Chapter 4 Xu You: The prime minister and I are classmates

Xu You, courtesy name Ziyuan, was born in Nanyang, Henan Province, and was a classmate of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. At first, the three of them played very well, lying on the same desk to study.Eat something delicious and share something fun to play together.They have a strong relationship, and they often wander the streets together with swords, young and energetic, and cool. But when there is good, there will be trouble.Later, a rift appeared in their relationship. It's not that Xu You has any ghosts, it's mainly because Yuan Shao had a conflict with Cao Cao.The two are dissatisfied with each other, both feel that they have background and ability, and they both want to be the boss, and they are self-centered.Especially Yuan Shao thinks that he is a famous family, born in a family of four generations and three fathers, with a prominent background, and you, Cao Cao, are just a wild boy adopted by the eunuch.Also, Yuan Shao looked down on Cao Cao's appearance. Cao Cao was ugly, not tall, and dark-skinned, while Yuan Shao was heroic, imposing, and a standard handsome man.

As for Cao Cao, he also looked down on Yuan Shao, thinking that Yuan Shaokong had a good skin. Although he looked better on the outside, had a nicer voice, and was more ostentatious, his heart was actually very empty, gaudy, and had no real knowledge. If it's a big event, you'll get dizzy, and it belongs to the scheming master.Besides, your Yuan Shao's background is not so good, didn't you also adopt to your uncle since you were young?The mother is not the main wife, but a concubine. The two are also suspicious of each other.Yuan Shao always felt that Cao Cao had done something behind his back, and Cao Cao always felt that Yuan Shao had done something wrong to him.So they were very harmonious obviously, but pinched each other secretly.

Once, the two were playing together, and they met someone in the village to hold a wedding.Seeing the happy marriage, the two felt a little unbalanced in their hearts, and couldn't help thinking badly. They took advantage of the time when they were eating, drinking and having fun, and shouted in the courtyard, "Catch the thief, catch the thief!"When the people in the yard heard the shouts, they made a fuss, and even the groom ran out to look for the thief.Taking this opportunity, the two slipped into the bridal chamber and robbed the bride. Everyone looked for the thief for a long time, but they didn't find it.The groom went back to the bridal chamber and was terrified: the bride was gone.Hurry up and tell the family, and search together. Yuan Shao is taller and stronger, and ran with the bride on his back, with Cao Cao protecting him.In a panic, Yuan Shao got stuck in the bushes and couldn't get out no matter what.Not only did Cao Cao not come to rescue him, but he yelled, "The thief is here!"After shouting, he ran away first.Yuan Shao was in a hurry, but with a sudden burst of energy, he rushed out of the thorns, left the bride, and ran away like flying.

Afterwards, Yuan Shao blamed Cao Cao for not rescuing him when he saw danger, and betrayed him, only to escape for his own life.Cao Cao argued, "Brother Benchu, I'm not betraying you. I'm trying to make you panic, stimulate your potential, and let you escape. If I didn't shout this, you would have been caught long ago."Yuan Shao thought it made sense, but he was still upset, thinking that Cao Cao was playing tricks. The deeper the conflict between the two, the more fierce the fight, the more they want to draw Xu You to their side, hoping that Xu You can speak for themselves and become their own.Xu You was caught in the middle, in a dilemma, very uncomfortable.

When Cao Cao was not around, Yuan Shao would tell Xu You that Cao Cao was insidious and cunning, and he was not authentic. You should be careful when getting along with him, and you will suffer from him in the future.When Yuan Shao was away, Cao Cao would tell Xu You, Yuan Shao is very hypocritical, he is a gentleman on the outside and a villain on the inside, you should stay away from him, you will suffer a lot if you get along with him in the future. Xu You has a good temper. No matter who speaks ill of whom, he listens carefully, smiles, and smoothes things over after listening.In fact, in his heart, he is towards Cao Cao.Because he is also very sloppy, ugly people are always willing to be with ugly people, and do not want to be with beautiful people, as a foil.Besides, although Yuan Shao treated him very well, his demeanor was aristocratic and not too easy-going.Cao Cao, on the other hand, is much more easy-going and can make jokes without any scruples.

For example, Xu You likes to call Cao Cao "A Man", "A Man" is Cao Cao's nickname. Nicknames are usually called by elders, but Xu You is a classmate, a person of the same generation, how can he use nicknames indiscriminately?But Cao Cao was not angry at all, instead he was happy.Xu You was very happy, and felt that Cao Cao did not regard himself as an outsider.Yuan Shao is not good, he is very polite and polite.Don't make jokes, and don't call me by nicknames. So, behind the scenes, Xu You got closer to Cao Cao.The two often talk about their ambitions together.What is Xu You's ambition?He said, I want to be a prefect and manage a state and county well.Cao Cao said, yes, but my ambition is higher than yours. I want to be the prime minister and govern a country.Xu You said that as long as you work hard, you can achieve it.Cao Cao jokingly called Xu You the prefect, and Cao Cao asked Xu You to call him prime minister.But Xu You still called him A Man.Cao Cao said, why don't you call me prime minister?Xu You said embarrassingly, I have already made it easy to call you A Man, and I can't change it for a while.Xu You also joked that even if you are a prince, I will still call you A Man.Cao Cao smiled and said, okay, no problem, just call me Ah Man forever.

Time passed very quickly, and in a blink of an eye, all three of them had grown up, had achieved success in their studies, and found their own positions in the court.Later, Xu You did another great thing. He conspired with Jizhou Wang Fen, Pei Guo Zhou Jing and other heroes to abolish Emperor Ling and make Marquis of Hefei the king.Xu You felt that this matter was not sure, and wanted to ask Cao Cao to do it together, but Cao Cao felt that this matter was very uncertain, so he did not agree.Sure enough, Xu You, Wang Fen and others failed.Through this incident, Xu You had some opinions and misunderstandings about Cao Cao, thinking that his good friends would not help such a big matter, and his own failure was the result of Cao Cao's failure to participate.

When Xu You was frustrated, Yuan Shao was very close to him, comforting him, encouraging him, and protecting him.Xu You felt that Yuan Shao was good, so he alienated Cao Cao.Later, when Dong Zhuo came to Beijing to take power, Yuan Shao fell out with Dong Zhuo and left the capital for Bohai in a fit of anger.Before leaving, I asked Xu You for advice, and wanted Xu You to go with me.Xu You didn't have time to think, so he agreed.He followed Yuan Shao to the Bohai Sea and raised the banner against Dong Zhuo. Soon, Yuan Shao became more and more powerful, possessing the four prefectures of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, and became the most powerful prince at that time.Cao Cao also continued to expand his strength, successfully welcoming Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty to Xudu, and coercing the emperor to command the princes, gaining political advantages and occupying the right time.Later, Yuan Shao fought with Cao Cao.Xu You thought, since he has decided to follow Yuan Shao, he should contribute to Yuan Shao.He originally wanted to help Yuan Shao defeat Cao Cao with all his heart, so he came up with several ideas in a row, but Yuan Shao didn't adopt them.

At that time, Yuan Shao was no longer the one who had fought with Dong Zhuo and escaped from the capital. He was powerful, arrogant, confident, and suspicious. He no longer believed in counselors like Xu You, and believed that his leadership was beyond everything.He even suspected that Xu You was helping Cao Cao in the dark while he was clearly helping him. This is too unfair!Xu You was disappointed.At this time, there was another news that Jian Pei and others were going to harm his family.He voted for Cao Cao in a rage, and helped Cao Cao come up with a lot of good ideas. Cao Cao obeyed and burned Yuan Shao's food and grass in Wuchao. In the past few years, Yuan Shao was defeated steadily, and finally he vomited blood and died.

In this way Xu You led Cao Cao into Yuan Shao's capital Jizhou.Just like when he was a child, Xu You still called Cao Cao A Man. Ah Man, without me, would you be able to enter Jizhou? Ah Man, you have to treat me to a drink. A man, do you still remember what happened when we were studying?At that time your grades were not as good as mine! A lie is long, A lie is short.Not only in private, but also in many public places. Just entered Jizhou, there are many complex legacy issues to deal with.Once, Cao Cao got into trouble because of a difficult matter. He held a high-level political meeting in the mansion. All the important officials under Cao Cao attended the meeting. The atmosphere was so serious that it could be lit with a match.But at this moment, Xu You stood up. He took a sip of the wine with the jug in hand, walked up to Cao Cao, patted Cao Cao's arm and said, "Ah man, why are you so stupid? You are so stupid!" If you have a problem with a pig, you can find Xu You. You only need to do this, and the problem will be solved.

Everyone in the room was stunned, and many of them showed displeasure, but Cao Cao laughed out loud, not at all unhappy.Doing what Xu You said did solve the problem. Although the problem is solved, many people have opinions on Xu You. Cheng Yu, a counselor, came to see Cao Cao.Cheng Yu said, I heard that a person's nickname can only be used when he is a minor, and this nickname should be called by his parents and elders.Xu You is just one of your classmates, but calling you by your nickname many times in public is tantamount to humiliating the Prime Minister.Why don't you blame him? Cao Cao said, Xu You is not only my classmate and friend, but also my savior.When I was young, I was very naughty.Once, I climbed up a tree to pick mulberries to eat, and accidentally fell into the sewage pond under the tree. It was Xu You who pulled me out of the pond and saved my life.Xu You was kind enough to save my life, how could he be punished just because he called me by my nickname? Cheng Yu said that since the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, etiquette has been passed down to this day.As the prime minister of a country, you have a sacred and inviolable majesty under one person and above ten thousand people.Although Xu You has a deep friendship with you, he is still just a subordinate of yours. It is only natural for subordinates to respect their superiors, and they cannot offend your majesty at will just because they saved your life.Ask the prime minister to stop his behavior as soon as possible. Cao Cao said that there are four seasons in a year, and the four seasons have their own characteristics.Everyone has different habits because of their different growth environment.It's just a habit of Xu You to call me by my nickname, and it doesn't affect the good side he brings to me in the slightest.I remember that when I fought Yuan Shao at Guandu, the two armies were deadlocked. At that time, my food and grass were only enough to last three days. It was Xu You who came to join me from Yuan Shao and gave me advice. north.If there was no Xu You, I would have been destroyed by Yuan Shao long ago, and I would not have the position of prime minister today, let alone the dignity of prime minister.Compared with Xu You's contribution, how insignificant he called me by my nickname! Cheng Yu didn't say anything more, so he had no choice but to back out.Liu Ye and other counselors, Xu Chu, Zhang Liao and other generals also came to Cao Cao many times, but Cao Cao persuaded them to retreat one by one. So they didn't say anything.Yes, the protagonist doesn't say anything, so what can they say?They admired the magnanimity of the protagonist Cao Cao, so they understood Xu You's actions and turned a blind eye. But Xu You didn't restrain himself at all, but became even more powerful. Entering Jizhou, there is still a problem.The harvest was not good, there was no rain for several months, there was severe drought, and the crops were in short supply.Cao Cao didn't look for anyone else, but directly asked Xu You what to do.Xu You said that on the one hand, the common people have no food to eat; on the other hand, the families of high-ranking officials use piles of grain to make wine, causing a lot of food waste.It is imperative to stop this from happening.Xu You also said, "Ah, I'm a drinker, so I shouldn't give you this idea, but for your career, let's bear it and stop drinking from today." Cao Cao praised Xu You, you moved me so much.He immediately issued an order that the whole city will ban alcohol from now on, and those who violate the order will be executed. Cao Cao also asked Xu Chu, Zhang Liao and other generals to lead troops to patrol the city day and night, and if they encountered anyone drinking, they would be punished on the spot. That night, Cao Cao quietly invited Xu You into the mansion, saying, "I haven't had any alcohol for the past few days, so I'm suffocated. Alas, no one is allowed to drink alcohol, except for old classmates. Today we two have a good time to catch up and catch up until we get drunk." Xu You nodded, okay, okay, Ah Man, you are really thoughtful. That night, they talked a lot, talking about the scene of studying together, and even talked about some childhood memories with Yuan Shao.I am deeply moved. It was already late at night when Xu You staggered away from the Xiangfu.A bright moon hangs in the sky, and the streets of Jizhou City are clear and white.With the breeze blowing, Xu You had already sobered up a little from the wine, and slowly raised his head from the childhood memories just now. This street is too familiar, he has lived here for many years, he used to watch the night with Yuan Shao on this street, surrounded by people from Hebei, how proud he is, but now the street is still the same street, but the people have changed.It was his own idea that sent Yuan Shao to his grave.A courtier, instead of helping his lord capture other people's cities, led others to destroy his lord, and even drank and celebrated with them.Isn't it too much? I think of how harmonious Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and myself were at the beginning when they were classmates, admiring and respecting each other.Somehow, there was a conflict, until Yuan and Cao became important officials in the court, and they once worked together under the command of General He Jin to do great things.However, as their power grew, they became incompatible and fought with each other.The ancients said that when two tigers fight, one must be injured. In the end, history eliminated Yuan Shao.If Yuan Shao had used his own strategy back then, then Cao Cao might have become a prisoner and a ghost under the knife again.So, at this time, he must be celebrating with Yuan Shao in Xudu? The more Xu You thought about it, the more unpleasant it became.He stretched his arms, as if to dispel something. At this moment, there was a rush of hoofbeats.A group of people and horses flashed out from the corner of the street. The leader of the group, with a golden helmet and armor in his hand, stepped down from a black horse with an iron gun in his hand. It turned out that General Xu Chu was ordered by the prime minister to watch the night. Xu Chu ordered the military academy to take down the drinker. Xu You said, what crime do I have for drinking with Ah Meng? Xu You snorted, and said angrily, if it wasn't for me, Xu You, how could you show off your power here, you would have already become dead ghosts in front of the battle.Cao Aman has also become a prisoner of others. A lie?He was calling the prime minister by his nickname again.Xu Chu was already impatient, he wanted to reprimand him a few words, but he didn't even have that patience.With a flick of the spear in his hand, Xu You fell to the ground like autumn leaves. When Xu Chu threw the head in front of Prime Minister Cao, of course he was reprimanded. But it was just a reprimand, not even a little punishment. Xu You's funeral was held early one morning.All the people in the city gathered to see the prime minister's old classmate, Mr. Xu You, who was very smart.The instrumental classes were playing mournfully, and the best singers in town were singing dirges with emotion.Prime Minister Cao cried the most, almost fainted. The attendant next to him saw his mouth moving, and finally tried to hear what he was repeating over and over again: Who will call me a man in the future! Cao Cao was forcibly pulled out of the mourning hall by his attendants, and Wen Wu also followed. The last one to leave was Yang Xiu, the chief secretary of the marching army. Yang Xiu patted Xu You's coffin and sighed, you are the smartest person and also the stupidest person. Yang Xiu also said, how can you take the prime minister's words seriously? As Yang Xiu said, with his hands behind his back, he walked out shaking his head. Yang Xiu didn't know that he, a smart man, ended up with the same fate as Xu You.