Sima Yi's Three Kingdoms Collection Collection

Chapter 138 Sima Hui tricks the sailors (1)
Cao Cao suppressed Jingzhou local snakes

In Jiangling City, Cao Cao finally issued an order, ordering a group of tiger and leopard cavalry warriors to "escort" Liu Cong, the former Jingmu, to Qingzhou as his "empty title" governor.

On the second night after this warrant was issued, an inexplicable fire broke out in the Zhangliao military camp guarding Xiangyang.Zhang Liao urgently said to the left and right generals: "Don't move around, there must be people in the camp secretly making trouble, and they want to fish in troubled waters." So Fang stabilized the situation with the method of "keeping calm and ordering well", and put out the sudden attack in one fell swoop. Chaos.However, he later wrote in his report to Cao Cao fearfully: traitor soldiers lurk and wait for opportunities to cause chaos, people's hearts are scattered and they think of their own way, it is really hard to guard against, and it is a problem that the general has never encountered since he used his troops.

It seems that Liu Cong's pawns in the Jingxiang area can't rely on them for their own use.Cao Cao sighed, it's fine if he can't rely on it for his own use, anyway, he hasn't placed any hope on what these Jingzhou soldiers can do for him.Of course, it is even more impossible for me to "kill everything to eliminate future troubles" like when I was in Xuzhou.What made him hesitate the most was that in the face of such a situation, he had to allocate a part of the reserve force to guard against and monitor them, which would make him stumbling in the final confrontation with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

In theory, this is the first time Cao Cao has encountered this situation in his decades of military career.When the 30 army marched south from Yecheng, I was defeated by only [-] people, but the rear environment has always been stable and stable. It has never been as complicated and dangerous as it is today. At that time, Liu Biao in Jingzhou and Sun in Jiangdong It was because they were afraid of owning the status of "the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty and the imperial command of the king" and did not dare to harass them easily.Of course, this is also inseparable from Xun Lingjun's active communication and consolation in Xudu with many famous scholars and officials in the Liu family in Jingzhou and the Sun family in Jiangdong.However, now that he was in Jingzhou, his two advantages were suddenly broken as if his two wings were snapped off.No matter what he does, he feels as if he is fighting alone, and he no longer has the ease of "like a fish in water" when Xun Yu was behind him as prime minister...

But it's not without good news.In early October, Han Xuan finally succeeded in assassinating Liu Pan, and deprived Changsha County Lieutenant Huang Zhong of his military power in one fell swoop, and brought the entire Changsha County to Cao Cao with a letter of surrender.At this point, the "hard bone" of "Jing" in the Jiangnan area of ​​Jingzhou has finally been removed.Cao Cao was overjoyed, and immediately dispatched Han Song and Xia Houyuan to Changsha County with their own warrants to accept the surrender.

Originally, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, etc. had made great contributions to instigating Han Xuan's rebellion and outwitting Changsha.But Mao Jie and Xun You brought some letters of accusation to Cao Cao, saying that the two families of Jingzhou, the Kuai family and the Cai family, are really too powerful in the local area. Even Zhuge Liang has a very close relationship with the two families. If the two families continue to "merge", the consequences will be disastrous.The final suggestion of Xun and Mao is to clean up the official system in Jingzhou. It is best to dismantle the alliance between the two "local snakes" of the Kuai family and the Cai family, and divide and rule.

Cao Cao didn't think these words of Xun and Mao were alarmist, and he himself was aware of this problem.The Kuai family and the Cai family had been able to "turn their hands into clouds and turn their hands into rain" in Jingzhou before Liu Biao was alive. Now they have shown their great potential in the matter of rebelling against Han Xuan and outsmarting Changsha.What if they "replay the old trick" and use the same trick they used against Liu Biao's family not long ago on themselves?As a peerless hero, Cao Cao has long since ceased to believe in any moral bond to maintain the loyalty and dedication of these two "land snakes" like ordinary mediocre people, but only believes in maintaining the mutual relationship in the current Jingzhou power structure. Restriction and dynamic balance are the most important.Therefore, he made an astonishing decision on the third day after the surrender of Changsha County: he conscripted Kuai Yue to go to Xudu in the form of an edict from the emperor to serve as the regular servant on horseback vacated by Jia Xu, and granted him the title of He has the title of Marquis of Bailiting.Obviously, for Kuai Yue, this is a typical method of "brightness rising and dark tone".But Kuai Yue also has nothing to say - he has entered Beijing to hold an important position in the inner court, and as the Marquis of Jinting, what is he not satisfied with?What's more, if you go to Xudu to "mix", maybe you will gain more benefits for your Kuai family!So, on the second day after receiving the edict, he happily packed his bags and went straight to Xudu to take up his post.

After the leader of the Kuai Clan, Kuai Yue, was transferred, the Cai Clan could not stand alone in Jingzhou, and it was easier for him to control himself.At this time, Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief.

When deciding to divide and disintegrate the power of the local aristocratic clans in Jingzhou, Cao Cao also consulted Jia Xu for advice.Jia Xu's suggestion is also somewhat in line with Xun You, Mao Jie and the others: "These local famous families in Jingzhou have always been closely related to Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, etc., so we must be on guard! If you are not inferior, if you are far away, you will generate resentment; if you are close, you will not know etiquette, and if you are restrained, you will not know self-examination'.

Sima Yi has been watching with cold eyes, seeing all these things in his eyes.In the final analysis, when Xun You and Mao Jie suggested that Cao Cao divide and weaken the power of the local aristocratic clans in Jingzhou, they were actually undermining Cao Cao's strategy of "using Chu to rule Chu and Chu people to control Chu" in disguise, and to restrain Cao Cao's further annexation and expansion of Jingzhou's power; while Jia Xu Suggesting that Cao Cao be "controllable but not close" to the local clan forces in Jingzhou, he was worried that Kuaiyue and Cai Mao would fight against Han Xuan and outsmart Changsha to compete for favor with him, the left army division of the prime minister's mansion, so he also advocated treating them Suppress and suppress, so as to achieve his intention of "monopolizing his favor and taking credit alone" in Cao Cao's mind.Although the subjective motives of the two factions are different, in fact, both of them played a role in weakening Cao Cao's wings in terms of objective effects.

It seems that it is really difficult to be the overlord of the Central Plains who is "above ten thousand people and covers the sky with one hand"!With Cao Cao's great talent and strategy, he is resourceful and decisive, but he will inevitably be deceived and interfered by his counselors and staff with their suggestions and strategies of "mixing them for profit and selfishness".Only a generation of perfect people like Xun Lingjun who "worry about public affairs and forget personal interests, have no distracting thoughts, and make no mistakes" is the most worthy of the Lord's advice and goodness.It's a pity that Xun Lingjun has now given up his loyalty to Cao Cao.well!Cao Cao's "faint tricks" and "wrong tricks" in the future will inevitably happen from time to time, and it will be difficult to realize it...

The situation is pressing, Cao Cao has to make a quick decision
The gentle evening wind blows sparkling ripples, and the afterglow floats on the surface of Yunmengze Lake. The golden glow seems to meander to the end of the water and sky.

On the surface of the water in the distance, there are some small islands that are looming, like some decorations between the sky and the earth, so that the clear water and blue sky are separated here.Rows of tall warships of Jingzhou were covered with brilliant sunset glow, quietly moored in the harbor of Yunmengze like golden toads.

Jia Xu stepped onto the command platform of the Jingzhou flagship, and saw Cao Cao was holding a book slip in one hand, and writing and drawing on it with a brush in the other.

Cao Cao loves books and loves to learn, which is well known in Cao Ying.He often claims to be "never put the scroll in his hand, never leave the way in his thinking, he talks about martial arts during the day, and studies the scriptures at night".Although Jia Xu doesn't like to study classics and talk, he also admires his diligent style of "studying tirelessly, and going out at night with candles".

"Wenhe, come and take a look." Catching a glimpse of Jia Xu coming up to the stage, Cao Cao hurriedly turned to look at him, and waved at him with his right hand holding the brush, splashing a few drops of ink onto the stage. A few "ink flowers" were stained on the armor he was wearing, but he didn't seem to notice, "This is a commentary on "Sun Tzu's Art of War". Please also ask Wen He to pick out any wording in this book Improper."

"Hehehe... I can enjoy the wonderful brushwork of the prime minister again. I must feast my eyes today." Jia Xu nodded and smiled, and took a look at the scroll of bamboo slips he handed over. There is such a passage in the original works of "Fictity and Reality" and "Profit and Loss": "A soldier has no momentum, no constant shape, and he who can transform the enemy is called a god." Cao Cao commented on the left side of it and explained: "Possession is strong. It must decline, and its appearance must be defeated, so it can change with the enemy and win like a god." There is a passage at the end of the original work: "The worries of a wise man must be mixed with interests." Cao Cao commented on the left side: "Think of harm when benefiting Think of benefit when it is harmful, and exercise power when it is difficult." Jia Xu read it paragraph by paragraph, nodding his head in praise.

"Wenhe, don't just say 'hmmm', you need to give more opinions, some words and sentences can't be modified." Cao Cao stretched his head over to Jia Xu's shoulder blades, and followed his scroll I read it all the time, and suddenly saw something inappropriate, so I took up the pen again and scribbled and corrected the letter Jia Xu was holding, "Look, this' thinks about harm when it is beneficial, and thinks about harm when it is harmful." Li, when it is difficult to exercise power, is the word "and" used too much? These are dispensable and useless characters. It is better to delete them, and you can save more paper and bamboo slips—— If you look at it now, 'When Li Si is harmed, it is difficult to exercise power', isn't it much more condensed than before?"

"Your Prime Minister is meticulous in writing, meticulous in every word, and strives for perfection. Xu is really admirable." Seeing this, Jia Xu couldn't help but praise deeply.

Cao Cao just laughed, and reviewed it several times. After he felt that there were no mistakes to correct, he just put down his pen and put the manuscript that he had commented on "The Art of War" on several tables.Then, he stroked the beard under his chin slowly, looked straight into the distance, and said leisurely: "Everyone says that the martial arts strategy of the truth is rare in the world, but in fact, according to the truth, the writing style of the truth It will not be inferior to any high-ranking scholars and scholars in the world today! Even the articles of Cai Yong and Kong Rong seem to be very common in the truth!"

"Prime Minister, your literary talent is not only "not inferior to any high-ranking scholars and scholars in the world today"-who can surpass you with your simplicity, toughness, quaintness and vigor in your writing? Cai Yong, Kong Rong I can't do it myself." Jia Xu nodded in admiration again and again.

(End of this chapter)