In the county temple not far from the Juxian Hall, Cao Cao did not know that two great talents ran away because of a few words from a firewood seller under his rule.
At this time, Cao Cao was having a drink at the same table with his most talented man.
You must know that the etiquette of the Han Dynasty has always emphasized that one person has a seat, and those who can sit together are all very close.
At this time, Cao Cao was in bed, so he dressed very simply. He tied a knot in the center of his head, wrapped his hair with a scarf, wiped his forehead, wore a turban, and tied a big belt, giving him the look of a Yanju.
It is the behavior of a low-level Guizhou leader to wear a bun. No matter how casual he is, Cao Cao still has to wear a bun. It's a pity that his long hair was cut off during the Battle of Qishui in Hanoi. Three years have passed, and his hair has not been able to grow. how long.
But even though he is dressed like a humble servant, his heroic spirit cannot be concealed. Anyone who takes a first look will know who the master is.
And on the food table in front of Cao Cao, the food was simple.
A pot of sesame cake, a plate of meat sauce, and a cube of tofu.
However, the iron stove on the table is a bit interesting, because it is boiling with a rare thing, tea leaves.
Cao Cao looked at the undulating green sprouts on the surface of the soup, mixed with dates, ginger, green onions and other ingredients and boiled them together, and the color of the soup gradually became darker and thicker.
He clicked his tongue and couldn't help but said enthusiastically to the scholar on the case:
"Wen Ruo, you have to try this. This is the prescription I got from Yuan Hua. He said that if I want to cure this headache, I have to eat this bitter tea for a long time, which can improve my spirit. You have to try it. , it’s not easy to do.”
The person facing Cao Cao was Xun Yu, who had been in prison for three years.
After Cao Cao entered Jinan, there were rumors about the man who almost captured Zhang Chong, the leader of the bandit. Although he failed in the end, his father, who was the Prime Minister at the time, also set himself on fire and died.
After learning that this person was in the prison temple of Dongpingling, Cao Cao went to visit him personally.
Whether it was Xun Yu's feats in Jinan or the family behind him, Cao Cao had a strong intuition that this person would be of great help to his career.
But when Cao Cao went to the prison in person, he was completely surprised.
What is the environment like in a prison temple? If you stay here for three years, you will only save one life. I'm afraid you will suffer from chronic illness and become emaciated.
But what did Cao Cao see?
What he saw in front of him was still a horrible and dirty prison cell. It was obviously an elegant apartment. Not to mention that the entire prison temple had been cleaned cleanly. Cao Cao even saw a few incense burners placed in the prison temple.
As a young man, he could tell with just a slight sniff that the lavender burned in the furnace was from the South China Sea.
But Cao Cao was a little shocked when he smelled it again, because he smelled a different smell again, which was the smell of borneol and Suhe.
This precious spice comes from Persia and is a precious commodity in the Silk Road trade. It has always been supplied to the royal family. I didn't expect to smell it in this cell. The contrast is too big.
This kind of borneol could not be burned directly by Su He. It had to be finely crushed into powder and then heated with a special furnace. And none of the above was possible for the prisoner in front of him to do.
At this time, Cao Cao still didn't understand how powerful Xun Yu was.
In this way, Cao Cao, who was full of confidence in recruiting Xun Yu, was now a little unsure. He knew where his disadvantage was, that is, he came from a family of eunuchs, so he naturally suffered a disadvantage in recruiting scholars.
Not to mention that the person in front of me is a descendant of the Xun family, the leader of the Qingliu Party in the world.
But Cao Cao still has confidence because he is Cao Cao.
So, he looked down at Xun Yu who was sitting upright reading, and laughed:
"Xunjun, can you think of it?"
Xun Yu didn't move his eyelids and just replied coldly:
"In no mood."
Cao Cao was not choked by these words, but asked:
"So you don't want to avenge your father?"
Xun Yu placed the silk book on the desk and glanced coldly at Cun Ding in front of him:
"Whether someone takes revenge or not, what does it have to do with you?"
Cao Cao was aroused by Xun Yu's indifference, and said:
"Xunjun, do you know who I am?"
Just when Cao Cao was about to introduce himself to Guanghui, Xun Yu clasped his fingers on the case and said item by item:
"I know who you are. The grandson of Eunuch, a friend of Yuan Shao, a treasonous plotter, and a general of the Eastern Army. Now you are the Prime Minister of Jinan. One word can determine my life or death."
Cao Cao couldn't hide his surprise at this time. He didn't expect that this man who was imprisoned in the temple would know everything about the world's major events. He couldn't help but ask:
"How did you know?"
Xun Yu carefully folded the silk book on the desk, put it in his chest, and smiled:
"Just like you, Cao Mengde, have one or two talents, I, Xun Yu, also have a small advantage, that is, I have more friends."
Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu, who was eight feet tall and sat as straight as a cypress tree, and he really recognized the merits of this man.
But when Xun Yu smiled, Cao Cao fell into a trance. He only had one thought:
"Great beauty, great beauty, really beautiful."
But Cao Cao quickly stabilized, and he tried to find the initiative again:
"Since you know that I am the Prime Minister of Jinan and can determine your life or death with one word, why do you dare to treat me with contempt?"
Cao Cao was actually a little angry at this time, because Xun Yu's gesture reminded him of a bad scene in the past.
At that time, when he came to Xu Shao for criticism, he was also in the same high-spirited manner. Cao Cao was the subordinate before, but he tolerated it.
But now it’s clearly me who’s on top? Why do you, Xun Wenruo, have such a good face? Can I use it to express my condolences?
At this time, Xun Yu seemed to have guessed Cao Cao's thoughts, shaking his head and laughing:
"Do you think of me as Xu Zijiang? Do you think I'm looking down on you?"
Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, and then he heard Xun Yu say:
"I only think that Xu Zijiang of Runan is right in his praise and criticism. He uproots those he loves and suppresses his dislikes. He cannot support people. But when I saw you today, I realized that at least half of what Xu Zijiang said was right. That is, you are a hero in troubled times.
?”
Cao Cao's face turned dark and he was about to scold him, but when he heard the last four words, he couldn't help but point at himself:
"Are you saying that I am a hero in troubled times? Not a traitor in troubled times?"
At this time, Xun Yu stood up. Looking at Cao Cao, who was two heads shorter than himself, he bowed down and bowed.
This time, Xun Yu's voice carried a strong color, and he said with emotion:
"That's right, being able to fight alone in Yingyang, why is it not a hero? Being able to fight to the death at the Qishui River, why is it not a hero? Being able to abandon the family fence, start a war, clear the emperor's side, and protect the Han Dynasty, why is it not a hero? The ancient road of Weihan,
The three armies are all facing east, but the king alone is facing west. Why is he not a hero? Perseverance, perseverance, poverty and strength, never falling, I don't know if this is not a hero, who is!"
At this time, Cao Cao was stunned. His throat was a little sour and he asked:
"You know all this?"
Xun Yu nodded, stepped forward, put his arms around Cao Cao's neck, and asked him to sit down with him.
Xun Yu said seriously:
"To be honest, I have known you for a long time. I knew your wild and chivalrous demeanor in Kyoto. But at that time, my nephew Xun You wrote to me that you might be a pillar of the Han Dynasty in the future. Later, I came to Dongpingling with my father, and I planned to
After helping my father settle down, I will go to Kyoto to get acquainted with you. But unfortunately, you should know what happens next. In the past three years, although I have been trapped in this humble house, I dare not forget about my family and country for a day. Now the Han Dynasty is in danger.
The disease is terminal, and a few loyal ministers can no longer save the Han Dynasty. This can be seen from what happened in Lu Zhenbei."
At this time Xun Yu grabbed Cao Cao's hand and said seriously:
"The so-called great destruction means great establishment. From this point of view, what Zheng Xuan and the corrupt Confucians said is the right way. Now it is time to conquer the troubled times again. A hero must rise again to end this troubled times, so that there can be a peaceful world.
, a time of peace. And I believe that the person who ended this troubled time is none other than Duke Cao."
If it were three years ago, Xun Yu would have behaved like a humble gentleman. He would not have called Xu Shao and Zheng Xuan by their first names. He would have added "gong" to them at least. But now Xun Yu is like a sword, and he is more precise than in the past.
While settling down, there is also a bit of vigor.
If you don't like it, you just don't like it.
Cao Cao was actually very moved in his heart. To be honest, he also had a slight recognition of what Xun Yu said. That is, if I, Cao Mengde, am not a hero, who is?
However, being marginalized in the gentry circle for a long time still made him feel quite inferior. Wasn't his past bohemian behavior just an imitation of the Chu people's borderline "I am a barbarian" character?
Although it is refreshing to do this kind of thing, is it possible that there is such a desire in the heart to be recognized and accepted?
But now Xun Yu's words moved him. It turned out that he was really outstanding. It turned out that Xun Yu, the leader of the family, had been paying attention to him and regarded him as a hero who could turn the tide.
So Cao Cao was moved, grabbed Xun Yu's arm, and asked:
"But can the world really be restored again? Now the Taishan thieves have established themselves as kings and are lording it over Youji. However, our Han Dynasty is still divided, and a war breaks out again between Kanto and Kansai, and we, the prefects of Kanto, are also waiting for us.
He only cares about his family and is scheming with each other. In such a situation, can the world be saved?"
Xun Yu was silent for a while and then told the truth:
"With the current situation, it is indeed possible that the Taishan Army will succeed. But we are not without a chance. I have always known the Taishan Army. With the hearts of millions of people, they want to change the world. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, I only come from this point.
You see, the Taishan Army cannot conquer the world quickly because it is incompatible with the clan of scholar-bureaucrats. Without the help of this generation, the Taishan Army will have to train its own officials. This is not the result of one generation, that is, twenty years."
As he said this, Xun Yu spread the silk book he had put in his arms on the desk, and it turned out to be a map of Heji.
Xun Yu pointed at the map and continued:
"Mengde, look again, now Taishan excludes the land of Yanzhao, but its entire range is south of Yanshan and east of Taihang Mountain. Its power has not moved forward. It can be seen that Zhang Chong has made plans to stabilize the interior. This
Judging from the time, I estimate it will take more than a year. In addition, it will take another year to resume production and prepare the army. And these two years are your opportunity."
He pointed to Qingzhou and Xuzhou below:
"In the past, Qi and Qin were both emperors, which shows how fertile and rich this place is. In the past two years, we have devoted all our efforts to the south, captured Qingzhou, descended to Xuzhou, and then united our army to the east to drive away the Taishan Army in the central and southern parts of Lu. When the time comes,
, we have an alliance with the Yuan brothers in the Central Plains, and with the help of mountains and rivers, we may not be unable to fight against the Taishan Army."
Cao Cao was overjoyed and asked Xun Yu to elaborate:
"The current situation in Qingxu is very good. One is Liu Yu from the plain area. He is always an elder. He has Sun Jian, Shen Pei and other powerful generals under his command. He also has Qinghe nobles as assistants, and even Youzhou Tuqi who is arrogant in northern Xinjiang.
There is also one. It can be said that the soldiers are strong and the horses are strong, but it is a pity that Liu Yu cannot use them. This is the lord given by heaven. Let's talk about the remaining counties of Qingzhou, such as Sima He, Guan Hai, Guan Cheng and others are all grass bandits and pirates, and they cannot be attacked by Meng De.
.However, Tao Qian of Xuzhou is old and frail, and has no great ambitions. It depends on what he can do."
Cao Cao's blood boiled with excitement, but his mind was still clear. He asked a key question:
"When you are fighting for the world, there are three sides: heaven, earth, and people. The thieves of Mount Tai have the aspirations of Huang Tian, and the earth is solidified by rivers, mountains, and seas, and people can marry thousands of Guizhou heads. Yuan Benchu had the rise of Mu De, and the land occupied Ru Ying's wealth, and people
I can win the hearts of scholars all over the world. What do I, Cao Mengde, have? Can I compete with these two?"
Cao Cao didn't even mention the two imperial courts in Guandong and Kansai to the west, because everyone knew that those two imperial courts had long been dead bones in the graves, and a group of ministers stinking of corpses were playing ridiculous power games.
In Cao Cao's eyes, the two people he asked were the biggest players he considered.
In fact, Cao Cao was asking for advice rather than asking. He asked these three questions:
"What kind of flag should I use, where should I base it, and what group should I unite with?"
Faced with these three questions, Xun Yu responded like this:
"Whether it is Huang Tian mentioned by Taishan Bandit or Mu De discussed by Yuan Benchu, they are all rebellious. But the Han Dynasty was revived for two hundred years, how can it not be kind to the world? It is nonsense to abandon the Three Emperors, Xia
Although the Zhou Dynasty lived eight hundred years, the world was in turmoil. Although the Qin Dynasty was unified, it only died after two generations. Only the Han Dynasty gave the world real stability for four hundred years. So people's hearts are with the Han Dynasty. Since Taishan was a thief, Yuan Benchu was a revolutionist.
If you rebel, I will promote Shunxing. With Kuangfu Han as the banner, and with this great righteousness, I will join forces with Liu Yu, Tao Qian and others to go to the Han faction to challenge Sima He and the two governors for their rebellion, so as to revive the Republic."
Cao Cao was confused and chewed on the last four words:
“Reviving the Republic?”
At this time, Xun Yu's eyes brightened, and he explained in detail the strategy he had thought of in the prison to bring peace to the world:
"That's right, your previous strategy of siding with the emperor and establishing a republic was right. It's just that the people who came up were wrong. The ministers of that generation are already withered bones, so how can they have the ambition to help the world? So no matter how good the idea is, it will still fail in the end.
.”
Seeing Cao Cao thinking, Xun Yu said another paragraph:
"How is the world in chaos? It's because the relatives and the eunuchs are fighting against each other, and the pure people who really serve the people are being persecuted. And who are the relatives and the eunuchs? The former is a relative of the Han family, and the latter is a slave of the family. So the two are just the same.
The result of the dominance of the Han Dynasty. However, people are wise and foolish, and their life spans vary. How can the safety of the world depend on one person? Therefore, it is better to make the monarch rule from the top of the arch, and grant authority to the person who governs the world, that is, hegemony
Mansion."
Cao Cao already understood what Xun Yu meant.
Xun Yu actually wanted the Han Dynasty to be the same as the Zhou royal family, standing as an imaginary king, and then letting the hegemon dominate the world, like Qi Huan, Jin Wen, etc. in the past.
But Cao Cao was worried that this would be like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when the world would still be in chaos.
Xun Yu explained:
"This is completely different. During the Zhou Dynasty, the princes divided the world, and the wise men in the world were each their own masters. Naturally, the world was in chaos. But when we are in a republic, Lord Xu still runs the prefectures and counties, collecting the talents and wisdom of the world to rule the world. How can it be the same?"
Finally, Xun Yu also gave another reason:
"Furthermore, it is more appropriate for you, Meng De, to propose the idea of reviving the Republic. You are the founder of the last republic, and you have your own legal principles. Now that we want to propose the idea of reviving the Republic, who can be more suitable than you?"
Cao Cao's eyes were shining.
Then Xun Yu said the following:
"Since we are helping the Han Dynasty and reviving the Republic, we will start from the land of Haidai. As for the people, the Taishan Army unites the ruffians in Guizhou, who are short-sighted. But Yuan Benchu unites the powerful families of the time.
Greed is unethical. But we can unite the wisdom of the world, and all talented people, regardless of superior or inferior, can be put to use. These are the people of heaven and earth that I dedicate to Mengde."
At this time, Cao Cao could not restrain himself. It was as if he could see the bright moon through the clouds and mist. His whole person had the clarity to control his destiny. He bowed to Xun Yu three times:
"Wen Ruo, now I know what it was like for Gaozu to have an ovary."
…
From then on, Cao Cao introduced Xun Yu as his mastermind, and they lived together day and night, even having dinner together and sharing the bed.
Xun Yu also implemented the strategy of attracting the wisdom of the world for Cao Cao, and successively recommended Chen Qun, Xi Zhicai, Du Xi, Xi Lu, Xin Pi, Zhao Yan, Bing Yuan, and Wang Xiu to Cao Cao.
The first six were Xun Yu's close friends in his hometown, and the latter two were his father's confidants. Now they all defected to Cao Cao because of Xun Yu.
Originally there were three others, Xun You, Zhong Yao, and Guo Jia. But Xun You fled to the Taishan Army, Zhong Yao stayed in Kyoto, and Guo Jia also chose Yuan Shao, who was closest to home.
Xun Yu could only regret this. However, even without these three people, Cao Cao's shogunate was still full of talents.
With abundant intelligence, Cao Cao began to take drastic measures in Jinan. He first destroyed the ancestral halls that harmed the people, then punished the lawless local tyrants, and finally established the Gathering Hall to attract the world's intelligence through meritocracy.
As for the country in Jinan, the Gao Er family was severely hit by the Taishan Army, and its strength was no longer what it used to be. So facing Cao Cao, who had 3,000 elite soldiers, the domestic tycoons chose to stay behind closed doors to avoid trouble.
It was also under this circumstance that Cao Cao and Xun Yu had time to have tea here.
When Cao Cao and Xun Yu were showing off the tea brought from Yizhou thousands of miles away, Xun Yu smiled faintly:
"Did Meng De read the article "Children's Yue" written by Wang Bao, a famous scholar in Shu during the Pre-Han Dynasty?"
Cao Cao's face froze and he shook his head in confusion.
Then Xun Yu recited a four-parallel sentence:
"Build meat and taro, cook fish and turtles, use all the utensils for making tea, and then cover and hide them."
Seeing Xun Yu only made Cao Cao slander him:
"If I'm good at anything, I just like to recite some uncommon poems and essays. Doesn't this make me, Cao Mengde, uneducated?"
However, this was considered an elegant matter between two people. After the tea was brewed, they took a sip respectively, and the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.
With a cup of tea in their stomachs, the two of them seemed to have returned to their teenage years, when children from aristocratic families went on an outing together. At that time, the sun was shining brightly, youth was in full swing, and the years were peaceful.
But now, after all, I want to buy sweet-scented osmanthus and carry wine, but it is not a youth trip.
A faint sadness was rolling in the tea soup, and filled the room with the fragrance of tea.
Xun Yu hated this feeling and took the initiative to talk about a business matter.
That is, Chen Qun, who was sent as envoy to Liu Yu, came back, but the result was not smooth.
This is Xun Yu's plan to divide the world into three parts for Cao Cao. What name do you guys give this? Opponent in prison?