Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 30

As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was shocked, because Du Kui had violated Prime Minister Cao's taboo!What he hates most is that others say he is transgressing!

Seeing that Cao Cao's face had darkened, Xin Pi, who was waiting beside Cao Cao, was about to stand up and say something. Unexpectedly, there was another person in the hall who stood up first and scolded Du Kui:

"Although Du Gongliang can play elegant music, he doesn't understand the subtle meaning of the classics! There is a saying in "Shangshu Kanggao", 'Wang Ruo said: Menghou, my younger brother, Xiaozi Feng.' Who is the one who calls me king?" That’s the Duke of Zhou! In ancient times, everyone could call me me, but the Duke of Zhou served as the regent Jian Que, assisted in becoming the king, faced the ministers from the south, issued orders, and often called him the king."

"The current prime minister, whose merits are equal to those of Yi Yin, whose virtue is greater than that of the Duke of Zhou, who canonize us on behalf of the emperor, uses "Han Yi", how can he be arrogant?"

The speaker was a tall scholar with a burly appearance and a northwest accent. He was Fu Xun (xùn), Cao Cao from the former Zhennan General's Mansion.This Fu Xun was born in the Fu family in the North, and was a descendant of Fu Jiezi in the former Han Dynasty. He was not only good-looking, but also knowledgeable. During the reign of Emperor Ling, he was conquered by the Sangong Mansion and became a minister in the court.Later, when there was great chaos in Guanzhong and there were also rebellions in his hometown of Liangzhou, Fu Xun went south to Jingzhou and became Liu Biao's staff. He had meritorious service in persuading Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao, so he is on the list today.

Kuai Yue and Han Song, who were on Fu Xun's right, heard what he said, but they didn't agree with it in their hearts, because Fu Xun's so-called "Zhou Gong proclaimed himself king" only came from Zi Shu, not Confucian classics. What is admitted can be easily refuted.But the two of them would not be stupid enough to come forward to argue with Fu Xun at this time. It was a happy day for them to be promoted to official positions, so why did they have to get into trouble with Cao Cao?
And what about Du Kui, the music official?He specializes in art. Although he is a good player in playing music and analyzing classics, he is far inferior to people like Fu Xun. He only thinks that this is true, so he is timid and dare not speak.

Cao Cao was very satisfied and took note of Fu Xun's performance, so the ceremony continued, with Du Kui personally ringing the bells on both sides of the main hall, and the musicians also playing drums, harps, and shengs as rehearsed.

Yuan Ba ​​led the recipients forward one by one, while Ruan Yu read out the policy of ennobling the marquis for Cao Cao.

The Liu Cong brothers were hastily made marquises and sent away by Cao Cao yesterday, so the first person in line was none other than Jingzhou's de facto second-in-command, Kuai Yue. However, they saw him sitting in the middle of the hall, facing Prime Minister Cao who was standing with his hands hanging down. He paid homage and accepted the title of Marquis of the Country granted by Cao Cao.

The Later Han Dynasty is different from the former Han Dynasty. The marquises are divided into six grades. According to status and food households, the county princes are the highest, the Duxiang marquises are next, the township princes are next, the Duting marquises are next, and the Tinghous are the lowest. As for the Guannei marquises, the food households are better than nothing. It's just a name.

Kuai Yue was originally the Marquis of Fan Ting. Liu Biao petitioned the Chang'an court on his behalf for his role as the mastermind of Jingzhou.Now Cao Cao has elevated Kuai Yue to the rank of Marquis of the Countryside. In addition to changing the gilt bronze of the Marquis of Ting into a silver gilt, the seal of the Marquis also comes with a silver seal of Jiuqing with a turtle button and green ribbon!
Cao Cao valued Kuai Yue very much: "The emperor has long heard about the name of Yidu, and he specially worships you as Guang Luxun. When the south is settled, you can follow me back to take up his post."

Then he encouraged Kuai Yue: "When Liu Jingsheng rode into Jing alone, he was able to secure the position of governor thanks to Yidu's plan. But I heard that your brother Kuai Zirou persuaded Liu Jingsheng to practice benevolence and righteousness, and the counties and counties naturally joined him, and he was Liu Jingsheng praised it as "Yong Ji's Theory" and regarded it as a rule for generations. Yidu's plan to kill the clan traitors and take Xiangyang was evaluated as a "contemporary plan" and considered to be nothing more than a temporary matter. This is what Liu Jingsheng did. It’s too broad-minded!”

Cao Cao traced the past again: "When Yidu was in Luoyang and served as the general's east guard, I advised He Gong to take a pre-emptive strike and kill the eunuchs as soon as possible; and I also urged General He to tell the eunuchs that if they wanted to punish the eunuchs, they should punish them. To eliminate Yuan evil, it is enough to pay a jailer, so why call in foreign troops to the capital and cause chaos?"

Kuai Yue immediately said: "Of course! If General He had listened to the Prime Minister's words, there would not have been the end of death and the defeat of the clan, nor would there have been the rebellion of Shi Chang Shi, nor the Dong thieves entering Luo... This world would be even worse. As for the chaos for almost 20 years."

"exactly!"

Cao Cao still felt regretful when he thought about this, and then he pointed at himself and said: "Yi Du also said that those who bring peace should first be benevolent and righteous, while those who bring chaos first should be powerful. This sentence is deeply rooted in my heart! Now I want to bring peace to the troubled times, and I am about to make a big use of it. Xiandu! Even though you are over sixty years old, you still have to work tirelessly to help me. Don’t call it a conspiracy. Even if Xiandu offers a good and short opinion like your ancestor Kuai Che, I will happily adopt it. !”

This is very meaningful. Who is Kuai Che?Lobbying Han Xin, hoping that he could rebel against Liu Bang, a man of great authority who stood in opposition to the three pillars of Chu and Han!
So Kuai Yue paused and expressed his thoughts: "Liu Jingsheng is not the master of the Ming Dynasty, but the prime minister is the 'Gongzi Chong'er' that Kuai Yue has been waiting for!"

"The more I wish to assist the prime minister, repeat the events of Jin Wen and rectify the world."

The next one is Cai Mao, the former General Zhennan's military advisor and the governor of Nanjun. He was named Han Yangtinghou by Cao Cao, which was a bit lower than the Xianghou of Kuai Yue, but the attached positions made Cai Mao ecstatic!

Cao Cao smiled and said: "Brother Degui, you are my prime minister, Sima, and I am a humble man. But the new navy in Jingzhou is indispensable for you to command. If you hold this position concurrently, you can discuss military matters with me at any time."

"No grievance, no grievance! I thank you, Prime Minister!" Cai Mao knew very well that after surrendering to Cao Cao, the level of rank and salary was no longer consistent with the level of power.

Even though Kuai Yue is the ninth minister, the person that Cao Cao truly trusts and reuses is himself, the Prime Minister Sima!After entering the shogunate, Cao Cao was the king and he was the minister, and the relationship was closer than that of Kuai Yue.

Next, it was the turn of a general who did not know how to wear military uniform, but it was Wenpin, the former prefect of Zhangling. When Cao Cao wanted to grant him the title of Marquis of Guannei, Wenpin bowed down and declined, saying: "Today, all those whom the Prime Minister is confering have meritorious service in obeying Jingzhou. But Ren didn't even say a word to advise the young master beforehand, and he delayed his visit to Xiangyang afterwards, so how can he be worthy of receiving a title from the imperial court?"

What Wenpin said was obviously to promote merit, but in fact he was trying to eliminate Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others.Because his attitude has always been to be loyal to his lord, hoping to defend Hanchuan and preserve the territory. Only in this way can he be worthy of Liu Cong in life and worthy of Liu Biao in death.

Therefore, when Kuai Yue asked him to write a letter of surrender, Wenpin refused. He did not follow Liu Cong out of the city until the important matter was decided.Unexpectedly, Cao Cao admired his "loyal" attitude very much. In addition, Wenpin was a general under Liu Biao, so he wanted to win over him, so he treated him generously.

Cao Cao said, "Zhongye's merit is that he served as our army's guide, chased Liu Bei at Changban, and took Jiangling first with light cavalry. If this honor is not awarded, wouldn't it mean that rewards and punishments are uneven?"

"Today I will not only give you a title, but also restore Zhongye to his post of Two Thousand Stones, and let you lead your original tribe and become the prefect of Jiangxia!"

Wenpin was stunned when he heard this. He thought that as a surrendered general and he did not have a personal relationship with Cao Cao like Cai Mao, Cao Cao would not trust him with military power. Unexpectedly, he would use it without any doubt?
Cao Cao personally handed the seals and ribbons of Hou and Shou to Wenpin and comforted him: "Zhongye must not think that he is a returning general and have worries. Zhang Wenyuan of Yanmen was originally a cavalry general in Lu Bu's army. He served in Yanzhou and Xuzhou repeatedly made trouble for me. It wasn't until Lu Bu was defeated in Xiapi and died at Baimen Tower that Zhang Wenyuan and his men belatedly surrendered. I immediately pardoned him and made him a general of the rank of Zhonglang. I also made him a close confidant and allowed him to lead the backbone. Later, Wen Yuan made many military exploits in Youji, and now he is a general of the bandits!"

"I believe that Zhongye will not disappoint me. He will definitely make new achievements in Jiangxia and completely defeat Liu Bei for me! How will the imperial court begrudge the position of general by then?"

Wenpin was greatly encouraged and bowed down to accept the promise.

Cao Cao arranged: "You will rest for a few days, then return to Zhangling, gather your original troops, and prepare to go south to Jiangxia to take office."

Jiangxia County is now divided into three: the area east of Xiakou, including the original county seat, has been occupied by Sun Quan of Jiangdong since Huang Zu's death this spring; and Liu Qi, the "Jiangxia Prefect" appointed by Liu Biao, took over Huang Zu's As the seat of government, Xiakou City governs Yunmengze and several counties in the south of the Yangtze River. As for the counties in the northern part of Jiangxia, they are already under the attack of Cao's army.

But Cao Cao endured it, and now explained the whole story to Wenpin: "I should have sent troops to capture Xiakou immediately, but I was afraid that the persecution would be too urgent, causing Liu Bei to panic and flee south by boat, and actually go to surrender to Zhou Cangwu. So, Then the evil will not be eliminated, but it will not be beautiful.”

"Therefore, in order to block Liu Bei's retreat before launching an expedition, I have ordered Degui this morning to send more than [-] sailors and hundreds of large and small ships to leave Jiangling Pier and go to Baqiu on the Dajiang River to patrol."

"When they are in place, and the four counties in Jingnan will send a message in ten and a half months, I won't be afraid that Liu Bei will run away again."

Cao Cao held the hands of Cai Mao and Wenpin, two important generals on land and water, and said longingly:
"At that time, Zhongye can be the vanguard of our seventh rear army, leading the way to Anlu and Sheyunmeng for the bandit general Zhang Wenyuan and others. Degui and I will lead the main force of the boat division and thousands of boats. Follow the river from Jiangling to the east. Caught between water and land, we will hunt in Xiakou! We must kill Liu Xuande, the old owl!"

……

Fu Xun, who had just spoken out to refute the Yueguan's "transgression" theory, was given the title of Marquis of Guannei by Cao Cao and joined the Prime Minister's Mansion to join the army.

Wang Can was also conferred the title of Marquis of Guannei. Perhaps because of his good flattery these days, when Cao Cao was happy, he made Wang Can the "Literature Manager", and all the literature in the Prime Minister's Palace accompanying the army came under his control—— Although there are not many people.

Wang Can was overjoyed when he got the title and promotion. After thanking Cao Cao, he couldn't help but glance at Ruan Yu, who was making the decision, and thought to himself: "Brother, senior brother, I am already a slave, and you are just a subordinate. I have climbed up to you." It’s on my head.”

So far, most of them are Guannei Marquis, Ting Marquis, or at most Township Marquises, but Cao Cao only has an eye-catching pure gold Seal of County Marquis in his hand!

The person to whom this golden seal is to be awarded is none other than the middle-aged man with some stage fright at the end of the queue. This is none other than Dou Fu.He did not make much contribution in persuading Liu Cong to surrender, and he was not as good as a guide like Wenpin. The reason why he was treated so favorably was entirely due to his special status: the only grandson of the late General Dou Wu!
When conferring the seal to Dou Fu, Cao Cao was inevitably moved by some sincerity and sighed: "Dou Xiaolian, it has been 40 years since the disaster in September of the first year of Jianning."

"But every time I think of that day of [-], Mrs. Chen, who was over eighty years old, led his officials and subordinates, rushed into the Chengming Gate with their swords drawn, went to the Chancellor's desk, stood up and shouted fiercely; thinking of Dou Da The general led the loyal men and fought fiercely with the eunuchs under the Suzaku Tower. I would sigh with regret and deeply regret that I was not in Luoyang at that time and could not share the same hatred with the two kings!"

Cao Cao's words are true. When Dou Wu was executed by the eunuchs and his clan was annihilated, he was only more than ten years old. Although he was the eunuch's grandson, Cao Cao was full of sympathy and recognition for the party members who were wanted all over the world.

He also joined the "Friends of Running" organized by Yuan Shao and He Yong, and became a peripheral member, secretly participating in the rescue of party members.They helped the poor and distressed, rescued those arrested by the government, and used their special identities to help many people escape.

In order to obtain a list of wanted party members, Cao Cao even sneaked into the residence of Chang Rang at night to steal. After being discovered by the guards, Cao Cao broke out of the siege brandishing his halberd, rushed into the courtyard, and climbed over the wall.Fortunately, Zhang Rang didn't see clearly who he was, otherwise even if his father Cao Song kowtows to Zhang Rang more times, Cao Cao's career would be over.

Although the Cao family belonged to the eunuch group, Cao Cao's actions as a boy betrayed his origin time and time again.The complete break came when he became the Northern Lieutenant of Luoyang and beat to death another great eunuch, Jian Shuo's uncle, with a five-color stick!The eunuchs exclaimed that there was a traitor among us, and began to suppress Cao Cao, transferring him to be a county magistrate, until he was removed from office.Cao Cao said to Dou Fu and everyone in the hall: "During the Guanghe period, I was promoted to an official again and became a councilor. After I had the power to discuss politics, my first memorial to the emperor was for General Dou and Chen. The old lady Fu Ming has been redressed!"

"I say... the military officers are upright, but they are framed; the treacherous and evil people are in the court, and the good people are blocked!"

Emperor Ling obviously ignored the noise of a young Yilang, but from then on, Cao Cao embarked on a completely different path from his father.He successfully fulfilled his boyhood ambitions, and through these actions he established his reputation, and people at home no longer looked down upon him because of his origins.

Yuan Shao and others also regarded Cao Cao as a comrade. When the Qing Dynasty regained power through General He Jin in the late Zhongping Dynasty, Cao Cao was smoothly assigned to the Eighth School of Xiyuan and immersed himself in the stormy waves of the times at close range!
At this moment, Cao Cao solemnly awarded Dou Fu the Seal of the County Marquis: "Since I came to power in the early days of Jian'an, I have dreamed of returning this golden seal that belongs to the Dou family to your hands! It finally came true today."

"Originally I wanted Dou Xiaolian to restore the title of 'Huaili Hou' to General Dou. Unfortunately, this title has been awarded by the emperor to Weiwei Ma Shoucheng (Ma Teng). I will make the decision and let you directly inherit the ancestral legacy and be granted the title of An Fenghou, are you satisfied?"

When Dou Fu heard this, he was moved and bowed down and said: "Hou Anfeng, this is the feudal state of Fu's great ancestor Dou Da Sikong (Dou Rong). Prime Minister is so kind, Fu should die in repayment!"

Kuai Yue, Fu Xun and others also praised him at the right time: "The Prime Minister is reviving and destroying the country, following the unparalleled example, and promoting the people's deeds. Not only the people of Jingzhou, but also the people of the world should take this into consideration!"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and was quite satisfied. If Du Xi's five strategies were only aimed at the Jingzhou scholars, then Cao Cao's generous treatment of Dou Fu was for the whole world to see!
Ever since Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fell out, Yuan Benchu ​​had selectively forgotten the things they did together when they were running friends.In the memorial articles and Lu Bu, Cao Cao's grandfather and father's "bad deeds" were repeatedly mentioned, and Cao Cao was described as "an eunuch with an ugly legacy".

Who made Yuan Shao the leader supported by the elite literati in the world?Naturally, people believed what he said, and his ally, Liu Biao, one of the eight heroes of the party, also joined in the smear campaign, so that the states outside the area controlled by Cao Cao really regarded him as an eunuch...

This is not right!Cao Cao's response was also very simple. Not only did he use force to defeat Yuan and Liu, he also wanted to regain his status!Today’s commendation of Dou Fu is to let the world understand:
"Look, the Qingliu Party member Zhengzong who inherited the ambitions of General Dou and Old Master Chen and rehabilitated them is not Yuan Shao, let alone Liu Biao, but me, Cao Mengde!"

Seeing that the knighthood was over, Cao Cao ordered Xin Pi to greet everyone and move to the banquet hall of the inner house to prepare for a banquet.

Everyone had a title just now, except Han Song, who refused because he had been in prison and had not said a word to persuade Liu Cong to surrender.Originally, Cao Cao should have forcibly awarded it, but perhaps Han Song recommended Pang Tong yesterday, which made Cao Cao unhappy, so he took the opportunity to withdraw it and only officially awarded Han Song the seal of Da Honglu.

Han Song didn't care. He firmly believed that leaving a basket full of gold to his sons would be better than teaching them to learn the classics.Only in this way can the Han family steadily produce scholars from generation to generation and maintain the identity of the Guan clan.On the other hand, those families that suddenly became rich and noble, because they had food households and farm houses, their children did not study the scriptures well, and they often did not get rich for more than three generations.

Seeing that Cao Cao was in a good mood now, when he arrived at the inner house, Han Song said to his son who was supporting him: "Go to the gate of the mansion and take Pang Shiyuan outside the hall of the county house and wait for the Prime Minister to summon you."

……

Zhang Shao had been waiting in a corner of the hall to warm the wine before the banquet started.

Because I had to drink a lot of wine today, I couldn’t use yesterday’s method of warming a small glass of wine, so I replaced it with a huge “wine warming bottle.”

This object is made of bronze, cylindrical, gilded, and has gorgeous decorations. It seems to have images of the Queen Mother of the West, the Feathered Man, etc. There is also an inscription chiselled on the edge of the lid: "Sikong Bronze Warming Wine Bottle, weighing [-] kilograms, Jian'an San Made in the year." It seems that the craftsmen made it specially for Cao Sikong.

There are auxiliary rings on both sides of the vessel body, which can be used to hang warm wine bottles. A charcoal fire is attached below to directly heat the wine inside. The thick lid is enough to ensure that the wine stays hot but not cold, and allows the aroma to be better preserved.Zhang Shao's job was to use a pouring spoon to pour the hot wine into the wine dispenser - the goblet.

Seeing that the guests arrived one after another with Cao Cao, they were seated according to their titles and official positions. Xin Pi and Ruan Yu sat with them.Wang Jie, who went into battle in person, walked around the hall carrying food plates and wine glasses, and poured wine into Cao Cao and everyone else's glasses.

Looking at the food at the banquet, it was countless times richer than the small banquet in Maicheng.There are chickens, ducks, geese, and a variety of aquatic products, including bream, carp, crucian carp, and mandarin fish, some of which are also made into a famous southern dish: raw fish and dumplings.

Zhang Shao would never touch this thing in his life. This is a freshwater fish. If you eat it raw, won't you worry that your stomach will be filled with parasites?

The most eye-catching meat dish is undoubtedly the "cannonball", also known as roasted suckling pig, which is slowly roasted in the center of the hall. It is golden in color and fragrant.

As the saying goes: princes eat cattle, ministers eat sheep, and officials eat pigs.Although the status of pork was far inferior to that of cattle and sheep in the Han Dynasty, beef was generally not allowed to be eaten, and mutton was rare in the south. Therefore, the daily meat of the Guan people in Jingzhou still mainly consisted of dolphin.Cao Cao and others also followed the local customs. The servants of the food officer cut roast pork and served it. They saw Cao Cao cutting chopsticks frequently and eating very happily...

"Eat, if it tastes good, eat more."

A smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Shao's mouth, thinking of this deliciously roasted pig, which was happily eating its own feces in the pig trough under the toilet yesterday.Zhang Shao felt that he was indirectly feeding Cao Aman.

I really hope that when the butcher cuts and washes this piglet, whether intentionally or accidentally, he can retain more of the flavor of the large intestine.

Thinking about it this way, the humiliation of serving others is slightly reduced, and Ah Q's spirit is indeed useful at all times.

After eating and drinking, everyone left the table and toasted to Prime Minister Cao. Dou Fu, who was promoted to County Marquis, blushed and said, "Mr. Dou is my biological father, and Mrs. Hu is my adoptive father. Now, Prime Minister Cao has returned to the title of Marquis." , the motherland, is the king and father who allowed me and the Dou family to be reborn!"

The word "father" was blurted out three times in a row. Zhang Shao almost laughed when he heard it, thinking that this guy's next sentence would be: "If you don't abandon me, I would like to be your adopted father!"

Don't tell me, there are quite a lot of fake men in Cao Cao's mansion. Most of them are the sons of the husband's family brought by the women when Cao Cao took wives. Among them are the grandson of General He Jin, He Yan, and many more of the grandsons of General Dou. Why not?
It's a pity that Dou Fu is too old, already 42 years old. He also knew that it was not suitable, so he returned to his seat after drinking.

Wang Can, the grandson of another party leader, followed closely behind. His flattery was a bit long. He held his wine glass and wished Cao Cao:
"In the past, Yuan Shao started in Hebei and relied on many soldiers and generals, aiming to annex the world. However, although Yuan Benchu ​​claimed to be good at virtuous people, he was unable to employ scholars, so the outstanding scholars left him one after another. Liu Jingsheng was entrenched in Jingchu, calm and calm, sitting and watching Times have changed, and I thought I could imitate Xibo. Those Chinese scholars who came to Jingzhou to escape the chaos were all outstanding figures in the country, but Liu Jingsheng didn't know how to appoint them, so the country was in danger and he had no help."

"The Prime Minister is different! On the day when the city of Ye was conquered and Jizhou was conquered, he repaired his armor and soldiers as soon as he got off the bus, and collected the heroes and used them, so he was able to run rampant in the north. Now that Jianghan has been conquered, virtuous and talented people have been recruited to occupy their respective positions, so that Return to the heart from all over the world, and follow the wind. As the saying goes, the combination of civil and military forces makes heroes complete their efforts. Although the Han Dynasty and the ancestors cannot compare, this is the move of the sage kings of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties!"

This praise is not just a "little" arrogance, but an evaluation that no one can deserve!Although Cao Cao was feeling uneasy in his heart, he still said humbly: "Zhongxuan has given you too much praise. For my achievements in this life, it is enough for me to be able to look at the backs of Yi Yin and Zhou Gong!"

Xiahou Ba, who was staying in the guard hall, saw all this and saw that Cao Cao's face was really full of ambition, so he asked Wang E for a glass of wine, came to Cao Cao's case, bowed down, and wanted to congratulate Cao Cao.

"Zhong Quan." Cao Cao was slightly drunk and said with a smile: "What do you want to wish me?"

Xiahou Ba kept in mind his father's teaching that "talking too much will lead to mistakes", so he pretended to be clumsy and said: "I don't know how to speak nice words, so I only wish the Prime Minister longevity with this wine!"

Cao Cao drank the wine he offered, lit Xiahou Ba and said to his left and right: "This is the words of my Puho junior."

Hearing that Cao Cao recognized him as one of his own, Xiahou Ba was overjoyed: "Prime Minister, I have one more thing to ask for."

Seeing that the time was right, Xiahou Ba boldly mentioned to Cao Cao the idea that Zhang Shao had once worshiped Xu Shu as his teacher and now wanted to continue learning calligraphy from him.

"Oh? Is this happening?" Cao Cao glanced at Zhang Shao in the corner of the hall.

"coming!"

Zhang Shao calmed down and waited with bated breath for what was to come. When Cao Cao called him over to ask questions, he showed off his skills.

But Cao Mengde did not agree immediately. Instead, he said to Xin Pi: "Zhiji, send someone to call Xu Yuanzhi."

(End of this chapter)