I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 268 Young Cao Mengde

As far as Yuan Shu knew, Cao Cao was the same age as him and was also eighteen years old now.

He had been very close to Yuan Shao before, but because Yuan Shao had gone to Luoyang to be an official and Cao Cao was not yet an adult, he did not go with him and remained in the Cao clan's territory.

When Wang Ji rebelled, Cao Cao and other young clan members also joined the battle to defend the county and clan property. According to Cao Zhong, Cao Cao was very brave. He wielded a long sword and chopped down six enemies. He was the bravest of the younger generation of the Cao family.

This gave Yuan Shu some new insights into Cao Cao.

Because in his impression, Cao Cao was a commander, a leader, and a poet, and his combat effectiveness did not seem to be the most concerned issue for future generations.

However, Yuan Shu also knew that Cao Cao was a knight-errant when he was young, and it was normal for him to wield swords and guns. Later, there was a legendary story about him attempting to assassinate Zhang Rang, waving his double halberds to prevent Zhang Rang's guards from getting close, and thus escaping safely.

I think his fighting ability should be quite high.

Yuan Shu carefully looked at Cao Cao, who was standing in front of him and seemed a little nervous.

Compared with those Cao clan members of the same age around him, Cao Cao was indeed not tall, but not very short either. He looked quite strong, his eyes were not big, but very bright. His appearance could only be described as ordinary, and he was indeed not handsome, at least not as good as Yuan Shao and himself.

But it’s definitely not ugly.

Yuan Shu couldn't help but sigh.

It is indeed wrong to judge people by their appearance. With Cao Cao's appearance and figure, who could have thought that he was someone who could change the chaotic situation at the end of the Han Dynasty in the future before he rose to power?

So he decided to have a conversation with Cao Cao to test his ability.

"Cao Cao? I have heard of your name. You and my brother get along very well and have a close relationship. You and another man named Xu You often hang out together. Is that right?"

When Cao Cao heard this, his already nervous expression became even more uneasy.

"indeed so……"

Others didn't know, but he knew that the relationship between the brothers Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao was not good. It had been bad since childhood. Although they were called brothers, their relationship was actually very cold.

Yuan Shao even unilaterally regarded Yuan Shu as an enemy, and repeatedly sought solutions from him and Xu You to defeat Yuan Shu, although he always ended in failure.

If Yuan Shu knew that Cao had once given advice to Yuan Shao...

Will they target me, suppress me, and make me suffer the consequences?
but……

I never thought of becoming an enemy of Yuan Shu! I just wanted to please Yuan Shao and gain his appreciation!

Cao Cao felt both aggrieved and regretful.

To please Yuan Shao and gain his appreciation was the task of the elders in his family, not his own will.

The elders in his family said that as the eldest son, he, Cao Cao, should do something for the family and the younger generations in the clan, so he got so close to and tried to please Yuan Shao.

Is it...

Will Yuan Shu hold him accountable?

Cao Cao's thoughts were jumping and he was confused. He immediately tried to defend himself.

But just as he opened his mouth and was about to say something, he heard Yuan Shu's hearty laughter.

"Hahahahahaha, as expected, anyone who can be admired by my brother is not an ordinary person. Someone of my age has such a heroic spirit. He is indeed extraordinary!"

Yuan Shu clapped his hands and laughed: "Such a heroic young man, who has made great contributions to the country, deserves a generous reward! A reward of thirty taels of gold, one hundred taels of silver, and ten pieces of Shu brocade, as a token of his merit in killing the bandits for the country! It will boost the spirit of young patriots!"

Cao Cao blinked, then froze for a moment, not reacting.

Cao Zhong reacted.

This is not a small reward, it is a real huge reward. The fact that he can give such a huge reward shows that Yuan Shu is very optimistic about Cao Cao, doesn't it?

Cao Zhong showed a look of delight and immediately shouted, "Fuck, why don't you thank Captain Yuan!"

Cao Cao reacted immediately after being called out. He opened his mouth and bowed deeply.

"Thank you very much, Captain Yuan, for the reward!"

"No need to be polite."

Yuan Shu waved his hand and smiled, "The country will prosper more in the future only if we have such brave young men. Mr. Cao is so young, but he is so courageous. He is extraordinary... I wonder if Mr. Cao has read any books?" Yuan Shu's words should have seemed strange, because he himself was only eighteen, and he could only be considered a brave young man, but in the eyes of everyone, there was nothing strange about them.

Because his power, reputation and status are so high.

Cao Cao did not regard Yuan Shu as a peer at all. Instead, he treated him cautiously and nervously as a superior and ruler, and could not help but adopt the attitude of a subject towards him.

Cao Cao did not dare to neglect Yuan Shu's questions in the slightest, and he was still slightly excited in his heart.

"To reply to Captain Yuan, I have read the Five Classics, Guanzi, Han Feizi, and Sun Tzu's Art of War."

"Yes, that's right. Young people should not only read the Five Classics, but also read the works of other ancient sages. It's right to broaden their horizons. As for military books..."

Yuan Shu pondered for a moment and said slowly: "For military books, it is enough to know the content. Don't read too much. The situation of the army is ever-changing, and the shape of water is ever-changing. A military book cannot tell all the military affairs in the world, and one person's words cannot describe the war situation throughout the ages. More depends on your own understanding."

"Fuck you!"

Cao Cao said excitedly: "Captain Yuan's words, I will keep them in mind! And... Cao... Cao has also read "Mencius's Interpretation" and "On Knowing and Doing."

"Oh?"

Yuan Shu showed some interest and asked with a smile, "Have you read my works?"

"Exactly!"

Cao Cao hurriedly said: "Your work has been widely circulated, very exquisite, and with punctuation and annotations, it is very easy to read and understand, and full of fun. I love it and can't put it down. I have read it five times in a row."

Yuan Shu nodded.

"Have you gained any insights from reading this?"

"My biggest realization is what you said about the decline of morals and the corruption of scholars."

Cao Cao said in a loud voice: "Before Emperor Guangwu's Restoration, the country was declining. Confucian scholars believed that it was time to change the Mandate of Heaven, which is why they pushed Wang Mang to usurp the throne. After Wang Mang usurped the throne, he completely followed the teachings of the ancient sages to reform the country, but he failed completely. The country was in chaos and wars broke out among the various factions!
It was not until Emperor Guangwu's restoration that the world regained stability. But in this case, wasn't the chaos in the world caused by Confucianists? That's why Emperor Guangwu didn't trust Confucianists, and that's why the study of prophecies and divinations became popular in the world, and Confucianism gradually declined and fell until the School of Mind was born!
"To follow conscience, to unite knowledge and action, to promote conscience to the world, I am filled with emotion every time I read it. I also heard that you have built conscience farms in various places, and governed the farms with the knowledge of conscience, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and have enough food to eat without the worry of hunger. I really yearn for it!"

Yuan Shu could sense a strong fan vibe from Cao Cao's words.

Could it be that Cao Mengde has become his fan?

Yuan Shu suddenly found it very interesting.

"Do you really think so?"

"That's natural!"

Cao Cao immediately said: "The facts are right before our eyes, and others cannot disagree! If they disagree, let them see it with their own eyes!"

"But there are many people who disagree. They think I am spreading rumors and misleading the public, and that I am shaking the foundation of the Han Dynasty."

Yuan Shu said slowly: "For this reason, they surrounded and intercepted me in Luoyang, and jointly refuted me, which made me very embarrassed..."

“That’s their ignorance!”

Cao Cao was dissatisfied and said, "If they think what you said is wrong, then they can argue with you to prove that they are right, but they can't do it. Not to mention that the people in the Conscience Farm live and work in peace and contentment, while other places are often starving. Doesn't this prove that you are right and they are wrong?"

"People only believe what they want to believe. For other things, even if the truth is placed before their eyes, they will only think it is a lie."

Yuan Shu folded his hands in front of his chest and shook his head, saying, "Liu He, Wang Ji and other bandits started a rebellion, but an army of 30,000 could have crushed them. However, the evil thoughts in the hearts of these people are invisible and intangible. That's why I feel that it's easy to defeat the evil in the world, but it's hard to defeat the evil in one's heart!"

Cao Cao pursed his lips, and suddenly something occurred to him. He said, "If that's the case, then let the person with the thief in his heart become the thief in the world, and then defeat him with force! If we wipe out the thieves in the world, then the thief in the heart will have no place to stay!"

Yuan Shu looked at Cao Cao in amazement, as if he had seen a new continent.

The young men from the Cao and Xiahou families also looked at Cao Cao in surprise, wondering if Cao Cao was being a little too bold.

Cao Zhong was even more shocked. When he saw Yuan Shu's expression, he immediately stood up and scolded him.

"Fuck! Stop talking nonsense! How can you be so presumptuous in front of Captain Yuan?"

He immediately walked up to Cao Cao, patted him hard, then turned around and bowed to Yuan Shu.

"Captain Yuan, I am young and ignorant. If I have offended you, please do not pursue the matter!"

(End of this chapter)