Chapter 19 Sixth, the hero Cao Cao also said to endure!

The setting sun sinks like a plate, and the golden afterglow floats and flickers on the water surface of Zhuque Pond, like golden red carp jumping and swimming, appearing to be flying, agile and gorgeous. Cao Cao watched the naval drills here all afternoon and never left.He sat on the high couch in the stands outside the shed, watching the warships slowly sailing back to the shore after the drill, his brows were still tightly locked.The lack of elite sailors is bound to be a major obstacle to his southern expedition to Jingzhou and Jiangdong.And the navy fleet that is temporarily training in the Vermilion Bird Pond now looks like a decent-looking fleet. How can it really compete with Liu Biao in Jingzhou and Sun Quan in Jiangdong who have experienced many battles and are familiar with water warfare? Against the enemy?

He sighed heavily, and was about to get up and leave the bed, but in a blink of an eye, he saw Hua Xin, Dong Zhao, Sima Lang, Cao Hong, Cao Ren and a group of people approaching.It was only then that he remembered that he had called them to discuss important military matters, so he straightened his crown again, straightened his back, and sat upright. Hua Xin walked in front, walked up to the stands with small steps, and bowed deeply to Cao Cao: "My subordinates pay homage to the Prime Minister." Cao Cao's eyes drooped slightly, and he didn't even glance at Hua Xin. He asked, "I heard that His Majesty went to the outskirts of Xudu this morning to hold a heaven and earth sacrificial ceremony? What did Hua Shangshu see there?"

"Xun Lingjun, Dr. Kong, Yang Shilang, and Lord Zhong all accompanied His Majesty. By the way, General Ma Teng also went." Hua Xin bent down and lowered his eyebrows, and replied respectfully, "I remember that only Master Jia Xu did not participate." "Ma Teng has gone too?" Cao Cao opened his eyes, and the light in his eyes flashed like frost blades, "What is he, an old man from Kansai, messing around with?" Then, he relaxed again, squinting his eyes slightly With a smile, "Minister Jia Wenhe is the smartest minister. Cao Hong, you send a generous gift to Mr. Jia tonight, and say that the truth will come to visit at the right time, and listen to his opinions on the general situation of the world."

"Yes." Cao Hong stood behind Hua Xin and replied. Cao Cao turned his eyes away, then looked at Hua Xin, Dong Zhao, Sima Lang and others, he laughed and said slowly: "Your Majesty personally presided over and directed the "Song of the Suburbs" sung by the musicians and ministers at the Suburb Sacrifice Ceremony today. , that is truly majestic and magnificent!—— The emperor comes to the altar, and the four sides Chengyu.The rope will change, and it will be ready. Qing and Liuhe, the number is five.Tranquility in the sea, prosperous culture and Yanwu. The rich woman in the back land, Zhaoming Sanguang.Mumu Youyou, Jiafu Shanghuang. "

While muttering to himself, he thought secretly in his heart: This Liu Xie is really too much!He thought that the old man gave up the fief of Wuping County under the pressure of Kong Rong for the sake of the overall situation, which meant that the old man was really willing to surrender?snort!Before the imperial seat under this ass is warm, he hastily led his officials to the suburbs to worship the heavenly father and the earthly mother. He really regards himself as the supreme being of the world and the lord of the world, and declares himself by praying to heaven It's time to "Qinghe Liuhe, Xingwen Yanwu"!Xingwen Yanwu, Xingwen Yanwu——wouldn't he be so stupid that he would let Kong Rong jump out again to force him to hand over his military power in the next step?snort!It's really a tiger that doesn't show its power, he still treats it as an old man and a sick cat!It's time for the old man to show them some color.

Listening to Cao Cao chanting the "Song of Sacrifice", Hua Xin, Dong Zhao, Sima Lang and others were also secretly startled: This Prime Minister Cao is really amazing!Every word, deed, and every move of His Majesty and the ministers are under his eyes and ears.In the entire city of Xudu, is there any place that his influence cannot cover? "Your Majesty worships heaven and earth in the suburbs. It is very good to hope that we can prosper and suppress military power. It is a pity that heaven does not follow people's wishes! Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu, Han Sui, which one is the fuel-efficient lamp? Which one? After listening to his "Song of Suburbs", would you obediently hand over your weapons and surrender to the court? In the past, Emperor Shun danced with his relatives and obeyed the Miao family—such a grand event can only be done by a lord like Emperor Shun. Your Majesty may not be that material! Otherwise, why would I need this old man to spend so much time here in the scorching sun to train the sailors for the Southern Expedition? I don’t have the time to sing "Song of Suburbs" with him!" Cao Cao looked in the direction of the Weiyang Palace in the eastern suburbs of Xudu City from a distance, and was not afraid of what the officials around him would think when they heard it. He just expressed his feelings in such a straightforward manner, and vented his dissatisfaction with Emperor Xian with a gun and a stick. .

Hua Xin, Dong Zhao, and Sima Lang saw that Cao Cao's face was quite unkind today, and each of them tensed their hearts, not daring to be careless in the slightest, for fear that their words would bring unexpected disasters to themselves. "That's all! Dong Zhao, you usually like to wander around the various mansions in Xu Capital City. Have you heard anything unusual outside recently?" Cao Cao changed the subject and asked Dong Zhao directly. "This... Prime Minister Qi, I heard a nursery rhyme in Xudu City recently, which is very suspicious." Dong Zhao turned his face back and said very nervously, "This nursery rhyme is extremely sinister and vicious. The prime minister's reputation has been damaged!"

When Cao Cao heard this, he smiled faintly.He had already found out the content of this nursery rhyme in advance, and there was no need for Dong Zhao to come forward to report it—but this Dong Zhao, as a staff member, was able to get rid of the notion of face of ordinary celebrities and officials and was willing to be his own eagle dog. Shouldn't be bruised. So, Cao Cao put his smile back, straightened his face, and asked Dong Zhao in a soft tone, "Thank you, Doctor Dong, for your sincere concern, but I don't know what this nursery rhyme is about? I hope Doctor Dong will explain it clearly."

"My lord prime minister, this is the duty of my subordinates. You are too polite!" Dong Zhao hastily bowed his body to return the gift, and said respectfully, "The content of this nursery rhyme is: 'A gentleman is not a monarch, a phase is not a phase; When the master prestige, the ministers exercise power; once the music is chaotic, it is difficult to adjust it; the sun is setting, the moon is rising; the court is collapsing, it is difficult to live again...'" "This nursery rhyme is really weird! It's just nonsense talking about things that confuse right and wrong." Cao Cao said coldly, "People with this talent don't cherish this talent and use it to fool around like this."

"Master Prime Minister, this nursery rhyme is very vicious, it has a hint of satire! Isn't the three characters 'qu, yi, ri' combined into the word 'Cao'?" Dong Zhao's mind was a little bit He couldn't turn, and despite Cao Cao's complexion had already turned livid, he was still explaining endlessly like he was eager to show off his cleverness.Sima Lang knew something was wrong, so he hastily and quietly pulled the corner of his sleeve from the side——Dong Zhao came to his senses at this moment, and was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, and hurriedly shut his mouth.

These famous scholars and bureaucrats in the imperial court are really hateful!When Dong Zhuo was in power and chaos, they couldn't resist on the surface, and they used such a trick in secret - they made up a nursery rhyme "Thousands of miles, He Qingqing; ten days' divination, no birth!" It made Dong Zhuo's subordinates panic!Today, they repeated their old tricks, and used such unappealable tricks to deal with the truth!snort!Is it tolerable, which is unbearable?Cao Cao's complexion changed drastically, and he was about to explode on the spot—the moment he was about to pat the couch, he suddenly caught sight of the word "forbearance" engraved on the gold medal on the jade belt around his waist, in the setting sun. Under the reflection, it seemed to be radiant, and suddenly it seemed that a basin of ice water was poured down on his head, and his thoughts full of anger and restlessness seemed to be completely frozen in his chest, and could never overflow again. The word "forbearance" was when he confronted Yuan Shao at Guandu at the most difficult and critical juncture, Xun Yu wrote it on the silk scroll from behind Xu Duli, and sent Yang Jun to ride eight hundred miles all night Sent to his camp.During those extremely difficult years, relying on the word "forbearance" presented by Xun Yu, he gritted his teeth and persisted until the final complete victory.Therefore, after the teacher returned to the court, he asked the famous craftsman in the court to engrave the word "Forbearance" written by Mr. Xun Ling on the gold medal on his jade belt, and use it all the time to remind himself to "take care of himself to prevent accidents." The flourishing, persevering and persevering in order to achieve success." However, looking at the golden word "forbearance" today, Cao Cao felt infinitely sad and desolate in his heart.Wen Ruo, Wen Ruo!How much I hope you can stand by my side at this moment, and use that gentle and peaceful language, meticulous thoughts, and gentle attitude as usual for the rounds of open attacks and plots that I will face now. , Give me tireless advice!But where are you now?Why has your attitude towards me changed since this old man became prime minister this year?You are a humble and humble person, and you will never be jealous because you think that my prime minister's mansion has usurped your power at Shangshutai... Is it hard... Are you also a foolish and loyal person to the Han Dynasty like Kong Rong?You are so smart, so wise, and so well versed in current affairs, why can't you see the general trend of the world clearly?Mingming Tianming has long since abandoned the Han Dynasty—but why are you so stubborn about revitalizing the Han Dynasty?You... oh... He gritted his teeth fiercely, and suppressed all kinds of thoughts that were churning in his heart, then he pretended to be calm and calm, and said slowly: "Dr. Dong, thank you so much for the truth. It’s just that I need you to spend more time on this matter to dig out the truth about the insidious person who spread this nursery rhyme.” "The prime minister trusts me so much, I am so heartbroken, I will fight to the death to eliminate these insidious people for the prime minister!" When Dong Zhao heard this, he was secretly overjoyed, thinking that he had received Cao Cao's special favor today, and his mouth immediately seemed to have been wiped with honey He told all the words of flattery and flattery. Cao Cao's eyes turned to Sima Lang, and he looked at him fiercely: "Master Sima, the three million shi of grain transferred from the official warehouses of Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou under the secret order of the prime minister has been delivered." Where did it go?" "My lord, the 1.5 million shi of grain from Jizhou has been transported across the Yellow River yesterday, and the 1.5 million shi of grain from Youzhou and Qingzhou has arrived in Yingchuan County yesterday..." Sima Lang replied very modestly and cautiously, "In less than four days, all the food will be transported to Xudu. It's just...only a few days ago, Duzhi Shangshu Wei Xi heard the news about it from somewhere, He actually found his subordinates and asked to take one million shi out of the three million shi grains to help the victims of the disaster in Bingzhou and Xuzhou." "Wei Xi? How dare Wei Xi intervene in the affairs of my prime minister's mansion?" Cao Ren said angrily from the side, "Doesn't he know that this is the secret military ration specially allocated by the prime minister to the imperial court's 800,000 troops?" "Of course Wei Shangshu doesn't know. Prime Minister Cao ordered the transportation." Sima Lang still said in a soft tone. "Jun Xun Lingjun must have asked him to do this, otherwise he wouldn't have the guts to ask about the affairs of the prime minister's residence." Hua Xin suddenly interjected sullenly from the side.He has a lot of opinions on Xun Yu.Originally, Prime Minister Cao wanted to promote him a month ago to serve as a servant of the Minister, but Xun Lingjun put him in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials with a comment that "Mr.Therefore, his attitude towards Xun Yu has always been somewhat indifferent, but he did not dare to offend Xun Yu easily because he was afraid of Cao Cao's special favor for Xun Yu.During this period of time, he noticed that the relationship between Cao Cao and Xun Yu had changed slightly, and today he took this opportunity to throw stones to ask for directions. All of his performance and intentions were actually clearly seen by Sima Lang.At this moment, Sima Lang naturally took prudence and protection as the best policy, and he neither accepted his interjection nor deliberately added embellishments - he believed that with Cao Cao's wisdom and wisdom, everything would come to its own conclusion. "The disaster victims in Bingzhou and Xuzhou have to give relief. Let's allocate 200,000 shi of grain to Bingzhou and 500,000 shi of grain to Xuzhou! Master Sima, on behalf of the prime minister, go to Shangshutai tomorrow to negotiate with Xun Lingjun. Just say this It's the truth's decision." Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "From now on, if there is any matter in the prime minister's mansion, it should be negotiated with Shang Shutai, and you should pay attention to it. Master Sima, I believe you will grasp the truth Good sense and timing.” "Yes." Sima Lang answered concisely.He secretly sighed in his heart: Prime Minister Cao deserves to be Prime Minister Cao—why did Xuzhou allocate 300,000 shi more food for disaster relief than Bingzhou?Because Xuzhou borders Yangzhou in Jiangdong!Distributing more relief food to Xuzhou will help win Jiangdong's hearts.Prime Minister Cao is really good at calculating this account. Cao Cao discussed business matters with Hua Xin, Dong Zhao, and Sima Lang for a while, and seeing that the sun was setting and it was getting late, he let them go, leaving only Cao Hong and Cao Ren to serve by his side. . The night is gradually falling, the evening breeze is blowing, and the heat is gradually disappearing.Sitting in the dark, Cao Cao suddenly called out, "Cao Ren!" "Your brother is here!" Cao Renzhong replied angrily, and approached. "Call together Zhang Liao, Yu Jin, Xu Huang, and Le Jin to quickly discuss a strategy for the southern expedition." Cao Cao's voice was extremely dignified, "At the same time, pass on my military orders, from Hebei, Bing, Qing, You, and Yanzhou. Mobilize 300,000 troops and go straight to the Xudu suburban camp—ready to go at any time, and take Jingzhou and Jiangdong to the south!" "Yes!" Cao Ren had already guessed that Cao Cao would take the opportunity to march south since Cao Cao issued a secret order to adjust grain to Beijing more than ten days ago. He didn't expect this to come so soon, and he couldn't help but feel excited and nervous. Unknowingly, a handful of hot sweat had already been pinched on the handle of the knife at his waist. Cao Cao raised his eyes again, and looked at Cao Hong: "Cao Hong! Has there been any change in the ministers of the court and the ministers recently?" "Kong Rong's mansion is full of guests and friends every night - he has already made a lot of remarks that are detrimental to you, the Prime Minister! The nursery rhyme has been traced hard by the servants, and now it can be basically concluded that it came from Kong Rong's mansion. It spread out." Cao Hong bowed and clasped his fists. "The truth has long been expected to be him!" Cao Cao said coldly, "You can tell Xi Xi that his impeachment form should be written and submitted to the palace as soon as possible!" "This... Mr. Xi still seems to be a little worried. He said that Xun Lingjun gave him a warning at the Vermilion Bird Pond event, which made him a little timid." "Don't worry about him—you can go to Lu Cui tomorrow and ask him to draw up the impeachment form for Kong Rong, and then take the manuscript directly to Yushitai to force him to sign it with a seal. This matter can't be delayed any longer. !" "Prime Minister, can this matter be slowed down for a while?" Cao Ren was listening quietly, but the more he listened, the more he felt uneasy, so he persuaded Cao Cao, "Your brother also read There are many stories in the history books that it is not the best policy to kill the ministers suddenly before the battle! This will cause the people of the ruling and opposition parties to be unstable." "Oh! Zixiao (Cao Ren's name is Zixiao) is actually quoting historical books and stories to persuade the truth today? It seems that you really didn't read the classics and historical books in Xun Lingjun's Yuxian Hall in the past two or three years!" Cao Cao said He stroked his beard and beard on his chest with his right hand, and looked at him with a half-smile, "Cao Hong, tell him the reason why you decided to get rid of Kong Rong." "Three days ago, the guard at the border captured a servant of the Confucian family, and found a secret letter from him, which was written by Kong Rong to Liu Bei, the 'big-eared thief' stationed in Fancheng." Cao Hong explained to Cao Ren . "Based on this letter of collaborating with the enemy, the Prime Minister doesn't have to do anything about it." Cao Ren still insisted on his opinion, "The Prime Minister is so eager to kill Kong Rong, there must be troubles! Now there are many people, big and small. People are all paying attention to the Prime Minister's handling of Kong Rong, and even many generals in the army are talking about it. Your handling of Kong Rong is slightly inappropriate, which will cause people to be unstable!" "Huh? Why did you, Cao Zixiao, turn your elbows out—to share your nostrils with those famous scholars and officials?" Cao Cao couldn't bear it anymore, and said angrily, "What do you know? The truth is to borrow him Kong Wenju (Kong Rong) Word Wenju) One head stands in the world!" "Master Prime Minister—this 'prestige' really cannot be established like this." Cao Ren fell to the ground with a "plop" and said in a choked voice, "Xun Lingjun once said: 'The most powerful person in the world will stand if he wins the hearts of the people, and he will stand if he loses the hearts of the people. Then the power will be destroyed.' You listen to his advice, he will not harm you..." "It's Xun Wenruo again! It's Xun Wenruo again! Do you still see me, Cao Mengde?" Cao Cao was flushed with anger this time, and he swung his sleeves violently, "Get out!" Seeing this, Cao Hong hurried to Cao Ren and kicked him hard——Cao Ren then stepped back with his head down while covering his tears. There was a dead silence in the stands, only the sound of Cao Cao's rapid breathing of "huhuhu" could be heard.After a long time, he gradually calmed down. "Prime Minister...Let Brother Hong help you go back to rest!" Cao Hong stepped forward and said cautiously. "No, no." Cao Cao waved his hand, looked at the direction Cao Ren was retreating, and said leisurely, "Actually, Zixiao's words still have some truth. The truth is, we should think about it carefully when dealing with Kong Rong." ...By the way, you haven't finished answering the question just now. Among the ministers of the court and the staff of the prime minister's mansion, besides Kong Rong, is there anyone else who has made any changes?" "After Ma Teng came to Beijing, he got very close to Xun Lingjun, Yang Shilang, Doctor Wang, and former Taiwei Yang Biao..." "Well... Pay close attention to Ma Teng. His son Ma Chao is stationed in Kansai. He has ulterior motives and cannot be ignored. Be careful of their father and son colluding internally and externally to cause chaos! Is there anything wrong with the others?" "Yes." Cao Hong responded, and replied while recalling, "Yesterday, Master Sima recommended to Mao Jie a young sorcerer from Yizhou to enter the Taishi Department... The arrow wound on Sima Yi's shoulder has not yet healed. He entered the mansion yesterday to handle official business. Today, the eldest son Cao Pi and the brothers Sima are very close..." "These things are too trivial. Why shouldn't Pi'er be close friends with the Sima brothers? After all, Sima Zhongda saved his life!" Cao Cao said impatiently, "You just talk about other people for the truth. Case!" "This... this... other people's affairs are also such trivial matters." Cao Hong could only stretch out his hand and scratch the back of his head, with an embarrassed expression on his face, "Brother Hong will definitely continue to make secret visits and investigations after he goes down. " "Then let me ask you, do you know that Hua Xin secretly took thirty taels of gold from a relative in this county and then let him go to the county to become a planner? Cui Yan was secretly talking to Kong Rong. Do you know that the exchanging of poems and essays is sung to and fro? Yilang Zhao Yan will report the rumors outside the palace to His Majesty the Han Emperor every now and then, do you know? Juxian Pavilion is where Kong Rong and the others spread rumors among the people in the neighborhood A den of Feiyu, do you know? His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty intends to draw Ma Teng to his side and appoint him as an inner court guard, do you know?" Cao Cao had a serious face, his eyes were piercing , gritted his teeth at Cao Hong and said.Cao Hong only listened to the first two sentences, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "What do you say you know? You only know that you can buy an acre of fertile land in Yingchuan County with 200,000 baht, that you can buy a manor with 1,000 shi of grain in Luoyang, and that the beauties in Guanzhong can buy you with 30 silver beads. You can take one as a concubine...I’m afraid you know these things better than anyone else!" Cao Cao could not wait to jump up and kick his cousin hard, "I will allocate eight million baht to you every month. Money, 300,000 stones of fine grain, 7,000 jin of gold, and boxes full of jewels and silks are not for you to buy land and houses, spend time and wine, and have fun, but for you to buy me eyeliner and spy on me. Deceitful!" "Prime Minister calm down, prime minister calm down, prime minister calm down." Cao Hong thumped his head on the table like a hammer, "Brother Hong knows his mistake! Brother Hong must correct his mistakes! Brother Hong has failed the Prime Minister!" Sincerely trust me—Your Excellency, don’t get angry because of Brother Hong’s fault, then Brother Hong really will die forever..." Tears welled up on Cao Cao's face, and his sadness was palpable: "Our Cao family must introspect, self-reliant, self-reliant, self-reliant and self-loving! Conquering the country is easy, but defending the country is difficult! Now all of you are watching me dominate the Central Plains, hold great power, and be powerful. Covering the world, but do you know how difficult it is for me to be a prime minister? There are Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Liu Zhang, Han Sui and other princes who are plotting day and night, spying on my every move every day, staring at me with wide eyes. My loopholes are to put me to death; in the court, there are Kong Rong, Yang Biao and other overt and secret famous scholars and bureaucrats who despise me and plot against me because they look down on our Cao family's background. "Why did I let Pi'er, Zhi'er, and Cao's children study classics and articles desperately? Why would I be so happy to hear that Zhi'er was hailed as 'the crown of literati and the outstanding scholar', do you know?— ——I was so happy that I couldn't sleep for three days and three nights! Because I was happy that they could become one of the top scholars, instead of being ridiculed as "eunuch queens" like us brothers! Do you understand? You Do you understand? You must remember: if we Cao family members want to achieve something in this world, we must be prepared to work a thousand times harder than others! So, Cao Hong——we must not slack off! Don't be arrogant, extravagant, and self-defeating!"