Chapter 10 Separation of monarchs and ministers

Cao Cao returned to Xudu full of suspicion, but everything he witnessed was beyond normal.Outside the city, Cao Hong sits in the big camp for strict defense. Inside the city, Xu Duling Man Chong leads soldiers to patrol.He left Liu Bei, Zhang Liao and others in Xingyuan temporarily, and returned to the mansion with a group of subordinates.Unexpectedly, far away from the gate of the mansion, a large group of people came out to welcome them.The head of the Liufu, Shi Liu Dai, Shuzuo Xu Tuo, Mao Jie, He Kui (kui), Liu Fu (fu), Lu Cui and other family members of the Liufu, as well as the eldest son Cao Pi, the second son Cao Zhang, the third son Cao Zhi, the adopted son Cao Zhen, Cao Bin...Dong Cheng, who had just replaced him as the chariot general, was among them.

Seeing Cao Cao's horse approaching, Dong Chengshou took two steps and snatched the reins, led the horse respectfully, and said with an earnest smile: "Mr. Cao killed Lu Bu and took back Hanoi, and made an indelible contribution to the court. It's really hard work! " No matter how awkward he was, Cao Cao didn't want to be rude, so he quickly got off his horse and said, "Oh...how can I dare to ask the general of chariots to lead the horse for me, you are killing me. " Hearing that he intentionally emphasized the words "General of Chariots and Cavalry", Dong Cheng felt ashamed on his face, clutched the reins more tightly, and said shyly: "Don't make fun of me, I really don't dare to compete with you. It's the Holy Majesty who insisted on it." If you want to add an official to me, I repeatedly refuse and refuse to agree, so I have no choice but to..."

"Cough! Why should the uncle be modest? You and I are both members of the court, and it is only natural to obey the emperor's orders. How can I worry about it, and how dare I worry about it?" Cao Cao said with a strange air, "Furthermore, this chariot general should have My relative Guixun is in charge. My uncle Dou Xian is my uncle Dou Xian as the chariot general, and Emperor Xiaoan uses my uncle Deng Zhi (zhi) as the chariot general. Now your beloved daughter has to be enshrined as the emperor, and you have the position of nobleman. You live here The job couldn’t be more appropriate.”

General Cheqi was established by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Famous generals Guan Ying, Zhou Yafu, and Jin Ridun (di) all once held this position.But after Emperor Guangwu rejuvenated, this official gradually became the monopoly of foreign relatives to control the government.Dou Xian and Deng Zhi both ended up with their families broken and dead. Cao Cao pointed them out one by one, which was clearly a compliment but a threat. Dong Cheng heard the overtones, and secretly complained that the emperor threw him a piece of red-hot coal. This official in name only is really hard to be!Quickly put down the reins, and made a deep bow to Cao Cao: "I have no talent or virtue, and I was able to hold this position because of Duke Cao's leniency. From now on, I will be the only leader of Mr. Cao, and I will wholeheartedly repay your kindness."

"What are you talking about? How dare I boss you around? You should follow the emperor's lead and repay the court's kindness wholeheartedly." Dong Cheng also lived tremblingly in Xudu for more than three years, and knew Cao Cao's temper well.If Cao Cao's words were harsh and scolding, he would probably be fine after the attack; the more indifferent he narrated, the more he hated him!Hearing that he has been rejecting people thousands of miles away, he lifted his robe and fell to his knees in all desperation, and said tremblingly: "Mr. Cao, don't misunderstand, I just want to explain clearly to you. I am really disturbed because of this matter. Every day They all came to your mansion to welcome you back, just to express their feelings, you must trust me!"

Cao Cao looked down at the pitiful Uncle Guo, expecting that he didn't have the guts to push the emperor to deal with him, so he sighed softly, and lifted him up with both hands: "Why should Uncle Guo give up his identity, I trust you..." The big stone in Dong Cheng's heart finally fell to the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said in a low voice: "I really have no choice, neither dare to bear the crime of resisting the imperial edict, nor dare to offend Cao Gong's prestige, it is really..." It is really two ends Embarrassment, no one dares to offend!

"Uncle Guo, you don't need to think too much. I definitely trust you. Wouldn't it make others laugh if you talk about it like this?" The emperor publicly expressed his dissatisfaction! Dong Cheng wanted to say some more intimate words to Cao Cao, but he couldn't think of a word after searching his brain. How could Cao Cao treat him as one of his own, so what kind of intimate words could he say?He sighed secretly, looked up and saw that all the subordinates around him were looking at him with contempt, and Cao Pi and the other children were even more sneering.How embarrassing it is for the general of the court to bow down to people in the street!He felt that he was in an embarrassing situation, and said shyly, "Since that's the case, I won't bother you. You must be tired after working hard on the pommel horse. I'll visit you some other day."

"Don't dare. I brought back some flatfish from Xuzhou. It's a rare delicacy that I dare not enjoy alone. When I was young, I sent someone to send you some." "Thank you very much." Dong Cheng bowed and retreated, and after walking a few steps, he turned around and said, "If Mr. Cao has a dispatch, he will come as soon as he is called." After taking another two steps, he felt that the statement was not firm enough, and then turned around and said, "You If there are any unspeakable things, I can ask the little girl to speak privately to Long Live." After finishing speaking, he remembered that it is a taboo for women to interfere in politics, so he quickly corrected him, "Tell me directly, and I will report to the emperor for you." After finishing speaking, he felt that seeing the emperor behind Cao Cao's back would surely arouse suspicion, so he quickly went back and corrected, "Let's meet the emperor and report to the emperor together." Dong Cheng just muttered in three steps and turned back in two steps, for fear of being singled out by others wrong.Seeing that Cao Cao kept nodding and smiling at him, he let go of his courage and boarded the car.

Guo Jia approached Cao Cao: "I don't think this guy really has anything to do with the appointment." Cao Cao shook his head bitterly: "Then it will be even more difficult..." Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi haven't seen their father for more than half a year. When they saw the "uninvited guest" go away, they rushed over, pulling their sleeves, and hugging their thighs.Cao Cao was relieved but reprimanded: "Let it go, you are still a son of a prince, why are you so unruly?" Cao Pi was fourteen years old, Cao Zhen was sixteen years old, and Cao Bin was thirteen years old. They were all older children. They all bowed to the ground and said, "Welcome my lord father back home."

"I haven't been in Beijing for a long time to supervise, and I don't know what your homework is. Come back and show me the recently transcribed articles." After saying that, Cao Cao took Cao Zhang with one hand and Cao Zhi with the other, and walked into the gate of the house.Liu Dai, Xu Tuo and others saw that their father and son had already greeted each other, so they bowed down one after another. Entering the second gate and coming to the hall, all the subordinates withdrew, Cao Cao silently pulled Cao Pi to his side, and whispered, "Has your new Aunt Du been settled properly?" But after a few days of separation, he still missed her a lot. beauty.

Embarrassed, Cao Pi stammered, "Madam arranged him and Aunt Zhou together." What he called Madam was not Bian's biological mother, but Ding's wife, Cao Cao's first wife. The Ding family had conflicts with Cao Cao since their son Cao Ang died in the battle in Wancheng, and the relationship between husband and wife was extremely tense.At this moment, Cao Cao was dissatisfied when he heard that Mrs. Ding let Mrs. Du and Mrs. Zhou, who was born as a maid, squeeze together, "Why do you do things like this? It's not that there are no vacancies in the mansion!" Cao Pi dared to say: "Maybe my wife thinks that Auntie Du is a remarried person." Cao Cao knew in his heart that the Nayin family brought He Yan, a posthumous son of the He family, who caused Cao Ang to die in Wancheng because of Na Yin's aunt Wang, and now brought back a remarried widow. Ding must be unhappy, so he wrote lightly: " To live at home is to calm things down and make peace with others, so it's fine to ask the back to clean up a new house and let Mrs. Du move in." Cao Pi looked left and right, and said in a low voice: "My mother has suggested this for a long time, but the madam insists on refusing. Aunt Zhou is going to give birth again these days, and Aunt Du is helping to take care of her when she lives in the same place, right? Wait until Aunt Zhou has given birth before moving in?" Mrs. Zhou was originally Wang's maid, and she was also favored by Cao Cao. She was pregnant last year, and she was about to come to fruition in nine months. "Okay, okay." Cao Cao became impatient, "There are so many major issues in the world, how can I have time to worry about these things, let your mother discuss it with your wife." Cao Pi blinked his eyes and said: "Daddy is the mainstay of the court, and he only cares about the government affairs of the country. Naturally, he doesn't care about family affairs. Fortunately, my mother is in the mansion. If Madam is doing something right, all the aunts and maids will look at me. I don't care about my mother's face anymore..." Cao Cao stared at his son vigilantly—this child was white and supple with a wide face, long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a nose that hung boldly, big ears turned toward his bosom, lips that were painted with fat, and teeth that were broken. His strengths are that he speaks respectfully and seems to be quite polite, but the more he listens to his words, the more chill he feels!What he said seemed to imply that Mrs. Ding was not good, everything was done right by his mother, and she should be divorced and his mother should be righted.At such a young age, I didn't work hard on the knowledge of poetry and calligraphy, but I have such a crooked eye with Lao Tzu... Cao Cao couldn't figure it out, so he said with a sly smile, "These trivial words are not something you should say as a son. You copy the "Book of Filial Piety" and send it to me at night." "No. The boy has gone to copy the book." "Wait!" Cao Cao stopped him again, "I have conscripted Chen Changwen into our mansion as a vassal. He is a virtuous and filial brother from three generations of the Chen family. From now on, you brothers must respect him well, and learn the way of loyalty and filial piety from Chen Qun... go .” Cao Pi knew that he was in trouble, so he quickly hid in the back hall.Cao Cao stared blankly at his son's back, feeling lost for a while.After fighting outside for a long time, the relationship between father and son has become estranged... At this time Wang Bi ran in: "Report to my lord, Xun Lingjun has passed the mansion." Cao Cao regained his composure, forced a smile and said, "Please come in...you have been busy in the army for several months, go back and rest, Liu Dai and Xu Tuo will take care of you if you have anything to do." Not long after, Shangshu ordered Xun Yu to walk in.Cao Cao returned home and sat down now, feeling exhausted, and didn't bother to be polite, but fortunately he was one of his own, so he pointed to the couch in Dongshou: "Sit down." Xun Yu's behavior was very upright, and he sat down respectfully and politely according to the rules: "Duke Ming has suffered a lot during this war between East and West, right? I see you have added a few gray hairs." "Oh?" Cao Cao didn't know it, he couldn't help touching his hair, and smiled wryly, "It's not surprising that he has already passed the age of forty... It is true that capturing Lu Bu took a lot of effort, but the more difficult thing is yet to come." He got to the point with a few sentences, "Did Yuan Benchu ​​have a watch delivered recently?" "No, not at all." Xun Yu shook his head, "It turned out to be perfunctory. Since the matter of moving the capital was rejected, Yuan Benchu ​​regarded the imperial court as nothing, and he didn't even put a seal on such a big matter as the extermination of Gongsun Zan. " "He is determined to fight with us, and he is too lazy to do official papers..." As soon as the words fell, Wang Bi came again: "My lord, the former Yilang Zhao Da asked to see me." Zhao Da was a guy who was determined to climb high, and as a court Yilang, he took the initiative to ask to be Cao Cao's subordinate in order to gain benefits.Cao Cao thought he was shameless, and told him that he had resigned from the official position but refused to use him. He was so anxious that he came here every day to curry favor, and asked for favors everywhere. Cao Cao shook his head again and again: "The ears are so long, he arrived as soon as I came back." Wang Bi smiled and said: "I heard that he has become friends with all the gatekeepers and servants in Xudu, and the servants in our mansion are no exception." Xun Yu interjected: "This Zhao Da is getting more and more outrageous, he even told me to kick him out yesterday." A servant brought water, Cao Cao took a sip, and felt more and more lazy. He pulled a small stool and leaned on it: "Who has the time to deal with this villain? Beat him out! If you dare to come, turn it over to Man Chong for punishment." "No." Wang Bi withdrew. Cao Cao yawned and pulled the words back: "Xuzhou and Yanzhou are all right, I intend to let Che Zhou guard Hanoi for the governor of Xuzhou and Wei Zhong, and you can handle the edict." "En." Xun Yu nodded in agreement. "In addition, add Miao Shang and Xue Hong as lieutenants. And..." Cao Cao said while thinking, "Liu Bei has also come back this time, and set up a mansion for him in Xudu. He and Kong Rong and Yuan Huan They are old friends, choose a spacious and decent house, and others will make a joke." Xu is no more than Luoyang, and the civil and military mansions are mostly cramped. "In addition, I also subdued Zhang Liao, the general of Bingzhou. Although he is in the army, he will arrange a house for him, regardless of whether he can't live in it. He led his troops to surrender. Marquis of Guannei, commanding Lu Bu's remnant soldiers..." Xun Yu reminded: "The military discipline of the Bingzhou Department has been corrupt for a long time, and it has recently surrendered. Shall we send Zhang Liao a supervisor?" "Well, that makes sense. Tell Jijiu Wu Zhou to be transferred to the supervisory army and assist Zhang Liao in commanding the troops." Wu Zhou is an old man in Cao Ying. As a fellow, it is most suitable to serve as the supervisor of the army. "Anything else?" "Let's think about it... Lu Bu's original position is still vacant, and Liu Bei was appointed General Zuo by the Jin Dynasty." "Promote him again?" Xun Yu didn't understand what he meant, "He is already the general of Zhendong and the shepherd of Yuzhou." After these days in Xuzhou, Cao Cao had a better impression of Liu Bei: "After all, Liu Xuande is a surrendered man, so he should show himself to others. Although he is incompetent in military affairs, after all, he has friendship with many famous people in the East. Use him to calm down Chen Deng. Um...that’s all about these things, I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.” Cao Cao deliberately didn’t talk about Dong Cheng’s matter. Xun Yu wrote them down one by one, and said: "Chen Ji and his son have been settled. The old man is quite satisfied with the environment in Beijing, but he thinks that people will visit and disturb his peace. Being too famous is also a burden!" "Please try to persuade the old man, since you have come to the capital, you must at least be an official. Now that there is a vacancy in Jiuqing, Da Honglu, I just ask him to take it." Xun Yu blinked: "Chen Yuanfang can tell me, you promised in Xiapi not to grant him an official position." "I have promised, but it does not mean that the court has promised, the emperor has promised." Xun Yu saw his strong words, shook his head and said, "I'm afraid this is not good." "It doesn't matter. Discuss with the old man slowly, just hang on to the title of Dahonglu. If you want to go to court, you can go to court, if you don't want to go to court, you can rest at home. Even if it is the emperor's court meeting, as long as the old man doesn't want to participate, no one will go home Dare to say a word about him?" "Okay, I have time to talk." Xun Yu casually agreed, and threw it behind his neck, "You came back just in time. In a few days, Pei Mao will arrive with Duan Yan and the envoy from Guanzhong. You can see him in person. one sight." "Very good, very good." Cao Cao nodded, "This Duan Yao is indeed the younger brother of Duan Jiong (jiong) of 'Liangzhou Sanming', but he has the emperor and the court in his eyes." The previous year Shangshu Pei Mao shot at him as a visitor He entered the pass with his identity, and summoned all the generals in the pass to attack Li Jue and Guo Si.Zhonglang sent Duan Yan to conquer Chang'an and killed Li Jue, and Guo Si was killed by his rebel subordinates.Duan Yan came to Beijing with Pei Mao this time, which means that he is also a member of the court of Xudu from now on. Xun Yu, who had always been reserved, suddenly smiled: "Duan Yao's arrival has affected the minds of all the generals in Guanzhong. All the separatists, big and small, sent envoys to accompany him, even Ma Teng, who is far away in Xiliang, , Han Sui also sent people, Wei Duan, governor of Liangzhou, sent Yang Fu to Hongnong to contact Pei Mao long ago, this time I am afraid that a large number of people will come, and there will not be enough for the post in Xudu." In the last years of Emperor Ling's reign, Xiliang bandit kings, Beigong Boyu, and Bianzhang rebelled, and Ma Teng and Han Sui formed teams to fight against the enemy bravely.But at the end of the battle, Wang Guo, Beigong Boyu, and Bian Zhang were defeated one after another, and Ma Han became the leader of the rebels.Dong Zhuo moved to the west, Li Guo took power, and Ma Han also attacked the city of Chang'an, but was repelled by Li Guo.After that, the world became more and more chaotic, and the Xijing imperial court could not reach Liangzhou. They appointed Ma Teng as General Zhengxi and Han Sui as General Zhenxi, acquiescing to their separatism.He also appointed Wei Duan, a famous scholar in Jingzhao, as the governor of Liangzhou to ease their conflicts with the imperial court. Cao Cao also laughed when he heard that the separatist leaders in the west were about to send people, "Xu Du is very popular, which proves that the court is on the right track. When they come, we have to entertain them well." Xun Yu smiled and said: "This reminds me of Lord Guangwu's strategy of subduing Karasuma. Let's do like cats and tigers." When Liu Xiu pacified the world, the people of Karasuma refused to accept it.So he sincerely invited the chiefs of Karasuma to Beijing as guests, and ordered people to decorate Luoyang with colorful flowers.Seeing the bustling city, majestic palaces, and exquisite food, more than half of the savage leaders in the backcountry were unwilling to leave. Since then, Karasuma moved to the northeast to obey the Celestial Dynasty.Liu Xiu didn't shoot a knife or an arrow without fighting and beating others. "Miaozai Miaozai! Tell Ding Chong and Man Chong to do it, and we must welcome them with lights and festoons." But after laughing, Cao Cao's face gradually became sad again, "Master Guangwu surrendered Karasuma without fighting, But now the Karasuma people are on Yuan Shao's side... There are threats everywhere..." He straightened up, saw the pen and ink on the desk, picked it up, and slowly wrote on the blank bamboo slips: General, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Sun Ce of Jiangdong, Yuan Shu of Huainan, Zhang Xiu of Nanyang.Every time he wrote one, he read one after another, and when he finished writing, he put down his pen and sighed: "If you want to fight Yuan Shao decisively, you must first stabilize them, and you must not let them make trouble at the critical moment." Xun Yu said: "We have to eat food one bite at a time, and we have to walk step by step on the road. Let's come one by one, and we must first stabilize the generals in Guanzhong." "Yeah, you can't be in a hurry. The world is changing rapidly. As long as you seize the opportunity, there will always be a solution." Xun Yu saw that he had nothing to say, so he stood up and said goodbye. Cao Cao forced himself to stand up and see him off.When he got to the hall, Xun Yu suddenly stopped in his tracks, with a puzzled expression on his face: "Also... about the general chariot and cavalry, I really..." In fact, he was anxious to see Cao Cao mainly to clarify this, but he sat down. I didn't know how to speak for a long time, seeing that I was leaving so I had to mention it. Cao Cao knew that Xun Yu was a humble gentleman, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Wen Ruo, I don't need to talk about this. Don't I know you yet? You are kind-hearted, upright and courteous, gentle, courteous and thrifty. Everything the emperor insists on doing , you can't refuse." "You are so enlightened, what else can I say? Sigh..." Seeing that he understood everything, Xun Yu sighed heavily, "The Holy Majesty has been a little angry recently, maybe the prince is sick and irritable." The prince's name is Liu Feng, It was Fu Wan's daughter, Empress Fu, who was born last year. Since Liu Xie was not yet twenty years old when she got her son, the child had some congenital deficiencies, and had been sick since birth. "Why do you do political affairs with a child's illness?" Cao Cao couldn't understand. "Actually, I've also thought about it. Dong Cheng was born as an old general in Xiliang. Giving him a promotion at this time will also benefit Guanzhong. Let's be as tolerant as possible." Xun Yu couldn't say too deeply, "How about this? Tomorrow, let's ask Dong Cheng to meet the Holy Spirit together, and the monarch and ministers will meet and explain clearly, and report on the killing of Lu Bu by the way." "Forget it, I'm tired." Cao Cao yawned again, "Maybe sometime I'll have to use the army again, I'll rest for a few days first. I'll ask Fanqin to fix a watch for me and submit it to Duan Yao when Duan Yao arrives." Let's face you together, but it's just for show." Knowing that he was angry, Xun Yu said softly, "Then it's up to you. The Holy Majesty is young after all, and we ministers should be more considerate. I'll take my leave..." Cao Cao sent Xun Yu away, but he was still very uncomfortable-the emperor is nineteen years old, and this age is full of ambition, so of course he would not be willing to ask me to preside over everything.But can't he just pat his chest and think about it?Without me, Cao, how could there be this imperial court, and how could there be a Han dynasty?If I'm gone, who can stand up to deal with Yuan Shao!