Chapter 259: Triumphant Return to the South, Destiny is Rectified [Subscribe]

During his fifteen years of life, Emperor Liu Xie experienced almost all the hardships that one could experience.

He lost both his parents when he was young, and was made emperor by Dong Zhuo at the age of nine. From then on, he lost his freedom, was surrounded by evil people, and faced the threat of death at all times.

After that, he was like a lamb to be slaughtered, being controlled by everyone in turn.

He tried several times to take back his power from Cao Cao, but he was hit every time and lost more and more.

He has already understood that it is better to be still than to move, and that he should lie low and wait contentedly.

But he could not bear being oppressed by a powerful official.

This country belongs to his Liu family.

He wanted to take back the emperor's dignity and the power of life and death.

He wanted to revive the Liu family's empire rather than be a tool to be controlled.

Liu Xie wrote this in a private letter to Cao Cao:
"Assist me, or let me go.

If you want to take away my Liu family's kingdom, you will have to pay a price.

Give me Sizhou and Nanyang, and I will make you king. You will have a legitimate fiefdom. Give me some time, I believe I can manage it better than you do. Then we will see whether I can conquer your fiefdom or you can continue to take away everything from me. "

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes: If I give you Sizhou and Nanyang, Li Jue and Guo Si will come to grab them. What can you use to resist? The thousands of private soldiers raised by the Fu family and the mouths of people like Kong Rong can talk the rebels to death. You can't hold on for a month, and you will be back to the same situation.

But the emperor's words are not as simple as they seem, but a retreat in order to advance.

Including rewards for Cao Cao's position as prime minister.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang was the emperor and the ruler of the country.

However, the existence of the three positions of prime minister, imperial doctor and grand commander made the government relatively independent.

The prime minister is the highest official of the government and is responsible for administration.

The Imperial Censor was in charge of supervision and was equivalent to the deputy prime minister.

The Taiwei was in charge of military affairs.

These three top bureaucrats held great power, but they also checked and restrained each other, just like the separation of powers in later generations.

But when it came to Emperor Wu of Han, he did not allow the imperial power to fall into the hands of others and strengthened centralization.

Therefore, the power of the prime minister and other three officials was suppressed, and the power of the Shangshu (secretary) around him began to expand.

Since the Secretariat was located in the palace, the administrative power of the Three Dukes was actually returned to the hands of the emperor.

During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, further reforms were carried out, and the Three Dukes were changed to the Grand Marshal, the Grand Tutor, and the Grand Marshal (Grand Commander).

From then on, there was no longer a prime minister who monopolized administrative power and confronted the emperor.

However, it magnified the power of the external relatives and the Secretariat, and the Three Dukes became nominal.

Historically, Cao Cao wanted to expand his power and carry out political reforms, so he restored the prime minister system of the early Han Dynasty in the name of the emperor. He went a step further and took control of both military and political affairs, bringing all power into his hands.

Yet this is the historical situation.

In this world, Cao Cao avoided certain problems from the root.

With his current power, he no longer needs to accept the emperor's reward.

Therefore, the emperor's decree, especially the appointment of the prime minister this time, was not pushed by Cao Cao behind the scenes.

In history, Cao Cao had a rift with Xun Yu from the moment he was promoted to prime minister.

Or maybe it existed earlier, but the monopolization of power by the prime minister was the fuse for the concentrated outbreak.

In history, Cao Cao lived in Yecheng for a long time after the Battle of Guandu, while the emperor was still in Xu County, where Xun Yu was also in charge of the Secretariat, becoming the center for the emperor to convey his will.

This is how Xun Yu got the title of Xun Gong Ling.

When Cao Cao became prime minister, the power of the Secretariat was gone and Xun Yu was sidelined.

In addition to the gains and losses of power, it also involved changes in Cao Cao's attitude towards the gentry in his later years, and the two began to drift further and further apart.

Cao Cao had foreseen all these, so he showed the chariots and horses at the beginning.

Although Xun Yu was loyal to the Han Dynasty, he had never come into contact with the emperor and had never held any of the positions he held in history.

He has always worked under Cao Cao, and the two of them will definitely not break up again because of these reasons.

However, the fact that the emperor bestowed the position of prime minister upon him was still an issue that could not be underestimated.

The young emperor was expressing his attitude, or trying to gather those who were still willing to be close to the imperial power, making it clear that he was making a final stand with Cao Cao.

The emperor is willing to risk his life to fight me to the death. His courage is commendable... By appointing him as prime minister, I want to see if there is anyone who dares to stand up and safeguard the imperial power.

This may be the last solution that the little emperor, or the Fu family who supports him behind the scenes, can think of.

The emperor and the Fu family both realized that if they allowed Cao Cao to take one more step forward, he would easily take away the emperor's position.

At that time, there was no chance to struggle.

How useful is this method today?

Who dares to stand up and fight Cao Cao?
It’s not that there isn’t…

Cao Cao shook his head slightly and threw the imperial edict aside.

The last rebound of imperial power is a good thing. Once Liangzhou is taken, the time will come to openly declare himself king.

History tells Cao Cao to store up grain and wait until he becomes king.

So even though his power has grown to the present day and he has eight states in his hands, he is still not king.

The neighbor next door, who dared to proclaim himself emperor just because he controlled two or three counties, was targeted and beaten, and was pressed into a puddle as big as a horse's hoof, and was almost drowned.

A few days later, Cao Cao's carriage was getting closer and closer to Yecheng.

Expected to be home tomorrow.

In the afternoon, as they approached Yecheng, Cao Cao suddenly felt something and lifted the curtain of the car to look outside.

"Zheng Sinong..." In the distance, Zheng Xuan, the greatest Confucian scholar of the time, rode a small yellow horse, three hundred miles north of Yecheng, to meet Cao Cao.

When Yuan Shao learned that Zheng Xuan had arrived in Jizhou, he went out to welcome him with great ceremony, and traveled three hundred miles to welcome him.

Since the Battle of Guandu, Zheng Xuan sent his disciple Yao Jing to Yanzhou to observe Cao Cao and the atmosphere under his rule.

This time, Cao Cao defeated the Wuhuan, recovered Youzhou, and at the same time defeated the elite Xianbei. He fought the battle beautifully, and his military tactics and strategies were eye-opening.

In the weak late Han Dynasty, Cao Cao's uniqueness is further highlighted, far beyond the reach of other princes.

Everyone was still trapped in one state or one county, unable to go out. Cao Cao had already started the process of conquering the south and the north, and strengthening the Han Dynasty to attack the outside world.

Everyone is in a hurry, including Zheng Xuan.

Once you see the opportunity, you must seize it.

He decided to take advantage of Cao Cao's triumphant return and stand up as the foremost Confucian to endorse Cao Cao.

Why should we take the initiative to get closer to Cao Cao?
From the perspective of personal gain, Zheng Xuan wanted to gather luck, reach the semi-saint realm, leave his name in history, and promote Zheng's school of thought.

Yu Gong wanted to establish a school of thought, and popularity was the most indispensable thing. Naturally, he hoped that the chaotic times would end soon and the people could live in peace, so that there would be a foundation for the vigorous development of Confucianism.

What he regretted most was that he was born at the wrong time and was unable to teach and preach in this prosperous era.

It now seems that these demands can only be achieved with the recognition and support of Cao Cao in his lifetime.

He is already sixty-eight, and time waits for no one.

Mr. Zheng can't wait any longer.

He was the first to jump out and surrender to Cao, thus gaining the credit of being a dragon's follower, and also pointing the way for everyone.

Cao Cao suspected that his motives were not pure, but it didn't matter, Zheng Xuan was ready to play his cards openly.

Now is the prologue.

He had the greatest reputation of his time. When he gave lectures in the academy, thousands of students attended, which was a rare occasion since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

This time he personally traveled hundreds of miles north to welcome Cao Cao back in triumph. How big of a sensation would that cause? !

What Zheng Xuan wanted was to create an effect that would make the whole world boil, so that he could use it as a token of his surrender and eliminate Cao Cao's doubts.

He rode north, and along the way he saw herds of cattle and horses, as well as large carts of supplies being transported back from Youzhou.

These are the wealth accumulated by the Wuhuan people over the years by being won over by various parties and plundering everywhere.

Including horses, cattle, sheep, gold and silver, all were pulled back by Cao Cao.

The front team set out earlier than Cao Cao, so as Zheng Xuan headed north, he saw many teams returning, many of which were escorting supplies.

When we finally approached Cao Cao's personal army, it was a gloomy afternoon and it seemed like it was going to snow.

But Zheng Sinong was very happy, as the cloudy day gave him room to perform.

He was known as Si Nong, and he was not only good at weather forecasting.

Instead, he has cultivated to such a level that heaven and earth are in sync, and he has an ability similar to the coordination between heaven and earth, and can locally influence celestial phenomena.

Zheng Xuan rode his horse to the front of Cao Cao's team, his face solemn, and slowly pointed to the sky. With the great energy in his body, he promoted the Confucian unique sage's magical power, and boasted:

“Time is divided into four seasons, days are divided into day and night, all things rise and fall, and dynasties come and go.

I read the books of the saints and saw purple clouds rising into the sky at night, returning from the north and stretching across the sky for 300 miles. This is the manifestation of destiny and a sign that virtue will return to the world. "

"I personally went three hundred miles to welcome him and saw the source of the purple air. There is a saint who is favored by heaven and earth, and he is blessed with the purple air. He is the one who will respond to the omen!"

Zheng Xuan got off his horse and walked up to a small hill nearby, with a solemn look on his face like a charlatan.

The carriage stopped on the official road. Cao Cao, who was "destined to be with you", saw the charlatan blocking the road and offering auspiciousness, and was about to lift the curtain to look at this contemporary great scholar.

This is quite a trick...

Zheng Xuan pointed at Cao Cao's chariot and said word by word: "Heaven and fate are in harmony, and fate and luck go together!"

It means that Cao Cao was blessed with great fortune from heaven and earth, and some things were destined by heaven and would happen at the right time.

Zheng Xuan's hand turned and pointed to the sky again: "Sky! Open!"

High in the sky, dark clouds suddenly rolled and parted.

A ray of sunlight slanted down and fell on Cao Cao's carriage like a waterfall.

This scene was so magical, as if the heaven really was bestowing fortune upon Cao Cao.

Despite the strict discipline of the surrounding Cao troops, they could not help but show slight unrest.

People today recognize and respect the will of heaven more than future generations can imagine.

Even the emperor was called the Son of Heaven, to express that he was the chosen one by heaven and deserved to be the emperor.

Cao Cao got out of the car politely, looked up at the sky, and exchanged glances with Dian Wei and Xu Chu beside him:
"This old man is really capable. His connection with the energy of heaven and earth is unprecedented!"

Anyone who saw this scene would be frightened.

Zheng Xuan, a great scholar of the time, saw through the secrets of heaven and pointed out that the governor of Yanzhou was a man blessed by the luck of heaven and earth. The clouds in the sky parted and the sun shone on him, proving that he was chosen by destiny.

This matter will surely spread throughout the world and bring about an incredible sensation.

If Director Jia, who is responsible for helping Cao Cao accumulate luck and spreading rumors, were to secretly push forward another wave, all places would be in an uproar.

Even Cao Cao himself felt a little dizzy. He looked at the place where the dark clouds in the sky dispersed and the sun was pouring down. Let's say there is a possibility that he is really the chosen one, and Zheng Xuan just happened to be lucky. He pointed to the sky and followed the will of heaven!
In fact, even if he didn't point that finger, God would also protect me? !
Cao Cao beckoned and said gently, "How about Zheng Sinong riding with me?"

Zheng Xuan immediately approached, and the old scholar happily got into the car.

The team continued to move forward, and Cao Cao asked: "Are there any similar methods?"

Zheng Xuan: "Yes, as long as the governor needs it, I can come back for another one after I get off the car."

This old man is actually quite suitable to be a national teacher, he is sensible.

Ps: Please vote~
(End of this chapter)