Did Cao Cao really "hold the emperor's hand in order to command the princes"?

Zhang Jiawei Luo Jisi Si

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao supported Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. For what reason?

This is a sub-question. Naturally, it is "holding the emperor hostage to order the princes"!

However, there is something really wrong here. This sentence was given to Cao Cao by Luo Guanzhong in the novel. According to official history, it was Yuan Shao's advisor Ju Shou who first said to Yuan Shao:

"Your family's ancestors have served the emperor, and everyone knows your loyalty. Now that the imperial palace and temple are in ruins, no one is going to protect the emperor or care about the people." . Go and welcome the emperor to Hebei, use the emperor to command the princes, and raise soldiers to attack the disobedient people.”

That’s why, “hold the emperor to command the princes”. Yuan Shao's subordinate Ju Shou's idea. Where is Cao Cao? His slogan is "Serve the emperor and give orders but not ministers", serve the emperor and give orders to the princes.

——In fact, externally speaking, one is serving the emperor to command the princes, while internally one is using the emperor to command the princes, which is actually the same thing. The emperor is just a toy.

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But this article is not for the purpose of playing the word games of "holding the emperor" and "serving the emperor". The question is: since everyone knows that the emperor is a toy, what is the use of holding him hostage? The princes are not idiots!

Yuan Shao did not listen to Jushu's words at that time and went to greet the emperor of the Han Dynasty so that he could use it to threaten him. This was because his other subordinates Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong said:

"Han The emperor has been dead for a long time, so why revive him? Moreover, now that the warlords are divided and the warlords are competing for the throne, if we protect the emperor, we have to wait for his instructions at every turn. Should we listen or not?"

Indeed. Cao Cao protected Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and took control of the nominal power of the Han Dynasty. The princes did not lose their shit and surrendered. Originally, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was not a machine gun. Who could he use it to scare? Later, as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao went south to find Soochow. Zhou Yu said a famous saying to Sun Quan, the so-called Cao Cao:

"He pretends to be a Han prime minister, but he is actually a Han traitor."

No in one sentence.

Because Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was established by Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo’s reputation at the end of the Han Dynasty was really not glorious; the princes were also arrogant warriors, and political power came from the barrel of a gun. The Han Dynasty has withered, and you are the emperor. The edict, but we don’t listen, what can you do?

Before the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China, the Han frontier officials led by Li Hongzhang cleverly gathered together to promote the "Southeast Mutual Protection", saying that the imperial edicts issued by the imperial court were problematic and refused to obey the orders. The sky is high and the emperor is far away!

So, what is the point of Cao Cao coercing the emperor to order the princes?

Answer: The fact is that Cao Cao was not the princes, but the princes' subordinates who took orders from the emperor.

In the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin had a drink to release his military power. There was a saying that was very powerful:

"Who doesn't want wealth? Once someone forces a yellow robe on you, you will If you don’t want to be the emperor, is it up to you?”

That’s what I mean. In troubled times, many times, the princes did not like to listen to their subordinates, but had to listen.

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Of course Cao Cao was very capable of fighting when he conquered all directions; but three warlords were coaxed into surrendering by his subordinates. He is called Zhang Xiu of Nanyang, Liu Cong of Jingzhou, and Zhang Lu of Hanzhong.

——Zhang Xiu was very afraid of Cao Cao because he had a son-killing feud with Cao Cao. He weighed between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. His counselor Jia Xu was one of the best people in the Three Kingdoms. Said:

"Cao Cao obeys the emperor's orders and is very concerned about credibility. If you have a grudge against him, you go to him to show your generosity!"

So Zhang Xiu went. As expected, Cao Cao treated Zhang Xiu favorably, regardless of past grievances, and even took Jia Xu's hand and said: "You are the one who makes me trust more than anyone else in the world!"

——Liu As soon as Cong's father Liu Biao died, Liu Cong's mother Cai Shi, uncle Cai Mao, and the original celebrity in Jingzhou, Kuai Yue, etc., all persuaded him to surrender. So the huge Jingzhou was directly returned to Cao Cao.

——When Zhang Lu was in Hanzhong, he felt that he was in a mountain den with no one to control him. He wanted to call himself king for a time, but was dissuaded by Yan Pu, his counselor. Later, Cao Cao came over with a general, but Zhang Lu couldn't defeat him. Intention of surrendering directly, Yan Pu advised him not to surrender at the critical moment, but to go to Sichuan first and negotiate before surrendering. Zhang Lu was obedient.

When Cao Cao went south to Soochow, there was a famous debate between war and surrender in Soochow.

Zhang Zhao and other civil servants led the surrender, while Lu Su and Zhou Yu led the battle. This passage was later perfunctorily referred to as "tonguing against the Confucian scholars" and "wisdom inspiring Zhou Yu", which is known to the world. If you look at this at first glance, you will be very surprised: Sun Quan is young and vigorous, he is twenty-six or seven years old, he wants to fight or surrender, why is he discussing for so long with everyone about a matter he just said? If you combine it with the previous one, you will understand.

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Cao Cao held the emperor hostage, not the princes Sun Quan, Zhang Xiu, Liu Biao, and Zhang Lu, but the people under their command.

The heroes of the late Han Dynasty were really constrained by their subordinates.

——Liu Biao was the head of Jingzhou appointed by the imperial court. He had no soldiers and went to Jingzhou on horseback. It was entirely the gentry factions such as Kuai Yue and Cai who helped Liu Biao determine Jingzhou. Therefore, once Liu Biao died, whether Jingzhou would fight or not would depend entirely on Kuai Yue and Cai.

——When Sun Ce first settled in the southeast, he had no scholars under his command; Zhang Zhao was a famous scholar in Pengcheng. After going south, several wealthy families in Jiangdong respected him. So later Sun Quan was unhappy and said when he quarreled with Zhang Zhao: "Sirs of Wu State, worship me when you enter the palace, and worship you when you go out. I will give you face!"

Lu Su advised Sun Quan to fight Cao Cao At that time, he said the truth. This is the true meaning of "holding the emperor to command the princes":

"If I, Lu Su, went to follow Cao Cao, Cao Cao would still let me be an official; if you, Sun Quan, followed Cao Cao, what would happen to you?" !"

Of course the princes knew that once they followed Cao Cao, there might not be a good end; but they couldn't stand the scholars under their command, and their hearts turned to the imperial court. If you think about it carefully, it is normal: you are working in a private company, and the government comes to recruit you. The boss of the private company may not be happy, but the private company worker is willing to join the establishment. How great!

Cao Cao's so-called "holding the emperor to command the princes" is actually the full name: "holding the emperor to command the powerful nobles under the princes, forcing the princes to surrender."

So the question arises: Why does an emperor have such great influence on the nobles?

The real protagonist of this article is here.

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Cao Cao had a famous counselor named Xun Yu (pronounced "Yu"), whose courtesy name was Wenruo. "Three Kingdoms" lists him, his nephew Xun You and the just-mentioned Jia Xu as Cao Cao's three chief advisers.

Who is Xun Yu? Cao Zhi said that he was "pure and pure"; Sima Yi said that he "I don't know the ancients who wrote about him. Anyway, in the past hundred years, the wise men I have seen have not surpassed Xun Lingjun"; Cao Cao directly said that he was "my son's wife" and compared him to Zhang good.

But reading the official history carefully, it is very subtle: Xun Yu did not often go to the battlefield with Cao Cao, but often stayed in the rear and corresponded with Cao Cao.

In the famous Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were in a stalemate. It was difficult. He wrote to Xun Yu to ask what to do. Xun Yu said to him:

"Strangle him by the throat and prevent him from entering." It’s been half a year, so I should give it a try.”

It seems to be just a letter of encouragement and a general guideline. So what exactly does Xun Yu do? Cao Cao's second center in the rear? Host daily tasks? Write a letter to encourage Cao Cao?

No.

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Most of the gentry in the Eastern Han Dynasty came from Yingchuan in Runan. The Runan Clan was respected by Yuan Shao's family, and they had to go to the Central Committee for generations; Xun Yu was the master of the Yingchuan Clan. After welcoming Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, Xun Yu became the Secretary of the Secretariat, that is, the emperor's secretary. He was equivalent to a bridge between Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Cao Cao. He recommended a large number of people to Cao Cao, such as Guo Jia, Zhong Yao, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, Xun You, etc. The wonderful thing is that most of these people were Yingchuan gentry, so a Yingchuan gentry group was formed.

Because of Xun Yu, Yingchuan is Cao Cao's most critical backstage. During the Battle of Guandu, Xun Yu not only wrote letters to encourage Cao Cao. Later, Cao Pi came to the throne and soon gave Yingchuan County many benefits. The reason was: During the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao stopped obeying orders elsewhere. Only Yingchuan, the old and the weak, helped deliver food. It is really the foundation of the great Wei State!

Of course, Xun Yu and the Yingchuan gentry group did more than just help transport food.

When Cao Cao conquered the world, he had the strength of martial arts, that is, he himself could fight; he also had the strength of literature, that is, the gentry group headed by Xun Yu. Originally, Cao Cao didn't have much face among scholars: his father, Cao Song, was in the service of an eunuch, which was very shameful; but because Xun Yu and his group of people combined with the emperor of the Han Dynasty, they formed a gentry team. This was a great temptation for the scholars of other princes.

So to a certain extent, Xun Yu’s elegant image as a noble and upright son of an aristocratic family is Cao Cao’s real signature; and he was good at recommending people, at least in the early stage, which greatly benefited Cao Cao - as for the later period, Xun Yu The influence also restricted Cao Cao, but that is a story for another day.

In fact, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao was not the only warlord who held the emperor hostage. Dong Zhuo established Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. Later, Lu Bu, Wang Yun, Li Jue and Guo Si all controlled the Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty to some extent, but none were as successful as Cao Cao. This is because although they have their own abilities, in the end they are still local warlords who hold the emperor in their hands. But the emperor didn't make full use of it. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the gentry was very powerful. Yuan Shao relied on the call of the Four Generations and Three Dukes to win people's hearts. Liu Bei relied on his family lineage and personal charm to travel around the world. Soochow Wu relied on Zhu Gubulu and other clans, plus Zhang Zhao and other northern scholar-bureaucrats to control the situation.

The reason why Cao Cao stands out is that the Yingchuan gentry group headed by Xun Yu and the emperor of the Han Dynasty formed a beautiful core. This noble core may not have a deterrent effect on the rustic warlords, but it has great appeal to the scholars who work under the warlords.

So after Cao Cao conquered the north, he recorded his achievements and wanted to grant Xun Yu the title of Long Live Pavilion Marquis. The first sentence of the seal was:

"Thinking and resourcefulness should be rewarded first, and war should be rewarded first." His achievements are not worth the service of the court and the country."

Of course Xun Yu wanted to refuse, but Cao Cao wrote to him:

"Since I have had an affair with you! "In establishing the imperial court, you helped Kuangbi, recommended talents, and made suggestions, which is really too much."

To a certain extent, Xun Yu is no longer Cao Cao's counselor, but Cao Cao's adviser. Cao Cao's partner. Not only did he manage his daily work, he also organized a place for Cao Cao that could inspire scholar-bureaucrats. Without him, it would be useless for Cao Cao to establish the emperor.

Of course, Xun Yu’s later death was more subtle. It is clearly written in "Three Kingdoms":

"Cao Cao wanted to be the Duke of Wei, but Xun Yu did not agree;

Afterwards, Cao Cao went south to conquer the country and left Xun Yu in Shouchun. Hard to understand. Various annotations and quotes from the "Book of the Later Han" are even more gossipy:

"Cao Cao sent an empty box to Xun Yu, implying that he committed suicide."

But there are also factions in it. question. After Cao Cao pacified the north, his surname was of course Cao, but Xun Yu was in charge of the capital city of Xuchang, Xun You was the chief of military staff, and people from the Xun family were in charge of Jizhou. Cao Cao must have felt unhappy. After that, Cao Cao issued a talent-seeking order, requiring all kinds of people, regardless of their moral character, as long as they were talented, they could become officials. If you take into account that the previous cadres of the imperial court were all Xun Yu's people, it is not difficult to understand Cao Cao's purpose of doing this. Therefore, Xun Yu's motive for committing suicide is not difficult to explain: the mutually supportive relationship between him and Cao Cao came to an end.

Of course, that’s another story.

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In "Three Kingdoms", Xun Yu was Wei's adviser, but in "Book of the Later Han" he was treated as a Han official. Whether he was the first counselor of the Wei State or the last counselor of the Han Dynasty has been debated by historians throughout the ages. Maybe he knew after all that the Han Dynasty could not be revived, so he only assisted Cao Cao, prolonged the life of the Han Dynasty for more than twenty years, eliminated some warlords, and finally died for the Han Dynasty.

In the eyes of the enemy, Cao Cao, the traitorous official, was indeed "holding the emperor hostage to order the princes", but at least when Xun Yu was alive, the Han Dynasty still had some dignity. At the end of Xun Yu's reign, the Han Dynasty, which had already been sentenced to death by Guo Tumen, nominally extended its life for more than twenty years. Even Cao Cao himself boasted that if there were no him in the world, I don’t know how many people would call him the king alone.

At least when Xun Yu was alive, the Han Dynasty was still there, and the emperor was still enshrined; except for the short-lived Yuan Shu, no one proclaimed himself emperor or king; by the time of his death, the troubled times could be considered settled. That's almost it.

Based on Xun Yu's own identity, he and the nobles who were inspired by him could indeed be regarded as "serving the emperor's orders but not submitting to them". He lit the last lamp of the Han Dynasty for Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and inspired all kinds of people under the warlord, at least in name, to return to the wings of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, it is inevitable for Cao Cao to fall out with him: his sense of presence is too strong.

As mentioned before, Xun Yu was not only Cao Cao's counselor, Cao Cao's prime minister, but also Cao Cao's partner. When he was trying to bring peace to the world, he and Cao Cao had the same interests; but when Cao Cao showed his ambition, their interests conflicted.

After his death, Cao Cao was declared king and the three kingdoms were each declared emperor. This was something beyond his control.

Su Shi said this:

"Save the world with benevolence and righteousness. Now that the world is at peace, the divine weapon will arrive. If you have no choice but to accept it, don't take it if it doesn't come. This is the way of King Wen. Ruo Zifang's heart is like that of Jiuxi, and Wen Ruo is dead. Therefore, I think Wen Ruo is a disciple of the saint. His talent is like that of Zhang Zifang and his way is like that of Boyi."

Those who follow him. His nobles also joined the Cao family because they believed in him. Xun Yu served the Han Dynasty like this until he could no longer serve him. Just like Boyi Shuqi, who chose not to eat Zhousu at the end of an era and died.

But until the moment of his death, he was at least "serving the emperor".