Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 662 Tiger, Dog, Pig

October, Luoyang Palace.

In the meeting hall, Cao Rui summoned Du Xi who had returned from Guanzhong, and Wei Zhen and Liu Ye attended the meeting to discuss military affairs.

Cao Rui leaned on a stool and said, "Since Lu Xun came to Longyou, the pirates have been active, transporting military supplies and recruiting barbarians. The Grand Marshal is stationed in Guanzhong, facing the situation in Guanxi, I wonder what arrangements he has made?"

Du Xi reported, "Your Majesty, since March, Lu Xun has been transporting food and supplies from Bashu to Longyou and Hanzhong for months. He has the intention of attacking Guanxi. The Grand Marshal has carefully investigated the situation in Longshan and has a strategy to resist the enemy."

"Can you explain it in detail?"

"promise!"

Du Xi bowed and said, "The Longshan Mountains and Qinling Mountains are rugged, and the mountain roads are long and steep. The roads that can be passed through Longyou and Hanzhong include Weishui, Sanguan, Gaoping, Baoxiang, Tangluo, and Ziwu. Among them, the most important ones are Weishui, Sanguan, Wuguan, and Baoxiang."

"Among the four roads, the gateways are Chencang and Longguan. The former blocks the Wei River in the west and locks Wudu in the south; the latter connects to Hexi in the north and Longyou in the west. Now Lu Xun wants to take Guanxi. Because of the terrain, he will most likely advance along the Wei and Wei rivers, connect to Sanguan Avenue, and get food from Bashu."

As he spoke, Du Xi presented the layout of the Guanzhong map and said, "So the Grand Marshal ordered the brave general Hao Zhao to guard Chencang, the good general Wei Ping to stay at Longguan, and he himself led the troops to station at Meicheng to prevent the troops from Baoxiang and Tangluo. He also ordered his trusted men to guard the dangerous Ziwu Pass to ambush anyone who sneaked across the Ziwu Road."

Cao Rui browsed the map of Guanzhong, pointed to Chencang, and said, "Chencang is the most important place. If the enemy wants to invade Guanzhong, they must first take Chencang to clear the way for Long and Shu. Now the Grand Marshal has chosen Hao Zhao to defend Chencang. I wonder how brave and strategic he is?"

There are three major rivers connecting Guanzhong and Longyou, from south to north, namely Weishui, Weishui (now Qianhe), and Jingshui. Among them, Weishui Road is the shortest because it leads to Chencang, so Zhang He defeated Ma Chao and went west along the Weishui Road.

Weishui Road, when Zhuge Liang attacked Longyou, Zhang He took the Weishui Road to cross Longshan Mountain to save Longyou, defeated Ma Su stationed in Jieting, and opened the passage to Longyou. In addition, Zhuge Liang failed to capture Shanggui and control the Weishui Road, and finally had no choice but to flee to Longyou.

The battle of Qianshuiyuan between Li Shimin and Xue Rengao and his son took place on the Jingshui Road. Li Shimin defeated Xue Rengao and then went west along the Jingshui Road to conquer Longyou for the Li Tang Dynasty.

There are records of military operations along the three roads. In the current situation of Guanxi in the Han and Wei dynasties, the Qiang and Hu tribes in northern Shaanxi occupied the area, and the Jingshui Road was mostly impassable. Therefore, if Lu Xun wanted to use troops from Longyou to Guanzhong, he could only use the Weishui and Weishui roads.

However, the Weishui Road connected to Chencang, and Chencang was the end point of the Guguan Road in the Shu Road. Given the situation of the integration of Long and Shu, Lu Xun's army would most likely take Chencang first to open up the Weishui-Guguan Road.

"Your Majesty, the Chencang garrison commander Hao Zhao is from Taiyuan, Bingzhou. He is a veteran general in the army, brave in using troops, and very good at defending cities. He has guarded Hexi for more than ten years, and the people are terrified and submissive. Since he has been stationed in Chencang, he has built a new city to resist the strong enemy."

Du Xi was very confident and said, "Chencang is built along the Wei River, with mountains to the south. The terrain is narrow and it is difficult for troops to deploy. Therefore, even if Lu Xun raised an army of 100,000 and besieged it for days, he would not be able to take it."

Cao Rui nodded slightly and said with satisfaction: "I have heard a lot about the solidity of Chencang. Now the defender Hao Zhao is trustworthy. With the solid city of Chencang, it is enough to hold the troops of Guanlong. And the Grand Marshal is in charge of the troops in Guanzhong. He will use force according to the situation. There is no need to worry about the situation in Guanxi!"

Due to the barbarization of Hetao and northern Shaanxi, Chencang Road was the key point connecting Longyou and Bashu. If the Han army could not break Chencang, it would be a luxury to sweep across Guanzhong.

Historically, Zhuge Liang led his troops to Wuzhangyuan for the fifth time. It was because he was unable to capture Chencang City and take over Longyou that he had no choice but to take the Baoxiade Road to the north.

Du Xi bowed and said, "The Grand Marshal said that the situation in Guanxi is under control. Your Majesty, please do not worry about Guanxi!"

"good!"

Cao Rui sighed to his left and right, saying: "If the military situation in Guandong is as good as that in Guanxi, I will have nothing to worry about!"

Except for the fact that Longyou was occupied by Southern Han, the overall situation in Guanxi was under control because of the presence of Guo Huai and Cao Zhen.

The Jianghuai region in Guandong had always been a headache for Cao Wei since Huo Jun ruled Jiangbei. After the battles of Zhongli and Shouchun, the situation worsened, and the heartland of the Central Plains completely became a battlefield.

Comparing the two, Cao Rui couldn't help but sigh!

Wu Zhi was touched when he heard this and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal and the General of the Cavalry are like tigers and dogs, so they can defend against the enemy. But Qi and Lu are strategically located, and even if we can't find tigers to defend the border, we still have to use dogs to guard the gates. How can we use a pig to guard the gates now?"

Wu Zhi was an old minister of Cao Pi, and he made great contributions to Cao Pi's becoming the crown prince. But where there are people, there are conflicts. Wu Zhi was on good terms with Sima Yi, but had bad relations with Sun Quan and Chen Qun. After Cao Pi ascended the throne, in order to treat his old followers well, he appointed Wu Zhi as the commander-in-chief of the troops in Ji and You.

After Cao Rui ascended the throne, Wu Zhi was summoned back to the court. Wu Zhi was dissatisfied with Sun Quan's appointment as governor of Qi and the three states of Yan, Qing and Xu, so he took the opportunity to make a suggestion, hoping that Cao Rui would replace Sun Quan.

"Sun Qingzhou is a pig?"

Cao Rui couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, and asked, "Where did you get this saying from? Where did you hear it, Mr. Wu?"

Wu Zhi took the opportunity to persuade him, saying: "Since Sun Qingzhou took office, he has often consulted his subordinates and generals about military affairs. He wanted to abandon Kaiyang and defend Muling Pass. Before the two armies fought, he ceded Langya and Donghai counties. I have never heard of this. Therefore, many officers and soldiers in the three states ridiculed him, saying that the Grand Marshal and the General of the Cavalry were tigers and dogs, but now they are entrusting pigs to defend Qi."

Cao Rui did not express his own opinion, but asked everyone, "What do you think?"

Liu Ye attended and answered, saying, "Your Majesty, Donghai and Langya counties are adjacent to Xiapi, and there is no steep terrain between Xiapi and Muling Pass, so it is not possible for Huo Jun to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements. Abandoning the two counties and retreating to Muling Pass is not a bad idea."

"Your Majesty, the people of Donghai are few and we can still abandon it, but there are more than 10,000 households in Langya, a place with a large population. How can we abandon it now?" Wu Zhi retorted.

Cao Rui frowned slightly and asked, "Are there any unusual movements by the pirates now?"

"Your Majesty, according to the scouts' intelligence, Liu Chan has issued an edict to launch a northern expedition, and has appointed Huo Jun to lead the troops in the south, intending to attack us with all his strength. Huo Jun has now moved his troops to Nanjing, and it is expected that he will lead his troops north after the spring." Liu Fang handed over the intelligence and said.

Cao Rui flipped through the memorial and said, "Zhuge Liang arrived in Xiangyang, and Huo Jun arrived in Nanjing. Judging from this, the pirates will definitely use their forces after the spring!" "That's right!"

Wu Zhi urged, "Huo Jun is about to start his campaign, and the current defense of Qi is unclear. Your Majesty should correct this and nip it in the bud to avoid future defeats!"

"Changing generals in battle is a big taboo in military strategy!"

Sun Zi said: "Looking at the enemy's movements, Huo Jun will send out troops soon. If we hastily replace the commander now, it may be disadvantageous to our army. In the Battle of Changping, the King of Zhao replaced Lian Po with Zhao Kuo, and his troops were burned to ashes. This is a lesson for future generations!"

"Your Majesty, there is still some time before Huo Jun uses his troops. Instead of waiting until something goes wrong and replacing the commander, it is better to select a good general to replace him now," said Wu Zhi.

"Mr. Wu, why do you think the General of Chariots and Cavalry will definitely make mistakes?" Liu Ye asked in return.

Wu Zhi sneered a few times and said, "Sun Cheqi has no experience in military operations. How can he make mistakes when he suddenly takes command of the troops?"

"It is precisely because Sun's cavalry has no experience in using troops that they want to defend Muling Pass. If we fight in the field as Huo Jun intends, I am afraid that our army will be defeated. In the past, Lian Po defended against Bai Qi, and later Zhao Kuo wanted to defeat the enemy in the field, so Zhao suffered a defeat at Changping. How can we, Wei, not learn from it!" Liu Ye counterattacked.

Since Liu Ye was from Huainan, he had a very good relationship with Sun Quan. In order to help Sun Quan, he naturally had to fight back against Wu Zhi.

"I have read military books for many years, but I have never heard of a strategy of abandoning land and people in order to protect oneself," said Wu Zhi.

"quiet!"

When Liu Ye was about to fight back, Cao Rui coughed a few times, signaling his attendants to interrupt the conversation.

Cao Rui took a sip of water and said calmly, "Qi is the key point of Guandong. I will go to Rencheng in the east in three days and summon the governors of the three states and the generals to discuss military affairs. I have made up my mind, so please do not try to dissuade me."

Seeing everyone arguing, Cao Rui heard what Wu Zhi said and became worried about Sun Quan. He decided to tour Rencheng in the east and personally formulate a defense plan.

"promise!"

"Your Majesty, the General of the Cavalry will go to Luo from Jingwan soon to discuss military affairs with Your Majesty. Now that Your Majesty is on an eastern tour, I wonder if you have informed the General of the Cavalry to cancel the trip?" Liu Fang asked.

Cao Rui hesitated for a moment and said, "If Zhuge Liang leaves Jingwan, it will be a great threat to the country. Let the left general Zhang He go to Luoyang and discuss military affairs with the general of the cavalry on my behalf."

"promise!"

Cao Rui chatted with everyone for a long time before letting them leave.

After everyone left, Cao Rui asked with concern, "How is Yinshe these days?"

Liu Fang looked embarrassed and said, "Yinshe was originally appreciated by Zhuge Liang and wanted to stay in the Shangshutai. But I don't know why he was appointed as the governor of Dan'er County. Now he will go to Zhuyazhou to take up the post!"

"The governor of Dan'er County?"

Cao Rui was stunned for a moment and asked, "Where is Dan'er County?"

Liu Fang answered truthfully: "Southeast of Jiaozhou, there is an island with a land area of ​​more than a thousand miles and full of caves and barbarians. It is called Zhuya Island. In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty conquered Zhao and conquered the island in the east, so he established the two counties of Dan'er and Zhuya. After that, they were abolished and established from time to time, and there was no fixed number. Now the rebel general Li Yan has conquered it by sea and gained more than a thousand households, so he restored the county of Dan'er on the island."

"How far is it from Wuhan? How far is it from Luoyang?" Cao Rui asked.

"It may be five or six thousand miles from Wuhan, and seven or eight thousand miles from Yecheng!" Liu Fang said with a wry smile.

Hearing this, Cao Rui angrily slammed the table and said, "You have such a great talent and you have come to this barbarian island. Could it be that the pirates don't recognize a talented person?"

Cao Rui was furious. Zhuge Fan was sent to Hainan Island, which almost meant that he had lost contact with Luoyang. And his distance from the central government meant that he would not be able to influence Wuhan, let alone provoke a fight with Southern Han!
As for Zhuge Fan's appointment as the prefect of Dan'er as a returnee from the north, it seems that his sudden promotion to a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand stones was not in line with the Han system, but in fact it was in line with the system of the Southern Han Dynasty.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the salary of a county governor was 2,000 dan. However, as the country was in turmoil, the county was divided up, and the national finances were tight.

Therefore, the county governors were divided into different grades. For example, counties with less than 10,000 households were lower counties, counties with 10,000 to 20,000 households were middle counties, and counties with more than 20,000 households were upper counties. And within the lower, middle and upper counties, each grade was further divided into upper, middle and lower grades. Therefore, in the Southern Han Dynasty, there was a phenomenon that the salary of the upper-upper county magistrate was higher than that of most county governors.

At present, Dan'er County seemed to be a county, but in fact it was a lower-level county, and its salary was only a few hundred stones, not as good as some county magistrates. Zhuge Fan wanted to return to the central government in the future, but there were many official positions in between, and it would be almost impossible to return to the central government without spending ten years.

"Your Majesty, should we allow Yinshe to return to his country now?" Liu Fang asked.

"Now that things have come to this, if we allow Hidden Snake to return home, our efforts will be in vain!"

Cao Rui rubbed his temple and said, "Let Yinshe go south to Dan'er to take up a post, try to make as many achievements as possible, and then find a way to return to the capital."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)