The first three years of the Han Dynasty was an eventful year. In this year, Dong Zhuo, who leaned towards the government and the opposition, was killed; In this year, Yizhou Mu Liu Yan and Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao were successively crowned kings; In this year, Yuan Shao fought with Gongsun Zan for the position of overlord of Hebei; In this year, Liu Xie, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, who represented the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, first issued an edict for his own crimes, and then issued a recruitment list......

Compared with the recruitment list released by the imperial court in the past, this recruitment list is different, only meritocracy, but just these four words shook the world. Cao Cao also posted this kind of example of emphasizing talent and not virtue, but Cao Cao's identity did not attract the attention of the world. But Liu Xie is different. Who is Liu Xie? The Son of Heaven! What he said was orthodox and official, while Cao Cao's speech could only be considered private.

There is no comparison between the two.

Of course, Liu Xie's ability to issue this kind of recruitment list that emphasizes talent but not morality, and meritocracy, is not something that can be done just by moving his mouth. In order to convince Wang Yun of that old stubbornness, Liu Xie wasted a lot of saliva. It is also thanks to Liu Xie's previous dispatch of Yang Biao and Ma Riyan, the old ministers of the DPRK and China, to serve as county guards, otherwise Liu Xiefei would have died of exhaustion in persuasion.

No one is perfect, as long as it is a human being, there will definitely be shortcomings of one kind or another. A perfect person is equal to a saint, and the profession of a saint has long been outlawed. No one is a moral model, even Confucius Sheng, who has been criticized by later generations for thousands of years because of the killing of Shao Zhengmao. Why is it criticized? The time when Kong Sheng killed Shao Zhengmao was when Kong Sheng was an official of the Lu State, and at that time Shao Zhengmao was just a common man. Although what Confucius said is a fallacy and heresy, it is easy to deceive people's minds, and killing him is for the sake of the world. But the timing was wrong, if you don't kill sooner or later, you just choose to kill when you have the power to kill in your own hands, which inevitably makes people feel that this is taking advantage of the situation to punish dissidents. And whether Confucius is a saint or not, this is no longer clear, people have the habit of suppressing evil and promoting good, what the real Confucius is like, I am afraid that only Confucius himself knows, and the Confucius that later generations know is mostly a far-fetched gold paste by Confucius disciples.

Liu Xie never believed that there were saints in this world! He believed that people in this world were multifaceted, and that a murderer could be a dutiful son, and a violent husband could be a loving father. Although today's imperial court uses the favorable condition of orthodoxy to attract some talents, Liu Xie feels that it is far from enough.

Dahan is like a lake, and those talents are like fish living in this lake. Now some people are preparing to divide the lake into several ponds, and if Liu Xie doesn't want the fish in the lake to swim into other ponds, then he must let those fish swim into his own ponds. Otherwise, those fish that can't enter Liu Xie's pond will swim into other ponds and then cause trouble for Liu Xie in the future.

It is not that there are no people with talents and virtues in this world, but they can only be regarded as rare, and if you want to govern the Han, it is not enough to rely on the few people, and if you want to make the machine of the Han run normally, you still need to rely on those talents who have this or that shortcoming.

Wang Yun was convinced! He was not a man who did not eat the ancients, and Liu Xie's subsequent proposal to strengthen the supervision of officials was also approved by Wang Yun. Since there is no way to keep out those who are talented and unvirtuous, it can only strengthen the supervision of that part.

When the meritocracy order was announced to the world, the world shook!

……

Yecheng

Yuan Shao was dismissive of the recruitment order issued by the imperial court. Of course, this can't be blamed on him, the fourth generation and third duke of the Yuan family, and his protégés are all over the world, Yuan Shao can have the strength to compete with Gongsun Zan for the hegemony of Hebei so quickly, and the reason is here. At this time, the Yuan family can be said to be the strongest in the world, although it is divided into north and south because of the dispute between the concubines, but the Yuan family is still the first. Compared with Yuan Shao in Hebei, Yuan Shu in Nanyang is more powerful, and even more generals than Yuan Shao.

This is such a good card, stunned to let the two Yuan family members be broken, and I don't know if the ancestors of the Yuan family will collectively jump under Jiuquan.

The Yuan family did not take the imperial court's recruitment order seriously, and they had no intention of keeping those who intended to defect to Chang'an. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and those who are not perfect in the eyes of the Yuan family are better gone.

……

Yanzhou

Cao Cao, who was only one river away from Yuan Shao in Hebei, sighed after learning the news of the imperial court's issuance of the recruitment order. After surrendering himself to fight against Dong, and then leading his troops to save the Han Emperor alone, Cao Cao's reputation finally improved. Before this, Cao Cao could only be regarded as a small prince who was not favored all the way, and he almost couldn't recruit talents except for his own brothers. And after becoming famous through the matter of courting Dong, first in terms of strategists, first Cheng Yu, and then Xi Zhicai, and then through the recommendation of Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, who is known as a ghost talent, and the military generals were first banned and then Xu Chu, and the number of troops was also from only 1,000 after the fiasco to 30,000 mercenaries today.

Cao Cao deeply realized the benefits that a good reputation could bring him, and now that he was ready to make a big move, he didn't expect that the imperial court would issue a recruitment order before him.

"Fengxiao, it seems that this recruitment order is probably Xun Wenruo's handwriting." Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia, who was sitting under him, and said with a wry smile.

Seeing this, Guo Jia also shook his head with a wry smile, clasped his fists and said to Cao Cao: "Ming Gong forgives his sins, and Jia didn't expect Wen Ruo to go to Chang'an." Guo Jia will say this, it is because before he voted for Cao Cao, he first went to Hebei with Xun Yu, and after seeing Yuan Shao's wide and indecisive nature, Guo Jia left first. Xun Yu had already promised Guo Jia to go to Cao Cao to have a look, but he didn't want Guo Jia to tell Cao Cao about Xun Yu's coming, but Xun Yu released Guo Jia's pigeon, but ordered someone to send a letter, saying that he was entrusted by Lu Zhi and Lu Shangshu to go to Chang'an.

Cao Cao's disappointment after learning is certain, Xun Yu's name is like thunder to Cao Cao, and the Xun family represented by Xun Yu is not lost to the Yuan family of the fourth and third princes in terms of fame. But now there is no such possibility, Xun Yu went to Chang'an, although Xun Yan of the Xun family voted for Cao Cao, but what Cao Cao wanted most was Xun Yu, originally thought that he could get a dragon, but in the end he only got a dog, and the gap was too big. And Xun Yan is a learned person, but that character is really unapproachable, there is an idiom to describe it, that is, lonely Fang appreciates himself, others are stupid in his eyes, only he is right. If it weren't for the Xun family's face, Cao Cao would have driven Xun Yan home a long time ago.

"Alas~ It's a pity that I can't work with Xun Wenruo." Cao Cao didn't mean to blame Guo Jia, he was just a little disappointed. People have their own ambitions and can't be forced, since Xun Yu has made his own choice, there is no need for him to be obsessed with this matter.

"Don't be like this, the lord doesn't want to be like this, now that the imperial court has issued this recruitment order, I'm afraid that many people in the world will go to Chang'an, but these things have little to do with us now. Hebei Yuan Shao is now competing with Gongsun Zhan for Hebei, and he is powerless to deal with us for the time being, but we can't think that we can sit back and relax, and we still need to plan for the future. Cheng Yu said to Cao Cao out loud.

Cao Cao nodded when he heard this, "According to his original temperament, after he solves Gongsun Zhan, there is a chance that he will not stop, if it is not to deal with the Black Mountain Thief, then I am afraid he will start preparing to deal with me." ”

"If the lord can think like this, it will not be in vain for us to serve the lord. Lord, the drama has a word, and please listen to it. ”

"Why should Zhicai be so polite, please say something."

"Lord, Yanzhou is stable at the moment, but this place is under the encirclement of Eryuan, whether it is Yuan Benchu or Yuan Highway, it is not a good stubble. Once Yuan Shao occupies the entire territory of Hebei, he will definitely have the idea of competing with Nanyang Yuan Shu, and at that time, my Yanzhou will become a place where two families must fight. If the lord doesn't want to be controlled by others in the future, he needs to make plans in advance. ”

"Then according to Zhicai's opinion, where should you choose?"

"Qingzhou Yellow Turban."

"Yellow Turban Thief?"

"Exactly, according to the latest news, Xu He and Sima Ju, the leaders of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, led the people to rebel, and now Yuan Shao is busy dealing with Gongsun Zan and has no time to take care of him, and Xuzhou Tao Qian is old and not enough to protect himself, and the only force near Qingzhou that can pacify the Yellow Turbans is us."

"But what good is it for us to go to Qingzhou and save it?" Xiahoudun, who was sitting on the other side of Cao Cao, asked.

"Yuan Rang, there are a lot of benefits to say this. Not to mention anything else, but if Qingzhou's 300,000 yellow turbans can be accommodated, then my Yanzhou's strength can be improved, just like Chang'an absorbs 100,000 white wave thieves. ”

Cao Cao was originally very happy to hear it, but when he heard Xi Zhicai's last words, his face suddenly darkened again, but then he recovered and said to Xi Zhicai with renewed spirits: "Since this matter was proposed by Zhicai, then work hard Zhicai's trip, I don't know which generals Zhicai is going to take there?" ”

"Thank you for your trust, then bring Yuan Rang, Zixiao and Wen Ze. By the way, my lord, there is one more thing to say. ”

"What?"

"Please also ask the lord to quickly order people to seize the tiger prison."

Cao Cao was a little puzzled when he heard this, the Tiger Prison Pass was a nightmare for the Alliance Army when he was begging Dong, but now that Luoyang has been destroyed, the value of the Tiger Prison Pass is not as important as before, Cao Cao doesn't understand why Xi Zhicai reminded himself at this time to take the Tiger Prison Pass into his pocket.

"Come on." Xi Zhicai did not answer, but gave this opportunity to Guo Jia. It's just that Guo Jia didn't seem to appreciate it very much, and said angrily when he heard the words: "Zhicai is so cunning." ”

"Bong-hyo, say it quickly." Cao Cao urged.

Seeing Cao Cao speak, Guo Jia no longer hid it, and said with a smile: "Although the Tiger Prison Pass is not as important as it used to be, it is a place where soldiers must fight after all. Although we don't have to worry about the west at the moment, judging from the various measures of Chang'an now, the imperial court may have made a plan to first go west and then east, and will not care about what happens in the Central Plains for the time being. But the imperial court doesn't care, but it doesn't mean that others don't care, Hebei Yuan Shao can't take care of us at the moment, but when he solves Gongsun Zhan, he can completely occupy the Tiger Prison Pass through Mengjin, and at that time, we will be in a situation where we are being caught between the front and back, whether Yuan Shao is ready to deal with Yuan Shu or us, it is not a good thing for us. ”

"Hmm...... Then let Miaocai work hard. Cao Cao nodded in agreement with Guo Jia's statement. It's just that he didn't know that Guo Jia didn't say a word, as Guo Jia, who was in charge of Cao Cao's intelligence department, he had already received news that Chen Gong and Zhang Miao had not been stable recently, but because there was no real evidence, Guo Jia was not good at telling Cao Cao about it. After all, Chen Gong was an old man who took refuge in Cao Cao in the early days, and Zhang Miao's personal relationship with Cao Cao was even better. In order to prevent Zhang Miao and Chen Gong from luring wolves into the house, Guo Jia felt that it was necessary to occupy the tiger prison and close the back door of his house first.

Cao Cao was preparing to send troops to recruit the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, and Beihai in Qingzhou was too guarded by Kong Rong, and now he was about to go crazy. The yellow scarves outside Beihai City are now full of pits and valleys, surrounding Beihai with water, so that Kong Rong can't help but regret his original decision. In fact, the Yellow Turban Thieves did not plan to attack Beihai at the beginning, and the leader Guan Hai was ready to trouble Yuan Shao in Hebei after raising his troops, but he did not expect to be defeated by Yuan Shao. When he led the defeated army back to Qingzhou, he met Kong Rong, who was going to pick up the bargain.

In a field battle, Kong Rong's Northern Navy was defeated and returned, and he also provoked the angry Guan Hai. However, there is no regret medicine in this world, Kong Rong regrets it again, and he must first solve the current dilemma of the Yellow Turban Siege.

But who can be found to save it? Tao Qian in Xuzhou? Xuzhou is now anxious about the Taishan thief Zangba, and I'm afraid I don't have time to meddle in things.

If Xuzhou can't do it, then Yuan Shao or Gongsun Zan in Hebei, but these two are pinching hard right now, and I'm afraid they don't have time to take care of themselves. In addition, only Cao Cao of Yanzhou remained, but Kong Rong didn't like Cao Cao, thinking that he was a eunuch, and was unwilling to ask him for help.

"Where's Taishou-sama?" Hearing an inquiry from outside, Kong Rong knew that it was Tai Shici who came. Speaking of this Tai Shi Ci, Kong Rong is very important, this person is filial, and his martial arts are outstanding, but unfortunately when he sent troops to recruit the Yellow Turban, it was just in time for Tai Shi Ci to go out, if he was with him at that time, maybe it would be a different situation now. In the past few days, thanks to Tai Shici, the Yellow Turban thieves outside the city have not been allowed to break the city. Hearing Tai Shici's voice at this time, Kong Rong thought that the city was broken, and hurriedly ran out.

Seeing Kong Rong, Tai Shi Ci just wanted to salute, but was grabbed by Kong Rong and asked urgently: "Ziyi, but the city is broken?" ”

"Rest assured, my lord, the walls are still in our hands. Ci came here just to ask the adults, can you come up with a strategy to break the enemy? Tai Shi Ci replied when he heard this.

Hearing that it was not the city broken, Kong Rong felt a little relieved, but after hearing Tai Shici's inquiry, Kong Rong didn't know how to answer, and after thinking about it, he said to Tai Shici: "Ziyi, go in and talk." ”

When Tai Shi Ci heard Kong Rong's embarrassment, he couldn't help frowning and said: "My lord, it's not as usual now, if you don't find reinforcements to relieve the siege as soon as possible, the people of this Beihai city may be harmed by the Yellow Turban thieves." If the adults allow it, Tzu is willing to ride alone to ask for help. ”

"Where is Ziyi going to ask for help?" Kong Rong asked.

"It is difficult to quench the thirst of the near water, a few days ago, when I heard the chatter of the past merchants, I heard that Liu Bei, the commander of Pingyuan County, is a relative of the Han family, and he is generous, and there are generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei under his command. If the adults allow it, Ci plans to go to the plains first, and if Liu Bei excuses himself, then Ci will go to find Cao Cao to come and relieve the siege. ”

"Hmm...... Okay, just do as Ziyi said, when does Ziyi plan to leave? Kong Rong thought about it for a while, and chose the former between the safety of the people in the city and his personal likes and dislikes. Kong Rong actually didn't expect Tai Shi Ci to borrow soldiers from Liu Bei, and felt that the reason why Tai Shi Ci would bring up Liu Bei was just to take care of his own face, but in the end he would go to Cao Cao for help.

"The Yellow Turbans usually attack the city during the day, and Ci is ready to wait for the Yellow Turbans to collect their troops and go out of the city." Tai Shi Ci replied when he heard this.

……

It was getting late, and Guan Hai saw this and ordered Mingjin to withdraw his troops, but when the Yellow Turban thieves returned to the camp one after another, the north gate of Beihai City quietly opened a crack, and Tai Shici, who was recuperated, rushed out and went north to kill without saying a word. The north gate was not the main direction of attack of the Yellow Turban, the Yellow Turban who stayed here was mainly for surveillance, and suddenly killed Tai Shi Ci, the Yellow Turban was unstoppable, and when Guan Hai learned the news and brought people to come, Tai Shi Ci had already run away. In addition to scolding the yellow scarf leader in charge of the north gate, Guan Hai didn't take this matter to heart.

Tai Shi Ci hurried all the way, and arrived at the plain a few days later. Liu Bei learned the news that Beihai was besieged by the Yellow Turban, and immediately prepared to raise troops to rescue, this reaction made Tai Shi Ci stunned, but since he invited reinforcements, Tai Shi Ci's hanging heart finally let go, and the fatigue of several days of running around made Tai Shi Ci have no energy to think about the reason why Liu Bei was so enthusiastic, and went down to rest and recover his strength with people.

After Tai Shici left, Jian Yong, who was sitting under Liu Bei, asked, "Lord, why did you go to save Beihai?" ”

"Xianhe, if you don't leave now, when will you stay?" Liu Bei asked rhetorically. Jian Yong thought for a moment, and suddenly suddenly. At present, Liu Bei's situation is indeed very embarrassing, after Zhao Yun was sent to Chang'an by Gongsun Zhan, Liu Bei realized that Gongsun Chan was wary of him. Although he felt sorry for Zhao Yun, the favorite general, had voted for someone else, Liu Bei was more worried about how to deal with the relationship with Gongsun Zan at the moment.

His guest is obviously not treated by the host anymore, and it stands to reason that he should take the initiative to leave at this time, but at this time the host has a dispute with the neighbor, and his guest chooses to leave at this time, which seems to be a little unkind. For Liu Bei, whose reputation is more important than his own life, he is unwilling to do anything that damages his reputation, and the arrival of Tai Shici just gave Liu Bei a good opportunity to get rid of right and wrong without losing his reputation.

As Liu Bei's confidant, Jian Yong immediately thought of this, and nodded again and again to praise Liu Bei's wisdom. After Liu Bei was proud for a while, he said to Jian Yong: "Xian and you have worked hard. ”

"To Qingzhou?"

"No, go to Xuzhou."