Ji Han Liu Zhang

In Xudu, Sikong Mansion, a small confidential meeting is underway. All the participants are Cao Cao's confidants or important officials in the court who have a close relationship with Cao Cao, otherwise they are not allowed to attend such a confidential meeting.

"Duke Wei!"

When Cao Cao followed Xun Yu's advice and conveyed the news that Yuan Shao was made Duke of Wei on behalf of the emperor to all the civil and military officials in the Sikong Mansion, among the people present in the conference hall, the military advisor Guo Jia half-closed his eyes and smiled.

"The people who served the Duke in the past included Wang Mang, the Duke of Anhan... I think others may have some concerns and refuse the Duke of Wei's reward, but Yuan Benchu ​​is a person who is greedy for fame and wealth and has little respect for morality, so he will accept the Duke of Wei's reward."

Dong Zhao, who once served under Yuan Shao but later left Yuan Shao due to a rift, nodded and said, "What Guo Jijiu said is true. Yuan Benchu's desire for fame and fortune is not as great as that of a duke. I'm afraid that even a royal title is not enough to satisfy his appetite. Now that you have used the emperor's name to make him Duke of Wei, Yuan Benchu ​​should be happy to accept it and submit a letter of thanks."

"It's just..." Dong Zhao glanced at the Shangshu Ling Xun Yu who was at the front of the group and said, "Yuan Shao's achievements were only to eliminate Gongsun and pacify Heishan. He really didn't deserve the title of Duke of Wei... Now, to make Yuan Benchu ​​Duke of Wei is a loss of face for the court, and shows that rewards and punishments are unclear."

"It's just a temporary measure." Xun Yu responded, "As Mr. Dong said, Yuan Benchu's achievements are not worthy of the Duke of Wei's reward. However, the reward is the second-rate reward of the Duke. Yuan Benchu ​​must still be dissatisfied. His appetite is not satisfied. He complains and looks south every day. He is thinking of launching a southern expedition, which is not good for your great cause."

"In addition, the book says that if you want to take something, you must first give it. Now I gave Liu Jiyu the title of King of Qin, and I also gave Yuan Benchu ​​the reward of Duke of Wei. Both of them are to give him small benefits first in order to seek greater benefits for me."

In response to Dong Zhao's questioning, Xun Yu gave his opinion. He believed that conferring the title of Duke of Wei on Yuan Shao was just a stopgap measure and had no practical significance.

After hearing Xun Yu's explanation, Dong Zhao had no words to refute. He just changed the subject and said loudly: "In terms of merit, no one can compare to you, my Lord."

But Dong Zhao bowed to Cao Cao, who was at the head of the group, and said, "We have welcomed the emperor and built Xudu. The ancestral temple has finally been stabilized and the Han Dynasty has regained its vitality. If there is anyone who deserves to be granted the title of Duke, it must be you. Even if Yuan Benchu ​​is the leader of the alliance, he cannot compare to you."

"Mr. Dong's words really hit the nail on the head." Upon hearing this, Cao Hong, who was born in the Cao clan, felt as if he had seen an oasis after walking in the desert for several days. His eyes suddenly brightened up.

"Although Yuan Benchu ​​is known as the leader of the alliance and respected by the world, he likes to fight for power and does not care about the Han Dynasty. How can he compare to my brother, who is dedicated to assisting the Han Dynasty and respecting the emperor... The one who is promoted to the title of Duke should be my brother."

Led by Dong Zhao and Cao Hong, many civil and military officials present at the meeting spoke up, praising Cao Cao's achievements and great deeds, while secretly belittling Yuan Shao.

Amid the praises, Xun Yu frowned slightly. He glanced at Cao Cao's expression, but saw that Cao Cao had a smile between his brows and seemed to be moved by the discussions of the crowd.

"What you say is wrong." When the atmosphere was heated and everyone was discussing, Xun Yu stopped everyone's discussion with a word, and the originally slightly noisy conference room suddenly became silent.

"Duke Cao was the first to initiate the righteous army, hoping to help the court and stabilize the country. He should be loyal and sincere, and keep the truth of concession. Moreover, the position of Duke was usurped by the villain Wang Mang. A gentleman loves others with virtue, and it is not appropriate for him to steal the position of Duke."

After he finished speaking, Xun Yu sat at the table with a calm expression, while the people present had different expressions when they heard his words. Some people did not like Xun Yu's words, such as Cao Hong and other members of the Cao clan, but due to Xun Yu's status, these people did not dare to refute him, and only kept silent, glancing at Xun Yu's face from the corner of their eyes.

There were those who agreed with what Xun Yu said, such as Chen Qun, a military officer in the Sikong Palace. Chen Qun believed that Wang Mang was granted the title of Duke, which meant that the person who held the title of Duke was a usurper, so he thought that Cao Cao should not accept the title of Duke.

But no matter whether they agreed or disagreed with Xun Yu's remarks, no one was present to refute or echo his words. All the civil and military officials remained silent, waiting for Cao Cao, who was at the top, to respond. After all, as Xun Yu was the number one civil official, only Cao Cao could express his attitude and preference, but the civil and military officials present at the meeting were not qualified to do so.

Xun Yu's words were like a bucket of cold water poured into Cao Cao's chest, which was already burning with praise from everyone. His slightly smiling face gradually became indifferent and even cold.

But after a moment, in the strange silence caused by Xun Yu's words, Cao Cao laughed and said, "No one knows me better than Wen Ruo... Since I was selected as a filial and honest official, I have been seeking peace and prosperity in the country. As for fame, wealth and honor, I do not want them. Even if the emperor grants you the title of Duke, I will not accept it."

"I admire your Excellency's dedication to justice." Dong Zhao came forward and bowed, praising Cao Cao for what he had just said.

Led by Dong Zhao, many civil and military officials attended the meeting to praise Cao Cao's great benevolence and righteousness, and highly evaluated his noble demeanor of devoting himself to the king's affairs and not seeking anything for himself.

Although the atmosphere of the meeting was relatively harmonious, Dong Zhao felt that there was still a strange atmosphere, so he made up his mind and planned to change the current topic.

Dong Zhao showed up and said to Cao Cao, "Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian, has just taken over Jiangdong and is now occupying Yangzhou. He is also eyeing Jingchu. However, Huang Zu, a general under Liu Biao, was not successful in his battle with Sun Ce and was badly defeated. If Sun Ce joins forces with Jingyang, it will be a disaster."

Military officer Chen Qun responded, "Although Liu Biao is old, he is also a hero. Sun Ce cannot easily destroy him. Besides, Jingchu has more people and more land than Jiangdong. Moreover, to attack Jingchu from Jiangdong, we need to go upstream, and the troops will have to move quickly. It is better to go downstream from Jingchu."

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"Furthermore, Sun Ce has just conquered Jiangdong, and his foundation is not stable. Although he has won the battle against Huang Zu, it will be difficult for him to annex Jingchu. In my humble opinion, the two sides should fight each other."

"What the military officer said is true." Guo Jia echoed, "When Sun Ce conquered Jiangdong, he killed many heroes and nobles in Jiangdong, and they were all worthy of being sacrificed."

"I also heard that Sun Ce is reckless and unprepared, and he often likes to travel alone. It is the same as traveling alone in the Central Plains with a million soldiers. If there are one or two assassins who are waiting for him, one person can kill them."

"But we can't rely entirely on assassins. We still need to be on guard. For example, in places like Shouchun and Guangling, we need to build fortifications and reorganize military equipment to prevent Sun Ce from making any changes."

Cao Cao smiled when he heard this and said, "If you follow my advice, I have already prepared for Shouchun, Guangling and other places... Shouchun has Yan Xiang, who was recommended by Wen Ruo. He is a man of both civil and military talents. Guangling has Chen Deng, who is very popular among the people of Jianghuai. With these two people, we don't have to worry about Jianghuai for the time being." (End of this chapter)