Chapter 396 Hao Zhaozhen Chen Zhuge’s Warning
Author: Soy Sauce Mixed History
Chapter 396 Hao Zhaozhen Chen Zhuge’s Warning
After getting Jiang Wei's plan, Yang Fu went to look for Cao Zhen early the next morning.
As a fortress in Liangzhou, Chencang's city defense was originally very strong.
Later, Cao Zhen deduced that in the coming Northern Expedition of the Han army, Chencang would most likely be the first target, so he mobilized a large amount of manpower and material resources to strengthen Chencang's city defense.
Cao Zhen's method of strengthening Chencang's city defense was also very simple, which was to learn from Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu's methods and build an outer city outside Chencang's city wall.
Cao Zhen regards Mi Yang as his biggest rival in life, and must have a very in-depth understanding of Mi Yang's past achievements.
The first battle Mi Yang fought was the Public Security Battle, which is now considered the best example of defensive counterattack in the world.
Cao Zhen has studied Mi Yang's story of fame no less than ten times in the past.
Through many studies, Cao Zhen learned that the reason why Mi Yang won a great victory in the battle of Public Security was not only because of his own command, but also because of the special city defense of Public Security City, which gave Mi Yang no worries.
Without this, Mi Yang would not have dared to divide his troops and attack the camp.
Cao Zhen is a general who is good at learning. Since he knows that the special skills of public security city defense can greatly benefit the defenders, there is no reason for him not to learn this.
So after pacifying Hexi, Cao Zhen put most of his energy into expanding the outer city of Chencang.
Cao Wei has a lot of talents, and they have no shortage of master architects.
Coupled with Cao Wei's strong national power, the project may take a long time for Ji Han, but under Cao Zhen's supervision, initial results have been achieved in just half a year.
Cao Zhen, standing outside Chencang City, looked at the towering city wall with a rough outline in front of him, with a satisfied smile on his face.
This wall, which can be called a natural moat, will be the key to defeating the Han army in the future.
Thinking of this, Cao Zhen turned to his confidant and beloved general Hao Zhao behind him and said: "When the construction of the outer city of Chencang is completed, I will make you the guard general of Chencang.
Do you have the confidence to be alone in the future and defend the Wei Dynasty from the enemy's attack?"
Hao Zhao, courtesy name Bodao, was from Taiyuan.
Hao Zhao joined the army as a young man and was initially appointed as a military governor. Later, he made many military exploits and was gradually promoted to general.
In the first year of Zhang Wu, a major rebellion broke out in Hexi. Hao Zhao, who led the troops to guard Hexi, repeatedly defeated the rebels and successfully stabilized the situation in some areas of Hexi.
If this prerequisite had not been met, the whole territory of Hexi might have raised the flag of rebellion, and it would have been even more difficult for Cao Zhen to put down the rebellion in Hexi later.
Because of Hao Zhao's military exploits, Cao Zhen admired him very much after he was in Hexi, and transferred him to his side.
After becoming the top leader in Guanzhong, Cao Zhen's subordinates can be said to be full of talents, but Cao Zhen looked at Hao Zhao in a different light.
Because of the special regard in his heart, Cao Zhen handed over the important task of guarding Chencang to Hao Zhao.
After all, no matter how strong a city is, it will be useless if something goes wrong with the people defending it.
Facing Cao Zhen's inquiry, Hao Zhao showed determination. He was born in the North and would not refuse politely.
Hao Zhao bowed to Cao Zhen and said, "As long as I am with you, Chen Cang will be with you."
What Hao Zhao said was very straightforward, but it showed a kind of magnanimity as if the city was there and the people were there.
Hearing Hao Zhao's majestic words, Cao Zhen couldn't help laughing.
"Why so?"
In Cao Zhen's view, Chencang stored a large amount of weapons and food, and was protected by two strong walls.
As long as Hao Zhao can perform normally, it will not be difficult for Hao Zhao to defend Chencang, no matter how good Mi Yang is at attacking. Hao Zhao does not have to be determined to die.
It's just that no boss would dislike a subordinate who takes orders.
So Cao Zhen smiled and patted Hao Zhao on the shoulder and said: "As long as you can guard Chencang in the future, Gubao will make you a marquis."
Cao Zhen has always been generous with rewards for his favorite subordinates.
And based on Cao Zhen's current status in the Wei Dynasty, his promised effectiveness is no less than that of Wei Emperor Cao Pi.
After hearing Cao Zhen's promise to him, even Hao Zhao, who had always had a resolute temperament, showed a bit of joy on his face.
Being a prince is the dream of any man in this world.
Seeing that Hao Zhao was successfully inspired to fight, Cao Zhen originally wanted to ask Hao Zhao a few words about his strategy for defending Chencang in the future, but at this moment, the bodyguard came to Cao Zhen and reported to him:
"Yang Liangzhou wants to see you."
When Cao Zhen heard the news, he was a little surprised for a moment.
Although Yang Fu was his confidant, if there was nothing important, Yang Fu would not take the initiative to ask to see him.
After realizing this, Cao Zhen left Hao Zhao to continue supervising the construction of Chencang City Wall, while he himself came to Yang Fu under the leadership of his personal guards.
Seeing Cao Zhen arriving, Yang Fu immediately bowed to Cao Zhen. After bowing, Yang Fu said to Cao Zhen:
"I have important matters to ask the general to make a decision on."
Hearing what Yang Fu said, Cao Zhen knowingly dispersed the surrounding people.
After he and Cao Zhen were the only ones left in the field, Yang Fu opened his mouth and informed Cao Zhen of Jiang Wei's plan.
However, when discussing the strategy, Yang Fu did not say that the strategy came from Jiang Wei.
This is because Yang Fu knew Cao Zhen very well.
Cao Zhen, who was brought up by Cao Cao, was the same as Cao Cao in that he looked down on celebrities in the world who were not worthy of their reputation.
In this regard, Cao Zhen is very similar to Cao Rui.
It is obvious that Jiang Wei currently belongs to this category.
As the auspicious king in the hearts of the ancients, Qilin is the head of the five spirits and has a higher status than the dragon in the hearts of the world.
Even for a hero like Mi Yang, the world only praised him as a deer. How could Jiang Wei be praised as "Youlin"?
Although Yang Fu knew that the strategy proposed by Jiang Wei was excellent, in Yang Fu's heart, he was worried that Cao Zhen would hesitate about the strategy because of his preferences, which would be self-defeating.
This kind of thing was very common among the superiors in the past. No matter how outstanding the superiors are, they are still human beings, and they will inevitably be affected by their personal likes and dislikes.
In order to prevent this worry from coming true, Yang Fu thought of first offering this strategy to Cao Zhen in his own name.
If this strategy succeeds in the end, then he can tell Jiang Wei's contribution when the time comes, so that he can get the best of both worlds.
As Yang Fu expected, after Cao Zhen heard the strategy that Yang Fu came up with, his face immediately lit up with joy.
Cao Zhen felt that Yang Fu's strategy was very feasible.
Cao Zhen had this opinion, partly because of his own knowledge, partly because this strategy was proposed by Yang Fu.
Due to Yang Fu's past achievements, the strategies he proposed are easier for people to believe.
After listening to Yang Fu's plan, Cao Zhen excitedly started pacing in front of Yang Fu with his fist palm.
He is thinking about how to turn this strategy into practical steps.
If you want to achieve this, there is one person you cannot avoid, and that person is Cao Pi.
After all, this strategy involves the level of diplomacy between countries, and only Cao Pi has the decision-making power at this level.
So what Cao Zhen wants to think about now is how to persuade Cao Pi to accept this strategy.
Logically speaking, given Cao Zhen's current position in the Wei Dynasty, it is not difficult to do this, but Cao Zhen knows that this strategy runs counter to the strategy of the Wei Dynasty today.
The current situation in the world is still dominated by the Cao Wei family, but Ji Han is no longer the separatist regime in history that was treated as a joke by all Cao Wei ministers.
Although the scornful title "Shu is a small country" was still circulated throughout the Cao Wei court and the public, after several consecutive defeats, such a scornful title lacked confidence compared with history.
It can even be said that there is a current situation in the Cao Wei court and the public that is "fearing Shu as much as a tiger".
And this current situation is mostly caused by Mi Yang.
"Being aware of variables and predicting the battle situation is nothing less than a plan. Even Emperor Wei has been afraid of it."
This is the psychological consensus towards Mi Yang among the current Cao Wei government and the public.
Cao Wei, who regarded himself as the Zhengshuo of China, could have such a consensus, which shows how deep the psychological shadow Mi Yang had caused on Cao Wei in the past.
It is precisely because of this psychological consensus that Cao Wei's current strategy is to "use defense as offense".
Perhaps this strategy was only supported by a few people such as Jia Xu at the beginning, but after the painful lessons of the past few defeats, this strategy has now become the opinion of most courtiers in Cao Wei.
Cao Zhen was not afraid of Mi Yang, he was so afraid that he did not dare to attack.
But Cao Zhen knew that once he rashly proposed a plan to march southward, he would definitely be blocked by many ministers in the government and the opposition.
Especially after knowing that he would take the initiative to attack Hanzhong where Mi Yang was located, Cao Zhen could almost foresee how much resistance this strategy would encounter.
Didn't the two famous generals Lu Meng and Cao Ren die while attacking Mi Yang?
So he had to think of a safe way.
After thinking hard, Cao Zhen finally came up with an idea, that is, he wanted to return to Luoyang in person to advise Cao Pi on the benefits of this strategy.
Thinking of this, Cao Zhen turned to Yang Fu and said: "Yishan, I am going to go back to Luoyang.
Before I return to Luoyang, I will issue a military order for you to temporarily take charge of the military affairs of Liangzhou. I hope you will not disappoint me."
After hearing Cao Zhen's instructions, Yang Fu immediately handed over his hands and promised Cao Zhen: "I will fulfill my mission."
Yang Fu knew that the reason why Cao Zhen wanted to rush back to Luoyang was probably because of the strategy he offered today.
So Cao Zhen will not leave Guanzhong for too long.
But with Mi Yang here, even if he left soon, Cao Zhen would inevitably be unable to let go of Liangzhou.
Cao Zhen continued to tell Yang Fudao: "You must keep the matter of Gu's departure from Liangzhou a secret.
Just thinking about it, this matter won't be hidden from Mi Yang for long, so you must remember not to take the initiative no matter what happens before you come back.
Especially for the four roads in Guanzhong, we must send heavy troops to defend and not let our guard down at all."
When Cao Zhen said these words, his face was full of solemnity.
In Cao Zhen's opinion, it was necessary for him to temporarily return to Luoyang, but the security issues in Liangzhou after he left could not be ignored.
However, as long as Yang Fu can hold on, Liang Jun will not get much benefit from his carefully arranged defense line.
Especially since Liangzhou is still implementing reforms, it is unlikely that it will take the initiative to launch an attack.
Cao Zhen asked again, making Yang Fu's face even more solemn than Cao Zhen's.
Cao Zhen asked him to temporarily take charge of the overall situation of Liangzhou, which was a kind of trust in him.
But if anything happens to Liangzhou while he is guarding it, his future will be basically ruined.
Therefore, Yang Fu had to be cautious about what Cao Zhen ordered.
Yang Fu paid homage to Cao Zhen again: "General, don't worry, I will definitely not be negligent."
Seeing Yang Fu make two guarantees in a row, Cao Zhen felt at ease.
With Yang Fu's intelligence, as long as he does not disobey his general's orders, there is no risk of coming to Liangzhou.
In fact, currently in Guanzhong, Cao Zhen is the first-in-command, and the second-in-command is not Yang Fu, but Xiahou Mao, the Anxi general who guards Chang'an.
According to common sense, after Cao Zhen left, Xia Houmao should take over the defense of Liangzhou.
It's just that Cao Zhen knew his brother-in-law very well, and he knew nothing about military strategy.
Under such circumstances, how dare Cao Zhen hand Liangzhou into his hands.
However, although Xia Houmao was not good at military affairs, he was an expert in managing people's health.
The recent autumn harvest in Guanzhong and the manpower and material resources for the construction of the outer city of Chencang are all Xia Houmao's planning.
With Xia Houmao's help, Cao Zhen never worried about logistical problems.
If it weren't for this reason, Xia Houmao would have been sent back to Luoyang by Cao Zhen.
After seeing that Liangzhou's defense was well arranged, Cao Zhen summoned his personal guards.
Returning to Luoyang is urgent.
Mi Yang still didn't know that Cao Wei was brewing a big conspiracy about him.
He was inspecting Liangzhou and soon received a letter from Zhuge Liang.
It has to be said that since Zhuge Liang learned about the contents of Mi Yang's new policy, his contact with Mi Yang became particularly frequent.
Some of those contacts were purely emotional ones with Mi Yang.
Zhuge Liang in history was such a person. He would still often write letters to greet people close to him, even if he was in the enemy camp.
The contents of some letters have been passed down to later generations and are known by future generations. From the contents of those letters, we can see that Zhuge Liang was also a chatty person in private.
For example, he often wrote to Zhuge Jin, telling him about his troubles in raising children, and reminded Zhuge Jin that he should take care of Zhuge Ke and not let him let himself go too far.
This kind of Zhuge Liang is very flesh and blood.
The reason why Zhuge Liang often writes to Mi Yang recently is because of a promise he made to Mi Yang.
"As long as Mi Yang can satisfy him in terms of governance, then Mi Yang will become his first disciple."
Maybe Mi Yang's New Deal is being implemented and has not yet shown its corresponding superiority, but it is obvious that Mi Yang's New Deal embodies the concept of "putting the people first", which really struck a chord with Zhuge Liang.
As long as the Tao is correct, it doesn't hurt if the corresponding techniques are deviated.
It can be said that at this moment, Zhuge Liang already regarded Mi Yang as the disciple who would inherit his mantle.
Since he is a disciple, Zhuge Liang will not be stingy with his care and love for Mi Yang.
Of course, both Zhuge Liang and Mi Yang have special identities, so a large part of the letters exchanged between them are about business matters.
For example, the letter Mi Yang received today was Zhuge Liang's previous reply to his suggestion to divide his troops and go south to Chengdu.
In this reply, Zhuge Liang first affirmed Mi Yang's loyalty and filial piety, but he also specifically reminded Mi Yang in the letter:
The pacification of Nanzhong is very important, but the defense of Hanzhong should not be careless.
In particular, the two fortresses of Yinping and Yanganguan must be defended with heavy troops to prevent sneak attacks by the enemy.
After seeing this reminder from Zhuge Liang, Mi Yang sighed in her heart.
If in history Zhuge Liang was still there when Deng Ai and Zhong Hui were marching south, or if his arrangements were not destroyed, how could Ji Han possibly perish?
There will be another chapter around 2 o'clock.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!