Chapter 4 Section 53 Lobbying

Xi Zhicai eagerly recommended: "What does the lord think of the middle strategy? ”

Cao Cao frowned and said: "Brother Zhicai, you just said that you want to take advantage of the weakness in Liu Bei's character, why do you want to take advantage of Liu Bei's character, I can't see the use of his character, Liu Bei's army is pressing, the intention is for me and Benchu (Yuan Shao), if I abandon the three counties and cross the river to make peace with Benchu, wouldn't it be for Liu Bei to take advantage of the situation and go down to the three counties?" If our army can't gain a foothold in Jizhou, where will it develop? This plan is even worse than the next one. ”

Xi Zhicai replied proudly: "Liu Bei beat the forbidden army, abolished the Han legislation, controlled Qingzhou with military law, crossed the border to attack Yuan Yi and Yuan Shu, used the Han calendar, and abandoned the five baht coins and Dong Zhuo's small coins.

I have carefully studied Liu Bei and his person, and I have heard that when Liu Bei was studying abroad, in Izumo City, the first thing he established was weights and measures, then the Izumo legislation, and later, what was determined was the law of privileges and the law of rewards and punishments for military merits in hierarchical management among the people.

What are weights and measures? It is a rule, and all the laws that follow are also rules. Liu Bei wanted to establish a complete set of rules and order in western Liaoning. Therefore, in essence, Liu Bei is a person who pays attention to rules, as long as he conforms to his rules and does not violate his interests, Liu Bei is tolerant. This is also the reason why Qingzhou officials have repeatedly refuted Liu Bei, but Liu Bei doesn't mind.

However, once he jumped out of the rules he approved and violated Liu Bei's interests, Liu Bei's counterattack did not care about the relationship between the superior and the inferior, the strong and the weak, and the obedient and disobedient. Previously, Liu Bei Baiqi challenged the Xianbei tribe; beat the forbidden army as a Qingzhou officer, and defied Xiangguo (Dong Zhuo) as a state pastor to abandon the new money; As the general of Yangwu (Wupin), he crossed the border to meet the general (Sanpin) Yuan Shu, who wanted to invade; and so on, which seem crazy, but they are all because these people or things violate his rules - infringing on his property, seeking to occupy his home, and endangering his interests.

Why did Liu Bei dare to cross the border to repel Yuan Shu and kill Yuan Yu, but he tolerated Yuan Shao, who ordered 'the princes to enter Qingzhou to eat' and appoint his son Yuan Tan as the pastor of Qingzhou? After careful analysis, I found out the mystery. That is: Liu Bei is a person who is consistent with his words and deeds, in Qingzhou's words, he is a person who should be the unity of natural morality and actual morality - the law he established, he himself first accepts constraints, and the morality he advocates, he first pursues correctly.

Although Liu Bei did not participate in the Sour Jujube Alliance, his boss Jiao He participated in the alliance and elected Yuan Shao. Therefore, Liu Bei acquiesced to the fact that he needed to accept the leadership of Ben Chu Gong. Ben Chugong was embarrassed many times, and Liu Bei only led the army to avoid it, and did not clash head-on. And in the end, Ben Chugong inadvertently stopped in front of the bottom line that Liu Bei endured. At the beginning, when Ben Chu Gong retired from the army, he happened to stop at Qinghe and did not enter Pingyuan County, so although Yuan Tan was still in the plain, Liu Bei did not want to bear the reputation of the following grams, so he had to recall Lei Cai.

Liu Bei strictly abides by the rules and order, and at present, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages for him, which is why Tao Qian agreed to manage Lianyungang with him, and Sun Jian was willing to sign an agreement with him. And Liu Bei led by example, governed Qingzhou with the law, and determined the order and moral standards of respect and inferiority that the common people and officials should follow. The existence of this regular order is the foundation of Qingzhou Dazhi. Therefore, I judge that Liu Bei will not easily deviate from this principle.

In this troubled world, Liu Bei's attention to rules and order is almost paranoid, as long as our army grasps Liu Bei's weakness and makes a big fuss, or we can force Liu Bei to act according to our plan.

Ming Gong and Liu Bei have no grievances, and even have the friendship of fighting side by side, Liu Bei's soldiers suppressed Pingyin, once they crossed Pingyin to attack Yuan Shao and our army, Liu Bei crossed his moral bottom line, and our army and Yuan Shao joined forces together, just borrowing Yuan Shao's banner to resist Liu Bei's edge. Jin: Our army is stronger than Yuan Shao, and we can annex Yuan Shao, and then annex Jizhou. Retreat: Our two armies are one, in case of change, the military strength is enough to hold Liu Bei. Jizhou is abundant, as long as we get a respite, train our soldiers, the world can be dominant. ”

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and asked, "Compared with the upper strategy and the middle policy, which is more feasible?" ”

Xun You interjected: "Since we have judged Liu Bei's character correctly, then, if we want to do it, we will make it bigger." The Han family was in danger, Liu Bei never forgot the Western Expedition, and he also remembered to find Miss Yan'er, the daughter of the late Zhang Situ (Zhang Wen). In the past, Sun Jian was willing to go west, and Liu Bei was willing to agree to anything, asking people to give people and money to money. The Central Plains was in turmoil, the princes were attacking each other, and at this moment, no one cared about the westward expedition. And Liu Bei and Luoyang Chang'an are exactly separated from the three counties under our rule. As long as we take care of the king's affairs, how can Liu Bei, who has always prided himself on his loyalty, dare to enter our territory privately?

In my opinion, as long as we strictly control Dongjun and block all news from the west, how can Liu Bei know the specific actions of the lone army we sent to Luoyang? If we take advantage of this spring ploughing season, with the materials compensated by Liu Bei as support, Tuntian Luoyang, wait for Luoyang to recover, and use the location of the Beijing division as a supply base to peek west into Chang'an, or, can the Ming Dynasty revitalize the Han Dynasty? ”

Yes, this is a good idea, after Dong Zhuo moved the capital, Luoyang was deserted for 200 miles around, such a large piece of borderless land, and the princes were reluctant to enter Luoyang, mainly because Luoyang wanted to recover It was not a matter of a year or two to recover, and when the war in the Central Plains was ordinary, if you want to take out such a large amount of materials to reorganize Luoyang, it is better to take this material to occupy a new land. However, among the princes, perhaps only Liu Bei has the ability to do all this. At present, among the 14 states in the world, the relationship between Liu Biao, Tao Qian, and Liu Bei in the three states that is still stable is not bad, if Liu Bei is willing to come forward to reorganize Luoyang, Liu Biao, who likes to sell his reputation and reputation, will not be left behind, and Tao Qian, who wears the same pants with Liu Bei, will not be able to run. With the financial support of these three states, Cao Cao sent out men and horses to reorganize Luoyang, and the original location of the Beijing division will enter Cao Cao's pocket, which is indeed a superior policy.

Cao Cao calculated the gains and losses in his heart, and made up his mind: "Gongda (Xun You), lend you a large pen, repair a letter to Liu Bei, and say, our army is ready to march west to King Qin again, but there is a lack of food and grass materials, in addition, Luoyang is dilapidated, the Han Dynasty Temple was destroyed, I can't bear it, I want to renovate the Luoyang Zongmiao Palace, but unfortunately the three counties under it are broken, if Xuande is willing to help, I plan to send an army to garrison Luoyang, collect the remnants of Luoyang, in order to move westward, Xuande Gong is willing to do the eastern barrier for me?" ”

Xi Zhicai suggested: "While sending the letter to Liu Bei, we also need to send a person to convince Liu Bei, if the lord agrees, I am willing to go to Pingyin City to persuade Liu Bei." ”

Xun You stepped forward and said: "Last time, Brother Zhicai went to Lianyun to ask to see Liu Bei, but was not received by Liu Bei, this matter is related to the life and death of our army, in my opinion, it is better for me to go to see Liu Bei, I have a relationship with Liu Bei in Yingchuan Academy, Fu Shou, Tian Feng, Chen Qun and others have been acquainted, I go, Liu Bei can't be seen." ”

Cao Cao raised his hand and said, "So, please Gongda." ”

Pingyin City, in the army, Liu Bei greeted Xun Yu warmly: "Brother Gongda, after preparing for a farewell, I often remember my brother's high talent, I heard that Brother Gongda returned to his hometown from Yuan's original army, and Bei Zeng sent someone to chase after him, but he missed it, but it's a pity!" I heard that your uncle Wen Ruogong (Xun Yu, the character Wen Ruo) failed to enter Shu and was stranded in Jingzhou, I have sent someone to invite Wen Ruo to come to help, maybe soon, your uncle and nephew can meet. ”

Xun You smiled faintly, but did not answer Liu Bei's words.

The Xun family has been a prince for many generations, although Liu Bei is now powerful, but he has risen in the grass, although he has the fact of the Han family, but he has no prominent clan background. After four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, a clan relative like Liu Bei drove a bucket, King Jing of Zhongshan lost the throne three hundred years ago, after three hundred years of civilian life, it is not too much to say that Liu Bei is a commoner, and the most important thing is that Liu Bei only studied under Lu Zhimen for four years, Xun You was very skeptical

Can Liu Bei recognize all the Chinese characters.

At that time, the books were all copied by hand, and collecting books required strong financial resources, Liu Bei relied on relatives to fund his schooling, and the books he read were probably borrowed by Lu Zhi, and invited his uncle to help him, which is a nice thing to say, it is estimated that Liu Bei intends to use kidnapping, abduction and other bad means, it seems that he has to quickly write to remind his uncle to beware of Liu Bei.

However, it is not easy for Liu Bei to remember the last day - Xun You smiled bitterly in his heart, and then held up the letter high, and said solemnly: "My lord Cao Gong Mengde, one of the eight captains of Xixi Garden, General Fenwu, the lord of Lingdong County, Shanyang Kingdom, and Dongping Kingdom, sent a letter to General Zhendong and Qingzhou Mu Liu Gong Xuande. ”

Liu Bei secretly sneered in his heart, understanding what Xun Yu meant. straightened his clothes and took Cao Cao's letter with official courtesy.

"Cao Gong Mengde, is he still Hanchen?" Liu Bei felt awkward in his heart, asked unhappily, and casually handed over the letter to his advisers to circulate.

Xun Yu replied loudly: "The crown of the Cao family's ministers, Cao Gong has served as Han Chen, the first to discuss Dong Dayi, now, if you want to march into Luoyang, it is the people of the Han family who are gathered, the Han family palace is repaired, and the Han family thieves are defeated, not Han Chen, what is so a picture?" ”

Liu Bei bowed his head and calculated, this Xun You is still a loyal and righteous person, after Cao Cao was called the King of Wei in history, Xun You committed suicide in protest. It seems that Xun You's support for Cao Cao may really be loyal, so he didn't hear the meaning of Liu Bei's words.

"The Central Plains is in turmoil, the princes are said to be the king's heart, I am only worried that the Han world will fall apart, the princes are stationed high, the attack is not stopped, the people are ruined, and the suffering is endless, I have the heart to settle the north early, welcome the Han Emperor in the west, what do you think?"

Xun You was shocked, Liu Bei made a naked threat, could it be that this chaotic situation made Liu Bei also give up his principles?

"Cao Gong governed the three counties under the rule of the people and the people were stable, and as soon as the people's vitality was restored, Cao Gong wanted to raise troops to the west to crusade against Dong thieves, Xuande Gong also accepted the sour jujube oath and sent troops to fight against Dong, but I heard that after Xuande Gong retired from the army, he accepted Dong Zhuo's appointment and became the Qingzhou pastor, does Xuande Gong want to collude with Dong thieves and attack our army behind his back?"

Tian Chou happened to read the letter, and replied loudly: "My lord Qingzhou's position as pastor is appointed by the imperial court, what does it have to do with Dong Thief?" My lord wants to kill Dong thief's heart more eagerly than anyone else, it is better for Cao Gong to let go of Dongjun, let me wait to lead troops to the west, as long as Cao Gong opens Dongjun, let my Qingzhou logistics materials pass smoothly, and rebuild Luoyang, I Qingzhou is willing to bear it. ”

Xun You sneered and didn't answer, Liu Bei waved his hand, stopped his subordinates from moving, and said: "Qingzhou currently leads to Luoyang with three roads in the north, south, and middle, and the north passes through Jizhou and Bingzhou, and there are Hun cavalry and Montenegrin thief Zhang Yan; The south road goes down to Xuzhou, passes through Yuzhou and Jingzhou, and the road is too far away; In the middle of the road, you have to pass through the realm of Cao Gong......"

Liu Bei swallowed back the second half of the sentence, Cao Cao's traitorous male in the world, continuous supplies through his territory, it is difficult to say that he does not deduct one or two, two hundred miles around Luoyang is uninhabited, there is no output, the number of troops is too small, and the rogue bandits who haunt the wilderness cannot be suppressed, in case Dong Zhuo attacks, in a hurry, the army cannot be withdrawn, and to station an army that is enough to resist Dong Zhuo and the rogue bandits, the supply is too huge, and the lifeblood of the transportation line is in Cao Cao's hands, which is obviously extremely unsafe.

"What Gongda said just now is reasonable, Cao Gong is going to 'collect the people of the Han family, repair the palace of the Han family, and crusade against the thieves of the Han family.' is also Hanchen, and it is my Han citizens who benefit, so why worry too much? Cao Gong will make a manpower, I Qingzhou is willing to contribute materials, grain and grass, not only that, but I will also persuade Xuzhou Tao Qian, Jingzhou Liu Biao, Shangdang Zhang Yang (last year's tribute to the imperial court) to work together to repair Luoyang, however, I want to put forward a condition on their behalf, our four families have the right to send people to supervise the distribution and use of materials, thirty percent of the aid materials as Cao Gong's cost of operating this matter, seventy percent must fall to the remnants of Luoyang people and repairs, if Cao Gong agrees to this condition, I believe that Cao Gong is really dedicated to the country, otherwise ......"

Tian Chou fanned the flames on the side and said: "Otherwise, my army has entered Pingyin, how can I return empty-handed?"

Lu Su, who was newly appointed to join the Third Army, looked east and west, and after seeing that Tian Chou finished speaking, Liu Bei did not look displeased, and said with added fuel and vinegar: "Yes, yes, I mobilized in four counties, and the army was drawn to Pingyin, and the cost was really not old and young, and this money could not be spent in vain." ”

Ah, there is another good helper - Liu Bei was secretly happy in his heart, and praised Lu Su with his eyes. Tian Chou is a good partner for Liu Bei's extortion, the two have been singing and harmonizing, and they have cooperated for many years. Train well, and you will be a good hand in the future.

Threat, this is a threat, Xun You beat the drum in his heart, feeling that he couldn't grasp Liu Bei, he looked up at the people in the tent, and saw that although the generals did not interject, they showed eager eyes one by one and were eager to try, it seems that even if Liu Bei can insist on his own ideas, but under the continuous instigation of his subordinates, he gradually can't bear it.

The night is long and dreamy, and it is necessary to make a decision early, Xun You judged the situation, and was about to promise Liu Bei, but suddenly his heart was shocked, and he stood up suddenly: there was one person missing in the tent, and Gao Shun, the thunder cavalry general that Cao Jun was most worried about, was not in the tent, recalling the scene when he entered the camp, it seemed that he had not seen the thunder cavalry with heavy armor.

No, not a single Thunder Cavalry was seen.