Chapter 40 Lobby Zhou Yu

Praying for gods and ghosts was of no avail after all, and Li Dangzhi tried his best, but Cao Chong still died young.A few months ago, Cao Cao's horrific fantasies turned into a reality. The weak and helpless body seemed to be destined to lie in the coffin. He was only thirteen years old all the year round. The past is over, and Cao Cao has to endure the grief to deal with the scorching war. This annoying war is not over yet. The vanguard troops of Zhou Yu and Liu Bei have arrived in Jiangling, fighting with Cao Ren and Cao Hong; Sun Quan's army is still besieging Hefei; Yuan Shu The great rebellion in the old ministry is still spreading.Cao Cao also transferred Zang Ba to lead the Qingzhou Department to the south to help in the war, and appointed Xia Houyuan as the leading general to lead the soldiers who could barely fight to Lujiang to quell the rebellion instead of himself. The rest was to wait.

Tens of thousands of troops were lost in Chibi, and almost all the troops received from Jingzhou were lost. Those northern tribes who escaped and survived either went to Xiangyang, Dangyang, or directly fled to Qiao County.It will take some time to gather these remnants and defeated generals, and it will take some time to reorganize the supplies and baggage, so we must wait patiently. Maybe it was a deliberate trick of fate, but at this moment, an old sage Cao Cao had wanted to see for many years came to him——Zhang Fan in Hanoi. Zhang Fan, courtesy name Gongyi, was born in a noble family. His grandfather Zhang Xin was a Situ, and his father Zhang Yan was a school lieutenant in the previous dynasty. He was framed by eunuchs and died.Zhang Fan is different from his father and ancestors. He has never been an official in his early years. He is known for his tranquility, kindness and generosity, especially his refusal to marry the Yuan family in his early years, which made Cao Cao look up to him.Cao Cao had wanted to summon Zhang Fan for nearly ten years, but he was still unable to do so.When Cao Cao regained Hanoi, Zhang Fan chose to take refuge in Yangzhou; when Hebei was conquered again, Zhang Fan fell ill on the way north and stayed in Guangling, so he had to send his younger brother Zhang Cheng to pay homage to Cao Cao instead.After all, Zhang Fan was old and had been ill for more than a year. Finally, he was about to leave for Xudu. His nephew was captured by bandits again. Zhang Fan went to the bandit's den in person, lobbying and pleading. Finally, I want to return my nephew.I thought I could go on the journey with peace of mind, but I didn't expect to catch up with the rebellion when passing through Yangzhou. This time, the old man resolutely decided to come directly to Peiguo to meet Cao Cao at the risk of war.After so many twists and turns, the two finally met, which is really an anecdote in troubled times.

Cao Cao immediately worshiped Zhang Fan as Yilang and participated in the prime minister's military affairs, but for him, this meeting was quite ironic.He had thought that he would be successful and famous, and would proudly meet this old gentleman as a savior, but he never expected that Zhang Fan would come at his most embarrassing and miserable time.As the current prime minister, he was supposed to take care of this countryman, but unexpectedly, things turned upside down, and instead, he became an old man with a long history who deliberately came to comfort a loser. "It is said that the floods during the time of Tang Yao were all due to Dayu's control of the water and the people's upside down, which also established the Xia family's foundation. In order to plan the area and test the area, Dayu divided the land of the world into Kyushu according to the soil..." Zhang Fan leaned Beside a few tables, he was playing with the crutch in his hand while talking.The old man was skinny, wearing a coarse gown, his face was wrinkled, and his slender silver beard was as white as snow. He spoke slowly, like a profound wise man; beside Zhang Fan stood a thirty-something-year-old The scribe here is Jiang Gan Jiang Ziyi, who is well-known in Jianghuai. He heard that Zhang Fan was going to Peiguo, so he came here to accompany and serve the old man.

Zhang Fan spoke slowly, Jiang Gan listened attentively, but Cao Cao lowered his eyelids and was a little absent-minded.Panting heavily, he leaned against the other side of the case and was also listening to Zhang Fan's lecture, but he was thinking more about the war and his son who had just died.At some point, he connected these two events together, as if the defeat in the Battle of Chibi led to Cao Chong's premature death. He fell into an eager desire for revenge and couldn't extricate himself for a long time, and the recurring headache made him suffer day and night Suffering, in a trance.Zhang Fan had seen clearly every move of this downcast prime minister for a long time, but he didn't care and continued to say: "Among the nine states, Yangzhou is the most barren, with low humidity, hot water, hot soil and muddy soil, so it has been designated as the next level." Etc. In the past, Gaozu and Xiang Yu fought for the world, and Xiang Yu was defeated in the battle of Gaixia. He claimed to have no face to meet Jiangdong's elders and slayed himself by the riverside. Of course, he killed Emperor Yi, and his children and soldiers died. He was ashamed of the people of Jiangdong. They don’t have much strength. The ancients said that Wu and Yue were fighting for hegemony. Helu and Goujian were heroes. In fact, they were only thousands of people fighting for the hegemony. They were far inferior to the overlord of the Central Plains. Ying, the capital of the early Han Dynasty was in Xiapi, and the capital of Wu was in Guangling, all of which were located in the north of the Yangtze River. Until the time when Liu An, the king of Huainan, attacked the South China Sea Kingdom, he had not yet met the enemy when he crossed the great river, and more than half of the people died of illness, all because of the barren, humid and hot mountains. Planing is even more rare. At that time, Jiangdong did not have the capital to fight for the world, and it was never heard that anyone had fought on the river."

Cao Cao suddenly raised his head when he heard this.At first he thought that the old gentleman was talking about something mysterious and mysterious, but gradually he got back to the topic and talked about Jiangdong's affairs, and gradually felt that his words might be closely related to his own failure. Zhang Fan saw that he looked at him in a different way, smiled happily, and continued: "When Wang Mang usurped the country, the people in the Central Plains were in turmoil and moved to Jiangdong, and then they widely opened up fields. During the time of Emperor Xiaojing, Lujiang prefect Wang Jing Restoring Shaopi and irrigated ten thousand hectares of fields. When he was filial to the emperor, Ma Zhenshi, the prefect of Kuaiji, benefited Jinghu Lake, and rebuilt more than 9,000 hectares of good land. From then on, Wu County was divided from the boundary of Kuaiji County, and Jiangdong began to prosper. It seems that this is only a matter of the past few decades."

This is precisely the knot that Cao Cao has been unable to unravel for a long time: "As the master said, I still don't understand, since Jiangdong is not rich and powerful, and I send more than 100,000 troops to Jiangbiao, why would Sun Quan dare not surrender? " "This is exactly what the old man wants to tell the prime minister." Zhang Fan sighed, "I went to Jiangdong when I went south to seek refuge a few years ago, and I witnessed the rule of the Sun family with my own eyes. The corporal, worked hard to govern, moved people from the Yangtze River and Huaihe River to fill households, and seized the land of the mountains and mountains to cultivate crops. Since he succeeded to the throne, Sun Quan has followed the example of the Central Plains and practiced farming, hoarding warehouses for war. Noble people follow; Cheng Pu and Huang Gai are loyal and loyal; that Zhou Gongjin can be regarded as the outstanding man of both civil and military skills. The heroic master is on top, and the loyal and brave officials are the bottom. Wealth is prospering. Today, Jiangdong is no longer the barbaric place it was back then!"

If someone had said such things before, Cao Cao would have scolded him severely, but now it sounds like he can only accept it.He underestimated Jiangdong's power. In his impression, Jiangdong was still humble, wet, hot, and barren, but he didn't know that people's hard work and governance were no longer comparable. Of course, with such strength, they must be determined to fight.Cao Cao seemed to understand a little bit, but he was still unwilling to accept the fate of failure. He said solemnly: "Even if Jiangdong is strong, I am sitting on the big northern states, and the generals in Guanxi will submit to the news. Liaodong and Xianbei will continue to pilgrimage. Shu Liuzhang sent envoys to pay tribute, and faced Jiangdong alone with the power of the world, isn't it enough to win?"

Zhang Fan did not refute, but instead said: "The Prime Minister has been fighting every year since he attacked Hebei. Three years ago, he settled in Qingzhou. Jingxiang is also in the east of the Yangtze River, and the soldiers of the three armies will inevitably be exhausted, so they will encourage evil diseases. The ancients said that "the end of a strong crossbow can't penetrate Lu Jin", and those who are a country should rest with the people and soldiers. The so-called "a good country man controls the people like Parents' beloved son'." Cao Cao also understands these principles, but he can’t listen to them at all. At this moment, his mind is full of extremes and hatred. Nowadays, war is not only a matter of unifying the world, Cao Cao wants to restore his lost reputation and prestige——Cao Mengde is always right , is always undefeated, how could it be possible to lose?How could anyone dare to disobey?He stood up abruptly, pacing up and down while rubbing his aching head.

Zhang Fan saw that he was impetuous, but he continued to persuade: "I beg the prime minister to put the world first, rest and recuperate for the benefit of the officials and the people, and don't rush for success in military affairs." Cao Cao now has the word "urgent" in his heart, how can he listen to good words?He only said: "Sir, what I have learned is that the world is not yet settled. Rest at this time. When will the world be unified? I still need to gather troops to raise troops again. Although Chibi is defeated, there are still some defeated troops. If you gather the rest and recruit new soldiers, you can still get tens of thousands of soldiers. Everyone, I don’t believe that the mere land of Jiangdong is so difficult to fight! Isn’t Sun Quan in Hefei? I want to lead my troops to fight, and if I win, I can go down the Huai River and attack Jiangdong!”

Zhang Fan and Jiang Gan looked at each other, helpless——Cao Cao fell into the vicious circle of militarism, which is simply unreasonable. "Zi Yi!" Cao Cao suddenly pointed his finger at Jiang Gan again. "Promise." Jiang Gan had also sought an official career before, dreaming of promoting enlightenment and assisting the Holy Lord, but he was discouraged in the troubled times, and now he just wanted to be a person who studied behind closed doors. In fact, he was no longer Cao Cao's subordinate, but Hearing that stern call, he still involuntarily bowed down and agreed.

"I heard that you and Zhou Yu have known each other for a long time, but is it true?" Jiang Gan's heart was about to jump out. He couldn't figure out what Cao Cao's intentions were, and he didn't dare to lie, so he had to tell the truth: "I used to travel to Jianghuai to study, and I had acquaintance with Gongjin." "Okay, I want to send you to meet him and persuade him to surrender." What?Jiang Gan thought he had heard it wrong—if you win the battle, it is almost the same to persuade others to surrender. If you lose the battle, why should you persuade others to surrender? Cao Cao was very serious: "You should go to see him as a friend, understand him with reason and empathy, and persuade him not to do any more useless things. If you resist the Central Plains with mere Jiangdong, you will lose sooner or later. The old man feels that he He is a talented person, and I can't bear his failure to achieve fame. As long as he is willing to go north and surrender, he will definitely not lose his position as a Marquis in the future. Sun Quan can only rely on Zhou Yu's knowledge of soldiers. If Zhou Yu is willing to surrender, Jiangdong will definitely accept the land. As for the big-eared thief, he is alone and alone A battle is settled!" Jiang Gan was really in a bit of a dilemma. There was no need to think about this matter at all, and he could only humiliate himself if he went there.He quickly knelt down on the ground: "I'm incompetent, I'm afraid I won't be able to take on this important task." Cao Cao was not accommodating: "Whether this matter is successful or not, I will not add any crime, but you can go." "It's not that I'm afraid of difficulties, but I really know that I am a sincere person, and I will never bow to the enemy. Please take back the order." "Aren't you willing to obey orders?" Cao Cao's red eyes were gradually blazing. Jiang Gan was terrified, knowing that if he didn't agree again, disasters would follow, he hurriedly said: "I'll go! But..." "Just go!" Cao Cao flicked his sleeves and didn't listen to what he said at all, "I guess Zhou Yu is also a person who understands current affairs, so he will weigh the pros and cons. The whole world will unify the wars and chaos, and this is for the common people. But I can't take it lightly. , I’m going to inspect the barracks now, and I’ll mobilize troops to continue training tomorrow, and I must fight Jiangdong to the end!” After finishing speaking, he left the two guests and walked out of the lobby with his head held high. Jiang Gan received such an errand and sat on the ground with a long sigh. He didn't recover for a long time; Zhang Fan covered his mouth with his sleeve and laughed. "Old man, can you still laugh?" Zhang Fan stood up slowly with the help of his crutches: "The sage said that sixty ears are good. I am already old, what else can I not care about? Since ancient times, success or failure is only a moment, so why should I care about it? "After speaking, he reached out and gave Jiang Gan a hand. Jiang Gan took advantage of the situation and shook his head and sighed: "I was in Xudu in the past, and Cao Mengde could barely be called fair and virtuous at that time. How can a defeated battle become like this now?" Zhang Fan walked down the steps cautiously with a stick: "He has been smooth sailing since Guandu and has never suffered any setbacks. He no longer has the patience that Xudu had when he first built Xudu as walking on thin ice. Those who follow me will prosper and those who oppose me will perish. , despise the heroes of the world. He can't listen to good words, and he doesn't want to listen to good words, so he is the only one in charge of such a big court, so of course he will stumble." "What can I do with my errand?" Jiang Gan chased after him and took the old man's arm. Zhang Fan laughed and said: "You just go, if you can't do something, it's not considered incompetent, it's not bad to just meet old friends." But Jiang Gan couldn't relax: "With his moodiness today, if Zhou Yu doesn't surrender, what if he takes his anger out on me?" "No." Zhang Fan shook his head, "Cao Mengde is not a mediocre person, but he is on the edge of a dead end. If he can't get out for a while, he will figure it out sooner or later. If he is really a militaristic person, it is impossible for him to annex the states. Go today." "You mean...although he was temporarily frustrated, sooner or later he will unify the world?" "This old man is not good." Zhang Fan stopped his smile and looked up at the blue sky. "People in the world can only do their best, but they don't know the destiny. Cao Cao's talent can be compared with the ancient famous generals, but how did the ancients know the present?" People's affairs? How would you know that Jiangdong can become a force? In the past, Emperor Qin, Gaozu, and Shizu ruled the world, and they never worried about Jiangnan. Although Cao Cao was contemptuous and defeated, it is also quite forgivable. After all, he is the first A man who was defeated by the great river. Alas! The mighty great river besieged the heroes. Since ancient times, there has been no dynasty that is indestructible. I don’t know how many heroes will look at the river and sigh!"