Cao Cao’s original article on cooking wine and discussing heroes

Original text of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms":

Xuande also guarded against Cao Cao's plot, so he went to plant vegetables in the back garden and watered them himself, as a tactic to hide his suspicion. Guan and Zhang said, "Brother, if you don't pay attention to the big things in the world, why should you imitate the things of small people?" Xuande said, "This is not what my two brothers know." The two of them said nothing.

One day, when Guan and Zhang were away, Xuande was watering vegetables in the back garden. Xu Chu and Zhang Liao led dozens of people into the garden and said, "The prime minister has an order, please do as you please." Xuande was shocked. Asked: "What's the matter?" Xu Chu said: "I don't know. Just tell me to come and invite you." Xuande had to follow the two of them into the mansion to see Cao. Cao laughed and said, "You have done a great job at home!" Xuande's face turned as pale as earth.

Cao Cao held Xuande's hand and walked to the back garden and said, "It's not easy for Xuande to study in the garden!" The plums were green, and I suddenly felt that there was a lack of water on the road last year and the soldiers were thirsty. I thought of a plan and pointed with my whip, saying: "There is a plum forest ahead." When the soldiers heard it, they salivated, so they were not thirsty now. This plum is not to be ignored. It is also worth making wine and is ripe, so I invite you to Xiaoting for a while." Xuande was calm.

As we arrived at the small pavilion, we had already set up a set of bottles: a plate of green plums and a bottle of boiled wine. The two sat opposite each other and drank happily. Halfway through the wine, suddenly the clouds were overcast and a shower was approaching. The follower points to the dragon hanging outside the sky, while Cao and Xuande lean on the railing to watch.

Cao Cao said: "Do you know the changes of the dragon?" When the fog is small, it hides its form; when it rises, it soars in the universe; when it is hidden, it lurks within the waves. In the depth of spring, the dragon takes advantage of the time and changes, and the dragon is a thing that can be compared to the heroes of the world. Xuande has been around for a long time, and he must know the heroes of the world." Xuande said: "You can recognize the heroes with your naked eyes." Xuande said. : "Be prepared to be favored and serve in the court. There are actually unknown heroes in the world." Cao Cao said: "I don't know his face, but I also heard his name." Xuande said: "Yuan Shu in Huainan has enough troops and food, but he can A hero?" Cao laughed and said: "I will capture the dead bones in the grave sooner or later!" Xuande said: "Yuan Shao of Hebei, the fourth generation and the third prince, has many old officials. Now the tiger is in Jizhou, and there are many capable men. , can he be a hero? "Cao said with a smile: "Yuan Shaose is fierce and cowardly, and he is always scheming. He cherishes his life when he does big things, but forgets his life when he sees small gains. He is not a hero."

Xuan De said. : "There is a man named Bajun, who has great power in all nine states: can Liu Jingsheng be a hero?" Cao said: "Liu Biao has a false name and is not a hero." Xuande said: "There is a man who is strong-blooded and the leader of Jiangdong - Sun Bofu Nai A hero?" Cao said, "Sun Ce borrowed his father's name, so he is not a hero." Xuande said, "Can Liu Jiyu of Yizhou be a hero?" Cao said, "Although Liu Zhang is from the clan, he is the dog's ear of the householder. You are worthy of being a hero!" Xuande said, "What about Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Han Sui and others?" Cao clapped his hands and laughed and said, "How can you care about such mediocre people?" Xuande said, "What are you doing? Outside of that, I don’t know what’s true.”

Cao Cao said: “A hero is one who has great ambitions, a good plan, and the ability to contain the universe.” Xuande said: “ Who can be the one?" Cao pointed his finger at Xuande, then pointed to himself and said, "Today, the only hero in the world is your envoy and Cao Er!" Xuande was startled when he heard this, and the spoon and chopsticks he held in his hand fell unconsciously. Underground. It was about to rain and there was a loud thunder.

Xuande calmly bowed his head and picked up chopsticks and said: "The power of a shock is even greater than this." Cao laughed and said: "Is your husband also afraid of thunder?" , Are you not afraid?" He lightly covered up the reason why he lost his chopsticks after hearing this. Cao then did not doubt Xuande. Later generations wrote a poem praising: "I reluctantly retreated from the tiger's den to reveal the hero's shock and killed people. I cleverly used the thunder to cover up, and I was as confident as a god in adapting to changes."

You can only live when you know it's raining, and you see two people colliding with each other. Entering the back garden, holding a sword in hand, he rushed to the pavilion, unable to stop him from the left or right. Cao Cao regarded it as Guan and Zhang. It turned out that the two of them were returning from shooting arrows outside the city. When they heard that Xu Chu and Zhang Liao had invited Xuande to leave, they hurriedly came to the Prime Minister's Mansion to inquire. They heard that they were in the back garden, so they entered in conflict for fear of missing something. But I saw Xuande and Cao sitting opposite each other drinking. The two stood with their swords in hand.

Cao asked where they came from. Yun Chang said: "I heard that the prime minister and my brother were drinking, and I came here to dance with my sword to make them laugh.

Cao Cao laughed and said, "This is not Hongmenhui. How about using Xiangzhuang and Xiang Bo?" Xuande also laughed. Cao Ming said: "Get some wine with Er Fan Kuai to calm down the shock." "Guan and Zhang thanked him. After a while, Xuande said goodbye and returned. Yun Chang said: "I almost killed two of us with shock! Xuande related the story of falling chopsticks to Guan and Zhang. Guan and Zhang asked what it meant. Xuande said: "I am in the academy, and I just want to make Cao Cao know that I have no great ambitions. Unexpectedly, Cao actually refers to me as a hero, so I Dropped chopsticks in shock. He was also afraid of being suspicious, so he used the fear of thunder to cover his ears. "Guan and Zhang said, "Brother, that's great! ”

Translation:

One day, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were not around, and Xuande (that is, Liu Bei) was watering vegetables in the back garden. Xu Chu and Zhang Liao brought dozens of people to the vegetable garden to investigate. Liu Bei said: "The Prime Minister has an order, please carry it out. Xuande asked in surprise: "What's the matter?" Xu Chu said, "I don't know." Just teach me to please. "

Xuande had no choice but to follow the two of them into the mansion to see Cao Cao. Cao Cao smiled and said, "You are doing big things at home! Xuande's face turned pale with fright. Cao Cao took Xuande's hand and walked to the back garden and said, "It's not easy for Xuande to learn gardening!" Xuande felt relieved after hearing this and replied, "It's just a matter of entertainment."

Cao Cao said: "I just saw green plums on the branches, and suddenly I remembered that when I went to conquer Zhang Xiu last year, there was a lack of water on the road and the soldiers were thirsty. I had a plan in mind, and I pointed with my whip and said: 'Ahead of me There is Merlin. ’ After hearing this, the sergeant salivated in his mouth and stopped being thirsty. Now that I see this plum, I feel that I must appreciate it. And when the wine was being cooked, I invited the envoy to come to the pavilion for a while. "Xuande's mind calmed down. When he arrived at the small pavilion, a cup and plate had been set up: there were green plums on the plate and a bottle of boiled wine. The two sat opposite each other and drank happily.

The wine was half full, Suddenly dark clouds rolled in and a sudden rain came. The attendant pointed at the dragon hanging in the distance. Cao Cao and Xuande stood on the railing and watched it. Cao Cao said, "Do you know what happened to the dragon?" Xuande said, "I would like to hear the details." "Cao Cao said: "The dragon can be big or small, it can rise or disappear; if it is big, it can stir up clouds and spit out mist; if it is small, it can hide and hide its form; if it rises, it can soar in the universe; if it is hidden, it can lurk in the waves. Spring is deep now, the dragon rides on time and changes, and still people are determined to travel across the four seas. The dragon is a thing, comparable to the heroes of the world. Xuande often travels abroad and must know the heroes of the world. Please tell me. "

Xuande said: "I have little knowledge, how can I recognize who is a hero? Cao Cao said: "Don't be too modest." Xuande said: "Bei received your majesty's favor and protection and was able to serve as an official in the court." I have never seen any heroes in the world. Cao Cao said: "Since you have never seen him, you must have heard of his reputation." Xuande said: "Yuan Shu from Huainan has sufficient military supplies. How can he be called a hero?" Cao Cao laughed and said: "Yuan Shu is just a withered bone in the grave. I will catch him sooner or later!" "

Xuande said: "Yuan Shao of Hebei has held the position of three public officials for four consecutive generations, and there are many old officials in his family; now the tiger is in Jizhou, and there are many capable subordinates who can be called heroes. ? "Cao Cao said with a smile: "Yuan Shao is a tough and timid man, good at planning but not decisive; he does big things but cherishes his life, and he sees small profits but forgets about his life: he is not a hero. "

Xuande said: "There is a man who is called the Eight Heroes and has great power in all nine states: Can Liu Jingsheng be called a hero? Cao Cao said: "Liu Biao is in name only and not a hero." Xuande said: "There is a man of great vigour. Is Sun Bofu, the leader of Jiangdong, a hero?" Cao Cao said: "Sun Ce relies on his father's reputation and is not a hero." Xuande said: "Can Liu Jiyu of Yizhou be called a hero?" Cao Cao said: "Although Liu Zhang is a member of the royal family, he is just a dog guarding the family property. How can he be called a hero?"

Xuande said: "What about Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Han Sui and others?" Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed and said, "These mediocre people are nothing to care about!" Xuande said: "Other than that, I really don't know." Cao Cao said: "A person who can be called a hero should be a person with great ambitions, a good plan, the opportunity to contain the universe, and the ambition to swallow up the world." "

Xuande asked: "Then who can be called a hero? Cao Cao pointed at Xuande with his finger, then pointed at himself, and said: "The only heroes in the world today are Shijun and me (Cao Cao)!" " Xuande was shocked when he heard this, and the chopsticks and spoons he was holding fell to the ground.

At this time, heavy rain poured down and thunder roared loudly.

Xuande calmly lowered his head and picked up the chopsticks and spoon and said, "I was frightened by the thunder, so I did this (referring to the chopsticks and spoon falling to the ground)." Cao Cao smiled and said, "Are real men also afraid of thunder?" Xuande said. : "A saint's face changes when he hears wind and thunder, not to mention how can I not be afraid?" Jiang gently covered up the reason why he dropped his chopsticks and spoons after hearing what he just said. Cao Cao did not doubt Xuande. Later generations wrote a poem praising (Liu Bei), saying: "I reluctantly retreated from the tiger's den to reveal the hero's surprise and kill people. I cleverly used thunder to cover up, and I was as trusting as a god in adapting to changes."

Extended information:

Appreciation:

This story happened after Cao Cao strangled Lu Bu at Baimen Tower and brought Liu, Guan, and Zhang back to Xuchang. Liu Bei said that he was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing, the queen of Zhongshan. Emperor Xian and Liu Bei became relatives and called Liu Bei his uncle. The advisers persuaded Cao Cao to kill Liu Bei as soon as possible to prevent Liu Bei from becoming big in the future. Cao Cao said: "It is within my control, so why should I be afraid?" In fact, he still had concerns. The world knows Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both Tiger and wolf generals, so Cao Cao tested Liu Bei, and the above wonderful scene happened.

That day, the wind and rain changed, and dragons hung outside the sky. In today’s terms, a tornado occurred, so Cao Cao pointed to the sky as the title, using the dragon’s changes and rising and disappearing to allude to the hero’s behavior. Pointing to Liu Bei's pain point, Liu Bei was worried that Cao Cao would regard him as an opponent, or that Cao Cao would regard him as a hero. In that case, Liu Bei's life would be at risk, let alone realizing his political ambitions. So when Cao Cao asked him about the heroes in the world, he pretended to be confused, put up defenses everywhere, and even used some other characters to prevaricate, such as Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, etc. With Liu Bei's mind, how could these mediocre people come into his eyes? These prevarications were all dismissed one by one by Cao Cao's brief and concise comments, which hit the nail on the head.

Did Cao Cao exaggerate and be too conceited? Judging from the plot behind the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao's retelling fully reflects the foresight of a politician: After Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Huaibei, he was defeated by Cao Cao. He wanted to return the seal to his brother Yuan Shao, but was intercepted and killed by Liu Bei. He died in despair and panic. Death, even if you want to drink honey water before death, you will not be able to do so. Yuan Shaokong had a strong army and strong horses. He first destroyed the Great Wall, detained Tian Feng in prison, Guan Ju in the military camp, and drove Xu You in front of the battle. Finally, he was defeated by Cao Cao in Guandu. Within more than ten years, his three sons were killed by Cao Cao. Liu Biao was falsely called Liu Jun, and he died of worries and thoughts, and his son was even worse than him. Later generations wrote words like this: Liu Jingsheng's son has dolphin and dog ears. Sun Cekong, who was known as the Little Overlord of Jiangnan, died in the third family of Xu Gong. Looking at the endings of these so-called "heroes", how forward-thinking is Cao Cao?

The climax of the short article occurred at the end. When Liu Bei used Tao Hui in front of Cao Cao, Cao Cao did not buy his account. He pointed at Liu Bei and then himself, saying: The hero of the world makes you and Cao heard. . The words were so shocking that heroes like Liu Bei also changed their colors and their spoons fell to the ground. There is no one in the world who can see through Liu Bei's mind like this. But the sky will not destroy Liu Bei. Suddenly there is a thunder, and Liu Bei then conceals it and says: "The power of a shock is as great as this." What a clever Liu Bei.

God favors Liu Bei. If there was no thunder at this time, Cao Cao would immediately penetrate Liu Bei's inner world. Although the two are both heroes, there are still differences in their realms. Thinking of Cao Cao's calm response when he presented the Seven Treasure Sword to assassinate Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei still relied on God's favor! But if Liu Bei really died here, Zhuge Liang would not appear, and those vigorous stories would come to an abrupt end!

This description only has 732 words in total. Such a short space brings the two characters to life on the page. One is like a rising dragon, leaping on the clouds, looking at the world. It is said that there is nothing in the world. Cao Cao's words are so arrogant, "I will capture him. If he is not a hero, how can he be a hero?" and so on. And Liu Bei is like a hidden dragon. Because the time has not come, he is still young, and he has to rely on the strength of others. He retreats step by step in conversation. In critical moments, he can be resourceful and overcome difficulties skillfully. He is worthy of what Cao Cao refers to as a hero.

The passage of time can wash away many things. The luxurious and noble Tongque Terrace is now deserted, and the ancient battlefield of Chibi no longer looks like an iron horse, but there is one thing. Passed down, the glory of heroism and the stories of heroes are always passed down from heart to mouth.

2. Introduction to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is one of the four classic Chinese classics. It is China's first chapter-length historical romance novel. Its full name is "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms". " (also known as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"), the author is Luo Guanzhong, a famous novelist in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. After the "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was written, several versions including the Jiajing Renwu edition were handed down to the world. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Mao Zonggang reorganized the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", revised the diction, and changed the poems.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" describes the historical events of nearly a hundred years from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty. It mainly describes wars and tells the story of the war between the heroes in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the war between Wei, Shu and Wu. The story of Sima Yan finally unified the three kingdoms and established the Jin Dynasty. It reflects the transformation of various social struggles and contradictions in the Three Kingdoms era, summarizes the great historical changes of this era, and creates a group of all-powerful heroes of the Three Kingdoms.

The whole book can be roughly divided into five parts: the Yellow Turban Uprising, Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, the Competition of Heroes, the Three Kingdoms, and the Return of the Three Kingdoms to Jin. On the vast historical stage, scenes of majestic war scenes were staged. The author Luo Guanzhong integrates the Thirty-six Strategies of War between the lines, with both plot and military strategy.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is the first chapter novel in the history of Chinese literature, the pioneer of historical romance novels, and the first literati novel.

3. Introduction to the author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Luo Guanzhong (about 1330-about 1400) was a novelist in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Name Ben, courtesy name Guanzhong, nickname Huhai Sanren, Han nationality, from Taiyuan Prefecture, Bingzhou, Shanxi. Luo Guanzhong participated in the uprising against the Yuan Dynasty in his early years. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he concentrated on literary creation. The novels compiled by Luo Guanzhong include "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "The Chronicle of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "The Story of the End of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties", and "The Story of Sansui Pingyao".

Among them, "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (also known as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms") is Luo Guanzhong's masterpiece. This novel has a profound influence on later generations of literary creation. Luo Guanzhong has many artistic talents. In addition to novel creation, he also has the drama "The Legend of Zhao Taizu, Dragon and Tiger".

Baidu Encyclopedia: Cooking Wine and Discussing Heroes

Baidu Encyclopedia: Romance of the Three Kingdoms