My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 707 Cao Cao: I have never seen such a shameless person!
Any military operation, when it comes to an end, if you have not yet achieved “eradicate all evil and pursue all the enemies.”

If the enemy you want to deal with is still alive in this world and cannot be killed instantly, you have to stop temporarily, retract your fist and accumulate strength, waiting for a more advantageous attack next time.

So, how to stop, at what critical moment to stop, and how to make as many tough statements as possible before stopping to reap all the political and propaganda benefits, this has become an important subject.

There is no doubt that in the context of the Eastern Han Dynasty, other people in the world did not think this through very thoroughly, including Zhuge Liang. In history, Zhuge Liang later took charge of the military and political affairs of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but he went to Qishan to fight the Northern Expedition many times, and every time he retreated or ceased fire, he did not try his best to whitewash it in propaganda.

At most, he would give Liu Chan a few more "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" to unify the thoughts of the top leaders. But Zhuge Liang did not have the energy or the routine to explain to the middle and lower levels.

This is not Zhuge Liang's personal problem, but the fact that the middle and lower class people in ancient times were generally not well educated, so it was useless to publicize it. Confucian scholars have always felt that "the people can be made to follow it, but not to understand it." There is no need to explain too much, as they will not understand even if you explain it.

This is a limitation of history, not a problem of any individual.

However, in today's world, if there is only one person who can break out of this limitation, it is undoubtedly Zhuge Jin who stands on the shoulders of giants.

Zhuge Jin was brought up in the propaganda war environment of two thousand years later, and was exposed to countless propaganda tricks of "concealing defeat as victory", let alone these side dishes in front of him now?
When Liu Bei was attacking, he would brag about every victory in different ways.

When Liu Bei stopped, he also tried his best to blow the question "Why did you stop?"

In short, fighting will bring you a good reputation, and not fighting will also bring you a good reputation. No matter what choice you make, you can gain a good reputation.

Cao Cao and Liu Xie will also soon feel the horror of this 360-degree, all-round propaganda.

……

Just five days had passed since Zhuge Jin was ordered to build momentum for the reason of withdrawing his troops.

The power of his first attack was demonstrated in the city of Xudu.

It was June 20th, and the senior officials in Cao Cao's camp were still worrying about moving all the officials from Xu Du to Luoyang.

There are also many military affairs on the Yancheng and Shangcai fronts that need to be handled by Cao Cao personally.

Xu Huang, Cao Zhen, Sun Quan and Zhang Fei on the front line were in a stalemate and supplies were often scarce. All of these required Xu Du to do its utmost to support them.

Early that morning, Cao Cao had just dealt with some royal relatives and nobles who made excuses to resist the relocation of the capital, and was feeling annoyed when suddenly Man Chong, who was also in charge of school affairs, came to ask for a meeting.

The so-called "Xiaoshi" was an intelligence and detective system under Cao Cao, which had some of the nature of secret work in later generations.

When Man Chong was young, he was in charge of torture and investigation for Cao Cao, and also in charge of a series of major cases such as the case of the former Grand Commandant Yang Biao. Especially in this life, because of the butterfly effect brought by Zhuge Jin, Man Chong was later in charge of the case of Dong Cheng and Lu Bu's rebellion against Cao, so he was more trusted by Cao Cao.

Man Chong's personal resume was therefore very different from his previous life. He was not sent to other places to help defend the city, but instead stayed in Xudu to deal with internal risks.

When Cao Cao heard that Man Chong was coming, he frowned, knowing that there must be some bad rumors among the people, or some other secret changes.

Cao Cao rubbed his temples, then waved for the maid to come over and rub his eyes with a silk scarf soaked in warm water, and then he told Man Chong to come in and see him.

After Man Chong came in, he did not dare to look up, but his eyes quickly moved upwards, and without looking up, he stole a glance to confirm Cao Cao's expression, and then reported steadily:
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, in the past two days, there have been a few strange things happening around Xudu, and there are also some rumors spread by the enemy, which may be related to the court's decision to move the capital back to Luo. After I got to know about it, I have analyzed and filed it, and I dare not neglect it..."

Cao Cao waved his hand in annoyance: "Let's be frank. It's definitely not good news."

Man Chong did not lay the groundwork and went straight to the point: "The first thing is that the school officials in Xudu discovered that recently some nobles who were previously allowed to 'arrange their own itinerary and go to Luoyang' seemed to have disappeared after leaving Xudu.

There were originally imperial post stations along the way from Xudu to Chenliu, and then to Xingyang, Chenggao, and Luoyang. The families of court officials and nobles were supposed to be received by post stations when they migrated. But I recently read the list of reports from the post stations along the way, and found that a considerable number of people disappeared after leaving the city.

I guess some people didn’t want to be relocated to Luoyang, so they returned to their hometown on their own, or maybe…”

When Cao Cao heard this, he became a little impatient, so he told Man Chong not to make too much of a fuss and just asked him who were the missing people and not to make any random analysis.

Man Chong hurriedly pulled out a brief list from the back and reported the key points. He found that the missing people were mainly the families of General Yu Jin and other generals who had died for their country. Of course, there were also a few other court officials who were noble but had no real power and were rather arrogant and foul-mouthed.

The former all had a good relationship with Cao Cao and were his trusted aides, but they needed preferential treatment and compensation because the pillars of their families had died for their country. The latter were often not on the same page with Cao Cao and most of them had the inclination to escape.

Cao Cao thought about it and decided that the latter should be hunted down, while the former was no longer of much use. Yu Jin was already dead, and he was supporting his family and treating them well, just to show the world that he, Cao Cao, had not forgotten the loyal and righteous people.

If the other party insists on running, it's no big deal.

After understanding this truth, Cao Cao decisively ordered to treat them differently: "Don't be too panic if the families of the martyred generals are lost, they will come back sooner or later. Those who pretend to obey the court but secretly disobey it must be strictly investigated to see if they want to take advantage of the chaos to betray the court!
Well, now that Zhang Fei is close to Shangcai, his cavalry can even infiltrate the Yancheng line. If someone really breaks away from Xudu and goes south on his own, he may really surrender to Liu Bei... We must guard against this! Pass on my order, let Xu Huang bring more cavalry to patrol the Yancheng line from now on, and make sure the fence is firmly established! "

Cao Cao gave clear and organized instructions. Most of the first half of the sentence was addressed to Man Chong, and the last half of the sentence naturally had another explanation.

Man Chong was not in charge of military affairs, so Cao Cao would of course send someone else to convey any military orders, and they would have to put them in writing.

Man Chong and another subordinate who was responsible for conveying military orders immediately accepted the orders and said nothing more.

After explaining this first thing, Man Chong quickly continued to report the follow-up:

"There is one more thing I need to report to the Prime Minister. Recently in Xudu, I have discovered many rumors among the people, saying that 'Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have more than 100,000 soldiers in Shangcai, why don't they attack with all their strength and attack Xudu directly?' These words are really unpleasant to hear, but I dare not hide them...

At the same time, there are some comments on the deeds of the previous emperor Yi, Xiang Yu and others in Xudu. They have been widely circulated recently and discussed by scholars. There are even related documents and poems. After I sent people to search and eliminate them, I found something sinister. Those documents and poems were actually written by the brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang! "

Although Cao Cao had heard several pieces of bad news today, he had remained relatively well-mannered until this moment. At most, he glared at Man Chong unkindly.

But after hearing the news, he finally couldn't sit still anymore.

The other party openly took the articles signed by Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang and came to Xudu to spread them secretly. This is a very close call.

Although Cao Cao had not seen the main text yet, he could imagine that it must contain all kinds of insults to him or secretly malicious content that was detrimental to him.

However, he did not have time to read the document carefully, so he just asked verbally: "Oh? Zhang Fei's troops were obviously insufficient, and the soldiers' fighting spirit was reduced. He could not break through the imperial army, but Liu Bei had the nerve to say that he did not want to fight? What excuses did they come up with? You can say it!
Also, have you brought those documents by Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang that mislead the people? Let me personally review them!"

Before Man Chong came, he had expected that the Prime Minister would definitely react strongly, and this issue could not be avoided and must be made clear.
So he quickly bit the bullet and explained: "There are rumors that Liu Bei heard that the Prime Minister had already started to move the capital, and he was worried that if Guan Yu and Zhang Fei attacked too hastily, the Prime Minister would be like... Dong Zhuo in the past, and use brutal means to ensure a smooth relocation and kill the people.

He also said... Liu Bei was worried that if he reached Xu Du before the emperor moved away, the prime minister would use the emperor as a hostage to force him to act cautiously. He postponed the attack for the emperor's safety."

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Cao Cao smashed the jade inkstone on his desk to the ground, breaking it into pieces. Ink splashed everywhere, and Cao Cao's body and face were immediately covered with black spots.

But Cao Cao still felt unsatisfied, so he drew out the Heavenly Sword and slashed down at the table, breaking the heavy hardwood table in two and causing it to fall to the ground. "Liu Bei! Zhuge Jin! Zhuge Liang! You are going too far!" Cao Cao waved the Heavenly Sword and cursed at the top of his lungs. It was obvious that he was extremely angry.

"How shameless! He couldn't get in even though the imperial army was defending the city with all their might!

He actually dared to say that he didn't fight because he was worried that I would take the emperor as a hostage! I have never seen such a shameless person in the world!"

This is fucking it. Liu Bei was unable to continue expanding his victory, and his offensive ended here. This should have been a good thing to boost the morale of Cao Cao's camp, and for Liu Bei's camp, it could have put a stop to their rising momentum.

But because of the Zhuge brothers' scheme, Liu Bei's decision to stop the attack was considered so righteous. Cao Cao clearly stopped the decline, but was said to be shameless enough to threaten loyal ministers with the life of the emperor. Who the hell can he go to for justice?

How vicious!

Cao Cao felt that it was necessary to immediately discuss this matter with Xun Yu and the Sima brothers to see if there were any good publicity strategies to deal with it.

But at the moment, he still wanted to finish listening to the report. So after he calmed down, he still had patience and asked Man Chong to present the enemy propaganda materials that he had found among the people for his review.

Man Chong did not dare to hide it and immediately passed several scrolls to him through his attendants.

Cao Cao unfolded it and took a closer look. The first scroll was an essay written by Zhuge Liang, which discussed the virtues of ancient people such as Emperor Yi and Xiang Yu.

There is naturally no need to repeat the specific content, because it is what Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang discussed at the beginning.

The viewpoints were mainly provided by Zhuge Jin, and Zhuge Liang only helped to organize and polish the language to avoid the theoretical system appearing too haphazard.

With Cao Cao's understanding and keen political vision, he could certainly quickly see through the words and understand the true meaning behind them.

So after only half an incense stick of time, Cao Cao's expression changed from anger at the beginning, to solemnity, and finally to a complex appreciation.

It was a feeling of mutual appreciation and admiration, where "great minds think alike".

"Zhuge Liang is a genius! He wrote this to say that Xiang Yu was able to preserve his people and continue to thrive in the Han Dynasty because he had the virtue of 'when there were only two families left in the world, since he was defeated, he quickly ended the war.'

When there were still three or five princes fighting in the world, Xiang Yu certainly could not think that way, nor would he commit suicide because of defeat. Because Xiang Yu also knew that even if he committed suicide, the other princes would continue to fight, and his death would not necessarily determine whether the war in the world would end early or late.

After all, Xiang Yu had the ability to defeat the enemy with fewer troops and to defeat Zhang Han and Wang Li with all his strength. Even if he suffered a temporary setback, as long as he was still alive, he could definitely defeat the enemy with fewer troops again. Therefore, as long as he was alive, such a military genius could accelerate the end of the troubled times.

However, when only he and Emperor Gaozu were left in the world, he knew that the moment he committed suicide, the war would end. So since he had already achieved his clan's lifelong ambition, what was wrong with dying to put an end to the "turmoil that had been going on for several years"?..."

Cao Cao was talking to himself there, reorganizing the main points that Zhuge Liang wanted to make with his own explanation.

Man Chong, who was standing next to him, was frightened by Cao Cao's calmness and seemed to be wondering why the prime minister would agree with Zhuge Liang's point of view.

Man Chong was afraid that Cao Cao would turn against him in the future and blame him for not reminding him, so he had to bite the bullet and point out: "Prime Minister, you don't have to pay attention to Zhuge Liang's crazy and rebellious theory. What he said may be able to deceive people at first glance, but if you think about it carefully, you will find that it is full of loopholes..."

Cao Cao laughed a few times, then said generously: "Do you think I can't see his true intention? Zhuge Liang is saying that now there are only Cao and Liu left in the world, and the other heroes have all been destroyed. Therefore, in the end, if one side is completely defeated and can't turn the situation around, it should die as soon as possible to avoid the suffering of all people.

Hehe… He was afraid that I would be reluctant to die on that day, so he hinted that as long as I died quickly and didn’t fight to the last state or county, he could save some of my clansmen, just like Emperor Gaozu pardoned some of Xiang Yu’s clansmen! However, even if they were pardoned, they would not be allowed to continue to have the surname Cao in the future!

How could I not understand this trick? "

Cao Cao is indeed a treacherous hero. His political vision and sensitivity are truly first-class in the world.

If it weren't for the fact that one of them was a treacherous villain and the other one was a loyal one, if we only looked at their talents, Cao Cao and Zhuge would truly be the two heroes of the Legalist school of governance in our time.

Therefore, there was no need for any third party to translate the subtext of Zhuge Liang's paper, as Cao Cao understood it himself.

Of course, it's just understanding.

Cao Cao's power is still there, and although he is slightly weaker than Liu Bei, he definitely doesn't think he has no chance. How could he be so discouraged that he would compare himself to Xiang Yu?

Until this moment, Cao Cao still felt that he was still stronger than Xiang Yu and that he still had a chance!
After expressing his admiration for Zhuge Liang's paper, Cao Cao took a breath, asked someone to make him a cup of hot tea, drank it slowly to warm his stomach, and then continued to unfold another scroll.

The contents of this scroll were much simpler. There was no long essay, only three simple poems.

The number of words in the poem is not very reasonable. There are not only five-character Han Dynasty folk songs, but also rare strange works with seven words in each line.

However, seeing the signature "Zhuge Jin" at the end of the poem was enough to make Cao Cao take it seriously. He even washed his hands again and rinsed his mouth with the last sip of tea before he began to recite solemnly in a low voice.

"Live as a hero, die as a ghost hero. I still miss Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River... Hmm? Isn't this an old work written by Zhuge Jin a few years ago? Why is it copied again?"

When he saw the first poem, Cao Cao couldn't help but frowned, because he knew this poem, it was very famous and he had seen it eight years ago.

At that time, the Battle of Guandu had just ended. Cao Cao had finally pushed back Yuan Shao, but the next year Yuan Shao fell seriously ill, allowing Cao Cao's camp to finally gain a decisive advantage in the north.

However, while Cao Cao was dealing with and defeating Yuan Shao, Liu Bei also destroyed Sun Ce in Jiangdong. Zhuge Jin wrote this poem to persuade Sun Ce not to run away again and to stay in Qiantang County to fight the last battle with dignity.

Later, Sun Ce was indeed full of blood and was provoked by Zhuge Jin. He did not move to the mountainous area of Kuaiji County in the south, and did not cross the Qiantang River. He stayed on the north bank and held on until Guan Yu arrived at the city. Finally, Sun Ce said a few polite words and jumped off the city wall with his seriously injured body.

This story is very famous. With a poem, Zhuge Jin persuaded a prince who wanted to show his dignity not to flee to the end, but to stick to his post with dignity and finally commit suicide.

Therefore, this poem became sung throughout the world. Cao Cao was also a person who loved literature, so he pondered over this poem for a full eight years. Whenever he thought of it, he felt that Zhuge Jin's literary talent was not inferior to his own.

Regardless of the quality of the poem, its political effect is indeed powerful. With Sun Ce's life backing it up, no one can deny that.

However, when he saw the other party using this as an introduction and spreading it in large quantities, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a sense of contempt and disdain.

"Is this the end of the princes' talents? There are no new words. Nine years ago, you used these few words to force Sun Ce to stay. Now you still expect to use these few words to force me to stay? Haha."

Cao Cao couldn't help but sneer in his heart, thinking that the other party underestimated him and had no sincerity at all.

However, he had just relaxed when he looked down again.

When he saw that there were two other new poems below the introduction of the old poem, and that each poem had progressive meanings and reversals, he immediately stopped laughing.

If Cao Cao knew a little about psychology or psychiatry, he might even have guessed: Is Zhuge Jin a schizophrenic? How did he manage to write three poems in a row, one after another, with each poem refuting itself?
(End of this chapter)