Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3286 Will the dream dance with the wind or finally fall to the ground?

While Fei Qian and others were discussing military and political affairs, Cao Cao was looking up at the sky.

Under the sky, people are like ants.

So, how dare ants-like humans talk about the way of heaven?

Cao Cao was the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, second only to the emperor, and not even second only to the emperor, because he could easily make the emperor round or flat as he wanted.

Even so, when Cao Cao looked up at the sky, he still felt his own insignificance.

Especially these days.

Cao Cao's words were as good as gold in Shandong.

The Cao family flag flew high in Shandong.

All Shandong officials would get up every morning and start working under the Cao family flag, but was the expression on their faces when they raised their heads and looked at the flag the same as Cao Cao's expression at the moment?

Guanzhong was not pacified, Hedong was still fighting, and Shandong was already restless.

Cao Cao asked Cheng Yu to go back, and his meaning was very clear, but he was stopped by Xun Yu. Cao Cao actually understood Xun Yu's thoughts, just as Xun Yu understood Cao Cao's mind.

Xun Yu, Cao Cao's counselor, was also his friend, and was Cao Cao's logistics manager. He knew Cao Cao's ambition and his strength, but Xun Yu knew that some things in this world could not be solved by strength alone.

Because Cao Cao was a man.

Xun Yu was also a man.

Not a god, or an emperor...

Cao Cao could control swords and guns, command troops, and issue laws. In an instant, he could make many people fall to the ground, and make some families and even some counties disappear into ashes, and there would be no cocks crowing for thousands of miles.

But Cao Cao could not control people's hearts.

Cao Cao could kill them and their clansmen, but he could not kill all the people in the world.

If Cao Cao was really stupid, or crazy enough to want to kill all the people in the world, Cao Cao would definitely die before all the people in the world died.

The Shandong gentry had their families, their friends, and their supporters.

They will resist, retaliate, and cause greater chaos.

Just like in the counties of Xuzhou, many people still hate Cao Cao.

Killing Xuzhou people back then was like slaughtering lambs. It was fun and the meat was eaten.

But what about now?

Killing sheep is fun, but can you really kill people like sheep?

Are there any people in Xuzhou who don't curse Cao Cao and hate Cao's army now?

Even if they are smiling on the surface, what about behind their backs?

Hatred is like blood melting into a deep pool. Although it has been diluted by time, it will still leave traces.

If these descendants of Xuzhou have the opportunity to kill Cao Cao's descendants, will they choose to put down their butcher knives to influence Cao Cao's descendants, or directly slaughter Cao Cao's descendants of nine clans? Will they hope that Cao Cao's regime will last forever, or let him die?

They killed people like sheep back then, and now they are begging people to continue to be cattle and sheep?

In history, Sima Yi finally seized power from Cao Cao. Although the main struggle was in the core court, the support and acquiescence of local forces were also a very important factor in Sima's success in seizing power.

Cao Cao understood that Xun Yu wanted to balance, or to find an area acceptable to both parties in the complex conflicts of interest, but this was difficult.

Xun Yu had too many things on his shoulders. Xun Yu's family background and interpersonal relationships made him successful, but they also became his shackles. As a member of a noble family, Xun Yu had a complex network of interpersonal relationships in Yingchuan and Shandong. These relationships could be his help or burden in the political struggle. If he didn't want to let go of something, he would definitely be crushed one day.

Carrying so much on his shoulders, and still wanting to find balance on the cliff...

Cao Cao didn't think Xun Yu could succeed. Just like Cao Cao also thought that Fei Qian's approach wouldn't work.

So Cao Cao wanted to give up some things.

But there must be someone in Shandong who didn't want to.

『Haha...』

Cao Cao chuckled.

Maybe he was laughing at Xun Yu, or at Fei Qian, or maybe he was also laughing at himself.

Because Cao Cao was actually looking for a balance.

The same difficulty, the same pain, the same helplessness.

Fei Qian's dream was also possessed by Cao Cao back then.

Conquer the West...

But what about now?

Cao Cao knew that it did sound great to plant the flag of the Han Dynasty all over the world, and that everything he saw was the territory of the Han Dynasty, but it did not mean that just by planting the flag of the Han Dynasty, it would become the territory of the Han Dynasty.

Cao Cao also knew that even if he removed the person above his head and took that position, it would seem like he had ascended to heaven, but not everyone would obey orders, and it was still unavoidable to pretend to obey but disobey in secret.

Cao Cao sighed for a long time...

After all, it is impossible for everyone in this world to have the same idea.

So, Ziyuan, you are wrong.

My enemy is not you, and your enemy is not me.

Greed is the biggest enemy of you and me.

You can defeat everyone in the world, and you can kill everyone who resists you, but time will defeat you, the sky will defeat you, and greedy human nature will eventually defeat you...

Everything I am experiencing now may be what you will experience in the future.

The wind is blowing, and the sand is everywhere.

"Prime Minister!"

The messenger fell to the ground with a puff, and the feathers on his helmet trembled in the wind.

"Speak."

Cao Cao still had his hands behind his back and did not look back.

The soldiers who ordered the order did not dare to raise their heads, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, I found on the Emei Ridge... I found the flag of the Hussars General!" 』

There was silence.

The wind blew the yellow sand, as if he wanted to show off his dancing skills in front of everyone, but was squeezed out by the low pressure among everyone, so he ran away humming.

"knew. 』

Cao Cao responded.

The messenger immediately breathed a sigh of relief, took a few steps back without raising his head, and then turned around and left.

It's finally here.

…

…

Near Guandu, Yuzhou.

There is a temporary extra camp.

The camp was not strictly set up and seemed to have some traces of scrawling.

In the camp, the flag of the general was flying with the word "Cui" written on it.

Cui Yan was originally planning to move his army north two days ago, but was stopped before he could start. Then he received an order to continue setting off. After walking only a few miles, he was stopped again...

Cui Yan understood, so he simply led his troops back and reported that the orders were unclear and changed at night. He needed an accurate order before he could lead his troops north, so he finally stopped. No new orders came, and he was on the edge of Yuzhou. Always stationed.

Cui Yan stayed here, just like a drop, oh, it should be a bottle of honey that was knocked to the ground, attracting wild bees and butterflies...

For a moment, the place was like a restaurant, with people leaving from the front and people coming from the back.

Some people came to inquire about the news, some wanted to get angry with Cui Yan, and some wanted to make some exchanges of interests. Anyway, at this time, the situation finally began to become clear, and everyone did not have to worry too much. More, just wait and see who will win in the end between Cao Cao and Fei Qian.

Cui Lin saw that Cui Yan looked a little tired after seeing off the guests, so he couldn't help but said: "...I also feel that Xun Lingjun is in charge of so many things at the Shangshu table. After all, he is under too much pressure...to appear like this now." The situation is not surprising. Everyone knows about his ability, but human energy is limited after all... If there is a capable person at the Chancellor's desk who can share some of the burden..."

Cui Yan waved his hand and said, "Others say this, do you say the same?" 』

"Brother..." Cui Lin whispered, "This is indeed an opportunity, Yingchuan can't hold on..."

Cui Yan sat in the upper position, pinched the bridge of his nose with his hands, closed his eyes and meditated, silently.

Cui Lin saw this and stopped talking.

Although Cui Lin is a side branch, he has followed Cui Yan for so many years, and he can be regarded as a confidant among his confidants and a confidant among his confidants.

Cao Jun saw that the momentum was not good, and he didn't know how many people in Shandong suddenly became impetuous.

Cui Yan's orders to lead troops north to encircle and suppress Wei Yan were inconsistent. At one time, he was ordered to move quickly, and at another time, he was ordered to stay. This clearly demonstrated that Cao Cao's core ministerial office was no longer as strong as before. Internal conflicts are intensifying. As the representative of Jizhou, Cui Yan can't help but want to avoid standing on the stage at this time.

Cui Yan naturally wanted to return to Jizhou. After all, that was his home ground. Especially if he went with some soldiers, he would definitely be able to gain the greatest benefits for himself at the last moment.

??????????.??????

But "good things" take a long time.

There has been a lot of noise in the past few days, and many people came to visit Cui Yan. On the surface, they seemed to be chatting, but in the final analysis, these people still wanted Cui Yan to come forward and come up with an idea. It would be better to discuss the outline first.

Putting aside various stances and butt issues, why don't they know Xun Yu's ability?

But Cao Cao's current situation is not very good after all...

If Cao Cao falls, the flag will have to be changed. There is nothing we can do about it, it is tradition after all.

But if Xun Yu wants to hold on, there will be some trouble.

Maybe it will become a waste of money and enter a vicious cycle, especially when there are some signs of drought now, what if...

Cui Yan obviously understood these things, but until now, he had not made his position clear yet.

In the past few years, Cui Yan has more or less secured his position as the number one in Jizhou. His prestige may not be that great, but his attitude will also affect many people in Jizhou. Therefore, if Cui Yan does not make the final clarification, some things will not be clear. It is impossible to have a charter. In the end, we may have to quarrel, argue, or fight.

They are all friends, um, friends and neighbors. They all know each other's ins and outs, and there may be many marriage relationships. Everyone still hopes to be able to confirm some things at the negotiation table, rather than hoping for bloodshed in the end.

Even if it does bleed, I hope it's just a flesh wound, rather than causing injuries to both parties and allowing others to take advantage.

Everyone understands these situations, so they will still quarrel and fight, but they don't want to end up fighting.

Jizhou and Yuzhou are fighting, and in the end it is Shandong. If...

That's not good.

If Cui Yan fails to stand up in the end and something happens, then the final consequences of Shandong will be hard to say. Although Cui Yan has been very sober over the years and has not acted against Xun Yu, people will always change. Times have changed, and no one knows whether he will suddenly change his mind.

"So, brother, you have to tell me about these things..."

Cui Lin said.

He thought Cui Yan had thought about this before, otherwise Cui Yan would not let him do something secretly, but now the shit is coming, Cui Yan still doesn't give a definite answer, is this going to...

Cui Yan opened his eyes a little and squinted at Cui Lin: "What are you going to say?"

"Now the matter is, what are you going to do, brother? There must be a definite number, you say something, we can have a bottom line in our hearts..." Cui Lin whispered.

Cui Yan sighed softly, "To be honest, I don't have a definite number myself, how can I give you a definite number? '

"Ah?" Cui Lin was stunned, "No, this... Brother, how can you not have a bottom line? This, everyone has to listen to you! '

Cui Lin was a little panicked.

After all, if Cui Yan didn't stand up to lead Jizhou, then the power would inevitably be dispersed, and a group of scattered sand would definitely not be able to fight against the Yingchuan guys.

"For this matter, we have to see what others do first. ' Cui Yan's voice was very light and low, 'There is no movement in Yanzhou, and there is no news from the Heluo Yang family... and the Zang family, Chen family, Li family, and Wang family...'

'Alas! Brother! ' Cui Lin sighed, 'What's wrong with you? What can they say? What will they say? If you don't say it, how dare they say it? '

Cui Yan shook his head, 'It's hard to say... No one knows what it will be like until the end...'

Cui Yan closed his eyes again, 'At this time, everyone is staring at us... Say less, move less, be more stable, maybe miss something, but it's better than losing everything... Anyway, wait a little longer...'

Cui Lin seemed to want to persuade, but was interrupted by Cui Yan, unwilling to continue talking about this topic.

Cui Yan still had some doubts in his heart.

Cui Yan would not move without clarifying these doubts.

As long as he didn't move, he would still be the 'diligent and loyal' Cui Yan.

……

……

Clatter.

Swish.

The wind blew through the treetops, pulling the leaves' little hands, and gently tempted the leaves to follow me, let's be best friends, I will take you to the ends of the earth, to see the breadth of the world, and we will never be separated...

Some leaves were unmoved and got rid of the wind's entanglement.

But some leaves believed the wind's words, resolutely severed their ties with their parents, and followed the wind...

Then they were thrown down by the wind halfway.

The leaves stretched out their hands, trying to keep the wind.

But the wind rejected the leaves' hands, just covering their faces, sobbing softly, your love suffocates me, I need freedom.

The wind left.

The tree stopped.

Liu Ye watched the leaves finally fall to the ground and sneered.

Was it the wind that moved, or the tree?

Was it the wind's fault, the tree's fault, or the leaf's fault?

Liu Ye held the tea bowl and drank the tea slowly. Anyway, no matter whose fault it was, it would not be his fault.

When Liu Ye was young, he was also a daring person.

When he was thirteen years old, he killed his father's favorite servant according to his mother's will, and then frankly apologized to his father.

When he was in his twenties, the world was in chaos. Zheng Bao, Zhang Duo, Xu Gan and others in Yangzhou had their own troops. Among them, Zheng Bao wanted to kidnap Liu Ye. Liu Ye took advantage of the arrival of Cao Cao's envoy to hold a banquet to kill Zheng Bao and held his head to intimidate his followers.

But after joining Cao Cao's army, Liu Ye was not so "daring to act", and even deliberately restrained his glory...

Because his surname was "Liu".

He was a descendant of Liu Yan, the King of Fuling, the son of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.

Cao Cao valued him, but did not completely trust him.

The emperor was the same.

In such a situation, if he did well, he might not be rewarded, but if he did not do well, he would definitely suffer a disaster. So even if he could do something, he would not do it.

If the task is clearly assigned to him, then whether it is the emperor's order or Cao Cao's order, he will do it well, but he will never take the initiative...

That's right, no rejection, no initiative, no responsibility.

Not all Shandong officials are corrupt and incompetent in the officialdom. Some people, like Liu Ye, would rather do less or no work than do more.

This phenomenon is not specific to the current Han Dynasty or Shandong region, but is reflected in different dynasties, different regions, and different historical stages.

In many cases, officials may choose to do less or no work because they are worried about taking responsibility for doing something wrong. Especially in those systems that have strict penalties for officials' mistakes, officials may be more inclined to avoid any actions that may cause controversy or responsibility. If the efforts and achievements of officials are not recognized and rewarded accordingly, they may not be motivated to do more. In some systems, promotion and rewards may rely more on qualifications, relationships, or other non-performance factors, which will weaken the enthusiasm of officials.

In addition, officials may choose to do less because they lack the necessary resources and support. Without sufficient human, financial or material support, even if officials are willing to do more, they may not be able to do so due to practical limitations.

Just like Liu Ye, when he was young, he came with the intention of serving his country, and he joined Cao Cao because Cao Cao showed his willingness to welcome the emperor and rebuild the glory of the Han Dynasty.

But what happened next?

Just like the moment when the wind carried the leaves and danced in the air, it was integrated and in sync.

But the wind is still the wind in the end.

The leaves are still the leaves.

The sky is clear and the clouds are light.

The dry breath made Liu Ye uncomfortable.

The ideals of young Liu Ye were like leaves being stripped off a tree, falling powerlessly.

"housekeeper! 』

Liu Ye suddenly raised his voice and shouted.

At the porch, the steward came closer and asked, "Mr. Sir, what's the matter?" 』

"Go get some wine!" Liu Ye waved his sleeves and said, "Take away the tea." Get some wine instead! 』

The steward was stunned for a moment, but quickly nodded in agreement and called the servants to move the tea sets and other things away.

Watching the servants busy, at this moment, Liu Ye seemed to understand why Guo Jia only liked drinking wine and not tea.

Because the more you drink tea, the more awake you become.

And now he felt the pain of waking up...

There are many people like Liu Ye in Shandong.

He knew that Xun Yu was doing something now, and he also knew that Cui Yan had become the eye of the storm, but what did these have to do with him?

He didn't want to pay attention to it, and he didn't want to take care of it until a nasty guest came to the door...