Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2752
Xiahou Dun was rectifying the affairs of Xiahou's own family, and Cao Cao also called people from the Cao family, and held a gathering of the elders in the Cao's ancestral hall.

There are some recalcitrant children in the Xiahou family, and there are also some in the Cao family.

It's just that the difference between Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun is that Cao Cao himself is a family.

"Cao Tian, ​​rebellious and arrogant, brutal, lawless, murders for pleasure, committed four murders, embezzled more than a million dollars, punished for several crimes, beheaded. 』

"Cao Sheng, rampant with arrogance, does not cultivate personal morality, beats his own clan, refuses to correct after repeated admonitions, injures people, blackmails dozens of merchants, is extremely vile, and lives in Youzhou..."

"..."

Cao Ding read each line slowly.

And the members of the Cao family under the ancestral hall lowered their heads one after another, not daring to make any unusual movements at all.

From time to time, soldiers walked into the crowd and pulled the person who pronounced the sentence out on the spot.Those Cao's children who were pulled out were begging tearfully, some were livid and silent, and some were limp and incontinent, but they couldn't change any decision.

Those who were sentenced to beheaded were quickly beheaded and placed bloody in front of the ancestral hall.

Those who were exiled were also taken away, and some who had lesser crimes were either stripped naked and tied to a wooden bench to fight, or tied to a rack with their shirts off and whipped. The bloody smell belongs to the bloody smell of Cao's blood.

Cao Cao didn't say a word, just squinted his eyes and looked at the Cao clan members who were at the bottom.After Cao Ding announced the end and the punishment came to an end, Cao Cao stood up and said, "You can do it yourself!" 』

Cao Cao left.

All the people present seemed to have climbed out of the edge of hell again. Most of them were ashen-faced and sweaty. Some people seemed to have their facial features reactivated at this time. Seeing the bloody scene and smelling the stench of blood, they immediately He covered his mouth with a sound of yes, and rushed outside crookedly.

Cao Ding also looked a little unhappy. He didn't expect Cao Cao to be so decisive, and he didn't expect that the punishment this time would be so severe.Although Cao Cao didn't say anything to Cao Ding, nor did he accuse Cao Ding of any crime, but every time Cao Ding read a sentence, it felt like someone slapped him in the face.

Cao Ding, as the elder in charge of the family, did not manage well, which caused so many problems for the clansmen. Although he made some improvements under Xiahou Dun's reminder, it was obviously not enough and did not satisfy Cao Cao. This letter of punishment The list is proof.

"Uncle..." Someone stepped forward and asked Cao Ding, "Now..."

Cao Ding waved his hand weakly, "It's all gone!"Think about the words of the prime minister, everyone.These lessons learned from the past, you should also bear in mind...』

Under such a situation, Cao Ding didn't have the heart to say anything more, so he also left.

After the elders left, the rest of the Cao family left the ancestral hall one after another.

"My son... my son died so badly..."

Cao Cao did not forbid the family members of those who were sentenced to beheaded to confine their corpses, so at this time, crying and howling sounds were inevitable. There were people calling them sons, fathers, elder brothers, and so on. .

Looking at it from other people with physical injuries, it seems that at this moment, they also feel that the pain on their bodies is not so painful, but soon, they begin to feel that their own pain is the real pain...

Most people don't know why Cao Cao did this. Even an elderly person like Cao Ding may not be able to guess Cao Cao's real intentions. Only a few people understand a little bit, and Xiahou Dun is naturally among them.

Xiahoudun, as Cao Cao's right-hand man, is firmly on Cao Cao's side no matter what he is doing, so he can guess some of Cao Cao's thoughts...

Of course, Xiahou Dun dared not speak out about Cao Cao's idea, let alone mention it to others.Because although Cao Cao is only the prime minister now, it is somewhat similar to the emperor's house.In the history of Tianjia affairs, people's heads have always been rolled over at every turn. Now Cao Cao only cut off this small part, which is considered light.

The scourge of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's witchcraft, the number of people who died was calculated in tens of thousands...

Could it be that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty didn't know that there were some strange things and problems in the process of the witchcraft disaster?

A person who can use the name of the gods to determine the destiny of the destiny and so on in the name of the emperor, even when he is old, he may fall into superstition, but it is still more of a struggle for power, a strategy of the court .

Cao Cao needs talents, but what Cao Cao needs more is "loyal" talents.

In history, Cao Cao said that "only talents are promoted", which seems to be a huge Bole image, but in fact, if he is not loyal to him, even if he is a genius, he still doesn't use it, and he doesn't raise it.

When Xiahoudun arrived, Cao Cao had already taken off his heavy red and black official robe, and did not wear a crown. He just stuck it with a simple wooden hairpin, which made his hair a little messy. Robe, like an ordinary country old man.

"Prime Minister..." Xiahou Dun saluted.

"Ah..." Cao Cao seemed to have recovered from his contemplation, turned his head to look at Xiahou Dun, and waved his hands, "Since we are at home, there is no need to be so polite...Come, sit down. 』

"Thank you, brother. ’ Xiahou Dun replied.

Naturally, some servants stepped forward, took off Xiahou Dun's battle armor and shirt, and brought some drinks and dried fruits, which were placed on the table in front of Xiahou Dun.

"Many people will hate me..." Cao Cao sighed softly.

Xiahou Dun said, "Brother, what you do is for the future of the family. Even if these people don't understand it for a while, they will figure it out later..."

Cao Cao shook his head, "Those who can figure it out are like you, who have already figured it out, and those who don't, no matter how much time is given to them, they still can't figure it out..."

Xiahou Dun remained silent, neither saying right nor wrong.

"Come on, let's not talk about this... Come on, Yin Sheng! ’Cao Cao raised his wine glass and greeted Xiahoudun, ‘Yuan Rang is not easy for you, thank you for your hard work! 』

Xiahou Dun silently raised his glass and drank with Cao Cao.

It is often said that it is very important to know people and be good at their duties.

Putting the right person in the right position is more than half the battle.

Is Cao Cao "knowing people and being good at tasks" for Xiahou Dun, and is he using Xiahou Dun in an appropriate place?
Calculated.

Xiahou Dun was indeed Cao Cao's most trusted support throughout his life, Cao Cao's shield, Cao Cao's armor, Cao Cao's safe retreat, and the guarantee that Cao Cao could go out with peace of mind.

But the problem is, who knows what Xiahou Dun has done behind this trust and reassurance?
Cao Cao's officials became bigger and bigger, his status became higher and higher, his friends became fewer and more enemies, so his suspicions became more and more serious, and as perhaps the only person Cao Cao trusted, Xiahou Dun took on the responsibility. The pressure is no less than others.

Because it is difficult to build trust, but it is easy to destroy trust. If there is a little carelessness, there will be cracks in trust, and once there is a crack, it will be difficult to make up for it...

"I did this..." Cao Cao said with some emotion, "Maybe there will be troubles in the future..."

Cao Cao shook his head, "But what can we do now?If you don’t do it, it will fall apart, if you do it, you can delay it for a while... the future troubles, we can only talk about it later...』

"Brother! Xiahoudun said, "Now that the whole family can be united, even if there is a little smallness, it is nothing to worry about!" 』

Cao Cao hummed and nodded. He didn't continue to say anything, but motioned Xiahou Dun to drink with him.

People's hearts are often unable to be tested and considered again and again...

There is nothing wrong with the phrase "knowing people and being good at appointment", but the problem is that people are not square and have fixed specifications. Who can put a person in a suitable position at once?
Neither can Cao Cao.

Some people said that Cao Cao knew people well, and then took Mao Jie as an example, saying that Cao Cao knew that Mao Jie was an upright and honest person, so he was asked to be responsible for the selection and appointment of talents. In the world, a thousand-mile horse often has a bole, but not often.

However, in reality, this is not the case in most cases.

Cao Cao didn't put Mao Jie in the position of the right army division from the beginning, let alone when Mao Jie came, Cao Cao gave Mao Jie the important responsibility of selecting talents, but only let Mao Jie take the position. An ordinary government official, that is, an assistant officer, is almost like a staff officer.

Mao Jie didn't feel that his Maxima was not appreciated by Cao Cao, and then left angrily. Instead, he did something and offered a very important advice. Cao Cao promoted him a little bit and transferred him to the shogunate Meritorious Cao, and then slowly promoted.

No one will "know people and do well" from the very beginning...

So how does Cao Cao know whether the person he wants to use is loyal, true loyal, or loyal in words?
So Cao Cao will give it a try.

Cao Cao in history often did this too.

Cao Cao is also very good at speaking beautiful words. For example, he likes to exaggerate Liao, saying how much he likes Zhang Liao and how much he values ​​Zhang Liao, but in reality?

In fact, Zhang Liaogong was the master of the earthquake, and the more capable he was, the less Cao Cao dared to use it.

When Cao Cao came to the back, not only did he not dare to send Zhang Liao, but he sent Zhang Liao to Hefei, which was more suitable for Zhang Liao to display his talents, such as Chang'an Longyou, and the cavalry combat area.From then on, Zhang Liao never had the opportunity to gallop north with a large number of cavalry.Even so, Zhang Liao had to be mixed with sand, and he was equipped with Li Dian and Le Jin, and these two people had an ordinary relationship with Zhang Liao, and it could even be said that they had some personal enmity.

"Jin, Dian, and Liao are all at odds." Doesn't Cao Cao know about this situation?Obviously Cao Cao is very clear, and when Cao Cao arranged the battle plan, he also showed it fully, "If Sun Quan comes, generals Zhang and Li will fight; General Yue will guard, and the guards will not be able to fight." 』

With this order, then "all generals are suspicious".

A close call depends on a stroke.

This was when Sun Quan's troops gathered and Hefei was in danger, the guard Xue Ti was ordered to rush to help, but he did not bring many soldiers, but he brought a letter with Cao Cao's "combat strategy".

Zhang Liao and Li Dian went out to fight, Yue Jin defended the city, and the guard was Xue Ti, "Don't Fight".

It seems reasonable at first glance, but it is actually quite interesting behind the scenes.

Why do you say that?
Because Cao Cao's garrison arrangements did not meet the so-called "knowledgeable people and good assignments" requirements at all, and they were not arranged according to the personal combat expertise of these generals at that time...

First, Le Jin is not good at defending but good at attacking.Even Cao Cao himself, when praising Le Jin's meritorious deeds in the table above, also said that Le Jin "every time in the face of a battle, he always serves as the supervisor, strives to be strong and solid, and is invincible", instead of accepting orders in the face of danger, persevering and getting aid, but resisting the enemy. Under the city.

Second, Li Dian, who was ordered to fight, actually had a cautious personality. He was not good at attacking, but good at defending.Taking the case of assisting Cheng Yu in supervising the transportation of military rations in the Battle of Liyang, and Bowang Po urging Xiahou Dun as a typical example.

Third, Zhang Liao was not on good terms with Li Dian and Le Jin. At that time, Liao wanted to be taught to fight.Jin, Dian, and Liao were all at odds with each other, and Liao feared that he would not follow suit.” Zhang Liao himself was worried that the other two would not listen to him.

Knowing this, Cao Cao drove Zhang and Li out of the city to meet the enemy, leaving Le Xue to defend the city.Is Cao Cao dementia?Could he not know the truth?

So Cao Cao did it on purpose.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

Cao Cao's weird city defense arrangement is the result of careful consideration. The reason why it seems unreasonable is that there is an inevitable reason behind it.

Xue Ti was the only character in the Battle of Hefei for which Cao Cao did not arrange specific tasks, and even made it clear that "don't fight".Bringing reinforcements, but not participating in the battle, is it possible to be a cheerleader and shout for cheers?So considering the disparity of "seven thousand versus one hundred thousand", this is actually Cao Cao's protection for Xue Ti.

Because Xue Ti is a native of Yanzhou Dongjun, and he was also one of the few "Yanzhou tyrants who did not rebel" during the Zhang Miao Rebellion.These Yanzhou people who have withstood the "test" entered the trusted circle under Cao Cao's account, second only to the direct line of Cao's Xiahou family.

The one who was also protected was Le Jin, who was born as an "account official".

Zhang Liao is a native of Yanmen in Bingzhou. He first belonged to Ding Yuan, then "belonged to" Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu with soldiers, and later surrendered to Cao Cao in history. "People".

Li Dian is a wealthy family in Shanyang, he inherited the influence of his uncle Li Gan and his elder brother Li Zheng. There are more than [-] family members and more than [-] private soldiers. Relying on this, he won the position of Zhonglang General at the age of fifteen , the number of parts can be seen.Therefore, it can basically be concluded that most of the [-] armored soldiers guarding Hefei at that time should come from the private soldiers of Zhang Liao, Li Dian and others.

Cao Cao kept praising Zhang Liao, expressing his trust in Zhang Liao, but in fact, Cao Cao was suspicious and suspicious of Zhang Liao over and over again for Zhang Liao's "belonging to the army" from the beginning to the end. Li Dian, who was born, has the power of [-] clan followers, which also makes Cao Cao worried.Therefore, although Le Jin is good at attacking fortifications, he was assigned a garrison mission and deliberately protected him. He sat in Hefei with Xue Tiian, a fellow from Yanzhou, and the logic behind it was clear at a glance.

In the Battle of Hefei, Zhang Liao was trapped in armor and defeated Sun Quan. Li Dian, who was on the same expedition, died shortly after the battle. Cao Pi commemorated "The Merit of Hefei" and "The posthumous title is Minhou".

"When you are in trouble in the country" is called Min.

Most of the "min" posthumous persons died on the battlefield.

It can be said that in the mind of Cao Cao in history, he might have made the worst plan at that time, and then he was amazed when he learned the result of the Battle of Hefei. It must be that the result of the battle was too unexpected for him.Even Cao Cao may have been mentally prepared to sacrifice Zhang Liao and Li Dian, so the reward afterwards was particularly generous. Zhang Liao was directly promoted from the fifth-rank miscellaneous general to the second-rank general who can open the mansion. .

According to historical records, "Tai Zu Da Zhuang Liao", the word "Da Zhuang" appeared only twice, once for Zhang Liao and once for Xu Sheng.

This kind of "knowing people and being good at tasks" is a life-saving struggle.

Or in other words, Cao Cao just believed in a person's words and deeds at the critical moment of life and death. He felt that only in such an extreme situation could he show the truest quality and be the most important basis for him to judge whether to use this person. .

Cao Cao did exactly this during the Xu County Rebellion before. He created a life-and-death situation, and then hid in the dark to observe.

This time Qiao County was under martial law, and the four townships were searched and arrested. Cao Cao was also observing.

Foreign surnames need to be wary, so don't you need to be wary in the inner family?
Among the Cao family and Xiahou family, how many people are truly loyal, and how many people are only superficially loyal?

Cao Cao's action this time was not aimed at Xiahou Dun, but mainly to test the clansmen among the Cao family and the Xiahou family, and Xiahou Dun was just incidental.Of course, Xiahou Dun's performance made Cao Cao once again confirm Xiahou Dun's "character", that is, more trust.

Undoubtedly, Xiahou Dun passed the "test" once again.

But what about others?
Cao Cao is almost suspicious of everyone now...

"Now Qiao County is in chaos, Hebei and Henan are empty, and there are hussar envoys coming from the west..." Cao Cao raised his wine glass and rubbed it in his hand, with a sneer on his face, "Under heavy punishment, Mrs. Cao Chaos is unavoidable within the Xiahou clan, and there are many people involved with each other... In addition, the surrounding counties and counties are the first positions of the children of the poor family, so there must be some dissatisfaction with the situation, and the government orders are difficult...Yuan Rang, you said that this time, there will be How many people jumped out? 』

Xiahou Dun was silent for a while, "Brother, I actually don't want anyone to jump out..."

"Aha! ”Cao Cao laughed loudly, “I don’t want to either!But if these guys have dissent, no matter if they are inside or outside the clan, it is the right way to deal with it as soon as possible!Otherwise we... Huh, the world is too big to accommodate two masters! 』

After a pause, Cao Cao said again: "Yuan Rang, do you know how rampant the corrupt people have become?" 』

"Tun knows a little bit about it. ’ Xiahou Dun replied.

Cao Cao hummed, and then sighed: "Nowadays in Shandong, there is no matter how big or small, all of them charge money!"If you don't give money, you can't do anything!Jizhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Qingzhou, none of them is clean!If you don't clean it up, you and I will be drowned in this dust!Crushed to death under this rot! 』

Xiahou Dun remained silent for a long time, "Brother, but if you really want to do it...the risk is also very high..."

"Haha, a person lives a life full of troubles!Only good wine can relieve sorrow! ”Cao Cao would not answer Xiahou Dun’s worries, but raised his glass again and sang loudly, “How can life be a song for wine?For example, the dew in the morning, the past day is bitter!And drink, and drink! 』

Two glasses of wine.

Two people.

The shadows of the surrounding trees are whirling, like demons and monsters baring their teeth and claws.

What Cao Cao has to do is much more difficult than getting alcoholics to quit drinking and smokers to quit smoking.

Because it's not a problem of a drunkard and a smoker, but a large...

(End of this chapter)