Chapter 5: Deposing the Han Emperor Chen Liujian and plotting against the Dong thief Meng De offering his sword
It is said that Dong Zhuo wanted to kill Yuan Shao, but Li Ru stopped him and said: "The matter is still uncertain, so don't kill rashly." Yuan Shao took the sword in his hand, said goodbye to all the officials, and went out, hanging at the east gate of the festival, and rushed to Jizhou. Zhuo said to Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, "Your nephew is rude. I look at you and forgive him. What about abolishing the establishment?" Wei said, "That's what Taifu saw." Zhuo said, "Anyone who dares to obstruct the big discussion will be dealt with according to military law!" The ministers were frightened and all said they would obey your orders. After the banquet, Zhuo asked Zhou Yao, the servant, and Wu Qiong, the school captain, "How is Yuan Shao going?" Zhou Yao said, "Yuan Shao left angrily. If the purchase is urgent, there will be changes. Moreover, the Yuan family has four generations of kindness, and students and former officials are all over the world. If you recruit heroes to gather disciples, heroes will rise from them. Shandong is not a public property. It is better to pardon him and make him a county governor, then Shao will be relieved and there will be no trouble. "Wu Qiong said: "Yuan Shao is so resourceful that there is no need to worry about it. It is better to add a county governor to win the hearts of the people." Zhuo followed it and sent someone to worship him as the governor of Bohai.
On the first day of the ninth lunar month, the emperor was invited to the Jiade Hall for a civil and military conference. Zhuo drew his sword in his hand and said to the crowd: "The emperor is weak and cannot rule the world. Now there is a policy document, which should be read out." He ordered Li Ru to read the policy and said: "Emperor Xiaoling abandoned his subjects long ago; the emperor's successor is Hai. Looking inside. However, the emperor was frivolous in nature, unruly in his majesty, and indifferent to his great position. The empress dowager had no maternal etiquette, and the government was in chaos. The people were confused about the three principles. Isn't there a gap in the history of heaven and earth? The king of Chenliu has great virtues and solemn rules. He mourns in mourning and does not speak evil. He has a good reputation and is heard all over the world. He should inherit the great legacy and be the emperor for all generations. The King of Farmers and the Empress Dowager have returned to power, please accept King Chenliu as the emperor, obey the heavens and the people, and comfort the hope of living beings." After Li Ru read the policy, Zhuo scolded the emperor to help him go down to the palace, untie his seal ribbon, kneel to the north, and say that he obeyed his orders. He also called the Queen Mother to serve the imperial edict. The emperor and the queen all cried, and all the ministers were miserable.
The minister at the next level yelled angrily: "The thief Dong Zhuo dares to make a conspiracy to deceive the heavens, I will splash blood on my neck!" He waved his hand and hit Dong Zhuo directly. Zhuo was furious and ordered his warriors to take it down: it was Shangshu Ding Guanye. Zhuo Ming took him out and beheaded him. He kept scolding him, but his expression remained unchanged until death. Later generations wrote a poem and lamented: "The traitor Dong Qian was pregnant and abandoned the plan, and the Han family clan and social committee Qiuxu. All the ministers and ministers in the court were included, but only Ding Gong was the husband."
Zhuo invited King Chenliu to the palace. After the ministers came to congratulate each other, Zhuo ordered the Empress Dowager He, King Hongnong and the imperial concubine Tang's Yong'an Palace to stay at leisure. The gates of the palace were sealed to prevent the ministers from entering without permission. The poor young emperor ascended the throne in April and was deposed in September. Zhuo Li established Wang Xie of Chenliu, whose pseudonym was Bohe. He was the middle son of Emperor Ling, that is, Emperor Xian. He was nine years old at the time. Changed to Chuping of Yuan Dynasty. Dong Zhuo was the prime minister of the country. He was praised and worshiped without fame, and he was not followed when he entered the court. He went to the palace with swords and shoes, and he was extremely powerful.
Li Ru advised Zhuo to promote celebrities to gain popularity because he recommended Cai Yong's talents. Zhuo ordered him to conquer, but Yong refused to go. Zhuo was angry and sent someone to tell Yong, "If you don't come, your clan will be destroyed." Yong was afraid, so he had to come as ordered. Zhuo was overjoyed to see Yong. On the third day of the first month, he moved to his official position and became a servant. He was very friendly with him.
But it was said that the young emperor, Empress Dowager He and Concubine Tang were trapped in Yong'an Palace, and their food and clothing were gradually in short supply; the young emperor's tears never dried. One day, I saw two swallows flying in the courtyard, so I recited a poem. The poem says: "The green grass is covered with smoke, and the two flying swallows are curling up. The Luoshui River is green, and people on the road admire it. Looking far away into the deep blue clouds, it is my old palace. Who is loyal and righteous, and vents the resentment in my heart!" Dong Zhuo often asked people to inquire. I got this poem today and presented it to Dong Zhuo. Zhuo said: "If you write a poem with resentment, you will be famous for killing him." Then he ordered Li Ru to lead ten warriors into the palace to kill the emperor.
The emperor, the queen, and the concubine were upstairs. The maid reported that Li Ru had arrived, and the emperor was shocked. Confucianism served the emperor with poisonous wine, and the emperor asked why. Confucianism said: "The spring is harmonious, and Dong Xiangguo specially offers longevity wine." The Queen Mother said: "Since I said longevity wine, you can drink it first." Confucianism said angrily: "You don't want to drink it?" Bai Lian, holding a short sword on the left and right, said in front of him: "If you don't drink longevity wine, you can get these two things!" Concubine Tang He knelt down and said, "I drink wine on behalf of the emperor, and I hope that the father will save the lives of mother and son." Confucianism said, "Who are you, who can die on behalf of the king?" He raised the wine to the Queen Mother He and said, "Can you drink first?" Then she scolded He for his unintelligent approach, which led thieves to the capital, causing today's disaster. Confucianism urged the emperor to force him, and the emperor said: "Let me say goodbye to the Queen Mother." He was so sad that he composed a song, and his song said: "The sky and the earth have changed, the sun and the moon have turned over, and I have abandoned thousands of vehicles and retreated to the feudal lord. I am forced to die soon, and the situation is gone. I shed tears!"
The Tang concubine also composed a song and said: "The Emperor and Heaven are about to collapse, and then the earth will fall. As an emperor, my fate will not follow. Life and death are different from now on, but it is so fast. I feel sad in my heart!" After the song, they hugged each other and cried. Li Ru scolded: "The Prime Minister of the country is waiting for reward, you are waiting for Russia "Yan, who can save me?" The empress dowager yelled: "The traitor Dong forced my mother and son, God will not help you! If you help the evil, you will be killed!" Ru was furious, grabbed the empress dowager with both hands, and drove her downstairs. She ordered the warriors to hang the concubine Tang and kill the young emperor with poisonous wine.
He also reported to Dong Zhuo, who ordered him to be buried outside the city. From then on, he entered the palace every night, raped the palace maid, and slept on the dragon bed. He tried to lead the army out of the city and marched to Yangcheng. In February, the villagers gathered for a social competition, and both men and women gathered. Zhuo ordered the soldiers to surround them and kill them all. They plundered the women's belongings, loaded them into the cart, and hung more than a thousand heads under the cart. Even Zhen returned to the capital, threatening to kill the thieves and return in victory. They burned the heads outside the city gate and dispersed the army with the women's belongings. Wu Fu, the captain of the Yue Cavalry School, whose courtesy name was Deyu, saw Zhuo's cruelty and resented injustice. He wore a small armor under his court uniform and hid a short sword. He killed Zhuo if he wanted to wait for him. One day, when Zhuo entered the court, Fu greeted you and drew his sword to stab Zhuo. Zhuo was very powerful and grabbed Wu Fu with both hands. Lu Bu then stepped in and grabbed Wu Fu. Zhuo asked, "Who taught you to rebel?" Fu glared and shouted, "You are not my king, and I am not your minister, so how can you rebel? Your sins are so great that everyone is willing to find and punish you! I hate to tear you apart to thank the world!" Zhuo was furious and ordered him to be cut into pieces. Fu continued to curse until he died. Later generations wrote a poem praising him: "In the late Han Dynasty, loyal ministers said that Wu Fu was so heroic that there was no one in the world. He is still famous for killing thieves in the court, and he will be called a man forever!" From then on, Dong Zhuo often came and went with armored soldiers to protect him.
At that time, Yuan Shao was in Bohai. When he heard that Dong Zhuo was wielding power, he sent someone to see Wang Yun with a secret letter. The book said slightly: "The traitor deceives the emperor and deposes the master, and people cannot bear to say anything; but if you don't listen to the lord's tyranny, how can you serve the country as a loyal minister? Shaojin has gathered troops to train soldiers, and he wants to clear out the royal family, but he dare not make a move. If the lord is interested, he should take advantage of the opportunity. If he is driven, he should obey the order." Wang Yun got the letter, but he had no idea. One day, I saw all my old ministers in the waiting room. Yun said, "Today I am humble enough to surrender. In the evening, I dare to bow down and come to my house to have a drink." All the officials said, "I must come to celebrate my birthday." That night, Wang Yun held a banquet in the back hall, and all the ministers arrived. After several rounds of wine shops, Wang Yun suddenly covered his face and burst into tears. All the officials were surprised and asked: "Situ's birthday, why are you sad?" Yun said: "Today is not a humble surrender, because I want to talk to everyone, and I am afraid that Dong Zhuo will be suspicious, so I asked him to speak. Dong Zhuo deceives the master and seizes power, and the country is difficult to protect. I want the emperor to kill Qin and destroy Chu, and the world is about to die. Whoever wants to pass on to this day will be killed by Dong Zhuo: this is why I cry." So all the officials cried. One of the people sitting there put his palms in his hands and laughed loudly and said: "The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty cried at night until dawn, and from dawn until night, can they still cry to death for Dong Zhuo?" Yun looked at him, and it was Cao Cao, the heroic cavalry captain. Yun said angrily: "Your ancestors also lived in the Han Dynasty, but now you don't want to serve the country but are laughing?" Cao said: "I am not laughing at anything else, I am laughing at everyone for not having a plan to kill Dong Zhuoer. Although Cao is not talented, I would like to cut off Dong Zhuo's head and hang it in the capital to thank the world." Yun avoided the table and asked, "What is Mengde's advice?" Cao Cao said. He said: "Those who have been striving to do outstanding things in recent times really want to take advantage of the situation. Jin Zhuo believes in Cao very much, and Cao is close to Zhuo because of the time. I heard that Situ has a Qibao sword, and I would like to use it with Cao to enter the Prime Minister's Mansion to assassinate him. Even if he dies, he will not hate it!" Yun said: "Meng Deguo has such a heart, the world is very lucky!" Then he personally drank wine and served Cao. I made an oath by drinking wine, and promised to take the sword with it. After wielding the Tibetan sword and drinking wine, he stood up and said goodbye to the officials and left. All the officials sat for another time and then all dispersed.
The next day, Cao Cao, wearing a sword, came to the Prime Minister's Mansion and asked, "Where is the Prime Minister?" A follower said, "In the small pavilion." Cao Cao walked in. Seeing Dong Zhuo sitting on the bed, Lu Bu stood beside him. Zhuo asked, "How late is Mengde's arrival?" Cao said, "The horse's body will be gone late." Zhuogu said to Bu, "I have a good horse from Xiliang. Please pick one up and give it to Mengde." Bu led the order and went out. Cao Cao thought to himself: "These thieves are dead together!" He wanted to draw his sword and stab him, but he was afraid of Zhuo's strong power and did not dare to move lightly. Zhuo Pangda couldn't bear to sit for a long time, so he fell down and turned to face inward. Cao thought again and said, "This thief should be put to death!" He held the sword in his hand, just in time to stab him. Unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo looked up in the mirror and saw Cao Cao drawing the sword behind his back. He turned around and asked, "What's Meng De doing?" At that time, Lu Bu had already led his horse outside the pavilion. Cao was frightened, so he knelt down with his sword and said, "Cao has a precious sword, and I would like to express my kindness." Zhuo Jing looked at it and saw that the sword was more than a foot long, inlaid with seven treasures, extremely sharp, and a precious sword, so he handed it to Lu Bu and took it away. Undo the sheath and cloth. Zhuo led Cao out of the pavilion to look at the horses. Cao thanked him and said, "I'd like to lend you a horse to try riding." Zhuo asked for advice on saddles and bridles. Cao led the horse out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, whipped up his whip and looked toward the southeast.
Bu said to Zhuo, "When Cao Cao arrived, he seemed to be stabbing, and he was beaten to death by drinking, so he offered his sword." Zhuo said, "I also doubt it."
While he was talking, Li Ru arrived and Zhuo told him what he had done. Confucianism said: "Cao has no wife and children in Beijing, and lives alone in his apartment. Now send someone to summon him. If he comes without any doubt, he will offer his sword; if he does not come, he must be assassinated, so he can be captured and asked." Zhuo Ran said that he sent four jailers to summon Cao. After leaving for a long time, he reported back: "Cao did not return to his apartment, but flew out of the east gate on horseback. When the gatekeeper asked, Cao said, 'The Prime Minister sent me on urgent business,' and he rode away." Confucianism said: "Cao fled with a guilty conscience, and there is no doubt that he committed an assassination." Zhuo Da said angrily: "I use you so highly, but you want to harm me!" Confucian said: "There must be an accomplice here, and we will know it when we capture Cao Cao." Zhuo then ordered all the documents and drawings to capture Cao Cao: those who capture him will be rewarded with thousands of gold, and they will be granted the title of marquis of ten thousand households; those who harbor him will be guilty of the same crime.
Let us say that Cao Cao escaped from the city and rushed to Qiao County. Passing through Zhongmu County, he was captured by the guarding sergeant and captured by the county magistrate. Cao Cao said: "I am a merchant, and my surname is Huangfu." The county magistrate knew Cao Cao well, pondered for a long time, and then said: "When I was seeking an official in Luoyang, I recognized you as Cao Cao. How can I hide it! I will put him in prison and send him to the capital tomorrow to ask for a reward." The guard sergeant gave him food and wine and left. At night, the county magistrate summoned his relatives and secretly took Cao Cao out to the backyard for interrogation. He asked, "I heard that the prime minister treated you well, so why did you bring disaster on yourself?" Cao Cao said, "The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan! Since you have caught me, you can go and reward me. Why bother asking!" The county magistrate screened. He stepped back and said to Cao Cao, "Don't underestimate me. I am not a common official, but I have never met my boss." Cao Cao said, "My ancestors have lived in Han Dynasty for generations. If they don't think about serving the country, how are they different from animals? I am bent on doing outstanding things, and I want to take advantage of it and eliminate harm for the country. It is God's will that things will not work out!"
The county magistrate said: "Where will Meng De go during this trip?" Cao Cao said: "I will return to my hometown, issue an edict, and call on all the princes in the world to raise troops to kill Dong Zhuo. This is my wish." When the county magistrate heard this, he personally released his bindings, helped him to sit on him, and bowed again: "You are truly a loyal and righteous man in the world!"
Cao Cao also paid his respects and asked the county magistrate his name. The county magistrate said: "My surname is Chen, my given name is Gong, and my given name is Gongtai. My mother and wife are all in Dongjun. Now that I feel loyal to the public, I am willing to abandon my official position and run away from the public." Cao was very happy. That night Chen Gong collected the money, changed clothes with Cao Cao, each carried a sword on his back, and rode his horse back to his hometown.
After traveling for three days, we arrived at Chenggao. It was getting late. Cao pointed his whip at the depths of the forest and said to the palace, "There is a man here named Lu and Boshe, who is my father's sworn brother. So I went to ask for news from home and how about spending the night." The palace said, "The best." They got off their horses in front of the village and went in to see Boshe. She said, "I heard that the imperial court was very anxious to catch you. Your father has fled Chenliu. How did you get here?" Cao told what happened before, and said, "If it weren't for Chen County Magistrate, his bones would have been shattered into pieces." Boshe paid homage to Chen Gong and said, "My nephew, if it hadn't been for your envoy, the Cao family would have been wiped out. Please let me sit in peace and contentment, and you can stay in the thatched cottage tonight." After that, he got up and went inside. After a long time, he came out and said to Chen Gong, "I don't have good wine at home. How about I go to the West Village and buy a bottle for you?" After saying this, he hurriedly got on the donkey and left.
Cao Cao had been sitting with the palace for a long time, and suddenly he heard the sound of sharpening a knife behind the palace. Cao Cao said, "Lu Boshe is not a close relative of mine. He is here suspiciously and should be eavesdropped." After the two sneaked into the thatched cottage, they heard someone saying, "How about binding him and killing him?" Cao said, "That's right! If you don't strike first, you will be captured." Then he and Gong drew their swords and went straight in. They killed all of them, regardless of gender, and killed eight people in a row. After searching the kitchen, he found a pig bound and about to be killed. Gong said: "Meng De was too careless and accidentally killed a good man!" He hurriedly left the village and mounted his horse. Less than two miles away, I saw Boshe with two bottles of wine hanging in front of the saddle of his donkey. He came with fruits and vegetables in his hand, and called out, "Why did my nephew and the envoy leave just now?" Cao said, "Those who have been convicted do not dare to stay for a long time." Boshe said, "I have paid my family to kill a pig. Why do you hate spending the night with your nephew? Please change your horse immediately." Cao ignored him and rode his horse. After walking a few steps, he suddenly drew his sword and came back, calling Boshe, "Who is here?" When Boshe looked back, Cao swung his sword and chopped Boshe under the donkey. Gong Da was shocked and said, "I just made a mistake. What should I do now?" Cao Cao said, "Bo She came home and saw that many people had been killed. Are you willing to give up? If you lead a crowd to pursue him, you will suffer disaster." Gong said, "Killing because of knowing is a great injustice!" Cao Cao said, "I would rather teach me to betray the people of the world than teach the people of the world to betray me." Chen Gong was silent.
That night, several miles away, I knocked on the door of the inn and stayed in the bright moonlight. After feeding the horse, Cao Cao went to bed first. Chen Gong thought: "I will say that Cao Cao is a good man and abandon his official position to follow him. It turns out that he is a wolf-hearted man! If he is left here today, he will be troubled in the future." He wanted to draw his sword to kill Cao Cao. It's exactly this: if you set out to be a vicious person and not a good person, you will be able to outdo others who are originally from the same group. After all, what happened to Cao Cao's life? Let's listen to the explanation below.