Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 497 Defeating Xu Wangnan
In September, after Liu Bei accepted Ma Chao's surrender, he ordered Zhuge Jin to supervise the transportation of Liangzhou's baggage to Ma Chao, and urged Lu Xun and Ma Chao to make an appointment for the Northern Expedition.

In the same month, Liu Chan first married Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, and Dazhang was named the crown prince; later Huo Yi married his second daughter, and Xiao Zhang married into the Huo family.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Bei worshiped Zhang Fei as a general and commanded the Sili Xiaowei.

Zhang Fei felt gloomy because of Guan Yu's death before, but now he is happy because his two daughters are getting married. Especially after taking the post of general, he often interacted with celebrities such as Wang Can and Fu Xun from the Central Plains. Zhang Fei gradually regained his former free and easy attitude.

Today, when Huo Jun is packing his luggage at home, Zhang Fei comes to visit.

Huo Jun came out of his bedroom with disheveled hair and was about to go out to meet Zhang Fei, but he saw Zhang Fei had already entered with a small jar of wine and looked at the furnishings in the house.

Seeing the disheveled Huo Jun, Zhang Fei pointed to the open door and asked: "Zhong Miao is a hussar general, how can he leave the door open at will and let outsiders easily come in?"

Huo Jun rolled up his disheveled hair and said with a smile: "The capital is in great order, and there are no gangsters causing trouble. Now we open the door to welcome guests, why not?"

Zhang Fei smacked his lips, obviously unable to understand Huo Jun's thoughts.

"Yide came here with fine wine. Could it be that he wanted to see someone off?" Huo Jun asked.

"Ha ha!"

"How is it?"

Since the establishment of the Southern Han Dynasty, the pattern of the Southern Han Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty has been formed. Huo Jun often thinks about the strategy of the Southern Han Dynasty to unify the Central Plains. Of course, it was not only Huo Jun who was thinking about it, but the senior strategists of the Southern Han Dynasty were also thinking deeply about the Northern Expedition strategy.

"The strategy that Jun thinks of for the Northern Expedition is to take Shouchun and occupy Huainan. Move forward to Qi, withdraw from the Central Plains, then move to Henan and restore the old capital of Luoyang. At this point, the situation in the world is under our control. Then we will cross northward. Dahe, if the rebels are weak and the soldiers are exhausted, they can conquer Yecheng, destroy the Central Plains, and the Han Dynasty will rise. "

What is the matter of the East? That is to the east of the Dabie Mountains.

"Thank you Yide!"

Huo Jun picked up the wine bottle and sniffed it first. The aroma of wine and osmanthus blended into his nostrils, making him salivate. He nodded secretly.

In fact, the strategic goals of conquering Guanlong or Shandong are the same, which is to cut off Cao Wei's wings. Most of the terrain in the hinterland of the Central Plains is flat and smooth, and Shandong and Guanzhong have the advantage of being geographically positioned to look towards the Central Plains.

"Of course!"

Liu Bei left all the prefectures and counties east of the Dabie Mountains to Huo Jun for self-determination. Huo Jun was responsible for all military, financial, personnel and other matters, and Bu Zhi, the governor of Yangzhou, was responsible for the supply of grain and grass.

During the Battle of Shouchun, both sides withdrew their troops from each other due to the plague, and Lu Su died of illness under Shouchun City.

Since Liu Bei decided to make the Northern Expedition, he entrusted Huo Jun with matters in the east. As a general, Huo Jun will return to Huaihe, prepare troops, horses and equipment, review the army's support, and discuss the direction of the Northern Expedition with his advisers.

Then, Huo Jun sipped the wine bottle a few times, savoring the taste of the wine, and his mouth was filled with fragrance.

At that time, Lu Su was stationed in Jianghuai, so he pointed out that he could take Shouchun first, and then go to Xuzhou and raise his troops to compete with Cao Wei for the Central Plains. Pang Tong proposed to attack Xiangfan. Liu Bei was concerned about the difficulty of Xiangfan and rejected Pang Tong's suggestion to attack Xiangfan. He decided to adopt Lu Su's suggestion and take Shouchun first.

Zhang Fei poured a bottle for himself and said with a smile: "Fine wine goes well with heroes. I would like to wish Zhongmiao return to Huaihe and make great achievements. I would like to offer this bottle to Zhongmiao."

However, the situation changed and Northern Jing fell into the hands of Cao Cao, which led to Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition strategy being inherently deficient.

Both strategies for the Northern Expedition have their own pros and cons. If they leave the Yangtze River and Huaihe River and go down to Shandong, there is no need to worry about the supply of grain and grass in the short term.

Listening to Huo Jun's words, Zhang Fei thought deeply and asked: "Now that my brother's troops are out of Xiangfan, if Zhongmiao takes Shouchun, he may not be able to match his strength. Now Zhongmiao is taking charge of the affairs in the east, and I don't know where he wants to go. Use troops?"

"Now that the Ma Chao Incident has occurred, our army has captured Xiangfan. Your Majesty wants to take advantage of the situation to cut off Guanlong and cut off the Cao family's wings. Then look to the east of Guandong. It is similar to Jun's plan for the Northern Expedition. Is there any distinction between superior and inferior?"

Huo Jun's strategy for the Northern Expedition was based on the successful experiences of Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Yu.

Zhang Fei shook his head and smiled and said: "This wine was brewed before the Battle of Chrysostom. Fei's wife took the osmanthus and brewed it for twelve years."

Huo Jun pondered for a while and said: "Because the situation is different, the strategies are different. Guanzhong and Qingxu are the shield and wings of China respectively. Your Majesty accepts the strategy of filial piety and uprightness, and wants to use Ma Mengqi to cut off his Guanxi wings and advance Looking to the Central Plains.”

Zhang Fei chuckled, lifted the lid of the wine, poured a bottle of wine for Huo Jun, and motioned for Huo Jun to taste it.

Jianghuai is no different from Xiangfan and Hanzhong. They have their own natural dangers. However, Jianghuai has thousands of miles of borders and needs to face heavy troops from the Central Plains. Gai knew that Huo Jun was under too much pressure, but Liu Bei allowed Huo Jun to develop freely. He decided on his own goals, time, and tactics, but his troops were limited.

The same thing between Liu and Zhu was that they captured Shandong first and then Henan. The difference between the two is that Zhu Yuanzhang took Henan and took the capital of the Yuan Dynasty directly north, destroying the Yuan Dynasty; after Liu Yu conquered Shandong, he marched westward against the Yellow River and regained Guanzhong.

After a while, Huo Jun said: "This is a fine osmanthus wine, with a rich aroma, a delicate and silky texture, and an unforgettable aroma that lingers in your mouth after drinking. This is not just five years, but at least seven or eight years."

Why is the power so great?
The main reason is that the pressure faced by Jianghuai is too great, and it is too difficult for Huo Jun to lead a partial army in the Northern Expedition.

Looking at the old wine jar, Huo Jun guessed: "But it's five-year-old wine?"

Zhang Fei took his chopsticks to pick up the beef and asked: "I heard that Zhongmiao and Your Majesty have different strategies. Zhongmiao wants to take Shouchun, and Your Majesty wants to go to Guanzhong. I am ignorant and ignorant. Is there any difference between these two strategies?"

The two sat across the table from each other. Zhang Fei pointed at the wine jar and asked, "Zhong Miao, do you know how old this wine is?"

More than ten years ago, due to the chaos in Guanxi, Zhuge Liang had not been controlled by the Eastern Han Dynasty for a long time. He pointed out that after taking full control of Jingzhou, he could take Guanlong first, and then send his army eastward, cooperate with the Wu and Chu army, sweep Henan, and then destroy Cao Cao.

At this time, Liu Bei did not adopt Huo Jun's strategy of attacking Shouchun and chose to send troops to Xiangfan. It's not that Liu Bei doesn't trust Huo Jun, but that Guan Long is even more profitable to the Southern Han Dynasty. In other words, in Liu Bei's view, with the addition of Ma Chao, it seems more difficult to defeat Guanlong.

Carrying the wine jar, Zhang Fei said: "I heard that Zhongmiao will return to Huaihe in the near future, so I am here to visit with fine wine."

When walking through Wuguan and entering Guanzhong, it is very easy to be short of food due to the Qinling Mountain Road or the lack of water transportation. This kind of food shortage is not that Wu Chu has no food, but that food and grass cannot be transported to the front line.

The two sipped the osmanthus wine and chatted, and the scene gradually became lively.

After that, Guan Yu launched the Battle of Xiangfan. With Liu Bei's help, the Southern Han Dynasty finally captured Xiangfan.

"promise!"

"Twelve years?"

Huo Jun held up the wine bottle and said with a smile: "I got a letter from Jianghuai, saying that Cao Cao died of illness and there was a riot among military households in Qingxu. It is not appropriate to hurry up in Shouchun this year. I want to use Huaidong as the basis to restore the two counties of Xiapi and Donghai. If If there is an opportunity, we will look for Pengcheng and Langya counties. If there is no opportunity, we will connect to Yuzhou as a springboard and wait and see Qingxu."

While talking, Huo Jun welcomed Zhang Fei into the hall, greeted the people around him, and said, "Cut two kilograms of beef and heat up some side dishes."

Hearing this, Huo Jun couldn't help but praise: "Twelve-year-old wine is rare in the world, and it is even more rare for Yide to be able to resist drinking it."

"good!"

Zhang Fei clapped his hands and cheered, and said with a drunken smile: "Zhongmiao has an outstanding military strategy and a great plan. I wish you a good wishes to Zhongmiao today. I hope you will leave Xuzhou soon."

"I wish your Majesty the restoration of the old capital, and that Yide will accompany the army and kill generals for meritorious service." Huo Jun congratulated.

"Congratulations!"

"Ha ha!"

The two drank and talked freely. In addition to talking about military affairs, they also talked about Huo Yi and Xiao Zhang, as well as interesting things about the government and the public. It was not until Zhang Fei was extremely drunk that they ended the conversation.

Looking at Zhang Fei being helped into the carriage by his attendants, Huo Jun let out a sigh of relief and felt that Zhang Fei was really good at drinking!
He drank a quarter of the jar of wine, and Zhang Fei drank three-quarters. Huo Jun was wondering whether Zhang Fei was looking for him as an excuse, but he actually wanted to drink. "Husband, the hangover soup is in the house!" Trainer Bu walked out and said with concern.

"good!"

On the way, Master Bu helped Huo Jun and said: "Husband, there have been no new people in the house for many years, and most of the wives and concubines in the back house are gradually declining in appearance. I have specially selected two concubines for my husband. They are of outstanding beauty and good appearance, no less than two wives." Now that my husband is about to go on an expedition to the north, he should favor his two daughters and think that it will bring happiness and eliminate the impurities."

"Aren't you afraid of this?"

Huo Jun hugged Trainer Bu and said slightly drunkenly: "I am satisfied to have a wife!"

Trainer Bu blinked and said deliberately: "In that case, I will marry my two daughters to others?"

Huo Jun looked calm and showed no signs of guilt as he said: "The two women are doing it for my wife's sake, how can I treat others lightly?"

"Let me go and have a look!"

“What you mean is different from what you say!”
-
Not to mention Huo Jun's favor with Er Shu, Cao Wei's attack on Liaodong finally ended with Gongsun Gong's surrender.

At the beginning, Cao Zhang led 25,000 troops out of Youzhou and joined Wuhuan and Xianbei Wanqi in western Liaoning. More than 30,000 people arrived in Liaoze.

Gongsun Gong had submitted to Cao Wei for many years, but he never thought that Cao Wei would suddenly send troops to attack because he did not respect military ethics. At a loss what to do, he could only hurriedly assemble his troops and ordered Gongsun Yuan to lead his troops to fight.

Gongsun Yuan knew that Cao Wei had come from afar and could not sustain his troops and food for long, and Liaodong had Liaoze as a barrier, so he led his troops to defend Liaoze.

Cao Zhang adopted Liu Ye's suggestion and ordered Zhang He to pretend to cross the Liao Ze. Cao Zhang led Cao Xiu and his elite cavalry around hundreds of miles, crossed the Liao Ze from the upper reaches, and inserted themselves behind Gongsun Yuan.

Seeing Cao Zhang leading his troops to attack, Gongsun Yuan was frightened and hastily sent troops to fight. Cao Zhangwu Lie took the lead and killed several generals in a row, defeating Gongsun Yuan's front army. At that time, Zhang He took the opportunity to cross the river, and the two armies attacked Gongsun Yuan.

Cao's army was so fierce that Gongsun Yuan was unable to resist it, so he had to lead his defeated army to flee into Xiangping. Cao Zhang rested where he was, waiting for news from Sun Quan.

Sun Quan, who fought across the sea, led 5,000 soldiers and horses, stole Beifeng, cut off the communication between Xiangping and Lelang and Daifang counties, and sent people to deceive Gongsun into death. The prefect of the two counties did not know why, and was afraid of Cao Wei's reputation, so he sent people to surrender.

Seeing that the two counties had temporarily surrendered, Sun Quan contacted Cao Xiu and took the time to go to Xiangping.

At this time, there were various opinions in Xiangping City, whether those who wanted to surrender or those who wanted to fight to the death. However, Gongsun Gong had no intention of fighting to the death. When he learned that the two counties had been captured by Sun Quan, and Cao Zhang threatened to massacre the city if he did not surrender, Gongsun Gong finally chose to surrender.

Liaodong sent an envoy to ask for surrender. Cao Zhang originally wanted to grant him an official title on his own initiative, but under Liu Ye's persuasion, Cao Zhang agreed to surrender without being granted an official title in the Gongsun family.

After several negotiations, Gongsun Gong surrendered his Liaodong household registration. Sun Quan collected nearly 50,000 households with a population of more than 300,000.

Sun Quan avoided Gongsun's resurgence in Liaodong. Unlike Sima Yi's massacre, Sun Quan moved Bi Sheng, Lunzhi, Jia Fan and other Gongsun's old ministers and Liaodong's elite soldiers to the center.

Cao Zhang, Cao Xiu and others returned to the capital in batches. Sun Quan used his power as governor of Pingzhou to appoint his close associates as governors of the four counties.

In Luoyang Palace today, Cao Pi was reading Sun Quan's memorials and felt very happy.

At the beginning of his accession to the throne, he conquered four counties in Liaodong, with a population of more than 300,000, and an area of ​​thousands of miles, which really greatly increased his prestige. Moreover, due to political maneuvering, after Xiangping was captured, Cao Zhang's military power was taken away, and he could only return to Luoyang obediently.

"Since Guanlong, there have been few great victories in China. At the end of the first emperor's reign, there was the defeat of Zhushui before and the loss of Xiangfan later. I succeeded to the throne in a hurry, and China was in turmoil. Today's great victory in Liaodong is enough to enhance the power of China and appease the hearts of the government and the public. "

Cao Pi put down the memorial and said with a smile: "King Yanling attacked Gongsun Yuan and surrendered Liaodong; Cao Wenlie took the lead and fell into the battle and beheaded the generals; the two of them are the heroes of our Cao family. Sun Zhongmou appeases people's hearts, relocates people and establishes households, and stabilizes the border. This is a good thing!" "

With that said, Cao Pi ordered his surroundings and said: "Come here, the general is ill and is unable to take charge of the affairs. Cao Xiu is ordered to be the general of Zhennan and the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Qing, Xu and Yang states."

After Cao Pi came to power, he vigorously promoted his close associates. Cao Zhen was the general who suppressed the west, and he was in charge of the military affairs in Yong and Liangzhou. Hou Dun fell ill this summer, and Cao Pi planned to let Cao Xiu take over the military affairs of Qing and Xu.

"The king of Yanling has outstanding achievements and great achievements. He has added food to thousands of households and has been granted the title of king of the city. He gave Sun Quan, the governor of Pingzhou, a holiday and ordered him to settle in Liaodong and return to the capital as soon as possible."

"promise!"

Liu Fang, who was in charge of drafting the imperial edict, responded with his hands raised.

When Liu Fang retreated and prepared an imperial edict, Cao Pigai was very satisfied with the great victory in Liaodong and asked: "The world has been divided into two parts for a long time. I want to calm down the affairs in the south. I wonder if Zhongda has a strategy to propose?"

Sima Yi hesitated a little and said: "As I expected, Your Majesty does not need to march south, and Liu Bei will definitely lead his troops to the north. The most important thing now is to control the southern strategy as soon as possible, so as to prevent Liu Bei from launching his troops to the north and our army rushing to fight. "

"Why do you dare to say that Liu Bei will definitely go to the Northern Expedition?"

Cao Pi stroked his beard and said thoughtfully: "And Liu Bei's Northern Expedition, I wonder which path he will take?"

Sima Yi did not hesitate, raised his hand and said: "Liu Bei can win people's hearts and has the ambition of the world. Now that the late emperor has passed away, how can Liu Bei not raise an army to make profits?"

"Liu Bei set up his troops for the Northern Expedition, either leaving Xiangfan or heading to Hefei. The city of Shouchun is high and precipitous, and it is not suitable to capture it; Xiangfan has been captured by Liu Bei, and it is located at a strategic location, looking at Heluo in the north and reaching Guanzhong in the west. With Liu Bei's ability, how could he do it? Is it difficult to give up something easy?”

"If what I have predicted is true, Liu Bei will leave Xiangfan and raise troops to attack Wancheng. When Wancheng is defeated, Nanyang will almost be in his hands. At this time, Ying is in danger, and the capital is adjacent to the military front. The government and the public will be frightened by it. Now it is time to Order Jingzhou to strengthen the city and store up supplies and supplies. If there is any movement in Xiangfan, report it to the capital immediately."

Zhongda's words are indeed true knowledge and insight, and Xiahou Shang should be ordered to be careful about them. "

Cao Pi paced slightly and said, "Liu Bei is sending his troops out of Xiangfan. If he can be defeated, he will be able to defeat the power of Lao Ge's army. However, defeat is not enough to quell the war in the south. Can Zhongda have a plan to quell the traitors?"

Cao Pi was very ambitious. He was already in his thirties. He couldn't wait for the strategy of twenty years of reunification and twenty years of unification that Cao Cao entrusted before his death.

Seeing that Cao Pi was so impatient, Sima Yi could only patiently persuade: "It has been twenty years since the late emperor brought peace to China. China is gradually gaining vitality, the number of registered residents is increasing, and the military has reached its peak. Since your Majesty succeeded to the throne, the ban has been lifted. Lighting tariffs, promoting light punishments, and allowing the people to recuperate are virtuous policies.”

"However, the water thieves are safe. The late Emperor used his troops several times but failed to do so. Therefore, it is inappropriate to rush the troops. Your Majesty is less than Liu Bei, so it is better to wait until Liu Bei dies of illness, examine the opportunity to use troops, and raise Chinese troops to march south. At that time, we may gain something."

"good!"

While the monarch and his ministers were talking, the attendant walked up to Cao Pi's ear and murmured: "Your Majesty, the queen heard about Mrs. Sun and ordered her to be brought into the palace. Now she is placed in Guilan Palace."

"Ok?"

Cao Pi's expression changed slightly and asked, "How did the Queen know about Mrs. Sun?"

The attendant lowered his head and said: "It is difficult to hide the rumors in the palace. Since the Queen is thinking that Your Majesty is in love with Mrs. Sun, it is better to welcome her into the palace to avoid being known by outsiders."

Cao Pi couldn't hide the fact that he fell in love with his younger mother, Sun Ying. Now, except for Queen Mother Bian, the palace knew about it. Queen Zhen Mi and Queen Guo had already learned about it through their channels.

Zhen Mi is not a jealous person, she is older than Cao Pi, her face is already withered and yellow, and she is no better than a young girl.

In recent years, Cao Pi has doted on Queen Guo. Apart from Zhen Mi, Queen Guo is the most favored. In order to compete with Queen Guo and maintain her position, Zhen Mi decided to bring Sun Ying into the palace.

After hearing Zhen Mi's behavior, Cao Pi gradually became fond of her. But Cao Pi became worried about it. Sun Ying's affairs gradually became known to the palace people, and naturally they also became known to the officials and the Bian family.

Seeing Cao Pi frowning and saying nothing, Sima Yi asked: "Your Majesty, is there something urgent?"

Cao Pi quickly waved his hand and said, "Nothing!"

How dare Cao Pi shamelessly say that he stole his mistress!
ps: I have something to do tonight, will update later

(End of this chapter)