Chapter 2 Cao Cao went to the banquet

Since Emperor Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He were under house arrest, all the resistance of the scholars became restrained.On the contrary, the Liangzhou army can act freely.Luoyang's North and South Army and West Garden Army were divided into pieces in just one month. He Jin's subordinates were either killed, bought, or threatened. And just when Cao Cao, Feng Fang and others guarded their camps in order to protect themselves, Dong Zhuo bought Ding Yuan's master Lv Bu with a high official and rich salary, and used Lv Bu to assassinate Ding Yuan.So far, Lu Bu, Zhang Liao and other departments of the Bingzhou Army have also attached themselves to Dong Zhuo.Soon after, in the name of the lack of rain for a month, Shangshu dismissed Sikong Liu Hong and replaced him himself.With the nobles of the three princes and the military power in his hands, there is no one else in Henan who can compete with Dong Zhuo.

Regardless of the situation in the imperial court, Cao Cao and other surviving school lieutenants finally breathed a sigh of relief, and could go home safely and lie down.Bingzhou Lv Bu's rebellion gave Dong Zhuo an absolute advantage in the capital's troops, and the emperor was in his palm, justifiably, as long as he popped a little finger, Cao Cao and others could be scattered in an instant.Since they were not a threat, Dong Zhuo ignored them. Everything seemed to be calm, but what was different from before was that on the day of the court meeting, the emperor and the queen mother were not promoted to the palace, and there were no eunuchs or relatives to manage the government. Only Dong Zhuo was arrogant and arbitrary under the imperial steps.

Although this guy was careless and reckless, there was a confidant Tian Yi behind him who advised him, and even promoted some famous people who had been attacked by eunuchs to decorate his appearance.Cai Yong, who had escaped from the official position for a long time, was forced to enter the court as an official because he could not bear the harassment and intimidation of Dong Zhuo's messengers.In three days, with three sets of calendars in a week, from Bai Ding to a high-ranking official of Erqianshi, it can be described as an unprecedented officialdom anecdote!In addition to him, local Qingliu Zhou Wei, Wu Fu, Han Fu, Zhang Miao, Kong Ni, Zhang Zi and others were also appointed as subordinate officials.Dong Zhuo even had a higher plan, and asked the great sages Zheng Xuan and Xun Shuang who lived in seclusion to decorate his appearance.

Since the status quo could not be changed, the officials had no choice but to let him toss about. Fortunately, the country's government affairs were not too neglected, and there were still Taifu Yuan Wei, Situ Dinggong and others taking care of civil affairs, and the situation was barely passable.But the people in Zhouza, Luoyang suffered only because they would be bullied and plundered by Bingliang soldiers at every turn. Yuan Shao, captain of Sili, and Yin Wangyun of Henan were nothing, and they couldn't control these rough warriors at all. After more than two months of peaceful life in the court, Dong Zhuo seemed to have no intention of cutting off his military power. Even Cao Cao felt that he was used to such a life.The only concern in his heart was Bao Xin's recruitment of troops to Jibei. Even if he could raise troops, if Dong Zhuo ordered "counter-rebellion" in the name of the emperor, what would be the end?The emperor is the authority of the world, and Cao Cao's understanding of this is getting deeper and deeper.

That evening, Cao Cao was sitting at home before dinner, when Dong Zhuo suddenly sent someone to invite him to the banquet.His heart was involuntarily disturbed again, knowing that there is no good wine and no good banquet, but people use knives to treat me as fish and meat, and the fierce Liangzhou soldiers waited outside with knives. If they dared to say a word, their family was destroyed in an instant.In desperation, he had no choice but to change into his uniform and dress neatly. Before leaving, he went to Bian's room to hug and hug his son Cao Pi, fearing that he would never come back after leaving.

Seeing him like this, Mrs. Bian was quite worried, but forced herself to laugh and said, "Don't worry, I'll bring up Pi'er by myself, and ask him to avenge you later." "Hey! With such a good wife, why worry about her husband not going to the grand banquet?" Just kidding, when Cao Cao left the house, he saw many Xiliang warriors standing with swords, their scalps were still numb, and even boarding the car felt like stepping on cotton. Although Dong Zhuo was named Sikong, he did not live in the Sikong Mansion in the southeast of Luoyang as a director. Instead, he settled his residence in Yongheli in the east of the city. Just across the street is the outer wall of Yong'an Palace where the emperor and empress dowager were imprisoned. His intentions are clearly visible.You Bing has the right to handle everything easily. He drove away all the dignitaries and dignitaries in the Yongheli area, and insisted on opening up several sets of houses to build a huge courtyard, surrounded by Xiliang Army guards day and night, ten steps and one sentry at five steps. , There are still many confidants and dead men stationed in the courtyard.

With such a tight layout, not to mention the power in his hands, even if Luoyang City falls, this house alone is enough for him to stick to it for a while. They are all in the east of the city, and it is only a short distance from Cao's Mansion to Dong's Mansion, Cao Cao felt very urgent.He thought hard, recalled almost everything he had done in the past two months, and repeatedly checked whether he had offended Dong Zhuo, but in the end he couldn't find an answer.Could it be that the story of the Bao Xin brothers really leaked out? Not long after they arrived in Yongheli, Cao Cao was afraid that he would cause trouble because of his negligence, so he hurriedly got out of the car after a long distance, bowed his head and walked on foot, pretending to be respectful.After walking a few steps, I saw Dong Zhuo's younger brother Dong Min, Captain of Fengche, standing in front of the gate with a well-dressed smile.

Dong Min is not as rude and fierce as his elder brother, but his demeanor with a hidden knife in his smile is even more disgusting.He previously pretended to cooperate with Yuan Shaomou to punish eunuchs, and pretended to confuse everyone, but in fact he acted as an eyeliner for his brother in the court.On the night that He Jin was killed, the reason why Dong Zhuo was able to rush to Mang Mountain to "rescue him" without delay was due to Dong Min's secret information. "Brother Mengde, I haven't seen you for a long time, Brother Yu is being polite." People under the low eaves had to bow their heads.Although Cao Cao hated him, seeing him being so polite, he had to smile all over his face, cupped his hands in greeting, and deliberately drew closer and said, "Cao, what virtue and ability, how dare you worry about Brother Shuying?" Dong Min grabbed him hand: "Meng De, is everything in your camp all right?"

When the words of holding a gun and a stick came, Cao Cao swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and forced a smile: "Dong Gong and your lords are responsible for the safety of the country, and the younger brother is just a little brother, just let it go." "Hahaha!" Dong Min looked up and laughed loudly, "Meng Detuo gave in, if there is any need in the camp, you can tell me, as long as there is any food, grass and military equipment, my brother will provide it himself." "Thank you very much." Cao Cao was clear in his heart, he said this was just a scene, and it must not be taken seriously.

"Meng De please." Dong Min gave in kindly. "Brother Shuying, please." "I'm a guest now." "The guest does not deceive the host." "Hahaha... In that case, you and I will go to the banquet hand in hand." Dong Min smiled and took Cao Cao's hand and walked in. Cao Cao still didn't dare to relax, and deliberately lagged behind half a step when walking to show respect. As soon as you enter the gate of the mansion, there is a hole in the sky. It turns out that the house is different from the inside and outside. Only the outer courtyard is as big as an ordinary man's mansion.In addition to the four-color trees of chestnut, lacquer, catalpa, and paulownia, there are many simple military tents, which shows that they are tightly guarded.Dong Min ordered loudly: "On duty! Quickly remove the military tents. When you are young, the guests will arrive, so you can make room to stop the horses and horses."

Hearing this, Cao Cao was relieved: It turns out that I was not invited alone today, it would be embarrassing to have more people!But after passing through the second gate to the inner courtyard, the atmosphere immediately became tense again. It turned out that Xiliang warriors were guarding with sharp knives, all of them had big arms, round waists and fierce faces, obviously they were not Han Chinese.Cao Cao forced himself to stay calm, and followed Dong Min through the forest of swords and swords before arriving at the Guangliang living room of Dong's mansion.I also saw that Dong Yue, Hu Zhen, Xu Rong, Yang Ding and other Xiliang warriors were all welcoming at the hall. Today they all removed their military uniforms and wore dark uniforms. .He hurriedly made a bow.These old men are also very well-mannered today, and they rushed to return the courtesy and respectfully let him into the hall. This lobby is really amazing, the partition has been removed to open up the two rooms on the left and right, the decoration can be described as carved beams and painted buildings with gold lacquer and vermilion paintings, much more luxurious than He Jin's Great General's Mansion. Cao Cao saw at a glance that the screen behind the main seat was painted with patterns of dragons and phoenixes. Flower fragrance tripod.Cao Cao immediately concluded that these things were not folk things, they must have been looted from the palace by Dong Zhuo, and his heart couldn't help but tremble. At the moment, there was no one in the hall, so Dong Min gave him the first seat on the west side. Cao Cao refused repeatedly before he agreed.He just sat down and didn't have time to think about it, and he heard the pleasantries outside, Feng Fang, the right captain of the assistant army, was also let in by Dong Yue, the two looked at each other and felt alert, but they couldn't say anything, they just bowed to each other.Feng Fang was given the position second only to Cao Cao. Seeing Dong Min and Dong Yue walk out, she whispered, "What's going on? Is Dong Zhuo going to put us all together?" "It's hard to say..." Cao Cao sighed, "People are swords and I'm fish. Now that we're here, let's play by ear." "Can you see old thief Dong?" "Not yet, this guy is really big, and he didn't come out to meet the guests." Feng Fang had a look of fear on his face, and said softly: "There is no good wine, no good banquet, and he will not bring a knife and axe when he comes out, right?" "Hmph! He has a lot of soldiers in his hands, and killing us is just a matter of effort. Why did he spend so much effort? I guess he may have something to discuss with us." "Looking for a business relationship with us?" Feng Fang patted his forehead, "He is already like this now, he can do whatever he wants, so there is no need to discuss with us." Thinking up to this point, both of them felt that today's banquet was inexplicable, so they bowed their heads and stopped talking.For a short time, I heard the noise outside the hall, the assistant army left captain Zhao Rong, right captain Chun Yuqiong, central army Sima Liuxun, Chengmen school captain Wu Fu, northern army Zhonghou Liu Biao, northern army Ju Jun, Wei Jie Waiting for the school lieutenants to follow one after another, all of them are people who have more or less soldiers and horses in the capital.Every time someone came in, Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat, and when Xiyuan and all the captains of the Northern Army arrived, his heart seemed to jump out: Is it really a grand banquet to catch us all? While panicked, the last one to come was the Shangshu Zhou Yu who had just been promoted by Dong Zhuo, and he stooped to the last seat.He has no soldiers and no power, so it was a surprise that he was invited.Everyone was familiar with each other at first, but when the good and bad times were uncertain, no one was in the mood to greet and greet, and the huge hall was silent. All of a sudden, only hearing the sound of bells rang out, and twenty graceful women flashed out from behind the screen in the lobby.Dressed in neon clothes, heavy makeup and long sleeves fluttering, they come to the hall and dance lightly to show their welcome.Music is good music and dance is good dance. Everyone seemed to relax their nervousness, and they gradually stopped sitting upright. Just as the music was melodious and the dance was whirling, a heavy voice suddenly heard asking: "Masters here, is this music still useful?" No one noticed that Dong Zhuo had already quietly left the back hall out. Everyone was about to stand up to salute, but Dong Zhuo waved his hand: "Sit on your seat! Whoever gets up will scold my ancestors!" Everyone was startled, they had never seen such a hostile person before, so they dared not move again .It's not that he is embarrassed to scold his ancestors, but he is afraid that there will be no good end after scolding his ancestors. Dong Zhuo was in his fifties. Although he was eight feet tall, he was overweight, with thick arms and legs, and a fat head and big ears. He even struggled to sit down.The brocade robe and jade belt did not bring him much noble temperament, but it contrasted his rough appearance even more.Especially the sharp eagle eyes, the big mouth that looks like a character horoscope, the thick flesh on his face, and the curly white beard, all reveal his ferociousness and terror, making people feel that the person sitting on the front seat is a man in full clothes. beast of prey.And just behind Dong Zhuo, there are two more eye-catching figures standing on one left and one on the right. The one on the right is a young warrior, who is nine feet tall in golden armor, but has a face as white as jade, with dragon eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a red nose and red lips, and a long-growing jade hairpin in his black hair bun, especially It's because he has a pair of Gu Pan Shenfei's rather handsome eyes, the eyes are faintly blue, as beautiful as the deep and turbulent sea.This golden armor seems to be made according to the body, and the texture is not heavy at all. It is tightly attached to his chest and arms, and perfectly sets off his strong and well-proportioned figure-he is really an unparalleled handsome man in the world.His left hand held the sword hilt at his waist uncompromisingly, while his right hand was leaning on a Fang Tian's painted halberd, which was more than ten feet long. The sharp tip of the halberd was cold and shone with a dazzling cold light! Cao Cao knew that this man was Lu Bu Lu Fengxian who assassinated Ding Yuan.Although this man was handsome in appearance, his scheming was terrifying. He even killed the superior who single-handedly promoted him for his greed for fame and wealth, so that Dong Zhuo easily took control of the Bingzhou Army.Afterwards, Lv Bu became a cavalry captain from a small official, but what is contemptible is that Dong Zhuo's son died early, and Lv Bu was willing to be his adoptive son, and he truly accepted the thief as his father.On Dong Zhuo's left hand side, there is another figure who looks like a down-and-out scholar. This person was not as tall as Cao Cao, and his appearance was humble, his mouth seemed to be a little crooked, his complexion was dark, his cheeks were thin and dry, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.The gorgeous deep clothes look quite bulky, and his left shoulder is slightly higher and the right shoulder is slightly lower, giving the impression that he is like an old farmer who accidentally mixes up some good clothes.In fact, after a closer look, it turns out that this person is not very old, that is, he will be about thirty years old.Cao Cao knew the truth that people should not be judged by their appearance, and this is Tian Yi, the director who has been advising Dong Zhuo behind the scenes.It is said that this down-and-out scholar was captured by the Qiang tribe in his early years, and he was a slave for a while, and suffered great physical and mental damage.Later, because of Dong Zhuo's battle, he regained his freedom, so he was loyal to him and willing to contribute his wisdom.Before Dong Zhuo came to Beijing, he wrote in Mianchi Shangshu, citing scriptures and classics in large strokes, Huahan, without any carelessness, probably this person was the ghostwriter. Cao Cao silently looked at these two men for a long time, and was deeply moved: Dong Zhuo is a reckless man, although it was a fluke to gain power this time, this guy is good at running an army, and he really has the courage to use people because of his knowledge. ! After the dancers finished a song, they all returned their money.Dong Zhuo smiled and said, "Where are our people? Are you still coming in to drink?" Following his greeting, Dong Min, who was welcoming guests outside the door, came in with all the generals from Xiliang laughing. Wu Kuang, Zhang Zhang, Wu Dang, and Xu Liang were four of Jin's subordinates.These guys just sat on the east side of the table, and all of them behaved casually and rudely. There were servants who brought various dishes, pancakes with sauce, water and land, and each person had a jar of wine by his desk.Now is the year of severe drought, Dong Zhuo dismissed Liu Hong on the pretext of long-term lack of rain and poor grain harvest, and then claimed the position of Sikong.The country now strictly prohibits wine making, but Dong Zhuo, the instigator, drank heavily at home, which is really ironic. Dong Zhuo didn't care so much, he filled a bottle first, and regardless of the others, he raised his head and drank it dry, wiped his mouth and said: "Everyone here today is a fighter with a soldier in his hand, it's really worthy of the name. The meeting of warriors..." Before he finished his words, the generals in the east laughed, and the people in the west were all embarrassed.Cao Cao blushed a little, bowed his head in thought: What is there to say about killing people?Except for me and Ju Jun, Wei Jie, and Liu Xun who have been on the battlefield, Liu Biao, Zhao Rong, etc. are all elegant Confucian scholars, all relying on their prestige and family status.Thinking about it now, the imperial court used this group of people to control the military power, no wonder it would shrink back and be controlled by others, allowing Dong Zhuo to take advantage of the loophole.Isn't this worth reflecting on? Dong Zhuo raised his hand to signal his people not to laugh: "Whether you have been on the battlefield or not, as long as you have soldiers and horses in your hands, you can speak! So I, Dong, will entertain everyone today." He picked up the wine bottle again, "Come on, Let's drink!" The east shouted for a while, but Cao Cao and the others were full of thoughts and barely touched their lips.Dong Zhuo seemed very displeased when he saw it: "Hmph! Why don't you all refuse to have fun? If you don't drink, you look down on me, Dong. My son will serve you first!" "No!" Lu Bu replied loudly. "Respect your lords on behalf of your father, and make sure everyone drinks well!" "Understood!" Lv Buru got the military order, but he didn't dare to take Dong Zhuo's drinking utensils. He walked to Dong Yue's case, picked up a wine bottle, and hurried to the west, "I will offer wine to all the adults on behalf of my adoptive father. Everyone, be sure to honor me." As he spoke, he was the first one to come to Cao Cao, "Master Cao, please drink!" Cao Cao looked up and saw that Lu Bu was tall and burly, staring at him solemnly with piercing eyes. Although he was holding the cup in his left hand, he was still holding the sinister painting halberd tightly in his right hand.He felt a little fear in his heart, but he pulled himself together, stood up and avoided the table, and said, "Toast first, please!" As he spoke, he tried his best to restrain his trembling, and he finally picked up the wine bottle steadily, bowed his head for a while and drank it dry—— The bottle of wine simply went down the back of the spine! Seeing this, Lu Bu also drank.It was Feng Fang's second turn. He tried his best to imitate Cao Cao's actions just now, but when he raised the wine bottle, he still trembled and spilled a little. Long ago, a clever servant came over with a wine jar, and every time Lu Bu drank a jar, he immediately filled it up.He came to the third table again and said, "Brother Zihuang, please drink!" Sima Liu Xun of the Chinese Army is Yuan Shao's confidant. Everything about the military camp was entrusted to him.Liu Xun raised the wine bottle and refused to drink, but said teasingly: "My position is low, and I am only temporarily acting in the camp. I can't be regarded as a person with military power. Please give this glass of wine to my Master Yuan!" Lv Bu was stern, and said bluntly, "You don't need to mention Yuan Shao, now you are leading the Chinese military camp. As the saying goes, 'The current officials are not as good as the current ones', didn't you see that today you don't sit in the ranks of officials, but only in the ranks of soldiers and horses? ?” Cao Cao listened clearly from the side, and only then did he understand why today’s sitting order is so weird.Liu Xun still refused to drink, and argued to himself: "I don't drink much." "Since Brother Zihuang is at the table, don't you know the principle of the guest doing what he wants?" Lü Bu said coldly.Liu Zihuang was about to speak again, but he saw that Lu Bu's white face was full of murderous intent, his eyes pierced like knives, and Fang Tian's painting halberd in his right hand was slightly raised a few inches.Looking at the situation, it seems that if he says one more word not to drink, he will stab with a halberd. Liu Xun knew that his feelings were not good, so he didn't dare to say anything, so he quickly got up and drank the wine. Zhao Rong in the back was a timid person, let alone dare to make mistakes. When drinking, he was trembling and sprinkled all over his body.Seeing that Lv Bu had come to the fifth seat again, Cao Cao and the others immediately became nervous. The fifth person is Chun Yuqiong, the captain of the right school. Everyone in the Xiyuan Army has self-cultivation, but this person has a quick temper and loves to make troubles by drinking on weekdays.Since Dong Zhuo came to Beijing, he had fought with Liangzhou army several times because of the plundering of food and grass, but he often suffered from the disparity in combat power.Even so, he didn't want to retreat and fight again and again, causing the soldiers to flee away. Now there are only two or three hundred people left, and they are the weakest among the battalions in the West Garden.Chunyu Qiong came here on a gamble, and he really had a way, stood up abruptly, and said with a smile: "You are too polite, let's drink together!" As he spoke, he picked up the bronze wine bottle with his right hand, and went on in a daze. Knocking on Lu Bu's bottle, the two bottles collided and the wine splashed quite high. Everyone looked closely, and saw that they were standing still, with the two cups pressed against each other. It turned out that Lu Bu and Chunyu Qiong were pushing the cups with all their strength, which was really a comparison of their strength.At the beginning, they were evenly matched, but after a while, Chunyu Qiong's face turned red and gradually faded away, and he staggered for the last time, almost being pushed to the ground, but Lu Bu didn't show his anger any longer.All the generals in the east laughed, Chunyu Qiong touched the wine stains on his body, and shouted loudly: "Damn it! What are you laughing at? If you have the ability, you can compare with him! Why not be as good as me?" No one respected him, so he poured and drank it by himself. The generals in the east are all rough people, they are used to dirty words on weekdays, they don't take Chunyu Qiong's scolding seriously, they just keep talking and laughing without getting entangled.Seeing that Cao Cao didn't make a fuss without any danger, Liu Biao, Ju Jun and others also drank one after another. Finally, he relaxed his mind and picked up his chopsticks and started eating leisurely.A round of wine came over when he was young, and Lu Bu drank more than a jar, but he saw that his face was pink and more handsome, and his steps were vigorous and not drunk, he returned to Dong Zhuo's side and stood respectfully. "How is it? Is my son a good drinker?" Dong Zhuo laughed. This is not a toast, it is a demonstration, and everyone praises it. Dong Zhuo waved his hand and grinned, "Drinking requires capacity, and leading soldiers depends on strength! Only strength can be respected. The reason why I, Dong, can do what I am today is because of helping my brothers!" He said. Pointing to the generals to the east, they all smiled. Dong Zhuo turned his face away, looked at Cao Cao's people one by one, and said slowly: "But I, Dong, not only want to have my own brothers, but also to become brothers with all the adults here from now on. It still depends on your great help, let’s conspire the affairs of the world together! I also hope that you will not hide anything from me.” Cao Cao was a little surprised, but seeing the impassionedness of this person, it seemed that he was speaking the truth. Dong Zhuo changed the topic: "But the most important thing in the world is to rely on the Ming Lord! Like the second emperor Huan Ling's cronies and eunuchs, and the villains, such a faint monarch will never have peace in the world!" Everyone trembled in fright: Even if the first emperor was a foolish emperor, he could not criticize him in public, let alone yell in public. "I have fought wars in Liangzhou for so many years, and I am well aware of the dangers. The imperial court really doesn't know how to employ people." Dong Zhuo began to speak without restraint, "Think about it, everyone, what kind of birds are sent to our Liangzhou? Meng Tuo became the governor because he gave Zhang Rang a dendrobium of wine, what kind of battle would he fight? He got out, and brought in another Liang Hu, who played with his pen all day and didn't work. Everyone said that his calligraphy was excellent, and I didn't know what the hell he was doing. I don’t understand! In the end, I went to the governor named Song Xiao. When Beigong Boyu was in trouble, he said what he said to recite the "Book of Filial Piety" to defeat the enemy. Bah! Stop fucking nonsense!" Everyone heard his vulgar words Frown, but every sentence is the truth. "I, Dong, haven't read any "Book of Filial Piety", but I have a guy, and the villain has to give me an honest one." Dong Zhuo suddenly pulled out his sword and poked it on the desk case, and everyone shrank their necks in fright. , "This sword is the rule of the world, and it is the majesty of the world. Without the majesty, everything is his mother's nonsense! The late emperor did not have the majesty and was sluggish, so he let the gang of eunuchs gain power. As an emperor, he must be extremely majestic to be able to suppress Live in the world." Cao Cao nodded and picked up the wine without hesitation. "So, I, Dong Zhuo, want to do a big thing. For the sake of the long-term future of my Han Dynasty, and for the fame and wealth of all of you, I want to change my present!" The wine that Cao Cao had just sipped nearly spewed out—Deposed Emperor! ? Seeing that everyone was terrified, Dong Zhuo laughed and said, "Hahaha...what's the fuss about this? The power is in my hands, and replacing that kid Liu Bian is just a trivial matter." Hearing him call the emperor by his name, Feng Fang couldn't hold it anymore, and cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Dong, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. There is nothing wrong with today's emperor. How can he abolish the establishment without reason?" "Abolishing the establishment without reason?" Dong Zhuo glanced at him, "Hmph! Cowardice is his crime! That day I went to Mangshan to meet him, what did he look like? Weeping like a woman, can such an emperor rule the world? Born in the deep palace, brought up in the hands of a woman, any kind of child is spoiled by his mother. Just knowing how to read is useful, but in the end it is just a useless person!" He said that the emperor was useless, as if it should have been abolished long ago, and everyone dared not speak out. Cao Cao stabilized his mind and asked: "Who should be the emperor according to Dong Gong's intention?" The implication is to ask: Do you want to be the emperor yourself? Dong Zhuo slapped his thigh: "That boy Liu Xie!" It seems that whether he likes it or not, the emperor is all a boy in his mouth, "Don't see that King Chen Liu is not young, but he is not small! Meet him that day and meet me Riding on the same ride, that little mouth can speak." He couldn't help laughing, "If you don't be afraid of my child, you will definitely not make mistakes in the future. I, Dong, decided to make him the emperor and help him recover in the future. I am the majesty of a man. Say it, okay?" "I'm waiting for the general to follow the lead!" All the generals in the east shouted in unison, the voice was so loud that it shook people's ears.What's ridiculous is that Dong Zhuo is now Sikong, but they call him "General" instead of "Donggong", which shows that in the eyes of these people, soldiers and horses are much more valuable than Sangong. Dong Zhuo laughed out loud, his face was trembling, as if he had done something extraordinary, he turned his head and asked the people in the west: "My lords, do you also agree with this matter?" Cao Cao quickly bowed his head, not daring to say a word.He squinted at the people around him, Feng Fang, Liu Biao, etc. all looked ashen, and did not dare to show their breath; while Chunyu Qiong didn't seem to listen to him at all, and drank with his head drooping, as if he was already drunk. All of a sudden, Shangshu Zhou Yan, who was sitting at the back, said: "Today's affairs seem to be too feminine, and Dong Gong has no choice but to abolish him and set up another one. It is really a good intention! Fortunately, Chen Liuwang is talented and intelligent. The courtiers all follow Dong Gong's will and will never disobey." This simply added color to Dong Zhuo's face, and all the people looked sideways at Zhou Yan with contempt. "Zhou Zhongyuan also knows me!" "Mr. Dong has a great reputation." Zhou Yu said with a flattering smile, "You have made great achievements in defending the country for a long time, and you have achieved hundreds of battles, and now you have made many achievements in managing the government yourself. We will do our best to help you protect the new king. Come! Let me toast you on behalf of the adults!" Everyone was so angry that they couldn't speak clearly, so they just stared at him. This Zhou Yan is also considered to be a little famous, and he was He Jin's guest at the beginning, but now he shamelessly flatters Dong Bandit. It is a shame to sit with such a villain.Zhou Wuzi ignored it completely, saw Dong Zhuo drinking, and said to the people in the east: "Since ancient times, there have been emperors and courtiers. I think the generals from Liangzhou will also have important responsibilities in the future. You are all battle-tested people. , I admire you very much, and I would like to offer a cup to all the generals." The generals in the east heard that it was all right, and they all drank it happily.Seeing that they had drunk, Zhou Yan also picked up the wine bottle, but he stopped when he touched his lips with something on his mind, and sighed loudly. "Why are you sighing? Disappointing!" Dong Zhuo shouted. "Mr. Dong! What I am lamenting is the country of the great man." He put down the wine bottle, "Since the first emperor, there have been many villains who have used their affairs. Therefore, the world is in danger and the people are suffering. Therefore, the Yellow Turban soldiers rebelled against Heishan. Although Dong Gong can Change to a good emperor, but the suffering of the people cannot be relieved!" "Oh?" Dong Zhuo seemed to be a little worried, "Then what do you say?" "Let me tell you..." Zhou Yan pretended to ponder, "Now the officials of Shatai Prefecture should be filled with young talents. One can protect the people, protect the environment and promote education, and the other can show Dong Gong your talent in employing people by reusing talents. At the beginning, the great general He Jinguang recruited talents, but most of them were dispersed because of the eunuchs' rebellion. But now there are still He Yong, Han Fu, Kong Ni, Zhang Zi, Liu Dai and others in Beijing. If they are released, or serve as governors, Or as a county guard, can't you manage the livelihood of the people? That way the new king can sit firmly, and you can feel at ease, Mr. Dong." Cao Cao was very disgusted when he saw his flattery, but he gradually felt the deep meaning in it.This week, Zhou Yan seemed to be making a plan with sincerity on his face, but in fact he wanted to push Dong Zhuo into the fire pit.Han Fu and the others are all from the Qingliu faction, and what is more, they are the former officials of the Yuan and Yang families. Once these people go out to govern the prefectures and counties, they will probably follow Bao Xin's example and raise their troops to Luoyang to rescue them. drive.Thinking of this, seeing Dong Zhuo's grateful face repeatedly saying yes, Cao Cao suddenly felt it was funny, and quickly took a sip of his wine. "I learned a lot today, everyone eats and drinks well!" Dong Zhuo felt that Zhou Yan's words were very useful, wiped his greasy mouth, and ordered: "Feng Xian, go and ask someone to bring the present!" Everyone looked at each other, embarrassed.Wine can be drunk, food can be eaten, as long as it rots in the stomach; but gifts cannot be accepted, because once accepted, it is tantamount to being bribed by them and agreeing to dethrone the emperor.But now, who dares to stand up and say no? Not long after, Lu Bu brought in a large group of servants.They carried more than a dozen large boxes, and when they opened them, the gold and silver treasures were shining brightly.Hearing the sound of crying again, a few soldiers from Xiliang drove in a group of graceful women, who must have come here to loot.Dong Zhuo stood up and said with a smile, "Guess where these things come from?" Hu Zhen sized up the beauty and smirked: "Could they all belong to the palace?" "No, no!" Dong Zhuo shook his head, "These are all property of He Miao's family!" As soon as this remark came out, there was an uproar in the hall.Although He Miao, the chariot general, is dead, he is the younger brother of the present empress dowager after all, so there is no reason for him to randomly copy the property of his uncle's family. "Let me tell you the truth. Just now, when I invited everyone to the banquet, I sent two hundred elite soldiers to raid the He Mansion! What the hell is this He Miao? His brother killed the eunuch, but he ate Colluding with eunuchs inside and outside, and accepting so many bribes, do you think it should be robbed?" "It's time to rob!" Wu Kuang was the first to stand up, he was the one who killed He Miao in the palace turmoil, and said solemnly at this moment, "If my general hadn't been troubled by this thief, why would he be assassinated by the eunuch?" Cao Cao rolled his eyes at him, and thought, "What an idiot! You know that drinking and killing people is being used as a sword by Dong Zhuo brothers, and you don't know it." Dong Zhuo motioned Wu Kuang to sit down: "I not only copied He Miao’s house, and his coffin, and his old lady were slaughtered!” With a clatter, Zhao Rong was so frightened that he lost his wine bottle: "You...you killed, killed Lord Wuyang?" "Hmph! What's the big deal? She's just an old thief." Dong Zhuo didn't care. "After all, she is the mother of the queen mother." Zhao Rong did not know how many bottles of wine he had spilled tonight, as if his clothes had never been dry. "Master Zhao, look at your ugly face!" Dong Zhuo said disdainfully, "That kid Liu Bian will be deposed soon. He is not the emperor, and her mother is not the queen mother. What kind of royal family is the He family? Scum like Miao should be killed." "Good kill!" Wu Kuang echoed, "This old villain is a remarried woman, and has nothing to do with our great general. His son He Miao was originally named Zhu, but he changed his surname to He for the sake of fame. The mother and son have no relationship. A good thing! It should be killed!" Cao Cao really wanted to ask: So the queen mother and the emperor have nothing to do with the general?After thinking about it again and again, I still didn't dare to speak.Hearing Dong Zhuo's heavy voice say again: "Today, whoever comes here has a share, so the maidservant of wealth can choose whatever she wants!" As soon as this remark was made, the people in the east rushed over like crazy.Some robbed the treasures, some did things to those women, and you fought over each other, it was a group of beasts.Dong Zhuo not only did not stop him, but also laughed.Liu Biao, Zhao Rong and others all lowered their heads and couldn't bear to look any longer. Wu Kuang grabbed a few handfuls of gold and stuffed them into his bosom. In a blink of an eye, he saw a beautiful woman in the crowd, and stepped forward to tease her.The woman dodged left and right, protecting her abdomen all the time - it turned out that she was still pregnant.Wu Kuang missed two pounces, so he grabbed her skirt.The woman sat down on the ground, seeing Wu Kuang's arm stretched out, she opened her mouth to bite.Wu Kuang jumped up in pain, became angry and waved her hand and slapped her. Seeing that Wu Kuang raised his right foot and was about to kick her again, fearing that this kick would kill two people, Cao Cao couldn't hold back his anger any longer, so he jumped out suddenly, and Wu Kuang was sure to punch her in the face! Unprepared, Wu Kuang raised his leg again, the punch was solid, and he fell on his back. There was a sudden crash, the table was overturned, and the wine and dishes were all over the floor. Everyone was shocked, but Dong Zhuo was not angry, he just said: "Meng De, you are my guest. If you like this woman, you can tell me clearly, why should you be so angry?" Wu Kuang also got up angrily, but did not fight back , suppressing his anger, said: "Bah! Isn't she just a bitch!" He has been going anywhere for a long time, so he has always respected Cao Cao. If someone else beat him, he might have used a knife long ago. "Didn't you see that she has a big belly? If you step down, two lives will be lost!" Cao Cao leaned forward to help the woman, and then he noticed that she was very young, probably not yet twenty.With tears streaming down her face, the woman hugged Cao Cao's thigh and cried, "My lord, help me! I am not He Miao's family, but the daughter-in-law of the great general..." "What did you say?" Wu Kuang was also taken aback. "Little girl Yin, married to the son of the Great General. My husband was weak. A few months ago, the eunuchs made trouble, and my husband died of shock. The little girl had nothing to rely on and was pregnant, so she had to rely on Lord Wuyang to live! Woooo... ..." She broke down in tears. Cao Cao yelled at Wu Kuang angrily: "Did you hear that? Could it be that what you did just now is worthy of the general?" Wu Kuang sat down regretfully.Cao Cao gently pushed Yin's arm away, and gave Dong Zhuo a deep bow: "Mr. Dong, this woman is the daughter-in-law of the great general, and she is pregnant with He Jin's grandson. Now that you have ruined Lord Wuyang's family, she has nothing to depend on. I implore Dong Zhuo You have treated this girl kindly, and if you can send her back to her natal family, it will be regarded as a comfort to the great general's spirit in heaven." "You are kind and righteous." Dong Zhuo nodded appreciatively, "It's easy to talk about!" "Also, these girls from a good family are not to be rewarded, please... please let them go." Dong Zhuo stopped smiling suddenly: "How can there be so many poor people? You are really troublesome... What a f*cking disappointment! Forget it, take them all down. I think today's banquet is over here, and my lords still have something to do." Generals, please go back!" All the people in the west had been in fear for a long time, and when they heard this, they hurriedly got up to leave as if they were being amnesty.But there is a clever servant who wraps a package of goods for each person, whether it is jade, pearls, or gold and silver utensils.Liu Biao and the others reluctantly accepted, held their hands high, and slowly withdrew; as for Chunyu Qiong, he was already drunk, and it was Liu Xun who carried him out. Cao Cao wanted to leave, but Dong Zhuo said, "Don't leave! I have something to tell you." After a while, the people on both sides of the east and west were gone.仆役也将残席撤去，扫去地上污垢，熄灭多盏灯火，退出去时又将大门掩好。偌大的厅堂上，只剩下曹操与董卓、吕布、田仪。 幽暗的灯光下，董卓的脸越发显得阴森可怖，如野兽一般。他瞪着凶恶的眼睛，打量曹操良久，才道：“你是曹腾的孙子吧？” 曹操听他直呼祖父的名讳甚是不喜，但又知他是个粗人口无遮拦，便低声应了声：“是。” “我董卓之所以能出人头地，靠的是已故张奂老将军的提拔，这你知道吧？” 曹操连连点头。 “而张老将军当年可没少得你祖父的恩惠啊！”董卓所言不虚，昔日梁冀当政时期，张奂之所以有机会建立军功，也赖曹操祖父曹腾的美言。“还有，我凉州在孝顺帝时，有一位战功赫赫的刺史种暠，也是你祖父推荐的吧？” 曹操有点害怕了：董卓进京之前，我曾推荐种暠之孙种劭前去阻拦，他是不是要因此事处置我？ 哪知董卓面色凝重，语重心长道：“你曹家对我凉州武人有恩呢！”曹操听不出这是好言还是恶言，只低头道：“不敢当。” 董卓摆摆手，走到他面前：“你可知道，身为凉州之人，要想出人头地要受多少苦吗？朝廷何尝视我们为子民啊！自光武爷立下规矩，凉州之人不得内迁，把我们当做贱民。故而张奂立下平羌大功，不求升赏，只愿籍贯内迁弘农，为的就是子孙不再受欺压、不再受战乱之苦。你明白吗？” 曹操有些动容，但马上意识到自己在与谁讲话，赶紧低头道：“蒙董公训教。” “我凉州子弟为抗外敌，所以世代习武，出了多少能征惯战之人？可是朝廷不加重用，提拔的却是那些百无一用的高门子弟，都是他妈的绣花枕头！”董卓气愤不已，“带兵之人没上过战场，还算什么厮杀汉？你倒是个好样的，当年敢带三千人出关解围。” “那一仗赢得侥幸了。”曹操实话实说。当初平黄巾长社一战，他领兵赶到之时，皇甫嵩已经纵火突围。 “宛城之惨烈，难道也是侥幸？”董卓早将曹操的底细摸清了。 “唉……”曹操长叹一声，“昔日这一仗，死伤无数惨烈至极，我所带之人几乎折尽。” “这就是你跟那些人不一样的地方，你在战场上出生入死过！你见过尸横遍野的景象……”董卓拍拍他肩膀，话锋一转，“我也打过黄巾贼，但是我败了。我一辈子只吃过两场大败仗！” 曹操倒也起了好奇心，斗胆问道：“两场？那另一场呢？” “那是在榆中，被北宫伯玉的人马困在河边。我坚闭营门受困数月，眼见粮草殆尽士卒投敌，就差他妈的来宰我了。”说到这儿董卓闭上了眼睛，似乎对当时的情景还心有余悸。 “当时我营里有个小参谋，他想出一个主意，叫我假借捕鱼为名拦河修堤。等堤修好后，我们虚插旌旗，渡河而逃。等北宫伯玉的人马发现，我们把大堤一毁，早就逃远了！” 曹操连连点头：“实中有虚，虚中有实。好计策，当赏！” “那还用你说？献策之人名唤贾诩，如今已是都尉，正在助我女婿牛辅驻扎陕县，日后我还要重用此人。那榆中之败是我以寡敌众孤军深入，却也输得心服口服。但是在广宗败给张角，却他妈的叫人窝火！” 那是光和六年（公元184年）的事情。当时曹操正随朱儁、皇甫嵩在汝南奋战，而河北平叛主帅卢植遭宦官诬陷被锁拿入京，接替者便是董卓。那一仗董卓败得莫名其妙，致使原本形势大好的局势全面恶化，荆州黄巾借机复起，才有那场触目惊心的宛城血战。董卓突然叹息道：“孟德，因为我那一仗输了，给你们添了不少麻烦吧？” “胜败乃兵家常事，谈何麻烦，为国效力理所应当。” “你知道我为何会输吗？” 曹操听他这样问，正好借机逢迎：“久闻董公用兵如神，但广宗之败实不可解。” “那我告诉你，输就输在那帮北军的司马上！”董卓一脸气愤，“那些人都是他妈的贵族子弟，哪里把我这个西凉粗人放在眼里？军队靠的是令行禁止，可是他们不服我的调遣，各自为战岂能不败？要是带着我自己的兵，十个张角也被我擒杀了。” 曹操愕然。 “而且，输还输在先帝那个大昏君身上！”董卓嚷得更凶了，“竟然因为一个狗屁阉人的话就临阵换将！他妈的……所以那时候我就想收拾昏君、收拾那帮百无一用的贵戚子弟！” 至此，曹操总算是搞清楚董卓的心结何在了，他劝慰道：“先帝已死，北军已在董公之手，现在您该罢手了吧？” “罢手？”董卓的脸颤动了两下，“我什么要罢手？我还没有建立威严！我要立刘协那小子当皇帝，我亲自当家主政，这天下早该好好理一理了。”那一刻，曹操几乎被打动了：“您要效仿霍光之举吗？” “什么？什么火光？”董卓一愣，瞧向阶边的灯火。 就这一个小小的动作间，曹操的仰慕之情瞬间灰飞烟灭：这个人太没有学识了，恐怕不能成就大事！国家利器所托非人定会是一场灾难，何进不就是最好的例子吗？但何进不过是软弱无能，要是董卓这等视人命如草芥的家伙当政，只怕天下要血流成河！需知治大国若烹小鲜…… 田仪觉察出董卓出丑了，赶紧解释道：“主公，曹大人所说的霍光是前辈的名臣，就是您素来仰慕的那位霍去病将军的弟弟。他受孝昭帝托孤之重，却废掉了继任的昌邑王。当时也有人说他是乱臣贼子居心叵测，而他迎立了孝宣皇帝，辅佐他成为一代明君。曹大人拿您比霍光，是在夸奖您呐。”曹操听此言毛骨悚然：霍光辅保孝宣帝不假，当时昌邑王却是他自立自废的。田仪避重就轻侧重美化霍光，明摆着是怂恿董卓的废帝之举，说不定这废立皇帝的主意就是他出的，此潦倒书生心机实在可怖至极。 “那就谢谢孟德的夸奖喽！”董卓在他面前踱了几步，突然攥住曹操手腕，“曹老弟。” "Don't dare to be." “肩膀齐为弟兄！” 曹操强笑道：“只怕我这等身高，站到几案上才能与您肩膀齐。” “哈哈哈……孟德莫要说笑。我且问你，现在你典军营中还有多少兵马？” “死走逃亡，还剩千余而已。”曹操不敢逞强，实言相告。 董卓沉默了一会儿，道：“我把西园军余下的所有兵马都交你统领，你看可好？” “我？！”曹操简直不敢相信自己的耳朵。虽说西园军已经残败，但若把余下的五营合在一起，仍然可以凑到三千多人，这在京畿之地绝对是一股不可小觑的力量。 “你有什么可大惊小怪的？”董卓笑道，“咱们之间要讲实话。我的将领都是粗人，可管不了这帮西园军。但若是轻易放手将其遣散，一者太过可惜，二者难免肘下生变。但若是找到合适的人来统领他们，将来若是有人造反，这支人马还可以协助御敌呢！老夫遍观朝中文武，唯有你能带好这支军队，至于那些酸溜溜的贵族子弟，叫他们靠边站吧！怎么样？你来带西园军，日后与我共谋大业、共享富贵，如何呀？” 他所说的共谋大业究竟是什么意思呢？难道他最终的目标是要学王莽篡汉吗？还是仅仅想做霍光？那为什么要废掉刘辩改立刘协呢？立一个更聪明的皇帝对他来说不是更危险吗？董卓实在是大脑混乱，或许他确实有志于复兴朝廷，但他却不知道该怎么做……曹操没有回答，低头陷入了沉思。 董卓又道：“放心吧，老夫日后亏待不了你，保你得公侯之位。咱们好好理一理这个天下。有酒同喝有肉同吃，行不行？” 曹操真不知该如何回答了，为一代贤臣名将固然是他平生的志愿，但是寄希望于董卓是否明智呢？他侧目瞧了眼旁边的二人：吕布手握方天画戟威严而立，似乎自己敢说一个不字就要废命在此；田仪睁着一双怪眼瞅着自己，看来要想假意应允立时就会被这个人戳穿。答应不答应，似乎都行不通……他木讷良久，跪倒在董卓面前：“董公，下官想起一句话。昔日我大汉名将马援讲过'非独君择臣也，臣亦择君矣'。下官现在实不能答复，容我回去再三思考，若自度能够胜任，必会担当。”说到这儿恐话不周全，他又赶紧补充道，“若自度不堪您驱使，在下也必会荐举他人，总之定不负公之重托。” 董卓有些吃惊，他还没见过有人这样与他讲话，但随即笑道：“你倒是坦诚……好吧，你回去想一想，改日咱们再议此事。” 曹操忐忑站起，见董卓气色如常，吕布、田仪也没什么反应，似乎是勉强过关了。荆棘之地不可久留，他马上躬身道：“既然如此，下官便告退了。” “去吧，天色也不早了，老夫等着你的答复。”说着董卓摆摆手，打了一个哈欠。 曹操离开董府，一路上脑子里乱糟糟的。其实这不单单是缓兵之计，也是他内心深处的矛盾：帮助董卓，自己的才干似乎便有机会显示，但是董卓其人真的可以相信吗？即便可以相信，他就真的能治理好国家吗？恍恍惚惚回到家中，也未换衣服，一屁股坐到房里。 卞氏牵挂他安危，抱着丕儿一直没有休息，赶紧凑过来：“怎么样？老贼没难为你吧？”曹操摇摇头。 “你怎么了，跟丢了魂似得？他要夺你的兵权？” 曹操苦笑一阵：“他不是要夺我兵权，是要给我兵权。” “给你兵权，怎么回事？” 夫妻说话之间，楼异突然在外面嚷道：“大人，董府差人给您送东西来了……来的差人是……是……” "who is it?" 另一个似曾相识的声音答道：“是小的我呀！” 曹操连忙举烛出门，黑暗中显露出一张谄媚的面庞——秦宜禄。 “是你？”曹操鄙夷地哼了一声，“你又跑到董公手下了。” “嘿嘿，小的倒是有心思跟着您，但是您不要我了。所以，谁给小的饭吃，我就跟着谁吧。”秦宜禄依旧是那么滑头，“大人，您快来看看吧！”烛火照亮院子，只见整整一箱的金银珠宝，正是席间何苗家产之物。 “我家董公说了，区区几件小东西，请您务必留下，以后就是一家人了。”秦宜禄深深一揖，又道：“小的出来时，田主簿还嘱咐我，说您与我毕竟有故主之情，要我勤往这里跑跑，关照您的生活，那以后小的短不了来侍奉您。” 曹操暗骂，这分明是要他时常来监视，这会儿再不敢推辞了，强笑道：“你回去告知董公，东西我欣然领受，多谢他老人家的美意。” “诺。天色不早，小的告退了。”秦宜禄退了几步，又谄笑道，“外面还有一驾马车，也是董公相赠，请您收下。”说罢一溜烟跑了。 卞氏这时走了出来，惊奇道：“秦宜禄来送东西，这是怎么回事呀？”曹操不答，夫妻二人齐出院门去看，果见府门外有一驾新漆的马车，装潢甚为华贵，不过对于一个校尉而言似乎有些逾制了。 楼异上去赶车，哪知他一掀帘子，车里面竟还坐着个哭泣的婀娜女子——正是那个身怀有孕的小寡妇尹氏。卞氏更加诧异，蹙眉对丈夫道：“你给我说说吧，这到底是怎么回事啊？” “别问我，我说不明白。”曹操一挥衣袖，回去睡觉了。