Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 671: Recruiting Grain and Recruiting Soldiers
"Cao Pi has four friends."

The doorman was anxious, but Jia Xu became more calm. Seeing Dong Jue start to clean up the dishes, Jia Xu knelt down again and began to sip the tea slowly with relish while chatting:

"Chen Changwen has a clear and elegant reputation, Zhu Yancai has a keen eye and a strong sense of affection, and Wu Jizhong has a broad range of talents and learning."

"Each of these three has his own shortcomings. Chen Changwen likes to keep silent, Zhu Yancai is easily angered, and Wu Jizhong is good at flattery."

"These three people, together with Sima Zhongda who is good at planning and able to control changes, can be called complete."

Jia Xu smacked his lips and asked:
"It's a pity that Sima Zhongda was trapped on his way to Yongliang. He must have been captured by General Zuo."

Dong Jue just smiled and didn't admit it at all:

"Taizhong is exaggerating. There are more than a few hundred people in Yongliang. Han Sui and Ma Chao are both difficult to control. Maybe they were captured and married to Qiang women."

Nodding, Jia Xu continued: "Then Bento is dead."

"In short, Wu Zhi and Zhu Shao under Cao Pi are both flatterers. Chen Qun is difficult to control, and Sima Yi is the only one who can handle it."

"As for Cao Zhi's subordinates, the Ding brothers are both mediocre, Handan Chun's character Wen can be considered high, but the rest are not worth mentioning."

"Only Yang Xiu, Yang Dezu, is good at writing more than talent. His talent is brilliant and he can answer questions quickly. However, he lacks humility and looks down on others, often falling into frivolity."

After hearing this, Dong Jue understood.

But I am still curious:
The two brothers had originally just gone out of the city to pay homage to their ancestors, but ended up turning on each other.

Is Yang Xiu really a smooth talker?

Jia Xu had already stood up again, and it was obvious that he had an idea in mind:
"I think the emperor should have known about the changes outside the city. The two Cao brothers should have no choice but to go south. So..."

"Please go and give this letter to... Ma Shoucheng."

Dong Jue nodded and took the letter without any hesitation. He bowed to Jia Xu and planned to go back to find Jin Yi.

In Yecheng, Dong Jue is relatively unknown to the big families in Yecheng. The most familiar famous family is the wealthy businessman Jin Yi from Jingzhao.

Jin Yi's family background was also extremely simple. His father, Jin Xuan, had been the prefect of Wuling County, and later served his lord. His ancestors could be traced back to Jin Midi, the assistant minister during the reign of Emperor Xiaozhao and the former prince of the Xiongnu Xutu King. He could be regarded as a genuine Han minister. This was why Jin Yi often called himself a Jingzhao native.

Thanks to his connections with his lord and the help of Shu brocade, sugarcane, papermaking and other products under the rule of Lord Xuande, Jin Yi has developed a wide-ranging industry in Yecheng, which now includes the Chaling Restaurant, which specializes in cooking.

Prime Minister Cao was still in Jingyu with General Yunchang in a love-hate relationship, while Deputy Prime Minister Cao was outside the city in a love-hate relationship with his own brother.

Among the only two chief secretaries in the Prime Minister's Office, Wang Bi had already died. The only remaining chief secretary of the Prime Minister, Xin Pi, with the support of the emperor, the assistance of the attendant Geng Ji and the Prime Minister's secretary Wei Huang, and the tacit consent of several families, quickly stabilized the situation in the city.

Deputy Prime Minister Cao, who was listening to the guards' announcement outside the city, was incredulous for a moment:

"What do you mean by closed gates?"

Before the dusty guard could explain himself, a scholar on horseback laughed loudly:
"Why do you need to pretend that you are so ruthless now, young master?"

"Now there are six armies outside the city obeying your orders, and the gates to the city are closed. My lord is at the end of his rope, and you won't even tell me the truth?"

Cao Pi was furious and retorted loudly:
"I have no acquaintance with Liu, nor am I jealous of Zijian. What is there to say, and why should I pretend?"

Before he could finish his scolding, Zhu Suo, who was standing beside Cao Pi, stepped forward angrily:
"What else can we say about Yang Dezu's nonsense? Kill this monster and we can make things clear with Marquis Pingyuan!"

Before Cao Pi could give the order, Zhu Shao led his guards to charge forward. In this way, Wu Zhi, who was fighting in the front, was able to retreat. After taking a breath, he also quietly suggested to Cao Pi:
"Sir, the current situation is not as good as..."

Cao Pi felt a bit of a headache for a moment, and when he thought back, the reason why he had reached his current situation became extremely clear to him.

He had planned to take the opportunity of ancestor worship to have a good talk with his brother today, but he was caught off guard by Yang Xiu throwing out the evidence of his private purchase of southern sugarcane, Shu brocade and famous paper.

I am the deputy prime minister of the Cao family, can't I enjoy myself? It's hateful that Yang Xiu directly accused me of being disloyal, unfilial and unrighteous in front of the Cao family's ancestral tablet, and scolded me for nearly half an incense stick without taking a breath, and then started fighting.

Cao Pi could feel that something was not going right, but the situation was no longer under his control.

Yang Xiu's non-stop scolding had already made the people angry, and what was the attitude of the three people he valued?

The impatient Zhu Suo drew his sword faster than he spoke. Wu Zhi had been suggesting that he take action early since last year.

As for Chen Qun, he always kept silent about these things and stayed out of them.

If Zhongda could be here... Cao Pi couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

In the end, it was General Jianwu Liu Ruo who led his troops to suppress the fighting between the two sides and finally stopped the war.

After Liu Ruo briefly explained the situation, Chen Qun, who had been wandering around behind Cao Pi for a long time, finally came online:

"The only options left now are to attack and retake Ye City, or to follow General Liu south. However, the military situation is urgent, so please make a decision as soon as possible."

That being said, the situation suddenly changed and Cao Pi couldn't help but feel angry. If there hadn't been this conflict, he would have...

"If Zhu Suo hadn't attacked us over a disagreement, causing unnecessary casualties, how could we have returned to the city so early..."

Yang Xiu was speaking leisurely when his sleeve was pulled. He turned around and saw Cao Zhi with an earnest attitude:
"Dezu should just keep quiet."

Seeing his brother bowing to him again, Cao Pi swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat, asking Liu Ruo to kill Yang Xiu first, and turned to ask Chen Qun:

"Why go south? Why not go north?"

"There are only two ways to go south. One is to go to Hebei and prevent Liu Bei from crossing the Yellow River so that he cannot enter Hebei. The other is to find an opportunity to break through Mengjin Pass and enter Luoyang to cut off his retreat. However, this is difficult."

"Or go to Yingchuan, join forces with the Prime Minister's army, and defeat Liu Guan in one battle."

"Going north is a move that would abandon the Prime Minister, and is the worst possible choice."

The quick questions and answers between the two calmed Cao Pi's thoughts, and then he turned to ask Liu Ruo:
"Did the General teach me?"

Liu Ruo bowed and said succinctly: "The army's remaining food is insufficient for one month."

Cao Pi also understood the implicit meaning. If Ye City could not be recaptured within a month, then this place would collapse.

As the deputy prime minister, he knew better than Liu Ruo the population, armor, food and grass of Yecheng. If nothing unexpected happened, the news about Yecheng would spread in all directions, and both the battlefields of Hanoi and Shangdang would inevitably be affected, causing various changes.

Cao Pi could vaguely feel that the time had come to make a decision on the foundation his father had created when he took a gamble at Guandu.

Everyone was looking at Deputy Prime Minister Cao, and this young master of the Cao family, who was less than 30 years old and had only experienced the disaster in Wancheng, had a struggling expression on his face. The order he finally came up with was spread here:

"Lead all the troops, pass through Xingyang and support Yingchuan, along the way... collect food and recruit soldiers! Fight the bandits for the country!"

(End of this chapter)