Chapter 216: Widely praised, proclaimed emperor [Subscribe]

Jizhou, Yecheng.

Standing on the top of the city wall and looking towards Luoyang was Yuan Shao.

"Is there any news coming back from Luoyang?"

Guo Tu, who was accompanying him, said: "Not yet, but the emperor is offering sacrifices to heaven and earth today, so our people who have infiltrated Luoyang will take action, it should be soon."

In the afternoon, Jizhou received the latest news from Luoyang through secret letters.

When Guo Tu walked into the study, Yuan Shao was looking at the map.

The territories under the jurisdiction of Yanzhou and Jizhou are marked separately on the map. They face each other north and south across the Yellow River and have roughly the same area.

Guo Tu waited for a long time, but Yuan Shao still stared at the map without saying a word.

"Governor, there is news from Luoyang."

"The operation failed, is Cao Mengde okay?"

"Yes, Wang Zifu and others who secretly came to Jizhou have all been killed."

Guo Tu: "Dong Cheng and his daughter are also dead. We used Concubine Dong to join forces with Ji Ping to poison Cao Cao, but we were discovered in advance."

"In addition, the White Demon is withdrawing from Luoyang."

Bai Yao is the spy chief of Jizhou.

When Ji Ping died, Wang Yue told Cao Cao that someone had used the forbidden technique of the Legalists.

The person who used magic on Jiping in secret was Bai Yao, a disciple of the Legalist school.

The spies in Jizhou were expanding and rebuilding the Yuan family's existing system.

Yuan Wei has gradually handed over all his authority, including spies and information gathering.

"There was also news from Luoyang that Cao Cao was blessed with a strange phenomenon when the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven and earth. All the people saw it, and the clouds turned into dragons. They also said that he was destined to be the emperor. Within half a day, the news spread throughout Luoyang."

"Cao Mengde? Is this destiny?"

These two short questions showed Yuan Shao's surprise.

"Yes."

Guo Tu: "Cao Cao has killed Dong Zhuo and expelled the Liangzhou army in recent years, which has benefited the people of Luoyang and Chang'an. He has always had a good reputation among the people. When they learned that it was him who had the vision, the people of Luoyang rushed to spread the news, and many of them cheered."

Yuan Shao frowned and said:
"No matter how good the reputation is, it wouldn't be spread around in just half a day. It's obvious that someone is pushing it behind the scenes."

"There is another good news. The governor will be happy to hear it!"

Guo Tu's face showed a solemn and respectful expression: "The people who went to pick up Zheng Sinong are on their way to Yecheng."

"Zheng Sinong is finally here."

Yuan Shao was really delighted: "Prepare the carriages, we will go east to meet Zheng Sinong!"

"Yes."

The Zheng Sinong mentioned by Yuan Shao was named Zheng Xuan. Perhaps not many people in later generations know who Zheng Sinong is?
But he was very famous in his time and was hailed as the Grand Master.

Even thousands of years later, he was revered as a master, and his status was comparable to that of saints like Confucius and Mencius.

Zheng Xuan, whose courtesy name was Kangcheng and pseudonym was Zheng Sinong, was from Gaomi, Beihai.

He was a great Confucianist in the late Han Dynasty. He single-handedly integrated the ancient text classics and the modern text classics, and founded Zheng School.

Yes, he pioneered a new doctrine and realized a "small unified era" in culture.

He had his own academy with thousands of students all over the world.

The grand occasion when he taught was comparable to the three thousand disciples of Confucius, even in the chaotic times at the end of the Han Dynasty.

Yuan Shao spent a lot of effort to find Zheng Xuan and invite him to the university because he was impressed by his powerful influence and unparalleled academic status.

If we say that Cao Cao controlled the emperor, he was politically righteous.

Zheng Xuan represents knowledge, the cultural heritage that Confucianism values ​​most.

Nowadays, anyone who has some knowledge agrees with Zheng Xuan.

His coming to Jizhou can offset the emperor's influence to a certain extent.

You should know that the reason why Zheng Xuan was called Zheng Sinong was because he wrote books such as "On the Seven Planets of Astronomy" and "Zhonghou", totaling one million words.

Later generations listed him as one of the twenty-two "first teachers", and enshrined him in the Confucius Temple, making him a semi-saint figure.

He is well versed in astronomy and nature, which not only represents the cultural conclusion, but also rises to the level of "Heaven's Way", which is the most unshakable and convincing level in feudal society.

Yuan Wei had previously said that he had thought of a plan that would prevent Yanzhou from taking advantage of him again, and that was to suggest inviting Zheng Xuan.

The purpose was to establish Confucian orthodoxy and help Yuan Shao build the banner of "Mandate of Heaven".

Zheng Xuan lived in Qingzhou. After the war broke out, he found a place to live in seclusion to avoid the war.

But Yuan Wei happened to know where Zheng Xuan was hiding.

When Yuan Shao went to meet Zheng Xuan in person, Cao Cao returned to Cao's mansion.

They were also discussing excitedly the strange signs that appeared from the sky during the sacrificial ceremony.

Jia Xu immediately made arrangements to fan the flames and had the news spread widely.

Even Zhong Yao couldn't help but come over again after hearing the news.

"The governor is a great talent."

Everyone knows how important this is.

It was a rare opportunity for such a thing to happen during the emperor's ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors.

This also further strengthened Zhong Yao's confidence in joining Cao's camp.

He knew very well that Cao Cao's killing of Dong Cheng and others in public was to serve as a warning to others, in order to deter those with ulterior motives and stabilize Luoyang. He also knew what he should do if he stayed in Luoyang.

After a busy period, Cao Cao set out on his journey back east in the evening.

It is worth mentioning that Xu Huang also officially joined Cao’s camp and accompanied him back to Yanzhou.

Inside the carriage, Cao Cao, Jia Xu and Guo Jia were talking and discussing matters.

"I just received a piece of news from Jizhou in the evening. Zheng Xuan, who had been in seclusion for several years, was invited to Jizhou."

Jia Xu said: "Wherever he went, people from every household lined the streets to greet him, and there was quite a commotion."

"Zheng Xuan's influence is truly astonishing."

Guo Jia said: "Thanks to the governor's skillful hands, I have received a vision of destiny today, which echoes Zheng Xuan's theory of destiny and offsets some of the impact that his joining Jizhou will have on us."

The three of them talked for a while, and then Jia Xu and Guo Jia got off the carriage.

There was still news coming from all sides on the road, and the two of them were responsible for receiving and processing it.

Cao Cao read the letter for a while in the carriage, and suddenly remembered the changes in his physical body, the possession of a real dragon artifact, and the fact that his appearance was +1.

He felt something was unusual at the time and checked it out afterwards.

Are there any genuine dragon artifacts left in good condition?

Where is the +1 added? [Physique is like a real dragon, which increases the ability to survive. After consumption, it can be quickly restored without fatigue.]

Cao Cao glanced at the entry. This real dragon physique is truly a treasure.

The battle between Yanzhou and Jizhou was about to begin, and Henei was a strategic point on the front line. On his way back, Cao Cao went to Henei first to inspect the situation again.

He was in the Hanoi camp, but he met someone he almost forgot.

Zhang Xiu...his aunt Zou Yuan is still at Lao Cao's house.

"The governor."

Cao Cao came over and met everyone.

After the others reported everything and left, Zhang Xiu came to ask for a meeting and knelt down to pay homage as soon as he entered the door.

"I sincerely surrender to Yanzhou and am willing to lead troops to fight for the governor of the state."

Zhang Xiu presented a letter to Cao Cao, who opened it and saw that it was written by Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun and Zhang Xiu are actually brothers in the same school.

But Zhao Yun did not come to beg for mercy.

He only admitted in the letter that he and Zhang Xiu were from the same family.

Zhao Yun was Tong Yuan's last disciple, and Zhang Xiu was a registered disciple.

When Zhao Yun entered the door, Zhang Xiu was already walking outside, and the two had never even met each other.

Zhao Yun's personality also looked down on Zhang Xiu's behavior.

But when Zhang Xiu came to him for help, Zhao Yun frankly told him that they both learned from Tong Yuan.

Cao Cao had previously wanted to kill Zhang Xiu because he had a fickle personality and Cao's camp did not need a general like him.

But it’s not unusable.

Some dirty work has to be done by someone. Let him use his merits to earn himself a chance to survive.

"The governor said before that he had fed me poison, but when the day came, the poison did not take effect, and I did not defect. Xiu was sincere in serving him and had no second thoughts."

Zhang Xiu knelt down and said, "Please give me a chance, Governor."

[Loyalty value: 61 (low, but usable)]

Zhang Xiu spoke earnestly.

However, the loyalty value is only 61, just above the passing line.

Cao Cao: "Since you want to serve me, I will give you a chance. You will lead the troops under your command, replace Zhao Yun, and go north to pursue and kill the foreign tribes to prevent them from disturbing our Han territory. If you perform well, you will be allowed to join the camp."

Zhang Xiu readily agreed: "I will lead my troops north tomorrow."

Cao Cao stayed in Hanoi for two days and then set off again to return to Yanzhou.

The news that he had been chosen by heaven spread quickly with the promotion of Jia Xu.

Cao's spies in various places spread the news to different states and counties within three to five days.

Jingzhou!

Liu Biao also heard the news and sneered: "Cao Mengde is destined to succeed the throne. What a joke!"

He was born into a royal family and it was impossible for him to acknowledge that anyone other than the Liu family was the chosen one.

But when he heard the news, Liu Biao couldn't help but worry.

He doesn't believe it, but the common people do.

This will greatly increase the prestige of Yanzhou and Cao Cao.

"Go and send a message to Jizhou, and tell them that I agree with their proposal to join forces. As long as Jizhou goes to war with Yanzhou, I, Jingzhou, will also join the war and join forces with Jizhou to defeat Yanzhou!"

Yangzhou, Huainan County, Shouchun.

Yuan Shu also learned the news that Cao Cao had been chosen by heaven.

"Cao Mengde is the descendant of a eunuch. How dare he say that he is destined by heaven?"

Although Yuan Shu was frightened by Cao Cao, he showed more and more contempt for Cao Cao.

The news that Cao Cao had been chosen by heaven only strengthened his confidence in becoming emperor.

He was obsessed with becoming emperor.

In early October, Yuan Shu announced to the world and officially proclaimed himself emperor according to the established plan.

He called himself Zhongjia, made Shouchun his capital, upgraded the area under his jurisdiction to Huainan Yin, appointed hundreds of officials, and distributed fiefs and rewards.

The grand founding ceremony and the huge financial expenditure quickly consumed the financial, material and human resources of the area under his charge.

When Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, Cao Cao had just returned to Daye Lake and was checking the autumn harvest.

After autumn, the harvests from various places are summarized.

In addition to wheat and rice, there are other staple foods such as millet, yellow rice, and barnyard grass.

The total output of these crops in Yanzhou and Yuzhou was nearly three million hu.

Someone once calculated that after the establishment of Cao Wei, its annual output was probably between 5 and 6 million hu.

That was the total output of nearly ten states during the Cao Wei period.

Of course, it was the time of the Three Kingdoms War. After the previous chaos in the world, China's population and food supplies were severely depleted and were far less than they are now.

But even so, the comparison still shows the prosperity of Yanzhou and Yuzhou, the two major production areas.

At present, Yanzhou has initially had "surplus grain" and can feed and attract more people.

With the production of grain, the famine situation in Xuzhou and Sizhou caused by the war was greatly alleviated.

The situation in the two places naturally became stable.

At the same time, Cao Cao collected grain along the Yellow River, and then withdrew his troops southward, cleared the fields, and made further preparations for the battle.

In mid-October, Cao Cao and his wives and concubines returned to Changyi from Daye Lake.

The weather is getting colder.

The situation in Jizhou and Yanzhou was becoming increasingly tense, with small-scale clashes breaking out from time to time along the coast.

In Changyi, Cao Cao was quite leisurely.

In the evening, he sat in his study, paying attention to the matters concerning Mozi's tomb.

Yueyingjing observed the process of Ling Jin and others robbing Mozi's tomb intermittently.

"Cai Bojie asked for a meeting and said he had something important to discuss." The personal soldiers came in to report.

I just wanted to tell him about Na Wenji... Cao Cao thought, "Please ask him to come in."

When his personal troops went out to pass the message, Cao Cao looked at the Moon Shadow Mirror again.

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(End of this chapter)