The Three Kingdoms are in turmoil, and heroes are numerous. At that time, Cao was in charge of the government, and although his power was prosperous, he was often suspicious. Even Kong Rong, who is known as "the end of the Confucian Gate", has also formed a bond with him. As a descendant of Confucius, Kong Rong was educated by Confucianism since he was a child, and he looked down on Cao Cao, the usurping eunuch. He not only ridiculed Cao Cao's background, but also wrote directly to the imperial court, wanting to curb Cao Cao's power. Just when Cao Cao beheaded Kong Rong's entire clan, one of Kong Rong's sons suddenly said something shocking, which made Cao Cao greatly moved.
Causes of tragedy
Cao Cao and Kong Rong were originally friends who hated each other, but later turned against each other, which eventually led to a tragedy. Everything starts with Cao Pi marrying Zhen Mi. Back then, Zhen Mi was Yuan Shao's favorite concubine, charming and stunning, which was coveted by countless heroes. After Cao Cao defeated Yuan's army in the Battle of Guandu, he took this beautiful woman as his own. Kong Rong was greatly disgusted when he saw this, so he wrote a letter to satirize Cao's father and son, saying, "King Wu will cut down the Emperor and give it to the Duke of Zhou."
This is undoubtedly a slander against Cao Pi compared to Daji, and Cao Cao is as mediocre as the king of Xu. Cao Cao was furious when he read the letter and asked Kong Rong what his intentions were. Kong Rong pretended to be confused, and asked Cao Cao, "Take the present as the past, and take it for granted." Since then, Cao Cao and Kong Rong have drifted apart. As Cao Cao's power grew, Kong Rong threatened Cao Cao even more after coercing his portal, and directly went to Emperor Han Xian to curb Cao's power. This was undoubtedly a blow to Cao Cao, and Kong Rong was imprisoned.
Tongue wars of Confucianism
Although Kong Rong was imprisoned, Cao Cao could not be poisoned. After all, Kong Rong is rich in five cars, and his fame is important for a while, and killing him is tantamount to self-abandoning martial arts. So someone with a heart offered a plan to let Qunru and Kong Rong discuss difficulties in prison together. If Kong Rong is difficult to deal with, he can naturally be punished for the crime. Sure enough, soon after entering the prison, the group of Confucians attacked the rest of the disaster like wolves and tigers. All kinds of difficult classics were thrown out, and Kong Rong was overwhelmed by endless doubts.
Just when everyone thought that Kong Rong was about to disintegrate, this Confucian master suddenly laughed. He said indifferently: "I love to read poetry and songs since I was a child, and I don't like to be comprehensive. As soon as the words fell, Kong Rong began to talk loudly, talking eloquently about the poems, and going forward to quote scriptures one after another, completely choking the Confucians. Even Cao Cao couldn't help but be convinced when he heard about this, so he had to give up.
The tragedy ended
Although the captivity was removed, the mustard in Cao Cao's heart was still not eradicated. He decided that if Kong Rong was not eliminated, it would be a big disaster, and Kong Rong was so talented and rich that he might have the intention of rebelling in the future. So at the instigation of his henchmen, Cao Cao made up his mind to cut off all the Kongrong. When the soldiers arrived at Confucius's house, Kong Rong's entire family had been killed, except for two crying children. Seeing this, the soldier came up and asked, "Why don't you flee before it's too late, and stay here until you die?" Kong Chou grinned and said, "Under the nest, An has finished his eggs, and his family is ruined, why should I live?" When Cao Cao heard this, he was immediately moved. There are few people in life who are so righteous and thorough. So he changed his past wrongs and ordered to let go of his second son and the rest of the clansmen.
The youngest son influenced Cao Cao
The grievances between Cao Cao and Kong Rong caused heated discussions among the important ministers of the court. Some people sympathized with Kong Rong and thought that Cao Cao was too paranoid. There are also people who support Cao Cao's handling of the wrist, believing that Kong Rong deserves it. However, most people have deep admiration for the righteousness of Kong Chou. After all, it is rare to say such open-minded words at such an age. Even old rivers and lakes like Cao Cao can't help but be in awe. This incident also affected Cao Cao's next policy. He began to be inclined to forgive the promising, and to painstakingly manage the country's plans. In view of Kong Chou's words, he no longer attacked people so ruthlessly, and he also restrained a lot of sharpness.
Perhaps it is also the last resort of turbulent times
The seemingly cruel killing of the Kong Rong clan actually reflects the ruthlessness of that turbulent era. In times of war, no matter how outstanding you are, as long as you contradict the interests of the center of power, you will be ruthlessly abandoned. In order to have the last laugh, Cao Cao had to kill Kong Rong ruthlessly. He knew very well that if he let go of this stubborn literati counselor, he would only become his bane in the future. The taste of power made him gradually become more and more ruthless, and he regarded people's lives like a mustard.
If we take a long-term view, we will find that Cao Cao's practice also has its last resort. He had a great ambition to unify the world in that era of strife, and clearing the obstacles was the only way to go. Being too merciful can lead to a passive beating. We must look at history cautiously and not judge a person's actions or wrongs in isolation. The taste of power often changes a person, forcing him to make some difficult choices to agree with. But this is not necessarily wrong, it is just a stopgap measure in a particular situation.
As Kong Chou said, "Under the nest, there are eggs". What is the point of preserving an individual when an entire family is on the verge of extinction?