Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3424 Questions and Answers

The lights are dim.

The food is cold before the guests leave.

As people leave, the tea gets colder.

Cui Yan sat in the car and staggered back to his residence.

Today's meeting with Xun Yu and what Xun Yu said made Cui Yan full of doubts.

Could it be that I misunderstood Boss Cao before?
When they returned home, Cui Qin went forward to greet them and helped Cui Yan take off his outer robe and change into casual clothes.

Cui Yan nodded and motioned Cui Qin to sit down.

Cui Yan's child died young, and Cui Qin was the orphan of his friend. Cui Yan adopted him and treated him as his own child.

After the servants left and Cui Yan drank a little of the rice water, he slowly said, "What do you think, Prime Minister Cao, now?"

Cui Qin was not very old, but in the Han Dynasty, a teenager could be considered an adult. Cui Qin was more or less a "hostage" left by the Cui family in Xu County. His daily food, clothing and daily expenses were provided by the government. He was said to be "studying" in Xu County, but in reality...

Perhaps this is the earliest "happy education". Anyway, those who understand will understand.

Therefore, Cui Qin did not make much progress in the study of formal poetry, books and classics, but he may have some different perspectives and insights on interpersonal relationships and political situations.

Cui Yan asked Cui Qin to stay and asked him questions in order to learn from Cui Qin about the current situation in Yingchuan, Yuzhou, and Xu Xianzhong.

The battle between the East and the West is obviously a hot topic in current politics.

It's not wrong for Cui Qin to say that he knows nothing, is unclear, and doesn't understand anything, but he may never become the leader of the Cui family in the future, and will only become a manure-making machine and a breeder.

The noble families, especially the aristocratic families, not only train the next generation, but also train three generations directly when possible. However, generally speaking, if there is a gap, the risk will be very high, so it is better to have a leader of the next generation as much as possible.

Cui Yan's questions to Cui Qin were a form of test.

After the Battle of Hedong, Cao Cao basically stopped attacking and went into a state of retreat.

Shandong's main losses this time were mainly in terms of personnel and property.

An absolute heavy loss!
This is something that everyone knows and can be easily calculated.

But the question is, how much of the loss is "real"?

Just like the listed companies in capitalist countries in later generations, they always have two accounts, one is used to deal with tax authorities and to be published to shareholders, and the other is for the boss to read...

So what’s the harvest?
Although Cao Jun never announced what he had gained...

Well, it's not that there is no profit at all. For example, when Heluo was conquered, it was announced once. But Boss Cao said that all the gains should be invested in the reproduction link and no dividends would be distributed.

Is there any problem with this?

Apparently not a problem.

But now the problem is, Boss Cao lost the battle and his investment failed!

Then, who is actually losing money?

They say that Mr. Cao committed fraud and harmed the major shareholders, but Mr. Cao's relatives were also arrested and injured and died, so can we say that Mr. Cao did not do his best? Mr. Cao also lost money!

So, the question asked by Cui Yan seems simple, but is actually very complicated.

Cui Qin thought for a moment and said, "Prime Minister Cao's march into Guanzhong was indeed to attack the enemy, but Tongguan was strong, so he had to move to Hedong... But the defeat in Hedong was indeed a bit strange... I heard rumors in the market in Xu County that..."

Cui Yan waved his hand, "Don't worry, just say what you want to say."

"Yes," Cui Qin replied, "I heard that Prime Minister Cao has made peace with the General of the Cavalry!"

Hearing this, Cui Yan smiled slightly at first, but was stunned after a moment.

If the rumors in the market are false, then of course we will just laugh it off.

But the question is, what if it is not fake, or not completely fake?

This is embarrassing all of a sudden...

So when Xun Yu asked me to drink with him, he was vaguely intending to use this incident as a joke after drinking?

Cui Qin saw the change in Cui Yan's expression and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, wondering if he had said something wrong. But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that there was nothing wrong.

Cui Yan’s headache became more and more serious.

He simply didn't believe what Xun Yu said about "Shandong as one", "sharing weal and woe", and "one hundred thousand talents and one hundred thousand blood"...

He only believes in himself and the interests of his family.

Therefore, Cui Yan's original plan was to first gain some benefits from Cao Cao and Xun Yu and obtain a higher official position. When the Cavalry really entered the Central Plains, he would immediately bow down at Fei Qian's skirt. Then he could step on his right foot with his left foot and move from his left pocket to his right pocket, thus achieving a spiral ascension on the spot and successfully changing his career to the third level.

Cui Yan glanced at Cui Qin and saw that he was a little panicked, so he asked again: "Did you gain anything in Xu?"

This doesn't mean that Cui Yan didn't know what Cui Qin did in Xu County, or that he didn't know Cui Qin was eating, drinking, having fun and visiting brothels. After all, this was the role of a hostage, to reassure the ruler. If the father is very strong, holds great power, and has money and manpower in his hands, and if the children are also very capable, then it is not a small goal to solve. It is possible that the ruler will take action while the father is still alive!

So it’s OK for Cui Qin to act a little stupid, playful, or even idle, spending his days drinking and having sex with women. It all meets the needs of the rulers, and they will even encourage and assist him. But once he says he wants to start a business under the rulers’ noses and make it bigger and stronger, then hehehehe…

But the problem is that what Cui Yan wants is not these superficial things, but whether Cui Qin can maintain his superficial licentiousness while developing secretly. Visiting brothels is not a big deal, but if he really loses his ambition due to these things, then there is no hope.

Cui Qin had a slight sweat on his head.

His biological father died early, and he was raised by Cui Yan. Although he changed his surname, Cui Qin knew that his original surname was not Cui, and the most important point was that Cui Qin's ability was indeed not strong.

Most people with poor abilities have a common problem, which is poor self-control.

I think I can get drunk today, but the homework I don't finish today can be left for tomorrow, so the longer I put it off, the more I'll put off. In the end, I just give up and pretend it never happened.

But can it really cease to exist?
When Cui Yan asked him what he had done and what he had gained in Xu County during this period, Cui Qin's heart began to beat wildly, sweat broke out on his forehead, and he stammered and was unable to make sense.

Seeing Cui Qin like this, Cui Yan lost the desire to continue the conversation. He waved his hand to indicate that he was tired and asked Cui Qin to go and rest.

As if Cui Qin had been pardoned, he hurriedly took his leave and even hypocritically asked Cui Yan to take care of his health and come back to pay his respects the next morning.

Cui Yan nodded calmly.

This son is useless.

Fortunately, I adopted one in Jizhou.

Cui Yan asked Cui Qin to leave, but he still sat there, frowning and thinking, and did not really go to rest. Unable to understand what Xun Yu meant, Cui Yan could not sleep or eat, and it was impossible for him to wait until tomorrow. Even one hour later would be too late!

what exactly is it?
Why exactly?
and many more!

Cui Yan watched the light of the lantern held by Cui Qin disappear in the corridor, and suddenly something came to his mind!
Good job Xun Yu!
He fell into a trap!

Everything is actually laid out in plain sight, but Cui Yan was too focused on investigating the hidden meanings behind it and forgot the most fundamental thing!

Just like Cui Qin.

Protons are also on the table...

But whoever forgets the basics is finished.

What is Cui Yan's foundation?
It’s not an official position, nor is it the left foot and the right foot, the left pocket and the right pocket, but Jizhou!
This is to lure the tiger away from the mountain!

Xun Yu...

No, Cao Cao is going to take action in Jizhou!

The threat from Youzhou is right in front of us, and the threat is just around the corner, so what's wrong with implementing war control?
No, no, no, I won't kill people directly. Even Cui Yan's son wouldn't do such a crude act. He only needs to use military tactics...

Hey!
There are so many excuses!
Moreover, Cui Yan believed that in Jizhou there would be... no, there must be many people who had the same idea as Cui Yan himself and wanted to take this opportunity to hook up with the Cavalry!

Finished!

How to do?
Are you going back right now?

Cui Yan let out a long breath.

No, there must be spies around his house now!
We must come up with a solution.

Cui Yan pondered over it, and then thought of Cui Qin.

Since it is waste, we should make use of it.

Since he was appointed by His Majesty, Cui Qin may have felt that he had grown stronger and no longer needed to listen to Cui Yan...

The last time Cui Yan solemnly told Cui Qin to "take care of himself", it was obvious that Cui Qin didn't listen at all.

I'm sorry then.

If you want to blame someone, just blame this chaotic world. In a peaceful world, even a dog can be cared for by many dog ​​lovers who are full of love but stingy with charity, widows, orphans, and orphans. So what right do people living in a chaotic world have to enjoy without giving back?

Cui Yan's eyes turned cold, like the cold stars in the sky, seemingly shining but without any warmth.

……

……

Xu County, Imperial Palace.

"Your Majesty..." The eunuch bowed and said, "It's late at night, Your Majesty, please go to bed early..."

Student Liu did not look up and ignored the eunuch's persuasion.

Damn it, I can't control this world anymore. Now I can't even control when I go to bed?
Most people have this kind of rebellious psychology that occasionally arises in their hearts.

Or you can call it revenge psychology.

Just like in later capitalist countries, many capitalists do not treat their employees as human beings, let alone the masters of the country. They just treat them as organisms lower than cattle and horses. They would like to seize the labor of these organisms lower than cattle and horses from five or six in the morning, making them work and create value. There are also many harsh regulations that strictly limit and deprive them of their free rest time, regardless of whether it is beyond eight hours.

In such a situation, those who have finally escaped from the exploitation field will subconsciously play with their phones in revenge, trying to prove that they still have a certain degree of autonomy, but they don’t know that even playing with their phones is contributing traffic to the capitalists...

The same is true for Xiao Liu.

He thought that if he worked hard, he could prove that he could control something.

However, Xiao Liu was not looking at his phone. He was looking at the huge map that Xun Yu had "presented" to him earlier.

Liu Xie was fascinated by the mountains, rivers, and counties marked on the map.

This is his big man!
This is his country!
This is Liu's world!
Liu Xie stretched out his hand vaguely above the map, either grasping or pointing, and he enjoyed it very much.

"Nine tripods and thirteen states in the world..."

Liu Xie was pointing, as if he had turned into a god, looking down at the earth, thousands of miles away in an instant.

As he watched, Liu Xie's brows suddenly frowned.

The eunuchs at the side thought that the lights were dimming and making it difficult for Liu Xie to see clearly, so they quickly ordered the young eunuchs to light some more lights, trim the wicks of the oil lamps, and pull them out...

But Liu Xie's frown was not because of the light or darkness.

But he suddenly discovered a problem.

"Come here, go..." Liu Xie paused for a moment, but finally said, "Bring the map of the Western Regions presented by the cavalry!"

The eunuch of the Yellow Gate responded and was about to turn around and leave when he was stopped by Liu Xie again.

"Wait!" Liu Xie paused for a moment, looking up, thinking about something, and his voice became a little lower, "Also... there is a wooden box on the bottom shelf of the innermost bookshelf in my study, take it out as well..."

The eunuch agreed and hurriedly followed Liu Xie's instructions. After a moment, he brought all the utensils and placed them in front of Liu Xie.

Liu Xie first unfolded the "Map of the Western Regions", and then he did not look at the countries in the Western Regions, but looked at the lower right corner of the map...

Over there are Yumen, Wuwei, Jiuquan, Zhangye...

Those places that once represented the glory of the Han Dynasty now made Liu Xie feel mixed emotions, so Liu Xie was reluctant to take a closer look before, and put them aside after a quick glance. Now after seeing Xun Yu's map of the Central Plains, Liu Xie noticed these places in the upper left corner of the map, and then he thought of this map of the Western Regions.

"Western Regions..." Liu Xie looked around, then frowned and asked, "Western Regions... compared to the Central Plains, which one is bigger? Hmm?"

The eunuch shrank his head.

Liu Xie did not ask by name, so the eunuchs pretended that Liu Xie was talking to himself and did not disturb him.

"Of course it's the Central Plains..." Liu Xie really didn't intend to get any answer from the eunuch, "But...just..."

Liu Xie put down the map of the Western Regions in his hand, and his eyes rested on the wooden box.

There was a lock on the wooden box, but there was not much dust on the surface.

The lock only means that Liu Xie doesn't want people to read it casually, but it doesn't mean that others can't know it.

Liu Xie took out a small brass key from his sleeve, opened the lock, looked at the things in the wooden box, and sighed slightly.

There was no gold, silver, or treasure in the wooden box, let alone any secret tricks, but only some tattered silk and other small sundries.

The eunuch took a quick glance and lowered his head deeply, wishing he could shrink into the shadows.

Liu Xie rummaged through the wooden box and found a piece of paper that was already quite old.

This is the first generation of Guanzhong paper, and it is already quite old.

There are a lot of impurities and the paper is rough.

The ink marks not only remain on the surface, but also penetrate to the back of the paper along the texture. A small "几" character can be vaguely seen, as well as an edge with a certain curve.

"Central Plains...Western Regions..."

Liu Xie looked at the Guanzhong paper and recalled a map that Fei Qian had drawn casually back then.

Shouldn't the Central Plains be the largest and most important place in the Han Dynasty?

Why in this sketch drawn by Fei Qian, the Central Plains of the Han Dynasty...

Zhongyuan, how could it be so small?
Like a tiny egg.

He didn't believe it at the time, but he didn't throw the map away. When he left Chang'an, he didn't bring many things to Xu County, and most of them were packed in this wooden box.

It's like it's filled with memories of those years.

Memories that he once thought he had forgotten.

Liu Xie just remembered that he had kept this sketch all those years ago, just thinking that after he proved Fei Qian wrong in the future, he would put the facts and this map in front of Fei Qian and let Fei Qian bow his head and admit his mistake...

The lights flickered.

Liu Xie finally let out a long breath, "Let's take it."

The eunuch then came out from the shadows and responded.

"Wait a minute." Liu Xie stopped him again, "Summon the patrol officers to the court tomorrow to discuss the size of the Han territory."

The eunuch agreed.

Liu Xie then left, and another young eunuch went to rest with a lantern in hand.

The eunuchs from the Yellow Gate brought people to clean up.

A young eunuch rolled his eyes and approached the eunuch, "Master, what's wrong with His Majesty today? It wasn't like this before..."

"Less talk, more work!"

The eunuch glared and shouted.

The young eunuch shrank his neck and lowered his head to work.

The eunuch of Huangmen glanced at the direction Liu Xie left and thought, why else?
I’m so confused!

……

……

"He Luo..."

Also at night, Fei Qian, who made Xiao Liu extremely anxious, received the latest battle report from the front line.

Sima Yi, Xu Chu and others planned a military operation, and when they reported it to Fei Qian, they had actually already launched the attack.

That’s right, generals on the front line can adopt proactive small strategies as long as the big goals do not change.

This is an action that Fei Qian has always approved of, and he would never consider it as an act of usurpation by the general.

Fei Qian tried to reverse the Han Dynasty's bad habit of Emperor Wu of Han, who liked to remotely control front-line operations from the rear.

Battles on the front line are ever-changing, and opportunities may be fleeting. If you wait for approval from the rear for everything, or if you fight with the same tricks you had when you went into battle, you will most likely die...

During the Song and Ming dynasties, the civil officials in the court did not know how to fight, but were eager for military exploits, so they gave the front-line generals a lot of so-called "suggestions" and "strategies" that were based on principles and reason, including but not limited to battle formations.

So generally speaking, Fei Qian will not interfere with the operations of the front-line generals. Many times, the front-line generals only need to report and make sure that it does not violate the general direction set by Fei Qian before, and then they can execute it first and seize the opportunity.

This effect is naturally good.

But there are also problems.

Just like this battle plan, Fei Qian noticed something was wrong...