kvmb Chapter 256: They are all young foxes
Chapter 256: They are all young foxes
Chapter 256: All Thousand-Year Foxes
Li Ru ignored Jia Xu. With a firm gaze, he spoke to Dong Zhuo in a resounding voice, "Mr. Dong, the northern states have been through many wars, and the people are exhausted. That is why they have spent all their money and food on pacifying the people, and even borrowed a lot of money! Now, the court can't even afford the salaries of the officials, let alone the money for sending troops! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, I am afraid that Mr. Dong will regret it!"
Dong Zhuo's expression moved after listening to Li Ru's words, with obvious hesitation and struggle on his face.
Guo Si was decisive. He raised his hand and said, "Mr. Dong, what Military Advisor Li said makes sense. The court is afraid that Mr. Dong will send troops. Even Zhang Wen has been brought out. It is obvious that he is guilty. At this opportunity, why not send troops to occupy a larger territory and expand your strength? When the court collapses, Mr. Dong will not have to worry about his great cause failing!"
Hua Xiong followed up and said, "Lord Dong, I agree. When the imperial court recovers, they will come to deal with us!"
Niu Fu, as Dong Zhuo's adopted son and son-in-law, had a relatively special status and wanted to "second the motion", but after all, it was he who recommended Jia Xu, and the two had a very good relationship, so he hesitated and said nothing.
Dong Zhuo looked left and right, his face full of indecision.
Seeing this, Li Ru said more solemnly: "Mr. Dong, not only is the imperial court weak, but Liu Biao, Yuan Shao, Sun Jian and others in the south are all resting, waiting for a war to divide the territory. Mr. Dong has been keeping a low profile for many years, and now is a good time. Send troops to capture Xuzhou. You can attack or defend, go south, north, and west. This world is yours for the taking!"
Dong Zhuo's heart was pounding, his eyes widened, he sat up straight and was about to make the decision.
Jia Xu then spoke slowly, "Whether Cao Cao's action was intentional or unintentional, I'm afraid it's still unclear."
Li Ru snorted coldly and said, "Everyone in the world knows that it was Cao Cao who acted on his own initiative. How could it be false? Now Zhang Wen is here to clean up the mess for Cao Cao. Brother Jia, what is your intention in making excuses?"
Huangfu Jianchang was not surprised. He picked up the apple and took a big bite. He said, "I heard about Xuzhou and Jingzhou. Does Dong Zhuo have such a big appetite?"
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion was being suppressed, Sun Jian advised him to kill Dong Zhuo. Zhang Wen was actually tempted, but in the end he hesitated and did not take action.
Seeing Jia Xu move here, Li Ru felt even more disdainful and said to Dong Zhuo again in a deep voice: "Mr. Dong, the court has no money and food now!"
Zhang Wen looked at him, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and said, "These people have received favors from me. They should be able to help you with some small matters."
Huangfu Jianchang didn't care and said, "My father always said that fate is determined by time and not by human beings. But, Mr. Zhang, do you really have no way to deal with Dong Zhuo?"
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang." Jia Xu smiled and sat down opposite Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wenxin flipped through the book and said, "Before coming here, His Majesty said in person that if Dong Zhuo showed any sign of disloyalty, the royal army would arrive immediately."
Jia Xu left.
Before Jia Xu could finish, Li Ru interrupted and said, "Master Dong, I have a way to persuade Dong Zhuo to surrender!"
Jia Xu looked at the half of Zhang Wen's face for a long while, then stood up and raised his hand, saying, "Excuse me."
Zhang Wen looked at the book and said calmly, "Cao Cao in Qiao County has 50,000 troops stationed, Huang Zhong in Shanyang County of Yanzhou has 50,000 troops stationed, and Xu Rong in Langya County of Xuzhou has 20,000 troops stationed."
Zhang Wen raised his head, looking in the direction Jia Xu left, and said, "It's hard to say. Jia Xu's words are probably a test or misleading. He may not really fight back to Xiliang."
From Luoyang to here, almost everything was planned by Jia Xu. Although Li Ru is now with him, Dong Zhuo still trusts Jia Xu more.
He has never cared much about Cao Cao, and his memory is still stuck in four or five years ago.
Zhang Wen was like a sculpture, with no unnecessary movements except blinking. He said, "The court doesn't need to do anything. Just keep the army there."
Huangfu Jian blinked and thought to himself, I am not familiar with my father.
Jia Xu had been observing Zhang Wen. Seeing that the old general did not reveal any flaws, he could not help but concentrate secretly and not dare to be careless. He said: "Mr. Dong is not Yuan Shu. If Mr. Dong takes action, no one in the south can match him."
But Cao Cao's "reputation" is well-known. On the one hand, he hates evil and kills decisively; on the other hand, he is unruly and lustful.
As soon as Jia Xu left, Huangfu Jian, who was dressed as a guard, sat down opposite Zhang Wen and asked with a strange look on his face, "Mr. Zhang, what is Jia Xu going to do?"
Jia Xu had a blank expression on his face, but he knew clearly in his heart that not only did he find out the bottom line of the imperial court, but Zhang Wen also found out the bottom line of Dong Zhuo.
“It’s also possible to take a detour.”
A few years ago, Cao Cao's reputation in Luoyang could be said to be extremely bad, especially as he was the "descendant of eunuchs". At that time, the tyranny of the Twelve Attendants shrouded the city of Luoyang.
After a long while, the group of people dispersed, Jia Xu entered the backyard and came to Zhang Gong's residence.
Jia Xu smiled even more and said, "If the court really had the courage to do so, why would it have to delay for three or four years?"
"I haven't been back to Luoyang for many years." Huangfu Jian lied without changing his expression.
Huangfu Jianchang was naturally well aware of Cao Cao's affairs. He hesitated a little, then leaned over and whispered, "I have collected a lot of rumors from the court and the public, and they are very harsh on Cao Cao. Is Cao Cao really that dangerous?"
Huangfu Jianchang didn't have any clear understanding yet, but he sensed something unusual from Zhang Wen's solemn tone.
"sit down."
After a long while, Jia Xu raised his head, looked at Zhang Wen and said, "After Lord Dong defeats Yuan Shu, he will be the governor of Jingzhou."
But the weakness of the imperial court does not mean the weakness of the heroes. The local aristocrats and powerful families have a deep foundation and constantly give birth to heroes one after another, who emerge in an endless stream in this chaotic world.
Dong Zhuo is not yet fully prepared to compete with other heroes and achieve great things!
They are all thousand-year-old foxes!
But after a moment, Jia Xu laughed and said, "The initiative now lies with Lord Dong and Lord Zhang. The court cannot withstand the wind and rain from anyone."
Although Zhang Wen's character was quite controversial, he was a great man of Huangfu Song's era, and Huangfu Jianchang still respected him very much.
Seeing Zhang Wen so serious, Huangfu Jianchang slowly sat up straight and fell into deep thought.
Zhang Wen read the book again, his tone becoming increasingly dull, and said, "That's all I can say. Tell Dong Zhuo to give me an answer as soon as possible. I still have to go to pay my respects to Tao Qian."
Zhang Wen looked up at him and said, "Cao Cao."
Zhang Wen turned a page and said, "The court has not spent a penny since the war in the South began."
Huangfu Jianchang picked up Ringo and asked, "What happened to Mr. Zhang?"
Zhang Wen's eyes were always on the book, and he seemed not to care about Jia Xu at all.
Huangfu Jianchang opened it and found six names, some of which were particularly familiar. He raised his hand happily and said, "I said Zhang Wen would not make this trip in vain!"
Huangfu Jianchang put Ringo down and said, "Is it really impossible to strike first?"
Li Ru was naturally filled with joy when he got what he wanted, and said loudly: "Dong Gong is wise!"
Zhang Wen sighed softly and said, "I just feel a little emotional. A single thought back then actually led to this result today."
Jia Xu could not see through Zhang Wen, nor could he guess the depth of the court, so he suddenly said, "Mr. Dong wants the governor of Yuzhou."
"Cao Cao, he won't do anything rash, will he?" Huangfu Jian thought for a long time and muttered to himself.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Zhang Wen sitting at a small table with tea on the table and a book in his hands. He looked very calm and at ease.
If the imperial court refused to give in, Dong Zhuo would be hit hard by the imperial court whether he moved east or south.
Jia Xu's fingers, which were pinching the corner of his clothes, paused slightly, and then he also fell silent.
Zhang Wen nodded, not doubting anything, because his impression of the second young master was still that of a dandy. In recent years, he had rarely heard of him and thought he was dead.
Zhang Wen looked at Jia Xu and saw that he had a calm look in his eyes and showed no sign of retreat. He was silent for a long time and said, "Whoever can destroy Yuan Shu will be the governor of Yangzhou. This is the will of His Majesty. If Dong Zhuo wants other things, he can use his troops to snatch them from the court."
Zhang Wen was a little surprised. He turned his head and looked at Jia Xu and asked, "Why?"
Zhang Wen continued reading and said, "You are not qualified to ask for a price from the court."
"Jingzhou Mu."
Just as Dong Zhuo was about to speak, Jia Xu suddenly said, "Mr. Dong, I want to see Mr. Zhang..."
Seeing that there were no more objections, Dong Zhuo smiled and started talking about other things.
But a few years later, Cao Cao's reputation changed drastically, from an "incompetent person" despised by scholars to an "evil person", which made the court and the public very wary of him.
Huangfu Jianchang immediately understood the terrible consequences and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Mr. Zhang is right. Let's wait and see."
"Others? Who?" Huangfu Jian asked while biting Ringo.
Zhang Wen said, then shook his head and said, "Jia Xu is right. Now the initiative is in Dong Zhuo's hands. We can only wait and see what happens."
Jia Xu smiled unchanged and said, "Although there are not many fortresses in Pei State and other places, it is still easy to delay for more than half a year. How much money and grain does the court have to support more than 100,000 troops for half a year?"
Zhang Wen shook his head and said, "Based on my understanding of Dong Zhuo, he is distrustful and suspicious, extremely mean to his subordinates, greedy for money and lustful, and self-centered. He is not someone who can accomplish great things. Although he may become powerful for a while, his downfall is not far away. The court still needs to be on guard against other people."
"If we wait we will die, so we might as well give it a try," said Jia Xu.
"Let him in." Without waiting for the guards to stop him, Zhang Wen's calm voice came from inside the door.
Zhang Wen looked at him and asked, "Didn't your father tell you?"
Dong Zhuo's face was as hard as iron, his eyes were wide open, and he looked at Jia Xu.
Jia Xu stared for a moment, came closer, raised his hand and said: "..."
Jia Xu said: "If the court disagrees, Dong Gong will fight back to Bingzhou."
Jia Xu was calm and said, "What if it's all a trick?"
Jia Xu also smiled and said, "What if Mr. Dong marches eastward to Xuzhou?"
Jia Xu had followed Dong Zhuo for so many years, so he knew him well. He hesitated for a moment and said, "If Mr. Dong can annex Lü Bu smoothly, I will have no objection. If not, it is better for us to go south."
Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru and Jia Xu, then at Niu Fu, Guo Si, Hua Xiong and others, and said hesitantly: "Well, let's do this first. Wen Ru persuades Lu Bu and Wen He to go see Zhang Gong. The rest will be done for the time being. Do not move?"
Yuan Shu once occupied Yangzhou, Yuzhou, and most of Jingzhou and Jiaozhi. He was so powerful that he seemed to be able to replace the Han Dynasty. But now he is dying. Jia Xu can see clearly that if Dong Zhuo wants to achieve great things, he will face many powerful opponents!
The Han Dynasty was indeed extremely weak, and "the Han Dynasty will end" was still the general consensus of the vast majority of people.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Wen said, "The court may not be out of energy, nor is it worried about being stuck in a long war of attrition. Rather, it is being dragged into the chaos in the south. Yuan Shu, Dong Zhuo, and Lu Bu are not to be mentioned. Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, and Liu Biao are not easy to deal with. Once the court is involved, it will be difficult to withdraw, and it can only fight endlessly..."
As if he felt that what he said was not enough, he added: "Even if the southern states are sunk, the court will not care."
The apple in Huangfu Jian's mouth no longer smelled good, so he bit it very slowly, then frowned and said, "To the west, isn't that heading straight to Cao Cao? And there are passes everywhere. Would Dong Zhuo be so stupid?"
Zhang Wen looked more serious and said, "Whether it's Yuan Shu, Dong Zhuo or Sun Jian, they are just ambitious but incompetent. But Cao Cao is different. He is in the court and has enough ability. If he has dissent in the future, he will be the one to overthrow the Han Dynasty!"
Before Jia Xu finished speaking, Zhang Wen spoke, and then he kept his eyes on the book, reached out to pick up the teacup, and took a sip of tea.
Jia Xu did not comment, but looked at Li Ru. He glanced at the stain on the corner of his clothes and frowned again, feeling very uncomfortable.
Jia Xu, dressed in white, strolled in.
As a famous playboy in Luoyang City, he had naturally met Cao Cao, but because of the age difference, the two did not interact much.
Zhang Wen became more silent, looking at the table with a frown on his face.
According to Jia Xu's idea, he should occupy enough territory, watch the changes in the situation, and wait for the opportunity, instead of rushing into Xuzhou, which has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times!
He tested the bottom line of Zhang Wen or the imperial court, but this bottom line was not what he wanted.
No one, whether it is the imperial court or the heroes, will let that place go and will not allow any force to develop quietly there.
Jia Xu smiled more and spoke in a more cheerful tone. He said, "The court's 'new policy' requires a huge amount of money and grain to support it. At least within five years, the court's treasury will be extremely empty and its expenditures will not be enough to cover its income. It's not that the court doesn't care, but it can't."
Jia Xu smiled and said, "Mr. Dong will not go north."
"The court doesn't care." Zhang Wen immediately responded.
"I don't believe it." Zhang Wen said lightly.
Zhang Wen put down the book, a trace of solemnity appeared on his face, and he said, "I'm afraid Dong Zhuo can't help it."
Zhang Wen paused while turning the pages of the book, and his eyes shifted from the book to Jia Xu's fake smile again, saying, "If Dong Zhuo makes any move, he will die."
As soon as Jia Xu sat down, he asked, "Mr. Zhang, are you here to find out about Mr. Dong's true situation?"
Tao Qian, Dong Zhuo, and Sun Jian were all subordinates of Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen flipped through the book slowly and said, "Send a message to Dong Zhuo."
Judging from the time, the troops of the Imperial Guard led by Zhang Xiu should have arrived in Qiao County.
Cao Cao, not to mention other things, has at least 50,000 troops at his disposal!
Zhang Wen's expression changed slightly, and he ignored this and immediately said, "Quick, write a letter to your father and tell him to stop Cao Cao from moving!"
The imperial court sent reinforcements to Cao Cao and also issued him replacement armor, money and food. If Cao Cao misunderstood, it would be a big disaster!