Chapter 31 hair cutting

Due to the setback of the third crusade against Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao had to let the army rest in Xudu for a few days before heading to Xuzhou to fight.Reluctantly, the situation was pressing, Xiahou Dun was defeated by Gao Shun, and was shot blind in the left eye by Liu Ya during the war.The commander-in-chief of the army was injured, and no one was in charge of the overall situation, so he had to retreat and set up camp.But Liu Bei is still trapped in Xiaopei City, and the situation is precarious. For Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun is too important.Since he raised his army, Xia Houdun has not been afraid of hardships and dangers, and has always fought side by side with Cao Cao. He is not only the second commander of the army, a capable general, but also his cousin and in-laws, which is nothing more than his arm.Shocked, Cao Cao was afraid of the rapid development of the battle in Hebei, so he sent an order to set off without waiting for the troops to rest, and personally led 20,000 troops to attack Lu Bu, leaving only Cao Hong with a small number of troops to defend Xudu.

The commander gave an order, but it was a pain for the whole army.The soldiers had just trekked back to Beijing from the mildew rain in Nanyang, and they were all extremely exhausted, and now they were going to march east again, the whole battalion was full of complaints, and the marching speed was very slow.Cao Cao also knew that the soldiers were exhausted, but this was forced by the situation, and he had no choice but to push his troops forward patiently.When the wheat fields are almost ripe in autumn, Yuzhou Tuntian is even more productive, and it only needs to wait a while before harvesting.The army went straight to Xiaopei to rescue, and sometimes they had to cross the wheat field. Cao Cao feared that the soldiers would destroy them, and gave an order-the soldiers will not be defeated by the wheat, and the offender will die!

Cao Cao's mood was extremely bad along the way.Xiahou Dun was hit by an arrow and his life was unknown. Liu Bei was trapped and his life was hanging by a thread. Seeing the slow movements of these tired soldiers, he was anxious and couldn't urge him too much, and he had to pay attention to avoiding the wheat fields from time to time.He had nothing to send, so he was so angry that he scolded Lu Bu, Gao Shun, Zhang Xiu, and Liu Biao.But being anxious can't solve the problem, after a few days of traveling, he will arrive at the boundary of Liang State, which is still half the distance from Xiaopei.

Xun You and Guo Jia followed Cao Cao all the time, and they had spoken words of consolation several times in the past few days, but they had little to say afterwards.Seeing another large wheat field in front of us, we had no choice but to walk through it.The soldiers dodged carefully, and the knights got off their horses one after another to support the wheat, fearing that they would violate the military law.But in this way, the progress became even slower, and the large group of people was congested.Cao Cao looked back at the eloquent team, and frowned again: "It is the benefit of the villagers to damage the wheat fields, but if you walk so slowly, how long will it take to reach Xiaopei?"

Seeing that Cao Cao was in a hurry again, Guo Jia quickly laughed and borrowed the topic: "Have you seen it, my lord? The wind blows the wheat waves like waves, and the fields can be full of harvests! I heard from Mr. Xun Ling that this year's income is expected to be as much as one million Dendrobiums, which was last year. With so much grain, the granary is full of food, the military and the country are rich, why worry about Lu Bu's injustice and Yuan Shao's immortality? Congratulations to my lord!" Guo Jia was quite able to guess what he wanted, and his mouth was sweet. A few words really made Cao Cao amused: "This is the work of Zaoyi! If he hadn't proposed to revise the 50-50 share of the tenancy division, how could the villagers be so active in farming? The people are the most important, the community is second, and the king is the least. Benefiting the people is benefiting oneself, this is the eternal truth. After I destroy Lu Bu, I must repair the table and seal Zaoyi, and make his immortal achievements."

""Fa Yan" also says that 'what you do is the best; what you say is the second'. In my opinion, Zhonglang should be the first person to make the first contribution to the farming. If he hadn't supervised the farming to supply the army rations these years, how could we feel at ease outside Fighting?" Ren Jun is Cao Cao's brother-in-law, so Guo Jia will not forget to praise him at the right time. Cao Cao was secretly happy, but he urged his horse without responding.He knows Ren Jun's achievements well, but it is not suitable for him to be promoted again.Since he presided over the government, he has tried his best to avoid being promoted to his relatives. Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong are generals in the army who have to be given titles. cause unnecessary gossip.Therefore, Ren Jun in charge of food and grass is nothing more than a general, and Bian Bing is no more than a captain in Tidian ordnance.

But how could the subtle changes on Cao Cao's face escape Guo Jia's eyes?Knowing that he didn't say anything and agreed with him in his heart, he hurriedly said: "In the past, the great ancestor ruled the world, and he once talked about the minister who made the first contribution. It is said that Cao Shen was wounded by more than 70 people, and he should be the first to attack the city. But the great ancestor thought that Xiao He saved Guanzhong, Supplying military rations is an inexhaustible achievement. In my opinion, Ren Zhonglang is a little Xiao He!" "If I ignore you, you will be more ridiculous!" Cao Cao couldn't help laughing, "I think Xiao He is the ear of Lord Xun Ling! Hahaha..."

Unexpectedly, this laughter caused trouble—just as a jackdaw was perched in the wheat field, he was surprised to hear Cao Cao’s laughter; Jueying Ma couldn’t help hissing and neighing when he saw a black object jumping into the sky , the four hooves rushed into the wheat field in a panic.Cao Cao tightened his reins to guard Jueying, but he saw that he had trampled a large wheat field. This change was so sudden that all the soldiers around couldn't help but gathered around to watch. Xun You, Guo Jia and others also got off their horses and rushed over.Cao Cao's face turned red and then turned pale. It was a rule he set to kill those who broke the grain, but he didn't want others to follow it one after another, but he broke the military law by stepping on the field.Cao Cao looked around, got off his horse with a long sigh, and asked, "Where is the marching master?"

Hearing the call, Wang Bi quickly squeezed out from the crowd: "What do you want my lord to do?" "When the troops are dispatched, what military order does the old man have?" "Military order?! What military order?" Wang Bi stared and pretended to be confused. Cao Cao sneered: "Hmph! Everyone sees it in broad daylight, so you don't need to cover up for me anymore. But it's okay to say!" Wang Bi swallowed his saliva, and had no choice but to cup his hands and said: "Soldiers are not defeated, and those who commit crimes die." Cao Cao stroked his beard and said: "The old man is riding a wheat field, and he should be dealt with by military law."

How dare Wang Bi kill Cao Cao?Isn't this a joke!Quickly retorted: "The righteousness of "Spring and Autumn" means that punishment does not add to respect." Cao Cao shook his head: "In the past, Xiao He made laws and regulations, Han Xin applied military law, Zhang Cang made regulations, and uncles and grandsons established etiquette, and everyone in the world obeyed them. How can you be a commander if you make laws and violate them?" palm. Wang Bi was really terrified this time: "My lord, you can't commit suicide by self-harm..." Guo Jia originally wanted to say a few happy words to make him happy, but whoever wanted to cause such a disaster quickly knelt down on the ground: "My lord, the president's army, serving the emperor, is really the court's reliance. Today is not peaceful, how can you kill yourself?"

Cao Cao didn't really intend to take the crime by death, but he had to pretend to be guilty of his own crimes. After pondering for a long time, he said: "The prince breaks the law and the people are the same crime, let alone the old man? But the battle is imminent. As a commander, you can't commit suicide. You can use punishment instead. As he said, he lowered his head and took off the pocket hairpin, pulled out the hairpin, grabbed the bun with his left hand, swung the sword with his right palm, and cut off half of the hair! The "Book of Filial Piety" has a saying that "the body, hair and skin are received by the parents, and dare not damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety." Therefore, the ancients repeated it, and only criminals cut off their hair, which is called "kun punishment".Everyone was astonished to see Cao Cao intercepting the hair in public.He returned the sword to the box, and handed the half of the hair to Wang Bidao: "Tell this hair to the three armies, and say that the old man who practiced wheat should be beheaded. As the commander, he will cut off his hair to replace the head. If anyone violates the military law again, he will not be forgiven." !" The king was ordered to leave, and the generals of the three armies knew that Cao Cao's haircut was all respectful, not to mention trampling on the wheat fields, even the original complaints did not dare to say any more.Xun You took the cloth belt and tied Cao Cao's short hair himself, and Guo Jia put on the hood for him, and the three of them pulled their horses and continued on their way.Not long after, the soldiers of the brigade gradually came out of the wheat field. Everyone looked up and saw that Liang County ruled by the State of Liang could be seen in the distance, and the current king of Liang Liu Mi lived in the city.Seeing this city, Cao Cao suddenly thought of Liu Fu, the son of Liang Wang Mi's son, General Liu Fu, and turned to Xun You and said, "When I returned to the capital, Zhao Da came to spread gossip, as if saying that Wang Zifu had contacts with someone. I'm afraid that he will collude with Dong Cheng. It will hurt the armpit." Although Xun You is good at judging the situation, he doesn't pay as much attention to coup plots as Dong Zhao does. He just shook his head and said, "I heard from your lord that the prince served Luoyang with his lord back then, and also moved the capital. The credit must be that Dong Cheng is not in the same party. What's more, Liang Wang lives here, if the prince obeys and causes chaos in Xudu, wouldn't he harm his father?" "Having said that, Wang Zifu is flamboyant by nature, and takes credit for his youthful vigor, so he may not be concerned about his father's life or death. Be careful when sailing for thousands of years, and you should be more prepared." Cao Cao was obviously suspicious of Dong Cheng and Wang Zifu, But he dared not openly seize his soldiers and horses and dismiss his officials.After all, they are relatives of the emperor, and if they are easily dealt with, they will sway people's hearts and cause dissatisfaction; and with them in the court, they can also be set up as a sign, symbolizing that the clan and relatives support Cao Cao.So Cao Cao can't move them, at least not before the decisive battle with Yuan Shao. While speaking, he vaguely saw a group of people coming from the direction of Liang County, dozens of people stepped down immediately, and they seemed to be in a hurry.Immediately afterwards, another scout rushed to report: "General Zhendong has been defeated so far." "Oh! It's too late to hurry up," Cao Cao couldn't help shaking his head, "It's really unlucky for Liu Bei with big ears, and lost Xiaopei again!" "Where is Mr. Cao... Where is Mr. Cao..." Liu Bei got off his horse and stumbled into the team. When he saw Cao Cao standing by the field with a displeased face, he hurriedly knelt down and pleaded guilty, "The last general lost the city again, please Minggong punishes the crime!" Cao Cao looked down and saw that Liu Bei was very different from last time.Unkempt, disheveled, and torn armor, and the original strange clothes were thrown away somewhere, so he brought these dozens of remnants with him, looking extremely embarrassed.Cao Cao suddenly felt it was funny. Last time when Liu Bei guarded Xiaopei, he recruited soldiers and horses and was hated by Lu Bu, who made them run away. This time Liu Bei guarded Xiaopei. When the fire broke out, the city broke down and fled as usual.The two defeats are exactly the same, but this man looks so aggressive, and he can't fight against others. He has been defeated repeatedly and won't have a long memory!So Cao Cao didn't blame, just raised his hands and said: "Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs, Xuande doesn't need to worry about it, get up... Xiaopei has fallen, so what if Yuanrang is there?" Cao Cao was eager to know Xiahoudun's injury. "I'm ashamed..." Liu Bei didn't dare to get up, "The final general was trapped in Xiaopei, and there was no news from inside and outside. I only heard that General Xiahou was injured and injured, but I didn't see it in person. Later, the city was broken, and he broke through the north gate. In the pursuit, fortunately after Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide were killed, the last general was able to escape. He had no time to go to General Xiahou's camp, so he went to Xudu to report the news, and didn't want to meet Minggong here." After saying that, he kowtowed repeatedly. "Then where are Yun Chang and Yi De?" Cao Cao looked around. "At the end of the cover, the general retreated, so he got lost and didn't know where he went." So far, Liu Bei's tone was full of pain and compassion. "Alas!" Cao Cao was filled with emotion.He still couldn't figure out why the tiger generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would protect a long-legged general like Liu Bei?Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were nowhere to be found. Presumably Liu Bei’s wife’s family was taken captive by Lu Bu again, “Get up! Get up! Let’s gather scattered people along the way, and I will avenge you and Yuan Rang!” "Thank you, General!" Liu Bei nodded again, a young general Zhao Yun helped him up, and another confidant, Chen Dao, led his horse.Everyone got on their horses together and went to rescue Xiaopei across Liang County. Seeing Liu Bei coming, Guo Jia hurriedly gave up his position and told him to walk side by side with Cao Cao.Cao Cao was concerned about the war and couldn't stop asking, "How many troops does Lu Bu have now?" Liu Bei replied respectfully: "There are only a few thousand Bingzhou soldiers in the lineage, there are also Chen Gong's Yanzhou department, Xuzhou soldiers, Danyang old department, and Hanoi soldiers. In addition, Chen Deng, the prefect of Guangling, and Zang Ba, Wu Dun, Yin Li, Chang Ba, and brothers Sun Kang and Sun Guan are also at his disposal, and there are more than 20,000 people in total." Cao Cao didn't think so: "It's nothing more than collecting chicken feathers to make a duster!" "Minggong, don't be careless. Bingzhou's iron cavalry is famous all over the world, especially Gao Shun's army is very powerful. I was defeated by him. Also, Chen Dengping, the prefect of Guangling, has become very popular in destroying pirates. I heard that he led the troops and horses. Going forward, intending to join forces with Gao Shun to resist the king's division, this is also a strong enemy!" Cao Cao had a smile on his face—Liu Bei didn't know that Chen Deng had surrendered in secret, and the Guangling army was bound to defect before the battle. There was a 90% chance of winning this battle. Seeing that he was full of confidence, Liu Bei reported without losing the opportunity: "Mr. Cao, I have something to do before, and I am very restless. I want to tell you frankly." "Oh? What's the matter?" Liu Bei seemed to be trembling and said: "At the beginning of the year, in the name of Yuzhou Mu, I raised Yuan Shao's son Yuan Tan as Xiaolian... Actually, this is for the stability of the overall situation. I hope you don't think too much." Although Yuan Shao and his son lived in Hebei, their ancestral home It is still in Runan, Yuzhou, so the case of Xiaolian must also be in the original place. Cao Cao chuckled: "I've heard about it a long time ago, what a big deal it is? I understand your good intentions, Yuan Shao has such a false name, calling his son Xiaolian can ease our relationship with him, you can do it very good." A smile appeared on Liu Bei's terrified face for a moment, and he vowed: "Ming Gong is sympathetic, and will be grateful in the end. In the future, he will redouble his efforts to repay the kindness of knowing you." Cao Cao twitched his beard and beard, thinking that Liu Bei was too timid...