Chapter 26 (26) Insatiable progress

After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao fought three more wars, namely breaking Ma Chao and Han Sui, conquering Sun Quan, and defeating Zhang Lu.The time of the three wars was very short, Cao Cao even would rather give up halfway and return to Yecheng.So, why did Cao Cao do this?He hurried back every time, what exactly was he going to do?Professor Yi Zhongtian of Xiamen University is a guest of "Hundreds of Lectures", and will give you a wonderful taste of the Three Kingdoms - making progress. In the last episode, Mr. Yi Zhongtian mentioned that Cao Cao fought three wars after the Battle of Chibi, namely breaking Ma Chao and Han Sui, conquering Sun Quan, and defeating Zhang Lu.The three wars were all abandoned halfway.Liu Bei's counselor, Fa Zheng, believed that this must be because Cao Cao had more serious problems in the rear, waiting for him to go back and solve them.Then, Cao Cao went out three times and hurried back from the battlefield three times. Is it like what Fazheng said, Cao Cao had a problem in the rear, and he should wait for him to go back to solve it?If this is the reason, then what issue is so important that Cao Cao would rather give up halfway on the battlefield than rush back to the rear?Professor Yi Zhongtian from Xiamen University was a guest on "Hundreds of Lectures" to give you a wonderful taste of the Three Kingdoms.

We mentioned in the last episode that Cao Cao was too worried to look forward to Shu and gave up halfway. What is the reason?Liu Bei's No. 2 counselor, Fazheng, believed that he was "compelled by internal worries."So is that so?Is such that.Cao Cao didn't stand on his own, he "followed the emperor to order and not his ministers", or "coerced the emperor to order the princes", he used the ready-made regime of the Han Dynasty to do his own business.This thing is not very clear. Some of the officials in the court are from Cao Cao's people, and some are not from Cao Cao's people. They are officials from the original Han Dynasty.So on Cao Cao's side, the rear is the front. He is facing the enemy from both sides, fighting on both sides. There are many people in the court who despise, envy, resent, and hate Cao Cao.Moreover, the situation of these people is also very complicated. It is different before and after the war. The war I am talking about refers to the Battle of Chibi.Before the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao was basically triumphant all the way; moreover, Cao Cao had a better attitude towards the emperor and officials at this time. Everyone still thought that he was such a hero who wanted to restore the Han Dynasty, calm the world, and unify the country, so Although some people were at odds with him, everyone was more polite and there were not many people who attacked him.But after the Battle of Chibi, when everyone discovered that Cao Cao had also failed, some people who had originally opposed him began to make a fuss.

Although Cao Cao was defeated in the Battle of Chibi, his status as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty has not changed. Cao Cao actually still holds the power of the Han Dynasty.Those who opposed him in the court began to make a big fuss, and even enemies outside the court called him "a traitor of the Han Dynasty under the pretense of his name".So at this time, Cao Cao curbed his ambitions and became humble, or did he not care about what others said and still go his own way? And what about Cao Cao?After the Battle of Chibi, his accomplishments were less than before, but his ambitions were greater; his achievements were less than before, and his attitude was worse than before.This of course caused everyone's dissatisfaction, and more people attacked him.Then there are also two groups of people who attacked him: one group, let’s call it the villain, is dissatisfied with whoever sees who is popular, and he just wants to punish someone, find fault with someone, and find someone What's wrong, there is such a group; there is another group, who are indeed loyal to the Han Dynasty, and they think that Cao Cao is trying to usurp the Han Dynasty.So under such a situation, Cao Cao's rear is very unstable, so Cao Cao is facing the enemy from both sides and fighting on both sides.Cao Cao knew this very well, so he issued a decree in the fifteenth year of Jian'an, that is, more than a year and two years after the Battle of Chibi, called "Rangxian Self-Ming Benzhi Order", also known as "Shuzhi Order" .

"Ling" is a kind of document in ancient China where superiors inform subordinates.The background of Cao Cao's writing "Rangxian Ziming Benzhiling" is because in the fifteenth year of Jian'an, that is, in 210 AD, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty granted Cao Cao land and population in recognition of Cao Cao's achievements in consolidating the Han Dynasty regime and unifying northern China. .But at the same time, there were also voices against Cao Cao in the court, who believed that Cao Cao was a "Han thief" who wanted to usurp the Han and stand on his own.In this case, Cao Cao wrote "Rang County Self-Menting Benzhi Order" to express his will.

"Ranging counties" refers to letting out the three counties and 20,000 households that Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty entrusted to Cao Cao.In this article, Cao Cao said that at first he only wanted to be a local sheriff, and the world was chaotic, so he wanted to live in seclusion in the countryside. Later, he sent troops to attack Dong Zhuo, but he didn't have much ambition.Then, Cao Cao counted his achievements and showed that although his achievements were great, he had no self-reliance in the Han Dynasty.Finally, the pen turned to the present, saying that the land conferred on him could be withdrawn, that is, Cao Cao could "give up the county", but his military power could not be given up.The article describes Cao Cao's different wishes under different situations, and is very frank.

But now it seems that this matter is a trick written, directed and acted by Cao Cao himself, to gain fame and fame.Because, is Cao Cao really going to give up the county?Yes, his newly conferred three counties and 20,000 households were indeed given up and returned; but a few days later, his three sons were named Marquis, Cao Zhi was named Marquis of Pingyuan, Cao Ju was named Marquis of Fanyang, and Cao Bao was named Marquis. Feng Raoyang Hou.These three princes each eat five thousand households, so what does that mean?That is, Cao Cao gave up three counties, but he didn't want them anymore, and his sons got one each.Cao Cao gave up 20,000 households, and his three sons added up to 15,000 households, which is only 5,000 households short, right?But the three fiefdoms of these three sons belong to one state and one, and they are all strategically important places. Do you think Cao Cao made money or lost it?This is the first point.

The second point, if Cao Cao sincerely wants to give up the county, he should give the emperor a seal, and he should report to the emperor.He didn't, he gave an order to the following.He is not a watch, but a decree; he is not playing, but following.What does that mean?Just use this matter to say what he wants to say.Just like the current public figures and film and television stars, he creates an incident, and then takes the opportunity to hold a press conference to say what he wants to say, which makes sense. ——So some people deduce that Cao Cao's "Rangxian Self-Ming Benzhi Ling" is also a lie based on the fact that Cao Cao's Rangxian is a lie, which is unreasonable.Because Cao Cao used Rangxian County to issue the "Rangxian County Self-Menting Original Annals Order", which is called "backdoor listing" in today's words, and he originally used this matter to talk about things.Therefore, what Cao Cao said in "Rangxian Ziming Benzhiling" is basically the truth, most of it is the truth.For example, he made it clear that I will not give up power, I will not hand over military power, and after I hand it over, you will harm me, and my wife and children will not be at peace. These words are all true, how can they be false? What about?So Rangxian is false, but what he says is true.Fake dramas are real, real dramas are fake, half-truths and half-false, half-fiction and half-truths, this is Cao Cao's brilliance.

Moreover, Cao Cao's "Let the County Self-Minify the Original Records" he made it very clear. He said why I issued such a decree?I just want everyone in the world to shut their mouths to me. His original words are called "I want people to say everything".I have finished my words, what was I like when I was a child, do I have ambitions?I also have ambitions, and my ambitions have grown little by little. Now my ambition is to be Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin. If you want me to step down, then I will not do it.Leave you speechless. Cao Cao issued the "Langxian Self-Ming Benzhi Order", which frankly expressed his mentality and refuted some remarks that were not conducive to him.And also took practical actions to give up the three counties and 20,000 households that Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty granted him.Cao Cao did this to counter the attacks of his political opponents and to silence others.So, what was the result after Cao Cao's "Langxian Ziming Benzhi Order" was released?

As a result, everyone continued to talk, and it was not because he issued such a "Rangxian Zhiming Benzhi Order" that everyone stopped talking.In other words, Cao Cao's original intention was to "want people to speak out", but the actual result was that there were more and more people talking about it.Therefore, Cao Cao knew very well that he must not leave the political center for a long time.So after the battle of Chibi, he didn't go out to fight for a long time every time. He wanted to come back. He returned to Yecheng after seven months in the first two wars and a year in the last one.

Cao Cao knew that he was monopolizing power, and some people in the court were dissatisfied, so he issued the "Langxian Zhiming Benzhi Order" to silence others.Moreover, every time he went out, he had to return in a very short time, also because he was worried about the rear.As a result, Cao Cao's military operations could not always be done thoroughly, and he often suffered losses.So what did he do politically after suffering military losses? Although Cao Cao issued the "Rangxian Zhiming Benzhi Order" to show his will, he knew that there were still people in the court who were dissatisfied and had a crisis of trust in him.Therefore, after the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao went out three times and rushed back three times because he wanted to come back to carry out his political struggle and win back his political cards.Due to Cao Cao's monopoly of power, although he is suspected of giving up halfway in the military, he still has the ability to call the wind and rain politically.So, after three halfway wars, what did Cao Cao gain politically?

Cao Cao fought three times and returned to Yecheng three times. He made a lot of political votes every time.What kind of political treatment did Cao Cao get when he broke his horse and Han came back? "Praise is not famous, entering the court is not trendy, and the sword is on the palace, just like the story of Xiao He." What's the meaning?According to the etiquette at that time, when a minister had an audience with the emperor, there was a master of ceremonies next to him, who had to call out his official title and his name.For example, if Cao Cao went to meet the emperor at this moment, the master of ceremonies would shout "Marquis Wuping, Prime Minister, Cao Cao, leader of Jizhou Mu, see the emperor", and then Cao Cao would kneel down, "Long live my emperor, long live."So what is the treatment for him now?You don't need to say the word Cao Cao. This is called "praise and worship without name", that is, don't call "Cao Cao", stop shouting.Because in ancient times, what does it mean to call it by its name?It means that the status of the person whose name is called is relatively low.In the communication between people in ancient times, if you want to respect each other, you need to call them by their names; calling them by their first names means that I am a superior or an elder, so I can call others by their names directly.Then the emperor can of course call the ministers by their first names. In front of the emperor, the ministers must also call their names directly to show respect for the emperor.Now only the official title is reported, and the word Cao Cao is no longer called. This is the first treatment. The second treatment is called "Entering the court without trending", what is "trending"?It's just walking in small steps, which is a sign of respect.It is now stipulated that Cao Cao may not "trend" when he meets the emperor.Not "trending" does not necessarily mean that he can hold an airs and walk with such a big waist, and it does not necessarily mean that, just walk normally.Of course Dong Zhuo, I guess it was like this when he met the emperor.But you can walk normally without "trending". The third is called "sword shoes on the temple", that is, you can go to the temple with a sword and shoes.Because we know that the etiquette of the ancients has many specific regulations. According to this regulation, the humble must take off their shoes when they see the venerable. Whether they wear socks or not depends on their status. The feet are called "knuckle feet".As for the sword, it is absolutely not allowed to be brought into the palace, and the sword must be removed before entering the palace gate.So Cao Cao can now carry a sword and wear shoes, of course he can also wear socks, and go to the palace. "Like the story of Xiao He", just like the treatment Liu Bang gave Xiao He back then.Of course, this is a kind of treatment. In fact, Cao Cao never saw the emperor. The emperor was in Xu County, and Cao Cao was in Yecheng.But it's a treat, and this is the first time. The second time, when Sun Quan came back, Cao Cao got the title of Duke of Wei, and he went from marquis to duke.Then the third thing is that after he came back from Ping Hanzhong and defeated Zhang Lu, he was promoted from a duke to a prince, that is, the king of Wei, and he was above the princes.This matter is also very important, because he broke a rule set by Liu Bang, that is, "different surnames are not kings". Originally, only those with the surname Liu could be crowned kings. This is the conferment of a man with the surname Cao. He has already broken this rule. example.This is the treatment Cao Cao received politically after returning from three wars.Then in the 22nd year of Jian'an, Cao Cao's political treatment reached the peak. Except for the title of emperor, he was exactly the same as the emperor in all aspects.And because he monopolizes power, he is more emperor than emperor.So when it comes to this point, almost everyone thinks that Cao Cao is going to be emperor, and he only has one name left.Cao Cao wants to usurp the Han and stand on his own, or replace the Han to stand on his own. After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao fought three wars, namely breaking Ma Chao and Han Sui, conquering Sun Quan, and defeating Zhang Lu.In these three wars, because Cao Cao was in a hurry to return to the rear for political activities, he was suspected of giving up halfway.It can be said that Cao Cao gave up the military card three times, but won the political card three times in the rear. His political status rose again and again, and finally almost equaled the power of the emperor.At this time, if Cao Cao wanted to proclaim himself emperor, no one could stop him, so why didn't he proclaim himself emperor in the end? Having the same political treatment as the emperor, and monopolizing power, Cao Cao is not the emperor in name, but is already the supreme ruler of the Han Dynasty in fact.At this time, whether it is Cao Cao's self-reliance by usurping the Han or replacing the Han, it is a breeze.But under such a favorable situation, Cao Cao never became emperor in his whole life. Why? It is more common to say that Cao Cao judged the situation and retreated in the face of difficulties, and left the task of becoming self-reliant on behalf of the Han to his son Cao Pi.This is also well-founded. According to Pei Songzhi's note in "Three Kingdoms", in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, some people represented by Chen Qun, Huan Jie, and Xiahou Dun persuaded Cao Cao to become emperor.Chen Qun's point of view is this, saying that the Han Dynasty has existed in name only, and there is not an inch of land or a single citizen in the world belonging to the Han Dynasty, so why keep it?Xiahou Dun's point of view is, what is an emperor?The emperor is the lord of the people, who is the lord of the people?He who can save the people and comfort the people is the Lord of the Peoples.Who is saving and appeasing the people now?Duke Cao, why can't you be the one?But Cao Cao didn't accept it.Cao Cao quoted a sentence from Confucius, saying: "When applied to a government, it is to benefit the government." What does it mean?That is, as long as it has an impact on politics, it is governing, and one does not have to have a status as a governing body.Then he said: "If the destiny is with me, I will be King Wen of Zhou." If the destiny is indeed with our Cao family, then I will be King Wen of Zhou.Because we all know that King Wen of Zhou had two-thirds of the world, and serving Yin, he already owned two-thirds of the world. He did not overthrow the Yin Dynasty; King Zhou of Yin died and replaced him.So what everyone means by saying this is that I will be King Wen of Zhou, and my son will be King Wu of Zhou. They all think so. But Mr. Lu Simian, a master of history, disagreed.Mr. Lu said that Cao Cao said that I am King Wen of Zhou, which shows that Cao Cao refused to usurp the Han; as for saying that he left this task to his son, Mr. Lu used four words to evaluate: "Is it not a dream?"He said you are talking in your sleep.I don't quite understand and understand this place. I have the most respect for Mr. Lu, and I have quoted Mr. Lu's views many times in my previous lectures.But I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Cao Cao didn't leave this matter to his son. So my opinion is this, whether Cao Cao should be the emperor or not, I summed up the "four haves", that is, "have ideas, have qualifications, have conditions, and have obstacles".Of course, it is my subjective speculation that Cao Cao had this idea. Let me make it clear, because God knows whether he has this idea, and I can’t ask him, and there is no record.However, you said that this person will not think about it after doing that, it seems to be unreasonable, right?Second, if you are qualified, there is no need to discuss this.If there are conditions, then there is no need to discuss it.So what's the obstacle?Mr. Zhang Zuoyao's "Cao Cao Commentary" mentioned four obstacles. First, Cao Cao said a sentence when he was young, saying that "the abolition of the establishment is the most ominous thing in the world."Let's review the "Mistake Again" we talked about earlier in this program. We talked about Dong Zhuo abolishing the establishment, Yuan Shao establishing another, and Yuan Shu standing on his own. They all made a serious political mistake on the issue of the emperor.Moreover, Cao Cao didn't take these three things seriously, and Cao Cao thought it was very unlucky to change the emperor casually.He may still have this view in his later years.The second point is that Cao Cao has been favored by the Han Dynasty for generations. Their family has been favored by the Han Dynasty for generations. He may still have the idea of ​​repaying the favor, at least he can't bear to do it.The third point is that Cao Cao has always vowed that I, Cao, just want to be Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, and I will never usurp Han.After swearing so many times, he couldn't slap himself in the end. This is the third point.The fourth point is that Cao Cao made some calculations and found that it was not worthwhile for him to call the emperor. Why?He knows who Liu Bei and Sun Quan are. He knows very well that as soon as I, Cao, become emperor, Liu Bei and Sun Quan will follow up immediately. In the end, I, Cao, will be charged with usurping the Han, and they will be emperors in safety. , this can't be cheap for these two boys, right?The second point is that although I, Cao Cao, am not the emperor now, I represent the central government. People like Liu Bei and Sun Quan can only be regarded as local governments no matter what he says.If I become emperor and they follow suit, then their locality will become central, and my relationship with them will not be between the central government and the local government, but the relationship between the other party, the relationship between countries, and the relationship of equality. It doesn't pay off either. These are the four reasons Mr. Zhang Zuoyao summed up. I can sum it up in twelve words, which are "unlucky, I want to repay my kindness, it is difficult to change my words, it is not worthwhile".But in private, I think there is another reason why I can't say it, that is, Cao Cao is ashamed of himself, he has a bad image, he looks too bad, he is short, and he probably has a bad face.This sounds ridiculous now. Some people want to attack me and say that I am talking nonsense. In fact, anyone who knows a little bit of history will know that image was really important at that time. Discussions are called "Looking like you don't look like a gentleman", and it doesn't look like it, which may be one of the reasons. Therefore, in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, according to the records in the book "Wei Lue" cited by Pei Songzhi in "Three Kingdoms • Emperor Wu Ji", it is said that in this year Sun Quan wrote a letter of persuasion to persuade Cao Cao to become emperor.Then Cao Cao showed Sun Quan's letter to the left and right, and said this, saying that this kid put me on the stove presumptuously. Cao Cao has already enjoyed the treatment of the emperor and has the power of the emperor, but he does not have the title of emperor. Sun Quan's persuasion to enter the table should be said to be groundless.But Cao Cao thought that Sun Quan had no good intentions, and he had no good intentions, but wanted to put himself on the stove.Why did Cao Cao say that?What is his real thought?What does Mr. Yi Zhongtian think? So I think that Cao Cao's real thinking, I am afraid that in the end he adopted such an attitude-"resign to fate".That is to say, when he said that if the destiny is with me, I will be King Wen of Zhou. This sentence does not necessarily imply that his son will stand on his own behalf on behalf of the Han; , if the destiny does not favor me, don't replace me, you will continue to be your king of Wei, your prime minister, we just need to control the power.He is such a two-handed plan, resigned to fate.However, what should be done must be done, and the steps cannot be stopped, so there is such a series of activities, or this series of progress.First "like the story of Xiao He", then "Feng Wei Gong", then "Jin Wei Wang", and then enjoy all the courtesy and treatment of the emperor, without stopping. Then among this series of actions or activities, the most important thing is "Feng Wei Gong", which is a turning point.Why is it a turning point?On the surface, Fenggong and Fenghou only raised one level of title, because the titles of princes are Duke, Hou, Bo, Zi, and Nan.But you have to know that at this time in the Han Dynasty, there was an essential difference between dukes and marquises, that is, marquises had at most fiefs and lands, while dukes could establish their own country independently, and he could build ancestral temples and shrines.In fact, after Cao Cao sealed the Duke of Wei, he also built the ancestral temple and Sheji in Wei County.What is Sheji?Sheji is the altar of society and the altar of grain. The altar of society is dedicated to the god of land, and the altar of grain is dedicated to the god of grain.China is an agricultural country, so our ancestors believed that whoever controls the land and food controls a country and the political power of the country, so the country is a symbol of national power.If a family can establish a country, then the first thing he will do is to build temples and altars, which is called building temples and establishing a country; if a country is to be destroyed, then after entering its capital, it must be The ancestral temple and the altar of the country were destroyed by it, which is called destroying the temple and destroying the country.So after Cao Cao conferred the Duke of Wei, he established his ancestral temple and shrine in Yecheng, which showed that he had established an independent principality.We can't call it an independent kingdom yet, because Cao Cao is a duke, an independent principality. So who came up with such a suggestion?It was proposed by Dong Zhao.So is this Dong Zhao's idea, or Cao Cao's instruction?We can't figure it out right now.But it is certain that this is what Cao Cao wants to do.Cao Cao had made full preparations before this, and did three things: one was to expand the land, that is, to change his fiefdom from fifteen cities to thirty cities; The fourteen prefectures in the country merged into Kyushu, and after they became Kyushu, the four counties of Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Sizhou belonged to him, Jizhou, and it was Cao Cao who expanded his territory; the third was to create public opinion.As for creating public opinion, of course Cao Cao does not need to do it himself, nor does he need to use his own words. Some people help him create it, such as Dong Zhao.Then Dong Zhao is actually a very interesting person. We note that it was Dong Zhao's idea for Cao Cao to welcome the Emperor to Xu County.Dong Zhao is only a minor figure in the history of the Three Kingdoms, but he appears at critical moments every time.Then Dong Zhao created public opinion, and then a group of officials jointly wrote a letter to the emperor, requesting that Cao Cao be named Duke Wei.So the emperor sent a man named Xiji. At that time, Xixi was the official censor, that is, the deputy prime minister and the minister of the supervision department. At the same time, he also served as Jizhou Mu.It's just that his face is getting bigger and bigger, and all the benefits are kept. Of course, this is what Cao Cao wants. But Cao Cao wanted to show off, so he gave up three times.After Ce Ming came, Cao Cao immediately went to the table, saying that this treatment can only be enjoyed by Duke Zhou. How dare I, Cao Cao, do it?Don't dare to be, dare not be.So, more than 30 people headed by Xun You wrote to Cao Cao, saying, Mr. Cao, why don't you dare to be him?Dare to be, dare to be!Your contribution is much greater than that of Duke Zhou. We are all people who are familiar with history. We know that there is no one with greater contribution than you in history. Please be sure to be Duke Wei.Cao Cao said, if this is the case, then I am sorry to accept these fiefdoms. I absolutely dare not be called Duke Wei.Then Xun You and the others wrote a letter to say that it would be bad for Cao Gong to do so, right? It is the emperor's intention to confer you this duke, and it is also the intention of our civil and military officials. You push three times like this If you push four, then it's not interesting enough.In order to save face for the emperor and us, if you wronged your old man, just be a Duke of Wei!Disgusting, really uncomfortable, and not like Cao Cao, but it must be done, because this is the rule, this is the practice, and this is the procedure that must be followed.If you don't give up three times, take it right away, you see, someone will call him shameless immediately, if you don't give up even once, you deserve it? What's more, when Cao Cao became the Duke of Wei, he also had a policy called "adding nine tins". Nine tins are nine kinds of special treatment.Adding Jiuxi, building the ancestral temple, and building the shrine, this matter was serious at the time, because it was a sign of usurping the throne.In fact, apart from the persuasion of Xun You and Dong Zhao, there are still many people in the opposition.Especially what surprised Cao Cao was that there was a person who had the closest relationship with him, was the most respected by him, and followed him all the time. He not only advised him, but also went through life and death for him, which was equivalent to the status of Zhuge Liang of the Cao Cao Group. And the role of this person, expressed his disapproval.So who is this person?Why should he object?What will happen after he opposes it?Please see the next episode - advance and retreat.