Three Kingdoms

Chapter 30
After Deng Zhi went to Soochow, Zhuge Liang said to the empress Liu Chan: "Deng Zhi's envoy to Soochow will definitely be successful. Soochow has many talents, and someone will definitely come to answer the gift. Your Majesty should treat Soochow's envoy well and let him Go back to Soochow to talk back to Sun Quan, so as to achieve the goal of reconciliation. If Soochow is willing to reconcile with us, Wei State will not dare to attack us. After Soochow and Wei State no longer invade our country, the veterans must Lead troops to conquer the barbarians in the south, and then attack Wei State, regain our Han Dynasty, and after Wei State is destroyed, Soochow Wu will not exist for long, and then it will be able to rule the world." Liu Chan, the queen master, agreed with Zhuge Liang to do so.At this time Zhang Wenwen and Deng Zhi came to Chengdu.The Empress Liu Chan treated Zhang Wen very well.Zhang Wen was a little arrogant.

Zhuge Liang held a banquet at the postal kiosk in the south of the city to see Zhang Wen off.At this time, a person suddenly stumbled into the banquet, and without greeting the others, he picked up the wine glass and drank it.Zhang Wen was a little angry, and asked Zhuge Liang, "Who is this person?" Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "This is Qin Mi, a Yizhou scholar." Zhang Wen said, "Since he is a bachelor, I wonder if he has any real talents in his belly?" Mi said to Zhang Wen seriously: "The seven-year-old children in Shu are all smart and eager to learn, let alone me!" Zhang Wen sneered, "What do you study?" Down to geography, there are three religions and nine streams, a hundred schools of thought, omnipotent; the history of the rise and fall of ancient and modern times, and the biography of sages and sages, you can read everything."

Zhang Wen said with a smile: "You speak wild words, then I will ask you a few questions, does the sky have a head?" Qin Mi said: "It has a head!" Zhang Wen asked closely: "Where is the head of the sky?" Qin Mi replied calmly: "In the west. There is a sentence in the book "Poetry" as evidence: People look at the sky to the west. From this sentence, it can be inferred that the head of the sky grows in the west. Zhang Wen asked again: "Does the sky have ears?" Qin Mi replied: "The higher the sky, the quieter the sound heard. There is another sentence in the book "Poetry" as proof: Cranes fly at the highest point in the sky, The sound shakes the sky. If the sky has no ears, how can it hear the sound?" Zhang Wen asked Qin Mi again: "Does the sky have feet?" Qin Mi said: "The sky has feet. It is said in the book "Poetry": It's hard, it's hard to walk. If the sky has no feet, how can it walk?" Zhang Wen asked again: "Does the sky have a surname?" Qin Mi said loudly: "Where is there no surname?" Zhang Wen asked: "What's the surname?" Qin Mi's voice became louder, and said, "My surname is Liu!" Zhang Wen asked, "How do you know?" Qin Mi said, "The emperor's surname is Liu, and the common people all over the world know it." Zhang Wen asked again, "The sun rises from the east. ?"

Qin Mi said: "Although the sun rises in the east, it sets in the west."

Qin Mi answered fluently and articulately.Everyone present admired Qin Mi very much.After Qin Mi answered all Zhang Wen's questions, Zhang Wen didn't think of a question that could stump Qin Mi for a while.Therefore, Qin Mi took the opportunity to ask Zhang Wen: "Sir, you are a great scholar from Soochow Wu. You are very talented and well-educated. If I ask you about the world's major affairs, I will definitely be able to give me a satisfactory answer. Back then when the chaos was separated, light things floated upwards." Empty became the sky, and heavy things sank and became the earth. Until Gonggong was defeated by the emperor of heaven, he bumped his head against Mount Buzhou, the pillar of the sky was knocked down, and the edge of the earth was also broken. There is a gap, the sky falls to the northwest, and the earth sinks to the southeast. Since the sky is something light and floating, why does it still fall to the northwest? I don’t know what those frivolous things are? I hope you can tell me, sir.”

Zhang Wen was left speechless by Qin Mi's question, so he said modestly: "I never thought that there are so many resourceful and knowledgeable people in Shu! The conversation just now made me realize."

Zhuge Liang was afraid that Zhang Wen would be embarrassed, so he interjected and said, "Just now it was just a joke, don't take it to heart. Mr. Zhang understands the principle of peace and stability, so don't worry about the joke just now." Zhang Wen thanked Zhuge Liang.Zhuge Liang sent Deng Zhi and Zhang Wen back to Soochow to meet Wu Wang Sun Quan again to thank him.

Sun Quan, king of Wu, received Deng Zhi again. Deng Zhi told Sun Quan what Zhuge Liang had told him in advance.From then on, Shu and Wu reconciled and sent envoys to each other.

The reconciliation between Shu and Wu, the Emperor of Wei Cao Pi couldn't help being furious when he found out: "The reconciliation between Shu and Wu must be to attack our Wei State. When they come to attack me, it is better for me to attack them."

Cao Pi summoned civil and military officials to discuss sending troops to attack Soochow.Counselor Xin Pi said: "Our Wei State has a vast land, but its population is not large. If we send troops now, I am afraid it will be disadvantageous to our army. It is better to wait ten years and wait until the army is strong and horses are strong before sending troops to fight. You are not our country's opponent." Cao Pi was furious and said, "You are greedy for life and afraid of death. Now the two countries of Shu and Wu are uniting to deal with our country Wei. If you wait another ten years, the consequences will be disastrous." Cao Pi was about to order troops to attack Wu.Sima Yi stood up from all the civil and military officials, and said to Cao Pi: "Soochow has the Yangtze River as its forward position for defense. It must have a large ship to cross the river and attack Soochow. Your Majesty must personally lead troops to attack Soochow, and select strong soldiers from all over the country. This is the best way to attack." Cao Pi followed Sima Yi's plan and deployed troops.

Cao Pi ordered his subordinates to rush to build ten dragon boats overnight, and each dragon boat can accommodate more than 2000 people.Cao Pi collected more than 3000 warships from various places.

In August, Cao Pi summoned all civil and military officials to prepare to send troops.Cao Pi ordered Cao Zhen to be the vanguard, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Wen Pin, Xu Huang to be the generals, and Cao Zhen to go first; Xu Chu and Lu Qian were the guard generals of the Chinese army, Cao Xiu was in the rear, and Liu Ye and Jiang Ji were the staff officers.There are 30 land and water troops, and land and water troops attack Soochow concurrently.Cao Pi appointed Sima Yi as a minister, and stayed in Xuchang, where Sima Yi was in charge of state affairs.

Wei Guo's military actions were immediately known to Wu Guo.After Sun Quan learned of this, he hastily summoned his civil and military officials to hold an emergency military meeting.

Gu Yong said: "Since the Kingdom of Shu has reconciled with our country, we can immediately write an urgent letter to Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Shu, asking Zhuge Liang to lead troops to attack the western part of the Kingdom of Wei from Hanzhong; The heroic general led to Nanxu to fight against the enemy." Sun Quan said: "Then please return to Lu Xun and let him lead the army to fight." Gu Yong said: "No, Lu Xun guarding Jingzhou cannot act rashly." Sun Quan said: "This can What should I do, there is no such general around me who can go to Nanxu to fight against the enemy!"

At this moment, a man stood up and said to Sun Quan: "Although I am not talented as a general, I am not afraid of the Wei army. I am willing to lead an army to Nanxu to fight against the Wei army. If Cao Pi personally leads troops to attack, I will definitely Catch him; if Cao Pi doesn't kill Jiang Lai, I will kill him so that Cao Pi will never dare to despise me, Soochow."

Sun Quan took a closer look and found that it was the veteran Xu Sheng.Sun Quan admired Xu Sheng's way of using troops, so he said to Xu Sheng: "If you lead the troops to fight against the Wei army, I don't have to worry anymore." He immediately made Xu Sheng General An Dong, commanding Jianye, Nanxu The armies of the two places fought against the Wei army.

Xu Sheng had a general named Sun Shao, who was a favorite of Sun Ce during his lifetime.Sun Shao wholeheartedly wanted to defeat Cao Pi and receive first-class military exploits.So he said to Xu Sheng: "The king of Wu named you General Anton and gave you military power to defeat the Wei army and capture Cao Pi alive. Why didn't you dispatch troops early and cross the river to fight against the Wei army? If you wait until the Wei army arrives, when the time comes How to fight against the enemy?" Xu Sheng glanced at Sun Shao and said: "Cao Pi brought 30 troops to invade our country this time. The momentum along the way is huge, and there is a famous general in the army commanding the army. Our army cannot forcefully cross the Huaihe River. Attack the Wei army, and when the enemy gathers all their warships on the north bank, I will naturally beat them to pieces and leave nothing behind." Sun Shao thought that Xu Sheng was greedy for life and afraid of death, so he said to Xu Sheng: "I have three soldiers under my command. Thousands of troops, I am willing to cross the river to kill the enemy first. I am familiar with the terrain and routes in Guangling. I will lead the troops to fight Cao Pi to the death. If the Wei army is not defeated, I am willing to accept military punishment." Xu Sheng forbade him to do so.Sun Shao insisted on going.Xu Sheng did not agree to him again.Sun Shao repeatedly asked to lead the army to attack the Wei army.

Xu Sheng was furious, and said: "If you don't obey my order, how can I command other soldiers?" After speaking, he ordered his subordinates to push Sun Shao out and behead him.

Sun Shao's generals immediately rushed back to the palace and told Sun Quan.When Sun Quan heard the news, he rushed to rescue Sun Shao.Xu Sheng was about to order the executioner to kill Sun Shao when Sun Quan just arrived.Sun Quan ordered the executioner to untie the five-flower tie on Sun Shao's body and rescued Sun Shao.

Sun Shao cried and said to Sun Quan: "Your Majesty, I was stationed in Guangling a few years ago, and I am familiar with the terrain in that area. If I don't fight Cao Pi there, when Cao Pi leads troops across the Yangtze River, Eastern Wu will definitely be defeated by Cao Pi."

Sun Quan came to Xu Sheng's barracks.Xu Sheng welcomed Sun Quan into the barracks, and said to Sun Quan: "The king ordered me to stick to Nanxu and wait for an opportunity to fight against the Wei army. I am the commander-in-chief of the whole army. Sun Shao did not obey my order and wanted to lead troops to fight Cao Pi privately. Obey the military order, I will deal with it according to the military law. Why did the king save him?"

Sun Quan said: "Sun Shao is still relatively young and full of vigor. He was too impulsive for a while and violated the military law by mistake. I hope General Xu can forgive him."

Xu Sheng said: "The military law was not established by me, nor by you, your majesty. It is the law of the country. If you forgive based on your kinship, how can you convince others."

Sun Quan said: "What General Xu said is not wrong at all. Sun Shao violated the military law, and he should have been punished. But he was my brother's favorite general during his lifetime, and he has helped the king many times. His credit is not small. If he is killed Sun Shao, I am sorry for my brother."

Xu Sheng said: "For the sake of your majesty coming all the way from all over the world to intercede for Sun Shao, don't kill Sun Shao for now, and wait until another day to deal with it."

Sun Quan hurriedly ordered Sun Shao to enter the barracks to thank Xu Sheng, but Sun Shao refused to thank Xu Sheng, but said to Xu Sheng, "I am going to attack the Wei army, and I will not accept you even if I die!" Xu Sheng's expression changed drastically.Sun Quan hurriedly told Sun Shao to leave the barracks, and then said to Xu Sheng: "Even if there is no such person, Soochow will not lose anything. Don't use this person again in the future." Sun Quan returned to the palace after speaking.

In the evening, someone reported to Xu Sheng: "Sun Shao led his army to kill him across the river." Xu Sheng worried that if Sun Shao missed, the king of Wu would not look good, so he hurriedly asked Ding Feng to lead his troops to rescue Sun Shao.

Cao Pi, the Lord of Wei, arrived at Guangling on a dragon boat.Cao Zhen, the vanguard, came to respond, and Cao Pi ordered the army to line up on the embankment of the river.

Cao Pi asked Cao Zhen: "How many troops of Soochow are guarding the opposite river bank?" Cao Zhen replied: "There is not a single soldier, and there is not a single camp." Cao Pi said: "This is a trick of Soochow. I want to personally observe the behavior of Soochow's army. False situation."

So the dragon boat drove forward and parked on the bank of the river.Cao Pi stood in front of the dragon boat and looked towards the south of the Yangtze River. Sure enough, there was no army stationed there.Cao Pi asked Liu Ye and Jiang Ji: "Can you order the army to cross the river?" Liu Ye said: "The art of war is not true. The enemy will definitely prepare for battle when they see our army coming. Don't attack Soochow easily, Your Majesty. After waiting for three to five days, observe the movements of the Soochow army, and then order the vanguard to advance into Soochow to find out the situation of the Soochow army!" Cao Pi said, "Your thinking is exactly the same as mine."

That night, Cao Pi ordered the dragon boat to anchor in the river.The soldiers on the river bank held torches to illuminate the entire river.But there was no fire on the south bank of the river.

Cao Pi asked: "Why does Soochow not light fire?" Someone told Cao Pi: "It may be that Soochow knew that His Majesty personally led troops to conquer them. They were so frightened that they fled without standing still." Cao Pi I secretly smiled in my heart.

At dawn, the fog was so thick that the opposite embankment could not be seen.After a while, the fog cleared away.Wei Jun saw that all the castles in the south of the Yangtze River were full of Soochow soldiers.At this time, urgent military news came continuously: from the area along the river in Nanxu to Jianye in Shicheng City, dozens of castles appeared in a stretch of hundreds of miles, and there were countless ships on the river.Cao Pi was taken aback.

It turned out that Xu Sheng ordered his soldiers to tie the reeds into human shapes, and put green clothes on the straw figurines. The grass figurines held a flag in their hands and stood on the fake city and fake buildings.When Wei Jun saw so many troops guarding the city tower, everyone was terrified.Cao Pi didn't know that the Soochow army was making a fuss and making a big show, so he had no claim for a while, and was very panicked.

At this time, the wind on the river suddenly blew very violently, and the waves were so violent that Cao Pi's dragon boat was about to capsize.Cao Zhen hurriedly ordered Wenpin to rescue Cao Pi.Wenpin boarded another boat with Cao Pi on his back.At this time, the person who reported the military situation told Cao Pi: "Zhao Yun led the army to set off from Pingyang Pass to attack Chang'an." Cao Pi was even more shocked and ordered to withdraw his troops back to Xuchang.Wei Jun became scattered for a while, and Wu Jun chased after him.

When Cao Pi's boat was about to enter the Huaihe River, suddenly the sound of war drums sounded, and there was a lot of killing, and an Soochow army came out from a corner.The leading general is Sun Shao.Sun Shao commanded his army to attack the Wei army violently.The Wei army couldn't resist the onslaught of the Wu army, and retreated one after another.Regardless of the depth of the water, Wei Jun jumped into the river shamelessly, and many people drowned in the river.Cao Pi was rescued by his generals desperately.

Cao Pi entered the Huaihe River only thirty miles away by boat, when he saw reeds growing all around him, he couldn't help being frightened and lost his soul.Cao Pi was about to hide in the cabin, when suddenly the Soochow navy came out of the reeds. They set off a fire all over the sky, and the reeds burned violently.

Cao Pi's ship and other warships were on fire, and Cao Pi hurriedly got on his horse and tried to escape to the shore.At this time, Ding Feng led the army to kill.Zhang Liao hurried forward to fight Ding Feng, but Ding Feng shot him in the waist with an arrow, and Xu Huang took the opportunity to rescue Cao Pi.Wei Jun was defeated and fled.

Soochow won a great victory, and Sun Quan, the king of Wu, rewarded the meritorious soldiers.When Zhang Liao returned to Xudu, his arrow wound exploded and he died.Cao Pi ordered Zhang Liao to be buried solemnly.

As soon as Zhao Yun led the army out of Pingyang Pass, news spread to the prime minister's office immediately, reporting that Zhuge Liang's Yizhou rebel general Yongkai joined forces with the barbarian king Menghuo to dispatch [-] troops to invade the four counties of Yizhou.Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun to take his army back to Chengdu, and ordered Ma Chao to stick to Yangping Pass.

Zhuge Liang prepares to march south to quell the chaos.

Yong Kai, the prefect of Jianning in Yizhou, and two other rebel generals Zhu Bao and Gao Ding joined forces with the barbarian king Meng Huo to rebel against the Shu Han. The rebels first attacked Yongchang County. .

(End of this chapter)