Three Kingdoms: Ancestors of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 793 Chaos
Jizhou, Yecheng.

Cao Shuang's defeat in Jingzhou caused a chain reaction far beyond his imagination.Relying on the imperial edict of Queen Mother Guo and the support of all the veterans, Sima Yi and his son temporarily obtained the right to take charge of Yecheng and the center.

On the way back to Yecheng, Cao Shuang was ashamed and worried.What is ashamed is that he swore to win Jingzhou in front of everyone before the expedition, but now he is defeated and returned to the country.What he is worried about is whether he will lose his power and lose his position as a ruler due to the defeat of the army.

Fortunately, his opponent Sima Yi led the army to rescue Hedong, which was far away in Bingzhou.In Ye City, only Sima Shi and a group of veteran officials can speak, and there are only a few thousand soldiers in the city.

Cao Shuang led the army back to the country, followed the advice of his subordinates and immediately had people take over the defense of the city.At the same time, at this critical moment, Cao Shuang listened to the suggestions of Ding Mi, He Yan and others in order to re-establish his prestige.Under the guise of Cao Fang's seniority, the Queen Mother Guo, who was given an edict to withdraw the army, was moved to the Yongshou Palace to prevent her from intervening in politics and to deter everyone.

This move can be said to be ruthless. It directly deprived Sima Yi of the legitimacy of the imperial edict, re-emphasized Cao Fang's legitimacy, and reaffirmed the legitimacy of his ruling.

Then Cao Shuang followed the advice of Ding Mi, He Yan and others in order to gain a deeper grasp of the military power of the Chinese army, taking advantage of the fact that Sima Yi was far away in Bingzhou.The second battalion of the middle base and the backbone that had just experienced defeat was abolished, and the soldiers and horses of the second battalion were led by his younger brother Cao Xi, the leader of the army.He also canonized his younger brother Cao Xun as General Wuwei and took charge of Wuwei Battalion, so as to strengthen his control over the Chinese army.

It can be said that the defeat in Jingzhou brought panic to Cao Shuang. He was worried that he would lose power due to the defeat and let Sima Yi and his henchmen take over.After all, Cao Shuang knew how the people on his side treated Sima Yi and his followers. Although they did not persecute them personally, they at least deprived them of their political rights and allowed them to be honored and raised.

Of course, his deep-seated reason is that he has become obsessed with this feeling of being in power, and he is reluctant to give up, nor does he want to give up his power.

After completing this combo with vigorous and resolute means, Cao Shuang also regained control of Yecheng.The last time he gained control was the name Cao Rui gave him, but this time he used political means and the soldiers and horses in his hands, which is more coercive.

After Cao Shuang regained control of the Cao Wei Center, he also set his sights on the battlefields of Hedong and Kunyang.

The Battle of Kunyang was initiated by Wang Ping and Deng Aize in response to Liu Chandong's fight against Hedong, and it was also the sequelae of Cao Shuang's failure to conquer Jingzhou.It was in charge of Xia Houxuan, the general who conquered the west, and Tian Yu, the governor of Yuzhou.

The battle of Hedong was Liu Chan's crusade against Jingzhou because of Cao Shuang. Taking advantage of the unpreparedness of Hedong, Liu Chan led a large army to conquer. It was under the full command of Taifu Sima Yi.

Cao Shuang stared at the battle reports from the two places in his hands, and asked, "Now the war is not good for us, Great Wei. I wonder if you have different opinions?"

On the Kunyang battlefield, because Cao Shuang was intercepted by Deng Ai and Wang Ping when he withdrew his army, although the soldiers escaped from the period, almost all the food and supplies of the army were taken by the big man.These food supplies are the savings of Yuzhou, Yanzhou and other places for several years.

In the case of losing a large amount of food and supplies, the soldiers under Xia Houxuan's command not only lacked food and grass, but also had low morale.The supplies, food and grass in the army almost have to be transferred from Hebei, Qing and Xu Zheng.

Facing the attack of Wang Ping and Deng Ai, Xiahouxuan and Tian Yu barely resisted, and they were completely powerless to fight back.That's why Xia Houxuan asked the imperial court to continue to allocate supplies, food and grass, and to send more soldiers to support the frontline war.

On the Hedong battlefield, Sima Yi had only [-] troops under his command. Now that he had finished building the fortifications and repairing the Shangdang fortifications, he had to lead his troops to appease the soldiers and people of Bingzhou and deter the troops of the Southern Huns. Yecheng asked for support.

Da Si Nong Huanfan pondered a little, and said: "General, Kunyang is the gateway of Luoyang, and Luoyang is also the barrier of Yecheng, so it must not be lost. If it is lost now, the soldiers of the Han people can drive straight into Henan. At that time, not only Luoyang has It is dangerous, and Qiao County is also in danger, I hope the general will be careful, and we need to send troops to rescue him."

Huan Fan, character Yuan Ze, was born in Longkang County, Qiao County.As the ruling center, Cao Shuang promoted a large number of Qiaojun villagers to power, and Huan Fan was the leader of Qiaojun villagers.During Cao Shuang's rule of the country, Huan Fan made many suggestions.But Cao Shuang is just a courtesy, and he is incomparable with his confidants He Yan, Deng Yang, Li Sheng and others.

"What's wrong with Taifu?" Cao Shuang asked.

Although Jiang Ji was dissatisfied with Cao Shuang's forcible seizure of power, but considering the seriousness of the current war, he also suggested: "Report to the general, those who go to the party, and the heavens are the party, and look down on the Central Plains. They came to Hebei as a barrier, and we must not lose it now. If it falls, the city of Ye is in danger! If the city of Ye is in danger, so is our Great Wei, so we should put the matter of Bingzhou first."

Cao Shuang nodded slightly, and when he was about to answer, he saw Deng Yang desperately winking in the corner, indicating that he still had something private to say.

When Cao Shuang saw this, he immediately changed his words and said: "There should be differences between the two armies asking for money, food, troops, and supplies. Let Rong Shuang think about it for a while before giving an order."

Jiang Ji glanced at Deng Yang, then at Cao Shuang, and sighed in his heart, wondering what the two of them were planning to do.

After everyone left, Cao Shuang had a small private meeting with his confidants Deng Yang, He Yan, Ding Mi and others.

After returning from the defeat this time, Cao Shuang not only did not punish Deng Yang, but also promoted him to be a servant and a minister.It can be said that Cao Shuang is not very good at doing things, but he values ​​his brothers and friends more.

"Xuan Mao, do you have a different opinion on the division of troops to rescue Kunyang and Bingzhou?" Cao Shuang asked.

"Exactly!" Deng Yang straightened his back, cupped his hands and said, "I don't know how the general plans to divide his troops to save him?"

Cao Shuang hesitated for a while, and replied: "There are still tens of thousands of soldiers in the Chinese army, and they should be sent out separately to solve the difficulties in the two places."

Deng Yang shook his head, and said: "Now, the general is in danger!"

Cao Shuang was quite puzzled, and asked: "The soldiers sent out to solve the difficulties of the two places, so why is there such a danger?"

Deng Yang sneered, and said: "General, the dispatch of the Chinese army will naturally solve the difficulties of the two places, but who will solve the danger of the General?"

"Oh! I don't know what Xuan Mao's opinion is?"

Deng Yang looked serious, and said: "The Chinese army is out, and the city of Ye is empty. If Sima Yi leads the Chinese army into Yecheng with evil intentions, what will the general have to rely on?"

Hearing this, Cao Shuang was startled and frowned.

Seeing Cao Shuang like this, Deng Yang continued: "If Sima Yi gets the Chinese army's support, if he wins the Han army because of this, and we defeat Jingzhou, how will everyone think of the general?"

"Besides, the battle of Kunyang was started because of us, and General Zhengxi is also a relative of the general. The battle in Hedong was under the command of Sima Yi, so it must be different here!"

Deng Yang's meaning is not difficult to understand. Cao Shuang can still have Cao Wei's right to speak at the moment because of the Chinese army in his hands. If all the Chinese troops in his hands are sent out to support Hedong and Kunyang, Sima Yi will take the opportunity to become bigger.

Relying on the reinforcements sent by Yecheng, Sima Yi may make great achievements in battle, which will be in sharp contrast with Cao Shuang who defeated Jingzhou.Or maybe Yecheng is empty, and Sima Yi relies on the strength of his troops to enter Yecheng, and Cao Shuang's position will be in jeopardy.

Moreover, the Kunyang war can be regarded as the war led by Cao Shuang, and the east of the river can be regarded as the war under the responsibility of Sima Yi. Different leaders have different influences.

It can be said that Deng Yang's words woke up Cao Shuang and made him realize that this rescue was not such a simple matter.

"From Xuan Mao's point of view, how should it be?"

"General, what's so difficult about this!" Deng Yang smiled slightly and said, "General can use the reason that the current state affairs are in turmoil and there is a shortage of supplies and transportation, and divide the Chinese army to rescue Kunyang, and then send Guo Huai to the south to support. As for Bingzhou The direction can allow Jizhou prefectures and counties to send [-] new soldiers and Sima Yi. In this way, the difficulties in the two places can be solved, and Yecheng can be defended by soldiers."

After a pause, Deng Yang added: "If you are worried that the Han people will take the opportunity to attack Shangdang, you may ask the governor of Youzhou, Wuqiu Jian, to assign [-] soldiers from Youyan to assist Sima Yi in fighting. The soldiers of Youyan are elite enough to allow Sima Yi to defend against the Han army. After the war, they can be allowed to return to their homeland, and Sima Yi will be treated as if he has no soldiers to use."

Cao Shuang's frown suddenly relaxed, and he praised: "Xuan Mao is really a great talent, this strategy is very good. With the stability of Ye City, it can solve the problem of lack of manpower in Bingzhou and the siege of Kunyang."

"Don't dare!" Deng Yang laughed.

Deng Yang, He Yan, Ding Mi and others cannot say that they have no talent, but that their skills may be focused on political struggle and intrigue, and they really don't understand military affairs.

(End of this chapter)