Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 399 The one who destroys Wei must be Huo Jun!

Wokou, Jingshan.

The Huaihe River is thousands of miles long, and it is not all broad plains or steep mountains. Like Wukou, its south bank is Tushan Mountain and its north bank is Jingshan Mountain. The two mountains face each other across the river, just like the Yangtze River's small Three Gorges.

After Huo Jun entered the Jishui River westward and pretended to cross the river at the two mouths of Wu and Jian, Cao and Liu's armies moved from Shouchun to Tu and Jing Mountains to confront each other.

Liu Bei relied on his naval superiority. He rode a flying dragon on his face many times, mounted his bow and crossbow on the boat, and shot at the Wei soldiers camped on the shore from a long distance. He sent sergeants to attack the Wei camp many times. On the night of Huo Jun's eastward march, he captured hundreds of Wei soldiers and successfully diverted Cao Cao's attention.

Cao Cao, on the other hand, was distracted to the north and sent a large number of scouts to detect Huo Jun's traces. However, Huo Jun's traces were never found. It was not until Huo Jun's troops entered the Suishui River that Cao Cao received the news that Huo Jun led his army to turn east.

Immediately afterwards, Cao Cao received news from Liu Ye and Xu Huang, as well as letters from Huo Jun.

As Cao Cao gradually understood the situation, it became more and more difficult for him!

Wei Jun's stronghold is on a high slope.

Jia Xu looked at the steepness of Tushan Mountain, stroking his beard and sighing.

"Father!"

Jia Mo walked up the winding mountain road.

Seeing that it was his son, Jia Xu asked, "How is your Majesty doing now?"

Jia Mo had a sullen face, shook his head slightly, and said: "The king is furious, and all the ministers dare not approach him. Only Wu Hou reluctantly persuaded him, and the king was able to calm down his anger."

"Wuhou?"

Jia Xu smiled bitterly and shook his head, commenting: "A treacherous and sycophantic villain who seeks the emperor's heart and associates with his followers is not our great fortune!"

Jia Mo's face was full of doubts and he said: "Marquis Wu is fair, good at handling affairs, clear in governance, and able to get along with everyone. He has won the heart of the king. How can my father say that Marquis Wu is a villain?"

Seeing that his son was not familiar with politics, Jia Xu said bluntly: "A good minister may not be a capable and virtuous person, and a villain is not a person without talent or virtue."

"this?"

Jia Xu further explained, saying: "If a person is greedy for money and lust, and has many party members, but he is superior to others in the military, helps the people and is loyal to the state, can he be a good minister?"

"You are a wise minister!" Jia Mo said.

Jia Xu asked in response: "A person has a friendly personality, harmonizes with the monarch and his ministers, and is good at governing. However, he makes friends with party members and seeks personal gain for the sake of public service. Is it a question of whether he is a virtuous person or a traitor?"

Jia Mo thought for a while and said: "If the king is virtuous, his ministers will be virtuous; if the king is ignorant, his ministers will be treacherous."

"good!"

Jia Xu said: "The virtuous minister you speak of is Huo Jun, and the traitor you speak of is Sun Quan. The traitor and the virtuous are not distinguished by incompetence, but must be distinguished by official duties!"

Jia Mo nodded thoughtfully and said, "Since my father knows that the Marquis of Wu is not a wise man, why not go up to the throne and remonstrate with the king."

Jia Xu smiled bitterly and said: "I am a descendant, and it is the greatest honor for the king to take advantage of him as his father. If you make false claims about personnel appointments, you will be criticized by outsiders. This is a way to bring disaster."

When a subordinate wants to integrate into a force, there are not many feasible ways. Jia Xu and Sun Quan each found a successful path.

Jia Xu won the respect of Cao Cao by virtue of his talents and his behavior of not having too much contact with outsiders.

Sun Quan relied on his emotional intelligence and political ability to actively integrate into the Cao family circle. Such as getting to know Cao Pi through Cao Zhang's relationship; or winning Cao Cao's trust by sacrificing his life as a savior.

If it was close, it would be like Zhang He, who spent his whole life as a second-in-command and helped Xia Houyuan achieve the record of Hubu Guanyou.

Of course, if you are really capable of fighting, like Zhang Liao, with his extraordinary record, you don't have to play second fiddle to General Cao.

"From now on, as long as your relationship with the Marquis of Wu is acceptable, you don't have to be too close, and you can't alienate the Marquis of Wu," Jia Xu warned.

"promise!"

Jia Mo thought about what happened and said: "The king escaped from the siege for Huo Jun and killed Sun Guan instead. He was very angry. Father, do you want to give me some advice to prevent the king from being angry and hurting himself?"

Jia Xu looked melancholy and said: "Huo Jun is proficient in the art of war. Even after his debut, he has never been defeated. He is good at controlling people and uses soldiers like a god. He attacked from the east to the west, crossed Surabaya three times, and was killed by one general. It is such a shame, how can the king not do it? angry?"

"Did father praise Huo Jun too much?" Jia Mo said.

Jia Xu glanced at Jia Mo and said calmly: "You don't know the soldiers. You can ask the generals in the camp to describe Huo Jun's march and mobilization, or you can see the march route from the map. But if you let the generals learn from Huo Jun to lead the troops, except for the king Otherwise, I’m afraid no one can reproduce it.”

"It's like playing chess with a master. Huo Jun fiddles with the chess pieces, but everyone is running around, and it's difficult to focus on the east and west. Huo Jun's tactics may seem ordinary and can be summarized in just four words, but the tactics of crossing Surabaya three times are profound and profound."

"The first crossing is a wonderful move, the second crossing is a surprise, and the third crossing is a return to truth."

Then, Jia Xu looked around and saw no one around, so he whispered: "Father Rong is lying, if China is destroyed by water thieves, it will definitely die in the hands of this man."

"If your father unfortunately passes away first, you should be cautious in your words and deeds, and be aware of current events to make progress and retreat. Do you understand?"

Seeing his father's solemn words, Jia Mo responded seriously: "I dare not forget!"

The father and son chatted for a long time, then walked down the mountain road back to the camp.

Inside the tent, Cao Cao was no longer furious, but his face was still cold and his eyes contained murderous intent.

Huo Jun's letter was not very harmful, but seriously insulting. It said that Duke Lao had been waiting at Wokou for a long time. Zhao Yan, Liu Ye and Zang Ba were not enemies. It was appropriate for Duke Lao to come to Sishang for a decisive battle. "Your Majesty, Zhao Yan and Liu Ye have sent their apologies to you!"

Sima Yi tiptoed into the tent and gently placed the two letters on the desk, fearing that Cao Cao would take out his anger on him.

Cao Cao picked up the towel, flipped through it a few times, then angrily threw it on the table and said in a low voice: "Excuse me, what am I asking for?"

"Huo Jun coaxed them around and told them to go east as they went, but Huo Jun couldn't do anything to him. He also let Huo Jun take the opportunity to kill Sun Guan and escape in a boat. The strategy of encircling Huo Jun was probably a joke among the southerners. thing."

"Your Majesty, although Huo Jun escaped in this battle, it did not harm the overall situation!" Sun Quan advised: "Your Majesty, it is definitely not what Huo Jun wants. Out of anger, he raised troops and entered the swamp to fight with the water thieves."

Cao Cao rubbed his temples, looking angry and helpless.

He has dominated the world for more than 20 years, defeated the Yellow Turban, captured Lu Bu, destroyed Yuan Shao, and surrendered Ma Chao. However, I have to admit that Huo Jun used his troops this time too coolly.

He used Liu Bei as a chess piece to attract his attention, and then led his troops to run east and west, making Liu Ye, Zhao Yan and others spin around.

In the end, Huo Jun not only suffered no loss at all, but even killed Sun Guan. Now he also ordered the generals to move north to relocate the people, which made people angry and annoyed.

"I wish to pay my respects to the king!"

After Cao Cao's anger gradually dissipated, Jia Xufang arrived belatedly.

"No gifts!"

Cao Cao looked neither angry nor happy, and waved his hand and said: "Huo Jun, take advantage of Liu Bei's army and the boat to retreat to Sikou. Although the current strategy of encircling and suppressing Huo Jun failed, it still forced him into a desperate situation. Now the enemy is now at hand. , spare Huo Jun’s life.”

After speaking hard, Cao Cao changed his subject and said: "The water thieves take advantage of the boats and boats, and rely on the troops to advance lightly, either to rob the people or to besiege the cities. Although it is not a serious danger, it will hurt the people. Now you guys can have some advice. I am alone, preventing the enemy from lightly advancing into the Central Plains."

Huo Jun's reckless running through the Xuhuai area this time did not cause a lot of losses, but it also made Cao Cao wary. If water thieves use boats and boats to invade the waters of various places in the future, Henan will not be able to say that it will be peaceful. These threats must be nipped in the bud.

In the silence of everyone, Sima Yi stepped out of the queue and said: "Let me tell you, your Majesty, I have a plan that may break the water thieves' attack!"

"Sure words!"

Sima Yi cupped his hands and said: "For your information, your Majesty, in the past when the Baibo Army and the Southern Xiongnu were in rebellion in Hedong, the nobles in Hedong built many forts to prevent the rebels from looting. After the water thieves retreated, your Majesty could order the nobles from all over Huaibei to build forts. .”

"From now on, if thieves come by boat, they will be restricted by the Wubao and will have difficulty plundering the people. Without the people and no long-term food, the water thieves will definitely retreat!"

"Building a fort?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and was silent and deep in thought.

Wubao is not a new thing. In the late Western Han Dynasty, nobles from all over the country built Wubao and raised soldiers from the countryside to protect themselves.

After Emperor Guangwu unified the world, although he ordered the nobles in the world to prohibit the construction of Wubao, the ban could not be eliminated. Especially in the northwest and border areas, due to the year-round harassment by Qianghu, the construction of Wubao is very popular.

Sima Yi suggested building a fortress in Huaibei, and he had to say it was a good idea. Of course, one thing must be understood clearly. Once the nobles are allowed to start building Wubao, it means that the Huaibei nobles will have a certain right to self-defense.

Even if Cao Cao wanted to check the population in the future, he would not be able to intimidate the nobles who owned Wubao. Sima Yi's suggestion was like a double-edged sword, with both pros and cons, making it difficult for Cao Cao to make a choice.

After a long silence, Cao Cao looked around at the crowd and said, "Rong Gu thought deeply about the matter of ordering the Huaibei nobles to build Wubao."

"No!" Sima Yi retreated into the queue.

"Your Majesty, most of the water thieves are still causing trouble in Huainan. How should we deal with it?" Sun Quan asked.

Cao Cao pondered for a while and said: "Order Zhao Yan, Liu Ye, Wen Ji and others to assist Zang Ba in defending Xiapi County and not to fight lightly with Huo Jun. I will lead my army to confront Liu Bei and look for opportunities to defeat the enemy or force his troops to retreat. .”

"promise!"

"How is the epidemic in the army today?" Cao Cao asked.

"Reporting to your Majesty, the epidemic in the army has become more and more serious. Not only the soldiers are sick, but also the doctor."

Sun Quan grimaced and said: "Among the superior officials, Chen Lin (Chen Lin), who was infected with the disease, did not get better even though he was treated with medicine and stones. Quan has placed the soldiers with the disease alone and isolated them from the healthy ones to prevent them from getting better. Diseases are transmitted to each other.”

Cao Cao's eyes flickered and asked: "How is the situation in the water bandit camp?"

"According to the scouts, the herbal medicines are mostly transported from Hefei to Bagong Mountain. It is difficult for me to know the specific details." Sun Quan replied.

"Report to your Majesty, a few days ago, the southern thieves captured the Governor Gongsun Yang alive, and hundreds of his soldiers were captured. During the period, a famous soldier took advantage of the darkness of night to sneak across the Huai River and sneak back to the camp. According to him, the water thieves got something There are many infected people." Sima Yi said.

"Ok!"

Cao Cao remained calm and said: "The epidemic is serious, so the officers and soldiers in the camp should be careful. The doctors should find a good prescription as soon as possible to treat the officers and soldiers in the army."

"From now on, all generals in the army who are sick on their left or right will not be allowed to participate in military affairs for a period of thirty days. Only if they have been free of illness for thirty days can they participate in military affairs. If there are political opinions or military orders, they will be passed down through letters. "

"promise!"

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, although there were no viruses, the concept of air and water-borne infections emerged. However, there are measures such as close contact and isolation.

For example, during the Western Jin Dynasty, there was an epidemic in the homes of courtiers, but even if they were not sick, they were not allowed to enter the palace for a hundred days. Or at the end of the Han Dynasty, a hospital for diseases was set up. When the people were sick, they left empty residences to buy medicine.

Now even Chen Lin, the subordinate supervisor, is sick, which makes Cao Cao have to worry about himself. For the sake of their own safety and that of Cao Wei's senior officials, they had no choice but to prohibit close contact with civil and military officials to participate in military discussions. Otherwise, if you catch the plague, Liu Bei will not need to go on the Northern Expedition, and the entire Wei Kingdom will be defeated!

(End of this chapter)