Chapter 9 Farewell to hometown

The fourth Southern Expedition was shrouded in clouds from the very beginning.Even Cao Pi, who was gaining momentum, couldn't help feeling a little apprehensive, as if he had a premonition that this was an ominous battle. His premonition was soon confirmed, half a month after leaving Yecheng, the five-featured general Shi Bingyuan died in the army.Maybe the old man was also depressed at the feast of Jianzhangtai. In addition to his old age and weak body, he said he was not feeling well that morning. Cao Pi specially asked his soldiers to serve him carefully, but he died before noon.As Bing Yuan, he should be treated courteously by Cao's father and son, but he couldn't make arrangements for the funeral during the march, so he had to bury his body hastily and send his body back to Yecheng.But within a few days, General Zhang Xi also fell ill. The high fever not only scalded the whole body, but the military medical officer diagnosed it as typhoid fever!Rao was a strong martial artist, but he died after fighting for only three days.Subsequently, a large number of soldiers in the army were infected with the disease, and thousands of patients became sick in just a few days.

This frightened Cao Cao and his son. Although they expected that there might be a plague, they did not expect it to come so fast and so fiercely.Tens of thousands of soldiers were lost in the battle of Chibi in the past due to the plague. Is it necessary to repeat the same mistakes?Seeing that the army is approaching Yangzhou, should this battle continue?Just at this time, the battle report came from the front, and the vanguard army was attacked by the enemy. It turned out that Sun Quan was very frightened when he learned that Cao's army was going south, fearing that it would be difficult to resist. Before that, they set up a camp at Ruxukou, spread their crossbows widely, dug trenches, and formed horns with the navy.Sun Jiao is the son of Sun Jing and the younger brother of Sun Quan. The newborn calf is extremely brave. When he heard of the arrival of Cao Jun's vanguard, he joined hands with Lu Meng to launch a surprise attack.

How could Cao Cao not be angry when he lost his military prestige in the first battle?He denounced Pioneer's pride and failure, and blamed the poor cooperation of the troops stationed in Hefei.Unexpectedly, I received a reply the next day. It turned out that there was a sudden change during the battle, and Li Dian, the Polu general who was stationed in Hefei, died of a sudden illness. Although Li Dian is a veteran in Cao's army, he joined the army when he was young, and he was only thirty-six years old all the year round.Before the yellow plums fell, the green plums fell, and the white-haired people sent the black-haired ones instead. Cao Cao was deeply saddened, thinking of what happened in Yanzhou in the past, which one of Li Qian, Li Jin, and Li Zheng didn't drive to his death in the wind and rain?During the Battle of Guandu, the Li family emptied all the granaries of the whole family to supply Cao Jun. When Yecheng was built, Li Dian led his family, young and old, and even trilogy, and more than 3,000 tenants moved to Yecheng. The wealthy tenant farmers became Cao Wei The people, how much taxes have been paid, how much food have been planted, and how many soldiers have been contributed?From father to son, from son to grandson, other generals can be credited for attacking cities and lands, but his credit can never be counted.Leaving aside these considerations, let's just say that Li Dian, as a military commander, is elegant and studious, and has the talent to participate in politics. He is much younger than Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, etc. He is in his prime in his thirties.How can Cao Cao not be sad, how can he not be in pain?

While heartbroken, Cao Cao made up his mind that since the war had begun, he could not give up halfway. If he retreated at this point, he knew it was because of the plague, but he didn't know that he thought he was scared off by Sun Quan, so he must continue no matter what.However, the death of Li Dian proved that there was also a plague in Yangzhou. At that time, it was not appropriate to gather more than 100,000 troops in one corner; so he temporarily changed the plan and ordered Xiahou Dun to divide his troops to Juchao (now Chaohu City, Anhui Province) to join the Hefei tribes and the vanguard defeated army. Set up a camp to confront the enemy; Cao Cao himself led a large group of troops and family members to Qiao County first, returning home to sacrifice, secondly waiting for the troops from other states and counties to gather, and thirdly allowing the hard-working army to rest and wait for the end. After the winter, the epidemic situation improves and we will fight again.It was November of the 21st year of Jian'an when Cao Jun arrived in Qiao County.

Xiang Yu once said, "Wealth and honor do not return to their hometown, they walk at night like clothes." King Wei returned to his hometown again, which alarmed the officials of the whole county, and everyone rushed to Qiao County to participate in the driving.Not to mention Cao Cao and his son, even the subordinates who accompanied the army were treated graciously, and they were greeted and sent off with big and small banquets every day.Cao's hometown has been rebuilt into Xingyuan, and now it has been promoted to Wei Wang's palace. All receptions are presided over by Wei General Cao Yu.

General Wei (the highest-ranking general, higher than Sangong) was appointed casually?Because Cao Yu belongs to the Cao family, although he is not yet seventy years old, he is Cao Cao's uncle in terms of seniority. Now he is the only one left in Cao Song's generation, so he was appointed a high-ranking official.In fact, he has neither literary knowledge nor martial arts strategy. He devoted half his life to farming, and later led the army. He is also a brave generation of clan and village; The department is stationed in Peiguo. Cao Cao rested for a few days to handle some government affairs easily, and brought his family members to worship the ancestors.Although the Cao family is a big family, their reputation was not good in the past, and they cannot be compared with Huan, Ding and other prefectures. Gao, with large bluestone re-established stele seal carving, solemn and luxurious; walls were built around the tomb circle, and several chalk rooms were built for the mourning of the clan's children.It has been seven years since Cao Cao returned to his hometown last time. He did not expect his ancestral grave to be changed into such a shape. If Cao Yu hadn't led the way, he would not have been able to find where his parents were buried.

The ceremony of the prison has already been prepared. First, the great-grandfather Cao Meng and the grandfather Cao Teng are worshiped, and then Cao Cao's father Cao Song and his mother Zou Shi are worshipped.Cao Cao led the clan's descendants Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Cao Kai, Cao Jiong and others to burn incense and kneel down. Cao Pi offered the sacrifice, and Cao Rui recited the sacrificial oration. His grandparents and grandchildren seemed to be the three generations of Cao's patriarchs; , Cao Pi's daughter supported him by the side, and all the wives and housewives of the Cao clan brought the fruit dishes for worship, and the sacrifice was considered complete.Cao Cao was grateful for the kindness of his uncles in the past, and he also offered sacrifices to the tombs of Cao Chi, Cao Ding, Cao Yin and others. Relatives and relatives have visited before reluctantly leaving.

It was almost noon when we left the cemetery, and Xiahou Lian, Xiahoushang, Xiahouxian, Xiahoufeng and others were already waiting outside—the relationship between Xiahou's family and Cao's family is somewhat unclear, but Cao Song passed away after all, and the Cao family It is inconvenient for those surnamed Xiahou to participate in the ancestor worship, so they wait outside the cemetery.Xiahou Lian is Xiahoudun's younger brother, not an official. He lived in the countryside in peace and security, and came to salute Cao Cao: "The grassroots are preparing a banquet in the manor. If the king doesn't think the humble house is humble, please move it."

But Cao Cao said: "It's all old and old in the village. What's the difference between high and low? You take Zihuan and the others to go first, and the old man wants to hang around, so he will go when he is young." After saying that, he led his soldiers and continued on. Cao Yu shouted from behind: "The people in the countryside are lonely, and it is inconvenient for the king to go out lightly." "Joke!" Cao Cao didn't turn his head back, "Could it be that the widow can't even wander around his hometown?" Cao Yu was at a loss for words, so he had to chase after him - although he was older than Cao Cao, he was very strong and didn't ride a horse. He ran to Cao Cao's side in three steps and two steps.

In the first one or two miles, the clan lived, the houses were neat and tidy, there were many cattle and horses, and the sound of reading from the village school could be heard. The guards guarded the driver at every step, every three steps and every five steps, and they walked for a while. Having reached the edge of the village, Cao Cao vaguely remembered the old road and headed west along the road.Cao Yu persuaded again: "Your Majesty is gone, the generals and his wife are still waiting, please move to Xiahouzhuang." But the more he persuaded Cao Cao, the more he wanted to go further away. He ignored Cao Yu at all and walked along the country road.In his mind, leaving the village is an endless field. During the spring and autumn, the peasants come and go to work, which is very lively; although it is the middle of winter, it is also interesting to watch the rural scenery.Unexpectedly, after walking for a long time, I didn't see a single farmhouse. Instead, there were vast manors, some with fences or courtyard walls, and large tracts of fertile fields were included; The strong man guards the home with a stick.

Cao Cao turned his head and stared at Cao Yu fiercely: "No wonder you tried everything to stop it. Who built these manors that seized the people's land?" Cao Yu shuddered and immediately fell to his knees: "Your Majesty, forgive me..." "Who asked about your crime? I ask you who built these manors. Why did the magistrate not ask?" "The trilogy of the generals...their..." Cao Yu faltered and hesitated. In fact, even if he didn't mention Cao Cao, he could have guessed that the relatives and friends who followed him in raising troops in the past are all in high positions now, and it must be the children of these people who did it.Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, it has not been uncommon for local wealthy families to annex land properties and build manors. The more high-ranking officials frequent the more severe cases, especially in Nanyang, Runan, and Yingchuan. Peiguo is basically considered a pure land.Cao Cao lived here when he was a child. After he became an official, he witnessed the suffering of the refugees and the disaster of the Yellow Turban. He knew the dangers of land annexation, so he tried his best to oppose the tyrants to build a village behind closed doors. Annexation; but he didn't want to be in his hometown, the emerging wealthy family had become unscrupulous, and these people were all picked up by him.One emperor and one courtier, one emperor and one wealthy family, it is really impossible to eradicate. Cao Cao stared at the cold courtyard walls, and had a terrible headache—although the annexation was so severe, he could not punish these township parties, because they were all his relatives, confidants, and the foundation of Cao Wei's founding of the country!Climbing the dragon and attaching the phoenix are all for wealth, the prosperity of the world is all for profit, and the world is full of hustle and bustle, all for profit.What can I do?helpless... Cao Cao didn't make things difficult for Cao Yu anymore, he just said: "You lead the way, I want to see those real people's homes." Cao Yu seemed to want to stop him, but he had already been reprimanded and dared not disobey again, so he had to hold back his words.It was already past noon, but Cao Cao was in no mood to eat. After walking three or four miles along the country road, Cao Yu gradually slowed down his pace.There are undulating earthy mountains here, and there is a village in the shade of the ridge, all of which are firewood houses and thatched houses. There are patches of Susukida in the mountains, and there are almost no square ones.No one came in or out, and there was not much smoke from the kitchen, so there was a sense of death. Cao Cao looked at the desolate mountain village, and felt a sense of loss—in the past, only poor people like Qin Shao lived in this kind of place, but now most of the self-cultivating farmers live here. After 20 years of war under the banner of justice, they died so much With so many people and so many decrees promulgated, the trend of tyrannical mergers has not diminished, but has intensified.If this is the case even in your hometown, do you still have to ask in other states and counties? Do you dare to imagine those remote and difficult places? In all fairness, Cao Cao is arrogant and deceitful, but after all he takes the world as his own responsibility. It is his ambition to save the people from the fire and water when he became an official. Whether he is a minister in power or an emperor, this lofty ambition has not changed for forty years.But today he really has some doubts, who has he saved in this life?He himself is becoming more and more noble, splitting the land and dividing the grass, owning most of the world; and the officials around him, who hold the seal of the imperial court, want to annex land and compete for profit with the people.But what about ordinary people?Either becoming a tenant or working hard in the farmland, the days are getting harder and harder, and the house he lives in is not as good as his family's cemetery!What is the difference between the people today and the people in Huan and Ling?Nothing has changed, except for an emperor who does not wear a dragon robe.Who did Cao Cao save?No one was saved except himself and the officials around him, and his ambition was never realized. Its name is to unify the world and stabilize the people, but the result is that it consumes a lot of people's energy and cultivates a new batch of powerful officials.But if you don't rely on these civil servants and generals, how can you mix with China and the people?Isn't it self-contradictory that a war is fought to save the people, but it ends up harming the people, and the people cannot be saved without harming the people?The vicissitudes of the world seem to fall into a strange circle, and I can't get out no matter how I get around it... "Be careful, my lord!" Dianman who was accompanying him suddenly shouted, and drew out his sword to protect Cao Cao. The other guards followed suit and surrounded him.Cao Cao was startled, only then did he realize that there was a person lying on his stomach in the field beside the road. In fact, the man had been lying there for a long time, and no one paid attention to it just now; Dianman suddenly saw it, and the first feeling was that there was an assassin. surrounded.But the man didn't move, a bold guard bent over and grabbed his shoulder and lifted it vigorously, the man didn't resist - it turned out to be a dead body! Cao Cao couldn't bear curiosity and stepped forward to watch.But I saw that this person was an old woman, wearing a ragged coarse cloth, with a bamboo basket hanging between her arms, and a lot of fine dry firewood scattered at her feet, her body was uninjured, most likely she went out to collect firewood and died violently by the side of the road, not long after she died. The body is not yet fully rigid.It may not be accurate to say that she is an old woman. In fact, she does not have many gray hairs. It is because of her sallow complexion and accumulated wrinkles that she feels old.Seeing that the deceased was as thin as a stick, with upturned eyes and foaming at the mouth, Cao Cao felt sick and hurriedly covered his nose and mouth. Dianman said: "This person may have a serious illness, the king should not approach him." Cao Cao covered his mouth and said: "It's pitiful to have a dead body outside. Take her to the village and ask her to see who it is from. Hurry up and restrain yourself." Cao Yu couldn't bear it any longer, and told the truth: "The weather in summer and autumn is not right. Not only is the food harvest poor, but there is also typhoid fever recently. Most of the people in this mountain village have died." Cao Cao was terrified: "There is also a plague in my hometown?" Cao Yu smiled wryly: "Where is there no serious disease now? Qiao County is not bad. I heard that there is a village in Fuli County, and all the people in the village died." Cao Cao couldn't help frowning, and said to himself: "If you know the epidemic is so serious, you shouldn't be in a hurry to use troops... But if you don't tame Sun Quan, how can you rest assured to go west? God won't help me! God won't help me..." He The saying "God does not bless me" not only refers to the war, but also refers to his aspirations for the Ninth Five-Year Plan.The promotion to the king is only a transition. He originally planned to complete the imperial career as soon as possible, but the disaster just stopped and the plague returned. I don’t know how many people will die of serious diseases. Disastrous rumors?Looks like the upcoming year is hopeless. Seeing his worried face, Dianman said, "Since this village is sick, it's better for your majesty not to go." "Go back... Alas!" Cao Cao sighed helplessly, "Send a few people to carry the corpse away, and give some money to the villagers so that they can seek medical treatment and bury the dead." "No." Dianman took the order, but said in his heart - how much can a nobleman see when he is in a lowly place?If you see a disaster here, you will help it, like an upright official, but the world is big, and there are so many places you can't see, who cares? Came in high spirits but returned in disappointment, Cao Cao kept a sad face and said nothing, sleepwalking in his hometown thousands of times, but when he really returned to his hometown, he was left with only disappointment and helplessness.Over the years, the helplessness in his heart has become more and more, which he never experienced when he was young. Now he wants to go back to the past, have a young body, live the past sixty years again, and no longer have so many regrets.But time will never return, if people can live back from seventy to eighty, I am afraid they will all become saints. Cao Cao didn't speak, and Cao Yu didn't dare to say much, and the group was unhappy; after walking half a mile, he saw a large group of officials coming towards him, Cao Pi and Cao Rui rode their horses first-it turned out that everyone had been waiting for a long time without seeing Wang Jia, and some of them couldn't sit still. Living.Cao Pi hastily got off his horse and gave his mount to his father. Cao Rui was even more obedient and ran over to lead the horse for his grandfather. The chief bookkeeper Yang Xiu came out of the squad and said: "Just received the military report that Liu Bei is gathering troops in Chengdu, and seems to have the intention of invading Hanzhong." Cao Cao wasn't surprised, now that he was focusing his energy on Jiangdong, Liu Bei wanted to take the opportunity to act. The three families wrestled with one another, and it was common sense to use knives behind their backs.After a little thought, he came up with an idea: "Send a letter to Xia Houyuan and Zhao Ang, telling them to defend against danger and not to fight lightly, and to send reinforcements after the widow has finished taking care of the Jiangdong affairs. But Liu Bei's reinforcements must be guarded..." Speaking Suddenly, he glanced at the disciples, looked at them for a while and suddenly said, "Zidan come out!" Cao Zhen didn't expect him to call himself, and hurriedly knelt down: "The last general is here!" "I will make you a side general, and send five thousand troops to Hanzhong to help defend." "No." Cao Zhen was so excited that his heart almost jumped out. This was his first time to go out to fight from the unified army, and he was also the first among Cao's nephews and nephews. In fact, Cao Zhen has been in the Tiger and Leopard Camp for many years, and he is very relieved of his talents, but Cao Cao also knows that he is Cao Pi's best friend, and giving him military power is equivalent to indirectly giving Cao Pi troops, so he refuses to let him go.Now that he has made up his mind, he can finally cultivate Cao Zhen.There are two roads from Peiguo to Hanzhong, one is to go north to Tongguan and bypass Guanzhong; the other is to go west from Nanyang, passing through Fangling and Shangyong.Although the latter is near, the mountain road is difficult to travel, and it is not easy for the army to pass.Give Cao Zhen 5,000 troops, not too many, and he can go to Hanzhong by a shortcut. If he has made achievements, he will naturally lead more than 5,000 soldiers in the future. Although Cao Pi was reserved, he couldn't help showing a smile line at the corner of his mouth.Cao Cao pretended not to see him, and continued to beat Cao Zhen: "You are the first of my Cao's nephews to join the unified army. Remember that everything is settled before you act. Don't embarrass your father!" Cao Zhen was originally surnamed Qin, and he was Cao Cao's adopted son . "My son understands." After finishing the speech, another childish voice said: "I implore you to go with Zidan." Everyone looked sideways, and a handsome young man squeezed out from the clan team was Xia Houyuan's concubine Xia Hourong.Among Xiahou's clan, only Xiahouyuan had the most children, and he had seven sons. Xiahourong was the fourth eldest, only twelve years old, but smart and clever, he was known as a child prodigy. Cao Cao smiled and said, "Warring is not a game, you want to go at a young age?" Xia Hourong pouted: "Father is fighting against the enemy outside, how can a son be willing to stay behind? Didn't the king also go out with his five senses, why can't I go?" This is quite reasonable. Cao Cao first loved him when he was young and intelligent, and when he saw him, he couldn't help but think of Cao Chong, and secondly, it was better to cultivate talents for the younger generation, so he said, "Okay! Since you want to go, you must listen to Zidan on the way; when you arrive in Hanzhong, follow your father Don't do anything wrong." All the officials were shocked when they saw that he allowed a child to serve in the army, but this was a matter for relatives, so who would dare to intervene. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Xia Hourong was delighted, and whispered to Cao Zhen. Cao Cao was silent for a moment, and looked around at the officials in his hometown: "In the past, Emperor Guangwu started in Nanyang, and Nanyang has been the most powerful since Jianzuo, and the arrogant and lawless court dared not ask. I, Cao Wei, established the country, and the mistakes of the ancients must be ignored. No matter what happened in the past, what will happen to me in the future The descendants of the Cao family and the Xiahou family all moved to Wei County when they became officials, and the family members of those who became marquises were allowed to live in the country. A county is awe-inspiring, and since he was promoted, his successor has no character. It is a pity that Yuan Huan is dead, but there are upright ministers from generation to generation. I want to transfer Dali Zheng Sima Zhi to be Peixiang, and then rectify the discipline. Let’s weigh it up.” Cao Cao made up his mind to order his disciples to spit out the land they occupied, but Cao Cao couldn’t do it, he couldn’t take revenge on his relatives and friends, he could only avoid future incidents, and don’t let them harm the people in his hometown again. Everyone understood his intentions, and all of them were ashamed. Cao Yu couldn't hold back any longer, and simply asked for orders: "The descendants of the many clans under the command of the last general, please also join the central army. From now on, you will be directly dispatched by the king." "That's good." Cao Cao didn't mention this matter any more, to save them some face, he asked Yang Xiu instead, "When will the ministries of Qingzhou and Jingzhou come?" "Zang Ba and Sun Guansuo have led the land and water armies into Feishui, and will arrive at Hefei in a few days; General Zhengnan is afraid that Guan Yu will take advantage of the opportunity to enter, so he is still arranging defenses and will have to wait a few more days." "Immediately send a letter to urge him to raise troops." Cao Cao's thinking changed, "There are plagues in the Central Plains and the Jianghuai area, and there is no way to avoid it. We simply suppress the army and fight this battle with Sun Quan. Rest for another seven days and rush to Juju in seven days. Chao, when Liu Bei raised his troops, he didn't treat me, I would rather have a short-term pain than a long-term pain!" "No." All the ministers took orders. Cao Cao looked back sadly, as if he wanted to take another look at the scenery of his hometown, but what he saw were still those heavily fortified manors. He could only go to the battlefield with guilt for the people in his hometown, and left everything for the next report.But deep in his heart he had a vague sense of ominousness, maybe there would be no next time, and this might be the last time he returned home in his lifetime...