The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

"Han Gong is also right. If the thieves are interested in going south, as a parent of this county, I cannot ignore it. The hundreds of thousands of people in the south of the county must be rescued. Xun Rong, I will supply you with a few hundred more strong men to make up for you. A crowd of two thousand. Are you willing to send my army south to rescue the south of the county?"

As soon as Prefect Wen said this, Xun You, who was kneeling behind Xun Zhen, suddenly changed his face.

Xun Zhen thought about the electricity, weighed the pros and cons, bowed his sleeves, and replied: "Mingfu is worried about the people in the south of the county, and the hundreds of thousands of people in the south of this county are fortunate. Zhen is the county soldier Cao Rong, eats the king's money, and shares the worry for the king! Zhen does not dare to refuse this order from the Ming government."

The governors of the two Han Dynasties had great power, and the officials of the subordinates in the county court were all appointed by the governors themselves. Therefore, the subordinates often "regarded the governor as the king", and the two were similar to the relationship between the monarch and the ministers. The monarch has worries, and those who serve as ministers should be anxious about it. For this reason, Xun Zhen said generously: "If you eat the king's money, you should share your worries for the king."

Prefect Wen was overjoyed and said, "Okay, okay! I am really a yin yin milk tiger! Zhenzhi, Qingzhen is also a loyal minister."

"There's just one thing, and I have to ask Mingfu's permission."

"What's the matter? Come on."

"The more than a thousand iron officials and slaves brought by Le Jin, the headmaster of the iron official, are all prisoners and slaves. It's just a matter of fact, and they have just set up a stand. They don't know the retreat of the golden drums, and they don't know the flags and orders. The soldiers don't know the generals, and the generals don't know the soldiers. Enemy. Zhengu did not hesitate to die, only worried that if he lost the battle with the thieves, he would miss hundreds of thousands of people in the south of the county, and he would miss Mingfu's love for the people... So, Zhen begged Mingfu to give Zhen some time. , after Zhen has roughly trained them, then go south to attack the thieves."

This request is reasonable. Prefect Wen has no reason not to agree.

He said: "Okay, I'll give you..., give you three days! How?"

One thousand two hundred people, plus Ding Zhuang, who was promised by Wen Taishou, totaled two thousand people. Three days is not enough time to teach them to recognize left and right. Where can you do it in three days?

Xun Zhen's face was embarrassed: "This,..."

At the critical moment, Zhong Yao is still needed.

Zhong Yao is an upright person and is straight in the Qing Dynasty. The Zhong family and the Xun family were once again friends, and they were equally famous in the county. At the moment, he spoke out of righteousness and said: "The field is different from defending the city. In the field, there is no strong city to rely on. If the soldiers don't know the battle formation or the military orders, they will go into battle in a hurry, and they will be defeated in vain, and they will die in vain. , The slave has just been compiled into a trilogy, just as Zhenzhi said, I don't know the golden drum, I don't know the flag, the soldiers don't know the generals, the generals don't know the soldiers. Only three days, I'm afraid it's not enough."

The Zhong family of the Changshe is the county's surname, and the law is good, and he has taught many disciples. In addition, in the past few decades, their family has served as two county officials, and their disciples and former officials are all over the county. Regarding his opinion, Prefect Wen still has to consider it, he pondered.

Zhong Yao added: "The thieves were defeated this morning. It is estimated that Pocai will be able to gather all the tens of thousands of thieves who have been defeated at the earliest the day after tomorrow. It will take a day for the tens of thousands of thieves to cross the river. That's three days. After crossing the river, they have to choose which county to attack first, and then they have to march and then besiege the city. No matter which county they choose, it is absolutely impossible to take the county seat within a day or two. Break through. That is to say, even if we send troops in five or six days, it will not be too late."

"Then..., five days?"

Five days was not enough, but Xun Zhen knew that "five days" was already the limit of Prefect Wen.

He knelt on the ground and said loudly, "Yes. After five days, Zhen will lead the troops south!"

"Hundreds of thousands of people in the south of the county are all entrusting Xunjun! Liang, first thank the elders in the south of the county to Mingfu and Xunjun." He avoided the seat, fell to the ground, and saluted Xun Zhen.

He was an elder, and he was above Xun Zhen. How could Xun Zhen be honored by him? He hurriedly avoided, and bowed down, and said sternly: "How dare you accept the worship of Duke Han, and you must live up to the entrustment of the Ming Palace! If you go here, the thieves are injustice, and the people in the south of the county are incomprehensible, and the vow of chastity will not return."

...

The night outside the hall, the candlelight in the hall.

The two bowed to each other, with Prefect Wen holding a candlestick standing in the middle, and the officials of the county court on the seat were either surprised or sighed, with different expressions.

If you look at it from the courtyard, this scene in the hall looks like a silhouette, embedded in the two hall doors painted in red on a black background.

...

The prefect's mansion was brightly lit, and the light leaked from the open mansion gate.

Stepping on this light, Xun Zhen, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You left the mansion. He got on his horse and headed outside the east gate of the city.

Xun You had been holding back for a long time, and now seeing no one left or right, he complained, "Zhenzhi, why did you promise the manor? Five days, only give us five days, this is not for us to kill thieves, it is Let's go to die!"

"I don't know!"

"Then you still promise?"

"Don't you know what Fu-Jun's thoughts are? I have to respond."

Xun Zhen, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai all knew the thoughts of Prefect Wen. To put it simply, it is still those four words: "Make merit by guilt". Even if you cannot make merit, you should try to minimize some of your own guilt. Knowing that the Yellow Turbans might turn around and swept the south of the county, if they sit idly by, they will say that they are dereliction of duty, and they will say that they are "cowardly and afraid to attack". According to military law, fear and cowardice should be executed.

The prefect mounts a horse to govern the army, dismounts to govern the people, and when there is war in the county, he is also bound by military law.

The military law of the Han Dynasty was very strict. As long as the military law was violated, no matter whether it was a meritorious lord or a famous official, or a descendant of an honorable relative, he would be severely punished. For example, Zhang Qian, Marquis of Bowang, a famous minister in the time of Emperor Xiaowu of the former Han Dynasty, once "sit down with a general to attack the Xiongnu, fearing cowardice and beheaded"; when Deng Hong, the son of Deng Yu, the founding hero of the dynasty, attacked the Xiongnu from Dou Xian, he used a chariot to ride the general. Zhizun also "goes to prison to die" because of his "failure to sit and stay".

Zhang Qian and Deng Hong are still like this, not to mention Prefect Wen?

In fact, just by virtue of the rule of "doing not listen to Xun Zhen's advice, indulging Bo Cai and Fan Sheng, causing thieves and soldiers to spread and the whole county to be corrupted", after pacifying the Yellow Turban Army, he may not escape the death penalty. He is probably well aware of this, but it is human nature to live by evil death, and until the day of condemnation, he will always be lucky. Therefore, whether it is dereliction of duty or cowardice. Anyway, as far as he wanted to come, of course, he would escape if he could, and he would not add this crime if he could.

Anyway, it was Xun Zhen who went south to attack the thieves, not him. Even if Xun Zhen was defeated and died, at least he was not "cowardly".

"We all know the thoughts of the lord of the government, but you are the one who attacked the thieves in the south, not him. More than a thousand iron officials are prisoners, cunning and fierce, not good family members. Although Le Wenqian brought them here. Now, Ke Zhenzhi, do you dare to use it with confidence? What if they mutiny before the battle?"

"There are Le Jin, Xu Zhong, Jiang Qin, Chen Bao, Gao Su, Wen Ping, and hundreds of guests under my sect who are in control. Junxin gave me the hundreds of Ding Zhuang to suppress it, so I don’t think there will be a mutiny before the battle.”

"Even if they don't mutiny before the battle, no matter how weak the thieves are, there are still tens of thousands of them. After watching the waves just besieged the city a few days ago, this thief is also a little resourceful, not a mediocre person. Today, we only have 2,000 new soldiers in a hurry. Attacking them, attacking the crowd with few, is no different than feeding tigers with sheep! .

Xun Zhen smiled slightly and asked Xi Zhicai, "Zhi Cai, what do you think?"

Xun You opposed it, but Xi Zhi supported it. He said: "In terms of the situation, this cannot be done. In terms of cleanup, this must be done!"

"how do I say this?"

"Your Majesty's family is the hope of my county. There is something going on in the south of the county today, so why not save it? If you are worried about your lord, this is loyalty; if you save people from misfortune, this is righteousness. It must be a smile for the county people. This is one of them."

"What about the second?"

"The ruler and the minister are defined, and success or failure is the same. If the ruler of the government sits on the law because of the southern affairs of the county, and he is a soldier of the county, he will also be ridiculed by the world. The second."

"Anything else?"

"have."

"Want to hear it."

"Focus on reading history books and observing the actions of the ancients. Only those who can do what others dare not do can be admired by the world. Only those who deal with life and death can achieve Zhuo's journey. This is what the ancients said: no Adversity is not enough to be a hero, and trouble is not enough to be a hero. Today, the thieves and soldiers are in turmoil, and it is time for a man to make achievements and make his name. Husband was born in the world, in order to gain fame, why cherish his body! This is the third!"

The night wind swept past the evergreen pines and cypresses beside the road, blowing on the clothes, feeling quite chilly. Xun Zhen grabbed the reins and sighed, "Those who know me are talented."

...

The world style of the two Han Dynasties is stubborn and enterprising. On the one hand, people regard those who are anxious for justice and commit suicide as men of integrity, and do not hesitate to give them a lofty reputation. , in a place of hardship, this is the feeling of a non-scholar."

Great mortals have a strong spirit of forging ahead, and for the sake of fame and career, they can give up their lives. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the famous official and master Fu Yan said: "The husband does not eat five dings when he is born, but he cooks with five dings when he dies." Although this is an extreme statement, it can also be seen from the fashion at that time.

Xi Zhicai was born in a poor family, and he embraced the ability of the world. However, because his family was poor and he was not a prominent family, he was unable to serve for many years. It was not long ago that he got a county position with Xun Zhen's recommendation. His desire for fame is far greater than that of a family Xun You, who came from a clan, is strong.

Therefore, he was able to say generously and eloquently, "The husband was born in the world, and he cherishes his body for the sake of fame".

Of course, the reason why Xun Zhen said, "Those who know me, have ambitions," is not entirely because of his words. The "one" and "two" points that Xi Zhicai said are also very important. The Xun family is a prominent family in the county, so it’s fine not to say anything about the prefect. He has already said everything about asking Xun Zhen to go south and rescue the people in the south of the county.

For private and public, he could not refuse. It would be disloyal to refuse.

This is the same as when Guo Tu took into account his reputation in the county and disapproved of Han Lianggu's request for Prefect Wen to rescue the south of the county, but he did not directly denounce him.

Although he knew that saving the south of the county was very dangerous, no matter what the objective reasons were, as a son of the Xun clan, and as a soldier of the county, Cao Rong, he had to save him. If you don't dare to save it, you will damage your reputation. The people of the Han and Han Dynasties valued reputation far more than other times. If the reputation is damaged, it is really worse than death. Life is also what I want, righteousness is also what I want, and neither can be obtained at the same time. Those who sacrifice life for righteousness.

...

Xun You is smart and knowledgeable, and he is not ignorant of these principles, but he and Xun Zhen have grown up together since childhood, and Xun Zhen and Xun Zhen are called uncles, and they are like brothers. He is also concerned and confused.

After listening to Xi Zhicai's words, he sighed and said, "I also know the truth of sacrificing one's life for righteousness. Alas, it's just that this is too dangerous, and the odds of winning are too small."

"Although the odds of winning are small, it is not that there is no chance of winning at all."

Xun Zhen asked, "Zhicai, if you think my troops are going south, how can we win? Where are the odds of winning?"

Xi Zhicai and Xun You were side by side with Xun Zhen, and they were half a horse behind Xun Zhen. He listened to Xun Zhen's question, but he didn't answer first. Instead, he turned his face and smiled at Xun You: "Gongda must have a plan, Zhongyuan will hear it first."

"Gongda, come and listen."

Xun You complained that Xun Zhen returned to Xun Zhen, but since Xun Zhen had already accepted the order from Prefect Wen, it was useless to complain only. As early as when Xun Zhen had promised Prefect Wen in the hall, he used his brain and thought about it. After thinking about it for so long, he did think of a way to win.

"For today's plan, just four words."

"Which four words?"

"Inside and outside should be combined."

"Should the inside and outside be combined?"

These four words are very vague, what is "inside" and what is "outside"? But Xun Zhen understood what he meant, because he thought so too. He turned his head and asked Xi Zhicai again: "Zhi Cai, what do you think of Gongda's plan?"

Xi Zhicai laughed and said: "I and Gongda thought about going together! Zhenzhi, now the enemy is outnumbered, and our army is full of new soldiers. It is difficult to win with a dignified formation. Borrowing external causes is not acceptable. As Gongda said, this is the only strategy for today’s plan.”

——

1. The people of the Han Dynasty paid more attention to reputation than other times. If the reputation is damaged, it is really worse than death.

The Han people have a very strong sense of honor and shame, and their emphasis on honor manifests itself in many ways, one of which is the most intense and direct: suicide.

"In the history of the Han Dynasty, the large number of suicides, the suicides affecting all social strata and the endless phenomenon of suicide are eye-catching~www.wuxiaspot.com~ There are more than 820 suicides recorded in the Han Dynasty documents. Among these suicides,... , the social causes of suicide are complex and multifaceted”. Among them, the vast majority of officials and scholars committed suicide because of "self-respect" or "filial piety".

Self-esteem and filial piety are all related to honor. Scholars committed suicide mostly out of filial piety, while officials committed suicide because of filial piety and loyalty, and more for self-esteem.

Needless to say about "filial piety", regarding "self-esteem", specifically, people who commit suicide "are always related to the failure of political activities or going to prison", and "most of those who commit suicide show a calm state of mind when they choose this kind of behavior."

In order to maintain his own reputation and dignity, he would rather die than be humiliated in prison.

For example, Li Guang "was fifty years old, and he will not be able to confront the swordsman again", so he chose to commit suicide. Another example is Cai Lun, who refused to go to prison to be humiliated, so he "bathed his clothes" and committed suicide. Another example is Zhou Yafu, the official arrested Zhou Yafu, "Yafu wanted to commit suicide, his wife stopped him, so he could not die, so he entered the court. Because he did not eat for five days, he vomited blood and died." Another example is the battle for power between Duke Shengtu and Zhou Yangyou, the prefect of Hedong. Xiao Wangzhi, a minister of the Yuan Dynasty, was framed and was "riddled by Jinwu's chariot". Xiao Wangzhi committed suicide and was dissuaded by his wife. He hesitated to ask his disciple Zhu Yun. Zhu Yun encouraged him to focus on righteousness. Yang Tian sighed and said, "I have tried to prepare a general. I am over sixty years old, and I am old and imprisoned. I want to live, isn't it also contemptible?" Then he committed suicide by drinking poison.

"During the Han Dynasty, in addition to natural deaths and executions for crimes, the number of suicides among government officials surprised future generations." "Righteousness is not punished", "It is not contemptuous to seek life"? Because of a strong sense of honor and shame, officials in the Han Dynasty often chose to commit suicide after being convicted to maintain their honor and self-esteem. "The phenomenon of suicide became a special manifestation of self-esteem in the Han Dynasty.