Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 404 Wei Gaozu?

It was May 5th, the twenty-second year of Jian'an.

Taking advantage of the dim sky, the Han army took boats and withdrew southward from Feishui, and Liu Bei ended his first Northern Expedition.

Judging from the results of the Northern Expedition, although Huaixi did not have any major results, Huaidong made considerable progress. For example, if they occupy the Huainan strongholds such as Huaiyin, Zhongli, Xutai, etc., except for Shouchun, the Han army has pushed the battle line to the Huaihe River.

In addition to the city of Huainan, they also captured two generals, Sun Guan and Zhu Guang, six to seven thousand Wei soldiers, and plundered about 4,000 households. The total number of captured soldiers and civilians was about 30,000. Under the auspices of Huo Jun, they all moved to the hinterland of Huainan to enrich the declining Jianghuai area.

After Cao Cao, who was stationed in Huaibei, learned that Liu Bei was withdrawing his troops by boat, he gave up the idea of ​​pursuing Liu Bei because of the raging plague and the rising water. Then he summoned the generals and ordered the army to retreat.

Inside the big tent, incense used to ward off evil spirits curled up, and the pungent smell filled the tent, so mosquitoes did not dare to enter the tent.

Sun Quan stood up from the crowd and asked, "Your Majesty, the water thieves escaped in a boat. Do you know if they can be pursued across the river?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and shook his head, and said: "Liu Bei's troops are intact, and the boats are advancing calmly. If we cross the river to pursue, we may be defeated by water thieves. There are many diseases in the army today, and there are many casualties. It is better to withdraw and rest."

In the Jianghuai summer, the river water level rose sharply, Liu Bei withdrew his troops calmly, but Cao Cao, as a man who knew the troops, would not dare to risk crossing the river to pursue him now.

Of course, Cao Cao, who was getting older, had temporarily acquiesced in the pattern of dividing the north and the south after many failed southern expeditions. It is better to seek stability now and force Liu Bei's Northern Expedition to retreat. If the pursuit across the river fails, there will be more troubles.

And because the pattern of the Southern Han Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty was beginning to emerge, Cao Cao's current thoughts were no longer on war, but on consolidating his rule. If he should be King Wen of Zhou, he should still be the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

The difference between King Wen and Han Gaozu this week represents the path Cao Cao should take next. Whether to become King Wen of Zhou, clear the difficulties of becoming emperor, and then proclaim emperor with Cao Pi; or to become Emperor Gaozu of Han, proclaim emperor and establish the country by himself.

While thinking about it, Cao Cao looked at Xiahou Dun and said, "Liu Bei raised his troops to march north, and it was thanks to Yuan Rang that he defended the city walls. How accomplished you must be!"

Xiahou Dun opened his one eye, raised his hands and said, "I dare not take credit. The Bagong Mountain camp was occupied by Liu Bei, which was a big mistake. Fortunately, the king came to help in time, otherwise I would be ashamed of the king."

Xiahou Dun had a fiery personality before, but as he got older, his temper gradually improved a lot. He was no longer angry because of his one eye, and he could listen to good advice. In the past, Xiahou Dun often suggested that Cao Cao attack Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu first, and then go down the river to destroy Liu Bei.

When Xiahou Dun returns to the Battle of Bowang today, he will most likely listen to Li Dian's advice and will not pursue Liu Bei in depth.

Cao Cao smiled and said: "Liu Bei came with a large army, and his morale was high. It was not easy for Yuan Rang to cross the river and defend the mountain with only a few soldiers. After a long defense, it was normal for Liu Bei to be captured. Now Liu Bei's troops retreat. , this is your merit!"

After a pause, Cao Cao asked: "Although Liu Bei has withdrawn now, the water thieves are in the south and will definitely invade in the future. Yuan Rang has guarded Shouchun for many years and knows a lot about the geography of mountains and rivers. Is there any new strategy to prepare for the enemy?"

Xiahou Dun hesitated for a while and said: "Your Majesty, Shouchun is close to the Huai and Fei rivers. During the rainy season, the water surges and floods the city. If the water thieves use Fei water to destroy the city, Dun is afraid that the outer city will be lost, so he wants to The inner city was rebuilt within the city to echo the old inner city.”

"The three cities echo each other, storing grain in warehouses, and storing more troops and armor. Even if the enemy invades with heavy troops, I will stick to it without fighting, which is enough to protect my life and spring."

Cao Cao pondered for a while and said: "Yuan Rang said that building an inner city within the city is feasible. However, this is to defend the inside without defending against the outside, which is not a long-term plan!"

Xiahou Dun cheered up and said, "I'm sorry for my stupidity, please give me your instructions."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and said: "The Bagong Mountains stand in a corner, more than a hundred miles around. They look to Feishui in the south and Huaihe River in the north. They are towering and steep, with rugged rocks, shielding Shouchun. If you want to protect yourself from the outside world, you can be in a dangerous position on the mountain. In this place, we built a mountain city to rival Shouchun."

"Dig deep wells in the mountain city and reserve grain for several months. The water thieves will attack with troops. If you want to defeat Shouchun, you must first capture the mountain city. With abundant food, grass and water, the soldiers will stick to the mountain city, and Shouchun's soldiers and horses will respond. Let Liu Bei go again The strategy of cutting off water to make camp will be difficult to achieve!"

Building a mountain city on Bagong Mountain is a wonderful move.

Previously, Xiahou Dun ordered his sergeants to camp on the mountain, which delayed Liu Bei's progress in taking Shouchun. It was not until Fazheng offered his advice that Bagong Mountain was captured. Nowadays, when building a city on the mountain, not only is it difficult to replicate the water-cutting strategy before Fa Zheng, but the Shouchun defense system will also rise to a higher level of difficulty.

After the completion of the mountain city, you can see the surrounding conditions from a commanding height. As long as Shouchun is not lost, the sergeants in the mountain city can hold on with the food, grass and water in the city.

According to Cao Cao's vision, Shouchun and Shancheng guarded the east and west banks of Feishui, forming a chain of combined cities. The mountain city will rely on the mountains and Shouchun will rely on the water flow to form a fortification comparable to Xiangfan.

Xiahou Dun hesitated for a while and said: "If it is according to the king's wishes, should we build a mountain city instead of a inner city?"

Cao Cao did not hesitate and said: "Shuchun should be built both internally and externally, and the mountain city and the inner city should be built together. However, taking into account the second priority, we should build the mountain city first and then the inner city. After it is completed, there will be Shouchun Water City and Bagong Mountain City outside. , with a small city nested inside it. The city defense created in this way cannot be broken by human power in Shouchun."

The four cities take into account the dangerous mountains and rivers. In Cao Cao's eyes, as long as the guard is not a fool or goes out to fight in the city, even if he recruits troops to rejuvenate the country and march south, he will only hate Shouchun City.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Dun will do his best." Xiahou Dun replied.

"Yuan Rang is impatient. Wen Yangzhou should give more advice and correct Yuan Rang's behavior!" Cao Cao said.

"No!" Wen Hui responded.

Cao Cao nodded with satisfaction. Xiahou Dun may be a little less capable, but he is better at being obedient and able to listen to correct suggestions. This is much better than Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren, and there is no need to worry him so much.

Then, Cao Cao looked around at the crowd and said: "Now Liu Bei has withdrawn, and all the troops are pulling out their camps one after another according to military orders. There must be no mistakes."

Looking for an opportunity, Sima Yi went out and asked: "Your Majesty, I ask on behalf of the governor of Yanzhou, what should be done with the soldiers in the army who are suffering from the disease?"

Cao Cao pondered for a while and said: "Those who are unable to move will stay in Huaibei; those who can still march will retreat with the army. Let Boda arrange everything. If there is an emergency, you can write a report."

"promise!"

Regarding the concept of plague, Cao Cao and others only had a superficial understanding of it. They did not know that it was spread by air, mosquitoes, or blood.

In their eyes, isolation means isolating sick soldiers. As for those who are not sick, there is no problem. They had never heard of the concept of incubation period. Due to cognitive differences, Liu Bei's and Cao Cao's withdrawals were very different. Under Huo Jun's auspices, Liu Bei will isolate all the soldiers in his tent to avoid bringing malaria to Wuhan. However, Cao Cao's withdrawal is no different from the past. Perhaps malaria will be brought back to Yecheng by Cao Cao.

The Northern Expedition may have come to an end, but the war against malaria has just begun!

After a while, as the topic ended, everyone left one after another.

Cao Cao picked up the writing brush from the desk and started writing the edict on the blank cloth. However, Cao Cao was about to write when he saw Sun Quan walking to the tent and then turning back.

"Does Zhong Mou have something important to report?" Cao Cao asked.

Sun Quan approached Cao Cao, hesitant on his face, as if he had something to say.

After hesitating for a while, Sun Quan said: "Your Majesty, I have the courage to say something. I wonder whether I should say it or not?"

Cao Cao looked up and saw Sun Quan hesitant, frowned and said, "Isn't it okay, sir?"

"promise!"

Sun Quan collected his thoughts and said: "I would like to express my gratitude to you, your Majesty, for your courage. The world knows that the Han Dynasty has been exhausted, the heroes are divided, and the different dynasties are rising. It depends on the king to calm them down. Since ancient times, those who can eliminate harm to the people are favored by the people." Those who rely on you can win the hearts and minds of the people. Your Highness has been in the army for more than thirty years, and his merits have been shown to the world, and he is expected by the world."

"I think it is better for your Majesty to be obedient to Heaven and respond to people, establish a country and establish a system, grant imperial edicts to the world, praise generals, win people's hearts, and correct the fact that the Han Dynasty has died and the Wei Dynasty has prospered."

"Ok?"

Cao Cao looked at Sun Quan sharply and said, "Since the emperor is here, why would Zhong Mou say such a thing without a king?"

After hearing this, Sun Quan felt disdain for Cao Cao's operation of being a bitch and erecting archways. When he asked himself to poison the queen and prince, why didn't he think of Emperor Xuchang?

Now that Liu Bei has returned without success, wouldn't it be a pity if he didn't take advantage of the situation to ascend the throne and establish the country?

Sun Quan lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty has lost its dignity since Emperor An. Foreign relatives and traitorous eunuchs have disrupted the government, and the area under their jurisdiction is limited to Si Li. The fate of the Han Dynasty must come to an end."

"The king raised his troops in response to the fate of the times. He defeated the Yellow Turbans, conquered Dong Zhuo, captured Lu Bu, overthrew Yuan Shu, and destroyed Yuan Shao. Wherever he went, the people all ate pots of pulp and welcomed the king's army."

"Now the king has inherited the fate of heaven, saved the country from disaster, wiped out the bandits, and won the hearts and minds of the people. Quan Yu thought that the king should obey the destiny of heaven, respond to the hearts of his ministers, take Yu and Xia as examples, and implement the policies of the three generations!"

"According to God's will and responding to people's hearts?"

Cao Cao sighed quietly and said: "Zhongmou persuades Gu to take the throne because he wants to make Gu go against his past words!"

The words of the past mentioned by Cao Cao refer to the "Record Order" issued by Cao Cao before. In the "Shu Zhi Ling", Cao Cao emphasized his political ambitions and life aspirations, and expressed that he had no intention of replacing the Han Dynasty.

If Cao Cao proclaims himself emperor now, he will not only slap himself in the face, but he will also be ridiculed by boring scholars, and he will also become a source of criticism from the emperors and ministers of the Southern Han Dynasty.

Sun Quan looked respectful and said: "I think that the king should follow the words of Confucius and benevolent. Guan Zhong did not die for the young master Jiu, but served the young master Xiaobai. It is difficult to say that he is a small benevolent person. However, Guan Zhong unites the princes, respects the king and fights the barbarians, which is a great benevolence. Virtue. How can your Majesty consider the small benevolence at the expense of the great benevolence?"

"Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, China has been in turmoil, the people have been in trouble, and barbarians have raided the south. There is no king to raise an army, and I don't know how many people in the world have become kings and how many have become emperors."

"In terms of benevolence, Emperor Gao violated the oath of the princes, but does your Majesty think Emperor Gao can be benevolent?"

"The great ancestor can be said to be benevolent!"

Cao Cao hesitated for a long time and said: "The great ancestor received the destiny to open up the Han Dynasty, but Gu dare not compare with him. Now Zhongmou said, let Gu think deeply."

Hearing the words "mandate of destiny", Sun Quan couldn't help but think deeply. What did Cao Cao mean by "mandate of heaven"?

Prophecy?

Auspicious?

Military exploits?

If it's the first two, Sun Quan can change them in minutes. If it was military merit, he really couldn't help Cao Cao get it.

After thinking about it, Sun Quan also heard Cao Cao's intention of asking him to step down.

"I dare to speak nonsense, please forgive me, Your Majesty!" Sun Quan said.

"good!"

Looking at Sun Quan's leaving figure, Cao Cao sighed slightly.

He has reached this stage, and it is impossible that he does not have the idea of ​​becoming emperor, but he always has a strange feeling in his heart. I laughed at Xun Yu for being naughty at first, but I didn't expect that I would also have difficulties in becoming emperor.

After Sun Quan left the camp, he thought deeply about Cao Cao's destiny. During the speculation, Sun Quan came to Liu Ye's camp.

After being led into the camp by Liu Ye, Sun Quan asked: "Zi Yang, if your Majesty wants to make great achievements, except for water thieves, who knows where to attack?"

Perhaps Liu Ye was caught off guard by Sun Quan's sudden inquiry!

After pondering for a long time, Liu Ye stroked his beard and said: "Gongsun has been entrenched in Liaodong for many years, maybe he can be attacked!"

(End of this chapter)