Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 12 I Have a Sword

Cao Cao indeed wore a red robe that did not match the seasonal etiquette, and wore a black ceremonial hat, which made him look capable yet dignified.

Compared with the guards around him who are often seven and a half or eight feet tall, Cao Cao's seven-foot figure appears to be short in appearance, but this does not affect his graceful appearance at all, especially his eyes. Although they are also slightly small, if you look carefully... You will definitely notice that Mr. Cao’s eyes are bright and heroic!
"The last general pays homage to the prime minister."

Xia Houyuan stepped forward and was about to bow to Cao Cao.Although Cao Cao was over fifty years old and had many injuries on his body, his reaction and speed were not weak. When he was young, he grabbed Xia Houyuan's arm with his right hand first, then pulled him up with his left hand, and said with a smile: "Miaocai Armor Why do you need to show full courtesy when you are here?"

He also said: "Miaocai and Zihe (Cao Chun) were ordered to pursue the Qingqi. They traveled three hundred miles a day and night. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had been established for many years. They also selected Youji Jian'er who could gallop and shoot to supplement them. If one of them is selected from a hundred, they will naturally be the best in the world. Xiao Rui. But Miao Cai has only been in charge of the Dian Army for just two years, and most of the knights he recruited are from Sanhe. When he attacked, he took the lead, no weaker than the tiger and leopard cavalry. As expected, Liu Bei was defeated, and I am very relieved!"

Cao Cao pulled Xia Houyuan, turned around and asked several counselors who were accompanying him: "Who do you think Miao Cai's achievements in this battle can match those of ancient times?"

A black-clothed civil servant wearing a silk hat reacted the fastest and answered with his hands raised: "I think he can be compared with Jing Dan, one of the 28 Yuntai generals during the Guangwu period."

He said: "In the past, Guangwu went to the Great Sima to comfort Hebei. A man named Wang Lang pretended to be the son of the Han Dynasty emperor, and many counties in Jizhou were confused by him. Guangwu then fought with Wang Lang's army in Julu, and ordered Jingdan to go up the valley. He suddenly attacked them on horseback, won a great victory, and chased them for more than ten miles. The fields were filled with dead and wounded, and they returned with thousands of heads beheaded... Isn't it quite similar to what happened in Nagasaka today?"

Although there are only a few words, this person is full of praise: As the founder of the Later Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was only the executive commander of the reform regime in Hebei, and was still a minister. This is used to metaphor today's Prime Minister Cao, Undoubtedly quite appropriate.

And there are so many generals under Cao Cao's command, more than just four or seven?Xia Houyuan, a captain, would not be ranked in the top twenty simply based on his military rank and rank and salary. However, Xia Houyuan was a close confidant of Cao Cao. It is appropriate to compare him with Jing Dan, the tenth general of Yuntai.

Furthermore, since Liu Bei rebelled from Xudu, the imperial court has not recognized Liu Bei's identity as a Han clan clan member. Although Liu Bei was not a noble person in the first place, Liu Bei was very good at using his reputation as a Han clan clan member to oppose Cao Cao, which indeed allowed the Prime Minister to ignore him. Feeling a headache, he compared him to the fake Prince Liu, which was obviously derogatory.

He can give the most perfect answer in an instant and kill three birds with one stone, which shows that this counselor is wise, agile and thoughtful.

Cao Cao was indeed very satisfied, stroking his long beard and said: "What George said is very good."

It turns out that this person is Xin Pi, one of the "Four Scholars of Yingchuan". Now he serves as the Six Hundred Shi Yilang, following Prime Minister Cao, always advising and responding.

Xia Houyuan remembered Xinpi's kindness in his heart, and he did not forget his humility. He quickly said: "It was all arranged by the prime minister himself, and he led it properly..."

Then he pointed to the outskirts of Dangyang City and said: "Prime Minister, the baggage captured by Dian's army and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and the heads of thieves and prisoners captured are all displayed here. Zihe also surrendered Liu Bei's defeated soldiers, hundreds of whom were scattered, and handed them over to Yuan's care. Yuan took care of Yuan. We have also captured countless people who fled south from the traitors, and have selected [-] men who can serve as military servants."

Cao Cao was quite pleased, and he did not hesitate to praise his beloved general: "Great kindness, Miaocai, although he has been promoted to a general for many years, he has not forgotten his ability as a military governor in Guandu, supervising the army and civilians in Yan, Yu and Xu. The poem is as true as the saying goes, it is a tiger minister who trains himself well, and presents food in Pan... Wonderful talent, you are really a tiger minister in my family!"

Receiving this compliment, Xia Houyuan felt that although he was wearing heavy armor, his body was light and airy, and he had endless energy in his heart, eager to go through fire and water for Prime Minister Cao and make contributions.

Of course, what Xia Houyuan cares more about is the affectionate title of "my family" than the praise of "Tiger Minister".

Logically speaking, Cao Cao definitely knew about Zhang Shao's life experience, but he never mentioned it. He only praised Xia Houyuan's achievements. At the end, he took Xia Houyuan's hand and asked, "Before I arrived in Dangyang, Miaocai sent his cavalry here." Report that Xu Shu, Liu Bei's counselor, has come to surrender? Where is this person now?"

……

Xu Shu at least did not tie the hemp rope on his back and maintained the minimum dignity.

Along the way from the city, Xu Shu passed by the captured soldiers of Liu. Of course they recognized his military advisor and all exclaimed "Mr. Xu."It was unbelievable that Xu Shu was walking beside the enemy general. Some people realized that Xu Shu must have surrendered, and some felt discouraged or scolded him.

Xu Shu also walked through the two towering buildings. The cruelty of Cao Jun was shocking, but Xu Shu felt responsible for every head that fell inside!It was his recklessness that caused the three armies to suffer.

There are also those civilians who were forced to work for Cao Jun. They were innocent people in Jingzhou. They followed Liu Jun south because of their trust. Xu Shu had the responsibility to protect them, but he failed them, causing everyone to leave their homes and now their wives and children are separated.

Feelings of guilt and humiliation mixed together, plus some anger at Cao Jun's atrocities, Xu Shu's heart was already in a state of turmoil.But his face was still as calm as a mirror. He stood alone next to the Three Rivers Knights, waiting for Cao Ren's elite army and Prime Minister Cao's majestic guard of honor.

After a while, when Cao Cao and a group of ministers entered the tent one after another, Xiahou Ba was ordered to call him: "Mr. Xu, the prime minister has summoned you. I want you to go quickly."

Xu Shu nodded, but was not in a hurry to leave. He made his request first: "Captain Xiahou, yesterday Captain Dian ordered my sword to be taken away. I wonder if I can return it now?"

Xiahou Ba was stunned for a moment, and then explained: "Oh, Mr. Xu doesn't know something. From this year onwards, after Cao Gong became the prime minister, there was a rule. If there is no special permission, the person who is summoned must remove the sword. Mr. It’s better to go see the Prime Minister first and bring the sword back later.”

what is this? "You cannot meet the Supreme Being with a sword"? As far as Xu Shu knew, this was a privilege only possessed by the Queen Mother and the Emperor. What did Cao Cao think he was?
The sword is a symbol of the status of a scholar. When Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, was at his lowest, he could not even eat, but he still held his sword close to his body, because as long as the sword is still there, he is still a proud scholar. If the scholar's sword is forcibly removed, , it is meant to be insulting. In this situation, the scholars will draw their swords and fight to the death at any time.

So Xu Shu sneered and said: "Who gave this idea to Prime Minister Cao? He really deserves to be killed."

"Ah?" Xiahou Ba was stunned.

Xu Shu said: "I heard that Dong Zhuo also established this kind of rule when he first entered Luoyang. At that time, there was an imperial censor named Nuolong Zong. When he met Dong Zhuo to perform, he forgot to learn how to use the sword, and Dong Zhuo actually ordered him to do it. Killing with a big stick, the capital was shaken for a while. Now, in the eyes of others, the rules of sword-breaking established by Prime Minister Cao are not following the old practices of Dong's thieves?"

"Before he became famous, Jun Buyi, a famous official of the former Han Dynasty, wore a virtuous crown and carried a sword. He went to see the embroidered messenger of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The embroidered messenger of the Han Dynasty was defeated. After being defeated, Jun Buyi was asked to solve the sword before he could enter. Jun Buyi Absolutely refuse. Why, because the sword is a gentleman's armament, so he can defend himself. Without the sword, he cannot stand. Jun Buyi would rather not see a sudden victory, but the sword can never be broken!"

"I believe that there are probably not a few scholars in Jingzhou today who hold the same ideas as Jun Buyi."

"When Prime Minister Cao first came to Jingchu, southern scholars and guests from other states who had lived here for many years were looking forward to it. Like me, they were all looking forward to seeing the Prime Minister. If Dong Zhuo's old methods were used to humiliate the scholars, I'm afraid the Prime Minister would meet him. What a huge disappointment.”

Xu Shu's words quoted historical events, which were reasonable and well-founded. Xiahou Ba could not refute, but he could only smile bitterly and said: "Although Mr. Xu's words are reasonable, it is useless to tell me. Even if the master returns the sword to you, when the time comes Outside the curtain, they will still be forcibly lifted by the military guards, so why bother?"

Xu Shu could only sigh: "I will not embarrass the commander of Xiahou. No matter what, please tell the commander of Xiahou exactly what I said. Just say that when I met with Prime Minister Cao, I untied my sword to show respect for him. There is nothing wrong with it. But I hope you can give me the sword first, and then it will not be too late to untie it, otherwise..."

He said with emotion: "Please take off Xu Shu's clothes and let me be a bound prisoner on the same level as A Shao!"

This is Xu Shu's bottom line and principle, and it is related to how he meets Cao Cao: as a surrender, or as a scholar who comes to surrender.If he compromises, not only will Cao Cao look down upon him, but the officials in the shogunate will also regard him as a joke. Xu Shu's plan to surrender will only become more difficult, so this step must not be retreated!

Seeing Xu Shu's insistence, Xiahou Ba had no choice but to ask Xu Shu to go to the tent with him first, while he went in and informed Xia Houyuan of the matter.

There were several commotions in the curtain, followed by rustling voices. After a while, Xiahou Ba came out, took off his sword, and offered it to Xu Shu with both hands: "Mr. Xu, your sword fell. Once you are in the city, please wear my sword for now." Xu Shu thanked Xiahou Ba and tied the sword around his waist without any haste, with the hilt tilted down.

Xiahou Ba awkwardly pointed to the door of the tent, which was guarded by military guards and hung with swords on a wooden stand, and said: "But the rules are the rules. Mr. Xu still has to untie his sword before entering."

Xu Shu nodded, thinking about his weight in Cao Cao's heart: If Cao Mengde really wanted to reuse Xu Shu, he would have allowed him to come in with a sword, but now he is just giving him the most basic face, which is indeed dispensable. What about mentality.

Xu Shu knew that this was the greatest "courtesy" he could get, so he stopped forcing it. He came to the door of the tent, took off the sword and hung it up again. In Wu Wei's view, this was simply unnecessary. ah.

And what about Xu Shu?And I couldn't help but recall that when I was in Xinye and Fancheng, I could meet my lord Liu Bei anytime and anywhere with my sword... Sigh.

That was all yesterday. Now Xu Shu had to look forward. He was adjusting his clothes before entering the tent, thinking to himself: "Although Cao Cao has mastered my Confucian sword, I still have a sword!"

It's a sword, called "Light Chivalry Sword". Chivalrous people use force to break the ban. The swords they wear are not recognized by the scholars and they think they are "private swords". However, this sword is also sharp and can kill people!
The former Xu Shu, who was still called Xu Fu at that time, was a light-hearted young man who killed people righteously in the busy city and avenged his master.Later, he studied hard and hid his "Light Chivalry Sword" deeply and did not show it to others easily. The light knight Xu Fu gradually turned into a Confucian scholar Xu Shu.

He lost his former impulsiveness and arrogance, his character became as gentle as jade, and he also weaved many moral rules to restrict himself. Until he suffered a great defeat, was forced to surrender north, and suffered all these overt and covert humiliations, the creed he had adhered to for many years had long since Fragmented.

Perhaps it's time to pick up the old sword again and polish it again.

Xu Shu took a deep breath and stepped into the tent, only to see that the space inside was not small, with Cao Cao's generals, advisors, and subordinates standing around.Everyone looked at Xu Shu with different eyes. Some were full of curiosity about him, while others were full of contempt.

The look of Dian Military Colonel Xia Houyuan was particularly serious. It was probably because Xu Shu insisted on making a fuss about asking for the sword, which made him lose face and made Prime Minister Cao wait for a long time.

Most of the people did not have swords, but Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren and others were able to wield swords openly and openly. Just by whether they had swords or not, we could tell which people were more trusted by Cao Cao.

Xu Shu also saw Cao Cao deep in the curtain. He was sitting on a bed, stroking his long beard and looking at Xu Shu's appearance and behavior with great interest.

Xu Shu then walked forward in small steps and came to a position ten steps away from Cao Cao. He raised his sleeves and with a reserved and solemn expression, knelt down and bowed down to Cao Mengde.

"The sinner Yingchuan Xu Fu has met the prime minister!"

……

"Xu Fu?" Xia Houyuan was stunned when he heard this and scolded: "Xu Yuanzhi, isn't your name Xu Shu?"

Xu Shu explained: "I dare to tell the captain that my real name is Xu Fu. I changed my name to Shu after I left my hometown for refuge. Now that I have come to surrender to the prime minister, if I am forgiven and not killed, I may be able to return to my hometown in the north, so I should use my real name."

These words made Xu Shu look like he was truly loyal, which made Cao Cao quite satisfied.

Cao Cao has always regarded Liu Bei as a hero, so he usually has to deal with this old rival personally to feel at ease.Therefore, in the sixth year of Jian'an, as soon as he had conquered Guandu, Cao Cao turned around and personally conquered Runan. He defeated Liu Bei, who had been struggling here for a long time, and fled Jingzhou in embarrassment.

From then on, Cao Cao also thought that Liu Bei had nothing to worry about. Unexpectedly, only a year later, he was taking advantage of Yuan Shao's death to set off for Hebei. He was shocked to hear that Liu Bei, Liu Biao's vanguard, had already reached Ye County, north of Wancheng. It’s only a few hundred miles away from Xudu!

Cao Cao had no choice but to order two generals, Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin, to go south to resist. Xiahou Dun's position in Qiao Pei Yuan Cong was unmatched, and Yu Jin was the leader of generals with different surnames. He thought that there should be no problem in dealing with Liu Bei's newly defeated army.Unexpectedly, when the second general was chasing Liu Bei, he was ambushed by Xuande outnumbered at Bowangpo. Fortunately, the rear army Li Dianbu responded in time, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

This incident forced Cao Cao to temporarily give up his attack on Hebei and return his attention to the southern front for half a year.He has always wondered how Liu Bei quickly regained his strength and was able to carry out high-level military strategies such as planning an attack on Xudu and counterattacking in Bowang.Later I heard that a Yingchuan warrior named Xu Shu had taken refuge with Liu Bei and became his mastermind. This northern attack was the work of Xu Shu.

From then on, Cao Cao had the idea of ​​subduing Xu Shu, but compared to getting Xu Shu's assistance, Cao Cao obviously wanted Liu Bei to lose him.

What's more, Cao Cao now has thousands of generals and hundreds of advisers under his command. The scholars from the county and state who want to be employed by him have even lined up from Xuchang to Yecheng.In addition, with the power of a great victory, it is impossible to treat a scholar who surrendered after defeat too favorably. How would that make the subordinate officials in the shogunate feel?
But Xu Shu's resistance to the sword today actually made Cao Cao a little more interested in him.

So Cao Cao said: "When a fox dies, it will be dead. Yuan Zhi has the intention to return home, which is very good. It's a pity that it's too late to come, and it's too late to come!"

"Liu Xie (yì), who is from Nanyang, is a disciple of Sima Decao like you. He took a detour to Yangzhou and Beitou a few years ago. Now he is an official of our Cangcao, supervising the grain of the rear army."

Cao Cao counted on his fingers and said: "Your good friend in Jingzhou, Meng Gongwei of Runan, heard that Runan was at peace, so he immediately returned to his homeland; and Shi Guangyuan of Yingchuan also came to the north during my southern expedition. These two were both killed. I grant a county the position of a hundred miles."

At this point, Cao Cao smiled: "But no matter who it is, after meeting me, they all praised Yuan Zhi as a brilliant man, and he is not as good as himself."

While chatting and laughing, his voice changed again: "But, why did you have to bend down and serve Liu Bei in the first place?"

Xu Shu replied sternly: "Prime Minister, when I was young, I encountered great chaos in China. I fled with my mother and lived among the rivers and lakes in Jingzhou. I occasionally went to Xinye, where I was treated politely by Xuande and became friendly with him."

"I also saw Xuande bowing to his rank and treating others with respect. Fu was young at the time. He only thought that this gentleman was the hero's choice, so he planned for him. Although Xuande had a small merit, it was also greater than that of the prime minister, so he came to plead guilty today. ..." After saying this, Xu Shu bowed again.

Cao Cao stroked his beard and nodded and said, "In the past, everyone was his own master. What crime are you guilty of?"

He sighed: "Actually, it's not just you, I was also confused by Xuande when I met him."

Speaking of this, Cao Cao waved his hand and didn't want to mention those old things anymore. He just pointed at Xu Shu and looked at the civil and martial arts practitioners in the tent: "Yuan Zhi once strayed into the dust and mud, but fortunately he escaped before it was too late. Now Bei Come, why don't you join me as an official in the prime minister's house first. As for taking any position? Many of you have old friends from the Yingchuan Township Party, so you can give me your advice!"

"Prime Minister, I think it's inappropriate!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a person stood up from the left side of the curtain.But he saw that he was about forty years old, with a short beard, wearing a crimson robe, a long sword on his waist, and a double-tailed military crown on his head. At this moment, he was squinting at Xu Shu.

"When Xu Yuanzhi was young, he committed murder. He was tied up and beaten with drums to show off to the public. He abandoned his name and ran away. This was unethical. The queen assisted the traitor Liu Bei and fought against the imperial court. This was unwise. The prime minister sent the heavenly troops to the south. He could not be the master. Planning to the point of abandoning Fancheng, marching to Dangyang, and defeating Changban is a fool's errand; having already been defeated, we cannot end up with Liu Bei and return north alone to beg for surrender. This is a fool's errand."

"How can such a person who has no conduct, no wisdom, no plan, and no loyalty deserve to be elected to the prime minister's shogunate?"

(End of this chapter)