Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 608 You can’t write poetry; I can’t fight.

The first year of Jianxing, summer.

After returning from the defeat of Jianghuai, Cao Pi originally wanted to pass by Xuchang for a rest, but because the South Gate collapsed for no apparent reason, Cao Pi was disgusted with this trip and ordered his car to go straight to Luoyang.

After returning to Luo, Cao Pi suffered from high blood pressure, and due to the defeat of the Jianghuai Army, Cao Pi suffered both physical and mental torture.

Over the past few days, Cao Pi became increasingly haggard and his illness tended to worsen.

In the Luoyang Palace, Cao Pi was sitting on the couch, receiving Sima Yi who had returned from Wancheng.

"My minister, Sima Yi, pays homage to your majesty. I wish your majesty good health!"

"Thank you Zhongda for your hard work!"

Cao Pi asked his attendants to offer honey water to Sima Yi and said, "I wonder if you would like to drink honey water?"

Sima Yi hesitated a little and said: "Your Majesty, don't bother, I drink more warm water!"

"Your Majesty has ordered his ministers to come to the capital. Do you have any important matters to discuss?" Sima Yi asked.

"promise!"

"When powerful men and nobles heard about it, they wanted to be the first to join the army in order to seek officers and titles. Although their soldiers were not elite, they were good enough to boost their morale. Besides, when Your Majesty recruited the men of Heshuo to go south, he also paid money and food to befriend Hu Qi. Hu Qi and Heshuo All pawns can be used as minions."

Hearing this, Cao Pi hesitated a lot and said, "This is a major matter. Let me think twice before making a decision. I don't know what Zhongda said about the affairs on the outer border of Waigong. How should I handle it?"

"For the important border town, guard Shouchun in the south, Guanzhong in the west, and Pengcheng in the east. Today Shouchun is flooded by fertile water, and the situation is precarious. In addition, in the current situation, there are no ships and soldiers to rescue. Your Majesty, it is better to think about the battle in the Central Plains. To prevent Shouchun from being destroyed, all counties in Huaibei will be captured by water thieves."

"Please tell Zhongda carefully!" Cao Pi cheered up and said.

As for whether it would have any negative impact on the Wei Dynasty, Sima Yi couldn't think much about it. He could only say that he must believe in the wisdom of future generations!

"Zhongda and I have known each other for many years. You and I are extraordinary, so it's okay to say it now!" Cao Pi raised his hand to let Sima Yi speak freely.

Cao Pi held the water bottle, tasted the honey water, and said with a smile: "Whenever I am trapped by irritable things, I like to drink honey water."

Sima Yi stroked his beard and said: "In line with the people's hearts, although your Majesty has previously exempted and exempted the taxes for the families of the fallen soldiers, it has not been able to make everyone go to work for your Majesty. In my opinion, your Majesty might as well withdraw money and food from the treasury and order the clan members Donate money and allow the counties in Henan to recruit troops on their own, and then give them official titles."

As he said this, Cao Pi knew how to enjoy it, and ordered his surroundings: "Add some ice to the honey water!"

Sima Yi took a sip of cold water and boldly said: "Your Majesty's current worries are mostly due to water thieves. The failure of the southern expedition to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River has caused people's hearts to be turbulent. Shouchun is in danger, and then there is Ma Chao from the northwest peeking at Guanxi. Now The government, internal and external troubles, if not dealt with carefully, may shake the country's foundation! "

Cao Pi put down his glass of water, sighed and said, "I have a lot of worries in my heart, but I don't know where to start. In the first month of the year, I was defeated by the Jianghuai Army, and more than half of the army was destroyed. Even though I, the Wei Dynasty, was sitting in the Central Plains, I was still injured. Move the bones.”

Because sweets can make people happy, honey water is equivalent to happy water for Cao Pi. It can be said that Cao Pi was not happy enough without sweetness. Even when he was sick, he drank honey water every day. Even because the weather was getting hot and muggy, Cao Pi even asked someone to chill the honey water.

Now Cao Wei was defeated in the Jianghuai River, and there were not many mobile troops left in the country. Therefore, in Sima Yi's opinion, it is better to abandon the scholar family system, learn from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and adopt the method of uniting powerful forces to quickly assemble a usable army.

Sima Yi did not show off, and said: "Your Majesty, let me tell you the truth, the top priority is to win over people's hearts at home and strengthen the important border towns outside."

Cao Pi frowned and was in a very bad mood, and said: "I have a lot of thoughts about what Zhongda said. But how to rectify it makes me troubled."

With that said, Sima Yi dismantled Cao Pi one by one and said: "The hearts of the people are like those who benefit from each other, and those who are of the same nature complement each other. If your majesty can stabilize the hearts of the people, you can hope to obtain manpower and material resources from the people. If the people are all obedient to your majesty, great success will be achieved." The military has morale and morale, otherwise everything will be in vain.”

"Let the counties recruit their own troops?"

"Honey water is a treasure in the world. It's a pity that you don't like to drink honey water!"

Sima Yi thought for a while and said: "Since your Majesty's southern expedition, I have long wanted to give advice to your Majesty, but after thinking about it again and again, I dare not say more for fear of offending your Majesty!"

Sima Yi stroked his beard and groaned, saying: "As mentioned before, Shouchun is in danger. Huo Jun gathered more than 100,000 water thieves, and with the momentum of great victory, blocked the main waterways and drained the water to flood the city. The water inside and outside Shouchun is blocked, unless it is restored. One hundred thousand people must be rescued, otherwise Shouchun will most likely be defeated by Huo Jun."

"In Yi's opinion, Your Majesty, it is better to move all the people in Huaibei to the north, leaving the city and Huo Jun empty. Then Huo Jun wanted to expedition north to the Central Plains, but he was trapped by the lack of manpower. In the summer, the thieves took boats to go north; in the winter, our army led the troops In the southern expedition, the two armies should be able to deal with the Central Plains."

Although Cao Pi left Manchong and Cao Hong in Huaibei, he seemed to have plans to rescue Shouchun. However, after he returned to Beijing, he was unable to send troops south due to insufficient troops and horses. Apart from shouting slogans in Luoyang, Cao Pi didn't have much else to do.

Under such a situation, after Cao Wei learned that Huo Jun used fertilizer and water to irrigate Shouchun, many people had despaired about whether they could break the siege of Shouchun. Once Shouchun is defeated by Huo Jun, Henan will face the soldiers and horses of the Southern Han Dynasty.

In view of the situation that may arise in the future, Sima Yi must think about how to establish a space for the Wei Dynasty to fight against the Southern Han Dynasty in Henan, which lacks natural barriers.

In Sima Yi's eyes, since Henan lacks natural barriers to confrontation, it is better to create an artificial military buffer zone. All the people in Huaibei will move further north, leaving hundreds, or even two or three hundred miles of no-man's land.

Once there is no man's land in Huaibei, Huo Jun will then lead his troops to the Northern Expedition. It will be difficult to continue fighting in Henan due to the lack of corresponding manpower and material resources. After all, relying solely on the transportation and supply of the Huaibei River, I am afraid that not only 50,000 people will go out to fight, but 150,000 people will transport grain.

Moreover, due to the limitations of the Huaibei River, troops could only be used when the rain surged in summer, and troops were withdrawn every winter when the water receded.

Coupled with the influence of the uninhabited land factor, the Southern Han Dynasty was destined to be unable to retain a large army in the Central Plains. However, Cao Wei was able to use the city walls in Hebei or along the Yellow River to send troops to conquer the south and regain the city walls previously occupied by the Southern Han Dynasty. The two armies will be at odds with each other in the Central Plains all year round, instead of being rushed to the Yellow River by the Southern Han Dynasty.

Historically, the reason why the North-South confrontation has been raging in Henan for a long time was sometimes not because the Southern Dynasty had no enterprising spirit or the generals were incompetent, but because Henan became a no-man's land during the war. When the Southern Dynasties wanted to send troops and supplies to the Central Plains, they often did so intentionally but without any spare efforts.

For example, Yue Fei started his Northern Expedition from Wuchang. After years of fighting, he could only push the battlefield to Henan.

If you want to take the Central Plains directly from Jianghuai or Xiangfan, you have to wait for the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which starts from Hangzhou and ends in Beijing. The southern goods are directly connected to Beijing. Only then can Zhu Ming sweep across the Central Plains and take the great capital of the Yuan Dynasty.

"Struggling with the Central Plains?"

Cao Pi looked bitter and couldn't believe it, so he asked: "Shouchun is located in Huainan, and it has nothing to do with the states and counties in the Central Plains. Now that Shouchun has been lost, why can't we fight along the Huaihe River, and then collect the people and move north?"

"We can't stand up to each other!"

Sima Yi explained to Cao Pi: "Your Majesty, there are four rivers in Huaibei that flow into the Huaihe River, which are divided into Ru, Ying, Wu, and Si. The water thieves led their troops to the northern expedition and marched straight along the waterway. If our army deployed troops along the Huaihe River, they would be surrounded. Danger of being broken.”

The Huaihe River serves as the dividing line between north and south. Due to the different landscapes and terrains of Huainan and Huaibei, different military defense strategies have also been developed.

If Huainan is used to guard Huaibei, Shouchun is used as the benchmark in the west, and Huaiyin is used as the core in the east, they can respectively block the southern expedition of the Central Plains. However, with Huaibei guarding Huainan, because there were many rivers entering the Central Plains and lacked the advantage of boats and boats, they could only withdraw from the edge of the Huaihe River to the center of the Central Plains and rely on the city to confront the Southern Dynasties.

From a military perspective, Huainan can be regarded as a military buffer zone for the southern regime to resist the north, and Huaibei can be regarded as a military buffer zone for Hebei.

Listening to Sima Yi's analysis, Cao Pi sighed with emotion and said: "After listening to your words, I know the importance of longevity." As he said, Cao Pi looked at the scarf on the table, shook his head and laughed, and said: "Writing poetry, you No, I can't fight. With the power of Wei, we need to rely on Zhongda to do a lot of work."

Sima Yi, a loyal minister of the Wei Dynasty, knelt down and said in a deep voice: "I am willing to be loyal to Your Majesty and serve you like a dog or a horse."

"Zhongda is free of charge!"

Cao Pi wanted to get up from the couch, but he felt dizzy due to high blood pressure, and was hurriedly supported by his attendants.

Sitting back on the couch, Cao Pi calmed down and said: "Shou Chun should not be abandoned lightly now. If we abandon it, the Central Plains will be unrest, and Wei may need to move the capital to avoid the attack of the army."

After a pause, Cao Pi said: "I want you to lead Jingwan's troops and join forces with Man Chong to see if they can defeat Pang Tong and break the siege of Shouchun."

Sima Yi hesitated a little and said, "It's not impossible for me to lead Jingwan's troops eastward to relieve the siege. I'm just afraid that the water thieves will invade from Jianghan. Then Jingwan will have no troops to defend it, and there is a danger of Wancheng falling. Once Wancheng falls, Then the capital will be shaken."

"Wancheng!"

Cao Pi gently rubbed his temples and sighed. With the Jianghuai defeat, Cao Wei had no mobile troops available in a short time.

"How about this!"

Cao Pi thought for a while and said: "Since I have Zhongda's important town of Jingwan, I can temporarily lead half of the troops to march eastward. If there is any commotion in Jianghan, I will lead my troops to resist it and see if I can defeat Jianghan's troops first."

"Heshuo soldiers and horses, I have ordered Qianzhao, Tian Yu, and Xie Jun to lead their troops southward in the near future to postpone the current shortage of soldiers and horses. At that time, we will see if we can join forces with you to break the siege of Shouchun."

"In the current situation, let Xu Huang defend Shouchun first. As long as he defends, there will be a way!"

Cao Pi said that they would march south soon, but in fact, the Hebei troops would not reach Jianghuai until autumn or winter, so Cao Pi did not dare to count on the Hebei troops far away in the border.

"promise!"

Just as Sima Yi was about to leave, the attendant hurried over, leaned close to Cao Pi's ear, and whispered something. Cao Pi's face became uglier and gloomy.

"How dare Boren'an do this?" Cao Pi cursed, very unhappy.

"Your Majesty, has the military situation in Xuzhou changed?" Sima Yi asked tentatively.

"The military situation in Xuzhou has not changed, but Xiahou Boren is very cool!"

Cao Pi sneered and said: "When Boren took office in Qidi, he often brought his concubines in and out. However, the standards for this concubine's coming and going were higher than those of the village owner of Deyang. Now Princess Deyang has a complaint and told Zidan, and Zidan "Shang Shu and me."

"I sent people to investigate, and the generals on the left and right said that after our army Zhongli was defeated, Boren led his troops to retreat northward. We don't see the danger of Shouchun's army being trapped now, but we are touring the mountains and rivers under the charm of the words of a cheap servant. How can it be unreasonable!"

As he spoke, Cao Pi stood up from the couch and said angrily: "As a commander-in-chief, if you don't think about serving the country, but you hug a woman while walking around Mount Tai, you should be killed!"

Cao Pi has always paid attention to ethics, but this summer Hou Shang spoiled his concubine too much, which really made him dissatisfied. Of course, the more important reason is that Xiahou Shang's first wife is the head of Deyang Township, who was registered in the clan by Zheng'er Ba Jing. Now the owner of Deyang Township came to complain, and Cao Pi had to stand up for him.

"This~"

Sima Yi hesitated a little and said: "Your Majesty, although the Commander-in-Chief of Xiahou is suspected of corrupting the military, he cannot imitate what he did to corrupt the military. The army was defeated and retreated. The Commander-in-Chief of Xiahou led his troops back to the state. In my free time now, I have some fun. It’s not impossible.”

"It's just that he spoiled his concubine too much and insulted the moral code. This is not the crime of the governor of Xiahou!"

As he spoke, Sima Yi spoke from the bottom of his heart and said: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, it is not appropriate to excessively pursue the blame. The priority should be to appease people's hearts."

In Sima Yi's eyes, Cao Pi's return to the army to kill Bao Xun was too much and too impulsive. After all, at that critical moment, the priority is to unite everyone.

"Yes!"

Cao Pi seemed to be touched and said: "I can't blame the generals blindly. Wen Lie committed suicide because of his strong temper. Qing Xu's soldiers and horses besieged Xia Pi for half a year, and they have tried their best. How can I blame Bo for trivial matters at home now? Ren, I should reach out and help him!”

"Your Majesty is wise!" Sima Yi said, cupping his hands.

"Somebody come!"

Cao Pi called his attendants and said: "The Governor of Xiahou spoils his concubine too much. Please follow my orders and hang her. How can a man be trapped by a woman and ruin the country's affairs?"

Hearing this, Sima Yi took back what he had said before and hurriedly advised: "Your Majesty, the reason why Boren dotes on my concubine is not because of my high status, but because Boren loves my concubine. If his concubine is strangled now, wouldn't it make Boren lose his love? . At this time of employment, Your Majesty might as well send a letter to comfort Boren and ask him to correct his mistakes. "

Sima Yi never thought of what Cao Pi said about reaching out to help Xiahou Shang. It turned out that he sent someone to skip Xiahou Shang and kill Xiahou Shang's concubine directly.

Cao Pi was slightly angry and said: "It's just a maid, not worth the trouble I and the ministers have to spend. If Xiahou Shang is angry because of the maid, he will pretend to be the minister of the Wei Dynasty."

With that said, Cao Pi looked at Sima Yi and said in a deep voice: "This is my family matter, I can't talk to you more!"

"promise!"

Sima Yi lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have family matters to attend to, so I will leave now!"

"it is good!"

Sima Yi walked out of the palace and met Sun Zi.

After finding a secluded place, Sima Yi asked: "How is the current situation in the country? How is your Majesty's health?"

Sun Zi was from Taiyuan County and had a good relationship with Sima Yi. Sima Yi was in Jingwan and often relied on Sun Zi to provide changes in Luoyang.

Sun Zi looked around and whispered: "Your Majesty is suffering from hyperactivity of liver yang, and the doctor said that the only option is to rest. Since your Majesty returned to the capital, your spirit has been good, but your body has been sinking. Your Majesty has wanted to make Wang Rui of Pingyuan the crown prince. It’s just that I haven’t told anyone else!”

Hearing that Cao Pi wanted Cao Rui to be the crown prince, Sima Yi sighed slightly, feeling a little envious and said: "The king of Pingyuan has never been in love with other princes. He only became friendly with Sun Zhongmou because of his concubine."

Hearing Sima Yi's envy, Sun Zi smiled and said: "Zhongda is in charge of the military power, why should he envy the Marquis of Wu? On the contrary, the Marquis of Wu envies Zhongda for commanding the troops in battle!"

Thinking of the current situation, Sima Yi smiled bitterly and said: "I would like to exchange with Wu Hou. I will live in Luoyang and manage the government, and he will lead the troops in battle."

ps: Today's status is very bad, I will update. One update missing, I’ll be in good shape in the next few days!

(End of this chapter)