Chapter 254 Lao Chen Wenhe and Guan Yu gather together
At the moment when Cao Pi and Xiahou Ba's ministers looked at each other, Cao Pi's edict was about to be issued, but unfortunately at this time, a minister came out and advised Cao Pi:
"I see that Your Majesty's face is filled with joy, do you want to attack the thieves alone?
Today, Wudang is the base of the city's defense. Currently, it has the ambition to dominate. We will not act alone. We should join forces with all the generals to advance together.
There are tens of thousands of bandit soldiers. Although the regular soldiers are far inferior, why can't they defend the city and assist them?
The thieves are good at using soldiers. When the mighty heavenly soldiers come, they still do nothing. How can they kill themselves? They are afraid that they want to lure me deeper and they just have a plan.
Although today's hegemon is courageous, it is a bad thing to have an army. If you rush into the army rashly, you will end up dead in the hope of luck!
Once the army moves, the victory or defeat is uncertain. The morale of the traitor army is at its peak. I am afraid that although the general has the intention to destroy the traitor, he will be plotted by the traitor. I hope your majesty will think twice about it."
The man who came out to advise Cao Pi was Dong Zhao.
Dong Zhao was an old man who had followed Cao Cao for many years. He had admired Cao Cao's intelligence when he was still alive.
After Guo Jia's death, Cao Cao appointed Dong Zhao as his prime minister, Jijiu, and as his confidant.
When Dong Zhao came out to give Cao Pi advice, even though Cao Pi was eager to win, he showed hesitation on his face after hearing Dong Zhao's advice.
Let’s not talk about whether what Dong Zhao said makes sense. Dong Zhao’s status alone is extraordinary.
Although Dong Zhao only served as the prime minister when Cao Cao was alive, official positions during the Three Kingdoms period were not simply classified based on status, but mainly based on the actual power held.
The position of Jijiu is in charge of the entire army's justice and is also in charge of the intelligence collection of the army. It can be said that the power is very great.
Therefore, after Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, he immediately appointed Dong Zhao as the general chief craftsman and became one of the nine ministers of the Wei Dynasty.
Moreover, when Cao Cao declared himself Duke, he was opposed by the ministers headed by Xun Yu. It was Dong Zhao who used his prestige among the scholars to offset the negative impact of public opinion on Cao Cao's declaration.
He also provided all the theoretical support and specific steps for Cao Cao to proclaim himself a prince. It can be said that Dong Zhao was the first hero in urging Cao Cao to proclaim himself a prince, so Dong Zhao's status was very high in the Wei state.
It was impossible for Cao Pi to ignore the advice of such an intelligent and high-status veteran.
But after Xiahou Ba listened to Dong Zhao's words, an angry look appeared on his face.
Dong Zhao's advice was respectful to Cao Pi, but derogatory to Xiahou Ba.
Otherwise, Dong Zhao felt that it was not enough to dispel Cao Pi's desire to win.
Faced with Dong Zhao's belittlement, Xiahou Ba, who had a strong personality, would certainly feel angry, but he could not find any reason to refute.
After all, he currently has no military exploits.
Without military exploits, of course there is no persuasiveness.
Dong Zhao also saw Xiahou Ba's dissatisfaction with him, but he didn't care.
The current political structure of the Wei Dynasty is no longer the same as when Cao Cao was alive, where the clan was dominated by one family.
Since the implementation of the Nine-Rank Officials Law in various places this year, young talents from major aristocratic families have gradually begun to occupy various important positions at the local and central levels.
Even the military power was not without people from noble families starting to get involved.
And with the death of Cao Ren, the first general of the Cao Wei clan, this process has been greatly accelerated invisibly.
Cao Ren's death was a great loss to the Wei Dynasty and Cao Pi, but in some respects it was good news for the nobles who had been suppressed by the Cao Wei clan.
Dong Zhao, now one of the leaders of the Cao Wei gentry, is really not afraid of Xiahou Ba.
What's more, what he said is true. Although Xiahou Ba is also a partial general now, this partial general is not the other partial general.
As Dong Zhao took the lead in advising Cao Pi, most of the ministers in the hall also showed dissuasive looks on their faces.
Most of them were originally opposed to Cao Pi's personal expedition.
In addition, most of them are veterans who have fought with Cao Cao for many years, and their rich experience is beyond the comparison of Cao Pi and Xiahou Ba.
Therefore, they were very worried about Cao Pi's rash dispatch of troops.
So not long after Dong Zhao made the suggestion, another heavyweight minister began to stand up.
This minister appears to be at least seventy years old. His beard and hair have turned white, and his face is covered with age spots.
When the minister stood up, his body was trembling, as if he would fall to the ground the next moment.
But when the waning old man stood up, the ministers in the hall who originally wanted to stand up and give advice to Cao Pi gave up the idea of standing up.
The ministers in the lobby looked at the old man in front of them with complicated eyes;
There is fear, disdain, and admiration.
Although each minister had different thoughts about the old man, they all had an idea in mind after seeing the old man getting up.
If he dissuades him, he will get twice the result with half the effort.
The ministers of Cao Wei have such confidence in this old man because his identity is too special.
This old man was Jia Xu and Jia Wenhe, who were the Taiwei of the Wei Dynasty at that time.
Because of Li Jue and Guo Si's rebellion, this name is known to everyone in the north and south of the country.
When Cao Cao raised his army, he had five counselors under his command who were the most helpful to him.
After Cheng Yu died of illness not long ago, only Jia Xu survived among the five counselors.
In the "Three Kingdoms" written by later generations, Jia Xu was recorded together with Xun Yu and Xun You, which shows his status among Cao Wei's advisers.
From serving Liangzhou in his early years to defecting to Cao Cao later, Jia Xu can be said to have participated in all the famous battles in the early Three Kingdoms period.
In his military experience, although he did not offer many suggestions, he never made any mistakes.
If you listen, you will succeed; if you don't, you will fail. This is how the world views Jia Xu.
Because of Jia Xu's past and his seniority among all the ministers of Cao and Wei, when he stood up, even Cao Pi had a look of emotion on his face.
But after Jia Xu stood up, he did not offer any advice to Cao Pi immediately.
He just walked towards Sima Yi slowly, holding a cane.
Sima Yi looked at Jia Xu, who was hunched over and walking towards him.
Although Jia Xu is now an old man who looks like he will die in the next moment, Sima Yi invisibly feels that Jia Xu seems to be pressing down on him like a big mountain.
Even when Sima Yi saw Jia Xu's turbid eyes, he seemed to see an extraordinary look beneath the deep turbidity.
Just because it's hidden deep doesn't mean it's not there.
When Jia Xu came to Sima Yi, Sima Yi unconsciously took a step back under Jia Xu's pressure.
Even if the 60-year-old Emperor Xuan of Jin meets the 70-year-old Jia Xu, he may not be his opponent, let alone Sima Zhongda, who has not yet fully grown up?
However, Jia Xu did not intend to target Sima Yi, so he stopped in front of Sima Yi in time and did not move forward.
After standing still, Jia Xu raised his head slightly and looked at Sima Yi. He asked Sima Yi:
"Mi Yang can be said to know the soldiers?"
Sima Yi didn't know why Jia Xu asked him this obviously nonsense question, but in the face of Jia Xu's question, Sima Yi still answered honestly:
"certainly."
Sima Yi's answer was the consensus of everyone. He didn't need to cover up for Mi Yang. Besides, if he said that Mi Yang didn't know how to fight, wouldn't he be cursing Cao Ren for being a loser?
Seeing that Sima Yi had answered his question, Jia Xu seemed to be belatedly aware of it. He looked at Sima Yi again and asked:
"Those who know the military strength live in the city. It is really easy to prevent the enemy from discovering the strength of our troops."
"But now Mi Yang knows that Wei's heavenly troops are coming, but instead allows Zhongda to easily find out the strength of his troops. It's really strange!"
Jia Xu's voice was very old, but when the sound of his voice spread throughout the hall, it seemed as if a certain mystery in the minds of the ministers present was instantly cleared away.
Especially Sima Yi.
As someone who was both resourceful and had witnessed Mi Yang move the army away, he reacted the fastest to Jia Xu's words and was deeply moved.
yes!
According to common sense, Mi Yang clearly knew that a large number of reinforcements from the Wei Dynasty would arrive soon. Even if he planned to send troops back to Hanzhong at this time, shouldn't he do it secretly?
With the existence of Han River, it is not difficult for Mi Yang to do this.
Most of the enemy troops are about to arrive, but instead they expose their own lack of strength. Is this what Mi Yang would do?
In the past, even Sima Yi could think of tying a horse's tail to a tree branch when he was on the plain, so that others could not find out the true number of the army he led. What's more, Mi Yang still had the city to rely on.
Previously, all the Wei ministers, including Sima Yi, felt that it was appropriate for Mi Yang to send his army back to Hanzhong to garrison Hanzhong when Cao Zhen besieged Wei and rescued Zhao.
But it is this logical meaning that makes them ignore this point.
The ministers of Cao and Wei in the lobby immediately started thinking quickly because Jia Xu's words hit the mark.
Even Cao Pi realized something after thinking about it.
Although Jia Xu's words just now were about asking Sima Yi, he was actually reminding Cao Pi by asking Sima Yi.
When Jia Xu saw a thoughtful look on Cao Pi's face, Jia Xu turned around and bowed to Cao Pi:
"Emperor Wu was extremely wise and courageous, and he never dared to look down upon the enemy when using his troops. It is natural for soldiers to like to advance but not to retreat.
There is no danger on flat ground, but it is always difficult. If you go deep, you should think about your retreat. The troops will advance and retreat, and the changes will be chaotic.
When a light army marches down to Wudang, it is extremely dangerous; when thieves are good at using tactics, it is extremely suspicious; when an army marches without any companions, it is extremely dangerous.
The three are taboos for military strategists, but now they are carried out, and your majesty is afraid of them.
The thieves have a city to support themselves and have no worries about their retreat. However, if our army fails, danger will be imminent.
When the heavenly troops arrive, stability should be the priority. If you don't defeat the thieves, you can still defend the territory. How can you take advantage of the danger and not be afraid of it?
Besides, October is approaching, Your Majesty has forgotten about Guan Yu in Xiangyang!"
During the first half of Jia Xu's suggestions, Cao Pi could still remain calm.
But when Jia Xu mentioned Guan Yu's name, not only Cao Pi, but also the faces of all the officials present changed drastically.
The famous general Liu Bei is not just a thief!
Guan Yu, who was so powerful in China that he had beaten all the Wei generals to pieces before, still stood still.
Doesn't Guan Yu know that Mi Yang's army is now in Wudang?
Could it be that Mi Yang forgot to inform Guan Yu of his army's movements?
Because of the battle in Xicheng, the eyes of the emperors and ministers of Cao Wei were focused on Mi Yang.
They forgot that in Jingzhou, there was a world-famous general who was watching with tens of thousands of troops.
Previously, all the ministers of Cao and Wei thought that the reason why Guan Yu delayed sending troops was because it was the autumn harvest season in the south.
If Mi Yang had not captured tens of thousands of Wei troops to harvest and plant grain, and had obtained a large amount of grain in Wudang City, he would have retreated before Cao Pi's reinforcements arrived.
It cannot be said that the previous judgments of the officials of Cao and Wei were wrong, but they forgot one thing.
It's the end of September now, and most of the autumn harvest in Jingzhou has ended.
Under such circumstances, Guan Yu may send troops at any time.
Even if you think about it carefully, Mi Yang is deliberately showing weakness, maybe to attract all the attention of Cao Wei's reinforcements, so as to provide good conditions for Guan Yu to attack Fancheng!
Not long after Cao Cao passed away, most of the famous ministers and generals he collected while he was still alive are still alive, and their IQs are all online.
Now under Jia Xu's awakening, if they still can't react, then they are being underestimated.
Under Jia Xu's reminder, the ministers of Cao and Wei present immediately responded to the current situation.
The first priority is to send part of the army to support Fancheng.
Although Cao Xiu is currently stationed in Fancheng, and although no military report has been sent to Fancheng yet, it is always right to be prepared for everything.
Anyway, Wei's current military strength is sufficient.
Although Cao Pi currently only has about 80,000 troops in his hands, as time goes by, the number of troops he can muster will only increase.
You must know that not long ago in history, Cao Pi could even recruit 100,000 soldiers for an armed parade in the Huainan area.
This is the national power of Cao Wei.
Cao Pi looked at Jia Xu with grateful eyes. With his help, he successfully defeated Cao Zhi and ascended to the throne of prince.
Now with Jia Xu's help, he may have avoided making a big mistake.
Jia Xu noticed Cao Pi's grateful look, but he did not show any sign of taking credit.
He just bowed to Cao Pi and then silently returned to his seat.
Listening to the suggestions of the ministers in the hall, Jia Xu knew that he would no longer be needed.
When Cao Pi wanted to go on the expedition himself, it was Jia Xu who volunteered to accompany Cao Pi.
Although Cao Cao has been keeping a low profile since he became king.
But he kept a low profile to protect himself, and now he actively follows Cao Pi in his southern expedition, also to protect himself!
The enemy was almost reaching the Central Plains, and he could no longer continue paddling.
At least before his death, Cao Wei's overall situation must be stabilized.
Nanjun, Xiangyang City.
Guan Yu, who was in the general's palace, stroking his beard, looked at the latest report sent by Mi Yang.
In the report, Mi Yang made it clear to Guan Yu that Cao Pi's reinforcements were coming.
And he would use his plan to hold back most of Cao Pi's troops so that he could create good external conditions for attacking Fancheng.
After receiving this report from Mi Yang, Guan Yu kept stroking his beard and smiling.
Guan Yu actually knew the outcome of the Battle of Xicheng earlier than Liu Bei. Of course, this was reported to him by his good son-in-law.
But because the autumn harvest was coming soon, even Guan Yu couldn't help but feel excited after learning that his good son-in-law had achieved such results.
But because of the lessons learned from the Battle of Xiangfan, Guan Yu would not let himself risk the risk of food shortage to launch a war again.
Due to objective conditions, he could only wait for the autumn harvest to end.
After all, if he wanted to make the Northern Expedition, the first battle he would fight would be a siege.
Under such circumstances, food issues are paramount.
Now that most of the autumn harvest in Jingzhou has ended, it is time for him to send troops.
Guan Yu put away Mi Yang's report, then restored his majestic demeanor and ordered Liao Hua beside him:
"Convene the generals to discuss matters in the camp!"
After Liao Hua heard this, excitement appeared on his face, and he immediately left to gather the generals.
After Liao Hua left, Guan Yu wanted to stand up and put on his armor, but suddenly he felt a headache coming on him.
The headache came and went quickly, so Guan Yu didn't pay too much attention to it.
This was the sequelae left by his lack of proper self-cultivation because he was worried about his military situation after he was shot in the forehead by Pound.
As time goes by, this pain has become more frequent recently.
The military situation was so important that Guan Yu couldn't care about it. After putting on his armor, he strode outside.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!