Three Kingdoms

This room is not big.

There are seven steps from the window inside the house to the door.

Then there are five steps from the door to the corner on the other side.

It is twelve steps from the corner to the corner diagonally opposite. How big is this room?

Cai Yu didn't know how big the room was, but he guessed that he wouldn't live long.

This is not a prison, but a separate courtyard.

He was in one of the huts.

The house was empty, with only linen quilts and not even a bed, table or bed.

Is this because he is afraid of hitting a corner and dying?

Cai Yu laughed at himself, no, he was afraid of pain. So if he was going to die, it would be best to let someone else give him a knife, something that would be simpler. If he had to kill himself by himself, he wouldn't be able to do it.

However, Xun Yu was still very careful and did not want to make any mistakes, so he not only arranged a house for Cai Yu that did not seem to have any suicide tools, but also had guards outside the windows and doors of the house day and night. The soldiers guarded the place for twelve hours.

Cai Yu was very panicked when he was caught, but gradually, Cai Yu stopped panicking. Just like when he climbed over the wall to find someone else's lady, he would be a little panicked, but if he was really blocked and had no place to run, he would just risk it all...

When there was still a chance to escape, Cai Yu was full of fear of death, but after knowing that he was bound to die, and after the initial fear subsided, he became more tolerant.

In other words, Cai Yu's own bachelor attributes played a role.

Just like some people will say that they are nervous before going on stage to perform, and they are really nervous, with trembling hands and feet, but after these people actually go on stage, these people are not nervous anymore.

There is fear only when things are uncertain. When things are certain, they are not as afraid as before.

Want to survive?

Of course Cai Yu wanted to, but he couldn't do it if he really wanted to bite him regardless. After all, among the people he knew, the only ones with the same status as him were Wang Ming and Song Hang. As for the other people, Cai Yu has never been in contact with them, and of course he is not familiar with them.

Because Cai Yu was not familiar with him, Xun Yu naturally couldn't ask. Xun or just defrauded Wang Ming, but failed to catch him. After all, once he crossed Heluo and entered the Hangu area, Xun or was powerless.

As for whether Song Hang would be involved, he couldn't control it.

Do you regret it?

Maybe a little too.

But only a little.

If he had not been a spy, Cai Yu would not have been able to get so much money, and naturally he would not have had the opportunity to soothe the hearts of so many young ladies and bring them warmth.

Even if he knew that some ladies were greedy for his money, it didn't matter.

It's just that he left like this. Will those little ladies think of him one day or at a certain moment in the future? Will he smile slightly, grit his teeth and curse, or shake his head and forget about it?

Just when Cai Yu was bored and letting his thoughts wander, he heard a loud shout...

"The Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty has arrived!" 』

Cai Yu was startled, and subconsciously ran to the door. He wanted to come out to greet him, but when he was stopped by the soldiers at the door, he realized that he could no longer be regarded as the prime minister's subordinate, but could only be regarded as the prime minister's enemy.

Cao Cao slowly walked into the courtyard. He did not go directly to the room where Cai Yu was detained, but walked into the main hall. He frowned slightly, with a serious face. After sitting down, he straightened his robe, shook his sleeves, and then said in a deep voice: "Pass." 』

Not long after, Cai Yu was brought to the hall.

Cao Cao looked at Cai Yu and recalled the impression of this person in his mind. Before he came, he had read the relevant information reported by Xun He, but after all, it was in writing. If he wanted to overlap with the person in front of him, it was not possible to match it immediately. After all, Cao Cao had many subordinates, and Cai Cao Yu is not a core member.

"Cai Chengxi!" Are you okay? ” Cao Cao smiled and asked Cai Yu to sit down, as if he was meeting an old friend.

"..." Cai Yu was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and said, "I have met the Prime Minister." 』

"Come on, sit down, sit down. ” Cao Cao smiled and said, “The last time we met, we must have been in Yecheng? 』

Cai Yu nodded and said, "What the Prime Minister remembered is correct." 』

When Yuan Shao was defeated, Cao Cao marched into Yecheng. Officials of all sizes under Yuan Shao went to Yecheng to pay their respects.

Cai Yu is naturally among them. At that time, Cai Yu did not have the capital to meet Cao Cao alone. He just mixed in the crowd and withdrew after listening to Cao Cao's lecture.

Of course, if such a visit can be considered a meeting, then Cao Cao and Cai Yu have indeed met.

After a moment of silence, Cao Cao said slowly: "So, when Chengxi came under Yuan Benchu, he was under the order of Hussar?" 』

Cai Yu was silent for a while and nodded slightly.

Cao Cao also nodded, "I understand." 』

After confirming this, for some reason, Cao Cao felt a little better.

Cai Yu glanced at Cao Cao and suddenly smiled, "Speaking of which, this is the first time I have been so close to the Prime Minister... Prime Minister, you actually have beautiful hair on your head..."

"Bold!" ” The guard standing beside Cao Cao was furious.

The person in the lower position cannot look directly at the person in the upper position.

Cao Cao raised his hand to stop the guard from taking action, and then looked at Cai Yu, "Are you deliberately irritating me?" For a quick death? 』

Cai Yu was startled for a moment, "Maybe." 』

"Why?" ” Cao Cao asked, “Do you blame me for not treating you well?” 』

Cao Cao looked at Cai Yu. He felt that Cai Yu was not the kind of person who could shout about sacrificing his life for righteousness and then die without hesitation. Therefore, Cao Cao was a little confused about Cai Yu's actions.

Cai Yu is indeed not.

Cai Yu took a deep breath, then seemed to be lost in memories, and then shook his head slightly, "I was in Hedong for less than a year, but I met the Hussar more than ten times... and then I met General Yuan Benchu." , I met the Prime Minister only once. If this time is not counted, it was only once... For such a reason, I wonder if the Prime Minister is satisfied? 』

Cao Cao was speechless for a moment.

Is this a reason?

I'm very busy, I have a lot on my plate.

Who do you think you are? Do you think anyone can see me?

I have so many people under my command, where can I see them coming? Is it okay to report something and follow the procedures? Can the problem be solved by meeting?

And so on.

But when these reasons really become "reasons", it seems a little ridiculous and a little sad.

This is because Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Fei Qian all have scheming people here. However, when Fei Qian is scheming, he will not only summon these officials who are scheming, but he will even go to meet those who are not participating in the scheming. But they are warriors selected from the army...

It's a real meeting, not a big group, the kind where you shake hands, show your face, and then go through the motions.

"ha! Cai Yu seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly laughed, "Qiao Qi once said that he learned the three questions and holding hands from the prime minister...holding hands, asking how are you doing, what are you doing recently, and any difficulties? ...』

"I? Did you learn from me? ”Cao Cao’s eyes widened.

Cai Yu burst out laughing, laughing so hard that tears burst out of his eyes, "Yes, yes, he said that when he first met the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister always asked three questions and held hands, so he knew how to... …』

Cao Cao was stunned, then stunned, and finally sighed, "I'm sorry... So is Hussar still doing this now?" 』

Cai Yu looked at Cao Cao and said, "Prime Minister, I think you know this better than me, Prime Minister." There should be someone like the Prime Minister in Chang'an... someone like me..."

Cao Cao's eyes flashed for a moment, and then he smiled.

Indeed.

What Cao Cao asked Cai Yu just now was not because Cao Cao really didn't know the situation in Chang'an.

Fei Qian would leave Xiuxifu from time to time, and then go either to Hedong or Longxi. Of course, he spent most of his time wandering around Sanfu, and also to Qinling Mountains and Zhongnan Mountain. Anyway, when Fei Qian was traveling, Basically, they bring a large number of guards with them, and the direction is not fixed, so most people only know where Fei Qian is going after Fei Qian goes out, or they wait until Fei Qian comes back with his people before they get the news that Fei Qian is going. Where did you go before diving?

After all, the speed of the hussar, the war horse, is already the fastest means of transportation for the big man.

Cao Cao sometimes wonders why General Fei Qian of the Hussars has so much time to go here and there and meet this person and that person, while Cao Cao himself is often extremely busy putting out fires. There we put out the fire, but we may not be able to do it well.

Cao Cao actually had an answer in his mind, but he didn't want to admit it and couldn't admit it, so he hoped that Cai Yu's answer would be in line with the answer in his mind.

But it's a pity.

"Apart from this reason..." Cao Cao looked at Cai Yu and asked, "Are there any other reasons?" I think that just because they don’t meet each other, Qiaoqi may not be able to make Chengxi return to his heart like this? 』

"..." Cai Yu was silent for a while, and then smiled, ""If you want to achieve great things, you must make sacrifices." Haha, I think it may be because of this sentence. 』

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Qianqi asked you to sacrifice?" 』

"Hahaha, no, no! Cai Yu burst out laughing, "The hussar said, haha, he was not a hussar at that time. He said, why should we be sacrificed?" Prime Minister, you know, "we", "you"..."

"Guanzhong, Shandong?" ” Cao Cao still frowned.

Cai Yuxuan shook his head, then looked at Cao Cao, at the prosperous and gorgeous red and black official uniforms on Cao Cao, and then looked down at the gray and white linen robes on his own body, and slowly stopped smiling, and slowly said, "No, it's us, you." We are from a poor family, common people, and the head of Guizhou...and you..."

Cao Cao's brows suddenly raised, and he couldn't put them down for a long time.

“When we die, we die. Who will remember from before? ” Cai Yu shook his head and said, “No one will remember...only Qiusi. At that time, there was a Hall of Heroes in Hedong, which specially collected the soldiers who died in the battle... There were only soldiers, Zhang Ergou, Wang Mazi, and Li Goudan, Zhao Jia Sanlang..."

"In General Yuan's place, no one will remember the names of the soldiers who died, and no one will care about the people who are exhausted in the spring, starved to death in the summer, and frozen to death in the winter... No one, even if he bites the bullet and writes He went up and brought it to General Yuan. He just said "Oh"..." Cai Yu smiled and said, "Yes, I wrote it, and I was demoted for it because such a thing disturbed Yuan. The general's elegance... After all, under the rule of General Yuan, how can one be exhausted, hot, exhausted, and frozen to death? How can it be? Jizhou and Qingzhou are all peaceful! Prosperity! 』

Cao Cao's face gradually turned dark.

"Let me think about what General Yuan was doing at that time? Oh, by the way, we are building a garden and a pavilion..." Cai Yu continued, "Happiness is important, right? If General Yuan is happy, everyone will be happy, right? Therefore, sometimes sacrifices are inevitable. After all, someone always has to sacrifice. But the question is, why, why is it always us? 』

In spring, we have to build canals, plow fields, build soil, and pave roads. What does it matter if we die from exhaustion? As long as the project can be completed, all sacrifices will be worth it.

In the summer, river embankments need to be built, cellars need to be dug, and city walls need to be repaired. Is the weather hot? God will not give you any favor. If a few of them die from the heat, it is because they are too weak. They are probably sick. Why don't others die from the heat? Who can you blame?

In autumn, there are taxes to be paid, taxes to be paid, calculations to be made, and various miscellaneous fees to be paid. The rich are a drop in the bucket, while the poor have to tighten their belts to pay. Isn't it normal for a few to starve to death? Why can others afford it? Those who starve to death must be lazy people anyway.

And people freeze to death in winter, isn’t that normal? Survival of the fittest in nature! Didn’t you see that when the heavy snow falls, all the pests will freeze to death? This is called auspicious snow, which heralds a good harvest! It's a happy event!

Are these arguments normal? What is the problem?

Cai Yu may not understand what class is, what class monopoly is, and what the operation of capital is, but he instinctively felt that this matter made him uncomfortable, and then he remembered Fei Qian's words.

"If you want to change, you can't wait... Since it didn't work before, then in the future, if you don't try, the big man will never change..." Cai Yu looked at Cao Cao, "So I came... so to speak , Prime Minister, can you understand? 』

Cao Cao nodded slowly.

He generally understood.

Cai Yu also nodded, "Then, just send me on my way." It’s best to call someone with a faster knife...I’m afraid of pain..."

Cao Cao squinted his eyes, "Are you afraid of pain?" But not afraid of death? 』

Cai Yu nodded, "Yes, long-term pain is worse than short-term pain." 』

Cao Cao tilted his head slightly, looked at Cai Yu's expression carefully, and repeated, "Long-term pain is not as good as short-term pain?" Was it also what Qiusi said? 』

Cai Yu laughed, twitched the corners of his mouth, then exhaled and nodded.

Cao Cao thought for a moment, then stood up, looked at Cai Yu, and sighed softly, "That's right." That being the case...』

As Cao Cao stood up, Cai Yu's body seemed to tremble, and then he closed his eyes.

Cao Cao looked at Cai Yu and was silent for a moment, which seemed to be a long time. Then he slowly said, "I... won't kill you." In a few days, I’ll have someone take you back to Chang’an…”

"Prime Minister!" ” Cai Yu’s eyes widened, he couldn’t believe it.

Cao Cao waved his hand and then left, leaving Cai Yu a little at a loss, then collapsed to the ground and giggled.

Cao Cao went out, boarded the car, and then moved forward slowly.

Not only was Cao Cao on the vehicle, but also Guo Jia, who had stayed in the vehicle just now and did not follow Cao Cao into the courtyard.

The sound of horse hooves.

The wheels are rolling.

"Don't you ask me why I didn't kill him?" 』

Cao Cao rolled his eyes, glanced at Guo Jia, and asked.

Guo Jia chuckled and said, "Kill for what?" It's just for the sake of temporary pleasure and it is of no use at all, so the Lord will definitely not kill him. 』

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Then what are the benefits of talking about filial piety?" 』

"The son of the Cai family is an old official of the Yuan family. Although he is said to be a hussar spy, the officials in Jizhou do not fully know the reason," Guo Jia said, "Therefore, he was killed because he was afraid that the officials in Jizhou would be panicked and would not be conducive to stability... This is One. 』

"What about the second one?" ” asked Cao Cao.

"Secondly, if we kill Cai's son, the other spies will know that there is no harm..." Guo Jia continued, "If we don't kill him, the other spies will inevitably wonder whether Cai's son has confessed something to save their lives, and they may panic. At a loss…』

Cao Cao smiled and nodded at Guo Jia, "Is there a third option?" 』

"Thirdly, how much is it worth to kill one person?" Wouldn't it be better if we could change some war horses? 』

After Guo Jia finished speaking, Cao Cao burst out laughing, "Hahaha, those who know me are filial piety!" 』

Guo Jia also smiled, as if this was indeed the case.

But in reality?

If Cao Cao comes out, kills Cai Yu, and asks for the reason for the killing, Guo Jia can also tell him one, two, three, and the three points he said before are even more reasonable.

The vehicle did not return directly to the Prime Minister's Mansion, but stopped in the suburbs. Cao Cao got out of the car casually and asked Guo Jia to follow him.

Cao Cao originally brought Guo Jia with him to sing a duet, with one person white-faced and the other red-faced, to see if he could get more information from Cai Yu. However, after meeting Cai Yu, Cao Cao started talking again. He changed his original mind and just talked with Cai Yu and did not let Guo Jia enter the yard.

Of course, this is not the most important issue.

Before Cao Cao met Cai Yu, he imagined that Cai Yu might say that the reason why he did it for Hussar was for some righteous cause, for the world, for the emperor Liu Xie, etc. But what Cao Cao didn't expect at all was that Cai Yu Yu just saw Fei Qian when he was in Hedong.

And that so-called...

sacrifice?

What is the reason for this?

This is not to say that those who claim to be righteous must be false, but Cai Yu's rhetoric caught Cao Cao off guard. Cao Cao has become accustomed to facing these people every day who always talk about righteousness. When he opens his mouth, he is loyal and filial, and when he keeps his mouth shut, he must be benevolent...

Loyalty, filial piety and righteousness sound good, and they taste delicious, just like big fish and big meat, with a full portion.

But Cai Yu's reasons were light and airy, like child's play.

But the problem is, Cao Cao feels that what Cai Yu said is the most true.

So the question raised by Cai Yu was also swirling in Cao Cao's mind.

Why do people always have to sacrifice?

Cao Cao had thought about it before, but he had never thought deeply about this issue.

Historically, Cao Cao not only wrote "Hao Li Xing", he also wrote other poems, "Xing Dew Xing", "Bitter Cold Xing", of course, as well as "Dan Ge Xing" before and after the Battle of Chibi, and "Turtle" in his old age. Although longevity》......

As long as you have some understanding of poetry appreciation, you can appreciate the emotional changes in it. The so-called "there is no rooster crow for a thousand miles" is ultimately just a momentary emotion of classmate Lao Cao. After that point, he has almost forgotten it. At the end, only "Zhou Gong spits food" and "Lao Ji Fufang" are left.

This does not mean that Cao Cao is so bad. After all, in this day and age, there are still a lot of people who can't even lament "no chicken crow", and even say that there is no chicken to eat, so it's okay to eat duck...

Cao Cao put his hands behind his back and looked at the distant mountains, "Fengxiao, what do you think of this great Han world...?" 』