The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 185 Set Sail and Fire in the Backyard
In Yecheng, Cao Pi, the deputy prime minister and general of the five senses, was panting like a cow, staring at the servant Chen Qun with blood-red eyes, every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: " Ran?"

"Run away." Chen Qun's voice was dry, hoarse like rough wood.

"Run away, run away." Cao Pi turned around, turned his back to Chen Qun, but twisted his neck and looked at Chen Qun from the corner of his eyes. Chen Qun lowered his head and said nothing.He knew that Cao Pi was in an extremely bad mood now, and it was impossible to be as gentle and refined as usual. It was extremely irrational to talk too much at this time.

"Run away!" Cao Pi finally couldn't hold back his anger, and kicked the table in front of him away. The pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the table were scattered everywhere. A lot of ink was stained on the half-written manuscript. Blended into one piece, becoming unrecognizable.

Chen Qun subconsciously wanted to take a step back, but just moved his body, and then stopped moving.

Cao Pi had reason to be angry.

At the beginning of last year, Cao Cao had planned to make him the crown prince after a long period of consideration and weighing the opinions of all parties in Yecheng.He was almost ecstatic when he got the news from the cronies who had placed beside Cao Cao.He has been waiting for this day for too long. He has been waiting since Cao Chong died in Jian'an 13. Cao Chong is not dead. He knows that he has no chance, but he doesn't think too much. At most, he secretly expresses his wish, but God has Suddenly, Cao Chong, who was always in good health, got an inexplicable illness and died within a month. Since then, his mind and eyes have become active.Immediately afterwards, Cao Cao restored the ancient system, became the prime minister, and monopolized the power. In the 16th year of Jian'an, he finally took a crucial step for Wei Gong.Cao Pi saw a bright future, and he was very excited for the upcoming supreme position, but no one expected that Cao Zhi, the younger brother of a compatriot, would rise up again, win the favor of his father with his amazing literary talent, and suddenly become a A hurdle lay in front of him.

In order to overcome this hurdle, Cao Pi followed Wu Zhi's advice, hid all his desires, actively interacted with people who might influence Cao Cao, and treated them with humility. His efforts were rewarded, and the ministers in Yecheng at least Most of them are inclined to him. Even Cui Yan, the uncle of Cao Zhi's wife Cui, supported him as an heir, and even died for it.

Cao Zhi inevitably fell out of favor. As time went by, his impression in Cao Cao's mind became worse and worse. In the 21st year of Jian'an, Cao Cao planned to make Cao Zhi a Marquis before Cao Cao's Eastern Expedition-once he was named a Marquis, it meant that he lost The possibility of succession—but by accident, it was delayed for some reason.Cao Pi didn't take it seriously at first. Although the dust has not settled in the end, there are signs from all aspects that Cao Cao has given up on Cao Zhi, and he can rest easy.

Unexpectedly, after Yang Xiu went to Jiaozhou, things changed again.Cao Cao changed his previous two-way attack method and attacked Yizhou with all his strength, and Cao Zhi followed. He became famous in the first battle. He first defeated the famous general Zhang Fei, and then almost captured the Jiange, which miraculously restored Cao Cao's impression of him.According to the news sent back by Sima Yi, Cao Cao said that Cao Zhi was both civil and military, brave and resourceful, and he had a very good impression.

Cao Pi heard the overtones, and raised his heart that had been let go again.Among the four brothers of their mother and compatriots, Cao Zhang is good at martial arts, Cao Zhi and he are good at writing, and each has their own strengths, but none of them can catch up with the all-round talent of their father Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao gives Cao Zhi such a comment, which means that Cao Zhi has already He surpassed his two brothers Cao Zhang and became Cao Cao's most satisfied son.

This is a very dangerous signal.

In order to regain the advantage, Cao Pi must be both civil and military, at least not much weaker than Cao Zhi.Soon, Sima Yi created an opportunity for him. Guan Yu and Sun Shao invaded Nanyang County.Sima Yi's letter to him said that Cao Cao had instructed Xiahoudun to assist in the attack and focus on his army as the main attack. Of course, Sima Yi did not forget to remind him how to deal with Xu County: let Guan Yu remove the obstacle of the emperor for them.

Everything went well. Although Sun Shao's surprise attack on Xiangcheng caught them by surprise, it did not affect the overall situation. After Guan Yu won the emperor, he could only retreat to Wancheng under the attack of two armies, and then fell into Xiahou Dun and Cong Cao Cao's attack from Guanzhong.

Just when Cao Pi was smugly preparing to rush to Wancheng to besiege Guan Yu, something happened in Yecheng.

In the west of the prime minister's mansion, Cao Wei and Wei Xi joined forces with many people to conspire against Chen Yi, the Changle Weiwei of Xu County, in an attempt to lure Guan Yu to attack Yecheng. There were many celebrities involved, such as Wang Can's two sons, Zhang Xiu's son Zhang Quan, Liu Zhen's younger brother Liu Wei was involved, and Yecheng was in chaos.Cao Pi didn't dare to neglect, so he had to let go of Xu County's contribution and lead the army back to Yecheng to suppress the rebellion.The rebellion was not complicated. Once the army arrived, thousands of people were killed in one go, and it was quickly put down.

But Cao Pi did not heave a sigh of relief. He found a problem in the interrogation statement. Xu County was besieged. How did Changle Weiwei Chen Yi spread the news to Xu County?He sent someone to investigate, and the more he investigated, the more frightened he became. A looming ghost was wandering in Yecheng. Cao Pi didn't dare to neglect. If he didn't catch this mastermind behind the scenes, one Wei Xi would die, and there might be more Wang Xi and Li Xi. .

He laid a net all over the world, but failed to catch this person.

He ran away, or more prepared to say that he should have disappeared. This person disappeared out of thin air. Is he still in Yecheng?If yes, where?If not, where did you go?Know nothing.

How could Cao Pi not be furious after getting this reward? Can he report the result to Cao Cao?It would be better to just admit that you are incompetent.Cao Cao let him sit in Yecheng, but he actually caused such a big mess in Yecheng.He was terrified when he thought about it—fortunately, he came back in time, otherwise Wei Xi would win, the whole family and the family of civil servants and generals would become Wei Xi's hostages, and the consequences would be disastrous.

The root of the disaster was not found, so Cao Pi dared not leave Yecheng, knowing that this would be a major event that would be difficult to encounter in the future, and it would be his best chance to overtake Cao Zhi. It was Sima Yi who fought for him at the risk of being suspected by Cao Cao , he can only give up.

It's not a good feeling, quite a bad one.

Cao Pi had a fit, and Chen Qun stood there without moving until Cao Pi finished venting and calmed down, then said softly: "Prime Minister, there are signs that that person is from Jiangdong." Chen Qun paused, When Cao Pi looked over at him, he continued, "Although he conceals it well and speaks Luoyang fluently, people can still hear the taste of the Wuyue area."

"Wu Yue?" Cao Pi turned his head: "You mean Sun Quan?"

Chen Qun frowned, usually it was a sign that he disagreed with Cao Pi's statement.Cao Pi thought about it, and felt that it was unreliable. Sun Quan had the intention, but he didn't have the strength. How could he contact Chen Yi.He immediately understood: "Sun Shao?"

Chen Qun nodded: "The prime minister has thought deeply, and the subject also thinks so."

Cao Pi laughed at himself. He knew that although Chen Qun was his confidant, Chen Qun looked down on him, just like Sima Yi looked down on him.Among his four cronies, Chen Qun is from the Chen family in Yingchuan, and Sima Yi is from Wenxian County, Hanoi. They are all rich and well-educated. Although Wu Zhi is talented, he comes from a humble background and is not favored by his fellow villagers until now. —Dong Zhao looked down on him—needless to say Zhu Shuo, he was a martial artist, even Wu Zhi looked down on him.

Chen Qun said this to give him face, knowing that he was a fake, but Cao Pi was very happy, not because he thought he was really smart, but because he was happy to see these self-righteous children of aristocratic families bowing their knees in front of him.No matter how arrogant you are, don't you have to bow your head to me?

He looked at Chen Qun quietly, and listened to what he had to say.Chen Qun seemed to have sensed Cao Pi's thoughts, and he smiled helplessly, not daring to pretend to be deep, so as not to make Cao Pi unhappy.It is necessary to show aloofness at an appropriate time, but if it makes the superior find it annoying, then the loss outweighs the gain.

"It is said that when he was in Ruxu, Sun Shao crossed the river to challenge General Zhengdong, and Yang Xiu made friends with him at that time. Later, Yang Xiu was ordered to pass the edict to Jiaozhou, and had a secret talk with Sun Shao. Soon after returning, Zi Mr. Jian went to Hanzhong."

Cao Pi gasped, then held his breath, and after a while, he let it out slowly.Sun Shao and Cao Zhi colluded?This is too unexpected.A gleam of joy flashed in Cao Pi's heart, and then he felt very regretful. It's a pity that he failed to grasp this detailed work this time, otherwise, Cao Zhi would be dead.

However, it doesn't matter if you don't catch it.Cao Pi thought about it for a while, and waved his hand: "Go and search again, he must not have come alone, maybe someone with his accomplices is in prison."

Chen Qun understood that it was too easy to frame things like this, as long as Cao Cao believed it, as for Cao Zhi, I am afraid that he would never understand whether the evidence Cao Cao saw was true or not until he died.

……

"Careful work?" Cao Cao shook the paper in his hand, his gray eyebrows frowned: "A few careful works can make Yecheng into chaos?"

Chen Qun bowed and did not speak.

Cao Cao was a little displeased. Cao Pi sent Chen Qun to Wancheng in person, of course to explain why he could not arrive in time for the Wancheng battle and Yecheng. Cao Cao had prepared for this, but now the news Cao Pi sent Said that the chaos in Yecheng was not only related to the fine work of the Sun Shao faction, but also to some people in the prime minister's mansion, which made Cao Cao very disgusted. This is clearly Cao Pi's own incompetence, and then he blamed others. Well.

"Go down." Cao Cao drove Chen Qun out without giving him a chance to explain.Chen Qun was very embarrassed, but he didn't dare to stay in the tent by force, so he had to walk out of the tent.In front of Cao Cao and in front of Cao Pi, there are two completely different feelings. In front of Cao Pi, it is enough for Chen Qun to maintain superficial respect, but in front of Cao Cao, he feels fear from the bottom of his heart.

"Incompetent!" Cao Cao curled his lips, and threw Cao Pi's letter into the fire pond. The flame licked the paper, and it suddenly brightened, and Cao Cao's eyes reflected a strange light. dimmed down.He pondered for a moment, then raised his head and looked at the marching commander Shi Liuye standing beside him: "What kind of tricks is this little Zhuzi doing?"

Liu Ye shook his head: "I can't figure out what he's thinking, but according to Yichen's impression of him, if he sends a spy to Yecheng, it's entirely possible to do it."

"Well, that little Zhuzi is very cunning." Cao Cao couldn't help laughing: "In this regard, Guan Yunchang is far behind him."

"Fortunately, he is too weak to control the situation." Liu Ye also smiled.After Cao Cao came out of Hanzhong, he gathered troops all the way, and when he arrived in Luoyang, he immediately turned to the Yang people. It was not until he heard that Guan Yu had taken Xu County and taken away the emperor, did he suddenly send troops to Luyang, and went straight to Wancheng.Xu Huang occupied Xinye and Nieyang in advance, and Xiahou Dun arrived immediately, blocking Guan Yu's retreat. If Cao Pi hadn't been able to come to participate in the encirclement, Cao Cao would have ordered to take Wancheng.Guan Yu thought that he had made great achievements, but he didn't know that without Cao Cao's connivance, he would never be able to leave Xu County.

What makes them strange is that Guan Yu has snatched the emperor for almost two months, but the emperor has never issued an edict announcing Cao Cao's crimes. It stands to reason that if the emperor wants Liu Bei and Sun Quan to crusade, he has too many crimes to use. , among other things, it is enough for Cao Cao to drink a pot just by forcing him to death.Because of this, Cao Cao hesitated for a long time when deciding whether to let Guan Yu take away the emperor. He had to weigh the pros and cons of this matter to ensure that his foundation would not be shaken.

The current situation made them a little puzzled.

"Your Highness, we don't seem to have heard of the death of General Zhengnan and others." Liu Ye stroked his beard and said slowly: "It stands to reason that when Fancheng was breached, important officials like Cao Zhengnan and Man Runan fell into them Whether it is death or surrender, they will make great announcements to boost morale, but now they have no news at all, which is really puzzling."

"Alas—" Cao Cao sighed, and Liu Ye's words reminded him of Yu Jin.Yu Jin is a general he single-handedly promoted. Yu Jin has been loyal to him all these years, and he has treated him well. He has been promoted to General Zuo and enfeoffed [-] households. Such treatment is no different from that of Cao Cao and Marquis Xia. It's such a big difference.But unexpectedly, he actually surrendered.

This is the only news of surrender he has heard in the past six months.In comparison, although Pound was also defeated, it was still somewhat consoling. He is now only Sun Shao's guest and has not surrendered.

Thinking of Pound, Cao Cao was filled with emotion.In his opinion, this was Sun Shao's trick to attract Pang De's envoy, and only a straightforward person like Pound would be fooled.Since Pang De stayed by Sun Shao's side for so long, how could Sun Shao let him go? Even if Sun Shao let him go, he was originally a surrendered general. Sun Shao got involved, how could he, Cao Cao, trust him again?Taking a step back, even if Cao Cao still believes in him, who else is willing to cooperate with Pang De?

"What is he thinking?" Cao Cao was very curious: "Such a move doesn't seem like Guan Yunchang can do it."

Liu Ye was also curious, if Sun Shao could make the decision, why would Sun Shao sit back and watch Guan Yu bring the emperor to Wancheng?If Sun Shao can't make the decision, why hasn't Guan Yu asked the emperor to declare Cao Cao's guilt?Could it be that the emperor forbids it?

It seems that only this explanation is more reliable.

"Liu Bei and Sun Quan have both arrived in Jingzhou. Next, should we attack Wancheng first, or repel Liu Bei and Sun Quan first?" Cao Cao walked to the fire pond and sat down, pointing to the seat opposite, motioning for Liu Ye to sit down and talk.Liu Ye thanked him and sat down by the firepit. Under the light of the fire, his face became very bright.

"The minister thought that attacking the city first, and then persuading him to surrender."

Cao Cao remained silent, staring at the jumping flames, pondered for a while, and then said: "Persuade to surrender first, if you don't surrender, it will not be too late to attack the city. I want to see who is in charge of Wancheng .”

Liu Ye didn't refute. He glanced at Cao Cao, but Cao Cao didn't look at him. He picked up the tongs and picked up the charcoal in the fire. There was a smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he thought of something interesting.This was more than half a year, the only time I saw Cao Cao's smile except for the time when Cao Zhi defeated Zhang Fei.Liu Ye knew that Cao Cao's three-pronged strategy went bankrupt because of Yu Jin's unexpected defeat. It might be the last chance in his life to miss the chance to unify the world. For Cao Cao, the sadness in his heart can be imagined.

For more than half a year, Cao Cao has been angry, disappointed, and sad, but rarely smiled.

Especially this kind of very warm smile.

"Zi Yang, do you know why I'm laughing?" Seeing the change in Liu Ye's expression, Cao Cao turned his head and glanced at him.

Liu Ye didn't know, even if he knew, he would say he didn't know. As a counselor, you can guess what the monarch is thinking, but you can't tell, especially when facing a suspicious monarch like Cao Cao.

"I remembered what Sun Shao said to me when I was in Ruxu." Cao Cao straightened up, put down the tongs, and clapped his hands: "He said, whether it's the head of a family or the emperor of a country, the greatest The greatest credit is not how much merit he has, but the selection of a qualified successor. A great talent is roughly like Qin Shihuang. Although he wiped out the six kingdoms, he failed to choose a good successor for the Great Qin Empire. He was taken advantage of by Hu Hai and Zhao Gao. He entered, so the second generation died. Emperor Xiaowu conquered the north and south for decades, and behind his illustrious military exploits was a crumbling building, but he chose Emperor Xiaozhao, so the great man could survive danger."

Liu Ye was a little puzzled. There was nothing profound about such a truth. Why did Cao Cao praise Sun Shao so much for this, and he still kept it in his heart.

Cao Cao went on to say: "How to choose a successor is the most suitable way? Ziyang, how do you think we should choose?"

Liu Ye pondered for a moment: "Choose people with both ability and political integrity to teach them diligently, and then choose more loyal ministers to assist."

"Hahaha..." Cao Cao laughed loudly, pointed at Liu Ye and said, "Ziyang, do you know what Sun Shao said?"

Liu Ye was really curious this time.Although his method is not a novel method, but it has been done this way all along. Could it be that Sun Shao has a more brilliant method.

"He said that horse racing is worse than horse racing. It's a mule or a horse. Instead of listening to the horse hunter, it's better to pull it out and walk around."

Liu Ye was stunned for a moment, and suddenly understood everything.At this moment, Cao Cao's sudden remark was by no means casual, he had already made a decision in his heart, and this decision was very unfavorable to Cao Pi.More importantly, Cao Cao must have meant something when he said this to him. He hoped that he could understand his ideas and then support his ideas.

Liu Ye is a Cao Pi faction. He supports Cao Pi because he maintains the patriarchal rules of the eldest son inheritance system, and for the long-term peace and stability of the Wei State. However, Cao Cao prefers talents. He has always been dissatisfied with Cao Pi, and it is also because Cao Pi did have many unsatisfactory places.He has literary talent, but his literary talent is not outstanding. His literary talent is flamboyant and flamboyant but lacks real feelings. He has martial arts, good swordsmanship, and mastery of military tactics, but he has never fought in battle. City Change screwed up.The most important thing is the change in Yecheng. Cao Cao asked him to guard Yecheng, but Yecheng was in chaos. Thousands of people were killed and imprisoned. In vain.In addition, he seems very loyal, but his siblings do not like him.

Such a person, how could Cao Cao let him be the heir at ease, not to mention Cao Zhi was on the sidelines for comparison.

"Do you think this method is right or wrong?" Cao Cao looked at Liu Ye with a smile.Liu Ye felt as if his heart had been hit by a heavy hammer, and he couldn't breathe.Cao Cao is asking him to express his opinion. If he does not deal with it properly, then Cui Yan may be a lesson for him.

But Liu Ye couldn't accept it immediately. In this case, Cao Cao might think that he was a villain who followed the wind and followed suit.He thought carefully for a moment, and said cautiously: "It's just that in this way, it's inevitable that there will be fratricide..."

"Such things have always been inevitable. Compared with the great affairs of the family and the country, these losses are nothing." Cao Cao interrupted Liu Ye, obviously not intending to listen to his explanation: "Born in the deep palace, Raised in the hands of a woman, such a person is considered a genius, how many can really do great things? Emperor Xiaowu is a peerless talent, why did he make such a big mistake later? Because he doesn't know the suffering of the people." Cao Cao stood Standing up, the not tall figure makes people dare not look up: "If he started from the humble beginning like an orphan, and has experienced many things in the world, he will definitely not make such a mistake. The 400-year-old Han Dynasty, 24 emperors, except for the founding king, can really How many people are called Mingjun? It’s not that they are not smart, but that they have no chance to experience it. If they hadn’t lived in Xijing today and endured so much suffering, how could they have survived to this day?”

Liu Ye smiled wryly to himself, that's true, if Liu Xie didn't know the pros and cons of the knife, he would have confronted Cao Cao openly, but if that was the case, he might either be murdered or forced to abdicate. Absolutely.

(End of this chapter)