"Huh? Cheng Yu, do you know what you're talking about, it's just gibberish, ridiculous! ”

Cao Ren was shocked when he heard this, and immediately interrupted Cheng Yu's words, and shouted: "Alliance with Li Thief? Cheng Yu, are you really confused or pretending to be crazy and stupid, you really can't figure it out, it's unbelievable, whimsical!

My Cao family and the Xiahou clan have a deep enmity with Li Thief, and they are incompatible, how can they form an alliance with him? Take 10,000 steps back and say, Thief Li is extremely treacherous, vicious and arrogant, and forming an alliance with him is tantamount to seeking skin with the tiger, not only will you not get any benefits, but you are very likely to take your own life! Therefore, such absurd things must not be mentioned again, otherwise it will be impossible to blame Cao Ren for turning his face 、、、"

"Zixiao must not be rude!" Without waiting for Cao Ren to finish speaking, Cao Cao suddenly got up and scolded Cao Ren with a fierce face.

Despite what he said, the expression on Cao Cao's face was no different from Cao Ren's, and he was also full of anger, and his eyes flashed with a burning flame of hatred. It's just that his city is much deeper than Cao Ren, even if he is furious, angry, panting like a cow, and spitting fire in his nose, he will not immediately express himself, let alone lash out at Cheng Yu.

After all, he promised Cheng Yu that he was not wrong, he would not be angry, he would not be angry, and he would not be angry with Cheng Yu. As the master of the people, if he breaks his word in front of his subordinates and goes back on his word, how will he serve the public in the future, and who will be willing to die for him Cao Cao? Just like the scene that happened on the official road twelve miles away from Feiyundu a few days ago, if it wasn't for the concerted efforts of all the soldiers to keep silent, and two of his own soldiers and armor soldiers sacrificed their lives to save each other, how could he Cao Cao escape from Ma Chao's hands?

"Zhongde. Do you think there is still a possibility for me Cao Cao and Li Thief to form an alliance? ”

"Of course there is, and it's in this battle of the division, except for this battle. The lord and the thief Li will never have the possibility of forming an alliance again in their lives! Cheng Yu could see that the lord Cao Cao was very unhappy at this time, and Cao Ren was waiting for him with that hateful gaze, but Cheng Yu did not intend to give up. Otherwise, half the words will be thankless. Instead, they suffer from it.

Seeing that Cheng Yu was stubborn and did not let go, Cao Ren glared at him with a smile on his face, holding the sword in his right hand. Then he turned his head to look at Cao Cao, and it seemed that as long as Cao Cao nodded, he would immediately swing his sword and cut off Cheng Yu's head.

Inside the big tent, Cao Cao looked up at the beams of the big tent. Neither looked at Cao Ren's inquiring eyes. didn't look at Cheng Yu's anxious expression, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

At this time, it was three o'clock in the night, and it was white outside the tent.

In the evening, the snowflakes take a break, and after nightfall, I don't know when the snowflakes will quietly fall again; The cold wind carried the white snowflakes and fell, dressing up the night and bringing a different kind of light to the world.

Inside the big tent, Cao Cao paced for a long time. Suddenly stood in front of Cheng Yu: "I have three questions, and I hope Zhongde will answer truthfully." ”

Cheng Yu was stunned. He bowed down and said, "My lord, please say that my subordinates will definitely reply truthfully, and there will be no words against their will." ”

"Who does Zhong De think Cao is, whether it is bright or dark, or cold-blooded and ruthless, and the six relatives don't recognize it?"

Cheng Yu's expression changed greatly when he heard this, his breathing became short, and he was even a little flustered, and he was at a loss. This is the first time he has heard Cao Cao surrender his identity and call himself "Cao" since he was reused by Cao Cao, what does this mean, Cheng Yu didn't dare to guess the degree, but at least it shows that Cao Cao's question is very heavy, if the answer does not satisfy him, it is very likely to attract death. In addition, Cheng Yu heard Cao Cao's words, that is, Cao Cao has never been able to overcome the level of flesh and blood, and he never forgets the revenge of killing his relatives and sons.

"The lord is the hero of the world, the hero of the troubled times. The male master can endure what ordinary people can't endure, can tolerate what ordinary people can't tolerate, have lofty ambitions, and be indomitable. The heroes take the hegemony of the world as their own responsibility, are not moved by personal feelings, are not disturbed by the world, are not afraid of people's words, are not good at fame, are pragmatic and truth-seeking, and vow not to give up until the goal is achieved. ”

Cao Cao's eyes moved slightly when he heard this, the expression on his face did not change at all, his expression was blank, and he was noncommittal to Cheng Yu's words.

"Who is Li Li, the male lord or the hero?"

Cheng Yu was stunned when he heard this, and looked up at Cao Cao's expression with a face full of embarrassment, his expression was very hesitant, as if he didn't dare to say anything, and he hesitated.

"It's still the same as before, Zhongde but it doesn't hurt to speak, there is no taboo in words, and there is no fault in saying wrong."

"No! Since the lord asks, his subordinates should speak uprightly. Xiliang Li Li is a hero, both a hero and a hero. Those who are outstanding are faithful and benevolent. Its loyalty does not lie in Liu Xie, the Son of Heaven, but in the Han people and our Han nation; Previously, Yuan Shao conspired to meet the alliance in Hanoi and instigated the leader of the Southern Xiongnu to be on the side of Fuluokou, and there were many capable people and righteous people under Li Li's command, so it was impossible not to be unaware, but he still chose to go outside first and then settle inside, which shows his loyalty.

Believers, words must be done, words must be fruitful, words are true, keep promises. Hearing that Li Li recruited Zhou Yu and made a promise not to kill Sun Ce in his lifetime, with the brotherhood of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, this was the case in the previous battle of Dongyuan City, otherwise Sun Ce would not have been able to escape from Li Li's hands with more than 10,000 soldiers and horses.

The benevolent is also the way of the king. I heard that Xiliang Ma Chao had tried to kill Li Li three times and then quickly, but for the first time, Li Li suffered a heavy setback, almost collapsed, ruining his life; The second shot was when Li Li emerged, trying to give a head-on blow and break his wings; The last time was the key battle of Li Liding's foot in Xiliang - the Battle of Dongshankou. Ma Chao made three shots, all of which ended in failure, and then was captured by Li Li, but Li Li ignored the old feud and took it under his command, so that there is today's Xiliang General Ma Chao. There are many other things like this, all of which show Li Li's extraordinary mind and benevolent mind.

The righteous, the grace of nurturing, the love of brotherhood, the friendship of friends. Li Li lost his father and mother when he was young, and he was raised by Admiral Li Wei of Xiliang. In the rebellion of Chang'an in the past, Li Li could have occupied Chang'an without blood, coerced the Son of Heaven to order not to surrender, and could bring the Xiliang army under his command in the palm of his hand, but because of Li Wei's desire for power, he had to retreat to the second, which led to the battle of the southern suburbs. After pacifying Chang'an, Li Li had hundreds of thousands of male soldiers, and he could be a supreme minister and rule the world, but he took into account the grace of Li Dao's upbringing, and once again gave way to Li Dao. Willing to be the second. If it weren't for Li Li's trip to Yangzhou, it was rumored that something happened to him, prompting Li Dao to reveal his dissent and instigate the rebellion in Chang'an. I am afraid that Li Li is still under Li Dao, and he will not prematurely expose his ambition to plot the world. However, regardless of whether Li Li did it deliberately or not, it is rare in the 400-year-old Han Dynasty to be able to treat his uncle so courteously and favorably. This is the only one, the righteous are filial, and Li Li deserves it.

Li Li's name as the hero and the hero. It is the same as my Lord, needless to say. This is the subordinate's statement on the matter, if it is biased. Please forgive me. ”

After saying this, Cheng Yu was really worried in his heart, and even regretted that he was too upright by nature and said so many good things about Li Li in front of his lord Cao Cao. It's stupid. How unwise!

However, Cheng Yu didn't know that this was the first time Cao Cao had heard such a positive statement about Xiliang Li Li's temperament, and it was justified and substantiated, not deliberately beautifying, nor deliberately exaggerating. And this objective evaluation made Cao Cao inexplicably think of his own natural character. He is also a person who is affectionate, affectionate and righteous, and does not have much reverence for the Son of Heaven. But he has always been loyal to the Han nation; Cunning is just to adapt to the way of survival in troubled times, and cold-blooded ruthlessness is also a last resort. Especially what Li Li did to his uncle Li Dao, he changed places and treated others with himself, Cao Cao thought that he couldn't do it, and what touched him the most was Li Li's filial piety.

However, touching is touching, but it does not mean that Cao Cao has a good impression of Li Li. On the contrary, it was precisely because Li Li had almost no fatal flaws that Cao Cao's vigilance was further intensified. Because a person like Li Li who can hardly find obvious flaws, there is only one kind of person who has these conditions throughout the ages, that is, the founding emperors of all dynasties, and only the founding emperors can win the recognition of most people, and even the respect of the enemy's heart, so as to win the hearts of the people and establish an immortal hegemony.

Of course, in the current troubled times, having unsubordinateness and disloyalty to the Son of Heaven are not defective. Because more than a dozen princes in the world have the heart of disobedience, Cao Cao himself also has it, as for whether he dares to show his banner and claim the title of emperor, it is determined by his own strength. The strength is not strong enough, even if there is ambition, do not dare to expose it, otherwise it will be self-defeating.

"Why did Cao conspire with him, and what are the pros and cons?" This is the last of Cao Cao's three questions, and it is also the most critical step in whether Cheng Yu can convince him to change his development thinking.

For this question, Cheng Yu has long been thoughtful and thoughtful, so he said such a thing without thinking.

"In fact, the lord does not have to form an alliance with Xiliang Li Li, but it is necessary to compromise with the overlords of the princes who are among the best in the world, try to avoid facing him head-on before he is not strong enough, and use their strong strength to strengthen his own strength, so that he can have the opportunity to come from behind and achieve hegemony for thousands of years.

At the moment, we can't offend Yuan Shao because we need him to help provide food and weapons, and we can't make enemies with him, so as to win time for our own survival and development. When we are strong enough, or have the ability to fight with him, we don't need to look at Yuan Shao's eyes anymore, and we can even wait for the opportunity to annex him and swallow his territory and soldiers.

The same is true for the purpose of compromising with Xiliang Li Li. Li Li's strength is so strong that no one in the princes of all walks of life can match it at present, unless the allies can defeat him in one fell swoop, his strength will become stronger and stronger, directly threatening the states of the Central Plains.

And if we want to gain a firm foothold in the Central Plains, we can't offend Yuan Shao of Jizhou and Li Li of Xiliang at present, because they are the strongest princes in the Central Plains states, and they are also the strongest opponents of the lord in the future world. Therefore, whether the lord himself wants to or not, if he wants to gain a foothold in the Central Plains, he must make friends with these two people, and in the eyes of his subordinates, it is far more important to make friends with Xiliang Li Li than to befriend Yuan Shao of Jizhou. It is undeniable that Li Li's strength is far stronger than Yuan Shao's, and he has great potential, and he is also the strongest overlord who is most likely to win the world in the future, because he is too young and has enough time to encroach on the world step by step. This is the reason why the lord wants to compromise with Li Li and try to form an alliance, in order to survive, for the sake of hegemony, we have to do this, otherwise we will face a more severe shape and a more difficult situation.

As for what we can gain by forming an alliance with Li Li, judging from the current situation alone, it is unlikely that we will get benefits from Li Li, after all, our army has limited troops and horses, and its strength is not enough. However, as long as Li Li does not deliberately target us and does not try to get rid of our army by all means, it will be regarded as a great achievement. Our army can take advantage of this opportunity to get what it needs from the allies, grow rapidly, and most importantly, win the opportunity to continue to survive after the war is over. Otherwise, the day of the end of this battle will be the time when we will be destroyed, either destroyed by Lu Bu or annexed by Yuan Shao. In addition, if possible, we can also rescue Cao Hong, Cao Zhen, and Cao Xiu from Li Li's hands, or directly exchange them for conditions that can make Li Li happy. ”

"Ahh What Mr. Zhongde said is true, Zilian, did they really come back alive? When Cao Ren, who had been glaring at Cheng Yu angrily, heard Cheng Yu's last words, his expression suddenly changed greatly, and he stepped in front of Cheng Yu in one step, took his arm and asked eagerly.

Cheng Yu nodded lightly and affirmed: "There is such a possibility." However, this matter still needs to be considered in the long run, and we need to wait for the right time, and we must not rush it. ”

After receiving an affirmative reply, Cao Ren turned his head to look at Cao Cao eagerly, hoping to get his approval. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao walked up the stairs noncommittally, picked up a few volumes of books that urgently needed to be reviewed, and strode towards the inner room of the back tent.

"This matter can be discussed later, it's getting late, let's go back and rest!" Just as Cao Cao's figure was about to step through the door of the inner room, a reply finally came out, but this sentence was still ambiguous and noncommittal.

"Zhongde, what does the lord mean by this, can't he just give a happy word?" Cao Ren asked Cheng Yu with a blank expression.

"The lord has always been assertive, and it is not easy to let go this time. However, in my opinion, this matter is indeed open to discussion, and we will see when the time comes! After speaking, Cheng Yu bowed, turned around and strode away.

Seeing Cheng Yu drop a sentence and turn his head and leave, Cao Ren was quite annoyed, turned to look at the door of the inner room, but saw that the door was closed, and Cao Cao was no longer there.

"Let's discuss it later, to be discussed? One is like this, the other is still like this, what's the matter, isn't it good to save Zilian and them? All of them are mysterious, it's really sad! ”

While talking, Cao Ren walked out and gradually disappeared at the door of the big tent. At this time, the door of the inner room suddenly opened, and Cao Cao walked slowly to the outside of the tent door, looking up at the snowy night sky with his hands behind his back, and stood for a long time.

———————————— (To be continued......)