When Ji Han and his men traveled to the Three Kingdoms crew

Chapter 562 Liu Xuande, you have done great harm to my son!
Just when Cao Cao led his troops to intimidate the nobles and push for land measurement, Zhang Xiu rushed to his side with an indescribable strange look on his face.

Cao Cao put down his weapon, grabbed Zhang Xiu's arm and pulled him aside.

"Captain Zhang, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Lord Cao"

After a moment of silence, Zhang Xiu said something that was unexpected but reasonable.

"Your father, your father is here."

"What? My father? My father is here? Why at this moment?!"

Cao Cao couldn't help but frown. Why did he come at this time instead of earlier or later? Could it be that someone asked my father to lobby?

"Lord Cao, what should we do now?"

Zhang Xiu's question interrupted Cao Cao's thoughts. Cao Cao pointed to Zhang Xiu decisively and said, "Captain Zhang, you will be in charge of the land survey for the time being. I will go back to the palace."

"Yes!" Seeing that Cao Cao was not as panicked as he thought, Zhang Xiu's heart finally settled down.

"Drive, drive, drive!"

On the official road, Cao Cao led a group of men and horses galloping towards the mansion, whipping the horse again and again until his hands were sore and swollen.

After riding his horse at full speed to the gate of the county government, Cao Cao quickly dismounted.

Without the time to do it himself as usual, he casually handed the reins to a gatekeeper, said "thank you for your help", and turned to the gatekeeper who was running towards him and asked, "Has my father arrived at the county government?"

"Yes, Lord Cao, we have invited your father to the guest room. We have prepared sufficient tea and snacks. Don't worry, we have not neglected your father." The gate chief wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Cao Cao didn't care about this. He just nodded slightly and urged, "Lead the way!"

"promise."

Led by the gatekeeper, Cao Cao knocked on a door.

"Is father in the room? It's me, Meng De."

"Enter."

Only one word floated out of the room, which startled Cao Cao and made him feel bad. My father's visit this time was not accidental. My father has never been so cold, unless he is really angry!
"?" The gatekeeper looked at Cao Cao in confusion, as if he didn't understand why Cao Cao was standing there.

Cao Cao raised his hands and pushed hard, and the wooden door opened with a creaking sound.

What came into view was an old man with gray hair. He was holding a teacup, sipping slowly and savoring the tea carefully.

He looked like an energetic old man, nothing special about him.

Cao Cao knew that Cao Song was not as calm as he seemed. Since childhood, he had often caused Cao Song headaches and worries, and every time he did so, he would be beaten and scolded.

Whether it was killing his uncle Jian Shuo or seeking justice for Dou Wu, it made Cao Song worried.

Every time he made a mistake, when Cao Cao went to see Cao Song, Cao Song would initially look calm, speak little, and drink tea silently.

The problem is that since he admitted his mistake and apologized to his uncle, when Cao Song mentioned him to relatives and friends, he no longer shook his head and sighed and said that he might be harmed by this brat Meng De, but instead boasted with a beaming face that he had a tiger in his family.

When the father and son met, Cao Song's face was full of relief.

Cao Cao had not seen such a situation for a long time, and it also showed that Cao Song was really angry.

"Master, please go down."

Cao Cao took a deep breath, sent the gatekeeper away, stepped into the house, and closed the door.

With a smile on his face, he approached Cao Song and said, "Father, why didn't you inform me in advance that you were coming so that I could send someone to pick you up."

"Answer it? Or don't. How can I trouble Lord Cao?"

"Father, look at what you are saying. Even if Cao realizes his ambition and becomes the General of the Western Expedition, isn't he still your son?"

"So you knew you were my son, but how come I didn't know when I had a son like you?!"

Cao Song did not give Cao Cao a good look. He put down the teacup and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The smile on Cao Cao's face disappeared completely, and he was so frightened that he knelt down in front of Cao Song, "Father, why are you doing this? Did I do something wrong?"

"What did you do wrong? You know it clearly!"

"Excuse my stupidity, I really don't know!"

"You don't know? You don't know, right? Let me explain it to you!" Cao Song raised his eyebrows, anger rising in his heart. He pointed at Cao Cao's nose and cursed: "Look at you, what good things have you done since you came to Shanyang County?
"Li Qian is your good friend. In order to help you achieve merit, he is willing to mobilize all his followers!"

"Look at you, how did you repay Li Qian?!"

"Put Li Qian under house arrest in Chang'an, and send his son Li Zheng to Jizhou to cultivate the land!"

"How could someone do such a stupid thing!"

"Is this the reform you promised me?!"

"Bah, shame on you! How could I have a son like you!"

Cao Song became angrier and angrier as he spoke, so angry that he took off his shoes and hit Cao Cao's back and shoulders.

Cao Cao did not make any excuses, and even after being beaten by Cao Song, he did not utter a cry of pain or beg for mercy.

When Cao Song was tired of beating him, he fell on the chair, panting.

Cao Cao then stood up silently, poured tea and water for Cao Song, and explained softly: "Father, I have my own difficulties."

"What's your reason?" Cao Song laughed angrily and slapped the tea Cao Cao handed over. "What's your reason?!"

Cao Cao sighed, "Father, you don't know the miserable conditions of the people I saw when I was on the march. They were poorly clothed and hungry. After a year of hard work, the food they got was barely enough to survive. On the contrary, the nobles and wealthy families were all well-fed. Father, do you know? The fields occupied by the Li family alone spanned several counties. If this continues, I wonder how many Zhang Jiaos will appear. Father, it's not that I don't know how to be grateful, nor am I targeting Brother Li. It's just that the Li family must be eliminated. How can it be in accordance with the law to eliminate the Li family and let Brother Li go? As a county governor, I take the lead in not respecting the law. How can I ask others to abide by it? Father, sending Brother Li to Chang'an and ensuring that he has enough food and clothing is the best way I can think of."

"Okay, okay, okay." Cao Song was so angry that he said "Okay" several times in a row. He yelled at Cao Cao, "Cao Mengde, you are kind and righteous! You love the people! You are also from a noble family, do you want to destroy your clan with your own hands?! Come on, come and arrest Nai Gong if you have the guts!"

Alas. Cao Cao couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He knew that Cao Song didn't come here to support Li, but because he associated Li's fate with Cao and Xiahou.

It's inevitable to feel a little sad, and at the same time I'm afraid that he will really do something ridiculous.

but.
Cao Cao had a bitter look on his face. He spoke from the bottom of his heart to Cao Song. He had talked to Liu Bei about the Yellow Turban Rebellion more than once. As they talked, he was shocked to find that the Yellow Turbans were just a group of miserable people.

If you have enough food to eat and clothes to wear, who would want to hang their head on their waist?
Hunger was so terrible that he never wanted to experience the feeling of gnawing on tree bark because of hunger again in his life.

So he could only say sorry to Li Qian, and the gentry must be swept into the trash heap.

After returning from Qingzhou, he talked with Liu Bei a lot. The two of them agreed that the aristocracy must be eliminated. If not, how can they realize their ambitions?
In Liu Bei's description, it was a place without hunger, where people could eat fresh fruits all year round. Everyone had clothes to wear, which were so luxurious that they could be replaced several times a year. Children would not die young, and they could afford to go to school. Living to seventy or eighty years old was not a good omen, but a very common thing. Not only was the country prosperous, but its military preparations could also scare off the surrounding enemies. It could reach the moon in the sky and catch turtles in the sea.

This is probably what the ancients meant by "all under heaven one peace".

If someone else said this to him, he would definitely not believe a word of it.

But these words were not said by anyone else but Liu Bei, and he believed them decisively.

What was unexpected was that Liu Bei actually came up with a feasible method. How could this not make Cao Cao ecstatic?
How can a man of honor devote himself to petty matters? To realize the great unity of the world is what a man of honor should do!

Unconsciously, in Cao Cao's heart, achieving universal peace became more important than becoming the General Who Conquers the West.

But Cao Cao also understood that any reform would encounter tremendous resistance.

There was bound to be blood and gore along the way, and he couldn't break off all ties with the entire Cao and Xiahou families.

Therefore, he kept thinking and trying to find a way out for the clan. After thinking about it for some time, he finally came up with an idea.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao looked at Cao Song seriously and said, "Father, how could I destroy my own clan? Of course I have my own considerations."

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father.

Cao Song saw that Cao Cao's expression did not seem fake, so he temporarily suppressed his anger and said, "Are you serious?!"

"If there is even a trace of falsehood, both heaven and man will kill you!"

Hearing the firm oath, Cao Song's frown relaxed and he said, "Speak."

"Father, do you know how big the world is?"

"?" Cao Song didn't understand why Cao Cao said this. How big is the world? The Thirteen Provinces of the Han Dynasty! Other places are bad lands no matter how big they are. No, Jiaozhou in the Han Dynasty is not a good place to go. The miasma alone is unbearable.

Cao Cao saw that Cao Song could not answer, so he did not try to be mysterious. He asked, "Father, can you wait for a moment?"

"Okay." Cao Song wanted to see what Cao Cao was up to.

After receiving a positive answer, Cao Cao stood up, opened the door, called his trusted guards, and ordered them to bring a wooden box from his room.

The guards moved very quickly and handed the wooden box to Cao Cao in a short while.

Cao Cao stood outside the house, looking around, and when he was sure that there was no Liu'er around, he went back into the house.

This cautious and mysterious behavior really whetted Cao Song's appetite.

When Cao Cao said, "Father, what you see next, don't tell anyone else without my permission after you leave," Cao Song nodded impatiently without even thinking.

As Cao Cao slowly opened the wooden box, Cao Song was able to see the whole picture.

"Is this paper?!" When Cao Song saw clearly what was in the box, his curiosity was half extinguished. He looked at Cao Cao unhappily, as if to say, why are you showing me paper?
Cao Cao explained: "Father, this is not ordinary paper, this is a map"

As Cao Cao was speaking, he took out the rolled-up paper from the box and slowly unfolded it in front of Cao Song. "Don't worry, father. Just look at this picture."

"Map" Cao Song's eyes instantly fell on the map held by Cao Cao. The map was very large and looked dazzling. He searched for a long time before finding Chang'an in the map, but why was Chang'an the size of a mung bean?
Where did Cao Cao get this picture?
Just when Cao Song was puzzled, Cao Cao's voice of explanation happened to ring out, "Father, this map was obtained by Brother Xuande in a dream, and it depicts the general topography of the world. Brother Xuande can win battles again and again, firstly because of his extraordinary bravery, secondly because he is deeply loved by his soldiers and generals, and thirdly because of this map."

"!" Cao Song looked at Cao Cao in disbelief. If what Cao Cao said was true, didn't it just prove that Liu Bei trusted Cao Cao very much? Otherwise, how could Liu Bei let Cao Cao know about such a treasure?

Cao Song immediately became suspicious. Oh no, Liu Xuande was deceiving my son! Liu Xuande wanted my son to become his pawn!
No wonder my son has become so unkind. Liu Xuande, Liu Xuande, you have done my son a great harm!
Cao Song was extremely anxious, but he knew that directly criticizing Liu Bei would definitely cause Cao Cao to be disgusted. Not only would he fail to expose Liu Bei's true face, but Cao Cao would also trust Liu Bei more, which would be a loss.

So Cao Song could only hint at it, pointing to a mark on Bingzhou on the map, "Meng De, what does this mean? I don't understand it."

"This is coal, open-pit coal. This coal is..."

"coal?!"

Cao Song was slightly surprised. When he was young, he made friends everywhere and was very smooth in dealing with people. He naturally knew that there was coal in Bingzhou through his friends. The description of his friends was exactly the same as what Cao Cao said. No, to be precise, Cao Cao's description was more detailed!

Cao Song didn't believe it at all. Who would hand over such a treasure? Even if he wanted to pass it on to his son, he would have to think twice!

Cao Song pointed to the mark of Yizhou again, and Cao Cao mentioned the copper mines and their distribution without thinking.

Cao Song pointed to the markings on the Yangtze River again, and Cao Cao answered the questions as they came.

What surprised him even more was that Cao Cao's answer was actually correct! Cao Cao had never been to Jingzhou!

Liu Xuande! It must be Liu Xuande! Liu Xuande was once the governor of Jingzhou!
Ask Yangzhou! Ask Yangzhou!

Cao Song asked about all the markings of the Han Dynasty on the map, and it turned out that Cao Cao could name every one of them.

Cao Song could say what Cao Cao understood, and he could also say what Cao Cao did not understand.

The result before his eyes forced Cao Song to believe that Liu Bei had not deceived Cao Cao. He could not help but feel ashamed that he had judged others by his own standards.

Therefore, Cao Song's expression subconsciously eased a lot, "Meng De, tell me what you think!"

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief. He pointed at India and then at Japan.

"Father, the soil in India is fertile. It is not a problem to grow two or three crops a year. Moreover, spices are produced here. Japan produces silver. If the Cao and Xiahou families fully support Brother Xuande, and I can help them, do we still need to compete with the people of the Han Dynasty for land? You know, in Brother Xuande's eyes, only the Han people are the people. Brother Xuande doesn't care about the Indians."

"Two or three crops a year! Spices, and silver."

Cao Song muttered to himself. He had never thought that India and Japan were so rich. Why are they fighting for land in the Han Dynasty? Two crops a year is considered good land. Now he is told that the land in India can be harvested three times? ! Which Han people would not be tempted? !

Cao Song lowered his head and said in shame: "Son, I misunderstood you."

(End of this chapter)