Riding and cutting the imperial pirates of the Three Kingdoms

(On a business trip today, I didn’t get off the plane until 9 o’clock. I just arrived at the hotel. I guess I won’t be able to catch up with the code words. This chapter is based on the textual research at the end of Han Dynasty. Don’t book for the plot)

From the Jian'an period to the end of Emperor Wen's period, some famous generals are arranged in order according to the number of food towns, from top to bottom.

[-] households in Xiahoudun
Eight Hundred Households of Xia Houyuan
Zhang Liao [-] households

Xu Huang [-] households

Lejin [-] households
To ban [-] households
Cao Hong two thousand one hundred households
Cao Ren has three thousand five hundred households

Zhang He has [-] households

Zang Ba's Three Thousand Households

Three Hundred Households of Li Dian

Li Tong four hundred households
Wenpin [-] households
Pound three hundred households

Xu Chu had only [-] households by the time of Emperor Ming.

Lu Qian had only [-] households by the time of Emperor Ming

Cao Xiu had only [-] households by the time of Emperor Ming

Here is a list of the number of food towns of Cao Wei's main generals.

If the top three were ranked, they would be Cao Ren, Zhang He, and Zang Ba.

Cao Ren's three thousand and five families were granted two thousand households at once after Emperor Wen took the throne. The situation is very special-one is time and the other is number.

Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty and ascended the throne, and indeed granted titles to all the heroes, but at most he added a thousand households, and he was after the "Emperor" position.Cao Ren added [-] households at once, and it was Cao Pi who had just become the "king". Cao Ren, the "richest man", came suddenly and belonged to the nature of an upstart.

Then there is Zhang Yun. Although he can be ranked second in Emperor Wen's dynasty, his achievements in Cao Cao's era may not be able to surpass Zhang Liao and Xiahou. One thousand six hundred households (even for Zhang Liao, one thousand of them were added after Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor).However, judging from historical data, this person did have military exploits since then, and although there is no written record, Zengyi is also reasonable.

Although the above two people have some problems, it is not surprising that they are in the top few.

Zang Ba was surprised.

In terms of military exploits, seniority, closeness, how could it not be his turn to rank third.

When reading history, there are doubts everywhere.

After careful study, a public case between the Three Kingdoms was actually brought out.

After Cao Cao's death, the checks and balances of the former three kingdoms were broken.Taking advantage of Cao Pi's busy internal arrangements, Liu Bei conquered Sun Quan in the east. In the summer of 222 AD, he fought Soochow in Yiling.Wu generals Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, etc. all asked to attack Shu in one go, but Lu Xun categorically rejected it on the grounds that Cao Pi was about to attack Wu.The consequences were as they were, but Cao Pi Linjiang retreated without a fight, which was surprising.

During this period of history, Cao Pi's behavior seemed a bit inexplicable.What hinders Cao Wei from unifying the world is the alliance between Sun and Liu. Now that Sun and Liu have turned against each other, Liu Bei has been greatly weakened, and Sun Quan is at least nominally obedient to Cao Wei. No matter in terms of morality or practical benefits, Cao Wei should not abandon Liu and attack Sun—Cao Pi is really crazy?

It is difficult to understand Cao Pi's behavior if it is only from the surface, but when we look at the history in collusion, everything is not difficult to understand.

[-]. Luoyang turmoil after Cao Cao's death
As far as the situation at that time was concerned, although Wu and Shu were relatively small in strength, they had been integrated for many years and there were no internal problems.But Cao Wei is different. Cao Wei originally had relatively deep internal conflicts. When Cao Cao died, many conflicts immediately surfaced.

The first is Qingzhou soldiers.Cao Cao started his career mainly relying on the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou who were incorporated by him. However, these people were originally from bandits. Although they fought with Cao Cao for many years, they are still relatively independent——Cao Cao does not necessarily trust them completely—the above list Among the main generals of Cao Wei, none of them were born in the Yellow Turban of Qingzhou!This formed a huge contrast with Cao Jun's force composition.

After Cao Cao's death in Luoyang, the Qingzhou soldiers caused a commotion, which involved Zang Ba.

"Wei Shu. Zang Ba Biography" quotes "Wei Lue" as saying: "In the 24th year of Jian'an (219 AD), the Patriarch sent other troops to Luo. When the Taizu collapsed, the Ba Suo and Qingzhou soldiers thought that the world would be chaotic, and all Beat the drum and go."

Zang Ba's subordinates are Qingxu people, and most of them are the rest of the Yellow Turbans. When Cao Cao incorporated the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, Zang Ba also incorporated the Xuzhou Yellow Turbans. "Zang Ba Biography" says: "From the beginning of the Yellow Turbans, Pa Cong Tao Qian defeated them. I paid homage to the captain of cavalry, so I withdrew my troops in Xuzhou..." This is the same as Cao Cao's situation.Since the two armies were from the same origin, when the Qingzhou soldiers in Luoyang fled, the Xuzhou soldiers under Zang Ba also fled together.

For Cao Pi, this was an act of rebellion.But at this time, on the one hand, he had to deal with Yanling Hou Cao Zhang's challenge to the legitimacy of his succession ("Jia Kui Biography" says: "At that time, Yanling Hou Zhang traveled to Yueqi General, came from Chang'an, and asked Kui where the ancestor Wang Xishou was. Kui was serious. Said: "The crown prince is in Ye, and the state-owned deputy. The former king Xishou, it is not appropriate for a prince to ask.'") On the other hand, he wanted to stabilize the hearts of the world and prepare to usurp the Han. Attitude.

The "Wei Lue" quoted in the annotation of "Jia Kui Biography" can explain the problem very well, "Everyone thinks it is appropriate to prohibit it, and those who do not follow it should be punished. (Jia) Kui thought that Fang's funeral was at the funeral, and the heir was not established, so it was appropriate to care for him. It's for a long call, telling the place to give him granary food."

"Xu Xuan Xuan" said: "It may be said that the city guards are changed, and Qiao Pei people are used. Xuan said sharply: 'Today, far and near are unified, and people are full of efficiency. Why should Qiao Pei depress the hearts of the guards?' Emperor Wen said:' The so-called minister of the country.'" When Cao Pi said that Xu Xuan was a "minister of the country", he was not saying that his original intention was correct, but that Xu Xuan understood the reality that he must appease people's hearts.

Having said that, under such circumstances, the Cao Wei regime had to re-use Qiaopei people. The aforementioned Comrade Cao Ren suddenly increased two thousand households and took over the command of the entire army on the southern front ("Cao Ren Biography": "Bayern's chariots and cavalry The general, the governor of the Jing, Yang, and Yizhou military forces, entered the feudal Marquis of Chen, increased the city by [-], and joined the first [-] households."), it happened under such circumstances.

However, a temporary expedient measure does not mean that Cao Pi agrees with this behavior—please remember that, throughout the ages, any challenge to the highest power will get the most intense feedback.

[-]. Zang Ba's status and attitude
Zang Ba, a native of Huaxian County, Taishan, was a bandit in exile, and later took refuge in Tao Qian, defeated the Xuzhou Yellow Turban Army, and incorporated the rest.

This person is filial, loyal and brave, and very loyal.He once helped Lu Bu fight Cao Cao, and after Lu Bu was defeated, he returned to Cao Cao.Before the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan Guandu, people in Cao Cao's ruling area were panicked and rebellions broke out everywhere. Zang Ba repeatedly attacked Qingzhou controlled by Yuan Shao, eliminating the threat of Yuan Jun's flanking army for Cao Cao.Cao Cao once handed over the vast area between Qingzhou and Xuzhou to Haijian under the jurisdiction of Zang Ba in name.

Zang Ba and Sun Guan, Sun Kang, Wu Dun and others who are in the same situation, although they support Cao Cao and have no political ambitions, they are very separatist. Unification, trying to win them over for his own use, but when the heroes were wiped out, Cao Pi could no longer be satisfied with formal unity, and began to pursue de facto unity. At this time, the contradiction between Cao Pi and Zang Ba, that is, The contradiction between the central and local governments will inevitably become acute.

Speaking of Zang Ba's troops, it must also be pointed out that the Qingxu navy is the main force of Cao Wei's navy, and it is an important force that Cao Wei must rely on to fight against Soochow.

Since the time of Cao Cao, Cao Wei has always been tolerant of Zang Ba's forces that actually ruled Qingxu. On the one hand, of course he wanted to borrow Zang Ba's prestige and strength; Also low-key.Therefore, Cao Wei's attitude towards Zang Ba was to favor his title and gradually seize his power, using completely gentle means.

If it weren't for the incident of Qingxu Bing's "beating the drum and leaving without permission" that happened after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi would have been a little embarrassed to attack an honest man like Zang Ba.

However, this incident suddenly intensified the originally eased contradictions.

Since Zang Ba became the governor of Xuzhou in the 11th year of Jian'an, there is no record of his promotion in the historical data. In 220, after Cao Pi took the throne of Wei, Zang Ba immediately "moved to the general of Zhendong, and after entering Wu'an Township, he served as the governor of Qingzhou's military forces"— —Students, please pay attention, a sudden promotion is often not a good sign.

Regarding this "supervisor of Qingzhou military forces", the problem is very serious.Zang Ba was originally the governor of Xuzhou, and the governor of Qingzhou should be transferred—transferring you from your base area is a very dangerous signal in political struggle, a signal of beheading or even extermination—but until October of this year In "Wei Gongqing Shangzunhao Zuo", Zang Ba's title is still "envoy, governor, general governor of Xuzhou, governor of Xuzhou, Zhendong, general Wu'an Township". Lay off, no one can tell.

As mentioned earlier, at this time "using Qiaopei people" became the tacit theme of Cao Pi's new policy. Cao Ren supervised the military forces of Jing, Yang, and Yizhou, while Cao Xiu moved four times within a year, three of which were with Zang. Tyrant related.The first time was when the central leader was transferred to the leading general to deal with the aftermath of the Qingxu Bing's "beating the drum without permission" incident; On the one hand, it prevented the changes in Soochow, and on the other hand, it also guarded against Zang Ba's problems; the fourth time was "Captain Qingxu", which gave Cao Xiu the highest military command in Qingxu and Qingzhou.

And what about Zang Ba?He obviously also noticed Cao Wei's distrust of him, and it might be the opposite if he changed someone-but Zang Ba is really an honest man.He first established a good relationship with Cao Xiu and was very frank. On the other hand, he actively advocated large-scale military operations against Soochow and volunteered to be a striker.

Zang Ba is honest, but an honest person does not mean a fool.

He expressed his loyalty to Cao Wei's position, but still hopes to maintain the status quo of Qingxu as much as possible on this basis-it is really impossible to keep the status quo, and he can retreat to become a rich man.In a word, on the premise of compromising with Cao Wei, strive for as much self-interest as possible.

[-]. The far-reaching impact on the pattern of the Three Kingdoms

In the first year of Emperor Xiankang of the Han Dynasty, that is, in June of 220 A.D., Wei Wang Cao Pi personally marched south, but this time there was no military conflict with Soochow. If this is really a military operation against Soochow, the direction is not right.For a long time, Cao Wei and Soochow fought against each other. One was in the Jiangling section of Jingzhou along the river, such as the Battle of Chibi; the other was in the Chaohu area of ​​Hefei, such as the Battle of Xiaoyaojin.

Therefore, on the surface, this is Cao Wei's defensive exercise against Soochow, but in essence, although it also has the purpose of conducting exercises for future military operations, a military exercise must allow Wei Wang Cao Pi who has just ascended the throne. Personal enlistment?
Therefore, it can be considered that this is a tentative action taken by Cao Wei against the local forces in Qingxu because of the incident of "beating the drum without permission" years ago.One is to show off the military power and deter, and the other is to test the attitude of local forces, paving the way for the strength of Cao Xiu's "Captain Qingxu" in October of that year.

In 222 A.D., that is, between September and October of the third year of Wei Huangchu after Cao Pi usurped Han, the battle of Wu, Shu and Yiling on the western front had just ended. As Lu Xun expected, the three armies of Cao and Wei attacked Wu.

"The Second Biography of the Lord of Wu" states: "In autumn and September, Wei Nai ordered Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, and Zang Ba to go out of the cave, Cao Ren to go out of Ruxu, Cao Zhen, Xia Houshang, Zhang He, and Xu Huang to encircle Nanjun. The right to send Lu Fan and others to supervise the five armies Zhugejin, Pan Zhang, and Yang Can rescued Nanjun, and Zhu Huan refused to benevolent because of humiliation."

The Wei army's marching routes on the west and center lines were the same as before, and no breakthroughs were made.The Wei army on the eastern front posed a greater threat to Soochow, so that Sun Quanbei resigned and wrote to Cao Pi to ask for peace, but because Cao Pi insisted that Sun Quan send his eldest son, Sun Deng, as a hostage, the negotiations broke down.

Zang Chuan quoted "Wei Lue" as saying: "Emperor Wen came to the throne, and Cao Xiu was the governor of Qing and Xu. The bully called Xiu and said: 'The country is not willing to listen to the bully's ear! If you pretend to be bully and ride ten thousand people, you will be able to run rampant.'" This During the battle, Cao Xiu, who had a good relationship with Zang Ba, really followed Zang Ba's plan. "The Second Biography of Wu Zhu" says, "Cao Xiu ordered Zang Ba to attack Xuling with five hundred light boats and ten thousand people who dared to die, and burned the siege chariots. , Killing thousands of people." After achieving great results, Zang Ba really wanted to make some achievements so that Cao Pi would no longer suspect him.

On the one hand, Cao Xiu approved Zang Ba's battle plan, and on the other hand, he reported to Cao Pi that he had won the battle here, but Cao Pi was muttering on the other side. Go, today I am strong! Then I went on a tour to the east, and seized its soldiers because of the overlord's coming." ("Wei Lue" cannot become official history, I am afraid it has something to do with its straightforward writing style, the same thing, "Three Kingdoms" ", to put it mildly)

Regarding Cao Pi's murmurs, there are also historical materials. "Dong Zhao Biography" says: "Three years, Cao Xiu, the general who conquered the East, was at Dongpukou, and said to himself: "The original general will be a sharp soldier and a tiger walking south. ..." The emperor crossed the river in fear of rest, and the post-horse ordered it to stop. Shi Zhao's side, because he said: "I saw that your majesty is worried, so I only use rest to help the river? Today, when crossing the river, human feelings are difficult, so rest If you have this ambition, you will not do it alone, you should have all the generals. Zang Ba and others are rich and noble, and there is no hope of returning to others, but they want to spend the rest of their lives and keep their jobs. ? Gou Ba and others will not enter, and I will be discouraged. I am afraid that although your majesty has an edict to cross, you will still ponder it, and you will not obey your orders. "It is not long after that, when the storm blows the thief ship, Xi Yixiu and others are beheaded. born, the thieves burst out."

It can be seen that the purpose of Cao Pi's southern expedition is not to go deep into Wu Hui and destroy Sun Wu, but to fundamentally solve Zang Ba's military strength.So Dong Zhao's words were very clever, lightly pointing out that Zang Ba's mentality is just "to live his life and keep his salary." Although he didn't say it clearly, everyone understood it when he said it.The second half of Dong Chuan’s paragraph completely obliterates Zang Ba’s victory in the battle of crossing the river—and the one who admits this victory is actually the “Book of Wu” from the enemy’s materials.

During this Southern Expedition, Cao Ren in the middle road was almost silent, while Xia Houshang in the west road was young and vigorous, and he fought a little. The outcome was not big. Only the east road, under the planning and implementation of Zang Ba, formed a threatening offensive against Soochow. .The famous general Zhang Liao, who was also on the East Road, went to the battle with an illness and died in Jiangdu. This battle basically did not play any role.

Alas, poor Zang Ba!

Cao Pi's attack on Wu this time was false, and it was true that he took the opportunity to pacify Qingzhou and Xuzhou. The interior has not yet been settled, so how can he have the ability to spy on Jiangzuo?Therefore, Cao Pi is not a lunatic. Although he is not as good as his father, he is still cunning enough.

In the section where Cao Pi seized Zang Ba's military power, the "Three Kingdoms* Zang Ba Biography" wrote very euphemistically: "Discuss the Wu thief with Cao Xiu, defeat Lu Fan in Dongpu, and enlist him as Zhijinwu, a special advancement."

Since then, Zang Ba stayed in Luoyang honestly to fill up his position and acted as Cao Pi's military adviser. At the end of the year, Zang Ba's Shiyi actually reached [-] households, which was higher than Zhang Liao's and Xu Huang's.When Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he added another [-] households to the town, making a total of [-] households.Zang Ba died during the reign of Emperor Ming, and his posthumous title was "Wei", which is quite good compared with Yu Jin's "Li".

In terms of employing people without doubt, Cao Pi is inferior to his father.However, he completed the formal and substantive unification of North China, laid the foundation for Sima to re-establish a unified Chinese empire, and made a contribution to the advancement of history.

The advancement of history often requires trampling on some flowers and plants. As far as the flowers and plants themselves are concerned, it is indeed sad, but it is an indispensable price in the progress of history.

If we are not exempt from giving, why can't we face it all?

Sun Liu certainly understood Cao Wei's internal problems.Liu Bei dared to attack Soochow with all his power because he expected that Cao Pi would spend some time dealing with these affairs after Cao Cao's death, and had no time to attack Shu; and Lu Xun certainly knew that Cao Pi would definitely use the excuse of attacking Soochow as an excuse to carry out a feint. Move-if the main force of Soochow in his hands is trapped in the Three Gorges, Cao Pi's feint on the Eastern Front may also become a real offensive.In fact, when Cao Pi received the news of Zang Ba's victory in crossing the river, he did change from "posthorse decree" to "decree to the army to urge the crossing". Fortunately, Lu Xun returned to defense in time, and Cao Pi saw that he could not take advantage Only then did the troops really withdraw.And Liu Bei can also see this. "Lu Xun Biography" quoted "Wu Lu" as saying: "Liu Bei heard that the Wei army was out, and the book and Xun said: 'The thief is already in Jiangling, and I will return to the east. The general said that he can't. ?' Xun replied: "But the terrorist army is newly broken, and the damage has not been repaired. They began to ask for relatives, and they should make up for themselves. They have no time to be poor. If they don't count, they want to be overthrown again. Those who have been sent far away will not be able to do so." escaped.'"

And Cao Pi's feint also made Wu and Shu wake up, quickly adjusted their mentality, and re-formed an alliance.

It is precisely because the wise men of the Three Kingdoms can predict the future relatively clearly, so the era of the Three Kingdoms has just begun.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, and Sima Yi were able to stage that great chapter under the starlight of history.

When the brightest star falls, don't sigh for him. It is this exchange and metabolism that makes the past and the present.When you eulogize the dazzling light, please don't forget those inconspicuous little characters on the vast sky,