Chapter 55 1. Ultimate move

Three months later, Prime Minister Cao, who went west to Hanzhong, returned without success.The failure of the Western Expedition also cast a shadow over Prime Minister Cao's long-term accumulation of merit and prestige.Some courtiers loyal to the Han Dynasty simply gloated, and what's more, a very small number of the emperor's "best friends" showed a state of eagerness to move. However, Prime Minister Cao, who knew everything about it, had mixed emotions in his heart.To be honest, Prime Minister Cao thought he had done his utmost to the Han Dynasty.Back then, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was in exile in the hands of Dong Zhuoyu's party, Xiliang bandit leader Li Jue and Guo Si, and all the princes from all over the world stood by and watched, just waiting for the Han Dynasty to come to an end.It was he, Cao Cao, who decisively sent troops to welcome Emperor Xian to Xudu, rescued him from the brink of life and death, and gave him all the honors he should have as an emperor.However, as soon as Emperor Xian and his gang of old ministers arrived in a safe area, they became restless, unwilling to be resigned to power, and wanted to restore power.First, the celebrity Kong Rong jumped out to oppose Cao Cao's dictatorship, and then Ma Teng and his sons, Wei Huang, Jin Yi and others secretly raised troops to make trouble, which made Cao Cao restless for a day.No way, Cao Cao had to eliminate them by thunderbolt.Who would have thought that the "son of heaven" would become a "double-edged sword" in the end, and it would be extremely difficult to "hold" the emperor.Cao Cao had no choice but to bite the bullet and stick to it.In his poems, he said: "Zhou Xibochang cherishes this holiness. Three parts of the world, but there are two. Contributions to worship, ministers' festivals will not fall." It is to appease and express the attitude of the Han Dynasty monarchs and ministers.However, the times forced him to ride a tiger, and he could no longer give up.Take a look at the fate of Huo Guang, the former power minister of the Han Dynasty, how could Cao Cao not take it as a warning?It is the only choice for him and his family to stand on his own for Dai Han.It's just that he and his family must have a kind heart and leave a hundred miles to the Liu family of the Han Dynasty, so that the family can be safe.After all, Cao Cao married his daughter Cao Jie to Emperor Xian as the queen, and the Cao and Liu clans still have an in-law relationship, so why bother to make such a sword.

Cao Cao couldn't help sighing deeply when he thought of this.Now Liu Bei and Sun Quan are both big, each occupying a corner, supporting their own troops, and none of the generals under their tents are the enemies of these two bandits.I am also over 60 years old, and I am approaching old age. I intend to cheer up and become a superstar in the world, but I am increasingly unable to do what I want.However, the foundation of the Wei family has not yet been fully consolidated, and the struggle for establishing an heir has arisen again, making him at a loss.I thought that this western expedition to Hanzhong would be successful in one fell swoop, but unexpectedly, the heavens did not follow people's wishes. It is really lamentable!It seems that he has to hurry up and settle the matter behind him to avoid future troubles, otherwise he will be unable to deal with sudden changes.

On this day, he was standing by the Yujing Lake in Xiangfu's mansion and thinking alone, but when he saw Mrs. Wang approaching slowly with a smile, he went up to her and asked, "Why did you come to see the truth? Where are you?" "The concubine was afraid that the prime minister would be too tired from his official duties, so he came to accompany the prime minister to relax." Mrs. Wang said with a smile, "Gan'er was taken out to hunt by General Wuguan Zhonglang. The friendship between General Wuguan Zhonglang and his brothers is really deep! Prime Minister During the conquest of Western Shu, General Wuguan Zhonglang stayed in Xudu, whenever he was free, he would come to give lectures to Qianer, and he was very attentive. The concubine thought that General Wuguan Zhonglang was so caring for his brothers that even the prime minister would have it. less than."

Cao Cao stroked his long beard, and nodded approvingly: "The Prime Minister has been fighting outside for many years, and Pi'er stayed inside. As an elder brother, he should naturally fulfill the responsibility of the elder brother and raise younger brothers. Pi'er can treat him so kindly with all his heart and soul." Brothers, it is a blessing to my Cao family! Where is Zhi'er? Do you often come to the mansion to care and train your brothers?" Mrs. Wang said indifferently: "Marquis Pingyuan loves literature very much. In his spare time, he often goes out on diplomatic trips with those literati and refined scholars. It is rare to get together with his younger brothers in the prime minister's mansion on weekdays. Gan'er is actually looking forward to this third elder brother teaching him to recite poems and compose poems." It's a pity that Marquis Pingyuan hasn't been able to take the time to do it."

"Oh?" Cao Cao couldn't help frowning slightly after hearing this, but he didn't ask any more questions.At this moment, a servant girl came to report: "Master Jia Xu, a doctor of the Taizhong, begged to see the prime minister." Cao Cao thought for a moment, and said: "I would like to invite Dr. Jia to wait in the meeting hall of the prime minister's mansion for a while, and the real minister will go to meet him immediately." The maidservant retreated in response.He turned his head and gave Mrs. Wang an apologetic smile: "Ma'am, look, I don't have time to relax..." Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "The prime minister doesn't have to care about his concubine, it's better to go with him It is important for Dr. Jia to discuss important matters." After finishing speaking, he withdrew.

Seeing her walking away, Cao Cao's face became serious, and he slowly walked towards the meeting hall with his head buried in thought.Before he knew it, he had already arrived at the entrance of the conference hall. Looking inside, Jia Xu was standing in the hall in casual clothes, waiting for him to arrive. "What do you want to see the truth?" Cao Cao walked slowly into the hall, signaled the gatekeepers to close the hall door, looked up at Jia Xu, and asked. Without saying a word, Jia Xu slowly took out a jade box from his sleeve, held it up with both hands, and said, "I will return this box to the Prime Minister myself." Cao Cao took the jade box, gently opened it, and took a look. , couldn't help changing his face slightly.It turned out that there was no word on the secret letter in the box.

"What do you mean?" Cao Cao stared at Jia Xu coldly, his eyes gradually became sharper, "Do you want to protect yourself wisely and please both sides?" "Veteran dare not." Jia Xu lowered his head and said slowly, "Veteran is different from others, this life has shared safety and fate with the Wei family, the affairs of the Wei family are the matter of the veteran, how dare the veteran have any other intentions? " Cao Cao snorted coldly and said, "In this case, why did you come to see me with an empty letter?" Jia Xu raised his face, looked Cao Cao squarely, and said, "The prime minister has always been talented in writing, so he doesn't know that the book can't say enough, and the words can't say enough Huh? It’s such an important matter for Wei Shizi to establish an heir. How can the old minister follow the example of those who dance with words and use words to dazzle the master? Therefore, the old minister abandons the letter and is willing to discuss this matter with the prime minister, and express his heart and soul!”

After hearing this, Cao Cao gradually calmed down, supported Jia Xu, sat down, and asked sincerely: "What Doctor Jia said is very true, the truth has wronged you. Then, please ask Doctor Jia to clarify the truth. The pros and cons of Zhi'er and Zhi'er." Jia Xu was silent for a moment, looked at Cao Cao meaningfully, and said, "In the prime minister's own mind, who is better, who is better, or who is worse, between the general with five senses and the Marquis of Pingyuan?" "Oh... from the truth, Pi'er and Zhi'er have their own strengths, and it's hard to decide at the moment! Pi'er has more than strategy but not enough magnanimity; Zhi'er has more than kindness but not enough strategy. However, the truth does not deny If you exclude all external factors, as far as the inner tendency is concerned, the truth is to establish Zhi'er as the heir." Cao Cao said slowly, "Zhi'er is pure and filial in nature, straightforward and natural, with extraordinary talents, like pure gold and uncut jade. It's rare. I thought that Zhi'er's succession to the throne will surely become a generation of heroic and benevolent monarchs, comparable to Emperor Xiaozhao of the Han Dynasty. However, he is too kind and not good at fighting for power and profit, so he can survive in this complicated and chaotic world Do I have a great Wei foundation?—Governing the world emphasizes morality, and in troubled times favors power, the truth has always been hesitant about this!"

"If the prime minister is only worried that the Marquis of Pingyuan will not be able to act in troubled times because of his benevolence, virtue and sacred heart, why is it so difficult? Choosing a few outstanding people from among his confidants to serve as the Marquis of Pingyuan's assistant government will certainly prevent treacherous people from happening and cause chaos. Jia Xu observed Cao Cao's expression, and said slowly, "Has the Prime Minister chosen the assistant minister?" Cao Cao shook his head slowly, and said: "I thought that the thirteen important ministers around me would recognize Zhi'er, but unexpectedly, even upright and loyal people like Huan Jie, Cui Yan, and Mao Jie opposed it. Xun Youde is unparalleled, He also agreed with Pi'er at the beginning, but later became ambiguous. How can the truth be assured that he will take on the role of auxiliary government? Looking around, Zhi'er is standing in an isolated place... Sigh, Zhi'er is too kind. If you succeed me, you can Can you cope with this unpredictable attack?"

"Indeed, Marquis Pingyuan is too kind." Jia Xu's complexion suddenly became very dark, and his tone suddenly became dignified, "Prime Minister, has he ever thought that his kindness and benevolence can easily be deceived by some people?" People with ulterior motives use it to disturb the interior of the Wei Dynasty?" "Who? Who will take advantage of him?" Cao Cao's face changed when he heard this, "Who wants to mess with our Wei family?" Jia Xu replied coldly, "Yang Xiu!" "Master Yang?" Cao Cao was stunned, "No... no, right? He and Zhi'er made friends through literature, and their friendship is very deep... He should not harm Zhi'er..."

"Could the prime minister have forgotten? Yang Xiu is the nephew of Yuan Shu, the mortal enemy of the prime minister, and the son of Yang Biao, the stalwart minister of the Han Dynasty! Yang Biao is the leader of the Han Dynasty in today's court! Inevitably. Yang Xiu has always been famous for his filial piety, and if it comes to the critical moment of the Wei-Han conflict, it is hard to guarantee that he will not fall to his father and fall to the Han Dynasty." Jia Xu still approached without any haste. Continue to discuss, "If ordinary people have such a complicated and subtle identity, they will never intervene in the dispute over the establishment of the heir of the Wei State. However, the prime minister should know that now the prime minister's mansion is running around, jumping up and down for Pingyuan Hou Lisi. It is this Yang Xiu who is most deeply involved in this battle for succession! Others avoid him, but he never tires of it! May I ask the prime minister, what is the intention of Yang Xiu's actions? If you succeed, where will you place Pingyuan Hou? And where will you place the five-featured Zhonglang?" After Cao Cao listened, he pondered for a while, and his face gradually became gloomy.He suddenly raised his head, his eyes were like lightning, he stared at Jia Xu, and said coldly: "The truth also knows that Dr. Jia has always been at odds with Yang Taiwei, why did he directly denounce his son in front of the truth today, almost slander? For personal reasons?" When Jia Xu heard this, his expression was extremely surprised, and he looked straight into Cao Cao's eyes, as if he had misheard, very surprised.After a while, he suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, the laughter was deafening.Cao Cao didn't get angry, he waited for him to laugh, and then asked, "Why is Doctor Jia laughing?" Jia Xu's face straightened, and he said slowly: "The old minister laughed at the prime minister for being too smart. The old minister confessed the truth, but the prime minister treated the old minister as dishonestly and dishonestly as he treated Xu You during the Guandu battle!" Cao Cao couldn't help but blush when he mentioned Xu You's incident at the Battle of Guandu.It turned out that Xu You, a famous scholar in Hebei, was jealous of Yuan Shao, so he came to join Cao Cao.Before he came to Cao Cao's army, he had already planned a plan for Cao's army to attack Yuan Shao's granary, so he asked Cao Cao, "How much grain is there in the army?" Cao Cao replied, "It's urgent to send the whole army for half a year."Cao Cao replied again: "It can be supported for three months." Xu You shook his head and still didn't believe it, Cao Cao replied again: "It can be supported for one month." Xu You said angrily: "I sacrificed my life to agree with each other, but your Excellency treated me dishonestly. I will resign now. "Turn around and leave.Cao Cao hastily grabbed him and said, "The food in the army can last for half a month." Xu You sighed, "Why did you hide it from me? The army has no food for seven days. I am offering a good plan to relieve the urgent needs of the whole army! If you keep it from me, won’t you miss a big deal?” Cao Cao then apologized in embarrassment.After this incident, Cao Cao took it as a warning and vowed to treat the world's sages with an upright and open-minded attitude.Today, Jia Xu brought up this matter again to satirize Cao Cao. He couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. After a moment of silence, he still asked coldly: "A few days ago, Yang Biao was going to force you to abdicate and return home. Today you will go to the truth and sue. Son, how can this make the truth not doubtful?" Jia Xu said seriously: "The prime minister knows that the veteran and Yang Biao have no personal grudges. The reason why Yang Biao hates the veteran is because the veteran made a sudden plan to disrupt the Han Dynasty. However, if the veteran did not disturb the Han Dynasty, the emperor would If the emperor had not been displaced, how could the prime minister have the righteous act of welcoming the emperor into Xudu later? If the prime minister had not welcomed the emperor into Xudu, how could the prime minister carry out the general plan of "holding the emperor to order the princes"? Not based on this How can the prime minister capture the hearts of the world and destroy Yuan Shao, get rid of Yuan Shu, kill Lu Bu, and pacify Jingzhou with the general idea of ​​"holding the emperor to make the princes"? The old minister has lost to the Han, but he has contributed to the Wei. With the wiseness and wisdom of the prime minister, how can you not see the mystery? Yang Biao’s jealousy of me is actually the prime minister’s jealousy. The more he jealous of me, the deeper his jealousy of the prime minister. Because of this, his son Yang Xiucai Don't meddle in the dispute over the establishment of an heir among the heirs of the Wei Kingdom. And if Marquis Pingyuan is sensible, he shouldn't get involved with them. Now that Marquis Pingyuan has such a close relationship with Yang Xiu and other young descendants of the Han Dynasty, if he succeeds to the position of prime minister in the future Afterwards, can you get rid of the restraint of these people and practice the great ambition you set up on behalf of the Han Dynasty?" After hearing this, Cao Cao's face darkened, and he fell into deep thought.Seeing this, Jia Xu stopped talking and waited quietly for him to speak.After a long time, Cao Cao spoke with a tired face, and said in a shy voice, "Continue talking." "Besides, the old minister believes that if the position of the son of the son can be obtained by means of conspiracy and conspiracy, forming a party for self-interest, how will the prime minister discipline his descendants? I am afraid that every generation of Wei in the future will be killed by brothers and blood. Is it the prime minister's wish?" Jia Xu said calmly, "As the founding father of the Wei family, the prime minister should be cautious in making laws and acting carefully. An extremely bad precedent?" Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then said solemnly: "I didn't expect Dr. Jia, a strategist, to be able to say such golden and jade words that are worthy of the law of all generations. I have been taught today!" "The prime minister's current plan is to publicly and clearly appoint a gentleman with five senses as the son, and at the same time severely punish those traitors who create chaos for personal gain, quickly stabilize the overall situation of the court, and calm the suspicion of the officials. This is the best policy!" Jia said. Xu continued, "When the time is right, the Prime Minister can gather all the princes together and engrave an oath in gold letters on the Jade Talisman of Chuanguo, and swear together that brothers and sisters will work together to create Wei's industry. If there is any disobedience, the world will punish it!" Cao Cao nodded his head slowly, sighed deeply, and said, "Dr. Jia can be called a pure minister of my Great Wei! You have planned such a far-reaching and thorough plan for our Great Wei's Wannian foundation. I really thank you, Dr. Jia!" Jia Xu stood up slowly, with a complex expression on his face that was either happy or sad.He bowed down slowly, and said: "Today's admonishment is the last time that this old minister will express his heart and soul to the prime minister. The old minister has no selfish desires, and he is willing to resign all titles and salaries. I implore the prime minister to allow the old minister to abdicate. Township." Cao Cao was shocked, and stepped forward to help him up himself, saying: "Why did Mr. Jia say that? The truth is still waiting for you to work together for the great cause of the pillar of the minister. How can you abandon me halfway in disregard of righteousness?" Jia Xu stood up, and a faint joy flashed in the depths of her eyes.Once again, by virtue of his eloquence, he had achieved one of the most glorious successes of his whole life, and the benefits to him and his family from this success were almost immeasurable.