Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 29 Four Soldiers from Nanjun
At the same time, in the Han residence, Han Song continued to introduce Pang Tong's family background to Cao Cao.

"The Pang family belongs to the Miannan Guan clan. The reputation of Pang Degong has long been spread out of Nanjun. Some people even compared him to Yan Ziling, the great hermit of the Guangwu period. After Liu Jingsheng came to Jingzhou, he went to personally search for conquests, but was repeatedly rejected by Pang Degong. .”

"And Pang Ji, the younger brother of Pang Degong, was also quite good. At the end of Emperor Ling's reign, he was promoted to Xiaolian of Nanjun and served as a servant in the court. When Liu Jingsheng was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou, Pang Ji saw the chaos in the Central Plains, so he followed him Going south, together with the Kuai brothers and Cai Degui, he became Liu Jingsheng's right and left arm."

"At that time, Jiangxia thieves occupied Xiangyang with a crowd. Liu Jingsheng ordered Pang Ji to be his envoy and rode there alone to persuade him to surrender. Only then could Liu Jingsheng enter Xiangyang and use it as the capital of the state. Pang Ji assisted Jingsheng in taking Jingzhou, so he was promoted as a special commander. It's a pity that Pang Ji didn't live long and died in the fourth year of Jian'an. Otherwise, it would not have been Liu Shizong's turn to succeed him. But the Pang family became famous from this, and soon after that, another talented person named Pang Shiyuan emerged."

Speaking of this, Han Song secretly glanced at Cao Cao, but saw that he was stroking his beard and squinting his eyes without any sign of impatience, so he continued: "Pang Shiyuan had a simple appearance when he was young and was not outstanding. Only Pang Degong felt that he was different, so he let him Pang Shiyuan went north to Yingchuan and visited Sima Decao. After the conversation, Sima Decao was very different and praised him as 'the crown of Nanzhou scholars'."

"Since then, Pang Shiyuan's reputation has gradually become known to others. As expected, he has been a good man since he became an adult. He is elegant and popular, and is a scholar of Confucian classics. Everyone who has interacted with him praises him as a noble man in Jingchu."

Han Song looked at Du Xi and said with a smile: "And just like Yingchuan, Nanjun also has the so-called 'Four Scholars' for the talented young people, 'Pang, Xi, Ma and Xiang'. These first and right ones are It’s Pang Shiyuan.”

"Later, Pang Shiyuan was recruited as the meritorious officer of Nanjun. During his tenure, he selected officials in the county to advance and retreat. Everyone who advanced was convinced, and those who retreated had no complaints. When examining his political achievements, he was the most meritorious among all the counties in Jingzhou every year."

"Therefore, regardless of family background, county status, talent, or official position, Pang Shiyuan is suitable to be a candidate."

Cao Cao was still shaking his head: "Even so, a mere county meritorious official is too small, and cannot be compared with the nine ministers of De Gao. Let him be the judge, and I'm afraid he won't be convinced by the public."

Han Song smiled and said: "Isn't it appropriate for the Prime Minister to elevate Pang Shiyuan's status just like he did to Deng and Liu?"

"De Gao admires Pang Shiyuan very much." Cao Cao finally understood. He remembered that there was also "Pang" on the list provided by Xu Shu, so he asked: "But this Pang Tong is the same as Pang Lin who defected to Liu Xuande when he was in Xiangyang. What does it matter?"

Wang Can had worked with Pang Lin before and immediately said: "Prime Minister, we are brothers!"

"Humph!"

Cao Cao was furious and sneered at Han Song: "You have lost someone with high moral standards! Since this Pang Tong is a traitor brother, I have ordered Pang Lin's father to be arrested. Now it is even more important to implicate Pang Tong and remove him from his official position, and then search his family property, and How can we let him be the one who selects scholars? What Pang Tong has chosen must be someone who has his heart set on Liu Bei. How is this any different from putting a rat into a barn?"

……

"Ha ha ha ha."

On the other side, after being frightened by Xu Shu, Pang Tong did not panic at all and instead laughed.

Xu Shu asked: "Why is Shi Yuan laughing?"

"Oh, I laugh at Yuan Zhi for being too impatient." After Pang Tong said this, he said quite confidently: "Yuan Zhi, how about a bet between you and me?"

"What's the bet for?"

Pang Tong said: "Let's bet on whether Cao Cao wants to capture and kill me as you said, or whether he will forgive me and reuse me!"

Xu Shu was stunned and secretly thought that Pang Tong had a plan to deal with it?As far as he knew, Han Song, whom Cao Cao was going to visit tonight, was not only friends with Mr. Shui Jing, but also a close friend of Pang Degong. He was equivalent to watching Pang Tong grow up, and he also spoke highly of Pang Shiyuan.

And Xu Shu also heard that when Han Song was imprisoned in Jiangling by Liu Biao, Pang Tong, who was an official here and had great power, took good care of him.Based on the friendship between these two families, if Pang Tong asked for something, would Han Song plead with Cao Cao on Pang's behalf?

Although he roughly guessed Pang Tong's confidence, Xu Shu still showed no timidity because he also had an advantage, that is, he understood Cao Mengde better than Pang Tong!

Xu Shu just said: "What's the bet?"

Pang Tong said: "If you win, I will follow the method of Yuan Zhijiao and escape from the city."

"But I will not stay in Nanjun to contact any relatives or friends. Instead, I will go eastward along the Han River, go to Xiakou to find Kong Ming, and join Liu Xuande's command in order to avenge the Pang family!"

He spread his hands and said with a smile: "Isn't this the invitation that Yuan Zhi made to me when he went to Xinye? Now that I have agreed, is Yuan Zhi happy?"

That's natural. Xu Shu's heart was pounding and he thought excitedly: "If you get one of the dragon and phoenix chicks, you can become a hegemon. If the lord can get help from Pang Shiyuan, even if Xu Shu unfortunately dies this time, there will be Shiyuan to take my place and fight with him." Kong Ming and the Lord's wings will surely enable him to soar and achieve great things!"

But Xu Shu's voice was still cold: "I am now a minister of Cao Cao. How can I feel relieved when I go to surrender to Liu? What if... I lose? So what?"

Pang Tong raised his hand and said: "If this is the case, then the Pang family is out of danger! And I don't have to run away, and I can be appointed by Prime Minister Cao to work with Yuan Zhi."

"But until then, please Yuan Zhi tell me your true plan to surrender to Cao Cao, exactly as it is!"

……

"Prime Minister, which acre of rice is not a mixture of good and bad, and which family has no unworthy sons?"

In Hanzhai, Han Song was still trying to speak for Pang Tong: "During the Spring and Autumn Period, Yang Tonhu of Jin participated in Luan's rebellion, but his elder brother Shu Xiang was a virtuous doctor. Yang Tonhu was found guilty and executed, but Shu Xiang was not punished and released. Later, as expected, he became the mastermind of the ruling Zhao Wenzi, helping him govern the Jin Kingdom and rectify the affairs of the court. Therefore, Song thought that Pang Lin's rebellion should not be implicated in his brother Pang Shiyuan."

Cao Cao said: "De Gao wants to be 'Qi Xi', but Pang Tong, can he have Shu Xiang's talents?"

Han Song had great confidence in Pang Tong: "Uncle Xiang is the foundation of the Jin state, and Pang Tong can also become the prime minister's pillar in Jingzhou. He is a 'phoenix child'."

Cao Cao especially didn't believe it: "Feng Chu? Chu people are so arrogant. I'm afraid it's just like Liu Bei's plan to master Zhuge Liang's 'Fulong', which doesn't live up to its name."

Sima Decao had so many disciples, but Pang Tong was the only one that Han Song must protect.Not only because he had a close relationship with Pang Tong, but also because when Han Song was imprisoned, Pang Tong, a meritorious officer of Nanjun, took care of him.Even the residence in this poor alley belonged to the Pang family earlier, and Pang Tong directly gave it to the Han family to live in.

As for whatever book Han Song wanted to read in prison, Pang Tong would try his best to get it and send it to him in prison. He would then carefully send out the annotations of Han Song's articles and give them to the Han family for safekeeping.As for providing extra food and wine to Han Song and supporting his sons, this happened countless times.

This is not a small favor that comes once or twice, but a great virtue that lasts for several years without changing!Therefore, Han Song must seek leniency for Pang Tong at the risk of angering Cao Cao.

This is when Pang Tong came to visit him after he was released from prison. He was sure that Han Song would be promoted by Cao Cao, and made a bet with Han Song. If Han Song was promoted, he hoped that he would save Pang's family from danger for the sake of the friendship between the two families... Han Song Song personally agreed.

So Han Song stood up and bowed down, holding up the silver seal that he regarded as a treasure and offering it to him: "If the prime minister wants to accuse the Pang family, the old man has an old relationship with the Pang family and is also implicated. He dare not accept the post of Jiuqing." , I am willing to go to jail with Pang Tongyi again!"

Seeing that Han Song insisted on doing this, Cao Cao was embarrassed and looked at Du Xi, seeking his opinion.

Du Xi then advised: "The Prime Minister first defeated Guandu and found a bunch of letters among the Yuan family's books. They were all secret communications between Xu Du and people in the army and Yuan Shao. Many people on the left and right persuaded the Prime Minister to check the letters and read them one by one. Click on the names, and those who collaborate with the enemy will be imprisoned and executed!"

"But the prime minister immediately burned the letter to calm the hearts of the people. Today, why not show leniency to the Jingzhou crown clan whose sons have taken refuge with Liu Bei? In this way, the rebels in Jingzhou can feel at ease!"

Du Xi said this, but Cao Cao disagreed. He had no choice but to imitate Emperor Guangwu and burn letters to the enemy that day.Because Yuan Shao was on the stronger side at that time, even Cao Cao hesitated to withdraw his troops and move the capital to avoid the edge when the crisis was most critical, let alone others?Although Guandu won, Yuan Shao was still alive and his strength remained. Cao Cao would not do something stupid like forcing his men to surrender to Yuan Shao.

But now the situation is different. Cao Cao is the strong one. He can take Xiangyang and Jiangling easily, and Jingzhou can be defeated with a single hand. Liu Bei is running away with his head in his arms, extremely weak.Unlike when Cao Cao only had his subordinates in Guandu, now he has talented people from all the northern states, and the Guan clan in Jingzhou is just a matter of convenience and is not necessary.

With Cao Cao's temper, he shouldn't talk about mercy at this moment, but should give thunderous palms to those who are stubborn!Let them know what it means to follow the rules and prosper, and those who go against the rules will perish!
But after all, Han Song was an indispensable part of his plan to conquer Jingzhou, and Du Xi also persuaded him so, so Cao Cao said: "In this case, Pang Tong can be exempted from punishment, but don't expect me to use him. I don't think this is the case." He is not suitable to be a county meritorious officer anymore."

"Prime Minister, great virtue!"

Han Song achieved his most basic goal and bowed again, saying: "However, Song still thinks that even if the Prime Minister doesn't use Pang Tong to promote officials, he should at least meet him. This man does have great talents. It would be a pity if he cannot be used by the Prime Minister. "

"Then I will give it a try for the sake of De Gao." Cao Cao said, "Tomorrow I will hold a banquet in the county mansion to entertain everyone who has served Jingzhou obediently. De Gao will also attend the banquet."

"When the time comes, let Pang Tong go with me and ask him to wait outside the hall. When I am drunk and happy and don't want to kill anyone, I will call him in to see me!"

……

Not to mention that Pang Tong later left the governor's mansion before Prime Minister Cao came back. In the servant's quarters near the kitchen of the mansion, the food officer Wang Jie, who had been busy all afternoon, had just fallen asleep when he was hurriedly knocked on the door. Wake up to the sound of the door.

When Wang Jie opened the door sleepily, he saw Zhang Shao standing at the door.

Wang Jie suppressed his anger and asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhang Shaodao: "I have something to report to the king."

Before Zhang Shao could say anything, Wang Jie suddenly said: "Boy, could it be that you peed on the bed?"

You just peed on the bed!Zhang Shaonai explained carefully: "Wang Jun, when I came back, I found that Huandeng has been coughing and seems to be seriously ill. Do you want to take him to the medical officer's office?"

"It's late at night, doesn't Doctor Li want to sleep?" Wang Jie didn't take it to heart: "Maybe it's because he's not acclimatized to the climate. It'll be fine after one night."

As he was about to close the door, Zhang Shao quickly put his foot against the crack of the door. What he actually cared about was not Huan Deng's health, but the fear of being infected!No matter what minor illness, even a headache or brain fever, it could kill someone in ancient times!

So Zhang Shao said: "Your Majesty, the food official is related to the safety of the Prime Minister's diet. If the ring is not in good condition, everyone sleeping in the same room will be infected. Tomorrow, the kitchen will cough a few times while cooking, or while washing dishes. Can you, my lord, bear the sin of sneezing and then passing the disease to Prime Minister Cao through eating?"

Wang Jie woke up with a fright and said in embarrassment: "But Doctor Li must be asleep at the moment. It would really be inappropriate for me to disturb him for a servant boy."

After speaking, he stared at Zhang Shao, who was quite smart, and asked him: "In your opinion, what should I do?"

Zhang Shao offered advice: "I think that even if Huandeng is not sent to a medical officer immediately, we should find an empty house nearby and isolate him first!"

Although there are no terms for "infection" and "isolation" these days, you can understand the meaning just by listening to the literal meaning. After all, people in the Han Dynasty have long known that diseases can spread from person to person.

Especially an army with a large number of people and troops from all over the world is like a giant petri dish, most prone to explosions.Therefore, the Han army would set up "nunneries" far away from the barracks to separate sick soldiers. This was a regular system. Wang He went on expeditions with Cao Cao all year round, so of course he was no stranger to this rule.

Because all the county servants had withdrawn to make room for the Prime Minister's entourage to move in, there were quite a few empty rooms. Wang Jie immediately picked one far away from the kitchen and asked Huandeng to move there overnight.

Huandeng's voice was still hoarse, he coughed from time to time, and his throat hurt. He was not feeling well, and he was forced to change places to sleep on this cold night.Even though he was full of reluctance, under Wang E's order, he could only carry the quilt into the house pitifully.

The door was locked from the outside, and Huandeng could only stand at the window and look at the people outside, crying and saying: "Your Majesty, I am really not seriously ill... cough cough."

With a ruthless look on his face, Wang Jie repeated Zhang Shao's words: "The food official is related to Prime Minister Cao's well-fed diet. Don't be careless. Just stay here for a while and I will have the food delivered."

After hearing this, Zhang Shao immediately hid in the crowd of onlookers. He didn't want to be named for this job and have contact with the patients.

Huan Deng held his stomach again and asked, "What about going to the toilet? Can I go to Zhezhong?"

It turns out that the toilet near the county kitchen was connected with the pig pen, and underneath the human toilet was the trough.Yesterday, when Zhang Shao went to the toilet, he heard a humming sound as soon as he squatted down. He lowered his head, what a boy!At the bottom of the pit, there are several black pig heads with long pointed beaks, their mouths open, ready to feast!
From then on, Zhang Shao decided that at least he would not even take a sip of the soup from the pork slaughtered by the county governor's house - the meat would definitely not be eaten by one of his servants.

Because of this, Zhang Shaofang just greeted Wang E: "Wang Jun, I heard Dr. Li say that patients' feces and urine can also spread diseases, and it can also flow out and contaminate water sources, making more people sick after drinking it. .”

So Wang Jie asked Huan Deng to drown him in a bucket in the house.

After Wang Jie and others left, Zhang Shao was still outside the house. He just stood at a safe distance and shouted to Huan Deng in the window: "Adeng, you must be fine!"

These words were indeed sincere. Zhang Shao guessed that if Huandeng had indeed contracted some kind of infectious disease, such as a bacterial virus or something, he had been dormant for a while before he had symptoms. He had been sleeping on him for the past few nights. Next to me, breathing the same air, I'm afraid I can't escape.

Huandeng didn't know that everything tonight was Zhang Shao's idea, so he said with a hoarse voice and emotion: "Zhang Shao, it's better for you, cough cough."

When Zhang Shao turned around, he found that Wang Jie had come out again. It turned out that Wang Jie was just about to sleep with his clothes on, but he suddenly remembered that since Huandeng's illness had not recovered, then at the celebration banquet that the Prime Minister was going to host tomorrow, There is a shortage of waiters!

It's not appropriate to bother Xiahou Ba to pour the wine every time. Wang Jie decided to do it himself. As for the accompanying wine warmer... Anyway, Cao Cheng met with Zhang Shao today and seemed not dissatisfied with the wine warmer, so let's keep it as usual.

Moreover, after Zhang Shao came back yesterday, he ran to find Baizhu again, but was kicked out by Li Dangzhi, saying that his leg was almost healed anyway and he should not come to the medical officer's office in the future... It seems that Li Dangzhi is indeed He was frightened by Wu Zhang Zhao's statement that "medical officers are poisonous" and regarded Zhang Shao as the source of trouble.

In this way, Wang Jie felt at ease. As long as Zhang Shao ran to the medical officer's office without incident, there was almost no chance that he would get the "poison" and poison the wine.

So Wang E told Zhang Shao: "Ah Shao, you go to bed early. Tomorrow at the banquet, I will personally pour the wine for the prime minister and the guests, and you will help me warm the wine."

……

Today, the fifth day of October, before the banquet, Cao Cao held a canonization ceremony in the main hall of the government office for the meritorious men of Jingzhou who surrendered without fighting.

In order to reflect the formality and solemnity, Cao Cao changed into a formal dress today: the Gun crown and the emperor's crown. The main difference between the three male crowns and the emperor's crown is that on the crown, the sapphire beads used are one level lower than the white jade, and the number is reduced from twelve strings to There are seven strings, and there are some in the front and none in the back.

The body is wearing a black top, and underneath is a pure colored silk skirt, embroidered with a mountain, dragon and nine chapters pattern, and a purple ribbon with gold seal hanging on the side of the skirt.There is also a sword with a gold scabbard on his belt, and red leather shoes on his feet.

After dressing up in this suit, Cao Cao, who was not tall, looked quite majestic. He glanced at Han Song and other people in the hall and said: "Jingzhou, a land thousands of miles away, has returned without a fight. How many people have been spared from disasters, and the rituals and music of the South have also been preserved." It is a great contribution to the preservation of your Majesty. I should have returned to Xudu and reported to the Emperor of Heaven, and then invited Your Majesty to come to the World Temple to personally cut the talismans with you and enshrine them..."

Of course, this is a polite remark. Everyone knows that since the "Clothes and Belts Edict" incident in the fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Sikong and Prime Minister Cao have been responsible for matters such as the title of Marquis.

Sure enough, Cao Cao continued: "But the ancients also said that rewards should not be delayed, and people want to get the benefits of good deeds quickly. The merits of the generals and commanders of the three armies have been rewarded this morning. Naturally, all the meritorious men cannot be left behind, so they are here at Jiangling Quan Canonize first."

Although he was subordinate to power, etiquette was indispensable. When the former kings established princes and were awarded titles and honors, they must display the music of gold and stone in the temples of the Qing Dynasty.The county-level high temple in Jiangling was abolished after Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, so the county was temporarily used as a temple. The chief historian Yuan Gongke was expelled as prime minister, and the record office was planned by Ruan Yuanyu. As for the joy of gold and stone...

Cao Cao looked at the music official on the side of the hall who was checking the tone of the chimes and said with a smile: "Gong Liang, you will lead the county musicians to play elegant music."

This man's name was Du Kui, who was from Luoyang, Henan. His family had been musicians in the Han Dynasty for generations. During the reign of Emperor Ling, he himself served as the "Yale Lang" under Taiyue, specializing in compiling ceremonial elegant music. In addition, he plays the piano well and is quite famous.After the Luoyang Rebellion, Du Kui went south to Jingzhou and took refuge with Liu Biao. He served as a music officer in the Zhennan General's Mansion. He collected a lot of music scores scattered in the south due to the war in the Central Plains and compiled them.

Now that Cao Cao has taken Jingzhou, Du Kuisui has been restored to his post by another official and is still serving as Ya Lelang. He was brought to Jiangling for today's ceremony.

Du Kui agreed, but hesitantly asked: "Prime Minister, when Kui was in Luoyang, he also participated in many ceremonies for enthroning marquises, and he knew a little about the process. However, this was the first time for him to be enthroned in a local county, so he didn't know what to do. What kind of music can you play..."

Cao Cao said: "Just follow Tai Le's old rules."

Du Kui looked troubled: "But the "Han Yi" that should be played when he was granted the title of Marquis said, 'The Marquis of Han is ordered, and the king personally orders it: Zan Rongzu Kao, without invalidating my order'... Now that the emperor has not arrived in person, but The Prime Minister is entrusting the title, and Kui is afraid that if this music is used, the Prime Minister will be suspected of overstepping his bounds!"

……

PS: Du Kui should be the prototype of Shi Xu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

(End of this chapter)