After Suiting debated scriptures, Shen Chen's fame gradually spread in the countryside and throughout Jingzhou.
Everyone in the towns and villages around Xiangyang knew that there was a twelve-year-old young man in Suiting in Longzhong Township. He was not only of excellent moral character, but also of great talent and learning. He even led troops in battles and defeated Cao Cao, so he was famous throughout Jingzhou.
But it is limited to this at present. It is impossible to become a famous scholar overnight. This is not only related to the age of talent and learning, but also to the promotion of aristocratic families.
At that time, the spread of fame could not spread very far just by words from the countryside. It had to rely on the appreciation of the upper class and the promotion of aristocratic families.
Shen Chen had a reputation in the countryside, and Liu Biao stood behind him, so there was no problem with the countryside or the upper class. However, the noble families in the middle all wanted to defect to the Xudu court, and there were also a large number of famous scholars and scholars who went south to avoid trouble and also wanted to be emperor.
Therefore, in their view, Cao Cao was "supporting the Han Dynasty" and Shen Chen was hindering the revival of the Han Dynasty by opposing him. Therefore, it was obviously impossible for them to help Shen Chen become famous.
This resulted in the fact that although Shen Chen was famous, it was difficult to spread it widely, and it could not be recognized by the aristocratic families, celebrities and scholars, so it could only be spread in the countryside.
But even so, it is remarkable to achieve such an achievement at the age of twelve. When Kong Rong was a child, he was only praised by everyone for letting pears, but he could already do things that many adults could not do, which made him The world is paying attention to it.
After Deng Hong and Liu Xian returned that day, they reported the situation to Liu Biao.
Liu Biao had always been self-reliant and had no good impressions of the famous Confucian scholars and middle- and lower-class families in Jingzhou who persuaded him to join him. When he heard that Shen Chen defeated their criticism, he was very happy and said: "Ah Chen is indeed very smart. He did not make me Disappointed."
Deng Hong said hurriedly: "Achen said that this is all because he often consulted Duke Ming. The ancients said that you can distinguish right from wrong, eliminate evil and strengthen righteousness. It was Duke Ming who taught him how to speak righteously, and he knew that Cao Cao was just a thief who stole the country. Duke Ming He was the one who helped the Han Dynasty, so he attacked angrily."
"good."
Liu Biao nodded slightly, looked around and said, "Although Ah Chen is young, he can be one of the most famous people in Nanzhou. After a few years, I will definitely call him into the official position."
Deng Hong said: "Thank you very much, Duke Ming. Ah Chen has long wanted to serve for Duke Ming."
"Well, you go ahead."
Liu Biao waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.
Deng Hong and Liu Xian said goodbye and left.
After they left, Liu Biao narrowed his eyes and began to think.
Except for those around him and those extremely smart people, few people know about his current intention to become independent.
It will take two years for his true intentions to be revealed to everyone in the world.
Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha, responded to the court's call to fight against Liu Biao, but was quelled by him. He annexed Zhang Xian's troops, with more than 100,000 men in armor, and it was only when he owned Jingnan and even had access to Jiaozhou that it was gradually discovered.
Because after that, he began not to pay tribute to the court, and did a lot of things that went beyond the law and unsettled his duties. He also worshiped heaven and earth in the countryside, and the etiquette was intended to refer to the monarch.
By then, Liu Biao's intentions will be known to everyone, and he will basically be short of proclaiming himself emperor.
But at present, there are too many people in Jingzhou who are fond of the Han Dynasty, and he does not dare to reveal his thoughts, so he can only support Shen Chen implicitly.
However, Shen Chen was the one who advocated the fight against Cao, and he was a very powerful talent. He also thought clearly that when the time comes in the future, he must be taken advantage of.
What a sweet dream to become emperor.
Liu Biao was slightly absent-minded. Looking at the green smoke slowly burning from the incense burner in front of him, his eyes became confused for a moment.
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Yin County is located on the southwest bank of the Han River, about 120 miles away from Xiangyang, and ten miles north of Yicheng City in later generations. It was a very prosperous city at that time, with Zhonglu County to the north and thirty miles to the south.
Yicheng County.
Due to the war in the north, a large number of aristocratic families went south to escape the disaster, which made Xiangyang extremely prosperous at that time. During the influx of countless celebrities, great scholars, aristocratic families, nobles, and powerful people, there were countless celebrities and great scholars living in the surrounding area.
Most of the major aristocratic families in the south live south of Xiangyang. From Xiangyang City to Yicheng County, the south stretches for more than a hundred miles. Along the way, there are thick bamboo leaves and flowing rivers.
Looking along the Han River from a distance, you can see gorgeous manors standing one after another, and watchtowers and mansions connected together.
The road is paved with bluestones, the countryside stretches as far as the eye can see, Zhuxuan is brilliant, the canopies stretch continuously, there are countless wealthy businessmen and powerful families, there are countless carriages and horses in the courtyards, and the green mountains of Taishan Mountain in the distance are so beautiful.
This place is called "Guangeli" by the locals, not only because of its prosperity, but also because dozens of officials whose ancestors have paid two thousand kilograms have settled here.
Among the eight major aristocratic families in Jingzhou, including Pang, Huang, Cai, Kuai, Ma, Xi and Yang, several have their ancestors living here.
In addition, there are also small and medium-sized clans such as the Liao Hua family, the Yin Guan family, and the Zhang Ti family.
Therefore, to a certain extent, on the more than 100-mile road from Yicheng to Zhonglu and then to Xiangyang, among the countless wealthy families, there lived wealthy families who could influence the entire situation in Jingzhou.
Most of these top wealthy families tended to be neutral about politics. They neither supported Liu Biao's independence nor his attachment to the imperial court, and chose the golden mean.
It's not that they have no position, or that they don't want to surrender to the imperial court, but they know Liu Biao's attitude very well.
They were in the upper echelons of Jingzhou and understood Liu Biao's desire to separate the country and become independent.
And under Liu Biao's rule, he clearly supported Cao Cao with the influence of these top aristocratic families and asked Liu Biao to surrender, then Liu Biao would not mind taking out his butcher's knife and reducing the number of aristocratic families in Jingzhou.
So recently, when Shen Chen became famous in Jingzhou for his advocacy of resisting Cao Cao, the top families were all calm.
Including Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, two people who are devoted to Cao Cao, there is no movement. Even the two of them do not dare to show it so obviously in front of Liu Biao at this time. In recent days, they have praised Shen Chen and said that there has been another incident under Liu Biao's rule.
A young prodigy.
But those small and medium-sized families and the famous scholars who escaped from the north didn't care about this.
According to historical records, Liu Biao's secret alliance with Yuan Shao led to waves of opposition from middle- and lower-level officials and a large number of celebrities and scholars. For this reason, a large number of middle- and lower-level officials resigned, and many celebrities and celebrities criticized Liu Biao.
Among them was the great Confucian Wang Jun.
When Liu Biaoyin married Yuan Shao, he was the first to express his opposition, saying, "Cao Gong, the hero of the world, will definitely be able to establish domineering power, and he will succeed Huan, the one who has made great achievements in literature. Today, we are letting go of the near and moving far away, as in
If there is an emergency, it is not difficult to look to Mobei for help."
It means that Cao Cao is a hero who can achieve the same hegemony as Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin. Now that he is by your side, why do you want to sacrifice the near and far to form an alliance with Yuan Shao instead of joining the imperial court?
You can see his attitude from here.
More importantly, Wang Jun was actually friends with Cao Cao. In his early years, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's aunt died and was buried in Runan. Thirty thousand people attended the funeral, and Cao Cao and Wang Jun were also present.
When holding the funeral, Cao Cao told Wang Jun that the world was about to be in chaos, and the two leaders of the chaos were Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. If he wanted to save the world and plead for the people, it would be better to kill these two people first. This will quell the chaos.
Wang Jun said to Cao Cao, if it goes according to your wishes, then you must be the one to save the world.
The two people looked at each other and smiled.
It can be seen that Wang Jun admired Cao Cao very much and said that he had the talent to help the world.
Therefore, when he heard that Shen Chen defeated Cao Cao, Wang Jun, as a admirer of Cao Cao, was naturally very unhappy. When he learned that Shen Chen planned to open an academy to educate people, in order to prevent him from spreading anti-Cao Cao ideas, he sent his disciples Hu Shang and Wen Xiaqian to destroy.
Unexpectedly, the two students he sent out didn't even have the courage to go up and debate, which made him very embarrassed.
Yi County, Wang Jun's residence.
After listening to the reports of the two students, Wang Jun, who was nearly sixty years old, frowned.
Historically, he would move to Wuling in another two years and eventually die of old age in Wuling. It was because Liu Biao's performance in the Battle of Guandu made him very disappointed. He saw Liu Biao's desire to separate the country, so he went south to Changsha to attach himself to the loyal court. Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha.
Now they are very disgusted with Jingzhou's voice of resisting Cao, but they can't persuade Liu Biao, so they want to suppress Shen Chen, but they didn't expect that they can't even deal with a twelve-year-old child.
However, according to the two students, Shen Chen is indeed quite capable. The allusions and meanings of each of the Seven Classics are very clear and admirable.
"You guys go out first."
Wang Jun waved his hand and asked the two students to leave first.
Hu Shang and Wen Xia left the hall.
In fact, there were not only Wang Jun in the hall, but also famous celebrities Yingrong, Wei Xi, Li Yan, He Qia and others.
Their position was the same as that of Wang Jun. Basically, they would support wherever Liu Xie was. However, the north was too chaotic and precarious, so they relied on Liu Biao to temporarily avoid trouble, but their hearts were still towards the court.
Now Cao Cao has the ambition to help the Han Dynasty. Seeing that Cao Cao welcomes the emperor and helps the emperor to fight against bandits from all directions, these people cannot tolerate anyone in Jingzhou opposing Cao Cao and encourage Liu Biao to stand on his own.
After Hu Shang and Wen Xia left, Wang Jun looked around and said, "What do you think?"
Ying Rong smiled bitterly and said: "This young man is indeed very capable. Not only did he defeat Duke Cao, but his scriptures are also excellent. No wonder Song Zhongzi said that his scriptures and meanings have surpassed him. It seems that Song Zhongzi also couldn't say it. He was the one who asked him to go down the mountain and leave Xianshan Academy."
"yes."
Wei Xi sighed: "You are already so talented at the age of twelve. How can you be so talented when you grow up? What a pity. Cao Gong was also confused at the beginning. Why did he want to massacre Xuzhou? He also killed Shen Chen's family and forged a deep hatred. .If this was not the case, why would it be like this? If he can serve the imperial court, he is probably also a talented person who can help the world."
Wang Jun shook his head and said: "Now is not the time to talk about this. It is a fact that Duke Cao and Shen Chen have a deadly feud. He fights against Duke Cao in the name of revenge, which means he fights against the court. This is something that cannot be tolerated. Do you really think so?" Do you want to see my big man fall apart?"
"Actually, this guy is nothing. What I'm afraid of is Liu Jingsheng."
He Qia muttered: "Liu Biao is a foolish leader. Judging from his words and deeds, I'm afraid he has the intention to separate the country. In the future, Yuan Shao and Cao Gong will have a battle. I'm afraid he will profit from it. If this is the case, I'm afraid we will continue to go south. Migrate to the land of Wuling."
Li Yan sighed and said: "Liu Jingsheng is secretly married to Yuan Shao, can't everyone see it? If he really cares about the court, he should have led his troops to help the emperor when the emperor was in trouble. I'm afraid he is behind Shen Chen Instruct."
"well."
Several people lamented.
In fact, it is different from most aristocratic families who mainly focus on family interests and want to go to Xuchang to become an official in the court and continue the family interests.
At that time, there were still many famous Confucian scholars who were interested in the Han Dynasty. They were not seeking fame and fortune, but they just hoped that the country would be stable and the Han Dynasty could be reunified.
The most typical example is Kong Rong. When Liu Xie returned to Guandong, an edict summoned Kong Rong to Xuchang.
At first, Kong Rong admired Cao Cao very much, thinking that he was a Huo Guang who could revive the Han Dynasty.
As a result, after contacting me, I started to see something more and more wrong, and my attitude changed drastically.
The turning point in his attitude was the Yidai Zhao incident. Before that, Kong Rong's attitude towards Cao Cao was very friendly.
After the Yidai edict, Kong Rong immediately understood that Cao Cao was not Huo Guang but Wang Mang. From then on, he began to ridicule Cao Cao, and was eventually executed by Cao Cao on the eve of the Battle of Chibi.
Therefore, before the Yidai Edict, scholars all over the world had a very good impression of Cao Cao, and all the major families in Jingzhou and the famous Confucian scholars supported him.
Therefore, strictly speaking, there is no hatred between Wang Jun and others and Shen Chen, and they are not bad people. They simply have different stances. After the Yidai Edict, the attitude of these celebrities towards Cao Cao will probably change.
It’s just that it’s now 197 AD, and there are still two years left before the Yidaizhao incident. Those scholars in Jingzhou who are loyal to the Han Dynasty do not know Cao Cao’s true face. Therefore, they know Liu Biao’s attitude and Shen Chen’s actions. Worry is understandable.
Wei Xi pondered and said: "I'm afraid Liu Biao really wants to separate Nanzhou for self-reliance. It would be best for us to go to the south to take refuge as soon as possible. As for Shen Chen, we don't have to worry about him now."
"Is there any reason to ignore it?"
Wang Jun said displeasedly: "Jingzhou is now dominated by Liu Biao, and all the major families dare not go against his wishes. Only we can argue with reason. If juniors like Shen Chen are allowed to go around and spread the idea of disobeying the imperial court, what will happen?" If Liu Biao supports it, wouldn't Jingzhou become a place of rebellion?"
He Qia frowned and said: "This junior has always claimed that he has never disobeyed the imperial court. He only said that Duke Cao is not a human minister, and he is in the name of revenge. Even if we go to argue with him in person, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince him."
Wang Jun and Cao Cao had an irreversible friendship and would not allow Shen Chen to slander him. He immediately said without hesitation: "It doesn't matter. I don't believe that we have so many Confucian scholars who specialize in classics and can't argue with a ten-year-old child. Didn't he say that Cao Cao is an inhumane person?" I am a minister? Now I welcome the emperor and act as a human minister. I would like to discuss with him why Duke Cao is not a human minister."
"Does Mr. Ziwen want to go there in person?"
Li Yan asked.
"nature."
Wang Jun nodded: "How can childish words confuse everyone?"
Li Yan shook his head and said: "No, our disciples and students have all lost to him. If we go now, people will say that we are old and young. Moreover, he has a grudge against Cao Cao. He only said that he would never go against the will of the emperor and only avenge his relatives. There is nothing we can do to get him."
Although Wang Jun was prepared to beat the younger one and bring out the older one, Li Yan still felt it was inappropriate because Shen Chen's remarks were actually tenable.
He did not attack Cao Cao's moral character, nor did he say that Cao Cao was not trying to please the emperor. He just told everyone that Cao Cao went south to conquer Zhang Xiu without an edict or a sword. He did not send troops in the name of the emperor.
Since there is no edict and a sword from the emperor, then when he deals with Cao Cao, he is not attacking the emperor's army, but avenging his people and attacking the princes Cao Cao.
Since the end of the Han Dynasty, it has been a very common thing for the princes to attack each other. What's more, Shen Chen himself had a grudge against Cao Cao, and resisting Cao Cao was a matter of course. When Cao Cao was torn off the emperor's righteousness, they thought There is no reason to attack Shen Chen.
Hearing this, Wang Jun frowned, because what Li Yan said was true.
But allowing Shen Chen to continue to preach against Cao Cao was also a bad thing for him, so he said: "Are we just going to watch him open an academy and preach those treasonous words?"
Wei Xi thought for a while and said, "Not necessarily. I think we can just wait and see first. The more he talks, the easier it will be for him to reveal his flaws. If he says something rebellious and traitorous in the future and is caught with evidence, It will be easy for us to defeat him, but it will be difficult for Liu Biao even if he wants to protect him."
"You mean, Zheng Bo Duan Yu Yan?"
Wang Jun began to think.
"Exactly."
Wei Xi nodded: "We will avoid the edge for now and wait for him to become arrogant before we attack again."
"good."
"I think it's okay."
"I also agree with what Ziyagong said."
Several other celebrities also agreed with Wei Xi's words.
Wang Jun muttered: "Okay, Ziya's words are very reasonable. Let's take a look at it first and make further calculations later."
This sets the tone.
It's not that he won't go to trouble Shen Chen, but now that he has Liu Biao's support, and his reasons are tenable, it's hard to argue against him.
But it won't be certain in the future. What if Cao Cao really helps the Han Dynasty in the future, or Shen Chen says something treasonous and is caught?
When the time comes, it will be much easier to deal with him if you have a reason in hand.
So they planned to wait and see which direction the wind was blowing before deciding whether to take action against Shen Chen personally.
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And just when these famous scholars who were loyal to the Han Dynasty were discussing a three-hundred-round battle with Shen Chen in the future, at this time, Xiangyang, the Nanjun Prefecture.
Kuai Yue returned to Xiangyang these two days, not because of Shen Chen, but because he had some things to report to Liu Biao.
He was the prefect of Zhangling. Zhangling was the area around Suizhou City in later generations. To the northeast was Xinyang City in later generations, which was called Pingchun County at this time. Because there was a small road running through the Dabie Mountains, it was closer for a small group of people to go to Runan from Zhangling.
I recently received news that after Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, he sent troops to capture the Chen and Liang states, which were just a stone's throw away from Yingchuan. Kuai Yue believed that a war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu was imminent, so he immediately rushed to Xiangyang and reported the situation to Liu Biao.
After Liu Biao learned the news, he had no reaction. Kuai Yue tried to persuade him to send troops to help Cao Cao in order to gain righteous support from the emperor, but Liu Biao ultimately rejected it.
This made Kuai Yue a little disappointed, so he went to Cai Mao to discuss it.
In the Southern Army Prefect's Mansion, the two men did not meet in the hall, but in the side hall. Apart from them, there was no one else in the hall.
Different from the imaginary military commander, the real Cai Mao was actually a scholar. He wore a long robe and sat on the main seat, while Kuai Yue sat next to him, and the two were chatting.
"Yuan Shu went north to occupy Chen and Liang, obviously intending to attack Yingchuan. This man has already proclaimed himself emperor and is a traitor, but his strength should not be underestimated. I am afraid it will be difficult for Duke Cao to resist. I want to persuade Duke Ming to send troops to help, but it is a pity.
I can’t persuade you.”
Kuai Yue shook his head, he was also a member of the Han Dynasty.
Of course, he must care more about the interests of the family, otherwise Kuai Jun, Kuai Qi and others would not have served as senior officials in Cao Wei.
On the contrary, Cai Mao may not be entirely for family interests, because first of all, he did not become a high-ranking official in Cao Wei.
After Cao Cao captured Jingzhou, he lived in seclusion on Caizhou. Unlike Kuai Yue, who became one of the Nine Qings, Guang Luxun, he only received the title of Marquis of Yangting in Han Dynasty and the empty post of Captain of Changshui.
Secondly, he had a very good personal relationship with Cao Cao. Cao Cao once went to Caizhou to visit Cai Mao. He went directly into the inner hall and his private room and called his wife, just like going to his own home. He also reminisced with Cai Mao. The relationship seemed to be very good.
So to a certain extent, Cai Mao supported Cao Cao. It is very likely that firstly, Cao Cao has the title of emperor of the Han Dynasty, and secondly, Cao Cao and Cao Cao are old friends, and it is normal to support one's friends.
After hearing Kuai Yue's words, Cai Hao said thoughtfully: "Ming Gong just wants to sit quietly in Nanzhou, and I'm afraid he won't be willing to get involved in the affairs of Guandong."
"Degui."
Kuai Yue said: "Do you really want to watch Mr. Ming continue to make mistakes?"
Cai Hao smiled bitterly and said: "I have no choice. Ming Gong has his own opinion. Meng De will attack Zhang Xiu this year, won't he send troops?"
"well"
Kuai Yue sighed, shook his head and said: "The emperor is in Xuchang, but Duke Ming is here. Yuan Shu has more than 100,000 tigers and wolves. Duke Cao just lost his troops and generals in Nanyang this year. I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist."
Cai Mao said: "We can only hope that Mengde can overcome this difficulty on his own. Now it is impossible to persuade Duke Ming to send troops to help."
"Pity."
Kuai Yue shook his head and suddenly seemed to remember something again. He frowned and said, "By the way, Degui, I seem to have heard recently that Shen Chen is very famous in Xiangyang."
Cai Mao smiled and said, "You also know him in Zhangling?"
Kuai Yue said: "This junior killed Cao Ren, Cao Gong's younger brother, and General Yue Jin, and allowed Cao Gong to lose his troops. He is really unworthy of a man."
Cai Mao said: "He is just a junior. Speaking of which, he is the great-grandson of my niece-in-law. He has a blood feud with Meng De and has been advocating against the imperial court. Now there are many scholars and celebrities in Xiangyang who are close to the emperor arguing with him. I will also ask people to go there."
Yes, but the result was not as expected.”
"Then let him continue to confuse everyone?"
Kuai Yue frowned.
Cai Hao shook his head and said: "I'm afraid it won't work if we want to suppress him. Duke Ming has also sent people there. We can't talk about asking him to join the imperial court in front of Duke Ming."
"Of course I know this."
When Kuai Yue heard that Liu Biao had also sent people, his brows became even tighter: "It's just that Duke Ming has a desire to be self-reliant. This person has been resisting the imperial court. Isn't he encouraging Duke Ming to become self-reliant? What if in the future?"
When Cai Mao heard what he said, he frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
Kuai Yue touched his chin and said, "Let me think about it, let me think about it."
"You don't mean to."
Cai Mao stretched out a hand and gestured. People from big families like them tend to do things in a much simpler and rougher way.
Just click away anyone who disagrees with you.
For example, Liu Bei.
If Liu Bei hadn't run so fast, he would have been killed by them.
Kuai Yue suddenly sneered: "Forget it, I'm just a junior, I can't make any waves, let alone being related to you, let's see about it later."
"Um."
Cai Hao nodded.
If he really wanted to kill someone, he would not be able to explain to his brother.
The two talked about other things.
Regarding Shen Chen, it was just a trivial matter to them.