The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 204 Pirate Empire You Fish, I Collect The Net

Cao Zhang has a hulking back and a tall stature, a full head and a half taller than Cao Cao, but he stands in front of Cao Cao as docile as a sheep.Seeing Cao Cao's unhappy face, he was very puzzled. Cao Cao was always very happy when he heard that Sun Tai was coming, but why now he looked worried?

"Father."

"Zian, go and meet your uncle, aunt and cousin." Cao Cao pointed to Xia Houheng and his wife and their son Xia Houji who were waiting in the distance, with a kind smile on his face. "Come back together later, and I'll treat you to fish soup made from fresh fish in Xuanwu Pond."

Sun Tai knew that Cao Cao had something to say to Cao Zhang, and it was inconvenient for him to stand beside him, so he respectfully responded, and bowed to Cao Zhang again: "Tai will go and greet my sister later."

Cao Zhang's wife is Sun Ben's daughter, and according to her seniority, she is Sun Tai's elder sister, but Sun Tai's mother and Cao Zhang are siblings, so this generation is a bit messy, so everyone has to call each other their own.Those of the Sun family are based on the relationship of the Sun family, and those of the Cao family are based on the relationship of the Cao family.

Cao Zhang nodded kindly. When his wife Sun heard that Sun Tai had come to Yecheng, she also felt homesick and asked Cao Zhang to ask Cao Cao to entertain Sun Tai. Cao Zhang had not had time to ask Cao Cao.

Seeing Sun Tai walk away, Cao Cao sighed, and walked slowly along the corridor paved with blue bricks, clogs beating on the blue bricks in a monotonous and soothing rhythm.Cao Zhang arched his hands and followed carefully.Usually when Cao Cao has this expression, he is in a tangled mood, so it is best not to speak proactively, so as not to make him angry.

"Zi Huan and Sun Shao joined hands to wipe out the pirate Guan Cheng in Bohai Bay." Cao Cao said quietly, "In order for Sun Shao to cooperate with him, he asked to lend Chengshan to Sun Shao as a dock. In addition, he has put Qu The island outside the county was given to Sun Shao." He was silent for a moment, and then said, "I didn't say anything about it."

Cao Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and his slightly scorched beard trembled.Before Cao Pi set off, Cao Cao had instructed him that, as expected, Sun Shao would definitely want the island outside Qu County. According to the edict of the emperor, the island should indeed belong to Sun Shao, but this island is now under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou, indirectly That is Cao Cao's territory, and it is not easy for Sun Shao to take it away only by the emperor's edict.Cao Cao believed that if Sun Shao wanted to manage the East China Sea, he would definitely win this island, and he could use this as a condition to negotiate with Sun Shao, at least on the surface to create an appearance that they had a good relationship, thereby affecting the trend of the world.

Unexpectedly, Cao Pi gave it away without saying a word.

Of course Cao Zhang didn't believe that Cao Pi would be so generous. He knew that Sun Shao must have benefited, but the benefit belonged to Cao Pi.Why is Cao Pi so bold, taking the risk of being scolded by Cao Cao to make a deal with Sun Shao?It is also obvious that he wants military exploits. If there is no accident, the great achievement of Guan Cheng, who has caused Cao Cao a headache for more than 20 years, will definitely fall into Cao Pi's hands.

Sun Shao is deliberately maintaining the balance between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, and he is creating a crisis for the Cao family.This is the most direct conclusion of Cao Zhang.

"Father, no matter how you say it, it is a good thing to be able to calm Guan Cheng." Cao Zhang said cautiously: "It's just... In this way, Zang Ba and Sun Guan may also collude with Sun Shao, snipe and clam. In the end, Sun Shao, the fisherman, will benefit.”

Cao Cao turned his head and glanced at Cao Zhang, then nodded slightly.Even a martial artist like Cao Zhang can understand it, and Cao Pi, who is good at scheming, of course understands it better, but he still did it, which can only show that he was blinded by his selfishness and confused by Sun Shao.

Cao Cao has learned Sun Shao's ability to fool people, otherwise he would not try his best to attack Hanzhong again.

"I'm more worried about Jizhou and Youzhou." Cao Cao's voice sounded hollow. "Zang Ba and Sun Guan are not fools. They may join forces with Sun Shao, but they will never be swallowed by Sun Shao willingly. If Sun Shao pushes them, they will rely on us more. Jizhou and Youzhou are not the same , especially in Youzhou, Gongsun Gong is restless, if he and Sun Shao join forces, I am afraid that the northern border will become unstable again."

Cao Zhang showed doubts on his face, and murmured.

"Don't underestimate him." Although Cao Cao didn't turn his head, he seemed to see Cao Zhang's face clearly. He patted the railing and said with a soft smile, "That Lizi is a master at sowing dissension, and Gongsun Gong was originally out of position. , I am afraid that if I meet such an insidious boy like him again, I am afraid I will have nothing to fight back. I am not worried about the land in Liaodong, I am worried about the horses in Liaodong."

Cao Zhang understood.Knowing Cao Cao's purpose in summoning him, he immediately straightened up energetically.

"You go to Youzhou to be the governor, and try to conquer Gongsun Gong before Sun Shao reaches out to Liaodong."

"Here." Cao Zhang replied loudly, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "My son is going out, father must take care of his health and try to add food."

"Hehe, the old man won't be able to die for a while." Cao Cao waved his hands, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Ziwen is going to be the governor of Youzhou?" When the smiling Cao Pi heard the news, his face darkened, then he laughed again, turned his head and said to Sun Shao: "Ziwen is brave in martial arts, and those barbarians are most afraid of him. It would be appropriate to send him to Youzhou."

Sun Shao smiled lightly. Although Cao Pi seemed to be sincere, the tone in his tone could barely escape his ears.He also nodded with the same feeling: "Yes, I have admired Brother Ziwen for a long time, maybe I can meet him in Youzhou this time."

"Your Highness is going to Youzhou?" Cao Pi pretended to be relaxed and said with a smile, "To buy mink fur, deer antler or something?"

"War horse." Sun Shao said unabashedly.

"Your Highness is a naval officer, why do you want to buy war horses?" Cao Pi pretended to be very casual and asked: "Although your boat is not small, horse racing is not enough, right?"

"War horses are valuable." Sun Shao said with a smile: "A good horse can be sold for 100 million yuan in Jianye, and there is no market for it. What kind of business do you think is better than this?"

"King Wu is very eager for cavalry." Cao Pi said something in his words, and he took a sip from his glass: "However, even if he has a horse, it is impossible to build a famous cavalry. It’s not something you can do with a horse.”

"That's his business, I don't care about that much." Sun Shao said with a relaxed and natural smile: "I only care about making money, as long as I have money, it doesn't matter to me whether he buys it to form cavalry or tie it to the stables as a decoration." " He raised his hand and interrupted Cao Pi: "Brother Zihuan, the sea has been banned for two months, I think Guan Cheng is about to die, should we close the net?"

As soon as this matter was mentioned, Cao Pi suddenly regained his spirits, put aside the unhappiness just now, nodded with a smile on his face and said: "I came here to discuss this matter with Your Highness. Your Highness, you are invincible in water warfare. This time the encirclement and suppression Guan Cheng, it's up to His Highness to show off his power."

"Don't look at me." Sun Shao smiled and cupped his hands at Zang Ba and Sun Guangong: "It depends on the prestige of the two envoys."

"Us?" Zang Ba and Sun Guan looked at each other in blank dismay. They came to be spectators, how did they become the main force.With Sun Shao's navy, there is no room for them to play.However, Zang Ba, an old treacherous official, immediately understood what Sun Shao meant. It was Sun Shao who asked them to make meritorious deeds, so that they could stand more firmly in Qingxu.He quickly smiled and said: "Please give advice, Your Highness."

"Your Highness, it doesn't seem too good for the Qingxu Marine Division to be the main force?" Cao Pi also shook his head: "It's not that I underestimate the two envoys, it's because their strength is limited. If they want to wipe out Guan Cheng, they probably won't be able to do it. .”

"The sea is boundless. When we get to the sea, I, like the two envoys, am not sure that I will wipe out Guan Cheng." Sun Shao stood up and pointed to the map provided by Sun Guan: "Once more than 3000 people flee into the sea , is no different from finding a needle in a haystack, if there is a difference, it is only the difference between one needle and three thousand needles."

Cao Pi nodded in agreement with Sun Shao, and Zang Ba and Sun Guan also agreed.

"So, if we want to make a decision with one blow, we must lure them to the shore, and then combine the forces of the three parties to destroy them in one fell swoop." Sun Shao waved his hand and clenched his fists, as if he had already grasped Guan Cheng in his palm inside. "My navy is too strong. I'm afraid that Guan Cheng will run away at the first sight. Therefore, I will be responsible for copying his retreat. The task of luring the enemy will be taken care of by the two envoys." He looked at Zang Ba and Zang Ba with a smile. Sun Guan, then looked at Cao Pi: "Only in this way can we win a battle, what do you think?"

Zang Ba and Sun Guan have no objection, Qingxu is their territory, they can only sit firmly if they show their own strength, and Cao Pi does not object, he just needs to catch Guan Cheng and the gang of pirates, they all get what they want, of course not Will oppose Sun Shao's arrangement.So several people agreed that Zang Ba and Sun Guan would be in charge of luring the enemy, Sun Shao would be in charge of outflanking, and the task of defending the city would be handed over to Cao Pi.

Guan Cheng spent two or three months on the island, and when the sea fish felt like throwing up, he finally learned that Sun Guan had sent a navy to escort the merchant ship and head south.According to the inquired news, the number of these merchant ships is very large. They have been stranded in Qingzhou for so long, and they can't wait any longer. Sun Guan, the governor of Qingzhou, didn't plan to set sail now, because the Yue King Sun Shao's men and horses have not been in place. The Chinese Navy is still chasing sporadic pirates in Xuzhou, and only more than 1000 people from the Qingxu Navy are escorting them.

Guan Cheng was very cautious. He sent people to follow the fleet for three or four days, and finally sent people to infiltrate the port where the fleet was docked to investigate until the fleet reached Mount Dashan, which was about to bypass Chengshan and enter the East China Sea. At that time, he rushed up with the pirates who had been following the fleet for several days.

As he expected, Qing Xu navy immediately escorted the merchant ship into Chengshan Port as soon as he saw his battle flag.The two sides fought, and the pirates, whose eyes were reddened by countless merchant ships, were unstoppable. They defeated the escorting Qingxu Navy in a short period of time, and then attacked Chengshan Port with all their strength.Chengshan Port is a small city, and Guan Cheng is very familiar with it, and he has breached Chengshan Port more than once, so he didn't take this matter seriously at all. He snatched the merchant ship and left. As soon as he entered the sea, he believed that no one could find him.

An accident occurred at this time. The small Chengshan Port was firmly guarded. The soldiers guarding the city were uncharacteristically resisting desperately, repelling the pirates' attacks time and time again. Although Guan Cheng climbed to the top of the city several times, but He was soon beaten down by the defenders.

When Guan Cheng realized something was wrong a day later, the Qingxu navy who had been dispersed by him appeared at the port again, blocking their way, and more importantly, there seemed to be more people.

Guan Cheng has been a pirate for so many years, and he is very vigilant. At this time, he knows that he has been fooled by Zang Ba and Sun Guan this time. These merchant ships are all bait, and Chengshan Port is a trap.

Guan Cheng made a decisive decision, gave up attacking the small town, and tried his best to break through.The two sides fought fiercely, Guan Cheng paid more than half the price of casualties, finally broke through Zang Ba and Sun Guan's blocking attack, and disappeared into the sea.

What surprised Zang Ba, Sun Guan, and Cao Pi who was defending the city was that the navy that had planned to intercept Guan Cheng on the sea was late. When the striker Zuo General Cui Qian arrived, there was only a shadow of Guan Cheng left .Zang Ba was very unhappy, Sun Guan also had a dark face, but Cao Pi was furious, accusing Cui Qian of dishonesty, delaying the battle opportunity, and letting Guan Cheng go.

Cui Qian was very embarrassed, apologized again and again, patted his chest and promised that even if he chased him to the ends of the earth, he would definitely catch Guan Cheng, so that he could do his best, and then led the fleet to follow him.Cao Pi was furious and left in a huff.It's frustrating that he endured it for several months, but it fell short in the end.

Sun Shao arrived later, he was also very embarrassed, and then ordered Yue Hai and Chen Hai to set off together, stopped at Chengshan Port by himself, and waited for news with Cao Pi and others.After the heart-wrenching half month, the good news finally came. Cui Qian and others chased Guan Cheng at sea for more than ten days, and finally blocked Guan Cheng in his lair. The pirates headed by Guan Cheng all Captured, nearly 500 people, men, women and children, and more than [-] large and small warships.

Cao Pi was overjoyed, he was not even interested in caring about whether there were any spoils.As smart as he is, he also understood at this time that the reason why Sun Shao didn't intercept Guan Cheng at Chengshan Port was to monopolize the wealth that Guan Cheng had accumulated over the past 20 years.What he wanted was military exploits. Although the wealth was quite a lot, it was not his focus. He was willing to turn a blind eye and pretend that he didn't notice Sun Shao's narrow-mindedness.And Zang Ba and Sun Guan have become unspoken allies with Sun Shao, and of course they will not turn against Sun Shao because of these wealth.

As a result, all of Guan Cheng's savings of more than 20 years fell into Sun Shao's pocket.

Each of the three parties got what they wanted, and they were all very happy. They rushed to Penglai Port to meet Cui Qian and others.Five days later, they saw the navy returning from victory in Penglai Port.Cui Qian pleaded guilty to Sun Shao. Although Guan Cheng's pirate gang was destroyed, Guan Cheng ran away without being caught.Of course, although Guan Cheng ran away, he was just a fish that slipped through the net and had no real strength. He could only hide in Tibet and spend the rest of his life, and it was impossible for him to cause disasters in Bohai again.

Sun Shao pretended to blame Cui Qian. Although Cao Pi didn't know the truth, there were so many prisoners and warships in front of him. He suppressed his excitement and asked Sun Shao to write to the emperor for credit.Sun Shao knew it well, so he repaid the credit to the emperor in the name of the king of Yue. He gave most of the credit to Cao Pi, Zang Ba and others. In his writing, it was Cao Pi who planned and directed this great victory, and it was Zang Ba, Sun Guan's Qingxu Navy, as for his Zhendan Navy, I'm sorry for being a step late, and when they arrived, the battle was almost finished, and I really feel ashamed of the trust of the emperor.

Satisfied, Cao Pi set off with carefully selected pirate ships and captives to Yecheng to offer captives.Zang Ba, Sun Guan and Sun Shao discussed the cooperation matters in detail, and then they bid farewell, while Sun Shao took the Aurora Navy to rest in Penglai Port.

During the rest period, in addition to taking the navy to check the harbors that could be docked along the way accompanied by the descendants of Sun Guanzhi, he also sent a capable surveying and mapping team to set sail from Penglai Port and head north.He learned from the captives that from Penglai Port to the north all the way to Liaodong, but they had never sailed so far, and only heard from the mouths of those merchant ships wrecked at sea.Sun Shao knows that this is the Bohai Strait, but he doesn't know how wide the Bohai Strait is. His navy's current battery life is about one month. If it exceeds one month, he will think twice.At present, there is no detailed sea chart. If there is no exact course on the endless sea, it is very likely to get lost, and the consequences will be disastrous.Therefore, although he wanted to find this sea route as soon as possible, he didn't want to take too much risk. If he was not sure, he would rather take a longer detour and sail along the Bohai Bay. Anyway, he also wanted to inspect his territorial waters.

A month later, when the emperor's reward arrived, the surveying and mapping team also came back. They surveyed and mapped dozens of small islands along the way, and walked northward for more than 300 miles. return.

Sun Shao was very surprised. He knew that although the distance of more than 300 kilometers in the Han Dynasty was slightly less than the 150 kilometers in later generations, it was so small. Is the Bohai Strait so wide?He didn't know what to do, and it was too late to regret that he didn't learn geography well. Who made geography a minor subject when he was in school, and gave way to mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Fortunately, Sun Shao was mentally prepared, he was not too disappointed, and instead comforted the frustrated surveying and mapping team members.These people have made a lot of contributions since they were trained, and each of them is a little bit above the top, and it is a good thing to suffer some setbacks.

When the weather gradually began to heat up, Sun Shao, who had finished his rest, set sail again, and sailed north along the coast with full sail.Going out of the Qingzhou border and entering Bohai County in the Jizhou border, Gao Hong, the prefect of Bohai County, had been notified by Cao Pi long ago, and accompanied him all the way politely. After crossing the Qinghe River, Sun Shao saw Cao Zhang and Sun Tai who were smiling.

"Your Highness is so at ease. It took more than three months to walk from Qingzhou to here." Cao Zhang cupped his hands and smiled as soon as they met. There was a bit of boldness in the laughter, and Sun Shao fell in love with Cao Zhang immediately.Unlike Cao Pi who only exchanged interests with the somewhat feminine and restrained Cao Pi, Cao Zhang's straightforwardness made Sun Shao very appetizing.

"I heard that you have served as the governor of Youzhou. I have long wanted to come to Youzhou to meet with you for a while, but there are too many places to check along the way, so it took me a while. Fortunately, the time is not bad now, summer in the south It's scorching hot, it's the time of sweltering heat, I came to Youzhou to escape the summer heat, and being able to get together with a good man like your step is one of the joys in life. Come on, please board the boat, I have prepared thin wine, let's drink the wine to the wind, and listen to your step Tell about the battle of Sanggan River that year."

Cao Zhang and Sun Tai have been going all the way, and they often heard Sun Tai talk about Sun Shao. Sun Tai's tone was always full of pride, which made Cao Zhang curious and a little unconvinced.He himself is a fierce warrior with outstanding martial arts skills, and he is usually a bit conceited. He heard that Sun Shao defeated Zhang Liao at a young age. He was still a little unconvinced, so he went to Zhang Liao's son Zhang Hu to inquire about it. thing.Of course Zhang Hu was embarrassed to say that, in a vague way, he said that it was a coincidence at that time, so of course Cao Zhang thought about the unfavorable side of Sun Shao.Hearing Sun Tai talk about Sun Shao's record, he was very unconvinced and always wanted to compete with Sun Shao, so he took the initiative to come to Qinghe to meet Sun Shao.Otherwise, even if Sun Shaogui is the king of Yue, how could Cao Zhang take him seriously.

What he didn't expect was that as soon as Sun Shao met, he mentioned his favorite work, the Battle of Sanggan River, and his words were full of admiration, which made him a little embarrassed.He hesitated for a while, and was about to board the boat, but Tian Yu, the captain of Hu Karasuma who was standing beside him, hastily pulled his armor skirt, signaling him not to board the boat.Cao Zhang waved his hand, calmly said "no problem" and strode onto the boat.

Only then did Sun Shao notice Tian Yu, and asked Cao Zhang with his eyes, "Who is this?"

Tian Yu had no choice but to bow his hands and salute: "The foreign minister Hu Karasuma, Lieutenant Yuyang Tian Guorang, pays homage to His Royal Highness the King of Yue."

Sun Shao suddenly realized, he glanced at Cui Qian, smiled, and stretched out his hand to invite: "So it's Tian Jun, I've heard about him for a long time, but I didn't see him in Wancheng, I didn't expect to meet him today. Come, come, today we Smile and wipe away all grievances."

Tian Yu was in great embarrassment. He was surrounded by Sun Shao in Wancheng within a few days of his tenure as the prefect of Nanyang. Once Cui Qian attacked the city, he couldn't hold on and had to break through the encirclement and leave.Sun Shao mentioned this matter in front of so many people, which made him lose face.However, Sun Shao, as the King of Yue, wants to laugh away his grievances with him, and put him on the level of an equal opponent, which is very good for him.

"Don't dare." Tian Yu had no choice but to follow Cao Zhang to Sun Shao's boat and entered the cabin. When he passed the bottom floor, when he saw the huge chart placed in the middle of the cabin, Cao Zhang, who is very martial Fascinated, he stopped to watch, walked around the chart, and praised: "Your Highness really has the world in mind, I admire you."

Sun Shao stood aside with a smile, but Cui Qian and the others were a little displeased.Although Cao Zhang is Cao Cao's son, he is only a six-hundred-stone assassin after all, far behind Sun Shao.When Sun Shao came out to meet him, he already gave him enough face. Does he still have Yue Guo in his eyes when he talks to Sun Shao like this?

Cui Qian glanced at Sun Shao, put his hand on the handle of the knife, and his eyebrows were about to go wild.Sun Shao shook his head, signaling him to be calm.Cui Qian had no choice but to take a step back, turning his head away angrily.Cao Zhang seemed rude, but he had been paying attention to the expressions of Sun Shaojun and his ministers. Seeing Sun Shao suppressing Cui Qian, he smiled lightly: "This is the reminder to cross the South China Sea?"

Cui Qian was taken aback, he hadn't used this nickname for a long time, how did Cao Zhang know it?Immediately, he became angry, and smiled sinisterly: "Yes, I am the reminder of the South China Sea. I didn't expect the governor to know it. It's a great honor."

With one hand behind his back, Cao Zhang pulled a few yellow beards on his chin with the other, narrowed his eyes, his eyes were sharp and cold: "Cao Zhang is not talented, I really want to see that life-threatening stick under his feet."

(End of this chapter)