Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Beike

Cao Cao led the army to go through untold hardships and finally returned to Xudu.When disbanding the expeditionary army system, he said to the generals around him: "Before, our army was blocked by a strong enemy in Anxiang. An unfamiliar general rescued me when I was fighting hard with less than a hundred soldiers. This man It must be the general I was expecting. Find out which army he belongs to." According to Cao Cao's order, an aide stood on the general's platform and conveyed the reason for the incident to the entire army. After a while, there was a replying voice from far away from the team.A heroic general came out of the queue with a gun under his arm, stood in front of Cao Cao and saluted, and replied loudly, "I am the one the prime minister said."

Cao Cao glanced at the man and asked, "What is your background?" "Well, the prime minister may not remember me. I once played a small role in the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and was once honored as the general of Zhenwei Zhonglang. Later, I returned to my hometown of Runan because of homesickness. My name is Li Tong, and I am written by Wen. Da." Not an old friend, but had heard of him in the past.Cao Cao said happily as if he had picked up a treasure: "You are very good at seizing the opportunity. You saved my emergency and got close to me. It shows that you are resourceful and can be a defender of any side. It is really amazing. How about it, You should go back to the village and guard Runan." Then, Cao Cao named him General Barnyard and Marquis of Jiangong.

One day later, Xun Yu, who was staying at Xudu, held a ceremony to celebrate Cao Cao's return to the capital, and suddenly asked Cao Cao for advice: "I sent flying cavalry to report to the prime minister. Passed. At that time, the prime minister replied, 'Don't worry. I have a plan!' How could the prime minister be so sure before this?" Cao Cao said with a smile: "Oh, do you mean that time? ——At that time our army was exhausted to the extreme, Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu must be prepared to kill our exhausted army, so they must be on the way The whole army is waiting. Such a dangerous situation makes us unable to help but have the determination to die together. Therefore, our soldiers can only fight to the death in this desperate situation with nowhere to escape. In fact, this is how people are in adversity. At this level, only by betting on your own life can you survive from death. It is precisely because I understand this principle that I can be sure that I will win in the face of adversity."

Cao Cao's words were immediately spread widely.Everyone thinks: "Only a great man like the Prime Minister can truly understand the essence of Sun Tzu's Art of War." Although Cao Cao returned in a big defeat, instead of blaming him, people were more convinced of him. Still, this fall isn't quite as festive as last year's. Although it is said that it is the season of "swallows go and geese come", the hostels in the capital are full of busy scenes.A large number of autumn seasonal melons, fruits and vegetables from various prefectures are on the market, and silk cloth and fat horses from various places also gather in the capital.

One day, a group of dignitaries came to the gate of the post house with fifty entourages. "I heard that these people are envoys sent by Yuan Shao in Jizhou." The owner of the hostel treats these guests with respect. In the capital, as long as Yuan Shao is mentioned, it can be said that everyone knows it.Ordinary ordinary people have such preconceived views: he is a famous prince who owns a large northern territory accounting for a fraction of the world.In addition, he is a descendant of the famous family of public ministers in the Han Dynasty, and his prestige is far higher than that of the upstart Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, who had just retired from the palace, was taking a nap after returning to the Prime Minister's Mansion. At this time, Guo Jia came to Cao Cao's bed, saluted and said respectfully: "Prime Minister, I have something to pass on to you." "What? Is it a letter?" "Yes, Yuan Shao's envoy has come from afar and is now staying at the post house in the capital, asking me to deliver this letter to the prime minister for personal reading." "A letter from Yuan Shao?" Cao Cao casually opened the booklet and read it. While reading, he laughed from time to time, just like the sound of thatched grass in autumn.Cao Cao said: "This is Yuan Shao's selfish request. Earlier, when I, Cao Cao, successfully established Xudu, he asked me if I would send troops to the capital. Judging from his letter this time, he said that because of the war with Beiping There was a border dispute between the prefect Gongsun Zan, and he was short of rations and soldiers, so he asked me if I could join him in fighting. Moreover, he wrote arrogantly in Chinese, and he almost regarded me as the gatekeeper of the capital."

Cao Cao was very unhappy after reading the letter, with a sullen look on his face.Then, he still felt that it was not enough, so he couldn't help tapping the letter with his hands. He said to Guo Jia with lingering anger: "Yuan Shao is not only arrogant and rude in this matter, but also when I deal with government documents with him in the name of the emperor, he often uses rude words and treats me as an ordinary person. Although I have been holding back, I always wonder when I can break his proud nose. In fact, his old department in Jizhou area is also very dissatisfied with him.... He himself has reached the point where he has insufficient strength and sighs alone He even asked me to borrow troops to attack Beiping, and even borrowed food. He wanted to ask me for everything, and he was such a ignorant rascal.”

"...Prime Minister!" After the annoyance on Cao Cao's face faded, Guo Jia said calmly, "I want to repeat what that kid knows. Judging from the past examples of Han Gaozu's conquest of Xiang Yu, Gaozu was by no means stronger than Xiang Yu. From strength It is said that Xiang Yu was far above Gaozu. Even so, he was finally destroyed by Gaozu. The root cause of his defeat was the superstitious belief in force and contempt for resourcefulness. Therefore, Gaozu's forbearance is also the magic weapon to win the final victory." "You have a point." "People like me who criticize the prime minister should be punished with death. But if I were to boldly state my opinion, I dare say that compared with the prime minister, Yuan Shao has ten victories and Yuan Shao has ten defeats."

So Guo Jia began to count the pros and cons of the two. First, Yuan Shao did not understand the current situation, and his thinking was not so much conservative as perverse.The prime minister conforms to the development of the times and is full of innovative vigor. Second, Yuan Shao pays attention to red tape and etiquette, and respects various etiquettes of power.The prime minister advocates natural, quick-acting and close to the people. Third, Yuan Shao one-sidedly believed that leniency is benevolent government, so the common people held a contemptuous attitude towards leniency.The prime minister is strict in his affairs, and rewards and punishments are clearly defined. Although the people are afraid, they also welcome the rigorous style of the prime minister.

Fourth, Yuan Shao appears arrogant on the surface, but in fact he is very cowardly, suspicious of others, and uses his close relatives too much.The prime minister is simple in his affairs, treats people regardless of their closeness, and is full of keen insight, so he is not suspicious of employing people. Fifth, Yuan Shao is good at planning, but he is not decisive and often confused.But the prime minister is cautious and decisive. Sixth, Yuan Shao was born in a famous family, and he likes the fame of celebrities.The prime minister loves people with real talents. "Enough!" Cao Cao smiled and waved his hands again and again, "If you only let me hear so many good things about myself, I'm afraid I'll become Yuan Shao too."

That night, Cao Cao sat alone. To the left or to the right, years of suspense looms and needs to be resolved.Cao Cao weighed it over and over again in his heart.Facing the existence of Yuan Shao, a huge force, he had to concentrate and think deeply.It was really hard to fall asleep at this time. "It's not enough to just worry." A voice came from the bottom of my heart. However, another voice soon came from the side: "I can't be bullied by him anymore." At this time, he remembered Guo Jia's comparison with Yuan Shao just now: "The prime minister has ten victories, and Yuan Shao has ten defeats." In fact, not only Guo Jia has this opinion, but he himself is full of self-confidence that "I am far above others", but with this advantage alone, it is impossible to completely eat the opponent. In the Yuan family, although there are villains like Yuan Shu in Huainan, but because only the rich can cultivate talents, there are also many good ministers who are wise and brave. Moreover, no matter what, Yuan Shao was born in a famous family, and his ancestors have been officials for many generations, so he can be called the patriarch of the country.Cao Cao is a descendant of an eunuch, and his father retired to the village very early. Cao Cao was just a well-known naughty boy in the village when he was young.When the Han Dynasty established Luoyang as the capital, Yuan Shao held an important position in the general's mansion, and Cao Cao was still a police officer patrolling the city. Yuan Shao retreated due to the turmoil, and Cao Cao took advantage of the rise of the turmoil to become famous.However, Yuan Shao, who came from a famous family, was still deeply supported by conservatives even after he retired. For the upstart Cao Cao, in addition to his loyal confidantes, what he got was the envy and disgust of the outside world. There are still many people in the world who have a lot of complaints about Cao Cao's current status.Some people privately slandered him as a "selfish prime minister" - even though people were afraid of his force, they still refused to accept his prestige in their hearts. Cao Cao didn't care about such subtle thoughts in people's minds.He was upset that he hadn't done enough to make a difference. He knows very well that the enemy can be conquered by force, but virtue cannot be gained by force. At this time, he suddenly turned to a thought: "Once there is a conflict between Yuan Shao and I, what will be the consequences?" But when I think about it carefully, I feel that there are many problems. Now, geographically speaking: with Xudu as the center, Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu in Jingzhou and Xiangyang are in the west, Yuan Shu is in the east, and Yuan Shao is in the north. Cao Jun is almost surrounded by enemies on all sides, and no one direction can be safe. Cao Cao thought about it further: "If I lie still in the encirclement surrounded by enemies, I can only maintain the false name of the prime minister, and in the end I will only end up suffocating and dying. And my current high position was born in the turmoil. , the goal of life is to let the whole world completely subdue oneself. In order to achieve this goal, we must always maintain a vigorous and leaping state, and we must not slack off for a moment. We must continue to attack and break the enemy's blockade on all sides. For any old Obstacles must not be easily let go due to negligence." Thinking of this, Cao Cao's will became firmer, and a major decision gradually formed in his heart. "Yes, breaking the enemy's blockade will definitely be accompanied by risks. - Yuan Shao, this bastard! All old things must be replaced by new life. This is the law of nature. I am a newcomer, and he is just a member of the old forces. Representative! Alright, let me fight him!" At this time, he felt daring and bold. After Cao Cao made up his mind, he fell asleep in peace. The next day, he wanted to test whether his decision was correct or not, so he ordered a small official in the prime minister's mansion: "Go and call Xun Yu!" After a while, Xun Yu was ordered to come to the prime minister's mansion. In order to avoid other people's eyes and ears, Cao Cao waited for him in a secret pavilion in the Prime Minister's Mansion. "Is it Xun Yu? I called you here today because I have a particularly important issue and want to hear your opinion. Let's take a look at this first." "Is it a letter?" "Yes. Yuan Shao's envoy came to the capital yesterday. This is Yuan Shao's personal letter that he brought from afar." "……I see!" "How do you feel after reading this letter?" "In a word, the words are rude and arrogant, and the letter makes such a selfish request, which only shows that he is a selfish guy." "Maybe it is—Yuan's rude words and deeds have been going on for many years. I have always planned to tolerate it, but I didn't expect him to openly fool me now. It is beyond my tolerance." "Of course." "However, after repeated consideration, I still feel that if I want to attack Yuan Shao now, my troops will be insufficient." "The prime minister has obviously thought it over, what you said is not bad at all." "But I am determined to conquer him, what's your opinion?" "Do you have to do this?" "Do you agree?" "I am willing to listen to Jun's orders." "Will I win?" "There is no doubt that he will win. The prime minister has the advantages of four victories, and Yuan Shao has the disadvantages of four defeats." Xun Yu said this, just like Guo Jia expressed his opinion yesterday, first comparing Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and then discussing the pros and cons of the two. Cao Cao waved his hand to interrupt Xun Yu's words. He laughed and corrected him earnestly: "Your words are exactly the same as what Guo Jia said. I know I have many shortcomings. What you said are all advantages. There are no people." Then, he asked Xun Yu again: "If this is the case, can we kill his envoy now and declare war on him immediately?" "No! It can't be done now." "You said no?" "No way now!" "Why?" "Don't forget Lu Bu, he's only been spying on Xu Du's back door, and the situation in Jingzhou is not enough for us to sit back and relax." "So, I have to endure Yuan Shaoren until the distant future?" "Now you have to assist the emperor with sincerity, and care for the peasants with the heart of benevolence, and slowly wait for the opportunity to create a new situation. Let the new situation fight Yuan Shao, and you don't even have to fight yourself. You have to wait patiently. With the progress of the times, Yuan Shao's old bureaucratic camp will have a self-destructive effect, and when it comes to the final blow, it only needs to use a little force to achieve the goal, isn't this a perfect strategy?" "It's good to do this, but the waiting time is too long." "I don't think it's a long time, it's just a moment. The pace of change, although invisible to the naked eye for a period of time, is amazing. Like the growth of plants, and like the growth of children, people watch for a while. If you don't see his changes, you will feel that the waiting time is too long. In fact, with the movement of heaven and earth, this kind of change will happen in a very short time. All in all, it may be more beneficial for you to be patient. " Due to Guo Jia and Xun Yu's astonishing agreement, Cao Cao finally gave up the myth and summoned Yuan Shao's envoy to the prime minister's residence the next day. Cao Cao said to the envoy: "I agree to your request." Therefore, Cao Cao ordered people to prepare food, horses and a large amount of military supplies to deliver to the envoy, and held a grand banquet to reward the envoy.Before leaving, Cao Cao told the envoy again, saying that he had made a special report to the imperial court, and named Yuan Shao a general and a lieutenant to command Jizhou, Qingzhou, Youzhou and Bingzhou.