Everything was in accordance with Liu Bei's plan, and nothing exceeded Liu Bei's expectations.
More and more people attended the banquet, and the debate conference became more and more lively. In a sense, Yuan Shao's banquet had the same status as the traditional venue for the debate conference.
Yuan Shao's status has become different from before, and Yuan Shao's name has become more resounding, and he has the potential to become the top firepower output of the Yuan family in Runan.
This made Yuan Shao particularly happy and made Cao Cao admire Liu Bei very much.
"We once planned to attract more people to join us in fighting against the eunuchs, but the eunuchs' party was so cruel that many scholars did not dare to join in, so we could not fight against the eunuchs. However, after Xuande's plan, It gave new life to the fight against the eunuchs.”
Cao Cao privately invited Liu Bei to dinner and raised a toast to Liu Bei. He admired Liu Bei's planning and organizational skills very much.
Liu Bei raised his glass in return, then smiled and shook his head.
"Despite this, there are still a small number of people who are really willing to join us in fighting against the eunuchs. Most of them just come here for fame. If something really happens, don't expect them to charge into the battle. It's debatable to wave the flag and shout."
"Hahahahahaha, Xuande's wonderful words and witty words speak directly to people's hearts."
Cao Cao laughed, then put down his wine glass and sighed.
"Everyone knows it, but it doesn't require too many words. Those who are willing to come here are all here to make a name for themselves. They are here for the reputation of the fourth generation and third prince, the Yuan family. Even you and me, don't we..."
"Same, here because of the reputation of the Fourth and Third Duke Yuan."
Liu Bei ate a piece of roasted mutton with spices. The smell of mutton was well neutralized by the spices. The umami flavor of the mutton was greatly stimulated, and the taste was quite good.
Otherwise, why did the ancients eat fish and sheep as delicacies?
"Xuande is honest!"
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Then if we are targeted by eunuchs and come into trouble with us, we must be driven out and killed. What should Xuande do?"
"What would Meng De do?"
Liu Bei swallowed the mutton in his mouth and looked at Cao Cao with a smile.
"We can't resist forcefully, we can only stay away from the rivers and seas."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Back then, he was very high-spirited and wanted to wash away the shame on his body. To do this, he first secretly entered Zhang Rang's house and caused some trouble, and then beat Uncle Jian Shuo. It was just a boy's spirit. As time passed, he realized that the family was behind the scenes. How much have I taken on.
Now I understand that even if I am not afraid, I still have to consider my family and tribe. Once the eunuch decides to take action, he will not only kill himself, but also his family members. How many party members and people who have provided shelter to the party members have been exterminated in recent years? .
So now I don’t dare to continue to openly fight with him. I can only hide under the Yuan family’s wings and make plans. If the eunuchs really come after the Yuan family, I can only run to Luoyang at night and stay away from the rivers and seas. Anyway, the eunuchs can’t do it. Can't chase very far. "
"Mengde, have you ever thought about why the eunuchs often won against the scholars, so that the scholars could not confront them head-on?"
Liu Bei ate another piece of mutton and looked at Cao Cao with interest.
He wanted to test Cao Cao's political consciousness, and also wanted to test whether the current Cao Cao would open his heart to him.
Facts have proved that Cao Cao is now a very honest person, and he also opened his heart to Liu Bei.
"Of course, behind the eunuchs stands the emperor. We seem to be against the eunuchs, but in fact we are against the power in the hands of the emperor. The emperor is the lord of the world. We are all ministers. How can we have good results if we use ministers to offend the emperor? What’s the end?”
Cao Cao told the truth.
Liu Bei nodded.
"In that case, why do you still resist the eunuch?"
"Of course it's because they went too far. These eunuchs only exercise power in the central government. Their families rely on their power to exercise power in the local areas. They bully men and dominate women and do all kinds of evil. I don't know how many families have been separated from each other. How can I tolerate it?"
Cao Cao punched the table with his fist, filled with righteous indignation and full of anger.
Liu Bei remained calm.
He knew that Cao Cao was not telling the truth, or not completely telling the truth.
But that's not important.
"But there are no eunuch families in Zhuo County, my hometown, who do evil, but there are still people who wield power, bully men and dominate women, and do all kinds of evil. I don't know how many families have their wives separated... Mengde, my father died when I was young, and my mother took me to weave mats and sell shoes to make a living. , I have seen many such things in those years."
Cao Cao was stunned.
He looked at Liu Bei blankly, not knowing how to answer his words.
Although he also suffered, it was more of a mental anguish that was not acknowledged, rather than a physical pain that he could not stand up to.
His little physical life was not too comfortable. He had freedom of barbecue, freedom of spices, freedom of wine, and all the material freedoms he should have. He was born without knowing what hunger was.
This kind of pain was something Liu Bei had experienced and transcended.
"Xuande, you..."
"Meng De, I started fighting when I was seven years old in order to sit and drink and chat with you. It took me thirteen years. What do you think I have experienced in these thirteen years?"
Liu Bei smiled and raised his wine glass in honor of Cao Cao.
"In my opinion, it is the same whether there are eunuchs or not. The competition between scholars and eunuchs is not for justice, but for the qualification to do whatever they want, bully men, dominate women, and do all kinds of evil."
Cao Cao did not raise his glass, but looked at Liu Bei in surprise.
When Liu Bei saw this, he drank the wine himself, and then laughed softly: "Actually, everyone knows it in their hearts, but they just don't want to say it to the outside world. Things are ugly, but you have to say it beautifully, right?"
Cao Cao blinked and finally came back to his senses. He took a few breaths, smiled and nodded.
"Xuande's words... are very honest."
As he spoke, Cao Cao raised his wine glass, raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.
Then he put down his wine glass and looked at Liu Bei with a complicated expression.
"Don't Xuande hate eunuchs?"
Cao Cao hated his eunuch family background, so he hated the house and the crow, and he also hated the eunuchs desperately. Although he could not become a scholar, he was already a scholar spiritually and could be called a spiritual scholar.
When Liu Bei heard this, he just smiled.
"Instead of saying this, I might as well ask Mengde. Mengde thinks that after the eunuchs are driven out and killed, the world will become better?"
Liu Bei's question left Cao Cao speechless.
Cao Cao might have answered this way, because in his previous view, eunuchs were the main reason for the decline of the world and the main reason for the rampant corruption of corrupt officials.
As long as the eunuchs are eliminated and the people are upright, the world's atmosphere will naturally return to simplicity and honesty, and the decline of Han society will naturally be changed.
But he heard Liu Bei talking about Zhuojun, which made him doubt his past knowledge.
If there are no eunuchs causing chaos, there will still be people who bully men and women and do all kinds of evil. If the situation in the world does not get better after getting rid of the eunuchs, then what should we do?
What's the problem?
In this time and space, four years after the reign of Emperor Guanghe, the 26-year-old Cao Cao was not yet the tycoon who drank and sang.
In this time and space, in the fourth year of Guanghe, the twenty-year-old Liu Bei has completed the seemingly impossible two-level transition from common people to powerful people, and then from powerful people to scholars, and his heart is as cold as iron.
Who is the rival of the world's heroes?
Cao Cao probably didn't realize it.
But Liu Bei has clearly realized it.
——————
PS: Water was cut off in a large area near my community. I was so exhausted that I was looking for a toilet everywhere. Two public toilets were closed. I almost lost my dignity as a human being...
