Three Kingdoms

To others, this farce seemed like a joke.

But for the parties involved, this is no longer a joke, it is a matter of life and death.

Kong Qian did not expect that Cao Cao's counterattack was far beyond their imagination. As soon as things were calmed down, he immediately launched a violent revenge. This also made Kong Qian a little confused. He didn't know if Cao Cao was too domineering, or if he was actually in a big disaster right now?

And what's very interesting is that if it was just a hindsight, it would be said that at this time, Kong Qian still dared to stay in Xu County, dared to hang around in front of Cao Cao, and dared to attend the meeting of the Prime Minister's Mansion so arrogantly, etc. …

But in fact, reality is often so weird.

There are even weirder ones.

For example, in ancient times, there were emperors who heard that the people were starving to death, so they changed their sons to eat, and then said why not eat minced meat. In modern times, why don't they rent out their spare rooms and run away from home...

Ridiculous, ridiculous, weird, weird.

But the problem is that such people not only say this, but also do it!

It was like what Kong Qian felt right now was not only fear, but also humiliation and anger! He was humiliated because he felt unbearable to be exposed in public, and angry because no one said a "fair word" for him!

Is this still Shilin, Shandong?

Is this still the hometown of Yuzhou culture?

Are these people from Yingchuan who usually call each other brothers and sisters, and come and go with scholars?

how so? !

You must know that in the past year, during the turmoil of the party, in the face of such brutal suppression and persecution by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, didn't the Kong family also survive in the same way? No matter how arrogant Cao Cao is now, is it possible that he is even more cruel than Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty back then?

What is even more hateful and annoying is that the few guys who were around Kong Qian before and shouted that they wanted to advance and retreat together, when they saw that the situation was not good, they immediately shut up and shrank their heads, as if they had forgotten immediately. I wonder if I know Kong Qian!

A few days ago, he learned that Cao Cao had killed hundreds of officials who claimed to be "putting out fires" under the palace wall. Kong Qian was horrified and had to admit that he had indeed misjudged the situation.

Kong Qian originally thought that Cao Cao did not dare to act rashly. After all, Cao Cao still had a big enemy to fight, and he still needed the support of the people in Yingchuan. At most, Cao Cao could only attack a few minor surnames from the side branches, and it didn't matter how many of those minor surnames he killed. .

As long as you don't kill yourself, what does the death of others mean?

A scholar, he is somewhat decent after all.

It's like a Swiss roll... ahem, it's like "If you don't eat for a day, you will be hungry!" 』

Since those mediocre people were incapable of making plans, Kong Qian naturally couldn't afford to advance or retreat with them anymore. Those vulgar people were caught and killed, which would probably help Cao Cao eliminate some of his anger, right?

Even if Cao Cao was angry with him, Kong Qian had a special status!

Descendants of the Kong family!

Descendants of saints!

Representative figure of Shandong Shilin!

What's more, Cao Cao was busy dealing with foreign troubles, so it was hard to retaliate directly against him. Perhaps Kong Qian could not only find an opportunity to express that he did not do it on purpose, but that all the mistakes were caused by Da He. He could just apologize and that would be the end of the matter. If it really didn't work, he could also ask the emperor to come forward. Ease the relationship between him and Cao Cao.

What's the big deal? Killing someone is just a nod!

What's more, if Cao Cao really wanted to bring order to the chaos, he would have to use Kong Qian himself! Since I am definitely still useful, I won’t die!

At least he won't die immediately...

Kong Qian had this in mind, so he went to the Prime Minister's Mansion openly and sat in the first place. On the one hand, he can understand Cao Cao's movements at the first time. On the other hand, he is trying to use this method to show that he actually respects Cao Cao and works hard. The previous ones are just a misunderstanding!

Even Kong Qian had made a plan in his mind, thinking that the worst he could do was to be humiliated by Cao Cao. As long as he was not beheaded and scolded a few times, he would not lose any weight anyway. Anyway, he only had to admit that his work was not meticulous and his thinking was not thorough. , but is it still good to do this for the big man, and is it still good to have this wish for the common people...

But Kong Qian never expected that not long after he sat down, he would be impeached one after another!

Kong Qian's heart suddenly trembled, and he subconsciously stood up and said angrily: "This is a big fallacy!" A certain kind of loyalty comes for the sake of the country, the country, and the country, but I don’t know..."

Before Kong Qian finished speaking, he saw Xiahou Dun's face darken and shouted in a deep voice: "Who is the master of ceremonies in the hall today?" What is the crime for roaring in court for no reason? ! 』

Although the court meeting in the Prime Minister's Mansion is not as rigorous as in front of the emperor or in the Chongde Hall, it does not mean that there are no rules at all! What's more, no matter what time it is, even when you are being impeached and criticized, according to etiquette, you should listen quietly to the end. No matter whether what the other party says makes sense or not, whether it is right or wrong, you are waiting for the other party to hear everything. After finishing speaking, the person presiding over the meeting asked, and it was his turn to defend himself.

Otherwise, what else would we call officials? What else is it called a house of etiquette? What kind of person is he called a person of high status? Interjecting words and yelling at will, wouldn't it be like those sellers, merchants and grocery shopping aunts in the vegetable market?

That's the rule.

If there were no such rules, the court would become a place for talking nonsense. How would it be decent? What else are we talking about and what national policies are we discussing? Whoever is louder and more scolding is the end of it.

Xiahou Dun stood up and scolded the ceremony officials who were in Zhi today, but the target was of course Kong Qian.

Although Kong Qian can be said to have read a lot of poetry, he does not necessarily know the truth because he has read a lot. Moreover, Kong Qian used to claim to be a famous person in the Zhu family. Wherever he went, others respected him respectfully and pointed fingers at him. Referring to other people, how can it be their turn to use words to slander him?

In addition, Kong Qian has never been in the court. Although he does not understand the etiquette of the court, it is like many officials who turn a blind eye to some slogans engraved on the outer walls of the official residence. They read them every day, but treat them as such every day. Unseen, he said to the people that I represent the court and I represent the great man. In addition, in a moment of urgency, he immediately threw all the etiquette rules in his mind behind and messed up the rules.

After hearing Xiahou Dun's scolding, Kong Qian suddenly woke up and apologized hurriedly: "I'm rude, I'm rude, I'm really sorry, I'm really sorry..."

Guo Jia was sitting in the banquet nearby. When he saw this scene, he felt happy in his heart. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh. Regarding Kong Qian's confused and lack of stability, who gave you the courage and courage? How dare you step into this bottomless murky water so easily?

Do you, Kong Qian, think that Cao Cao asked Xiahou Dun to come here just to listen to Xiahou Dun say a few words about military affairs? Cao Cao himself didn’t know these few words about military affairs? Haha, that was what Xiahou Dun told you and the other officials below!

The surrounding area is about to be pacified, do you understand? Do you know what it means?

Now that everything has been pacified and the external troubles are no longer so serious, of course we have to deal with the internal troubles!

Total idiot!

With this thought in his mind, Guo Jia turned to look at Cao Cao. He was more curious about how Cao Cao would deal with Kong Qian, a living treasure...

The crime of disrespecting the court can be a big or small crime.

After all, after the founding of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism paid more attention to Confucianism and praised the status of Confucius and Mencius, so that even the Confucius family seemed to be superior to others. Even if there were any mistakes, they would be held high. Put it down gently, at most criticize it, order it to make corrections, and let it apologize.

When the imperial power of the Han Dynasty was strong, there were very strict, even harsh rules on court etiquette. People who sat in the wrong posture would be deprived of political power for life. In the end, there were people who had their titles reduced and their homes confiscated. Needless to say, people like Kong Qian were in power. When he was impeached, he directly retorted. The nature of Kong Qian's behavior is obviously much more serious. It is not just as simple as removing him from office to avoid suspicion and returning to the court after the matter is over.

At this moment, Wang Bi, who was in charge of the ceremony, had already stood up, cupped his hands and said: "In the court, there is a rude roar, twenty sticks." 』

After hearing this, Kong Qian's expression in the hall turned extremely ugly.

Although Kong Qian himself made this low-level mistake, until this moment, he still felt that it was just a roar. No, it was not even a roar. He was just arguing for himself out of necessity. How could it be considered "rude"? ?

Kong Qian was just about to step forward when he saw that Cao Cao had already raised his hand and looked around, "Everyone, do you have any other opinions?" 』

"..." There was silence in the hall.

Kong Qian also opened his eyes wide, looking at the guys who had been drinking before, even one sip of Brother Kong, but found that those guys had their necks shrunk and their eyes closed, like wood carvings and clay sculptures.

Kong Qian's hands were shaking as he stretched out his hand, "Wait..."

Cao Cao squinted his eyes, followed Kong Qian's gaze, moved the corners of his mouth slightly, waited for a while, and then waved his hand.

Immediately, guards rushed up from the hall, grabbed hold of Kong Qian with his hands, and then dragged him down the hall. He pushed him down under the steps in front of the hall with a sound, and then lifted up Kong Qian's robe from behind, revealing his clothes. Its ass coming.

Cao Cao raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at it, and turned away without interest.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

"Pity……"

"A bit white..."

"..."

The board he held high fell down, and then the hall heard Kong Qian's screams that he couldn't stop even though his mouth was gagged.

……_(:з　∠)_……

After the court meeting, except for the officials who were left to answer questions alone, the rest of the officials returned one after another. Those who had specific positions went back to the official residence to handle related matters. Those who did not have specific positions, or were like Guo Jia Even if you have a job, you can be lazy as long as you can, so you can just go home.

In the evening, Chen Zhong came and asked for an audience with the famous assassin, and also brought two jars of wine.

Guo Jia raised his eyebrows, and then his eyes lingered on the word "wine" for a long time. Finally, he sighed. After thinking about it, he stood up and went out to greet him.

Chen Zhong is the son of Chen Chen. Chen Chen died young, so his family will be affected to a certain extent. Naturally, Chen Qun is not the one who has more say in the Chen family.

Guo Jia did not have any special friendship with Chen Zhong and had little contact with him before. It can even be said that Guo Jia rarely interacts with most of the Yingchuan gentry children, and even the Guo family themselves.

The guests and hosts took their seats and exchanged glasses of wine.

"If what I expected is true..." After drinking some wine, Guo Jia said with a smile, "Are you here for the Kong family?" 』

Chen Zhong was stunned for a moment, and then denied it: "I have no friendship with the Kong family... However, this presumptuous visit does have some connections..."

"Then who in your clan came to you for mercy?" Guo Jia chuckled and said, "It's rare to value love and righteousness! It's rare!" 』

Chen Zhong smiled awkwardly and said, "It's my nephews... who came to the door. I can't just shirk it..."

Guo Jia nodded, "I understand." 』

This time Kong Qian, or the turmoil in Xu County, involved a lot of things, and a lot of people were affected. Those who were beheaded on the spot, and others who were arrested later, made many officials throughout Yingchuan. The family was severely hit, even overturned.

Chen Zhong lost his father when he was young, so he could understand this kind of hardship, so when some people in the clan were involved in the rebellion in Xu County, although Chen Zhong also despised these guys for committing stupid things, he saw the pain of those nephews in the clan. I begged and begged, but I couldn't bear it.

Guo Jia laughed and said, "Of your grandnephews, are you the only elder?" 』

Chen Zhong felt a little uncomfortable at first, after all, Guo Jia's words were full of sarcasm, but after hearing Guo Jia's words, his eyes suddenly moved, and then he began to ponder.

Guo Jia gave Chen Zhong a slightly sideways glance. It is a good quality to value love and justice, but if you can't see the situation clearly, it may lead to disaster. What's more, Kong Qian is very involved at the moment, and anyone who gets involved easily will probably be shattered to pieces. Guo Jia felt that Chen Zhong might not be aware of this, but he thought that as long as he avoided Kong Qian and saved those Chen family officials, it might not be a big deal...

Chen Zhong remembered the pleading pleas of those nephews and grandnephews who had knelt down at home before, and looked a little lonely, "I know best the misery of losing someone to rely on as a child. I really can't bear to have them... endure this kind of pain at such a young age..." I would also like to ask the military advisor to give me some advice..."

Guo Jia raised his hand, indicating that Chen Zhong didn't need to say more, and then said: "You have thought about it..."

"Some minor officials..." Chen Zhong couldn't understand. He thought it was just Guo Jia's evasion. "It's not in the court, it's just minor officials in the surrounding counties..."

"This is not just a minor official..." Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Let's put it this way, if you look at the trees in the courtyard...if they only have their roots but not their roots, how can they survive?" 』

"The big man is like this tree. If he wants its branches and leaves to be luxuriant, he only needs the roots to be deep among the people. But if..." Guo Jia pointed, "This end is broken... Should I keep it or not?" 』

Is it pitiful to lose your father when you were young? Pitiful.

But for those people who are as speechless as gravel and soil, have they lost their parents or wives during this process because of the corruption and injustice of these petty officials? So are these people pitiful or not? Who else is there to pity?

"People..." Chen Zhong fell silent.

Then Guo Jia also fell silent.

Guo Jia held a bowl of wine.

The drink was swaying slightly, and his thoughts were also wandering slightly.

The reason why Guo Jia is still patient with Chen Zhong is not because he has any feelings for Chen Zhong, but because Chen Zhong is a "discipline" that Cao Cao specially promoted some time ago, and as someone who understands and knows some of Cao Cao's plans Guo Jia felt that it was necessary to communicate with Chen Zhong.

Of course, if communication is ineffective, then so be it.

In comparison, the gentry in Shandong as a whole have little to do with ordinary people. The nobles are nobles, and the common people are common people. There are no great scholars, and Yangchun Baixue has nothing to do with the lower Liba people.

This point is slightly different from Guanzhong.

The gentry system in Guanzhong, judging from Guo Jia's previous stay in Guanzhong, may be because Guanzhong was somewhat affected by the mixed living of Hu people, and also because of the perennial threat from the Western Qiang, the gentry in Guanzhong was relatively still They will pay more attention to the local people. Of course, this is only in comparison.

After all, when the barbarians came to plunder, these nobles needed the common people to fight against the foreign enemies. To put it simply, they knew that they needed the common people to work hard, so of course their attitude should be slightly better. And the land of Shandong has not had foreign enemies for too long. , treat the people like dolphins and dogs. Even though Cao Cao ordered these people to treat the people well, to be honest and honest, to pay attention to this and that, many Shandong nobles still did not take these instructions of Cao Cao seriously.

In the eyes of many people from Shandong, those people are untouchables and unruly people who always want to cause trouble and need to be suppressed!

As long as it is not a large-scale death, hundreds or thousands of people die is nothing at all. Even if tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people die, as long as there is a "justified" reason, it is not unacceptable. Officials continue to be officials, and officials continue to be officials. From father to son, and from son to grandson, officials continue to be officials from generation to generation. Just like the Yellow Turban Rebellion that year, when hundreds of thousands of "Yellow Turban Thieves" were killed, the gentry children clapped their hands and applauded Huangfu Song, singing... uh, that kind of gratitude song... Thanks to Huangfu for his return to peace...

But now Cao Cao only killed some of them, and did not even attack the families of these corrupt officials like the hussar generals in Guanzhong. The children of the Shandong gentry couldn't bear it anymore, and they screamed and cried bitterly. , expressing everywhere that Cao Cao is cruel and cruel and has no humanity.

In fact, Guo Jia sometimes feels that perhaps the methods in Guanzhong can really be a deterrent. Corrupt officials will definitely harm the whole family. Let alone confiscation of homes, wives will be reduced to common people and will not be allowed to serve as officials for three generations...

"...Thank you for your advice, military advisor..." Chen Zhong finally gave up and solemnly thanked Guo Jia.

Guo Jia nodded and raised the wine bowl. He didn't care whether Chen Zhong really understood it or pretended to understand it. If Cao Cao didn't need children from poor families to support the structure of those officials who had been eliminated, Guo Jiacai wouldn't bother to talk to Chen Zhong.

"Come, drink!" Respect the big man! 』

"Respect the Prime Minister!" 』

"I also respect this world..."