Cao Cao picked up the wine cup again and saluted the bright moon in the night from a distance, but his heart was extremely gloomy. He couldn't help but recall the scene when Xiao returned in triumph in his childhood, when there were groups of prisoners, mountains of soldiers, swords shining, Xuan
The armor is like a rock, and all the people in the capital are happy and crowded, crowding around the soldiers who have returned from recapturing Liangzhou.
At that time, Cao Cao was fifteen years old, and he was a well-known absurd dandy in the capital. But that day he looked up at Duan Juong from the crowd. Duan Juong was wearing red armor and riding on a green-maned horse. The long-established Liangzhou general took off his armor and went to war.
Ten years have made his temperament vicissitudes, revealing a pair of tired and sad eyes. There is no welcoming crowd in his eyes, only the rows of Han flags flying above the Eastern Capital.
Cao Cao's soul seemed to be penetrated at that time, and it was washed from top to bottom. He made up his mind to be a figure like Duan Jiong, no longer a well-known eunuch and a playboy in the capital. Everyone looked at him with admiration and thought
He is the future pillar of the country. Sikong Qiaoxuan was once surprised by his changes, and sighed: "Today there will be chaos, but it is you who can make the people happy?" This made Cao Cao feel quite complacent, and he selectively forgot about Qiao Sikong.
The first half of the sentence.
It’s just that times have indeed changed, and the change is in people’s hearts.
Thinking about the affairs of the court in the past few days, Cao Cao suddenly looked depressed. He swallowed a sip of wine and was speechless for a long time. His wife Ding noticed it, put down the wine spoon in her hand, and asked her husband with concern: "Ah Man, what's the matter? It's because the wine is bitter."
?"
Cao Cao put down the cup in his hand and sighed to his wife: "I am worried, and no matter what wine I drink, it will not taste good." He picked up his chopsticks, knocked on the cup and sang:
"There are owls in the north mountain, and if their wings are unclean, they will not fly in the right direction, and they will not sleep at rest. If they are hungry, they will look at the trees, and if they are full, they will lie in the mud. They are greedy and corrupt, and their food is stinky and rotten. Their intestines are full of crop, and their appetites are endless."
Cao Cao was not tall, but his tone was heroic. When he sang Zhu Mu's [1] "Poem on Breaking Diplomacy with Liu Bozong" [2], each word became more urgent and each sentence faster. But halfway through singing, he suddenly felt like he was being raped.
Whoever got stuck in his throat stopped at this sentence. He reluctantly picked up the cup again and said to his wife: "It's full."
After filling Cao Cao's cup with wine, Ding smiled and said, "Ah Man, why are you half-reciting the poem?" She then continued with a melodious singing voice: "It calls out to the phoenix, saying that the phoenix has no virtue. The phoenix's tendency is to be in a foreign land with you.
From now on, we will work hard together." In the backyard, only her singing voice came back to the world, like a warbler's chirping, which was endearing. Ding then caressed Cao Cao's hair and asked, "Do you think you can't be called a phoenix?" p>
Cao Cao shook his head, drank the warm wine in the cup, and replied: "If the phoenix is not a phoenix tree, it will not live there, if it is not the morning dew, it will not drink, and if it is not the practice, I will not eat. I, Cao Mengde, am indeed not such a person, but it is not worth regretting. I will achieve great things."
It is difficult to stick to small details. Looking forward and backward is just in vain and misses the opportunity."
When the words stopped here, Cao Cao suddenly stood up and said: "Prepare your horse, I want to go to Benchu." Ding collected the dishes and chopsticks for him and asked: "Going now? It's already the You hour...
."
Cao Cao acted resolutely and went as he said. He changed into his regular clothes, took out his walking shoes, lowered his head and looked at him and said: "Benchu and I have been friends for many years. I know his habits. He lives in seclusion and only has people to look for him. He has no one to look for. The banquet excludes the general.
He will never go to someone else's invitation, and as a general and planner, he thinks about the situation of the court all day long and will not rest until he is ready."
So he tidied up, but when he went out, the cold wind filled Cao Cao's house. Cao Cao quickly went back to the house and put on a fox fur coat, and then rode Jueying again and rushed directly to Yuan Shao's residence.
As an aide to the general, Yuan Shao lived not far from the general's palace. To the east of Zhuolong Garden and to the north of Yong'an Palace, Taicang and the arsenal can be seen in only two quarters of an hour's journey. It can be said that it is not the most important place in the city.
Cao Cao was already familiar with the road, and there were few pedestrians at night. Within half an hour, he saw the lintel of the Yuan Mansion. There was a black horse tied in front of the door, leaning on the doorpost and licking its mane.
That was Xu You's mount. Cao Cao was used to seeing it. He turned over and dismounted, and a Cangtou immediately came up to him and said, "Captain Cao, my master is discussing with Mr. Xu in the side compartment. You can just go and see him." Cao Cao said.
He has been here so many times that even Cangtou of Yuan Shao's family is familiar with him, so he simply skipped the reporting procedure.
Cao Cao then walked to the side compartment, and along the way he saw Mrs. Liu who was packing up the food table and going out. Mrs. Liu put down the table and saluted him and said, "Do you have something to discuss with your husband today, Mr. Cao?" Cao Cao hurriedly helped Mrs. Liu up and looked at him.
She was graceful and graceful, with watery brows and eyes, and she felt that Liu's arms were warm and plump. She couldn't help but feel moved in her heart, and said with a smile: "With my sister-in-law here, can't I, Cao Cao, have nothing to do to talk to me about my origins?"
Mrs. Liu withdrew her wrist and replied with a polite smile: "If Mr. Cao continues to joke, I'm afraid I won't let you in tonight." After saying that, Tingting walked away, and Cao Cao stopped to look back at the figure for a moment.
Just then he shook his head and smiled to himself, and walked straight to the side compartment.
When I entered the door, I heard someone talking inside: "Now that there is a war in Bingzhou, Liu Junlang's talk about being a shepherd will probably be unstoppable. According to the general, your majesty has agreed to this matter, and the candidate has been decided." "Benchu." Cao Cao called Yuan Shao as he entered the door. When he saw Yuan Shao lying on his side and slumping down, the words he just said were exactly what he said. Cao Cao frowned and asked: "Who did the state herdsman choose?"
The power of the state pastor is much greater than that of the governor. There are checks and balances between the governor and the county governor. However, the state pastor directly controls all the military and political power of the state and becomes the direct superior of the county governor. He can be said to be a real official in the feudal territory. Therefore, although Liu Yan advocated that Mu Bo
After many discussions, the imperial court has been unable to approve it. However, now that the war in Bingzhou has resumed, and Qingxu Huangjin has made some moves, even if he loves power as much as the emperor, he cannot survive. Cao Cao sighed in his heart, but once the state is established, it will not be able to support the imperial court.
It is not a blessing.
When Yuan Shao saw Cao Cao coming, he just waved to him to sit down. He was still lying on his side, and he closed his eyes and replied: "The three people we have initially chosen are Liu Bo'an from Youzhou, Liu Junlang from Jiaozhou, and Huang Ziyan from Yuzhou. I guess it won't change much in the future.
The maximum number of people guarding the area has been changed."
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Cao Cao frowned and said: "The war in Liangzhou lasted for several years, and now the war in Bingzhou has started again. If there is an urgent need for a shepherd to guard the two states, it should be that these two states need a shepherd the most. But now they are ignoring these two states. Aren't they afraid of causing criticism from everyone?
?"
Yuan Shao pondered for a while, but Xu You replied: "Now the Liangzhou rebellion is no longer likely to end in the short term. Even if the rebel army is severely damaged for a while, it can only appease the third auxiliary capital. Setting up a shepherd is just a cover-up. Why not consider the present situation first?"
Select the general to counter the rebellion."
Then Yuan Shao sat up and slowly continued: "After the military report from Bingzhou was received by the court the day before yesterday, Meng De, you should also know that the court may have no available troops. The Dongping Army, which was originally scheduled to set off to join the annexation in February this year,
Now we are still quelling the rebellion in Qingxu, but what will happen to Qingxu once the Dongping Army is mobilized to join the annexation?"
Cao Cao replied in a deep voice: "Qingxu Huangjin, with Qingzhou as the most important and Xuzhou as the lightest, we can choose a good person to be the governor of Xuzhou, appease the refugees, and stationed in the Taishan Mountains. Although it cannot quell the rebellion of Qingxu, it can temporarily stop the moth thieves."
At this point, he couldn't help but raise his voice and said: "Bingzhou is the north screen of the capital, and Liangzhou is the west screen of the capital. Now that the Huns are rebelling, if they collude with the chaos in Liangzhou, the overall situation may be changed overnight.
Badness is fundamental and cannot be underestimated!"
Yuan Shao raised his eyelids slightly, poured a glass of green wine for Cao Cao, with a few apricot peels still floating on the surface of the wine, and said in detail: "The west of Bingzhou is the desert, the south is the royal house, and the west is Taihang. The imperial court only needs to guard the east of the river and add troops to the party.
, No matter how serious the war in Bingzhou is, what embarrassment can be caused to the capital? Meng De, you have said it before. In my opinion, it is better to send envoys to appease the Huns after making such arrangements, and withdraw Chen Tingjian and others. The chaos in Bingzhou
It can be dissolved by itself."
Cao Cao was choked for a moment and couldn't speak. He drank all the wine in one gulp and said in a cold voice: "Benchu, after you make the arrangements, it will be difficult for the combined prefectures and counties to be owned by the country. The combined prefectures have thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, and mountains and rivers outside and inside.
Don't let us be so corrupted! Not to mention the soldiers of Bingzhou. As Tingjian's military report said, the soldiers of Bingzhou looked at the imperial reinforcements and saw blood in their eyes! How will future generations treat us in a few hundred years? We must not repeat this
Make the same mistakes as Liangzhou!"
Yuan Shao remained calm and refilled Cao Cao's account, and said calmly: "Meng De, I'm afraid we don't have time to do this now. The court has more important things that we should do."
"Is there anything greater than the war on the border..." Before he could finish his words, Xu You recited leisurely at the side: "It is the most unlucky thing for the world to abolish the establishment of an institution. The ancients had the right to succeed or fail.
Yi Yin and Huo Guang are the ones who act based on the importance of things."
After reading this, Xu You paused, smiled at Cao Cao and said, "Mengde, you rejected it so neatly. Do you really want to stop thinking about it?"
Cao Cao froze, feeling that Xu You was holding his lifeline, and all his anger was swept away, leaving only cold sweat, so that he could even breathe a little. He looked at Yuan Shao with incredible eyes and asked:
"This is my letter rejecting the king's decision to depose the emperor. How do you know the words?"
Yuan Shao smiled and said nothing, just leaning on the slump to drink. Xu You stood up, walked to the corridor door, raised his head and looked at the clear light in the sky, and then explained: "Mengde, I am the mediator in this matter. It’s not just you who contacted us, we also contacted Hua Xin, Tao Qiuhong, Zhou Jing, and many heroes from Jizhou. The Marquis of Hefei has also agreed. Everything is ready.
You are a wise man. You should know that the current chaos in the country is frequent and the signs of decline are becoming more and more obvious. These are all caused by the emperor's lack of virtue. Even if we try our best, the emperor will treat us like straw shoes. What can we do? If we can't rectify the source and help the artifact, Even if we quell the rebels ten times and a hundred times, what's the use? Are you really not going to participate in this incredible feat?"
Cao Cao was as silent as gold, but looked at Yuan Shao, his childhood friend, with an unbelievable look. Seeing him sitting like a mountain, An Su was like ice, he couldn't help but make a conclusion in his heart: What a mess.
Yuan Shao suddenly sighed: "Your Majesty still has Chen Tingjian in his heart. He has already ordered that no matter how Qingxu Huangjin is, he will first mobilize the Dongping Army to join the annexation. Once Liu Bei leaves, Xuzhou Governor Gu Qian will not be able to stay any longer. Ziyuan, Mengde What you said is not unreasonable. Who should we recommend as the next governor of Xuzhou?"
Xu You pondered: "That can only be drawn from the current three auxiliary defenders. In my opinion, Tao Gongzu may be the best. He has a reputation for being a virtuous man, and he is very popular in planning and planning in the army. He has always relied on us. It’s very close, and neither the general nor the emperor should have any reason to object.”
Yuan Shao nodded and agreed: "That's Tao Qian." The candidate for the governor of the first state of the empire was finalized in this side room. Cao Cao looked at this scene and thought it was ridiculous. But after receiving the news that Chen Chong still had reinforcements, he also made He finally felt a little inspired, but he still didn't know how the war in Bingzhou was developing, which made him still unable to let go.
At least for a month, Chen Chong will still have to fight alone.
[1] Zhu Mu: Scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, courtesy name Gongshu. He was born in Nanyang Wan. He was born in a good family and well-dressed. He was filial and honest at first, and later became a censor. He became the governor of Jizhou. He was slandered for impeaching powerful people and restraining the powerful. Later, he was imprisoned. Zheng worshiped as a minister. He was an upright man. He lived in the palace for decades. He "adhered to the good way". He lived on a vegetarian diet and lived in plain clothes. His family had no money. His moral integrity was highly respected by others. People at that time commented that he was "both civil and military, and a great scholar in the world".< /p>
In the first year of Yongxing, serious floods and famine occurred in Jizhou, and the social order was chaotic. Zhu Mu was ordered to serve as the governor of Jizhou. Intimidated by Zhu Mu's reputation, corrupt officials fled after hearing the news. Among the hundreds of counties in Jizhou, only the county magistrate who fled the country was released. There were more than 40 people. As soon as he took office, he severely punished corrupt officials and powerful officials who had done evil. Eventually, because he offended the eunuchs and dignitaries of the imperial court, he was arrested and returned to the capital and sentenced to prison. Thousands of people, including Liu Tao, a later student of the Imperial Palace, wrote letters of complaint and defended Zhu Muming. After being dissatisfied, he was released and returned to his hometown. He stayed at home for several years and became a minister again. He was still upright. He repeatedly wrote or asked in person to dismiss the eunuchs. Emperor Huan refused, so he was ostracized and slandered. He was angry and depressed all day long. He died of gangrene in the sixth year of Yanxi's reign. .
[2] "Poetry on Severing Diplomacy with Liu Bozong": The only poem handed down by Zhu Mu. When Zhu Mu was in Fengling, he had a good relationship with Liu Bozong of Ding You. The two later became officials in the same dynasty. Liu Bozong was appointed as the governor, and Zhu Mu Mu was only an official, so Liu Bozong did not treat Zhu Mu as a good friend, so Zhu Mu wrote this poem to break off their friendship.