Chapter 403 If you don't cut off your flesh, Liu Bei will cut off your head! The Five Tiger Generals gather together to kill Cao and destroy Qin. Who can stop them?

The Nine-Rank Official System!
It was Cao Pi who formally proposed the Nine-Rank System for the first time in the Qin Dynasty's government.

Shortly after Cao Cao ascended the throne, Chen Qun presented this system to Cao Pi, who naturally praised it highly.

So Cao Pi went into the palace overnight and presented the Nine-Rank Official System to Cao Cao, and also listed in detail the benefits of implementing this system.

Cao Cao did not make any statement, but only said that he would think about it and put the issue aside for the time being.

Today, when the news of Liu Bei's enthronement shocked the Qin court and the public, Cao Pi chose to bring up this system again in the court.

Of course, he was not entirely considering the overall interests of the Qin State.

With Cao Pi's intelligence, he naturally saw at a glance that the nine-rank official system was extremely beneficial to the scholars and wealthy families.

This system is a transfer of power from the imperial power to the scholar-official families. Once implemented, it is bound to win the strong support of the scholar-official families.

As the first person to propose this system, Cao Pi naturally won the favor and support of most of the scholars in Qin.

With this powerful force as a backing, plus his merit in persuading the emperor to ascend the throne, and his status as the eldest son, no matter how smart Cao Zhi was or how good he was at writing poetry, what could he use to compete with him for the position of crown prince?

However, Cao Pi could see the pros and cons of the Nine-Rank System, so how could Cao Cao not see it?

He was not a monarch who liked to share power with his subjects.

Especially since the Cao family's family background was not prominent enough, they were considered to be inferior among the scholars in the world.

Otherwise, why did he advocate the selection of candidates based on merit in the first place?
Isn't it because the scholars looked down on him and most of the talented people from the scholars went to join Yuan Shao, so he had to fill the talent gap from the common people.

He still holds the anger that the scholars inflicted on him deep in his heart and has never forgotten it.

Under such circumstances, his son actually advised him to implement the Nine-Rank System to cede power to the Shi family. Would it be possible for his descendants to rule the world together with the Shi family in the future?
Of course Cao Cao was reluctant.

"Father, the Pseudo-Han is strong and our Great Qin is weak. If we lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the people again, our Great Qin will be in danger."

"I beg you, father, to put the interests of our country first and quickly implement the Nine-Rank System so that we can select talented people for our country and resist the massive attack from the Pseudo-Han in the near future."

Seeing that Cao Cao was hesitant, Cao Pi once again tried to persuade him with earnest words of advice and the pros and cons.

The apparent emphasis of his remarks was on selecting talented and capable people for office, but the actual key lay in winning over the hearts and minds of the people.

Cao Cao's heart trembled, and he suddenly realized.

Fight for hearts and minds, fight for hearts and minds...

Whose hearts are we fighting for?
The people’s hearts?

Of course not. The common people have always been a mob and only know how to follow the powerful and wealthy and wave their flags to cheer them on.

What he wants to win is naturally the hearts of the Shi family.

If you want to win the hearts of the soldiers, it is not enough to just shout slogans and make big promises. You have to offer actual benefits to show your sincerity.

But your Qin State only has four states, your pie is so small, and you cannot defeat the Han State for the time being, so there is no way to gain incremental benefits.

If there is no increase, we can only start with the existing stock.

To put it bluntly, it means cutting off one's own flesh and feeding those scholars in exchange for their full support.

The Nine-Rank System was to divide the imperial power among the scholar families, which was like cutting off one's own flesh.

Of course Cao Cao didn't want to cut his own flesh.

But there is no way. If you are reluctant to cut your own flesh, Liu Bei will cut off your head.

Cao Cao still knew clearly what was important.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Cao Cao finally let out a sigh that seemed a little helpless.

"Zihuan is right. This Nine-Rank Official System is indeed a good system for selecting talented people for our Great Qin."

"Zi Huan, you will take the lead and discuss with all the ministers to come up with a detailed plan and present it to me as soon as possible so that I can implement it in my Great Qin as soon as possible."

Cao Cao waved his hands weakly and chose to give in.

Cao Pi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly praised Cao Cao for his wisdom.

At this time, the ministers in the court who had originally remained silent and had not expressed their opinions, all spoke up and praised Cao Cao for his wisdom.

Especially Wang Lang, Hua Xin, Zhong Yao and other ministers who were born into famous families and were highly respected were the most enthusiastic in praising him.

It's the kind of admiration for Cao Cao that comes from the bottom of my heart.

"I have suppressed the Shi family for half my life, but in the end, in order to fight for the world with Liu Bei, I have to bow down to the Shi family. It is really an irony, alas..."

Looking at the ministers praising him in the hall, Cao Cao felt unhappy.

...

Yecheng, Imperial Palace.

"Your Majesty, Ma Chao and Fa Zheng are already outside the palace, waiting to be summoned by Your Majesty!"

Central Guard General Zhao Yun went to the palace to report to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei, who was sitting around a sand table with his ministers discussing the plan to attack Qin, couldn't help but become excited.

Ma Chao.

A name that is well-known.

At that time, Ma Teng was foolish and was tricked by Cao Cao into going to Chang'an as a hostage. The Ma family members also took advantage of the situation to deprive him of his power.

Ma Chao refused to submit to Cao Cao, refused to hand over power, and resolutely rose up in rebellion.

Although he was eventually defeated by Cao Cao, he did defeat Cao Cao in the Battle of Weishui. If it weren't for Dian Wei's rescue, Cao Cao would have almost lost his life.

Later, he could no longer gain a foothold in Guanlong, so he went south to seek refuge with Zhang Lu. However, Zhang Lu was incompetent and was defeated by Cao Cao.

Ma Chao had no choice but to go south to join Liu Zhang, but Liu Zhang was also destroyed by Cao Cao.

This lion of Xiliang still refused to surrender to Cao and led his army to retreat to Baidi City to defend it. However, under the pressure of Xiahou Yuan's heavy troops, he had to abandon Baidi City and flee east through the Three Gorges to Jingzhou.

With nowhere else to go, Ma Chao finally chose to throw himself into the arms of Old Liu. Today, Ma Chao, the Xiliang Jin, finally arrived in Yecheng after traveling through mountains and rivers, and was able to meet Old Liu, who had already proclaimed himself emperor.

"Please ask Ma Mengqi to come and see me as soon as possible."

Old Liu naturally knew how brave Ma Chao was, so he was naturally delighted to see such a powerful general return.

"Ma Chao has the courage of Lu Bu, and his martial arts are comparable to Yunchang Yide. Your Majesty is delighted to have such a powerful general who can defeat ten thousand enemies."

Xiao Fang first smiled and congratulated, then changed the subject:
"But Ma Mengqi is only a general after all. In comparison, Fa Zheng is a man who can assist the king."

"Your Majesty, it is truly a blessing from heaven to have such a rare person come to your side!"

The king's assistant!

Hearing these four words, Liu Bei's spirits were greatly lifted, and surprise surged in his eyes.

"Prime Minister, does this Fa Xiaozhi really have such ability?"

Liu Bei was delighted, but also greatly surprised.

Xiao Fang smiled.

Old Liu’s surprise is understandable.

At this time, Fa Zheng had not yet made his mark and was only a county magistrate under Liu Zhang. Even if Liu Zhang was very good at judging people, without Fa Zheng's "foresight", he would not have been able to see that a small-time figure he had never seen before was a man who could assist the king.

In history, it was Fa Zheng who, on Liu Zhang's orders, welcomed Liu to Sichuan. After Liu Zhang personally tested Fa Zheng, Fa Zheng was recognized for his extraordinary talent.

If Zhuge Liang was a master of strategy, then Fa Zheng was a master of tactics.

It was Fa Zheng's planning that led to Huang Zhong's heroic feat of beheading Xiahou Yuan in the Battle of Dingjun Mountain, and enabled Liu Bang to win for the first time in his life in the battle against Cao Cao.

It was still a great victory, and Hanzhong was captured in one fell swoop!

It is no exaggeration to say that the peak moment of Lao Liu's life was brought to him by Fa Zheng.

Among Ji Fa's advisers, Fa Zheng's tactical ability is the best.

Even if Pang Tong had not died, he would probably be three points inferior.

If Fa Zheng had not died early, it would be hard to tell who would have won or lost when Liu Bei went east to attack Wu.

Is such a great man not worthy of the title of “the king’s assistant”?
"Your Majesty will know how capable Fa Xiaozhi is after a test later."

Xiao Fang did not explain too much and let Fa Zheng prove it himself with his own strength.

Liu Bei's appetite was immediately piqued, and he was waiting with great anticipation to see the man who could assist the king as Xiao Fang had mentioned.

Not long after.

Two young men, one civil and one military, stepped into the hall.

The young general in military uniform was heroic, tall and handsome, with extraordinary bearing. At first glance, he really looked a bit like Lu Bu when he was young.

The other scholar in black robes had a handsome appearance and a sharp gaze, which seemed to contain some conspiracy.

"Your Ma Chao, I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, I, Fa Zheng, kowtow to you!"

The two men went up to the hall and bowed down.

"Mengqi, Xiaozhi, get up quickly!"

Liu Bei stood up and walked down the stairs, then leaned forward and helped the two men up.

Ma Chao and Fa Zheng raised their heads and looked at each other in surprise, and they were both flattered.

You must know that at this time Liu Bei was already the supreme ruler, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!

As for the two of them, one was a defeated general, and the other was a minor official in Shu, both of them were like dogs that had lost their homes.

How could Liu Bei, as the emperor, condescend to lower himself and personally support the child?
What a respectful attitude towards the wise and virtuous, and what a generous treatment he showed to the two of them.

"I have been wandering around in Hanzhong and Shuzhong, and today I finally met a wise master!"

"Your Majesty, you have taken me in despite the fact that I am a defeated general. I have no way to repay you. I will charge into battle for your Majesty and will not hesitate to die!"

Ma Chao was also a man of sentiment. Moved by Lao Liu's courtesy, he immediately bowed his head and expressed his willingness to die for the emperor.

No wonder.

After escaping from Guanlong, he first went to Zhang Lu and then to Liu Zhang. Unfortunately, both of them were just self-defending thieves.

Since he is a self-defensive thief, he naturally lacks the magnanimity and tolerance of a powerful ruler, nor does he have the confidence and means to control powerful ministers.

Therefore, Zhang and Liu were not surprised by the surrender of a powerful man like Ma Chao, thinking that they had gained a powerful general. Instead, they were extremely wary, fearing that Ma Chao would threaten their positions.

Therefore, during the years under the command of Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang, Ma Chao was restricted everywhere and was under their surveillance and guard at all times, and his life was quite unhappy.

Therefore, although Liu Bei's courtesy to wise men and humble people was just a normal operation, it made Ma Chao feel very gratified when compared with Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang.

Hearing Ma Chao's statement, Liu Bei was also very pleased and couldn't help laughing:
"I have obtained Xiliang Jin Ma Chao. One day, I will lead my army to the west. There is no need to worry that I cannot destroy the false Qin and unify the Han Dynasty!"

When Ma Chao heard the words "destroy the false Qin", he immediately became angry and excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

"The thief Cao is as cruel as a beast. My father and brothers all died at his hands. I have an irreconcilable feud with the thief Cao!"

"If Your Majesty wants to attack the fake Qin, I am willing to be the vanguard and personally cut off the head of Cao the thief for Your Majesty to avenge the national hatred and family feud!"

Ma Chao, who was obsessed with revenge, immediately asked for a fight.

Ma Chao was from Xiliang, so he was naturally familiar with the customs and terrain of Guanlong.

Having Ma Chao's assistance will certainly be of great help in the future defeating the false Qin.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fang on the side couldn't help but laugh:
"Okay, okay, now the Five Tiger Generals are together. Your Majesty will destroy Cao and Qin. Who can stop us?"

　Recommend a good book:
　　My life is really like walking on thin ice
　　Zhu Di: Liu Lu, I'm in Paris, where is Zhu Yunwen? !
　　

(End of this chapter)