Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3131 It’s a matter of course

Everyone's happiness and sadness are not the same. It would be great if you could empathize with each other, but most of the time it's just gloating about your misfortune, or why are you happy?

　　　The battle at Heluotong Pass was fierce. The prime minister commanded the army and rushed to attack the pass on the fifth day of the first lunar month. The pass is steep and the plateau is high and the city is strong. According to the reports from the officials in front of the battle, there are nearly ten new artillery pieces at Tongguan Pass, nearly a hundred crossbow carts, and more than a hundred stones. Every day, cannons and stones rain like rain, and crossbows and arrows cover the sky and block the sun. Although the prime minister went to the battle line, the soldiers fought with high spirits and were not afraid of strong enemies. They killed and wounded thousands of thieves, but our army also suffered heavy losses..."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 configured a letter requesting to allocate 300,000 bows and arrows, 3,000 pieces of armor, military pay, grain, fodder, iron materials and other miscellaneous materials, and 5,000 civilians from Qingzhou and Xuzhou to assist in transportation...』

 In Chongde Hall, Zhong Yao’s voice was steady.

Liu Xie listened quietly.

Zhong Yao seemed to face Liu Xie calmly, without feeling any embarrassment at all, and Liu Xie also did not show anger or other emotions, as if he still trusted Zhong Yao.

Today, it is Zhong Yao's turn to describe some changes in current affairs to Liu Xie, and the biggest current event at the moment is naturally the war.

As the king of a country and the lord of the world, Liu Xie certainly has the responsibility for such a big event and must know, understand, and master it...

But unfortunately, these matters are often not decided by him. Even if he gives some opinions, they may not have any effect. More often than not, he is like an archives. Only when entering the final reporting stage, Only then will the information be delivered to him.

"Besides..." Zhong Yao muttered slowly, there were some matters related to other states and counties, but compared with the Guanzhong War, those matters were too small, so Zhong Yao quickly skipped them. .

Liu Xie still did not express any opinions, just nodded or said he understood.

After a while, Zhong Yao finished reading all the summaries of current affairs, looked up at Liu Xie, and moved his lips.

Liu Xie looked at Zhong Yao calmly and smiled.

 Like a carved Buddha statue.

Zhong Yao didn't know why, he felt a little chill in his heart. He was silent for a while, then he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please relax, the Prime Minister will conquer Guanzhong... Then the world will be at peace, the sea will be peaceful, the hearts of the Han people will be greatly boosted, and ZTE is expected to be revived. Your Majesty is wise." , will also remain in the history of history, and will be praised by future generations for generations to come..."

Liu Xie squinted at Zhong Yao and nodded slightly.

 Is this Zhong Yao making an excuse for himself?

Liu Xieru thought.

 Liu Xie is no longer a young man, or in other words, he has lost the qualification to be impulsive. He was dissatisfied with Zhong Yao, but he still asked Zhong Yao to accompany him. In his heart, he hated Zhong Yao for taking money and not doing anything, but on the surface he still loved Zhong Yao.

 Has he grown up?

 Perhaps, but more often than not, he became what he originally disliked the most.

Just like at this moment, Liu Xie was wondering, what will these gentry and gentry in Yuzhou or Jizhou say after this recruitment? What else will you do?

"Actually, I really don't care about these false reputations..." Liu Xie said slowly, "If I can exchange my fame for the peace of the world, I would rather remain unknown in this life... Seeing that spring is coming, I wonder if Mr. Zhong Ai knows that the government is preparing for farming?" The foundation of the great Han Dynasty lies in farming and mulberry trees..."

Liu Xie said, even he believed it, and said with some emotion: "Why do all the people in the world suffer!" After working hard all year round, I can only ask for a basket of food and a piece of clothing... I have not been able to make the Han people live and work in peace and contentment all these years. It is my fault that I have worked so hard..."

Zhong Yao quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty is a wise man who can follow Yao and Shun. Your Majesty is like this. How lucky the man is, and how lucky everyone in the world is!" 』

Liu Xie didn't talk about the situation of the Tongguan War, nor did he ask Cao Cao how the current progress was. He just talked about the people and asked about spring plowing. Zhong Yao seemed to have forgotten that he had just reported the military report to Liu Xie, and changed the subject very naturally. He talked about Nong Sang as if he had never mentioned any war before.

 Liu Xie sneered in his heart.

He now understands clearly that these guys are all the same.

Whether it is Fei Qian, Cao Cao, or Zhong Yao in front of him, this is the case...

 Liu Xie's career as emperor went through three very important stages.

 One is during the Dong Zhuo period. At that time, he had no idea what an emperor was and what imperial power was. Of course, Dong Zhuo put him in the position because he didn't understand anything. If he really understood, he wouldn't choose him. Therefore, Dong Zhuo sleeping on the dragon bed and having court ladies was nothing to Liu Xie at that time, because he didn't think that the dragon bed and the court ladies had anything to do with him. During this period, Liu Xie was ignorant, ignorant, and at a loss.

 But even the most ignorant person can detect the attitude of others towards him. Children are more sensitive to good intentions and malice, or rather superficial. Those who smile are good people, and those who are angry are bad people.

 This period of ignorance lasted until Wang Yun came to power and Li Guo came to the throne.

 The process of seizing power by force is of course bloody. This also left Liu Xie's fear of force in his heart, so much so that he still wanted to escape after Fei Qian took control of Guanzhong.

 The second stage is the early stage of transfer from Guanzhong to Shandong.

 This is Liu Xie's happiest time.

 At the beginning of Liu Xie's journey, it was hard work along the way, but when there was hope in one's heart, the physical fatigue was bearable. In addition, most of the officials who moved to Guanzhong with Liu Xie were from Shandong, so of course everyone around Liu Xie said that our Shandong was good...

In the early days, in order to gain the title of emperor, Cao Cao also had a good attitude toward Liu Xie. He also built a palace for Liu Xie in Xu County, selected beautiful women, and provided exquisite food and clothing. The two of them were naturally very good to each other. . It was also during this period that Liu Xie slowly realized what imperial power was, and began to have frequent contact with Shandong veterans, and began to learn how to be an emperor.

 From the time Liu Xie began to want to take over the imperial power, he entered the third stage, competing with the prime minister, colliding, fighting, and losing...

I don’t know since when, when Liu Xie heard the name "Cao Cao", his heart would always skip a beat, but it was also during this period that Liu Xie began to learn how to pretend, how to hide his emotions, how to make insinuations...

For Liu Xie, Cao Cao Feiqian and others are actually not fundamentally different from Dong Zhuo. Maybe their methods are slightly different and their attitudes are quite different, but in fact they are all trying to usurp the imperial power in Liu Xie's hands.

 This is a contradiction on which compromise can never be achieved.

 Even if the balance is barely maintained, it will gradually begin to tilt over time.

After another failed investment in Zhong Yao, Liu Xie learned from the pain... Well, although this kind of thinking may not have much effect, at least Liu Xie discovered one thing... These guys, no matter who they are, are not on the side of Liu Xie On Xie's side, that is to say, as the emperor often refers to a lonely person, he is a real "lonely person", not just a modest name.

 The emperor’s imperial power is unparalleled in the world, so naturally he is the enemy of the whole world.

The Zhong Yao in front of him looks honest and sincere, but is actually shrewd. There is not much difference between him and other officials. They all know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. This time he has brought the so-called latest frontline intelligence, which may not be the other way around. He wanted Liu Xie to express his position or issue some instructions.

Liu Xie noticed Zhong Yao's temptation, so he did not make any evaluation of Cao Cao's military affairs. He only talked about farming and mulberry trees and the common people in the world. These are all clichés, but they are also true principles that can never be wrong...

 Failed to get the originally expected response from Liu Xie, Zhong Yao left the palace expressionlessly.

Whether they are Jizhou people or Yuzhou people, they all know that Cao Cao is now a separatist prince and a copy of Dong Zhuo. However, Cao Cao's copy of Dong Zhuo still pays attention to some rules, or at least is willing to follow the rules. In addition, there is no one in Shandong at the moment. No one can compete with Cao Cao alone, so many people will not go against Cao Cao openly.

As long as Cao Cao doesn't go too far...

After all, compared with Fei Qian, Cao Cao is still willing to maintain the original form of Shandong, especially for the upper economic class and the ruling class. Although Cao Cao also promotes children from poor families, he does not completely switch to the other side. Cao Cao's behavior is natural It was regarded as a threat rather than a rebellion by the original vested interest groups of the Han Dynasty.

 It was Fei Qian who rebelled!

Shandong people hate Fei Qian very much because of this, and they will curse Fei Qian even if they catch the slightest problem with him. Is it because Shandong people don’t know that these problems actually don’t matter, or that these Shandong people don’t know that what they are criticizing is unreasonable?

 More often, Shandong people just need an emotional outlet.

So to a certain extent, the people of Shandong supported Cao Cao in his campaign to defeat Feiqian...

Of course, if one day Fei Qian announces the cancellation of the new land policy and returns to the old system, these Shandong gentry and squires will immediately change the direction of the situation, throw away all the words that insulted Fei Qian, and immediately start to advocate Fei Qian. How wise and great, how compassionate, how wise and kind...

These Shandong people are all mouths, and they never take responsibility for what they say, let alone apologize for what they say and admit their mistakes.

 To put it bluntly, whether you support Cao Cao or not is all due to interests.

 The problem now is that Shandong people have begun to feel a little bit at a loss, whether they are Jizhou guys or Yuzhou guys. One invitation, two invitations, and another invitation. Now it is the third wave. Who knows how many more times Cao Cao will ask for transfers?

The country is about to go to war. Is it a patriotic act to support a hundred big bucks without saying a word?

 Can’t you say it doesn’t count?

 But if you need bankrupt support...

this…

I’m afraid many people will start to think about it.

 The current situation is that at the beginning, Cao Cao said that he wanted to fight Feiqian for the sake of the Han Dynasty. Please donate!

 It means someone slaps his chest and says, "It should be beaten!"

 I will donate a hundred big dollars first!

Regardless of whether it was a trust or not, a hundred big bucks was not a big figure for these Shandong nobles, so everyone laughed and talked about fighting, forming what the Shandong people called "working together", and everyone donated A few hundred, let Cao Cao use it to fight Feiqian.

A few days later, Cao Cao said that the money had been spent. He threw away the account book and you can donate again.

 ‘This…’ makes some people unhappy.

In order to "not hold back" and for the sake of the glory of Shandong people, most people gritted their teeth and pledged another wave of donations.

 Now, it’s the third wave.

Lao Cao said on the stage that this is the last time. I promise that after finishing Feiqian, I will be able to get all the results!

 Shandong classmates are in the audience (ˉ▽￣～)~~

Zhong Yao left the palace gate and staggered back home in a vehicle. Not long after he entered the house, he heard the concierge announcing that Yuan Kan had arrived, saying that he had come to ask for help with calligraphy.

Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment, then asked someone to invite Yuan Kan in.

Yuan Kan is the son of Yuan Huan.

There are not many people left in the Yuan family in the court, and it is unlikely that there will be many. However, if you don't ask for a position and just want a reputation, Cao Cao is very tolerant.

Yuan Kan is such a person who seeks fame rather than practicality. He travels among the mountains and rivers, looking at the beauty of the mountains and rivers. What he wants on weekdays is just calligraphy and painting, and he is a proper celebrity.

Zhong Yao’s calligraphy is also quite good, so Yuan Kan came to ask for help in the name of calligraphy. Is there any problem?

And from the outside, Yuan Kan hopes that Cao Cao can defeat Fei Qian. In this way, Yuan is at least no longer a "former enemy", but the predecessor of his predecessor, so the threat and defense will both decrease, right?

Although Zhong Yao is now quite famous for calligraphy, he lacks the respect of opposition figures like Yuan Kan. After all, now that he has entered the court, who doesn't want to move up the ladder?

Even if you only serve one term, will the retirement benefits be different? Is there anything more cost-effective than using the country's money to contribute to my retirement life? To achieve such a goal, Zhong Yao must unite a wider "mass".

 For Yuan Kan, he must also have a window to understand the information from the upper level.

After the two sat down as guest and host, and chatted for a while, Yuan Kan handed over a volume of calligraphy in his hand by asking Zhong Yao to give him some advice on calligraphy.

Zhong Yao opened it and immediately narrowed his eyes.

 The book is very simple, with only eight characters, "There is no beginning but no end."

Zhong Yao said with a smile: "It is clear that this word is drawn with a sharp pen, it can be said that it is obtained!" 』

Yuan Kan looked solemn, held up his hands and said, "Please give me some advice from Mr. Zhong." 』

"It's easy to talk, easy to say, I don't dare to give you advice, just encourage each other with my friends..." Zhong Yao still said with a smile, "The way of calligraphy is mainly about the muscles and bones... You know this word, the muscles and bones are ready, in time, you will become a master." ah…"

　　　　Given time? Yuan Kan repeated something in a low voice, and then said, "It's a pity that Kan is busy running around all day and rarely has time to practice..."

Zhong Yao nodded, "Calligraphy is a hard work, and only with perseverance can success be achieved." 』

Yuan Kan’s eyes flashed.

Zhong Yao twirled his beard slightly.

Zhong Yao admired Yuan Kan very much, so he showed goodwill and asked some calligraphy books to be given to Yuan Kan. He even gave some pen and ink inkstones and other items to his servants to carry them to Yuan Kan's residence in Xu County. in temporary residence.

 Such behavior was naturally seen by many people.

On the surface, there is no problem at all. The senior calligraphers encourage backward progress, and Zhong Yao loves talents beyond words. But in fact, according to later generations, Yuan Kan was a political broker.

Such political brokers not only appeared in the Han Dynasty, but also appeared in subsequent feudal dynasties. Many of them were relatives of former officials or branches of a large family. They used their own connections and relationships to communicate in series. In this way, the political parties can exchange opinions without having to meet directly. If something goes wrong, the political broker will be blamed. Of course, the people behind it are good at everything.

Yuan Kan's father, Yuan Huan, was originally a bit of a political broker. Now, Yuan Kan has inherited his father's business. He has managed his contacts all over the two states of Hebei and Henan. He is at ease with various interests and entanglements, and he is more or less a leader. Number one.

After Yuan Kan returned to his residence, in front of Zhong Yao's servants, he generously showed the original books, pens and ink he had received from Zhong Yao to other people living in the post house, and praised Zhong Yao repeatedly. Yao's attainments in calligraphy mean that he has to work harder and so on...

After everyone in the post house dispersed one by one, Yuan Kan closed the door and went to the backyard of the house. He sat quietly, frowning and said nothing. After waiting for a while, he heard the sound coming from the fence in the backyard. The clicking sound.

Yuan Kan stood up, walked over, and coughed when he got under the wall.

"how? 』A low voice of questioning came from the other side of the wall.

Yuan Kan thought for a while and said, "I tried it with the sentence "There is no beginning but no end". Zhong...ahem, his words stopped at Qiu Chi, and it is not yet available..."

 "Qiu Chi..." The person on the other side of the wall sighed, "Isn't this enough?" 』

 ‘Well…it also says that we need to encourage each other…’ Yuan Kan said, ‘that’s probably what it means. Nowadays, there is an undercurrent surging in the DPRK, and success or failure depends entirely on luck. 』

As for who or what Qiu Chi is talking about, it depends on different people’s opinions.

Yuan Kan said this. The people behind the wall fell silent for a while, and there was no response for a long time. Yuan Kan even thought that the people behind the wall had left. He couldn't help coughing again, and then he heard the last question from the person behind the wall. , "What else did you say?" 』

 “With perseverance and hard work, success will come naturally...” Yuan Kan repeated Zhong Yao’s words.

"..." The person on the other side of the wall fell silent again, but this time the silence was very short. "I understand... there is another thing, I might as well let you know... Cao Zihe was defeated in Youbei, and Ding was left alone. Asking for help…』

Ding Chong once served as Sili Xiaowei, and his post was Yushi Zhongcheng. The Shangshu Ling collectively called him "Sanduzu".

"What? ! Yuan Kan was very surprised and couldn't help asking, "Is this true?" 』

 But there was no sound behind the wall, and it seemed that it had already left.

This news was obviously so explosive that it made Yuan Kan restless in his backyard. After thinking about it for a long time, Yuan Kan hurriedly put on his outer robe, then went out again, called a carriage and left the post house.

 (End of this chapter)