Chapter 25 4. Cao Cao makes mistakes again and again, and will still make mistakes

At noon on June 18, Kong Rong, a doctor of the Taizhong, was chopped up at the Zhuque Gate of Xudu for the crime of unfilial piety and abandoned the market.On the same day, Cao Cao issued a mobilization order to the states and counties of the Central Plains to march south to Jingzhou. Originally, Kong He was originally charged with "disloyalty, filial piety, disobedience and unrighteousness" at Yushitai and the Prime Minister's Mansion. When the result of this collegiality was sent to Shangshutai and the imperial palace for the examination and use of seals, it was taken away from it. The crime of "disloyalty and misconduct".The reasons given by the Lang officials at Shangshutai are very convincing. If Kong Rong is really convicted of "disloyalty, filial piety, disobedience and righteousness", then according to the law of the Han Dynasty, he will be punished by the clan.The world's noble families can be punished by clans, but the Kong family in Qufu, Lu State, cannot be eradicated...Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deposed all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone, Confucius has been a model for all ages, and Confucianism has become the world's sect. source.Now, if Kong Sheng's blood is cut off in accordance with the law of the Han Dynasty regardless of reality, how will the Prime Minister's Mansion and Yushitai face the people of the world?The officials inside and outside the prime minister's mansion and the imperial court already had great doubts and resentment towards the capture of Kong Rong. If the family punishes him again, the hearts of the officials and common people in the government and the public will be disorganized and it will be difficult to deal with it!For any minister in power, if you blatantly disrespect Confucianism, then why should the tens of thousands of Confucian scholars in the Kyushu region of the world respect you?Therefore, only by convicting Kong Rong for the crime of "unfilial piety and unrighteousness" can the whole family of the Kong family in the state of Lu not be implicated. In this way, the family of saints can be preserved, the world's scholars and people will not be radically changed, and the Central Plains Gangji will not be disordered because of this. .

After Cao Cao saw the reason given by the officials of Shangshutai in the form of letters, he immediately understood that these words were actually Mr. Xun Ling who was hiding behind the scenes of Shangshutai, and asked him and his subordinate officials to say it to himself. of.He immediately adopted it without hesitation, and only killed Kong Rong, his wife and his son and daughter. However, even as a result of such a compromise, he couldn't get a moment of tranquility—a wave of verbal criticism from all over the country quickly pushed him to the forefront.Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, and Liu Bei's three clan emperors immediately submitted the "Wanmin Letter", accusing Cao Cao of killing celebrities indiscriminately, destroying saints and disrupting the law; Jiangdong famous scholars Zhang Zhao, Sun Shao, Gu Yong, Zhuge Jin, Qin Song and other hundreds of gentry prefects also submitted joint opinions to Xu Du, asking the court to redress Kong Rong's grievances, and named and accused Xi Xi of resigning. His words also faintly stabbed Cao Cao.Xi Xi was the first to be unable to withstand this wave of public opinion attacks, and hastily resigned from the position of Yushi doctor on the afternoon of June 19.And Cao Cao's confidantes, such as Hua Xin and Dong Zhao, who supported Kong Rong's conviction in the past, are now scolded by the famous scholars and officials of Xudu, making them restless no matter where they go.

The most important thing is that Cao Cao's army is also talking about it, and people are getting confused.Under the desperation, Cao Cao had no choice but to write a warrant in his own hand, publicly defending himself for killing Kong Rong: Kong Rong, a doctor of the Taizhong, has absolved him of his crimes, but people in the world often pick up his false name and seldom verify it.People from this state said that Pingyuan Youheng received the theory of Rong Rong that parents are unrelated to others, such as fou ware, and put them in them; they also said that if there is a famine and his father is unworthy, he would rather support others.It can be seen that Kong Rong's crime of unfilial piety is serious!Going against the heavens and the Tao, corrupting morals and unreasonable things, although the truth is spread across the courts, I still hate it for being too late.Let this matter be listed on the list, and declare that all the generals and subordinates of the army have heard about it, and fortunately there is no objection.

Once Cao Cao's warrant was disclosed to the world, he could be regarded as having made his last effort to recover from the various adverse effects brought about by this matter.As for whether the effect of this warrant is to make his image whiter or darker, and whether others think he is telling the truth or trying to cover it up, all these things are really out of his control. There was a sound of "crash, la la", and six gold bahts were scattered on the black lacquer desk.The hexagram image of this hexagram is the "Ge" hexagram of Shangze Xiahuo, in which the words of the ninth, ninth, and fifth lines of the ninth day have been changed, and the hexagram image of the changed hexagram is the "Qian" hexagram of Shangxiashan .

The slips of the Ge Gua were gently opened: the hexagram of Ge Gua is "Si Ri Nai Fu, Yuan Heng, Li Zhen. Regret for death"; "Regret. You Fu changed your life. Auspicious", and the ninety-five lines are "A big man changes. He did not occupy Fu"; the hexagram of Qian's hexagram is "Heng, a gentleman has an end". Sima Yi calmed down, with piercing eyes, and stared at the hexagrams and lines drawn out of the gold baht for a long while, then stood up solemnly, and bowed his hands to his father Sima Fang and elder brother Sima Lang standing beside the desk, with a face full of respect. There was a gleam of joy on his face: "My lord father, elder brother, now that Yixiang is in full swing, the great opportunity for our Sima family to take advantage of the momentum has finally come!"

Sima Fang looked down at the hexagrams and lines, and said slowly: "It is indeed the most amazing book in ancient and modern times! It really can go deep and far - no wonder Confucius read the 'Three Wonders of Wei Bian' because of it! Now The image of the hexagram "Ge" is clear, and the sentences in these lines are also inseparable from the word "Ge". As the saying goes, "the revolution of heaven and earth is formed in four seasons, and the revolution of Tang and Wu follows the sky and responds to people. The time of revolution is of great significance. Yea!'—Could it be that the opportunity for our Sima family to turn things around has really arrived?"

"That's right. Combining these hexagrams and lines with the current situation in the world, it is indeed clear at a glance. When the Cao family made a mistake, it was the time when our Sima family wanted to change its power!" Sima Yi looked at him squarely. His father pondered, "Cao Cao's mind is overwhelmed with desire and ambition, and he finally couldn't restrain his arrogance and violence. He made several miscalculations and miscalculations one after another. It's an excellent opportunity. If our Sima family fails to seize this opportunity, it will be the kindness of heaven and the great ambition of our ancestors!"

"What miscalculations did Cao Cao do?" Sima Lang asked gravely. "There are at least three things. First, the execution of Kong Rong; second, the southern expedition to Jingzhou; third, the preference for Cao Zhi and the imbalance of heirs." "Well... Cao Cao's big mistake was indeed to kill Kong Rong. Yier, let me analyze it carefully for my father." Sima Fang smiled slightly and stroked his beard, "I want to hear what you said about these things. view of the event." "My lord, please forgive me for showing my shame. First, let's talk about Cao Cao's killing of Kong Rong——Kong Rong was a man with a high reputation, but he was not a man of insidiousness. He confronted Cao Cao and took a completely upright path. .Although he caused a lot of trouble for Cao Cao, he always acted according to reason and obeyed justice. He would not stab Cao Cao from behind. Put him to death, who in the world will be able to obey him?" Sima Yi slowly replied, "Besides, Kong Rong is the only loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, the most sincere and filial son of the Kong family, and everyone in the world knows it. Cao Cao relied on Xiji, Lu Cui's untruthful words and nonsense, how can he be discredited? Therefore, this time he killed Kong Rong, the crime was too far-fetched, the method was too clumsy, and he was obsessed with punishment. All the scholars and people in the world saw that he had more than enough power but not enough name. Under such a background, Cao Cao's attempt to use Kong Rong's head to kill others as an example was completely empty talk. After he killed Kong Rong, he could only pass He exposed his ambitious ambitions early on, which greatly angered the subjects of the Han Dynasty. Although they appeared to be intimidated by Cao Cao for a while on the surface, secretly out of anger and the desire to protect the Han, He will definitely seize every opportunity to constrain Cao Cao in many ways and plot against him from time to time, making it difficult for him to achieve his ambitions. When the great cause is not yet determined, he presumptuously kills, kills great sages, and openly becomes an enemy of the Confucian holy sect. Cao Cao has once again repeated the killing of celebrities Isn’t it a big mistake and a miscalculation to give way and cause the whole state to rebel?”

Sima Fang listened very seriously, and couldn't help asking: "Then, why do you think that Cao Cao's southern expedition to Jingzhou was a miscalculation and miscalculation? Jingzhou is actually the throat of Cao's conquest of Jiangnan, and it should not be underestimated. Got it It can march to Yizhou in the west, and Wu Yue in the east. It is extremely stable and convenient, and it also cuts off the joint rebellion of Liu Zhang and Sun Quan. Jinxu should also occupy this place first!" "Father, elder brother, in Yi's opinion, any strong fortress is not enough to rely on, the key is the wisdom and courage of the people who occupy the land are the foundation of victory! Jingzhou has such a good geographical location, and the north can look up to the Central Plains. The east can look down on the south of the Yangtze River, and the west can spy on Bashu. It can be called a "blessed land" - but what value does it play in the hands of Liu Biao, a mediocre man? For more than ten years, Liu Biao has only regarded it as a tortoise shell lingering. He didn't make it his base to rule the world at all. Therefore, the wisdom and courage of the people who occupy the land are the key. Only the virtuous and outstanding can make the best use of the land!" Sima Yi said eloquently, " As far as Yi knew, Liu Biao was now seriously ill, his subordinates had long been renounced, and the dispute between his son and concubine was intensifying. Although Liu Bei was by his side, he was jealous and difficult to use, so he should never be Cao Cao's main enemy at present.

"On the other hand, Jiangdong Sun Quan, at such a young age, has such sages and generals as Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao willing to serve his life under his tent. He has expanded his territory for three thousand miles in a few years, and his vigor is overwhelming. It is really him that cannot be underestimated. The special envoy Lu Su sent at the Zhuquechi grand meeting last time was full of tricks, and he was not an ordinary person. Therefore, Jiangdong Sun Quan should be regarded as Cao Cao's current strong enemy. If I were Cao Cao, I would definitely make a point of the Southern Expedition Two. All the way was false, with Cao Ren, Xia Houyuan, etc. as commanders, marched between Ye County and Wancheng, pretending to the outside world that they would attack Jingzhou with great fanfare, and attracted all the attention of Liu Biao and Sun Quan to the Jinghan area; All the way is true. Cao Cao personally led Chen Jiao, Zhang Liao, Zang Ba and other elite soldiers who are familiar with the situation in the south of the Yangtze River to be the vanguard and main force. Subdue the festival. If Sun Quan surrenders, then Liu Biao will have nothing to worry about, and at that time, taking advantage of the situation on the basis of Jiangdong and going back to Jiangxi to press down, Jingzhou will be pacified."

Sima Fang listened to his eloquence, he couldn't help nodding his head and secretly agreed.He turned his eyes, looked at Sima Lang, and asked: "Lang'er, what do you think of your second brother's analysis?" Sima Lang also looked at Sima Yi in surprise, and stuttered in surprise, "Second brother! Your analysis of the situation in the south of the Yangtze River is really ingenious! To be honest, the Prime Minister's Mansion just started the Southern Expedition this morning. General Strategy Discussion Conference. Xun You's military division also advocated that during the southern expedition to Jingzhou, the latent troops between Ye County and Wancheng would rush out, and Liu Biao would be caught off guard... However, no one proposed to treat Jiangdong Sun Quan as a strong enemy...Cao Prime Minister took the lead To march south to Jingzhou is because Liu Bei is afraid that when Liu Biao is critically ill, he will suddenly turn to the hostess and occupy the nest of magpies." "Hmm... Liu Bei?" Sima Yi was taken aback when he heard this, and then slowly opened his mouth after a while, "Yes! Yi neglected Liu Bei's important role... Zhuge Liang, his military adviser, should have suggested that he should be in Beijing as soon as possible. When Liu Biao is seriously ill, should he turn against the guest? Yes, if Liu Bei occupies the land of Jingzhou, then he can be said to be a "dragon who wins water", and Cao Cao will be difficult to deal with... However, in Yi Yi's view, Liu Biao should have already arranged how to restrain him Liu Bei's layout. Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Kuai Yue, Wang Can and other Jingzhou important officials are all the forces he uses to monitor and deal with Liu Bei." When he said this, he suddenly smiled coldly: "However, as far as Yi knows, Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Kuai Yue, Wang Can and others, like Han Song, have long been drawn in by Cao Cao through various channels and relationships. After all, on the territory of Jingzhou, Liu Bei and the others can't stir up much trouble. Therefore, in Cao Cao's overall plan for the Southern Expedition, it should always be—Jiangdong is the most important thing, and the thunder must be attacked first. Take it out and control it; although Jingzhou is light, it must cooperate with the inside and the outside, and use its strength to fight!" When Sima Lang heard this, he couldn't help admiring: "Second brother's exposition in this way can be called 'comprehensive and detailed, and exhaustive'. I really didn't expect the second brother who was born as a Confucian scholar to be so profound. A genius who knows how to fight and is proficient in the art of war!" Sima Yi smiled confidently, and said to his father Sima Fang: "Cao Cao's two big mistakes of killing Kong Rong and conquering Jingzhou in the south can be seen by a blind man. He is eager to usurp the throne and proclaim himself emperor. It is a big mistake to rely on the emperor to command the princes, to use the emperor to win the hearts of the people', and to abandon the favor of the people of "supporting the Han Dynasty, being loyal to the emperor and helping the world". "The principles of heaven and the favor of the people are the foundations of doing great things and building a great cause! Since they are far away from Cao Cao, does that mean that Cao Cao's own foundation is also in jeopardy?" Sima Fang asked deeply, " Cao Cao was originally a hero of a generation, and he also dominated the Central Plains, with great power and deep roots, how could he be defeated so easily? Yi'er, your words are a bit vague." "Father, my lord is a lesson. Although Cao Cao has deviated from the principles of heaven and lost the favor of the people, he will not fall soon. In fact, in my child's opinion, if Cao Cao falls prematurely, my Sima family will 'change their fate', It will be difficult to realize the plan of 'adults change into tigers'. This is actually a harmful and unhelpful thing for our Sima family's great cause of turning the world around and changing the world." "Cao Cao fell too soon, or is it 'harmful but not beneficial'?" Sima Lang looked surprised, "What does the second brother mean by this?" "For the Cao family in Peijun, the most feasible direction for our Sima family is: on the one hand, to keep their power strong, but not enough to rule the world; on the other hand, to make their power weaker and weaker, but not enough It cannot be disintegrated. We must keep the Cao family's power development at a level that is easy for us to control. After Cao Cao lost the principles of heaven and the favor of the people, he wanted to unify the empire of Liuhe and calm the world. I am afraid that it will not be possible in the end. In this way, it will be difficult for him to expand his career for a while, and there will be a stalemate period in which he is neither strong nor weak, neither advancing nor retreating, and standing still. "Then, during this period of stalemate, we should firmly seize all opportunities, plan in every possible way, and make every effort to absorb all the strategic advantages and favors lost by the Cao family in Peijun into our Sima family's bag continuously. , our Sima family's great cause of 'reversing the universe and unifying the heaven and earth' will come naturally invisibly and silently!" "Good! Good! Good!" After hearing Sima Yi's words, Sima Fang couldn't help but stroked his beard and looked up to the sky and smiled, "Our Sima family is fortunate to have such a peerless talent like Yi'er, how can we be invincible? What can't be done? What can't be done become?" Sima Lang also accompanied his father to praise his second brother a few words, and suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he yelled: "That's not good!" Sima Fang was startled, and looked at him coldly.Sima Yi's expression remained the same, and he only asked indifferently: "Do you have any objections to my younger brother's strategy of embedding flowers and changing trees?" Sima Lang stared at him with big eyes: "Second brother—there is still a gap in your strategy!" Sima Yi looked at him flat, and continued: "That's right. There is indeed a gap in the strategy that my younger brother is talking about." Sima Lang saw that he admitted it frankly, so he said solemnly and bluntly: "Then what do you think is your shortcoming? Let me tell you about it." "The omission of the little brother is that the little brother just said that he missed a person. This person can directly affect whether the Cao family's imperial career of 'unifying Liuhe and calming the world' is successful or not." "That's right." Sima Lang looked straight at Sima Yi with his eyes like swords, "If our Sima family wants to successfully implement this strategy of embedding flowers and planting trees, we must deal with this person well. Have you figured out how to deal with him?" ?” "Is this person Xun Yu?" Sima Fang suddenly interjected when he heard this. Sima Lang and Sima Yi nodded at the same time. "That's right. Xun Yu's ingenuity and strategy are invincible, and his talent in governing the country and the people is even rarer in ancient and modern times--as the saying goes, 'Whoever wins the king of Xun Ling will win the world'!" Sima Fang said slowly, with a solemn expression, "If he has the intention If it is the honor of the founding father to assist Cao Cao, the Cao family's "unifying Liuhe, calming the world" will surely succeed in one fell swoop!" Sima Yi fixed his eyes on his father, and after a while, a deep smile suddenly appeared on his face: "But father, brother, we don't need to bother to deal with Xun Lingjun anymore. From a Since Cao Cao abolished the three princes and lived alone many months ago, he would not continue to assist Cao Cao! Otherwise, how could Cao Cao have made so many miscalculations recently? And Cao Cao killed Kong Rong a few days ago, only I'm afraid that they have created a rift that will never be repaired in their once intimate partnership..." "But things are unpredictable and people's hearts are unpredictable! If Xun Wen doesn't help Cao Mengde today, it doesn't mean he won't help Cao Mengde tomorrow..." Sima Fang said coldly. "Father, based on my child's understanding of Xun Lingjun, I can be very sure of this. Between helping the Han Dynasty's ZTE or helping Cao Cao's rise, Xun Lingjun will definitely choose to help the Han Dynasty ZTE without hesitation! In his mind Among them, general rules and etiquette are more important than anything else. Don’t forget that back then, he disdained to be with Yuan Shao and turned to Cao Cao because he saw Yuan Shao’s intention of rebelling against the Han and standing on his own. He won the honored seat of Yuan Shao more than ten years ago, so why bother to support Cao Cao, who was the weakest at that time, to fight for the great achievements of today and win the Central Plains for the Han Dynasty? The merits of Jingping?" Sima Yi said eloquently, "Now that Cao Cao kills Kong Rong and shows signs of rebellion, he will not tolerate it—just as he tolerated Yuan Shao back then. As long as he does not assist Cao Cao, his talent as a child is enough. Deal with all the civil servants and generals under Cao Cao!" "This time, Cao Cao will use Xun You as the chief military adviser and Xun Lingjun as the commander-in-chief in the rear for the southern expedition to Jingzhou, right?" Sima Lang murmured, "In my opinion, it seems that Xun You will accompany Cao Cao to the south. .” "Xun You and Xun Lingjun are uncles and nephews of the same heart, and they will not sincerely assist Cao Cao. If he really intends to assist Cao Cao, he will never just suggest that Cao Cao sneak into Jingzhou from Ye County and Wancheng and set up Jiangdong Sun Quan He is trying to induce Cao Cao to unknowingly embark on the path of failure in the Southern Expedition!" Sima Yi said sharply, "If there is a chance in the future, when dealing with Cao Cao, a big hero, maybe My Sima family will also have a tacit and ingenious cooperation with their Yingchuan Xunmen..." "You just mentioned that Cao Cao favored Cao Zhi and his heirs were out of balance. This is his third miscalculation." Sima Fang asked slowly, "This point is quite clear as a father. He Cao Mengde is so eager to unify The world, established on behalf of the Han, is to realize the great cause of "reversing the Han Dynasty" for future generations by himself, and take all the infamy on his shoulders. Then, he will make the virtuous Cao Zhi as his heir, inherit Datong, Cao Zhi came to guard the Cao family, step by step, and conquer the hearts of the people. As the father and the head of the Cao family, Cao Cao can also be described as affectionate and well-intentioned! I am also a father, so I understand what he said. It's all planned." "Unfortunately, Cao Pi won't understand his father's painstaking efforts in doing this, he will only resent his father's partiality." Sima Yi said coldly, "Brother, we must work hard on Cao Pi so that he can become the leader of my Sima family as soon as possible." Invade the breakthrough of Cao's foundation!" When Sima Lang heard this, he didn't answer immediately, but nodded emphatically. "After listening to your analysis, and comparing these hexagrams and lines for my father, the two are really inseparable and complement each other. Sure enough, Cao Cao has reached the point where he has made a mistake, and our Sima family has also arrived accordingly. It’s time for power to change, and Fu to change fate!” Sima Fang carefully watched the hexagrams lined up with gold baht on the desk, and said leisurely, “Children, look, the ‘changed hexagram’ of this hexagram It is the hexagram of "Qian", and the words of the hexagram are "Heng, a gentleman has an end" - this is a warning from God! When our Sima family encounters "reform", we must remember the word "Qian", and we must keep a low profile. Start carefully and end well!" He turned around suddenly, looked at his two sons with piercing eyes, and said solemnly: "Cao Cao's first hero, who has worked so hard to achieve such a strong foundation today, didn't he fall on the word 'disrespect' in the end?" A big somersault? Now that I think about it, Kong Rong forced Cao Cao to give up the fiefdom of Wuping County, and advised Cao Cao to "abstain from Yingman, be respectful and cautious, and respect the superior and the inferior", although it is so harsh and unpleasant-but these are exactly the right It is an excellent advice to promote Cao Cao's true self-improvement. If he is humble and self-restraining, and earnestly achieves all these, he will definitely become the second Xibo Jichang. Let him go. It's a pity that Cao Cao thought that the Central Plains and the overall situation were settled, so he was a little arrogant. How could he do this kind of sage's act of "being humble, returning to self-examination, and yielding to others"? Sigh ...It was the word 'disrespect' that blocked his career advancement! This lesson is really profound..."