Wei Ni

The next morning, Guanqiu Jian, who had almost not slept all night, set out on the journey back to Ji County.

He had a long talk with Xiahou Hui all night, so naturally there was no need for him to go to Liaoxi again.

The difference is that unlike the previous time when he was exhausted from working so hard that he couldn't sleep at night, this time his bloodshot eyes were shining brightly and the worry on his brows had disappeared.

He also has a courageous side.

If the war plan has been finalized now, he will not continue to worry about it, but will focus on it and give it his all.

Yes, he finally agreed with Xiahou Hui's strategy of using Fu Rong.

It was not that he was convinced, or that he had a clear understanding of the difficulties faced in a thousand-mile expedition, but that Xiahou Hui's words "we are both still young" touched his heart.

He didn't want to fail in the expedition against Liaodong.

But if he fails as he wishes, he will not panic.

No matter what, there were the previous events such as the "three thousand armored soldiers", the humiliation of having women's clothes thrown in the face, and the loss of the great general Zhang He. Even though he and Xiahou Hui failed, no ministers in the court would advise them to be imprisoned and punished.

Since Emperor Cao Rui ascended the throne, it seemed no longer surprising that the Wei government and the people suffered defeat in the war.

Therefore, even if he and Xiahou Hui failed, there would be opportunities for him to rise again and lead his troops to attack Liaodong again in the future.

The reason is that Emperor Cao Rui would not accept failure.

Under the urgent and difficult circumstances of Shu and Wu, it was unreasonable for the emperor to not allow Wei to not even have the strength to conquer Liaodong!
But all this is subject to two prerequisites.

First, he and Xiahou Hui must have the courage to fight.

At least Cao Rui had to feel that the two of them, under the emperor's edict, had the fighting spirit of "knowing it was impossible but doing it anyway."

It's a matter of attitude.

After all, the reason why Cao Rui insisted on attacking Liaodong despite opposition from important officials in the court was not just because of Gongsun Yuan's willful and disloyal behavior.

Another thing is that if the war is lost, there must also be an element of "failure for the right reason".

As Xiahou Hui said, under the actual conditions of time, terrain, and military strength, Wei was defeated by three points before the battle even started.

Therefore, no matter how tragic the defeat was, as long as the reasons were sufficient, Emperor Cao Rui had a way to atone for the defeat and find an excuse for the next campaign.

But if the reason for their defeat was that they were cowardly and had no fighting spirit, then that would be a real slap in Cao Rui's face.

This confirmed the accusation from both the government and the public that Cao Rui had no ability to judge people!
War is the continuation of politics.
Moreover, Guanqiu Jian also knew that what Xiahou Hui said about "still young" actually had another meaning - time waits for no one!
Why were he and Emperor Cao Rui so eager to launch an attack on Liaodong the following year?
Could it be that he and the emperor were so stupid that they didn't even know that the insufficient time for pre-war preparations would cause the balance of victory to tilt towards Liaodong?
Or is it that he and the emperor are so arrogant that they turn a blind eye to the disadvantages of fighting the enemy thousands of miles away?
The answer, of course, is no.

He and the emperor were just at odds because "time was running out".

Let me ask, if Shu and Wu learned that Wei was attacking Gongsun Yuan in Liaodong, would they take any action?
No one can be sure.

No one dares to take any chances.

Furthermore, the decision on whether to attack Liaodong was made before Emperor Cao Rui expanded his palace and started building large-scale projects.

War is a test of national strength.

After Emperor Cao Rui spent the national treasury, Guanqiu Jian and Xiahou Hui had no choice but to choose a strategy of quick victory.

This is the biggest reason why Guanqiu Jian no longer refuted.

In fact, after learning that Xiahou Hui had alerted the enemy, he also adjusted his strategy of attacking Liaodong, intending to advance across Liaodong step by step.

Using Wei's national strength, the four counties of Liaodong were gradually eroded.

But recently, another piece of news came from Luoyang: Chonghua Rear Hall was on fire, and Emperor Cao Rui was on an eastern tour, and he issued an edict to rebuild Chonghua Rear Hall and renamed it Jiulong Hall. This meant that the treasury, which had been depleted again, had no spare money to support him in a war with Xiahou Hui that would last for two or three years.

If he had adopted a step-by-step strategy, during the war, regardless of whether Shu or Wu invaded, the officials in the court would have advised Emperor Cao Rui to order a withdrawal of troops.

The reason was good: the treasury was empty.

The arguments for Cao Rui to accept the advice were also very sufficient: they were still young and had plenty of opportunities. They could postpone the war against Liaodong for two or three years, and it would not be too late to defeat the enemy later.

After Xiahou Hui's reminder, Guanqiu Jian was very worried that under the persuasion of the ministers, Emperor Cao Rui would let the war against Liaodong end in a tiger's head but a whimper.

As an old friend of the emperor, he knew Emperor Cao Rui too well.

This emperor was very good in many aspects, but because during his early years in the Eastern Palace, the previous emperor Cao Pi ordered the execution of Empress Zhen, demoted him to a marquis, and later made him a king, forced him to recognize Empress Guo as his mother, and also showed his intention to make Cao Li the crown prince. This created his somewhat extreme personality, and there was still a bit of youthful spirit in his bones.

For example, the fall of favor of Shizhong Liu Ye is a good example.

Guanqiu Jian knew that Cao Rui would also have the youthful spirit in the war against Liaodong.

As long as Wei State mobilized its troops, no matter how difficult it was or how much opposition the officials in the court had, Cao Rui would not waver in his determination and would definitely "never return until Loulan was conquered."

But if the officials in the court had persisted in dissuading the war with sufficient reasons before it started,
Maybe he really would accept the advice!

Therefore, with this worry, Guanqiu Jian would rather accompany Xiahou Hui to take a gamble.

At least there is a chance of winning if you gamble.

If you delay any further, you might not even have the chance to get on the gambling table.

Of course, neither he nor Xiahou Hui could speak openly about this kind of taboo thinking of guessing the superior's intentions.

Even in the middle of the night when no one is whispering.

So he also felt that Xiahou Hui, who was highly regarded by Emperor Cao Rui, meant this when he said that "we are both still young".

It can be considered as opening one's heart to him.

In this case, if he refutes the strategy again, they may not be able to agree on the same goal.

Although their temperaments and behaviors are different, their goals are the same. They can benefit each other and seek the same goal through different paths.

Furthermore, he was the first to become famous for his writings and he was also a descendant of a military family! His father, Guanqiu Xing, was a veteran general stationed in Yongliang and had many military achievements!
If Xiahou Hui, a young upstart from Qiaopei, dared to take a gamble, why wouldn't he dare to risk his life for a gentleman?
Once the knot in your heart is untied, all thoughts will naturally become clear.

After he clearly expressed his agreement with Xiahou Hui's suggestion to adopt Fu Rong's, the two of them discussed the details and the division of responsibilities for their respective pre-war preparations with great interest.

We talked all night long.

After that, he was still so excited that he had no time to rest. He set out to rush back to Ji County at dawn, busying himself with such miscellaneous tasks as compiling memorials for the imperial court and writing letters to the emperor privately.

Xiahou Hui fell asleep immediately and did not get up until almost evening.

He was exhausted both physically and mentally.

It took him a month to go to Liaoze to survey the terrain. After returning, he only took a bath and rested for half an hour before rushing to Youbeiping to look for Guanqiu Jian. Along the way, he was thinking about words to persuade Guanqiu Jian.

Now that everything was going well and he could finally relax for a while, he naturally slept soundly.

It was already dusk, and it was unrealistic to set out back to the Jieshi Mountain outpost. Xiahou Hui simply stayed in the post station for another day to rest.

When the leader of the tribe, Han Long, saw that he had woken up, he reported the matter according to his duty.

It was Guanqiu Jian's message before he left, asking Xiahou Hui to send Ding Mi to Jixian for some time after returning to Liaoxi. The reason given was that he was busy with other things and had no time to think about what Xiahou Hui mentioned last night, that is, how to "seek benefits for the country" after settling Liaodong, so he troubled Ding Mi to go there to discuss it with him.

But Xiahou Hui knew that Guanqiu Jian was returning the favor.

Because in the eyes of the court and the public, Xiahou Hui was still exiled to Yuguan because he had angered Emperor Cao Rui. Therefore, the credit for surrendering the remaining pro-Yuan Wuhuan tribes and incorporating the small Xianbei settlements in Liaodong's vassal state will naturally fall on Guanqiu Jian, who is in charge of both the military and political affairs of Youzhou.

A gentleman does not take ill-gotten gains, and a real man does not take credit for other people's work.

Guanqiu Jian wanted to ask Ding Mi, who was Xiahou Hui's aide, to come over and talk about some things that were not acceptable.

To put it bluntly, it is dividing the spoils.

In the future, I will recommend people close to Xiahou Hui to take up official positions in order to return the credit I have received today.

Moreover, Guanqiu Jian, who had been on good terms with Xiahou Xuan, Li Feng and others in his early years in the capital, was no stranger to Ding Mi. He knew that Ding Mi was scheming and really wanted him to help him with some government affairs.

"Yes, I know about this."

Nodding at Han Long, Xiahou Hui, who was originally a little bored, suddenly wanted to go to the bank of Fengda River to appreciate the carefree and unrestrained nature of the clouds and wild cranes.

Because Guanqiu Jian treated him very well.

So good that it made him feel guilty.

You know, when the two of them had a long talk last night, the reasons he used to persuade Guanqiu Jian to accept his strategic decision, such as the right time and place, the small number of troops, and "still young", etc., were actually superficial and were just to increase the persuasiveness. The real reason was his selfishness.

After witnessing Emperor Cao Rui becoming increasingly dissolute, building large-scale projects, and indulging in debauchery, he developed a sense of urgency and felt that the trajectory of history would probably not be changed because of his little wings.

So he also felt that time was running out.

Emperor Cao Rui doesn't have much time left for himself.

If he wanted to save the Cao Wei state, he must return to the capital Luoyang as soon as possible and establish convincing prestige as soon as possible.

In this way, the war against Liaodong cannot be delayed.

If you delay it for too long, it will not just delay your return.

It is more likely that he would be like Guanqiu Jian in history, forgotten for a long time in the border area of ​​Youzhou, and finally returned to the Central Plains by conquering Goguryeo and expanding the territory by thousands of miles.

So Xiahou Hui is actually quite hypocritical.

For his own selfish reasons, he dragged Guanqiu Jian into a gamble at the cost of his official career.

Although his starting point was also for the sake of the Wei State, he was not a plant or a tree, and he could not help feeling a little guilty in the face of Guanqiu Jian's deep affection.

Cheating is cheating, and you can't comfort yourself by finding reasons.

Hey~
I am not a good friend, nor am I an upright man.

But the emperor still cannot be called a wise ruler.

The reason why he expressed such emotion and no longer had the idea of ​​marrying Cao Rui was because when Xiahou Hui left Jieshi Mountain, Ding Mi told him something in private.

Emperor Cao Rui actually sent an envoy to Jiangdong to discuss exchanging horses for jewels with Sun Quan!
Sun Quan believed that pearls, jadeite, tortoise shells and other precious jewels were of no benefit to the country, so he took out all his own collections and plundered the noble families, and readily reached an agreement with the State of Wei.

Even Jiangdong, a remote place, knows that precious treasures and jewels are of no benefit to the country!
The Wei State, which replaced the Han Dynasty and claimed to have received the Mandate of Heaven, actually exchanged horses with the enemy country for useless things before achieving the great cause of unification!
Those are the horses that are in short supply in Jiangdong~
Horses that can be used to train cavalry, strengthen national strength, and bring greater damage to the southeastern war zone of Wei State~
Cao Rui actually took the initiative to sell it to Jiangdong.

To denounce him as a prodigal son is to flatter him!
Xiahou Hui just couldn't understand why Cao Rui, who was known for his intelligence and knowledge, would do such an unwise thing.

Let me ask, when the soldiers guarding Huainan and Jingxiang learned of this action and saw the Wu people riding Wei's war horses and trampling their comrades on the ground, how much support would they still have for Emperor Cao Rui and how much loyalty would they still have to the Wei Dynasty?

Isn't this treating these soldiers who defend the country as ants to be discarded at will?

Moreover, even the emperor has sided with the enemy, so why should these soldiers and generals fight?

absurd!

The big joke of slipping the world!

This was the resentment Xiahou Hui felt after learning about it.

But he could only rage and hope.

It was not only a disappointment to the emperor Cao Rui, but also a cry to all the dignitaries in the court: "Please! Is this not your fault?"

Although he could guess that many officials must have tried to dissuade Cao Rui from doing this but failed, this failure itself showed that there were few loyal and upright ministers in the court and many who were prudent and self-protective.

Otherwise, someone will come and make a die-for remonstrance, and see if Cao Rui dares to risk the wrath of the world.

Of course, impotent rage won't change anything.

The only solution Xiahou Hui could think of was to return to Luoyang as soon as possible and lay a solid foundation for future changes.

Because he suddenly discovered that the Wei Dynasty was not popular at all.

Cao Cao, the King of Wei, conquered the world and was known for his brutality, so it was inevitable that the people did not support him; the previous emperor, Cao Pi, advocated power politics, was mean and ungrateful, and his foreign conquests were ineffective and his domestic governance was immoral; and Cao Rui worked hard to govern the country in the early days of his reign and showed the demeanor of a wise ruler, but now he has the appearance of a tyrant who is greedy for enjoyment, builds large-scale projects, and indulges in sensual pleasures.

In this case, how can the scholars and common people in the world be loyal to their country?
It is said that after great chaos there will be great order.

It means that the new dynasty born from the ruins of the previous dynasty will learn from the lessons of the previous dynasty, take appropriate measures to reform the accumulated problems, and bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world.

However, Cao Wei had only been established for a dozen years when it sank into the ruins of its past.

In this case, how can the Wei Dynasty maintain peace?
Anyway, Xiahou Hui couldn't think of it.

He knew that even he, a native of Qiaopei, was heartbroken, let alone the scholars and common people in the world?

Try to return early and make preparations early.

After all, he also knew that the long-standing problems of the Wei Dynasty were not just a problem for one emperor.

Just like in history, even if Emperor Xuanzong of Tang died during the Kaiyuan Period, without the absurdity of the Tianbao Period, it would not necessarily prevent the Tang Dynasty from entering a period of decline. (End of this chapter)