Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 718: Selling Out the Country for Help
In April, when the news of Wang Ling's annihilation reached Luoyang, the government and the public were not shocked but panicked.

Due to habitual military defeats, Cao Rui had no temper to lose. When he learned that Wang Ling was defeated, he just sighed and summoned all the ministers into the palace to discuss military affairs urgently.

Inside the palace, Cao Rui sat with a sullen face, with his ministers standing on his left and right. The atmosphere was extremely heavy.

Situ Chen Qun had a worried look on his face, and he sighed from time to time when thinking about the current situation.

In this situation, although Cao Wei still has the three states of Hebei, Henan, and Guanxi counties, there are no soldiers available in the country. The people have limited manpower and cannot provide unlimited supply.

Even if they captured tens of thousands of men, they would be defeated by the elite Han army due to their lack of training. Not to mention that the defeated troops of Cao Wei would be absorbed by the Han army.

At the moment, it can be said that the number of Han troops is increasing, while the number of Wei troops is decreasing. How can Cao Wei continue to fight?
In Chen Qun's opinion, Cao Wei was doomed to fail. For the sake of his family and his future, he might have to rely on the help of his pen pal Zhuge Liang.

Not only Chen Qun sighed, but also the Shangshu Ling Chen Jiao could no longer hold back. Before, Zhuge Liang defeated Laokou and killed Zhang He, so he could still tolerate it, after all, Sima Yi's army was still there.

However, with the annihilation of the two major armies of Sun Quan and Wang Ling, and Huo Jun's overwhelming success in Henan, he completely lost confidence in the future of Cao Wei.

Perhaps before long, Huo Jun will be able to march to Luoyang!

Seeing that everyone was silent, Cao Rui took the initiative to ask: "Now that Wang Ling was defeated and killed, there is no strong army available from Sishui to the east for more than a thousand miles. If Huo Jun leads his troops westward, he will be able to reach Luoyang in a few days. What do you think?"

In response to Cao Rui's question, the court fell into silence.

After a while, Gao Tanglong stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so bold. I am from Pingyang, Taishan. Now my hometown has been occupied by Huo Jun, so a fellow villager has sent me a letter."

"It is said that Huo Jun's troops entered Mount Tai, but they did not harm anyone. They appointed officials from prefectures and counties, and sent people back to their hometowns to work. They governed cities and towns with lenient laws, and were able to win the hearts of the people. Therefore, wherever they went, the people of Qi and Lu welcomed them. They were not afraid of Xiang Yu's rough rule, but they were afraid that the enemy would do what the first emperor of the Han Dynasty did."

"Now the king's chariots and cavalry have been destroyed, and there are no more soldiers in Luoyang. Huo Jun will march straight to Luoyang, and the country will have no more soldiers. If Luoyang is occupied by Huo Jun, Guanxi will not be saved. I wonder where Your Majesty can go?"

Gao Tanglong bowed and said, "Years of war have left the people in dire straits. Corpses are left in the wild, and drought and locusts are spreading. The country has no granaries, and the people have no food. Wei will not survive. Please forgive me for making such a bold suggestion. Your Majesty should surrender to the Han Dynasty, so as to save the people from suffering, divide the land, and preserve the bloodline. This may be the right way."

When Cao Rui was the Prince of Pingyuan, Gao Tanglong was his lecturer. Now Gao Tanglong came forward to persuade Cao Rui to surrender, not for the sake of wealth and glory, but for Cao Rui's sake.

If Huo Jun was as unpopular as Xiang Yu, they might have lost hope of turning danger into victory, but Huo Jun took steady steps and won the hearts of the people along the way. Even if Cao Wei could hold Luoyang for a while, it could not hold it forever, not to mention that the opponent was the invincible Huo Jun.

If Cao Rui surrenders to the Han, the Han will not kill him completely in order to win the hearts of the people, but will make him a marquis. If he resists to the end, Cao Rui will die and his family will be destroyed, and the Han will take the opportunity to kill him completely.

As soon as Gao Tanglong said this, everyone present changed their expressions.

Wu Zhi pointed at his nose and cursed: "Shameless scholar, you dare to sell out your country for glory. Although Wang Ling's army has been defeated, the country still has 200,000 soldiers and thousands of miles of land. How can we not fight against the bandits?"

"Your Majesty, I request that Gao Tanglong be executed to intimidate those who harbor evil intentions!"

Although Wu Zhi had some distractions, he was loyal to Cao Wei. In his view, as long as Hebei remained, Cao Wei had the foundation to compete with Southern Han.

Cao Rui showed dissatisfaction, but did not vent his anger. Instead, he said coldly: "I remember your past contributions, so I will forgive your unintentional words for now. Please leave immediately. From now on, you are not allowed to enter the court without an imperial decree."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity!"

Knowing that Cao Rui was angry, Gao Tanglong sighed, bowed and left.

After Gao Tanglong was driven out of the court, Cao Rui pulled himself together and asked, "What should we do now?"

Xin Pi pondered for a moment and said, "Although Luoyang has eight passes, it is a place where four wars have occurred. There are no soldiers available in Yanzhou now. If Your Majesty defends Luoyang, you will be caught in the war. In my opinion, Your Majesty should gather the soldiers in Henan and rush to Hebei. Hebei has tens of millions of people. If they pay the government taxes and use them to support the soldiers, maybe they can fight."

"When Emperor Taizu used Hebei to restore the empire, Your Majesty worked hard to govern the country. Why can't you follow his example? Your Majesty moved the capital to Yecheng, ordered the selection of generals to defend Luoyang, and used the strategic location of the capital to resist the enemy. Your Majesty recruited soldiers and horses, stored up food and grass, and marched south to the Central Plains, perhaps you could repel the enemy."

Xin Pi's meaning was clear. Although Luoyang was protected by eight passes, Yanzhou had no soldiers available and could not stop Huo Jun's army. It would be better to move the capital to Yecheng, recruit soldiers, and let another general stay in Luoyang to slowly consume the Han army.

If the Han army fails to capture Luoyang, and Cao Rui harasses the Han army from Hebei, they will most likely withdraw, and Cao Wei can then rely on the power of Hebei to restore its country.

"Mr. Xin is right!"

Wu Zhi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Huo Jun sent Huo Du and Huo Fan out of Hebei, intending to cut off the foundation of our army. We cannot follow his will now. Your Majesty should lead the officials to move the capital to Yecheng, wipe out the bandits in Hebei, select generals to defend the capital, and carry out actions both inside and outside the capital."

"Move the capital to Yecheng?"

Cao Rui looked thoughtful. Judging from the current situation, if Cao Wei wanted to survive, it had no other option but to move the capital to Yecheng.

"Who should we choose to guard the capital now?" Cao Rui asked.

"The General of Cavalry is loyal to the emperor and the country, and he has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command. Your Majesty, why don't you order the General of Cavalry to defend Luoyang?" Xin Pi said.

"No!"

Wei Zhen said immediately: "Your Majesty, if you move to Yecheng, how can you not have a large army? The General of the Cavalry is a great general of our country. If you let him be trapped in an isolated city, he will be cutting off one of his arms. In my opinion, Your Majesty should order the Governor of Yuzhou, Man Chong, to retreat to Luoyang, and order the General of the Cavalry to lead the army to escort you to Hebei, so that you can govern Hebei."

As he spoke, Wei Zhen's tone became heavier, saying: "The war is urgent now, Your Majesty should make a decision early. If we wait for Huo Jun to move the capital westward, the troops in Henan will not be able to survive." Huo Jun's troops are advancing from the west. Once the boats enter the Yellow River, relying on the Southern Han's advantage in water warfare, the troops of Cao Wei in Henan will be trapped in a situation where they have nowhere to escape. Cao Rui must make a decision as soon as possible without any hesitation.

Cao Rui stood up and paced, saying worriedly: "The General of the Cavalry is now facing Zhuge Liang. If we withdraw now, Zhuge Liang will notice it. How can we retreat safely?"

"We can use the strategic location of Xuchang to resist Zhuge Liang."

Wu Zhi ignored everyone's gaze and said immediately: "Emperor Wu used Xuchang to balance the Central Plains. Now you can order your brave generals to defend Xuchang. The general of the cavalry will take the Yangcheng Avenue to Luoyang. At that time, relying on the solidity of Xuchang, it will be enough to hold off Zhuge's troops."

"feasible!"

Cao Rui nodded slightly and said, "Order Man Chong to retreat to Luoyang and consolidate the passes around the capital. Then order Sima Yi to cross to Hebei and retreat to wipe out the bandits in Hebei."

"It's not just that!"

Wu Zhi used his intelligence to the fullest and said, "Your Majesty can send an envoy to the Xianbei to ask Kebi to explain the advantages and disadvantages to us and ask him to send troops to help us."

"Ask Ke Bineng for help?"

Cao Rui hesitated for a moment and said, "Wei and Xianbei have been fighting for many years. Kebi helped Han to attack us, but how can he help me to resist Han now?"

"otherwise!"

Wu Zhi stroked his beard and chanted, saying: "The present is different from the past. In the past, Kebi Neng attacked us because our Wei Dynasty repeatedly prevented Kebi Neng from unifying the south of the desert. Now Kebi Neng has unified the Xianbei tribes, and he must be afraid that the Han Dynasty will unify the world and attack the Xiongnu in the north."

"If China cannot be unified, both Han and Wei will need the Xianbei. Kebi can gain the benefits of both, and the Xianbei will become powerful. Therefore, if Kebi can fully understand the pros and cons, how can the Xianbei help the Han to unify the world?"

Although Wu Zhi was not good at military affairs, one had to admit that he had a good sense of politics.

The Xianbei used the Xiongnu as a precedent, so Kebi Neng would definitely be worried about the Han Dynasty unifying the world. After all, the reason why he helped the Han Dynasty was essentially to strike back at Cao Wei so that he could unify the south of the desert.

Now that Kebi could unify the south of the desert, he would worry that the Han Dynasty would unify the world and then fight with him. If the Central Plains could remain divided, the Xianbei could demand benefits from both families, wouldn't that be a happy thing!

Cao Rui stopped and said hesitantly: "Words alone may not be enough to move the Xianbei people!"

"It's easy!"

Wu Zhi paced a few times and said, "Your Majesty's ceding the Western Regions to the Xianbei is enough to make Kebi Neng tempted!"

Xin Pi seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "There are many countries in the Western Regions, and many merchants gather here. In the past, the Xiongnu prospered because they gained the Western Regions. Now that the Xianbei have gained the Western Regions, Kebi Neng must be very happy."

The grassland lacked many materials, such as iron tools, food, arrows, and armor, and it was difficult for them to produce them themselves.

The Western Regions served as an important transportation route connecting East Asia with Central and West Asia. There was a Silk Road connecting with the Central Plains dynasties and a Fur Road connecting with the Mongolian steppes and Northeast Asia.

There are many countries in the Western Regions, and the Hu people can control them through force and thus extract economic benefits.

For example, during the Xiongnu period, they occupied the Western Regions and, by exploiting the trade routes in the Western Regions, they could continuously obtain ironware, arrows and other supplies, thereby strengthening their own military power.

This is why once nomadic peoples prosper, in addition to occupying the Hetao area, they will also march into the Western Regions.

As for why Cao Wei was willing to give up the Western Regions, the reason is very simple.

The Southern Han occupied Longyou, and the road to Liangzhou was cut off. The interests of the Western Regions had nothing to do with Cao Wei. In order to prevent the Southern Han from making profits through the Western Regions, it would be better to sell it to the Xianbei.

"it is good!"

Cao Rui clapped his fist and said in a deep voice: "Cut the Western Regions to the Xianbei and ask for troops to help."

"promise!"

Chen Qun sighed slightly and said in a voice so weak that it could not be heard: "The business started by Emperor Xiaowu is no longer the property of the country!"

Wei Zhen frowned, slightly dissatisfied with the operation of ceding the Western Regions and the Xianbei, but considering the situation, he did not say much.

After a pause, Wei Zhen asked, "If our army moves the capital to Yecheng, what will happen to the army in Guanzhong?"

Cao Rui hesitated for a moment and said, "Let the general seize the territory according to the situation, either defend Guanzhong or lead the troops into Hedong."

Guanzhong is surrounded by dangerous places on all four sides. If the Han army does not concentrate its forces to attack Guanzhong, Cao Zhen's forces can still protect themselves. After careful consideration, Cao Rui decided to give power to Cao Zhen.

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)