Chapter 23 2. Just over the age of 30, I feel disheartened

At the end of the second year of Zhongping (185), Cao Cao resigned from the newly appointed prefect of Dongjun on the grounds of illness, and returned to his hometown of Qiao County. years.However, Cao Cao will still have the opportunity to hold the position of the prefect of Dongjun in the future, and that will be another six years later. In the past two or three years, as a young general of the empire, he led troops to fight against the Yellow Turban Army. In the words of the Yellow Turban Army, his hands were covered with the blood of the Taipingdao brothers.Later, he punished many corrupt officials in Jinan, and these people and some evil forces also regarded him as an enemy.

Now, he is not in office and has no military power in his hands. After resigning, he will be an ordinary citizen, and those who intend to take revenge on him will have a chance.Therefore, he can't go home with great fanfare, and it's better not to live in the mansion, otherwise the news will inevitably leak out over time. Fifty miles east of Qiaoxian County, there is a place with lush forests. When the Guohe River flows through here, it turns a bend, forming a large forest belt surrounded by water on three sides. Cao Cao designed a house by himself. With the help of Xia Houyuan and others It was repaired soon, and it was declared to be the Jingshe (villa) of Xiahou's family, but it was actually used for Cao Cao's secret residence.

From the end of the second year of Zhongping (185) to the beginning of the fifth year of Zhongping (188), Cao Cao lived here for nearly three years. During this period, he never left, and he really lived a life of seclusion. Living in seclusion is a lingering complex in the hearts of scholars, especially when there are setbacks in life or disappointment with social reality, this mentality is even stronger.At that time, living in seclusion was still a fashion among scholars and a respected way of life. Being indifferent to fame and fortune, keeping aloof from the world, and being quiet and inaction are regarded as a kind of virtue, which has created many famous hermits, and some people become more and more hidden as they hide.

Cao Cao's seclusion didn't mean to be a show or to gain fame, he really lived in seclusion.This was not a short period of time. Twenty-five years later, when he recalled his mental journey at that time in an article, he once said: "After resigning from office, I am still young. Looking at the people around me, some of them are already five years old. Ten is not too old. I was thinking in private that even if I lived steadily for twenty years, until the world was in peace, I would still be about the same age as the people around me. So I went back to my village and built a monastery fifty miles east of Qiao County. Read books in autumn and summer, shoot and hunt in winter and spring, completely close yourself up, and stop communicating with guests."

The forest around the Jingshe is a place where all kinds of animals like to come and go. You can shoot and hunt here in winter and spring.Cao Cao was mainly studying and thinking in the Abode at this time, but he was also very interested in archery and horseback riding, and now he had time and conditions.After repeated practice, his riding skills have become more refined.In the future, Cao Cao would go to war north and south, and he would often lead the expedition or sneak attack in person, among which he liked to lead the cavalry most.Being an excellent knight played an important role in his later military career.

Cao Cao wrote a lot of poems during his seclusion in Jingshe, and one of the preserved poems is called "Dairy Wine", which describes the appearance of an ideal society in his mind: officials do not come to shout, kings, sages, and ministers are all loyal; Without fighting, everyone knows how to be courteous; three years of farming, enough food for nine years, and every household is full of food... What a beautiful scene of peace and prosperity.Cao Cao still longed for a peaceful society. In this society, the government is peaceful, the king is wise, the ministers are loyal, the officials love the people, the corvee is frivolous, the folk customs are simple, and everyone can die well.At this time, what Cao Cao yearned for was "governing the world".Although the ideal of being a hero cannot be realized in the governance of the world, being a virtuous and capable minister is also a goal he is willing to pursue.

But the contrast between these and reality is too great.He served as a county magistrate, led troops to fight against the Yellow Turban Army, and served as the Prime Minister of Jinan. In these practices, he came into contact with the real side of society.As a young generation with a conscience and a clear mind in the ranks of bureaucrats and bureaucrats, his heart must be full of contradictions, pain and helplessness. Outside is the endlessly flowing Wohe River, surrounded by lush forests, with fresh air, far away from the hustle and bustle, without disputes and fears.In the small world of Jingshe, Cao Cao, who is in his thirties, is thinking about reality and planning for the future, but he can't figure it out.

The setting sun hangs in the sky again and again, the sun is setting in the west, and the water flows silently. Even Cao Cao himself feels that the idea of ​​completely reclusive is not feasible, and there are still many ways to go. The days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the fourth year of Zhongping (187), the third year when Cao Cao returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion.In this year, two events worthy of celebration happened in succession in the Cao family, which gave him some comfort in his heart. First, in October of this year, the Bian family gave birth to a boy, who later became Wei Wendi Cao Pi.Due to the strict protection measures taken in advance, the child was born smoothly, and Cao Cao was very happy.

Just when the joy had not dissipated, another good news came from Luoyang in November. Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was appointed as Taiwei by Emperor Ling, so that the Cao family finally had a third-ranking man. Cao Song has been serving as Secretary of Agriculture since his comeback. He is quite capable in financial management and business management.Two years ago, Dahong Luqing, one of the Nine Ministers, was vacant, so he took up this post. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was believed that princes, princes, leaders of various ethnic groups, and envoys of foreign monarchs were the guests of the emperor, and all affairs related to these guests were handled by a special institution, that is, the Dahonglu Temple. Departments are similar to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The rank of Dahonglu Qing, the chief executive of Dahonglu Temple, is the middle two thousand stones, which is at the ministerial level.

Cao Song's position is a flat transfer, and he has transferred from the financial front to the diplomatic front. The work is not difficult, but Cao Song doesn't particularly like the new position. The position of Dahong Luqing is actually a job of serving people.Cao Song, an economic expert, has been working for a while, but he feels nothing at all. He thinks in his heart that he should find a chance to go back to his old job. At this time, Lingdi Liu Hong introduced a new cadre selection and appointment policy, which provided an opportunity for Cao Song, who was determined to transfer jobs.

At the beginning, when the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out, Liu Hong had no choice but to use his small treasury to quell the chaos.Everyone knows that fighting is the most money-consuming thing. Once the front line starts, it consumes a lot of money every day. The private money that Emperor Ling has accumulated over the years has been used up a lot at once.Seeing this, Liu Hong was so distressed that he couldn't sleep. However, Emperor Ling was also good at managing money, and he quickly came up with a new way to make money.This trick is very simple, no investment, no risk, quick results.This trick is: selling officials. In people's minds, the buying and selling of officials is an activity between corrupt officials, and it is usually done quietly, and God knows you and I know it, and few people do it openly. As the son of heaven, Liu Hong took the lead in doing such a thing, which is very rare among ancient emperors.And if he doesn't do it, he will make it vigorous. He not only advertises, clearly marks the price, and mobilizes himself, but also sets up a special agency for this purpose, and the office is located in the West Garden of the Royal Garden.Liu Hong made a price tag according to the rank of the proposed official position. One stone of rank equals 10,000 yuan. For example, a county magistrate with a rank of 600 stones is priced at 6 million yuan, and a prefect with a rank of 2,000 stones is priced at 20 million yuan. As for the three princes, Taiwei, Situ, and Sikong, the rank is usually 10,000 shi, and the price tag has reached an unprecedented staggering 100 million yuan. Lingdi also organized some promotions and preferential activities. For those who are considered to have a good reputation, they can give a preferential price after Lingdi approves a note, and the minimum can be 50% off.As for some highly competitive positions such as the prefect of the county, Emperor Ling once again used his financial genius to create a method of public auction, with trusted eunuchs as auctioneers, and only the highest bidder could get this position. Although there are discounts and promotions, the price is too high. Some people really want to buy an official, but they don't have so much cash. This situation once affected the development of sales activities.This did not bother Liu Hong. He once again innovated the marketing concept and developed a method of installment repayment, first taking office and then paying. Dahong Luqing Cao Song caught up with the fashion and bought the position of Taiwei. The cost was 100 million yuan, and he paid cash in one lump sum, without bargaining or mortgage. In this regard, some people think that Cao Song took the wrongdoing, because at this time the Taiwei has completely become an honorary position, and there is no benefit to the state governor or county prefect.But Cao Song didn't see it that way. He believed that the position of Sangong had been in a state of price and no market for a long time. Liu Hong, the marketing director, was often worried about this, and he almost sold it in tears.At this time, he gave generously, which undoubtedly made a good start, indicating that this position still has market prospects, which is enough to shame those guys who haggle with the emperor all day long. In this way, Emperor Ling will undoubtedly have a better impression of Cao Song, which cannot be measured with money. Cao Song, a financial expert and investment expert, has always been accurate in his judgments on investment issues. Emperor Ling was not only satisfied with his performance, but also quickly delivered returns.