Time passed by, and the gentle river breeze blew from the north, making Cao Cao suddenly aware of the passage of time. The sun shone slanting down from the back, it was clearly warm, but it also traced a cold figure under the city head. And in front of him was his old father.
Although he was more than ten feet away, Cao Cao could clearly see that his father, Cao Song, a former Taiwei of the Han Dynasty, had his shirt stripped off, his hands tied up and thrown to the ground. This old man, who is over sixty years old, is very obese, with a bulging belly, and his chest is constantly heaving in the rope. He is panting. His body is covered with yellow and black dirt marks, and his face and beard are also covered with dust. It looks embarrassing and ridiculous.
When Cao Song heard that his eldest son was under the city, he moved his body to take a look up, but he only saw the dazzling golden sun on the top of the city. He had to lower his head in disappointment, shaking his fat and panting. The black-armored knight on the side kicked him twice to silence Cao Song, and he suddenly didn't dare to move. The same goes for the nephews and nephews beside him.
Zhang Fang raised his head again at the foot of the city and asked, "Shijun Cao! Your biological father, brothers, and nephews are all here. As the saying goes, there is no greater filial piety than to support one's parents. I heard that Shijun Cao was born as a filial and honest person, so he should be You love your family and are an example of filial piety. If you don’t surrender now, these country bugs will all be beheaded here. Do you really not surrender?”
Cao Cao found it difficult to reply.
Zhang Fang said loudly again: "We recruited Lord Cao to surrender because we had heard of Lord Cao's reputation. When Lord Cao was the Prime Minister of Jinan, he destroyed more than 600 ancestral halls of King Yangjing in Jinan City and killed all the officials. The people are not allowed to worship in temples, so that politics and religion are flourishing, and a county is peaceful. This is consistent with my teachings of Taiping! Therefore, the general values Cao Shijun and wants to join hands with him to rule the world. If he does not take into account his good reputation, he will use Cao Jun How can we still keep people like Song, who are harmful to the country, to this day!"
Everyone looked at Cao Cao, but Cao Cao still found it difficult to reply.
At this point, Zhang Fang also knew that it was useless to persuade him to surrender. He sighed, turned and dismounted, pointed at the concubine, and nodded slightly to his entourage. Three black-armored warriors stepped forward and moved amidst the woman's screams.
First, he cut off her tongue, then shaved her hair to expose her pale skin, then blinded her eyes, and chopped off her fingers and toes one by one with a knife. This process was so horrific that all the soldiers above and below the city gritted their teeth and closed their eyes, as if they were the ones being tortured. Even the executioner, Sergeant Montenegro, turned livid. He endured the discomfort and finally pierced the woman's heart with the last knife, finally finishing her off.
Cheng Yu looked at this situation and scolded them: "I have also read your Lu Bu. You are called the king's master, are you the one who tortures the people like this?"
Hearing this, Zhang Fang seemed to have heard some terrible joke. He pointed at the city wall and joked: "Mr. Cheng is too hypocritical. When Master Daliang was brought to Tokyo to be executed, he was chopped into pieces alive with a thousand knives. Little did he know that Mr. Cheng What do you think?"
"Zhang Jiao has brought disaster to the country and the people, and deserves death!"
All the troops in the Black Mountains below the city laughed when they heard this. Zhang Fang stepped on Cao Song's back, grabbed Cao Song's hair with one hand, and said to the soldiers on the city: "The so-called harm to the country and the people deserves to be punished by death. I would rather not leave Cao Song as a Taiwei." Who is it?" After that, he stepped on Cao Song in the mud and shouted: "Dog slave! Tell them your and Naifu's sins. Otherwise, you will die like that woman!"
Cao Song looked at the tragic death of his beloved concubine and almost fainted. Hearing Zhang Fang's words, his heart was broken even more. He didn't care about being stepped on and hurriedly told his past experiences one by one. It was just that he was old and had not drank enough water for several days. His voice was hoarse and the people in the city couldn't hear it at all. Zhang Fang had to ask his fourth son Cao Yu to speak loudly.
Cao Song first said that he was born into a poor family of the Xiahou family. He lost his father and mother when he was young. Even if he had family members to help him, his life was precarious and he often begged. Until his adoptive father Cao Teng came to the family and saw that he was good at observing words and expressions, so he adopted him. After arriving under the Cao family, he was able to achieve great success.
Then Cao Song talked about his adoptive father Cao Teng. Cao Teng was a regular servant in the palace and had a close relationship with General Liang Ji. When Liang Ji poisoned Emperor Zhi and supported Emperor Huan, Cao Teng was unable to do so. After Emperor Huan succeeded to the throne, Cao Teng abandoned Liang Ji and followed the emperor. He first decided to kill Liang Ji, and then participated in the party's imprisonment. Before and after, the common people were greedy and extravagant, and he actually gained nearly ten thousand acres of cultivated land and tens of millions of goods. .
When Cao Song himself entered the court as an official, he relied on his adoptive father's relationship to hold important positions in the court, such as Sili Xiaowei, Da Honglu, and Da Sinong. During this period, he made money and was far more arrogant than his father. In the fourth year of Zhongping, he paid 100 million to buy the post of Taiwei from Emperor Ling. He served for half a year and was later dismissed due to his inability to suppress the rebellion. From then on, he indulged in sex and sex at home and had a carnival with prostitutes.
At this point, Zhang Fang once again made people publicize that they had confiscated 20 carts of jewels, 100,000 hu of rice and grain, more than 70 concubines, and several boxes of rare treasures confiscated from Cao Song's house. Estimate.
When the soldiers in the city heard this, they were all in an uproar. They only thought that the governor came from a famous family and had extraordinary talents, but they did not expect that his father and ancestors were like this. Nowadays, celebrities still claim to be clean and honest, and the people hate corruption to the extreme. Among the soldiers in the city, who is not an ordinary citizen? Now everyone is looking at Cao Cao to see how he will answer.
Cao Cao was silent for a long time, and finally shouted loudly: "Moth thief! Don't even think about messing up the morale of our army. Although I, Cao Mengde, have a flawed background, I have offended countless rich and powerful people since I became an official. All I want is to pay back." The four words of the country, although my father has shortcomings in virtue, how can a son accuse his father of his faults? If you want to use this to deceive the city, I would rather put my whole family in trouble than let you get anything!"
After saying that, he threw the iron armor on his head down from the top of the city to show that his head could be cut off but his body could not be surrendered.
Hearing this, Zhang Fang slapped Cao Song on the back with his knife and sneered: "Dog slave, please tell us about the bad deeds of Cao Shijun when he was a child. If you say it well, we can let you live."
Cao Song was sweating coldly, but when he heard the eldest son's words just now, he felt even sadder. Cao Cao was so ridiculous when he was young. He and Yuan Shao robbed his bride and bullied men and women. However, Cao Song couldn't say a word at this time. He murmured for a moment and said in a very low voice: "I You are a good man, even if you have the bells and drums of Lan Tai or the Bronze Man of Wuyuan, they are not comparable."
Zhang Fang was furious and shouted: "What a slave dog!" Then he ordered three people to come forward and chop him with rusty knives. The blunt edge of the rusty knife cut off his hands and feet every ten times. Cao Song cried bitterly and drank all his urine. He kept calling "my son" in his mouth. When his head and neck were separated and his breath disappeared, Cao Song suffered sixty-seven blows in total. Blood flowed out from the wound, but more of it was oil and grease. Seeing this, all the troops in Montenegro shouted long live. Although the soldiers on the city were silent, they also felt happy in their hearts. After all, they were so greedy, and all their hands were full of people's fat, and they didn't know it. How many people have been forced to death, but to be able to enjoy the blessings until they die today is a sign that God has no eyes.
Then Zhang Fang abandoned Cao Song and walked to the rest of the Cao family, reading out their evidence of guilt one by one. After each person finished speaking, the swordsman and axeman stepped forward and chopped off his head with one blow, and the Black Mountain Army cheered. Seeing this hellish scene, all the Cao family's children were so frightened that they became weak and allowed the Black Mountain Army to kill them.
Only Cao De said: "I am a son of a famous family. If you die, your ears will be dead, so what should you fear? But you can't die at the hands of thieves." After saying that, without waiting for Zhang Fang to read out, he hit his head on the solid rock and died. Cao De is Cao Cao's younger brother. He has long been known for his courage. Even the Black Mountain Army couldn't help but sigh: He is a strong man. So Zhang Fang ordered him to be buried generously.
At this time, Zhang Fang looked up at the city head again and was about to talk to the people on the city. But seeing the astonishing silence on the city wall, there was suddenly a burst of noise, followed by a burst of commotion, and only saw a surge on the wall. As the person dispersed, there was soon no sound at all.
Late at night, the doctor went to see Cao Cao and came out. He said to Xun Yu and others: "Your Majesty is overly sad and angry and has a headache. There is no serious problem in life or death, but I am afraid that he will have to recuperate in the past few days and will not be able to do anything."
After hearing this, Cao Ang quickly went into the house to see Cao Cao and saw his father lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his hands clenched into fists, and his chest heaving continuously. As Cao Ang entered the room, Cao Cao opened his eyes. He opened his eyes so fast that the eldest son was startled. When he calmed down and saw his father's shining eyes, he felt that his father was a little different.
Cao Cao said slowly: "How is it outside the city?"
"Those thieves buried my grandfather, uncles and brothers."
Cao Cao heard that Cao Ang was hesitant in speaking and had some unfinished meaning, so he asked again: "What else is there?"
Cao Ang said: "There is also a man wearing armor and riding a tall horse to show off under the city. He is said to be his grandfather's gray-headed Zhang Qi. He once abandoned the dark side and turned to the bright side. Now he has been reused by the Linzi court and has become a military commander. He waved the flag and let the The sergeants surrendered immediately."
Speaking of Li Qi, Cao Cao remembered him. He held his head and said bitterly: "I remember him! I remember him!" The voice was like an owl, and the hatred in it made Cao Ang tremble. While he was talking, Cao Cao's headache broke out again. He was in agony and tossed repeatedly on the couch.
After regaining his composure again, Cao Cao was covered in sweat. He said slowly: "I'm afraid I can't see things in this state. All the next matters will be decided by Xun. Whatever he says will be whatever he says. Don't do it." Be hesitant.”
Cao Ang nodded slightly, and after Cao Cao fell asleep, he slowly went out to talk to Xun Yu. After Xun Yu asked Cao Cao about the situation, he weighed the situation in his mind and sighed: "I didn't expect the enemy to have such a strategy. It was my mistake! Now our army's morale is low, the general is seriously ill, and the enemy's morale is high, and they want to hold on. I'm afraid it's impossible to get here. Even if I'm unwilling to do so, I can only abandon the city and go away to join the army with the general."
Guan Yu said: "The enemy is surrounded by three and one is missing. They must be planning to pursue them when they withdraw, so let me come to the rear. I promise not to let a single enemy pursue me."
Xun Yu made the arrangement and informed Cao Cao, who had no objection.
The next night, Puyang opened the west gate, and the army filed out of the city gate and ran towards Henan in the west. Cao Cao was lying on a carriage, listening to the sound of wheels and horse hooves. He couldn't sleep for a while, so he could only look up at the vast sea of stars in the sky.
