Yuan Xi naturally knew who Lu Bu was talking about. He thought to himself that Lu Bu had changed his character. What kind of blow had he suffered?
Seeing Yuan Xi's suspicious look, Lu Bu said slowly: "Over the past few months, I have found that you can protect her better than I can."
"My current situation is actually more difficult than before, because I have found more enemies."
"So I want to keep her away from Huaicheng."
"After much thought, you are the most capable and qualified."
Yuan Xi suddenly felt a little guilty. If Lu Bu knew that Lu Lingqi followed him to go to the battlefield, would he regret it?
He discovered that Lu Bu actually had a side that was unknown to others. In the past, Yuan Xi would never have thought that Lu Bu would consider his family so much.
It seems that even though the other party is notorious in the world, he also has a kind side.
Moreover, Lu Bu was not as ignorant as he had expected. He could keenly sense that the situation was not good. It seemed that people who had been on the battlefield were always more sensitive than ordinary people.
Yuan Xi thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back and find a way to open up the Black Mountain Passage."
"If something unexpected happens, Marquis Wen can take advantage of the complex terrain of Black Mountain and take the emperor north to escape to Bingzhou. Then I will be able to meet Marquis Wen in Youzhou."
Lu Bu listened, nodded, and said, "I understand."
He then laughed at himself and said, "A few years ago, everyone looked down on Youzhou. Now that I think about it, it has become a safe haven away from the disputes in the Central Plains."
"I leave my daughter to you."
"If you fail my trust."
Yuan Xi quickly expressed his opinion: "If I fail to live up to Marquis Wen's trust, I will be torn to pieces and die a violent death."
After hearing this, Lu Bu sighed deeply and remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, he said angrily, "You are a cunning boy. I am afraid you have already calculated the situation today. The dowry jewelry I gave me ended up in your hands."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It's inconvenient to carry those things. I have trade routes in Youzhou, so I don't need them. I can keep them for Marquis Wen to sell for money and recruit soldiers."
Lu Bu was stunned: "Then what do you want me to bring as a dowry? I can't let Ling'er marry empty-handed, right?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I want to ask Wen Hou for someone."
"who?"
"Gao Shun."
After hearing this, Lu Bu's face darkened, "Do you still want to trap the camp?"
"That's a good plan!"
Yuan Xi explained: "No, I only want Gao Shun."
"Now that Marquis Wen has stripped him of his military power, I'm afraid there has been a rift between the two sides. Why don't I use my power as the head of a government office to find him an official position?"
"Besides, he has the talent to train soldiers. If he trains soldiers later, although they may not be as strong as the Xianzhen Camp, they should be enough to protect Lady Wenhou."
"As for the Xianzhen Camp, leave it to Wen Hou as his private army. Youzhou has no shortage of soldiers and can train them at any time."
Lu Bu found that Yuan Xi's words did make some sense, but he didn't know that to Yuan Xi, Gao Shun himself was much more important than the entire Xianzhen Camp!
As the saying goes, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Now that I have Gao Shun, combined with the training methods left by Qu Yi, am I afraid that I won't be able to train another trap camp?
Lu Bu has been persuaded by Yuan Xi. He didn't pay much attention to infantry. He thought that instead of being suspicious and guarding against Gao Shun, it would be better to let him work under Yuan Xi?
Besides, with Gao Shun protecting Lu Lingqi, he felt more at ease. Thinking of this, he said, "I can't control whether he is willing to go or not. It's up to you to decide."
Yuan Xi was delighted. As long as Lu Bu could talk more easily, the matter would be almost settled. As long as Gao Shun was not stupid, he would naturally understand that he had no future under Lu Bu.
Gao Shun was definitely not a person without desires, otherwise how could he leave the Gao family?
Yuan Xi almost wanted to say that it would be better if Zhang Liao came along, but after thinking about it, he swallowed the words back. Zhang Liao is now Lu Bu's most trusted subordinate. If he leaves, Lu Bu will be left alone. Who will be able to help him, his father-in-law, then?
He smiled and said, "I will not let Wen Hou suffer any loss. The Yuan family has many connections among the nobles. When I arrive in Yecheng, I will persuade the nobles to join Wen Hou and give him advice."
After hearing this, Lu Bu was very satisfied. Yuan Xi knew that Lu Bu was in urgent need of counselors. It was difficult for him to fight against Cao Cao with only Chen Gong. If he could recruit a few good counselors, it would surely be much easier.
Inside Cao Cao's mansion, Cao Cao sat at the top, with Cao Ang and Cao Anmin standing beside him, and Xun You at the bottom.
Now, of Cao Cao's generals in Huaicheng, only Cao Ren and Le Jin are left. Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan and others have already led their troops out of the city and are either stationed in Sili or returning to Yanzhou.
Since Cao Cao had no plans to attack Lu Bu in the short term, it would be a waste to keep several generals in Huaicheng, so he sent them back to make arrangements in advance.
Xun You frowned and said, "You still underestimated the fierce tiger."
"Under such circumstances, he was able to persuade the emperor to issue an edict to mediate the Chenliu incident, doing a favor for Brother Zhang Miao. Moreover, if Brother Zhang Miao were to serve as an official in the court, he would definitely oppose you, my Lord."
Cao Cao didn't care. "It doesn't matter. Bugs gather together, they are still bugs. If they want to cause trouble, we can catch them all in one fell swoop."
"If we can capture Chenliu without bloodshed, it will be very beneficial for us to preserve our strength, so the emperor's mediation is exactly what I want."
"We have more urgent things to do now. The right thing to do is to expand our territory and strength as quickly as possible."
Xun You heard this and praised: "Your Excellency's courage and spirit are unmatched in the world!"
"But that fierce tiger actually persuaded the emperor to befriend Sun Ce. How come this idea doesn't coincide with ours?"
Cao Cao's face darkened after hearing this. "Only a few of my most trusted advisers know about this matter, including you."
"I don't believe they would betray me."
"It only shows that this fierce tiger has a unique vision. It is hard for me to imagine that he can achieve such a level with only two counselors, Ju Shou and Guo Jia!"
Xun You was also somewhat indignant. He thought that he was as good as any other strategist of the time in terms of strategies, but several of his strategies were overtaken by the other party, which made him feel quite embarrassed.
Fortunately, most of Cao's goals have been achieved this time. As the Inspector of Sili, Cao Cao has the power to use troops in Sili. Now that Chenliu is pacified, the hidden dangers along the Yanzhou-Sili route will completely disappear. It can be used for attack or defense, and it will become a solid line of defense. At the same time, it can also seize the opportunity to spy on Jingzhou and Yuzhou in the south!
Xun You felt that the situation in the world was changing at an accelerated pace, as if an invisible giant hand was pushing the situation forward, causing it to change every day. If one was not always alert and attentive, one would easily miss good opportunities.
He fell into deep thought. Next, he had to suppress Lu Bu, befriend Sun Ce, secretly collude with the Black Mountain Army, weaken Yuan Shu, and paralyze Yuan Shao. These things were complicated, but what Xun You was most worried about was the fierce tiger of the Yuan family whose power was not obvious.
He vaguely felt that he still didn't see through this person!
Cao Cao and Xun You talked until late at night before they finally settled everything.
After he sent Xun You away, he felt quite relaxed. He saw that all forces were working together to welcome the emperor. However, in Cao Cao's view, Lu Bu was brainless, Dong Cheng was discouraged, and the Baibo Army was in decline. None of them were his opponents.
He also promoted Lu Bu to the high position of general, making him the target of public criticism. Apart from anything else, Yuan Shao would definitely be dissatisfied. By then, let alone the two sides joining forces, it would be good if they didn't fall out!
The only uncertain factor is the fierce tiger of the Yuan family. His visit to Yecheng may persuade Yuan Shao, and he may also bring Lu Bu and the Yuan family together through marriage. Although there are hidden dangers, they may not erupt in a short period of time.
But Cao Cao felt that Yuan Xi's acceptance of the title from the Han court was actually a bad move, because in his opinion, the governor of Xuzhou was a poisoned bait, and Yuan Shao might not accept this arrangement.
Therefore, there will definitely be someone within the Yuan family who will take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, especially Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, who will not be willing to accept this. By the time Jizhou falls into internal strife, I will take the opportunity to make my own plans!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little proud, and turned to Cao Ang and asked, "Are there any beauties in the city?"
Khan Cao Ang knew that Cao Cao's old habit had come back. When he was not at war, he could only enjoy himself with women. This time, he had been fighting for several months, and he must have been feeling very depressed. He wished he could at least settle down, so he immediately became interested!
But Cao Ang was honest and had never inquired about these things in the city, so he stammered, "I don't know."
Cao Cao snorted coldly, "You haven't learned any serious skills from me, do you really want me to ask about this kind of thing in person?"
Seeing this, Cao Anmin hurriedly said, "Most of the people in this city are the families of nobles and generals. There are not many prostitutes. Even if there are, I'm afraid their looks are not very good."
"But I did hear something."
"Wei Xu rebelled in the city earlier, but was defeated by Xiong Hu and imprisoned."
"Logically, Lu Bu should have killed him, but Wei Xu was from his mother's clan, and the two sides had a close relationship, so he was detained."
"I heard that his wife is quite beautiful and has been working hard to save Wei Xu's life recently."
Cao Cao heard this and laughed, "She is a woman with feelings and intentions!"
"I'd like to see him!"
"Go call her over and tell her I can help her!"
When Cao Ang saw Cao Anmin taking the order and leaving, he was quite speechless. He thought that if his mother knew, she would probably scold his father again.
The next morning, everyone was busy. Yuan Xi went to find Gao Shun, Qiao Rui went to meet the emperor, and in Lu Bu's mansion, Yan was crying and packing the dowry for Lu Lingqi.
Her eyes were red and she shouted, "Your heartless father is pushing you into the fire pit."
Lu Lingqi was helpless, "Mom, what are you talking about? I'll marry in Youzhou, isn't it close to our hometown Bingzhou? Then you can come to see me."
Yan was so angry that she hit Lu Lingqi on the shoulder, "You are such a heartless person, it's easy for you to say that. Who knows how many years it will be before we meet again!"
"Besides, no matter how high your status is, it is not as good as the legal wife. Although your father went to the emperor to ask for a title for you so that you would not be bullied, you are a straightforward child. How can you fight against those women from aristocratic families?"
"No matter how I think about it, I can't rest assured!"
Lu Lingqi thought to herself, I don't care, I was going to go out to fight with them, but I can't let my mother know about this, otherwise she will be even more devastated.
Yan cried for a while, then threw the handkerchief in her hand fiercely, "Your father wanted me to go to Youzhou with you, and I got angry at that time. Don't think I don't know what he was thinking!"
"Qin Yilu married someone else as soon as he left his first wife. Your father still wants to get rid of me? No way!"
"I'm going to keep a close eye on him. He can take a concubine, but if he dares to marry a woman from an aristocratic family, I'll never forgive him!"
Lu Lingqi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but thinking about leaving her parents behind, she felt mixed emotions. She was full of anticipation and curiosity about the new life in the outside world, but also reluctance and sadness to leave home.