Chapter 90: Chapters are different at the same time, things are different
Yongqiu Kingdom.
Cao Zhi, who has been the king here for three years, has long lost his former glory.
In the third year of Huangchu's reign, he came to Beijing for a pilgrimage, and he was as airy as a god and as colorful as jade. Now, although he is called the vassal king, he is subject to surveillance and oppression by those who oversee the country. Not only that, You
When hunting or traveling, you can only have hundreds of veterans following you. Not only do you have no freedom, you also have no power at all.
Over the years, his two beloved daughters Cao Jingu and Cao Xingnu, as well as his eldest son Cao Miao, have also passed away due to illness. As for his brothers, King Cao Zhang of Rencheng, Cao Xiong, and Emperor Wen, they are all absent.
After passing away, this made Cao Zhi, who was already sentimental and melancholy, even more melancholy and full of worries.
Thinking about his ambition as a boy, he could either inherit his father's ambition, unify the country, and be a founding emperor. Even if he couldn't be in the 95th position, he should at least be strong and strong, or guide the country, be a famous minister and good general, and unify the country.
And give it a try. Again, at least he should be a hermit who is detached from the world. But now, not only have his relatives died, but his ideals have also been shattered. How can he still be the same person as before?
A handsome young man, a young man in troubled times?
Several years of drinking to drown his sorrows and worrying about him had made his temples gray and his youth was gone.
He couldn't help but think of his brother, the Daxing Emperor Cao Pi.
[Note 1: Emperor Daxing refers to the deceased emperor. The ancients believed that the emperor’s lifespan was ten thousand years. When he died, he just traveled far away, so he was called Daxing. 】
This brother, who has been fighting with him all his life, seems to have been destined to dominate this country in the future as soon as he was born. In the winter of the fourth year of Zhongping, the former Ling Emperor, his brother was born in Qiao County. It is said that he was born before
At that time, blue clouds appeared in the sky, and they were shaped like the hood of a car, surrounding them all day long. The fortune teller also said that this child would not be destined to be a minister in the future.
Thinking of this, Cao Zhi couldn't help but smile. He was thinking that if he was the one in charge of the world, then there must be someone who would create auspiciousness for him.
The literati of the world all regard themselves as immortals in the literary world. As far as poetry and composition are concerned, Cao Zhi himself thinks that he deserves such a prestigious reputation. But to be fair, his elder brother is also talented and intelligent, and he has extensive knowledge. Although he is talented in literature,
He cannot be said to be unparalleled, but he is enough to catch up with the Seventh Son and can be called a literary giant of his generation.
It was as if their father wanted to deliberately let the two brothers compete for each other, and the father's mind had always been erratic. The father had a total of twenty-five children. After the death of Chong's younger brother, the position of the prince was bound to be between the two.
Brother and I have made a decision.
Not only that, even the ministers of my father's king were divided into two factions.
Those who supported the second brother included Jia Xu, Cui Yan, Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Huan Jie, Xing Yi, Wu Zhi and others, while those who supported him included Ding Yi, Ding Kui, Yang Xiu, Kong Gui, Yang Jun, Jia
Kui, Handan Chun et al.
I think back then, they each formed factions, devised schemes, created public opinion, intrigued each other, and fought against each other. All of this seemed extremely ridiculous in Cao Zhi's eyes today.
There was a wry smile on Cao Zhi's lips. He knew that this was the source of his tragedy in the past ten years.
He could not forget that year, it was his most satisfying year.
In the fifteenth year of Jian'an, my father defeated Yuan Shao and his three sons, conquered Wuhuan in the north, and completely pacified the north. My father established his capital in Ye and built a large-scale construction project on the banks of the Zhang River, including the Tongque Tower, Yulong Tower, and Bingjing Tower.
The three towers are sixty steps apart, and the Bronze Bird Tower is ten feet high, the most magnificent. These three towers are each sixty steps apart, and are connected by flying bridges in the middle.
After the Tongque Tower and three other towers were built, my father convened the civil and military forces and set up a martial arts arena in front of the stage, where his generals and officials held martial arts competitions and poetry competitions.
The competition between himself and his brother also arose from this. His father ordered him to wait for his brothers to go on stage to compose a poem, but he won the first place in that literary battle with his Tongquetai poem.
Cao Zhi couldn't help but recall the high-spirited young self on the Tongque Stage. At that time, he went on stage and loudly sang his own Tongque Stage Fu, overwhelming the crowd with his performance. He was really high-spirited and extremely proud:
"Since the Ming Dynasty, I have been wandering around, climbing to the terrace for entertainment. Seeing the vastness of the Taifu, observing the camp of saintly virtues. Building high gates and towering towers, floating double towers as close as Taiqing. Standing in the center of the sky is a flower.
Looking at the sky, the flying pavilion is close to the west city. The long flowing water of Zhang River is here, looking at the prosperity of the fruits in the garden. Looking up to the gentle spring breeze, listening to the mournful singing of the birds. The sky and clouds are already standing here, and the family is willing to get it.
Go ahead and promote benevolence in the inner world, and be respectful in the upper capital. Only Huan Wen is prosperous, how can it be compared to the sage? It is beautiful! The benefits are far-reaching. With the wings of my royal family, I am in peace with the other four directions. The world is the same.
The standard is the same as the brilliance of the sun and the moon. It is eternally noble and infinite, waiting to live as long as the Eastern King."
[Note 3: This is the version annotated by Pei Songzhi in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms.]
After hearing this gift, my father greatly appreciated him, and it was at that time that he was granted the title of Marquis of Pingyuan.
He still remembers his father's approving eyes that day. At that time, his father also encouraged himself and said: "I used to be Dunqiu Ling, when I was twenty years old, I thought about what I did back then, and I am worthy of it now. Now you have grown up.
Don’t be reluctant!”
However, no matter how high the expectations were, in the end, there was still only disappointment.
It was not until later that he recalled his brother that day. That day, his brother did not encourage and praise him like he did when he was a child. There was only jealousy in his eyes.
He also remembered the stage poem written by his brother that year: "Climb the high platform to look at the beauty of the sparrow; the flying pavilion rises to its peak, and the floors seem to support the sky. You can walk leisurely and leisurely, chatting about the west mountain and stream.
The valleys are intertwined, and the vegetation is thick and connected. The wind blows and the clothes are blown, and the birds fly past. I hesitate to look around, and there is a river at the corner of the city."
In fact, isn’t this an excellent poem?
However, on that day, my brother felt inferior to the ground and was jealous to the point of his own flesh and blood.
In fact, he can never forget that year, it was a year in which he failed completely.
It was the 22nd year of Jian'an. The second brother used various strategies and with the help of Sima Yi, Wu Zhi and others, he was finally established as the crown prince of the Wei Dynasty.
And what about yourself?
Over the years, he has been awakened by nightmares more than once, because he knew that that year, what he lost was not only the position of King of Wei, but what frightened him more was the disappointment of his father.
My brother's endless suspicion.
In fact, power and fame are not the most important to him. At this time, he just hopes not to be overwhelmed by this troubled world and become a pile of nameless bones on Mang Mountain in a hundred years.
Thinking of his brother's achievements in the past eight years, Cao Zhi himself admired him very much.
At the beginning, the elder brother was very ambitious and usurped the Han Dynasty as emperor. During the seven years of his rule, he reformed the official system and purified the official style, which indeed created a vitality that was completely different from the previous dynasty in the late Han Dynasty. When the elder brother was in power,
, and in the name of conquering Wu, he also pacified the separatist regimes in Qingzhou and Xuzhou headed by Zang Ba, Sun Guan, etc. This was also a major event that his father had not been able to accomplish. At this point, the Wei Dynasty finally completed the unification of the north.
.
He has always respected his brother and his emperor. After all, his brother is not a mediocre and foolish emperor. On the contrary, he has always worked hard to govern and work tirelessly for the unification of the world.
In the first year of Yankang, when his elder brother was still the king of Wei, he ordered Xiahou Shang, Xu Huang and others to recruit and surrender Meng Da, the prefect of Yidu in Shu Han Dynasty, defeated Liu Bei's adopted son Liu Feng, and recovered the three counties of Shangyong, thus stabilizing the southwest border of Wei Dynasty.
A solid foundation was laid.
In the third year of Huang Chu's reign, his elder brother made three expeditions against Wu, which shocked the world and gained tens of thousands of victories.
In the fifth and sixth year of Huang Chu, his elder brother also suffered from illness and went on two personal expeditions, personally supervising the army to attack Wu. Although they stopped at Guangling and did not fight with the Wu army, they quelled the Licheng mutiny in Qingzhou in one fell swoop and completely solved the Qing Dynasty.
, Xu's hidden dangers made an unparalleled contribution to the stability of the northern part of the Wei Dynasty.
Not only that, his brother also restored Taixue, which had been abandoned for decades since the end of the Han Dynasty, in the fourth year of Huangchu, making great contributions to promoting Confucianism and Taoism, and also cultivating many talents for the Wei Dynasty.
His elder brother also ordered Su Zesu Wenshi to quell the rebellions in Wuwei County, Jiuquan County and Zhangye County, and stabilize the western border. After proclaiming the emperor, he ordered his sworn brother Cao Zhen to supervise the army to defeat the Qiang and Hu coalition forces, pacify Hexi, and send envoys to restore peace.
The Western Regions, and reset the Western Regions Changshi Mansion, restoring the rule of Huaxia Zhengshuo in the Western Regions.
A few years ago, Beidi was strong and powerful, and the frontier fortresses were raided frequently, and the people were harassed repeatedly. It was his brother who appointed Tian Yu as the commander of the Chijie and the Colonel of Huwuwan. He also promoted Qianzhao, and Xie Jun and other famous frontier fortress generals were also appointed as the captain of Huxianbei.
, Tian Yu, Qian Zhao, Liang Xi and other generals defeated Xianbei many times in northern Xinjiang, which not only promoted the majesty of the Wei Dynasty, but also made the people of northern Xinjiang no longer have to fear the northern horse coming from the south.
If you take charge of these major events and good strategies one by one, you may not be able to accomplish them so well.
His elder brother is already famous enough for future generations, and he is also enough to be called a wise king!
Thinking of this, Cao Zhi couldn't control the surge of tears. He picked up the rafter-like pen that had never been dusted with the death of his heart, splashed ink, and wrote his new chapter:
"It rained in the first month of the eighth year of Huangchu, and the north wind blew cold. The fruits in the orchard fell to the ice, and the branches were broken..."
[Note 2: This sentence is recorded in Volume 156 of "Beitang Shuchao". "Beitang Shuchao" records it as part of the preface to Cao Zhi's "Comfort to Love".]
At this time, he was already his nephew, the current Emperor of the Holy Emperor, in the first year of Taihe, and the title of Huang Chu, since the seventh year of Huang Chu, had already ended abruptly with the passing of Emperor Da Xingwen. But Cao Zhi was feeling sad at this moment
But it made him forget this. In his heart, it seemed that his brother had not left.
He wished that everything could go back to when he was a boy. If he could do it all over again, he would definitely not fight with his brother for anything. At this moment, he suddenly realized that the unfathomable emperor was once such an innocent boy:
"Zijian, come on, practice swordsmanship with your brother..."
At that time, my brother's smile was so bright.
————
Xincheng County.
Jianwu General Meng Da woke up from the nightmare again and opened the brocade box from the southwest in panic.
This is the brocade box Zhuge Kongming sent to himself!
In the brocade box, there are two hats and one jade ornament. In addition, there are several letters.
[Note 4: In "Strategy" written by Sima Biao of the Western Jin Dynasty, the token of agreement between Zhuge Liang and Meng Da was a piece of jade. "Taiping Yulan" also mentioned: "Today I send you a Lun hat, one each with jade.
To conquer the will.]
"Oh Mencius, it is true that Liu Feng invaded the mausoleum and harmed the righteousness of the late lord in treating his scholars."
"Looking for words of explanation, pursuing the good things in life, looking eastward, I sent you a book."
These are two short but fatal letters. At this moment, Mengda was extremely painful, entangled, fearful and uneasy.
After the death of Emperor Wen Cao Pi, he truly felt the threat in the court. His rival Shen Yi had also written a memorial to criticize him not long ago. He had already attracted Sima Yi's attention because Sima Yi's confidant joined the army and Liang Ji was here.
In a few days, he was placed under his command. Not only that, Sima Yi also persuaded him to join the court as a capital official. All of this frightened Mengda.
After Mengda hesitated again and again, he put the two letters into the wax torch, but he carefully hid the jade jewel in the brocade box again.