"How can it be reconstructed? People's hearts are broken and ungrateful." [Peach Blossom Fan·He Zhan]
Qingzhou, Plain Country.
Cao Cao, the new general who conquered the west, was currently cooking wine and grilling meat in his mansion. On both sides were sitting the chief bookkeeper Wang Bi, the minister Wei Zhong, and the former general and military advisor Guo Jia and his party. Among them, Wang Bi was originally from Yanzhou, and was Cao Cao's assistant in Yanzhou.
The old official, Wei Zhong, was a Xiaolian recommended by Cao Cao when he was in Yanzhou. Now he has gone to Bingzhou. After resigning from Yanzhou official position, Wang Bi and Wei Zhong should not have been retained. Fortunately, the emperor allowed him to open a mansion and set up his own office.
The government officials then selected the two of them to formally join the imperial court and prepare to go west together.
Cao Cao had a bold and unrestrained temperament. After the food and wine were ready, he dismissed the servants and took the iron to grill the meat himself. He flipped the meat skillfully, watched the boiling oil on the meat make a sizzling sound, and took a good smell of the meat.
He opened his mouth and said: "I heard that the people in Yongliang were wild and their diet was very different from that in the Central Plains. I wanted to go and see it in person in my early years. However, it was not very peaceful there, and at that time, Ben Chu felt that..." He paused for a moment.
, and continued with a normal expression: "Hu cakes, Qiang boils, and Qiangzhi all come from Qianghu in the northwest. When we go to Bingzhou, we can't eat them with wine!"
"My lord has been talking about the peach wine in the Western Regions, the people, the customs, and the customs in the past few days. It seems as if he has been there before." Wang Bi looked at Cao Cao amusedly and used an iron to distribute the roasted dog meat to people.
Quickly surrender.
"It was indeed my long-cherished wish when I was young to conquer the West, to be the general of the wolf. What man wouldn't yearn for it when he is passionate?" Cao Cao blinked, his elbow holding the hammer resting on his thigh, and his body remained tilted.
, his eyes were long and lingering, as if the cold heavy rain or this topic reminded him of many past events, and he sighed meaningfully. Then, he quickly came back to his senses and smiled at Wang Bi and the others.
: "Even so, if I hadn't made an exception and allowed me to open a mansion, I would have hesitated again and again on this trip to Yongliang."
After saying that, Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other and smiled, fully understanding each other.
Although Wang Bi didn't understand, he was patient and able to keep secrets. Even if Cao Cao didn't tell him, he would not inquire without permission. Therefore, although his intelligence was not far above ordinary people, he was cautious, quiet and loyal.
Geng Geng's temperament was enough for Cao Cao to recruit him as the chief secretary.
Wei Zhong was confused and asked, "Why is this?"
Even Wang Bi knew that this was an inconvenient question to ask, but Wei Zhong still wanted to ask it to the end. As expected, Cao Cao kept silent about it, and Wei Zhong suppressed Wei Zhong's curiosity.
Cao Cao and Guo Jia knew very well that the emperor did not just attack and weaken him, but gave him enough room for development. This approach was like forging iron, which had to be tempered and discarded to get rid of unnecessary impurities.
Only then can he become a handy tool. Cao Cao was originally a warlord who had great influence in Yanxu and was extremely independent. Although he submitted to the imperial court, his generals, soldiers and horses, and people who had been promoted in Yanzhou were all related to Cao Cao.
Forming a faction, such a collusion of forces will not be conducive to his future development.
Therefore, Cao Cao needs to promptly cut down unnecessary forces that are likely to arouse suspicion, leaving the most useful core, so that he can have the opportunity to reorganize his own team later. This is the path of suppressing before promoting, and the emperor's move towards Cao Cao was just right.
Coinciding with this, it can be seen that the emperor did not intend to use Cao Cao once and then discard it, but had other uses for it. If Cao Cao's power was really to be divided and disintegrated, and all of them were dispersed, it would only be possible to transfer him from afar.
Why give another 'open government' the power to appoint its own staff?
It was Cao Cao who gained a deeper understanding from the 'Kaifu' level, so he became more confident in the future.
"It's a pity that I can't find Yutou to lead Fengxiao with me this time." Cao Cao took a sip of the wine and said with regret.
Guo Jia still held the post of former general and military advisor, and was still nominally Zhu Jun's subordinate. He followed Cao Cao all the way from Xuzhou to Qingzhou. It was possible to explain Zhu Jun's arrangement, but it was unjustifiable to go to Bingzhou with him. Guo Jia chewed the roasted meat in his mouth, took another sip of wine before swallowing, and said vaguely: "If Ming Gong wants to, it's not impossible. With just one sentence, I can resign to Zhu Gong, and then Then surrender to the government."
His tone was very casual, as if he was joking, but Cao Cao understood that the other party was serious about discussing the feasibility of this matter with him, so he quickly said: "Come on, come on! The former general has always valued you, and with his temper, Why don't you come looking for me with a knife for this?" He smiled pretending to be afraid, then sighed and said: "And you are not in good health. Bingzhou is bitterly cold and is not a place you can go. It's better to stay here. Rest here."
Cao Cao sighed when he thought that Xi Zhicai was like Guo Jia. He had no intelligence but a weak body. He died young before his wisdom was exhausted.
Guo Jia burped without changing his expression, swallowed a sip of wine, and continued to chew the roasted meat without saying anything.
Cao Cao didn't want to offend Zhu Jun and cause trouble. Why didn't Guo Jia understand? But at this time, he could no longer be cautious. Guo Jia narrowed his eyes and said: "Liu Bei has gone to Ganling to see His Majesty... Did Guan Yu ask for orders to leave yesterday?"
"It's rare to meet such a brave and righteous person. It's a pity that he only thinks about Liu Xuande and doesn't even pay attention to his duties. He doesn't know when this will kill people." Cao Cao sighed slightly and said with great regret: "He still has Will return to the plains, Guan Yunchang only sees that the country wants to divide my power, but does not see that the next one is Liu Xuande."
"Because Liu Xuande is from the clan and has a reputation for benevolence, he is highly valued by His Majesty." Wang Bi was always concerned about the situation and couldn't help but ask: "Now that Liu Bo'an has lost power and Your Majesty values the clan, will he take advantage of this..."
"It's not his turn to do such a good thing." Guo Jia wiped the oil nozzle with the back of his hand, put down the wine cup, and said casually: "If we talk about the Xian clan, Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, is known as Bagu, and among the party members He is also very famous among them. Zongzheng Liu Song, the son of the former Taiwei Liu Gong, has countless disciples and former officials of his father and son. Although he is silent and not obvious, he should not be underestimated. In addition, there are Taiyuan Taiyuan, Yangduhou Liu Miao, and Longxi Taishou. Liu Yao, Runan Prefect Liu Ai... There are countless virtuous clans in the imperial court, who can top the list of Liu Bei? Even Huainan Liu Ye's status is more noble than that of his descendant, Zhongshan Prince Jing. Unless... …”
Guo Jia gave it a try and looked at Cao Cao with a smile: "Liu Bei is different from others."
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous look seemed to pass through his eyes. He quickly said: "It is really not easy for him to get this now, how dare he be willing to throw it away? Even so, it was so difficult at the time. A group of people who went to Chang'an first will not agree."
"Who in the world can have the courage of Ming Gong, who dares to take things, let them go, and make choices with ease?" Guo Jia rarely flattered Cao Cao for once.
Cao Cao also raised the wine baron and said: "I am lucky enough to be honored as a filial piety."
"Lord." Dian Wei clasped his fists outside and said, "General Cao and others are here."
"Humph." Cao Cao sneered, his tone seemed a little annoyed: "I can't control it after all."
At this time, Guo Jia smiled, picked up a bottle of wine, stood up, and staggered around to the back, as if he didn't want to get involved in this matter.
"Let them come in." Cao Cao looked at Wang Bi, and Wei Zhong left one after another, and then said to Dian Wei: "Let someone bring some more plates of meat and some more stoves."
Cao Cao gave up the opportunity to stay and participate in the war, seemingly in exchange for the titles of General of the Expedition to the West and Marquis of the Countryside. However, in the eyes of Cao Hong, Cao Ren and other relatives, this was completely the imperial court's attempt to defeat Qing Xu.
Reward for wiping out Yuan Tan! Instead of giving up this world and going far to the northwest to compensate.
Not only Cao Cao, Xiahou and other clan members, but also loyal generals with foreign surnames like Le Jin criticized Cao Cao's attitude of accepting it without any hesitation. They took advantage of the heavy rain and nothing happened in the army to move
At an inconvenient time, they all rushed to Cao Cao's temporary residence. They did not want to force Cao Cao to withdraw his order. Cao Cao led the troops with dignity. This was something that the generals would never dare to offend easily. They just wanted to ask the reason so that they could feel at ease.
Not long after, the generals who gathered outside the door came in crowds. Cao Cao saw that they had all arrived, his face gradually darkened, and his eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one like a blade. Suddenly, his eyes froze.
He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where is Yu Wenze?"
"Mengde, please don't mention this person." Cao Hong looked disgusted and sat down on the couch given by Wei Zhong and said: "We wanted to discuss it with Mengde and relieve our feelings together, but this person didn't appreciate it.
I want to inspect the military camp, but I won’t come even if I say anything... Why should I patrol the camp on such a rainy day? I think this person has a bad heart."
"What do you know?" Cao Cao teased the roasted meat with an iron drill disdainfully, and pointed it at Cao Hong like a dagger: "This is an example for a general. If everyone is like you, you think rainy days are enough."
If you travel without authorization, our army will be in danger!"
Not only did Cao Hong lower his head in shame, he was a close relative of Cao Cao. At this time, Cao Ren, who had a serious temperament, was far away in Xuzhou. He was the leader of the army, and he was also held down by the hat of "loyalty", including Li Dian and others.
They all had no choice but to follow. However, Cao Cao didn't like the feeling of losing control. He had a dark face and calmly cut and ate the meat without looking at the generals.
Finally, Le Jin couldn't hold back anymore and asked aloud: "May I ask Duke Cao, who will Duke Cao take with him this time when he leads his army to the west?"
"I only have Zi Lian, Miaocai, Gong Liu, and Xilai with me, and there are no more than ten thousand people around." Cao Cao was roasting meat and said without raising his eyelids: "In a few days, the edict will be issued.
Yuan Rang will also step down from his duties as the governor of Dongjun, and after meeting me in Qinghe, we will rush to Bingzhou together."
"What about us?" Le Jin suddenly became unhappy when he heard that Cao Cao, except Shi Huan and Dian Wei's two personal bodyguards, had left with only Cao and Xiahou family members: "What should we do? Mr. Cao
Are you just going to leave us on the plain and ignore us?"
Seeing his excitement, Xia Houyuan quickly interjected: "Le Wenqian was worried that once Meng De led his army away, Yuan Shao would meet with the people in Pingyuan who had no business, and take the opportunity to go south and then enter Qingzhou. This would not only overturn the situation, but also the imperial court's strategy of encirclement on three sides.
It's all in vain. Our army has been fighting hard for more than a year. Isn't it a pity that we have come to this conclusion?"
Cao Cao finally raised his head, took a deep look at Le Jin, and said: "Tai Shi Ci has been worshiped as Fengyi Zhonglang General. After I leave, you, Man Cheng, Wen Ze, Zang Ba and other generals will all
You must stay and obey his orders. There may be messengers to supervise the army in the future. You must not disobey the orders of the imperial court."
No wonder Yu Jin refused to come, and Le Jin felt disgusted in his heart. He just said that Yu Jin saw that Cao Cao's army would be dismembered by the imperial court, so he had already thought about changing the court. Thinking that he and Yu Jin were the first generals to surrender to Cao Cao,
Following Cao Cao in many battles for many years, Le Jin had already formed a deep friendship. Le Jin regarded Cao Cao as his master, so he could not accept Yu Jin's behavior of "betraying the master". If he had not had any scruples at this time, he would have wanted to go out and kill Yu Jin immediately.
"It is good for Taishi Ci to fight, but when it comes to using troops, I don't agree with him!" Le Jin was very dissatisfied and said in a rough voice.
Cao Cao glanced at Le Jin helplessly. He suddenly stood up, walked around the table and walked straight to Le Jin. He placed a piece of roasted meat on the iron drill on the other's lacquer plate. He stared closely at it.
Looking at the confidant who was single-handedly promoted by him, his eyes were solemn and serious: "What do you want? There is already Duke Huangfu in Kansai. I am only going to be a helper. It is better to stay here and gain merit...
"
"If it doesn't work out, I will disband the troops and work as a clerk for Duke Cao!" Le Jin said angrily. He had started as a clerk for Cao Cao back then, and now he had to start all over again.
"Shame!" Cao Cao laughed and cursed, "I'm really alive!"
Although it was a reproach, Cao Cao was still moved in his heart, but he did not want to encourage or approve the other party to do this, because doing so would run counter to the emperor's plan. But after all, Cao Cao was reluctant to keep Le Jin here. If he didn't
Unexpectedly, the generals with foreign surnames who stayed here were leaderless and would soon be scattered in all directions after the war and be subordinated to different generals.
Cao Cao thought for a long time when he turned back to his couch. Finally, he looked around. Whether they were clan members or generals with other surnames, he looked at all the familiar faces: "Where are you? All of you?"
What do you think?"
Liu Dai, Lu Zhao, Feng Kai, Zang Ba and other generals were all silent. The great success of defeating the Yuan family was almost within easy reach. Who would care about the Qiang plague far away in the west? Besides, some of their old generals recalled
Over the years, although Cao Cao has been fair in running the army, he often thinks of his own relatives first when encountering good things. Just like Cao Hong, he is not as good as Yu Jin in fighting, but his official title is higher than that of Yu Jin.
No one would believe it if Cao Cao treated all his generals as one and had no selfish motives. If he really followed the army to the west like Le Jin did, even if he had military exploits, the generals of Cao and Xiahou would be given priority. After all,
This is human nature, and they are the foundation of Cao Cao's life.
"Cao Gong treats the last general well. Now that he has issued an edict to go west, will the last general dare to lead the way? It's just that the overall situation is current, and there is no room for loss in the plains. We have left a little bit, and the defense here is weak, and others can take advantage of it. Isn't it me?
Is it a crime to wait?" At this time, Zang Ba finally understood why Yu Jin didn't come. In addition to his strict temperament, Yu Jin himself probably also understood that there was no point in coming here.
So the generals with foreign surnames echoed each other word by word. They were confused at first and were coerced by Cao Hong and Le Jin. But now they don't want to clarify the doubts anymore and just regard him as a farewell in advance.
Cao Cao understood their intentions. This was his most helpless place, and it was also the most difficult bowl of water for him to hold back.
Although he had long thought that this would happen, he still couldn't help but feel lonely.