Chapter 292: Zhao Yun is glad to be with Cao Cao

Chang'an was in turmoil, so Jinmao had not yet sent an envoy group to Chang'an, planning to wait until everything calmed down before sending one.

Unexpectedly, Gongsun Zan's alliance envoy arrived first.

The leader actually called himself Zhao Yun!
It's really great news.

Jin Mao didn't know that when Gongsun Zan sent people to form an alliance, he had already taken action against Liu Yu.

I guess grass has grown on Liu Yu's grave now.

However, it doesn’t matter anymore!

When he saw the big star of the Three Kingdoms, Jin Mao put everything else behind him and just spent every day with Zhao Yun.

"Zilong, this is the best Jiaozhou fruit, try it."

"Zilong, this fish is delicious."

"Zilong, this meat is rare."

"Zi Long…"

this day.

Jinmao invited Zhao Yun to visit the Jingzhou horse farm.

"Zilong is here."

Zhao Yun was wearing a white robe, silver armor and a red cloak. This set of silver armor was specially made for Zhao Yun by Jin Mao and it fit him perfectly.

"This is Lu Bu's Red Hare!"

Jin Mao showed the Red Hare, which had turned into a stallion, to Zhao Yun in a very ostentatious manner.

Today's Red Hare has a very bad temper, looks even more robust, and is not very cooperative with breeding. The few foals that were produced from mating are not satisfactory.

Before Zhao Yun surrendered to Gongsun Zan, he was a powerful man in Changshan County. He brought county officials and money with him to surrender to Gongsun Zan. The two did not have a master-servant relationship, but Zhao Yun still respected Gongsun Zan very much.

This time, Gongsun Zan suddenly attacked and killed Liu Yu. Zhao Yun saw that Gongsun Zan was not a benevolent monarch, so he took the opportunity of forming an alliance, asked for the position of envoy, and came to Jingzhou.

Originally, Zhao Yun thought that this trip would be over quickly, but he never expected that Jin Mao would treat him with such courtesy, even a little too much.

Zhao Yun could keenly sense the hostility of the Zhen'an army towards him.

But Zhao Yun's personality is that of a good-natured person, and he doesn't know how to refuse unless it is a matter of principle.

This was firmly controlled by the persistent Jin Mao.

The moment he saw the Red Hare, Zhao Yun seemed to see his own destiny.

The difference is that General Zhen'an Jin Mao treats himself better and does not completely disregard Red Hare's feelings.

Because Zhao Yun also has a divine horse, the snow-white Night-Shining Jade Lion, he can better understand the sadness of the Red Hare.

"General." Zhao Yun saw the pleading look in the Red Hare's eyes again and couldn't help but speak up for it: "This divine horse has human nature. If you treat it like this, it may be difficult to tame it."

Zhao Yun said this after careful consideration.

Jin Mao had made his intention of recruiting him known several times, and Zhao Yun had always used Gongsun Zan as an excuse to shirk his responsibilities, but this was not a long-term solution.

Today, Zhao Yun used the Red Hare to make his request very obscurely.

Jin Mao is no longer the same person he was when he first traveled through time, so it's no wonder he couldn't understand what Zhao Yun meant.

"Zilong."

Jin Mao raised his whip and whipped the Red Hare hard, which made Zhao Yun tremble with fear.

"Is this a divine horse?"

"If it really understood human nature, it would starve itself to death instead of suffering humiliation!"

Turning his head, Jin Mao smiled again and said, "Zilong, you don't know that the previous two owners of this beast were not good people."

"Dong Zhuo is now the Grand Master, but in reality he is just a figurehead."

"Lü Bu, humph, a traitor, you deserve to be killed!"

At this time, the news of the major events in Chang'an had not yet come. When Zhao Yun heard Jin Mao's sharp comments, his heart was pounding.

Is this a blatant hint of something?
Zhao Yun thought back to these days when he had eaten and drunk good food, and everything he wanted and didn’t want was satisfied. Wasn’t it the same treatment as Red Hare?
Could it be that General Zhennan was hinting to me that if I didn't surrender, I would suffer the same fate as Red Hare?

Zhao Yun's mind turned over and he clasped his fists and said, "General, have you ever thought that Red Hare has never chosen a master and has always been driven by others?"

"Oh?" Jin Mao's interest grew. He stepped forward, held Zhao Yun's hands, and asked, "Can Zilong understand Chitu's state of mind?"

Zhao Yun lowered his head and tried to break free, but found that Jin Mao was holding him tightly. In order not to offend the other party, he did not forcefully break free.

"Yun also has a divine horse named Zhaoye Jade Lion, which is quite human."

Zhao Yun said: "I guess that the divine horses are roughly the same, so I made this guess."

Jin Mao patted Zhao Yun's arm happily and said, "Since the Red Hare has no owner, and Zilong knows the temperament of the divine horse so well, I will reluctantly give it up and give it to you!"

Zhao Yun was frightened for a moment and struggled to get away. Then he realized something was wrong and quickly bent down and folded his hands, saying, "It's so precious, I dare not accept it!"

"Hey." Jin Mao stepped forward again, grabbed Zhao Yun's hand and said, "What kind of divine horse is Red Hare with a blind left eye? Zilong, feel free to drive it, even if it's just a poor horse."

"This..." Zhao Yun understood that Jin Mao was giving Zhao Yun a horse as a gift on the surface, but in fact he wanted Zhao Yun to express his opinion.

Accepting this gift means that Zhao Yun agrees to serve.

If he doesn't accept it, the treatment of Red Hare will be Zhao Yun's future treatment.

Want freedom?

There are no doors!

Jin Mao didn't give Zhao Yun any time to think, and his face darkened: "Could it be that Zilong dislikes my gift?"

"of course not!"

"only…"

Without waiting for Zhao Yun to explain, Jin Mao laughed and said, "Very good! From now on, this Red Hare will belong to Zilong!"

"You can kill me or chop me up, it's up to you!"

Zhao Yun was helpless and silent for a long time. He finally bowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, General. I dare not disobey you."

No matter from which perspective, Jinmao can indeed be regarded as a benevolent and wise leader.

He is not only a member of the royal family, but also treats the people well, and his military power is unparalleled in the world.

The only flaw was probably the delay in welcoming the emperor back to the eastern capital Luoyang.

But this is someone else's private matter, and it is impossible for Zhao Yun, an outsider, to say anything about it in person. That is a stupid thing only a fool would do.

"Ha ha!"

After receiving Zhao Yun's affirmative answer, Jin Mao laughed happily and said, "It's good that Zilong can accept it."

Jin Mao looked up at the sky and said, "Lunch is coming soon. I will prepare a family dinner today. After the meal, we will be a family!"

After making the decision, Zhao Yun did not resist and said, "Thank you, sir."

"It's too strange to call me Lord Ming." Jin Mao took Zhao Yun's hand and said, "Just call me Lord, just like everyone else."

Zhao Yun bowed and said, "My Lord!"

"Hey!" Jin Mao helped Zhao Yun up and said, "Yizhou's border market is very successful and provides a steady supply of war horses. I want to form a cavalry battalion."

"I see that Zilong's followers are quite organized, and I intend to make you the captain of this camp."

Zhao Yun had been in Jingzhou for some time and had some basic information about the Zhennan Army. He knew that one battalion represented one army.

Thinking of such a courtesy upon arrival, Zhao Yun bowed excitedly and said, "Thank you, my lord!"

"Don't worry." Jin Mao pulled Zhao Yun up again and said, "Zilong doesn't know the system in our army. You are not qualified to be a lieutenant without military merit."

"Therefore, Zilong must work hard and try to accumulate enough military merits before the cavalry battalion is formed."

Suddenly, Zhao Yun's face was full of confusion. It was not possible to gain military merit just by wanting it. He still had to fight a battle.

Jin Mao seemed to see Zhao Yun's dilemma and said, "There is a battle to be fought, but I haven't decided who to fight against yet."

"Don't worry, Zilong. I will definitely assign you the most dangerous mission, so that you can gain military merit the fastest."

Zhao Yun said fearlessly: "I am willing to serve you, my lord!"

Jin Mao was very happy. Half an hour later, Jin Mao really held a family dinner. In addition to Feng Lu, only his adopted son Lu Xun was present.

Lu Xun is ten years old and needs to find a teacher.

Jin Mao didn't have so much free time, so he kept Lu Xun by his side and asked military advisors Xi Zhicai, Xun You, Xun Yu and others to take turns to teach him.

This kid Lu Xun is quite talented. He can learn everything and makes rapid progress.

Now Jinmao has his own son, but he has not experienced the joy of having children around him.

Recently, Jinmao has been considering the issue of relocating its administrative center.

Jianye County is not bad for Yangzhou, but now it is very inconvenient for Jinmao, which controls three states.

Jingzhou is located in the middle area and seems to have an excellent location, but there is no offensive or defensible area, so it is too difficult to use it as a government seat.

Nanjun Xiangyang City is very good, but it cannot be used as a seat of government until the Jingzhou gentry are wiped out.

Liu Biao has been very well-behaved recently, but he has also been very stubborn. Even though his position as Governor of Jingzhou was stripped away, he has always refused to leave Nanyang County in Jingzhou.

He shamelessly clings on and pretends to be a member of the Jingzhou noble family.

Therefore, the promise made to Zhao Yun was not nonsense.

Jin Mao had long wanted to kill several of his neighbors, with Liu Biao being the first, Yuan Shu the second, and Cao Cao the third.

I just haven't decided who to attack yet.

After all, after so many years of fighting year after year, not only were the soldiers exhausted, even Jin Mao could not bear it anymore.

On the other hand, there was no reasonable reason to do anything to them.

Liu Biao is the most difficult to deal with. He has been very well behaved in the past two years and has been promoting civil governance in Nanyang County, making it difficult for Jin Mao to intervene.

Yuan Shu is second, otherwise Jin Mao would not have sent only Sun Ce with a small group of elite troops to harass, but would have launched a large-scale attack long ago.

Cao Cao is the easiest to fight, and the reasons are ready-made: he occupied Xuzhou without an imperial edict.

However, the person Jin Mao least wanted to fight was Cao Cao.

What was the point of occupying the enclave of Xuzhou? There was no strategic location to defend it. Moreover, Jin Mao couldn't even imagine how powerful Yuan Shao was with the support of Cao Cao.

It would be better to keep Cao Cao first, which would also be a way to weaken the Yuan family.

In this life, Yuan Shu did not go against Yuan Shao. It would be difficult to deal with these two brothers if they got together.

Cao Cao is different. History has proven that a hero will never be inferior to others, and sooner or later he will turn against Yuan Shao.

The only thing to note is that we cannot let Cao Cao attack the south.

This requires the use of force to deter.

Without a large-scale cavalry unit, it would be like the Han Dynasty fighting the Huns, they could only win but not destroy them.

It would not be easy for the Zhen'an Army to defeat Cao Cao, but it would be impossible to destroy Cao Cao as they could not catch up with him.

...

Three days later.

Jinmao unexpectedly received a wave of guests.

Xun Chen! Xun Yan!
Accompanied by Xun Yu, the two came to borrow grain seeds from Jin Mao on behalf of Cao Cao.

But how could Jin Mao borrow it? He said to Xun Yu, "Wen Ruo, take your two brothers down to rest and treat them well."

Jin Mao deliberately emphasized the word "entertain", which immediately made Xun Yu frown.

Seeing this, Xun Chen and Xun Yan had no choice but to present Cao Cao's handwritten letter.

Jin Mao checked the content and didn't expect that Cao Cao wanted to form an alliance with him and turn around to deal with Yuan Shu.

Borrowing grain seeds is just an excuse, the real purpose is to borrow grain.

"Come here, send the two messengers down to rest, Wen Ruo will stay."

Soon, Jin Mao and Xun Yu were the only ones left in the hall.

"Wen Ruo, take a look."

Jin Mao handed the bamboo slips to Xun Yu, rubbed his brows and thought about what could be done to form an alliance with Cao Cao.

Soon, Xun Yu finished reading the letter and bowed, "My lord, please lend some grain to Cao Cao!"

Jin Mao raised his head suddenly. If he hadn't seen Xun Yu's sincere eyes, he would have suspected that he had surrendered to the enemy.

"Tell me your reasons."

Xun Yu did not rush to explain, but said: "My lord, you can verbally agree to mobilize food and grass to Huaiyin County in Guangling County and send heavy troops to guard it."

"In this way, Cao Cao dared not plunder, but had to take action against Yuan Shu."

"When Cao Cao really takes action, it won't be too late for you to borrow food. You can also give him appropriate food and grass according to the intensity of his attack."

This time, Jin Mao finally smiled, pointed at Xun Yu and said, “Wen Ruo, you have changed.”

This style is more like Jia Xu than Xun Yu.

It is worth mentioning that Jin Mao did not dare to let Lu Xun learn from Jia Xu.

Xun Yu bowed and said, "If you keep company with the good, you will be good. If you don't transfer Jia Wenhe away, I may end up like Jia Wenhe in the future."

Jin Mao didn't expect Xun Yu to have such a side to him. He said in disbelief, "You are a gentleman. A gentleman is cautious when alone!"

Unexpectedly, Xun Yu said: "A gentleman is not bound by formalities."

Well, I’ve been with Jia Xu for too long and am almost turning into an old silver coin.

Jin Mao was silent for a long time, then asked, "Which of your two brothers would you rather send back?"

Here it comes. Xun Yu collected his thoughts. Jin Mao had hinted at it just now. Now that there are only the king and his subject, it is natural to bring it to the surface.

Xun Yu bowed and said: "If a friend is like me, I cannot let him go, but if he is, I can let him go."

As long as one person goes back to report, the lives of the Xun family members will be safe.

Jin Mao had already considered this and said with a smile, "That's not necessary. Yu Zhongxiang once asked Cao Cao to release someone with just a letter. I can do the same!"

Unexpectedly, Xun Yu shook his head and said, "The descendants of the Xun family only serve one master for their entire lives and will not change their minds. If you do this, it will be no less than killing You Ruo and Xiuruo."

After a pause, Xun Yu felt sad and added: "If the lord is afraid of these two people, then do this."

To be honest, when Xun Yu was faced with the choice between loyalty and filial piety, he realized how difficult it was.

Even if I really say it out loud, I still feel the pain in my heart.

After all, Xun Chen and Xun Yan are both Xun Yu's brothers. Who would really have the heart to push their brothers into the fire pit?

But you have to finish the road you choose even if you have to kneel!

Jin Mao stood up suddenly, walked to Xun Yu, grabbed his hands and said, "Wen Ruo, don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."

"Just as you said, let Xiu Ruo go back and report to Cao Cao."

"Oh, that's right!" Jin Mao clapped his hands and said, "Jia Wenhe has been transferred to Guangling County as governor and in charge of all matters in Xuzhou. You must not learn bad habits from now on."

Xun Yu was deeply moved and bowed again, saying, "My lord, I have a plan that can solve the dilemma in Jingzhou."

Jin Mao didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise, "Tell me! Tell me!"

Liu Biao had become obsessed with Jin Mao, and during his tenure as governor of Jingzhou, Jin Mao was given whatever he wanted and was very well-behaved and obedient.

Even though he lost the position of Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao refused to leave and even became the leader of the literati in Jingzhou. It's really disgusting.

But the most disgusting thing is that Liu Biao took the initiative to lead the gentry and powerful people of Jingzhou to surrender to Jin Mao and govern the entire Jingzhou with the new system.

He behaved like a lackey.

No one can say anything bad about such a talent.

But Jin Mao knew that Liu Biao was definitely not easy to deal with. He was just an enhanced version of Sheng Xian, and who knew when he would stab him in the back.

Compared with Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Dong Zhuo and others, the person Jin Mao most wants to deal with is Liu Biao, no wonder he is so anxious.

Xun Yu said: "This is this, this is this."

Jin Mao's eyes sparkled: "Very good!"

(End of this chapter)