My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 796: Cao Cao Becomes Emperor, Who Can Understand the Meaning?
After hearing Cao Cao personally decide to become emperor, Xun Yu knew that there was no way to persuade him.

Since even Xun Yu couldn't persuade them, the others would naturally become further divided.

If it fits, stay; if it doesn't, leave. Anyway, there is no such thing as persuasion.

What's there to advise? If you don't agree, just leave.

It was impossible for Xun Yu to join Liu Bei. He had already been promoted to the position of Shangshu Ling, and had helped Cao Cao do so many things over the years. If he changed his allegiance when he was old, he would not only be humiliated, but he would not be able to continue his work for many days.

Moreover, the Xun family already had people like Xun Chen who had joined Yuan Shao in the past, and later joined Liu Bei with Yuan Tan. However, when Xun Chen arrived at Liu Bei's place, he was not treated well, nor was he reused. At most, he was placed as a marginal mascot, with no sense of existence.

Therefore, whether Xun Yu himself goes or not will have little impact on the future prospects of the Xun family in Yingchuan.

Since he didn't want to do it and didn't need to pave the way for his children and nephews personally, he would return to his hometown in Xu County to farm and study and live in seclusion.

Cao Cao also had a change of heart, perhaps because of their old friendship. He felt that Xun Yu had followed him for so many years, and at the end he just didn't want to help either side. He neither approved of his becoming emperor nor wanted to be buried with him. In the end, Cao Cao actually allowed Xun Yu to slip away quietly, and did not send anyone to hunt down the traitor.

Cao Cao's only requirement was that those who wanted to escape from Luoyang and not help either side could not leave in a high-profile manner, could not openly surrender to Liu, and could not publicize it.

If they left quietly, Cao Cao would not kill them as long as they had some old friendship with him. In this way, he could further reduce the potential opponents within the party.

Some people are already in Cao's camp but their hearts are with Han. Keeping their bodies will not help, but will instead be a hidden danger.

However, some of these fugitives did not know how to keep a low profile and left in too ostentatious a manner. Some even insisted on crossing the Yellow River from Mengjin to Wen County, Huai County and other places on the opposite bank and headed straight for Liu Bei's camp.

Once this kind of thing was caught, Cao Cao would definitely kill them. Because if he didn't kill them, the morale and cohesion of Cao Cao's camp would quickly dissipate.

For this reason, Cao Cao insisted on sending cavalry to patrol along the south bank of the Yellow River from Xiaopingjin to Mengjin and then to Chenggao every day. Anyone who was seen secretly crossing the river would be arrested, and anyone who was found to have deserted would be executed.

After killing a group of them, the remaining fugitives learned their lesson. They knew that even if they wanted to escape, they couldn't go directly to Liu Bei's camp in Henei County by the Yellow River. They had to take a detour and secretly go south to cross Songshan and Funiushan. Naturally, no one would have the time to stop them.

However, as more and more mascot-like court officials fled, Cao Cao's plan to become emperor soon faced some new problems, namely, there were not enough people to carry his sedan chair.

The ceremony of enthroning the emperor and establishing the throne had to be carried out as quickly and simply as possible.

Originally in history, when Cao Pi accepted Liu Xie's abdication, he was still followed by people like Hua Xin and Wang Lang.

In this life, Wang Lang became a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty from the very beginning and was on Liu Bei's side.

Even a fence-sitter like Hua Xin realized that something was wrong. Fearing that he would be purged and killed by Liu Bei in the future, he no longer wanted to preside over Cao Cao's coronation ceremony.

Therefore, Cao Cao could only shorten the preparations for becoming emperor to within ten days.

Because he discovered that the slower the preparations were, the more people would run away, and the more incompetent and unqualified the officials in charge of etiquette and law who could be brought in to preside over the ceremony would be.

Of course, candidates for etiquette-based officials such as the Minister of Rites could definitely be found. Because no matter how poor Cao Cao was, as long as he was willing to give him an official position, there would always be a very humble little character who wanted to try his hand at the title of "Minister of Rites".

If you let a minor official who originally only had a salary of 600 shi be appointed as a Nine Ministers, even if he could be purged after just a few months, there would still be people willing to lick blood from the blade.

However, instead of planning such a farce, it would be better to cut the Gordian knot.

If Cao Cao's coronation ceremony in Luoyang must be compared with that of later princes in history, perhaps it can only be compared with that of Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng was a typical example of someone who ascended the throne after taking advantage of a defeat. He was defeated by Dorgon and Wu Sangui in the Battle of Shanhaiguan, and hurriedly fled back to Beijing with his remaining troops. He ascended the throne after three days of preparation, and fled Beijing two days after his ascension.

No matter what, Cao Cao's preparation time was at least three times that of Li Zicheng. After ascending the throne, the time he was able to stay in Luoyang and defend it was at least several times longer than Li Zicheng.

From this perspective, he is still a hero.

……

Cao Cao's coronation ceremony was finally scheduled for the eighth day of the eighth lunar month.

On the third day of August, Cao Cao made some preparations despite his busy schedule.

The main purpose was to prepare for the question "What to do if Luoyang is lost soon after I ascend the throne?"

From this we can see that Cao Cao was also very practical. He knew very well what he was doing and what the consequences would be, but he still had to do it.

Before ascending the throne, the first preparation Cao Cao made was to think in advance about who should be made the crown prince.

He took a day off to summon his 33-year-old eldest son Cao Pi alone and had an in-depth conversation with him.

Cao Pi was still a little worried, but Cao Cao got straight to the point and said, "Zihuan, I'll have to trouble you in the future."

Cao Pi did not expect his father to speak to him so humbly, and he bowed quickly: "Father, why do you say that? No matter what happens, as a son, I should share the worries of my king and father. Why talk about hardship?"

Cao Cao waved his hand indifferently: "It's time now, don't talk about this. Your father asked you to come here today because he has something important to tell you. Now the war is fierce and dangerous. Liu Bei has already reached Henei, and the entire territory of Yingchuan and Chenliu has also been lost.

Even if we defend the Yellow River defense line, Liu Bei is likely to land in Mengjin within this month, or at least reach Chenggao. As a father, I will definitely lead the soldiers to fight Liu Bei. Although we won't fight to the death and lose our lives in vain, anything can happen on the battlefield.

Therefore, when I ascend the throne in a few days, I will announce you as the crown prince on the spot, so you must be prepared. After becoming the crown prince, you must quickly make friends with the civil and military officials who are still loyal to my Cao family and unite them.

Just in case your father dies at Liu Bei's hands someday, you can still hold on. Luoyang cannot be defended for long, and Liu Bei is determined to take it back to show that he has avenged the late emperor.

Therefore, after you become the crown prince, your father will arrange for you to go to Chang'an before Luoyang is besieged. Guanzhong is a strategically located place, and Liu Bei is exhausted from the war, while Heluo has been destroyed by the war. Liu Bei will definitely take the time to rebuild Luoyang, stabilize the situation in the capital, and be crowned emperor in Luoyang.

So, after Liu Bei takes Luoyang, he may need a year to rest and maintain order. Then he will attack Guanzhong and Bingzhou. Our army can hold on for another year or two with its strategic location. You, the crown prince, or the future emperor, will have no problem holding on for three years."

Cao Cao's words were also meant to comfort Cao Pi and encourage him, so he tried to be as optimistic as possible in his words.

He said, "It will definitely be OK if I can do it for three years," but Cao Cao knew very well that it would only last three years at most. If it was not well managed, it might collapse completely in less than two years and he would end up with nothing.

He said this because he hoped Cao Pi would not despise the position of crown prince as worthless.

If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. Although this prince may face the most severe punishment and be hunted down in the future, after all, you have enjoyed it for three years, not just a few months, so you should feel that it is enough.

When Cao Pi first heard his father's instructions, he felt a little overwhelmed.

He was already thirty-three years old and of course he knew the current situation. He knew that even if his father became emperor, it would not last long.

Whether it is the crown prince or the future emperor, it is a hot potato.

However, as his father analyzed the situation in depth, Cao Pi gradually calmed down.

He suddenly felt more open-minded and figured out several points that had been confusing him.

Will being a crown prince or emperor in the future have any impact on personal safety? If the Cao family is really going to be destroyed, whether I become emperor or not, Liu Bei will not let me go, right?
Liu Bei doesn't care how your late emperor died, whether he was deliberately murdered or drowned in an accidental boat crash.

Therefore, being a prince or an emperor would at most affect the way one dies in the future.

Cao Pi was open-minded about the difference between beheading, cutting in half or being torn apart by chariots. The only difference was the degree of pain in the final stage, which would pass quickly.

But if I took over this position as the crown prince, I could at least enjoy two or three years of being the only one in charge and experience the majestic posture of ruling the northwest.

That's enough! I'll die a more tragic death in the future, in exchange for two or three years of wanton dominance!
Cao Pi thought for a long time, and after he figured it all out, he bowed again and promised: "Since the emperor has given the order, how dare I refuse? In this time of national crisis, as the emperor's eldest son, I should be a role model for my brothers. How can I retreat at this time!"

At a time like this, there's no need for repeated excuses. This is just a matter between father and son behind closed doors, so who are they performing for?

"Good boy! You are worthy of being my, Cao Cao's, son! You do have some responsibility!" Cao Cao was in a rare good mood and felt very relieved.

Perhaps this was a rare thing that made him happy in the past month or so.

Although he was about to lose, his son was not a coward. Knowing that he would die in the future, he still bravely stood up and enjoyed himself for two years.

After pacifying Cao Pi, Cao Cao struck while the iron was hot and gave him one more instruction:
"In theory, in times of war, the heir should be good at fighting, not virtue and age. That's why I thought of appointing Ziwen (Cao Zhang) as the heir. But Ziwen is a stubborn person who would rather break than bend. If he becomes the emperor in the future, how can he lead the army in person all the time? If there is a mistake, the situation will collapse faster.

That's why I chose you. But you should also know that when that happens, the quarrels between brothers that we have to worry about since ancient times will no longer exist.

In the early Han Dynasty, Emperor Jing might have worried about the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, and Emperor Wu had to work hard to issue the Enfeoffment Order. But by then, there would only be two or three states left between you brothers, so what else is there to fight for?

You are the emperor, sitting in Chang'an, and you can safely hand over all the military power to Ziwen, allowing him to help you resist Liu Bei outside, or even help you with the expedition to the Western Regions and win a place for the Cao family to escape. This is much better than you brothers being on guard against each other.

You also know Ziwen's temperament. He is not good at government affairs, does not like to read, and he does not have those crazy thoughts. "

Cao Pi listened very carefully. When his father mentioned his younger brother just now, he subconsciously felt a little disgusted and fearful.

The second brother, Cao Zhang, was so brave and good at fighting - at least compared with other young people in the Cao family, he was indeed the bravest and best at fighting.

Cao Pi had always regarded Cao Zhang as his rival, until his father spoke frankly and exposed all the dark things in the past, and finally let go of his grudge.

Cao Pi immediately stated that he would definitely obey his father's orders. If that day really came in the future, he would be confident in handing over the military power to Cao Zhang. He would be in charge of internal affairs while Cao Zhang would be in charge of external affairs, and they would each develop on their own.

After giving these orders, Cao Cao was already tired, so he waved Cao Pi away and went to rest.

……

Cao Pi thought that his father had explained everything that needed to be explained to everyone before he ascended the throne.

However, what Cao Pi did not expect was that just after his father finished giving instructions regarding him and Cao Zhang, he summoned his third brother Cao Zhi alone the next day.

Cao Zhi has been very confused recently and has some misunderstandings with his father.

It's not that Cao Zhi was so loyal to the Han Dynasty that he thought his father shouldn't be emperor. But Cao Zhi was a little smart, and he thought, at this time, why should he still covet this little title?

Becoming an emperor will only cause more people to desert him, and the army's combat effectiveness will be further weakened. Isn't that just seeking empty fame but bringing real disaster upon yourself?
So after hearing about his father's decision, Cao Zhi publicly advised his father not to bring disaster upon himself and to just enthrone the late emperor's son Liu Xi.

It's not like the late emperor didn't have a son, he just wasn't yet an adult. Wouldn't it make no difference if he made a nine-year-old the emperor and his father continued to hold the power and assist in the administration?

Because no one else dared to persuade him, but Cao Zhi was not worried that his father would kill him, so he dared to persuade him. This seemed very abrupt and eye-catching, although his motives were not loyal.

As a result, on the evening of August 5th, Cao Cao called him in for a secret talk about this matter.

At first, Cao Zhi thought that his father wanted to reason with him and criticize him behind closed doors.

So Cao Zhi, who was eloquent, also prepared a long speech and wanted to debate with his father.

Unexpectedly, after the ceremony, Cao Cao's words quickly made Cao Zhi feel like he was punching cotton.

"These days, you are the only one who dares to openly advise your father to establish the son of the previous emperor in the court. You have done a good job."

Cao Zhi was stunned when he heard this: "Father, what do you mean? I really don't understand."

Cao Cao stood up and patted Cao Zhi on the shoulder: "I have advised you, there is no need to take it back. The civil and military officials in the court are watching. But your father's will will not change, you must be crowned emperor."

Cao Zhi was completely confused: "Father, since you are unwilling to change your ways, and you are not blaming me, then what is the reason for today..."

Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "Since I want to establish myself, you advised me to isolate Liu Xi a few days ago. Given my temper, if your advice doesn't work, how can I keep Liu Xi? So, tomorrow you should openly advise me again in the court and make a big fuss. You must kowtow and bleed, and make a bitter and bitter remonstrance until you die.

In the end, I still refused. You were afraid that Liu Xi would be implicated later, so you took him and fled overnight and sent him to Liu Bei. I wanted to see whether Liu Bei would enthronize the son of the previous emperor, whom I did not enthronize.

When the time comes, I will be crowned emperor first, and the court in Luoyang will be abolished. Let's see whether he will follow suit or not, or if he is so patient that he will continue to act!
If he is so tolerant, and I send one of the late emperor's sons to him, but he still continues to follow the procedure and establishes the late emperor's son first and refuses to establish himself, then our Cao family can only regard ourselves as unlucky. From now on, I am afraid that none of your twenty-five brothers will survive.

But if Liu Bei saw that I abolished the Han Dynasty first, he would not want to play the role anymore, and said that although he would restore the Han Dynasty, he would be the emperor of the Han Dynasty. If you persuaded your father not to abolish the Han Dynasty, and took the son of the former emperor to seek refuge with him, and drew a clear line between you and your father, he would probably be embarrassed to kill you. He was so eager to become emperor, how could he be too demanding of others? He must try his best to win over the hearts of the people.

But don't be too happy too soon. If you want to survive, you have to change your surname like Xiang Bo. Although Xiang Yu killed Emperor Yi, some of his clansmen survived, but they had to change their surnames to Liu, not Xiang. So, you have to endure the humiliation and publicly say that you want to break up with your father and ask Liu Bei to change your surname. "

Cao Zhi was shocked when he heard this: "Father, do you want me to abandon my ancestors and live a miserable life? Am I such a coward?"

Cao Cao pressed his shoulder hard, asking him to calm down, and then slowly chanted two lines of poetry:

"A white horse with golden reins gallops to the northwest... Sacrifice your life for the country, and regard death as returning home. This poem was written by you two years ago when your second brother pacified the Xianbei Kebineng in Bingzhou. How could your father not know that you are full of blood and fear?

But everyone has his own mission. I am a father with twenty-five sons. Excluding your eldest brother Zixiu, there are a few who died young, so there are still twenty-one sons alive.

Among your twenty-one brothers, your father has counted and calculated that at most two, two or three will survive. The remaining nineteen will have to die.

Whether Ziwen can survive depends on whether he can fight his way out and escape to the Western Regions in the future without being caught up by Liu Bei. Perhaps his branch will forever have to hide their names in a foreign land. And whether you can survive depends on whether Liu Bei is anxious or not, and whether you are willing to endure the humiliation and change your name.

As a father who has been the ruler of the world for half his life, I have to rely on so many sons. One is more stable, and he must survive even if he changes his surname. One is more dangerous, and although he can keep his original surname, he has to fight his way out. You each have your own mission, so don't refuse. "

Cao Cao spoke sincerely, not at all like a father talking to his son. He seemed to be coldly settling accounts, hoping that for each different path of life, one son would be left to explore the way. He also hinted to Cao Zhi:

You are not surviving for yourself, you are just assigned the task of exploring this path. You are exploring the path for the remaining 19 brothers who are destined not to survive. Others who want to explore that path do not have the conditions or opportunities.

After hearing this, Cao Zhi was completely stunned.

He never expected that his father would think in this way.

But he no longer had a choice.

(End of this chapter)