Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 622 Turning the Tide
In October of winter, the winter wind was bleak, and there was a chill inside and outside Luoyang.

In the palace, Cao Rui, who had been on the throne for several months, was discussing preparation measures for the coming year with ministers such as Liu Ye, Wei Zhen, Sun Quan, and Chen Qun.

"Your Majesty, since Duke Zhun, generals, and officials and people from the four prefectures of Henan, Yan, Xu, and Qing have come to see the army who have a clear strategy for the battle formation. Within three months, there has been an endless stream of troops from counties and counties, and the four prefectures have A total of more than 40,000 soldiers have been recruited from more than thirty counties. The rosters of various ministries have been sent to various states and counties. Now the governors of the prefectures and counties have sent a message to the court, asking for official positions and military heroes to be regarded as righteous monarchs and subordinates. "Chen Qun. said.

Cao Rui looked humble and asked, "What is Chen Sikong's advice?"

Chen Qun thought for a while, then raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, those who recruit themselves to join the army should be divided according to the region. Those who are close to the Jianghuai River and Huaihe River should have separate city governors to obey the orders of the county guards; those who are far away from the Jianghuai River can be appointed as commanders of other departments. The prefectures and counties govern it.”

In the army, there is a military commander, whose rank is as high as a thousand stones. However, the Sima of the other divisions was under the leadership of the Sima's special camp of the army. The number of soldiers varied according to the situation, and there was no formal establishment. It was an expedient measure taken to appease meritorious personnel, and was similar to the independent regiments of later generations.

"good!"

Cao Rui nodded and said: "As Sikong Zhi said, the positions of city governor, Sima and righteous heroes will be assigned to the governors of the prefectures and counties. The current canonization and appointment can be handled by the Shangshutai."

"Promise!" Shangshu ordered Sun Quan to respond.

Before Cao Pi's death, due to the deteriorating situation, Sima Yi suggested that Henan recruit its own troops. However, Cao Pi was worried about his reputation and worried that it would shake Cao Wei's rule in the Central Plains, so he did not dare to open his mouth.

After Cao Rui came to power, facing the messy situation in Cao Wei, even though he knew that Sima Yi's suggestion was to drink poison to quench his thirst, in order to let Cao Wei survive, Cao Rui had to adopt Sima Yi's old suggestion. In addition to letting the four states of Henan recruit their own troops, he also let Wei The sons of the noble family and generals led their clansmen and tribes to join the army.

After Sima Yi left Jingwan to control Jingwan, Chen Qun and Sun Quan were in charge of affairs inside and outside Luoyang. However, due to Chen Qun's deep foundation, most of the ministers were led by him, and Sun Quan was the minister's servant.

Cao Rui, who had just come to power, wanted to use Sun Quan's power to intervene in the affairs of the Chancellor. As a result, Chen Jiao blocked him from the chancellery on the grounds that he was a minister.

The distortion in the relationship between monarch and ministers changed greatly from the Han Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. One of the important turning points has a lot to do with the Gaopingling Incident led by Sima Yi.

Although Cao Rui was not happy about being reviled at the moment, due to his prestige and basic connections, he not only did not get angry, but instead rewarded Chen Jiao and made him a minister and chief minister.

Under the influence of this idea of ​​clear distribution of rights between monarch and ministers, Liu Chan could actually accept the dictatorship of Zhuge Liang and Huo Jun. Because under Liu Chan's values, Huo Jun's rights were additional rights granted by him and Liu Bei, rather than Huo Jun's robbery.

After hearing this, Liu Ye pondered for a while and said: "Your Majesty, the first use of troops in ancient times was to transport grain. On the way to transport grain, boats and boats were used first, and donkeys and horses were used second. There are few donkeys and horses in the south, and thieves use troops to the north. Choose the waterway and head north."

Chen Jiao's words seem to be treasonous if viewed from the perspective of the values ​​​​of monarchs and ministers in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But in fact, in terms of the values ​​​​of monarchs and ministers in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Chen Jiao's words did not have a big problem.

Now Chen Qun is presenting the memorial, and Cao Rui shows his respect by completely following Chen Qun's ideas.

During the Han Dynasty, the emperor ruled the world not as a single man, but with clear division of powers between his officials and his ministers. After the emperor entrusts something to his ministers, unless the ministers do not do a good job, the emperor is unlikely to intervene beyond his level. Even in controlling functional departments, the emperor would not interfere.

Cao Rui looked around and asked: "Huaibei and Henan are vast, and the Ying, Ru, Si, and Wu rivers are connected with the Huai River. Shouchun was taken by thieves. Judging from the past events of water thieves, they may meet in the next two years. If you raise an army to attack me, I dare to ask you, how should you defend yourself against the enemy now?"

Since the Yingchuan scholars joined the Cao family, most of the people who received important positions in the early and middle periods were Xun and Zhong. Then as Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, Chen Qun gradually became the representative figure of Yingchuan scholars, and together with Sima Yi and Sun Quan, they controlled the politics of Cao Wei.

After the Sima family took power, they continued to break the unspoken rules that existed before. Finally, after three generations, Sima Yan succeeded in usurping the throne. In order to learn from the political lessons of the Jin Dynasty and Wei Dynasty, later monarchs continued to strengthen the emperor's centralization of power and weaken the independence of his ministers.

To put it another way, the emperor can be regarded as a position, and the emperor can be regarded as a title. The emperor has his own scope of authority, and his ministers also have their own scope of authority. The two complement each other and jointly control the world.

"Among the four rivers, those that can be connected with the Yellow River are Heshui in the east and Honggou (Laodang Canal) in the west. The Heshui is the water that King Wu Fuchai used to fight for hegemony with the King of Qi. Boats floated in the Huaihe River, "Si, it can be reached by the He River. If you want to pass through the He River, you can only break through Pengcheng, go to the lake and land, enter the He River, and then enter the big river."

After this decree was issued, a large number of ministers, descendants of generals, and powerful people and knights in the states and counties raised troops in order to seek political status. They all carried armor, weapons, bows and horses and went to the states and counties to join the army.

In the words of Zhuge Liang's professor Liu Chan, the government of the monarch and his ministers is like the symbols of heaven and earth. If the symbols of heaven and earth are clear, then the tools of the monarch and his ministers are the same. The king is benevolent in giving to others, and the ministers are righteous in doing things. ...The king treats his ministers with courtesy, and the ministers serve the king with loyalty. The king plans his own affairs, and the ministers plan their affairs.

The minister ordered Chen Qun, and Cao Rui respected his title of Tuogu minister and issued an edict to worship Chen Qun as Sikong. Sun Quan was moved from Shangshu Pushe to Shangshu Ling and retained his original powers.

With the help of everyone, Cao Rui gradually stabilized the situation between the DPRK and China, which gave Cao Rui the energy to focus on the military. Coupled with the recruitment measures of drinking poison to quench thirst, Cao Wei also had a barely usable army in the local area.

The reason why Sima Yi was able to succeed in the Gaoping Ling Incident was not only that Cao Shuang violated the political interests of his senior ministers, but also that Sima Yi took advantage of the unspoken rules that existed between monarchs and ministers to unify the anti-Cao Shuang front.

Under the good situation, Cao Rui needs to consider how to build a reliable defense line for Cao Wei to block the Southern Han Dynasty from Huaibei.

"The chasm is called the Langdang Canal. In the past, Emperor Wu diverted the Luo River into the Langdang Canal to connect the Wo River and Ying River, and then entered the Huai River. When the former emperor conquered Huainan, he walked from the Langdang Canal into the Wo River and Ying River, and then boated into the Huai River. Water. The importance of the Wishui River lies in Chengfu and Qiao; the importance of the Ying River lies in Chen County; and the importance of the Ru River lies in Xuanhu (Shangcai)."

Although there was no Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal before the Yuan Dynasty, it does not mean that there was no river channel to enter the Yellow River from the Huai River. In addition to the chasm, there is also a little-known river in Shandong, namely the He and Ji water. Heshui is the water downstream of Jishui, and its water comes out of Onozawa.

Liu Yu attacked Nanyan and regained the land of Qingxu. During the second expedition to Guanzhong, Liu Yu sent troops from Shouchun, and then used boats to enter the Sishui River, and then passed through the He River and entered the Yellow River. Advance from the Yellow River and enter the Guanzhong area to fight.

As for Honggou, due to the flooding of the Yellow River in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Honggou water system was gradually silted up by sediment. Later, after Cao Cao pacified the north, in order to send troops to the south, he sent people to dredge the gap and divert the Luo River to connect the Wo and Ying Rivers.

For example, during Liu Yu's second expedition, he asked Tan Daoji and Wang Zhen'e to come out of Shouchun and attack Xu and Luo from Yingshui. Of course, there were also soldiers and horses from the Jianghan area, responding to Tan Daoji and Wang Zhene from Wancheng.

"The thieves have always had the strength to return to the Central Plains since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, and their troops are eager to attack Luo. Therefore, if they want to use troops against Sili, the thieves will divide their troops into two groups. One way will go out of Xiangfan, using the water as a road to knock Wancheng; the other will go out In Shouchun, the troops entered Ru River and defeated Runan. The two armies converged on Yingchuan and then directed their troops to Luoyang. "Liu Ye, following Cao Rui's instructions, walked to the river map of the Central Plains and pointed to the rivers and mountains. "Maybe the thieves will imitate Fu Chai's attack. Qi sent troops from Hangou to the north, marched out of Xiapi, conquered Qi, and then marched to Dahe; the soldiers who rebelled against Jianghan came out of Wancheng, thinking that their troops and horses would respond. "

"The water flow in Huaibei is slow and slow. If you want to use troops, you can only use them between April and July. Therefore, in Ye's opinion, in order to prevent thieves from using troops, heavy troops should be stationed in Cai to defend Ru River. The soldiers will guard Chen County in Ying River. Qiao and the father of the city guard the waterway to prevent the thieves from using their troops to the north. "

Sun Quan was a little confused and said: "Wait a minute, why are we stationing heavy troops on Cai? The Ying and Wo rivers can reach Xu Luo. If thieves break through Qiao County from Ying river, why don't we send troops to Xu and Luohu?"

Cao Rui smiled and said: "The Ru River is above the Huai River. If the thieves send troops from the Ying River to Chen County, the soldiers from the Ru River can go down the river and cut off Yingkou. The water thieves will have no food. The two armies will attack. He can defeat his army."

"Therefore, if the thieves want to use their troops to attack Xu and Luo, they can only take Shangcai first, and then they can enter Yingchuan. But if they want to take Runan, it will not be easy!"

The Southern and Northern Expeditions in the Central Plains were basically inseparable from waterways and rivers, so the march route was clear. The military route is clear, so it is very easy for the Northern Dynasties to defend. If troops were stationed at important sections of the river, they could prevent the Southern Dynasty troops from advancing northward.

As for the reason why heavy troops were deployed in Runan, it was to take advantage of the fact that Ru River was superior to the Huai River. The Han army is advancing towards the Ying River, and the soldiers and horses of the Ru River can flow down the river and cut off the Han army's food route. The situation is similar to Cao Cao's troops and horses when he cut off Sikou and surrounded Huo Jun.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Liu Ye licked a sentence and then explained: "Shangcai is also called Xuanhu City. The shape of the hanging gourd is like a hanging gourd, as if the hanging gourd is its life. The city is surrounded by Ru water, which is a dangerous place in ancient times. , It is not as strong as Shouchun. If you garrison a large number of troops in Xuanhu, you can stop the thieves from attacking Xu Luo."

"Ok!"

Cao Rui gained some information and said: "Looking at it this way, the soldiers of Yuzhou should garrison Shangcai, and then send generals to garrison Chen and Qiao cities to prevent the water thieves from sending troops to Xu and Luo."

As he spoke, Cao Rui pointed to the Surabaya on the map and said: "The importance of Surabaya lies in Pengcheng, and the governor of Xuzhou should control it. The governor of Qingzhou will station Langya to cut off the passage for water thieves to enter Qi. The governor of Yanzhou will lead his troops to the rear and be ready at any time. Support the soldiers and horses of Qing and Xu states."

Liu Ye pondered for a while and then added: "Your Majesty, the Bianshui River can also flow into the river, so people should pay attention to the Shimen."

"No!"

Cao Rui shook his head and said: "The Bian River is a tributary of the Surabaya River. Its stone gate is steep and is an important place to connect to the river. If the water thieves dare to use troops from the Bian River, our army can send cavalry to go around the back, intercept the stone gate and cut off its The way back.”

After a pause, Cao Rui looked at everyone and said, "Open a door to lure the enemy. I wonder what you think?"

"Your Majesty is very knowledgeable in military strategy, and everyone thinks he is good!" Chen Qun praised.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Sun Quan, Wei Zhen and others responded.

Cao Rui nodded slightly and said, "If you have no objections, please let Henan soldiers and horses deploy troops in this way."

"promise!"

In recent months, Cao Rui's military capabilities have not only convinced Cao Wei's ministers, but also given them a little more peace of mind. If Cao Rui is like his father Cao Pi, I'm afraid Cao Wei won't live long.

After talking about business, Cao Rui chatted with the ministers for a while.

At the same time, Zhao Yin, the school official, walked straight into the hall from the side of the hall without announcing it, and whispered in Cao Rui's ear for a moment.

School officials were set up by Cao Cao to monitor ministers loyal to the Han Dynasty. Later, he made outstanding contributions in purging officials and had the ability to supervise all officials, so he was retained by Cao Cao, similar to the factory guards of the Ming Dynasty in later generations.

Cao Rui raised his eyebrows and asked all the ministers except Sun Quan and Liu Ye to leave the palace with a smile.

After everyone retreated, Cao Rui looked at Zhao Yin and asked, "Is there anyone who will die?"

"Your Majesty!"

Zhao Yin presented the list of women and said: "I selected two people, one is from Xuzhou and the other is from Qingzhou. Each of them has talents, either excellent eloquence, or good at governing the people. If they are ordered to go south and rely on their connections, You should be able to obtain an official title.”

Cao Rui looked at the resumes of the two people on the scarf and asked, "Are you loyal to my Wei family?"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the two of them are respectful to their parents, especially their feelings. And because of Emperor Wu, I, the Wei Dynasty, are kind to the two of them. If the two of them go south, they will never dare to rebel!"

Cao Rui thought about it for a long time and said, "I'm afraid the Viper can't be used. Let the Hidden Snake come to the palace to see him."

After handing Yin She's resume to Sun and Liu for review, Cao Rui warned, "Let Yin She go to Youzhou to serve as an official, so as not to leak the news and be known by the southerners."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)