Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 401 Ask Mr. Chen to save me!
No one knows why Sima Yi lived so long, but everyone knows that this might be destined.

The heaven will not change for anyone, and the things in the world will not move forward because of anyone.

This is the way of the world, this is history, and this is the root of everything.

The winter of the twenty-fifth year of the Zhengtong era.

Amidst painful cries, the second emperor of the Wei Dynasty - or the third emperor Cao Rui, slowly closed his eyes this winter.

The Emperor of Wei passed away, but things inside and outside the court did not change much.

Because since the 23rd year of Zhengtong, Cao Rui had gradually handed over the government affairs to the hands of the prime minister and the general due to his health, while he controlled everything in the court.

After the death of Emperor Cao Rui of the Wei Dynasty, he left an edict, ordering the Crown Prince "Cao Fang" to ascend the throne and become the next emperor of the Wei Dynasty.

Before his death, he handed over all power in the court to Chen Ying and divided the power of the army into two parts, one part controlled by Chen Ying and the other part controlled by Sima Yi.

In fact, before Cao Rui died, he had thought about taking Sima Yi with him at all costs, but...
In the autumn of the 25th year of Zhengtong, a major event occurred. It was this major event that not only prevented Cao Rui from killing Sima Yi, but also forced him to hand over part of the military power to him.

In the 25th year of Zhengtong, the Han Dynasty attacked Wei.

This was the fifth time that Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, attacked the State of Wei. During the thirteen years from the twelfth year of Zhengtong to the twenty-fifth year of Zhengtong, he never stopped attacking the State of Wei.

Zhuge Liang was not very good at fighting wars, but he knew how to appoint the right people to the right positions and was very proficient in internal affairs. He was also one of the best strategists in the world, and the army he led included some of the world's best generals.

Under such circumstances, there were not many people on the Wei side who could fight against Zhuge Liang.

Or in other words, only two people have such comprehensive abilities.

First, the Prime Minister of Wei - Chen Ying.

Second, the great general of Wei - Sima Yi.

So, who will fight against Zhuge Liang?
There is only one answer, and that is Sima Yi.

We can't let Chen Ying fight against Zhuge Liang, right? This is not to say that Chen Ying's ability is not as good as Zhuge Liang's, but because the situation in the court of Wei is too turbulent.

If Sima Yi was killed at this time and Chen Ying was sent to fight against Zhuge Liang, then when Chen Ying left Langya, it would probably be the time for a change in the Wei Dynasty.

Compared with future risks, the current crisis is the most terrifying, because if the current problems are not resolved, then no matter how bright the future "future" is, it will be of no meaning to the Cao royal family.

This is why Sima Yi was not killed.

In the spring of the 26th year of Zhengtong, after the snow that covered the entire Wei State in winter melted, the entire Wei State became very clear.

After Emperor Cao Fang of the Wei Dynasty ascended the throne, he did not make much changes to the personnel relations in the court. Instead, he continued to work hard to govern the country and inherited a series of policies left by Cao Rui. This series of policies pushed the development of the entire Wei Dynasty to a higher climax.

In the 26th year of Zhengtong, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty and the general of the Wei Dynasty attacked each other, and neither side was willing to retreat.

Zhuge Liang was bent on the Northern Expedition in order to restore the Han Dynasty, but Sima Yi knew that he had to drag it out long enough. He could not get rid of Zhuge Liang so quickly because he himself was also a threat to the Cao family.

If Zhuge Liang died, he would be the one to die the next day.

He is not ready yet, not ready to face Chen and destiny, he must wait carefully.

In the 26th year of Zhengtong, the Han Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty were attacking each other, while Dayu in the west was focusing on development.

Zhang Cheng, the emperor of Dayu, implemented a series of policies that benefited the country and the people. Among them, some encouraged the development of agriculture, as well as the development of craftsmen and merchants. He never suppressed any aspect, and even encouraged those seemingly humble things, and even tried and learned them himself.

Inside the Dayu Palace, the emperor specially ordered a piece of vegetable garden to be opened up for planting. And it was not the kind of "Emperor and Empress' farming and weaving garden" that was rarely visited on weekdays and was just for viewing, but real land that was carefully cared for every few days.

In addition, the emperor also set aside a palace to make "porcelain" and "research" by some "craftsmen".

Inside the palace, he and the queen seemed like two ordinary common people.

Twenty-seven years of Zhengtong
In the war between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty was completely defeated by Sima Yi.

Although "military tactics" had begun to be used in this era, they were still relatively "polite" in some aspects. For example, when Sima Yi hung up a banner of exemption from war, the Han Dynasty really stopped sending troops and allowed Sima Yi and others to recuperate.

In order to force Sima Yi to send troops, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty gave Sima Yi women's clothes and skirts, mocking him for being like a woman who dared not to fight, and even asked the people who came to mock him gently.

The purpose of this is simple, to force Sima Yi to send troops.

What did Sima Yi do?
He wore a woman's skirt, stood in front of the two armies, and performed a dance.

Apart from being a bit ugly, a bit old, a bit ugly and a bit uncomfortable, there aren't any other major problems.

Sima Yi dragged on like this day after day.

Of course, he is not waiting here day after day in vain, but his "methods" are in progress, which requires waiting and timing.

In the autumn of the 26th year of Zhengtong, the Emperor of Wei issued three or four edicts, asking Sima Yi why he dared not go to war nor could he withdraw his troops. The words and language in these three or four edicts became sharper and more direct each time.

Sima Yi responded respectfully to all of them, saying that he would definitely withdraw his troops and asked Cao Fang to give him some more time.

November of the twenty-sixth year of Zhengtong.

Changan
Weiyang Palace
Liu Chan was lying on the ground, playing with a cricket. Beside him, the attendant "Huang Hao" stood there with a serious yet somewhat flattering look on his face, making people feel that he was both a good and a bad person.

"Your Majesty—Your Majesty"

He followed behind Liu Chan with a respectful and calm smile on his face: "Your Majesty, there is news from the front line."

Huang Hao said with some concern: "According to the envoy of Embroidered Clothes, the Prime Minister's health has been getting worse these days. When the Prime Minister was at the front line, he always had to stay up until midnight to read the battle report, which was also a serious drain on the Prime Minister's health."

His face was full of sincerity: "I also heard that the Prime Minister caught a cold a few days ago, but he didn't go to see a doctor. Besides, where is there any good doctor in the army?"

"These days, I heard that Bian Que is treating the people in Chang'an City. I thought, why not invite the Prime Minister back and let Bian Que treat the Prime Minister?"

Talking about Zhuge Liang's health, Liu Chan temporarily put down the grass in his hand, with worry flashing in his eyes.

"You have a point. My father's health has never been very good. What if he gets exhausted on the front line?"

But Liu Chan was still a little hesitant: "But, what excuse can I use to ask the Prime Minister to come back?"

"The Prime Minister has always been very stubborn. If you ask him to come back for medical treatment, he will definitely refuse."

Huang Hao's eyebrows turned twice in his eye sockets, and finally he said with a smile: "Your Majesty, why don't you say that there is something wrong with your body?"

There was a meaningful tone in his voice: "The Prime Minister has always been concerned about you. If you have health problems and are unable to handle state affairs, then the Prime Minister will definitely come back as soon as possible."

"By then, when everyone has returned, it will be useless to say anything, right?" Liu Chan clapped his hands with an excited look on his face.

"You have a point."

"Then please do it your way."

"When you draft an imperial decree, tell them that my health is not good, so please come back! Come back quickly!"

In the twenty-seventh year of the Zhengtong reign, it was May.

Zhuge Liang, who was far ahead and had almost forced Sima Yi into a dead end, received a secret letter, or an imperial edict secretly delivered by an embroidered robe envoy, saying that the emperor was in poor health and asked Zhuge Liang to return to Beijing as soon as possible.

The moment Zhuge Liang saw the edict, his eyes almost went dark and he almost fainted on the ground. His face was filled with confusion and helplessness.

what?
Liu Chan's health is not good, please ask him to return to Beijing as soon as possible?
How bad must the situation be that they would directly issue a secret decree sent by an envoy in embroidered clothes?
Zhuge Liang's first reaction after seeing the imperial edict was to withdraw his troops immediately. The next moment, his reasoning made him make more organized orders. He must not let Sima Yi see the problem, otherwise Sima Yi would definitely pursue him relentlessly.

The 13th day of the sixth month in summer, the 27th year of the Zhengtong reign.

Zhuge Liang withdrew his troops and returned to the court. In the military tent opposite him, Sima Yi was not too surprised. After all, this was his "strategy".

This is a variation of the "divide and conquer" tactic.

What is the strategy of sowing discord?
It is to use some means to sow discord between the king and his subjects, causing suspicion between the king and his subjects, and then causing the two to become alienated.

But Sima Yi knew that the relationship between Zhuge Liang and Liu Chan was not something he could sow discord between them, as Liu Chan usually called Zhuge Liang "Father-Prime Minister".

So in the strategy of sowing discord that he used, unlike the conventional "sowing discord", he took advantage of the relationship between Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang to make the relationship between them better.

Liu Chan was worried about Zhuge Liang, so Liu Chan followed Huang Hao's advice and pretended to be sick to get Zhuge Liang back to Beijing.

Zhuge Liang was also worried about Liu Chan's health, and even more worried about the hope of restoring the Han Dynasty. He was also afraid that he would not be able to return before Liu Chan's death, causing civil strife in the court and ultimately completely losing the opportunity for the Han Dynasty to prosper.

So Zhuge Liang will definitely go back.

And this time, the next time I want to "explore the East" will be the next time.

There will be a way next time.

War is no joke. It is not like Zhuge Liang can just say "I want to march eastward" and all the prerequisites, food, fodder, soldiers, and weapons will be ready.

Even if Zhuge Liang was as cunning as a god, and even if the Han Dynasty had the help of gods, the next Eastern Expedition by Zhuge Liang would not take place until at least three years later.

three years?

There was a smile on Sima Yi's lips.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of Langya.

Although Chen Ying's age is not older than mine, the difference is almost the same.

Who can outlast the other, him or Chen Ying?
He doesn't need to please anyone and he doesn't have any scruples, so he naturally has the advantage.

On the other hand, Cao Fang and Chen Ying are different. As long as there are external enemies, they must save some face for themselves and not lose it. Otherwise, what will happen if the table is overturned?
Even though the Cao family lost their country, they were still the Sima clan, the most aristocratic family in the world.

After lying dormant for a few years, everything remains the same.

There will be no change in this world.

It was the same autumn in the twenty-seventh year of the Zhengtong reign.

After Zhuge Liang returned to Kyoto, he found that Liu Chan was in good health and much healthier than himself. The reasons he asked him to come back were simply that he "missed his father" and "was worried about his father's health."

For a moment, Zhuge Liang didn't know whether to be angry or happy.

But no matter what, the fifth attack on Wei was over. Zhuge Liang had no other choice but to continue governing the Han Dynasty and accumulate wealth for the next attack.

He didn't know when the next attack would come, but he knew that the sixth eastern expedition would definitely come.

The real name of the revival of the Han people is on his shoulders.

He must revive the Han Dynasty.

Support the Han Dynasty.

In the 28th year of Zhengtong, the third year of Cao Fang's reign, the war between the Han and Wei ended.

Both Wei and Han focused on development because they saw Dayu, which was slowly developing in the west. If Dayu was a lion at the beginning, then at this time it had become an unrivaled tiger.

When this tiger opens its eyes, the Han and Wei dynasties will have to face such a terrifying and formidable enemy.

Time passed little by little, and the orthodox 30 years soon arrived.

In the same year, Cao Fang's health began to deteriorate, and many times he was even unable to govern the country.

And it was in this year.

Chen Ying's body also began to gradually show signs of illness. He and Cao Fang became seriously ill at almost the same time, which left Wei State and even Cao Fang no time to react.

The winter of the 30th year of the Zhengtong Period.

Emperor Cao Fang of the Great Wei was critically ill and died in the Weiyang Palace. Just a few days before Cao Fang's death, Prime Minister Chen Ying of the Great Wei was also seriously ill and unconscious. Several of Chen Ying's descendants came to Langya from Guandu to visit their father.

The winter of the 30th year of the Zhengtong Period.

Emperor Cao Fang of the Wei Dynasty left a will, ordering General Sima Yi to govern the country and assist the new emperor "Cao Mao".

The following month, Cao Mao ascended the throne.

The Emperor of Wei was replaced.

The thirty-first year of the Zhengtong reign, spring, March.

Cao Mao sat in the Weiyang Palace with a look of fear and terror on his face.

He felt that the things his father had told him to be careful about were happening out of control.

"Ask Mr. Chen to save me!"

(End of this chapter)