Wei Ni

Mid-autumn in late August.

In Huainan, the emperor Cao Rui sent troops to attack the Sixth Army.

He also sent envoys to reward the defenders in Hefei with integrity, and to reward the heroes who had repelled Sun Quan's invasion. Then, he sent the Luoyang Chinese Army, which had already recovered from the fatigue along the road, to set off and return to Luoyang first.

At that time, some important ministers accompanying the army suggested that the emperor should supervise the troops to enter Guanzhong through Wuguan because there was a war in Yongliang.

But Cao Rui refused.

He did not expect Sima Yi, the governor of Yongliang, to defeat the Shu soldiers. He just asked him to block the road and hold on. There were already enough soldiers and horses in Guanzhong, so there was no need to add more troops. Moreover, in his planning, he originally planned to inflict heavy damage on Jiangdong this year so that Jiangdong would no longer have the strength to attack in the future, but his hope was dashed because Sun Quan was too decisive in stopping his troops.

This made him quite melancholy.

Not to mention that the Chinese army from Luoyang, which had traveled thousands of miles, would not be allowed to rush to Yongliang again.

Therefore, after the order to stop the troops, he planned to visit Xuchang Palace for a few days and then return to Luoyang.

Counting the days, winter is coming.

Xia Houhui did not catch up with the emperor's soldiers, but he managed to return to Huainan the day before the emperor's imperial cavalry set off.

The reason why they were still traveling so slowly was because they were sailing against the current and had to escort prisoners.

Originally, he planned to keep the prisoners for Huan Fan to deal with, but Huan Yu, the servant sent by Huan Fan, claimed that returning with the prisoners would make the emperor happier, and Huan Fan, who knew he was guilty, did not want to incur the consequences of handling the prisoners without authorization. Others talk.

However, Xia Houhui knew that Huan Fan actually had another meaning.

When Huan Yu was chatting with him, he "accidentally" revealed that he was Xia Houhe's brother-in-law, and was also the aide who Xia Houheng asked Huan Fan to help him recruit.

It's just that Huan Fan just wanted to repair the relationship between the two.

It also made Xia Houhui a little funny.

The so-called arrogance in the front and respect in the back is nothing more than that, right?

Of course, he accepted it happily.

Especially when he talked with Huan Yu, he found that Huan Yu was quite talented, whether it was related to local affairs or military affairs.

"Anyone recommended by Governor Huan must be a talented person! How much more is Wenhua willing to sacrifice his brothers, wives and brothers? I am busy with military affairs now and have to go back to pay my orders soon, so I have no time to talk in detail. If Wenhua has a private matter, I will come to Huainan to look for him. I will walk backwards to meet you.”

This was his reply.

He looked forward to accepting Huan Yu as his staff.

And he was still on his way back, thinking that if he had the chance, he could put in a few words of good words for Huan Fan for his negligence and the loss of the city, so that Emperor Cao Rui would give him a lighter punishment.

However, what he didn't expect was that Emperor Cao Rui had no intention of dealing with Huan Fan personally.

Not only did Huan Fan not be summoned to Huainan for accountability, but he was also directly ordered to tell Huan Fan to write a self-study table and record the battle history, so that the princes in the temple could make a final conclusion.

From this it can be seen that Emperor Cao Rui is quite kind to Sangzi's old friends——

Leaving it to the temple to make the final decision was just a pretext that he didn't want to be tolerant to Huan Fan, so he just let the princes do it for him! And it is impossible for the princes who have been immersed in the temple for a long time not to guess this level of thinking.

Near noon, Xia Houhui, who was returning by boat, saw the outline of Shoushan Mountain in the distance.

I was still thinking of sending people back to Shouchun City to hand over the order to Man Chong after landing, and asked Wu Bing how to arrange the prisoners, but I found that there was already a man waiting at the ferry on the shore, and he waved vigorously from a distance, with a big mouth Breathing something.

Judging from the figure and appearance, it seems to be his aide Wu Gang.

Something happened to the ladies and children of the scholar family?

With a thump in his heart, Xia Houhui asked the boatman to row faster, and stood on the bow of the boat and waved in response.

When he arrived, he jumped out of the boat. When Wu Gang came up to greet him, he hurriedly said, "The general is back! If it's one day later, the general will rush to Xuchang Palace to pay homage to His Majesty!" After that, he suddenly slapped his forehead again. , "Hey! I'm confused. General, your Majesty has an edict. Go and see him quickly."

"okay."

However, Xia Houhui was not busy. He first asked Jiao Yi and others to restrain the soldiers and guard the prisoners, and then went back to the office room of Shijia Biwu, where he took the "Jihe Lun" that had been sealed for a long time before riding his horse there.

The Imperial Camp of the Emperor is located halfway up Shoushan Mountain, quite close to Shijiabiwu.

So after a while, he came to the outside of the camp, and after being informed by Huben at all levels, he arrived outside the big tent.

First, he handed over a bunch of bamboo slips in his arms to the Suwei Hushi who was on duty outside for temporary safekeeping. Then he walked in slowly. Just as he was about to salute and pay homage, he was interrupted by Emperor Cao Rui, "Hey! My tiger minister is broken. The thief is back!"

"I, General Hui of Zhongjian, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

After paying homage in accordance with the ceremony, Xiahou Hui responded modestly, "I don't dare to praise His Majesty's tiger ministers for his merits."

"Executing thieves and beheading generals has contributed greatly to the defeat of Wu. Why wouldn't Zhi Quan take the lead?"

Emperor Cao Rui, who was sitting at the head, smiled widely and seemed to be in a happy mood, "Well, Zhi Quan will take a seat first."

"only."

After thanking him respectfully, Xia Houhui stood up, bowed his hands to Chen Jiao, the attendant who was also in the tent, and then walked to sit down.

It was when he was walking upright that Emperor Cao Rui saw that his shirt was covered in bloodstains and damaged, revealing the chainmail armor he wore inside. Involuntarily, Cao Rui's smile faded slightly.

But he remained calm. He first held up a cup to invite Zhuang Gong to drink, and then asked softly, "Zhi Quan, tell me, how did you capture Huaiyin City?"

"only."

After hearing this, Xia Houhui did not dare to neglect and roughly told the story of the war.

When he heard that Xia Houhui actually led thousands of people to lure the enemy, Emperor Cao Rui interrupted him and criticized him angrily, "I know that Zhiquan has the ambition to serve the country, and I also know that Zhiquan is brave. However, , I have always warned the generals not to engage in battle, so why don’t Zhiquan avoid evil! Killing thieves with your hands can strengthen the army, but Zhiquan has been a commander for several years, and he still doesn’t know how to love his country?”

"I am stupid and I have betrayed His Majesty's love."

After Xia Houhui quickly stood up and confessed his crime, he said, "Your Majesty warned me, I dare not forget it. But if I don't go to the battlefield this time, there will be no chance of the thief Wu going out of the city to fight in the field."

After that, without waiting for Cao Rui to ask questions, he told Sun Quan that he would kill him to avenge Sun Shao and that if the Wu soldiers killed him, they would be granted the title of a marquis, a thousand gold rewards, and a county to raise troops.

He lowered his head while playing, but he didn't realize that the emperor Cao Rui was listening. Although the previous expression of hating iron for not becoming steel disappeared, he still frowned several times.

Chen Jiao, the attendant on one side, noticed it.

So his eyes flashed with sadness, and he sighed quietly in his heart. He also felt that the piece of maltose that the monarch and his ministers shared together a few days ago and found it very sweet was no longer sweet.

"That's what happened."

After Xia Houhui finished talking about the whole story, he did not forget to make his promise, "Your Majesty, I am not willing to spare my life for you, but I have no choice but to do it. Moreover, I have regrets now, and I will never act so recklessly in the future."

"Yes, I know."

Emperor Cao Rui, who had regained his joyful appearance, raised his hand and asked him to take a seat.

He no longer bothered about the affairs of Huaiyin in Xuzhou, but asked him how to resettle the women and children of the scholar's family, encourage the new army of the scholar's family to fight, and praised him a few words, etc. before he signaled him to resign. Go back and rest first. Come back when the sun is setting, and I will hold a banquet to honor you."

"Wei. Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

He stood up to express his gratitude, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he saluted again and asked for instructions, "Your Majesty, the Thousand People Supervisor under your command has written the Treatise on the River. After reading it, I thought that if I act according to the treatise, I can do it." So that when our country sends troops to Huainan to attack Wu, we will no longer have to worry about transporting grain and grain, and the common people along the way will no longer have to suffer from corvee service. If your majesty does not give up, I will bravely offer you."

"oh!?"

Suddenly, Cao Rui's eyes flashed with surprise.

You must know that when he came to Huainan to supervise troops, many ministers in the court used Emperor Wen Cao Pi's Eastern Expedition as an example to persuade him not to use large-scale weapons, save military expenditures, and reduce the suffering of Li common people's corvee service. This summer, Hou Hui dared to claim that there was a strategy that could make Huainan accumulate abundant grains and no longer have to worry about food. He was naturally overjoyed.

"That's right. Can Shulu Zhiquan be brought here? Submit it as soon as possible."

Therefore, after he was astonished, he nodded repeatedly and urged, "If it goes as planned by Zhiquan, it will be a good strategy for the country. I will not hesitate to reward you!"

"Return to Your Majesty, I have brought you along with me."

After responding, Xia Houhui brought "Jihe Lun" from outside and presented it, "Your Majesty, please read it. I will leave."

"Well, let's go."

Nodding with a smile, Cao Rui asked Chen Jiao to come over and sit sideways and take a look together.

Seeing this, Xia Houhui consciously withdrew from the tent.

After he got his sword back from the Suwei Hushi and tied it around his waist, and slowly walked out of the military camp, he couldn't help but touch the damaged areas of his shirt with his fingers, and said to himself, "I was careless."

I went back to Shijiabiwu to get "Jihe Lun", but I forgot to change my shirt.

I don't know if the emperor, knowing that I am once again on the front line, will think that I still like to take risks and not be cautious? Will it affect my previous request to take up the post in Youzhou?

Hey~
That's all, there's no point in thinking too much.

Feeling a little unhappy, Xia Houhui walked outside the military camp to pick up his war horse, and then headed into Shouchun City.

Although Emperor Cao Rui had just asked him to go back and rest, it was impossible to rest.

It's not that I'm busy, it's that I don't have that kind of blessing.

Go to hand over orders to Man Chong and ask for instructions on the placement of prisoners, find Li Changshi to record merits and compensate for battle damage to the new army of the scholar family, and return to Wu Gang and the three thousand-man governors to calculate what new army of the scholar family can be used this time. Family redemption and so on.

Busy now!
Although there are some things involved here, and you can stay busy until the next day, Xia Houhui doesn't want the families of those who died in the war to wait!

They don't even have their lives, so what does it mean to be busy?

Besides, that's all he can do.

"Your Majesty, this is a great discussion!"

In the imperial tent, Chen Jiao, the servant who had seen it, was the first to praise, "As Zhiquan said just now, if we follow this strategy to establish farming, our country in Huainan, Wei, will no longer have a shortage of food and fodder!" After saying this, he paused. , he did not wait for the emperor Cao Rui to speak, and continued to make suggestions, "The person who made this comment is a great talent! I have the courage to ask your majesty to promote him to benefit the country."

Well, he started to feel that piece of maltose was sweet again.

Because he knew what the emperor meant by "so sweet", and he also knew that the emperor would not give up Xia Houhui, but he would definitely give up a thousand-man governor of the new army of the scholar family. (End of chapter)