Wei Ni
Chapter 236 Keenness
Yuguan (later Shanhaiguan) is not a pass today, but a common name for Linyu County.
Because the previous dynasty divided Liaoxi and Liaodong into a "Liaodong vassal state" in order to settle the surrendered Wuhuan tribe, Linyu County was set up as a garrison point to guard the Banhai Road (Liaoxi Corridor) to prevent the Wuhuan from causing trouble and cutting off the connection between Liaoxi and Liaodong.
But later, in order to eliminate the threat of Yuan's resurgence and the expedition to Liucheng Tadun, Cao Cao, the Emperor of Wei, moved most of the Wuhuan inland. He then abolished the "Liaodong vassal state" as the Wuhuan resettlement area, and Linyu County was abandoned.
Now Emperor Cao Rui has banished Xiahou Hui to guard Yuguan. Even if it is not a relocation to the border for punishment, it is also a disguised form of exile three thousand miles away.
After all, Linyu County is now deserted.
Not to mention the registered common people, there are not even any nomadic tribes. What is there to defend?
In fact, Cao Rui had thought about this.
Before Xiahou Hui submitted the memorial, he privately sought out General Jiang Ji to ask whether it was appropriate for Xiahou Hui to concurrently serve as the governor of Liaoxi.
Jiang Ji thought it was inappropriate.
Because if Xiahou Hui was granted the post of Liaoxi governor, he would have to give up the post of Zhenhu general, otherwise it would arouse the vigilance of Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong. If he was appointed as the governor of Liaoxi by the commander of the central army in Luoyang, Gongsun Yuan would guess that the government was going to take action against him. If Xiahou Hui was exiled alone, Gongsun Yuan would at most send people to laugh at him.
Another reason is that it is very easy for Gongsun Yuan to take Linyu County. Once he controls Linyu County and builds a pass, Wei will not be able to attack Liaodong via the Banhai Road, let alone the Wuzhong Road, as the transportation of food and fodder is more difficult than that of Shu to Yongliang.
The reason why Linyu County is deserted today is that Gongsun III was subservient to the Central Plains Dynasty and therefore could not cross this red line which meant independence.
Therefore, Cao Rui's intention of letting Xiahou Hui go to Yuguan is easy to understand.
He was worried that Guanqiu Jian's drastic actions to reorganize the troops in Youzhou would arouse Gongsun Yuan's vigilance, and he would then send troops into Linyu County to build defensive fortifications, making the attack on Liao exponentially more difficult.
As long as Xiahou Hui arrived at Yuguan, the cavalry units of Zhang Hu and Qian Hong would automatically join his command.
In this way, even if Gongsun Yuan raised the banner of rebellion, it would be impossible for him to build a pass and construct fortifications without being noticed under the noses of the two cavalry units.
Of course, there are disadvantages to doing this.
Calculating the time, when Xiahou Hui arrived at Yuguan, it was almost winter and he would definitely be freezing cold.
Although Cao Rui felt reluctant, he thought about it and realized that it was Xiahou Hui who asked for it, and he even dared to accuse him of neglecting state affairs. He immediately thought it would be a good idea to let him go through some "hardships".
Yecheng, Weijun, the military camp of the Zhenhu Department.
After receiving the emperor's edict, Xiahou Hui packed up some valuables, took Ding Mi, Lu Fan, Wei Shu and forty troops, and left the camp under the watchful eyes of the soldiers and generals.
After nearly half a year of getting along, he has gained considerable prestige in the town protection department.
In any case, there are not many people in the Wei Kingdom who are sons of the heroes of Qiaopei and share the hardships with the soldiers and judge things fairly. Especially Xiahou Hui has real achievements and climbed up the high position step by step from the guard general. He is not a playboy who relies on his status as a noble relative to gain power.
Among the many soldiers and generals, Lou Zhi was the most sentimental one.
After being promoted to the commander of 500 men, he ignored Xiahou Hui's last order "all soldiers return to their tents and do not make any noise" and came to the big tent to ask for an audience despite being punished with 20 strokes of the cane.
He begged to go to Liaoxi with Xiahou Hui.
According to him, Xiahou Hui was still the Protector General, and although he was now exiled to Liaoxi, he still had the right to lead some soldiers there; and it just so happened that the hundred people who had originally belonged to his command were all willing to go with him.
Xiahou Hui refused.
He just walked up to him, patted his arm gently, and said earnestly, "Zi Zheng's transfer is the result of years of hard work, not my credit. If Zi Zheng is grateful, he can work hard to serve the country. Also, I just issued an order that soldiers are not allowed to leave their tents without permission. Zi Zheng has violated the order, so go and receive twenty cane punishments."
After saying this, he walked past the crowd and led his horse out of the camp.
Le Liang, Xu Yi, Fu Gu and Chen Qian said nothing more. They just silently sent him to the camp gate and then bowed and said goodbye, "General, the road to Liaoxi is long and bitterly cold. Please take care of yourself."
Because Xiahou Hui had already reminded them when she was cleaning up the debris.
Let them perform their respective duties, enforce military discipline, and urge the soldiers to continue practicing martial arts. As for other matters, they can just wait for Emperor Cao Rui to send someone to take charge or appoint them to take over.
I also declined their good intention to send you gifts within a mile.
"Men in the army don't act like children."
Xiahou Hui walked out of the military camp, bowed to everyone and said with a smile, "I am on a long journey now, and many things depend on your hard work. I hope you will not slack off and strictly supervise the soldiers, so that we can fight and win the world's glory in the future!"
"only!"
Amid the crowd's responses, Xiahou Hui turned around, mounted his horse, and rode away.
Ding Mi, who had originally walked side by side with him, continued to lead the warhorse and slowly headed north with his troops.
The reason was that Xiahou Ba sighed and returned to his own camp as soon as the emperor's edict arrived at the military camp, and he did not even show up when they packed their bags and left the camp. Ding Mi did not need to think too much, and knew that he must have left the camp in advance and was waiting for Xiahou Hui outside.
After all, they are blood relatives.
No matter how angry he was with his sixth brother for not fighting for his country, Xiahou Ba would always come out to see him off.
Moreover, some advice between brothers is not suitable to be said in the army, and some true feelings are not suitable to be shown in front of everyone.
Ding Mi naturally understood.
Therefore, he led his troops to walk slowly to give them enough time.
However, what he didn't expect was that Xiahou Hui, who had taken the lead, would first meet Li Zhen.
He also received a transfer order.
His official position remained unchanged, but he had to go to Bohai County to take up his post before the autumn harvest.
The reason was that Emperor Cao Rui had sent envoys three times to observe the military exercises of the Zhenhu Department, but in fact he sent people to discuss the details of the attack on Liaodong with Xiahou Hui.
One of them is about the transportation of grain and fodder during wartime.
Because it was too difficult to transport food and fodder via the Banhai route, the total number of troops required by the Zhenhu Department and Youzhou was 40,000, which was too much pressure for Youzhou, which had a small population.
There was an example in the past where soldiers and common people in Wancheng rebelled because of excessive corvee labor. The court did not plan to transfer the troops from Youzhou.
But it is not advisable to take the sea route from Qingzhou.
Out of inertia, the Liaodong navy will certainly keep an eye on the movements of Donglai, and the combat effectiveness of the Wei navy is really not up to par.
Therefore, Cao Rui planned to transfer from Jizhou.
The ships sailed along the coastline of Banhaidao until they reached the mouth of the Liaoshui River.
To this end, he also appointed Zheng Zhou, a surrendered Wu man who was captured in the Battle of Guangling and later persuaded to surrender by Xiahou Hui, as the Henghai Cavalry Captain and sent him to Bohai County in Jizhou to build large sea ships and train sailors.
Well, Zheng Zhou has changed his name now.
In order to avoid his father and brother in Jiangdong being implicated by his surrender to Wei, he swapped his given name and courtesy name, changing it to Zheng Gui with courtesy name Zi Zhou. This was just like Han Yue, a county official who was dragged into the rebellion of the Qiang in Liangzhou in the early years. In order to avoid the disgrace of joining the bandits, he changed his name to Sui with courtesy name Wen Yue.
It was for this reason that Xiahou Hui praised Li Zhen's ability in overall planning and asked the emperor to send him to Bohai County to supervise the supply of food and fodder for the war in Liaodong.
Without much thought or consulting the ministers, Cao Rui agreed immediately.
After all, no matter how much he trusted the surrendered people of Wu, he would not appoint Zheng Gui as the rear commander of the expedition against Liao.
Letting Li Zhen, who had served in Jizhou for many years, go to control Zheng Gui would not only make him feel at ease, but also make the supervision of transportation go more smoothly.
It was also because of this that Li Zhen made a special trip from Yecheng to see Xiahou Hui off.
Although the court transferred him to Bohai County and did not mention the attack on Liao, he could guess it! What else could he do besides attacking Liao by storing food and building ships in Bohai County? The emperor was rich in the Spring and Autumn Period, and was far from imitating the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor Wu in seeking immortals and medicine.
Of course, although he said he was here to see him off, Li Zhen didn’t really have much to say.
They were not familiar with each other.
He was just expressing his attitude and indicating that he would keep Xiahou Hui's recommendation in mind.
After a few polite words, he said a few words of care and praise and left.
Because he had already seen Xiahou Ba waiting with his horse not far away, if he continued to be polite, he might be disliked.
"Brother Zhong."
Xiahou Hui, who was walking over leading the warhorse, called out softly.
"Ah."
Xiahou Ba responded and looked at him silently with complicated eyes for a long time. Finally, he sighed and began to remind him in detail to take care of himself after going to Liaoxi and not to worry about home.
Xiahou Hui also listened silently.
Although his second brother was a little reckless, he was about the same age as his eldest brother Xiahou Heng and had taken good care of him since he was a child.
Now, feeling the love that is thicker than blood, he suddenly felt a little guilty, so when Xiahou Ba paused, he asked, "Brother Zhong, do you blame me?"
Unexpectedly, Xiahou Ba glared at him and asked, "Now that things have come to this, is it any use to blame you?"
uh~
Maybe not.
Xiahou Hui was stunned and couldn't help laughing.
But Xiahou Ba's next words made him stop smiling.
“You’re not wrong either.”
He said so, and patted Xiahou Hui on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "As a son of Qiaopei, you are highly regarded by your majesty. It is my duty to be loyal and faithful to your majesty. Zhiquan, remember, you have done nothing wrong, and don't blame yourself. If your father knew about this, he would be very pleased with your advice."
Such comforting words made Xiahou Hui feel a little sad even though he had killed countless people.
"Whoo~"
After taking a deep breath, Xiahou Hui calmed down and asked softly, "Brother Zhong, do you believe me?"
What to believe?
The sudden change of the subject made Xiahou Ba slightly stunned.
After coming to his senses, he revealed his true nature and slapped Xiahou Hui's shoulder with his hand, cursing, "What are you talking about? What's the point of trusting or not trusting each other between brothers! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will discipline you on behalf of your father!"
Xiahou Hui grimaced in pain.
While the long-lost warmth was rippling in my heart, I was shouting, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just want to make a bet with Brother Zhong."
"What bet? Tell me first."
"If I can help you achieve success on the battlefield within two years, you will obey me in the future and never question me. If I can't, I will do whatever you tell me to do. How about it, do you dare to make a bet with me?"
"Why not?"
After hearing this, Xiahou Ba blurted out the answer without thinking, but stopped talking halfway, and raised his hand again with an angry look, "You bastard! How dare you lie to me!"
He didn't get it.
When Xiahou Hui raised his hand, he immediately dodged to the side, "How could I lie to you, brother Zhong? I know that you are angry and want to find a chance to hit me. Don't be so secretive. You are not a man at all!"
"You bastard! You deserve a beating!"
Xiahou Ba was so angry that his hair stood on end. He immediately rushed forward to chase him. When he failed, he cursed, "There is an order of seniority, and you still dare not listen to my orders? What good does this bet have for me?"
Are you sure I will listen to you?
Xiahou Hui, who had hidden far away, laughed heartily, "Your Majesty did not ask me to change my position. Enough of the joke, Brother Zhong, are you willing to make a bet with me?"
Yes!
Although he was sent to Liaoxi, his official position did not change!
This time, Xiahou Ba raised his eyebrows and suppressed his anger.
He suddenly remembered that his sixth brother had been banished from the capital in his early years, but within just a few years he was highly regarded by the emperor and was promoted rapidly.
Could it be that this time of exile is also the same?
With this thought in mind, Xiahou Ba stared at his sixth brother suspiciously for a moment, and finally smiled, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
"A gentleman's word?"
"You bastard, you still don't believe your brother's words!"
It is no coincidence.
In front of the residence of Marquis Wuyang in the capital Luoyang, a pair of brothers were also saying goodbye.
The difference is that when faced with his brother Sima Shi's instructions, Sima Zhao listened respectfully and obediently without any doubt.
"Zi Shang, I am going to Chang'an to pay a visit to my father. You stay in the capital and must not go out for the next few days. You must not have any contact with Cao Changsi and He Yingkao. If you really can't refuse, then you can claim that you are ill or return to your hometown in Wen County."
"Yes. Don't worry, brother. I will claim to be sick the next day."
"That's the best. I'll be back in a few months at most. If you have any questions, just go and ask my father for advice."
"only."
"Also, serve your mother well."
"Yes. Brother, you don't need to remind me of this matter."
"It's alright, you can go back home, I'll leave by myself."
"only."
After some instructions, Sima Shi got on the carriage and signaled the driver to drive forward.
He had some things he needed to ask his father Sima Yi for advice.
Or perhaps he needed Sima Yi to write a letter to ask Jiang Ji some questions in order to confirm his guess.
Because he also keenly discovered the details that Emperor Cao Rui banished Xiahou Hui to Liaoxi but did not deprive him of his position or military power; plus the fact that the Zhenhu Department, which was only established this year, was moved to Yecheng, Jizhou, made him feel that the war in Liaodong might be about to begin.
Of course, he was not concerned about attacking Liao.
Instead, we need to re-evaluate Xiahou Hui's potential strength. (End of this chapter)
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