Ji Han Liu Zhang

Xudu.

As an envoy sent to Xudu by Grand Marshal Liu Zhang, Zhang Su was in high spirits and had a great reputation in Xudu. Yang Biao, the head of the Hongnong Yang family, Zhang Xi who had served as the Weiwei and Sikong, Fu Wan, the father-in-law of the emperor, Dong Cheng, the uncle of the emperor, and other important ministers and relatives had invited him to banquets and asked him about the situation of the war in Guanzhong.

Of course, the most honorable person among those who hosted Zhang Su was the current emperor Liu Xie. Emperor Liu Xie summoned Zhang Su to the palace several times to ask him about the affairs of Guanzhong. In addition, Liu Xie also asked many questions about the situation in Shu.

Enjoying the emperor's favor and the sincere reception of many famous scholars and ministers, Zhang Su's days in Xudu were very comfortable. However, Zhang Su did not forget his mission even though he was surrounded by flowers and glory.

As an envoy, when you are on a mission, you should not only meet the people you are supposed to meet and do the things you are supposed to do, but you also need to record in your mind the people you meet, the things you do, and the situations you observe along the way, and master the people and customs of the place you are on a mission.

As for the present, Zhang Su detected the trend of the court, that is, General Cao Cao had the tendency to monopolize the government, and Zhang Su noticed this from the simultaneous dismissal of Taiwei Yang Biao and Sikong Zhang Xi. In addition, it can also be known from the fact that the military power of the father-in-law Fu Wan and the uncle-in-law Dong Cheng was stripped, and they became lonely and idle.

Following Emperor Liu Xie all the way, and following Liu Xie back to Luoyang from Chang'an, the important ministers Yang Biao and Zhang Xi who were loyal to Emperor Liu Xie were dismissed, and Fu Wan and Dong Cheng, who were relatives by marriage and shared weal and woe with Emperor Liu Xie, were placed on idleness. The purpose of the current general Cao Cao is self-evident.

Not to mention, as far as Zhang Su knew, the commander of the emperor's imperial guards was a close confidant of Cao Cao - Zao Zhi was the chief of the imperial guards and stayed in the palace to guard the palace, while Cao Cao's cousin Cao Hong was in charge of the troops guarding the palace.

He was in charge of the Imperial Guards internally and the government externally.

"Another Dong Zhuo." Zhang Su sighed as he stayed at the inn for a rest instead of going out for a banquet. In his eyes, Cao Cao was no different from Dong Zhuo, who controlled the government and bullied the emperor in the past. They were both powerful ministers of the Han Dynasty and great thieves of the country.

However, compared with Dong Zhuo, who was born into a family of heroes in Liang Province, Cao Cao, who was born into a family of eunuchs and entered the officialdom as an official due to his filial piety and integrity, was obviously more respectable. He treated the emperor and the ministers with courtesy and did not bully them in person. What Cao Cao did was also reasonable and well-founded, and he did not cause any trouble for no reason.

Cao Cao certainly could not do such outrageous things as Dong Zhuo, who bullied the emperor, poisoned the son of heaven, and changed the country. Cao Cao, who was born in Zhongzhou, had more political wisdom than Dong Zhuo, who was born in Liangzhou, and knew better how to use political power.

This is a good thing for the emperor and the ministers. At least, the emperor and the ministers don't have to worry all the time, and don't have to be afraid that Cao Cao will suddenly rise up and do something unreasonable.

But for Zhang Su, who served under Liu Zhang, he felt that this was not a good thing. After all, Emperor Liu Xie, as a banner of the Han Dynasty, possessed the official legitimacy of the Han Dynasty. Official positions and salaries must come from the emperor's edict to be legitimate. Cao Cao, who held the emperor hostage, now controls the emperor's official right of interpretation.

For example, at the moment, Cao Cao was placed in Henan by Yuan Shao as a defensive post against Yuan Shu. He was supposed to be a henchman under Yuan Shao. However, after moving the emperor to Xu Du and taking control of the government, he became the general himself and suddenly became superior to Yuan Shao.

As for Yuan Shao, the court controlled by Cao Cao gave him the position of Grand Marshal which Yang Biao once held. Yuan Shao, who should have been the eldest brother, was instead placed under Cao Cao. The identities and status of Yuan and Cao were reversed in an instant due to the gains and losses of the emperor, a key chess piece.

"This is the benefit of holding the emperor hostage. Although Yuan Benchu ​​is known as the leader of the Guandong Alliance, he is not worthy of the title."

Zhang Su complained about Yuan Shao in Yecheng. Yuan Shao, as the number one prince in Guandong and a powerful leader of the princes, allowed such an important chess piece as the emperor to be obtained by others. For a time, he fell into a disadvantage. In the future, he would be controlled by the court and would have to rely on Cao Cao for help in terms of titles and salaries.

However, the emperor returned to Luoyang from Chang'an and stayed in Luoyang for several months. The princes in Guandong were hesitant and did not dare to raise troops to welcome the emperor, fearing that their power would be reduced after welcoming the emperor. Finally, Cao Cao made up his mind to take the initiative and control the emperor.

In Zhang Su's opinion, it was too late for Cao Cao to come up with the plan. If it were his own wise minister Liu Zhang, he would have raised his troops to welcome the emperor the moment he heard that he had arrived in Luoyang, and would have had no hesitation at all.

Unfortunately, his father came from the remote Shu land, which was separated from Luoyang by thousands of mountains and rivers. Even if Liu Zhang raised troops in Guanzhong, there were still Li Jue and Guo Si as obstacles blocking the way to Luoyang, so he had to miss the opportunity to meet the emperor.

Thinking of this, Zhang Su could not help but sigh silently. He said to himself that if Liu Zhang, the wise man, could raise an army to welcome the emperor to Chang'an, and assist in the administration as a member of the royal family, he could serve the emperor to punish the disobedients, and the world would be at peace wherever his flags pointed.

"What a pity, what a pity." Zhang Su felt very sorry, but now that things have come to this, there is no point in saying anything.

As for the current situation, in Zhang Su's opinion, although Yuan Shao, the princes in Guandong, is powerful and controls four states, his only worries are Gongsun Zan and the Black Mountain Army, and Gongsun Zan and the Black Mountain Army are both lingering on. However, Cao Cao is the most wise and capable of doing extraordinary things. When the princes in Guandong were hesitant, he seized the emperor first. In terms of vision and decisiveness, he is better than Yuan Shao.

Zhang Su took out a piece of silk cloth. He wrote the word "Cao Cao" on the top of the cloth, and under "Cao Cao", he wrote the word "Yuan Shao". Yuan Shao saw the opportunity but did not know how to act, which made him inferior to Cao Cao and should be placed under Cao Cao.

Under "Yuan Shao", Zhang Su wrote "Yuan Shu". Yuan Shu had recently annexed Jiangdong and made friends with Lu Bu, and there was a trend of unifying Xu and Yang. Moreover, Yuan Shu made friends with the Taishan bandits, and all the people in the southeast obeyed Yuan Shu's orders. Yuan Shu should be the third person.

Under Yuan Shu, Zhang Su picked up his pen and gave the name "Lü Bu". Lü Bu was a very brave man, occupied the land of Xu, had sufficient soldiers and food, and was not to be taken lightly. However, based on Lü Bu's character, Zhang Su felt that Lü Bu would be defeated sooner or later, but he didn't know at whose hands Lü Bu would be defeated.

But as far as the current situation is concerned, Lu Bu can be said to be the fourth person who is worthy of being a son after Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. Gongsun Zan who was trapped in Yi County, the Black Mountain bandits who hid in the mountains and rivers, and the Taishan bandits who ran rampant in Taishan are all inferior to Lu Bu.

After listing the top four strongest lords in Guandong, Zhang Su stopped writing. He stroked his beard and thought about the candidate for the fifth strongest man.

However, just as Zhang Su was thinking about it, a call came from outside the door. It was Zhang San, his personal follower who had served him for many years, who informed him that the General's Mansion had sent a carriage to invite him to the mansion for a chat.

"Finally, I'm here." Zhang Su sighed, and then he gently blew on the silk cloth on the table. After the ink was dry, he carefully folded the silk cloth and put it away. Then he walked out of the room slowly and headed towards the carriage prepared for him by the General's Mansion.

Strangely enough, since Zhang Su arrived in Xudu, he had met everyone from the emperor to the ministers, but he had not met General Cao Cao for a long time, neither inviting him nor visiting him.

Zhang Su had some ideas in his mind about this strange incident. He guessed that General Cao Cao, who controlled the government, wanted to show off and temper Zhang Su's temper before inviting him to a banquet.

This is a situation that envoys often encounter. When envoys communicate with each other, it depends on who loses patience, who has a bad trump card, and who jumps up first. This can show which party is in a weaker position and will inevitably be at a disadvantage in the verbal confrontation.

However, Zhang Su was always calm and composed. He came to Xudu only to present the heads of Li Jue and Guo Si to the emperor to show Liu Zhang's merits. He did not necessarily have to meet Cao Cao, so he did not visit him and only came upon invitation.

Now, he has received an invitation from Cao Cao, and Cao Cao can no longer hold his temper.

Soon, Zhang Su entered the house and met Cao Cao and a group of civil and military officials who were serving under Cao Cao at the general's mansion.

'He is short and has a very heroic aura.' This was Zhang Su's first impression of Cao Cao. Although Cao Cao was not very tall, he was very agile and had a heroic aura in his every move.

"He has a very majestic appearance and a great look." This was Cao Cao's first impression of Zhang Su. Zhang Su's appearance and figure were very good, coupled with the majesty that Zhang Su had acquired from studying classics and being immersed in power, he could be described as a "great man."

"Gongcao, the court has just been established. There are many military and national affairs recently. We cannot invite Gongcao to a banquet for the time being. Please don't blame me." As soon as Cao Cao saw Zhang Su, he stepped forward and shook Zhang Su's hand, acting very familiarly, and at the same time found an excuse for not inviting Zhang Su to a banquet for a long time.

Zhang Su responded as usual: "I am only an envoy from a small country. I feel honored to be summoned by the general. How dare I blame him? I just hope I won't hinder the general from governing the country and caring for the people."

"No more delay, no more delay, please take a seat, Gongcao." Cao Cao stretched out his hand to make a gesture, and everyone sat down as host and guest.

According to the custom, after three rounds of drinking, everyone started talking. Zhang Su wanted to shock people with his words, so he bowed and spoke loudly, asking Cao Cao, "General, do you want to be like Dong Zhuo?"

As soon as Zhang Su finished speaking, the hall suddenly became silent. Even the sound of stringed instruments stopped, and no one dared to show their heads.

Cao Cao's advisers, such as Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Guo Jia and others, either half-squinted their eyes or stroked their beards, and their glances swept over Zhang Su from time to time. Cao Cao's generals, such as Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong and other generals, all looked unfriendly and stared at Zhang Su.

"Why do you say that?" Unlike the other civil and military officials in the hall, Cao Cao still looked happy, as if he was still enjoying the music. After a pause, he asked Zhang Su a question.

After asking Zhang Su a question, Cao Cao glanced at the band and ordered, "Continue playing the music, don't stop." Although it was a casual order, everyone in the band broke out in a cold sweat and immediately continued to prepare the sound of stringed instruments.

"Why do you say that?" Zhang Su sneered for no reason when he heard Cao Cao's question. Then, amid the sound of stringed instruments, he said clearly, "My lord sent me to Xudu this time to present the heads of Li Jue and Guo Si and to explain the situation in Guanzhong so that Your Majesty would not have to worry about Guanxi. Secondly, to present local products to the emperor. Since Li Jue and Guo Si rebelled, the roads have been cut off and Yitu has not been in court for a long time. Now I am presenting local products to show my sincerity to the emperor."

"But..." Zhang Su paused, and then continued, "I heard that the gifts my master presented to the emperor were taken away by the general's cousin Cao Zilian and never handed over to the emperor's inner treasury... Taking away the emperor's tribute, and bullying the emperor with the subordinates, what else can the general do except want to be the second Dong Zhuo?"

"This is something that Su does not understand. I hope the general can explain it to me."

Zhang Su was ready to snipe from the center gate. After learning that Fangwu was taken away by Cao Hong, he felt that this was a good handle that he could use to take the initiative and gain the upper hand in the verbal confrontation with Cao Cao, who controlled the government.

This is also what he should do as the envoy of Grand Marshal Liu Zhang - to safeguard the dignity of Emperor Liu Xie. After all, his father-in-law is a member of the royal family, and the dignity of Emperor Liu Xie is more or less related to his father-in-law's face.

After hearing what Zhang Su said, Cao Cao had a clue in his mind. He did not say anything, but waited for someone to excuse him. After all, he was in the middle of the situation, and his rebuttal was somewhat unreliable.

Xun Yu, the attendant, stepped forward and said to Zhang Su, "Gong Cao, there are a few misunderstandings here. General Cao Zilian did not rob the local products presented to the emperor, but the things sent to the inner storehouse. We must check them carefully before we can put them into the storehouse."

Zhang Su showed no mercy to the minister Xun Yu and the excuses he gave. He snorted coldly, "Minister Xun, do we need to take the items home for inventory?"

Xun Yu's face darkened. The excuse of 'taking it home and counting it carefully' was given by Cao Hong when he had previously gone to Cao Cao and Cao Cao had questioned him. Although it was not credible, he had to believe it because at least everyone could save face.

However, as the envoy of Grand Marshal Liu Zhang, whether Zhang Su believed this excuse or not was up to him. If Zhang Su was willing to believe it, then the matter would be over. But if Zhang Su bluntly said he did not believe it, then the matter would have to continue and he would have to give a reasonable explanation or a proper result.

"General Cao Zilian brought the local products home for inspection. Firstly, General Cao Zilian was a careful and cautious person. Secondly, the court was newly established and there were many inadvertences in the procedures. They needed to be improved." Cheng Yu spoke. He did not have any psychological burden and made excuses right away. He said that Cao Hong's robbing of Shu's local products to his home was a problem of irregularities in the system and procedures.

Zhang Su was surprised when he heard this and said, "Although I have only been in Xudu for a few days, I have also heard of General Cao Zilian's great name. Xudu has a rumor that although General Cao's name is 'Zilian', he is greedy for money and profit, which is contrary to his name. The army calls him 'General Want Money', but no one knows that General Cao Zilian has such a loyal and diligent temperament. It can be seen that most of the rumors are false." (End of this chapter)