Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1433: Unique Skills, No Way Out
Inside the Han army tent on the western outskirts of Yecheng, the charcoal fire in the copper stove crackled.

Also coming with Cao Zhi was Cao Zhi's widow, Xie.

The rustling of fabrics could be heard in the tent. Madam Xie took off her veil and bowed with Cao Zhi:
"My name is Cao Xie, I am here to see the Grand Marshal."

Feng Yong looked at Cao Zhi and his son who were paying him great respects, with a complicated expression on his face. He extended his hand to support them:
"Why do you have to do this, sister-in-law? Please get up quickly."

"Okay, Yun Gong, help your mother up quickly."

As a descendant of the Cao family, Cao Zhi felt ashamed and uneasy that he was crawling in the tent of the Han army.

Although he was his uncle, they had never met before, and he came to him for help just because they had a disagreement, which made Cao Zhi a little uneasy.

Although from the moment he fled from Jibei State with his mother, he had already given up completely.

But when he really had to face Uncle Feng, who was said to be cruel and ruthless, Cao Zhi still felt a little miserable.

If he had a choice, he definitely wouldn't want to surrender to the Han with his entire family.

My brother is living well in the Han Kingdom.

I was living quite well in Wei State.

That's good.

Moreover, the court's supervision over the princes has been almost non-existent in recent years.

From time to time, some things would leak out from Uncle Feng's side.

These few years can be said to be the most fulfilling period of my life.

But this old thief Sima Yi is really too useless.

Guanzhong cannot be defended, Luoyang cannot be defended, and Hebei still cannot be defended.

Wherever Uncle Feng hit him, he would just run away like a stray dog.

As a result, I have no choice but to run along with them - just in the opposite direction. Fortunately, I have the chance to run in the opposite direction.

As war was about to break out on both sides of the river, Jibei State happened to be within the range of the war.

He is the prince of Wei, and a prince who is as close to the emperor as can be.

If I don't run away now, one day someone will chop off my head and go to the Han camp to claim credit for myself, even though I am in Cao's camp but my heart is with Han. That would be unfair.

Hearing Uncle Feng's instructions, Cao Zhi quickly put aside his wandering thoughts, stood up and helped his mother up.

When Xie stood up, the bag in her hand fell to the ground and half a piece of dry food rolled out.

She quickly bent down to pick it up, but saw Feng Yong had already walked up to the mother and son, his leather boots stopped three inches away from the wheat cake, and he picked up the cake first.

Holding the pancake in front of his eyes and examining it, Feng Dasima's eyes moved slightly and he asked:
"Sister-in-law, this cake looks ordinary. Is there no brown sugar mixed in it?"

A trace of panic flashed across Xie's eyes. She felt that the other party seemed to have seen through her thoughts. She lowered her head quickly and stammered:

"I left in a hurry, and didn't think of this..."

Feng Dasima smiled and didn't say much.

The other party has already come to surrender with his entire family. It is understandable that he is doing some small tricks in front of you to gain sympathy. There is no need to expose him.

Turning to look at Cao Zhi again, he saw that the rhinoceros armor on his body was stained with mud, and the scabby wound on his forehead was still oozing blood.

Feng Da Sima's tone became emotional: "In that case, this journey here can be said to be full of dangers."

Then he turned to blame Cao Zhi:
"If you were alone, it wouldn't matter how much you tried to be a hero, but bringing your mother into a war-torn area would be a great act of unfilial piety!"

"Even if you really want to come and seek refuge, you can send someone to inform me in advance. If you call me uncle, how can I sit back and do nothing?"

Cao Zhiwei replied quietly:

"Yes, uncle is right. It was my nephew who was too eager and didn't think things through."

When Feng Dasima saw the look on the mother and son's faces, he didn't know what to say.

He could only point at Cao Zhi's forehead, his tone softened, and he asked gently, "Are there any other injuries on your body?"

When Cao Zhi heard this, he didn't know why, but he felt a warm current rushing into his heart, and then suddenly spread throughout his body, and he was choked up:

"Nephew, nephew, I won't...it won't be a problem..."

Apart from his parents, no one has ever cared about him so much in his memory.

The laws and prohibitions of the princes and kings of the Great Wei were strict, and the officials were urgent in their supervision. Even relatives did not dare to communicate or greet each other.

People from the same clan were like strangers, not even daring to exchange letters, let alone meet in person.

Afraid of being caught by the inspectors and defense assistants.

Now that I have arrived in the Han Dynasty, I suddenly hear his words of concern, and I recall Uncle Feng's secret care for me over the years.

Cao Zhi, who had never been cared for by his family, was unable to control his emotions.

Feng Da Sima didn't notice his abnormality, turned to the door and called out:
"Call the military doctor over!"

No one knows a son better than his mother. Mrs. Xie felt the subtle changes in her son and couldn't help but look worried.

Sima Feng thought she was worried about her son's injury and comforted him:
"Don't panic, sister-in-law. Now that you are here, I will not let Brother Zijian down."

Upon hearing this, Xie's expression became somewhat complicated again. She kowtowed again, her hair falling like a waterfall:
"I thank you, Grand Marshal."

"I am unworthy of such a great gift from my sister-in-law. Please stand up quickly!"

As they were talking, the military doctor came over quickly, examined Cao Zhi, and treated the several wounds on his body.

They are just superficial injuries, nothing serious.

I ran from Jibei to Yecheng, and there was chaos and war all the way. I was lucky to only suffer this injury.

After the military doctor left, General Feng arranged for Xie to rest.

After there was no one else in the tent, General Feng returned to his seat and looked at Cao Zhi intently, tapping the table lightly with his fingers, as if he was thinking about something.

For a moment, the tent became quiet.

The invisible pressure made Cao Zhi's heart rise to his throat again.

He knew that the conversation between the two would be the main topic.

Sure enough, after a long while, I could hear Uncle Feng's voice from above:

"With your status as Yun Gong, you have surrendered to the Han family. From now on, there will be no place for you in the Wei Kingdom."

"Even if they are from the same Cao family, they will probably hate you to the core and regard you as their mortal enemy."

"And the Han will also try to use your identity to undermine the morale of the Wei State."

"Even if I can protect your life, there will be times when you will be forced to do things against your will..."

Perhaps wanting to give Cao Zhi some time to think, Feng Da Sima paused for a long time before continuing:

"If you still have doubts, I also have a way to make you change your name and become an ordinary person."

Cao Zhi felt a warm current surge into his heart again. He was silent for a long time before he looked up at Feng Da Sima:

"In your opinion, uncle, is it better for you to stay in the Han Dynasty with this identity, or change your name and live in seclusion in the countryside?"

Sima Feng did not expect that Cao Zhi would ask this question first. Even though he was good at speaking sweet words, he was still stunned.

Seeing his uncle's reaction, Cao Zhi already had the answer in his mind. Without waiting for Feng Da Sima to speak, he continued:

"When my uncle usurped the Han Dynasty, there were only two people in the entire Wei Kingdom who wore mourning clothes and wept for the Han emperor."

"One is Master Su Wen of Fufeng (i.e. Su Ze), and the other is my father."

"Besides, my father's last words were that if the world's situation changes, I can come to my uncle for help. Therefore, my nephew's decision to join the Han Dynasty is also in accordance with my father's will."

Hearing Cao Zhi's words, Sima Feng showed a subtle expression on his face.

After Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty, Su Ze wore mourning clothes and wept for the Han emperor, probably with all his heart.

But what did Cao Zhi say...

There may be some sincerity in that, but more likely, he knew he was about to die.

After all, once Cao Pi ascended the throne, the political situation in Wei was completely stabilized, and Cao Zhi basically had no chance of turning things around.

Given the relationship between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, and Cao Pi's pettiness, how could Cao Zhi not cry?

Facts also show that after Cao Pi became emperor, Cao Zhi's life became increasingly difficult.

He was first granted the title of Marquis of Juancheng (221 AD), and the following year was promoted to King of Juancheng. However, only one year later he was renamed King of Yongqiu (223 AD), and later moved to Dong'e (232 AD).

Such frequent changes in fiefdoms made it impossible for Cao Zhi to establish local power, and the population of his fiefdom was sparse and the economy was backward.

When he was first granted the title, his fief was 2,500 households, which was not only far less than Cao Zhang's 10,000 households, but was also later reduced on the grounds of drunkenness and disrespect.

As the nominal leader of the literary world, Cao Pi commented on the articles of the Seven Sages of the Jian'an Period and other literati in "Classics and Essays", but he did not mention Cao Zhi, who was even more famous at the time.

He even ordered the confiscation of Cao Zhi's early works. For example, after the Ding Yi brothers were killed, "all the letters between Cao Zhi and Yang Xiu were burned" and so on.

His actions were extremely obvious, and he deliberately suppressed Cao Zhi's reputation in the literary world.

Of course, these are all things of the past.

It is also true that Cao Zhi wore mourning clothes and cried for the Han emperor after he abdicated. A gentleman judges by deeds rather than by the heart, so it doesn't matter what the original intention was.

Moreover, Cao Zhi's move has indeed surpassed most people in the Pseudo-Wei.

Not to mention his identity, he is the son of Cao Cao and the brother of Cao Pi.

It is not unreasonable for Cao Zhi to use this incident to prove his loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

Feng Da Sima nodded:

"If that's the case, it means you've already made up your mind, so I won't say any more."

After saying this, he sighed a little:
"I always felt that the line 'Sacrificing one's life for the country, and seeing death as returning home' in your father's early years' White Horse was a little too tragic. Now it seems that this is the fate of your Cao family."

But now this "country" is no longer Wei.

Cao Zhi was choked up and speechless.

As a prince of the Wei Dynasty, openly surrendering to the Han Dynasty and opposing the Wei Dynasty was not a sacrifice in a sense, right?
Feng Da Sima stood up, stepped forward and gently pressed the young man's trembling shoulders, and comforted him:
"Yun Gong, not only did you say that you would sacrifice your life for the country, you also wrote in your letter to Yang Dezu that you would 'work hard for the country and benefit the people.'"

"Since you have decided to carry on your father's wishes, then come with me to the riverbank tomorrow and see what it means to truly benefit the people."

"What does it mean to truly serve the country and the people?"

He paused, as if to comfort or enlighten:
“The world is not the cauldron of one person or one family, but the sacred vessel of millions of people. How can the importance of the country and the people be controlled by a private family? The fate of the people is in the hands of heaven.”

"We should uphold the principle that the people are the foundation of the country and cherish the aspiration of world peace. Even if the road ahead is rocky and daunting, we must leave our loyalty to history. This is why we serve the country and the people."

When Cao Zhi heard what his uncle Feng said, he raised his head suddenly. He saw the burning light in his uncle's eyes - it was the Jian'an spirit that was no less than that of his grandfather and father, but it was also wrapped in the thunder of the new era.

He only felt that a bright and warm sunlight was spreading all over his body in an instant, and the last bit of entanglement and contradiction in his heart was completely melted away in this sunlight.

The world is not the property of one person or one family... The importance of the country and its people cannot be controlled by a private family...

Yes, the Wei Dynasty was doomed to decline when that five-year-old young son ascended the throne. Didn’t we see what happened in the Later Han Dynasty?
With the current trend of the Han Dynasty sweeping across the world, the third revival of the Han Dynasty is only a matter of time.

If I really want to carry on my father's aspirations and serve the country and the people, how can I be confined to the Wei family?

Cao Zhi kowtowed heavily:

"My nephew understands!"

Uncle Feng stroked his nephew's head, smiling without saying a word.

Ding!
Skill activated successfully!
Ignoring physical resistance and magic resistance!

A knowing blow!
Must kill!

My little nephew, haven't you heard of your uncle's famous skills?
-
In the following days, everything was in order.

Shi Bao's actions along the banks of the Zhang River were violent and smooth.

The elite troops of the Han Dynasty took Yecheng as the center, with infantry and cavalry coordinating and pressing forward step by step, sweeping away all the disorderly, defeated and Hu soldiers.

Wherever they went, they made sure not a single thief was left alive. Blood flowed like a river, wailing was heard everywhere, and the fish and shrimp in the Zhang River enjoyed a feast.

The nobles who came from Bingzhou, Hedong and even Henan also continued to gather in Yecheng, and the north bank of the river was about to be erupted in a bloody storm at any time.

Zhuo County, Youzhou.

The Lu family's children had a very happy time during this period.

Almost all the leaders of the aristocratic families in Hebei came over.

Any son of the Lu family who had a little status in the clan would receive gifts of money and women, most of whom were legitimate daughters.

And the land deeds of Jizhou were handed in in piles.

"Return them all! Return them all!"

The leaders of the Lu family had bloodshot eyes, staring at their sons and nephews, and yelled hoarsely behind closed doors:

"The clan leader has said that anyone who dares to touch these things will be expelled from the family!"

"If you don't want to die, try it yourself!"

Someone said unwillingly:
"Why is it so, sir? Even if we don't accept them, how many of the brides and sisters-in-law in the house can be separated from their ties with Jizhou? Could it be that the in-laws are also..."

"you shut up!"

The head of the family strode forward, raised his arm, and slapped his ignorant son hard, causing the corner of his mouth to bleed on the spot:

"If you want to die, don't drag our family down!"

"Go back and control the people in your house. Don't let them cause trouble. If you can't control them, divorce me!"

"Do you think this is the same as before? Haven't you heard of the tragedy in Hedong? If you don't know, go and find out for yourself!"

After the master finished speaking, he sat down heavily, picked up the teacup, and swallowed it without paying attention to his manners. After he finished the tea, he put the teacup heavily on the table and continued:

"There are no outsiders here, so I'll make it clear. According to what the clan leader and elders have said, Jizhou is finished, and no family can escape."

"Moreover," the patriarch swallowed his saliva, as if the tea he had just drunk had evaporated, "it is probably going to be like what happened in Hedong..."

The tragedy in Hedong and the subsequent relocation of the nobles from Shangdang shocked the world. It should be said that it was a major event that shocked all the noble families in the world.

It allows people to see Ji Han's attitude towards the aristocratic families, and it also allows people to see what a cruel and ruthless Xiao Wenhe is.

Even if the aristocratic families in Hedong and Shangdang were not wiped out, the remaining ones were just barely surviving.

Even in the most prestigious Pei family, when Feng said he wanted to support the son of his concubine to become the future head of the family, which was such a blatant insult to the entire Pei family, the people of the Pei family actually raised their hands and feet to agree.

Even more obedient than a domestic dog.

Even if the people in the secret room did not know the details of what happened in Hedong back then, they had at least heard rumors.

After hearing what the patriarch said, some people's faces turned pale.

Some of the deeds in his arms were like red-hot irons, burning him to the point of seeming to burn.

"My lord, are you serious? Does Feng really dare to do this?"

That’s Jizhou, a whole state!

are you crazy?
I don’t even dare to say someone’s name, I only dare to say their surname.

"The Grand Marshal has specially transferred that crazy stone dog to Jizhou. What do you think?"

After looking at the person asking the question, he slowly revealed the source of the information:

"I heard that the news came from General Zhang, and he told the clan leader himself, so it can't be wrong."

Once these words were spoken, the last glimmer of hope in some people's hearts was completely shattered.

General Zhang is naturally Zhang Bao.

The eldest sister was the Empress of the Han Dynasty, and the youngest sister was the Right Lady of the Grand Marshal.

The information revealed by such a person will definitely not be wrong.

Thinking of this relationship, everyone felt lucky and extremely grateful.

How wise my great-grandfather was back then!

How lucky we are to be from the same county as the late emperor.

"The pastures outside the Great Wall and wool weaving are enough to keep our Lu family worry-free for generations. Don't get involved in the mess in Jizhou, otherwise it will be more trouble than it is worth!"

The head of the family solemnly warned again, "Don't lose the big picture for the small! Otherwise, not to mention the clan leader and elders, even I will show no mercy!"

Just as each branch of the Lu family was conveying the highest instructions from the clan leader and elders, representatives from various families in Jizhou also gathered at the Lu family's ancestral temple to ask to see Lu Taigong.

"Grandpa, I was sent by Grandpa Cui of Qinghe to see you for something important!"

"Grandpa, my nephew is from Boling. I once served you tea in my early years!"

……

However, the door of the Lu family was closed, and Taigong was in poor health and did not accept any outside visitors.

First, they sent visiting cards, then they came directly to the gate of the mansion, and finally some people even knelt outside the gate to beg. However, after begging for more than half a month, they were unable to see Mr. Lu, let alone see even the person in charge.

As the news from Jizhou continued to arrive, many people cried and shouted, and finally couldn't help cursing:
"Mr. Lu, you came to ask for marriage for your son in the early years, and you said so nicely that we would be friends for generations. But today, something happened and you turned your back on me. Are you really so heartless and ungrateful?"

"The Hebei noble families are all of the same blood. Seeing the building about to collapse, Mr. Lu, do you think that your Lu family can stay out of it? Aren't you afraid of being stabbed in the back?"

"What backbone does this old dog have? I'm afraid it has been taken away by someone a long time ago?"

"Not really. Maybe someone fed him bones, and his spine has been bent for a long time..."

Seeing the scolding getting more and more fierce, Lu Taigong finally couldn't lie still any longer and directly ordered:
"Someone, drive everyone outside out!"

"Grandfather, those people outside are all important figures in Jizhou. Would you like me to go and persuade them first?"

"Why should I persuade them? They are just blind men, dead bones in a grave. What's the point of persuading them? Let them go!"

We must not allow these villains to affect the relationship between Lu, His Majesty, and the Queen's family!
If they want to blame someone, they should blame themselves for not being born in the same county as the late emperor and Marquis Huan, and for not having an ancestor who could bless future generations.