No one will deny that horse armor is one of the important strategic materials. Its role is no less than that of naval ships and fire bombs for siege. For the Wei State, which has always had the advantage of cavalry, whether there is horse armor is directly related to

Is there any advantage in the confrontation with Shu Han?

Zhang He paid a heavy price and severely damaged Wei Ba's cavalry. Although he did not receive much praise in the court, everyone with a discerning eye knew that this battle was worth it, at least it interrupted Wei Ba's attack momentum. Without the cavalry, even if

There is no use for horse armor. In the plains, the advantage of cavalry is still in the hands of the Wei army, as evidenced by Wei Ba's forced withdrawal from the Eastern Front battlefield.

In fact, many people knew psychologically that if Sima Yi had followed up in time, this would have been an excellent opportunity to kill Wei Ba. It was far from as simple as injuring him severely. If Wei Ba could be killed, it would not only eliminate the enemy on the Eastern Front battlefield.

Hidden dangers can also greatly improve the morale of the Wei army, and there may be a chance to counterattack.

The reason why I don't say it is just because the matter has reached this point and there is no point in talking about it. But not saying it doesn't mean that everyone is unclear.

After Wei Ba was forced to withdraw from the Eastern Front battlefield in the name of keeping filial piety, the situation between the two countries temporarily eased, and negotiations began. It seemed that both sides were unable to fight anymore and were interested in making peace. But everyone knew that the negotiations were just a cover.

Both sides want to take a breath, and when they calm down, they will engage in a more brutal fight. And a lot of preparations are about to begin now.

The appearance of the horse armor in Cao Hong's hands cannot but be said to be an accident. Thinking about it carefully, it was unexpected.

We could sell fire bombs back then, why can't we sell horse armor now? Wei Ba has withdrawn from the battlefield anyway. Selling horse armor can not only make money, but also lend the enemy's hands a fatal blow to political opponents. In order to win in the court, on the battlefield

Collaboration with the enemy is not uncommon, let alone selling point equipment.

"Fifty? Five hundred?"

"It's only fifty now. After the business is done, five hundred is not impossible." Cao Hong said with a smile: "But, you know, this thing... is very strictly controlled, so... it is very expensive."

"How expensive is it?"

"A set of twenty gold." Cao Hong added: "Including a set of cavalry armor of the same quality."

"It's not expensive." Although Xiahou Mao is not good at fighting, he still has this vision. He immediately realized the role of fifty sets of armor. Fifty sets of armor are definitely not enough to equip an army. Equipping the general's personal cavalry can be used at critical moments.

It is more than enough for charging into the formation. Good steel should be used on the blade. Equipped with fifty sets of high-quality armor, the elite cavalry rushes to the front. It is like equipping a spear with the sharpest spearhead. Its lethality is greatly enhanced.

.

The price is a bit pricey. Fifty sets are worth a thousand gold.

Xiahou Mao pondered. He must not be able to use it himself. Xiahou Ba is the most suitable buyer, but Xiahou Ba may not be able to come up with so much money at once. Although they are not a family, the Xiahou family is connected after all.

Cao Hong came to him because he probably wanted them to eat the fifty sets of horse armor together.

"Uncle, this is a good thing and worth the price, but..." Xia Houmao stretched out his voice and looked at Cao Hong: "Can I pay in installments?"

Cao Hong grinned and shook his head firmly.

Xia Houmao was very hesitant. It was not that he couldn't come up with this thousand gold. He had made some money from doing business over the years. But after taking it out, his working capital would be reduced. If he had anything to do in the future, he would be tight on money.

"Do you know why it's so cheap?" Cao Hong shook his body and asked triumphantly.

"Why?"

"This is a pebble, a pebble for asking directions."

"A pebble asking for directions?" Xiahou Mao was even more confused: "Who wants to ask for directions?"

Cao Hong leaned over and whispered in Xiahou Mao's ear. Xiahou Mao's eyes suddenly widened: "Is it him?"

"Yeah." Cao Hong nodded: "I know you can't come up with so much money, but someone can. Ask Qinghe to find a chance to ask and see if it's possible. This is a great achievement, don't blame me.

I didn’t take care of you. When things come to pass, you will know what to do.”

Xia Houmao was overjoyed. He stood up and bowed repeatedly: "Uncle, if this is really going to happen, I will guarantee you eternal wealth."

"I have been rich and prosperous for too long. I hope they won't always worry about my money." Cao Hong sighed: "To be honest, I am very nervous now. Who knows what day it will change again."

Xia Houmao nodded repeatedly, turned around and left in a hurry without talking to Cao Hong anymore.

Two days later, Xiahou Mao knelt in front of Cao Rui.

After the Battle of Pengcheng, although the negotiations did not go smoothly, they finally started. The weather gradually warmed up, and Cao Rui's condition improved somewhat. Although his face was still a little pale, his energy was still good.

After listening to Xiahou Mao's words, he was silent for a long time. The news sounded too weird. He was not as excited as Xiahou Mao, but more alert. He touched his thin and sunken cheek, thought for a long time, and finally spoke slowly

He said: "The horse armor can be accepted, but this matter cannot be rushed. If it is true, of course it is a good thing, but if it is a trick, we will suffer great losses."

"Your Majesty, you are wise." Xiahou Mao breathed a sigh of relief. He only wanted to pass on the message. Whether it works or not is the emperor's business. The emperor agreed to take the horse armor, and he would get the benefits.

Seeing Xiahou Mao's useless look, Cao Rui secretly sighed, how could the late emperor like such a waste who failed to accomplish anything but failed more than once.

Xia Houmao withdrew, and Cao Rui sat in the hall for a long time, his eyes shining at times and full of doubts at other times.

…

In Guanzhong, Li Yan was pacing back and forth in his study with his hands behind his back. He walked fast and hastily, and his steps were windy.

He received two pieces of news, both of which were related to Wei Ba and him.

The first news: Wei Ba moved the Wei family's ironworks from Xiangyang. I don't know where they moved it, but it was no longer in Xiangyang. He had already paid Wei Ba a huge amount of money for five thousand sets of horse armor, but one set of horse armor was not enough.

I didn’t see it, it’s better now, even Tie Zuo is gone. What does Wei Ba want to do? Does he want to take the money and abscond, or does he want to use my money to recuperate?

Knowing that this was impossible, Li Yan was still very uneasy. This was a huge sum of money that was terrifying, more than the money Zhuge Liang owed Wei Ba. Those 40,000 gold had already dragged Zhuge Liang to pieces. If Zhuge Liang knew about this,

The matter was brought to his head, and he could not bear the loss.

The second news: Wei Ba, in the name of summoning the soul of his late father, summoned the important leaders of Tianshi Dao districts to gather in Xiangguan, saying they were talking about mysteries and Taoism, but who knows what they were talking about. The headquarters of Tianshi Dao is in Yizhou.

Except for Guanzhongzhi and Luoyang, 90% of the people are around Chengdu. Wei Ba recruited these people to Xiangguan, probably because he wanted to use their eyes and ears to influence the people of Yizhou - Yizhou Xin

There are many people in the Celestial Master Dao, whether they are wealthy and wealthy aristocratic families or ordinary people who have nothing to eat.

In the case of defeat on the battlefield, Li Yan may turn to seek support from the people, but understanding does not mean he can accept it, especially when it comes to Zhongzhi. In Li Yan's heart, Guanzhong is already his territory.

, Wei Ba is poaching his corner by doing this.

Is it tolerable or not?

Li Yan was about to go berserk.

There was a rush of footsteps outside the door, and Fa Miao walked in, bowing and saluting.

"General."

"Bo Yuan." Li Yan's face softened the moment he turned around. Although he still couldn't see the smile, it was no longer so fierce. "How is your health recently? Have you ever visited the Celestial Master Taoist priests?

have a look?"

Fa Miao smiled. He knew exactly what Li Yan wanted to ask. "The general doesn't know something. The priests from Tianshi Dao went to Yiyang to summon the souls of General Zhendong and the fallen soldiers, and now they went to Xiangguan to discuss Dao.

, there is no time to pray for me. But it doesn’t matter, after I go home and eat the local atmosphere, I will be fine."

"I know about going to Yiyang to summon souls for Wei Yan, but why did you go to Xiangguan again?"

Fa Miao covered his nose and laughed: "General, why do you ask questions knowingly?"

"What do you mean?" Li Yan was confused by Fa Miao.

"Wei Cheqi's defeat in Pengcheng actually can't be considered a defeat if we look at it in detail. It's just that he failed to win as big as before. The prime minister took advantage of his mourning opportunity and sent Ma Zhong to Guangling, which was clearly to seize him.

Military power. Due to filial piety, if His Majesty did not issue an edict to seize love, he could not take the initiative to seize love, otherwise it would become a joke. In this case, he simply invited the leaders of Tianshi Tao to Xiangguan to discuss Taoism as a demonstration

I have no intention of going out of my way. After inviting so many people, if we don’t invite people from Guanzhong District, wouldn’t it look like we are deliberately going against the Prime Minister?”

Li Yan's eyes flickered, not completely believing Famiao's explanation.

"Of course, gathering the leaders of Tianshi Dao to discuss Taoism is not only for the sake of anger, but also for the purpose of winning people's hearts. The general also knows that the reason why he can get the support of the barbarians in Jingzhou and Yangzhou is because of him

On the other hand, his illustrious military exploits are inseparable from the fact that he used ghosts and gods to control the crowd. Now that he is suffering setbacks on the battlefield, of course he must use the power of ghosts and gods to protect people's hearts, so as not to fall apart after years of accumulation. "

Li Yan rolled his eyes and his expression softened. Fa Miao's explanation should be closer to the truth.

"General, you and Wei Cheqi are in the same boat, so you understand his current situation. However, while the general is worried about Wei Cheqi, he should also be more concerned about his own safety."

"Me?" Li Yan couldn't help laughing: "What do I have to worry about."

"Wei Cheqi is frustrated and has too much time to take care of himself. At this moment, doesn't the general feel that his back is a little empty and helpless?" Fa Miao put away his smile and said seriously: "I heard that General Hussar recently

The correspondence with Chengdu is quite frequent."

It's okay if Fa Miao didn't say anything. After being reminded like this, Li Yan suddenly felt that his back was not only empty, but also a little cold.
Chapter completed!