Chapter 463 Extra 8 (7)

When Zhao Yun said this, Cao Cao's eyelids twitched.

It was also His Majesty's intention to order Cao Ang to return to the capital. This did not mean that in order to ensure Cao Cao's safety, Cao Ang should accompany him as a bodyguard, or because the direction of Hanzhong had changed and he needed to turn back as soon as possible.

Since Cao Ang and Cao Hong participated in the battle to attack Tang Mao, under normal circumstances, they should naturally stay here for a while to ensure that these Qiang people would not make changes and surrender and then rebel!

It was obvious that they wanted to escort him back and punish him!

Did Cao Ang do something wrong?

As for the father-son relationship, he doesn't have it.

His rekindling of family happiness even greatly alleviated the regret of his old father in the other world for having lost his beloved son forever.

Because there was no Wancheng Incident in this world, Cao Ang did not die to protect his father, and he did not get into trouble because of the Yanzhou mutiny during the battle between the worlds. After becoming a subject of the new emperor, he lived safely and smoothly to this age.

Even though Cao Cao had never seen Cao Ang's offspring with his own eyes, seeing his son who had grown to be in his thirties and hearing from him about the birth and growth of his children was already a comfort.

But Cao Cao himself was the King of Wei, who was second only to the emperor. Judging from his own experience, he would have understood that Cao Ang's act of covering up, although seemingly trying to solve the problem without alerting others, was undoubtedly against the relationship between the ruler and his subjects!

This is not even a matter of whether the king is suspicious or not, but a necessary choice for those in power to rule the world.

As for whether the sentence will be severe or lenient, it all depends on Qiao Yan's attitude.

Faced with Zhao Yun and Zhang He's invitation to "invite" him and his son to return to the capital together, Cao Cao even wondered for a moment whether he should choose to hold the troops of Qinghai County hostage and establish his own regime in the western border, so as to avoid being liquidated after going to Chang'an.

But when this thought came to his mind, Cao Cao thought again, let alone how much resources there were in Qinghai County, he had other sons and daughters who were in Luoyang and Leping at the moment, so he could not make such a move and officially confirm the fact of rebellion.

What's more, the power of his advisers and generals in this world is far from comparable to that of himself in another world.

Instead of making a decision that will make you regret your whole life, it is better to think about what kind of apology Cao Ang can say to reduce his punishment as much as possible.

Just as he thought of this, he saw Zhao Yun handing him another envelope.

Zhao Yun said, "Your Majesty has another secret letter to deliver to General Cao."

Cao Cao took the letter, opened it, and saw five words written on it: "Guo Fengxiao is also here."

He suddenly sighed and said, "Please lead the way."

He is not from this place. To be able to witness the prosperity of this place after the storm is an experience that ordinary people rarely have. Why should he make any self-proclaimed grand plans and great achievements when in fact it is like hitting a rock with an egg.

Perhaps the trip to Chang'an can bring another gain.

The only one who was out of state was probably Cao Hong.

Apart from feeling that Cao Cao's leadership seemed stronger than before, and being a little confused on three or two issues that should have been considered common sense, he was clearly the same person otherwise.

Now that he heard that Cao Cao and Cao Ang were going to Chang'an together, he asked, "Why Chang'an? Your Majesty has moved the capital to Luoyang for several years. Could it be that the Western Frontier is still preparing for further war, so Your Majesty plans to command from Chang'an?"

Cao Cao: “…”

He now understood why Qiao Yan was so confident in allowing Cao Ang and Cao Hong to assist him in his work here.

Of these two guys, the former has grown into a calm and composed leader, but probably because of his nature he lacks some political sensitivity, and the latter is even less so.

Cao Cao replied: "Just assume that His Majesty is going to Chang'an to escape the summer heat."

This explanation sounds quite unreliable. Compared to rebuilding the Ganquan Palace of the Han Dynasty as a summer resort, Qiao Yan was obviously more willing to spend the money on building underground drainage projects in Luoyang and Chang'an.

But Cao Hong didn't think much about it and sent Cao Cao and Cao Ang on the road back to the secondary capital.

It was not until he set out on the road to Chang'an that Cao Cao realized how his identity had been exposed.

"It has been twenty-three years since Your Majesty and General Cao met. I heard that during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, General Cao once said that he would like to have a son like Qiao Yeshu. He was very impressed by Your Majesty's abilities, and in the past twenty years, he has never underestimated Your Majesty."

"Since the rise of female officials and their achievements, General Cao should be very clear whether they have ascended to high positions one after another because of your majesty's support or because of their previously hidden strengths. Therefore, the look in your eyes that day has completely betrayed you."

Jiang Tang rode on his horse and made this explanation to Cao Cao.

He was shocked and suddenly realized that even if he was just an official serving as a subordinate and translator under Qiao Yan, he should never treat him as a simple person.

"General Cao really shouldn't think that other people are not smart. Since Governor Cao is willing to be a good son, I can only be a bad guy because of your majesty's kindness. Moreover, General Cao is not the only one in this situation, so how can we not be more careful?"

Seeing Jiang Tang's gaze towards Cai Zhaoji, Cao Cao understood something.

It turns out there is another person with the same situation as him.

No wonder Jiang Tang became more alert to this abnormal situation.

Unfortunately, recognizing him and being able to send him back are two completely different things. Even Zhang Qiying, the Taoist priest who was pulled out by Qiao Yan as a cover, could not explain this kind of time-travel phenomenon, let alone Jiang Tang.

Cao Cao could not learn more from her. At most, he learned that when he passed through Liangzhou, the meals were filled with food that was sent here from overseas and was not convenient to use as military rations. He learned indirectly from Jiang Tang and Cao Ang that this was probably not a last meal for execution.

The instructions that Qiao Yan gave to Zhao Yun, allowing Cai Zhaoji and him to obtain more books to read along the way, also sent out other signals.

Cao Cao realized belatedly that Cai Zhaoji was able to memorize all of Cai Yong's hundreds of volumes of books after being exiled to the Xiongnu for more than ten years. Although such extraordinary memory may be related to her repeated recitation of them for many years, making the words in them instinctive, this ability is by no means comparable to ordinary people.

In this world where developments in all aspects are different from what he has experienced before, if Cai Zhaoji can remember more things, it will surely play an extraordinary role after everything returns to its original place!

This may be the opportunity provided by God to create a breakthrough in the chaotic situation of the three powers!

Cao Cao's mind raced, and he had put aside some of his previous worries.

If the previous concealment is handled properly, perhaps it will be possible to study here.

From what Cao Ang said about Dayong, it was not difficult for Cao Cao to guess that some special skills should still be in the hands of His Majesty Dayong, such as papermaking, printing, the proportion of gunpowder and the improvement of firearms.

What price would he have to pay to get these things?

Although the world he lives in is more than ten years later than the time here, the trajectory of history had already taken two turns at the end of the Guanghe period. How could there be any experience that could be used as an exchange?

While Cao Cao was thinking about these things, their carriage had already passed Hanyang and arrived at the Wei River Valley between Hanyang and Chang'an.

Between the two mountains in this valley, there are several artillery batteries set up on high ground, as well as some narrow iron pipes that Cao Cao had never seen before, and his purpose was unknown.

Even Cao Ang only knew that it was a weapon that His Majesty was testing.

There is no doubt that even if the Qiang people in Liangzhou were to rebel again as they did in the past, they would never have the opportunity to break into the Guanzhong territory.

"Why would General Cao think so?" Hearing his sigh, Jiang Tang said, "What the Qiang people want is not to be treated like slaves, not to be treated as sacrifices that can be abandoned at any time, but to be treated fairly by the emperor like the Chinese people, to have the opportunity to serve as officials, and from now on they don't have to gather in the Huangzhong Valley in thousands of people, just to get through the winter together for warmth."

"Your Majesty has given us a way to survive, and has included the Qiang people and the people of Liangzhou who once disobeyed the Han Dynasty into the trade system. He has also used the Central Plains' demeanor to intimidate all directions. Why would we rebel?"

"When the Han Dynasty was at its peak, there was a saying that one Han could defeat five barbarians. However, once the Central Plains changed, the Qiang and Hu still wanted to launch internal invasions in order to make a living. But now, what Your Majesty can give us is far better than what we have plundered. Your Majesty's majesty is far greater than that of the Han Dynasty in the past. We also know clearly that if any party makes an inappropriate move, the others will be ready to take their place at any time."

She pointed to the top of the mountain and said, "Are we afraid of the cannons and the spears being tested? No, we are afraid of the rules that have been established by His Majesty, and returning to the even more unbearable situation we once were."

"If they were really afraid of force, how could the thirty-six nations in the Western Regions be willing to be completely naturalized and become your Majesty's vassal?"

The two-pronged approach of using barbarians to control barbarians and enriching the country and strengthening the military is the real way to stabilize the border areas.

Cao Cao couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

In his world, in the ninth year of Jian'an, Gao Gan surrendered with Bingzhou. However, just two years later, Gao Gan joined forces with the Xianbei and Xiongnu in the north to rebel. Although Zhong Yao and Zhang Ji defended Chang'an, this was also an unexpected battle.

In the 12th year of Jian'an, in order to wipe out the remaining forces of the Yuan family and to resolve the issue of the Wuhuan, Cao Cao chose to personally lead an expedition to Liaodong.

However, it was only ten years later, in the 22nd and 23rd years of Jian'an, that the Wuhuan people once again stirred up trouble in Liaodong.

In the 13th year of Jian'an, Ma Chao was appointed as a general by Cao Cao and stationed in Liangzhou. Three years later, in the 16th year of Jian'an, Ma Chao led the Qiang people in Liangzhou to rebel. If Zhang Ji had not recruited refugees as the Jingzhao Yin and then lured the Di people to move north with benefits, there would have been a great chaos in Liangzhou.

If the rebellions of these parties were to be dealt with according to Dayong's method and made to check and balance each other, would it not be much better than the current situation where there is a hammer here and a stick there?

Although every time a rebellion was suppressed, it was because the military strength of the Central Plains was far superior to those of the barbarians, and there is no need to say much about its efficiency, but any expenditure on military equipment is considered a burden during such difficult times.

He underestimated the potential of the Qiang and Hu peoples, and lacked the vision to see the world as one.

But it seems not too late to realize this now!

At the same time, the carriage heading to Chang'an to meet the emperor had already crossed most of the Guanzhong Plain and approached the city of Chang'an while he was thinking about his attitude towards the northern tribes.

Nearly ten years have passed since the king of the Kushan Empire came here to pay homage.

In the past ten years, even though the capital was moved to Luoyang and the imperial court was relocated, taking away a considerable portion of the industries in the Jinshi and Mashi markets, the fertile land in Guanzhong still flourished, and a population of one million gathered here.

More than ten years of rest and recuperation without war, as well as the existence of institutions such as the Academy of Painting and the Medical College, have made this place look more like a cultural center than Luoyang, which is a political and commercial center.

Before, when he was in Qinghai County and Liangzhou, Cao Cao could only vaguely glimpse the vision of Dayong from the development of various technologies. Now he truly felt this shocking strength.

After all, when he left the world he was in, he happened to be in Chang'an.

Of these two Chang'ans, one was only a temporary command base for the war against Hanzhong. It had been largely abandoned due to the rebellion of Li Jue and Guo Si and the Han Emperor's relocation of the capital to Xuchang. It only began to regain its prosperity after tens of thousands of military and civilians from Hanzhong were moved to Chang'an and Sanfu.

another……

The other one, however, doesn't seem to be suitable to be described as a secondary capital at all.

It is a world-famous capital city that truly deserves the name of its heyday!

The moment the newly renovated Chang'an Palace opened its doors to him, Cao Cao could not help but temporarily put aside all his complicated thoughts and focused all his attention on the meeting with Qiao Yan.

The moment he walked through the palace gate, he saw a map hanging in the hall. On the vast territory of Dayong, the states and territories that he, Sun Quan and Liu Bei could control were marked with three colors.

His Majesty the Great Yong stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the map in front of him. Although he did not turn around, he exuded the heavy bearing of an emperor who had been in a high position for a long time.

Hearing the sound of the door closing behind him, Qiao Yan said slowly, "Sorry for waiting for you. Please take a seat."

The author has something to say:

End this extra episode tonight.