Engagement, also called Engagement, is an assistant to the governor, who is appointed by the governor on his own initiative.
Man Chong was not the first person to follow Cao Cao, but as Cao Cao's assistant and aide, he was definitely the person Cao Cao trusted the most. And Dian Wei was Cao Cao's personal guard, and he was also highly valued. So as early as Yanzhou, Man Chong and Dian Wei
Wei, we have a very deep friendship.
Man Chong can be regarded as a famous person in Yanzhou, but he is not a child of an aristocratic family.
Dian Wei was born as a commoner, and he won Cao Cao's favor because of his bravery.
Although the paths they took were different, the journeys were very similar. Man Chong was dismissed from office because of his strict law enforcement and upright temperament, while Dian Wei was jealous of his colleagues because of his courage and superior force, and even almost lost his life. So they are
When they were together, they were quite able to talk about it. After Cao Cao's defeat in Wancheng, Man Chong heard the news of Dian Wei's death in battle. He fainted at that time and later became seriously ill.
It wasn't until three days ago that I recovered and was able to stay and walk.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he recovered from his illness, he received a report from Langling County, saying that a group of descendants of aristocratic families were killing people wantonly in Langling County and acting lawlessly.
When Man Chong heard this, he immediately became angry!
He has a strong temper and hates evil. He has practiced law since he was a child, so he is extremely strict.
That's not to say that all the children of the aristocratic families do evil things, but there is indeed a group of people who are ruining the reputation of the children of the aristocratic families.
Since the end of the Han Dynasty, the imperial court has been in chaos and the laws have collapsed.
For a person who practices law and has the ideal of purifying the law and punishing evil and promoting good, the harm caused by children of aristocratic families who violate the law is far greater than that of ordinary people. The reason is very simple. The aristocratic family constitutes the main body of high-rise buildings in the late Han Dynasty.
The children of aristocratic families often have great influence. If they corrupt the law, the result will inevitably be that more people will ignore the majesty of Han law and act recklessly.
Therefore, Man Chong was more strict with the children of aristocratic families.
After receiving the report from Langling County, Man Chong immediately brought troops and horses to intercept without saying a word.
But he didn't expect that he would meet Dian Wei here...
Dian Wei was equally surprised. He was about to mount his horse, but suddenly thought of something. He picked up the reins and reined in the horse: "Bo Ning, are you here to catch me?"
Man Chong also calmed down after experiencing the initial surprise.
The smile on his face gradually faded away. Man Chong twisted his eyebrows together and sighed: "Jun Ming, could this really be what you did?"
He was very surprised that Dian Wei was in danger in Wancheng and everyone thought he was dead.
But why did he become a follower of a descendant of a noble family? Which noble family was he? And why was Dian Wei willing to help the emperor do evil?
His gaze inadvertently crossed Dian Wei's side and looked behind him.
I saw a carriage pulled by three horses, standing quietly more than ten meters behind Dian Wei. Around the carriage, more than ten strong men holding weapons stood guard. Man Chong's eyes swept over the row of people,
His eyes finally fell on Cao Peng and Deng Ji. It was not because Cao Peng and Deng Ji had any domineering air, but because the temperament of these two people seemed to be a little different from other people.
Deng Ji was missing an arm and looked pale.
The thin cheeks are as sharp as a knife and an ax, with sharp edges and rough lines.
Sometimes, temperament is really a mysterious thing that cannot be explained or understood. Some people are often disgusted by their handsome appearance, but people with the same appearance may be respected by others, and even make people feel disgusted.
People feel friendly. Deng Ji's appearance is not particularly handsome, but it is not bad either. In the past, Deng Ji always made people feel a little weak, but after experiencing a series of changes, Deng Ji's temperament is very different from before.
Same. His body seems a little weaker than before. But his temperament makes people respect him.
This is a strong man!
Man Chong sighed secretly in his heart.
However, when his eyes fell on Cao Peng, he couldn't help but be stunned.
This is also a very interesting little guy. He looks like he is only fourteen or fifteen years old, but what he reveals is a calmness that does not match his age. Man Chong has seen many children of aristocratic families, but
But I have never seen a young man like Cao Peng.
how to say?
There was a kind of indifference in this child's eyes that could see through life and death.
It's a bit cold, but it's not a coldness that repels people thousands of miles away, but a kind of coldness that makes people unable to help but feel pity and love.
Man Chong was stunned!
A look of anger flashed across Dian Wei's face.
"Bo Ning, do you still remember what you said to me back then?"
"ah?"
"You said that you want to clean up the government and make everyone in the world abide by the law and not dare to violate it lightly."
Man Chong withdrew his gaze and said seriously: "I am still working hard for this, but when did I forget it? What does Jun Ming mean by this?"
"Since you want to clean up the government, why do you impose excessive taxes and expropriations under your rule?"
"Extremely demanding?"
Dian Wei said angrily: "I remember that my lord once said that we must ensure that the trade routes between Runan and Nanyang are smooth. But there are people under your rule who set up private checkpoints in Langling to collect taxes. Boning, ten coins per person, and one person per person.
A horse costs 50 cents, a cart costs 5,000 cents, and there is an additional tax for carrying weapons. Is this your way of purging officials? Is this your serious way of the law? Are you blind?"
Man Chong was shocked, "Jun Ming, do you really mean what you said?"
Dian Wei snorted and said, "Everyone behind me can prove it. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to ask to see if it is true."
Man Chong's cheek twitched, and then he showed a bitter smile.
"How about we discuss this later when we go back?"
This large group of people blocked the road, and it was really hard to say something.
Dian Wei was about to have a fit, but Cao Peng rushed forward and stopped Dian Wei: "Uncle Dian, there are so many people here talking, why don't we explain it in detail to Uncle Man after we get to Pingyu."
According to Man Chong's understanding of Dian Wei, there will definitely be an explosion at this time.
Dian Wei didn't like anyone interrupting him. Except for his lord Cao Cao, even Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren would not speak in front of him easily.
Unexpectedly, Dian Wei was not angry at all. He thought about it and nodded in agreement.
Man Chong glanced at Cao Peng thoughtfully, then waved his hand and shouted: "Go back to the city!"
The five hundred soldiers behind him all lined up and turned around.
Man Chong was a civil servant, but looking at the movements of those strong soldiers, we knew that he was quite good at training soldiers. Wei Yan couldn't help but his eyes lit up, showing a strange look. Others did not notice Wei Yan's almost imperceptible reaction.
, but Cao Peng saw it.
He was stunned for a moment, then as if he understood something, he looked at Man Chong, then at Wei Yan, and nodded lightly.——
Pingyu County is located at the junction of two provinces (Henan, Anhui) and three cities (Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Fuyang) in the southeast of Henan Province.
During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, Pingyu County was called Zhidi and was a vassal state.
During the Zhou Dynasty, Pingyu County was merged into the Shenzi Kingdom. The name Pingyu came from the words "Pingyu arrived" in the letter written by Tairen, the mother of King Wen, when she returned to the province.
The terrain here is flat and the land is fertile. It is the seat of Runan County.
After Man Chong brought Dian Wei and others back to the government office, he sent people to guard outside. He ordered his family to hold a banquet to welcome Dian Wei and his party. During the banquet, Dian Wei told him about his experience of escaping from death in Wancheng.
He told Man Chong everything and stated that he would take Cao Peng and others to live in Xudu.
After Man Chong heard this, he bowed deeply to Wei Yan and Cao Peng.
"Jun Ming is my good friend. Thanks to the two of you for your generous actions, you rescued him from danger. Man Chong is extremely grateful."
There was a hint of kindness in his words.
Cao Peng and Wei Yan quickly stood up and returned the courtesy. Cao Peng asked, "Prefect Man, it seems that you have something to tell Uncle Dian on the way?"
Dian Wei immediately remembered the previous scene and hurriedly leaned forward to ask.
Man Chong hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Lang Ling set up a checkpoint privately in Langling. He is indeed worthy of death. This man was originally the magistrate of Wuyin County, Nanyang County. Previously, my lord conquered Wancheng and became the official of Yao.
He surrendered and was appreciated by the lord. But it is not clear how much the lord really valued him. The reason why the lord used him was that he wanted to buy horse bones with a thousand gold coins, and wanted to use this to recruit Jingxiang scholars; this
The second point... is because someone recommended him in front of the lord. Jun Ming, it's not my indulgence of this person's behavior, but..."
When Dian Wei heard this, his face darkened.
"who?"
Man Chong smiled bitterly and said, "That's Zi Lian!"
Dian Wei suddenly fell silent, but his face became even more ugly.
Cao Peng couldn't help but asked in a low voice: "Who is Zi Lian?"
Xia Houlan whispered beside him: "He is the lord's clan brother, who advised Cao Hong, Cao Zilian... It is said that this Cao Zilian was the first group of people to follow the lord in the uprising. At that time, the princes conquered Dong Zhuo and forced Dong Zhuo to move the capital.
Chang'an. The lord led his troops to pursue him and was almost killed by Dong Zhuo. Fortunately, General Cao Hong gave up his mount and fought on foot to protect the lord from danger, so he won the Lord's favor."
If we talk about Cao Zilian, Cao Peng really doesn’t know who he is.
But Cao Hong's name was very familiar to him...
Is Cao Hong behind Cheng Yao?
Comments on Cao Hong in history, in addition to his talent, also said that he was greedy and good at wealth.
It is self-evident that Cheng Yao's intention was to impose such excessive taxes... What he said about suppressing bandits was just an excuse. I am afraid that Cheng Yao wanted to use this method to gather money and silk to curry favor with Cao Hong. Cheng Yao was also an outsider, and he was in Cao's camp.
, without any foundation. If there is no backer behind him, Cheng Yao may not be able to gain a firm foothold based on his ability. He is not a capable person, but he is indeed good at maneuvering.
Dian Wei slapped his hand on the table, "With Zilian's support, is it possible that we have to sit idly by and ignore it?"
Man Chong couldn't help but look embarrassed and opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to explain this to Dian Wei...
He is indeed a strong point, but he doesn't know the right to weigh. When he was in Xu County, Man Chong had already offended Cao Hong once in order to clean up the law. Although Cao Hong didn't care about it, it was obviously impossible to say that he didn't have a grudge in his heart. If he did it again
I'm afraid that Cao Hong will be disgraced by using forceful methods. After all, Cao Hong is Cao Cao's younger brother, and even Cao Cao may not be able to mediate the relationship by then.
Man Chong is also in a dilemma.
Seeing that Man Chong remained silent, Dian Wei became even more angry.
"If you don't dare to get rid of this person, then let me do it."
"Jun Ming, what are you talking about?"
"What are you talking about? To be honest!" Dian Wei said angrily: "It is not easy for my lord to have the foundation he has today. I don't want to see my lord's great reputation ruined in the hands of such a young man. You, Boning, are afraid of Cao Hong.
I, Dian Wei, am not afraid of offending Cao Zilian!"