Chapter 25 Consolidate the shogunate

Due to the constant conflicts on the Central Plains battlefield, the importance of food and grass supplies has become increasingly prominent, and the power of Cao Cao's reform of the farming system has been revealed.This year the imperial court used troops again and again, but at the end of the year, there was still food surplus in Taicang. The grain produced by the villagers in Xudu could fully guarantee the supply of the front line, and Ren Jun, the general of Diannong Zhonglang, was still trying to spread the system of farming to other areas. . Food is the foundation of the army, and the people depend on food.Due to the continuous supply of supplies in the rear, Cao Cao's army can send troops again and again without showing fatigue, forming a virtuous circle.In contrast, the other separatist forces in the Central Plains were gradually declining: Yuan Shu’s Huainan land was barren and devastated; Zhang Xiu was short of soldiers and food in Rang County; There is an undercurrent of competition for food.

More importantly, Zhang Xiu was born as an old general in Liangzhou and had a reputation for being brave for a long time. His failure shook Guanzhong and even Xiliang.Since the death of Dong Zhuo, the west of Hongnong has been dominated by warriors. There are no less than dozens of separatists, no matter who has thousands of troops, they dare to do whatever they want. They kill each other on their one-acre three-point land. Pay attention to the situation in Kanto.But with the defeat of Zhang Xiu, the generals in Guanzhong realized the power of Cao Cao.In addition to Zhong Yao's management of Guanzhong, the Guanzhong separatist regime headed by Duan Yan gradually began to move closer to the Xudu court.For a while, sending envoys to the imperial court became the general trend, and Li Jue and Guo Si, the culprits of the chaos, fell into an extremely isolated situation.

With the synchronous growth of Cao Cao and the imperial court, Xu Du entered the third year of Jian'an (198 AD) in a prosperous atmosphere.The important affairs of the country are only sacrifices and sacrifices. Now that the imperial court has a material foundation, various ceremonies that have been abandoned for a long time are gradually being restored.From this year, the ceremony of Baiguan He Zhengdan was resumed. On New Year's Eve, at midnight, the gates of the palace are wide open, and the bells and drums of the palace are beeping. From the princes to the officials, from the princes to the officials, they enter the palace in brand-new court clothes and presents.There are clear regulations on the congratulatory gifts of hundreds of officials. Dukes offer jade biscuits, officials with a salary of two thousand shi headed by lieutenants offer lambs, officials with a salary of a thousand shi to six hundred shi offer wild geese, and those with a salary of less than 400 shi offer geese. It's a pheasant.

Hundreds of officials lined up, passed the gate of ceremonies and knelt down to congratulate, and officials with more than two thousand shi went to the hall to say long live.It was rare for the emperor Liu Xie to be sincerely happy. He was led by the servant of the Huangmen to sit in the palace and gave a banquet to all the officials.For a while, the palace music was a masterpiece, and the ladies in the palace came to set up a banquet. The delicacies were presented, and the land and water arrived. However, according to the traditional etiquette system, the Sangong and Jiuqing are indispensable when performing the Hezhengdan ceremony.The chief minister should hold the rice for the emperor, Sikong is responsible for serving the soup, and the Taiwei, Situ and other ministers raised their cups and toasted the emperor in turn.But today's ceremony is different: Taiwei Yang Biao has long been dismissed, and he was still beaten by a stick in the county prison. None of them participated; Wei Weiqing and Zhang Jian hung their cars at the gate of the mansion and refused all contacts; the imperial servant Han Rong lied about his ear disease and shut himself at home.

On the side of the throne, Cao Cao, Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, and Dong Zhao were really active. In addition, Situ Zhao Wen and General Fu Wan served as foils.As for the other ministers of the imperial court, they can only kneel and worship at the bottom of the steps holding wine bottles!Although Han Li was established since the time of Shusun Tong, in fact it still has to succumb to real politics... When the ceremony was over and the banquet was withdrawn, all the officials left one after another; Cao Cao did not relax at all, until the emperor returned to the harem, and he was sure that no one would take this opportunity to remonstrate, so he took Xun Yu and Xun You to his safety car.

"Xun Lingjun, how is the ceremony going?" Cao Cao was triumphant. "It's good, but it costs a little more. After all, the world is uncertain, and it doesn't seem worth spending so much money for the New Year." "Yes, it cost a lot." Cao Cao nodded, "But this money will not be wasted. I want to let the world know that the court's authority and etiquette have been established, and no one can shake it in the future. Especially at this time , There are still many envoys from Guanzhong here, I have to let them know the dignity of the court."

Hearing his explanation, although Xun Yu felt quite reasonable, he reminded: "For the imperial court, apart from the false emperor Yuan Shu, Li Jue and Guo Si are the number one enemies. But after all, they are the chief culprits, and justice in the world cannot be upheld if they are not killed. Now the time is ripe, and it is time to get rid of them." "I'm already thinking about it." Cao Cao said confidently, "When the weather eases up, I'll send Xiahou Yuan to lead the troops into the customs and go straight to Chang'an. We must bring back the heads of these two rebels and pay homage to them. The royal tombs of the past dynasties."

"It's not appropriate to send General Xiahou there." Xun You, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly interrupted. "Oh? Doesn't Gongda think highly of Yuan Rang's military talent?" Cao Cao asked tentatively. Xun You smiled slightly.In his view, Xiahoudun was better at running the army than at attacking wars. He was a good man in charge of military aircraft, but he was not necessarily good at attacking cities.However, the reason why he blocked Cao Cao was not limited to this: "Mr. Cao, please think about it. Li Jue and Guo Si are thieves of the country, and they are guilty of causing chaos. They are not like Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu. According to the imperial court system, court officials should be sent to fight chaos. , or Zhonglang General, or Ye Zhepushe, sending General Xiahou there seems to be unreasonable from the system. This is one of them."

Cao Cao felt that this reasoning was a bit dogmatic, and when he heard him say "this is one of them", he guessed that there was something wrong with him, so he hurriedly asked, "Is there any other reason?" Xun You said again: "The generals in the Guanzhong have grievances with each other and cannot be united. If the soldiers arrive, it will prompt them to make peace and jointly defend against foreign aggression. Therefore, sending troops into the Guanzhong is definitely not the best policy. This is the second." The first reason is just a high-sounding cover, and the second reason is the crux of the problem.Cao Cao pondered for a moment: "Then let the two thieves live for a few more days."

"That's not necessary." Xun You interrupted, "Soldiers are impermanent, water is impermanent, and wars in the world ebb and flow. Duke Ming re-established a temple in Xudu, and this is an inextricable enmity with the two thieves Li and Guo. It was so hard to get the generals in Guanzhong to send envoys to see them. How could we miss the opportunity to get rid of the thieves? If the generals in Guanzhong cannot be drawn into the army today, if the war in the Central Plains is easy again, then Li Jue, Guo Si and even the generals in Guanzhong will have to vote. under someone else's command."

Cao Cao understood that he could only refer to Yuan Shao by "no matter how easy the war in the Central Plains is".So he took a deep breath: "What should I do if I want to eliminate the thieves but can't send troops?" Only then did Xun You show his hole card: "Send the servant of the audience to shoot and hold the festival to enter the pass, and use the imperial order to pass on the generals in the pass, and use their hands to kill Li Jue and Guo Si. There are three advantages: first, it conforms to the ancestral system and is justified; Two, eliminating the thieves without taking the land in Guanzhong can reassure the hearts of the generals; third, letting them take action is tantamount to pulling them on board our boat, which can establish the hearts of Xu Tu Guanzhong in the future." "Wonderful!" Cao Cao slapped his thigh, turned his head and asked Xun Yu, "Is there a suitable candidate?" Xun Yu thought for a while and said slowly: "Shang Shu Pei Mao is worthy of this post. He is from Wenxi in Hedong, and he is quite close to the generals in Guanzhong. In the fourth year of Chuping, he was ordered by the emperor to be in Chang'an. He has presided over an amnesty, which is very popular among the people. Moreover, he has a son, Pei Qian, who works under Liu Biao's account, and I heard that he is very favored. Using Pei Mao can also promote our relationship with Liu Biao." "Very well, let's borrow a knife to kill people! If you have a draft edict from Lord Lao Ling, you will worship Pei Mao as the servant of the audience, and pass the festival to the generals in the pass to attack the two thieves Li and Guo. Those who punish the country's thieves will be rewarded with the title of marquis and general. After finishing speaking, Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu and Xun You sitting on the left and right with satisfaction.This pair of uncles and nephews, one dealing with government affairs and the other serving as a military adviser, are really right-hand men bestowed by heaven. In a blink of an eye, the carriage was about to arrive at Sikong Mansion.Through the beaded curtain, Cao Cao had seen a group of officials huddled and crowded in front of the mansion. It turned out that after leaving the palace, many people didn't even return home, and went straight to Sikong Mansion to pay New Year's greetings to Cao Cao.Human feelings are cold and warm, and the world is hot and cold. Since Yang Biao was imprisoned, many people have learned to be good. Seeing that the New Year's people were about to break the threshold, Cao Cao frowned, and murmured, "It's really annoying not to find a moment of peace." He ordered the roof of the car to be lowered, and asked Xun Yu, "I think these people It won't be gone for a while, how about sitting in Lingjun's mansion for a while?" Xun Yu was taken aback: "I'm flattered, but the vulgar officials in my place are bustling and noisy, I'm afraid it will disturb your elegance." "It's not a problem. I want to see how Ling Jun manages everything!" Cao Cao smiled and ordered the coachman to turn off the horse, and the car turned to drive to Xun Yu's mansion.After walking a few steps, I suddenly heard a growing panting sound faintly coming from behind.The three of Cao Cao couldn't help but turn their heads to watch—but they saw an official in Yilang's uniform, panting and running after the carriage. Han officials are the most respectful of dignity. Although the education is chaotic now, it is really indecent to wear brand-new court clothes and run on the street with cloud shoes.Xun Yu recognized Yilang Zhao Da at a glance: "What is he doing? Is there something important to report?" "Hmph!" Cao Cao sneered, "What can he do? If there is something important, he would have called us to stop... Hurry up and ignore him!" Cao Cao's carriage went faster and faster, Zhao Da stood behind him. Reluctant to give up, he ran for a while wearing a soft robe, and then simply took off the hat and hat, and chased after him with his hat in his arms. After a while, when they arrived at the gate of Xun Yu's mansion, some soldiers raised the bead curtain and were about to help Cao Cao get off the car.Zhao Da, who was behind, finally caught up, pushed the soldiers away, stretched out his hot hands panting heavily, and helped Cao Cao down tremblingly. "Zhao Yilang, what do you mean?" Cao Cao looked at Zhao Da's distressed appearance. Zhao Da put the hat on sloppily, took a step back and knelt down on the ground, gasping for breath, "I'm an official... I'm an official... to Mr. Cao... Congratulations on the coming of the New Year..." "Zhao Yilang, chasing the car to give me New Year's greetings, it's really hard for you..." Cao Cao has seen many flatterers, and none of them are as low as this, so he can't help but sarcasm; frown. Zhao Da knelt there, finally got his breath out, raised his head and bared his teeth and smiled in apologetics: "The officer saw your car diverted just now, I thought it was something important to deal with, and I shouldn't have bothered you. When you see the ceremony, it seems that the subordinate officials do not understand the superiority and inferiority, so they came after him. I only hope that Mr. Cao will be in good health and do whatever he wants, and the subordinates will be satisfied... nothing else...then I will..." Said He got up and was about to leave. "Stop!" Xun Yu, who has always been good-tempered, hung up today, "Zhao Da, I want to ask you, what is the dignity of a dignified court Yilang running in the market?" "Don't worry..." Cao Cao held back his smile and stopped Xun Yu, "A person who opens his hand and doesn't slap his face will make you not guilty of getting angry over such a trivial matter." He looked at Zhao Da carefully again, "Zhao Yilang, There is a humane way of saying, "If you are courteous, you must ask for something", so you don't have to hide it, just speak up if you have something to say." Zhao Da smiled flatteringly and knelt down again: "To be honest, I want to be your servant, Mr. Cao." Noble officials don't want it, but they sharpen their heads and want to be subordinates to others. "Hey!" Cao Cao taunted, "You're killing me, Mr. Cao, how dare I bother Mr. Zhao to do things for me, stop joking." Zhao Da bumped his head and murmured: "I am sincere and sincere... Although I have been appointed as Yilang since I became an official, I have no specific errands. I am really unwilling. A man should make a difference in this world. Lang, but he only eats and does nothing. If I can join your command, I can still have something to do. I am worthy of the country, worthy of my ancestors, and worthy of my little salary. It is much better than a vegetarian meal. My lords, tell me, Is that the truth?" He couldn't make it clear.Nowadays, officials in the imperial court have positions but no power, and Cao Cao's subordinates have no position but power. The Sikong Mansion is no different from a small court within the imperial court.Zhao Da is also an official fan, and if he wants to climb up, he must cling to Cao Cao. When Xun Yu heard his words, his nose was almost twisted, and he turned his head away and didn't bother to pay attention to him.Cao Cao stared at him for a long time, and said slowly, "Well...you can think about it." Zhao Da stepped forward, grabbed Cao Cao's boots and said with a flattering smile, "As long as the subordinates can be accepted by Mr. Cao, I'm willing to do it even if it's a horse and stirrup!" Seeing his shameless appearance, Cao Cao couldn't help laughing again: "Okay, since Mr. Zhao won't give up, how about being a Lingshi in my mansion for a while?" A small official who handles daily work. "Okay!" Zhao Da repeatedly kowtowed, "Don't say it's Lingshi, a handyman is fine! I will submit my resignation and wait for your good news." "Go!" Cao Cao waved his hands impatiently, "I still have something to discuss with Ling Jun." Zhao Da was ecstatic, and went to the wretched place.Only then did Xun Yu turn his face away, and couldn't help complaining, "Why does Duke Ming use such a shameless villain?" Cao Cao sneered and said: "Although Zhao Da is a shameless villain, he is flattering and aboveboard. In my opinion, he is better than those hypocritical hypocrites! A villain also has its uses... Besides, even if he resigns from Yilang It is not up to me to say whether I can really use him in the future? Anyway, he resigned voluntarily, and he will get rid of a villain for the court first. You can't blame me at that time." The words amused the frowning Xun Yu, and he hurriedly retreated to the gate of his house, letting Cao Cao in politely. Cao Cao nodded and smiled, but he didn't know that as soon as he stepped on a leg, he heard the noise inside.He hurriedly stepped forward, and saw that two officials were arguing in the court, their faces were red, and there were many subordinates behind them trying to persuade them. Xun Yu also felt that his face was not good, so he hurriedly stopped and said, "Stop arguing, what's wrong with this? Didn't you see Mr. Cao come here?" As soon as he said this, the whole courtyard fell to their knees, and most of them hugged each other. The official document is to discuss government affairs with Minister Xun Yu. "You don't need to be formal, everyone gets up, we are all guests here..." When he said this, Cao Cao had already seen clearly that the quarreling just now was the captain of Diannong, Zaoyi, and the subordinate of Sikong, Hou Sheng.He nodded and called these two people to come to the main hall with them to talk. The quarrel just now didn't seem to disturb Cao Cao's mood at all. He walked around the hall twice with interest, and was quite satisfied with the simple and unpretentious furnishings in Xun Yu's mansion, so he sat down on the guest seat.Although Xun Yu is the host, the host should not be deceived, so he just sat on his back; Waiting aside. A servant offered water earlier, Cao Cao took a sip and said, "Hou Sheng, what happened just now?" Although they were all promoted by themselves, Zaozhi was a captain after all, while Hou Sheng was out-and-out of the genus.According to the rules of courtesy and modesty in the officialdom, Cao Cao had to attack his own subordinates first. Hou Sheng said cautiously: "I have a dispute with Captain Zao Du about the next year's farming..." Zaoyi is also a man of temperament, before Hou Sheng finished speaking, he stepped forward and interrupted: "The current farm system is flawed, it needs to be rectified!" "You can't do that." Hou Sheng turned to argue with him again. "How do you know it won't work? You'll only know after you try it." Zaozhi retorted. Seeing that the two of them were about to quarrel again, Cao Cao shouted: "Shut up, Hou Sheng! Let Zaoyi tell me, I haven't figured out what's going on yet? This year's harvest is so good, what's wrong with it?" Zaoyi bowed and said: "Although the harvest this year is good, if the following method is followed, the court's income can be increased even more." "Oh?" Cao Cao couldn't help paying attention when he heard that there were still interests to be tapped. Zaozhi straightened his waist and said respectfully: "The imperial court's old tenancy system is to count cattle and transport grain, which is to collect food from the villagers according to the number of cattle. Although it is easy to calculate the grain collected in this way, it has a maximum limit on the amount of grain collected. We can’t collect more when there is a bumper harvest, and if we encounter floods and droughts, we need to reduce or exempt it. This is not worthwhile. In my opinion, it is better to simply distribute the land to the villagers, grant the land according to the person, and then collect food according to the person. We and the people Half and half, so that the harvest can be guaranteed during drought and flood, and more can be collected during the harvest season.” This method is really good, Cao Cao looked at Hou Sheng in surprise: "Why do you object?" Hou Sheng knelt down on the ground: "My lord, the tenancy system was established by the ancestors. The people have followed the rules for hundreds of years. This law is more likely to concern the country. If it is not corrected, it will cause trouble." Cao Cao laughed and said, "You, your brain is too rigid... The rules are set by people, so how can there be any unchanging truth? If everyone can stick to the rules, how can there be prosperity and death in the world?" Yes, if Cao Cao abides by it How can the way of a courtier lead the court? "I trouble Captain Zaodu to tell Ren Jun that the system of last year will be ignored, and all the newly reclaimed farmland this year will be allocated to the individual villagers, and the fields will be transported to the grain during the autumn harvest." Hou Sheng is still eloquent: "Forgive my subordinates to say bluntly, governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, and things like tenancy laws and regulations are better." Since the former Han Dynasty, Taoist thinking has been advocated to govern the world, and the rule of Wenjing advocates "rest and recuperation". , Emperor Guangwu governed the world with "jiu jitsu", so according to the political philosophy at that time, the decree should not be changed casually.The contradiction between Hou Sheng and Zaoyi seems to be a specific problem, but it actually represents two different ideas of governing the country. Cao Cao stroked his beard and thought for a while: "What you said 'governing a big country is like cooking small fish' is a strategy for governing the world, but now is a time of war. In times of chaos, we don't follow the usual methods. Only by collecting more food can we fight well. Only by fighting a good battle can the world be stabilized. Besides, planning the field to lose the valley is not necessarily inferior to planning the cattle to lose the valley." Cao Cao stood up, gestured, and said, "This is like a field. The Zhang family and the Li family share one end. Official cattle farming. What's the result? The Zhang family doesn't work hard, the Li family doesn't work hard, and no one can get motivated. Anyway, no matter how hard you work, there are others. Now let's divide the fields, half of the Zhang family and half of the Li family, each busy Everyone, they have to plan for themselves... Not to mention that there are official cattle that are used in turn, even if there is no cattle, they have to cultivate the land manually, because it is divided equally between the official and the private, and the more they plant, the more they will get! Don't you just go up with your energy!" This analogy is really enlightening, Hou Sheng's doubts were reduced a lot, and he paused and said: "This subordinate is stupid, not as far-sighted as the master." "Hou Sheng, you are also an upright official, but you should pay more attention to the production of the people. Go and see how the people farm... please." Cao Cao smiled and raised his hands, "You are arguing about official business, don't ruin your daily life. friendship." Zaozhi and Hou Sheng were shy for a while, and they bowed their hands symbolically to show their friendship.And Cao Cao's thinking has already jumped to other issues in an instant: "Lingjun, matters such as garrisoning food and grass are related to military affairs, and these secrets should be isolated from court affairs." Xun Yu hurriedly explained: "You have given such an order, but after all, major and minor matters must be ordered by the Minister. After all, there is a limit to what the province can handle. It is inevitable that they will come to my house." Cao Cao frowned and said, "There are too many people coming and going here. Today's matter is easy to handle. If there is a dispute over the attack strategy in the future, won't it be a leak?" Xun Yu vaguely felt a little displeasure—is Cao Cao going to deprive him of his right to intervene in the military? Sure enough, he looked back at Xun You: "Gongda, I will go to the court and appoint you as a military adviser. I will allocate Guo Jia, Hou Sheng, Zhang Jing, etc. to you and let them offer wine as military advisers. From now on, the military You are the only ones responsible for the matters above, and after discussing specific resolutions, submit them to me for approval, and then come to Wen Ruo to issue an edict. What do you think?" Xun Youzi couldn't refute, so he just declined, "I've been with the new court for too short a time, and I'm afraid I don't have enough qualifications to control everyone's sacrifices." "Don't say that, the military adviser is still the military adviser of the great man. Why are you talking about the new court and the old court? Could it be that the past qualifications have been blown away? This job belongs to you." Cao Cao held Xun Yu with his left hand and Xun You with his right hand "Your uncles and nephews will be able to cooperate with each other if the imperial court and army are mixed together!" Indeed, using Xun You to divide the military is probably the person who will least conflict with Xun Yu. Speaking of this, the Xun's uncle and nephew had no choice but to nod in agreement.Hou Sheng reminded again: "My lord, if the subordinates in the mansion are converted to sacrificial wine, there will inevitably be vacancies, and timely replenishment is also a priority." "Yes, yes, yes," Cao Cao couldn't help nodding, "I think Liu Fu, He Kui, and Lu Cui, who have recently surrendered, should all be sent to the mansion. In addition, we will recruit some talents..." When it comes to recruiting talents, Hou Sheng suddenly thought of Mi Heng, and complained smoothly: "My lord, I remembered again. The Mi Heng and Ni Zhengping recommended by Kong Rong, we have recruited three times, and they still refuse to come to the mansion Come here. It’s not a big deal if you don’t agree with the Sangong, but he doesn’t want to be a hermit, so far he’s stuck in the capital, talking nonsense all day long, this person is too hard to deal with!” Cao Cao frowned when he heard the word "Kong Rong", and when he heard Ni Heng spreading gossip in Beijing, he became even more angry, and asked, "It's unreasonable! What did he say?" Hou Sheng glanced at Xun Yu, and said in a low voice: "He said that Xun Lingjun is only worthy of mourning... Actually, this is not necessarily a bad word, what he means is that your appearance is dignified and good at hospitality." Even if Hou Sheng explained , Xun Yu still blushed. "What else did you say?" Cao Cao pressed again. Hou Sheng regretted his quick talk, but he couldn't do it if he didn't want to say it: "He said...he said that there is no one else in Beijing, only the eldest son Kong Wenju and the younger son Yang Dezu!" 『①The "er" here is not a son, but a person who is knowledgeable and successful. 』 "Huh! What a madman!" Cao Cao was angry again, "Who is that Yang Dezu? Can he be a lover with Kong Rong?" Xun Yu explained: "Yang Dezu is Yang Xiu, the son of Yang Biao." When Cao Cao heard that he was Yang Biao's son, he added fuel to the fire, and everyone who didn't like him gathered together!He stood up abruptly and told Hou Sheng: "Go back to the mansion quickly and see if the officials who celebrate the New Year have left. Please let some people stay. Don't ask about the reputation of the official position, and single out talented scholars. In addition, Chi Xi, Xun Xun Yue, Jiang Gan, He Kui, Kong Rong, and Xie Gai are all invited, and finally I will find Mi Heng. Today I have gathered all the talented and learned people from Xudu, and I will teach this crazy student a good lesson!" Hou Sheng blinked: "What if Mi Heng still refuses to come?" "Aren't you coming?" Cao Cao glared, "If you don't come, you can't do it! If you bring soldiers, you have to tie them up for me!"