"White bones lie scattered in the wild, no rooster crows for a thousand miles!"
The line Xu's mother chanted was a poem by Cao Cao, lamenting the chaos of war, where corpses lay everywhere and not a soul could be seen for miles around.
If this were the scene when Cao Cao recited this line in history.
It was after the massacre of Xuzhou, where the blood of three hundred thousand Xuzhou citizens had flowed like a river...
And yet, he could still recite these two lines so nonchalantly!
This was like killing someone and then wanting to erect a monument to one's virtue!
And this was Cao Cao's greatest stain, the original sin that led the common people to call him "Cao Thief."
To truly talk about the Han court? Or the Son of Heaven?
Those things were too distant for the common people. When the common people couldn't even survive, how could they speak of loyalty to the sovereign or patriotism!
But precisely because of...
Lu Yu, the current Cao Cao, had a status in the hearts of the people that was not just "high," but practically "revered"!
The reason was that Cao Cao, who had unified the Central Plains, had never once brandished his weapons against the people.
Not only that, but he reclaimed barren land, distributed unclaimed land to the people, implemented military and civilian farming, and even offered incentives for grain by counting cattle! What's more... even when attacking and conquering cities, there were rarely any bloodsheds!
Such a Cao Cao?
How could the people not love and support him?
It was for this reason that Xu's mother, who originally abhorred Cao Cao in history, was now the one who most supported him.
As for the Son of Heaven?
And the Han court?
That was all bullshit... Da Feng Novel Network.
Without Cao Cao, they, the poor common people, would have died long ago.
Speaking of which, this chaotic world that Xu's mother had personally witnessed... how could she not know that the root of this turmoil lay in the Han court's selling of official positions and their refusal to let the people live!
The common people dared not wear clothes and dared not eat when hungry. What use was such a Son of Heaven?
Speaking of which...
When she heard that the Han court had attempted to assassinate Cao Cao, Xu's mother was the most furious. Cao Cao was going to die? Then, would their hard-won good life disappear?
Not to mention that because of Lu Yu, and because of the rise of the Imperial Academy, the villagers of their Xu family village had all become "small landlords," enjoying unimaginable prosperity and peace!
The common people in a chaotic world did not ask for much. As long as they had a bite to eat, clothes to wear, and a house that could shelter them from the wind and rain during winter, they would be satisfied.
But...
Now, their good days were being ruined by the Han court.
Then, undoubtedly, this Han court, this Son of Heaven, was their enemy!
Even if it was divine right of kings, it wouldn't work!
Even if Dong Zhongshu and Confucius had come back to life, it wouldn't work!
It was no wonder that Xu's mother was so emotional. Xu Shu was slandering their benefactor like this? She felt her heart shatter, and her whole body was filled with anger!
"Mother... Mother..."
"Get out! I never want to see you, my unfilial son, again in my life! I'll act as if I don't have a son like you! Get out, get out!"
Xu Shu was thoroughly berated by his mother...
He seemed to understand, yet he also seemed not to understand. Of course... compared to his mother, he had received more education, and the Confucian idea of "divine right of kings" was deeply ingrained in him.
The blows from the firewood landed on him...
Upon careful reflection, what his mother said was not wrong!
Loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism were important, but if one couldn't protect their own mother or their own relatives, then... what was the meaning of loyalty to the sovereign?
The Great Han governed the world with filial piety. If he, Xu Shu, disobeyed his mother's wishes, what difference would he be from a pig or a dog?
"Mother, I... I..."
Xu Shu almost blurted out that he had escaped for Liu Bei and had secretly united five armies to encircle and suppress Cao Cao.
Ultimately, fearing he would anger his mother, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Get out! Get out!"
Xu's mother cursed and raised the firewood, striking Xu Shu's back. *Pa...* The firewood bit into his flesh. Xu Shu grunted in pain, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent. A mark appeared on his back.
"Mother, it's fine to hit me. This blow has awakened me."
"Awakened you to what?"
"Awakened me, and I understand 'what is precious'?" Xu Shu said solemnly, "The people are precious, the state is secondary, and the ruler is light!"
*Pa...*
Another blow landed.
Xu's mother was a little shaky, but she showed no mercy. "Don't spout grand theories! Just talk about what you just said."
"My mother is right, I, Xu Shu, am worse than a pig or a dog. I mistook blind loyalty for righteousness!"
*Pa...*
The familiar blow struck again.
"You're spouting grand theories again! You still haven't understood what your mistake was!"
This time, she hit him seven or eight times in a row. Xu's mother was exhausted, and Xu Shu's back was covered in bruises.
Fortunately, he was a swordsman, and he managed to endure it. Through this pain, he had thoroughly thought through and understood some things.
In this chaotic world, there weren't so many clear distinctions between black and white...
The one who saved the world? It might not be the one who appeared benevolent and loyal!
The one who could bring a better life to the common people of the world, who could ensure the people had food and clothing, who could prevent these poor people from freezing to death in the cold wind, was the so-called "savior"!
Liu Bei?
Or Cao Cao?
At this moment... Xu Shu became enlightened. For a moment, he felt he understood Yin Lin. Why did Yin Lin choose to serve Cao Cao? Why didn't Yin Lin choose Liu Bei? There was a profound meaning in this.
At this moment, Xu's mother sat down, panting. She looked at Xu Shu, her eyes showing a hint of heartache, but her face remained stern. "Do you know where you went wrong now?"
"I know!" Xu Shu replied with certainty. His heart had never felt so clear. "Mother, I know what I need to do! I... I will go now... to atone!"
Saying that, Xu Shu stood up, without changing his clothes, without wiping the bloodstains on his back, and walked out the door step by step!
Only then did Xu's mother heave a sigh of relief.
She knew her son had great ambitions, but a good bird chooses a tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a master. As a mother, she had to ensure her son walked on the right path, a path that benefited all the common people under heaven!
Xu Shu was not hesitant. When he reached the door, he knelt down and kowtowed to his mother.
Then... he mounted his horse and headed towards the Imperial Secretariat.
In his view, he had done something wrong... something terribly wrong.
And now, he had to make amends!
If he went directly to the Ministry of Works? Would Minister Lu know who Xu Yuanzhi was?
The urgent matter was to first... first see his fellow townsman from Yingchuan, Xun Yu, Lord Xun. With his recommendation, only then could... could Xu Shu have an opportunity to atone.
As the saying goes – Xu Shu, full of pride and confidence, was actually the clown!
...
...
The sun cast its light on the nine ridges. Within the majestic Imperial Secretariat with its double eaves.
Xu Shu's sudden appearance caused Xun Yu to pause, startled. He was holding a book, and in his distraction, he dropped it on the ground.
"Wen Ruo, how have you been!"
Xu Shu's words brought a daze to Xun Yu, as if he had returned to his youthful days in Yingchuan!
Back then, Xu Shu was his elder brother. It wasn't because of his age, but because he was righteous and skilled in martial arts. Only Xu Shu commanded the respect of all his peers in Yingchuan.
Back then, Xu Shu wasn't called Xu Shu, but Xu Fu!
There was even a small incident...
Back then, a bully had killed their brother. To avenge their brother, Xu Shu, along with Xun Yu, Xun You, and others, joined forces and devised a plan to eliminate the bully.
However, among them, only the "swordsman" Xu Shu was caught by the officials. But when the officials asked him about his accomplices, Xu Shu refused to say a word. The officials tied him to a pillar and made it look like they were going to tear him apart by five horses, but Xu Shu remained silent, as if he couldn't speak, choosing death over betraying his brothers.
In the end, it was through the power of the Xun family, coupled with a plan, that Xun Yu and Xun You managed to rescue him!
It was from this time that Xu Fu changed his name to Xu Shu.
Similarly, Xu Shu realized that wielding swords and spears wouldn't solve problems. He abandoned his usual knightly demeanor and went to study. Then, he unleashed his talent as a scholar.
When he met Xun Yu again, Xun Yu lamented that Xu Shu, who had changed his path halfway, possessed far greater talent than himself!
"Yuan Zhi, a rare guest!" Xun Yu grabbed Xu Shu's hands. "When did you come to Xudu city?"
"I've been here for more than ten days..." Xu Shu replied truthfully.
"Then... why didn't you let me know?" Xun Yu seemed very excited. There were not many people he admired to the utmost, and Xu Shu was undoubtedly the most brilliant among them.
This...
Hearing Xun Yu's question, Xu Shu was speechless... he didn't know how to explain.
After a brief silence, Xu Shu took a deep breath.
"Wen Ruo, I have something to tell you, but before that, I want to ask you a question?"
"Yuan Zhi, just ask..." Xun Yu pulled Xu Shu to sit by the table. He personally poured tea for Xu Shu. Seeing Xu Shu, seeing this elder brother from the past, he was genuinely happy.
"Wen Ruo? I've always thought that for scholars like you and me, living in a chaotic world and unfortunately having studied, there were only two meanings to life: one was to tread the treacherous path of this chaotic world, to let one's name be passed down through the ages, to live up to one's studies, and to forge a reputation. The second was to seek some hope for the people in this chaotic world."
Having said this, Xu Shu paused. "But... if the one who can bring hope to the people of this chaotic world is not an emperor, but a warlord? Should we then choose loyalty to the sovereign? Or should we choose loyalty to the myriad common people!"
This...
Xu Shu's words made Xun Yu pause.
He hadn't expected that this elder brother, reunited after a long separation, would ask such a sharp question the moment they met. What a sharp question!
But precisely, this was also a question that Xun Yu had been repeatedly pondering and contemplating recently.
Because of Lu Yu's new interpretation of "Xunzi," Xun Yu's understanding of the concept of "loyalty to the sovereign" had become blurred.
- "To bear the shame of the state is to be the master of the altars of soil and grain; to not surrender to the state is to be the master of the world!"
- "The way of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie..."
These were all recent insights of Xun Yu.
Divine right of kings! Dong Zhongshu? Was Sage Dong's viewpoint correct?
Lu Yu's mention of "divine right of kings is not necessarily absolute" and his statement that Confucianism taught by Sage Dong might not be the Confucianism in Confucius's heart... Even at this very moment, these words deeply touched Xun Yu's heart!
*Hoo...*
Xun Yu exhaled a long breath and immediately replied, "Yuan Zhi, I don't know how to answer your question. After all, ever since Emperor Wu dismissed the hundred schools of thought and honored Confucianism exclusively, the education we received was to be loyal to the sovereign. Among loyalty, filial piety, integrity, fraternity, propriety, righteousness, incorruptibility, and shame, 'loyalty' was always placed first... But..."
Having said this, Xun Yu paused, his eyes slightly narrowed. "But there was a person who told me something that has kept me pondering, leaving me bewildered."
"What did they say?" Xu Shu asked urgently.
Xun Yu blurted out.
-"Do not let loyalty betray you!"
As soon as these words were spoken...
Xu Shu felt his whole body tremble, as if he had been electrocuted, a tingling sensation that penetrated to the bone marrow.
"Do not let loyalty betray you... Do not let loyalty betray you?"
He began to repeat the sentence incessantly, pacing back and forth like a madman.
Seeing Xu Shu's demeanor, Xun Yu was startled and confused. He could only softly call out, "Yuan Zhi, Yuan Zhi..."
Finally...
After ten breaths, Xu Shu grabbed Xun Yu's hand.
"I understand, I understand everything..."
"Wen Ruo, quickly take me... take me to see Minister Lu, I... I have a strategy for breaking the impasse that he urgently needs!"
A strategy for breaking the impasse?
As these words left his mouth, Xun Yu's eyes suddenly widened considerably. He asked in disbelief, "What is this strategy for breaking the impasse that Yuan Zhi speaks of?"
"Wen Ruo, don't hide it from me. Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Liu Bei... Han Sui, Ma Teng... Five armies are about to encircle and suppress Cao Cao. With such urgent military matters, have you thought of a solution to break the impasse?"
Uh...
Having his thoughts revealed by Xu Shu, Xun Yu felt that today was strange!
He asked Xu Shu seriously.
"Yuan Zhi? Why do you know these things, and why do you have a strategy to break the impasse?"
"Because..." Xu Shu replied without hesitation. "Because the designer of this 'Five Routes Attack Cao' strategy was me, Xu Shu!"
*Boom...*
As soon as these words were uttered, Xun Yu's eyes widened to their limit. For a moment, he was dumbfounded!
...
As the sky began to darken and night descended, the moon shone like water. In Xudu city, frost covered the tiles. Xun Yu and Xu Shu, however, were speeding through the dark night.
Someone had already rushed to the Ministry of Works to inform Lu Yu of this news...
And Xun Yu and Xu Shu had arrived outside the gate of the Ministry of Works. They exchanged glances and stood at the gate for a while before lightly knocking on the door.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse...
This night was destined to be sleepless.
...
...
Jiangdong, Wujun.
Lu Xun and Lu Ji entered a wine shop.
Speaking of which, although the Lu family now held mountains of gold and silver, they remained very low-key in Jiangdong, not showing off their wealth or revealing their ambitions, adopting an attitude of detachment from worldly affairs!
It could be said that apart from the Lu clan members who were worthy of trust, few people in the entire Jiangdong knew that the Lu family was now a veritable "household with a mine"!
Crates of gold were dug out from Shenting Ridge as if they were free!
Even more terrifyingly, not only Shenting Ridge but also Qionglong Mountain and Yan'ou Ridge had yielded countless refined iron and gold mines!
Lu Xun secretly used these gold mines to purchase a large amount of grain, which was stored in Shenting Ridge.
They even quietly recruited a thousand-strong private army to guard one mountain and two ridges.
At this very moment...
They appeared in this wine shop in Wujun to meet some people, people who bore an irreconcilable hatred for the Sun family!
They had arrived two hours early...
So they ordered a pot of tea and began to drink.
"Boyan? Do you think these people can be trusted?" Lu Ji asked first...
"Of course not," Lu Xun replied, taking a sip of tea. "Once the private troops of Jiangdong pledge allegiance to someone, they will pledge allegiance to them forever! Even if their lord passes away, they will remain loyal to his children and will never change masters! Therefore... how could they be loyal to us?"
"Then why are we still sponsoring them with grain? Isn't this a waste of effort?" Lu Ji asked in confusion.
Hearing this, Lu Xun took another sip of tea. "I've inquired. Yan Baihu, Liu Yao, Wang Lang, Xu Gong, their remaining forces have either set up camps in the mountains or become bandits. They seem to be at peace with the Sun family, but in reality, they have all been more or less ostracized by the Sun family and are on the verge of running out of food. And we are the only ones who can provide them with food?"
"But... didn't Boyan just mention that you can't trust them?" Lu Ji asked again, frowning.
"For children, whoever feeds them is their mother. For a group of starving people, whoever provides food is their master. They might not listen to us, but they have to listen to the food, haha!"
Lu Xun waved his hand. Because of that mountain and two ridges, he felt much more confident. He continued with a smile, "Besides, don't our Lu family and they have the same goal?"
The same goal...
Naturally, it was the Sun family!
The Lu family's goal was not just to remain firmly among the four great families of Jiangdong; the Lu family intended to replace the Sun family!
And these remnant forces, their goal was one: to avenge their former lord. Thus, it was a perfect match... even if they couldn't be trusted, these scattered troops could be used for now!
As these words left his mouth, Lu Ji understood...
This was what was meant by the saying that there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests!
However...
"Boyan, we just heard some unfavorable intelligence. Sun Ce is gathering troops and intends to march north to Guangling City in Xuzhou. It is said that Liu Bei has fled to Xiapi City. If Guangling falls, the Central Plains will have a breach."
As these words were spoken...
"Shh..." Lu Xun seemed to sense something was wrong and quickly put his index finger to his lips, signaling Lu Ji to stop talking.
With his keen sense and observation, he noticed that the middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat at the table behind them seemed to be listening to their conversation.
Lu Ji quickly closed his mouth...
At the same time, Lu Xun turned his head to look at the man.
Very mysterious, the bamboo hat completely concealed his face. He remained silent, and it was impossible to tell where he was from.
The more this was the case, the more Lu Xun felt that this person was by no means simple!
"Haha..."
At this moment, a light laugh came from the mysterious man's mouth.
Following closely were phrases that were incomprehensible but catchy and melodious!
-"Laughing and sighing, words exhausted, ancient foolishness, modern madness, all turn to emptiness!"
-"Blunt blades, broken weapons, severed grace and righteousness, dreams are shattered!"
-"The road is desolate, lamenting the past, a lifetime of footprints, understood by no one!"
-"Years of longing eyes finally pass, the rolling world, I haven't seen through!"
-"Self-mockery, ink exhausted, a thousand affections, ten thousand grievances, heroes lament!"
-"The song ends, people scatter, hair turns white, beauty perishes!"
-"Candle remnant, unaware of competing with the sun for brilliance, futilely emaciated! When tears dry and blood fills the eyes, white snow flying all turns red!"
As these words were spoken...
Some people in the wine shop clapped their hands in applause.
Others scoffed, "What is this? It's not poetry, nor is it a fu. It's neither here nor there, yet it sounds catchy and inexplicably carries a sense of sentiment!"
However, it was only Lu Xun and Lu Ji...
When they heard this, their hearts trembled, and they both froze.
The two looked at each other...
In their eyes, five big words appeared – "We are of our own people!"
...
...