Chapter 7 old friends

The grass grows, the warblers fly to the sun, and spring comes again. The ice and snow have gradually melted, everything is recovering, and the fields are busy.With the special preferential treatment from the imperial court, the cultivation of the people of Pei State became extremely smooth. Many farmers received cattle, columbine carts (planting machinery), and even the army was sent to assist in reclamation. The land without owner since the war has been restored. Farming - all this is in the light of Cao Cao. Cao Cao reined in his horse and looked at the field scene, feeling very happy.Food is the foundation of the army, and food is the most important thing for the people. As long as there is food, any problems can be easily solved.It is the basis for him to get to where he is today, and it is also the unchanging law of the rulers of the past dynasties.He looked into the distance and saw a group of people carrying stone and wood to repair the academy. He couldn't help recalling the old memories, turned his head and smiled at Lou Gui: "Uncle Zi, I still remember that time when we wandered with Mr. Qiao and listened to him." Is it something the old man taught?"

Lou Gui nodded happily, but did not answer. His achievements in the past ten years are much inferior to Cao Cao's.In the past, he, Wang Jun and Xu You were both friends of Cao Cao, and they were both cultivated by Guo Qiaoxuan, but the paths they took were completely different.Wang Jun became a hermit according to his long-cherished wish, and closed his door to write books, set up books, and collate classics, regardless of the ups and downs of the world; Xu You first followed Yuan Shao to make contributions to Hebei, and then defected to Cao Cao in Guandu, and made suggestions and strategies, and gained money and wealth.In terms of talent, Lou Gui is by no means inferior to them. In the past, he aspired to be higher than them, but these years have been wasted in obscurity.

Since the beginning of Dong Zhuo's chaos, Lou Gui returned to his hometown Nanyang, originally planning to raise troops to do something good, but unexpectedly Yuan Shu took the lead.Lou Gui was ashamed and unwilling to serve in his tent, so he pulled a small team to cruise north of Nanyang.But there are too many such small forces in troubled times, and they can't survive without support. Later, the Yuan brothers turned against each other in Yuzhou, and Lou Gui couldn't survive because of lack of soldiers and food, so he had to put down his airs and rely on Liu Biao.Jingzhou is the first place for asylum seekers from the Central Plains, there are at least a long gathering of talented people, there are countless famous people, Lou Gui, a little star, does not show much light.In the beginning, Liu Biao still regarded him as a person, and once told him to go north to Wuguan to recruit refugees, but after a long time, he left him aside, and gradually became like a white man.If he doesn't do anything else, I'm afraid he will drift with the tide in this life.When Liu Bei was defeated and defected to Jingzhou, Liu Biao graciously accepted him as a guest of honor. Lou Gui had a premonition that Liu Biao would break with Cao Cao completely, so he came to Qiao County to join his old friend, hoping to make a difference.

"Uncle Zi, the past is so far away, I thought we would never see each other again in this life." Cao Cao looked him up and down, "But you don't look old at all, but I look like an old soldier!" Lou Gui is also nearly fifty years old, but his beard and hair are like ink, without even a single white stubble.He is nine feet tall and has a majestic appearance. He is also much taller than Cao Cao when he is sitting on a horse. The two of them travel in modest clothes and stroll around in bridles. Those who don't know will think that Lou Gui is the ruler of the court, while Cao Cao looks like a wretched old slave.

Lou Gui put his hand on his beard and said: "Meng Dexiu wants to say that, what's the use of this hair and skin? Back then, Mr. Qiao once said that my generation's achievements will not be as good as yours in the future. Now it seems that it is true? A man in this world should be Mu Da, if I were in your position..." He stopped abruptly at this point.Lou Gui's biggest shortcoming in his life is that he is easy to compare himself with others. He often says "If I were you, I would do so", as if he is better than anyone else in the world.He also knows that this problem is not good, but he just can't control his mouth from time to time.

Cao Cao knew in his heart that no matter how good friends are separated for a long time, there will be estrangement, not to mention the troubled times. Even though they were like-minded back then, they are far apart now, and they can no longer confide in each other!Lou Gui is different from Xu You, and he cannot be controlled by a title of wealth and wealth.Cao Cao loves his talent and is afraid of his ambition. Although he is on guard, he pretends to be kind. He patted Lou Gui on the shoulder and said, "Just say what you have to say. What taboo do we have? I remember you once said, 'A man lives in the house. In the world, there will be tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of horses riding behind the ears', do you still have such ambitions now?"

Hearing this question, Lou Gui felt very uncomfortable. He never forgot his ambitions back then, but his fate was hard to fulfill.It's not easy for him to say these words to Cao Cao, so he can only sigh: "Why are you talking about it when you are young, you are just living in chaos now." Cao Cao also knew that his words were insincere, and said with a smile: "How can a unicorn bury the fields? If you don't give up, you will be a Sima in our army. After a while, I will announce you as a captain and general. What do you think?" This remark hit Lou Gui's heart, but he didn't dare to show joy, and said reservedly: "Since we are here to meet you, let's just let Meng De arrange it."

"Hahaha..." Cao Cao looked up to the sky and laughed, "The country is easy to change, and the nature is hard to change. You are still a person with ambition! From now on, you and my brothers will work together to make great things happen, and stabilize the country and revive the country. Wouldn't it be a good thing? That time After the battalion, I will officially appoint you as the Sima of the other department, to lead the troops and horses to follow the army. Since we are old friends, we can ask for anything. How is this different from back then?" "Yes, yes, yes." Although Lou Gui responded repeatedly, he couldn't help but glance back - not far away Xu Chu led dozens of armored warriors to protect Cao Cao's safety at all times, even if he was hanging out with his friends.Such vigilance, such a disparity in status, how can it be the same as back then!

Lou Gui was still secretly lamenting the injustice of God, and saw Cao Cao turned his back to change the subject: "Then what happened to Liu Bei after he arrived in Jingzhou?" Lou Gui was startled for a moment, and immediately woke up.The official promise was just a formality, what people really cared about was the news he brought, he quickly replied: "Liu Biao treats Liu Bei differently from ordinary people, and talks with him every day at banquets, it seems that he intends to send him to Xinye to resist Minggong. When he said this, he deliberately changed his address from "Meng De" to "Ming Gong".

"Huh!" Cao Cao sneered, "Liu Biao really hasn't improved at all. At first he supported Zhang Xiu to stop the old man, but now he has brought out big-eared thieves. He asked others to block the arrows for him, and he hid in Xiangyang to have a good time. I heard that recently he He also violated the etiquette system and worshiped the land in the suburbs. He really didn’t know how to use troops. Liu Bei is not like Zhang Xiu. The attack on me coincided with the rebellion of Zhang Xian, the prefect of Changsha, so he reluctantly gave up. Now that Zhang Xian and his son are defeated and killed, and Changsha has returned to Liu Biao, who will he take over as Zhang's successor?"

"Nanyang Zhangji." "Zhang Ji?" Cao Cao couldn't believe it, "That Zhang Zhongjing who studied medicine?" "It is this person." Lou Gui replied, "The Zhang family is a prominent family in Nanyang. Although Liu Biao killed Zhang Xian and his son, he still wanted to use his family members. Zhang Zhongjing is a declining branch of the family. Using this person as the prefect can borrow Zhang's People hope that they don’t have to worry about big things. In the battle of Changsha, the officials and civilians were killed and injured, and there were many evil diseases. Nearly half of them died of typhoid fever. Zhang Zhongjing was well-versed in medicine. " Cao Cao ridiculed: "There is a saying in "Shuowen": 'The doctor is also the one who cures the sick. Craftsmen and merchants are considered to be in the same class and cannot be officials. Before Hua Tuo and Zhang Ji, there was a famous medical expenses chief in the Eastern Han Dynasty, who hung a pot to help the world. He also cured diseases and hunted ghosts, and did not form an independent professional system), not for gentlemen. Why. How can Liu Biao use such an idler as a county general to protect the people? Even if he can cure typhoid fever, can he also cure the suffering of the world?" Lou Gui had seen Zhang Zhongjing before, and he was not as mediocre as Cao Cao said, but he was inconvenient to refute, so he said, "Liu Jingsheng is poor in employing people! When you ordered Han Song to pay homage to the emperor, you called him the prefect of Lingling. After returning, Han Song was suspicious by Liu Biao, who blamed him on both sides. Before the fierce battle in Guandu, Han Song tried his best to prevent Liu Biao from sending troops, and Liu Biao threw him into prison and has been in jail ever since. How can he be supported by people who are so unreasonable? Internal and external affairs can only be achieved by Cai Mao and Kuai (kuai), the people of Xiangyang all say that Liu Jingsheng sits in the hall, and Cai and Kuai are the true masters of Jingzhou." Cao Cao sneered even more: "At the beginning, Liu Biao had no foundation to go to the post. With the help of Cai and Kuai to gain a firm foothold, he killed Su Dai, Zhu Beiyu, married Huang Zu, and recruited famous scholars. He made great contributions to the world. How could Liu Biao control him?" Come on? I have known Cai Mao since I was a child. He is quite a scheming person. I heard that his younger sister married Liu Biao as a continuation and became a brother-in-law. Most of the bad things in the world are caused by foreign relatives interfering in politics, which is the most taboo for employers. As for that Kuai Yue, he served as Xi Cao'er in He Jin's mansion back then, and Liu Biao had to listen to him at that time!" Lou Gui was quite touched: "Although Yuan Shao and Liu Biao occupy one side, they all rose up with the support of powerful people. Only you, Meng De, restrain the local tyrants and take authority by yourself. How can victory and defeat come out of thin air!" This sentence made Cao Cao feel warm in his heart.Restraining local tyrants from gaining authority is easier said than done. The rebellion of Zhang Miao and Chen Gong in Yanzhou in the past made him almost impossible to gain a foothold. Today's prosperity is achieved through hardships and dangers.Cao Cao turned his head to look at Lou Gui, remained silent for a while and then said: "There are so many similarities in the theories of the world, we still have a good understanding after so many years...Brother Yu liked to hear your opinions when he was indecisive, and it is the same now. There is a It's so hard to choose, how can Lao Zibo solve it for me?" "I dare not..." Cao Cao couldn't help but say it out of politeness: "After the Cangting War, Yuan Shao retreated to Hebei, and I led the army to fight for half a year and couldn't win. But Liu Biao stayed behind me, imprisoning Han Songna and Liu Bei seemed to want to do something. Now I am Should we go north to seek Yuan, or should we go south to take Jingzhou?" "Well..." Lou Gui meant Beishang but couldn't speak directly.One is that he just entered Cao Ying without a proper status, and the other is that he came from Jingzhou. If he frankly admits that Liu Biao is not good enough, he will inevitably be suspected of defending himself. Cao Cao could see it clearly: "After talking for a long time, you still don't want to confide in me? Since you are my old friend, you should do your duty as a friend. It doesn't matter if you are right or wrong. Isn't it up to me to make the decision? Brother Yu never complains because of words." Cao Cao pointed to the sky as an oath. Seeing his statement like this, Lou Gui finally plucked up the courage to blurt out: "Being Beitu Yuan Shao." "How did you see that?" "There is no more prestige in the world than the Yuan family, and the disciples and old officials are all over the world; the prosperity of the world is no higher than Hebei, and Guangwu has won the country because of it. Minggong and Yuan Shao have confronted each other for several years, and only then has the merits of Guandu and Cangting. It is time to take advantage of this The trend of sweeping away the thorns, how can we abandon it once? Think that Liu Biao is in Jingxiang, which is the place of the Four Wars, with Liu Zhang in the west, Sun Quan in the east, and Shanyue in the south (Shanyue, an ancient southern minority, today's Zhuang, Dong, and Miao) Many nationalities such as Shanyue were collectively called Shanyue in the Han Dynasty, and they were also called "Baiyue" because of their many branches. Shanyue was still very powerful in the Han Dynasty, covering almost Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places, and was gradually assimilated by the Han nationality later). Although talent is not difficult to obtain, how can the north be preserved if it is not solid?" Cao Cao said, "Although this is the case, the victory at Guandu will not be as strong as the north is weak and the south is strong, and it may not be easy to win by raising troops..." In fact, he had already tried it once, and Yuan Shao could not be defeated at all. "As the sun goes on and the moon moves, there must be changes. If I were you, I would go north to Yanzhou to garrison troops to prepare for the war. If there is a slight change in Hebei, I will immediately raise my teacher to cross the river and go straight to Yecheng!" Lou Gui spoke heartily, without realizing that he was It's an old problem. It can be said that one word wakes up the dreamer. In the past few days, both Xun You and Guo Jia have advised Cao Cao to take Hebei first, and even Xun Yu, who is in Xudu, sent a letter specially for this purpose.But what really moved him was Lou Gui's plan. Yanzhou and Hebei were across the river, and he would know immediately if there was any trouble. It was really the best place to wait for the battle.Cao Cao clearly made up his mind, but he said calmly: "This method is also feasible. In fact, I have planned to go to Yanzhou for a long time. The victory of the war should comfort the people there. In addition, I want to drop by Suiyang to pay homage to the tomb of Duke Qiao. You came at the right time. It's time, I'll write another book and call Xu You to come, we both received the old man's kindness in the past, so we should worship together." "The best of both worlds, it's very good, very good." Lou Gui felt very happy when he spoke. "It's getting late, let's go back to the camp." Cao Cao turned his horse's head, "I will formally appoint you as the Sima of another department when we get back. But... because of the feud with Yuan Shao, many soldiers were killed and injured, and there are many shortages from the middle army down. , I am afraid there are no extra soldiers for you to dispatch. You and Guo Jia and others will join the army, and recruit new troops in the future and return them to your command!" Lou Gui was not reconciled: "Could Meng De be joking? Isn't Sima Wubing an empty title?" "Hahaha..." Cao Cao dismissed it with a smile, "Xudu builds a house and pays the food, how can Yu treat you badly? The soldiers will make it up for you sooner or later. We are old friends!" gone.Lou Gui had no choice but to follow along with a wry smile. The two returned to the place where the soldiers were stationed with the guards. They were far away from the gate of the village, and they saw the bustling people ahead.In a daze, I saw a few guards forming a group and beating someone, and there was a dilapidated flatbed cart next to it, and a man in rags was sitting in the cart.Cao Cao couldn't help frowning, and said to Xu Chu, "Go and ask what's going on. If there are any criminals, send them to the county temple for punishment; if the soldiers cause trouble without reason, I will punish them severely. Block people at the gate of the camp and beat them. What kind of system is this!" Cao Cao had no time to pay attention to such trivial matters, and could have dismissed the crowd and returned to the council.But since the victory at Guandu, the soldiers have been relieved of their heavy burden, and the military discipline has been relaxed. Today, when such a disturbance happened, a few people happened to be killed to make a law, so they stationed at the horse gate and stared at the crowd coldly, making the soldiers who beat people tremble with fright.Xu Chu asked the reason and came to report: "My lord, the soldiers did not cause trouble for no reason, but someone pretended to be a relative!" "Nonsense!" The person who was beaten jumped up when he heard Xu Chu's words, "I am clearly a relative of the official! Why pretend to be false?" Xu Chu saw that he was about to order someone to arrest him, Cao Cao raised his hand to stop him, and looked at him carefully: his hair was disheveled and his face was covered with dirt, he was only wearing single clothes in the cold spring season, his dirty arms were exposed in tatters, and he could not find a belt to tie him A straw rope and no shoes under my feet.The person sitting on the flatbed cart beside him seemed to be an old woman, with white hair and wrinkled piles, wearing a dirty ragged padded jacket, she was so frightened that she lowered her head and dared not look at anyone—this was clearly a pair of beggars. Cao Cao shook his head: "It's okay for the displaced people to have no means of livelihood. It's abominable to pretend to be relatives. They will be sent to the county temple for punishment." The poor man was still about to defend himself, but all the soldiers rushed forward and were about to tie him up. The man yelled loudly: "You old man is so bold. If I find my uncle and tell him one by one, he has a high position and authority." , I must kill you!" "Wait a minute!" Cao Cao suddenly turned his horse back, and then took another look at the filthy poor man, only to realize that this man was not very old, "Let him go...you say you want my old man's life? Okay, Then I, this old man, have to ask clearly, who is that uncle of yours?" The poor man was really pissed off, and he put his hands on his hips and said, "Are you asking my cousin uncle or my famous clan uncle?" "Oh?" Cao Cao gritted his teeth secretly, "I want to get to know each other." "My cousin's uncle is Ming Tinghou, General Protector Cao Zilian, and my family uncle is Cao Mengde, Sikong!" Cao Cao was almost annoyed: "In this way, you are still the descendant of the Hou family. Then what kind of person do you think I am?" The soldiers saw that Cao Cao didn't know him at all, and they covered their mouths and laughed. happy.Only Lou Gui was secretly dumbfounded——Cao Mengde, Cao Mengde, as the prime minister of the court, you still have to compare pennies and pennies with a commoner, how did you become like this! The man heard that he intended to be sarcasm, and scolded sharply: "I see that you are a rat-bellied old man, vicious, vicious, jealous and capable of being a rogue and traitor!" Xu Chu knew very well that Cao Cao was irritable, so if he yelled out, this man must be cut into pieces.Before he could speak, he went forward and held down the poor man, and shouted: "How dare you insult Cao Gong, do you want to die?" Unexpectedly, the man was not afraid of being overjoyed, struggling and shouting: "He is Mr. Cao... Uncle! It's me! I'm Xiu'er... Don't you remember Ba'er..." Cao Cao's face was ashen when he scolded him, but when he heard the word "Xiu'er", his heart skipped a beat: At that time, the son of his uncle Cao Ding died early, leaving behind a posthumous son named Cao Xiu. , the villagers thought they were dead.Could it be that the young man in front of him is really Cao Xiu?Thinking about it so far, he looked more carefully, but the Cao Xiu in his impression was still a baby, and he couldn't tell the truth from the fake. When he was anxious, he suddenly saw the old woman on the flatbed crying loudly: "Let go of my son...you let him go quickly...My God..." "Stop!" Cao Cao jumped off his horse, and walked to the front of the car in three steps at a time. Although the old woman was gray-haired and looked haggard, her former appearance was still recognizable. She really was the widowed sister-in-law. "Oh, my old sister-in-law! You, you...you are still alive!" The woman was stunned, her sleeves covering her face trembling. Cao Cao pushed her hand away: "Look at me, I'm Ah Man!" "Oh..." The woman screamed and fell down, crying, "The heavens have eyes and the ancestors bless you, I finally meet my relatives... My unlucky, short-eyed, kicked-off husband..." When the old lady saw the Cao family, she couldn't help thinking of her husband. Poor women don't understand etiquette, and Cao Cao was also afraid that others would see jokes, so he quickly persuaded: "Old sister-in-law, don't cry, don't cry, you should be happy when you go home to see your relatives!" Cao Xiu fell to his knees and crawled up to Cao Cao on his knees: "Master Uncle, I am Xiu'er, I am Xiu'er! My son was rude just now, so I apologize to you." He kowtowed as he spoke. "Poor child..." Cao Cao hurriedly hugged him, "Where did you go? The uncles in the family are so worried. My old uncle Cao Jingjie is only your grandson. If he dies outside, how can my old uncle die?" Uncle's queen?" Cao Xiu cried and said: "When Dong Zhuo's soldiers raided Yuzhou, my mother took me and fled to my grandfather's house in a neighboring county. Unexpectedly, my grandfather's family was killed, and even the house was burned by Xiliang soldiers. Another bandit and bandit took advantage of the chaos to cut the trail. My mother panicked and followed the refugees all the way south and left her homeland. When he arrived in Nanyang, Yuan Shu arrested people as soldiers everywhere. My mother was afraid that I would be killed and went down the river to Huainan. Mother and son were begging To make a living, I couldn’t even dig wild vegetables in the famine year, and fled across the river to Wu County. Fortunately, I met a kind official who took my mother and son into the county temple office. I served as a slave boy for him, mother Sewing and mending for others is just a living." Cao Cao couldn't help crying when he heard that his mother and son had suffered so much: "My child, why don't you come to find your uncle?" "The roads are in chaos and the roads are impassable. I don't know where you are! It was only a few years later that I heard that you greeted Shengjia and established the imperial court, but the land of Jiangdong is fighting every year, and I can't go back. My mother and son are in a foreign country. Dare to tell others about your old relationship.” Cao Xiu became more and more hurt when he said this, “My grandfather was so noble when he was alive, and there is a portrait of him on the screen wall in the lobby of the Wujun Yamen! Kneeling in front of his portrait and weeping bitterly..." Cao Cao's heart trembled. His fourth uncle, Cao Ding, and Cao Jingjie used to be the prefect of Wu County, but the old man was not a good official, and he was repeatedly impeached for corruption and bribery.Unexpectedly, many years after his death, his daughter-in-law and grandson will be tortured by others in the place where he used to be evil, and they will show him his portrait every day!Is this the retribution... Cao Xiu wiped away his tears, gritted his teeth and tremblingly said: "My mother and son endured until Sun Ce was assassinated and Sun Quan succeeded to the throne, and Jiangdong received soldiers and horses, and then dared to run back. I am not afraid of hardships." , but my mother's legs..." Only then did Cao Cao notice that the old sister-in-law had been sitting in the car for a long time, and she didn't even move when the soldiers beat her son: "Old sister-in-law, what are you..." "Paralyzed!" The woman patted the car, "Wu Jun's tide is hot and the soil is unacceptable. I do laundry and work every day, and my legs have long been disabled. This poor child has spent all his time beating up this small car, pushing it all the way. I'm back...my filial child..." Hearing this, Cao Cao was shocked, and stared at Cao Xiu lazily—even though the child's clothes were torn and his face was covered with dirt, his eyes clearly revealed a resolute and courageous temperament.From Wu County to Qiao County, I worked hard to push my mother back to her hometown. What kind of perseverance and what kind of filial piety is this!There is nothing more difficult in a person's life than chaos. When I went, my mother held the young child, and when I came back, my son pushed the crippled old mother... Cao Cao stood there for a long time, patted Cao Xiu's head and said, "Son, you are my Cao family!" My thousand-mile steed! Since ancient times, a loyal minister came out of a filial son, and you will become a great weapon in the future!" The mother and son cried bitterly in front of the car for a long time. Cao Cao took them into the camp to change clothes and tribute food, and hurriedly called Cao Hong.Cao Xiu's mother and son have been away from home for many years, and their property has long been abandoned. Cao Cao simply kept them in his house, and selected more than a dozen capable maidservants to serve his sister-in-law, and ordered his subordinates to treat Cao Xiu as a son-in-law. It is no different from Cao Pi and others.The two families of the Cao family and the Xiahou family drank for several days to celebrate their reunion, and the people of Qiao County were also elated when they received the court's favor. More than ten months later, Man Chong, the prefect of Runan, sent a military report stating that all the remnants of the rebels in the territory had been wiped out.Cao Cao's journey back to his hometown had to end here, and then he went north to Yanzhou, waiting for the opportunity to send troops to Hebei to challenge Yuan Shao.