Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 28 The Crown of Nanzhou Scholars
On the other side of the story, Han Song's study room was simple but elegant. He asked his son to move away the slips and papers piled on the desk and invited Cao Cao to sit down.After accepting the uniform of Jiuqing Seal and Shou Crown, Han Song, perhaps because he was short-tempered, changed his previous attitude of living in poverty and enjoying himself, and began to please Cao Cao.

"Song had advised Liu Mu at the beginning that because of Cao Gong's wisdom, all the wise men in the world would return to him, and he would definitely be able to destroy Yuan Shao, and then he would definitely lead his troops south to attack Jianghan. By then, Jingzhou would never be able to resist the king's army. It would be better to fight with him as soon as possible. If Yuan Shao breaks off diplomatic relations and the whole state relies on Cao Gong, Cao Gong will definitely treat Liu Mu favorably. This is the real foolproof strategy. It is a pity that he did not listen to advice and brought about his own downfall."

Wang Can was not at a disadvantage in this life, and said: "Han Gong, even if Liu Jingsheng refuses to surrender, the prime minister still forgives his son. Liu Cong brothers are all granted the title of marquis and allowed to return to their hometown of Shanyang in Yanzhou. They can still enjoy long-term blessings and descendants of Yan." Yes."

"The Prime Minister is generous!"

Cao Cao waved his hand: "De Gao, I disturb your rest today. In addition to asking you to serve as the Nine Ministers, I also want to ask you to recommend wise men and officials in Jingzhou who have the ability to govern the country."

Han Song declined and said: "Although Song has been temporarily appointed to the post of Da Honglu, Jiu Qing has no power to supervise the affairs of the government. How dare he arrogate his duties?" He raised his head and glanced at Cao Cao. Seeing his firm attitude, he added, "If the prime minister If you insist on this, then Song will recommend two 'virtuous and upright' people who can speak out and give advice."

Although Han Song claims to stay away from officialdom and not be wealthy, he is still quite familiar with the imperial regulations.Different from the common promotion of "maocai, filial piety and integrity" that occurs every year, "virtuous and upright" is a special promotion of the Han Dynasty.Only when encountering disasters or other disasters, the emperor would issue an edict to recommend the three princes, Zhong Erqianshi, Erqianshi, and the governor of the county and country. Of course, Jiuqing also had this qualification.

Han Song said: "One of them, the Prime Minister, has met. It was Liu Shizong, a native of Lingling, who was the envoy who accompanied him when Song was ordered by Liu Mu to pay tribute to Xudu."

Bie Jia is an official in charge of the prime minister and other affairs in the state government. Although his salary is only [-] shi, he has great power, equivalent to the deputy of the state governor.Because of his high status, he would not ride in the same car as the governor when he was on patrol, so he was named Biejia.

"It turns out to be Mr. Liu! Isn't this man a die-hard loyal to Liu Biao? Can he be used by the imperial court?" Cao Cao was unhappy when he heard this. He was particularly impressed by Mr. Liu. That time he and Han Song went on an envoy together, and Han Song and He was kind and respectful to Cao Cao, while Liu Xian, on the contrary, acted neither humble nor arrogant, and responded to Cao Cao's questions several times.

Han Song said: "The Prime Minister doesn't know that it was Liu Shizong and Song who persuaded Liu Mu to move the state to the north. As for what he said in Xudu, he actually didn't mean it. It was just to be worthy of Liu Mu's position as envoy, and his heart was towards the Prime Minister. "

"That's it." Cao Cao said: "It seems that Liu Shizong is the 'Yan Ying' of Jingzhou. When he goes out as an envoy, he does not disgrace the emperor's orders. When he returns home, he remonstrates with his emperor day and night. He is not in Xiangyang and Jiangling now. I don't know where he is going? "

Han Song said: "The year before last, when Liu Mu and his two sons were fighting for the throne, Liu Shizong knew that the situation was not good, so he declined because of illness and old age. Now he is hiding in the mausoleum."

Hearing this, Cao Cao glanced at Du Xi. Du Xi understood and introduced Liu Xian's family background: "Prime Minister, Liu Shizong is from the Liu family of Haoyang. He was the queen of Changsha's assassin and the Marquis of Haoyang when his great ancestor was Emperor Xiaoping."

It turned out that they were from the lineage of the Changsha king, so Liu Xian was closer to the emperor of the current dynasty than Liu Biao, a clan relative of the pre-Han Dynasty.Cao Cao liked to recruit some Han clan clan members to fill up the slack, so as to silence those who suspected that he was going to do what Wang Mang did.

So Cao Cao then decided: "In this case, Liu Shizong can be recruited into the dynasty as Shangshu Zuocheng to assist Xun Wenruo in commanding Shangshu Taigangji."

Zuocheng, the minister, was also a four-hundred-stone official. He seemed to be in a normal position, but in fact, he entered the court from a local place and was in a center like Shangshutai, which can be said to be a high promotion.However, the Shangshu Desk has long been emptied out, and the real decision-making power is in the hands of Cao Cao, who "prime minister records the affairs of the Shangshu".

Then Han Song recommended Deng Yi, who was Liu Biao's "administrator" in the past. He was also a senior assistant officer under the governor and governor, and his power was second only to Biejia.

After hearing about Deng Yi's deeds, Cao Cao stroked his beard and said: "I would rather break than bend. This stubborn minister can be worshiped as a servant."

The servant is called to prepare advisers to deal with the situation and fill in the gaps. In fact, he has long been an idle official.From this point of view, neither Liu Xian nor Deng Yi received any substantial power, but no matter what, Han Song could be regarded as recommending his two "comrades" to the DPRK.

People in Jingzhou will praise him for not forgetting his old friends when he gains power, and the princes in the court will praise him for recommending people, because these two are indeed good people.And Liu and Deng can also be officials in Xudu in the future, and they can be mutually beneficial to each other, and occasionally support each other's children. Let's make progress together!Then the transformation of the Han family from a poor family to the crown clan will be smoother. Maybe in the next generation, they can really become the "Yiyang Han family".

Han Song thought that this was the end of his little "party building", but unexpectedly, Cao Cao gave him another generous gift.

But I heard Cao Cao say: "Liu Jingshengzhou has great power but cannot use it fully, but I am not the same. I would like Zhang Zhen to trap all the people who are host and guest. De Gao only recommended two people, I hate the young man, I hate the young man! Jingzhou's rivers and lakes Among them, I don’t know how many talented people there are. It’s the fault of those in power that there are talented people in the wild. I have high moral standards, so you can’t let me neglect my duty.”

Han Song was stunned: "The Prime Minister means..."

Cao Cao said: "Didn't De Gao just mention Xu Wenxiu of Runan? When he was in Runan, he and his disciple Xu Zijiang (Xu Shao) conducted the 'Yuedan Commentary' on the banks of the Qinghe River in Pingyu County."

When Cao Cao was still not famous at that time, he once came all the way to Runan, where he offered humble words and generous gifts, hoping to get Xu Shao's comment to enhance his reputation.

At first, Xu Shao looked down on this young eunuch and ignored him. Cao Cao threatened him with his sword. Then Xu Shao glanced at Cao Cao, then looked at the sword in his hand, smiled slightly, and left a message: Cao Cao's ecstatic words.

"You, the traitor of Qingping."

"Hero of troubled times!"

More than 30 years later, these eleven words are still deeply engraved in Cao Cao's heart, especially the last sentence. They have always influenced him in Yingchuan, Luoyang, Suanzao Bianshui, Yanzhou, Xudu, and Guandu. Cao Cao's every decision.

To this day, Cao Cao really wants to see Xu Shao again and tell him loudly in front of him:

"Xu Zijiang, you are right, I, Cao Cao, am indeed the only one who can bring peace to this troubled world, a great hero!"

It is a pity that Xu Shao died early and died of illness on the road to exile more than ten years ago.And a year after his death, Cao Cao welcomed the Han Emperor to Xudu... From then on, Cao Sikong and Prime Minister Cao performed various great achievements and wiped out the evil forces, and Xu Shao could not be seen at all.

Putting aside the regret in his heart, Cao Cao continued: "When the world talked about this kind of 'disciple-setters' who judged talents, they were called Guo and Xu in the south, Xu Shao brothers in the south, and Mr. Guo Youdao, a teacher with high morals in the north. "

Han Song nodded. He was also a humble scholar who was raised up by a teacher's comment.

"De Gao inherited the teachings. I heard that in his early years, he also discussed the township party figures with the sages in Jingzhou, and promoted many unknown scholars."

Cao Cao smiled and said: "Now that De Gao is out of trouble and is the ninth minister of the Han Dynasty, and I am in need of talents, why don't De Gao resume his old position in Jiangling? For those Jing Tuguan clan children who are interested in the imperial court, there is still understanding How about the general trend, the foreign talents who are not serving Liu Biao, let alone colluding with Liu Bei, comment on it? So that I can know their advantages and disadvantages and make the best use of them."

Cao Cao wanted to cultivate the "Qingliu" forces headed by Han Song in the officialdom of Jingzhou, which was monopolized by Kuai and Cai, so as to facilitate checks and balances.

"This..." After Han Song understood, he was excited for a moment.

As a student of Mrs. Guo, Han Song knew best that those who "rewarded" would be grateful and respected by those who judged them, and the level of respect was second only to the master and mentor. If they really became powerful, they would prepare gifts to return visits and express their gratitude, calling themselves " "Protégé", I feel that it was the commentator's words that made me "reach the dragon's gate".After they get the official position, they will not only serve Cao Cao, but also be grateful to themselves. In the future, when they enter the court, they will not have to take care of Han Song's children and grandchildren...

However, this thought only occurred for a moment. Han Song raised his eyes and saw Cao Cao's bottomless eyes, and immediately put them away.

"It's inappropriate, it's inappropriate. A large number of guests and guests in Jingzhou will become my 'disciples'. If this is true, I have gone too far in establishing a clique."

"Book of Changes" says: When the sun is at midpoint, there will be wilting, and when the moon is waxing, there will be eclipse.The luxuriant branches and leaves made people jealous, but Cao Cao changed his mind and cut down his tree directly.

Han Song thought, it would be better for him to focus all the favors he has spread on Jingzhou on one person: the person who needs his help most nowadays.This will not only avoid Cao Cao's suspicion in the future, but also give the Han family huge rewards based on that person's talents and abilities.

So Han Song declined and said: "The Prime Minister is ridiculous. Song participated in the evaluation on Yuliang Island in the Han River in Xiangyang. In fact, he was just making up the numbers. The real judges were the two sages who lived on Yuliang Island."

"One is the Miannan hermit Pang Degong. He is an elegant man but does not like wealth. Liu Mu personally came to invite him but refused. He knows the local scholars in Jingzhou best and can always give them the most suitable name."

"One was Sima Decao, a famous scholar in Yingchuan. He was very knowledgeable. After he left his hometown to take refuge, he became a neighbor and brother of Duke Pang De, who had long been friends with him. Pang De called him 'Shui Jing', which means he has a lesson from others. . De Cao used to teach ancient Chinese classics at Xiangyang Official School. From Nanyang to Yizhou, people traveled thousands of miles to worship him. De Cao was especially aware of the talents of people from other states. "

"Aren't these two more suitable judges than Song?"

Cao Cao shook his head and said: "As De Gao said, these two are indeed high scholars, especially Sima De Cao. I have heard Xun Gongda (Xun You) mention it a long time ago. So after arriving in Xiangyang, I also sent people to look for these two people. , but Sima Decao was already very old. I had just defeated Liu Bei at Changban, and when I returned to the army, I heard the news that he had died of illness."

"However, Mr. Pang Degong took his wife to Lumen Mountain three months ago, saying that he was going to collect medicine. He never left the mountain again after that, and his son could not tell his whereabouts. People either said that he was dead, or that he was dead. He lives in seclusion, and some even say that Pang Degong cultivated Taoism and became immortals... Can you find him now in a hurry? Don't refuse if you are a good man!"

Han Song, however, was determined to stay away from this job and sighed: "It's not that Song doesn't want to help the prime minister to seek talents, it's just that he has been in prison for several years and knows nothing about the changes in the outside world. He can no longer fully understand what's going on in Jingzhou." Talented people are falling behind, not to mention those who have recently arrived from other states."

"This matter should be left to young talents."

Cao Cao was unhappy: "Oh? Besides De Gao, who else can take on this important task?"

Han Song smiled and said: "That man has the first reputation among the young people in Nanjun, second to all the younger generations."

"He is also the most proud disciple of Sima Decao, who was praised by Decao as the 'Crown of Southern Scholars'." "He is also the direct nephew of Duke Pang, who was given the nickname 'Feng Chu' by De Gong."

"This person is the current Nanjun meritorious officer, Pang Tong and Pang Shiyuan!"

……

At this moment, in the toilet of the Sheriff's Mansion, Xu Shu also recovered from his shock and controlled his impulse to use ranger tactics to subdue the man to the ground because he recognized the identity of the owner of the familiar voice and only lowered his voice. He scolded: "Pang Shiyuan, what do you mean by this?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Seeing that his identity was revealed, Heiying stopped pretending. He chuckled a few times and said, "We haven't seen you for a long time, so I followed him to scare Yuan Zhi."

Xu Shu sneered: "So it turns out that bluffing people in a dirty place is considered a noble thing by the Guan clan of Nanjun?"

"It's true that Tong was rude. I hope Brother Yuanzhi can forgive me."

Pang Tong bowed to Xu Shu in the dark, and reminded him by the way: "But Yuan Zhi, you haven't put on your trousers yet!"

"you……"

Xu Shu didn't know whether to be angry or laugh, so he simply turned his head and continued to pee that he had been holding in for a long time.Pang Tong, on the other hand, turned his back and stood with his hands behind his back, listening only to the sound of rushing water.

Xu Shu was not embarrassed at all. Anyway, when he was studying under Mr. Shui Jing, Pang Tong, who lived in Baishaqu on the other side of Yuliang Prefecture, would often come over and sometimes not leave at night.Although Pang Tong was from the Guan clan, he was informal and got along well with Xu Shu, who still had some wandering habits. The two had such a close relationship that after drinking, they would often lie on the same bed, sleep with their feet touching each other, and urinate in a bucket.

Kong Ming was different. He was an elegant man and had a temperament that made people dare not desecrate him. Occasionally when he went to Yuliang Prefecture, he would always smile and reject Pang Tong's suggestion that the three of them sleep together and talk all night long.

Hey, talking about this, Xu Shu also thought that their teacher, Mr. Shui Jing, Sima Decao, who was also their friend for many years, was no longer alive.When Xu Shu followed Liu Bei to cross the Han River south, he rushed to see Mr. Shui Jing's house and wanted to take him with him.

But at that time, Sima Decao was too old and sick to stay, and the once elegant and famous man seemed to be left with only a weak and hunched body. Xu Shusui could only bid farewell with tears.When he entered Cao Cao's camp, he heard from Xin Pi that Sima Decao died of illness on the third day after Cao Cao occupied Xiangyang.

I just wonder if Pang Tong has heard the news?Although the war has not subsided and transportation has been blocked by Cao Jun's follow-up troops, the news channels of these Guan clans have always been quite well-informed.

Although they were once close, the two had not seen each other for many years since Xu Shu went to Xinye to join Liu Bei's army and Pang Tong was recruited as a meritorious officer of Nanjun.

Now that we meet again, Pang Tongyi reveals Kong Ming's strategy of uniting Jiangdong in person. This is not difficult. Du Xi and other wise men in Cao Cao's shogunate can see over time that they were still misled by Xu Shu's "Xuande ran south to Cangwu" information. .

"But how did Shi Yuan learn about my plan to surrender to the enemy? Could it be that he deliberately deceived me?"

Xu Shu thought of this in a short moment. After putting on his trousers and tidying up his clothes, he first asked Pang Tong: "Shi Yuan, everyone in the county said that you reported illness and the county meritorious officials took care of your official duties. Why are you still able to hang out?" Come in?"

Pang Tong said, "I came here after I recovered. Cao's soldiers at the door saw that I had all my seals and ribbons in place and was wearing official uniform. They searched me and found no murder weapon, so they let me in." He then smiled and said, "Since I know Yuan Zhi is here, How could I not come and meet you?”

Xu Shu said seriously: "Do you know about Mr. De Cao's death?"

Pang Tong calmed down and sighed: "As we know, my father came to Jiangling with a message from Xiangyang." Pang Tong's father was Pang Degong's second brother. He served as a county magistrate. Later, influenced by his brother, he retired bravely and concentrated on running Pang's industrial estate.

Xu Shu said: "Isn't Shi Yuan sad when the master passes away? Why do you still have the heart to tease me?"

Pang Tong said: "I was very sad when I heard the news. I just wanted to cry, but I remembered that when my husband was here, he talked with us about life and death. He admired Zhuangzi very much. As the saying goes: Life and death only last a moment."

"So I put away my tears, ran out of the mansion, ran between heaven and earth, and sang a long song to cry! This is how I bid farewell to Mr. Virtue."

This is Pang Tong's way of acting. People who don't know him will regard him as a crazy person, but Xu Shu understands that all his actions are sincere. Xu Shu also smiled: "If Mr. Decao hears you Song, he will definitely say..."

Pang Tong and Xu Shu said the familiar two words at the same time, Sima Decao's mantra: "Good! Good!"

The two still had such a tacit understanding that they couldn't help laughing at each other. If a county official got into the toilet at this moment and saw the appearance of these two guys, he would definitely cast a strange look at them.In fact, Xu Shu and Pang Tong both missed the time when they were studying in Yuliang Prefecture, when they went boating with Mr. Shui Jing and Zhuge Liang, having fun and enjoying themselves, and the four masters and apprentices had a happy relationship.

But that's all in the past. Can they still be honest with each other now?
After laughing, Xu Shu calmed down and asked what he was most concerned about: "So, Shi Yuan, what did you mean by what you just said?"

Pang Tong asked back: "Is Yuan Zhi asking about what Kong Ming said, or about your surrender to Cao Cao?"

Xu Shu sighed: "Why should Shi Yuan ask even though he already knows?"

Pang Tong then raised his palm and said: "For the former, those who know Kong Ming can naturally understand it and know it at a glance; for the latter, although I don't know the details, I only feel that there is something fishy about Yuan Zhi's descent, so I use lies to test my ears!"

Xu Shu really wanted to reveal all his plans, and even asked Pang Tong to help him, which would definitely increase the possibility of success!But he knew very well that unlike him, a son of the Shan family from a foreign country, a native Guan clan member like Pang Tong in Jingzhou had a big family and a big business. He often thought more about future choices and could not just follow his own personality. Speaking of other things, Pang Tong’s father and his cousin Pang Shanmin’s family are still in Xiangyang!
Therefore, Xu Shu could only try to deceive Pang Tong first, and then he could think more about it after slowly finding out his plans for the future.

But it was so difficult to hide it from Pang Shiyuan. He knew Xu Shu very well. When Xu Shu made the decision to move to Beitou and Liu Bei, he had invited Pang Tong and praised Liu Bei as a hero... so it was not easy to deceive Cao Cao. To cope with those words, Xu Shu could only sigh half-truthfully:

"Don't you know, Shiyuan? After the defeat of Nagasaka, my mother was arrested. I had no choice but to go to Duke Cao. What else can I do?"

Pang Tong suddenly realized: "That's how it is. How are you now? Is your aunt okay?"

Xu Shu smiled bitterly: "My mother is fine, but she was held captive in Dangyang by Prime Minister Cao. As a hostage, I had no choice but to surrender to Cao Ying."

Pang Tong sighed: "This is really embarrassing for Yuan Zhi. You really admire Liu Xuande, the 'hero of the world,' and claim to assist him in achieving the cause of Qi Huan and Jin Wen, but now you have to work for his mortal enemy."

Pang Tong's words were still full of doubts, but he did not go into details. He only asked about another matter: "I came to meet Yuan Zhi today, but I wanted to ask about the whereabouts of my brother Pang Lin."

"My father's letter said that when Liu Xuande came to Xiangyang City to station his horse and shout, Zhong Cong gave up his position as a state official, took his wife and daughter, and went out of the city to accompany his wife and brother to attack Wenxiang. Since Yuan Zhi experienced Changban After the first battle, do you know the whereabouts of Zhong Cong’s family? They won’t die in the rebel army!”

Pang Lin and his wife inherited the family name. Xu Shu really knew that Pang Lin was working as a clerk around Liu Cong in Xiangyang. He had witnessed the inaction of Liu Biao and his son over the years, and was very jealous of Liu Bei who single-handedly shouldered the defense of northern Jingzhou. admiration.In addition, his wife's brother Xi Zhen joined Liu Bei's army last year and became a colleague of Xu Shu. Pang Lin was even more affected. Only then did he impulsively disregard his clan and head south.

In Changban, Pang Lin was also separated from his wife and daughter, and followed Liu Bei to Jiangjin in embarrassment.When Xu Shu decided to return to the north for his mother, Liu Bei even called Xi Zhen and Pang Lin and told them that they could go with Xu Shu to find his sister, wife and daughter, and that he would never blame them.

But guess what Pang Lin said?He actually said first: "If my beloved wife and my daughter die in the rebellion, I will follow the general to avenge them; if they survive by chance and are captured by Cao's army, my brother Pang Shiyuan is still here and will be able to protect them. How can I protect them?" Worry?"

Seeing Pang Lin's determination, Xi Zhen was inspired by him and decided to follow Liu Bei to the end.

After Xu Shu entered Cao's camp, he asked Xin Pi and learned that Pang Lin's wife and daughter had indeed been captured by Cao's army.He interceded for him, and after Xinpi saw Pang Lin in the list Xu Shu presented, he ordered the mother and daughter to be taken as hostages and guarded in Dangyang together with Xu Shu's mother and Liu Bei's two daughters, which was avoided. The fate of the Xi clan was tainted by Cao Bing.

Xu Shu told Pang Tong all these things, and Pang Tong smiled bitterly and said: "I pity my younger siblings for marrying a husband who abandons his wife and daughter like this; I also pity my old father for having a son who doesn't care about the safety of the clan; and even more pity my old father. I have pity on myself... It’s better to have a brother like this than not to have one at all!”

"Thank you for Yuan Zhi's intercession. I'd like to thank you for your shameless brother!"

Saying that Pang Tong actually wanted to bow down in this dirty toilet, Xu Shu quickly supported him. His thoughts were changing for a while, and he felt more and more that Pang Tong could stand with him and jointly plan for "Cao Cao's defeat" Make an incident and rescue all the hostages in Dangyang.

"Shi Yuan should worry about himself first."

Xu Shu then deliberately provoked him with words: "Prime Minister Cao has obtained the list of those who followed General Zuo, and your brother Pang Lin is among them. Duke Cao ordered Cao Jun in Xiangyang to arrest your father and search the manor and land."

Xu Shu said alarmingly: "If Cao Jun knows that you are working as an official in Jiangling and dares to sneak into the mansion, the Wuwei battalion in charge of the guard will definitely kill you on the spot. Shi Yuan should leave quickly and escape from the city early tomorrow morning. Keep him here first. If this is useful, then find a way to contact Pang's in-laws and find an opportunity to rescue his family!"

(End of this chapter)