Chapter 23 Xiangyang changed hands

What should go is gone, what should come is also coming.In September of the thirteenth year of Jian'an, the vanguard troops led by Cao Cao crossed the Han River and arrived at the city of Xiangyang. Although he said every day that the land of Jingxiang would be determined without a fight, Cao Cao couldn't believe it when Liu Cong really sent his envoy to surrender.In his opinion, at least the soldiers must go to Hanshui and put on a majestic formation before the officials of Jingzhou will consider surrendering.So when Cao Cao heard the news that Liu Biao was dead and Liu Cong asked to surrender, his first reaction was to ask Lou Gui, who had lived in Jingzhou, to ask whether it was true or not.Lou Gui laughed at him for worrying: "Everyone in the world is greedy for the king's life to respect himself. Liu Biao and his son have always regarded themselves as celebrities, so they value this more. Now that he sent Bai Yan's envoy, he must have surrendered sincerely. There is nothing to worry about. ?” Cao Cao believed that Jingzhou really surrendered, and thus came to the conclusion that the general trend of reunification of the world is irreversible, and the future war will be easier than expected.

The four gates of Xiangyang City, once regarded as the glory of Liu Biao's life, were opened wide, and exposed to Cao's army without any defense. All the soldiers had put down their weapons and left the city.Kuai Yue, the prefect of Zhangling, and Deng Xi, who was in charge of Zhizhong, led the officials from Hecheng to welcome them. Everyone had already taken off their filial piety clothes and put on new clothes, and they were all smiling to worship the new master.They were so excited and pious, as if they were supposed to be Cao Cao's people, and they had completely forgotten about Liu Biao, who was still dead.Only brothers Liu Cong and Liu Xiu knelt on the side of the road without tears, holding the seal ribbons of Jingzhou Mu and Zhennan General, waiting for the judgment of fate.

Cao Cao rode on the horse and looked down on everything, as if he was the one to give up. He just waved his hand to signal the master Bo Wenhui to take away the seal, and then led his subordinates to the city gate with whips and horses.But when he rushed to the welcoming crowd, he suddenly reined in and dismounted, and helped a bearded official: "Haha! I don't like Jingzhou, but I like it!" Kuai Yue was quite surprised: "After more than twenty years, the Prime Minister still recognizes me?" Cao Cao grabbed his hand and was very friendly: "How can you forget the old man who entered the shogunate in those days?" Xun You, Xu You, and Lou Gui also got off their horses one after another, shouting "Kui Xi Cao" one after another. Very kind.

Seeing that they were all old acquaintances, Kuai Yue felt very moved—remembering that when he was in the shogunate, all the personnel management in the government was handled by him.Now that someone is in a high position, but he has become a "betrayer for glory", how tragic is it?Thinking of this, I shook my head again and again: "Ashamed, ashamed..." "Why should I be ashamed? You are the hero of this old man. If you hadn't been in the middle, how could you have won the land of Jingxiang?" The facts are indeed so, Liu Biaoxin's heart is unstable, and Liu Bei and Liu Qi support troops and look down on them. Although they want to surrender to the enemy, it is not easy.Cao Cao's words were originally out of goodwill, but Kuai Yue heard them with a bit of bitterness: "Ashamed, ashamed..." Besides these two words, what else could he say?

"Where is Degui?" Cao Cao wanted to see Cai Mao the most. Kuai Yue was even more embarrassed, and said evasively: "De Gui is not in good health. He has been recuperating at home these days, and he couldn't meet the prime minister. Please forgive me." Real sickness?Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses, "Let's go, let's go into the city hand in hand." Kuai Yue didn't dare to pretend to be his old self, and wanted to decline, but his wrist was tightly grabbed by him, so he had to hang down The head respectfully stays by your side.When Cao Cao reached the edge of the moat, he suddenly stopped, looking at the tower and laughing wildly.

"Brother Ah Man, what are you laughing at?" Xu You who was following behind couldn't help asking. "There are many old friends here." Cao Cao pointed to the tower, "Look, who wrote the word 'Xiangyang' engraved on this tower?" Xu You looked at the neat seal characters, and couldn't help laughing—isn't this the handwriting of that old man Liang Huliang and Menghuang?In the past, when Cao Cao failed to achieve his ambitions, he turned him away when he visited the mansion, and he also hid in Jingzhou unexpectedly. This is really retribution.

Kuai Yue didn't know about this past event: "Could it be that the Prime Minister has an old relationship with Liang Menghuang? Now he lives in the west of the city, so why not call him over to talk about it." "Alas... some friends want to catch up on the old days." Cao Cao thought of Wang Jun again, sighed meaningfully, and led everyone into the city gate.The counselors and generals followed closely behind, and the Jingzhou group of officials tactfully ranked behind the people in Cao Ying; as for Liu Cong brothers, they were already surrounded by a group of soldiers.

Although the Zhennan General's Mansion is not as spacious as the Yecheng Shogunate's Mansion, it is small, exquisite and antique, exuding Liu Biao's elegant temperament.There are even a large number of treasures of calligraphy and painting, classics and books, which are extremely rare cultural wealth in troubled times.However, the delicate culture is not worth the gold and iron horse, and now everything here belongs to Cao Cao.He patiently sat on the lobby, while Liu Biao's sons could only wait at the bottom.After all Liu Cong voluntarily surrendered, Cao Cao also had to show his strength, declaring that the past crimes of separatism, collusion with Yuan Shao, arrogance and sacrifice to heaven, and resistance to the king's teacher are not to be blamed, and the officials and people of Jingzhou will reform with him.Liu Cong was granted the title of Liehou, and was changed to the governor of Qingzhou, and he went to the post immediately; he gave his younger brother Liu Xiu the title of Xiaolian, and moved to Yecheng with his family.

This arrangement was discussed in advance with Xun You, Xu You, Lou Gui and others.The Liu family has been in Jingzhou for nearly 20 years. Even if they have no ambitions, there is no guarantee that someone will use their banner to support the rebellion in the future. Isn't Liu Bei's win over Liu Qi an example?Therefore, Liu Cong cannot be allowed to stay in Jingzhou.The choice of Qingzhou also has a deep meaning. Qingzhou was assigned to Zang Ba, Sun Guan and other generals for self-government. Even if Liu Cong took office, he would have no real power.As for moving Liu Xiu to Yecheng, he was actually a hostage.

Liu Cong was dumbfounded when he heard that he was going to leave on the same day: "Since the guilty minister has offered his soil to obey the sky, he should be at his disposal. I dare not ask for more. But my father just passed away. Please guard the tomb for the anniversary." But Cao Cao said: "Great courtesy does not hesitate to make small concessions, and great filial piety does not stick to small details. Your submission to the court is also considered to redeem your father's name as a loyal minister. Why do you have to guard the mausoleum and follow this foolish loyalty and filial piety? But there is no harm in going."

Liu Cong was born in Jingxiang and grew up in Jingxiang. Both of his parents were buried in Jingxiang. Naturally, he was unwilling to leave, and he asked: "Qingzhou is far away, please change the position of the prime minister. I would like to stay in Jingzhou, even as a small job... ..." Cao Cao didn't wait for him to finish speaking, and said aggressively: "You child is so ignorant! I am the prime minister of the court, appointing and dismissing hundreds of officials on behalf of the emperor, how can I change it at will? The land of Jingchu is still fighting, and your brother still occupies Jiangxia and refuses to surrender. You It's inconvenient to stay here, it's better to leave." Liu Cong grew up among literati, and he was also a noble son, so why did he ever bow down to others?Seeing Cao Cao's sullen expression, he was so frightened that he wept and cried. He knelt down and begged, "Prime Minister Cao...I don't want to be an official. I would rather live in my homeland and guard my parents' tomb forever..." "Homeland?" Cao Cao laughed, "Is the land of Jingxiang the homeland of the envoy? Who doesn't know that Liu Jingsheng is a famous scholar in Gaoping, Shanyang? Even if you want to return to your homeland, you can only go back to Yanzhou. Hurry up and leave!" Liu Cong burst into tears when he heard this - he was born in Jingxiang and grew up in Jingxiang, and today's hometown is anti-variation.As for his concubine brother Liu Xiu, who was even more timid, he knew how to wipe away tears.Cao Cao had grown impatient for a long time, so he simply ordered his soldiers: "Go and help Liu Shijun pack his luggage, and send him on his way immediately." All the soldiers rushed up and dragged Liu Cong out; He wanted to chase but was hugged by a soldier at the waist and sent back to the back hall. Kuai Yue vowed to protect his son in front of Liu Biao, and when he saw this scene, he hurriedly went up to the hall and knelt down: "I beg the prime minister to be lenient for the merit of offering soil." After saying that, he kowtowed. Cao Cao laughed and said, "Why should you be nervous about different degrees? How can I murder Liu Jingsheng's son? Even if you don't read Liu Biao's name, you still have to look at it for the sake of the Cai family. I just told them to leave Jingzhou, there is no other intention. In the future, the family members will move to Yecheng, and all the belongings in the house will be taken away, and they will be taken care of in the future, so you can rest assured." Seeing his sincerity, Kuai Yue felt at ease, and wanted to introduce the group of officials, but was stopped by Cao Cao: "The appointment of officials is not busy, and the military affairs will be decided in the morning. It is not a worry for Liu Qi to anoint Liang's children, but I don't know where Liu Bei fled ?” Xuzhou’s rebellion, the jade belt edict, he always remembers, how can Liu Bei be cheap? "Jingzhou's grain, grass, and luggage are all in Jiangling, and it is the main road that runs through the south of the Yangtze River. Liu Bei must go to Jiangling when he goes here." "Why didn't you say it earlier!" Cao Cao immediately became alert, "How many days have you been away?" "It's been more than ten days." Kuai Yue was not in a hurry, "My subordinates have received the military report that Liu Bei's troops engulfed nearly 100,000 people, and they marched no more than ten miles a day. This is five hundred miles to Jiangling. He has not yet It's less than half. I have sent people to inform the Jiangling defenders to take strict precautions, and Duke Ming's army will not be too late to chase after them." "Although we are prepared, I am afraid that there will be long nights and many dreams..." In the Xuzhou Rebellion in the past, Liu Bei gathered tens of thousands of people in just a few days, and the Battle of Guandu colluded with Liu Pi and Gong Du to make a rebellion in Runan, so Cao Cao was well aware of his instigation ability, immediately ordered, "Cao Chun, Han Hao, Shi Huan!" "Promise." The tiger and leopard cavalry commander Cao Chun, the central guard Han Hao, and the central leader Shi Huan came out to listen to the order. "Jiangling's luggage must not be lost. You immediately lead the troops to pursue Liu Bei and seize Jiangling." "Ah?" The three of them looked at each other, and Cao Chun said, "I'm going to lead the soldiers, who will protect the Lord?" Cao Cao came to receive Xiangyang with light soldiers, so he only brought more than 10,000 soldiers. Cavalry are sent out, what if something goes wrong here? Cao Cao said, "No problem, Le Jin and other ministries will arrive soon enough to protect me. Besides, Mr. Kuai and others are my old friends, so there will be no mistakes." . Han Hao said again: "When I first arrived in Jingzhou, I was not familiar with the roads, so I still need a general from my hometown to guide the way." This was a tricky question. Before Cao Cao had time to ask Kuai Yue, someone from the hall offered to ask Ying: "The last general, Zhang Yun, is willing to lead the way." Cao Cao knew that Zhang Yun was Liu Biao's nephew, and saw that he was not tall, of medium build, and rather handsome, but he was full of smiles. Enthusiastically: "The general is very courageous, I order you..." Before they finished speaking, they heard a noise outside, Xu Chu, Deng Zhan and others pushed a bound officer into the courtyard.This man is nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and round waist, a greasy black face, beard and tiger eyes, a nose that hangs like a gall, and a wide mouth and grin - he looks like a brave general. Xu Chu snorted angrily and said, "All the generals in Jingzhou were surrendered in the city. Only this guy occupied the barracks and refused to surrender. He was transferred to the city after the prime minister's order. Please send me down!" Cao Cao was not angry but happy: "What is the general's name?" The general was dejected and refused to answer, but Zhang Yun rushed to say: "This man's surname is Wen, his name is Pin, and his name is Zhongye. He is from Nanyang. When we discuss surrender, all the generals are willing to obey, but he is the only one who supports the army." It is really hateful to refuse to enter the city outside! Please, the prime minister, please send me a heavy blow." Wen Pin was pushed to the hall by the crowd, but he stood without kneeling, drooping his big head and sighing.The left and right soldiers shouted together: "Since you see the prime minister, why don't you kneel!" "Hey, don't make it difficult for General Wen." Cao Cao leaned in front of him and looked up and down. The more he felt that this man was powerful, but he had a sad expression on his face. He couldn't help asking, "All the generals in Jingzhou have surrendered. Why is the general so close at hand?" Long overdue?" Before Wenpin opened his mouth with tears in his eyes, he said, "I can't help Prime Minister Liu Jingzhou to serve the country, and I can't help the young master to resist foreign enemies. Xiangyang has surrendered, but I still want to defend Hanchuan to fight against the king's division, but survival is worthwhile to the lonely Weak, he deserves to die under the ground. But now it has come to this point..." He choked up for a while when he said this, "The general who has lost his country is sad and ashamed, how can he have the face to meet the new master?" The nine-foot-tall man sighed in half, Then he stamped his feet and began to cry bitterly, the sound of wailing shook the roof tiles. "Shut up!" Zhang Yun sneered, "How can you be rude in front of the prime minister?" "Shut up!" Cao Cao retorted, "As a general of Jingzhou, he knows that he is ashamed, but do you know that?" "Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Yun blushed and stepped aside from his question. "This is a true loyal minister!" Cao Cao sighed sincerely, and personally untied Wenpin, "Although Jingzhou has changed hands, I will treat the people here generously. If the general does not give up, can you help me plan great things together?" . When the prime minister gave a gift to a guilty general, Wenpin burst into tears, and stared at a pair of tiger eyes: "The last general, how can he, how dare he..." Cao Cao became more and more respectful: "The general has both ability and political integrity. The old man has wanted to rule the world for a long time, how can he lose it with a righteous man? If the general can protect me like Liu Jingzhou, I can save the world from danger in the first place and rescue in the middle." The common people escaped the chaos of war, and they can seek fame and wealth in the court, but I don't know what the general wants?" "This... this..." Wenpin didn't know what to say.Liu Biao valued him very much at the beginning, but Liu Biao was a literati after all, and he would never favor a martial artist so much.Cao Cao was able to beat the corporals with the respect of the prime minister, which made Wenpin a little embarrassed. Seeing that his face turned red, Cao Cao continued to insist: "Don't hesitate, general, your troops will still be dispatched by you. If I don't take any soldiers, I will add more supplies, food and grass. The soldiers of Jingzhou will naturally depend on Jingzhou warriors like you. It doesn't matter if you ask for anything else, General." Wenpin couldn't listen anymore, and fell to his knees with a plop: "Why would a defeated general dare to talk too much? The prime minister fell in love with him wrongly, and the final general would be smashed to pieces." "Okay!" Cao Cao helped each other for the second time, "There is an urgent military matter to trouble the general, I wonder if the general can..." "I'll go!" Wenpin hurriedly agreed.Kuai Yue was dumbfounded when he saw this—a player of soldiers cannot beat a player of men after all. Cao Mengde is worthy of being a master of players, and he took down Wenpin in a few words. If Liu Biao and his son could condescend to warriors so much, how could Jingzhou have what it is today? Cao Cao was no longer polite, and sent an order: "General Wen, I temporarily appoint you as General Zhonglang, and you will be dispatched by the Chinese Army. Now Liu Bei has fled to Jiangling, and you lead the elite cavalry from the headquarters to pursue it. After the incident, I will give you a reward. " "The general obeys orders!" Seeing that the lord picked up a vanguard so easily, Shi Huan felt it was ridiculous, and jokingly said: "General Wen, all of us in the Chinese army ride good horses from Youzhou. You guide the way faster than us, do you need me to dial?" Do you have dozens of fast horses?" Wenpin stared at him: "What's so great about you Yankees? I won't lose to you, and I won't lose to you, let's wait and see!" "Go!" The four generals said and went out to order soldiers. Cao Cao felt relieved when he saw them go: "As soon as the army arrives tomorrow, I will immediately lead my troops to follow up. I must not let Liu Bei snatch the luggage. I have some private matters to go out, and I will ask the military division to do everything in the city." Xu Chu and Deng Zhan hurriedly came over: "When I first came here, people's hearts are unpredictable, and I will protect the lord!" "No need." Cao Cao waved his hand, "I'm going to visit an old friend, it's going to get in the way if you use a knife or a stick." Xu Chu usually doesn't talk much, but today he couldn't control his mouth: "Who still needs the lord to visit?" Cao Cao made a fool of himself: "My friend is very powerful. If he doesn't join our army, we can only count half of Jingzhou. Now he is pretending to be sick at home. Of course, I have to go there myself." After finishing speaking, he turned to Xu You, Lou Gui winked, and the two couldn't help laughing.