At the end of February in the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao fell seriously ill and died of fright at the age of sixty-five.
Many people will see their relatives coming to greet them before they die, but Cao Cao saw his enemies Chen Gong, Lu Bu, Ma Teng, his own grain officials Wang He, Shi Xu, Yang Xiu with a smile on his face, and countless common people. ...
Cao Cao died of illness, and all officials mourned.
At that time, the soldiers and civilians in Luoyang were working hard, but they were afraid of Cao Cao's prestige. When they heard that Cao Cao had died of illness, they became commotion.
As the deputy commander-in-chief, Xiahou Dun seemed a little panicked when faced with this situation, because he was on the road in a hurry under the imperial edict. His troops were still stationed in Shouchun, and in Luoyang, except for a small number of tiger and leopard cavalry from Cao Xiu, the rest were directly under his command. Cao Cao's soldiers and horses are mostly Qingzhou soldiers.
Xiahou Dun asked Cao Xiu to stabilize the situation, especially the Qingzhou soldiers who were not very obedient to the command, and at the same time summoned the officials in Luoyang to discuss countermeasures.
The ministers and generals were worried about the chaotic situation, and most suggested that the funeral should be kept secret to stabilize the mood of the army and people in Luoyang. They also asked Cao Hong to escort the coffin back to Yecheng according to Cao Cao's decree.
Jia Kui, a senior official, advised him: "The king of Wei entrusted four important ministers to him before his death. General Yuan Rang, General Zi Lian, and Dr. Jia are all here now. Although the king has passed away, it cannot be kept secret. Envoys should be sent to the counties and counties immediately to pay their respects." , let both internal and external officials come to pay their respects."
After hearing this, Jia Xu stopped him: "Although you can send envoys to mourn, you don't have to come to pay your respects. Now Guan Yu is eyeing Nanyang, and both Yongliang and Huainan are ready to move. Generals from all walks of life should strictly guard their defense areas and go to worship in batches after the king is buried. It’s the safest way.”
"Wen He's words are very kind." Xiahou Dun nodded, then turned to Jia Kui and said: "Liang Dao, I will leave the envoy's affairs to you. Civil servants from all over the country can rush to Luoyang to mourn, but the generals must stay in the defense area."
"Wei." Jia Kui nodded.
Jia Kui had just arranged to send out envoys, and the news of Cao Cao's death spread instantly throughout Luoyang. When the Qingzhou soldiers heard that Cao Cao had died, they beat drums and prepared to return home in batches.
This was not the first time that Qingzhou soldiers behaved laxly. In the past, when Cao Cao was attacking Tao Qian in Xuzhou, he looted and slaughtered the people because of lack of food. Later, when he was conquering Zhangxiu in Wancheng, he heard that Cao Cao might die in the chaos, so he banned thunder to stop it.
At that time, some people proposed to learn from prohibition and stop Qingzhou soldiers from ignoring military discipline. Those who disobeyed would be punished.
Seeing this, Jia Kui persuaded Xia Houdun, saying: "The king of Wei has been buried and a new king has not yet been established. It is better to be in peace than to fight."
"Liang Daozhi's words are very good. The Qingzhou soldiers are arrogant and only obey the King of Wei. If they are suppressed by force, they may lead to rebellion. If not handled well, Liu Bei and Sun Quan will take the opportunity to attack. They should write a long official document to ensure that they have food supplies on their way home... "Jia Xu agreed.
Cao Hong looked at Xiahou Dun and asked him to make the final decision. Xiahou Dun nodded slightly and agreed with Jia Kui and Jia Xu's opinions. In the end, all Qingzhou soldiers were dispersed, but riots and mutinies did not occur.
At this point it is best to pacify the unrest. So he persuaded the ministers and sent an official document to the commander of the Qingzhou army, so that they could get food care from local officials on their way home. In this way, the commotion was calmed down.
Only Xiahou Dun knew the reason and the special relationship between the Qingzhou soldiers and Cao Cao, because now no one in Wei could command them anymore.
The predecessors of the Qingzhou soldiers were Yellow Turban thieves, or to be precise, they were followers of Taiping Dao. These peasants were born as thieves and bandits, and they wanted to overthrow the rule of the Han Dynasty. Later, Zhang Jiao's uprising failed, and the Yellow Turban Army lost its spiritual leader.
When Cao Cao was the Prime Minister of Jinan, he demolished the ancestral halls built indiscriminately by the kings of the Han Dynasty, so the remaining Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou regarded him as another spiritual leader who opposed the Han Dynasty. When he was in Qingzhou to suppress the Yellow Turbans, the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans sent a letter to Cao Cao saying: In the past in Jinan, when the altar was destroyed, the way was the same as that of Zhonghuang Taiyi. If you knew it, now you are even more confused. The Han Dynasty has ended, and the Huang family must be established. The great fortune of heaven is beyond your ability.
This group of simple "believers" started from Qingzhou and accompanied Cao Cao in his campaign to conquer Tao Qian, defeat Lu Bu, conquer Zhang Xiu, and destroy Yuan Shao. Although they did not particularly abide by military discipline, they were still loyal to Cao Cao.
After Cao Cao died of illness in Luoyang, the moral support of the Qingzhou soldiers collapsed, so they all returned to their hometowns to work in farming. In the end, no one was left.
While sending off the Qingzhou soldiers, officials from all over the place came in droves, and among them came an uninvited guest, Cao Zhang, the Marquis of Yanling who was staying in Xudu with Sima Yi.
Cao Cao's death from illness was expected by Sima Yi, but he was surprised to learn that he was not a minister of Tuogu, because Cao Cao had become even closer to him in the past few years, and he also had a deep relationship with Prince Cao Pi. There was no reason for him to have a noble family from Henan standing behind him. Not selected.
Sima Yi set off immediately after receiving the order. Cao Zhang, the Marquis of Yanling, learned the news and went with him.
When the two came outside the mourning hall, they were greeted by Jia Kui, the admonishing doctor. Although Cao Zhang was a military general stationed abroad, he was still Cao Cao's son in the final analysis.
It was understandable that Cao Zhang came to mourn, but what he said shocked Jia Kui and also surprised Sima Yi.
"Where is the seal of the late king?"
Jia Kui was startled when he heard this, and said sternly: "The state-owned crown prince and vice-president, with the seal and ribbon of the former king, are not suitable for a prince to ask."
Cao Zhang's yellow beard fluttered in the wind, and the murderous look in his brows disappeared with his eyes. Jia Kui looked at each other with neither humility nor arrogance.
In the midst of the tense situation, Xiahou Dun and Cao Xiu strode out and said solemnly: "I'm sorry, Ziwen, let's go in."
"Uh...only..." Cao Zhang saluted with clasped fists. He didn't expect that Xiahou Dun was actually in Luoyang, and his aggressive momentum instantly subsided.
When Xiahou Dun turned around, he looked at Sima Yi. Jia Kui's majestic voice had just attracted him, and he roughly guessed what Cao Zhang said. He thought to himself that Sima Yi was playing a trick, right?
"Everyone, come in." Xiahou Dun shouted and led him towards the mourning hall.
Sima Yi quickly stepped forward to stop Jia Kui, and deliberately distanced himself from Xiahou Dun, Cao Zhang, and Cao Xiu. He explained in a low voice: "Liang Dao, I originally wanted to go to the funeral alone, but Yanlinghou is the son of the king after all. I want to stop him." I can’t stop..."
"Why do Zhongda need to explain to me?" Jia Kui smiled bitterly.
"I see that General Xiahou has a different expression..." Sima Yi added in a low voice.
Jia Kui spread his hands and said: "I don't know what General Xiahou thinks, but I think it is necessary to remind you that although the late king did not ask you to entrust him to assist the government, you should not give up on yourself and get too close to Yanlinghou. His current status is not appropriate. ..”
"Uh...no...I belong to the prince..." Sima Yi couldn't argue, thinking that this was all because Cao Zhang had mistaken me.
"Then go to Yecheng and explain it carefully." Jia Kui shook his head.
After mourning in Luoyang for more than ten days, Xiahou Dun asked Cao Hong and Cao Xiu to escort Cao Cao's coffin back to Yecheng, while he rushed to Xudu to take charge in accordance with Cao Cao's last order.
Sima Yi explained the reason to Xiahou Dun in private, but because Xiahou Dun had received Cao Cao's decree, he was very wary of Sima Yi at the moment, so he didn't show much intimacy.
Regardless of whether Xiahou Dun believed it or not, Sima Yi decisively followed the brigade to Yecheng. Although he did not get the position of assistant minister, he should not run away because of his support.
Xiahou Dun looked at the white team retreating in the distance, with a sharp look in his sad eyes.
