Chapter 24 Kong Rong Nao Mansion

Defeating Yuan Shu first and then defeating Liu Biao, this time Cao Cao's return to the teacher is much more beautiful than the one at the beginning of the year.Ten miles away from Xudu, I saw many scholars lined up on the side of the road to greet them, with drums and music playing together and flags waving, and the leader was Shang Shuling Xun Yu. Cao Cao was quite dissatisfied when he saw the scene, so he jumped off his horse and rushed to Xun Yu, ignoring those who saluted him, and said, "Wen Ruo, this is not the first time I have fought. Why do you have to do this set of hypocrisy?"

Xun Yu bowed and saluted: "I don't know your temper, but today I came here at the order of the Son of Heaven, and I didn't make my own decisions." Cao Cao looked around, and saw that most of the people who came were the servants and Huben Lang next to the emperor, and some gentry from Xudu. They did not disturb the princes and princes, so Xun Yu must have stopped them.He turned his anger into joy, quickly made a bow, and sighed: "It is really rare for Wen to not resign from the king's order and to be considerate. If you don't take up this ministerial order, I am afraid no one will be able to do it."

"A few small things should be taken for granted." Xun Yu actually has something on his mind. The case of the former Taiwei Yang Biao has caused a lot of turmoil in Xu, but it is inconvenient to mention it in public at the moment, so he hurriedly introduced, "Mr. Two famous figures have also come to welcome you!" "Oh?!" Cao Cao looked around, "Who is it?" Xun Yu asked someone to introduce him personally: "This is He Shulong who is famous in the Kingdom of Chen." He Shulong's name is He Kui, he is a famous scholar in Chen Guoyang Xia, and he is known for his noble virtues.Because he was related to Yuan Yi, the late prefect of Shanyang, Yuan Shu's brother, he took refuge in Huainan during the war.Later, Yuan Shu conspired to stand on his own and gave him a false post; He Kui refused to accept his resignation and was placed under house arrest.During the battle between Yuan, Cao and Chen, He Kui took advantage of the chaos to escape from Shouchun, and hid in the mountains for a long time in order to escape the pursuit of Yuan Shu's minions.Then he heard that Yuan Shu was defeated and scattered, Huainan was in chaos, so he crossed the Huai River and fled to Xudu.Because Cao Cao moved to Nanyang, he fell behind He Kui.

Although Cao Cao had admired He Kui's name for a long time, it was the first time he met him today.Seeing that he was in his early thirties, eight feet three inches tall, dignified and luxuriously dressed, he did not look like a fleeing refugee at all, and secretly marveled in his heart.Before he could see the ceremony, he cupped his hands first and said: "Mr. He has been trapped by wolves all these years, and now he is finally out of danger. Congratulations!" Usually tall people would bow their heads when they saw Cao Cao, but He Kui seemed not born to bow his body, so he just cupped his hands: "Mr. Cao is very polite. If Mr. Ming hadn't defeated Yuan Gonglu, I wouldn't be able to escape. .”

Cao Cao shook his head: "To be honest, before I arrived in Qi County, Yuan Shu had already collapsed on his own." At this time, a man named Zhao Da squeezed out from the crowd. This man is a young man with little talent and learning. He always wants to cling to Cao Cao for his future. Dagong actually said that Yuan Shu collapsed on his own. Even if he collapsed on his own, I think he was intimidated by Mr. Cao’s reputation. Do you think so?” Even fools could hear such blatant flattery, and everyone present looked sideways. No response at all. Cao Cao also felt that these words were very boring, so he didn't even look at Zhao Da, but instead asked He Kui, "Does Mr. He believe what I say?"

Whether forced or voluntary, He Kui was an official of Yuan Shu after all, not to mention that He Kui has some relatives with the Yuan family. He knew that Cao Cao wanted to test himself, but he calmly stroked his beard and said: "Heaven's help is smooth." , those who are helped by others believe. Yuan Shu does not have the reality of trust and obedience, but hopes for the help of heaven and man, so he cannot achieve his ambitions in the world. The master who loses his way, and his relatives betray him, let alone the soldiers and horses? Take Kui to see it , the chaos is bound to happen!"

Hearing that he was full of benevolence, justice and morality, Cao Cao felt that this person was a little pedantic, but he still praised him: "Yuan Shu arrogated himself as a country. Those who are a country will perish if they fail to be worthy. Yuan Shu can't keep a celebrity like you, Mr. He, and he will return after being defeated. Isn't it a matter of time?" He Kui waved his hands modestly, but pointed to another person beside the road and said with a smile: "I am just a person who has a false name, here is someone you have been looking forward to for a long time!"

Cao Cao looked along his fingers, and saw an official in blue and black standing there.He looked less than forty years old, but his face was weathered and wrinkled. His face was thin and thin, with sparse eyebrows, big eyes with deep eye sockets, and a yellowish beard. This look was so familiar, but Cao Cao couldn't remember it for a while. The man made a bow and said, "Mr. Cao, you used to be a guest of the shogunate. You left Luoyang without saying goodbye. Since then, you have not seen each other. You wrote to me and promoted me. How come you don't know me when you come down to you?" ?”

"You, you are... you are Gongda!" Cao Cao could hardly recognize him. Xun You smiled miserably: "I have experienced hardships and hardships in the past few years, and my appearance has changed." This statement is indeed true.Back then, Xun You was a subordinate of the great general He Jinxuan, and later he was an official servant of the Huangmen. At that time, he was so romantic and unrestrained, no less than the current Guo Jia.But the world was full of troubles. Dong Zhuo went to Beijing to disrupt the government, and he was also kidnapped to Chang'an, Xijing.Because he planned to kill Dong Zhuo with He Yong, he was imprisoned in a large prison for more than a year. He Yong died of illness in prison, and he suffered a lot until Wang Yun and Lu Bu coups.But the good times didn't last long, and Xijing fell for the second time. Xun You wanted to abandon his official position and return to his hometown, but he couldn't pass through Henan.There are wars all over the world, and he was awarded a foreign post several times but failed to take up the post smoothly.

Later, he offered to be an official in Shu County, hoping to avoid the chaos. Unexpectedly, Liu Yan, Liu Zhang and his son in Yizhou monopolize Xishu and cut off the road, and Zhang Lu, the leader of Wudou Rice Road, is also entrenched in Hanzhong.Xun You trekked hard in Kansai, but was unable to enter Sichuan in the end, and did not want to return to the chaotic Chang'an, so he had to live in Jingzhou.Later, when the emperor moved to Xudu, Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Xun Yan successively sent letters to invite him to come. They also called him to be the prefect of Runan by imperial edict.Xun You wanted to go very much, but the war in Nanyang was in chaos, so he turned into Wuguan again and came by detour from Henan.Counting carefully these years, either in prison or sleeping in the open, after all kinds of hardships, how can his appearance look like before?

Cao Cao had been looking forward to Xun You for a long time. He admired his vision and wisdom when he was in the shogunate, and now he finally got his wish: "Gongda is wise and far-sighted, and he is very human. From now on, if you are wise and resourceful, what should the world worry about!" "I failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo, but I was thrown into prison instead. What face do I have to say that I am wise and far-reaching?" Xun You smiled wryly, "Uncle He begged to die in prison, and a generation of people with lofty ideals scribbled to bury Xijing. Since then, I have just lived in despair. .” "Don't say such things. Now that you belong to the imperial court, you should cheer up and show your talent in Luoyang in the past." Cao Cao looked at him with piercing eyes. It works. I think it won't be long before Brother Boqiu's coffin can be brought back for burial." Xun Yu interrupted and said, "My uncle Xun Shuang's coffin is also in Chang'an, and I want to welcome him back together." Cao Cao held Xun You with one hand and He Kui with the other and said with a smile: "Today I returned victorious, and the two of you escaped hardships and came to the capital. Don't mention anything else that spoils the fun. Let's go back to Xudu and have a drink." Let's go!" Said to leave but no one got on the horse, Cao Cao and everyone returned on foot; the large army behind was also much more relaxed, and the generals also came down to pull the horses to relieve fatigue, and the local soldiers gave this return to the foreign country People tell about terroir.Everyone was chatting and laughing, but it was lively, and the ten-mile journey was over in a blink of an eye. Set up the Xingyuan outside Xudu, the soldiers stationed separately, Cao Cao and other officials entered the city and returned to the mansion.I saw people kneeling and worshiping everywhere in the Xudu market, and many people stood on the houses and waved their hands.None of the officials who came to welcome him left. They insisted on sending Cao Cao back to the mansion, and then accompanied him to face the king to repay the victory.This moment is probably the most comfortable moment for Cao Cao since he became an official. Through his hard work, he finally won the approval of officials and the love of the people. His hard work has seen results, and no one seems to be dissatisfied with him anymore. The long team went all the way to the gate of Sikong Mansion. Cao Cao was so emotional that he stood on the stone steps and bowed again and again, saying in a loud voice: "My colleagues, please send me off! I, Cao, was able to defeat Yuan Shu and Zhang Xiu, thanks to everyone's efforts Helping each other. It was you who assisted the emperor to handle the government in Xudu, so that I had nothing to worry about in the army. From now on, Cao and the princes will work together to assist the emperor. The crime of untruth against anyone..." "Wait a minute!" Before he could finish his vowed words, someone cut him off sharply.Everyone was surprised, only to see a person running hurriedly from the west of the street——it was Kong Rong, the Shaofu. Kong Rong heard that Cao Cao didn't even change his deep clothes when he returned to Beijing. He ran over in casual clothes and a talisman on his head. !" This sentence was like a slap in the face of Cao Cao in public. Just after saying "never treat anyone with false crimes", now there is an injustice case made by himself.All the people present were embarrassed, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent; Cao Cao's face was hot for a while, fearing that he would say something that would hurt his face, he hurriedly said: "Brother Wen Ju, don't worry, speak slowly if you have something to say." "Don't be slow!" Kong Rong grabbed Cao Cao's wrist, "The favored man you used was a treacherous and cruel official who used sticks to Yang Gong in the hall of the county temple. ?” The more you don't let him speak out, the more he yells, which is really embarrassing.Cao Cao originally wanted to teach Yang Biao a lesson, telling Man Chong to "handle the case flexibly", but Man Boning really dared to execute the sentence.But now we have to make mistakes, Cao Cao changed his serious face: "Brother Wen Ju, Yang Biao is related to the false emperor Yuan Shu, shouldn't he be held accountable?" Kong Rong did not give in: "The fourth generation of Yang Gong is pure and moral, which is what the country looks forward to. There is a saying in the "Book of Zhou" that father, son and brother are not related to each other, let alone blame Yang Gong with the Yuan family? , wouldn't it be a vain deception?" Cao Cao was already at a loss, but now in front of everyone, the more he argued, the more embarrassing he became.In desperation, he pulled Kong Rong's sleeve and said in a low voice, "This is the intention of the country." This is obvious nonsense. Now Cao Cao's words are tantamount to the emperor's edict, which is tantamount to the country's will.Hearing what he said, Kong Rong seemed to have come to his senses. Looking at the embarrassed eyes around him, he quickly changed his tone: "If King Cheng wanted to kill Duke Zhao, how could Duke Zhou know what he said? Today, I am going to Xiaying ① That’s why the gentry looked up to the Duke of Ming, and he supported the Han Dynasty with his intelligence and benevolence, and his actions were in vain.” Comparing Cao Cao with the Duke of Zhou, and praising him for his intelligence, benevolence and wisdom, these two sentences are still a face. 『①The tassels, crown belts and crown decorations refer to official positions or prestigious scholar-bureaucrats. 』 When Cao Cao saw it was good, he closed it quickly: "Okay, brother Wen Ju, don't worry. I will release Yang Gong after I report this matter to the Son of Heaven!" "Don't wait to tell the emperor, Mr. Yang is injured after being tortured! Let him go now!" Cao Cao broke away from his hand, and said in an almost begging tone: "I have not yet met the emperor when I returned to the capital, and the etiquette has not yet been completed. I am not busy with Yang Gong's affairs for a while." "Oh! The punishments are being executed over there, so why talk about etiquette?" Seeing that he was still procrastinating, Kong Rong jumped into the crowd and shouted to the officials present, "Wouldn't it be nice to watch and listen at home today if you're killing innocent people?" Cold heart disintegration? I, Kong Rong, am also an upright and upright man of the Lu Kingdom. If I cannot release Duke Yang today, I will leave tomorrow with all my clothes on, and I will never return to the court with my hair thrown into the mountains!" His yelling had too much impact, and it was too inhumane for the officials present to watch him make trouble, so they had to come over to comfort Cao Cao: "You just let Yang Gong go, don't make Kong Wenju make such a fuss, and the common people are watching, our official face He lost it all." Xun Yu also came over to persuade him, "Even if Kong Rong doesn't say anything about Duke Yang, he still has to talk about it, but Man Boning's actions are so ruthless. If this matter is spread to the outside world, how can Duke Ming establish his reputation in the world?" Cao Cao's face turned from white to red, from red to blue, and from blue to white again. Looking at Kong Rong who was still shouting, he was trembling with anger. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, and raised his hand and shouted: " Let it go! Let it go! Let it go! It doesn't matter whether he is guilty or not, I'll clean his ears first!" As soon as Kong Rong heard that he had made a fuss, he immediately turned his anger into a smile, came over and bowed and said, "Mr. Cao understands righteousness, and Rong is quite pleased..." Cao Cao didn't bother to talk to him anymore, turned around and walked into the courtyard without even looking at him.The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He was very happy today, but it was too embarrassing for this plague god to disturb him! When Kong Rong heard about the release, he turned his anger into joy like a normal person. He pulled his neck and shouted: "Thank you, Mr. Cao! Also, you must meet the Mi Heng I recommended..." The officials present were not as lenient as Kong Rong. They originally planned to accompany Cao Cao to go to the palace to report victory, but now looking at the situation, whoever fails will be in trouble.Everyone didn't say anything, and they all dispersed without saying a word.