Chapter 10 Lost Wizards

In November of the twelfth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao finally stepped out of the border of western Liaoning and joined the remaining army in Yi County.In addition to Xun You, Cao Ren, Yu Jin and others who stayed behind to welcome him, there were also Shanggu County Karasuma Shanyu Nanlou and Daijun Karasuma Shanyu Pufulu. Tadun died in battle, Yuan Shang and others fled, and Karasuma, the three counties, collapsed in an instant. The news frightened the other tribes. Surrendering, he not only contributed war horses and military resources, but also took the initiative to send his family members here, asking to move to Yecheng as hostages.But none of this made Cao Cao happy, because one person was missing from the welcoming crowd—his most important adviser, Guo Jia, had died of illness two months ago.

Guo Jia has been in the army for more than ten years, and the military counselor has repeatedly made ingenious plans, especially in the battle to seize Hebei.Although he was only a military adviser offering wine until his death, his treatment far surpassed that of other colleagues, and his actual status was second only to the military adviser Xun You.This is not only because he is resourceful and resourceful, but also because he can figure out Cao Cao's thoughts at all times, admonishes without offending, flatters without flattering, and is smart without concealing his master.Cao Cao believed that his future was limitless, and was intending to entrust him with high-ranking officials and important responsibilities, and even wanted to entrust him with his own funeral.Unexpectedly, Tian was jealous of talents, Guo Jia died suddenly at this time, only thirty-eight years old.

Cao Cao was in deep grief, how could he have the heart to receive Nanlou and Pufulu?He only spoke a few words of comfort, accepted the tribute hostages, sent them away, and returned to Yecheng with Guo Jia's coffin the next day.Stopping and stopping along the way, Cao Cao couldn't help but turn his head to look at the coffin while riding a horse, and even fantasized that the clever ghost would crawl out of the coffin unexpectedly by feigning death. But the miracle did not happen after all. The army had already arrived in Yecheng, and the team that stayed behind to welcome the staff was far away. Cao Cao still couldn't shake off his sadness, so he reined in his mount and sighed heavily.When he stopped, the entire marching team gradually stopped.

Xun You has been by his side for a few days: "People cannot be resurrected after death, my lord mourns. Everyone is waiting on the side of the road, don't keep them waiting." After all, he came back victorious, and the officials still want to congratulate him. . Cao Cao didn't want to go into the city with a sad face, but he couldn't be happy anyway: "I can't take care of my filial piety. I went to the battle with a sickness, and I abandoned my life to make a decision. How can I make people forget it?" "It's a pity that God didn't give him a long life." Xun You was also very upset, "He has a son Guo Yi under his knees, who is not yet a child. If the Lord wants to remember, just treat his son generously."

"What does posthumous gifts do to the dead?" Cao Cao looked at Xun You with piercing eyes, "Following filial piety is not only good at planning, but also knows what I think. If everyone understands my mind like filial piety, what will happen in the world Can it fail?" There is something in these words - Guo Jia knows what I think and supports me as emperor, why don't you cooperate?If all of you could figure out my thoughts like him, would I feel sorry for him so much? Xun You is also suffering at the moment. Cao Cao forced him to express his opinion again and again, almost tearing his face. If he continues to resist, what will be the result?After thinking about it, he had no choice but to say: "This subordinate is willing to serve the ambition of filial piety and share the same heart with the lord..." At the end, his words were choked up, and he felt that this was a betrayal of his half-life ambition. He really wanted to find someone Drill into the seam.

Cao Cao saw a special look in Xun You's eyes, it was a begging look that a person would only have when he was cornered and had nowhere to go.Cao Cao was finally satisfied, as long as the military commander was willing to submit, there would be no problem with other sacrificial wines, and the only one who could interfere with him was Xun Yu.While thinking about it, I suddenly heard an ethereal singing voice from a distance, swaying leisurely, it seemed to be sung by a farmer in a leisurely village: The song was so sad and painful that Cao Cao couldn't help but close his eyes and listen quietly—this song tells the story of a woman from the Han family who was plundered by the barbarians in the turbulent times.Although it describes the personal pain of leaving home, it tells all the sufferings of the world in chaos, the flames of war, and the exile of the people. Every word is heartbreaking.

"It's such a sad song..." Cao Cao was always thinking about Guo Jia, and the more he listened to it, the more melancholy he felt, but when he tasted the song carefully, he was surprised, "How could the old man in the country sing such a song? He must be familiar with it." What did the poets and prose do, is there any literati buried here?" Xun You was absent-minded and just shook his head blindly.At this time, a young official in his twenties squeezed out the crowd: "I have lived in Bian County for a long time, and I know a little bit about it." It was Liu Fang from Zhuojun who was speaking. Wang Song, the prefect of Yuyang, surrendered to Cao and was hired. "This song was not composed by a hermit, but by the wife of King Zuo Xian of the Xiongnu."

"Wife of King Zuo Xian?" Cao Cao couldn't believe it, "The Huns also have such a talented woman?" "This woman is not a Xiongnu, but a member of Chenliu County. After Cai Bojie, a famous scholar in the Han Dynasty, her name is Cai Yan, and her small name is Zhaoji." "Cai Yong still has a daughter?" Cao Cao didn't expect - he had an old relationship with Cai Yong in the early years, so he took great care of his descendants. When he came to Yanzhou, he saw Cai Yong's young and pitiful sons and daughters, so he also took care of them.Now that Cai Yong's son has entered an official position, and his daughter is married to Yang Qin, the son of the famous official Yang Xu, how could another daughter appear?

Liu Fang said: "Zhaoji is the eldest daughter of Cai Bojie. She is over 30 years old. She married Wei Zhongdao, a talented scholar from Hedong in her early years. Her husband died early and returned to Ning at home. At that time, Cai Yong was an official in Chang'an, and she also took care of her. Father. Later, Wang Yun punished Dong Zhuo, Cai Yong was slaughtered, Li Jue and Guo Si rebelled, the Huns took advantage of the fire to rob Yu Fuluo, Zhao Ji fell into the hands of Hu people, and was accepted as Wang Ji by Zuo Xianwang. She gave birth to two children for King Zuo Xian."

"Is there such a miracle? Cai Bojie was the most learned man in the previous dynasty. He had more than two thousand volumes of books in his family. It's a pity that his fate was not good." Cao Cao glanced back at Guo Jia's coffin when he said this, "Oh! All the talented people in the world are so unfortunate." Liu Fang said, "Don't worry, Mr. Cao. There are two people in the world who have been taught by Mr. Cai the most, and they are very knowledgeable." "Which two?" "One was the son of He Jin's chief Shi Wangqian in the past, named Wang Can, who studied with Cai Yong when he was young, and now lives under Liu Biao's account in Jingzhou. The other is Cai Zhaoji. Although she belongs to the generation of women, she has read a lot and learned a lot. Poems and songs are omnipotent, and the melody of silk and bamboo is the best. You listen to this poem, which was originally sung by Hu people, but she made it up for music with Hu Jia."

Cao Cao listened carefully, and sure enough the tone was different from the music of the Central Plains: "Wouldn't it be a pity that such a talented woman is exiled to a foreign vassal? Today's wars are fading away, and everything is waiting for prosperity. It would be a good thing to welcome this woman back to pass on Cai's learning." "It's inappropriate." Xun You interjected, "She is the concubine of the Xiongnu, and she has already given birth to an heir. How can she break up her husband and wife?" Cao Cao didn't care about those things: "She was originally a Han, and she was plundered away. It is natural to return to her homeland. We can send some goods to King Zuoxian to redeem her! Yilang Zhoujin is proficient in the language of the Huns. Leave it to him." Xun You still felt that something was wrong: "Zhou Jin is an important member of the imperial court, and he is not suitable for doing these things. You should write a letter to discuss with Ling Jun." "Should I still ask you to approve what I have decided?" Xun You was taken aback, and didn't dare to disobey again: "Don't dare, dare not, everything is under the command of the lord. This subordinate is a military officer and has no right to interfere with other affairs. I will not interfere more in the future." Seeing that he was obedient and obedient, Cao Cao no longer felt embarrassed: "Military master, don't be afraid, as long as you know my heart." Then he raised the rein, "This song is too sad, I don't want to listen to it anymore, let's go to the city quickly Bar." Xun You wiped the cold sweat from his brow—even if he accepted it, he still couldn't get rid of his relationship with Xun Yu, and it became more and more difficult to be a military advisor. Xia Houdun, Zhong Changtong, Cui Yan, Dong Zhao and others who were in charge of staying behind had been kneeling on the side of the road for a long time. When they saw the army approaching and stopped, they did not dare to get up for unknown reasons. They waited until Cao Cao and Xun You had finished speaking. , the team was relieved when they marched again, and shouted in unison: "My subordinates welcome the lord, and congratulate our army on their victory." Cao Cao still didn't have much joy on his face, he just waved his hands to get them up.Xiahou Dun took over the army and set up camp outside, while the group of officials followed Cao Cao into the city and returned to the mansion. Even Guo Jia's coffin was carried in and temporarily stopped in the courtyard of the state capital. The bath water was boiled, and the celebration wine was prepared, but Cao Cao didn't use any of it. He stood in the courtyard and caressed the coffin in a daze.He didn't rest and others didn't dare to rest, everyone stood upright and accompanied him.Zhong Changtong, Cui Yan, and Xun Yan looked at each other, and the three of them went out of the class at the same time and knelt down: "I was so stupid that I prevented the lord from using troops, and I failed to drive along. Please punish me severely, my lord." As soon as the three of them took the lead, they all fell to their knees, and all those who opposed the expedition were pleading guilty.Cao Cao looked around blankly, and said lightly: "Get up, you are not guilty. Anyone who hinders my use of troops will be rewarded." Not only innocent but rewarded, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, not knowing why. Cao Cao said earnestly: "The use of troops this time was a chance. Although the victory was quite difficult and dangerous, it should not be normal. I still feel afraid when I think of the fierce battle with the white wolf. Your advice is a safe plan, so I will reward you. I hope you will know everything from now on. Words, endless words... It's a pity that I can no longer hear about Fengxiao's good plan." "My lord is as humble as a valley, and I dare not die?" Seeing how magnanimous he was, and remembering his subordinates so much, the people present were all moved, and many of them shed tears. Xu You was also there, but he didn't plead guilty. He happily leaned over to him and whispered, "Brother Ah Man, life and death are determined by God, so why not let it go? Everyone knows that you care about your subordinates, so why bother to go on like this endlessly?" of? Take a break." Although Cao Cao sincerely felt pity for Guo Jia, he also had the intention of buying people's hearts by acting hypocritically; hearing Xu You's intentions, he couldn't help but give him a hard look, but it was not easy to pierce him, so he turned to Lou Gui and said, "Uncle Zi, from now on Promoted to General!" The promotion was so sudden that Lou Gui was stunned: "This, this..." "Don't refuse. You put your life at risk and worked hard in the army, so you should be promoted. It's not like some people just talk but don't pay attention, what!" Cao Cao's words made Xu You feel ashamed. Lou Gui has always been in the military position, but he has never led a single soldier. Now he has been promoted to a general and still has no military power.Cao Cao never mentioned this problem, he simply admitted it, and said instead: "The Yuan brothers fled to Liaodong, just like cutting grass without eradicating the roots. If his brother colluded with Gongsun Kang to make trouble, how should we get rid of it? Meng De you Be on your guard." Before he finished speaking, Han Hao suddenly ran into the yard: "My lord, Liang, Liang..." He hesitated, as if seeing something unbelievable.Before everyone could react, they saw a gray-haired official following behind—it turned out to be Le Lang prefect Liang Mao who had been detained by Gongsun Du, Gongsun Kang and his son for more than three years. "Liang Bofang! How did you escape?" Everyone was surprised. Cao Cao was not surprised at all, as if he had expected it: "They finally let you back, have you suffered a lot in the past few years?" Liang Mao's eyes were red: "I thought I would never see Duke Ming again in my lifetime, I can't believe it..." He choked up when he said this.The feeling of house arrest felt like years, especially when Cao Cao and the Gongsun family were fighting in Qingzhou, Liang Mao doubted whether he would be able to leave Liaodong alive, and his hair was graying at the age of fifty. "Oh! Don't be sad." I don't know whether Cao Cao advised him or himself, "Gongsun Kang didn't tell you to return empty-handed, did he?" Liang Mao wiped away his tears and waved to the outside of the courtyard, only to see five small officials walking in from outside, each holding a black lacquered wooden box in their hands.Cao Cao didn’t even need to open it to see what was inside—Yuan Shao’s heir, Yuan Shang, second son, Yuan Xi, Liaoxi Karasuma leader Lou Ban, Youbeiping Karasuma leader Su Puyan, Liaodong Karasuma leader Wuyan, five of them slipped through the net. The head of the fish. Others went in without knowing it, and they were shocked to see it when they opened the wooden box.Liang Mao took out two scrolls of bamboo slips: "This is the letter of surrender written by Gongsun Kang himself, as well as the seal to the emperor. Brother Yuan Shang and the bandits from the three counties fled to Liaodong. Gongsun Kang and his younger brother Gongsun Gong planned to hold a banquet in honor During the banquet, five people were beheaded and ordered to bring their heads back. The Gongsun family has decided to submit to the imperial court, and from now on, it will be at the disposal of the lord, and vowed to guard the northeast and never cause harm." Cao Cao didn't even bother to read the letter: "Didn't Gongsun Kang give up the Marquis of Yongning to Gongsun Gong? I thought he had done a good job in killing thieves and then awarded him the Marquis of Xiangping, made him General Zuo, and led the governor of Liaodong as before. As long as he doesn't resist the court, the old man will Don't embarrass him. You have been in Liaodong for a long time and are familiar with the details. Those who are capable will work harder, so let's work harder." The Marquis of Yongning is the Marquis of the Township, and the Marquis of Xiangping is the Marquis of the County, and Gongsun Kang is indeed promoted but not demoted.Because Liaodong is too far away from the Central Plains, it is not meaningful to conquer by force. It is better for Liu Gongsun to frighten Goguryeo and save yourself from worrying. "No." Liang Mao wanted to leave. "Also! Bing Yuan, Guan Ning, and Wang Lie have lived in Liaodong for many years, and issued an order to call them back." Cao Cao admired the three sages for a long time. . Lou Gui was amazed: "No wonder you are not in a hurry to send troops to Liaodong. It was already expected that Gongsun Kang would send the heads of the Yuan brothers." "The Gongsun family has always been inferior to the Yuan family. If you try your best to conquer Yuan Shang, the two families will unite to defend our army. If you slow down, you will plot against each other." Get excited and speak weakly. Lou Gui pondered for more than a minute: "Between benefits, we will disperse when benefits are exhausted; join forces with power, and lose power. Why didn't I think of such a clever plan? Meng De, Meng De, I really admire you!" Unexpectedly, Cao Cao was not only displeased when he heard the praise, but sobbed: "How could this be my idea? It was a plan offered by Feng Xiao when he left..." Before he finished speaking, he clenched his fists and beat his chest violently, weeping unceasingly , "Sorry for filial piety! Painful for filial piety! Pity for filial piety! God is so unfair, you can break my arm... Fengxiao..." After crying a few times, I suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell down. Lou Gui and Xu You hurriedly supported him: "Meng De, what's the matter with you?" "My head..." Cao Cao's headache, which he hadn't had for two years, recurred.All of a sudden, the brain was in severe pain and the eyes were dizzy. In addition to being too sad, he passed out before he could finish speaking... I don't know how long it took, Cao Cao gradually woke up and found himself lying in the back hall, the pain had subsided; as soon as he moved his body a few times, he heard a voice beside his ear saying, "Don't move, Mr. Ming, there is a needle in his head." "En." Cao Cao responded and closed his eyes, but suddenly realized that it was Hua Tuo who was treating him, and sat up suddenly: "Mr. Hua!" Hua Tuo was surprised: "The needle has not been removed..." Cao Cao didn't care so much, he grabbed his wrist: "When did you return to Hebei? Why didn't you treat Feng Xiao?" "Ming Gong has a needle on his head, so he can't move it." "I didn't ask you this." Cao Cao was full of anger, "Why can't you cure Guo Jia's illness?" Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, etc. were all waiting outside the room. Hearing the news, they rushed in: "Father wrongly blamed Mr. Hua. Guo Jia had already passed away when Mr. Hu hurried back." Cao Cao didn't ask the reason at all, pushed Hua Tuo a stagger, and yelled, "Don't go home sooner or later, why don't you go home at this time! If you don't leave, how can Feng Xiao die?" How does Hua Tuo answer this?I had no choice but to kowtow to plead guilty.When Cao Pi and Cao Zhi saw their father's anger, they also knelt down and said, "Father calm down, take care of yourself." Cao Lin and Cao Biao, who were younger, were so frightened that they cried. "Why are you crying? Shut up!" Cao Cao pulled out the needle on his head, and turned to Hua Tuo again, "Leaving aside the matter of filial piety, how did you treat me? Why did the headache recur?" Hua Tuo was very clear about the pathology: "My lord's long-standing illness will not be cured overnight. The saddle horse is tired and sad, so it relapses. I will prescribe a prescription for several months, and it will definitely be able to..." "What a mess of prescriptions, I think you can cure my illness with acupuncture, but you just don't care about it!" Cao Cao knew nothing about medicine, but he was very suspicious. "I don't dare... Needle stones can only cure the symptoms, not the root cause." "You witch doctors and craftsmen like to play mysteries?" Cao Cao became more and more angry, "I will give you one month to cure this disease. If you do it again after the time limit, I will kill you!" Treating a disease is not a war, so how can we make an appointment?Hua Tuo kowtowed and said, "My lord's illness needs to be recuperated slowly, how can..." Seeing that he dared to talk back, Cao Cao became even angrier: "I'll kill you right now! Will you cure me or not?" Hua Tuo has great abilities, and it is impossible to eradicate the headache within a month: "Please allow time, my lord...it will get better in half a year..." Both Cao Pi and Cao Zhi felt that their father was angry at others because of Guo Jia's death, which was unreasonable. They didn't know how to persuade them, when they heard a baby crying outside——Cao Chong walked in with a baby in his arms: "Daddy, don't be angry, hurry up!" Look at little brother." "Little brother?" Cao Cao was taken aback, "I, I have a son again?" Then he remembered that Bian was pregnant with Liujia when he left for the expedition, and it was not too late to give birth. Cao Chong stuffed the swaddle into his father's arms: "Ma'am gave birth to a little brother and fell ill. Thanks to Mr. Hua for saving his life, he has suffered a lot from his wife's pulse diagnosis these past few days." Only then did the brothers wake up - such a clever boy, holding the child to talk about human feelings. After all, the nature of father and son, when Cao Cao saw that the child had thrown his anger to Kucha, and heard Cao Chong's good words, he gradually turned his anger into joy: "Well... this child has lost some weight, did you name it?" Cao Zhang said with a smile: "I went hunting yesterday, and I brought back a bear, so I just called Cao Xiong..." Cao Pi winked at him before he finished speaking—he was so angry that he dared to mention hunting! Cao Zhang hurriedly covered his mouth, and Cao Zhi hurriedly changed the subject: "My mother is over 40 years old and can still conceive. It was also prescribed by Mr. Hua. Father still needs to be more considerate of Mr." The Bian family gave birth to a child in their forties, and their body is no longer what it used to be, so this child is congenitally deficient, and he looks like a chicken after the full moon.Cao Cao squeezed the thin little arm: "It's too thin, let's call him Cao Xiong, I hope he will grow stronger in the future." After saying that, he handed it back to Cao Chong, "It's cool, take it back to Madam, this is her heart." what." "Father doesn't blame Mr.?" Cao Chong blinked his small eyes and looked at his father. Cao Cao became more sensible, and glanced at Hua Tuo: "It seems that you have been wronged too, forget it! Take good care of their mother and child first, and my illness will come slowly." "No. I'm going to decoct the medicine for my wife now." Hua Tuo retreated as if fleeing for his life. When he got to the corridor, he realized that he didn't take the medicine box. He went back trembling and picked up the silver needles scattered all over the floor. ——It's really hard to be an errand in Cao's mansion! Cao Cao ordered his son to fetch pens and inks, and wanted to repair Guo Jia's seal.Cao Zhi was afraid of his hard work, so he asked to write for his father. Cao Cao didn't refuse, leaning on the couch and saying slowly: After writing the whole article, Cao Cao read it several times before he gradually felt relieved—the past is over, after all, a victory has been won, there is no more war in the north, and it is time to prepare to go south.But before that, there are other things to arrange, something more important than fighting. Seeing that his complexion had improved a lot, Cao Pi smiled and said, "Since father is fine, I'll go to the front and tell the adults so that they don't worry." "Very good, you are very sensible." Cao Cao rarely praised him, "Be respectful to the adults in the military mansion. In the coming year, as a father, you may go south to Jingzhou, and you all have to go with the army." Cao Zhi seemed to ask casually: "My brothers are still young, do you want to go to war with me?" "Are they really sent to the battlefield?" Cao Cao finally smiled, "Joining the army is nothing more than accumulating credit and paving the way for future events, so Chong'er and the others must go." The Cao Pi brothers felt the taste of these words-Chong'er must go.It seems that the default heir in his father's heart is already very clear.