Chapter 20 10. Cao Pi proclaims himself emperor

Cao Cao rushed back from the battlefield in a hurry, and he did have his own difficulties.After all, he is not the top leader in name of the imperial court, so naturally he cannot avoid the troubles of hostile forces within the imperial court.In order to prevent someone from the rear from stumbling him, Cao Cao was also uneasy fighting in the front. Especially after the Battle of Chibi, when everyone discovered that Cao Cao had also failed, some hostile forces emerged one after another, and some people even scolded him, "He is actually a traitor of the Han Dynasty under the name of the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty."In 218 A.D., Cao Cao was named the King of Wei. He had great power and was actually the top leader. Whether it was to stand on his own in the Han Dynasty or usurp the throne, it was not that difficult for Cao Cao, but Cao Cao never became a king in his life. emperor.Cao Cao's own explanation is that "whatever is applied to politics is also for politics", as long as it has an impact on politics, it does not necessarily require a status as a ruler. , if the fate is in our Cao family, then I will be King Wen of Zhou.King Wen of Zhou's son King Wu of Zhou later overthrew the Yin Dynasty, and Cao Cao's implication was obvious.

In this way, the weight of Cao Cao's throne became heavier, and the competition for who became the successor to the throne became more intense.Cao Cao's eldest son, Cao Ang, died in battle with Zhang Xiu. His favorite son, Cao Chong, died of illness at the age of 13. The remaining candidates who are expected to succeed him are Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi and Cao Pi.Among them, Cao Zhangzhi is no longer in politics, and prefers to be a general with a sword and a horse, so he can also be ruled out. The competition for the throne is actually between Cao Zhi and Cao Pi. Cao Zhi was very smart since he was a child. When he was 10 years old, he was able to write poems and write poems, which was very popular with Cao Cao.Cao Cao once believed that Cao Zhi was "the most able to decide big things" among his sons, and wanted to make him the prince several times.

In contrast, Cao Pi's impression in Cao Cao's mind was not as good as Cao Zhi's at the beginning.The personalities of Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are very different. Cao Zhi "acts willfully and does not encourage himself", while Cao Pi "uses art to defend himself, pretending to be hypocritical".Cao Zhi is a man of temperament, he acts rashly, and is an emotional person; while Cao Pi is scheming, restraining himself, and is a rational person.Emotional people do whatever they want, while rational people follow every step. The former is not as good at accumulating their own advantages as the latter.Therefore, in the game between two people, the weight in Cao Cao's heart gradually changed from favoring Cao Zhi to Cao Pi.

Cao Pi has his own advantages. He is the eldest son. In ancient China, it was a custom for the eldest son to inherit the throne. Those who did not follow this rule would end up in a bad situation.Cao Cao once asked civil and military officials for their opinions on the matter of choosing an heir. Everyone said that it is best to follow the old rules.Jia Xu's answer was even more interesting. Cao Cao asked Jia Xu, which of the two sons is suitable?Jia Xu didn't answer directly, but pretended to think about something there.Cao Cao asked, what do you think?Jia Xu replied, I was thinking about Yuan Shao and Liu Biao.Both Yuan Shao and Liu Biao once appointed their youngest sons as successors, which caused endless disputes between the sons, weakened the regime, and went to failure.When Cao Cao heard it, he understood what he meant.

As we said before, Cao Zhi is very talented. Although Cao Pi is not as good as him, he is not weak. Cao Pi, Cao Cao, and Cao Zhi are called the "Three Caos" of Jian'an.Cao Pi was the first person to write seven-character poems in China. In addition, he also wrote "Allusions·Dissertations". He is a literary theorist who has made contributions to the history of Chinese literature. In addition to literary talent, Cao Pi's martial arts is also very powerful.One day, Cao Pi discussed swordsmanship with General Deng Zhan, and he spoke clearly and logically. Deng Zhan said, "You are so good at talking, how is it in reality?"Cao Pi said, let's compare pictures, so we took two sugar canes, threw one to Deng Zhan, and took one for ourselves.The two began to compare pictures, and within a few strokes, Cao Pi knocked Deng Zhan down.Therefore, Cao Pi is capable of literature and martial arts, while Cao Zhi can only write literature, but not martial arts.

Of course, just having these weights is not enough to make Cao Cao favor him.Cao Pi still has a trump card, and he has an expert behind him to guide him.In the process of the battle for succession, both Cao Pi and Cao Zhi had their own think tanks behind them. Cao Pi's side was mainly Wu Zhi, and Cao Zhi's side was mainly Yang Xiu. Wu Zhi set two basic principles for Cao Pi, one is to show sincerity, and the other is to set up doubts, that is, you must express your sincerity to your father, and at the same time, make your father doubt Cao Zhi and the others.As for Yang Xiu, we don't know what policy he has set for Cao Zhi, but judging from Yang Xiu's addiction to playing smart, his trump card must still be smart.One is sincerity, one is wisdom, one is Taoism, and the other is art. Let's see who wins and loses in the competition between the two.

Once Cao Cao led troops on an expedition, and everyone was sent outside the city gate.Outside the city gate, there is a simple farewell ceremony.Cao Zhi came prepared, took out a literary and eulogizing article specially written for his father, and read it aloud.After reading it, everyone was amazed that such a good article deserves to be written by a talented scholar. Cao Cao was also very happy to hear that, and Cao Zhi was naturally secretly proud.The only one who was uneasy was Cao Pi. Everyone was waiting for Cao Pi to have a poetry recitation, but Cao Pi didn't prepare any programs, so he was stunned.At this time, Wu Zhi whispered in his ear: "The king should go, it's okay to have a runny nose." Father and king are going to travel soon. As a son, aren't you reluctant?That's enough for you to cry.Cao Pi suddenly came to his senses, and immediately fell to the ground and cried loudly, tears streaming down his face. This crying made the world feel sad, Cao Cao was also sad, and everyone was moved by crying. Everyone couldn't help but burst into tears. .

After the tears were shed, everyone's feelings were thoroughly baptized, and Cao Zhi's gorgeous words were long forgotten.The most touching thing in the world is the simplest thing, how can gorgeous articles compare with sincere feelings?In contrast, Cao Zhi is suspected of putting on a show. I don't know whether he is reluctant to part with his father or is taking the opportunity to show off his literary talent.In the confrontation of sincerity and intelligence, victory and defeat are very clear. So, how did Yang Xiu assist Cao Zhi?As we said before, Yang Xiu likes to be clever. He likes to speculate on Cao Cao's meaning, guess what questions Cao Cao will ask Cao Zhi, and write down the standard answers in advance.But once, I didn't grasp the rhythm well, and the answer was handed over as soon as the question was asked.Cao Cao knew that even if his son was smart, he would not be so smart.So I went to investigate and found that Cao Zhi was cheating, so I hated him.

Wu Zhi was Cao Pi's think tank, and the two of them naturally got together every now and then to murmur, but Cao Cao forbade his son from interacting with officials, for fear of forming a party for personal gain, so Wu Zhi did not dare to go to Cao Pi's house openly.Cao Pi made a bamboo cage, hid him in it, put him in a car and transported him to his house.This matter was discovered by Yang Xiu, and Yang Xiu immediately reported it to Cao Cao. Cao Pi also knew about this matter, so he discussed with Wu Zhi how to deal with it, and Wu Zhi gave him an idea in this way. A few days later, another bamboo cage was shipped to Cao Pi's mansion. Yang Xiu immediately reported it to Cao Cao, and Cao Cao sent someone to investigate.When I opened the cage, I saw that there was no one inside, and it was filled with a cage of silk cloth.Cao Cao turned to suspect Cao Zhi, aren't you making a false accusation?This round, Cao Zhi lost another point.

After losing several rounds in a row, in Cao Cao's mind, Cao Pi's side gradually rose, and Cao Zhi's side gradually declined.At this critical moment, someone added another weight to Cao Pi, and this person was Jia Xu.Cao Pi asked Jia Xu for advice on how to behave properly. Jia Xu said: "May the general revive his morality, practice the work of a simple scholar, work hard day and night, and not violate the way of the son, that's all." Cultivation, fulfilling the duties of a scholar, being diligent and tireless, and not violating the filial piety of being a son of man, is enough.

It's very simple, you don't have to do anything, just be yourself.This is the sound of the great sound, but the invisible elephant.The biggest strategy is to sharpen your self-cultivation, don't plan.For anyone, feelings are more important than intelligence, and Cao Cao is no exception.With the help of Wu Zhi and Jia Xu, Cao Pi won the heart of his father little by little, and finally got his wish as the successor. In 220 AD, Cao Cao died of illness, and Cao Pi ascended the throne as King Wei.In October of the same year, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was forced to abdicate, and Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor as Emperor Wen of Wei.So far, the Eastern Han Dynasty, which lasted for 196 years, died in name.Cao Pi granted Liu Xie the Duke of Shanyang, allowed him to use the emperor's etiquette, and respected Cao Cao as Emperor Wu, with the temple name Taizu.In terms of politics, Cao Pi restored the "Nine Grades of Zhongzheng System", hereditary official positions, and changed Cao Cao's policy of "only talents"; in terms of economy, he continued to implement the farming system and attached importance to water conservancy construction, and the strength of Wei State was further strengthened. The word "being a human being" seems simple, but it is the root of all success.The heroes of the Three Kingdoms era were, without exception, successful people.Whether it is to be an official, a scholar, or a business, the bottom line is to be a human being.As long as you stick to your duty and be a good person, you don't need to play tricks or be clever, and you can naturally win what you want.This is a strategy without a strategy, but it is the greatest strategy.