Chapter 69: Carrying the coffin into battle
When Zhang Ji went to Jincheng alone to question Ma Chao, Ma Chao was actually lying on the bed pretending to be sick.
Instead of his arrogant attitude when facing Mi Fang, Ma Chao lies on the hospital bed and his expression is very humble, and he repeatedly expresses his self-blame tone to delay military opportunities.
Zhang Ji received a reply from Ma Chao who led his army to Chang'an immediately after his condition improved, and then left Jincheng.
In the wilderness east of Hangu Pass and west of Luoyang, the two armies faced each other with more than 200,000 soldiers and horses, with murderous auras.
The overwhelming army changed the world's colors, and the solemn aura spreads.
Under the bright sunshine, the two armies are clearly separated.
The war that is about to begin has all the elite forces on both sides.
Guo Jia was wearing armor and sat on the chariot, with the generals on both sides showing a majestic posture.
Someone from Cao's army led his horse out of the crowd.
Cao Cao slowly rode his horse to the center of the battlefield in armor. There was a horse behind him, sitting on it, wearing a dragon robe and a crown on it. It was Liu Xie.
Taking the emperor to stop in the middle of the battlefield, Cao Cao looked at the center of the front row of the Taiping Army, looked back at Liu Xie, who was trembling with fear, laughed, and then shouted to the Taiping Army.
"Guo Jia! During the Xingping period, you submitted a letter to the court and was recruited as a vassal. Now, it has been the thirteenth year of Jian'an. You have been a Han minister for more than ten years! Attacking Guanzhong, you issued a proclamation to fight against rebellion. What does it say? To eliminate traitors and suppress thieves for the Han Dynasty? Attacking Liangzhou, you also called Han Sui a rebel in the Han Dynasty. I would like to ask you, do you dare to come out in front of the emperor of the Han Dynasty and say you are a Han minister loyal to the Han Dynasty! Hahahahahaha."
This time, when the war with Cao Cao was launched, Guo Jia did not issue any manifesto, because Cao Cao was a thief and was already a commoner in the world. After being promoted to Duke Wei, he had already embarked on the path of being called lonely and widowed.
The two armies confronted each other, and Cao Cao's voice fluttered in the wind and echoed for a long time.
His words were obviously mocking Guo Jia. It can be said that the words Cao Cao said were all the truth.
Guo Jia and Cao Cao are essentially the same type of people.
It’s just that Cao Cao put his ambitions outside before Guo Jia.
On the Taiping Army side, Guo Jia slowly stood up from the chariot, and the guards brought his mount, and then Guo Jia stepped onto the war horse. This war horse was a new mount sent to him by Shandan Horse Farm. It was extremely majestic and a rabbit-headed horse.
Guo Jia next made an action that shocked everyone.
When he went to war, he was lazy and was carried out with a coffin.
Guo Jia was wearing dozens of kilograms of armor and held the coffin on his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and persevered, and his legs were clamped into the horse's belly, and he came out from behind.
The coffin fell in front of Cao Cao and Liu Xie, and Guo Jia stared at Cao Cao indifferently.
The two were less than ten steps apart. Cao Cao looked down at the coffin. After seeing it, he chuckled and shook his head, stared at Guo Jia playfully, and said lightly: "If you don't die, you will be alone."
Guo Jia said with a blank expression: "I am the same. Cao Mengde, this coffin is prepared for you. Should you lie in by yourself, or will I send you in?"
Ha ha ha ha
Cao Cao laughed to the sky, which was hard to suppress.
Pointing at Guo Jia, he said with a smile and cry: "Guo Fengxiao, many people in the world not only prepared coffins for Cao, they wish the Cao family would never turn over forever. There are countless people who have such ideas. I remember Yuan Shu thinking this way, Lu Bu thinking this way, Yuan Shao thinking this way, you think this way, but so many people have set examples, why are you still obsessed with it?"
After Cao Cao laughed, he suddenly looked solemn. He stretched out his hand at Guo Jia and said in a deep voice: "Guo Jia, Cao now has half of the country, you have three parts of the world, and you and I will join forces, and the world can be determined in the blink of an eye, why bother to seek death?"
Guo Jia raised his head and looked at the misty sky with white clouds, as if he was hesitating and weighing, but when his eyes turned to Cao Cao again, a bone-broken cold burst out.
"Cao Mengde, the reason why I came out is to ask you a question in person."
Cao Cao was quite surprised and said cheerfully: "May I ask, Cao speaks everything. Today, you are the only one who can let Cao speak freely."
Whether Cao Cao's words were compliments or sincerity, Guo Jia didn't care. The heroes of the world were the best. Perhaps only the dialogue between them could save all hypocrisy.
Guo Jia looked harsh, stared at Cao Cao with cold eyes, and said something gritted his teeth.
"How can you do it?"
As soon as this statement was spoken, Liu Xie, who was trembling and ignored, was confused and had no idea what Guo Jia was talking about.
But a hint of sadness and guilt appeared on Cao Cao's face.
He knew exactly what Guo Jia said.
Xun Yu!
Xun Yu's death is inconclusive and unclear.
But this should have happened in history in the next few years, but it was staged in advance. Guo Jia confirmed that behind Xun Yu's death, Cao Cao waved his butcher's knife.
What Guo Jia didn't understand even more was why Cao Cao was so eager to be appointed as the Duke, which was also something that should have happened in the future in history.
Cao Cao, who was still energetic the moment before, suddenly became speechless.
But Guo Jia, who was calm and indifferent, roared like a wounded beast.
"Cao Mengde! Who is Wen Ruo? It is the talent of Wang Zuo! When he abandoned Yuan Benchu ​​and joined you, what was your situation at that time? How many people under you can compare with Wen Ruo's talents? During the Xingping period, Lu Bu sneaked into Yanzhou, who supported you to turn defeat into victory? It is Wen Ruo! In the first year of Jian'an, who supported you to hold the emperor in your hands and command the heroes? It is Wen Ruo! In the sixth year of Jian'an, Yuan Benchu ​​raised his troops south, and there were wailing and fearing the war on your left and right. Who supported you to win? Guandu front line, who kept encouraging you to persevere? Since you started fighting, who guarded the base camp as stable as Mount Tai? Who pushed them into your sight by the talents one by one? Wen Ruo or Wen Ruo! You said he was your Zhang Zifang, he was not just Zhang Liang! He was your Xiao He! How could you do it?"
Guo Jia's eyes were bloodshot, and his hatred for Cao Cao could not be suppressed.
Cao Cao lowered his eyes slightly, silent.
Perhaps outsiders think Guo Jia’s question is very difficult to understand.
He and Cao Cao are in opposition, so even if he has many personal friendships with Xun Yu, his camps are different, and each is his own master. Since Xun Yu is so important, Cao Cao's loss of Xun Yu is like cutting off his arms. Why is Guo Jia unhappy?
Military generals have the dignity and principles of military generals. Even if a general who dies in the battlefield loses to an enemy general, he will have a clear conscience and dies as much as possible.
The same is true for civil officials. Being talented and virtuous should show their strengths. Being buried is a pity, and being killed is even more a pity.
Xun Yu's death was unknown. In Guo Jia's eyes, this is far more sad than dying before he succeeded.
Cao Cao took a deep breath, raised his eyes, looked at Guo Jia, and said lightly: "Guo Jia, you want to know the answer, I will tell you that everything is because of you!"
Guo Jia was shocked and laughed in anger.
"Cao Mengde, you used the emperor to ask the princes to deceive the people of the world with the image of a loyal minister. Now you dare to tell lies in front of me, hahahaha, you, you..."
Guo Jia was so angry that he couldn't even speak.
Cao Cao was calm and showed his sadness in his eyes.
"Sun Quan in Jiangdong, why are you afraid of the six counties? Liu Biao in Jingzhou, who is dying, is dying, and it is easy for me to kill him. Only you, Guo Fengxiao, who is over fifty years old, and you are less than 40 years old. If I cannot wipe you out in my lifetime, how can my descendants of the orphans defeat you? Guo Fengxiao, because Gu is afraid of you, the Cao family must become stronger."
Cao Cao's words made Guo Jia dumbfounded, and he was shocked and thought in his heart.
He got an answer.
Perhaps it was because of him that Cao Cao had made the plan to enthrone the Duke in advance, and that Cao Cao could not wait to set up his own business.
Before Cao Cao was appointed as the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister is the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
The Duke and the King are from the Cao family!
In other words, if Cao Cao died, his descendants would have great resistance to inheriting the position of Prime Minister. Even if they were inherited, they would be Han officials. In this process, power would inevitably be divided. It is unpredictable whether the Cao family could use another person as powerful as Cao Cao.
With the duke and further kingly titles, Cao Cao's descendants can inherit the title. At the same time, because the prince can open a government and have a ** office organization, Cao Cao can make the Xu Du court die in name only. The real power of rule is in the hands of Duke Wei or King Wei. People below will understand Cao Cao's thoughts, whether he is a Han minister or who is the Han minister to conquer the world, and if he continues to move on, even if Cao Cao dies, there will be no turmoil in the alternation of power, and the descendants of the Cao family can succeed.
The title of Duke of Wei is equivalent to establishing a self-employed family. Wang Mang, who has learned from the past, is a good example.
Therefore, Xun Yu is a stumbling block that prevents the Cao family from replacing Han.
This is a path that Cao Cao must take for his own hegemony and for the descendants of the Cao family. There will be no compromise at all. Therefore, even if he cut off his own arm and feels guilty or condemned himself, he will kick away the stumbling block of Xun Yu.
To the outside world, we must first be at peace. Cao Cao is preparing for the stability of the regime, but he does not want him to be able to wipe out Guo Jia one day. If the descendants of the Cao family must not only face the strong Guo Jia, but also face the internal struggle for power and profit.
Wise people often have far-sighted ideas. If they leave a mess after death like Yuan Shao, their family will be destroyed and their blood will be cut off, and no one will blame others.
After Guo Jia figured it out, he sneered.
"Cao Mengde, I tell you, I will watch you die with my own eyes. You want the Cao family to rule the world, and I will be there for one day, dreaming!"
Cao Cao also sneered at the same time and asked back: "Guo Fengxiao, if you were not dreaming of an emperor, why would you not surrender to the will? Or did you really take it as your responsibility to support the Han Dynasty?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xie, who was ignored on the side, suddenly shouted at the two of them.
"A traitor! A traitor! You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, your ancestors, have the grace of your ancestors, and now you are trying to usurp the Han Dynasty. Will you have the face to meet your ancestors after your death?"
Liu Xie, who had been a puppet emperor for half his life, finally had the courage to get angry in front of the warlords, and his face was ferocious, but only received an indifferent response from Cao Cao and Guo Jia.
……
Chapter completed!