Chapter 129: A Gentleman's Friendship If we talk about the most famous meeting between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, it is no different from the one in the novel of the Three Kingdoms, where they drank plum wine together. It looks like a meeting, but it is full of murderous intentions, a complete Hongmen Banquet. But in this world, there will be no such scene as drinking wine with green plums. Because in the novel, Liu Bei lived in Xuchang, and his life and death were controlled by Cao Cao. When Cao Cao called, he naturally went there happily. But now it is different. With the emergence of Qin Zhen, Liu Bei has leapt from a state of living under someone else's roof to becoming one of the princes who rule a certain area. It seems that Cao Cao's army here is far more powerful than Liu Bei, but in fact, if a real fight breaks out, Cao Cao may not be able to defeat Liu Bei. Moreover, now that both families have come in response to the imperial edict, Cao Cao has no reason to attack Liu Bei. So this time, Cao Cao had only two purposes for waiting for Liu Bei in Xincai. First, he wanted to meet his long-cherished counselor Qin Zhen;

Second, he wanted to see if he could turn the situation around through political means! In this situation where neither party wants to fight, the only way to resolve some of the current issues is through negotiation! However, even though it was a negotiation, Cao's hostility towards Liu Bei still existed. So after exchanging pleasantries with Liu Bei, Xu Qiu and others, Lao Cao raised his cup and smiled and said: "Speaking of this campaign against Yuan Shu, there is one thing I don't understand, and I need Xuande to explain it to me!" Seeing this, Liu Bei knew that Cao Cao was going to attack, so he could not help but reply: "I wonder what puzzles Sikong?" When Cao Cao heard this, he stroked his beard and smiled: "I heard that Sun Ce, Lu Bu and Xuande attacked Shouchun this time. This is also my original intention!" "I originally wanted you to work together to capture the city." "But I heard that after you captured Shouchun, you fought against Sun Ce again. I don't know why." When he asked this question, he was preparing to hold Liu Bei accountable from the perspective of the court. As long as Liu Bei gave a bad answer, he would have something to say when he returned. So as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Qiu and others looked at Liu Bei. But Cao Cao didn't know that this question had been raised once by Liu Ye as far back as Chengde. Liu Ye had previously criticized Liu Bei in this way just to see how Liu Bei would respond and to test Liu Bei's tolerance. But by accident, it turned out to be a rehearsal for Liu Bei. When Cao Cao asked this question, Liu Bei stood up and sighed, then copied the standard answer that Qin Zhen had given to Liu Ye before. But of course the last part was omitted. He just expressed his regret to Cao Cao and made it clear that he didn't know why Sun Ce took the initiative to attack! They were wrong in this matter. They shouldn't have beaten Sun Ce so harshly. But if you want to blame others for this, then you should blame Sun Ce first, because it was Sun Ce who started it first! After hearing what Liu Bei said, Cao Cao was surprised. He naturally had no intention of doing anything to Liu Bei through this incident, but Liu Bei's reply did surprise him a little.

Because the words were so airtight, he really couldn't blame them. Subconsciously, he glanced at Qin Zhen, knowing that these words were most likely what Qin Zhen taught Liu Bei to say, otherwise an honest man like Liu Bei would not say such words. While he was still in doubt, he saw Xu Qiu raise his glass and say with a smile: "If that's the case, it must be Sun Ce's bad intentions, and it has nothing to do with Xuande. Sikong shouldn't be surprised by this!" Seeing Xu Qiu talking to Liu Bei, Cao Cao was naturally upset. He simply drank the wine and nodded: "If that's the case, then it was Sun Ce who made the mistake first, and it has nothing to do with Xuande!" After lightly skipping over the matter, he asked someone to pour him a glass of wine and said: "But I heard that Xuande got the imperial seal that Yuan Shu had hidden. I wonder where it is?" While speaking, he seemed to be completely unconcerned, but in fact, there was something mysterious hidden in his words. Without asking whether this matter was true or false, he only asked where he was now. Liu Bei had no way to refuse and could only hand the thing over to him obediently. If he dared to say no, he could also make trouble. However, before coming, Liu Bei had already received Qin Zhen's hint. The imperial seal can be given to anyone except Cao Cao! Because presenting the imperial seal in person and asking Cao Cao to present the imperial seal are two different things! If they offered it themselves, then the credit would be all theirs. If they gave it to Cao Cao, then the credit would have to be shared with Cao Cao. Even if it goes a step further, Cao Cao might just give him a nominal position. Therefore, before attending the banquet, Qin Zhen specifically instructed Liu Bei that if Cao Cao asked about this matter, he should say that he had already sent an envoy to deliver it to the court. So when Cao Cao asked about this, Liu Bei smiled again and said: "I dare to let Sikong know that when Yunchang took back the jade seal, he had already sent a message to me!" "I think this item is a national treasure and must not be lost, so I wrote back to ask Yunchang to keep it and send an envoy to hand it over to the court!" "Now that the envoy has set off, I did not let Cao Gong know. I hope you will forgive me!" When Cao Cao heard that Liu Bei had handed over the imperial seal, he frowned and said: "Why is Xuande so impatient? You must know that the imperial seal is very important. Now there is a war and chaos, where can we send it?" "Wouldn't it be better to recall the envoy and let me bring him back to the court?" Liu Bei stopped talking when he heard this, but Qin Zhen stood up and said with a smile: "What Cao Gong said is wrong. When our army sent out the jade seal, Yuan Shu and Cao Gong were still fighting in Pingyu. How could we have known that Cao Gong would lead his troops here!" "I wanted to leave the imperial seal here, but I was afraid that Yuan Shu would come." "So we sent an envoy to go north along Pei State and pass through Chen State to present the message to the emperor!" "Although Yuan Shu is gone, there is still a danger of recurrence. Otherwise, Lord Cao would not have stationed troops here for so many days." "Since Lord Cao wants to guard against Yuan Shu, our army can do the job of handing over the imperial seal. Why should we bother Lord Cao with it?" Having said this, he looked at Xu Qiu and said: "Mr. Xu, tell me, is there any truth in what I said?" Xu Qiu was slightly stunned when he saw that he was the one who directed the conversation to himself. He could naturally see that the two families were fighting openly and secretly, but he didn't want to intervene too much. He only cared about whether the jade seal could be returned to the court!

With this as the bottom line, it doesn't matter which family returns the seal. But when Qin Zhen mentioned Yuan Shu, he nodded and said: "That makes some sense. Now that Yuan Shu has just left, there is still a risk of recurrence. We must be on guard." This statement is of course a Tai Chi move, without any clear statement. But it still helped Liu Bei seize the right to speak. Upon hearing this, Cao Cao looked at Qin Zhen deeply and said: "If you follow what Zixuan said, then I won't say anything more!" "Finally, there is only one thing. I heard that Xuande gained a lot in Xincai this time." "I am worried that the emperor needs money and food to build a palace in Xu County. I would like to ask Xuande to lend me half of it so that I can go back and build the palace. I wonder if Xuande is willing to pay tribute to the emperor?" He thought, if you don’t give me the city and the seal, you should at least give me some money and food, right? Now that he has even brought out the emperor, what reason do you have to keep it to yourself? But as soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhen shook his head and smiled: "If I dare to let Lord Cao know, this proposal is not feasible." "You must know that the money and grain in the government are all the people's hard-earned money, which was plundered by Yuan Shu!" "Now that the drought is so severe, the people of Huainan are in dire straits and are waiting for money and food to save their lives!" "If our army has money and food, we will pay tribute to the emperor." "But the money and grain in the treasury are not ours. The lives of the people of Huainan are in our hands. How can we give them to Lord Cao?" "Ancient sages have said: Take from the people and use it for the people, this is the way of a ruler!" "Your Excellency is the pastoral envoy, and you are the pastor of the people on behalf of the emperor. If Your Majesty knew about this, you would not blame our army for being disrespectful!" Having said this, he looked at Cao Cao and said with a smile: "But I wonder if Lord Cao wants to use this to accuse my army of a crime?" Would Cao Cao dare to punish me for this? Of course not! Qin Zhen always talks about the lives of the people. If he dares to criticize him for this, not only the court, but even Xu Qiao will not give him a good face. After all, the scholar-official class can use their hands but not their mouths against the people. Anyone who really dares to say that he does not take the people seriously will definitely be criticized by the scholar class. Besides, the current situation in Huainan is really dire, and Lao Cao doesn’t have the nerve to speak again. At that moment, after thinking for a moment, Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled: "I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a long time, Zixuan's eloquence is still so amazing!" "Well, if you don't want to give it to me, I'll just go find money somewhere else to build my palace!" After saying this, Cao Cao said no more and drank with everyone. Because he knew that with Qin Zhen around, he probably wouldn't be able to gain any benefit by just talking to him verbally. This guy is a miser. It is obviously unrealistic to try to get anything out of him.

It can be said that his trip this time was in vain! That night, after everyone left, Cao Cao had someone bring in a jar of wine, and he drank alone in the tent. Guo Jia saw this and couldn't help but come forward and ask: "It's late today, why are you drinking here instead of going to sleep?" When Cao Cao saw Guo Jia, he couldn't help but sigh: "Because I've seen Zixuan now, I know he is no longer the same as before. His words and actions are all towards Liu Bei, so I think in the past, Zixuan also treated me like this!" "Why did people's hearts change like this after the change of ownership?" Upon hearing this, Guo Jia shook his head and smiled: "Who is Zixuan? How come you don't know him? He has always fulfilled his duties and done his work faithfully!" "If you have served in our army, you should be loyal to the lord!" "Now that I am serving Liu Bei, I must be loyal to Liu Bei!" "As for today, it is not the people's hearts that have changed, but the situation that has changed. Zixuan is acting like this, and this is the way of a gentleman!" After hearing this, Cao Cao sighed: "I thought Zixuan would not be too harsh on me since he still talked about old feelings. But now that I see him, I'd rather be humble than be humble!" Having said this, he raised his head and looked at Guo Jia and said with a smile: "Fengxiao and Zixuan are also friends, why can't I see him today?" "Because I am his friend, we should not meet!" Guo Jia listened, walked up to Cao Cao and sat beside him, saying with a smile: "In the past, we all served the same lord, so we could drink and chat happily. But now we each serve our own lord, and we will surely meet at war in the future!" "Zixuan has always been clear about the distinction between public and private matters, and he will definitely show no mercy to me!" "I will not hold back when I see him." "If that's the case, why bother meeting each other now? Trying to establish a friendship will only add to your troubles in the future!" Having said that, he casually poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. Seeing Guo Jia so carefree, Cao Cao smacked his lips and said: "You are all extremely talented, but I am the only one who likes vulgar things. How can I have the face to be friends with you?" He really admired the friendship between Guo Jia and Qin Zhen. Judging from the situation, when the two met again, it would probably be time for them to pay tribute to each other. It really proves the saying that the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water. Compared with Guo Jia, he is a lot more vulgar! But as soon as he said this, Guo Jia filled his glass with wine again and said: "My lord, there is no need to do this. I am also an ordinary person, and Zixuan is not a transcendent person. We don't want to meet each other, but I don't know how to say goodbye." "Compared to Jia, the lord is able to face difficulties and still talk and laugh happily. He is the best among men!" Cao Cao listened, and he picked up the wine dizzily, pointed at Guo Jia and laughed: "I don't know when Fengxiao became such a flatterer!" "You only see me talking and laughing, but you don't know how many times I wanted to draw my sword and kill him right here!"

When Guo Jia heard this, he shook his head and said: "To be honest, my lord, I also have this wish!" "Zixuan is a good friend, but a hateful enemy. He is extremely annoying!" "Exactly, exactly!" Cao Cao laughed and clinked glasses with Guo Jia. The king and his subject looked at each other and laughed uncontrollably. Then they both drank the wine in one gulp. That night, no one knew how much wine Guo Jia and Cao Cao drank or what they talked about. But there is always one person involved in every word. It was as if the man had been drinking with the two of them all night long. It was not until the next day that news came from Xu County that Li Jue was killed in Guanzhong, and Wu Xi killed Guo Si and presented his heads as a sacrifice. After seeing the letter, Cao Cao decided not to stay any longer and sent someone directly into the city to bid farewell to Liu Bei and prepare to return to the capital that day. But before leaving, he warned Liu Bei: "There is a severe drought in Huainan now. Remember to comfort the people and do not slack off. Do not cause unrest among the people, lest the emperor punish you!" When Liu Bei heard this, he nodded in agreement. After talking about Liu Bei, Lao Cao said to Qin Zhen: "You have a farm in Xuchang, and you want Wenruo to sell it. I will take it with you. If you get tens of millions of dollars, please take it yourself!" "We say goodbye today, and I don't know when we will meet again. Zixuan, please take care!" Seeing this, Qin Zhen nodded and said no more. Lao Cao's behavior was to show that their friendship was over and that they would most likely be enemies when they met again next time. At this time, any nice words you say will seem hypocritical! So after a long silence, he finally spoke: "Thank you for your concern, Lord Cao. I will also take this as a token of my gratitude. I hope Lord Cao will take care of himself!" Seeing Qin Zhen like this, Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, then got on his horse and said: "I am not happy to win this time, but I am happy to see old friends. Goodbye, everyone!" After saying this, he turned his horse and headed towards Xuchang. As for the old friend he mentioned, I don’t know whether it was Liu Bei or Qin Zhen. As Cao Cao's figure faded away, a new sun slowly rose, just as the era of two heroes competing for supremacy was slowly unfolding. (End of this chapter)