Cao Cao spoke a few words, and there was silence outside the ancestral temple. The young people had excited expressions on their faces, while the older people looked at each other with admiration in their eyes.
There are some people in this world who are born to achieve great things.
Because they have great characters that ordinary people don’t have, perseverance, the will to never give up, the courage to strive for the first, and the qualities of not being afraid of difficulties are some of them.
Cao Cao is such a person. He has many characteristics that only people who do great things can have, such as persistence and perseverance.
Most things in this world are clear from God's perspective, and it is clear what should be done. Latecomers can always judge a person's wisdom arbitrarily.
But in fact, in an environment full of darkness and fog, not knowing whether there are opportunities or dangers ahead, how many people dare to do one thing firmly?
Raising an army to serve the king is easy to say, but extremely difficult to do.
It is unimaginable how much resources are consumed to form an army capable of fighting. It is no exaggeration to call it a gold-swallowing beast.
Moreover, after forming an army, there will always be wars, and victory is easy to say.
As long as the battle is defeated, all investments will be in vain, and everything will be lost in an instant.
Even with the Cao family's background, if they form King Qin's army, they will experience at most two failures.
If there are any more, the entire family will go bankrupt. The family is a complex of political and economic groups tied by blood relationships. Without the family's financial foundation, it is only a matter of time before the family completely declines.
Why don't those top nobles fight alone, but support the princes?
Is it because the princes have too much power?
Or is the throne not favourable?
Why not invest in a certain group of princes with your own family, but instead invite the nobles in the county and state to invest together?
Is it because you have benevolent intentions and hope that others will share your profits and power?
of course not!
The purpose is to minimize the losses caused by failure on the premise of ensuring power dividends. Moreover, the more investments you make, the greater the probability of success and the lower the possibility that the investment will come to naught.
It is no exaggeration that even a top gentry could not withstand several defeats by the princes.
According to the survival rules of the noble clan, Cao Cao's behavior was inappropriate.
Because the Cao family is no longer the kind of ordinary powerful man who needs to put the lives of his whole family on the line.
Only those powerful men with low status would use their wealth and life to gain an unknown future.
But this is the charm of Cao Cao. He is not a gambler, but clearly tells people what the family should do and how the family should do.
Cao Cao's words rang in everyone's ears, "Because Emperor Xiaocheng of the previous Han Dynasty loved his family so much that he was able to rise to prominence. Now that the country of the Han Dynasty is in danger, how can the family just sit back and ignore it?"
I, Cao Mengde, want to serve the monarch and guard the country of the Han Dynasty. Are you willing to follow me?
This deafening sound echoed between the ancestral temples and outside. In such an environment, it seemed as if the ancestors of the Cao family were speaking.
Questioning!
Do you still remember why my Cao family became famous?
It’s Emperor Xiaocheng!
"I am willing to follow my brother, serve the emperor, and defend the Han Dynasty!"
When the first brother knelt down on one knee, it was not just a courtesy between brothers, but a courtesy from a minister to the monarch, everything changed.
The best sons of the family were willing to follow him and shouted in unison.
The elder frowned. A family's greatest resource is its people. When the future of a family is willing to follow him.
What do those so-called financial and financial resources count for?
Cao Cao's father sighed slightly, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a loud voice, "What Meng De said is good!"
Everyone in the Cao family either turned their heads or turned around to take a look, and saw a group of people walking in, some old and some young, some wearing official uniforms or wearing fancy clothes.
Everyone in the Cao family is familiar with this group of people. They are another big family in Qiao County, the Xiahou family.
Seeing the Xiahou family, everyone in the Cao family smiled. The head of the Cao family went up to ask the Xiahou family why they were here.
The ancestor of the Xiahou family was the hero of the founding of the country, Ruyin Marquis Xiahou Ying, and the Xiahou family that is still active today, no matter which county it is in, without exception, is a branch.
The Xiahou family had been prominent for hundreds of years, and then experienced a hundred years of decline. They continued to rely on their ancestors' capital until they completely declined in the late Han Dynasty, and then they separated and lived in various counties.
The Xiahou family in Qiao County, Pei County, was a powerful local family. Because they had no family tradition of Confucian classics, they were not considered a noble family.
However, the Xiahou family was regarded as a general, and had a complete method of training generals. They also owned extensive land and were very prosperous in Qiao County.
The Xiahou family and the Cao family are married to each other, and their relationship is complicated. They are almost like a family.
It can be said that if the emperor wanted to conquer the Yi tribe, even the Xiahou family would not be able to escape.
After the head of the Xiahou family exchanged greetings with the head of the Cao family, he walked directly towards Cao Cao. Looking at Cao Cao, who was not tall but full of pride, he patted Cao Cao's shoulder heavily with admiration in his eyes and said : “The Cao family will prosper if they have a son like Meng De.
With a son like you, Qiao County can survive before the Taiping Army.
It's a pity that I, the Xiahou family, don't have a son like you.
What you said just now, Meng De, is very good. Loyalty is the foundation of a family. The Xiahou family has been favored by the emperor for generations, and it is what it is today. How can it lag behind others?
King Qin’s affairs must never be left behind.
Nephew Meng Dexian, let’s see who among your clan brothers has chosen you. I will let them go with you and serve you as my master. "
As soon as the head of the Xiahou family said these words, everyone was shocked instantly. What he gave Cao Cao was not just a few children of the Xiahou family, but an investment from the Xiahou family. The connection between the Xiahou family and the Cao family was already very strong. Close, now this is to continue to strengthen!
The head of the Xiahou family didn't think it was a problem. He was just optimistic about Cao Cao. He saw that even if the rebellion of the Taiping Army was suppressed, all regions would have to support their own troops and form a vassal situation. In this case, if his family could support it, it would naturally be necessary to do so. To help my family.
Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this. If he could get help from the Xiahou family, he would be more confident that King Qin would make a contribution.
He was planning to contact the Xiahou family. He thought it would take a lot of effort, but he didn't expect that the head of the Xiahou family actually offered to help him.
This moved him very much. He looked up at his brothers from the Cao clan, and then at the smiling Xiahou clan, feeling quite emotional for a moment.
As expected, they are brothers who go into battle. Father and son fight in the war. If you want to achieve great things, you must rely on your clan brothers. Everyone today and in the future will be my humerus.
If after quelling the Taiping Army, he really became the general of the Western Conquest due to his merits, he would certainly have done more conquests and made these people worship him as generals.
Thinking of these, Cao Cao immediately bowed deeply and said with a solemn expression, as if he was swearing: "Cao Cao will never betray your trust."
…
"The world is in chaos, the country is in turmoil, the Taiping rebel armies are everywhere and are approaching Luoyang, and the royal family is in danger.
Damn it, he is just a man in the county, with a humble reputation and a humble talent. Fortunately, the emperor showed mercy and made him a councilman and then a captain.
When the wind is strong, you can see the strong grass, and when the weather is rough, you can see the loyal ministers. Are there any heroes in the counties who are willing to work with Cao to serve the king?
Cao Cao is willing to spend all his wealth to recruit warriors, each armed with armor, to fight vigorously and show off his power to save the Han Dynasty. "
The Han Dynasty has made everyone in the world know how precious reputation is in three hundred years.
Cao Cao once wandered around Pei County, and later Ju Maocai went to Luoyang and made a name for himself.
Now the reputation accumulated over the years has finally come into play. With his popularity among Pei County, coupled with the reputation of the Cao family and Xiahou family in Pei County, as many heroes as the crucian carp crossing the river came to seek refuge with him.
There are thousands of young men in the county alone who have come to join the army. In the entire Pei County, there are probably more than 10,000 rural warriors who can be recruited.
After the Cao family and the Xiahou family made up their minds, Cao Cao sent hero posts to all the counties in Peijun, stating that he would build King Qin's army and join King Qin in Luoyang.
This time, we are not recruiting Xiang Yong, but inviting nobles and powerful people to join. The signal is very clear, what are you waiting for?
Are you waiting for the Taiping Army to break through the county and then skin and plunder all of you?
You all know how good I am, Cao Mengde, right?
Yuan Shao from the top wealthy family in Luoyang, Runan Yuan Family, is my brother.
In a family with the fifth surname, the Duke of Qi and I are brothers, and you should know that.
I've been to Pei County several times. Is there anyone more promising than me?
If you don't come and seek refuge with me yet, don't blame me for not saving you until the Taiping Army comes to the city.
Cao Cao's move of pulling a tiger skin as a banner produced outstanding results. All counties enthusiastically joined the army. The most important thing was that many powerful landowners with some wealth came to join him.
In the era of Confucian classics, these people had little status in the officialdom, and naturally they were not considered commanders. However, many of them were extraordinary generals. Some, such as Dian Wei, were even called a millionaire in terms of their force value alone. It is not an exaggeration to say that one is an enemy.
This scene was something that not even the lord of a county with two thousand stones, the prefect of Pei County, could do.
You must know that in this era, the county governor was regarded as the king of the country. This shows the prestige of the Cao family and the Xiahou family in Pei County, and the importance of Cao Cao's reputation back then!
Everything is ready, raise the flag, King Qin sets sail!
————
Emperor Wu was a native of Qiao County, Pei County. His surname was Cao, his courtesy name was Cao, and his courtesy name was Mengde. He came after the Qiaohou of the Han Dynasty. The Qiaohou was the daughter of King Pei and the Queen Mother, and King Pei Xiao was the same mother and brother.
Emperor Wu was a young man who was bold and powerful. He lived among the counties of Pei, but he was dissolute and unruly. He had a chivalrous style and was respected by all the brothers in the clan. There was also an old man in the clan. He said to Emperor Wu: "In the hundred and fifty years since the Cao family, With grace and favor, now that I have a Qilin son, can I be admitted to the imperial court?!"
Emperor Wu was impressed and said: "Wuxiang Wuxianghou said: 'A husband is born between heaven and earth. He should carry a three-foot sword and achieve immortal achievements. How can he be depressed in writing.'
When I die, I will engrave the tomb of Qiaohou Cao, the general of the Han Dynasty who conquered the west, and I will live up to my life. "
It is more and more strange in the clan that his name is passed down to counties and counties. At the age of twenty, he has become a talented person! ——"Book of Wei·The Chronicles of Emperor Wu"
(End of chapter)
