Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 636: Discussing the differences between envoys
Spring, Wuhan.

In the Tai Pavilion, Xia Houru and Zang Ba, led by their attendants, walked through the corridors and stopped when they reached the assembly hall.

"Two gentlemen, please wait a moment. Grand Sima is doing business." The attendant replied.

"Those who are idle should be led by Da Sima!" Zang Ba said respectfully.

"Young gentlemen, you can wait in the side hall!"

Under the leadership of their attendants, Xia Houru and Zang Ba went to the side hall to wait and sit down.

The two sat down and started chatting with each other when no one was around.

"How is Junlin doing these days?" Zang Ba asked.

Xia Houru sighed slightly and said: "I was defeated and captured. Fortunately, Your Majesty is kind and has no worries about food and clothing. He is only restricted from entering and exiting. I wonder how Zang Jun is doing now?"

Zang Ba smiled bitterly and said, "Jun Lin and I are in the same situation. Sitting here in Wuhan now, I am very worried about the whereabouts of my wife and children in Luoyang!"

Xia Houru hesitated a little and said: "Zhongli was defeated. Although you and I surrendered, it was because we were trapped in a desperate situation and we have not failed the country. I expect that Cao Rui will forget about it and forgive you and my family!"

Zang Ba felt a little resentful and said: "Jun Lin and I have different statuses, how can we be compared? You are a clan general, and I am a surrendered general. Cao Rui will pardon your family members for the sake of the clan. And a certain person is a foreign general. , Cao Rui is afraid that he will use my family as a warning."

Anyway, after defecting to the Han, Zang Ba was no longer polite. He called Cao Rui whatever he dared to call Cao Rui, and poured out the dissatisfaction accumulated in his heart.

Xia Houru sneered and said, "If Zang Junru really cares about his family, why would he lead his troops to surrender to the Han Dynasty?"

Zang Ba's eyes widened and he said angrily: "In the battle of Luojianshui, if your troops had not been able to stop the cavalry, would our army have been defeated?"

Seeing that Zang Ba wanted to share the blame, Xia Houru looked a little confused and said: "It's not that I don't want to stop the Han army, but because the Han cavalry is so clever. I led ten thousand people on foot and could only sit back and watch thousands of Han cavalry wander away. Watch him. Given the current situation, Cao Wenlie and Zang Jun are responsible for encircling the Han cavalry."

Xia Houru really didn't want to bear the blame for Luo Jianshui's defeat, and he couldn't bear it either. In Xia Houru's view, the Battle of Luojianshui in the past was obviously clearly arranged by Huo Jun. The Han army divided its troops into north and south, deliberately luring the Wei army to besiege Huang Quan, and then secretly buried a large-scale cavalry force.

If the pot was really divided, he believed that the biggest responsibility lay with Cao Xiu and Zang Ba. What problems could he have?
Zang Ba slapped his thigh and said angrily: "I am a deputy general. What does the defeat have to do with me?"

With that said, in order not to take the blame, Zang Ba said aggrievedly: "In the battle of Xiluo Jianshui, Cao Xiu arranged a plan to attack the south and block the north. I also obeyed Cao Xiu's orders. The Han cavalry broke through the formation and entered, and there was nothing I could do! "

"And the Han army has another back-up. Han general Zhang Fen is hoarding Luojian water in the upper reaches. Our army wants to cross the river and escape westward, but there is nothing we can do. It seems that Da Sima has laid a dragnet, so the past battle cannot be reversed by you and me. situation!"

"Cao Wenlie!"

Xia Houru slapped his thigh in annoyance and was full of resentment towards Cao Xiu.

Zang Ba slowed down and said, "If Cao Pi hadn't been bewitched by Cao Xiu, he was determined to defeat Zhongli. How could there be a situation where the Han army used boats to overwhelm the pontoon bridges, and then destroyed them one by one!"

After being captured by the Southern Han Dynasty for so many months, Zang Ba also figured it out. He and his soldiers were simply deceived by Cao Pi and Cao Xiu. Why did they fight Zhongli in the first place? They might as well have conquered Picheng.

As for calling Cao Pi his majesty, Zang Ba was not crazy. Now under the rule of the Southern Han Dynasty, he received the honorary title of the Southern Han Dynasty. The only monarch in his heart was Liu Chan. Not calling Cao Pi a thief is a sign of respect for Cao Pi.

"That's it!"

"Be prepared for the left and you will be outnumbered on the right. Be prepared for the front and you will be outnumbered at the rear. If you are prepared everywhere, you will be outnumbered everywhere. The Great Sima destroyed the pontoon bridge with a boat and a large army, and he personally led an army to encircle it. The defeat of you and me is already a foregone conclusion."

Xia Houru didn't want to pursue the blame too much, so he changed the subject and said, "I don't know why Grand Sima summoned you and me now?"

"I think it was for the Northern Expedition!" Zang Ba guessed.

"Planning for the Northern Expedition?"

Xiahou Ruduo was confused and said, "Could it be that I want to ask you and me about the situation in Henan or the layout of the Wei army's troops?"

Zang Ba shook his head and said: "I don't know what Grand Sima means. Now I'm really worried that Grand Sima will send you and me back home."

Zang Ba can clearly remember the incident of Yu Jin. Yu Jin was sent back to the country by the Southern Han Dynasty, and was then thrown into Cao Cao's mausoleum by Cao Pi. Yu Jingai was too ashamed and died of illness soon after.

"That's not the case!"

Xia Houru said: "There is no news about peace talks between Han and Wei. How could you and I be sent back to our country for no reason?"

"Let's see what Grand Sima wants to ask. You and I can tell you everything we know." Zang Ba said.

"Hmm~"

Xia Houru and Zang Ba chatted without a word, waiting for Huo Jun's summons. At this time, in the hall, Huo Jun was discussing with Zhuge Liang who should send the envoy to Xianbei, and the content of the agreement with Ke Bineng.

"The barbarians of Xianbei place great emphasis on military strategy, courage and courage, and neglect the study of Confucian classics. Those who are sent to Xianbei today should be both civil and military, and have extraordinary courage. I wonder if my brother has someone he likes?" Zhuge Liang asked. Huo Jun pondered for a while and suggested: "It is better to choose Deng Zhi as the envoy. Deng Bomiao has always been courageous and trustworthy. Although he is engaged in civil affairs, he is especially good at bows and crossbows. If he is used as the envoy, if there is a conflict, he will also We will not lose the prestige of our country!”

Due to the large number of talents in his field, although Deng Zhi is far less outstanding than in history, in the limited opportunities, Deng Zhi was still able to show outstanding results and was valued by Huo Jun and Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang thought about the candidates and said: "Bo Miao has a simple nature and does not show off his spirit. Although he is rarely respected by scholars, he has won the hearts of soldiers and generals and is respected by warriors. He is the right person to send him as an envoy to Xianbei." That’s it!”

Deng Zhi is a special case among scholars. He has a straightforward temperament and a strong temper. He comes from a noble family, but he cannot get along with the scholars. Deng Zhi's temperament is similar to Jiang Wei's, and he is very suitable for those who value justice and respect bravery.

In addition, Deng Zhi was clear about rewards and punishments and did not deal with personal wealth, which made Zhuge Liang pay special attention to him. Therefore, after careful investigation, Zhuge Liang recently planned to transfer Deng Zhiwen to a military position.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, although there was discrimination against warriors, it did not mean that nobles would not join the martial arts. What the gentry discriminated against were warriors who only knew how to use troops to fight, and they highly respected those who served as generals and ministers. Therefore, during the Three Kingdoms period, there were many commanders who were both civil and military, such as Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, Man Chong, etc.

"good!"

Seeing that there was no objection, Huo Jun said: "In this case, let Deng Zhi go on an envoy and lead the envoy via the Longxi Road, along the river, directly to the Hetao, and pay homage to Ke Bineng."

According to common sense, the Han Dynasty is in the south and the Xianbei is in the north. The two need to pass through Cao Wei, but Shangjun, Beidi, and Shuofang are occupied by Qiang and Hu. The communication between Han and Xianbei can be made through Longyou. Starting from Hanzhong, passing through Longyou, walking along the Yellow River, directly to the Hetao area, and entering Kebineng's territory.

"Zhongmiao, if we form an alliance with Xianbei, where should Kebi be able to raise his troops to attack?"

Zhuge Liang looked at the simple map on the wall and asked: "Go to Bingzhou, enter the pass, or raid Hebei?"

Huo Jun pondered for a while and then said: "To invade the two states of Ji and Ji, we can go through Yanmen, pass through Taiyuan, turn to Jingxing, and invade Hebei. If Hebei is in turmoil, Cao Wei will not dare to ignore it."

After saying that, Huo Jun smiled helplessly and said: "Let Xianbei attack Bingzhou, Kebi Neng will definitely not agree."

Although the land in Bingzhou is barren, vast and sparsely populated, its folk customs are fierce and both young and old are good at bows and spears. Let Kebi be able to conquer Bingzhou, unless he is crazy.

In order to maintain mobility, nomadic tribes rarely attack cities. Instead, they bypass fortresses and go deep into the hinterland of the Central Plains to plunder.

In the current Bingzhou area, due to the loss of the Hetao counties in the early years and the continuous erosion of Yanmen County, Wei could only control a few counties in the south, such as Mayi, Loufan, Pingcheng, etc., which had been controlled by Xianbei and then Budu. The roots are entrenched.

After Kebineng defeated Budugen, he moved westward to occupy Yunzhong, Dingxiang and other Hetao areas. Then he went to war with Suli and annexed the territory outside the Youzhou Great Wall. Su Linan was forced to flee to Youzhou and asked Cao Wei for asylum.

Today, Ke Bineng's territory stretches from Wuyuan County in the west to beyond the Youzhou Great Wall in the east. Only Xianbei in Hexi and Xianbei in Liaodong have not yet been controlled by Ke Bineng. Once Kebi can integrate Liaodong and Hexi Xianbei, his power will be comparable to Xianbei under Tan Shihuai.

"good!"

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and said: "Now we are discussing with Kebi Neng, and we should let him raid south of Hebei to threaten Yecheng in Jizhou. And in the letter, we need to ask Kebi Neng to prohibit the provision of war horses to Cao Wei. For example, the Longyou Road can Let’s see if we can get thousands of good horses from him!”

At present, places that can provide war horses for the Han Dynasty include Lujiang County in Huaixi, Jianning County in Ningzhou, and Longyou in Guanxi. The war horses in Huaixi are mostly Liaodong war horses, the horses in Ningzhou are mainly Yunnan horses, and the Qiang horses are produced in Longyou. The three places can provide the Han Dynasty with two to three thousand qualified war horses and thousands of pack horses every year.

If the channel with Xianbei can be opened, the Han Dynasty will have more sources of troops and horses, especially at the critical moment when the army is about to fight the decisive battle in the Northern Expedition. The more war horses flow into the army, the more powerful the Han army will be.

After chatting for a while, Zhuge Liang saw that there were still things to deal with, so he stood up and left, saying, "Brother, I still have military needs. Liang will step back first and tell Deng Bomiao about the key points of this trip."

"good!"

Huo Jun left the bed to see him off and said with a smile: "Thank you Kong Ming for preparing the mission!"

"Don't dare!"

After Zhuge Liang left the hall, Huo Jun asked around, "Where are Hou Ru and Zang Ba this summer?"

"Your Majesty, the two of you are waiting in the side hall," the attendant replied.

"What are you talking about?" Huo Jun asked casually.

"The two had just shared the responsibility for the defeat of the Jianghuai Army. Zang Bayan said that Xiahou Ru failed to stop the cavalry, and Xiahou Ruyan said that the soldiers were small, so naturally they could not stop the Han cavalry. Cao Xiu and Zang Ba had to stop them. And Zang Ba then The matter was blamed on Cao Xiu, saying that the defeat was due to the fault of Cao Xiu and Cao Pi." The attendant smiled and replied.

After a pause, the attendant added: "But both of them are worried about their families. They are worried that Cao Rui will execute them as a warning to others!"

Hearing that the two were blaming each other, Huo Jun couldn't help laughing and said: "They are quite interesting!"

"Da Sima, do you want to bring these two people into the hall now?" the attendant asked.

"Can!"

ps: The latest update time is too late, please allow me to adjust my schedule. One update today, three updates tomorrow.

The Easter Egg Chapter has the latest map!
(End of this chapter)