Cao Hong's uncle Cao Ding was a minister and ordered Cao Hong to serve as the governor of Qichun. Cao Cao launched an army to attack Dong Zhuo, but was defeated by Xu Rong in Xingyang. At that time, Cao Cao lost his horse, and the pursuers were in a hurry. His life was hanging by a thread. Cao Hong dismounted and
He helped Cao Cao mount his horse and said: The world cannot be without floods, but it cannot be without a king.
They fought on foot and fought all the way to Bianshui.
At that time, the water was deep and difficult to cross, but Cao Hongyi got a boat in the water and protected Cao Cao from danger.
Later, Cao Cao went on an expedition to Xuzhou and encountered a great famine. Cao Hong led his troops forward and seized Fanyang in Dongping, gathering local grain and grass to supply Cao Cao.
The emperor moved the capital to Xu County, and Cao Hong paid homage to the officials.
At the beginning of the year, he conquered Liu Biao, defeated Wuyin, Ye County, Duyang, and Bowang, and was named General Li Feng and Marquis Guoming Ting.
The person that Cao Peng likes the most is Cao Hong. The reason is simply because Cao Hong attaches great importance to money.
History books say that his family was rich but stingy.
In other words, this man is Grandet's kind of person.
Cao Cao was extremely obsessed with money, which made Cao Cao feel very at ease with him. Although in the eyes of many people, Cao Hong was not a big shot, in Cao Cao's heart, Cao Hong was undoubtedly the most trustworthy person. I am not afraid that you are wrong, but I am afraid that you are too good.
A person without shortcomings often has unusual ambitions. The most obvious one is Wang Mang, the emperor of the New Dynasty who usurped the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, the more greedy Cao Hong is, the more assured Cao Cao is about him.
According to historical records, Cao Hong did not get rid of this problem in his later years.
After Cao Pi ascended the throne, Cao Pi's wife, Queen Guo, was very dissatisfied with Cao Hong and even had murderous intentions. The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were helpless. Cao Pi's biological mother, Queen Mother Bian, directly told Queen Guo: If you dare to kill Cao Hong, I will go to the ancestors tomorrow.
Worship in the temple, after the emperor was deposed.
In the end, Cao Hong was spared and was dismissed from his official position.
However, after the death of Cao Pi, Emperor Ming of Wei ascended the throne and immediately worshiped Cao Hong as his general and the marquis of Lecheng. Later, he was named a hussar general and was given the posthumous title after his death.
It can be said that Cao Hong survived three dynasties without falling, which is enough to show his importance in Cao Wei.
As far as the current situation is concerned, Cao Hong is the best candidate to come forward to solve all problems. Moreover, Cao Peng has no plans to start a career in Xudu. He is aiming at Luoyang. Based on the relationship between the Cao family and the Xiahou family,
Cao Peng believes that there is no problem that cannot be solved.
The key is, who will lobby Cao Hong?
Cao Zhen took the initiative to propose it, and it naturally fell on Cao Zhen.
Cao Peng was not greedy and said to Cao Zhen: "This gambling house will be run in the name of Uncle Zi Lian. Uncle Zi Lian will get 50% of the income. You and I will each get 25%, what do you think?"
Cao Zhen shook his head, "How is that possible? Uncle Zi Lian contributes to your idea, and it is half and half between you and me. It is a bit unfair. You have 30%, and I have 20%. Uncle Zi Lian's 50% is not enough, so don't make any more ideas. If there is no
50% profit, he will definitely not help."
"What 20%, what 30%?"
Xu Yi asked doubtfully.
"It's none of your business, let's play your cards!"
Cao Zhen slapped Xu Yi on the head.
You really can't get too many people involved in this kind of thing, otherwise it will cause unnecessary trouble.
Cao Peng also knew what Cao Zhen was thinking. In fact, according to his thinking, why not hope to win over more people? If Xu Yi and Dianman could be brought over, plus the Cao clan members, a huge interest group could be formed.
But the question is, once this happens, can Cao Cao tolerate it? Even if Cao Cao can tolerate Cao Hong, he may not be able to tolerate Cao Peng, the instigator.
Therefore, Cao Peng did not say anything further.
If the interest group is large, it will have big benefits; if it is small, it will also have small conveniences.
Having too many people may not make it easy to get things done. Favors can be gathered slowly. If this violates Cao Cao's taboo, it will be more than gain.
"Also, to build a gambling house, you need people from all walks of life."
Cao Zhen thought for a while, "Then what are your ideas?"
"We have to find someone who is familiar with the situation in Luoyang, and it is best for this person not to hold a position in the imperial court. He has the means and ability... and also has some knowledge of gambling houses. It is best if he can speak on all aspects.
Save us a lot of trouble."
Running a gambling house is not that easy.
Cao Peng could use all the gambling methods of later generations, but he still needed someone who could control the situation.
Cao Zhen pondered for a moment and said softly: "I really know such a person, but if you want him to join, Ah Fu, I'm afraid you will have to sacrifice 10% of your profits."
"who?"
"It is the swordsmanship training of Cao Pi, the second son of the lord."
"Who is that?"
"Shi Ah!"
At this time, Zhu Zan also roughly understood what Cao Zhen and Cao Peng were discussing. From the bottom of his heart, he was not too disgusted with it. To be honest, his family background was not very good, and he was not rich. He had talent and learning.
He is not stubborn at the same time and is the best candidate...
"Shi'a's words are indeed appropriate." Zhu Zan said: "He studied under Wang Yue, the master of swordsmanship, and is also a master of contemporary swordsmanship. He has a wide range of people. He can speak to everyone from princes and nobles to traffickers and pawns. Moreover, he has a wide range of people.
He once opened the Hero Building in Luoyang back then, and is very familiar with the situation in Luoyang... Ah Fu, Zi Dan is right, if we ask Shi A to take action, we will probably share 10% of the profits."
Why does it sound like a gang leader?
Cao Peng pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "It would be really troublesome if we didn't have people like Shi A standing in front of us to do this kind of thing.
Well... 10% profit is 10% profit, no big deal. Once this prosperous gambling house is opened, it will definitely make a lot of money every day. Just 10% profit, in exchange for long-term stability, is a good deal no matter how you calculate it. Brother, this person is very suitable.
, we must bring him in. With him helping us run the business in Luoyang, we don’t need to spend any thought, and we can just worry about our future when the time comes."
Although I don’t know how much profit there will be at the end of the day.
But Cao Zhen had already seen a lot of wealth from the blueprint drawn by Cao Peng.
Cao Zhen was also very satisfied with Cao Peng's magnanimity.
Without such magnanimity, how could we accomplish great things...
"In this case, we will contact Shi A after we get out."
Cao Peng could finally breathe a sigh of relief! From the moment he arrived in Xudu, he began to rack his brains to think about the future... building momentum for his father Cao Ji and planning for his brother-in-law! But everything seemed like a castle built on the beach.
, it may collapse at any time.
Now, with Cao Zhen and Cao Hong...
Although I don't know how much power Shi'a has, he serves as Cao Pi's swordsmanship instructor, and this relationship alone is enough.
A small interest group has been planning and taking shape in the prison of Xudu.——
Before I knew it, it was already late summer.
In June of the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao's army returned to Xudu.
Seeing that the scorching heat is about to go away, the crisp autumn season is coming. In Longshan near Xudu, it has been cool all autumn, but in Xudu, autumn tigers are wandering outside, keeping the temperature high. Sitting in the house
It's also unbearably hot here.
In the room, there are five huge bronze tripods placed in sequence.
The green dragon, white tiger, red bird, Xuanwu and Qilin are respectively carved on it, representing the five divine beasts. It takes four or five people to hold the tripod together, but it contains huge ice cubes. Wisps of cold air come from the hollow gaps in the bronze tripod cover.
Float out and spread throughout the room.
Sitting in the room, not only will you not feel hot, but you will feel cool.
Cao Cao was wearing a bright yellow brocade with a slanted lapel. He was sitting on the bed, holding a scroll in one hand and gently twirling his long beard with the other...
"Fengxiao, what do you think about Fujun?"
Guo Jia wore a moon-white gown and sat down at the bottom with a relaxed expression.
Hearing Cao Cao's question, he smiled and said, "Now my lord has moved his capital to Xu County, and is serving the emperor as an order for the princes to attack the unconquered ministers. On the surface, my lord seems to have unlimited glory, but in fact he is hiding in danger."
"oh?"
"Although my lord is famous, he cannot compare with the fourth and third princes of Yuan Benchu.
Although the lord supports the emperor, he cannot convince the public. Especially those who come from Chang'an, I am afraid it is even more so... There is great chaos today. Although the lord is sitting in the three states of Qing, Yan and Henan, he is surrounded by enemies on all sides.
.As a result, the civil and military officials in the DPRK were often disloyal, and even today they may not be able to trust their lord. In the past, the five hegemons Huan Gong respected the king and resisted the barbarians, and then the Kuiqiu Alliance achieved hegemony.
Chao Cuo conquered the outside world first to pacify the inside, cut down the feudal vassals and centralize power, and only then could Emperor Wu achieve great martial arts...
If the Lord wants to support the Han Dynasty, at present, Xu Du can only have one voice, and that is your voice, Lord.
If the sound is too messy, the people will not know why. People say that Huo Guang is domineering, but without Huo Guang, how could the Han Dynasty be revived? The situation that the Lord is facing now is even worse than that of Huo Guang back then. Therefore, there is only one tyrannical method to suppress all abnormal movements, then
There is hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty."
Although Guo Jia did not express any opinions, he made his attitude clear.
Cao Cao put down the scroll, twirled his beard and smiled: "Feng Xiao's words really won my heart."
Guo Jia immediately stopped talking.
"However, it is true that Fu Jun broke his leg. Maybe there is an explanation."
"My lord only needs to act in accordance with the law, why do I need to answer to anyone?" Guo Jia said with a smile: "Killing people to pay back debts and money is a matter of course.
Besides, it is a fact that Fu Jun broke his leg. Whoever breaks his leg will cause trouble for him. If anyone is not convinced, let him go back and take a good look at Xiao Du Lu. However, I heard that my lord is serving as the Northern Lieutenant in Luoyang.
At that time, there was a strict order not to allow horses to gallop in the busy city?"
Cao Cao was startled, then nodded.
"There is such a law."
"Xilixu is where the bustling city of Xudu is. Fu Jun and others rode on horseback and injured passers-by. We need to give some explanation according to the law."
"this……"
Cao Cao scratched his head and said softly: "This is a crime of beheading!"
"As I said before, act according to the law."
Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia blankly and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Fengxiao, are you trying to knock mountains and shake tigers?"
Hearing this, Guo Jia smiled, picked up the wine glass in front of him, and tasted it carefully.
And Cao Cao has made a decision...
On the second day after returning to Xudu, Cao Cao convened a court meeting.
After discussing all the matters, Xun Yu stood up and said: "My lord, before I did it, the case of the injured son of General Fu Wan of the auxiliary country has been backlogged for a long time. Now your Majesty and all the lords in the court are extremely concerned about this.
, but I don’t know how the lord is going to make a decision?”
"Oh?" Cao Cao smiled, "Wen Ruo can tell you the origin of the case in detail."
In fact, Cao Cao already knew the reason for this matter. The reason why he said this was because he wanted to see Xun Yu's attitude. Judging from the way Xun Yu handled this matter, he seemed to be in a dilemma. Loyal to
Cao Cao, or loyal to the Han Emperor, just depends on how he states it.
Xun Yu cleared his throat and said loudly: "The reason for the incident is very simple. On the day of the incident, Fu Jun, the son of Fu Wan, the general of Hou Fuguo, and Dong Yue, the son of former general Dong Cheng, and others, drank wine in a restaurant, and Xu Zong was in Xili.
The horse walked forward. When it arrived at the door of Huichun Hall, it knocked down Zhang who was seeking medical treatment at Huichun Hall. At that time, Zhang's nephew and Dianman, the son of Dian Wei, the general of the Tiger Guard, also went to Huichun Hall with Zhang.
Zhang's nephew saw that Fu Jun and others had injured Zhang, so he stepped forward to stop him. The two sides disagreed and started fighting. Fu Jun ordered his generals and servants, a total of more than 50 people, to besiege Zhang's nephew, not wanting to be attacked by the passing tiger captain.
Xu Chu's son Xu Yi and the four generals Cao Zhen, Zhu Zan and Cao Zun under the command of the Yue Cavalry School saw this and stepped forward to help. A fight broke out between the two sides in the street.
Deng Fan, one of Zhang's nephews, was chopped down by a general from Fujun's family.
On Fujun's side, more than 30 people were injured by Zhang's nephew, Dianman Xu Yi and others. Among them, 16 were seriously injured and seven were killed. Fujun was in the chaos of the battle and was not seriously injured.
When he was dismounted, he was trampled by his horse and his thigh was broken. He was a guest in Dianjiawu at that time. After hearing the news, he immediately ordered Dian Wei, the general of Huben, to mobilize the Huben army, blockade Xili Xu Chang Street, and capture all the people who were fighting.
…
This matter has a wide range of implications, and I feel that the case is complicated, so I have put both parties in custody. It has been more than a month now... This case cannot be delayed any longer, so I ask my lord to make a decision as soon as possible to avoid panic in the capital city."
People often say that Xun Yu was in the middle of things and was impartial.
As far as this case is concerned, he is not biased towards Fu Jun and others, nor can he speak with Cao Zhen and others in mind.
He had a completely businesslike tone. After finishing speaking, he bowed and retreated, waiting for Cao Cao's announcement...
Xu Chu returned to Xudu and heard about Xu Yi.
But because of his sensitive status, he never went to visit. However, after hearing what Xun Yu said, he subconsciously looked at Dian Wei.
But I saw Dian Wei looking at his nose with his eyes, his nose at his mouth, his mouth at his heart, and he was silent.
"Then there was no quarrel between the two parties in prison?"
"Reporting to my lord, after Fu Jun and others were imprisoned, they have been dissatisfied and made arrogant remarks, saying that they would kill Zhang and others after they got out."
Xun You stood up and answered respectfully.
Xun Yu glanced at Xun You, sighed inwardly, and said nothing.
He knew very well that Xun You and he had always had political differences. Xun You believed that Cao Cao was the only one who could rule the world at that time, and that the Han Dynasty was in decline and would be difficult to recover. However, Xun Yu was a Han minister once and always a Han minister.
.Xun Yu was younger than Xun You, but he was older than Xun You. For this reason, the two quarreled constantly, and later even turned against each other. Xun You's words were tantamount to stating his position...
"What about Zidan and the others?"
"Zi Dan is quite normal and not noisy."
Guo Jia suddenly stood up and said with a smile: "Zi Dan and the others didn't make any noise, but they made a lot of noise. After he was imprisoned, he lived in the same room with a total of eight people including Zhang's nephew. Later, somehow,
He actually knew the statue of Saint Kong, and eight people exchanged golden orchids in prison, made blood alliances, and sworn brothers with different surnames... Xudu people turned this incident into a good talk, and called the eight of them: Xiaoba Yi."
"Brothers with different surnames?"
Cao Cao couldn't help laughing, "I heard people say that a thousand pieces of gold are easy to get, but a confidant is hard to find. How lucky is Zidan to have seven confidants in one day. What a blessing. What a blessing."
After saying that, Cao Cao sighed and looked lonely.
In fact, isn't he talking about himself?
I think back then, Cao Cao was a knight with a sword and full of ambition.
He knew Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu and others and could be regarded as friends. But who could have imagined that they would turn into enemies.
It's rare to have a close friend in life. I'm lucky to get it; it's my fate to not get it...
Today, it seems that it is no longer easy for Cao Cao to find a confidant.
Whenever he thinks of these, Cao Cao will always be filled with emotion. Yes, he is a hero of his generation, but he is also the most outstanding poet and talented man of this era.
Talented people always have many emotions.
But Cao Cao's advantage is that he can control his emotions.
After a moment of emotion, Cao Cao calmed down and said to Xun Yu: "Wen Ruo, this matter only needs to be settled in accordance with Han law, no need to worry."
After saying that, he looked at Xun You.
Judgment according to Han law?
It sounds like Cao Cao has given a basis.
But Xun You was not that confused. Cao Cao's words were ambiguous, and there seemed to be many meanings to consider.
His eyes couldn't help but glance at Guo Jia who was standing aside. Guo Jia smiled, nodded towards him, then drooped his eyelids and stopped looking at him.
Just a smile and a nod gave Xun You many answers.
"According to Xiao Du's rules, if Fu Jun and others fight in the street, they will be detained for one month and each will be given twenty canes."
After Xun You finished speaking, he glanced at Guo Jia again and saw Guo Jia nodded slightly.
Taking a deep breath, Xun You continued: "Cao Zhen and others have been detained for more than a month. They only need to make up for twenty sticks each and they will be released immediately. Although Zhang's nephew participated in the fight, he is the owner of the suffering and has excusable circumstances.
Twenty sticks will be spared, and they will be released immediately; Fujun rides his horse in a busy city, hurts someone, and then beats the victim. This is a serious crime..."
Suddenly, Xun You saw Guo Jia shaking his head slightly and sitting on the couch, his body rising and falling slightly as if he were riding a horse.
I couldn't help but be startled, but I quickly woke up.
"The one who hurt others is Fujun's mount, so he has nothing to do with Fujun.
According to the law, if someone is injured in a busy city, he will be punished with an eighty stick; if Fujun fails to train his horse well, he will be fined thirty gold and ordered to shut up and think about his mistakes. The slaves of the house that participated in the fight will be punished with one year of hard labor in the army. Fujun will have his leg broken.
It has nothing to do with Cao Zhen, so his mount is guilty of hurting others, and his staff is eighty."
Just say that no one made a mistake in this matter, it was the horse who made the mistake.
One hundred and sixty strokes... I guess that horse can be used for barbecue! Xun You didn't punish Fu Jun on the surface, but this slap hit Fu Wan's face hard. I dunk it
Your family will be forced to do hard labor, and your son's legs will be broken in vain, and you will have to pay for a horse and thirty gold for the ride. However, I saved your son's face and there was no real punishment.
.
With such a verdict, the people naturally applauded and praised, but the scholars had nothing to say.
The Han Emperor's face can also be saved... You said you wanted me not to punish Fu Jun. You see, I really didn't punish him and let him go!
What is the hidden needle in the cotton?
Xun You's skill is called hiding needles in the cotton.
No matter what others think, Xun Yu is satisfied!
At least on the surface, the lord still cares about His Majesty's face. In other words, the lord, at least for now, has no rebellious intentions.
Xun Yu couldn't help but nodded slightly.
"Since there is no objection, it is decided!"
After Cao Cao finished speaking, he waved his hand for everyone to disperse. He stood up and prepared to go back to the inner room to rest.
At this moment, Dian Wei took a step forward, cupped his hands and said loudly: "My lord, please stay, Dian Wei has something to say..."