After the snow, the weather is sunny and the temperature is slightly warmer. Yuan Mai summoned Zhang Ji alone in the study. After chatting for a while, he went straight to the topic. "Mr. Zhongjing, the Han Dynasty is in danger. The Emperor is suffering in Xuchang. As a descendant of the Yuan family, I have been favored by the emperor in this life, but I can't save the Emperor from danger. My father and son are unworthy of the ancestors of the Yuan family and the great Han people." "My late Emperor!" Yuan Mai pretended to be grief-stricken, and he was so immersed in the performance that he actually squeezed out a few tears. Seeing Yuan Mai like this, Zhang Ji was shocked and hurriedly comforted him: "Why are you doing this, Master? Come and let me listen and share your worries together?" Yuan Mai nodded and talked eloquently: "Since Cao Cao moved His Majesty to After Xuchang, there was no emperor and he was domineering. When Xuchang was hunting, the emperor shot an elk, and all the officials shouted "Long live". Cao Cao's thieves jumped over his servants and came out to receive congratulations. It was really treasonous! " "The emperor is in the palace. He seems to be noble, but in fact he is imprisoned. Cao Cao will personally interrogate everything he does every day, what he eats, and who he sees, without exception. Even if His Majesty sleeps with that noble lady, Cao Cao will do it. Ask clearly!" Zhang Ji looked sulky when he heard this: "How can this traitor Cao be so rebellious? I thought he was a virtuous minister, but I didn't expect him to be so rebellious. How is this behavior different from Dong Zhuo? ¡± Yuan Mai did not dare to comment on whether Cao Cao was a loyal minister or a treacherous minister, but his current position determined that he must discredit Cao Cao. "No, this Cao thief is even more evil than Dong Zhuo!" "Where did you hear this news?" Zhang Ji had an expression of disbelief. He had no idea among the people in Nanyang. Have you heard that Cao Cao has such a bad reputation? Some people even praised Cao Cao for his ability in governing the country. Yuan Mai picked up the tea cup in front of him and moistened his throat. He said unhurriedly: "The emperor was trapped by the traitor Cao, and his every move was under the surveillance of the traitor. He was not even provided with pen and ink. In desperation, your majesty had no choice but to bite his finger and write a letter begging for the traitor's blood." The imperial edict was hidden in the jade belt and given to the uncle Dong Cheng, ordering him to plot to kill the traitor Cao! " said this. I was afraid that Zhang Ji would be suspicious. After all, it was impossible for everyone to know about such a confidential matter. Added: "After receiving the edict, Uncle Dong Guo conspired with Wu Zilan, Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji and others to kill the thieves. Later, he recruited Uncle Liu Huang and Xiliang Ma Teng to join the gang. However, Cao was cautious, and Ma Teng and Liu Bei were afraid of being killed. Take advantage of this. Uncle Liu sent someone to inform my father about this matter, so I knew about it!" "Since so many people know about it, it seems that it must be true. How come I am so troubled? Dong Zhuo just left, and here comes Cao Cao!" Zhang Ji sighed sadly. Yuan Mai said in a pretentious manner: "My father raised an army to attack Cao Cao this time in order to revive the Han Dynasty. However, the 'Clothing and Belt Edict' is not in his hands. It is empty talk and it is difficult for the world to distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, Mai will take Zhong Jing this time." The reason why I called you to the mansion is that I want you to go to Xuchang and get the imperial edict from Uncle Dong Guo. In this way, you can be able to defeat the thieves in a legitimate manner!" After hearing what Yuan Mai said, Zhang Ji did not consider it and was generous. He agreed: "Since the master has asked me, Zhang Ji will go to Xuchang. I also have a private house in Xuchang. In the past few years, I have often stayed there for a while and visited my former colleagues. If I go to Xuchang, I shouldn't Attracting Thief Cao's attention." Yuan Mai clapped his hands and applauded: "Great, the news of Mr. coming to Hanoi has not spread yet. When I go to Xuchang, Thief Cao will definitely not think of having anything to do with our Yuan family. This will happen! I just don¡¯t know if Mr. Dong Guoshu is familiar with him?¡± ¡°I know Dong Guoshu, but we are not acquaintances!¡± Zhang Ji thought for a while and replied. Yuan Mai nodded: "Now that we know each other, it's easy to talk to him. After a while, he became familiar with Dong Guojiu. It's just that he has a cautious personality. If you ask him rashly about the dress code, he will never admit it. Sir, you need to live in Xuchang and slowly gain his trust before you can get the 'Clothes Edict'." Zhang Ji stood up and crossed his arms and said, "I understand this, it is related to the survival of the country, so Zhang Ji will naturally do it. Be cautious. Without further ado, it would be bad if I stayed in Hanoi for too long and the news leaked out. While the snow in the wild had not yet melted and there were few people on the road, I rushed to Xuchang and stayed there for a year and a half. Take the imperial edict on clothes and belts in your hands, tell the world, and punish Cao Cao together!" After the discussion, Yuan Mai personally sent Zhang Ji out of the mansion and asked if he needed to send guards to escort him. Zhang Ji politely declined, saying that it would be easier if there were more people conspicuous. Attracting Cao Jun's attention, he was on his way with only a few disciples. After Zhang Ji left, the north entered a relatively quiet period. It was cold and freezing, and all forces stood still, like dormant insects, making no sound. After Sun Ce pacified Jiangdong, Zhang Hong, the long history official, believed that Moling was located south of Zhongshan.?, the Yangtze River is controlled in the north, with dragons and tigers looming, and it has the aura of a king. It is recommended that Sun Ce place his government here. Following Zhang Hong¡¯s suggestion, Sun Ce carried out extensive construction work in Moling, expanded the scale of the city, moved more than 100,000 people from the counties east of the Yangtze River, and thickened and raised the city walls, creating deep trenches and high fortresses. In just over half a year, Moling County, which originally had a population of 30,000 people, became a large city with a population of 170,000 or 80,000 people and was renamed Jianye. It became the political, military, economic and cultural center of Jiangdong. Jiangdong originally had only four counties, namely Danyang, Wujun, Kuaiji, and Yuzhang, with a population of 900,000. Due to the raging war in the Central Plains, many people crossed the river to seek refuge. In just five or six years, the population of Jiangdong increased dramatically, reaching 1.3 million. Yuzhang was vast and sparsely populated. Following Zhang Zhao's suggestion, Sun Ce divided Yuzhang into three counties, namely Yuzhang, Luling, and Poyang counties, and sent hundreds of thousands of newly arrived people to settle in these three counties. , the population multiplied, making the land of Jiangdong flourishing and prosperous. Jiangdong, Jianye, Sun Mansion. After hearing Dong Zhao¡¯s intention, Sun Ce, who was handsome and powerful, nodded slightly, with a pair of thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, exuding the aura of looking down on the world. "Well, I understand what Dong Gongren said. I am very grateful to Duke Cao for his love. But what Duke Cao said about betrothing his niece to his dog brother Sun Kuang needs to be reported to his mother before he can reply. Please hold off for now, Gongren. Stay at the post house and wait for a day or two before I give an answer to Duke Cao!" Dong Zhao bowed his hands and resigned: "What Wu Hou said is true. With the old lady here, it is natural to inform the old man!" Dong Zhao just resigned! , a handsome, elegant, tall man walked out from behind the screen. It was the twenty-five-year-old Zhou Yu who was now named the Grand Administrator of Yuzhang and the Military Advisor General by Sun Ce. In recent days, they have been stationing troops at Chaisang with Huang Gai and Han Dang, and confronting Huang Zu, the prefect of Jiangxia under Liu Biao, across the Yangtze River. When Sun Ce heard that Cao Cao had sent an envoy to visit, he sent someone to recall Zhou Yu at night to discuss countermeasures. "Haha The reason why Bo Fu didn't immediately agree to Cao Cao's betrothal of his niece to Ji Zuo was because he was afraid that he would be inferior to Cao Cao in terms of seniority, right?" Zhou Yu had an elegant smile on his face. He sat next to Sun Ce and said calmly. Sun Ce grinned, glanced at Zhou Yu, and said with a smile: "Gong Jin is like a roundworm in my belly. I can't hide anything from you!" "Cao Cao suddenly sent someone to confer officials and titles, and also wanted to marry us Jiangdong. Obviously It was because we were attacked by Yuan Shao and Liu Bei from both sides. Moreover, we originally wanted to capture Lujiang and Huainan, but Liu Bei occupied them first. Since Cao Cao was willing to cooperate with us, we agreed to his request. !" Zhou Yu talked while drinking tea. Sun Ce's eyes were bright: "Of course I understand this. Jiangdong has been wiped out now. If we want to expand our territory, there are only three ways. One is to boast about the river and attack Jiangxia. The second is to cross Ruxukou and attack Shouchun or Lujiang. The third is to march south to Changsha. Liu Biao has been operating in Jingzhou for many years, and has hundreds of thousands of troops under his command. The people's support is difficult to win But Liu Bei has newly taken control of Huainan, and the people's support is not yet there. He has recently marched towards Runan. We can take the opportunity to attack Huainan. It would be great to join forces with us. However, what he said about marrying his niece to the fourth child bothered me. If I agreed, I would have to call Cao Cao "uncle", which would be a big loss for me. I don¡¯t want to eat it!¡± I knew that Sun Ce¡¯s character was the most competitive, but I didn¡¯t expect that he would not suffer in this matter. Cao Cao sent the daughter raised by his brother to Jiangdong to breed heirs for the Sun family. Call Cao Cao. "Uncle" is a matter of course! "Cao Cao is doing this to win our trust and show his sincerity in joining forces with us. If Bo Fu rejects this marriage, I'm afraid Cao Cao will be overly concerned!" Zhou Yu said in deep thought, with a worried look on his face. Sun Ce said unwillingly: "I can agree to all other conditions of Cao Cao, except for betrothal his niece to the fourth son. We are both princes, and I don't want to be Cao Cao's junior!" Zhou Yu thought for a moment, Suddenly a plan came to his mind, and he clapped his legs and said, "Yes!" "What's the plan? Gong Jin, tell me quickly!" Sun Ce couldn't wait to ask, if there was a way to avoid offending Cao Cao and not devaluing his own identity, The best! Zhou Yu smiled and said: "I heard that Cao Cao's fourth son, Cao Zhang, is fifteen or sixteen years old this year and has not yet married. Sun Ben's daughter is just fifteen or sixteen years old this year and has not yet been betrothed. We can betroth Sun Ben's daughter to Cao Cao's family." Son, in this way, the general and Cao Cao are equals, and there is no need to worry about causing Cao Cao to worry!" "Haha this is a great plan!" Sun Ce high-fived and laughed, "Okay, that's it, I'll do it. I will send someone to invite my brother over." Sun Ben isCe's cousin is thirty-eight years old this year and has three sons and six daughters in his family. Zhou Yu proposed to marry Cao Zhang's third daughter Sun Bi. Over the years, Sun Bi did not have much merit, but relying on his family relationship with Sun Ce, he was worshiped as a general. Since Sun Ce needed their father and daughter, Sun Ben would naturally not refuse. Moreover, Cao Cao was a powerful figure in the world. It was a face-saving thing to be the in-laws of such a big shot. Therefore, after hearing Sun Ce's request, he agreed on the spot. He came down and said: "Bo Fu, why are you so polite? My daughter is your daughter. Everything is up to you, my uncle!" Sun Ce was very satisfied with his cousin's answer and nodded: "In that case, the matter is settled. I will inform Dong Zhao of my decision soon and ask him to return to Cao Cao!" The next day, Sun Ce summoned Dong Zhao and explained his intention. Cao Cao's niece could be betrothed to his brother, but in order to deepen the relationship between them, , I also want to betroth my niece to Cao Cao's son, and ask him to go back and convey his wishes to Cao Cao. "If Mr. Cao is willing, Mr. Dong can bring Mr. Cao's niece directly to Jianye next time. My Sun family will definitely be prepared to marry her. When you return, just take my niece back to Xuchang. In this way. Come, I am among you, and you are among me. We, Sun and Cao, are one!" Dong Zhao bowed and said, "I don't dare to make the final decision on the matter of marriage. Let me go back and see Duke Cao. Wu Hou replied! " In the cold wind, Dong Zhao took his entourage and returned to Xuchang in seven or eight days, conveying Sun Ce's intention to Cao Cao and asking him to make a decision. After hearing this, Cao Cao stroked his beard and laughed and said: "This Sun Bofu is really interesting. I won't suffer any loss! I am forty-five years old this year, and Sun Ce is just a young man with a smell of milk. I betrothed my niece to him." His brother, there¡¯s nothing wrong with accepting him as a nephew, right? This guy actually treated the other person in his own way and betrothed his niece to my son. He really refused to give up any ground!¡± ¡°Gong Cao! , I went to Sun Ben's house for tea and met his daughter, she is indeed a lady among all the people!" Dong Zhao saluted beside him and added. Cao Cao laughed and said, "I was just talking casually. I have never seen any big storms in my military life, so how could I be jealous of a junior like him? Sun Ce didn't say he wanted to be my equal, but he just called me 'brother' throughout his life. I won¡¯t be angry either! On the battlefield, we should rely on our strength to judge success or failure, never on the basis of kinship!¡± After hearing Cao Cao¡¯s words, all the civil and military officials in the hall praised him: ¡°Mr. Cao¡¯s mind is as broad as the wind and the moon. I deeply admire you!" Cao Cao immediately made a decision and ordered Dong Zhao to prepare a carriage and send his cousin's niece to Soochow with the betrothal gift, and then marry Sun Ce's niece to Xuchang. The Sun and Cao families entered into a marriage alliance. , thus strengthening the relationship. After the wedding, Cao Cao could not let go of his hatred for Liu Bei's sneak attack on Runan. Although it was already November, there were mountains blocking Xuchang to the north, and the temperature was slightly higher than that of the Yellow River area. He ordered people to prepare cold-proof items, regardless of the cold winter. , preparing to attack Runan and avenge the humiliation. On the one hand, he sent an envoy to Jiangdong and asked Sun Ce to send troops to attack Liu Bei from both sides. Cao's troops took Runan, and Sun Ce took Lujiang and Huainan. They divided the land and vowed to kill Liu Bei. When Sun Ce heard that Cao Cao was preparing to attack Liu Bei, he also secretly dispatched troops and generals. He ordered Cheng Pu, Sun Jing, and Zhu Zhi to go to Chaisang to take over Zhou Yu's garrison, and ordered Zhou Yu to lead Han Dang and Huang Gai to wait for an opportunity to cross the river and attack Lujiang. He, together with Taishi Ci, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai and others, prepared to cross Ruxukou, attack Huainan and kill Guan Yu! ps: The second update, 4,000 words, has been delivered early. Please support me with your monthly votes and give me some motivation to write another chapter!