The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 313 East and West Fighting for Heroes Ginger Is Old and Spicy

Cao Rui looked at Sun Shao who suddenly became like a street rogue, speechless and could only smile wryly.However, Sun Shao had a serious face and said solemnly: "Why, don't you give me face?"

"Don't you dare?" Cao Rui said hastily: "The elders have gifts, but they dare not say goodbye."

"It's not bad." Sun Shao put his arms around Cao Rui's shoulders and said affectionately, regardless of whether Cao Rui wanted it or not: "Let me tell you, our big man's women are not bad, of course, but those women with family background, right?" , They all regard themselves as personal characters, this one is ruthless, that one is unwilling, poor family girls, and they are so focused on pleasing you, they are clearly unhappy and they have to pretend to be called, so that they are completely devoid of humanity, but those foreign girls, um, interesting , free from stimulation..."

Sun Shao chattered for a while, and finally looked at Cao Rui who couldn't laugh or cry, but frowned, stretched out his hand and squeezed his shoulder: "Oh, Yuan Zhong, you are so thin, can you stand up to those foreign women?" Huh? If you can't have more sons, like Cao Gong, the throne of Wei Wang is not suitable for you."

Cao Rui's face was flushed, he really couldn't do anything about this nonsense King Yue, he didn't dare to scold him, Ying didn't know how to respond, but when he heard the last sentence, he was startled.Cao Cao gave birth to 25 sons in total, and Cao Pi also gave birth to nine. In the understanding of the Han people, strong fertility is to some extent an expression of destiny. Things often indicate that a dynasty's power is approaching, which is something Cao Rui never dared to admit. If Sun Shao came to Cao Cao and said that this kid was not good at birth, then his position as grandson who was about to come true would probably be lost again. It's over.

"Your Highness is joking, joking." Cao Rui no longer dared to refuse, knowing that Sun Shao might send him two spies, so he could only accept it.

"Well, I'll send someone to deliver it to you in two days, and then I'll ask them about your skills." Sun Shao said again half-truthfully, "It's not just me."

Cao Rui was taken aback, looked at Sun Shao suspiciously, and didn't dare to refuse, he nodded in agreement, and then ran away nervously.

After teasing Cao Rui, Sun Shao was in a good mood. He went downstairs and returned to the post house. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Quintus with a happy face.He froze for a moment, and after a while he remembered: "Quintus, why are you here? Come to discuss business with King Wei?"

Quintus quickly shook his head and said, "I, in Rome, only do business with the country of Yue, not with the country of Wei. I came here from Temu City this time to meet His Highness."

"Why, the city of Rome is besieged? You came to take refuge with me?" Sun Shao made a joke as he walked in.

"Not yet, but it will be soon." Quintus knew Sun Shao's temper and couldn't be serious with him. Sun Shaoneng joked with him, explaining that not treating him as an outsider would be more beneficial to discuss things later.

"Who is so powerful that he wants to besiege the city of Rome?" Sun Shao smiled angrily, "Don't he know that I, a big man, are friends with Rome?"

"It's the Sassanid King Ardasil." Quintus followed Sun Shao into the room and sat down, explained the situation in Rome, and finally emphasized that the Sassanids were building ships and were preparing to compete with the Yue Kingdom for maritime supremacy.What he knew was just a little rumor, but on the way here, he thought about it carefully, and felt that only this could really persuade Yue Guo to help, so when he told Sun Shao, the guess became a certainty, and the news was true. The source is the captives of the war between the two sides, and the words are so eloquent that people have to believe it.

Sun Shao was also a little suspicious. He also knew something about the Sasanian shipbuilding. The spies arranged by Zhou Dory in Taixifeng City had already discovered that there were many shipbuilding craftsmen in Taixifeng City. Uncertain factors, after all, Taixifeng is tens of thousands of miles away from Yue, and the Han people and Sasanians are two different races, which can be distinguished at a glance, and most of the people in the spy camp are in the lower class, although there is a chance Entering the mansion of a high-ranking official to perform, but who would have a kabuki when talking about confidential matters, and a kabuki who is obviously not a native of the country is present?
In contrast, the news that the Romans got from the mouths of captives was more accurate.

Sun Shao put away his smile, showing displeasure and a little annoyance.After the establishment of the Sasanian Empire, he did not show any hostility. He even specially sent Jiang Gan to Taixi Feng with a gift to meet him. He conveyed his goodwill and asked for business. Satisfied, he agreed to do business with the Han Dynasty. In the past few years, he has been getting along very politely, and the envoys have come and gone frequently, showing a harmonious look.It's not that Sun Shao never thought that Ardashir would prepare to deal with the Han Dynasty, but firstly, the distance between the two sides was so far that there was no direct conflict at all, and secondly, Ardashir claimed that he was a descendant of Persia and wanted to inherit the legacy of the Persians , and the Romans to the end, thinking that he would not want to use force with the Han Dynasty in the short term, but he did not expect that Ardashir had such a plan.

Is it really because the Han people monopolize the maritime trade routes?Sun Shao thought of the sentence Cao Cao reminded.

Quintus looked at the suspicious look in Sun Shao's eyes, and was extremely nervous, but he hid his feelings very well, looked at Sun Shao sincerely and said: "I came with the sincerity of Rome, I am willing to deal with the unfaithful Sasanians together with Your Highness, please give Rome this honor, let the great Rome and the great Han Dynasty join hands, and teach this Persian a lesson.”

Sun Shao bared his teeth and laughed: "It is necessary. If you don't teach him a lesson, he thinks he is the best in the world. Tell me, how will your emperor and queen mother teach him?"

Quintus was overjoyed, but he didn't dare to take it lightly. After all, although Sun Shao expressed his position, he still didn't say any of the actual conditions.He quickly said: "Alexander and Momia want to meet the king and discuss cooperation in person."

"Meet?" Sun Shao frowned, saying that Rome is really in danger, otherwise they would not have proposed such a grand meeting, the Navy of Yue would go to the Red Sea once or twice a year with escorts, the Romans wanted to meet with Da Hanshui As long as you get his permission, you can directly meet with the escorting general. Why do you have to have such a high-level meeting?
Sun Shao took the opportunity of drinking tea to meditate. His poor historical knowledge did not know where the crisis in Rome was at this time. In comparison, most of his understanding of Rome came from the collection of Zhou Bing and others. , but the news Zhou Jing gave him was at least three or four months ago. If it wasn’t for the news related to the vital interests of Yue, it might even be a year ago. Now he wants to know the real situation in Rome. possible.

"This matter is too big, I have to think about it." Sun Shao raised his head and said to Quintus very politely: "If you want to, you can live with me and tell me the situation in Rome in detail. Let me say it again, so that I can think about how to help you. You know, if I only send a general to help you, I can still do it, but if you want me to meet your emperor, there is no good reason. Your ministers will not agree."

Quintus nodded understandingly: "I am very aware of Your Highness's concerns. To tell you the truth, when I proposed to invite His Highness to Rome, our emperor and queen mother thought that His Highness would definitely refuse, after all, it is too difficult. Now you I am very satisfied with the opportunity given to me. If Your Highness is willing, I can tell His Highness all the situation in Rome in detail."

"Very good." Sun Shao showed a smile, "You must be tired after driving such a long way, so let's take a good rest. Yecheng is also a famous city for my big man, and there are many businessmen from your Rome here. You enjoy the scenery of Ye City first, and then we will talk about it in detail."

Quintus retreated satisfied, but Sun Shao didn't move for a long time. He thought for a while, and then sent someone to invite Xia Houhui.After Xia Houhui came to Yecheng with him, he took his newborn son Sun Cheng home to see his mother Cao.It has been 13 years since she married Sun Shao, and she has never been home once, so of course she will stay for a few more days when she goes back this time.Knowing that Sun Shao wanted to discuss matters with her, she didn't dare to be negligent, and hurried back to the post house. When her cousin Cao Shuang, who was listening to her talk about Yue, volunteered to drive her back to the post house, By the way, meet the King of Yue who made King Cao of Wei look at him differently.

Cao Shuang, courtesy name Zhaobo, was the son of Da Sima Cao Zhen. He was one year older than Xiahouhui and the same age as Xiahouxuan.This time Sun Shao came to Yecheng at the invitation of Cao Cao. Cao Zhen estimated that it might be related to whether Cao Rui could inherit the throne, so he specially asked Cao Shuang and Xiahou Hui to get closer and inquire about some news. Now that he has the opportunity to meet Sun Shao, of course he will not let it go take this opportunity.

Unlike Cao Shuang's initiative, Xia Houxuan dismissed it, and he had a bad relationship with Cao Rui.Cao Rui's wife, Mao, was from the Han family, and Xia Houxuan thought he had a noble family, so he didn't want to befriend Mao Zeng, Mao's younger brother. Once when he entered the palace, Cao Rui asked Mao Zeng to sit with him, hoping to befriend Xia Houxuan. As a result, Xia Houxuan was very disrespectful to Caijun, so he changed his face at that time, Cao Rui was very annoyed by this, and he alienated Xia Houxuan a lot from then on.From this point of view, Xia Houxuan should be more concerned about this matter than Cao Shuang, but he chose to ignore it.

Seeing Cao Shuang, Sun Shao was a little surprised. Cao Shuang generously stepped forward to sign up, expressing his admiration.Sun Shao was very surprised when he heard this. In his impression, Cao Shuang could be said to be the chief culprit who ruined Cao Wei. He was an incompetent person. You can't get in touch with that kind of prodigal son.

"It's Uncle Zhao." Sun Shao greeted him with a smile, and chatted for a while. Xia Houhui reminded him from the side that Cao Shuang and Cao Rui had a good relationship. , People are divided into groups, Wei Guo is really a collection of talents, and in the future, we will be a strong opponent of Yue Guo."

Cao Shuang immediately understood, smiled and said haha: "Shuang only wishes to follow the king Jiwei, how dare he compete with the king." Then he said a few more polite words, and left happily.

After seeing off Cao Shuang, Xia Houhui teased his son Sun Cheng and said, "Is it settled?"

Sun Shao nodded: "It's settled. Cao Rui said, Mrs. Zhen wants to welcome you, and I have already agreed."

Xia Houhui nodded, but he didn't have any happy expression, and he said after a while: "That's fine."

Sun Shao didn't speak, he knew what Xia Houhui meant. There was regret for the Wei state, and joy for the loss of a powerful enemy for the Yue state, but there was some disappointment on her face, and she didn't know where to start. Where did it come from.

"Brother and Cao Rui are at odds." Seeing Sun Shao's confusion, Xia Houhui smiled softly and explained: "He offended Cao Rui's brother-in-law, Mao Zeng, and the relationship between the two is very stiff. Although Bozhao managed to match them, but... well, my brother's temper is too stubborn."

Sun Shao suddenly realized Xiahouxuan's temper. He knew that the Xiahou clan was a noble family with a long history. Although it had been in decline for a long time, when Xiahouxuan was born, their family had become a prominent family again, no different from the Cao clan. , and he himself is a smart person, especially good at metaphysics, so it is naturally expected that he is defiant.And the Cao family has had a habit since Cao Cao, marrying mostly from poor families, the current Wei Queen Bian is even advocating excellence, Cao Pi married Zhen's family, and Guo was a family member of a criminal, it's okay for Cao Rui to marry a poor family woman It's so strange, Xia Houxuan, as a close minister of the Cao family, is really unreasonable to do so.But then again, famous talkers in this era are famous for being unreasonable.

"If you really can't stay any longer, let him go with us." Sun Shao waved his hand indifferently. There are quite a few people like this in Yue, but they're just a little poor. The other three countries are not so serious, especially the Yue country is more down-to-earth, and people who talk empty words are not very popular.But with Xia Houxuan covering him, Xia Houxuan would have no problem being a talker for the rest of his life.

"Sigh." Xia Houhui couldn't think of a better way, so she had to agree, but in this way, the relationship between her family and Wei State would be further distant. I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing for her son Sun Cheng. .

"What happened to call my concubine back in such a hurry?" Xia Houhui remembered the business.

Sun Shao explained the reason for Quintus' visit.

Xiahou Huiliu frowned: "Sassan is thousands of miles away, and there is still two or three months of sailing with the wind. It is not an easy task to launch a large army expedition. Besides, although our navy is very strong, once we go ashore, our deterrence will be great. If it is reduced, it is impossible to pose a threat to Sassanid, on the contrary, it is possible to lose troops and bring shame on oneself."

Sun Shao sighed: "It's not that I haven't thought about it, but Mr. Cao's words reminded me that we cut off Sasanian's financial resources, and it was expected that Sassanian would deal with us. Rome is right behind them. By his side, he still dares to secretly prepare to deal with us, if he destroys Rome, is that okay?"

"It's not that easy." Xiahou Hui smiled and shook his head: "Rome has been established for hundreds of years, and even a hundred-foot worm is still dead. Sasanian's newly established country is full of vigor and vitality. It doesn't know how to recuperate and accumulate strength. Sending troops frequently, in my opinion, is not a long-term solution, so there is no need to worry about it."

"But Quintus came here in such a hurry and invited me to meet their emperor. If it wasn't for the moment of life and death, he shouldn't be so rude." Sun Shao said in a deep voice: "Rome is the same as a big man like me. They changed The emperor is commonplace. Once the emperor who has a good relationship with Sassan is replaced, our business will be greatly affected. The Han business group has finally attracted the attention of the aristocratic family. Once the business fails, these people are afraid It will cause disturbances in the country again, and then this great situation will be in vain again, and the development of our Yue country will inevitably be affected. Sigh, we can’t take it lightly.”

Xia Houhui frowned slightly, and stared at Sun Shao for a moment: "Your Majesty, I don't think Quintus' words may be credible, so I'd better have someone check them carefully, so as not to be taken advantage of by the Romans."

"That's right, I do have such worries." Sun Shao nodded: "However, we still have to be prepared. Taking advantage of the opportunity in Yecheng, I want to understand the mentality of these aristocratic families. By the way, the Zhen family is also a merchant. The major shareholder in the group, find an opportunity to find out what Madam Zhen has said."

"I see."

……

"It seems that the old man is a crow." After listening to Sun Shao's overview of the situation in Rome, Cao Cao couldn't help breaking into a smile, with a sense of pride and cunning in his eyes. He looked at Sun Shao, who was a little worried, and joked: "You think a businessman Show off your strength, and now you have to be dragged down by the businessman, which can be regarded as retribution."

Sun Shao rolled his eyes at him angrily: "Don't worry, Mr. Cao, if something really happens, I'll sell the merchants of Zhu Cao, Zhu Xiahou, He Bian, and Zhen first, and see if you can still be so happy. "

"Hey, the merchants of Zhucao and Zhuxiahou are not Han merchants?" Cao Cao was not in a hurry at all, lying comfortably on his favorite sandalwood recliner, swaying leisurely, stroking his hands that had been rubbed oily by him. Shiny handrails, "I can do this kind of thing, but you can't."

"And." Sun Shao curled his lips helplessly, and lay on the reclining chair, looking across the eaves at the blue sky.

"Don't worry!" Seeing that he was preoccupied and had no interest in talking at all, Cao Cao comforted him, "Even if the Sassanians defeated Rome, what can he do to you? He doesn't want spices, tea, silk, or us. Porcelain? As long as he wants it, he has nothing to do with you, and he has to negotiate business with you in the end."

"I also know this truth, but after all, it is in our best interest for someone to rush to buy. If only his family is left, he can only buy from me, but I can only sell to him. How can the price be raised?" Get up?" Sun Shao sighed and said, "I'm short of money now, and I need to spend money everywhere, so I just rely on these businesses to support those people."

"Even if you fight, you're not afraid of him." Cao Cao said suddenly, "Don't you have a thunderbolt? When the time comes to blow him up, won't all problems be solved?"

The corner of Sun Shao's mouth trembled, and he was about to smile wryly, but he suddenly became alert, and subconsciously looked at Cao Cao from the corner of his eyes, just as Cao Cao was also looking at him, and when he met his gaze, he dodged and immediately moved away.All these changes happened in an instant. If Sun Shao hadn't reacted quickly, he would have almost revealed his secrets.Zhentianlei is still an experimental product, and it is okay to scare people. If you really want to take it out and use it, it will definitely lose money. Probably Cao Cao, the old ghost, also saw something wrong, so he took this opportunity to test him.

"It's a good way." Sun Shao changed the subject, and said with a smirk: "But the Thunderbolt is too expensive, I have to get back the capital first. After I go back this time, I will start increasing taxes. When will I earn enough capital? , when to clean up the Sassanids."

"Zhuzi, you're talking about cars, and you don't have a word of truth." Cao Cao scolded with a smile.After Sun Shao took out the steam engine and cooperated, the application range of the steam engine has been greatly expanded, and more people have participated in the improvement and development, and the development speed of the steam engine has been greatly accelerated. At present, the steam engine has been developed to the third generation. With great progress, it has been applied in inland waterway transportation and short-distance navigation.Xuanwu Academy has a branch dedicated to training steam engine maintenance technicians. They paved a stone road around Xuanwu Pool, and used a steam engine to pull a carriage around the lake for the entertainment of the royal family and related nobles. Come experiment with an improved steam engine.Because the steam engine has a lot of steam when it runs, it is commonly called a car.Of course, this kind of car is not the same as the car in Sun Shao's impression, nor is it the same as the train, but generally speaking, this is also a pioneering work.

"Grand Cao, then tell me, should I meet the Roman emperor?" Sun Shao asked again, but at this moment, he was not as worried as before, at least on the surface, he couldn't let Cao Cao It can be seen that he has a guilty conscience. After all, with the strength of the Yue Kingdom in the eyes of others, he has no reason to worry about the Sasanians thousands of miles away.

"You can go." Cao Cao said slowly: "If a vassal king of the Han Dynasty meets the Roman emperor, first of all, we won a move in terms of momentum. However, I have two things to remind you. First, don't go In Rome, that would be too embarrassing. We should choose a place that is about the same distance for both parties. If possible, it is best to let him come to Vietnam. Second, don’t trust them all, and communicate with the Sassanids at the same time. No matter what the Sasanians have in mind, we can make them fight so that we can benefit from it. Whether Sassanian defeated Rome, or Rome defeated Sasanian, for us, it is better to let them lose both good."

Sun Shao was surprised, and paused for a moment before saying: "Cao Gong, as expected, Jiang is still old and hot, and your trick of making money for the fisherman is the real ruthless trick."

"To each other, if I don't talk about it, you can't think of it?" Cao Cao said calmly: "Your rulers and ministers of the Yue Kingdom are much more insidious than me. This kind of trick that hurts others and benefits yourself is expected." He paused After a while, he said again: "Fengxian, how about I support you?"

"Who?" Sun Shao said with a smile: "The talent Mr. Cao is looking for must be a great talent."

"It's natural to be a great talent." Cao Cao pinched his forehead: "Actually, I hesitated for a long time, and I was reluctant to give it to you, but I had a dream yesterday, which made me make up my mind to let him go to your country to develop, so as not to let him go Delayed his future."

Sun Shao became very curious, who made Cao Cao worry about him so much, and made up his mind in a dream?
(End of this chapter)