Chapter 394: Civil Unrest in Yanzhou
Apart from the descendants of the Cao and Xiahou families who were from the same clan as Cao Cao, in Cao Cao's view, the person least likely to betray him was Chen Gong!
Without Chen Gong's support, Cao Cao's entry into Yanzhou and even taking the position of Yanzhou Mu would never have been so smooth.
What's more, Chen Gong once went to Bingzhou to meet Qiao Yan to discuss cotton business on his behalf, and he also went to Yecheng to delay Cao Cao's march north. If he had any idea of moving up, he should have chosen his next employer long ago.
But he didn't.
Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu in Yanzhou, was also a close friend of Cao Cao.
If any crisis situation really occurs, the two people are able to entrust their entire family to each other.
But times change, and people's hearts change too.
When Cao Cao retreated to Chenliu and temporarily gave up the attack on Hulao Pass, Chen Gong, his strategist, actually had a meeting with Zhang Miao at this time.
If it was a meeting at an ordinary time, perhaps it could be explained as two scholars from Yanzhou occasionally meeting to discuss some private matters, but it happened at such a critical moment.
This unexpected action, which he had not been informed of, was reported to him by someone. It was like a stone that caused a huge wave in Cao Cao's mind, which was already confused by the news of Qiao Yan's enthronement.
He was somewhat suspicious, but being in such a situation of endless fighting, it was not excessive to be suspicious.
What's more, Cao Cao saw clearly at this moment that when he told Chen Gong about the meeting between Zhang Miao, a strange look flashed across Chen Gong's face.
That was definitely not a sign that he had nothing on his mind.
The moment his expression changed, Cao Cao's heart sank.
He couldn't help but change his calm tone and asked, "Gongtai, why?"
Why you?
Two years ago, when the drought crisis was approaching, Chen Gong once proposed to exchange each family's isolated copies for grain to prevent a situation where it would be difficult to get through the disaster smoothly. He even clashed with the Yanzhou forces such as Shouzhang Wang, who were already dissatisfied with Cao Cao.
At that time, Chen Gong stood on Cao Cao's side with such a firm attitude that he once felt that among the Yanzhou scholars, Chen Gong was the number one person with both integrity and loyalty!
There is no other strategist in the world who can have such a sincere heart to plan for him in every aspect.
But at the same time when he asked this question, Chen Gong's surprise at being questioned suddenly had completely calmed down, and was replaced by the calmness of having made a decision.
"Because you hesitated, and in this situation, you shouldn't hesitate!"
Chen Gong stood in front of Cao Cao, his expression rarely showing a hint of sharpness.
"Last March, I made a secret decision in my heart. Given the current situation in Yanzhou, whether it is Yuan Benchu or Qiao Yeshu who can achieve the final victory, it probably won't be you, Cao Mengde. But it doesn't matter! I will help you become a qualified bystander, so that we can preserve Yanzhou as much as possible from a favorable position."
"But it's not possible now. This person cannot be Qiao Yeshu!"
Cao Cao sighed, "Because she ascended the throne in Chang'an?"
Chen Gong replied, "Perhaps, it is because I, Chen Gong, have been eating Han's salary for generations, knowing Han's grace and Han's rule. I know that every word I say is in Han language, and every book I write is in Chinese characters. The four hundred years of Han foundation has suddenly changed hands, and I am angry!"
"But maybe not. If the Han Dynasty is truly powerless to recover, just like what you asked before, and it has really reached a point where it is irreversible, and someone really needs to make a call, just like when the Han Dynasty replaced the Qin Dynasty and took over the world, I, Chen Gong, will never say a word against it."
"It doesn't matter if this person is Qiao Yeshu, Yuan Benchu, or even you, Cao Mengde. As long as the world can be peaceful, it's all fine."
"But since October last year, I have understood that Qiao Yeshu is probably no longer among them."
Before Cao Cao could give a guess, Chen Gong had already given his own explanation: "Because of Chang Yan."
Chang's words not only intensified the dissatisfaction of some people in Guanzhong towards Qiao Yan, but also made Chen Gong suddenly realize that no matter how Zhong Changtong forced the participants who tried to refute him to step down in the debate in Luoyang, this speech had not been able to convince them fundamentally.
And when the news of Qiao Yan's ascension to the throne came, Chen Gong had no need to doubt the significance of Chang Yan's promotion.
That was paving the way for her to gain the support of the people to ascend the throne, and it was also through the printing technology developed in her hands that she launched an attack on the situation in which the aristocratic families controlled the power of speech in a very brutal way.
Whether the statements in Changyan are really convincing when explained one by one is actually not that important at this time.
What she wanted was to destroy the old order like a storm, and with the sudden changes in the rise and fall of kingdoms, people would unconsciously accept her move to rebuild a new order!
Chen Gong was not Xun Yu who experienced the reconstruction of Luoyang, nor was he Lu Zhi and others who were in Chang'an when the power changed, so he did not betray the existence of his own class.
He also knew clearly that his special status in Yanzhou and his talents that supported Cao Cao to where he was today all came from his origin in a Yanzhou family, and this was an indisputable fact.
Then once the way of promotion is similar to that of Chang Yan, the dissemination of knowledge becomes something that is no longer monopolized by the upper class. Not only in the territory of Yanzhou, but also in the thirteen states, the aristocratic families will inevitably face a reshuffle from top to bottom.
Perhaps some of them would be able to survive because they had stood on Qiao Yan's side early on, or even temporarily rise to high positions by virtue of their merit in following the emperor. However, as Qiao Yan's power grew day by day, the talents cultivated by her in another way grew up under this powerful rule. Those so-called high positions were actually just people that Qiao Yan could suppress without any scruples. It was far more difficult for them to see a chance to stand out than the Party and Factions Persecution that Emperor Ling of Han had carried out.
Even if Xun Yu, Lu Zhi and others firmly stood on Qiao Yan's side during the process of the Han Dynasty becoming the Yong Dynasty, he could not convince himself that when Qiao Yan became the supreme ruler, the conflict between the noble families and the common people would not be forcibly intensified by such a strong move.
This is clearly a way to bring disaster!
Whether he did it for himself, for the class he belonged to, or for the road to peace he believed in, in short, even though he was faced with a huge disparity between the Nine States and the Four States, he was willing to believe that the weaker side still had the opportunity to turn the tables because of the deep-rooted Han ideology and the aristocratic family network that had the support of hundreds of people.
Therefore, Cao Cao must not hesitate at this time. Instead, he should show his magnanimity as the commander of Yanyu Province, reorganize all the soldiers under his command, and coordinate with the court in Yecheng.
The turbulent situation where Qiao Yan ascended the throne was precisely the last chance they could get!
What if Cao Cao was very disappointed about Chen Gong’s betrayal at this time?
Chen Gong also felt very disappointed with Cao Cao's choice.
After Qiao Yan ascended the throne, if Cao Cao chose to surrender at this moment, or even launched a counterattack against Yuan Shao, leaving the Yecheng court in a state of severe damage, he would not only be able to become the general who expanded the territory as he had said to Qiao Yan when they expressed their ambitions to each other, but he might even be placed in a higher position because of his contributions to the great cause of unifying the world.
Cao Cao was once appreciated by Qiao Xuan, and he and Qiao Yan maintained a relationship of both friend and foe over the past few years, which would ensure that he would not face any difficulties in integrating into the new dynasty.
But when it came to the future of Yanzhou, Cao Cao's vision of the future did not make Chen Gong feel any joy at all. He only felt grief and indignation at the prospect of facing a completely drastic situation.
Even though he was most likely just hesitant about his decision because of the sudden change, with Chen Gong's keen eyesight it was not difficult to see what choice Cao Cao was inclined to make.
In this urgent situation, he made a decisive decision - to contact Zhang Miao.
For several years, Yuan Shao had always felt that although Zhang Miao was not very courageous, he was indeed a threat to Cao Cao when he was in Yanzhou. This judgment was actually not wrong.
If there was no Cao Cao, if the Yanzhou scholars were asked to nominate a Yanzhou governor who could serve as a leader, they would definitely choose Zhang Miao.
Even Shouzhang Wang, who bore a grudge against Cao Cao because Cao Cao failed to respond to Wang Fen's attempt to assassinate Emperor Ling of Han, treated Zhang Miao with great respect.
You know, Wang Fen, the former governor of Jizhou who committed suicide out of fear of punishment, together with Zhang Miao and the other six people formed a special name called the "Eight Chefs".
What is a chef? It is the one who saves others with money!
This was a kind of praise for the famous scholars of the time, and it also made it much easier for Zhang Miao to gain support among the scholars in Yanzhou than it was for Cao Cao.
In Chen Gong's view, this was the result of Cao Cao's wrong choice, which forced him to choose another superior to replace Cao Cao, rather than his adviser making any judgment against Cao Cao that violated his oath.
So he added at this time, "Meng De, I really don't want to be your enemy. I know you are a rare hero in the world, but the scholars of Yanzhou will never allow you to surrender. This is an indisputable fact."
This is the voice that can be expressed by the Yanzhou gentry, and even by a considerable number of gentry in the world.
Those who were under Qiao Yan's command were either assimilated by the method of boiling a frog in warm water, or had no room for maneuver in the face of extremely powerful military power, or the rebels in the family were selected by Qiao Yan early on and placed in the position of a commander, so that even if there were some among them who really wanted to fight, they were suppressed by the torrent.
As an existence that has not yet been swept away, they, Yanzhou, are bound to make an attempt.
Even if they had to take down Cao Cao by creating internal strife first, or even risk being invaded by Qiao Yan, they had to make such an attempt.
Cao Cao suddenly felt that he didn't know Chen Gong very well.
It was still the same face that had displayed the upright character that had characterized his fame since his early years, but at this moment, this face inexplicably gave Cao Cao the illusion that he was alienated from him.
He put the scroll in his hand aside and said to Chen Gong, "But Gongtai, I have already discovered your actions. Do you still want to hold on to this idea?"
Chen Gong shook his head. "You are wrong, Meng De. It doesn't matter whether I am exposed or not at this moment. Do you think I am the only one in Yanzhou who is unwilling to submit to Qiao Yeshu and hopes that you will defend Yanzhou?"
Bian Rang, who once served as the prefect of Jiujiang during the Zhongping period, had a conflict with Cao Cao during the time when Tao Qian died in Xuzhou.
Although this conflict was temporarily suppressed due to the natural disaster and Cao Cao's frank conversation with them at that time, it was like a whirlpool lurking in the dark that could come again at any time!
What Cao Cao discovered today was just Chen Gong's unusual behavior, but are these Yanzhou scholars who are determined to fight against Qiao Yan all waiting patiently for Cao Cao to make a decision at this moment?
Chen Gong said: "Meng De, I am not afraid to tell you——"
"Even if you capture me today, you will never be able to take any soldiers from Yanzhou to Luoyang!"
The border between Yanzhou and Sili could no longer be easily controlled by Cao Cao as Chenliu Prefect Zhang Miao and his brother Zhang Chao raised their armies!
However, although Chen Gong spoke so confidently, news of the conspiracy would not spread so quickly, and at this moment the sudden changes in Chenliu had not yet spread to the other counties in Yanzhou.
Taking Liang State as an example, at this moment the Qiao family’s ancestral home was filled with a desolate silence.
The few people sitting at the end lowered their heads very low, wishing that others would not look at them.
But this is probably just their wishful thinking.
It was these people who went to Chang'an before and after Qiao Yan succeeded the position of Grand Marshal.
If Qiao Yan was still just a Grand Marshal, or if the Yecheng court had the upper hand in the confrontation with Chang'an, they would at most feel a little regretful for losing Qiao Yan as a helper. When power could fall into others' hands at any time and even life and death were unpredictable, they felt regretful for not having established this relationship, but at least they had a few words to comfort themselves.
Just as Liu Bian heard from the Jinwu Guards around him, after they labeled Qiao Yan as naturally cold-hearted, they tried their best to package themselves as victims in order to feel better psychologically.
She couldn't last long.
That's what they think.
When they heard the news that Wang Yun and others intended to eliminate Qiao Yan, they even felt for a moment that it was a wise decision for them not to have any connection with Qiao Yan.
In this way, even if she was purged for using her power to bully the emperor, the disaster would only affect the small branch of the Qiao family of Leping, and it would have nothing to do with the Qiao family of Liang.
But when Qiao Yan suppressed this sudden change, and even took advantage of the opportunity of Liu Xie presenting the jade seal to replace the Han Dynasty and achieve the empire, all their previous self-comforts were shattered in an instant, leaving only endless regret.
That’s the emperor!
When they thought that they should have been the emperor's family, and should have ascended the throne with the emperor and risen to the top together, becoming the envied royal family, they felt that they could only barely fall asleep in the middle of the night, but would be woken up the next moment.
This emperor holds all the nine provinces in his hands and has the momentum to swallow up mountains and rivers. It seems that he will conquer the Yecheng court with his iron hoof within a few years. He is no longer just a separatist existence.
The example of one person's success bringing prosperity to the whole family was clearly presented before them, and their mood at the moment could not even be described by the word "regret".
Let’s see how Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting are treated today.
"Nine Ministers! Even a woman under the age of ten can be a Nine Ministers!"
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