Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 611 The horses rise up
The alliance with Xianbei to destroy Wei was only a temporary idea of ​​Zhuge Liang. If he wanted to formally cooperate with Kebineng, he had to seek advice from Huo Jun who was far away in Shouchun.

However, Zhuge Liang and the central officials have reached a consensus on sending troops to contain Cao Wei.

Zhuge Liang led an army of 10,000 Wudang Fei, as well as governors Zhao Yun, Wenpin, Liao Hua and other Jianghan soldiers and horses, a total of 30,000 people, to Xinye to contain Sima Yi for Huo Jun.

Because of his outstanding knowledge, Shangshu Deng Zhi followed Zhuge Liang's order and sent an envoy to Longyou to persuade Ma Chao to attack Cao Wei.

In the fifth month of summer, Deng Zhi traveled north to Xiangyang with Zhuge Liang. When they were leaving, Zhuge Liang summoned Deng Zhi for a secret talk and gave instructions on the key points of the envoy to Longyou.

On the couch, Zhuge Liang invited Deng Zhi to take a seat, and served tea to the left and right, saying: "Bo Miao, when the late emperor was still alive, Jiang Jiong and his son Jiang Wei were on a mission to Wuhan. Because they admired the mighty virtue of the great Han Dynasty, they allowed the late emperor to run. Bo Miao is on a mission to Longyou. He needs to be kind to Jiang Ji and his son on behalf of His Majesty and Da Sima. His loyalty must not be undermined."

When Jiang Ji and his son surrendered to Liu Bei, they were at a banquet. But those who can participate in the banquet are almost all high-ranking Han officials. The senior officials who were well aware of the secret, under Liu Bei's warning, kept silent about the return of Jiang Jiong and his son to the Han Dynasty.

Deng Zhi previously served as the governor of Yizhou. Because of his outstanding performance during the turmoil, he was promoted to the chancellery by Zhuge Liang. I didn't know anything about Jiang Wei and his son returning to the Han Dynasty. This is the first time I heard about it from Zhuge Liang.

Deng Zhi was very surprised and said: "But Jiang Ji, the general of Liang Zhengxi?"

"Of course!"

In order to prevent father and son from changing their minds, it is very necessary for Deng Zhi to appease them!
Hearing this, Deng Zhi understood clearly and said: "Jiang's ability to abandon Liang and Wei and return to Han shows his sincerity. Now that we have won a great victory in Zhongli and the Han Dynasty is expected to prosper, how can Jiang possibly abandon the Han and return to Liang?" I hope Prime Minister Ge will be at ease, Zhi will be repaired and united with the Jiang family, and he will persuade Ma Chao to attack Wei."

Today, the selection of the minister has been decided. Deng Zhi is only a mere minister, so naturally he is unable to ask Zhuge Liang to change the minister's order. These words must be to put Zhuge Liang on guard.

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently, poured a cup of tea for Deng Zhi himself, and said with a smile: "Jiang Jiu has bravery, and his son Jiang Wei has courage. They thought that Cao Pi and Ma Chao were not the masters of the Ming Dynasty, so they surrendered to the late emperor when they were envoys to Wuhan in the south."

"In the past, the late emperor and Jiang Jiong made an appointment to capture Long, but unfortunately they fell in the middle of the road. The matter of capturing Long was shelved because of Cao Pi's southern expedition."

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "If you listen to Bo Miao's words now, your heart will be at peace!"

Deng Zhi was on an envoy to Longyou. In addition to persuading his horse to surpass his troops, he also wanted to appease Jiang Ji and his son.

Not to mention Zhuge Liang led his troops upstream to the Xinye River, Deng Zhi took a boat and headed west, entering Hanzhong from Dongsanjun, and then left Qishan to reach Hebei County on the right side of Longnan.

After Jiang Ji and his son returned to Liang, they helped Liang Guo win the grain and grass sponsorship contract. Ma Chao thought highly of Jiang Ji. Among the only official positions, Ma Chao made Jiang Jiong the general of the Western Conquest, and the governor of Jincheng from afar.

Zhuge Liang put down the tea cup and thought about it and said: "Although Li Yan has scales on his abdomen, he is very talented. Li Yanping has great achievements in Nanzhong. At this time, we can use his talents first and then examine his character."

Ge and Deng chatted for a while, and then Deng Zhifang stood up and left.

Zhuge Liang recommended Li Yan as Shangshu Ling out of helplessness. At that time, Ningzhou was first established. In order to make room for Li Hui, Sun Shao happened to pass away, and Li Yan was promoted to Shangshu Ling with military merit.

While talking, Deng Zhi thought of something and said, "Xiang Ge, Zhi is about to die, but he has something to say, I don't know whether to say it or not!"

Zhuge Liang sipped the tea cup gently and said, "Bo Miao, it doesn't matter if you say it!"

"Today, the minister ordered Li Zhengfang to show his talent in civil and military affairs, but he has scales on his abdomen. The local party members and leftists cannot approach him. Only the servant Shefei Guan can interact with his words."

"Thank you Bo Miao for telling me!"

Deng Zhi bowed his hand to Zhuge Liang and said with a smile: "I hope Prime Minister Ge will expedition to the north, and I hope that Da Sima will conquer Shouchun City soon!"

"good!"

"I am now on my way to Longyou as an envoy. I need to appeal to Jiang Jiu and his son on behalf of His Majesty and Grand Sima, and secretly promise official positions. Then Jiang Jiu and his son will help, and Bo Miao will persuade Ma Chao with benefits, and Ma Chao will be happy to send troops."

Deng Zhi hesitated a little and said: "The minister of the secretariat needs to manage Taiwan affairs day by day, uphold the law and be fair, and be harmonious to all officials. Zhi is afraid that Li Zhengfang will not be able to take up this position. Moreover, when Li Zhengfang was in Shu, he worshiped merit and carried out large-scale construction projects. Ge Xiangyi Be careful."

"promise!"

In fact, Huo Jun had some objections to Li Yan's appointment as Shangshu Ling. However, he was exhausted by the war at that time, and the old ministers from Liu Bei's period were gradually withering away. There was indeed no suitable candidate. Huo Jun could only temporarily agree to Li Yan's appointment as Shangshu Ling.

Ma Chao heard that the Han envoy Deng Zhi had arrived and ordered Cheng Gongying to greet him on his behalf. He held a banquet in honor of Deng Zhi that night.

At the banquet, Deng Zhi met Jiang Ji, and the two made eye contact with each other. However, due to the crowd of people at the banquet, they did not dare to talk to Deng Zhi. Ma Chao only showed his lower body and asked Cheng Gongying to entertain Deng Zhi on his behalf.

While drinking and having fun, Deng Zhi and Jiang Ji chatted with each other. Deng Zhi comforted Jiang Jiong secretly with words, saying that Wuhan was gone and many people missed Jiang Jiong. In order to avoid suspicion, Jiang Ji laughed and laughed, but asked Jiang Wei to send a note to Deng Zhi, saying that Jiang Wei was secretly visiting Deng Zhi tonight.

After drinking heavily, Deng Zhi, Ma Dai, Cheng Gongying, Jiang Jiong and others returned home happily.

That night, under the cover of darkness, Jiang Wei entered the post house in disguise and paid homage to Deng Zhi.

Seeing that Jiang Wei came to visit as scheduled, Deng Zhi urgently asked Jiang Wei to take a seat.

"Wei pays homage to Ambassador Deng!"

"Don't dare!"

Deng Zhi returned the gesture and said, "Jiang Jun and Shaojun are so wronged!"

"Just try your best for the Han Dynasty!"

Jiang Wei knelt down and asked, "We heard that Sima Da defeated Cao Pi. I wonder what the current situation is like between Han and Wei?"

Deng Zhi said truthfully: "Cao Pi was defeated and left, and Grand Sima went to besiege Shouchun City. In order to prevent Cao Pi from sending troops to the south for reinforcements, Prime Minister Ge led his troops out of Jianghan, thinking to contain Jingwan's troops; now the troops in Guanxi need to be contained by the King of Liang!"

Jiang Wei pondered for a while and asked: "Could it be that the Han envoys came to Ji County to persuade the King of Liang to send troops?"

"It's not just that!"

Deng Zhi smiled and said, "The late emperor made an appointment with Jiang Jun to go to Longyou, but unfortunately he fell in the middle. The Grand Sima and the Prime Minister were afraid that Jiang Jun and Shaojun would be worried because of this, so they specially asked Zhi to relieve Jiang Jun's worries!" "

With that said, Deng Zhi raised his hands in the direction of Wuhan and said: "Your Majesty has something to say. In the past, Ma Fubo abandoned Weixiao and returned to the ancestors of the world. Today, Lord Jiang abandons darkness and joins the Ming Dynasty. The words of banquets in the old days have not changed today!"

Jiang Wei looked serious and said: "Although Wei is a warrior in Longtu, he is deeply aware of loyalty. Although the late emperor died, the prince succeeded to the throne. My father and I will never change our original intentions. I hope your majesty, Duke Huo and Duke Ge can rest assured!" At this time, Jiang Wei revealed Ma Chao's current situation and said: "When the king of Liang heard that the late emperor had died, and when Cao Pi went south to conquer Jianghuai, he had already thought of raising an army. If Wei wanted to win, he would annex Longnan, and if Wei lost, he would advance to Hexi. Now that Cao Pi has defeated Jianghuai, he has Because of the poor harvest last year, we did not dare to send troops on an expedition. "

"If the King of Liang's military and food shortage can be relieved now, and my father's lobbying is given, the King of Liang will more likely send troops to Hexi. Even if the King of Liang does not send troops to attack Hexi, he will still send troops to strategize the two counties of Hehuang to strengthen his minions! "

When Lu and Ma signed an alliance under the city, Lu Xun had captured Wudu and Yinping counties. In order to divert the disaster eastward, he specially suggested that Ma Chao attack Xiping and Jincheng counties in the Hehuang Valley.

At that time, Ma Chao considered that his foundation was unstable and needed recognition from Han and Wei, so he did not dare to send troops to attack Hehuang County. But now that Ma Chao is gradually gaining ground, in order to further expand his territory, Ma Chao must attack Cao Wei.

The big target can be Cao Wei's entire Liangzhou, and the secondary target can be Cao Wei's Hehuang County.

As for why Ma Chao did not consider attacking Guanzhong, it was mainly because of the previous experience. If the Liangzhou Wei army did not solve it, it would be like a sharp sword hanging over Ma Chao's head. Only by solving his worries can Ma Chao dare to go east with all his strength.

Deng Zhi knew it well and said with a smile: "Thank you so much, Mr. Jiang, for revealing the truth. I will help Mr. Jiang tomorrow to help with the lobbying!"

"Please don't worry, Ambassador Deng!"

Jiang Wei listened to the sound of the watch outside the house and did not dare to stay long. He said, "It's too late today and I don't dare to talk much. When envoy Deng returns, my father will go to see him off!"

"Young Master, walk slowly!"

Deng Zhi took out a letter and said, "This letter was given to Mr. Jiang by Ge Jiao and passed down by Lao Shaojun!"

"promise!"

The next day, the sky was bright and the wind was clear and the clouds were light.

At the Prince's Mansion of Ji County, Ma Chao summoned Deng Zhi.

In the hall, Deng Zhi politely presented the document and said: "When Your Majesty ascended the throne, the King of Liang sent an envoy to congratulate him. At that time, due to military reasons, he had no time to spare to pay a visit to the King of Liang. Today is the great victory of Zhongli, and the great man has time to spare. Your Majesty will Zhi is the envoy and has come to pay homage to King Liang."

"Please, Your Majesty, please take care of me!"

Ma Chao, who is in his fifties, has a slight gray hair on his temples, but he looks more dignified. After reading a few words in the memorial, Ma Chao asked directly: "The envoy of the Han Dynasty came to Long, what advice do you have?"

"I don't dare to give advice!"

Deng Zhi looked modest and said: "This is the King of Liang, Cao Pi has defeated Jianghuai and the country is in turmoil. Our Han soldiers have sent out two routes to attack the Central Plains. Now Han and Liang are united. In order to seek the friendship of the Lord and the vassal, I especially hope that the King of Liang will move." Attack Wei with troops."

Ma Chao put down the memorial and said: "In the past, after the death of the late emperor, Cao Pi took advantage of the danger to march to the south. When he heard about it, he was overwhelmed and sad. However, due to the poor harvest in his fields, there was not enough food for the army, so he had to go around to raise food for the wait. We have sufficient food and troops. We are not unwilling to obey His Majesty's orders, but are forced by the situation."

Deng Zhi was well prepared and said: "To the King of Liang, in the past Lu Chaoqi and the king formed an alliance to exchange the two counties of Hehuang and Longnan. Now if the king wants to use troops, I, a big man, are willing to provide 60,000 dan of food for the king to attack. Wei.”

Ma Chao calculated the grain and grass. If the 60,000 stone grain was only considered as infantry, it would be enough for 20,000 people for three months. If we add the 40,000 shi of food in the mansion, it will be enough for an army of 20,000 for five months. But if you include the war horses and the farmers transporting grain, the grain will not be enough for five months.

After calculating, Ma Chao said: "In the past, when the late emperor was still alive, he wanted to give 30,000 shi of grain to help the cold. However, after the late emperor passed away, the Han Dynasty stopped allocating grain and grass because of the chaos in the Western Territory. Now with 60,000 shi of grain, can it be done safely?"

Deng Zhi pondered for a while and then said: "The prime minister has been sending troops to Nanzhong for a long time, which has led to a shortage of food for the troops in Shu. Now I would like to offer the remaining 30,000 shi of food in the treasury. The total of 90,000 shi should be enough for the king of Liang to use his troops." !”

"good!"

Although Ma Chao was moved, he pretended to be hesitant and said: "Ninety thousand shi of grain is barely enough. Now the envoys of the Han Dynasty can take a rest and allow themselves to think for a while."

"promise!"

After Deng Zhi retreated, Ma Chao looked at the civil and military forces on his left and right and asked: "Ninety thousand dan of grain and twenty thousand troops are enough to last for several months. I wonder what you mean?"

"Send troops!"

After receiving the greeting, Jiang Ji stood up and said: "Hexi hangs above Longyou. If Hexi is not owned by the king, then Guanzhong will not be available. Since the king has ambitions in Guanxi, how can he not take advantage of Wei's weakness? send troops."

"Ok!"

Ma Chao stroked his beard and nodded, very satisfied with Jiang Jiong's words.

After thinking for a moment, Ma Chao looked to Cheng Gongying for his opinion and asked, "Does Berger have any advice?"

Cheng Gongying pondered for a while and said: "Your Majesty, Ying heard that after Cao Pi defeated Jianghuai, Huo Jun took advantage of the situation and surrounded Shouchun. The reason why the Han Dynasty ordered the king to send troops is probably to contain the troops in Guanxi, so that Huo Jun can take advantage of the situation to attack Shouchun. Your Majesty If we send troops to Hexi at this time, we may be restrained by Cao Zhen and Guo Huai!"

"Mr. Chenggong, this is a good opportunity to expand our territory. How can we not use force because we are afraid of Cao Zhen!" Jiang Ji said: "If we miss this good opportunity now and there will be no Han food to help us in the future, how can our army gain anything?"

Ma Chao frowned slightly and said, "Does Berger mean that he doesn't want to send troops?"

"No!"

Cheng Gongying did not give in, and said directly: "Hexi is above Longyou, so it must be eliminated. However, Liangzhou has a vast territory and sparsely populated areas. The king's expedition is thousands of miles long, and there are few people on the way, so it is difficult to provide food and grass. Moreover, all the elite soldiers and horses are exhausted. If we go out, Longyou may be taken advantage of by Cao Zhen."

"Jin Ying's opinion is that the king can first seize the two counties of Hehuang as a springboard to capture Liang. Once there is Hehuang, the king can win over the Han and Qiang people and dredge the road to Hexi. In the meantime, if Cao Zhen takes Longyou, the king can lead his troops back Control it.”

"good!"

Ma Chao smiled with satisfaction and said: "As Berger said, take the two counties of Hehuang first. If Cao Zhen sends troops to Longxi, he should lead the troops to control them personally."

"Bojie told the Han envoy that if he could give him 100,000 shi of food, he would send troops to Hexi alone to contain Cao Zhen's troops for the Grand Sima!"

"promise!"

ps: There are two more updates

(End of this chapter)