Chapter 11 Guanzhong Homecoming

There are no fewer than dozens of separatists in Guanzhong, but few of them are successful. The generals fight against each other and cheat each other. There are no fixed rules for how to behave. They often drink in front of a few tables today, meet each other in battle tomorrow, and shake hands and sworn brothers the day after tomorrow. .In this unstable situation, all the generals were eager to find a backer, so they were all willing to admit the Xudu court in the east. Two years ago, Zhongcheng Zhongxuan, the censor, was transferred to the position of minister and servant to shoot Jinglue Guanzhong. At that time, many separatists sent envoys to Xudu, and most of them asked the imperial court to mediate their struggles.This time the generals reluctantly cooperated under the court's call to annihilate Li Jue and Guo Si. Everyone felt that they had made great contributions and couldn't wait to ask the court for credit and win Cao's backing.In particular, the well-known Duan Wei personally entered Beijing, which aroused the enthusiasm of the generals. As big as Ma Teng and Han Sui who occupied Liangzhou, as small as the separatists with only one county territory, they all sent envoys to accompany them.

The servant of the audience, Pei Maochijie, was in front, Duan Yan and Yang Fu followed, and behind him was a team of nearly a hundred envoys, who rode tall horses on the street, attracting all the peasants and peasants to watch.After Xu Duling's pre-arrangement, there were lights and festoons everywhere, and the atmosphere was very warm. Those envoys all crawled from the land of swords and swords, and some of them were of mixed blood who had never seen the world. When they saw the bustling market in Xudu, they smiled with envy and looked around, only regretting that their parents didn't give them more eyes.

Fortunately, after hearing the news, they had made preparations early, and the Xudu Posthouse temporarily built a house. Otherwise, it really wouldn't be able to receive so many guests.Cao Cao was very careful about the reception. Not only did he send Wang Bi and Liu Dai to take care of him warmly, but he also dispatched officials from the imperial court who were originally from Guanzhong, such as Shi Weiqi, Yilang Jinxuan, and Changshui Xiaowei Zhongji, to accompany him. The local accent is very cordial to the ears.Those envoys who are both good and bad are nothing more than that, Zhonglang needs to receive priority reception for Duan Yan as the first meritorious service in killing thieves.Cao Cao, General Dong Cheng, General Fu Wan, General Fu Wan, General Fu Wan, Prince Liu Fu, Minister Ling Xun Yu, and Servant Pei Mao went up to the hall next to Duan Yao.

Duan Yao, courtesy name Zhongming, was born in Guzang, Wuwei, and was nearly sixty years old.Although this person also ruled in the Hongnong counties, he was completely different from other Western warriors, mainly because he was the younger brother of Duan Jiong, a famous general who broke the Qiang.In the early dynasties, there were three famous generals, Huangfugui, Zhang Huan, and Duan Jiong, who defended the frontier. They were all natives of Liangzhou. Weiming, Zhang Huan's style is Ranming, and Duan Jiong's style is Jiming).Among the three generals, Duan Jiong is the most brave and skilled in fighting.It's a pity that he has too much fame and fortune, and he is obsessed with climbing. He once had some friendship with Cao Song, the father of Cao Cao.So when Wang Fu fell from power, Duan Jiong was also ruined and lost his life.A generation of brave generals did not die on the battlefield but died in political struggles, and the whole family, young and old, followed suit.At that time, Yao had already become an officer in Liangzhou, and was also implicated and dismissed from office.Until the Yellow Turban Uprising, Emperor Xiaoling Liu Hong pardoned the party members, and pardoned the Duan family in order to ease internal conflicts.Duan Yan returned to the army, followed Huangfusong and Dong Zhuo to fight against Bian Zhang and other rebels, made many military achievements, and was promoted to General Zhonglang after Dong Zhuo entered Beijing.Because of the experience of being convicted and pardoned, Duan Wei retained a little more love for the emperor of the Han Dynasty.

What makes Duan Wei especially worry is that there is a legendary experience between him and Liu Xie, the suffering emperor.In the past, Liu Xie, under the escort of later generals Yang Ding, Anji general Dong Cheng, and Xingyi general Yang Feng, got rid of Li Jue and Guo Si, led a hundred officials back east, and passed through Huayin County where Duan Yan was stationed. A lot of food and materials were prepared to cater to the emperor.However, later general Yang Ding had a rift with Duan Yan, and he colluded with his servants to frame him and Guo Si for conspiring to hijack him, led the army to attack his camp, and demanded an edict from the emperor to question him.Liu Xie, who was only fifteen years old at the time, firmly believed that Duan Yan was innocent. Not only did he not issue an edict, but he also reprimanded Yang Ding, saying: "The king's attack is to be as high as heaven's will and to be in line with the people's hearts. If the criminal is executed, the king will not do it. And want to order me to have evil?" Yang Ding failed to capture Duan Yao's camp, but Duan Yao still offered imperial food and clothes.Later, Yang Ding planned to murder Duan Yao, and Liu Xie secretly announced to protect Duan Yan.After this soul-stirring experience, Duan Yan was overwhelmed with gratitude to the little emperor, which was also the fundamental reason why he recognized Xu Du's court and was willing to help Cao Cao.

After more than four years, Duan Yan finally saw the little emperor who was kind to him again today, and he knelt down in the hall in a hurry: "The minister is late, please punish me, Your Majesty!" Liu Xie was also very happy to see him: "Why is Aiqing guilty?" Duan Yan held the wat board in his hand and said: "I have committed a lot of crimes and failed Your Majesty's kindness. I should have stayed by your side at the beginning, but I was angry with the treacherous minister Yang Ding, and I couldn't return to the East with Your Majesty from the beginning to the end. I feel ashamed all the time..." Speaking Two lines of old tears fell involuntarily.

Cao Cao, Dong Cheng, Fu Wan and others were all moved when they saw his sincerity.Liu Xie's eyes were even redder: "The wind knows the strength of the grass, then Yang Ding later abandoned me and fled to other places when he was in danger, and he still doesn't know the whereabouts of this villain, but Aiqing, you killed Li Jue and came to me If you had been by my side back then, maybe..." Maybe there would be no situation where the capital was moved to Xu County and controlled by others!But in front of Cao Cao, Liu Xie didn't dare to say such words, and instead said, "Perhaps the two thieves Li and Guo can be killed sooner."

Duan Yan held up his wat and worshiped again: "I am so ashamed that I failed to fulfill my duties and caused Your Majesty to suffer more dangers. Fortunately, Mr. Cao helped the country and established the court again." He couldn't help but turned his head and glanced at Cao Cao, "I hope Your Majesty deeply Follow Cao Gong's words and rely on Cao Gong's power to restore chaos to the world." Liu Xie was very touched at first, but when he heard this, his face was a little frosty, and he said coldly: "That's natural."Although Cao Cao has made great contributions, he monopolizes power and treats me like a puppet. Don't forget that this country is my country!

Cao Cao was delighted to hear Duan Yan's praise, but he was very dissatisfied when he saw Liu Xie's indifferent attitude; Duan Yan didn't know why the emperor suddenly became cold, and looked confused and surprised; Dong Cheng, Fu Wan, and Pei Mao saw this The scene hurriedly lowered his head, and no one dared to look at it; the prince took pleasure in misfortune and covered his mouth with a smile; Xun Yu also felt embarrassed, and took a step forward and held up his wat and said: "Duan Zhonglang has made great achievements, and the Holy One should add a reward." .” Seeing Xun Yu's reminder, Liu Xie put aside all his worries and restored his amiable expression: "Duan Aiqing has made great contributions to punishing the rebels. I have promoted you to be General Annan, and you have been granted the title of Marquis of Wen (wen)." This is what Xun Yu ordered in advance. of.

"I don't dare to bear such a generous seal." Duan Yan knelt there and shook his head humbly. "How can you not accept it?" Liu Xie said again, "If you don't look at my face, you must also look at Cao Gong's face!" These words were secretly stinging. All the people in the hall could hear it, and there was silence for a while. I don't know why the emperor is like this today.Cao Cao couldn't stand it any longer, fearing that Liu Xie would say something harsher, he hurriedly stepped forward to help Duan Yan, and said with a smile: "Old General, it is a kind thing for you to be appointed as a Marquis, you must not refuse any more. "

"Okay, okay." Duan Yan pretended to be confused, kowtowed his head quickly to express his gratitude, got up and returned to the imperial court with Cao Cao. Seeing this, Pei Mao hurriedly bowed to the ground holding the talisman festival in his hand, and said in a loud voice: "The minister ordered the governor to lead Guanzhong to fight against the rebels. Today is a great success, and this festival will be returned to Your Majesty." "You're done?" Liu Xie didn't dare to get angry at Cao Cao, but shouted at Pei Mao, "You're so proud of killing two thieves, when will you really be done? Can I see that day?" Pei Mao He was also a very old man, and he was very embarrassed by this unreasonable accusation, so he quickly handed the talisman to the courtier, kowtowed and returned to the court. Xun Yu's heart was pounding. He looked at Cao Cao and then at Liu Xie. He had a premonition that if he continued to talk like this, the monarch and his subjects would surely quarrel in the court, so he quickly raised his wat again: "It's getting late, General Duan and Cao Gong still have a military relationship. After discussing, there are many envoys in the post waiting for reception. If the Holy Majesty has no other orders, the ministers will resign." Liu Xie waved his hands and said weakly: "Go ahead and treat Duan Aiqing well for me... Also, don't take what you said just now to Pei Aiqing, I'm not meaning you." Cao Cao was taken aback - if it wasn't for him, then it was for me!He couldn't say anything more right now, so he hurriedly gave a deep salute and exited the hall with everyone.When he stepped out of the palace gate, he couldn't help but secretly raised his head and glanced at the emperor again: dragon brows and phoenix eyes, nose augmentation and red lips, a bookish face, handsome and unrestrained, but slightly angry, the beads on the crown kept swinging, revealing Feeling restless.He has grown up, and he is no longer the child who was kneaded by others! Several people left the hall all the way, looking down at their feet, and finally Xun Yu broke the embarrassment first: "Recently, the prince has been ill, and the emperor is inevitably a little irritable. I hope General Duan will not be offended." Duan Yan smiled slightly: "Everyone came here when they were young, and the emperor is the same. Sometimes it is inevitable to be irritable. When I was young, if I was unhappy, I would go to the battlefield and kill a few Qiang people. Hehehe..." He Seeing the rules of driving, the nature of the warrior was exposed when he went out. These words amused everyone, and the dull atmosphere was swept away.Xun Yu said: "General Duan will go back to the mansion with Duke Cao first. I still have some business to do. When I was young, I sent someone to the post house to invite all the envoys to come. Duke Cao will hold a banquet for everyone." "That will bother Mr. Cao." Duan Yan hurriedly saluted, "Your Majesty is coming too!" "That's natural. You send back the coffins of my uncle and He Boqiu. I also want to offer you three glasses of gratitude." Xun Yu's fourth uncle Xun Shuang and He Yong (yong) both died in Xijing. Yan deliberately ordered people to dig out the coffin and send it back to Yingchuan for burial after careful care. Duan Yan said: "This trivial matter is nothing, and I will eat you a meal." "Don't be polite, old general. I'll do my best to be a landlord, and I'll get to know other envoys by the way." Cao Cao said politely to Dong Cheng, Fu Wan, and Liu Fu, "You three, let's come to my residence to have a great time." Dong Fu and the two didn't dare to take this issue. Who knows what they were discussing, if they heard it and made Lao Cao suspicious, they all waved their hands and said: "We also have some official business, so it's inconvenient to bother you today, and we can go there another day to talk to Cao Gong." , Congratulations to General Duan." Wang Zifu prided himself on being a clan and had a very high self-esteem, he didn't bother to be with this veteran ruffian, he just shook his head and said nothing. Duan Yan went in without knowing, and said with a smile: "Uncle Dong Guo, no one cares about you, but you can come here! There are so many fellow villagers in Liangzhou, why don't you go and see them?" Dong Cheng didn't dare to agree, he lied quickly and said: "I feel a little uncomfortable in the lower abdomen, and it's getting worse now, let me take a leave of absence today." It was more comfortable for them not to go to Cao Cao, so they stopped giving way and invited Pei Mao back: "Pei Shangshu must come." Pei Mao was still depressed about what happened just now, he shook his head and said: "I also feel a little uncomfortable, today..." Cao Cao had something to discuss with him, and before he finished speaking, he interrupted with a smile: "Dude, don't play tricks, today is a feast for the envoys from Guanzhong, how can we do without you, the hero who seeks thieves? Come on, come on!" During the conversation, several people had already left the palace gate, Dong Cheng and the other three went away, Xun Yu was still returning to the provincial council, but Cao Cao insisted on pulling Duan Yao and Pei Mao into his car.The two declined before going up, one on the left and the other on the right to accompany Cao Cao.After the carriage drove for a while, Cao Cao began to get to the point: "General Duan, what are your plans for the future?" "I don't have any plans, it's all up to the court's arrangement." Although Duan Yan was known as a powerful feudal clan in Guanzhong, he only had three thousand soldiers, and he didn't have the capital to rule the world. In addition, he was getting old, and he had no higher pursuit in this life.Since he was willing to come to Xudu, he went with the situation. Hearing his reply, Cao Cao cut straight to the point: "If the general doesn't mind, please go back to Hongnong. There are good and bad generals in Guanzhong, and we need a prestigious commander. After you go back, you will preach the virtues of the court to the generals and tell everyone to go back to Hongnong. Keep yourself safe and wait for the imperial court to dispatch." "Since the imperial court trusts me, then I'll show off my old face. Wait until Duke Cao defeats Yuan Shao in Hebei before returning to court to accompany you." Cao Cao was startled: "You..." Duan Yan held his silver beard in his hand and smiled: "I have fought all my life. Although I am not as successful as you, Mr. Cao, I can still see the general trend of the world clearly. I have been favored by the emperor, and now I am appointed as a marquis. Naturally, I want to serve the court Effectiveness. Leave the Guanzhong land to me, you can rest assured!" "Hahaha... Jiang is old and hot, I admire him!" Cao Cao admired this straightforward veteran ruffian even more, so he flattered him, "There are more than dozens of separatists in Guanzhong, and you are short-sighted when attacking each other. Only you, General, understand He is worthy of his family background as an official." After the ZTE, the family background was the most important among scholars, and even the generals who commanded the army preferred the children of Confucian scholars.The warriors from Liangzhou came from humble backgrounds, and although they made great military exploits, most of them were not honored by the court, and they were not allowed to move their household registrations inland. Therefore, it is the greatest compliment to praise them for their origins. Duan Yan was so happy to hear Cao Cao, who was under one person and above ten thousand people, complimented him like this, he straightened his waist and said proudly: "Old man, ancestor is a famous person who protected Duan Zong in the Western Regions first!" In fact, he It's just that Duan Zongcong's great-grandson has nothing to do with it, and this is what the elders in the clan said when he was young, so it's not sure if it's true or not. "So that's how it is..." Cao Cao followed everything he said, "Since the general is from the Liangzhou clan, he must be familiar with the generals in Liangzhou, right?" "That's natural!" "You also know Zhang Xiu who occupies Rang County?" Duan Yan laughed more and more: "Haha! I call his uncle Zhang Ji brother and brother, but Zhang Ji has to call me uncle when he sees this old man!" Cao Cao then laughed twice, twirling his beard with his hand, and said slowly: "I've heard people say that Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu's counselor, is from the same town as you, and entrusted his family to you when he went south, is there such a thing? ?” Duan Yan stopped his smile suddenly, and secretly groaned in his heart—it was too much to say, and Cao Mengde's compliments went in!Duan Yan and Jia Xu are very close friends. Jia Xu's elder brother Jia Shu and his family are now in Huayin County.But he also knew that Cao Cao's three requests for Zhang Xiu were uncertain, and now that he brought up this matter, he probably wanted him to hand over those people as hostages to threaten Jia Xu.Duan Yan wanted to deny it, but Pei Mao, who had been in Guanzhong for a long time, was sitting next to him, and the lie would be exposed immediately.Thinking up to this point, he said vaguely: "Jia Wenhe is a wise man in Liangzhou, and I am both a fellow villager and an old friend with this old man." Cao Cao listened to his tone as acquiescing, and he was very protective. He understood his concerns, and said with a smile: "General Duan, don't think too much, I have no other intentions. The court is the place of justice in the world, and I will not use it to challenge you." Threatening people. But I have an unfeeling request, I hope the general can write a letter to Jia Xu, and let him persuade Zhang Xiu to submit to the court and stop being a victim of Liu Biao." Cao Cao was very upset. It is clear that Jia Xu is Zhang Xiu's counselor in name, but in fact he can be half of Zhang Xiu's family. Duan Yan was a little skeptical: "Master Ming didn't want to take revenge on his son?" Cao Cao's first challenge against Zhang Xiu was defeated, and his son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and his favorite general Dian Wei were all lost in Wancheng. Cao Cao looked ahead and sighed: "Zhang Xiu, a brave general, and Jia Xu, a ghostly strategist, would be a blessing in the world if they could abandon the dark and turn to the bright and return to the imperial court. Since ancient times, great things have been done without regard to small details. son?" Duan Yan was dubious, Cao Cao saw that he still had doubts, and asked again: "General Duan, what is your title that the Holy Majesty bestowed on you, do you remember?" "How can this be forgotten, General Annan!" Duan Yan seemed to understand something: Guanzhong was clearly in the west, but Cao Cao asked the emperor to give me the name of Annan, referring to Zhang Xiu in Nanyang. It turned out that this guy had a plan . "It's not Pingnan, it's not Zhennan, it's Annan. The beauty lies in the word 'an'. An'an is steady and steady, and it doesn't hurt peace..." Cao Cao explained, "General, please rest assured that I am all of Jia Xu's family. No. You should write him a letter, don't use too harsh a word, just talk casually about Xu Du's experience, and mention the matter of surrender by the way. Jia Wenhe is a smart man, and he will understand it at a glance. Let me make a note to you Guaranteed, if Zhang Xiu is willing to surrender, not only will he not be investigated for his faults, but he will also be promoted!" Duan Yan stared at him for a while, then gritted his teeth for the last time: "Forget it! I'll try to make friends with you, but Mr. Ming will do what he says." "That's natural!" Cao Cao bowed his hands and saluted, "A gentleman's words are hard to follow, and he will never make things difficult for the general." Treating Duan Yao favorably is actually Cao Cao's plan to kill two birds with one stone. He not only wins over the forces in Guanzhong, but also extends his tentacles to Rang County.But Zhang Xiu's backing is Liu Biao, an old enemy during the war and peace is also very troublesome.Cao Cao turned his head to look at Pei Mao, and said with a smile, "Pei Shangshu, your son is now serving as a guest at Liu Biao's office in Jingzhou, right?" "That's right." Pei Mao made no secrets, he did have a son, Pei Qian, who avoided the chaos in Jingzhou, and Liu Biao respected him.Cao Cao wanted to propose the same thing, but Pei Mao stopped him without waiting for him to speak: "Don't be afraid of Ming Gong's jokes, my son has a surly temper and doesn't care about trifles. It's unbecoming to violate etiquette! Back then, I didn't like it. Since the chaos Father and son are separated and go their own way, without the slightest contact, and are very distant!" When he said this, he was filled with righteous indignation, as if father and son regarded each other as enemies (chou). It's not bad if you think about it carefully. The Han Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, so it's unreasonable for father and son to live separately, not to mention that each official can't communicate with each other?Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite, and Pei's father and son have many conflicts and cannot tolerate each other.The reason why Cao Cao brought Pei Mao here was to talk about this matter, but now he had no choice but to give up, full of enthusiasm and cold, and had to comfort Pei Mao: "There are nine kinds of dragons, each of which is different, and the ten fingers are not even when stretched out. This is also true. I can't help my father!" Pei Mao pondered for a while, and then said: "I know what Duke Ming is thinking. Liu Biao's support of Jingxiang is really a serious problem for Xudu, but the lower officials are helpless. There is a saying that long-distance and close-attack combine vertical and horizontal, why didn't Minggong try to contact Yizhou Where is Liu Zhang?" "Oh?" Cao Cao stroked his beard and pondered, "This is a bold proposal." Bashu and Yizhou were the earliest separatist states in the world, and they have been passed down to Liu Yan and Liu Zhang's father and son for two generations.Liu Zhang, styled Ji Yu, was the fourth son of Liu Yan, who had no hope of succession.Because Liu Yan's eldest son Liu Fan and his second son Liu Dan colluded with Ma Teng to attack Chang'an, they were killed by Li Jue; the third son Liu Mao suffered from a serious disease, so this son fell on him.For Cao Cao, Liu Zhang can be said to be a sharp weapon to contain Liu Biao, but the distance from the Central Plains to the mountains in Shu is long, and the envoys need to trek arduously, and the south road to Jingzhou is impassable and they have to go westward, which requires the envoys to communicate with the generals in Guanzhong. Intimate relationships are fine.Cao Cao thought for a while and suddenly smiled: "Since Pei Shangshu has this proposal, can you work hard for the court?" Pei Mao smiled wryly, held up his gray beard and said, "I dare to go, I'm afraid I'll come back to see you if I die!" The strong man is old and helpless, Cao Cao is inconvenient to force him: "Then, can someone recommend Pei Qing?" Pei Mao blurted out without hesitation: "Wei Ke, the censor of the book, is worthy of this position. Wei Boru is from Anyi in Hedong, and he is very familiar with the generals in Guanzhong. He is also a talented young man. It must be suitable to send him." "Okay!" Cao Cao agreed, "Transferred to Wei Qi as the servant of the audience, and sent an envoy from Guanzhong to Yizhou to make friends with Liu Zhang." Two major events were arranged, and the carriage arrived at the gate of Sikong Mansion.Many envoys who were invited had already arrived. When they saw Cao Cao, Duan Yan and Pei Mao coming in the same car, they knelt down and paid respects in unison.Cao Cao looked at these envoys, good and bad, and sneered secretly: This group of people seems to be united, but in fact they are fighting each other. If they are tied to each other, there will be no time to send troops to Kanto to disturb my major affairs.Coupled with the fact that Duan Yan coaxed them on behalf of the imperial court, the Guanzhong land would be fine. Thinking of this, Cao Cao was not in a hurry to get out of the car, and waved to everyone: "Everyone, get up quickly, since you are here, you are a distinguished guest of the court. Your commanders are all people who have made meritorious deeds, and the court treats everyone equally with rewards!" "Thank you, Mr. Cao!" The envoys got up one after another. Pei Mao added: "In addition, go back and tell your commander-in-chief that since he has been officially appointed by the imperial court, he must thank the emperor for his kindness and not act recklessly." After finishing speaking, he asked Duan Yan, "Does General Duan have anything else to say?" "Yes!" Duan Yan stood up from the car as soon as he agreed, and shouted sharply, "When you are drinking later, none of you are allowed to steal and play tricks! Whoever I let, whoever doesn't drink, will eat me Old boxer! You must be serious about drinking the wine of the imperial court! You must be honest with the imperial court!" The old soldier's words made everyone laugh up to the sky.For a while, the front of the palace was turned into a market courtyard, and Erya's eulogies became slang and jokes.Cao Cao also acted on the occasion, shouting: "Let's go drink!" Yang Fu, who worked in Liangzhou, rushed over to help Cao Cao and others get off the car.Cao Cao grabbed his hand and said with a smile: "Yang Zong, I heard that you went to watch our army drill, how do you feel?" Yang Fu respectfully said: "Dr. Cao has a great talent and a long-term strategy. He has no doubts about his decision. He has a good method and a good soldier. He can use people who are beyond his control. He will do his best to help the great things! I am eye-opening, When you get back, tell my family, Mr. Wei, to listen to the imperial court's orders wholeheartedly. Even if there are arrogant and disobedient people who try to win over, we will never waver!" In the words, the spearhead was aimed at Yuan Shao. Seeing that this young man was clever and earnest, Cao Cao couldn't help laughing up to the sky...