Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 492 The old thief dies!

"Heyang Guozhi·Wei Zhongzhu Zhi":...In August, the Zhongzhu attacked Luoyang and honored the queen as the empress dowager. Amnesty was granted, and the following year it was changed to Yuan Dynasty Huangchu. It was the second year of Sui Zhangwu. …

"Han Ji: Biography of Ma Chao and Sun Quan": When Cao Cao was ill, he secretly told Zi Pi: "Ma Chao is cunning and has many tricks, and it is difficult to know his repeated tricks. He should not be appointed to a large task. After I die, you should be careful in using him."

... Chuchao Su looked down on the princes, and he said to his younger brother Dai: "Liu Bei established his foundation as a common man, and Cao Cao usurped the Han Dynasty as a eunuch. After I, the Fufeng Ma family, how can I not have the Western Land, and Cao and Liu Are we keeping pace with each other?"

Luoyang Palace, Chongde Hall.

Cao Cao's coffin stayed in the main hall, and Cao Pi accepted the ceremony in the hall and succeeded to the throne.

Cao Pi was dressed in white clothes and wearing a linen scarf. He was sitting on the imperial couch with a slight grin on his face. However, because Cao Cao was mourning for the first time, he did not dare to be too happy and needed to retain some sadness on his face.

Looking at the ministers in the palace, Cao Pi asked: "Now that my father has passed away, how can I take care of His Majesty's funeral?"

Dong Zhao came out in white clothes and said: "Your Majesty, according to the late emperor's decree, he should be buried in Yecheng. Zhao will take care of the detailed ceremony and complicated matters. Please be at ease, Your Majesty. What you are doing now is for Your Majesty to prepare for the grand ceremony as soon as possible. The position is to be worshiped by the Mujun and the generals, and determine the status of the monarch and his ministers."

"good!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers said with cupped hands.

Ma Chaoshen rode a white horse and chased a mountain deer. He drew his bow and set an arrow. With a whoosh sound, a heavy arrow shot out of the air. The mountain deer seemed to have been hit hard and paused. Taking advantage of the momentum of running, it rolled forward a few times. He took a step, raised his head, screamed, and fell to the ground.

When Cao Pi first ascended the throne, he restored Zhong Yao and Cao Renguan to their posts according to Cao Cao's previous arrangements, in order to calm down. He also worshiped Jia Xu as Taiwei, transferred Sima Yi back to the capital to serve as a minister, and Xiahou Shangwai was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou...

In the meantime, Sun Ying sometimes had nothing to do, pretending to be a palace servant, and flirting in front of Cao Pi, which made Cao Pi want to stop.

Jia Kui said: "Your Majesty, why don't you send an envoy to the army? According to your imperial edict, Duke Yanling will lead the troops in the Northern Expedition and will not be allowed to return to the country for mourning. When Liaodong is defeated, your Majesty can send Duke Yanling back to the capital first and entrust him to pacify the remaining troops. Don't worry, sir."

Cao Pi touched the armrest inlaid with golden dragon patterns and said with satisfaction: "The words of the admonishment of the officials are reasonable, and we should follow what the minister said. All military and national affairs should be given priority, and public affairs should not be abolished for personal reasons. When we go to Liaodong, we will make the four counties of Liaodong peaceful. For the state, Sun Quan, the general across the sea, will temporarily take charge of the military in the state."

As he spoke, Cao Pi changed the subject and said: "Now Duke Yanling is leading an army to Liaodong. I am afraid that Duke Yanling has a strong temper. When he heard that the late emperor passed away, he would abandon the weight of the army and return to Luoyang to attend the funeral. Doing so would invalidate the late emperor's plan. .Should we order Duke Yanling to return to the capital and let Cao Hujun become the commander-in-chief of the expedition against Liao?"

Cao Pi suppressed the excitement in his heart and said: "Since Mr. Dong has been appointed as Dahonglu, the funeral of the late emperor should be handled by you. He also ordered the governors and governors of various states to arrange military and political affairs, and then go to Beijing to participate in the succession ceremony."

Stroking his beard, Cao Pi said: "Now that I have succeeded to the throne, many officials have vacancies. I heard that the old court captain Zhong Yao listened carefully and analyzed the merits of heroes. He has a high reputation and great virtue. Since his removal, the punishment has been unfair. There are many people who are slacking off in their duties. Now I should let Zhong Qing be reinstated as a court official to assist me in governing the world and managing the country..."

Cao Pi managed to win the hearts of the central officials and minimize the impact of Cao Cao's death.

Although there were not many soldiers and horses in the Liao army, in the hands of Cao Zhang, Cao Pi felt uncertain. Compared to Cao Zhang, Cao Pi believed in Cao Xiu more.

……
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The sky and the earth are vast, and the river is like a jade belt winding through it. The rising sun shines, the fields are painted with gold, and the mountains shine.

Seeing Jimai Mountain in the distance, Ma Chao raised his whip and pointed in the distance, asking: "After passing Jimai Mountain, do you reach the sky and the water?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, Duke Yanling has led his army to western Liaoning and will fight the enemy and bandits in the near future. If we change the general lightly now, I fear that the war will change and it will be detrimental to the country."

He galloped out of the horse, dismounted, picked up the still-warm mountain deer with all his strength, and shouted, "I'll make you shoot the deer with a magic shot, hitting the deer's neck."

On the Longyou Plateau, horses are galloping, eagles are circling, and riders are scattered in formation, bows drawn and shooting.

Ma Chao reined in the horse's head and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. What he wanted to shoot was the world, not just a few deer.

"You are so good at shooting, we are so far away." The Qiang cavalry on the left and right raised their hands in praise and said.

Of course, Cao Pi did not forget his little mother Sun Ying, because Cao Cao had not passed the first seven years, and Cao Pi had not yet completely secured the throne. He did not dare to have a private meeting with Sun Ying blatantly, but expressed his commitment through letters.

Then, Cao Pi temporarily blocked Cao Cao's order to move his concubines to Yecheng on the grounds that Cao Cao had not been buried yet. The Bian family, who didn't know Cao Pi's plans, had objections to this move, but due to Cao Pi's excuse and because the Bian family was busy with Cao Cao's funeral, they didn't say much.

"Exactly!"

Pang Rou reined in the horse and said: "The main road is Qishan Fort. Over the mountains, you can go around to Shanggui and Jixian cities in Tianshui County."

Ma Chao had this idea in his mind and said with a smile, "If you have a chance, you can go hunting by the Weishui River!"

Everyone was puzzled by his meaning and all responded: "I would like to follow you there!"

After laying down his saddle horse, Ma Chao greeted everyone on the left and right, and said boldly: "We have gained a lot today. We roasted the venison on the spot and divided it between the left and right."

"Thank you so much, envoy!"

The surrounding riders raised their bows and cheered, and everyone was already hungry from the hunt.

The attendant unloaded the materials on the horse and arranged them briefly. Ma Chao sat on the horse and discussed matters with his cronies.

"How much grain and grass are there in the warehouse now?" Ma Chao asked.

Pang Rou sat on the chair and said, "I would like to inform you, if we use troops now, we will only have less than a month's food supply."

Ma Chao thought for a while and asked, "Can I ask the Yongzhou governor for food?"

"If there is no military action today, Guan Long will not send me food!" Pang Rou shook his head and said.

Cao Cao's control over Ma Chao was multi-faceted. On the one hand, he used official appointments to win over Ma Chao, and on the other hand, he used military supplies to control Ma Chao's troops.

For example, Cao Cao moved hundreds of thousands of Qiang, Di, and Han people from Wudu and Yinping, leaving Wudu withered and unable to support his army. Normally, Ma Chao would be unable to gather an army due to lack of food.

So when will food be shipped to Ma Chao? Only during the Northern Expedition of the Southern Han Dynasty and the normal consumption of the army could the Northern Wei Dynasty transport grain to Ma Chao. With the money and food under control, the military capital was in decline, and the money and food came from the Northern Wei Dynasty, Ma Chao was eaten to death by Cao Cao in the past few years.

Ma Chao pulled his riding whip and said in annoyance: "Let's see if we can secretly buy more grain from the Guanlong and Bashu scholars, and try to hoard it as much as possible to prepare for emergencies."

"promise!"

"Grill the venison first."

Although Ma Chao was irritable, he could not solve the dilemma of lack of food and soldiers, so he had to eat to relieve his depression.

While Ma Chao was drinking to relieve his boredom, Ma Dai came on a war horse, waved and shouted, "Brother, there is a message from Luoyang!"

With that said, Ma Dai dismounted and came to Ma Chao without waiting for the horse to stop.

"What's the matter, in such a hurry?" Ma Chao asked.

Ma Dai put his head close to Ma Chao's ear and whispered: "Brother, according to the letter from Luoyang, His Majesty passed away in Luoyang ten days ago, and Prince Cao Pi will succeed to the throne in the near future."

"what?"

Ma Chao stood up excitedly and asked, "Is this true or false?"

"It must be false!"

Ma Dai handed the letter to Ma Chao and said: "Now the imperial court has announced to the world that your majesty has died of illness and that the prince will succeed to the throne. The messenger may come to Wudu in the near future to read out the imperial decree."

"The old thief is finally dead!"

Ma Chao punched three times in a row and said excitedly: "I have wanted to raise an army for a long time, but I was afraid of Cao Cao's general strategy, so I only obeyed orders. Now that Cao Cao has died of illness, and the constraints are gone, I will be able to do a lot."

Ma Dai was still worried and said: "Brother, I have to worship the former general and respect him as the Marquis of Wudu County. Now that Cao Wei is powerful, I am afraid that the uprising will be difficult. Moreover, my wife and small family members are still in Yecheng, and I am afraid that their lives may be lost!" "

Three years ago, Ma Teng passed away peacefully in Yecheng. Different from being killed in history, this plane has died.

After Ma Teng's death, Ma Chao took the initiative to send his two sons to Yecheng in order to gain Cao Cao's trust. Now he has no son by his side, only a daughter from his concubine.

Ma Chao's expression darkened and he said: "It's not that my brother wanted to rebel, but he was forced by the situation and had to rebel. When Cao Cao was here, he was broad-minded and could handle generals. Now that Cao Cao has died of illness, Cao Pi is narrow-minded and afraid that he will not be able to do so. Bear with me."

With that said, Ma Chao patted Ma Dai on the shoulder and said, "Brother, I will try my best to bring you and my wife back from Luoyang."

That's what he said, but Ma Chaoduo didn't care.

What are wives and children?
In Ma Chao's eyes, if he has a dominant position, is he still afraid of losing his wife and children?
If your wife is gone, you can marry again. The son is gone and can be reborn. If the hegemonic power is gone, I'm afraid there will be nothing left.

He could abandon his biological father back then, and he can also abandon his biological son now.

At dusk, my concubine's brother Dong Zhong came quickly to report and said: "Envoy, there is an envoy from Luoyang with a message!"

"What's the reason for the messenger coming?" Ma Chao asked.

Dong Zhong handed over the letter and said: "We asked you to go out hunting, and the angel left the order at the house."

Ma Chao opened the letter and saw that it contained an order asking him to rush to Luoyang to attend Cao Pi's emperor ceremony.

After closing the letter, Ma Chao looked troubled. He was gradually becoming rebellious and was actually afraid to attend Cao Pi's proclaimed emperor ceremony.

Seeing that Ma Chao looked unhappy, Ma Dai asked: "Brother, is there something wrong in Luoyang?"

"Ok!"

Ma Chao nodded and said, "Cao Pi will proclaim himself emperor in the near future and succeed to the throne of the Son of Heaven. He specially ordered me to return to the capital to attend the ceremony."

Pang Rou pondered for a while and said: "If you don't want to return to the capital, you can use the abnormal movement in Hanzhong as an excuse to say that you dare not move lightly at the border."

"No!"

Ma Chao clasped his hands behind his waist, looked at the pasture with the setting sun, and said: "I am a former general. According to etiquette, I need to return to the capital to participate in the ceremony. Now I refuse to return to the capital on the grounds of the unusual events in Hanzhong. It seems okay, but He will be suspected by Cao Pi."

After thinking for a long time, Ma Chao said: "I haven't contacted Liu Xuande yet, so it's not appropriate to move lightly now. Everything will be the same as in the past. I will lead my cavalry back to the capital to see Cao Pi, and secretly observe his words and attitude. If Cao Pi dislikes me, I will return quickly; if Cao Pi's words are as usual, and the military can be slowed down."

As he said that, Ma Chao looked at Pang Rou and said, "I am serving Liu Bei in the Han Dynasty now, and Huai Confucianism is his elder brother. I wonder if I can go to Wuhan for Chao to observe Liu Xuande and see if I can make him trust me?" "

Pang Rou, also known as Huairu, and Pang De are cousins.

In the past, Pang De served as a general under Ma Chao, and Pang Rou served as the chief secretary, and was highly regarded by Ma Chao. Later, Pang De surrendered to Liu Bei, and Ma Chao treated Pang Rou as before, without any change.

Under Ma Chao's account, Ma Dai was the first confidant, in charge of military affairs; Pang Rou came second, in charge of civil affairs.

Pang Rou was not in a hurry, she raised her hands and asked, "Besides what the envoy said, is there anything else you have to say?"

Ma Chao thought for a while and said: "Let me write a letter to Lu Xun and ask him to escort Huairu to Wuhan. When I meet Liu Bei, I can adapt to the situation and say more that our army is short of food and grass and it is difficult to start an uprising. Let's see if Liu Bei can give him a gift." Military rations and me!”

"Rou will definitely live up to the envoy's trust!" Pang Rou replied.

"good!"

(End of this chapter)