoyed that he was being prostituted by Yuan Shao for nothing, Lu Bu simply led his own soldiers and left Yuan Shao, intending to go to Hanoi to join his fellow countryman, Zhang Yang.

The road from Jizhou to Hanoi is rough and needs to pass through Chenliu.

Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu, welcomes Lv Bu in, cleans up the dust for him, praises Lv Bu's bravery, and expresses his admiration for the peerless general, "Lv Bu among men, red rabbit among horses".

Sugar-coated cannonballs, sweet words were thrown out as if they didn't want money, and Lu Bu was fooled into temporarily settling down in Chenliu.

Zhang Miao turned around and sent a message to Cao Cao who was preparing to attack Qingzhou: Lu Bu is coming, do you want to accept it?