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In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Cao Cao was feeling relieved these days. Since he adopted and implemented Xun You's four predestination strategies, the situation has indeed developed in a direction that is beneficial to him.

The former Yuan clan in the north had an internal strife due to a dispute over leadership. The governor Yan Rou and military advisor Xun Chen were incompatible, which caused the former Yuan clan to fall into crisis. Just a few days ago, Cao Jun generals Cao Chun and Zhang Liao attacked the new Yuan clan army in Qinghe County and Bohai County, Hebei respectively. Yan Rou did not rescue him, resulting in a crushing defeat in the Yuan army and more than 20,000 people were killed by Cao's army.

Under the double pressure of defeat and internal strife, Xun Chen had to accept Cao Cao's resettlement plan, abandoned Hebei, and led more than 10,000 troops to Liucheng County, Liaodong.

Cao Chun and Zhang Liao took the opportunity to forge Youzhou. Yan Rou surrendered again, but was ordered by Cao Cao to behead him outside Jixian. He was ordered by Hebei. Although he could not completely wipe out the Yuan family's remnants, once Hebei was pacified and the Yuan family's remnants left the Hebei River, it would be difficult for them to make great progress.

Under pressure from the court, Ma Teng of Xiliang agreed to go to Beijing to participate in the sacrifice of his ancestor Ma Yuan. He is currently on his way to Beijing. Although Cao Cao gave Ma Teng a promise of safety, he actually opened the killing net and waited for Ma Teng to come to his door.

But what made Cao Cao most pleased was Jiangdong in the south. He had already received the news that Sun Quan accepted the appointment of the Nanjun magistrate and ordered Cheng Pu to lead his army to Jiangling to serve. Cao Cao certainly knew that Liu Jing would not give up Jiangling. In this way, the conflict between the Sun and Liu families due to Jiangling would inevitably worsen.

However, not everything made Cao Cao feel at ease. Liu Jing's plan among the four strategies was obviously unsuccessful. He had received continuous unfortunate news. Liu Jing pretended to be Cheng Pu's army to deceive Jiangling and wiped out Cao Ren's army in the county. Cao Ren's whereabouts were unknown. Liu Jing then forced Xu Huang to withdraw from Xiangyang, and the Jiangxia army occupied Xiangyang City.

This incident made Cao Cao's originally good mood worse again, especially Xu Huang's decision to withdraw from Xiangyang without authorization, which made Cao Cao angry. Even if he exchanged Chen Jiao for his return, it would be difficult to calm Cao Cao's heart.

In the study, Xun Youzheng patiently persuaded Cao Cao, "Prime Minister, you can't blame General Xu for this matter. The main reason is that Liu Jing only gave him one day. He was under great pressure. He knew it was difficult to save Xiangyang City. In order to preserve the vitality, withdrawing Zhao's army would be wise for him."

"Hmph" Cao Cao snorted heavily, "He gave up Xiangyang City and broke my plan. Otherwise, Jiangdong will attack Jiangxia, and I will attack from behind. Liu Jing is attacked from both sides and will definitely be defeated in this battle. Now that Xiangyang City is lost, our army blocked the Han River, it is equivalent to relieving Liu Jing's worries. Xu Gongming makes a chaotic move and ruins my major affairs."

"Prime Minister, General Xu is just a general. He cannot be the opponent of Liu Jing, the hero. If he is prepared, how can General Xu not fall into the trap? It can only be said that Liu Jing is in charge of the overall situation. General Xu only cares about one side. In General Xu's opinion, he has taken advantage of the safety of Chen Jiao and the Five Thousand Army. How could he know Liu Jing's crisis? Prime Minister should not blame him."

Xun You's patient persuasion calmed Cao Cao's anger. Cao Cao walked a few steps behind his back and said, "I just got a piece of news that the Jiangxia navy destroyed a warship on the Jiangdong side of Qichun County and forced Cheng Pu's warship to retreat east of Chaisang. How did Gongda think about this?"

Xun You smiled slightly, "Prime Minister, this is actually what I expect."

Cao Cao glanced at him quickly. Although he had already realized something, he also wanted to hear Xun You's opinion and "continue"

Xun You smiled and said, "From this incident, we can see Liu Jing's long-term plan. He wanted to deliberately provoke trouble and trigger a war. This will explain why Liu Jing was eager to take down Jiangling and Xiangyang cities. In order to deal with the war he provoked, he must relieve his worries as soon as possible."

Cao Cao nodded, Xun You's opinion was exactly the same as himself, and he also laughed, "Then Gongda, why did Liu Jing provoke a war?"

Xun You also sighed, "He also relieved his worries for the sake of one and for all. If I was not mistaken, his next goal should be Bashu. Liu Zhang is the weak lord and cannot guard his land. This is the will of heaven."

Cao Cao raised his head, stared at the roof for a long time, and finally shook his head, "Liu Jing is a Xiaolong. He is determined to be the world. Once he enters Bashu, it is like a dragon entering the sea. In the future, it will become a major problem for me. I must not let him get Bashu."

Xun You sighed in his heart. Unless Bashu changed its lord, it would be difficult to stop Liu Jing. Cao Cao saw that Xun You had insufficient confidence and sneered: "It is up to people, and I don't believe it is God's will."

At this moment, a hurried footsteps came from outside, and a guard reported outside the door: "Report to the Prime Minister, the Jiangdong envoy is here."

Cao Cao suddenly stood up with a very serious expression and ordered: "Take him to see me quickly."

...........

Zhang Wen came to the Prime Minister's Mansion by more than a dozen soldiers. He was a little nervous and didn't know if he could fulfill the trust of Wu Hou. But on the other hand, Zhang Wen also knew that for Cao Cao, it was in his interest to attack Liu Jing together. It can be said that this was a very funny cooperation. Before the Battle of Red Cliff, the cooperation between the two companies broke down. Now he took the initiative to mention cooperation. I wonder if Cao Cao had this mind.

When he arrived at the Prime Minister's Mansion, Zhang Wen waited for a moment and was taken into the inner hall by the guards. Cao Cao had already waited in the inner hall. He looked solemn and had a sneer on the corner of his mouth. Xun You sat aside, smiling without saying a word.

The guard bowed and reported: "Report to the Prime Minister, the Jiangdong envoy arrived"

Zhang Wen hurriedly walked forward and bowed to show his tribute, "Jiangdong Zhang Wen met the Prime Minister."

Cao Cao showed a faint smile on his face, "It turned out to be Zhang Huishu, Wujun. I have heard of Daming for a long time, please sit down."

Zhang Wen did not receive Cao Cao's warm reception. He felt a little uncomfortable, so he bowed to Xun You again and sat down. Cao Cao glanced at him and said, "Our two families are still enemies now, but the two countries are fighting each other. If they don't kill me, I won't kill you, don't worry."

Zhang Wen smiled bitterly and bowed, "The Prime Minister was surprised by this. Jiangdong's resistance to Cao was because the Prime Minister led a large army south and threatened Jiangdong to survive. Wu Hou had no malicious intentions towards the Prime Minister himself and wanted to cooperate with the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister remembered the old evil, then I had nothing to say."

Cao Cao laughed, "I can hold a boat in the prime minister's stomach. Of course, I am not a person who remembers the old evil, but Sun Quan's sincerity is not something that can be expressed by a few words by a gentleman. The key is that I have to see how he does it."

“I came for the big deal of cooperation”

Zhang Wen took out Sun Quan's handwritten letter and presented it with both hands, "This is the letter from the Marquis of Wu to the Prime Minister, please check it out first."

Cao Cao took the letter and read it briefly. The content of the letter was the same as he thought. He first gave a polite greeting, and then explained the difficulties of the Battle of Chibi to ease the relationship between the two families. Finally, the topic changed and talked about the matter of the Nanjun Governor, and naturally mentioned the long-standing conflict between the Jing and Wu families.

"My father's revenge is irreconcilable, and he wants to attack Jiangxia, but his strength is still not enough. I hope the Prime Minister will help him from the west and attack Jiangxia together."

Cao Cao suddenly laughed, "Mr. Wu is such a smart man. The last time I was strong and strong, he did not help me, but helped Liu Jing. Now I am short of troops and am about to rest and recuperate. Wu Hou is going to propose cooperation again, which is really puzzling."

Zhang Wen smiled awkwardly, "If the Chief is less soldiers and his eyes are shorter, maybe Jiangdong will not form an alliance with the Jiangxia army. Things will change easily. Why doesn't the Prime Minister look forward, and he is not obsessed with the past?"

"Don't forget the past, the teacher of the next thing."

Cao Cao said lightly: "Wu Hou doesn't show some sincerity, how can I forget the past?"

Zhang Wen then realized that Cao Cao wanted to make conditions. Although before leaving, Wu Hou also instructed him not to give in to any territorial conditions, nor to allow any money and food. He could make the decision. One did not give in and the other did not allow, which would have sealed a lot of room for negotiation.

Zhang Wen had to bite the bullet and asked, "I don't know what sincerity the Prime Minister needs."

"I want to know, if Jingzhou is conquered, how should the land be allocated?"

Cao Cao said his request frankly, "My opinion is that Xiangyang County belongs to me, and I can give up the rest of the counties to Jiangdong. This is one, followed by Hefei. I hope to make an agreement with Jiangdong for the year. Jiangdong will not be allowed to attack Hefei again within the year. If Jiangdong can agree to these two conditions, I will cooperate with Jiangdong's army from the north."

Zhang Wen pondered for a moment and said, "I want to ask Mr. Wu for these two conditions, can I wait for a few days?"

Cao Cao smiled slightly, "Sir, why not write a letter. I will send it to you with a quick horse and send it to Jiangdong. You can arrive at Jingkou in two days at the latest."

"Then I'll have to work for the Prime Minister."

...........

Zhang Wen said goodbye and went to rest. Cao Cao then smiled and asked Xun You who had been silent and said, "What do Gongda thinks?"

Xun You shook his head, "Don't Jiangdong know that our army has retreated to the north of the Han River? The Jiangxia army blocked the river surface. It seems a bit unrealistic to expect us to help."

Cao Cao smiled faintly, "Of course I have the sincerity to help Jiangdong, but how to cross the river is another matter. If the Jiangdong army helps me to cross the Han River, I am willing to fight in Xiangyang again. If they can't break through the Han River, then I can only support Jiangdong morally. But no matter what, Liu Jing suffered a severe setback, which is what I am most happy to see."

Xun You smiled and said, "There is no tincture oil in Jiangdong, and the water battle is very unfavorable. If the Prime Minister can send a batch of good tincture oil to the Jiangdong army, I think this is also a kind of support, and at least it can show our sincerity."

Xun You paused and said, "If the Prime Minister wants to increase the strength of the Jiangdong Army, he can also give them the oil refining method to balance the military strength of Jiangdong and Jiangxia."
Chapter completed!