Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 521 Looking beyond Chang'an
In July, Ba Shang.

Zhang He and Cao Hong led their troops to Chang'an one after another. Liu Bei knew that he had lost the opportunity and could not attack Bailuyuan. In order to wait for news from Ma Chao, he temporarily led his troops to garrison Lantian.

In one or two months, Liu Bei not only sent Ma Liang to visit Ma Chao, but also tried to send people to secretly cross the Ba River to appease the powerful people in Guanzhong to see if anyone was willing to cause trouble behind his back.

In addition to the diplomatic offensive, in order to win the hearts of the people in Guanzhong, Liu Bei ordered not to plunder the people's property without authorization, and to send doctors to treat the old, weak and sick.

In order to reassure the people of Lantian and Nanshan, Liu Bei recruited people from the mountains to go down to harvest wheat so that farming would not have to be abandoned due to the war. Under good governance, the people in Guanzhong are all grateful to Liu Bei.

On that day, Liu Bei drove out of the camp with his left and right chariots, intending to climb Nanshan Mountain and see the army again.

On the road, hundreds of cavalry were guarding Liu Bei as he headed west. The sound of horse hooves was heard and the dust was flying.

Both sides of the official road ditch were full of farmland and wheat. Under Liu Bei's greetings to calm the people, many people who had hid in Zhongnan Mountain due to the war came down from the mountain and went home to work in the fields.

Looking at the cavalry on the road, many people working in the fields recognized Liu Bei and knelt down to worship him, calling him Emperor.

Liu Bei seemed to hear the weak shouts of the people in the fields. His expression was not happy, but he sighed slightly.

"Chang'an City?"

How to get Tianjue?

Liu Bei looked at the few people in the fields and sighed: "The people of the capital are deeply trapped in the enemy's territory, and they call me the emperor. But I cannot be kind to everyone, and I always feel that I am worthy of the title of emperor."

The meaning of "Emperor" in the early Qin and Han Dynasties was different from that of "Emperor" and "Your Majesty" in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and even in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Now Liu Bei feels ashamed that he is called the Son of Heaven and cannot benefit the people in Guanzhong. In the eyes of Fazheng, Liu Bei, the emperor of the Han family, already has the true meaning of emperor in Meng Ru's mouth.

Although Liu Bei was not as talented as the two ancestors Gao and Shi, it is reasonable for him to become the emperor of the Han Dynasty on par with Liu Bang and Liu Xiu because of his thoughts.

Liu Bei valued Fazheng very much. Whenever he sent out troops to conquer, he always took Fazheng with him in the same carriage.

Mencius believed that only by cultivating virtues and making meritorious deeds, being benevolent, righteous, and loyal, pacifying the Xia at home, appeasing the barbarians at the outside, and spreading kindness to all parts of the world, could one obtain the title of Heaven.

The real emperor was never the lord of China who whipped the world and brutally abused his people. Rather, he is someone who can pacify the Xia internally, pacify hundreds of barbarians externally, and reach the peak of his civil and martial arts.

Hearing this, Fa Zheng sighed and said: "Mencius once said, if you win the world with benevolence, you will lose the world with unkindness. If the emperor is unkind, he will not protect the four seas. Now that your majesty is benevolent to the world, won't the four seas be unified? Huh?”

Liu Bei had not read many books, so it was difficult for him to understand the emperor defined by Mencius in Fa Zheng's words, but he could understand the words of appreciation in Fa Zheng's words.

While Liu and Fa were talking, the car had arrived at the foot of the hillside, and there were sergeants guarding it on the left and right.

"The prince is smart and kind, and he will definitely live up to His Majesty's expectations!" Fazheng coughed a few times and said with cupped hands.

"The emperor receives orders from the sky, and rituals, music, and conquests come from the emperor. Now that your majesty has taken the throne and received the mandate of heaven, you are benevolent, able to love the people, and trustworthy and a righteous minister. You can be the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and you should be no different from the two ancestors Gao and Shi! "

Early Confucianism believed that the emperor had dual meanings of title and virtue. In order to respond to the king and strengthen the idea of ​​loyalty to the king, Confucianism in the middle and late periods concealed the meaning of virtue and focused on the concept of title.

Fa Zheng held on to the railing of the carriage and asked, "Your Majesty is not happy when the people of the capital pay their respects. Why are you worried about it?"

Liu Bei looked at the fields and sighed: "I have received the destiny, and I should make great contributions to the world. However, I have received the destiny, and I have no strategy to help the world. I have little virtue and little merit. I am ashamed. I only hope that the prince can change it in the future. The merits will be greater than I."

It took a lot of effort to climb the mountain. Liu and Fa reached the Nanshan Ridge and looked down the mountain. They had a panoramic view of the movements of the Wei army on Bailuyuan. They even looked along the Bashui River and could see the city of Chang'an dozens of miles away.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the emperor belonged to the heavenly title, and the princes and officials belonged to the human title. Therefore, the emperor receives the order from heaven and should perform the king's affairs, so the princes and others should obey the emperor's affairs.

Any emperor who obtains the title of "Son of Heaven" but abandons the virtue and government sought by the title of Heaven is no longer the son of China. Even if he obtains it, he will lose it in the future.

Fa Zheng was suffering from illness and was in poor physical condition. He was able to follow Liu Bei to the mountain only when his attendants carried him in a sedan chair. Liu Bei was still in good health, and he only went up the mountain with the help of his attendants.

When Liu Bei saw Chang'an City, he suddenly didn't know what to say. He pointed at the small city and asked.

"Chang'an City!" Fazheng replied in a muffled voice.

The emotions of the emperor and his ministers were different. Liu Bei's words revealed his longing for the old capital. He had seen Luoyang but not Chang'an. Fa Zheng was seriously ill and felt homesick after seeing Chang'an.

Liu Bei stared straight at it for a long time, and in his eyes he seemed to see the prosperous age of the Western Han Dynasty, when Emperor Gaozu rewarded meritorious officials, Xiao He built the Chang'an Palace; Wen Jing's great rule, the early destruction of the Seven Kingdoms; Han Wu opened the frontier, Wei Huo drove away the Huns; Zhaoxuan Zhongxing, Sihai guest service...

After being silent for a long time, Liu Bei sighed sadly and said: "The eunuchs disrupted the government, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Guo and Li were entangled, and Cao Cao usurped. Now that China has fallen and is no longer owned by the Han Dynasty, the two emperors Huan and Ling have to accept their responsibility."

Fazheng stroked his beard and sighed slightly, and said: "The former Han Dynasty died because of Wang Mang, and the later Han Dynasty died because of Cao Cao. The destiny of the Han Dynasty has its own ups and downs. I'm afraid it will be difficult to blame the two emperors!"

Liu Bei was dissatisfied, but when he saw that Fazheng was getting sicker, he remained silent and did not want to argue with Fazheng.

After a little hesitation, Liu Bei replied: "The Zhou Dynasty lasted for eight hundred years, and the Han Dynasty had three times. For example, the Ji Han Dynasty had a lifespan of two Han Dynasties. Six hundred years is not as good as the Zhou Dynasty, but it is enough!" Fazheng Gai knew that his words were wrong. , cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty understands the principles of heaven and earth, and I admire you very much."

Changing the subject, Liu Bei pointed to the Wei army on Bailuyuan and asked, "Does Xiaozhi have any advice for me?"

Fazheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said: "Although Sima Yi is a Confucian scholar, he has a great strategy. He raises his troops and arranges them properly. He raises the plateau and comes down, and then lowers the camp between two rivers. If there is mountains and water, and the place is high and in the sun, it is impeccable! "

The reason why Guanzhong was selected as Sili by the Han and Tang Dynasties was that it could raise troops and people inside, and it had four fortresses outside.

Tongguan, Dashanguan, Xiaoguan, and Wuguan appear to be city passes, but in fact they represent a series of defense lines.

Dashan Pass starts from Wudu and ends at Chencang. The thousands of miles of roads in between belong to the Dashan Pass defense line.

Tongguan is a three-hundred-mile-long Weihan Road, and can be garrisoned at many places along the way.

The same is true for Wuguan Road. The Wuguan Road stretches for thousands of miles, starting from Wuguan and ending at Bashang. In the middle, Shangluo, Shangxian and Lantian can be used to station troops to defend against enemies.

The Han army came from Wuguan and defeated the powerful enemy. When they were approaching Lantian, Fa Zheng originally wanted to follow Zhang Liang's strategy and lead his troops to bypass Nanshan and attack Chang'an. But Zhang Liang's strategy was so famous that Guo Huai gave up Nanshan Pass and defended Lantian.

Guo Huai knew that Lantian was difficult to defend for a long time and that Liu Bei would easily steal his home. When he realized that Fazheng was planning to circumvent Lantian, he led his troops to retreat to Bailuyuan.

Bailuyuan, the last barrier outside Chang'an, stands between two rivers. From a high position and looking down, overlooking the terrain surrounding Chang'an, it is an important place that military strategists must fight for.

During this period, in addition to sending envoys to visit Ma Chao, Liu Bei could not have tried other strategies, such as ascending the plains to attack at night, or sending troops to bypass the rear. However, because the Wei army was condescending, Liu Bei and Fazheng's plans were seen through one by one, and many of the soldiers they sent were killed or injured.

Now it is fair to say that the Wei camp is impeccable. In addition to Sima Yi's own abilities, it also has the geographical advantage of Bailuyuan.

However, Liu Bei was not depressed. Instead, he smiled and said: "In this Northern Expedition, Zhongmiao is approaching Xiapi. I have arrived in Guanzhong, which is enough to scare Cao Pi. Now that the rebel army has reached Kanxi, the Kwantung soldiers are weak. If they can conquer Xiapi, This battle can be said to be a great victory.”

"If Ma Mengqi cuts off Longyou and cuts off the western arm of Guanxi, if we can lead troops to advance eastward, the situation in Guanzhong will change. The advantage will be mine!"

Ma Chao quickly separatized Longyou, which exceeded the judgment of both Han and Wei on the situation. No one could have imagined that Ma Chao could directly capture the four counties of Longyou in just two months, requiring tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. It can only be said that Ma Chao's nearly ten years of dormancy has given him the capital to sweep Longyou.

As soon as he finished speaking, the attendant came up the mountain quickly, raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Ma Shizhong came from Hanzhong to report that Ma Chao was accepted as a minister. However, because he first went to Longyou, the Qiang soldiers were repeated. There are heavy troops in Hexi, so he dare not do it now. I left Longyou lightly and presented a thousand war horses as a tribute."

There is a road from Hanzhong to Lantian that is not under the control of the Han army. Ma Liang climbed over the mountains, took small paths, and avoided the Wei army all the way, which was extremely thrilling.

Now that Ma Liang is in Hanzhong, because of his high status, it is impossible for him to step aside and put himself in danger, so he specially asked a messenger to carry the letter to Liu Bei's army.

"This~"

Hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but shake his head. He had just finished talking about the situation on Ma Chao's side, and now there was news that he could not send troops.

Fazheng covered his mouth and gasped, and said: "Ma Chao can't help, and Chang'an may not be able to help!"

Seeing this, Liu Bei threw the letter into the hands of his attendants, caressed Fa Zheng's back, and said: "This is the Northern Expedition. Although we can't plan for Chang'an, we can go to Shang Dynasty for six hundred miles. And Zhong Miao will conquer Xia Pi and open up Huaidong." How can we say that we have achieved nothing even though we are thousands of miles away?”

"Moreover, Ma Chao separatized the six counties of Longyou. Although they are not owned by our Han Dynasty, they can weaken Cao Pi's power. Now that we have cut off the arm of Guanxi, and then attack China, we can go out of Jianghan and march towards Luoyang to actually capture Chang'an. It may not be possible It can’t be done!”

After three Northern Expeditions, Liu Bei gradually accepted the reality that it was almost impossible to accomplish all his achievements in one battle. We can only look for Cao Wei's weaknesses, slowly eat away at them, and finally deliver a fatal blow.

Wuguandao's businesses are spread over six hundred miles. Although there are not many county towns, most of them are mountains and valleys. However, Shang Yu connected Chang'an to the west and Hongnong and Sili to the east.

If operated properly, Shang Yu Liubaili Land can be a sharp blade that cuts into the heart of Cao Wei. If the Northern Expedition fails this time, if the right time is found next time, he can still send troops to the Northern Expedition to gain profits. After all, Jianghuai had been operating for almost ten years before they had this opportunity to surround Xiapi.

Fazheng calmed down for a few moments and said: "Your Majesty, Ma Chao cannot help me today. Autumn is approaching and the waterways are gradually slowing down. We must withdraw our troops as soon as possible!"

"Withdrawal?"

Liu Bei hesitated a little and asked: "If we withdraw our troops now, won't the troops from Guanxi march eastward? If Zhongmiao's troops are small, it will be difficult to defeat Xia Pi!"

Fazheng drank some water and said: "Huo Du wants to flood Xiapi. This summer and autumn, the water will rise sharply. It will take a few days to succeed. Our army can plan to withdraw. We only need to beware of thieves." Soldiers pursue."

After handing the water bag to the attendant, Fazheng said: "Although we are withdrawing our troops now, I have a plan to help your majesty gain the territory of Longyou. I wonder if your majesty is willing to listen to it?"

"Ok?"

Liu Bei looked suspicious and asked, "If our army wants to take Longyou, we must fight with Ma Chao. Will we not let the thieves benefit?"

Fa Zheng looked at the setting sun on the horizon, showing a confident look, and said with a smile: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, if we follow Zheng's plan, Ma Chao will offer his soil to me, and he will not dare to have a military conflict with Your Majesty. I will only bother Governor Lu."

(End of this chapter)