Chapter 34 1. Fame moves the ruling and opposition parties

The news that Yuan Xiong and Yuan Hun, the great generals of the current dynasty and relatives of Yuan Shao, Jizhou Mu, were detained and imprisoned overnight by the imperial inspector Yang Jun in Hanoi County. Is it a signal for the Yuan family in Jizhou to show their cards first?Can the domineering General Yuan, who has always been ignorant and domineering, swallow this bad breath and sit back and watch his cronies and minions be executed by Yang Jun in Hanoi County?Could it be that Xu Du has already made the final preparations for a full-scale confrontation with the Jizhou Yuan family? ...Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Ma Teng in Kansai, Liu Zhang in Yizhou, and the Sun brothers in Jiangdong all watched all these movements closely with wide-eyed eyes, waiting for opportunities to change.

They may not know that on the fourth day after the incident, Yang Jun traveled back to the White Tiger Hall of the Sikong Mansion in Xudu alone day and night in extreme secrecy. Zhong Yao, General Zhenwei Cheng Yu, Sikong Mansion Military Adviser Guo Jia, Sikong Mansion Master Sima Lang, etc. are waiting for him to report on the handling of the case in Hanoi County. On the White Tiger Hall of the Sikong Mansion, Cao Cao sat in the middle, with a pair of tiger eyes under the two thick eyebrows shining brightly, and his square face, which was shaped like the Chinese character "Guo", seemed to be plated with a layer of bronze, giving people a sense of majesty and coercion. .

Shangshu Ling Xun Yu, who was dressed in a simple green shirt, sat shoulder to shoulder with the chief on his left.Shang Shuling manages state affairs, manages all opportunities, and commands various ministries. He is known as the "inner minister" in the court. Although Cao Cao is ranked as Sikong, he never dares to disrespect him a little. Asking him to be equal to him is still despising him.According to Cao Cao's original intention, Xun Yu should sit at the right seat with him. On the right side of them are Zhongcheng Zhongcheng, the imperial censor, and Cheng Yu, the general of Zhenwei. On the left side, Guo Jia, the military adviser of the Sikong government, and Sima Lang, the chief secretary of the Sikong government, are sitting.The expressions of each of them showed an unprecedented solemnity.

Only the sound of fast footsteps came from far and near outside the hall: Yang Jun, who was busy in the world, dismounted his horse and rushed to him regardless of the effort of his saddle and horse.Seeing him sweating profusely and rushing into the hall, Cao Cao couldn't help showing a smile on his face, and waved to his two sons, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, who were guarding both sides of the hall door. He said in a voice: "Both of you, support Master Yang to sit down..." "Oh! I can't do it! I can't do it!" Yang Jun stood still, hurriedly refused the support of the two young masters of the Cao family, tried his best to restore his usual calm and dignified demeanor, walked slowly to the seat opposite Cao Cao and sat down. down.He didn't say much, and took out the case file of Du Chuan's nephew and the Yuan brothers from his chest and presented it to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao didn't ask too many questions. After receiving the case file, he flipped through it without raising his head, and gave a very easy-going order: "Pi'er—serve Master Yang with tea..." Hearing this, Cao Pi couldn't help being stunned: I am the son of Sikong Fu, what an air I look outside, how come in my father's eyes, I became a servant who brought tea and water to these important court officials?With such hesitation, his third younger brother Cao Zhi walked over with a teapot very naturally, and poured green tea into the green jade cup where Yang Jun was seated.

"Thank you, third son!" Yang Jun jumped up as if scalded by boiling water, stopped Cao Zhi in a hurry, took the teapot from his hand and filled himself with tea, "Old man, come by yourself, come by yourself... third son How can this old man be worthy of being so respectful and courteous?" As soon as these words came out, the other important ministers present could not help but smile.Only Cao Pi secretly and coldly glanced at Cao Zhi's back, and turned his face aside: This third younger brother is quite good at playing tricks in public!I am a son of a wealthy family, and I always disdain to serve others with the courtesy of a servant like him...

Cao Cao didn't pay much attention to what was going on in the White Tiger Hall. After carefully reviewing the files, he passed them to Xun Yu who was sitting beside him to read.I fell down on the seat and thought about it with my eyes slightly closed. After Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Zhong Yao, Guo Jia, Sima Lang and others finished reviewing the case files, Cao Cao said slowly, "This case is well done! Master Yang, please give me a lecture. Let me tell you the details..." "Lord Sikong! You don't know. This case was thoroughly investigated by a young official from the Hanoi County Office..." Yang Jun had just drunk tea and calmed down. Hearing Cao Cao's words As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel relieved, and he said, "He is the second younger brother of Master Sima Lang——Sima Yi..."

"Sima Jun's second younger brother—Sima Yi?" Cao Cao's eyes flickered, and he glanced at Sima Lang who was sitting under him, "Sima Jun, did you teach him? According to Sikong, you This second younger brother handles this case impeccably, if he hadn't been guided by an expert behind him, then he would have been intelligent and quick-witted, a genius..." "This... this..." Sima Lang couldn't help showing panic, and he knelt down and replied, "The second younger brother of this subordinate has never had much contact with his subordinates. He just likes Shen to do his own job in the county. , Acting on his own. To be honest, he really didn't mention anything to his subordinates before handling the case, and his subordinates don't know exactly how he handled it."

Cao Cao saw that Sima Lang was in a daze, as if he was really confused about what his second brother was doing in Hanoi County, so he couldn't help asking a few more words: "Mr. Sima, I heard that you have seven younger brothers. You have superior skills, but you don’t know who your second brother studied under and how talented you are? You should explain it carefully to me, Sikong.” Sima Lang was about to answer, but saw Xun Yu who had been sitting quietly before with a smile on his face, and said leisurely: "Master Sikong, have you forgotten? The second younger brother of Sima Master, Sima Yi, have you ever had a problem?" In the early winter of the second year of Emperor Guanghe, when Sima Yi was born, you gave him a Jiuyao Saber as a gift!"

"The early winter of Emperor Guanghe's second year? That afternoon on the eighth day of October? That day was also the first meeting between Ben Sikong and Xun Lingjun." Cao Cao was slightly stunned, and immediately recalled, "Ben Sikong remembered, I remembered. Hehehe, more than 20 years have passed, and Sima Yi has grown from a baby to the young hero he is now. How time flies!" Xun Yu waited for him to finish his sighs, and then said eloquently: "According to what Xun knows, this Sima Yi once studied at Ziyuan Academy in Linglong Valley, Luhun Mountain, and worshiped Mr. Guan Ning, the master of a generation, as his teacher. It must be a An erudite and talented man... Strange! Master Sima, why didn't your second brother come to Xudu to take up the post of virtuous literature, but to work as an official in the county government?"

"This... it's my father's idea that he was appointed as an official in the prefecture and county." Sima Lang pondered for a moment before replying politely, "The father of my subordinates always believed that 'the prime minister must be appointed from the state department, and the general must be appointed to the death. Wu'——said that my second younger brother would not be able to do business if he didn't go through the common affairs of the people, so let him start with the county officials first, and wait for the gradual progress in the future." "Hehehe, when children from other famous families enter official positions, they almost always turn their eyes upwards, fearing that the official position will not be high and their duties will not be obvious; when members of your Sima family enter official positions, they turn their eyes downwards, fearing that they will not be close to the people and not good at common affairs! Listening to this, Xun Yu could not help nodding his head slowly and praised, "The Sima family in Hanoi is worthy of being the most famous family in the Kanto. Afterwards, you will get another young talent like Guo Jiajun who is as talented as Guo Jiajun.” After Cao Cao heard this, he smiled slightly, and a gleam of joy appeared on his brows - he asked Yang Jun directly: "Master Yang, according to what you saw in Hanoi County, what is so special about Sima Yi?" As soon as Yang Jun heard Cao Cao ask him about Sima Yi, he beamed and said, "Master Sikong, speaking of him, Sima Yi is seven or eight years younger than Guo Junshi—but he is very mellow and sophisticated in handling affairs as an official. Suddenly facing difficulties without being surprised, being aggrieved and not chaotic'! The cunning and vicious officials like Du Chuan, and the domineering and stubborn tyrants like the Yuan brothers were all subdued by him one by one. Time—it’s really scary for young people! Yang can only admire him from the bottom of his heart.” "Master Yang! You are too famous!" Hearing Yang Jun's praise, Sima Lang couldn't help but frowned slightly, and said, "Lang also knows the talent of my brother, but it's just one of a kind! Cao Sikong and Xun Lingjun’s spiritual power managed to settle the case in Hanoi County, so there is really not much to say..." "Master Sima, you underestimate your second brother!" Yang Jun blushed when he heard Sima Lang's words, "Really, Yang has no words of praise for your second brother..." In front of everyone, he told in detail the deeds of Sima Yi alone in Zhidou, Hanoi County, Du Chuan's nephew and the Yuan brothers. After listening to his narration, Cao Cao saw that Sima Lang was about to refute again, so he waved his hand to stop him, stroked his beard slowly and said: "Master Sima, from Master Yang's words, you, the second brother, are really not easy! He is able to make decisions and keep the way, which is similar to that of my uncle Jian Tu who beat Jian Shuo with a cane in those days, and he has a serious spirit of not fearing power and insisting on opinions!——What a pity! This Sikong is still unable to compete with Yuan Shao Turn your face completely." When Sima Lang heard this, he hurriedly fell down on the table and said in a timid voice: "This second younger brother is young and energetic, he only wants to make meritorious deeds and make a name for himself, and he will not retreat when he knows it, and he will cause trouble for Lord Sikong." "Master Sima, you can't say that. Your second brother did nothing wrong! Is this Sikong a person who is afraid of trouble?" Cao Cao waved his hand, not taking what Sima Lang said.He pondered for a while, with a hint of worry on his face: "However, according to my temperament, Du Chuan and the others colluded with the Yuan brothers to steal official land, force farmers into tenants, run rampant in the countryside, commit crimes of corruption, and commit crimes. Kill them in the city to serve as an example to others! Otherwise, this Sikong has always taken it as his mission to 'help the world and bring peace to the people, bring order out of chaos', but today he closes his eyes and ears to these evil things, and does not care about them. Herdsmen governing? It’s a pity that the bandits in Hebei are very powerful now, and it’s hard for me, Sikong, to uphold justice for the Hanoi scholars.” Yang Jun, who was sitting in the opposite seat, couldn't help being slightly shocked when he heard Cao Cao's words: When he was in Hanoi County, Sima Yi also insisted on enforcing the law like a mountain, eradicating corruption and eradicating adultery, and using upright methods to punish him as a warning to others, in order to clear the root cause and get rid of others. To help the world and calm the people; what Lord Sikong said just now, isn't it exactly the same as what he said back then?At that time, I still laughed at him for being a bit pedantic, but I didn't expect that Sima Yi, at such a young age, would already have such great ambitions and insights as Cao Sikong, and he was indeed a pillar of talent!After reading this, he added a lot of admiration to Sima Yi. "That's right! Although General Zhang Xiu and Master Liu Bei are helping Xu Du at the moment, the remnants of Yuan Shu in Huainan and the Sun family in Jiangdong are eyeing it." Cheng Yu said with deep empathy after hearing Cao Cao's words, "We At this time, you really can't act rashly!" "However, since we have found such a serious case, I'm afraid we can't let it go with the attitude of 'let the matter go'?" Guo Jiana's clear eyes showed a trace of sophistication, "When encountering such a good opportunity If you don't give that domineering Yuan Shao an appropriate counterattack, maybe he will think that the court is really afraid of him, and instead grow his indomitable arrogance." "Then, what should we do to give him an 'appropriate counterattack'?" Cao Cao's eyes became more and more serious. "I'm going to ask Xun Lingjun about this." Guo Jia glanced sideways at Xun Yu who was sitting above him, and said in a slightly teasing tone, "Xun Lingjun is probably already in Zhizhu's hands at this moment. You, I just like to keep silent until the most appropriate time to say the most correct words..." Everyone present was used to Guo Jia's teasing and playful tone, and they didn't feel that there was anything undignified about him on such an occasion.Cao Cao was so impressed by him, he turned around hastily, bowed deeply to Xun Yu and said, "Feng Xiao (Guo Jia's word Feng Xiao) is very right, please respectfully ask Xun Lingjun to teach you!" When Xun Yu saw it, he hurriedly avoided the seat, and bowed back, saying: "Master Sikong's move really killed Yu, and Yu is ashamed to dare to do it." "Respectfully, Lord Lingjun, please teach me!" Cao Cao didn't say much, and still insisted on bowing and asking. Xun Yu had no choice but to sit back in his seat, straightened his words, pondered for a while, looked at Cao Cao quietly, and said slowly: "For the current plan, there is only this: First, first put Du Chuan, Du He and other corrupt officials The official's conviction clearly stated that he would be cut in half in the city to serve as an example; second, Yuan Xiong, Yuan Hun and other Yuan's minions were all imprisoned and not disposed of for the time being. All their properties in Hanoi County were confiscated and confiscated, and then attached by the court Their case files issued an edict of accountability, which was sent directly to Yuan Shao in Yecheng, accusing him of the crime of "indulging relatives and lax governance", and ordered him to send personnel to explain clearly. Then, the court selected capable officials For the sake of mediation, order them to bring Brother Yuan Xiong back by themselves and strictly supervise them." After hearing this, all the people in the hall couldn't help thinking deeply.After a long while, Zhong Yao couldn't help asking: "Mr. Xun Ling, Yuan Shao is narrow-minded and small-minded. What if he can't bear such a stimulus for a while and becomes angry and commits an attack? How should the court respond?" "Yuan Shao is narrow-minded, but he is also very face-saving and vain - he has always claimed that he came from a noble family of "four generations and three princes". , This is the pain that he can't bear the most, and it will arouse him to become angry and mobilize his troops to attack! Since Lord Sikong put his relatives in prison and did not deal with them for the time being, he has saved his face politely... ...He will naturally know how to make a big deal out of it? Even if he used this pretext to attack rashly, he would not have much advantage in terms of etiquette and justice! Therefore, according to Xun, Yuan Shao We can only send someone to bring his relatives and minions back to Yecheng in a desperate manner!" Xun Yu seemed confident and talked eloquently, making everyone in the room nod their heads in admiration. "Alas... I, Sikong, has always been fair and just, and acted according to my heart, but today I have to make up with Yuan Shaoxu, and I am very unwilling!" Cao Cao's complexion was still abnormally heavy, and his right fist lightly beat on the table in front of him. "In fact, I have already added Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhang Xiu and other powerful generals under my command, and I have also obtained the help of Liu Bei and Uncle Liu Huang. Even if Yuan Shao dares to attack at this moment, with Xu Du's current strength, how can he be inferior to him? " "Master Sikong's words are very true. However, at this moment, there are still Sun brothers in Jiangdong, and Yuan Shu's remnants are making trouble in Huainan. The rear of the court is not stable yet. Please forgive me and say it bluntly: it is not the best time for the court to openly confront Yuan Shao. Sir Sikong must strengthen the foundation and strengthen the foundation, first to stand in an invincible position, and then wait for the opportunity to strike later." Seeing that Cao Cao was full of enthusiasm and seemed to be unable to hold back, Xun Yu hurriedly warned, "There is an old saying: 'Many Doing unrighteousness will lead to death.' The Yuan family of Jizhou relies on power and has no virtue and no way. How can it last long? If he dares to jump on the beam, Lord Sikong will then follow the order of the emperor to punish the rebellious ministers, uphold the righteousness and lead the heroes , Support Hongyi and eliminate filth and chaos, we will be able to win the battle, and it will be determined by one battle!" Cao Cao listened to Xun Yu's words so profoundly, pondered for a while, and then gradually calmed down the excitement in his chest, nodded and replied: "Forget it! This time, I, Sikong, followed Xun Lingjun's instructions to deal with the serious case in Hanoi County. However, among the court officials, who is worthy of the important task of mediating with the envoys sent by Yuan Shao? I hope that Xun Lingjun will recommend a suitable candidate." "Who is this candidate? He is far away in the sky, yet close in front of us." Xun Yu glanced at Sima Lang, who was sitting on the lower left side of him. Hebei has a lot of connections with people from Jizhou - he is naturally competent to mediate with Yuan's envoys!" After Cao Cao heard this, he slapped his right knee vigorously with his palm, and said with a chuckle, "Okay! Master Sima, the heinous event caused by your second brother will have to be resolved by you, the eldest brother, in the end—can you tell me what happened?" Being able to accept and lift weights as lightly as possible can show your brother Sima's skills!" After hearing Cao Cao's words, everyone burst into laughter, and everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.Sima Lang also bowed his head, and replied respectfully, "I obey." When Cao Cao was laughing, he glanced sideways at Xun Yu and saw that he was smiling absent-mindedly, with a thoughtful look on his brows, so he quickly stopped laughing and asked, "Is there anything Xun Ling-jun can't say?" place?" Xun Yu narrowed his eyes, stared at the thick stack of case files on the table, and said slowly: "Just now Xun Xun has been thinking that this act of farming and calming the people is originally a benevolent government that benefits the country and the people. When it comes to local states and counties, it has become an evil government in which corrupt officials and powerful people join forces to corrupt ink and enrich their own pockets. Lord Sikong, take a look at the case files that Sima Yi and Lord Yang have thoroughly investigated, such as Uncle Du Chuan, nephew Du Chuan, and the Yuan brothers. How shocking are the crimes committed by corrupt officials and tyrants who have encroached on official land, oppressed refugees, and fished the common people! I am afraid that there are quite a few of these prefectures and counties that are as bad as Hanoi County? It’s just that there are not many people Dare to stand up and expose like Sima Yi!" "You mean to set about purging people's hearts and clarifying the administration of officials?" Cao Cao couldn't help asking solemnly. "Purge people's hearts and clarify the administration of officials. Of course, this must be done. But it is not the time yet, and it is too late to do it." Xun Yu turned his head and glanced at Cao Cao, and continued, "The key is to target We need to study and formulate a general strategy to manage both the symptoms and the root causes of this issue of farming and reassuring the people!" "A general strategy to treat both symptoms and root causes?" Cao Cao was slightly startled again. Facing his question, Xun Yu calmly replied, "That's right. This general strategy of treating both symptoms and root causes must be able to prevent local tyrants from colluding with state and county officials to enrich their own pockets to a considerable extent!" "Oh... I understand what Xun Lingjun means!" Guo Jia laughed, and interjected, "This is what my subordinate understands, and the matter of garrisoning the fields and reassuring the people should be put under the direct control of the imperial court's Da Si Nong and Du Zhi Zhong Lang. , and the imperial court will manage it in an all-round way from top to bottom!" "Guo Jun's words are very true." Xun Yu nodded slightly to Guo Jia, and said, "According to Xun's humble opinion, for the current plan, it should be like this: take the affairs of garrisoning the fields from the local state and county government offices to the imperial court directly. In charge of this matter, the imperial court sent Diannong Xiaowei and Tuntian Duwei to the prefectures and counties to take charge of this matter, and the state, county, county and other three-level governments were not allowed to intervene indiscriminately. The subalterns joined hands to collude!" "Xun Lingjun really deserves to be a good prime minister of Jingtianweidi! There is a case of ink corruption in Hanoi County, which is not surprising for others to see, but you can learn from it and treat both symptoms and root causes!" Hearing this, Cao Cao admired him, "What is this? Extraordinary great wisdom, great talent and general strategy! It is far beyond the reach!" "This is a secret letter from your elder brother." Under the bright and bright candlelight, Sima Fang handed a silk script to Sima Yi, "Everything is as we expected: Cao Sikong and Xun Lingjun finally decided, and Du Chuan and others have made the final decision. The treacherous officials will be severely punished; the brothers Yuan Xiong and Yuan Hun will be expelled from the country. Cui Yan, the envoy sent by Yuan Shao, and your eldest brother will rush to this county in a few days to handle all the handover matters here." Speaking of this, he suddenly raised his eyes and glanced at the second son who was reading the letter with his head down, and said politely: "You should have seen it by now, your elder brother mentioned in this letter that Cao Sikong played 'can seek' on you." You can break the law, keep the way, not afraid of power, and stick to your opinions', and Xun Lingjun also commented on you as "youthful talent, outstanding knowledge"... How do you think about all this?" Sima Yi slowly put down the secret silk letter from his elder brother, without much surprise on his face, he replied indifferently: "My lord, how can I deserve these compliments from Cao Sikong and Xun Lingjun? Looking back on the scenes of fighting wits and courage with traitors and thugs such as Du Chuan, nephew and Yuan brothers, it was really dangerous and dangerous, and I am still afraid of it! Although the boy won a big victory in the end, somehow, I can’t always be happy—Jizhou’s Yuan family must have made a death feud with my Hanoi Sima family! Such consequences, whether it will be a blessing or a curse for the future of our Hanoi Sima family, I haven’t figured it out for a while.” "Well... Yi'er, it's really rare for you to be able to 'not be afraid of the situation, and be deeply worried about it'! I, the Sima family in Hanoi, must be more vigilant in the future from the open attacks and plots of the guests of the Yuan family's disciples from Jizhou. However, Cao Sikong It has been decided to release Yuan Xiong and Yuan Hun brothers, and Yuan Shao did not raise his troops against each other, and everyone did not make a decision—so, both sides still have room for change." Sima Fang nodded slightly, stroked his beard with a smile, and said, " When your eldest brother is negotiating with Yuan's envoy Cui Yan, he will be able to bridge the gap. Yi'er, in life, you should not be too clear about good and evil, especially not in appearance; if you really want to be an enemy, you'd better As said in "Sun Tzu's Art of War": "A good defender hides under the nine grounds; a good attacker moves above the nine heavens, so he can protect himself and win all." "Here, as a father, you might as well tell you bluntly. In the contest between you and Du Chuan, nephew and Yuan brothers, even if you finally won the final victory - it is very lucky. You go to Wei Zhong to deal with Du Chuan and others Traitor, this is the first step in your bookishness. Fortunately, Wei Zhong is a fool and a peacemaker, and he has not been completely won over by Du Chuan, otherwise you would have died under the joint plot of him and Du Chuan You later went to Yang Jun to deal with Du Chuan, his nephew and the Yuan brothers. This was actually the second step in your bookishness. You were lucky, and you happened to meet Yang Jun, a rare and upright official, and you didn't bother to be punished. Du Chuan and the others bought it with small profits and small benefits, and your elder brother greeted him quietly before, otherwise you will die under the sniping of him and Du Chuan and his like this time; in the end, you are going to find Liang Guang, fortunately, the county lieutenant who holds the military power in the Hanoi County Government Office is actually the key son of Cao Sikong and Xun Lingjun in Hanoi, otherwise you and Yang Jun would be powerless to fight against... Yier! Every step you take , are all formed by the mutual support of weather, location, people and the three forces. How can you rely on your own small ingenuity? Therefore, what Confucius said, "Do your best and then listen to the destiny" is the real way to achieve success. Let it shine down on the most famous words of wisdom through the ages!" "These words of the father really speak to the heart of the child." Sima Yi's expression was extremely respectful, "The child will definitely remember it firmly and never forget it." "Yi'er! You once told Du Chuan that the key reason for his failure was that he had too many unrealistic fantasies about Yuan Shao in Jizhou. You said it very well! This should also become your own life memory Lesson: In the midst of official disputes, you should never have too many unrealistic fantasies and expectations for the help of the outside world and other people, but you must always carefully cultivate the real strength that belongs to you! Only your own The power you have is the most solid and reliable, and all other external forces are erratic and difficult to grasp!" Sima Fang looked at him solemnly, with an unusually solemn expression on his face, and a very solemn tone, "Remember, Remember! Don't place your hope of victory on the goodwill and gifts of others, but always focus on the comparison and competition between yourself and the enemy! No matter how noble and respectable the name and axiom you occupy , However, they are still empty in the final analysis, only with the strength of an iron fist can determine the final victory of the entire struggle!" "Father is right. The child must 'learn from others' and never forget these bloody inscriptions." Sima Yi nodded emphatically. "Can you really understand the true meaning of these words now? These words are all personal lessons from my father's many years of immersion in the officialdom!" Sima Fang said with deep emotion, "You probably don't know much about them now, but, As long as you keep it in mind at all times, you will truly understand the true meaning of it in your future official struggles."