In 199 AD, Cao Cao captured Chen Gong and jokingly asked him before his execution: "What will happen to your wife when you die?" Chen Gong thought of his beautiful wife and said a word, which made Cao Cao secretly scream in his heart after hearing it: Thief, I have fallen for the scheme!
The first meeting between Cao Cao and Chen Gong was at an inopportune time and place, when Cao Cao failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo and escaped but was caught, and Chen Gong was the county commander where Cao Cao was captured.
Chen Gong admired Cao Cao's loyalty, so he secretly released Cao Cao, and the two embarked on a new journey together.
This beginning is very similar to the acquaintance of brothers who care for each other in martial arts novels, and then it should be that the two brothers conspire together, but Cao Cao and Chen Gong did not develop according to the ideal ending.
Cao Cao was a brilliant politician who was good at scheming and strategizing, but he was also suspicious by nature and had a hard time trusting others.
Cao Cao's cruelty to Lu Bohao's family, as well as the sentence "I'd rather teach me to bear the world, than teach the world to bear me", revealed the cruel and suspicious side of his character.
This made Chen Gong realize that Cao Cao was not the overlord he wanted to pursue, so the two later parted ways, and Chen Gong defected to Lu Bu.
It's just that Lu Bu didn't pay much attention to Chen Gong's strategy, and he was captured in a defeat in the battle with Cao Cao, and Chen Gong fell into Cao Cao's hands again.
Chen Gong is talented, Cao Cao wanted to persuade Chen Gong to take it for himself, but looking at Cao Cao's extended olive branch, Chen Gong decisively refused.
Although Cao Cao remembered Chen Gong's kindness to him, but the two armies fought against each other, and no personal feelings were allowed, if Chen Gong could not be taken for his own use, Cao Cao would not give him the opportunity to give advice to others, so he was ruthless and wanted to behead him.
Chen Gong was so angry that he couldn't see the slightest fear on his face, until Cao Cao asked two questions, that is, what should you do with your mother and wife if you die.
Chen Gong's answer suddenly put Cao Cao in a dilemma, and he could only sigh in his heart that he had fallen into a trick, because Chen Gong did not answer Cao Cao directly, but replied with these two sentences.
"The palace hears that those who rule the world with filial piety do not harm their relatives, whether the mother exists, in the Ming Gong, not in the palace" "The palace hears that the benevolent government in the world is endless, and the wife exists, in the Ming Gong, not in the palace." ”
It seems to be saying that Cao Cao can do whatever he wants, but in fact, it is a big problem for Cao Cao.
Because if Cao Cao made up his mind to kill Chen Gong's mother and wife, wouldn't he admit that he did not approve of "filial piety" and did not practice "benevolent government"?
Cao Cao is a person who wants to rule the world justifiably, and buttoning up such two big hats will seriously affect Cao Cao's reputation. And if he wanted to protect his reputation, Cao Cao not only couldn't kill them, but also tried to protect the safety of both of them as much as possible.
After weighing the interests, Cao Cao chose the method that best interests him, after all, the two lonely widows would not have any impact on his hegemony, and they could also increase his good reputation.
In this way, after Chen Gong was beheaded, Cao Cao sent his mother and wife back to their hometown to retire.
Fearless in the face of death and finding a way to survive for his mother and wife in a desperate situation, Chen Gong deserves to be a famous strategist.
Material Source:
三国演义
Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 62, Han Ji 54
