Sima Yi's Three Kingdoms Collection Collection

Chapter 177: Building Miraculous Achievements, Being Released (3)
They walked randomly along the ridge without any purpose.The setting sun, which had just been drenched by the drizzle, slid wetly from the two of them towards the top of the mountain.A few wisps of cooking smoke at the foot of the mountain leisurely form a few thin silver threads, and the fragrance of firewood from the farmhouse at dusk wafts around in all directions.Sima Yi looked leisurely, talking and laughing with Zhu Hu along the way, having a good time.

On the way, as if thinking of something, Zhu Hu turned his head and said to Sima Yi, "Master Sima...the public's reputation for Prime Minister Cao is really good recently! People in Bingzhou, Yuzhou and other places are suffering from the epidemic. Most of the people have recovered after receiving the treatment of rhino horn medicine powder given by Prime Minister Cao. They all claim that Prime Minister Cao is a 'reborn parent', and they want to embarrass him!"

"Rhino horn powder from Prime Minister Cao?" Sima Yi couldn't help being shocked when he heard it, thinking for a moment that he had heard it wrong.Giving rhino horn powder to the people suffering from epidemic diseases in Bingzhou, Yuzhou and other places for treatment is a kind of benevolent policy implemented by the imperial emissary Han Ji in the name of His Majesty the Han Emperor. — Listen to Zhu Hu today How did this turn out to be a good deed done by Prime Minister Cao?He thought for sure, thought for a moment, and asked slightly surprised: "Prefect Zhu, how did you know about this?"

"Oh...it's like this, our Nanyang County is close to Baoyi County in Yuzhou. On that day, Baoyi County distributed rhino horn powder to treat the common people's disease. At that time, the officials happened to be there on business and witnessed the incident with their own eyes. A scene." Zhu Hu recalled it in his mind for a while before seriously answering, "I remember very clearly that General Cao Hong and his subordinates in the Prime Minister's Mansion personally brought rhino horn powder to Baoyi County to distribute it publicly that day. It is for the people suffering from the disease. General Cao also said that Prime Minister Cao smashed his ancestral rhino horn cup and donated it for everyone’s medical treatment. After receiving the rhino horn powder, he listened to General Cao’s words again , the people in the Baoyi County arena were so moved that they burst into tears, and the applause was thunderous!"

"Huh! How could it be that General Cao Hong came to distribute rhino horn powder?" Wang Chang, who was standing aside and listening silently, couldn't help interrupting Zhu Hu's words, and said in great surprise, "Why do I remember that it seems to be the representative of the imperial envoy Han Ji?" Your Majesty is coming..."

As he was speaking, he caught a glimpse of Sima Yi secretly giving him a wink, and hastily and forcefully swallowed the second half of the words back into his stomach, not daring to say any more.

And when Sima Yi heard all this, he understood it all at once.Han Ji, the imperial special envoy who came to distribute rhino horn powder on behalf of His Majesty the Han Emperor, needless to say, had already been secretly placed under house arrest by Cao Hong under the order of Cao Cao, and then he appeared on the stage in the name of Cao Cao to distribute medicine to save people, thereby establishing a Cao Cao's image of a virtuous lord who "cares about the world and loves the people like a son".In this "dark war" between the Han Dynasty and the Cao family for the hearts and minds of the people, Cao Cao actually won the victory with such despicable means.

Thinking of this, Sima Yi couldn't help feeling a deep fear of Cao Cao.Cao Cao is a man who does everything he can to achieve his goals.He beat his head and couldn't create such a perfect and brilliant strategy as Xun Lingjun's, but he dared to tear off his own face to "steal openly and secretly", relying on power to plagiarize other people's clever tricks into his own name .His shady trick is really full of ruffian air, how can it get on the stage?But Sima Yi thought about it carefully. Although these tricks of Cao Cao cannot be put on the table, they are the most effective in real life. I remember that it was Prime Minister Cao who smashed the ancestral rhino horn cup and ground it into powdered medicine, and asked Ai Jiang Cao Hong to distribute the medicine on his behalf to save people.Where would they have thought that this matter was originally decided at the court, and was issued by the imperial envoy Han Ji on behalf of His Majesty the Han Emperor?Yes, everyone in the entire Xu capital knows the truth of this matter.However, so what?Except for the 18 households in Xudu City, officials and common people in all states and counties in the Central Plains will put this sum of "benevolent government" on the head of Prime Minister Cao-if it is true, it will be false.Indeed, the powdered rhino horn was distributed to us by General Cao Hong on behalf of Prime Minister Cao himself. This is obvious to everyone—could it be wrong?
At this moment, Sima Yi finally understood that Xun Yu, the "No. [-] holy official in ancient and modern times" who was full of good plans, was still no match for Cao Cao, the "No. [-] hero in ancient and modern times" who held military power.No matter how smart Xun Yu is, he is a holy minister after all, and he will not violate the bottom line of morality to fight side by side; and Cao Cao, no matter how disadvantaged he is, is a hero after all, without any moral burden in his heart, and he will use any tricks. Any bad thing can be done.What's more, he still holds military power.All Xun Yu's efforts to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty will be in vain in the end.

"There is a cloud in "Zhuangzi": "For the thieves who will pick up the suitcases, explore the bags, and send out the thieves to guard, you must keep the sacks and hold the sacks. This is the so-called wisdom of the world. However, when the big thieves come, they will take the sacks and reveal them. I am afraid that it will not be solid.'" Sima Yi smiled lightly, patted his palms lightly, and said slowly to Zhu Hu, "It seems that the Tao of Confucius and Mencius and the learning of Laozhuang and Zhuangzi are the same. It can be called the quintessence of the country, you and I must study it deeply!"

Seeing that Sima Yi's words and deeds were a little strange at this time, Zhu Hu was stunned when he heard Sima Yi's inexplicable emotion, and even Zhanger King Kong couldn't figure it out, so he had to say with a dry smile, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Master Sima taught the right thing."

But seeing Sima Yi stop, he seemed to ask casually: "I heard that there is a 'Snow Cottage Teahouse' in the suburbs of Nanyang County, which seems to be very famous?"

"Oh! Xuelu Tea Shop? Let the officials think about it, it seems to be nearby..." Zhu Hu frowned for a moment, recalling it, and then suddenly remembered, stretched his neck to look forward, and hurriedly stretched out his hand, "Here, it's right there! However, Master Sima laughed at me. I just heard that there is such a tea shop, but I have never been there, and I don't know how the tea art is inside."

Sima Yi followed the direction of Zhu Hu's finger and looked from a distance, only to see a corner of tea shop flags fluttering in the woods at the corner of the post road.He smiled slightly, and said: "Very well, please ask Taishou Zhu to accompany us to sit for a while?"

Zhu Hu heard the words, nodded repeatedly in agreement, and led the way ahead.

Eliminate cruel officials with harsh hands, and secure the people of one side

After a pot of tea, the group of them arrived in front of the Xuelu teahouse.Unexpectedly, after entering the door, there are four or five square tables and eight or nine benches in the tea shop, which is very simple.Zhu Hu frowned slightly when he saw this, but Sima Yi remained calm, with a calm expression, and sat down calmly when he entered the shop.

There were only the shopkeeper and two or three waiters in the tea shop, and when they saw the guests, they rushed to collect them.Sima Yi smiled and said: "Shopkeeper, the business in your tea shop is very slow!" The shopkeeper was about 40 years old, with a pale face, looked Sima Yi up and down, and smiled bitterly: "The world is in chaos, so where is the business?" Is it better? I not only sell tea here, but also sell gluten, steamed buns, rice, and dishes. If I cook well in a month, there will be no more than a hundred customers. Also, to tell you the truth, my tea shop is in This is the only one within a hundred miles."

Sima Yi smiled: "According to what you say, it's really rare that there is only one tea shop like you in Nanyang." He smiled and looked up at Zhu Hu.Zhu Hu couldn't hold back, so he gave a dry cough and lowered his head to order.Sima Yi asked the shopkeeper again: "Is your life going well? How much grain can a family here grow a year? How much grain does the county ask you for?" The ordinary literati and scholars passing by, no doubt about him, replied bluntly: "We have a family of six or seven, and we can only grow a hundred and sixty shi of grain in a year of hard work. The county will collect more than half of it. .Ah! It's been a hard day!"

As soon as Zhu Hu's face changed, he was about to speak.But Sima Yi spoke first: "The county expropriates you on behalf of the imperial court, and it is a last resort. As long as the bandits are leveled, the Central Plains are cleared, and the world is peaceful, you can live an easy life."

"The imperial government's use of troops to fight wars was originally to save the people from fire and water, and we are very supportive. But I think that if the imperial court really cares about us common people, it should improve its troops and simplify its administration. In fact, many of the soldiers in the barracks are troublesome people in the county. I'm used to idleness, and I'm in the army for nothing..." The shopkeeper said angrily, "Think about it, in this troubled world, seven out of ten people in the world join the army to quell the chaos, and the remaining two out of ten live in the fields. The people are few and there are many soldiers. I think that the soldiers in the barracks are all strong and strong, and they can do things by themselves on weekdays. They have enough food and clothing! The imperial court’s use of troops to quell chaos is originally for the sake of reassuring the people, not to disturb them..."

Sima Yi listened very carefully, and sometimes nodded slightly, saying yes softly.Indeed, the imperial court currently has an army of 80, and the supply of food and grass has always been a big headache.Although the shopkeeper's suggestion is unremarkable, it is very correct, and it is indeed a feasible strategy. After returning to the mansion, he must offer it to Prime Minister Cao.Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile slightly.It seems that this Weibo inspection is really a worthwhile trip.This suggestion alone was something he and his colleagues could hardly come up with while sitting in the study.Wang Chang was quite surprised on the other side. He didn't expect that there would be such a person with extraordinary insight in this wilderness, which is really not to be underestimated.

Sima Yi suddenly glanced at Zhu Hu again, and asked the shopkeeper, "I don't know how the people's livelihood and sentiments are in this Nanyang County? I think under the governance of the upright and honest Mr. Zhu, it should be 'scholars do their best, and the people enjoy their careers', right? But the shopkeeper shook his head and said: "Master Zhu is indeed a capable official of the generation, and it is true that he is a clean and honest official, but he supervises the people too strictly, governs the government too harshly, and enforces the law too harshly. Violators will be implicated in the nine clans and all will be imprisoned. If this continues, there will be big troubles. Many Nanyang scholars and people don’t want to stay here any longer, and they are planning to move to the surrounding Jingzhou, Yuzhou and other counties!"

Listening, Zhu Hu, who was silent at the side, looked even more ugly.Wang Chang saw that he just buried his head down and drank bowl after bowl of tea, resting his left hand on the tea table, his fingers actually scratched a few deep marks on the table.Sima Yi squinted to see all this clearly, and remained calm, just smiled slightly, took out a string of copper bahts and put them in the owner's hand, saying: "Listening to your words is better than reading ten years of books. I am very impressed, Thank you." Then he stood up, Zhu Hu and Wang Chang also stood up, and together with Sima Yi bowed their hands to the shopkeeper farewell.Only then did Zhu Hu raise his head, and his cold and sharp eyes punctured the shopkeeper's face, which made him feel very uncomfortable.He didn't know why this person seemed to have a deep hatred with him, so he had to send them out of the shop with a smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)