Chapter 19 Brothers Homecoming

Half a month later, on a sunny morning, Cao Song suddenly called his two sons to his side. "What? Father told me to return home again?" Cao Cao didn't quite understand. "You should go back!" Cao Song's tone was almost commanding, "Meng De, you are nineteen years old this year, and it's time to start a family and start a business. The girl surnamed Ding has a good family background, and she is a good match for us. It’s a fellow villager. I’ve already written to tell my family to prepare for the marriage, and you should get married as soon as possible.”

"No." Cao Cao was still full of longing for his fiancée. "In addition, don't come back in a hurry after getting married. The officials of the county have promised me that you will be Xiaolian next year." "So fast!?" Cao Cao didn't expect Wang Fu and his father to act so quickly. "The money is well spent, can you still be unhappy?" Cao Song said angrily, "After you become an official, you will not be able to control yourself. I'm afraid it will be difficult to return to your hometown. Take advantage of the time to go to your relatives and friends in your hometown. Don't let people say that we men are born. When you go back, you must be more cautious in your words and deeds, and discipline the younger generations in the clan. I heard that your cousin Cao Hong is very restless in his hometown. You have to take care of them. Don't be at this juncture Stabbing Louzi will delay your future." After finishing speaking, Cao Song looked at his youngest son again, "De'er, you can go with Ah Man too."

"Yes!" Cao De replied happily. "From now on, you will live in your hometown, don't come to Luoyang again." "What? Daddy...you don't want me?" Cao De was terrified. "Stupid child, why would daddy not want you? You are grown up now, and I will hand over the property in the village to you! Although our Cao family has eunuchs, since your great-grandfather, they have been a well-known and kind family." , in the future you have to manage the family business and raise your children in a safe and secure way. Father doesn't expect you to be an official, as long as you can take care of our family, I am satisfied. You love to read and are sensible, and in the future you will point to you to educate the children of the clan What about them!"

Cao De understood that his father was not as optimistic about himself as his elder brother, and he had already noticed this since the time he couldn't recite his elder brother's art of war.But in the past ten years, his father's love for him far exceeds that of his elder brother.Teach him to write by hand, teach him to read poems sentence by sentence, hug him to tease magpies in the garden, cover him with quilts in the middle of the night... all the emotions flooded up in an instant: "Daddy... the child will not be by your side in the future." ...You have to take care of your health...Daddy..." Tears streamed down my face before finishing a sentence.

Cao Song also became inexplicably sad when he made such a fuss, but it really felt indecent: "My good boy, don't cry, what is this like... how do you say this, it's not a parting of life and death, you send me to the end in advance No way?" He said and helped De'er who was kneeling on the ground, "After I resign from office, I will go back to my hometown to die. Go and prepare things quickly." "No." The two sons walked away leisurely, wiping away their tears. Watching them leave slowly, Cao Song sighed: I have finally raised them, and I am getting old... I was born to live for my father, and then for the children. Now it is about time to let go and truly serve Live by yourself!Could it be that I really can only bow my knees and be a slave?Is it true that only people like the Yang family and the Yuan family can be admired?I must aspire to the top three!When the time comes, those hypocrites who used to laugh at me, what else do you have to say!

Cao Song did not see his sons off, but sent several family members to send them out of Luoyang.Cao Cao and an old family led the way on horseback, followed by three carriages full of luggage and property.Cao De sat in the last car, browsing the surrounding scenery. Cao De came to the capital since he was a child, and only returned to his hometown once, and he was still in his arms.On weekdays, he was bored studying in the mansion, rarely going out for a walk, let alone traveling far out of the city.After the horses and horses passed Mingtang and Taixue, when they saw the green fields beside the road and the endless mountains and forests in the distance, they felt an endless sense of freshness.I only regret that I don't have a few more eyes, so I can't see everything in this country, and I ask the servants around me to ask this and that, and I can't stop talking.After walking for a while, the car in front of him stopped suddenly. Cao De didn't know what happened, so he jumped down and looked forward - it turned out that his brother's friend had come.

Cao Cao didn't expect that Xu You would come to see him off, after all, they only met once!He hurriedly got off his horse and saluted.Xu You hastily returned the gift and said: "I heard that Brother Ah Man returned home, and he wanted to visit the mansion, but he was afraid of being interrupted, so he brought two fellow students here to wait." Cao Cao thought it was funny to hear him call him by his baby name: It seems that Xu Ziyuan decided that he only called me by my nickname! "Come on! Let me introduce you to Brother Aman—this big guy is Nanyang Lougui, whose style name is Zibo; the one who looks like a girl is Runan Wang Jun, whose style name is Ziwen. The three of us are all studying under Qiao Gong's door now." "Book of Rites Chapters and Sentences."

Although Cao Cao thought his words were frivolous, he thought it was very appropriate when he looked closely at these two people: Lou Gui was more than nine feet tall, with dragon eyebrows and phoenix eyes, long hair and a scarf.Wang Jun is of medium build, wearing a snow-white long gown, covered with a chic sable coat, he is very pretty; looking at his face, this man's face is like a crown jade, his teeth are white and his lips are red, his eyebrows are like crescent moons, and his ears are like ingots. , eyes full of autumn water, looking forward to flying, better than Zidu, not to let Song Yu, pale than paintings, more desolate than Yuyu, really more beautiful than Xishi in paintings and Chang'e on the screen.

Cao Cao secretly marveled: This Master Qiao is really different. Although he does not accept the children of famous families, these disciples are all outstanding talents. Only these three are tall, ugly and handsome, which is rare in the world. "I've heard Cao Mengde's name for a long time, and I'm a little talented. I'm lucky to meet you today!" Lou Gui spoke very respectfully. "Brother Meng De's talent has already been learned, and he will be a pillar of the country in the future. I admire him from the bottom of my heart, and I am here to see you off. I also hope that he will not give up and get closer to him in the future." Wang Jun followed suit.

Cao Cao didn't understand why they were so polite. He had never been well-known, and the family background of the "eunuch's ugly" was more ruined than reputation, and it was far from being comparable to Yuan Shao and Yang Biao.It's okay for these two people to see them off halfway, it's really puzzling to speak so modestly. Seeing his suspicious expression, Xu You hurriedly explained: "Ah, don't be offended. They came here because they read your annotated "Sun Tzu's Art of War" and convinced you from the bottom of their hearts." Only then did Cao Cao recall: Xu You had borrowed the book of war that he had annotated earlier, and it turned out that he took it to play with his fellow disciples.Thanks to this book, these two friends were attracted.He immediately felt the intimacy of a bosom friend.

"Oh! I'm really ashamed... I made some of you laugh." "Cao Ah, don't lie to you! There is another important person who wants to meet you!" Xu You pulled him and pointed him to look near a big tree in the distance. I saw a carriage parked near the post road, and more than a dozen coachmen stood under the tree. There was a couch in the middle, and an old man with luxurious clothes and a flowing beard was sitting.When Cao Cao saw that this man was so imposing, he immediately realized - who else could this man be if he wasn't the famous Duke Qiao? His chest was pounding suddenly, which was really flattering!He hurriedly dragged his younger brother to trot all the way, stepped forward and knelt down on the ground: "Wan Sheng pays homage to Mr. Qiao! Fuck brother He De He Neng, please trouble Mr. Qiao to come here to meet you. Death penalty! Death penalty!" "It's not so much polite, get up!" Qiao Xuan's voice was thick. Treading on thin ice, Cao Cao pulled his younger brother to stand up slowly, keeping his head down tightly and never daring to look at Qiao Xuan, he really didn't even dare to breathe. "You look up." "Yes!" Cao Cao raised his head slightly, and saw Qiao Xuan looking at him, those eyes seemed to be electrified, frightening and chilling.He couldn't help feeling flustered for a while, and quickly lowered his head again. "What's the matter? Look up and ask the old man to look at you." Cao Cao raised his head again, and saw Qiao Xuan's pale and thin face, with well-defined bones, a pair of phoenix eyes, eyes shining with stern and sharp light, his thin lips tightly closed, and a slender gray beard under his chin - not angry with a dignified man phase. "Your name is Cao Mengde?" "yes." "The son of Dahonghe Cao Jugao?" "yes." "Hmph! You are not as powerful as I imagined... I thought you must be a tall and strong man with broad arms and round waist, but I didn't expect you to be short and far from a good fighter who is proficient in the art of war." Qiao Xuan looked at him and laughed, "Hahaha...you don't look very much like your father, but your younger brother looks a lot like him. Your father has a straight nose, wide mouth, thick lips and long beard, which is a sign of wealth and honor; but You didn't follow his blessings at all. Forgive me for saying something unpleasant, but your appearance may still be below average. However, there is a cinnabar mole on your left eyebrow—a cinnabar mole on your eyebrow , is the sign of great wisdom!" When Cao Cao heard him give him a face-to-face, he felt hot and cold for a while, and finally heard that he was considered good-looking, so he said bravely: "The appearance of a villain is indeed a hindrance to adults, but the so-called...not seeing the beauty without salt is because of innocence. and also." "Oh? Haha... You're right! You annotated the thirteen articles by Sun Wuzi?" Qiao Xuan said as he picked up the bamboo slips on the case. "Yes." Cao Cao wanted to say something modest, but he couldn't figure out his temper, so he swallowed the words again. Qiao Xuan's voice suddenly increased, and he asked sharply: ""Sun Tzu Marching Army Chapter" says that there are dangers and obstacles in the army. Let me ask you, what is the difference between 'adversity' and 'obstacle'?" Cao Cao understood that this was a test for teaching, so he hurriedly approached and replied, "Those who are in danger will be higher than others. Those who are hindered will have a lot of water." "Let me ask you again, 'All lands are divided into Juejian, Tianjing, Tianlao, Tianluo, Tiancao, and Tianchao', do you know what it means?" Qiao Xuan asked immediately. Cao Cao replied without hesitation: "The ones with Juejian are precipitous front and back, and the water runs across them. The ones with courtyards are tall and steep on all sides, and the middle is low. The ones with sky prisons are surrounded by absolutes on three sides, making it easy to enter and difficult to get out. .The sky is trapped, the soil is muddy, and the car is gradually congealed. The sky is gapped, the road is narrow, and the ground is full of potholes." Seeing that Qiao Xuan couldn't stop nodding, Cao Cao thought he had finished the question, and just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard him ask sharply, "What do you mean by the so-called 'Army is more important than victory, not long time'?" Gradually, Cao Cao let go of his courage, walked to Qiaoxuan's case, picked up a pen, and added in his book: "It will be unfavorable for a long time, and soldiers are like fire. If you don't fight, you will burn yourself." "If you don't use troops quickly, you will burn yourself, this sentence is a good addition." Qiao Xuan raised his eyelids and stared at him, "Meng De, how do you think we should use troops?" "This..." Cao Cao hesitated for a moment before saying, "I don't dare to lie, but Sun Wuzi said it very well: "It's as fast as the wind, it's as slow as the forest; it invades like fire, and it doesn't move like a mountain; it's difficult to know like shadow, and it moves like a mountain." Thunder. Looting the villages to divide the masses, dividing the land to divide the profits, and mobilizing the power. The prophet's straightforward plan wins. This is the method of military struggle.'” "Fenglin and Huoshan move with power hanging, this is the most important theme of Yangyang's "Sun Tzu". Meng De has a good eye." Qiao Xuan suddenly stood up, took a few steps and said, "I have also read the art of war for half a lifetime. , only one thing has not been fully understood, what is the 'Soldier of the Overlord'?" Cao Cao really let go of his hands and feet at this moment, and said loudly: "The overlord does not form the power of the princes of the world. Cut off the friendship of the world and seize the power of the world, so he is arrogant and selfish!" After he said this These words startled even myself, these words seemed too far away from benevolence, righteousness and etiquette, and they were too arrogant and domineering.But at that moment, Cao Cao never thought that he would practice what he said in the future, so he just looked at Qiao Xuan timidly. Qiao Xuan also seemed to be a little jarred, but his face only twitched twice, and then he turned his head up and laughed loudly: "Hahaha...you are very good! It's concise and concise, it doesn't look like someone who has never been on the battlefield wrote It came out. When the old man commanded the Liao camp to conquer the Hulu, if I had read your book at that time, how could it take three years to wipe out the Hulu?" Cao Cao never dreamed that Qiao Xuan would give him such a high evaluation. No one knew that Qiao Xuan was famous all over the world because of his conquest, so he was relieved and said: "Qiao Gong is too famous! I really..." "I never say too much!" Qiao Xuan interrupted him, "Good is good, there is no need to be modest and courteous." Cao Cao's ears were filled with the rumors about Qiao Xuan's strange personality, and he really lived up to his reputation when he saw him today.He turned his eyes and quickly changed his words: "I want to say that the art of war I have injected is actually specially made for Qiao Gong's kind eyes, if others are stupid and clumsy, how can it be worth watching?" "Hahaha!" Qiao Xuan laughed loudly, and patted him on the shoulder, "What a boy! You are as smart as your father!" Cao Cao was a little taken aback when he saw it. Such a big man stood on the side of the road talking and laughing with a young man. Not to mention the people in the public platform, there are not many old men like this!Before he woke up and fell asleep, Qiao Xuan pulled him to sit down—this was even more disrespectful!Cao Cao was a little dumbfounded. "This old man knows that he is withdrawn. Although he has been in the officialdom for half his life, he has no friends. I find those polite etiquette awkward! I only like to associate with young people. Look at Ziwen, Zibo, and Ziyuan. Studying the scriptures in my mansion, and in private, talking and laughing are almost like friends! You all come and sit! Come and sit!" Cao Cao had never seen or heard of this scene!The old man actually started talking about friends with the students, and told them to sit around, wondering: Is he really studying the "Book of Rites"?Cao De had always been disciplined very strictly at home. He had never seen such a battle before, and he had already froze in place. Wang Jun pulled him to sit down too. "Don't be surprised, this old man has such a temperament!" Qiao Xuan has lost the majesty just now, "To be honest, Ziyuan brought me the book to read, and I want to see you that day. But after thinking about it, I am afraid of causing gossip What happened to Qiao Xuan and the people of the Cao family, what a mess in the capital!" "Xiao Ke is really lucky to meet you today. If Mr. Qiao never gives up, I would also like to study "Book of Rites" with Ziyuan, Ziwen, and Zibo under your disciples." "Hey! What is there to learn? This knowledge is just a stepping stone! How many people in the world can learn the realm of Ma Jichang and Zheng Kangcheng?" Qiao Xuan said bluntly, "To be honest, I only learned it because of the clan It’s been passed down from generation to generation and they have to learn it! Ziwen and the three of them study in my mansion in name, but in fact, they only read a few books every day when they have nothing to do. Most of the time is just gossiping. You are not like them Similarly, there is a father who is a high-ranking official at home, and there are relatives who are related to the queen, and you yourself have the ability to explain military books and war strategies, so why study "Book of Rites"? Don't waste your time!" "Haha... what you said is really words that people dare not say." Cao Cao faced his father who was always stern and his conservative seventh uncle when he was a child. Today is the first time in his life that he has seen such a straightforward old man. I understand, no wonder Xu You spoke frivolously, there really is such a kind of master as there is such a kind of disciple. "Meng De, I'm afraid we don't have the fate to be teachers and students. Let's count it as a year-end friendship!" Qiao Xuan said it casually, but he frightened the Cao Cao brothers: an old man in his 60s and a young man who was less than 20 years old actually called Wangnian friends. Treat each other with courtesy! "Don't dare..." "Why don't you dare? Don't be as prudish as the boys of the Yuan family, you are a real husband who acts rashly!" Qiao Xuan seemed to have some prejudice against the Yuan family. "Yes!" Cao Cao chuckled, "But I haven't married a wife yet, this time I will marry a wife when I return to my hometown to be my real husband!" Qiao Xuan laughed on his back when he heard this, Xu You clapped his hands and praised him, but Lou Gui didn't realize it, he kept pulling Xu You and asked: "What's the matter? What's the matter?" Even Wang Jun was elegant and reserved, and he also covered his mouth with a smile; Cao De He was overjoyed, he had never seen his brother joking with outsiders like this. Unexpectedly, Qiao Xuan smiled for a while, then suddenly restrained himself, grabbed Cao Cao's hand and said, "Boy! Since we have become friends, shouldn't we have nothing to hide?" "Oh?" Cao Cao was taken aback, "My lord Meng thinks highly of me, Xiao Ke dares not to die." Qiao Xuan nodded, lowered his voice and said, "Does Meng De know this person?" He pointed to a servant standing under a tree in the distance. Cao Cao was puzzled, how could he know a servant of his family?But after only one glance, he was shocked—it was He Yong who he had been thinking about day and night! "That's Bo..." Seeing that he was about to come out, Qiao Xuan quickly covered his mouth with his hand: "Don't say anything, only my master and apprentice here know the origin of this person, the other servants don't know it yet, don't let it out." "Yes yes yes." Cao Cao responded again and again, "Xiao Ke is strange, why did he come to your house?" "It's a long story, I have been friends with Chen Fan for a long time." The friendship he said showed that he was not familiar with each other, but admired each other. Hurry up and send Ziyuan and Ziwen to secretly stop him and hide him in the mansion." Cao Cao said: "No wonder Duan Jiong couldn't find him. It turned out that Duke Qiao saved him. How dare he search your mansion?" Qiao Xuan stroked his long beard, with a burst of pride on his face: "Hmph! When I was General Du Liao, Duan Jiming was just another Sima under my account. Later he became General Du Liao. He is already a Taiwei. He has come all the way, and every time he serves under me, what do I ask him to do, how dare he say a word?" "Haha...Brother He has found the safest place in the whole world to hide in your house." Cao Cao said and glanced at Xu You, "Ziyuan, you are really tight-lipped, you have such a good thing, but you don't tell me. " "At that time, I didn't know that you were close to him, so I had to keep my mouth shut. Unexpectedly, when I took back the military book and said it, Brother He actually knew you, and said that you had saved his life. Only then did I know that everyone is on the same road. People and horses." Xu You also smiled, "In short, thanks to your art of war." Cao Cao seemed to understand that it turned out that Duke Qiao came to him today not just because he had read the book of war annotated by him, and there must be something important to ask.Seeing that the six people, old and young, were sitting quite far away from the family and servants, it was only then that he realized that he had just asked everyone to come and sit there on purpose to avoid his subordinates.Cao Cao secretly sighed: People say that Mr. Qiao is rough and perverse, but he doesn't know that there is fineness in his roughness. Qiao Xuan said slowly again: "This matter must not be made public! Uncle He's request is merciful. At the beginning, he complained about breaking into the palace, and now he has impeached him. Only one of the Tai students survived. Seeing that he was about to risk his life in a moment of impulsiveness, how can I ignore it? To be honest, from that day to today, he has never left our residence. But Luoyang is a land of tigers and wolves after all. He can’t stay for long. This time he plans to take refuge in Nanyang, and contact friends everywhere. But along the way, the city gates are closely checked, so Lao Mengde mixed him with his followers and escorted him to Nanyang along the way.” "No problem. Our brothers will be responsible for this matter, so don't worry about it!" Cao Cao readily agreed. "Okay! Those who know the art of war can tell right from wrong." Qiao Xuan laughed again, "But only the six of us know about it, so don't spread it. It's your father, your uncle, and even your friends Yuan Shao and Cui Jun. , don’t tell me.” "Okay!" Cao Cao turned his head and told his younger brother, "Did you hear that, De'er? You also have to remember." "Brother, don't worry! My brother has been growing up since he was a child. Why don't you hide anything for you?" Cao De smiled. "You don't need to be nervous, there shouldn't be any side issues if he mixes with the servants." As Qiao Xuan got up, "I think Meng Deju Xiaolian will come to Beijing in a year or so. Then you Just come to the mansion to find me... I still have some business to do, let Ziwen and the others see you off!" The Cao brothers bid farewell to Qiaoxuan, and Xu You and the other three also followed Qiaoxuan into the car and left.The two brothers bowed to the ground, and only slowly got up when Qiao Xuan's chariot and horses had gone far away and could no longer be seen.Turning his head around, he saw He Yong, who was dressed in family clothes, coming to say hello: "Young butler of the bridge mansion, I am going to Nanyang for business at the order of my master, and I will serve the two of you along the way. I hope you will not give up." Cao Cao knew that he was acting on purpose for the audience to see, so he said proudly: "I know! You are by my side for a while, and tell me anecdotes about your lord." "Promise." With these words, He Yong can make a big show and stay close to Cao Cao... In this way, He Yong followed Cao's family and successfully got out of the land of Sili, and they didn't break up until Peiguo. Before leaving, Cao Cao advised him to take care of himself and not to take any more risks. He Yong took his hand and felt ashamed: "I don't want to thank you for your kindness. Brother Yu rescued me twice, which really makes Brother Yu ashamed... I expected the emperor to cheer up the court and wipe out the traitors, but I didn't know that he listened and believed. Loyalty and treachery. Not only failed to avenge Chen Taifu, but also killed more than a thousand Taixue brothers...Foolish! How can the world be stable with such a foolish king in my man? Brother Yu is going to run away again this time, I don’t know when and what month I can only meet each other, and I can't repay your life-saving grace. May my virtuous brother help the society for the official in the future, and feel proud for my righteous man!"