Chapter 56 5. Envoy to Chang'an

Li, Guo Si, Fan Chou and other members of the "three-person group" who presided over the work of the imperial court were all from the army, but they also wanted to make a difference in politics.Regarding the Kwantung Allied Forces, they did not want to continue fighting. For this reason, in August of the third year of Chuping (192), Emperor Xian issued an edict to send Tai Fu Ma Ri and Tai Servant Zhao Qi as special envoys to go to the Kanto Xuanda to strike. Edict, comfort the world. Both of them were related to the late Ma Rong, a famous master of Confucian classics.Ma Ri is the grandson of Ma Rong, who was personally taught by Ma Rong when he was a child; Zhao Qi is the son-in-law of Ma Rong's brother Ma Xu.Ma Ri's age is unknown at this time, but it will not be younger than seventy years old, while Zhao Qi is already eighty-four years old.

The "team of three" really took a lot of brains to move these two old comrades out, because the Ma family has an unusual relationship with the Yuan family.Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had a very famous aunt, Yuan Wei's wife, Ma Lun, a talented woman of the generation, who was Ma Rong's daughter.According to this theory, Ma Ri is the same generation as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and Zhao Qi is their elder. The "group of three" played the card of celebrity and kinship, and let Ma and Zhao, who are leaders of scholars and relatives of the Yuan family, go to the Kwantung to resolve the conflicts between them and the Kwantung Allied Forces, even if they strive for a non-aggression, The situation where the land is settled is also fine.Of course, this is just their wishful thinking.

Special Envoy Ma and Deputy Special Envoy Zhao departed from Chang'an and divided into two groups. Ma Ri went to Nanyang County to find Yuan Shu, and Zhao Qi went to Jizhou to find Yuan Shao.It took a lot of trouble for Ma Ri to go. Yuan Shu was no longer here when he arrived in Nanyang County. Later, he went to Shouchun County in Jiujiang County of Yangzhou Governor's Department to find Yuan Shu. The book "Xiandi Chunqiu" records that Yuan Shu detained Ma Ri when he saw him. Look, after reading it, you will play a rogue, let alone return it. Not only that, Yuan Shu also asked Ma Ri to appoint his subordinates to official positions as the special envoy of the imperial court. When the list was reported, Ma Ri almost fainted: there were more than a thousand people on the list of candidates.

Ma Ri asked Yuan Shu to let him go, but Yuan Shu did not let him go.Ma Ri was anxious and angry, and finally died in Shouchun in sorrow and anger. In comparison, Zhao Qi was lucky. Hearing that the elders were coming, Yuan Shao personally greeted them hundreds of miles away. According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Zhao Qi", Cao Cao, who was already the shepherd of Yanzhou, was also in the team that greeted Deputy Special Envoy Zhao. Zhao Qi wrote letters to Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan and others respectively, conveying the imperial court's way of "dismissing soldiers and calming down the people".After Gongsun Zan was defeated at Jieqiao, he still fought with Yuan Shao in northern Jizhou, Youzhou, and Qingzhou.The arrival of Zhao Qi gave the two sides a step to a truce, and Gongsun Zan immediately sent a sincere reply letter, expressing respect for the court, love of peace, and an immediate truce.

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others also made an appointment with Zhao Qi, and soon they will welcome Emperor Xian back to Luoyang (we will meet with Qi in Luoyang, welcome the car driver).To Yuan Shao, this agreement was just a matter of fact. Now his mind is full of Gongsun Zan. After sending Zhao Qi away, Yuan Shao started to plan a new military plan when he returned. At this moment, an unexpected situation occurred, which really surprised Yuan Shao. When Yuan Shao sent Zhao Qi away to return to Ye County, when he passed Boluojin, a ferry on the Zhangshui River, there was a meeting of guests here, and Cao Cao might also be among them.When he was eating and drinking, he suddenly received information that there was a rebellion in Wei County, his rear base. The rebels got in touch with the Yu Po Department of the Black Mountain Army. There were tens of thousands of people, and they had already occupied Ye County, Yuan Shao's base camp. was killed.

Many people present here live in Ye County. When they heard about it, they suddenly felt that there was a thunderbolt, and "everyone turned pale with fear", and some people cried on the spot.Faced with the sudden change, Yuan Shao once again showed a calm demeanor. He was playing a game of throwing a pot, that is, throwing an arrow into a pot in the distance to see who was right, and the loser was punished with alcohol.Hearing the news, Yuan Shao still spoke calmly, and urged the person in charge of the pot to continue playing (with a calm appearance, without changing his usual speed).

Later, fortunately, a man named Tao Sheng in the Black Mountain Army surrendered to Yuan Shao, sent Yuan Shao and his family members to Chiqiu, and helped Yuan Shao regain Ye County.Later, Yuan Shao appointed Tao Sheng as Jianyi Zhonglang General.This incident happened in March of the fourth year of Chuping (193), and it was recorded in the book "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Emperor Xian". The only person who seriously thought about Zhao Qi's suggestion was Cao Cao.The imperial envoy and his party brought the latest news about Chang'an, and also expressed their desire to welcome the emperor back to Luoyang.When Cao Cao returned to Juancheng, he discussed the matter with Xun, Cheng Yu, Mao (supposedly Xi Zhicai) and others, and Xun agreed to send an envoy to Chang'an to pay tribute to the court.

Mao took it a step further and proposed an even more daring plan.Mao said: "Now the world is falling apart, the emperor is in exile, the country has no reserves, and the people cannot live in peace. This situation cannot last long. Although Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others have a large number of people, they lack lofty aspirations and cannot establish a foundation. Today As a plan, we should follow the emperor's order to avoid ministers, develop agriculture, and accumulate military resources, so that hegemony can be achieved." Cao Cao thought his analysis was very reasonable (respect his words).

Mao, whose alias is Xiaoxian, was a native of Pingqiu County, Chenliu County, Yanzhou. He had been a county official and was honest and fair.After the Central Plains fell into turmoil, he originally thought of Jingzhou and defected to Liu Biao. He heard that Liu Biao's government orders were unclear and his abilities were limited, so he diverted to Luyang.After Cao Cao served as the governor of Yanzhou, he was recruited to work in the state government's governance center, responsible for the personnel work in the state.Cao Cao found that Mao Shen was strategic, upright and selfless, so he appointed him as a meritorious officer in General Fenwu's mansion, engaged in talent selection.Since then, Cao Cao's status has been continuously improved, and Mao has always been the leader of the personnel system.

While Cao Cao was busy consolidating Yanzhou, he considered sending someone to Chang'an. As for who to send, Cao Cao had no idea for a while.First of all, this person must have courage and ability, because the road to Chang'an is dangerous and difficult, and he has to pass through various forces and the defense lines of the Black Mountain Army. People in Chang'an; finally, and most importantly, they must be loyal and reliable, because in addition to paying tribute to the imperial court as Yanzhou Mu on behalf of him, they also have to find opportunities to call on several old friends in Chang'an for him.

After much deliberation, Cao Cao felt that there was only one person who met the above conditions, and that person was Wang Bi. Wang Bi's personal situation is unknown, and he seems to have followed Cao Cao very early, similar to the role of a retainer. Cao Cao entrusted him with special tasks many times, showing his extraordinary trust in him.If he was really Cao Cao's retainer, he might have stayed in the Cao Mansion in Luoyang during Cao Song's time, and was familiar with Cao Cao's friends such as Ding Gong, Ding Chong, and Zhong Yao who were still in Chang'an at this time. In the winter of the third year of Chuping (192), Wang Bi was ordered to set off, but it was extremely difficult at the beginning. As soon as they arrived in Hanoi County, they were detained by Zhang Yang, the prefect of Hanoi County.Although Cao Cao had no conflict with Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang and Yuan Shao had surrendered and then rebelled. Cao Cao belonged to Yuan Shao, so Zhang Yang naturally did not regard Cao Cao as a good person, and he did not want Wang Bi to pass through. At this time, a person came out from Zhang Yang's side and persuaded him: "Although Cao Cao is an ally with Yuan Shao, the two of them are in different situations, and they cannot be close forever. Although Cao Cao is weak now, he is indeed a hero. General, You should make friends with him. Now is just an opportunity, you should help him complete the envoy to Chang'an, and recommend him in a letter. If the matter is completed, Cao Cao must be grateful to you, General." Zhang Yang thought about it, and felt that it was right, so he agreed to Wang Bi's transit. The person who spoke for Cao Cao was not Zhang Yang's subordinate, but Zhang Yang's guest. His name was Dong Zhao. Dong Zhao's alias is Gongren, and his hometown is Jiyin County of the Yanzhou Governor's Department, which is the county where Cao Cao's current headquarters, Juancheng, is located.He was promoted as Xiaolian, served as a county magistrate, and later served as a staff officer (joined in the military) under Yuan Shao.Li Shao, the prefect of Julu County under Yuan Shao, and others wanted to rebel and join Gongsun Zan, but Yuan Shao could not spare any troops to attack, so Dong Zhao volunteered to go alone to settle the matter.Yuan Shao was overjoyed, and thought he had some good idea, so when he asked him how to do it, Dong Zhao told the truth: I haven't thought it through yet, so I can only adapt accordingly (the plan is temporary, so I can't tell).Yuan Shao had no other way, so he had to ask Dong Zhao to try. Dong Zhao went to Julu County to make an open and unannounced visit, and found that Li Shao's rebellion was planned by the big family in the county, Mrs. Sun and others. Dong Zhao immediately made a decisive decision and wiped out all the behind-the-scenes elements.Because it was too late to ask Yuan Shao for instructions, Dong Zhao forged Yuan Shao's official document, saying that he had captured the enemy's spies Anping and Zhang Ji. Dong Zhao used this method to quickly pacify Julu County and made great contributions to Yuan Shao.Later, turmoil broke out in Weijun under the rule of Jizhou, and Yuan Shao appointed Dong Zhao as the prefect of Weijun.After Dong Zhao arrived in the territory, he acted both hard and soft, and put down Wei County. Dong Zhao made great contributions again and again, but he couldn't stay with Yuan Shao.The reason is that Dong Zhao has a younger brother named Dong Fan who works under Zhang Miao.Yuan Shao and Zhang Miao had fallen out because of some things, and the pair of revolutionary comrades-in-arms developed to the point of being irreconcilable, Yuan Shao wanted to get rid of Zhang Miao and then quickly.At this time, someone came forward to slander Yuan Shao, saying that Dong Zhao was unreliable and that he was an undercover agent sent by Zhang Miao. Dong Zhao heard the news and dared not wait any longer.He wanted to simply go to Chang'an to find a job in the imperial court, but he was also detained when he passed by Zhang Yang's defense area. Dong Zhao is really good, he didn't understand his own affairs, and he even spoke for Cao Cao.In fact, Dong Zhao is also paving the way for himself, he is really optimistic about Cao Cao.It is precisely because of this incident that when Cao Cao saw him in the future, he regarded him as one of his own and regarded him as a confidant and think tank. Wang Bi finally left Hanoi County and moved to Chang'an. The "team of three" was not too impressed with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and wanted to detain Wang Bi.They believed that Cao Cao belonged to Yuan Shao's camp, and Yuan Shao's attitude towards the emperor had always been ambiguous, sometimes setting up another emperor, and sometimes spreading rumors that the emperor was not born to Emperor Ling. At this time, Zhong Yao, Cao Cao's former good friend and current servant of the Huangmen, came out and said, "Now all the heroes are rising together, and everyone is doing arbitrary things in the name of the emperor. Only Cao Yanzhou cares about the royal family. If we reject his sincerity, those People who think the same way will be disappointed." Li and the others made sense after thinking about it, so they let Wang Bi go back and gave some gifts in return. Zhong Yao is not only acquainted with Cao Cao, but also a fellow villager and colleague of Xun Xun.According to Xie Cheng's "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", when Yinxiu from Nanyang was the prefect of Yingchuan County, he recruited all the talents of Yingchuan County into his own hands. Among them, Zhong Yao served as the director of personnel (gongcao), and Xun served as the director of the office. (Chief Registrar), Xun You served as the Chief of the Judiciary (the thief Cao Cao), Guo Tu served as the Director of the Beijing Office (the Accounting Officer), and there were also famous scholars Zhang Li, Du and others. They could be called the strongest county-level leadership team in the world at that time. After Wang Bi returned to Yanzhou, he detailed the process of the envoy.Cao Cao was somewhat disappointed. He originally thought that this trip would establish a normal relationship with the imperial court. Even if he was not promoted, the imperial court would formally issue an order to confirm his post of Yanzhou pastor, but Li and the others ignored this at all. . But this time there are also many gains. Wang Bi's trip will surely let Emperor Xian and the ministers in Chang'an understand their loyalty to the Han Dynasty. He will help himself, and Ding Gong, Ding Chong and others who serve the emperor will be able to use them in the future if they really want to follow Mao's words of serving the emperor to order him not to be ministers.