Three Kingdoms: The Reverse Son of the Guan Family, Dragon Blessing Jingxiang

For Cao Wei, the turbulent battles between Jiangxia and Xiangfan finally ended with Guan Yu's victory and the complete loss of Jiangxia.

Both sides have ceased fighting, but with the current situation in Xiangfan, how dare Zhang Liao leave?

I'm afraid that Guan Yu will follow one plan with another and directly counterattack.

Now that Guan Yu has learned how to steal homes, this battle is getting harder and harder to fight.

And on the occasion of Cao Cao's return.

The entire Fancheng seemed to be shrouded in a thick layer of haze. Some people were happy and some were sad.

Fancheng, Fangguanyuan, there is light snow outside the window, and the lights on the candlesticks are faintly visible.

Under the lamp...the two of them sat on their knees.

Cao Pi, who was on the throne, was concentrating on reading a scroll of bamboo slips, which was the "Nine-grade Zhongzheng System" that Li Miao asked Liu Zhen to present to him.

He nodded slightly while reading. Although it was the first time he read Li Miao's "works", he seemed to have a deep connection with him.

This feeling was just like when he read Sima Yi's "Ten Arguments" for "Sun Tzu's Art of War" in the past, and he wished he could take this person under his command immediately.

"Zihuan? How is it?"

Liu Zhen looked at Cao Pi, eagerly waiting for his answer.

Cao Pi tightly grasped the bamboo slips of the "Nine-grade Zhongzheng System" and couldn't put it down. He read the words on it: "The change of the inspection and examination system into the nine-grade official selection method, and the implementation of the nine-grade official system are all due to Zhongzheng. Examination of the world, Then appoint."

Cao Pi continued with emotion: "The Zhongzhengguan is set up to evaluate the scholars of the same nationality as him, including scholars from this state and those scattered in other counties. Talents are divided into nine grades based on their family background, career, and character. Those who come from poor families are classified into nine grades. No matter how high the evaluation is, it can only be rated as a low-rank one. A person from a wealthy family with a poor career can still be ranked as a high-rank one. This 'nine-rank official selection method' is much more sophisticated than the inspection system. It's wonderful...indescribable!"

"Business trip (Liu Zhen) brought me a treasure!"

Ha ha…

Hearing this, Liu Zhen finally took a long breath and asked with a smile: "I wonder if the treasure Zihuan is talking about is the "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System" or the person who wrote the "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System"?"

"Both of them!" Cao Pi said with emotion: "The person who can write such a wonderful strategy must be a wonderful person. It seems... this Li Miao is far from being comparable to that Mi Heng. In addition to his outstanding literary talent, he has a lot of hidden strategies. He is truly talented and learned, and this article on how to select officials is even more relevant to the ills of today’s world!”

"Nine Grades Zhongzheng System" is the certificate of submission given by Li Miao to Cao Pi.

In fact, this is what Chen Qun and Sima Yi did after Cao Pi ascended the throne in history.

It is said to be a fair method of selecting officials.

But in fact, this is a very stupid selection system.

To put it simply, Zhongzhengguan determines the grade of a scholar.

So... who is the Zhongzhengguan?

Zhongzhengguan is not a noble, a relative, or an eunuch, but a member of a powerful clan!

It can be said that such an official selection system will eventually become a tool for powerful noble families to attract talents for them.

In fact, when it comes to clans, the Cao Wei regime, and even the future "three families returning to Jin", there is still something to say.

Cao Cao relied on the support of Qiao Pei warriors and Yingchuan talents to make his fortune.

From that time on, these two forces fell in love and killed each other.

The original Cao Wei Xungui Group was a clan faction headed by Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren.

Yingchuan talents, because they were in Yuzhou, formed the Yuzhou gentry faction headed by Xun Yu and assisted by Zhong, Chen, and Sima.

By the way, why can the Sima clan hang out with the Yingchuan clan?

This is because Sima Yi's grandfather once served as the county magistrate of Yingchuan, and the reason why Yingchuan Xun, Chen, Zhong, and Han became the four major families in Yingchuan is because their "grandfather" served as the county magistrate.

The Sima family and the Yingchuan family have a deep interest-binding relationship.

However, these two factions were still at peace with each other in the generation of Xun Yu, Xun You and Xiahou Dun and Xia Houyuan.

In other words, there was only a small friction between the Yuzhou clan and the Cao clan at first.

But if we follow the original trajectory of history, after Xun Yu died, Sima Yi and Chen Qun replaced the older generation of Yingchuan talents and became the new heads of the Yuzhou gentry.

Next, there is drastic reform, which is to implement the "Nine Grades of Zhongzheng System" and firmly hold the power of selecting officials in their hands.

At that time, the Yuzhou clan and the Cao clan had more than just minor frictions, they started to fight over each other.

Until the Gaopingling Incident!

In the meantime, Sima Yi fought against Xiahou Dun and Xia Houyuan successively;

He fought against the generation of Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu;

Finally defeated Cao Shuang's generation again!

The Cao family clan was completely finished, and the Yuzhou gentry headed by Yingchuan talents took power in a real sense, including Zhong Hui and Chen Tai in the later period, both from Yingchuan.

What happened next was that the Sima family created a clan dynasty.

Now if we go to Pin, the three families will return to Jin. Who will return?

It is the continuation of the Yuzhou gentry headed by the Yingchuan faction.

Cao Cao needs to know that he has been a worker all his life, and if he only works for the clan, his mentality will collapse if he cannot maintain his integrity.

so…

What is the real main line of the Three Kingdoms?

It was never a battle between Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, but an old governor of Yingchuan (the Sima family) and four county magistrates (the four major families of Xun, Zhong, Chen, and Han). The five families formed deep interests. Bundling relationship.

Then leading the Yuzhou clan, they invested in Yuan Shao, the leader of the clan.

And Yuan Shao organized a branch company-Cao Cao.

They diversified their investments, and in the end the branch company won, and the Henan clans in the branch began to fight in unison with the clan boss of the branch company.

After fighting for three generations, they finally succeeded and gained power. The three families returned to Jin and established a clan dynasty.

This is the true main line of the Three Kingdoms, and also the main line of the Cao Wei branch.

Of course, this thread runs through nearly several decades.

Now, it seems a bit far away.

But in Guan Lin's view, this "hidden line" in the struggle between the Henan clan and the Cao clan can be used, and it can be used to fuel the flames in advance... and it can also be mapped into the "battle of the princes"...

The core point is this "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System"!

Guan Lin is certain that Sima Yi and Chen Qun are both smart people. How powerful is this system that they have figured out for decades? No need to elaborate…

Similarly, they must be able to foresee the devastating blow this system will bring to the Cao family and start taking action.

Guan Lin wanted Li Miao to use this... to cause an internal struggle within Cao Wei, and to cause different positions between clans and nobles in the fight for the heir apparent.

If the nine mines in Cao Cao are divided into two, and the five mines fight four mines first, then the two mines on the Shu Han side will have a greater advantage.

In Guan Lin's layout - the advantage is mine!

certainly…

How could Cao Pi think of so much at this moment.

He was still staring at the "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System" intently, feeling emotional from time to time.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Liu Zhen reminded: "I have also read Li Miao's "Nine Grades of Zhongzheng System". At first, I was as surprised as Zihuan, but the more I thought about it, the more I became afraid..."

"Theoretically, Zhongzheng's selection of talents is fair and just, but in fact, Zhongzheng is also a human being and has a family, and the families in the Central Plains and the north are intertwined, so how can it be absolutely fair? It is precisely because of this that one careless move... It is possible to become a 'high-ranking family without a humble family, and a low-ranking family without aristocrats'! The people selected will all be the children of the clan and the disciples of the clan. This goes against the original intention of the 'official selection method'!"

Liu Zhen said a lot.

"No..." Cao Pi's eyes were shining, "If you say this on business, I actually think this Mr. Li is even more powerful!"

"Ah..." Liu Zhen was stunned and quickly asked: "Why is this?"

"Do you want to do business..." Cao Pi said with emotion: "Since my father was proclaimed Duke, Cui Yan, a famous scholar from Qinghe, objected and died. Xun Lingjun objected and died. Military advisor Xun You died in depression. The actions of clans everywhere against my father have become increasingly serious. Has the north been quiet for three consecutive years? And isn’t my father’s goal just to be a Duke of Wei? One day, my father will become king, and even...he...he will..."

"Proclaim yourself emperor?" Liu Zhen asked in shock...

Cao Pi stood up, closed all the doors and windows, and then sat back on the bamboo mat. He said seriously: "Father always said that he wanted nothing more than to be a 'General of the Han Dynasty Conquering the West.' But these years... due to the current situation, my father Proclaiming the duke, founding the country, and using the emperor's honor guard... Is this what General Zhengxi can do? Sooner or later, my father will make great progress, and he will go further... It's just..."

Cao Pi paused for a moment and placed the "Nine-grade Zhongzheng System" in his hand on the table beside him, but still pressed his hand on it, as if he was afraid that he would run away. He continued:

"I'm afraid my father never expected that just being crowned a duke would cause such a rebellion among the clans in the world. I'm afraid it would be even worse after being crowned king, or emperor... I can't even think about it!"

Having said this, Cao Pi slowly stood up and pointed to the bamboo slip of the "Nine-grade Zhongzheng System", "And all of this will come to an abrupt end because of this "Nine-grade Zhongzheng System". As long as this is here, the old will be abolished and the new will be established. The clan can see hope...see the hope of wielding huge power, and as long as the hope is there and their interests are there, why should they care about whether the king of the Han family or the king of Cao Wei, when the time comes...whether the father is the king , or by proclaiming himself emperor, we can get the support of these clans! The turmoil in the north in the past three years can also be completely ended."

This is indeed the case…

Cao Cao called him a "gong", and Xun Yu opposed it desperately, which could cause great turmoil in the entire Central Plains and the northern clans.

But during the Cao Pi Dynasty, he accepted the emperor's abdication and proclaimed himself emperor, but there were few objections in the clan.

It is because of this "nine-grade Zhongzheng System" that not only the clans see hope, but also the clansmen see the hope of a "clan dynasty".

Sure enough, Liu Zhen reminded: "But...the clan supports it because they can benefit from this selection system, but the Cao clan is bound to be opposed to it. How can they tolerate 'Zhongzheng' deciding the grade of the Cao clan's children?" Isn't this... a disguised form of weakening the clan's interests?"

"When there are two benefits, choose the greater one, and when there are two evils, choose the lighter one..." Cao Pi said with emotion: "Unless my father does not intend to become emperor, otherwise... he must make concessions to the clan... because..."

"Because of what?"

"Because the clan obeys the father more, because the clan will never resist the father no matter what!"

At this moment, Liu Zhen saw the light in Cao Pi's eyes, and he understood immediately. He sighed: "Does Zihuan want to take advantage of this gamble to compete for the position of 'Crown Prince'?"

"Haha..." Cao Pi said with a smile: "With you Liu Zhen, Li Miao, and Sima Zhongda helping me, what's wrong with the position of the heir apparent?"

Speaking of which, Cao Pi continued, "I just received a letter from Zidan (Cao Zhen). My father is coming back soon."

"On business, please arrange for me to meet Mr. Li as soon as possible. I have a feeling that he will help me reach the sky and fly high! But..."

"But what?"

There was a little more worry in Cao Pi's eyes, "I was thinking... Zijian must also like Mr. Li, a man of outstanding literary talent, right?"

"Master Zhi..." Liu Zhen seemed to have thought of something, and his expression suddenly turned gloomy.

Cao Pi saw through his mind at once, "Don't worry about your business. In the past, my father punished you to go to Jiangling to work hard. It was not because you looked down on my wife, 'Zhen', but because my father liked Zijian too much. He wanted to use it." Come and intimidate me!"

"But now... the situation is different. Zijian got into a big trouble and is going to be in bad luck. You came back just in time. You bring this Li Miao back, which will be of great help to me, my father, and Cao Wei..."

Hearing this, Liu Zhen quickly raised his hands and saluted: "Mr. Zi Huan, I'm very complimentary. As Mr. Zi Huan, Zhen always goes through fire and water, and he doesn't hesitate to do so!"

At this moment, Cao Pi walked behind Liu Zhen.

"You lived a hard life in Jiangling, and your body must have been damaged a lot."

Cao Pi quickly took off his clothes and put them on Liu Zhen. "It's snowing outside now and it's cold, so put on more clothes!"

For a moment, Liu Zhen's pupils were filled with crystal tears.

…

…

The moon was on the brow, and Li Miao was lying on the bed in the post house.

He recalled what Guan Lin had told him when he met Guan Lin secretly in Jiangling.

"You have to be close to Cao Pi, and you have to be close to Cao Zhi, both in the light and in the dark. Only in this way can you be more flexible and able to influence the current situation. Of course, this is difficult, and it will be a great test for you!"

"You know better that for Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, Cao Cao is their father, but he is even more of a tyrant. He came out of this world of great strife, so the successor he needs can also be in this great struggle. He won't mind if his son fights for someone who is killed, nor will he mind if his son builds his own power, he will only choose the strongest one and let the strongest one inherit the empire!"

"However, Cao Wei's position as the crown prince must not be settled too early. They must fight, let the clans and clans take separate sides, and the fight will be tense... The more brutal the fight, the better, and both sides will suffer losses!"

At that time, Li Miao, listening to Guan Lin's words, felt that this trip was dangerous...

However, he likes this kind of danger. The more dangerous it is, the more he can prove his value.

Is not it?

"hehe--"

With a slight smile, Li Miao said softly: "As soon as the "Nine Levels of Zhongzheng System" comes out, the clans and clans of Cao Wei will stand in separate lines, right? What a great position for the crown prince, what a clever plan to protect the Fourth Young Master, what a wonderful one Fight your way out of the world of great strife..."

Because of the previous president, Li Miao always believed in Guan Lin's words.

In fact, Guan Lin had already laid out every game for him, just waiting for him to go deeper step by step...

Of course, this place is dangerous, this place is a mountain of knives and a pan of oil!

But it has passed...

——Leave a name in history and be famous forever!

Think about it, isn't this what Li Miao is pursuing?

only…

Suddenly, Li Miao's tone became a little darker.

"Now that Cao Zijian has caused a big disaster, he will definitely be punished by Cao Cao... This "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System" was given to Cao Zihuan again, rising and falling... The position of the heir apparent will not be settled, right?"

Thinking about this, Li Miao couldn't help but feel worried.

Cao Zhi secretly mobilized soldiers and horses in Runan, causing Jiangxia to fall. This was something Li Miao never expected, and naturally it was also something Guan Lin never expected.

And will this little incident... lead to the settlement of the throne of Cao Wei's crown prince?

Worry, Li Miao was extremely worried!

"cough…"

With a slight cough, Li Miao gathered his thoughts. It was already late and he couldn't think about it anymore.

He immediately planned to go to bed...

When you are behind enemy lines, you need to stay vigilant at all times, maintain your energy, and ensure you sleep.

However, before going to bed, Li Miao would often cover his eyes with a piece of black cloth. This was a fixed thing, and he would do this every night.

The purpose of this is because when the eyes are dark, the sense of smell and hearing will be magnified countless times.

Precisely, using smell and hearing is an important means for Guan Lin to pass on tasks and intelligence to him.

Immediately... He covered his eyes with black cloth, and Li Miao lay down, just like any ordinary night.

Never thought about it.

Suddenly... a series of silver bell-like knocking sounds seemed to come from the ground.

Extremely crisp and extremely delicate!

This is…

This is the sound of a mallet gently tapping an urn buried in the earth. This sound can travel far from the ground.

Of course, Li Miao couldn't hear the specific content simply from this voice.

But he knew that it must be Guan Lin who sent a mission, or important information.

He quickly put on his clothes...and walked towards the latrine as usual.

But he saw Lu Youjiao, who was dressed in tattered clothes, carrying barrels, as if he was cleaning the latrine.

The two met on purpose.

But when they really met each other, they were like strangers among all living beings, without even an extra glance.

——"Pattering..."

Li Miao didn't urinate much. He even shook his head, clapped his hands, and tapped his hand on the wall, which was very inconsistent with the image of a scholar.

Then I walked away feeling relaxed...

Wan Ruo has no connection with Lu Youjiao.

But in his hand, there was an extra small note at some point, waiting until he returned to the inn.

Li Miao quickly unfolded the note.

The above line is:

『——Soochow has sent troops to make a surprise attack on Hefei. Cao Zijian must be sent to help Shouchun to make up for the mistake. 』

It seems that this sentence is Guan Lin's mission!

The words added below were written by Lu Youjia, and they were like words written by a dog crawling.

『——Cao Zi built it in Zuixian Tower! 』

hehe…

Li Miao was happy when he saw this...

Sure enough, Cao Zhi got into trouble and lost his life in Jiangxia... Such emergencies did not require him to worry too much.

Mr. Yun Qi thought of it for him.

"Soochow attacked Hefei by surprise? Haha... For Cao Zijian, this is a good opportunity to make up for his past mistakes!"

Li Miao was about to light the note on fire, but as his eyes moved downward, there was another sentence in the note.

"Be careful of Yang Xiu and Yang Dezu——"

Well…

This word was written by Guan Lin. It is a line of small characters in seal script. It is a meaningful reminder.

Li Miao's eyes suddenly condensed, and a fierce light suddenly appeared.

This is not the first time Guan Lin has reminded him, be careful about Yang Dezu!

Guan Lin's original words were, "As for Cao Pi, as long as the "Nine Grades of Zhongzheng System" is presented to him, he will definitely tell you his heart and soul, but you must be careful of Sima Yi;"

"As for Cao Zhi, as long as you memorize "Three Hundred Poems", there are ten thousand ways to get close to him, but... you have to be very careful about Yang Dezu! Sima Yi and Yang Xiu, these two... are far more powerful than Cao Pi , Cao Zhi is more dangerous!"

Huh... exhaling heavily, Li Miao bit his lower lip.

Guan Lin could be reminded several times, but he didn't dare to be careless at all.

From the bottom of his heart, he already valued these two people enough.

but…

Li Miao suddenly thought of something.

——"When Cao Zijian gets into trouble this time, someone always needs to take the blame!" 』

——"What if the culprit is Yang Xiu and Yang Dezu?" Then... wouldn't everyone be happy? 』

Thoughts on this…

In an instant, Li Miao had a plan on his mind!

Without stopping, he put on his coat, took two wine gourds, drank a few gulps of wine, and walked towards the Zuixian Pavilion next door to the post house with his drunken, unrestrained steps.

"Hiccup...burp...wine...wine!"

In a moment, Li Miao entered the scene.

This is a big show.

The crazy man in Zuixian Tower drinks wine and chants poems to attract the attention of the prince!

Immediately, the voice of a madman resounded throughout the quiet night.

——"Hahaha, if you are happy in life, you must have all the fun, and don't let the golden bottle stand empty against the moon."

——"Wine, give me wine! Wine...wine..."

…

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