At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

Page 727

"Dead? I... I will die?"

Cao Tai was shocked.

Cao Ren was furious.

"Nonsense! Why do you think the emperor is the emperor? One word can decide life and death! The emperor also! The emperor can let you die with just one word! You still call his name! Are you looking for death? Do you think the emperor needs it?" The confidant is someone like you who always calls him Biao?

Let me tell you, the last person who thought this way was called Zang Hong, and his son was called Zang Biao, have you not forgotten?Zang Biao, who played and grew up with you for more than ten years, have you not forgotten?How did their father and son die, think about it, if you think about it clearly, how did they die?How is their relationship with the current emperor? "

Cao Tai opened his mouth slightly, his expression dull.

"I... I haven't forgotten."

"It's right if you don't forget it. Just remember, Artest. From now on, you must call your Highness. Whatever His Highness asks you to do, you do it. If His Highness doesn't ask you to do something, don't be so smart! Cao Cao Members of the clan do not seek meritorious service, but seek to be infallible!"

Cao Ren's face was serious, and he conveyed his order to his eldest son in a tone almost commanding.

Cao Ren was angry for a while, before he calmed down from his violent panting.

After somewhat calming down, Cao Ren closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head as he looked at his dull-faced son.

After all, Cao Tai still didn't quite understand.

"My Cao family is the closest family to the royal family other than the royal family. It is also a relative. Outsiders regard my Cao family Xiahou as the emperor's relatives and generals. This is true. Therefore, the Cao family Xiahou has great power. ,Very big!

For the father, Zihe, Wenlie, Mengde, Miaocai, Yuanrang, Zixiu, Zihuan, and now Zijian, and you, and Boren, Boquan, how many people, you count, how many people?

In the political and military circles, there are children of the Cao family and the Xiahou family everywhere!Prosperity!How prosperous?How much power do you have?Another relative, another relative, or Yuan Cong! "

Cao Ren stood up and walked slowly: "We either hold administrative power or military power. We are everywhere in the court, in the localities, in the army, and we are already too prosperous. We are too prosperous. Now you are still surrounded by His Royal Highness, so how can His Majesty not have doubts!"

Cao Tai swallowed his saliva.

Before that, he had never really thought about these things, but now that Cao Ren said it, he suddenly felt a little cool behind him.

"Since ancient times, any family that can hold such power and status can be called a powerful minister, and powerful ministers have never had a good end. Among them, Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji Duan Yao, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu in the former Han Is there a happy ending?"

Cao Ren stared at Cao Tai.

Cao Tai still has this bit of historical knowledge.

"They are all dead, their families are extinct..."

Cao Ren nodded.

"So, do you want to die? Do you want to die?"

"No...don't want to."

"Then do as Father says."

"……Yes."

Cao Tai lowered his head and swallowed, feeling his mouth was very dry.

"The power minister's family has violated the authority of the emperor. As long as the emperor has the ability, he will definitely not make the power minister's family feel better. Now, my Cao family and Xiahou family are facing such a situation."

Cao Ren put his hands behind his back and his face was full of worry: "I am in the army, Yuan Rang is in the local area, and Meng De is in the central government. The military and political circles, and the central local area are all members of our tribe. What do you think His Majesty will think? His Majesty will be taught by His Majesty." how to think?"

Cao Tai trembled all over for an instant, only feeling that his Tianling Gai was blowing cold air.

chapter 1249 one thousand one hundred and fifty nine Cao Ren is really worried

Cao Ren's worries were not without reason.

Considering the current reality, Cao Ren even feels that he is a little optimistic.

Because not every member of the Cao clan and the Xiahou clan thinks this way.

"What worries my father even more is that the current Cao clan and Xiahou are members of the clan. It seems that many of them don't know much about this, and they don't have any feelings about this situation. Father can't say it clearly in the letter. Some things , it cannot be said clearly, only between you and my father and son can say it."

Cao Ren sighed and shook his head: "This battle is over, no matter what other people think, my father has decided to resign from all positions, only keep the title, stay away from the army, stay away from military power, and spend my retirement years in peace."

"Father!"

Cao Tai was very surprised: "You...you already..."

"If you don't retreat, you can't. The status of father is already very high. It is said that the second in command in the army is the father, and the number one is your majesty. Hmph, what are those people's thoughts, the father still doesn't know?

I can't continue to fight, if I continue to fight, my father's position will not be able to continue to be promoted, and the title will also reach its peak. There will always be a day when there will be no seal or reward. . "

Cao Ren spoke very openly.

"Also, Artest, do you know what His Highness the Crown Prince is doing in the army this time?"

"Didn't you come to study?"

"It seems that he really didn't tell you anything."

Cao Ren's expression became more and more worried: "His Royal Highness is here to be the commander-in-chief of the army. In this battle in the Western Regions, His Royal Highness will be the commander-in-chief and I will be the deputy commander. If we win this battle, His Royal Highness will take the lead. I want to be the commander-in-chief." In second place."

"what?"

Cao Tai was taken aback: "Uncle...His Royal Highness, he has never been on the battlefield and fought. How could he command an army of [-]? This is impossible!"

"So! I'm the deputy commander!"

Cao Ren looked at his eldest son with a look of hatred: "His Royal Highness does not need to fight, he just needs to stay in the army and show his face from time to time. I will do the rest. What he needs is experience and merit. It's not a war, do you understand?"

"This...why is this?"

Cao Tai was puzzled: "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life, so there is no time for the crown prince to succeed him, right? How could he accumulate prestige in the army for the crown prince at this time? This..."

"How can you understand what His Majesty thinks today?"

Cao Ren shouted angrily: "I can't understand it, let alone you, that's why I said you show me respect and be careful, don't treat His Royal Highness with the attitude you had when you were a child, he is the real prince, really Prince Chu!"

Cao Tai was embarrassed and didn't dare to speak anymore.

Cao Ren then sighed.

"Don't tell anyone about this matter. If it weren't for the fact that you bastard is really useless, I wouldn't tell you! Keep your mouth under control, and if there is any leak, be careful with your skin!"

Cao Tai was so frightened that he shrank his neck and nodded repeatedly.

Only then did Cao Ren feel relieved.

In these years, he has been guarding the northwest frontier, away from the center of the imperial court, watching Guo Peng gradually gather power, take the power in his own hands bit by bit, and kill those old officials who were demoted and killed in the court. , The best-paid ones were also taken away from power and became mascots.

He knew that Guo Peng was already a complete emperor.

The perfect emperor likes nothing but power.

Guo Peng's autocratic heart is unprecedentedly strong, and his desire for power is unprecedentedly large. He cannot tolerate anyone challenging his authority or threatening his power.

The civil servants and veterans of the founding of the country suffered a crushing defeat in the face of the emperor's strength and means. Anyone who wanted to fight against the emperor to ensure his power lost, or was demoted, or died, or became a mascot.

After the imperial examination became a foregone conclusion, the situation has become irreversible.

The founding veterans will be gradually eliminated.

As for the founding generals of the country, although their power was severely restricted and they had almost no power in non-wartime, they still had prestige after leading troops to fight for many years.

Guo Jin does not have such a strong military prestige, it is hard to say whether he can control the meritorious veteran, if not, the army will have problems, military regulations and military laws will also face challenges, this is impossible for Guo Peng to bear.

Therefore, Guo Peng will definitely wipe out the meritorious veterans who have enough prestige in the army before his death.

Either reprimand, or force retirement, or even kill, and then leave a young man with no meritorious veterans to send the army to Guo Jin, let him take over the army smoothly, and train his cronies to control the army.

Military power is an indispensable component of imperial power.

At that time, Cao Ren will be the first to bear the brunt, followed by Zhang Liao, and then Le Jin and Yu Jin...

None of the meritorious veterans can escape.

It is estimated that there is only one Zhao Yun who can get better treatment.

Zhao Yun was loyal enough and obedient enough. Not only was he capable, but he was also like a machine without a mind of its own, pointing where to hit.

That's why Guo Pengcai left Zhao Yun in the center and let Zhao Yun command the most elite and largest guard army in the world to defend the Gyeonggi area of Luoyang and enjoy the trust of the royal family.

They are not treated like this.

This shows that the emperor has been guarding against them for a long time. Even if they are asked to lead the army, they will not be allowed to stay in the center, but at the border, and they must firmly control the logistics supply.

Once there is any problem, the logistics supply can be cut off immediately, and then troops will be sent from the center to ensure that they have no way out.

Isn't this the most typical defense?

Now give them high officials and generous salaries, and give them enough power. If they don't know how to retreat bravely, it won't take many years for them to quickly fall into free fall after the peak of their lives.

The emperor who can kill Zang Hong, a friend of more than ten years.

Xun Yu, who has been loyal to him for ten years, is the emperor who can steal his family and destroy his family.

An emperor who can deprive his retainers of power like Cheng Yu who has followed him for more than 20 years.

The emperor who can kill all losers like Cui Yan who go home to work.

For this kind of emperor, what else can't be done?

Cao Ren felt that if he was shameless and refused to leave, relying on Cao Lan's relationship, he should not be able to die, but when he died, Cao Lan would not be there anymore, Guo Jin had a high probability of treating Cao Tai and the rest of the Cao clan. Will not hold back.

From Guo Jin's body, Cao Ren saw that Guo Peng's demanding and longing for power and respect was very similar to Guo Peng's.

Under the influence of Guo Peng, Guo Jin will never grow into a tolerant monarch. In order to achieve the goal of conservation, Guo Jin will be stricter than Guo Peng.

So we can't leave him any unhappiness.

It's still too late to make amends before he becomes emperor.

Cao Ren angrily asked his son to wake up and change his mentality in time, so that Cao Ren, the Cao family, could avoid the ending of being ransacked and exterminated after Cao Ren's death.

Many prominent families in history didn't know how to advance or retreat, didn't know how to be in awe, blindly enjoyed power, ecstasy, and only realized that they were just a pawn when disaster came.

Back to shore ah.

As for the other members of the Cao clan, Cao Ren felt that Cao Hong, who was the most flamboyant in the past, was safer.

Because Cao Hong is relentless, he is actually a political counselor. Apart from being greedy, he has no other harmful effects and no political ambitions. Greedy is really not a shortcoming for the upper class. On the contrary, Guo Peng likes it very much.

So Cao Hong is safe instead, at least his life will not be in danger.

Cao Xiu and Cao Chun are still young, not very powerful, and their status in the army has not reached the level of Cao Ren. As long as they are honest, with the affection of Guo Peng who brought them up, there is a high probability that nothing will happen.

On the contrary, Cao Cao's side is the most dangerous.

Not to mention the power of the chief minister of the cabinet.

Cao Ang has already served as the prefect of Liaodong.

Cao Pi is already a county magistrate in Xuzhou.

Now Cao Zhi has even passed the No. 2 position in the imperial examination, and it seems that he is going to be released to take up a position.

Cao Cao's three sons are all so outstanding, and they are fully blooming in the political world...

This……

Meng De, is it really all right?

Don't you think it's time to retreat?

Official positions in the State of Wei cannot be hereditary.

In private, Cao Ren often worried about Cao Cao who was beside Guo Peng.

This kind of thing is really hard to say. Who knows when Guo Peng gets angry and when he feels that things must change?