Chapter 1684 Lost


    Now is the most critical time for Cao Cao. In other words, since Cao Cao embarked on the road of fighting for hegemony, any moment is the most critical. He cannot relax for a moment. It started from the time when he defeated Yuan Shu and ended with the defeat of Yuan Shao. .


    A few days ago, Cao Cao sent an edict in the name of Emperor Liu Xie to Fei Qian in Guanzhong through the Shangshutai, expressing his praise and expectations for Fei Qian''s preparations to regain the Western Regions, and then brought it back from Fei Qian. After reading the reply form, I finally felt a little relieved.


    ?According to the information transmitted from Yecheng, Yuan Shao is too ill to stay. This is Cao Cao''s best opportunity...


    All government affairs and military affairs are beginning to revolve around this upcoming focus.


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    From one place to another, meeting one group of people and another group of people, Cao Cao is extremely busy every day, especially now because in the battle with Yuan Shao, he unexpectedly gained the upper hand, and some people made mistakes before The gentry children who placed bets also hurriedly began to change the direction of their bets, and these people would also provide some materials and manpower that Cao Cao needed. Therefore, Cao Cao also wanted to meet and express his attitude, otherwise these gentry children would Don''t worry at all...


    Of course, some still have reservations, but these nobles no longer look down on Cao Cao as they did before. They no longer dare to scream about Cao Cao. After seeing him, they all treat Cao Sikong, respectful and humble. It''s incredible. As for what''s going on behind the scenes, no one knows.


    From the beginning of Chen Liu, to Jujuba, and now, Cao Cao has been fighting and climbing all the way without knowing it. Some of the comrades who fought side by side have fallen, and some have died. The higher up, it seems that the people standing in the same place are different. It is becoming more and more rare. In the past, although the mansion was not big, the brothers from the clan who came and went drank and chatted happily. But now that the mansion is bigger, it seems to be more and more deserted, and the noise of the past seems to have dissipated in the wind.


    Is this a good thing or a bad thing?


    ?Cao Cao sat in a canopy car and walked slowly along the street. Pedestrians hurriedly moved aside and bowed solemnly to show respect. The street suddenly became quiet, except for the sounds of some children playing and shouting excitedly in the alley.


    Cao Cao turned his head slightly and looked around, and saw several children gathering together in the middle of the alley, carrying wooden swords and bamboo horses to each other. They seemed to be simulating the game of battle formation, waving, colliding, and arguing, playing with concentration. He didn''t even notice any movement in Daochang Street.


    The sound of cars is humming, moving forward. His sight was blocked by the building, and Cao Cao silently withdrew his gaze, his face remained unchanged, and it seemed that he didn''t even move an eyebrow.


    Once upon a time, the friends who wielded wooden swords and bamboo horses with Cao Cao have now become life-and-death enemies. And among the children playing together in the alley now, how many of them will glare at each other in the future and want to have fun with each other?


    When he arrived at the government office, Cao Cao endured a slight headache after a busy day and walked to the backyard. He turned left as usual to go to the study room, but he heard the maid beside him reporting in a low voice: "Qi Sikong... Madam, please..."


    “Oh?” Cao Cao was stunned for a moment.


    Mrs., is naturally Mrs. Ding. The rest can only be regarded as Madam at best. Even if they are addressed as Madam, they still add a surname. The only one who calls Madam directly is Madam Ding.


    For this period of time, Mrs. Ding has been in a relatively autistic state. Cao Cao comforted her once or twice, but seeing that Mrs. Ding turned a deaf ear, she stopped spending time on this matter. Things were so busy every day, so I just stayed in the study room.


    ??We actually invited you today?


    Cao Cao was a little surprised, so he nodded and said, "Lead the way!"


    The maid hurriedly moved forward, but she felt uneasy in her heart, because Mrs. Ding''s tone before was not good, nor did she use the word "please", but... The maid did not dare to continue thinking, lowered her head, like a Like shrimps, they bend down to lead the way.


    Turning around the corridor, Cao Cao could not help but feel relieved when he saw that Mrs. Ding, who was sitting in the hall, was no longer as unkempt and disheveled as before.


    To be honest, Cao Cao was also sad about Cao Ang''s death, but as the leader of a political group, Cao Cao could not let his grief override his reason. The massacre of Xuzhou back then was partly because Cao Cao wanted to vent his anger, but partly because Xuzhou was considered the enemy''s territory. To weaken the other party was to strengthen oneself. Even so, when the situation worsened, it was difficult to put down the butcher''s knife. When the incident happened, Cao Cao immediately asked his brothers to stop the continued massacre, and claimed that those with lax military discipline had faked Cao''s name...


    Cao Ang''s death naturally needs to be investigated, but large-scale massacres and exterminations can never be carried out on his own territory. Therefore, after Cao Cao killed the men of the relevant families involved and distributed their wives and daughters, it was considered This matter has been brought to an end for the time being and has not been expanded.


    Otherwise, in their own territory, they would kill this one every day and that one tomorrow, and all the gentry and people would flee. How could we evaluate Hebei and put things in order?


    It''s just that Cao Cao has his own considerations, and so does Mrs. Ding.


    "Madam...ah haha..." Cao Cao just said haha. He originally wanted to say something about the nice weather, but suddenly he felt that things were not exactly what he imagined, and the atmosphere did not seem to be good. Then he stopped talking.


    “Sit down.” Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao without any expression of invitation and said.


    Sometimes there is something strange about the relationship between men and women. Before getting married, whether they are acquainted or in love, the woman will often not look directly at the man for too long. Even if she does look at him, she will always lower her head after a while and show a certain attitude. I don’t care if it’s a shy look or not, but basically most men stare at each other, and very few women do this.


    But after getting married, the situation is reversed. Especially for old couples, women often stare at each other because of something, while men''s eyes wander, which is completely different from before marriage.


    The same is true for Cao Cao and Madam Ding.


    Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao. Cao Cao sat for a moment, his eyes flickering, and he felt very uncomfortable, so he frowned and prepared to leave. "What can I do, madam? I still have unfinished government affairs, if..."


    “What day is today?” Mrs. Ding asked, “Do you still remember?”


    Cao Cao’s heart suddenly felt numb (╯#-_-)╯╧═╧


    In the Han Dynasty, there were really no Du Niang or Brother Gou who could provide some reference answers to help Cao Cao answer such questions, so Cao Cao remained silent and speechless. There is a certain limit to human energy and attention. It is impossible to be like a computer that can search all the information by inputting a keyword. It is also impossible for Cao Cao to keep a booklet with him to mark these days, let alone Cao Cao. At this stage, all the energy is focused on the next military operation. If you ask Cao Cao about the current situation of his troops, what are the food and salary reserves and gaps, etc., Cao Cao will definitely know...


    The problem is that Mrs. Ding is not interested in military and government affairs, so she doesn''t care about these.


    “…” Mrs. Ding was silent for a moment and said, “Today is Ang’er’s birthday…”


    Cao Cao’s mouth twitched and he was speechless. I don’t even remember my own birthday, so how can I remember other people’s birthdays? In addition, the Cao Ang matter has come to an end at this stage, and it is not suitable to continue to expand and involve it indefinitely. It is like that some people heard that the assassins were shouting revenge for the emperor, but it was really Liu Xie Instigated?


    "Ang''er..." Cao Cao was silent for a moment and said in a deep voice, "This matter has been settled...there is no need to mention it again..." Cao Cao is a straight man, but he never speaks sweet words, so he is quite straightforward when facing Mrs. Ding. In the game, the process can be paused to allow players to weigh their dialogue choices, but in reality, once words are spoken, they often cannot be taken back.


    Mrs. Ding sneered: "Is this matter settled? Haha... Is this matter settled?"


    Cao Cao frowned and stood up to go: "Someone still has government affairs to deal with..."


    “What government affairs?!” Mrs. Ding’s voice became sharp. “Does government affairs push each of the children to death? Ang’er is dead! Dead! Are we going to force Yin’er to die too now?!”


    ??Cao Cao stopped and lowered his voice: "Who said that?!"


    "Haha!" Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao, "The Liu family is this son and daughter! I regard them as my own children! Now... now..." Mrs. Ding screamed, "It''s not enough for you to kill Ang''er. You want to send Yin''er to that **** place too! What on earth do you want to do?"


    Rationality and sensibility are always a pair of people who love and kill each other. No one can say that they can maintain extraordinary sensibility when they are absolutely rational. If Mrs. Ding is rational, she can support Cao Cao''s decision, because it is not for one person. It is a matter of a group of people or a political group. In such a political group, after all, some people will sacrifice and some will benefit, but it is impossible to let one person sacrifice forever, nor can one party always benefit. There must be balance and compromise, but the problem is that Mrs. Ding does not want it at the moment Balance and don''t compromise, she hopes that Cao Cao can take back his fate and prevent the eldest daughter from entering the palace to become an exchange between power and interests.


    Mrs. Ding can understand, but understanding does not mean that she can accept it. Just like everyone knows that birth, old age, illness and death are normal in life, but when it really comes, how many can say that they accept it calmly?


    "Let Yin''er go..." Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao expectantly, "There are other ways, and there are other people, right?"


    But the problem is that Cao Cao''s eldest daughter is of a suitable age, but the rest are too young. He can''t let Liu Xie marry a three-year-old, right? And if such an opportunity is given to other people, let alone whether others dare or not, can Cao Cao himself be relieved and can he play a corresponding role?


    The Cao family and the Xiahou family are brothers, right?


    They are brothers, but how many brothers turn against each other for power? Isn’t that what the Yuan brothers are like? Theoretically, it is indeed possible to allow the daughters of important figures in the Cao family and the Xiahou family to enter the palace, and to a certain extent, they can represent the Cao family and the Xiahou family, but who can guarantee that no changes will occur in the future?


    So only by sacrificing the eldest daughter Cao Yin, only in this way can Cao Cao''s own power be ensured.


    Cao Cao was silent, then turned his head to the side.


    "Cao A''ao!" Mrs. Ding said angrily, "Ms. Liu held my hand before she died! Leave it to me! I agreed! I agreed! But now...now..."


    "Ang''er is dead...for your **** cause! We can''t mourn!" Mrs. Ding shouted, "But I''ve been watching every day! Seeing Ang''er''s body rotting bit by bit! It stinks! It''s infested with insects! I I tried my best to wipe it and grab it... but still... there was still nothing I could do... In the end, I couldn''t touch it, and it would fall off in pieces as soon as I touched it..."


    Mrs. Ding was wailing, but her tears had dried up. She patted her thin chest hard and made a hollow sound, "Cao Amo! Do you know that my heart seems to be rotten like Ang''er?" ! It’s gnawing at me every day! It hurts! It hurts...”


    "Madam..." Cao Cao looked up at the sky, "Stop talking..."


    "Don''t call me madam!" Mrs. Ding stood up unsteadily, "I don''t deserve to be your wife! I failed Mrs. Liu, I failed Anger Yin''er... You don''t deserve to be my husband either! You failed Liu Shi, you also betrayed me...you, you are not the one I know, the Cao Lang I married..."


    "You''re not! You''re not..." Mrs. Ding gritted her teeth and roared, rushing out of the door, "My Cao Lang is dead, already dead..."


    "Madam!" Cao Cao stepped forward and pulled, but Madam Ding struggled like crazy. She not only scratched and kicked her with her hands, but even opened her mouth to bite her. Cao Cao subconsciously shrank back and let go of his hand.


    “Ho ho…”


    Mrs. Ding stared at Cao Cao, then turned away after a moment, staggering out, her steps a little shaky, and she fell down in the courtyard with a "thud", covered in mud, and then crawled back laughing and crying. He got up and headed outside.


    ??Several maids bravely stepped forward to help them, but they were chased away by Madam Ding, who scratched and scratched her. Then Madam Ding just walked out, shaking and tossing...


    "..." Cao Cao felt the veins on his head jumping all the time. The pain made him irritated and made him angry. "Let her go! Leave her alone!"


    ?Perhaps once the emotions are expressed, things will get better after a while.


    ?Perhaps…


    (End of this chapter)