Mi Han

Chapter 400
Although Cao Pi promised Cao Zhen to convene ministers to discuss this matter, it was only a matter of military struggle and confidentiality was paramount.

The matter of the Southern Expedition must not be discussed with great fanfare, so in the early morning of the second day, Cao Pi only summoned a few ministers who played important roles in the Great Wei Dynasty.

These ministers are Hua Xin, Wang Lang, Jia Xu, Chen Qun, Chen Jiao, Liu Ye and others.

They are either the Sangong Jiuqing of the Great Wei Dynasty, or the wise ministers who are well-known in Cao Weiyan.

It can be said that they, together with Cao Pi and Cao Zhen, constituted the highest decision-making level of Wei.

Before being called into the palace by the servants, all the ministers had already learned the news of Cao Zhen's return yesterday through their personal connections.

So when they saw Cao Zhen who had already been seated in the hall, there was no surprise on their faces.

But when they saw that one person was also in the hall, they were all surprised.

That person is Cao Rui.

The ministers who can be summoned to the hall today are far more sensitive to politics than ordinary people.

Before Cao Rui was canonized as the King of Qi by Cao Pi, they already had a vague guess in their hearts.

But today, when they saw Cao Rui Neng and Cao Pi sitting at the head of the ministers, the guess in their hearts had already become an inference.

Thinking of the ministers who had just arrived in the hall, they became more cautious about today's discussion.

The emperor and the crown prince are here together. It is definitely a great event to discuss today.

As expected by the ministers, after the ministers had just taken their seats, Cao Zhen took the initiative to go out of the class and told everyone present about his strategy for the Southern Expedition.

Of course, under the instruction of Cao Pi, when Cao Zhen talked about the strategy of the Southern Expedition, he specifically stated that this was the strategy first presented by Yang Fu, the governor of Liangzhou.

And when they heard that Cao Zhen came back this time to lead the army to conquer Hanzhong, all the ministers present showed shocking expressions on their faces.

Even Cao Rui is the same.

The Southern Expedition, in a world where the Wei army has lost consecutive battles against the Han army, will undoubtedly make most Wei Chen resist in their hearts.

So almost as soon as Cao Zhen's voice fell, a minister immediately came out to veto Cao Zhen's proposal.

This minister was Wang Lang, who was then Sikong of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Wang Lang is a well-known master of Confucian classics in the world, and his disciples and old officials in the world are unknown.

Coupled with his upright personality and respected status, he dared to take the lead in raising objections to Cao Zhen's proposal for the Southern Expedition.

Wang Lang's reasons for opposing Cao Zhen's southern expedition were nothing more than what Cao Pi was worried about before.

So after Wang Lang finished his reasons, Cao Zhen unceremoniously refuted Wang Lang's words one by one.

With Cao Zhen's current status in Wei and his military exploits, apart from being polite to Cao Pi, other people really don't have the capital to be polite to him.

Under Cao Zhen's blunt refutation, Wang Lang's old face turned red.

He looked around at his colleagues in the hall, hoping that they would come out to help.

But just when Hua Xin, Chen Qun and others were about to come out, a majestic voice firmly suppressed Hua Xin, Chen Qun and others' bodies on the seat.

"Southern Expedition, feasible."

When Cao Pi's words came out, it meant that he, as the emperor of Wei, had publicly agreed to Cao Zhen's Southern Expedition.

And since Cao Pi had this attitude, Hua Xin, Chen Qun and the others certainly dared not raise any objections.

Even though Cao Pi was not as diligent in political affairs as before after returning to Luoyang, he, who was good at the art of emperor, still firmly controlled the entire Cao Wei court.

This is Cao Pi's greatest strength, and it was also the point that Cao Cao valued him the most.

Cao Zhen represents the military power, and Cao Pi represents the imperial power. When the opinions of these two people are unified, no one in the Great Wei can reverse the decisions they made.

After Cao Pi used his authority to set the tone for the Southern Expedition, he then asked the question he was most concerned about today:
"The Southern Expedition is imminent. What good strategies do you have to offer?"

The reason why Cao Pi summoned important ministers today was not to ask them whether they should go south, but how they should go south.

After Cao Pi's question was issued, all the Wei officials present showed contemplative expressions.

The matter of the Southern Expedition is a big one, and they just got the news, no matter how smart they are, they still have to give themselves some time to think about a good strategy.

When the ministers were thinking, Cao Pi turned sideways to Cao Rui and said:
"See more, think more, learn more."

Facing Cao Pi's instructions, Cao Rui, who still had a rather immature face, nodded slightly.

When Cao Cao was alive, whenever he had a banquet or discussed official affairs, he liked to bring Cao Rui by his side to teach him.

So maybe for ordinary teenagers, Cao Pi's request is difficult to fulfill, but for Cao Rui, it is not difficult to do it.

Needless to say, Cao Rui's talent.

Many people think that Sima Yi is Zhuge Liang's biggest opponent in history, but Sima Yi is essentially just a knife in Cao Rui's hand.

He is only worthy of being Zhuge Liang's tactical opponent.

It was Cao Rui who really confronted Zhuge Liang at the strategic level, and used Cao Wei's huge national power to kill Zhuge Liang at all costs.

Those who shine in the four directions, those who think far and wide, are posthumous.

After Cao Pi saw Cao Rui listened to his words, a thoughtful look appeared on his face, and there was joy in his brows.

He is lucky in his life to have a wise father and an excellent son.

Time passed slowly, and after about a quarter of an hour, Liu Ye among the ministers stood up first and bowed to Cao Pi:

"If we want the Southern Expedition to be effective, our army can act accordingly and send out several troops."

Even though Liu Ye's intelligence was considered to be one of the best in the time when many Cao Wei Yuanxun were still alive.

With his intelligence, it is not difficult to come up with a specific strategy for the Southern Expedition.

In addition, Liu Ye is a person who values ​​fame and fame in the first place, so he will be the first to speak out among the Wei officials.

And the Southern Expedition tactic presented by Liu Ye, under his further explanation, also won the approval of everyone present.

Liu Ye's move at the camera meant that the Wei army would launch an attack after the Nanzhong rebellion broke out and held back the main force of Yizhou.

In this way, at least Liangzhou would not receive reinforcements from Yizhou.

And this tactic can also echo Yang Fu's strategy for the Southern Expedition.

Even from an insurance point of view, if Nanzhong cannot hold back the main force in Yizhou, then Wei Jun can cancel the plan of the Southern Expedition in time.

In this way, Wei Jun was invincible from the beginning.

As for the reason why Liu Ye proposed the tactic of sending troops out several times, it was aimed at the tight defense network in Hanzhong.

The advantage of the Wei army over the Liang army is that it has more troops and sufficient food and grass.

Liang Jun's advantage lies in its geographical advantage.

The terrain in Hanzhong is steep, and the Wei army's army can't launch a large-scale battle outside a certain fortress at one time, so it's better to divide the troops and launch an attack on Hanzhong.

The characteristic of the Hanzhong defense network is that each fortress can echo and support each other.

So as long as the Wei army can rely on its strong military strength to cut off the connection between the main fortresses in Hanzhong, then the Wei army will be able to defeat the fortresses in Hanzhong one by one.

There is another advantage of dividing troops, that is, the enemy will not be able to figure out the main attack direction of their own side, ensuring that their side will always be the one with the initiative.

And if Mi Yang wants to keep Hanzhong, he must not ignore any possibility.

In this case, the only thing Mi Yang can do is to divide his troops and defend one way.

Although the terrain in Hanzhong is steep, it is only because of the characteristics of the defense network in Hanzhong that Mi Yang has many places to defend.

The strength of Mi Yang's troops is far inferior to that of the Wei army, and he has to divide his troops to defend, so the corresponding strength of the Han army in each fortress must not be many.

It's just an exaggerated adjective in many cases.

The real situation is that no matter how steep the fortress is, it needs a certain amount of troops to defend it, otherwise it will not be difficult to take it down.

Just like the fall of Yangping Pass in the late Ji Han Dynasty.

After Liu Ye finished talking about the specific tactics he came up with, Cao Pi turned his attention to Cao Zhen. He wanted to hear Cao Zhen's opinion.

After all, Cao Zhen is the coach of the Southern Expedition, and any tactics need his approval before they can be implemented.

And after Cao Zhen listened to the tactics presented by Liu Ye, after he thought about it for a while, a smile appeared on his face:
"The great talent in the servants, I really admire you."

Cao Zhen's words undoubtedly affirmed Liu Ye's tactics.

Although Liu Ye has never been fully recognized by Cao's clan, Cao is really a man who knows military strategy.

The two tactics presented by Liu Ye did not conflict with Yang Fu's strategy for the Southern Expedition, and could greatly increase the success rate of his Southern Expedition. Why did he oppose it?

As for Liu Ye's tactics, he needs to wait for a while, which is not a big deal in Cao Zhen's view.

The reason why Cao Zhen wanted to march south was entirely for the great Wei, not for his own meritorious deeds.

Then as long as what Liu Ye said was reasonable, then he didn't mind waiting for a while.

It's just that Cao Zhenxin still had a question. Cao Zhen asked Liu Ye: "What does the servant think, when our army comes to Japan to march south, how many troops should we use?"

There are many benefits to sending troops out several times, but the corresponding total troop strength must not be low.

Facing Cao Zhen's question, Liu Ye already had an answer in his heart.

"It should be around [-]."

When Liu Ye said these words, all the officials present looked sideways at him.

No wonder Liu Ye suggested to Cao Zhen to wait for a while.

Even if it is not to wait for the best time, it will probably take a long time just to prepare the corresponding military equipment and food for the [-] army.

It's just that although there is surprise in his heart, everyone present here knows that it is not difficult for Wei to come up with an army of [-].

In recent years, although Great Wei has repeatedly fought and failed on the front line, the economic development in the rear has never stopped, not to mention that Great Wei's national strength is already very strong.

During the same period in history, when Cao Pi attacked Sun Quan several times, the total strength of the army used was also around [-].

Among them, the largest one was the "Guangling Watching Soldiers" clearly recorded in history books.

"There are more than [-] soldiers and more than [-] miles of banners."

There are more than [-] regular soldiers alone, not counting the corresponding auxiliary soldiers and civilian husbands. This is a microcosm of the great Wei's national strength.

At present, the total number of soldiers in Ji Han is less than [-].

The ministers all know this, and Cao Pi, who is the head of the family, naturally knows it too.

So although the faces of all the officials were surprised, Cao Pi was very straightforward.

"Then raise an army of one hundred thousand and sweep Hanzhong."

In Cao Pi's view, it's not that Wei can't afford such a family background.

Besides, it was Mi Yang who was going to attack, for such an enemy who was about to become his nightmare, if there were fewer troops, he would be worried instead.

After Cao Pi said this, even though Chen Qun and Chen Jiao had great reluctance in their hearts, they did not dare to disobey Cao Pi's decision at this time.

The army of [-] troops needs a huge amount of food and weapons, and they will not be the ones to prepare them by then.

Chen Qun and Chen Jiao were filled with bitterness when they thought about the massive amount of official business they were about to face.

But compared to the bitterness of Chen Qun and Chen Jiao, Cao Zhen's face showed a touch of emotion.

He is thanking Cao Pi for trusting him so much.

Cao Zhen bowed deeply to Cao Pi, and said the words of resignation.

Now that the corresponding military affairs have been negotiated, it is time for him to return to Guanzhong.

Back to customs to prepare for battle.

Facing Cao Zhen's resignation, Cao Pi felt reluctant, but he also knew that the military situation was urgent, so he agreed to Cao Zhen's request.

With Cao Pi's permission, Cao Zhen immediately left the hall.

He has always been so aggressive.

After Cao Zhen left, Cao Pi began to arrange other affairs.

Cao Pi looked at Situ Huaxin and said, "Your Honor has to worry about choosing the envoys to be sent to Nanzhong and Jiangdong."

There is a very important content in Yang Fu's Southern Expedition Strategy, which is to send envoys to Nanzhong and Jiangdong respectively.

Hua Xin knew the necessity of this point from Cao Zhen's narration just now.

It's just that the envoys sent to Nanzhong are easy to choose, but the ones sent to Jiangdong are not easy to choose.

There is no other reason. Although most of Nanzhong are foreigners, Sun Quan's reputation in the world is worse than that of Nanzhong.

After hesitating for a while, Hua Xin expressed his concerns.

"Sun Quan is only interested in profit. If there is no great profit, I am afraid he will not help our court."

After hearing Hua Xin's concerns, all the officials present were silent, even Liu Ye, who was always wise and resourceful.

Sun Quan is actually a vassal, and the interests that can make his heart beat are not something that ministers like them should mention.

The performance of the ministers was seen by Cao Pi, and he had already thought about Hua Xin's concerns.

Correspondingly, he already had a decision in his mind.

"Let the envoy tell Sun Quan that I would like to form friendship with Qin and Jin with him."

As soon as Cao Pi's words came out, all the ministers present looked at each other in blank dismay.

Using marriage as a bargaining chip for cooperation?
If this is the condition, Sun Quan is indeed very likely to agree.

The marriage between the Cao family and the Sun family has long existed.

Every marriage between the Cao family and the Sun family represented a short-lived political alliance.

It's just that if the ministers remember correctly, Cao Pi hated Sun Quan very much.

Unexpectedly, for the sake of the Southern Expedition, Cao Pi, who had always hated Sun Quan, would take the initiative to propose such a condition.

Thinking of this, a kind of anticipation began to emerge in the hearts of all the ministers present.

In this passionate world, who wants to be a person who shrinks and avoids the enemy?
Even Jiangdong, who treats humiliation as a meal, has many passionate men.

Before they flinched and avoided the enemy, it was largely influenced by Cao Pi.

Now that they see that Cao Pi seems to have regained his fighting spirit, then as ministers, they will naturally no longer flinch in their hearts.

One hundred thousand soldiers are prepared to fight fiercely in Hanzhong. It is not yet known who will win and who will lose.

After discussing everything, Cao Pi ordered all the ministers to step down first.

Before the ministers left, Cao Pi strictly ordered the ministers not to disclose all the matters discussed today.

He will give Mi Yang a surprise then.

Facing Cao Pi's strict order, all the ministers left one by one with expressions of caution.

It's just that although Cao Pi thought very well, there was one thing he didn't know.

Liangzhou now has an organization called Si Wencao.

(End of this chapter)