Chapter 92: The Ambition of the Western Expedition
Not to mention that Cao Ang was shocked by his father's distinction between generations, Qiao Yan almost couldn't keep a straight face because of this sentence.
Cao Cao... He is worthy of being Cao Cao!
This was not really a sudden move on his part, and even the reasons he mentioned made sense.
If the inheritance is determined by the title, then the current Liang State Qiao family is indeed headed by Qiao Yan. Of course, it was not entirely because of the title, but also because her words could reach the ears of the emperor.
For example, Qiao Mao, who had just taken office as the governor of Dongjun last year, was a relative of Qiao Xuan. According to seniority, he should have called Qiao Yan niece, and there was also a hint of flattery in the letter he sent to Leping.
Then Cao Cao was right when he said that she was now carrying the family's hopes, and unless she really had to behave like a junior when interacting with the elders among the famous scholars in the world, it was inappropriate for her to rashly call them uncle or niece - this was true.
But in this case...
Even Cao Ang, who seemed to be one and a half years older than her, suddenly became her nephew.
Qiao Yan said: "Shi--Meng De's words make Zixiu feel like he has an elder. I left in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts."
"What's the harm? I can make it up to you next time." Cao Cao replied.
If anyone else were here, I'm afraid they would say that Ye Shu is still young, so there is no need for a gift. But who is Cao Cao!
He can say frankly that you and I are friends of the same generation, and he can also say frankly that you went out in a hurry and forgot to bring a gift, and that's okay, you can make it up next time.
Cao Ang obviously had not learned Cao Cao's heroic style. He bowed to Qiao Yan with a helpless look and called him "Marquis Qiao".
My eldest nephew is not thick-skinned enough to call out an elder’s name in public.
Perhaps out of the same frankness, Qiao Yan decided to let him make up the gift next time.
However, since Cao Cao had arrived, Qiao Yan temporarily gave up his plan to go to Lingtai.
Although she wanted to meet Ma Lun and take the opportunity to inquire about the mechanical genius Ma Jun, but now it would be better for her to focus on the selection of General Du Liao.
Cao Cao was so frank in his words and directly brought up the issue of seniority, so Qiao Yan also did not hide anything and asked this question.
It was inconvenient to talk on the street, so they were now in the mansion in Yan Xili.
"I will not hide it from you, Yeshu. When I heard you write to me a month ago, mentioning the attack on Xiu Tuge and the intimidation of the Southern Xiongnu, I felt a sense of magnanimity. This is what a hero does. Even if you are known for being reckless, why not emulate General Huo's military bravery? In my opinion, the children of the Han family should be like this!"
Cao Cao had long known that Qiao Yan could come up with surprising strategies, just like the internal and external cooperation in the Battle of Changsha, and he had also long known that Qiao Yan had the ability to maintain peace, just like what she did in Leping. But when he suddenly heard that Qiao Yan had gone straight out of the border to attack the Huns, he realized that he had underestimated her.
In other words, what we knew before was just a glimpse of what she showed.
Cao Ang added: "Father slammed the table at that time and said that this matter was very pleasing to the people and was not something that could be done lightly."
Cao Cao was unemployed at home, so he simply captured his son and trained him. Cao Ang naturally saw clearly his reaction when he received the letter.
Although Cao Cao had made remarkable achievements as the Prime Minister of Jinan, he often mentioned that if he could become the General of the Western Expedition of the Han Dynasty, he would do his best to quell the rebellion in Liang Province. Now Liang Province is still in chaos, but Qiao Yan has already led his army out of Yinshan to the north and counterattacked Xiu Tuge at the foot of Shoujiang City, which undoubtedly fits his vision.
"In that case, Meng De should have something to say to Lord Lu." Qiao Yan smiled.
What Lu Zhi said before was exactly the four words "very pleasing to the people".
Cao Cao knew something about the fact that although Lu Zhi was the Minister of the Chancellery, he had no real power. However, there was nothing he could do in the current situation. He could not even stop his old father from buying a high position to satisfy his craving for a high position. It was also difficult for him to get his words heard by the emperor and free Lu Zhi from his current situation.
He just asked casually, "I heard that Ye Shu is studying Shangshu with Mr. Lu. I wonder how far he has learned so far?"
During the time when messages were being exchanged and Cao Cao was leaving for Luoyang, Qiao Yan had to submit a reading report, so he couldn't just muddle through, so he studied a few more articles.
"What I learned yesterday was the Wine Edict from the Book of Zhou."
As soon as Qiao Yan finished speaking, he saw Cao Cao in front of him choking and coughing.
Since the reception was held in the mansion, and the guests were not children like Fu Shou, there was naturally wine and meat. However, Qiao Yan was now studying Shangshu, and Cao Cao had also studied it. It was stated in the Zhou Shu Jiugao that alcohol should not be consumed except during sacrifices. If anyone drank in a group, they should be sent to Haojing and killed as a warning.
Although the decree is not in effect now, Cao Cao still felt a chill on his neck.
But he immediately replied calmly: "The Wine Edict? It says in the Wine Edict that one should not indulge in alcohol. I am just using wine to express my feelings and thoughts. It is not a disaster."
Qiao Yan shook his head. "Meng De is wrong. Lord Lu asked me to learn the Jiu Gao. What I learned was not the sentence "Let him be killed", but the sentence "If a man is not in charge of water, he should be in charge of the people."
This is very similar to what Emperor Taizong of Tang said: Using people as a mirror can help us understand our gains and losses.
This statement has been made by our ancestors since the Book of Zhou. What you see from the water is only the face, but what you see from the people is the social reality. Lu Zhi liked these two sentences the most in the Jiu Gao, and they became what he said when he taught Qiao Yan.
Cao Cao obviously understood the essence of what others said, as long as I am not embarrassed, it is the embarrassed one. He replied calmly: "This is a profound statement, but I am a vulgar person and can only see the word wine. Let's not talk about this matter, let's talk about General Du Liao."
Cao Cao decided to get to know his rival first, so he asked, "Based on what I have seen in the capital, who is worthy of this position?"
Qiao Yan did not intend to tell him that Liu Hong intended to arrange Cao Cao to the Eight Schools of Xiyuan. He only raised the cup and replied: "I proposed General Huangfu and Sun Wentai to Your Majesty earlier, but unfortunately Your Majesty mentioned that there are other arrangements for these two. As for Meng De——"
"Meng De disdains the position of Counselor, but there are times when people do not fight, and there are also things that must be fought for. I think Meng De has the intention to fight for the position of General Du Liao, so why should I say anything?"
Cao Cao smiled when he heard this and said, "What Ye Shu said agrees with me. At this time, the generals of this frontier can have nothing but courage. It is a great thing to select the general of Du Liao by the law of examination and competition. If someone can be the best among the crowd, he will be able to sweep away the Xiongnu and Xianbei with his head held high and will not be at a disadvantage."
Cao Cao obviously didn't know about Liu Hong's arrangement. He really took it as his responsibility to be loyal to the Han Dynasty at this time. Therefore, in Qiao Yan's opinion, his words were truly worthy of the word "heartfelt words".
Perhaps because of the alcohol, he thought for a moment and said, "But to be honest, if I can really win this selection, I will be a neighbor of Ye Shu. Bingzhou is not the land of Ruying. There are many talented people gathering here, but there are also Cai Bojie, Cui Weikao and others here. There is also the academy built by Ye Shu in Leping. I can also send Ang'er here to study. Please take care of him as an elder."
Now it was Qiao Yan's turn to almost choke on the wine.
She felt that Cao Cao might not only have a lot of common topics with Lu Zhi, but also with Guo Yu.
However, his ideas were destined to remain just ideas.
If Qiao Yan could really achieve her wish this time as she expected, then no one else would ever get involved in Bingzhou.
Even if she failed this time, Liu Hong would never arrange Cao Cao in the position of General Du Liao at this time, in order to prevent her, the Marquis of Leping, who never follows the ordinary path, from working with an ally who is also ambitious and achieving unstoppable results.
So Qiao Yan said without any worries: "If that's the case, we can let Zixiu and Yancai study literature and martial arts together. I will not let Meng De down."
"Yancai?" Cao Cao was stunned for a moment when he heard the name suddenly, but after realizing who Qiao Yan was talking about, he realized that this was the descendant of an old friend!
Qiao Yan had never mentioned in his letters that Fu Gan had also come to Leping. When he suddenly mentioned this, Cao Cao finally put aside his worries about Fu Gan's whereabouts. However, when he mentioned Fu Gan, he couldn't help but think of Fu Xie who died in the battle.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.
"It is hateful that the thieves are ruining the country, the incompetent officials are ruining the country, and the loyal and good people die for the country."
The bandits were Ma Teng, Han Sui and others, the incompetent minister was the Liangzhou governor Geng Bi who rashly went into battle, and the loyal and good person was Fu Xie.
It was not known whether it was because Cao Cao and Fu Xie had fought side by side before, or because Cao Cao had the ambition to conquer the west, and he saw in Fu Xie a glimpse of the future that he might also encounter. He suddenly said to Qiao Yan, "If I ever learn from Fu Nanrong's past, I will let Ang'er come to you like Yancai did."
"Why would Meng De entrust you with such a task?" Qiao Yan replied. "Now that the wine is in the cup and the future is in sight, I should wish Meng De to be among the top in the selection, not that a general must die on the battlefield."
Cao Cao was a man whose lament about being born at the wrong time came quickly and faded just as quickly. When he heard what Qiao Yan said, he smiled and said, "That's right! Let's drink this cup first!"
Cao Ang, who was watching nearby, couldn't help but sigh silently.
He finally understood why these two were friends on an equal footing. Their conversation while drinking wine clearly showed the same open-mindedness, and there was even a sense of heroes appreciating heroes.
But it seems that no matter what the result is, he will go to Leping College?
I don't know what that place looks like...
While he was thinking, he briefly moved his gaze away from Qiao Yan and Cao Cao, and saw that in the yard outside the house, the sturdy and brave guard beside Qiao Yan was looking up and saying something to the courtyard wall. He looked carefully and found that there was a figure hanging there.
For some reason, this strange and contrasting conversation scene seemed to be nothing wrong when it happened in the territory of Lord Qiao.
He retracted his gaze and looked back at what was in front of him, and then he realized that he seemed to have missed a sentence, or a question asked to him.
Cao Cao was quite helpless about his distraction, and said again: "Yeshu asks you, what books are you reading now?"
Cao Ang replied: "I have just read the Treatise on the Past and Present of Qin and the Treatise on Public Security."
Thinking that people often judge the younger generation based on their elders' expectations, Qiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Zixiu wants to emulate Jia Changsha's ability to govern. This is a great aspiration, but don't be like him who was born at the wrong time."
But whether it was a coincidence or the wrong time, even Qiao Yan, who has tried to play the game, could not come to a conclusion, let alone Cao Ang.
In November of the fourth year of Zhongping, Grand Minister of Agriculture Cao Song bought an official position and took office as Grand Marshal.
Also in mid-November, many officials in office or unemployed who volunteered to participate in the selection of General Du Liao arrived at the military camp in the western suburbs of Luoyang.
Liu Hong did not have the leisure to check the list of officials one by one before, but since he wanted to use the selection of General Du Liao to choose a private army for himself, he would definitely come and take a look when all the personnel were ready.
The Luoyang Northern Army marched to the western suburbs camp and set up a high platform for inspecting and counting troops in the open space of the camp.
There were just soldiers lined up below the stage, with the candidates lined up in the front, while on the stage were the current emperor and his important ministers.
Cao Cao looked towards the stage and saw Qiao Yan there.
Perhaps it was because of her record of defeating the Xiongnu in the north that she was captured and made a judge. Or perhaps it was because she was the one who proposed to Liu Hong to re-establish the post of General Du Liao, so she also had this honor. But perhaps -
This is just a manifestation of the fact that she is now in the emperor's favor.
After all, Qiao Yan had the best observation position, where he could not only see the unfamiliar faces in the audience, but also see Liu Hong's reaction clearly.
After he sat down at the top, a eunuch handed Liu Hong the list of generals participating in the event.
He read it line by line. Although there seemed to be nothing special on his face, Qiao Yan had a hunch that he was not in such a good mood at the moment.
This list was also copied several times and distributed in front of them. Qiao Yan took a quick glance and realized why Liu Hong behaved like this.
It really was worth it for her to tip off Yuan!
Generally speaking, most of the candidates nominated by Yuan family are quite restrained. For example, Han Fu and Ji Ling have not made much fame yet and have no direct connection with Yuan family.
But Yuan, believing that there is no impenetrable wall in the world, revealed the matter to General He, and the situation was very different.
Wu Kuang, Zhang Zhang——
This person is an openly loyal supporter of General He.
Even after He Jin's death, these two people hacked He Miao to death because they were resentful that He Miao was not on the same page as the general. It is not an exaggeration to say that they were extreme supporters of He Jin.
There was no need for these two people to come and participate in the selection of General Du Liao when the general was in power, but they appeared here at this time.
Dong Min——
This is Dong Zhuo's younger brother, who is also under the command of He Jin at this time.
There is even one person whose identity is even less concealed in public.
Wang Kuang, an official in the General He Jin's office.
This list is almost like sticking a sentence to Liu Hong's face.
No matter what the purpose of this selection is, I, He Jin, will make the most of it.
Qiao Yan secretly complained about the "butcher's mentality", but did not show it on his face. After thinking it over again and again, he felt that if only He Jin's men were exposed, it would still lack some firepower.
It would be better to expose other people’s secrets as well!
She withdrew her eyes from the list, suddenly stood up and stepped out of the line, bowed to Liu Hong and said, "Your Majesty, may I have a word with you?"
Liu Hong raised his eyelids and said, "Speak."
"Since we are going to appoint a general to Du Liao, he must at least be able to restrain the Xiongnu. I have fought with Xiu Tu Ge Hu before and know a thing or two about his abilities. Therefore, I dare to ask Your Majesty to allow me to go down and have a try with you generals!"
Liu Hong looked at Qiao Yan who came today in riding clothes.
It was not difficult to tell from her clothes that she had this plan not just now, but she suddenly mentioned it at this time, which obviously did not conflict with his interests and could still be of use to him!
"allow!"
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