Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3602: Night Blade Washing Ink to Distinguish Loyalty and Treachery

In the tenth year of Taixing, March, Bingzi.

heavy rain.

In Gaoping County of Yanzhou, the night has not yet ended.

Cheng Yu sat on the horse with his head and back straight and a serious expression.

On his left and right, three hundred Cao army leaders arrived in front of Liu's fortress.

The occasional flash of lightning illuminated the plaque "Donghai Shize" hanging on the watchtower of the fort, making the four characters look like twisting insects and snakes, or spreading blood.

Cheng Yu and his group had already aroused the vigilance of the Liu family servants on duty in the fort, causing a commotion and panic.

The firelight seeping out from the crack of the fort's door also seemed a little panic-stricken.

In the heavy rain, heaven and earth were in chaos.

The clouds rolled in and no starlight was visible.

If it weren't for the cold rain hitting the iron armor, Cheng Yu and the others would have looked like ghosts...

Maybe not much different.

Cheng Yu looked at it silently for a moment, then waved his hand, "Go up and knock on the door!"

Cao Cao did not ask him whether he could do it, and Cheng Yu did not ask how he should do it.

Some things can be clearly distinguished, such as beard and hair.

The hair that grows on top and can be shown to others is the hair. The beard that grows on the bottom and can also be shown to others is the beard.

As for the things that are inconvenient to show to others...

It’s hard to say.

But if we talk about the place where the hair and beard meet at the temples, which one is the hair and which one is the beard?
Perhaps only those hands can decide.

What is combed upwards is either hair or hair, and what is hanging down is either beard or beard.

Just like Cheng Yu at the moment, he doesn’t want to kill people, but he has to kill people.

Cao Cao sent him out not to interview people in the countryside and get closer to life, but to persuade these people.

Physical persuasion.

Because if we talk about reason, the husband has his own reasons and the wife has her own reasons, so everyone is right.

But physical persuasion is different. It can have a stronger persuasive effect in a relatively short period of time.

But it was obvious that the gentry in the Liu's fortress were obviously unwilling to give Cheng Yu a chance to persuade them. They said that it was dark, the rain was too heavy, the ground was too slippery, the wind was too strong, and so on. Anyway, they could not leave the country...oh, go home, and would not meet Cheng Yu.

"Break the door!"

Cheng Yu gave the order again.

The soldiers did not hesitate and carried out Cheng Yu's instructions.

In Shandong, the most important quality is execution.

As long as you are willing to carry out the orders and work hard to do so, you will be a good official, a good soldier, a good subordinate, and a good citizen.

Whether it is windy, rainy, or anything else, just execute.

When Cheng Yu received the order, he did not ask whether these people were innocent or not, nor did he ask whether a review or re-examination was needed, because he knew that he was here to do this, not to put on a smiling face and go to the countryside to ask questions.

Of course, he also came to personally give some local specialties to the Liu family and other local gentry...

Soil from the front lines, blood and death.

The people in the fort tried to use the bolt to reject Cheng Yu's local specialties, but Cheng Yu's men were already used to this way of pulling, and they were very skilled in inserting their standard ring-headed swords into the cracks of the door. They stuck the bolt, and then twenty people held the battering ram and hit it. Generally, it only took two or three rounds for the fort to open for business.

The head of the Liu family walked out of the hall wearing a long robe and holding a candle, but saw Cheng Yu still wearing his black armor. The rain slid down his armor, like dripping blood in the dark night. He realized that something was wrong, but he still said: "General Cheng knocked on the door at night. Is he going to imitate Zhang Tang to treat witchcraft?"

Cheng Yu shook off the rain on his long beard and said, "On the third day of this month, three ox carts from your mansion passed by Kangfu Road. The marks left by the carts were three inches deep. It would not have been possible without the use of fine iron. Are you hiding weapons and armor?"

The Liu clan leader denied it repeatedly and performed three consecutive hits with one click.

Cheng Yu didn't waste any words and ordered his men to search.

Cao's soldiers rushed into the courtyard like wolves and tigers, their armor flashing coldly and their swords and spears stained with blood.

The head of the Liu clan came up shyly, trying to give Cheng Yu something. "General Cheng, this is just a small gift... It's not a sign of respect, no..."

Cheng Yu looked at him coldly, but took a step back, "Take it!"

The guards rushed up and pinned the Liu clan leader down in the front yard.

"My son..." The elder of the Liu clan ran out barefoot, and the book of Xunzi in his hand fell into the muddy water. "My...my Liu clan has always passed down poetry and books...General! General, you know that the king is a boat, and the common people are water..."

The old man's beard and hair stood up. "Now that the general has come to my house, do you want to do something against the will of heaven and go against the will of the people?"

Cheng Yu looked at the old man, sneered, but was too lazy to say anything more.

Soon, a soldier came to report, looking hesitant, "General... we didn't find it..."

Cheng Yu's eyebrows jumped, and then he looked at the soldiers.

The soldiers were a little embarrassed, but still said that they had not found the so-called weapons and armor.

The old man Liu showed a smug smile.

Cheng Yu also smiled, then took out a knife, cut off the words that were originally written on the wooden tablet, and then added the words "300 armors hidden privately"...

"General!" The soldier's eyes widened, "Where did these weapons come from?"

Cheng Yu slapped the wooden tablet back onto the soldier, "Aren't they all on you? Liu! Hiding weapons and armors and plotting rebellion is truly treason!"

"It's unfair! It's unfair!"

"This is a frame-up! This is a frame-up!"

"Cheng thief, you will die a miserable death!"

"May the thunder strike me..."

"Boom!"

There was a loud thunder and heavy rain.

Cheng Yu slowly walked from under the eaves and corridor to the front yard, stood in the heavy rain, and looked up at the sky.

Everyone was a little stunned and looked at Cheng Yu in confusion.

Cheng Yu raised his head and looked at the sky.

The rain falling from the sky hit his face and body.

Suddenly, another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and then spring thunder rolled and roared away.

Cheng Yu slowly lowered his head and looked down at Liu and the others, "What do you think? Since God does not want me to die, you are the ones who will die..."

Cheng Yu's voice came out coldly amid the sound of rain, "According to the law, the entire family will be executed! Execute immediately!"

……

……

Some aristocratic families and gentry did have contact with the Cavalry Corps, but many were passive silent ones, or bystanders between Cao Cao and Fei Qian.

These guys originally planned to think that "the emperor changes every year, but the aristocratic family lasts forever", but obviously, their plan failed. Cao Cao would not give them the opportunity to watch the show leisurely from the top of the wall, but pointed his swords and guns at these aristocratic gentry.

Xun Yu got the news that Cheng Yu was killing people in the area from Heluo to Yanzhou, so he hurried from Yingchuan to the Cao army camp on the front line and found Cao Cao...

Xun Yu took a deep breath. He needed to calm himself down.

Along the way, he saw several grain transport convoys, all coming from Yanzhou. Many of those grain transport convoys were covered in blood. On the official road, new and old blood were winding, as if they were new wounds on the ground, or as if something was cutting the earth.

When Xun Yu met Cao Cao, Cao Cao was not wearing a crown, and his hair was slightly gray under his scarf.

"Is Wen Ruo here?" Cao Cao said calmly, "Yesterday Zhongde sent the Yanzhou grain list, which is 30% more than the original estimate..."

Xun Yu's hands trembled slightly in his sleeves. He lowered his head and whispered, "My Lord, do you know that this extra 30% of food and grass... is it obtained by Zhongde's massacre of seven families? In the Liu family fortress, there are 97 people, young and old, all made into minced meat... I heard that they are the descendants of King Jing of Zhongshan..."

"Prince Jing of Zhongshan?" Cao Cao laughed, "Why are there so many Prince Jing of Zhongshan?"

"Mingsir!" Xun Yu said in a low voice, "This matter has spread widely in Yingchuan, and the ministers in the hall are discussing it!"

"What are you talking about?" Cao Cao asked, raising his chin slightly.

Xun Yu hesitated for a moment, but still took out a roll of silk cloth from his sleeve and presented it to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao glanced at Xun Yu with contempt. He then shook the silk cloth, spread it out, and after looking at it for a few times, he started laughing, "Haha, hahahaha... Well written, well written! Listen to this... "In the past, my ancestors started the journey with rafts. Zichan's garden was no bigger than the length of a ruler." Tsk tsk... Are you scolding me? Haha, and... "Poetry and rituals have been passed down for thirty generations, and mulberry and hemp shade the nine neighborhoods." Wonderful, wonderful, and this "A boy recites the Unicorn Scripture under a locust tree, and an old woman weaves white silk in a thorny courtyard." Then, "A thief holds the law as if he holds an axe. The blue tablets turn to ashes, and the yellow mouth turns to ash." Yo yo... And this "A white rainbow pierces the sun, and a black spot obscures the stars. Yan Hui's gourd suddenly becomes a casket for a crime. Yuan Xian's window turns into a window for a punishment. The heaven collapses and cracks, and the earth smells foul. A young child holds a broken pen and asks the heaven, and the Shangshu says that the crime is only a minor one. An old father holds the torn scroll and knocks to the ground, and the Analects says that it seems to understand the truth." Not bad, not bad! 』

Cao Cao laughed as he watched, and in the end he seemed to have tears in his eyes. He then reached out his hand to wipe it off, and then threw the silk cloth on the table, "Does the emperor have anything to say?"

Xun Yu was silent for a while, then shook his head slightly, "I haven't said anything yet."

"Nothing?" Cao Cao was a little surprised, then he laughed again, "Ah, the emperor has grown up..."

"Mingsir..." Xun Yu said again, "But this...is a hidden danger after all..."

Xun Yu knew Cao Cao would take action, and to some extent he acquiesced to it, but what he didn't expect was that Cheng Yu's knife was so sharp that blood would flow from his body with one blow, and he was indiscriminate, killing people and confiscating their homes, delivering food and grass, and running a butcher shop. It was a one-stop service...

When Xun Yu originally acquiesced, he thought that killing a few people would be similar to killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. However, he did not expect that not only chickens but also monkeys would be slaughtered!
Moreover, seeing the vague signs that there were troops coming from Yanzhou to Yuzhou, he hurried to find Cao Cao.

Xun Yu understood Cao Cao's helplessness in raising the butcher knife, but Xun Yu also felt that those innocent people should not die.

This contradictory mentality made Xun Yu very embarrassed.

The key point is that Cheng Yu not only confiscated their property, but also turned them into jerky and minced meat...

It's somewhat inhumane.

"Mingsir," Xun Yu lowered his head, and his hands hidden in his sleeves pressed deeply into his palms, "Confucius said, 'Killing without teaching is cruelty'... Today Zhongde's killing was too much... At least exempt the old and the young from punishment, and stop the punishment of burning and branding..."

What Xun Yu meant, naturally, was to slow down.

This is related to his habit of compromise...

As an important core figure in the Cao family political group, Xun Yu can be said to have been deeply involved in Cao Cao's rise from the very beginning, and he was still a highly influential figure until the later period of Cao Cao's history. He tried to stay sober in the whirlpool of political power at the end of the Han Dynasty, wanting to wade into the turbid world with the appearance of a clear stream and control the hegemony with the way of Confucian classics, but in fact, he could only transform into a martyrdom totem in political compromises again and again.

The Xun family of Yingchuan had certain secret connections with the local gentry, so Xun Yu would inevitably fall into the dilemma of being a "loyal minister of the Han Dynasty" and a "representative of the aristocratic family". His persuasion to Cao Cao now was just like the contradiction he faced in history when he assisted Cao Cao in becoming king and dominating the world while trying to preserve the dignity of the royal family.

Xun Yu was not an incompetent person. In his early years, he and his entire family joined Cao Cao instead of betting on the two Yuans like most of the children of the gentry. This was enough to prove that his vision was stronger than that of ordinary children of the gentry. Moreover, he packaged the Yingchuan gentry and deeply tied them to the Cao military group, which was also an attempt to transform the Confucian gentry into a powerful family. This can be regarded as a successful case of the transformation of the gentry families in the late Han Dynasty.

Xun Yu packaged Cao Cao's subordinates as generals and counselors in the early Han Dynasty on many public occasions. In fact, he was also creating a theoretical basis for Cao Cao, exposing his deep motive of using Confucian etiquette to pave the way for Cao to replace the Han Dynasty. But when Cao Cao really started to act, Xun Yu expressed his opposition...

Of course, perhaps Xun Yu opposed Cao Cao's claim to the throne in history not simply to protect the Han Dynasty, but to foresee that if Cao Cao's system was truly implemented, the aristocratic families in the late Han Dynasty would completely become vassals of the military merit group. His final death was full of metaphors, perhaps he wanted to use death to preserve his final dignity.

From the beginning to the end, Xun Yu tried to package hegemony with benevolence, and tried to use the "classics" of the Spring and Autumn Annals to restrain the expansion of Cao Cao's "power", but in fact it was not feasible at all. Although he had a "clear and dignified" political image, because his core was not firm, he wavered from left to right, which led to polarized evaluations of him in later generations.

Either a loyal minister or a sinner.

In fact, people like Xun Yu always appear at the end of the turbulent feudal dynasty.

In history, at the critical juncture of Cao Cao's claim to the throne, Xun Yu's opposition was essentially the last attempt by the late Han Dynasty gentry to use the Confucian classics framework to restrain military power. But obviously, Xun Yu failed, and his death also marked the unshakable military power of the Cao family. However, at the same time, the unrestrained military power of the Cao family also led to Sima Yi's crazy counterattack in the later period...

Anyway, every bite and every drink has a reason.

From this perspective, it seems easy to understand why Xun Yu came to stop Cao Cao...

Even Xun Yu knew in his heart that this was Cao Cao's last chance.

Maybe this is the last time of madness.

But Xun Yu still came.

If Cao Cao had read Gu Long's books, perhaps he should have used the secret code of coming or not coming with Wen Ruo, but unfortunately he didn't.

Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu. Although he had a smile on his face, he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

"Han Fei once said, 'A thousand-mile-long rock cannot be called rich; a million-man elephant cannot be called strong.'" Cao Cao knocked on the table, "Now Yanzhou has rocks and people. If Wen Ruo teaches me, why can't it be rich and strong?"

The bronze goose and fish lamp emitted a dim light. Cao Cao tapped the map of Yanzhou on the table with his fingers, murderous intent rising in his eyes.

Xun Yu sighed slightly, "In the past, when Guan Zhong ruled Qi, he became a hegemon in three years. The key was not to collect all the sea salt, but to "give it to the people as they wish". If you use your power today, you will certainly be resented. If the cavalry comes, won't you force them to flee to the west?"

Cao Cao nodded, "What Wen Ruo said is very true... However, if I have not executed him... If the cavalry came, wouldn't you raise the basket to welcome him?"

"This..." Xun Yu suddenly got stuck, then sighed, "Maybe it's because of this..."

"Haha..." Cao Cao sneered twice, "That's it...Duke Huan of Qi united the princes, relying on benevolence and righteousness? From last year to today, the war has been going on, and the food and grass are exhausted, and the supplies are in urgent need. What are these people doing? If Cheng Zhongde hadn't broken into the dock to get food, the bones in front of the hall might have been taller than the pillars today!"

What Cao Cao said may be a bit exaggerated, but it is also in line with the current situation.

The situation is already very urgent.

The death of Cao Chun of Youzhou not only means the complete collapse of Youzhou's defense line in the north, but also means that Jizhou will soon face an attack from the Northern Region Cavalry Army. Will those guys in Jizhou support Cao Cao wholeheartedly?

So naturally, the chicken in Yanzhou had to be killed.

Of course, it is not certain whether killing the chicken can really scare the monkey.

Some monkeys may be frightened and dare not move, but it may also accelerate the escape behavior of other monkeys...

But no matter what the monkey did, it was acceptable to Cao Cao.

If someone is frightened, naturally more blood will be drawn.

If they escape, we will kill them if we can catch them, and if we can't catch them, we can raid their dens...

It’s a win-win situation.

Xun Yu could not refute what Cao Cao said.

Cao Cao did not wait for Xun Yu to answer, and continued, "In the past, when the two Zhangs were in Yanzhou, they said that I was the descendant of a eunuch and rebelled. Later, I fought against the two Yuans in the north and south, and secretly colluded with them... If I am not stationed here now... What do you think will happen? It is not that I do not want to be benevolent, but I cannot do it."

What Cao Cao said was also true.

But the problem is that Cao Cao is also trying to change the concept.

However, this behavior was allowed in feudal dynasties.

For example, the crime of slandering someone secretly, or the crime of sexual fantasies, etc. For example, even if you didn't take a photo, as long as you thought about it, it would be a crime. After all, the great writer Lu said that white arms...

Of course, the most crucial point is that if Cao Cao does not kill these people, then where will the food and supplies needed for the decisive battle with Fei Qian come from?

Will these people offer themselves up willingly?

Xun Yu understood the reasons given by Cao Cao, some of which were reasonable and some of which were unreasonable, but he had no way to solve the problems faced by Cao Cao, just as he could not solve the big problem of Fei Qian in Guanzhong.

Just when Xun Yu was still considering how to preserve as many names of the children of the aristocracy as possible and reduce the killing, suddenly soldiers came rushing in with panic-stricken faces.

When Cao Cao and Xun Yu saw this scene, they were both shocked...

"Report to the Prime Minister! Luoyang... Luoyang has fallen!"

For a moment, everything was silent except for the thumping of one's heart, which sounded like the beat of a dying drum.