Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1406 Heartless
Cao Pi didn't know that when he praised Sima Yi, the other party temporarily slowed down its pace of advance.

There was no other reason. Although winter was approaching, Yizhou still had an extremely cold autumn rain, which soaked the Wei soldiers who were in a hurry to travel. And it lasted for several days without any sign of stopping.

Sima Yi was in a hurry to go to Chengdu to announce the decree to stabilize the situation. He could not delay his journey because of the autumn rain, so he ordered the entire army to march quickly. As for the soldiers who fell behind, he could not take care of them.

Sima Yi did not expect that while most of his soldiers were struggling to move forward on the muddy road, they could still hold on, but he himself could not hold on first.

The cold autumn rain soaked Sima Yi's clothes, and the damp and cold air in Yizhou at night caused Sima Yi to fail to get up on time one morning. When his subordinates came to visit him, they found that Sima Yi was burning hot all over and coughing incessantly, so they quickly asked the doctor to come and treat him.

After examining him, the doctor said that Sima Yi's cold was quite serious. Not only should he immediately boil medicinal herbs to treat the disease, but he also had to rest for a few days to alleviate the symptoms. Otherwise, if he forced himself to endure it, it would only make his condition worse and even endanger his life.

Sima Yi listened in a daze and had no choice but to accept the fact. After all, apart from himself, his subordinates did not have enough prestige, and even if he went to Chengdu, he would not be able to stabilize the situation.

The Wei army braved the heavy rain and rushed to the nearest Langzhong to rest. Sima Yi could no longer stand up and was carried into the city. The Langzhong prefect quickly arranged a place for Sima Yi to recuperate. It took five or six days for Sima Yi's fever to subside slightly.

That morning he forced himself to sit up, wanting to hurry on his way, but found his limbs were too weak. After trying several times and failing to get out of bed, he gave up. He leaned against the window, listening to the sound of the autumn rain outside, and wondered in surprise how long it had been since he had been sick.
ten years? Twenty years?

Sima Yi was very proud of his health in the past. He was well versed in health preservation, and he was very measured in drinking and eating. Therefore, in the early years when he had not yet taken office, although the outside world spread the rumor that he was born with a weak health because he pretended to be sick, he was actually the one with the best physique in the Sima family.

However, the busy military life in recent years had kept him from resting for a moment, and the irregular military life began to destroy his health. When he fell ill, he was shocked to realize that his health was not as good as before.

Thinking of this, Sima Yi coughed a few times and thought to himself with self-mockery that he always said that living long is the bottom line, but if he continued like this, he might not be able to compare with people like Zhong Yao and Chen Qun.

No, this time when I go to Chengdu, I will resign from my post to His Majesty no matter what. I would rather be a leisurely civil servant than lead troops!
While Sima Yi was staying in Langzhong, the Wei court carriage had already arrived at Wuzhangyuan, preparing to enter the Xiegu Road. Cao Zhang, who was intercepted by Sima Yi, was also brought over by the soldiers. When Cao Pi heard about it, he ordered someone to bring Cao Zhang up.

Cao Zhang had his hands tied. He strode forward, but when he saw Cao Pi he did not kneel but held his head high. He did not even perform the etiquette of a subject meeting in person.

When Cao Pi saw Cao Zhang's appearance, he became angry and asked, "Why did the Marquis of Yanling lose Liangzhou?"

Cao Zhang heard this and asked, "Why did your majesty lose Chang'an?"

Cao Pi choked, looking rather embarrassed. He stared at Cao Zhang and said, "Third brother, you know that even if we lose the battle, I will not pursue the matter."

"But why didn't Third Brother return to Chang'an, but went straight to Hanzhong privately?"

"Don't you think you should give me an explanation, Third Brother?"

Cao Zhang stiffened his neck and said, "There is nothing to explain. If Your Majesty believes that I am guilty, you can do whatever you want with me."

Cao Pi was furious and said, "Marquis Yanling, your behavior is tantamount to treason. Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

Cao Zhang sneered, "Your Majesty, just kill me. I'm not the first one in the Cao clan anyway."

Cao Pi calmed down after hearing this. He stared at Cao Zhang coldly and said, "Third brother, you and fourth brother have always had a good relationship."

"It's not just you. In fact, everyone likes Fourth Brother."

"Yes, he is a dissolute poet and a sluggish writer, and he can talk and sing with everyone. However, he is not strict with the law, and even if people make mistakes, they can just let it go. Who wouldn't like such a person?"

He stood up and said, "Fourth brother is good, everyone loves him. I am different. I am moody and behave absurdly. No one wants to get close to me."

Cao Zhang mocked, "Your Majesty is self-aware. I never wanted to live, so I've said it all today. In terms of romanticism, my fourth brother is more like the late emperor, so everyone will like him."

"But your Majesty is different. I admit that I underestimated your literary talent. Your essay on classics is not inferior to that of my fourth brother."

"However, your Majesty's personality makes it hard for everyone to like him."

"You, after all, are not the same kind of people as us brothers."

"I would still say that even if you put a knife to my neck."

After hearing this, Cao Pi took two steps towards Cao Zhang and stared into Cao Zhang's eyes. Cao Zhang also looked back at Cao Pi without showing any weakness.

The two of them remained silent for an unknown amount of time before Cao Pi broke the silence first, "I already knew that almost everyone in the Cao clan had this view of me."

"But it wasn't until my third brother said it himself today that I gave up completely."

"Yes, a magnanimous emperor who will not pursue his mistakes is great. He is definitely much better than me."

His voice suddenly rose, "And then?"

"Where can he lead you?"

"Can he lead the Wei Kingdom to revive, or defeat the Jin Kingdom?"

"Now the Jin State is powerful and fierce, and it wants to destroy our Great Wei at any time. Do you really think that if my fourth brother becomes the emperor, he can destroy the Jin State and save the Wei State from defeat?"

"My fourth brother will only do worse than me. If he were in power, the Wei Kingdom might have been destroyed by the Jin Kingdom long ago!" "Destroyed!"

"We will all die then. Fourth brother can't handle this mess!"

Cao Zhang was silent for a long time before he spoke: "I admit that my fourth brother is not as good as Your Majesty in governing the country."

"But what does it matter?"

"What's the difference?"

"My fourth brother couldn't stop the State of Jin, so could Your Majesty?"

"Since we are all running away, what's the difference between fifty steps and a hundred steps?"

Cao Pi stared at Cao Zhang and nodded slowly, "I see, that's how it is."

"So that's what you all thought."

"Don't you feel ashamed of your father who is in the netherworld?"

"Could it be that our father's last wish is for us to perish along with the State of Wei?"

Cao Zhang said sullenly, "Who is willing?"

"But the war has reached this point, and people's hearts have been dispersed. Who would think that Wei has a chance to turn the tables?"

"Now the whole Wei State is just living a life of drunkenness and dreaming, barely surviving."

"The harder we struggle, the more ridiculous we become. Your Majesty should know how many officials in the Cao Wei court are already lying dead."

"Some people wish that the State of Wei would perish sooner, so that they would no longer have to live these miserable and miserable days."

Cao Pi was thoughtful. "So, you colluded with my fourth brother to flee to Hanzhong, cut off the supply to Chang'an, and let me die there alone. Then you can surrender to Jin under the banner of Wei?"

Cao Zhang did not deny it and said, "My elder brother has surrendered. If we continue to fight, what good results will there be?"

Cao Pi suddenly realized, "Brother, brother, after I ascended the throne these two years ago, I had already forgotten about him. I never expected that he still holds such a high position in your hearts."

"How ridiculous! He recognized the fierce tiger as his master and lived a good life in the North. I have been working so hard to take over the mess left by my father. In the end, I have to be laughed at by you for overestimating my own abilities."

"What a pity," Cao Pi's face turned cold, "After all, this Kingdom of Wei was handed over to me by my father. This is mine, and only my words count!"

"No one of you can take it away, including my eldest brother!"

He turned around and said, "Third brother, since you have betrayed me and the State of Wei, I cannot save you."

"Go with peace of mind. The autumn weather is cold and it's a good time to get sick. Have a safe journey."

Cao Zhang didn't expect Cao Pi to be so heartless. He couldn't help but open his eyes wide and wanted to say something, but then he turned around, strode out, and his figure flashed into the rain.

Cao Pi had his back to Cao Zhang and never turned around. He said softly, "In the rustling autumn rain, the two brothers are tired of each other. The friendship has long been severed and we will never see each other again."

A few days later, Cao Zhang fell seriously ill and died at Wuzhangyuan. Cao Pi personally held a funeral and buried him at the foot of the mountain, then continued on his journey with the Cao Wei officials.

In the carriage, Cao Pi closed his eyes and rested, his hands in his sleeves trembling slightly. In Hanzhong to the south, Cao Zhi was waiting for him in prison. How should he deal with him?
From a carriage behind him, there was a faint sound of crying accompanied by cursing, which made Cao Pi upset, because it was his biological mother, Lady Bian, who was crying because of the death of Cao Zhang.

Because the news of Cao Zhang's capture was very secret, and Cao Pi acted too quickly and his methods were too secretive, by the time Lady Bian learned that Cao Zhang was in Wuzhangyuan, Cao Zhang had already turned into a corpse.

This was also what Cao Pi intended, because he knew that Mrs. Bian would definitely plead for Cao Zhang, so he decided to go all out and got the job done in a swift manner.

When Mrs. Bian saw Cao Zhang's body, she fainted on the spot. After she woke up, she naturally suspected that it was Cao Pi who did it, but she had no evidence. She couldn't ask a doctor to perform an autopsy, could she?

The curses that kept coming to Cao Pi's ears became clearer and clearer, like a stubborn mosquito that went straight from his ears into his brain. This made Cao Pi extremely irritated, and he couldn't help but hold his head and growl.

"It was my third brother who forced me first. He wanted to kill me. Why should I forgive him?"

"Everyone in the world has let me down, so why can't I let everyone in the world down?"

"You dare not attack the fierce tiger, but you turn against me. Aren't you the ones without conscience?"

Empress Guo sat silently on the side, as if she heard nothing. She thought that this position was gradually driving His Majesty crazy.

Was it a mistake when Your Majesty ascended the throne?

(End of this chapter)