It is March again, everything recovers, and the willows in the city of Luoyang, which have been reborn after disasters, are full of smoke, birds and flowers, and they are full of vitality.

There are brand-new academies outside the city, there are official buildings, private schools, and the sound of books is loud, and the clean streets are full of scholars and scholars, preparing for scientific examinations, adding a bit of atmosphere to this spring season.

In the Cao Mansion at the Upper East Gate, Cao Cao, who was over forty years old, sat on a brocade couch, holding a printed book and reading it with relish, accompanied by Cao Hong and others.

At this time, Cao Hong's expression was heavy, and after seeing Cao Cao who was concentrating on reading a few times, he wanted to speak again and again, and finally couldn't help but whisper: "Brother, Zixiao is very difficult in Yanzhou, please go back." ”

Cao Cao didn't seem to hear it, and was still reading intently.

As soon as Cao Hong opened his mouth, he no longer hesitated, and said his heart like pouring beans from a bamboo tube: "Brother, now the hearts of the people in Yanzhou are unstable, Zixiao can lead the troops, but he can't rule his subordinates on behalf of the lord, Yanzhou can't be without the lord, otherwise it will be annexed by Dian Wei and Lu Bu, and then we will have no place to stand." ”

"Yanzhou ......"

Cao Cao didn't look at Cao Hong, slowly put away the book, narrowed his eyes, and sighed silently for a long time: "I chose to enter Beijing at the beginning, because I was poor and had no way out in Yanzhou, and I wanted to enter Beijing to find another way......

"Zhang Wenyuan's methods are sophisticated?" Cao Hong's eyes widened, and his face was full of disbelief: "Brother, could it be that he said something wrong?" ”

Looking at Cao Cao but smiling silently, Cao Hong couldn't help but say loudly: "Brother thinks, although Zhang Wenyuan has benevolence and righteousness, but has no authority, seeing that since he welcomed the Son of Heaven, he has no previous prestige, and acts indecisively, although he is in charge of the government, his power is far less than that of Dong Zhuo and Li Dao in the past, and now there is Dong Chengwei in the court, and Liu Yu and Yang Biao are hindered by him, he can only benefit the people, and sooner or later he will lose power, how can he behave in an old-fashioned way?" ”

"Hehehehe......" Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, seeing that Cao Hong's face was full of dissatisfaction, he shook his head and said: "Zilian, this is bad, bad, if Zhang Liao follows Dong Zhuo and Li Dao, blindly arrogant and domineering, and acts arbitrarily in the court, it is not a good thing, I can do it, but he is in power, Taoguang and obscure, but it makes me jealous." ”

Cao Hong looked dazed: "My brother doesn't understand my brother's words." ”

Cao Cao said angrily: "Those who are peaceful in the world are also soldiers and horses!" Those who settle the world will also have the hearts of the people! Those who rule the world are also officials! Zhang Wenyuan is strong in his army and has won the hearts of the people, which can be described as strong, but he still has shortcomings. The predecessors can learn that those who sweep the world with soldiers and horses may not be able to stabilize the world, such as the defeat of the overlord Xiang Yu to Gaozu and the defeat of Dong Zhuo to Wang Yun. ”

Cao Cao paused, and said: "Let's talk about the people's hearts again, although the people's hearts are good, there are masters and slaves, and today, the heart of the family is the main, the heart of Li Shu is the subordinate, and Zhang Wenyuan's income is also the heart of Li Shu." Fu Li Shu, not much to see, lack of courage, Li Kui Pavilion can be long, often with the encounter and peace, and with the flow, rarely repeated, just like the water of the river, do not meet the wind and do not waves, so the people's will can not be violated, but also can not be trusted. ”

Cao Hong heard his brother's remarks, nodded again and again, and his eyes showed respect.

Cao Cao said: "It is to rule the world, in addition to the soldiers and horses and the hearts of the people, but also need officials, today's officials are mostly from the family, although less than Li Shu but as the center, in charge of the general trend of the world, governing the counties, counties and townships, the world can not be without a center." And Zhang Liao was born in the end of the world, how can the officials of the world's families easily surrender to him, if he really does Dong Zhuo's domineering actions, it will not last long, and now he is obscure, rigid and soft, serving the Son of Heaven, doing literary affairs, and rejecting the hearts of scholars, although there are Dong Cheng and others in the court, Liu Yu and Yang Biao are the constraints, but there are not a few people who are attached to them, such as Xun Yu, Zhong Xuan, and the talents of frustration, which are also used for it, and it is a pity to be honest...... It's my way and it's invulnerable. ”

When Cao Cao said this, his eyes flashed with unwillingness, but Cao Hong got up silently, thinking about Cao Cao's words, and suddenly found that he never seemed to see Zhang Liao who often came to Cao's mansion to eat, drink, laugh and scold.

If Zhang Liao listened to Cao Cao's words here, he would definitely praise Cao Cao, the officials Cao Cao said actually meant the bureaucracy, more broadly it was an interest group, Zhang Liao wanted to maintain his status to push the executive order, he alone is not enough, he must rely on or build a new interest group that supports himself, become the representative or leader of this interest group, this is the foundation, this is the long-term, otherwise there are powerful soldiers and horses like Dong Zhuo, and there is no interest group that has been cultivated to belong to itself, Wooing some courtiers but they did not conspire with each other, and eventually perished.

Zhang Liao wants to establish his own foundation, and the strategists and ministers who are trained in the early stage will be the core, and the talents trained in the imperial examination will be the backup, in addition to this, he also needs to win over like-minded people in the family to quickly expand the foundation.

Cao Hong thought for a moment, knowing that Cao Cao could not leave Luoyang to go to Yanzhou under the current situation, and saw that he was about to pick up the book again, so he said: "Brother, brother still has something unclear, Zhang Wenyuan played the Son of Heaven to crusade against Yuan Shu in the first month, and now it is March, why is he still standing still, but following the words of Liu Yu and Yang Biao, and sending people to appease him with the imperial court, Zhang Wenyuan has always used fierce soldiers, but this time my brother can't see through." ”

After Yuan Shu was proclaimed emperor in the first month, Zhang Liao was the first to ask for troops, and Liu Xie, the son of heaven, had also approved, but then Liu Yu and Yang Biao came back to their senses, and made a statement under the pretext that the soldiers were not bloody, and asked to send envoys to appease Yuan Shu first, so that he could cut the emperor's name and return to the imperial court.

At this time, hearing Cao Hong's inquiry, Cao Cao muttered: "Zhang Liao's crusade against Yuan Shu in the first month of the month is to cut Liu Yu and Yang Biao's upward trend, and as for March, it is a plan to not send troops, or to mess with the enemy." ”

"What is the plan to disrupt the enemy?" Cao Hong was puzzled.

Cao Cao said: "Now Zhang Liao's soldiers and horses are strong, although Yuan Shu is called the emperor, it is not enough to threaten the imperial court, but after he is called the emperor, Sun Ce and Lu Bu are not attached, and the power will only weaken day by day. ”

Cao Hong couldn't help nodding again and again, but he didn't notice the different color in Cao Cao's eyes, in fact, Cao Cao had a guess in his heart, after Yuan Shu became emperor, all the princes in the world were watching, Zhang Liao was the first to write a crusade, which has shown his loyalty and position, and then Liu Xie listened to Liu Yu and Yang Biao's words, and was not in a hurry to crusade, and dragged on for three months, which was actually weakening the prestige of the imperial court.

The longer Yuan Shu is called the emperor, the lower the prestige of the imperial court, if Zhang Liao really has different intentions, it is advantageous for the prestige of the imperial court to be reduced to him, as for Yuan Shu, the clown who jumps off the beam, Cao Cao himself does not take him seriously, not to mention that Zhang Liao's soldiers are strong and strong.

Liu Yu and Yang Biao were loyal to the imperial court, unwilling to raise troops, and bent on winning over Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, and balancing Zhang Liao, who was growing in power and prestige, but they didn't know that this move was weakening the prestige of the imperial court, but Cao Cao, a cold-eyed bystander, saw it clearly.