Chapter 339 The Last Meal of Wine

Jin Mao only detained Cao Cao. He didn't care about others such as Cao Ang, Cao Pi and others, and let Liu Xie appoint them as he pleased.

Liu Xie was also a stubborn person. He wanted what you wanted and didn't want what you didn't want. He was a rebellious person.

Luoyang Wuwang Palace.

Jin Mao invited Cao Cao to his house. Although he did not give Cao Cao an official title, he did not mistreat him either. The two of them cooked wine and chatted in the cold early spring day.

"Your Highness is quite afraid of Cao." Cao Cao asked with a smile: "Can you tell me the reason?"

Jin Mao pointed to the sky.

Cao Cao laughed and said, "I have heard that the Southern Army believes in religion. Does the King of Wu want to say that it is all God's will?"

Jin Mao gently swayed the wine in the cup, his eyes deep, as if he could penetrate the clouds and look into the distance. "Cao Gong is extremely wise and has a deep understanding of human nature. Although things in the world are not entirely determined by heaven, they are intertwined with time, fate, and luck. Only when these three factors are intertwined can things be accomplished. What I am afraid of is not Cao Gong alone, but the fact that many heroes have emerged in the chaotic world. Behind each force, there are unknowns and variables. Although our Southern Army follows the way of heaven, we must also be extremely cautious to avoid going astray."

Cao Cao stopped smiling when he heard this and said seriously, "Your Highness is right. I am not arrogant. I know the general trend of the world cannot be reversed by one person. However, everyone has their own ambitions. I am willing to use my own strength to protect the Han Dynasty and the people. Even if the road ahead is bumpy, I will not regret it."

Jin Mao nodded, raised his glass and clinked it with Cao Cao's, the clear sound echoing in the room. "Mr. Cao is a man of high integrity, Jin Mao admires him. Although you and I have different positions, we are both seeking peace in this chaotic world. Perhaps in the future, we can achieve this goal together in different ways."

Cao Cao took advantage of the situation and asked, "When does the King of Wu think is the right time?"

Jin Mao pondered for a moment, and looked out the window with deep eyes, as if he was looking through the thick clouds and mist into the unknown future. "Opportunity is like the water of a river, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent. In my opinion, the real opportunity is not determined by heaven, but by the will of the people and the situation."

When Cao Cao heard this, he knew that Jin Mao didn't want to talk, so he stopped pestering him and picked up the wine jar to drink.

"Good wine!" Cao Cao said happily, "I have long wanted to drink this strong wine, but unfortunately I never have the chance."

"Now that I have surrendered, I am being treated like this. How things have changed."

Jin Mao smiled and said, "Aren't you afraid that this will be your last meal?"

Cao Cao misunderstood the meaning and said with a smile: "Your Highness, you are joking. If you wanted to kill me, you would have killed me long ago. Why wait until now?"

Jin Mao explained: "I mean that if you don't make any contribution in the future, you can't drink this wine."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Then I must drink more today."

Jin Mao was very surprised: "Meng De doesn't want to create more glory?"

Cao Cao thought Jin Mao was testing him, and quickly said, "Glorious? It would be a comfort to me to be able to compete with the King of Wu in this life. However, things are unpredictable. Since I have been defeated by Your Highness today, I will obey any arrangements Your Highness makes in the future."

Jin Mao heard this, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and asked: "May I ask Meng De, what do you think of the world today?"

"Now that the thirteen states in the Central Plains have been initially pacified, the people are still living in misery. If we want to restore the period of Emperors Ling and Huan, it will probably take ten or even twenty years."

Jin Mao sighed, "If I want to achieve the achievements of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Wu, I don't know if I can do it in this lifetime."

Cao Cao's eyes gleamed with brilliance, but he was afraid that this was a trap, so he hesitated to speak.

"Meng De seems to have something to say." Jin Mao saw it and raised his wine bottle and said, "Today, we drink and say something that you and I know, and the heaven and the earth know it, but no one else knows it."

"No matter how extreme the words are, there will be no punishment!"

"Good!" Cao Cao slammed the table and stood up, clasping his fists, saying, "I'm sorry to hear your words, Your Highness!"

Jin Mao held out his hand and motioned to continue.

Cao Cao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the tips of the green buds that had just emerged in the garden, with a surge of heroic spirit in his heart.

"Your Highness, do you know why I only wanted to be a general who conquered the west?"

Jin Mao asked uncertainly, "You want to rebuild the Western Regions Protectorate?"

The Western Regions had been the sphere of influence of the Eastern Han Dynasty since the second year of the Yan Guang reign (123 AD), except that the once powerful Wusun and Dayuan had split away, and these two places were also the places where the Ferghana horses were produced.

Jin Mao guessed that Cao Cao wanted to restore the glory of the Western Han Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao shook his head and said, "No, I once had the ambition to protect Liang and Bingzhou and prevent the Northern Xiongnu and Xianbei from invading the Han territory."

"Anyone who offends our strong men will be killed no matter how far away they are!"

"What a pity." Cao Cao shook his head again and said, "It's just wishful thinking."

"Last year, the Northern Xiongnu and Xianbei did not come south, but this year it may happen. Your Highness should take precautions early."

This is indeed a big problem.

It costs more to maintain one cavalryman than two infantrymen. Jin Mao can maintain 300,000 infantrymen, but he may not be able to maintain 100,000 cavalrymen.

Only cavalry is a powerful weapon to restrain foreign races. It just so happens that most of the cavalry under Jin Mao's command are foreign races. After so many years, the number of Han cavalry is still less than 10,000.

In addition, there are very few cavalry generals. Apart from Zhao Yun, only Zhang Liao can be used. The others are okay at leading mounted infantry, but not cavalry.

wrong!

Jin Mao looked at Cao Cao, he was really cunning. Among the generals under Cao Cao, there were some who were good at cavalry fighting, such as Xiahou Yuan.

But it is not so easy to enable it again.

"Meng De is right." Jin Mao said, "The Wuhuan in Youzhou are also restless. After their meritorious service this time, they dared to ask me for the title of general and the title of county marquis. How despicable!"

Cao Cao was puzzled and asked, "Why don't you kill them, Your Highness? They are not of our race, so their hearts must be different."

Jin Mao asked embarrassedly: "Isn't this a bit bad?"

Cao Cao was surprised and asked, "Your Highness, are you too kind to the foreigners?"

"I thought those were just legends, but they are all true!"

Jin Mao touched his nose and said, "When I started my army, many mountain people helped me. Now that I have become prosperous, I cannot bear to destroy my bridges after crossing them."

"Womanly kindness!" Cao Cao cursed in his heart, but Zuishang asked: "Your Highness, have you ever thought about what to do in the future?"

"A hundred years after you, if your descendants do not understand and conflicts arise, will you allow foreigners to slaughter the Han people?"

Jin Mao said worriedly: "This is my heart knot, does Meng De have a complete solution?"

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, looked into the distance with deep eyes, and said with murderous intent: "My perfect method is to kill them all!"

"How can that be done?" Jin Mao said, "In the affairs of the world, things that have been together for a long time will eventually separate, and things that have been separated for a long time will eventually come together. This is the cycle of nature. For alien races, simply appeasing them is not a long-term solution, but forceful suppression is not the best strategy either."

"If I strengthen border defense, train elite troops, ensure the stability of the border, foreigners will not dare to invade easily. At the same time, send envoys to establish diplomatic relations with neighboring ethnic groups, use trade and cultural exchanges as a bond to enhance understanding and reduce misunderstandings. This is called 'Hu and Han are one family, seeking common development'." "Secondly, select outstanding talents from all ethnic groups, regardless of their background, and entrust them with important tasks, so that they can feel the sincerity and trust of the court. This will not only weaken the separatist forces within the foreign ethnic groups, but also cultivate a group of loyal border defenders for the court. This is 'using barbarians to control barbarians, using both kindness and power'."

"Furthermore, we should promote education, set up schools in the border areas, teach Han culture and farming techniques, improve the living standards of ethnic minorities, and make them yearn for it and voluntarily naturalize. Cultural identity is the real way to long-term peace. This is 'cultural integration, unity of purpose'."

"Finally, whether Han or foreign, they are all Chinese people and should be treated equally and share peace. We should truly realize the world of great harmony where 'all people in the four seas are brothers'."

Jin Mao's words were powerful and demonstrated his foresight and insight, as well as his deep concern for the country's long-term stability.

Cao Cao sneered after hearing this and said, "The foreigners fear danger instead of virtue. Your Highness, just wait and see. Your method will definitely backfire!"

Jin Mao didn't understand and said, "But I have always done this, and there is no conflict, right?"

Cao Cao pointed out the key to the problem: "Your Highness, have you always recruited mountain people to join the army and led them with military merits?"

"If one day in the future, these mountain people have no more promotions and no more rewards, but are still very powerful, what will happen?"

Jin Mao looked at Cao Cao: "What will happen?"

Cao Cao sighed and said, "Qin fell because of its strength. Your Highness, have you never read history books?"

Cao Cao began to list that everything Jinmao did was imitating the powerful Qin Dynasty. It must have had miraculous effects in the early stages of its business, but there would definitely be problems after it stabilized.

Liu Bang encountered the same problem, killing his meritorious officials. Jin Mao didn't want to do this, but he couldn't find a solution to the problem.

The only thing to be thankful for is that if Jin Mao wants to take back the military power, he can do so immediately. These soldiers do not belong to any general, but only to him, and they only obey him!
"Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading."

Jin Mao raised his wine jar to toast Cao Cao, who asked curiously, "Your Highness, do you have a solution?"

"No." Jin Mao waved his hand and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. I am already very satisfied with what I have achieved today. I will solve future problems later."

"Qin Shi Huang was such a great man, he did so many things for future generations, but he still died."

"Why think so much?"

Cao Cao laughed when he heard this and said, "Your Highness is really open-minded!"

"Be open-minded or helpless, the world is like a new chess game. All we can do is to try our best and leave the rest to fate." Cao Cao stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "But your Highness is wrong. Although Qin Shihuang died, he unified the six kingdoms, standardized the writing system and the wheel gauge, and built the Great Wall to resist foreign aggression. Such achievements cannot be easily erased. What he left to future generations is not only the vast territory, but also the creation of systems and the enlightenment of thought."

"Meng De is right. I was just expressing my feelings for the moment." Jin Mao smiled and shook his head, changing the subject. "Speaking of which, in the current situation, although I have a large number of troops, I still need to be on guard and not take it lightly."

"Your Highness is right." Cao Cao nodded in agreement. "The military power is in our hands, so we should use it well. But the way to run an army is not only about the strength of the military, but also about the support of the people. If the soldiers are sincerely convinced, they will be united and invincible."

"That makes sense. Although I have been in charge of the army these years, I have not fully implemented these principles. I still need the help of talented people like Meng De." Jin Mao looked at Cao Cao sincerely, his eyes full of trust and expectation.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. As long as Your Highness trusts me, I, Cao Cao, will do my best to assist Your Highness and work together for great achievements." Cao Cao said in a firm tone, his eyes flashing with infinite longing for the future.

"Okay!" Jin Mao said happily, "I've been waiting for you to say this!"

"From today on, Meng De will serve as my advisor and assist me in important matters!"

Cao Cao was stunned. He thought he could be appointed as a general again. "Your Highness, what is the position of this staff member and how much is his salary?"

There are many positions that can be called staff positions, the highest rank is 1,000 stones, and the lowest is no rank at all.

"Meng De's family is wealthy, does he still need a salary?"

Jin Mao's first sentence made Cao Cao's heart skip a beat, and his next words made him feel cold from head to toe.

"My position as a staff member is an honorary position. I have no official title or salary. I am here to give me advice."

"Of course, Meng De doesn't have to worry about food, clothing, housing and transportation. I have a medical team under me, and the treatment is free..."

Cao Cao didn't hear a word of what was said afterwards. He thought Jin Mao was so easy to fool, but it turned out that he was waiting for him here.

What the hell is it that he can’t be an official and can only give advice, a counselor?
Not even a counselor!

Who the hell wants to be an unsung hero!

No matter what Cao Cao said, Jin Mao would not let him go. He also sent his personal soldiers from Shanyue to watch him in three shifts 24 hours a day. If Cao Cao dared to escape, he would be executed first and reported later.

Jin Maocai didn't care whether Cao Cao would give him advice in the future. Compared with the danger of running away, these were nothing.

Cao Cao didn't know how he left the Prince of Wu's Palace. When he returned to his temporary residence in Luoyang, his entire family surrounded him with concern.

"What's wrong, husband?"

Madam Bian was extremely anxious. She looked at the group of personal soldiers following behind Cao Cao and asked, "What happened? Why is Cao Gong like this?"

This team of personal soldiers was the Shanyue sent by Jin Mao to guard Cao Cao. They understood what Madam Bian said, but they would not answer.

Moreover, even when Cao Cao is having sex in the future, they have to watch from the side. Jin Mao's order is that Cao Cao cannot disappear from their sight for a moment!
Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang couldn't stand it anymore, and in a fit of rage he drew his sword and was ready to fight this team of personal soldiers. Cao Pi followed suit.

"Swish, swish, swish!" The shining horse-slaying sword stood at the gate of Cao's house. As Jin Mao's personal soldiers, these people were heartless and no one else's words could be used except Jin Mao's.

"stop!"

Cao Cao woke up as if from a dream, and hurriedly snatched the swords from his two sons' hands, and apologized to the captain of his personal guards: "My children are ignorant, captain, please don't blame me."

As soon as the captain opened his mouth, he spoke fluently and elegantly: "I am not yet a captain, so Lord Cao, there is no need to be polite. I will definitely do everything the master has instructed me to do, and I hope Lord Cao will cooperate with me."

Cao Cao straightened up from his bent position. At this time, he had understood what Jin Mao meant.

If I had known earlier, I should have died on the battlefield!

"Thank you, King Wu, for not killing me!"

Cao Cao loudly gave instructions to his family, as if he was making arrangements for his final affairs.

"Ang'er, you will be the master of this family from now on. You will have to take on the responsibility. I think that with His Royal Highness the King of Wu's generosity, he will not embarrass you."

"Pi'er..."

Cao Cao gave her instructions one by one. Madam Bian also noticed something was wrong and asked with tears in her eyes, "Is it not enough for my husband to surrender? The King of Wu is so stingy that he wants to kill you?"

"Shut up!" Cao Cao said sternly, "Your Highness the King of Wu is kind and loving to his people. He is not that kind of person!"

Cao Cao turned around, looked at the captain of his personal guards and said, "After I die, Your Highness, please treat my family well!"

After saying this, Cao Cao drew his sword and committed suicide, dying outside his own door.

(End of this chapter)