The most poisonous person in the Three Kingdoms, Boss Cao advised me to calm down!

Chapter 438: Natural and man-made disasters, great scholars debate

Although Cao Cao did not claim to be the emperor, he actually held power over the world.

Now that the throne has been obtained, the position of Emperor is vacant.

Some staunch supporters of Cao were unwilling to accept this.

He thought that since he had already taken half a step, why not just go all the way and replace Liu Xie?
However, Cao Cao had his own plans.

His repeated concessions are a display of humility.

It is also a declaration of loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

The previous statements are still ringing in everyone’s ears.

If you break your promise and gain wealth, how can you save your face?
What's worse, if he proclaimed himself emperor at this time, it would be announcing the end of the Han Dynasty.

This way, others can follow suit.

Now Sun Quan has established his own kingdom in Jiangdong.

And Liu Bei regarded himself as a descendant of the Han Dynasty and had his eyes on the Central Plains.

Rather than let these ambitious people overstep their authority, Cao Cao should settle for the next best thing.

Ironically, those who shouted about respecting Zhou rituals ended up being "retro".

However, it was not the prosperous scene of Emperor Wu of Zhou, but a reappearance of the Eastern Zhou pattern with feudal lords dividing the country and the emperor in decline.

With Cao Cao's ascension to the throne, the small court was promoted from a "country within a country" to a "country above a country."

No need to look at Xu Du's face anymore, even Feng Changzong Zheng.

These positions, which symbolized the fundamental authority of the Han Dynasty, also fell into the hands of the Cao family.

Cao Cao's sons were also promoted, but Cao Zhang was always neglected in the eyes of everyone.

This time he was also named Marquis of Yanling.

The other sons of Cao include Cao Chong, Cao Biao, Cao Gun, Cao Jun, etc.

They also received prestigious titles.

Cao Cao consolidated the clan foundation of Cao Wei through a series of rewards.

However, there is a fly in the ointment.

The Wei Kingdom had not yet established a crown prince, and Cao Cao's choice of successor remained a mystery.

Since ancient times, the crown prince has been referred to as the "foundation of the country."

It not only concerns the rise and fall of the country, but also affects the career destiny of many officials.

Everyone could see that Cao Cao was still hesitating about this important matter.

Therefore, the road to usurpation must be carried out step by step, in parallel with military conquest.

Cao Cao dreamed of realizing his final plan during his lifetime.

However, as fate would have it, he hadn't even been king for a full month.

The Grand Historian immediately reported the solar eclipse.

The abnormal celestial phenomena seem to foreshadow future turmoil.

Since Emperor Wu of Han abolished all schools of thought, he promoted the Confucian theory of the unity of man and nature.

After that, even Wang Mang and Emperor Guangwu firmly believed it.

When disasters occur on earth, there will be signs in the sky.

A solar eclipse is considered a sin from God.

There were records of solar eclipses throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty.

In the third year of Jianwu, there was a sudden solar eclipse, and Fan Chong of the Red Eyebrow Army took advantage of the situation to cause chaos.

In the seventh year of Jianwu, a solar eclipse occurred again, and Wei Xiao was ready to take action.

In the eighth year of the Yongping reign, Liu Jing, the Prince of Guangling, plotted a rebellion during a solar eclipse.

In the first year of Yongping, there was another solar eclipse and heavy rains caused disasters all over the world.

In the fifth year of Yonghe, there was a solar eclipse and the Qiang people in Liangzhou began to rebel.

In the second year of Xiping, the sun covered the sky with blackness, and the Ten Eunuchs wielded power in the court.

In the fourth year of Chuping, the sun faded, and Li Jue and Guo Si plunged Chang'an into turmoil.

Although Cao Cao did not believe that disasters were directly related to God's will.

However, there was a flood of public opinion from both the government and the public, and doubts arose everywhere, causing him great distress.

Does this solar eclipse foreshadow that his reign as king will bring disaster?
Looking back at the old precedents of previous dynasties, warnings were always given when astronomical phenomena occurred.

The three ministers must take the blame on behalf of the emperor and resign.

However, today, the positions of the Three Dukes have long become empty shells, all in the hands of Cao Cao.

Does this really mean that he should resign from the position of Prime Minister to appease God?
Fortunately, the court still had Xi Lu, the Right Censor.

This old minister of the Han Dynasty, although in name only, is already very old.

But he was still pulled out by Cao Cao as a target.

The unfortunate old doctor was hurried out to talk back.

In order to silence the gossips of people in the government and the country.

However, the foreshadowing of the solar eclipse seemed to be just the beginning.

From spring to summer, not a drop of rain fell in Hebei.

The drought is raging, which is undoubtedly another natural disaster.

For Cao Cao, if there was an invasion from the enemy country, he could still use weapons to resist, and if the court officials planned to rebel, they could also be severely punished by law.

But if a disaster strikes, what should we do?
For a time, rumors spread everywhere.

Relying solely on suppression and killing will not only be difficult to eradicate, but will also cause panic among the people.

And Cao Cao knew very well that this was just a person with ulterior motives.

They just want to take advantage of natural disasters to cause trouble.

After all, there are still many people in the world who are loyal to the Han Dynasty.

I can't stand the fact that Cao is acting so recklessly.

For this purpose, Cao Cao used the name of a banquet at the Bronze Sparrow Tower.

Gather knowledgeable people and trusted advisers in the hope of discussing countermeasures together.

Song Zhong, Bing Yuan, Dong Yu and other well-educated Confucian scholars.

Before this, it was just idle talk in the opposition.

Now that I have been hired as a Bachelor of Chinese Studies and have received an invitation from the King of Wei, I feel very honored.

And Zhang Lu who was originally moved to the Central Plains.

As the leader of the Tianshi Dao who can communicate between heaven and earth, he is naturally indispensable.

Even Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, and Lou Gui, the staff and advisers who have retired behind the scenes.

He was also invited to Tongque.

As Zhong Yao, the Doctor of Chinese Studies who is now in charge of education, naturally has to be present.

For a time, several great scholars and famous people in the world gathered together.

It was so lively as they chatted and laughed to show off their elegance.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of dishes.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Cao Cao brought up the unusual celestial phenomena and public opinion, and pleaded with the wise men to offer suggestions for a solution.

However, most of the people here originally considered themselves to be celebrities and did not easily get involved in state affairs.

But at this time, everyone was in high spirits and the response from the crowd was also extremely enthusiastic.

Bing Yuan, a scholar of Chinese studies, was the first to speak:

“When a country is about to fall, Heaven will first warn it with disasters.”

“If you still don’t reflect on yourself, then use strange signs as a warning.”

"This is the principle of the interaction between heaven and man, which is consistent with the meaning of the Book of Shang."

"In my opinion, Your Majesty should reflect deeply on yourself."

If it were someone else, Cao Cao would have changed color long ago.

However, considering Bing Yuan's advanced age and great virtue, it was not convenient to refute him on the spot.

Actually, it was a man named Cao who invited these people over.

But I don't want them to advise me.

However, he urgently needs a feasible plan.

Speaking of the rituals and ceremonies for quelling natural disasters.

These are highly respected scholars and celebrities.

You should know more than those young people, right?

Cao Cao was thinking secretly at this time.

They might offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for rain, reduce taxes and levies, or grant amnesty to the entire nation.

No matter who it is, any idea will do.

Even if they are willing to paint.

He picked up his pen and wrote articles to praise his virtues and whitewash the peace and prosperity.

That couldn’t be better!
Unfortunately, these great scholars and celebrities don’t seem to be very sensible!
Cao Cao didn't have time to answer.

Then, an old scholar with white hair and beard stood up on the other side.

"Mr. Bing is absolutely right."

This person is Song Zhong, a great scholar from Jingzhou and a native of Zhangling.

He was once a guest of honor of Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou.

He founded an official school in Xiangyang, revised the Five Classics, and became famous.

When everyone heard his words, they all listened attentively.

He pointed to the sky and the ground, and said in an extraordinary manner:
"It is recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals that in the time of Duke Jing of Song, Mars was in the heart."

"King Jing urgently summoned his minister Zi Wei to ask for countermeasures."

"Zi Wei said, 'Mars is a punishment from heaven.'"

"The Song Kingdom is divided. This disaster will affect the king, so we can transfer it to the prime minister."

"The Duke of Jing retorted, 'The prime minister is the one who governs the country. It would be unlucky to transfer the disaster to him.'"

"Zi Wei also suggested, 'It can be passed on to the people.'"

"King Jing couldn't bear it, and said, 'If the people die, how can I bear to live alone?'"

(End of this chapter)