Chapter 29 Xu Jing

Cao Chong was shocked when he saw Cao Tai, who looked depressed. Guanzhong was defeated too quickly. He received news shortly before Cao Tai arrived in Hanzhong. Seeing that Cao Tai, who was determined to make contributions, was hit like this, he didn't say anything else, but just advised: "Zi Ping, you have some shortcomings and a strength in a short time. It's not embarrassing to not lead troops to fight. You have to blame Zi Huan for this matter. How could he let you lead so many people? If you just give you one or two thousand people, it would be better to be familiar with Xu Hengye or Zhu Wenbo for a while. I gave you more than 10,000 people at once. Even if you are a genius, you can't learn so quickly. Besides, the generals are all made. If you have never lost a general when he debuted, you don't have to take it too seriously. Learning a lesson is the most important thing."

Cao Tai was ashamed: "I don't blame Zihuan, it was because I didn't know the world and took the initiative to ask for it."

"Nonsense, my brothers are still saying such lies." Cao Chong was both angry and funny, "He is a military supervisor and has temporarily taken over the power of General Anxi. How can he say he is not responsible?" He sighed and said, "It's over, you don't have to go back to Xiangyang. I'm very busy here. Just help me in Nanzheng, and I'll give you two thousand people and let Niu Jin take care of Nanzheng for me."

When Cao Tai heard this, he was surprised and happy, and said in disbelief: "Cang Shu, I... can I do such a big thing?"

Cao Chong smiled: "You are doing well in Xiangyang. I originally planned to let you go to Yicheng or Linju to be a county magistrate or something. But you were determined to make military achievements. After Zhiqing said a few words, he would never turn back like a cow. Now Yicheng and Linju have county magistrates, and even Xicheng has people, so I have to arrange you in Nanzheng." He thought about it, and then deliberately said: "Nanzheng is a big city. Don't be confused. If your hands and feet are not clean, don't blame me for turning against you."

Cao Tai nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I must be as regular as in Xiangyang."

Cao Chong smiled and said, "I hope so."

Cao Tai left with a smile. Pang Tong and Fa Zheng walked over side by side and sat opposite Cao Chong. Cao Chong stopped his smile and glanced at them: "Shi Yuan, Xiaozhi, Guanzhong is defeated so quickly, should we pause the pace of advancing south?"

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "General, although Guanzhong is defeated, Tongguan has been recaptured. In addition, General Xiahou has advanced westward, and Ma Mengqi and Han Wen have made a promise to attack Hanzhong for the time being. We can steadily head south and take Yizhou as soon as possible. If the time is delayed too long, Liu Bei and Kong Ming will gain a firm foothold in Jiangnan, which will not be beneficial to us."

Cao Chong frowned and did not speak. Fa Zheng smiled again, "General, what Shi Yuan said is reasonable. To put it another way, although there are still 30,000 troops in Tongguan and General Xiahou, who can gather 40,000 to 50,000 people, Xiliang has nearly 100,000 rebels. After this battle, they were scattered in Xiliang. It would be impossible to completely pacify it in less than two or three years. What's more, with Ma Mengqi's bravery and Han Wenfu's wisdom, even if the Prime Minister comes in person, I'm afraid he may not be sure that Guanzhong has become a bad battle."

Cao Chong thought about it and felt that Fa Zheng was right. Cao Cao severely damaged the main force of Ma Chao and Han Sui in Tongguan. Later, Xiahou Yuan spent more than two years to pacify Xiliang. Now the main force of Xiliang is still there, and Xiahou Yuan is afraid that it will take more time. He should take this opportunity to take Yizhou and sweep across the south of the Yangtze River.

He nodded and smiled at Fa Zheng, "Ziyi said that Liu Yizhou sent Xu Wenxiu to Nanzheng to talk. I wonder what kind of person Xu Wenxiu is? Xiaozhi has been in Yizhou for many years, so can he be familiar with him?"

Fa Zheng smiled and said, "How could I not be familiar with Xu Wenxiu? He is from the Xu family in Runan. He is called the second dragon of the Xu family with his cousin Xu Zijiang. However, these two dragons are not in harmony. Xu Zijiang was the Gongcao of Runan, and refused to let him become an official. It was not until later that Xu Wenxiu changed his prefectures. In the sixth year of Zhongping, Dong Zhuo was in chaos, Xu Wenxiu became the Secretary of the Shangshu. He promoted many famous scholars to prefectures and counties with the Minister of Personnel, Hanyang Zhou Yu. Later, these people rebelled against Dong. Zhou Yu was killed. Xu Wenxiu was afraid of being implicated and fled from Chang'an. He then traveled around Yangzhou and Jiaozhou. He only arrived in Yizhou a few years ago and served as the prefect of Ba County and Guanghan. However, although this person has a great reputation, he does not have much talent. He is not a talent in the same place, and he can make a living under Liu Yizhou."

Cao Chong laughed. After hearing Fa Zheng talk about Xu Jing's past, he couldn't help but laugh. He didn't have much impression of Xu Jing, and he couldn't say it was good or bad for a while. However, when Fa Zheng said this, although this person was not very talented, he had a great reputation and he still had to win over him. As he listened, he suddenly remembered someone and asked, "Xu Shuzhong, who wrote "Shuwen Jiezi", is also from Runan. Could it be that he is of the same clan as Xu Jing?"

Fa Zheng nodded and smiled, "The general said exactly, they were originally one sect, but compared with Xu Wenxiu and Xu Shuzhong, the five classics are invincible, that is really far behind."

Pang Tong said: "General, although Xu Wenxiu is not very talented, he has a great reputation and is known as a genius figure. If the general can win him over, it will be of great benefit to improving the general's reputation."

Cao Chong smiled and refused to comment. He knew that the reputation of this world was very important, otherwise his father Cao Cao would not have used a knife to force Xu Zijiang to give him a comment. When he went to Guanzhong, Zhong Yao's evaluation of him also made him famous. The benefits of this were self-evident, but he was also thinking that he had reached this point and did not have to deliberately please Xu Jing to gain any good reputation. Of course, he did not have to deliberately make a noble person to offend Xu Jing, and let it go.

He was not very cold about Xu Jing, and Xu Jing valued him very much. When he saw Cao Chong, Xu Xu was very excited and burst into tears. He stepped forward to pay homage and said, "Xu Jing summoned him many years ago. He has been hoping that one day he would return to his hometown and see the majesty of the Han family again. He didn't expect that he would meet the general today. It was really God's will to do anything."

Cao Chong was a little puzzled. Why did his father summon him many years ago? Then why didn't he return to the Central Plains for so long? He asked Xu Jing to sit down and talk in detail. Xu Jing wiped his tears and sobbed for a long time before he told the whole story. It turned out that he and Yuan Hui of Chen were in Jiaozhou together, and had a good relationship. Later, Yuan Hui went to Sikong Mansion to recommend Xu Jing to Shangshu Ling Xu Yu. So Cao Cao sent Zhang Xiang, an envoy to Jiaozhou, to contact Xu Jing and asked him to return to the Central Plains. But Zhang Xiang was greedy for Xu Jing's name and hoped that he would serve as his subordinates and give him face. Of course Xu Jing was unwilling, so

He did not go back to the Central Plains with Zhang Xiang, but asked Zhang Xiang to bring a letter to Cao Cao. Later, he heard that Zhang Xiang was annoyed that he refused and threw away all his letters, which made him wait in Jiaozhou and did not wait for the court to be recruited. Later, he was invited by Liu Zhang to take refuge in Yizhou and never found a chance to return to the Central Plains. From the sixth year of Zhongping, he has been away from home for nearly twenty years. Now he is over 60 years old this year. He doesn't know if he can get a chance to be buried back to his ancestral grave once he closes his eyes. Now he is assigned by Liu Zhang to negotiate with Cao Chong. He has a chance to return to his hometown, so why doesn't he be excited?

Cao Chong was silent and couldn't help but feel a little moved when he looked at a 60-year-old man snot and tears in front of him. People in this era are still hard to leave their hometowns. If it weren't for the war, who would have wanted to die of old age?

"Sir, don't be sad. Now that the Central Plains are pacified, sir can go home at any time." Cao Chong comforted with a smile while sending tea.

"This is all the great achievements of the Prime Minister. We are so grateful to the displaced people." Xu Jing blew his nose and wiped his clear nose with a handkerchief. Then he smiled embarrassedly: "Xu Jing was excited for a moment and lost his composure. Please don't blame him."

Cao Chong shook his head and said, "Relaxed may not be a true hero. Only a true hero can have true nature. Why is there any strange thing?"

Xu Jing sighed: "The general is young and it is certainly a pleasure to achieve such a high position. If he has such insights, it makes me ashamed."

The two were polite to each other for a while, and Xu Jing conveyed Liu Zhang's plan. Liu Zhang heard that Cao Chong easily took Hanzhong, and was panicked and asked many people to discuss it. Among them, Xu Jing. Xu Jing was determined to return to the Central Plains and return to the court, so of course he tried his best to persuade Liu Zhang to surrender. As for the others, there were all kinds of statements.

"The people in Yizhou can be roughly divided into two parts." Xu Jing said: "For example, Xu Jing and others who live in Yizhou naturally hope that Yizhou will surrender to the court and avoid using weapons. It will be beneficial to the court and Yizhou. However, although we have this idea, we have no real power. The real power is in the hands of officials from Yizhou. They are greedy for the kindness of Liu Envoy, for fear that the general will harm their interests after entering Yizhou, so they are still waiting and watching."

After hearing this, Cao Chong finally felt relieved. He was not afraid of Liu Zhang's resistance. What he feared most was that Liu Zhang led Liu Bei into Sichuan, and that would have caused great losses. Now Liu Zhang could not make the decision, and his actual initiative was still in the hands of the powerful people from Yizhou, so things would be much easier to do.

"Who are the ones who can speak in front of Liu Yizhou?" Cao Chong smiled casually. He waved his hand and ordered someone to serve tea and invite Xu Jing to take his seat. Xu Jing calmed down, picked up the tea and tasted it, frowned slightly, smacked his lips, and smiled again: "I heard for a long time that the new tea made by the general is extremely elegant. I am lucky to taste it today. It is indeed well-known. It has a slightly bitter taste and lingering fragrance. It smells fragrant but not greasy, and it lasts for a long time, making people feel out of the world, good, good, good."

Cao Chong laughed: "Mr. Wenxiu has been awarded for his award, and some tricks are not worth mentioning. If you can get a praise from Mr. Jin, this tea has grown up. In fact, this tea is like life. Only by enduring the pain of the first one can you taste the fragrance afterwards. Mr. Wenxiu's first half of his life is displaced, and now the Central Plains are stable, the gentleman can be as fragrant as this tea, with a pleasant fragrance."

Xu Jing was overjoyed and quickly smiled, "Xu Jing was in his sixties and could still see the hope of prosperity. It was thanks to young talents like the general. I am really ashamed. If I had the opportunity to serve the general, Xu Jing would definitely not refuse."

Cao Chong smiled slightly, thought for a while and said, "Although Mr. Hun is over 60 years old, he is getting stronger and stronger, and he has great achievements. Mr. Zhongyu is one year older than you, and now he is busy day by day in Xiangyang. Why not?"

Xu Jing was shocked: "Is Mr. Zhongyu in Xiangyang?"

Cao Chong nodded and said, "That's right, Mr. Zhongyu came to Xiangyang in October, and now he is discussing state affairs with Song Zhongzi and others at Xiangyang Academy."

Xu Jing was very excited. He had an encounter with Xun Yue when he was in Chang'an. The two admired each other's knowledge very much. They met at first sight and had a good relationship. However, he fled everywhere soon after. Xun Yue lived in seclusion and returned to his hometown. He had not met for nearly twenty years. Unexpectedly, the two had the opportunity to meet and talk about scriptures and discussions together, which made him very moved. However, he is now the envoy of Liu Zhang, and his family is still in Chengdu. No matter how anxious he is at this time, he has to finish the errand before talking about it. However, when he thought that if Liu Zhang was persuaded to surrender, he would make a great contribution in front of Cao Chong. In the future, he might really be like this tea, bitter first and then fragrant. Even if Xu Jing had such a knowledge, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

One is willing to recruit and the other is willing to surrender. This is even more speculative, and the host and the host talks happily. Xu Jing told Cao Chong that the current situation is actually very simple. Officials from Yizhou want their own interests, and Liu Zhang wants his own guarantee. If they can make them happy, it is not impossible for Yizhou to surrender without fighting. Of course, some people who are ignorant of the current affairs will oppose it, but there are too few people and should not play a big role. Then he asked Cao Chong to ask him to tell him the names and hometowns of the main officials around Liu Zhang one by one. Cao Chong wrote it down carefully and prepared to turn around and ask Pang Tongfazheng for advice.

They were talking happily, and someone came to report outside. The envoy from the Prime Minister's Mansion in Yecheng came. When Cao Chong heard this, he was overjoyed and quickly asked someone to invite the envoy in. Not long after, a man in his thirties came in. He was not tall, not strong, and his face was even a little pale. The three wrinkles like the word "chuan" between his eyebrows made people feel that he was always thinking about problems. His clear and lonely eyes glanced around, and a faint smile appeared on the corners of his mouth. He walked slowly, neither fast nor slow, but a sense of arrogance appeared between his steps. The wide robe sleeves on his body swung back and forth, like a swallow spreading his wings.

"Shanyang Zhong Changtong, pay homage to General Zhennan." Zhong Changtong walked to Cao Chong in small steps and bowed slowly.

Cao Chong stretched out his hand and said before he could speak, but Xu Jing straightened up, leaned forward, and said in surprise: "Is it reasonable for you to be the Chief Zhong?"

Zhong Changtong was a little surprised. He raised his head and looked at Xu Jing, then looked at Cao Chong, and was curious about the guy who dared to make a loud noise in front of the general. Cao Chong owed and smiled, "This is Mr. Xu Jing and Xu Wenxiu of Runan. He happened to come from Yizhou. Like Axiom, he is a messenger."

Zhong Changtong said in surprise and quickly saluted: "It turned out to be Mr. Xu Wenxiu, who was rude and rude. If he had known that Mr. Hu was here, he would have to show his tribute to him first."

Xu Jing quickly laughed and said, "The word "Axiom is wrong. The general is here, so it is better to salute the general first. Xu Jing first heard the name of the axiom, and he lost his composure for a moment. Please forgive me."

Cao Chong laughed and turned around and smiled at Pang Tong and others, "You see Mr. Wenxiu was so disobedient when he saw Abbottling. It can be seen that although Abbottling was surrendered in the Prime Minister's Mansion, his reputation spread far to Yizhou. Even those who have been away from him for twenty years know the name of Abbottling. It is really an honor for my Prime Minister's Mansion."

Pang Tong and others followed, and Xu Jing smiled and said, "The general doesn't know anything. Although Xu Jing has been away for many years, I have heard a lot of the name of Zhong Chang's Absurdity. I heard that Absurdity is a young and handsome man, with outstanding talents, and is famous for his talent."

Cao Chong was ashamed. He was surprised by Xu Jing's enthusiasm for Zhong Changtong. So far, he has not figured out what is so great about this crazy student Zhong Changtong. Now, after hearing from Xu Jing, he seems that Zhong Changtong is really a talented person and has something to do with the senior officials of the Bingzhou Governor, but he didn't know what happened at that time, and he couldn't ask at this time, so he had to pretend to be the same as my heart and laughed behind him.

Zhong Changtong said a few words and handed the documents from the Prime Minister's Mansion to Cao Chong. Cao Chong looked at it and said to Xu Jing with a smile: "Mr. Wenxiu, when Zhang Gongqi arrived in Yecheng, the emperor has issued an edict to grant him the Marquis of Langzhong, with tens of thousands of households in the town. If Liu Yizhou can surrender to the court, he will definitely not lose this." He turned back and smiled at Yan Pu and said: "Shengnong, Zhang Gongqi can come here, you have made great contributions. The emperor issued an edict to grant you the Marquis of the Lord to repay the great achievements of the king."

When Yan Pu heard this, he quickly bowed down and bowed: "Pu thanked the emperor for his kindness."

When the people next to him heard that Yan Pu had been granted a marquis, they all came forward to congratulate him. Yan Pu smiled humbly and returned the favors repeatedly. Xu Jing saw it, and was in his heart. Yan Pu persuaded Zhang Lu to surrender and be granted a marquis. If he persuaded Liu Zhang to surrender, even if he could not be granted a marquis, the prime minister would not lose his fault. He couldn't help but want to return to Yizhou immediately, and wield his tongue and launch an attack on Liu Zhang.

Cao Chong looked at Xu Jing's hot eyes and couldn't help but smile, greeting people to serve as a banquet, one to greet Xu Jing and Zhong Changtong, and the other to congratulate Yan Pu. Everyone had a strong conversation during the meal, and Zhong Changtong was also in good spirits. He discussed philosophical issues with Xu Jing. One spoke sophisticatedly, the other spoke sharply, and the lips were very lively.

As Cao Chong listened, he felt some surprises. What Xu Jing said was based on classics, but it was nothing more than what the saint said and what a certain sutra was said. However, Zhong Changtong focused on reality and made the saint classics mentioned in Xu Jing's mouth flawless. When he suddenly heard it, he thought that he was talking about strange things. When he thought about it carefully, he felt that this was the case. He could not argue if he wanted to refute it. Even with Xu Jing's talent, it would be difficult to stop him and gradually he was defeated.

"As axiom says, it is quite beneficial to Wang Zhongren (Wang Chong)'s reign." Xu Jing said with a flushed face and shook his head.

Zhong Changtong obviously didn't know what Lunheng was and didn't care much. Cao Chong suddenly heard it and asked quickly: "Mr. Wenxiu, have you ever seen Lunheng of Wang Zhongren?"

Xu Jing shook his head and said, "I have never seen it before. However, when he was in Kuaiji, he heard Wang Jingxing (Wang Lang) talk about the book "Wang Zhongren's book is all-encompassing, discussing the similarities and differences of all things and has profound knowledge. However, at the same time, he slandered sages and did not hide for his father. This really violated the teachings of the saints, so his character is low and he is not a pure Confucian scholar."

Cao Chong was a little unhappy. Who didn't know that Lunheng is a famous materialist philosophy masterpiece, and Wang Chong is a famous materialist philosopher. He was a person I admired since I was a child. Why did you become a villain when I came to you? Why did you say that you are not pure Confucian? You are pure Confucian like this? He suppressed his unhappiness and asked in a deep voice: "Can you know where to see Lunheng's book? Chong has heard of its name for a long time and cannot find it. I hope you can tell me."

Xu Jing said unexpectedly: "Don't you know? After Luheng's book was completed, it was not circulated in the Central Plains. Those who know this book were only two of them. When Cai Boyi was in the Wuhui, he saw this book and learned a lot. He regarded this book as a treasure and did not show it to others. In addition, Wang Jingxing, who studied this book very deeply when he was in Kuaiji. Wang Jingxing was in the Prime Minister's Mansion, why didn't the general listen to Wang Jingxing's words?"
Chapter completed!