"Sir, there is another news from Hedong, saying that Thief Feng has been staying in Hedong and has not left, and it seems that he is planning to increase his troops."
Sima Division, who was granted the title of Protector of the Army, could finally enter the army openly and follow Sima Yi.
At this time, with a slightly worried look on his face, he took the news from Hedong and reported it to his lord.
"Sir, tell me, is Thief Feng up to another trick?"
Fifty-eight-year-old Sima Yi has a ruddy complexion, a wide forehead and a high nose, a pair of deep-set eyes with sparkle, and a long, slightly silvery beard under his chin.
Compared to some of his less confident sons, Sima Yi was a veteran of four dynasties and had gone through countless hardships.
Not to mention the Wei State, even if we look at the entire world, from the decades when the heroes competed for the throne, to the three-quarter world, how many people can still survive after experiencing it all personally?
Not to mention that Sima Yi was from a noble family, and his ability and knowledge were far beyond ordinary people.
With the death of Ge Thief, there are only a handful of people who can compete with him in politics and military strategy at the same time.
Without the pressure of Ge Zei, facing Feng Zei alone, Sima Yi seemed much more calm:
"When I withdraw from Guanzhong, it's hard to say if the Shu captives still have some strength left and can brave the severe cold and march out of Tongguan in hot pursuit."
"But now Ge Zei is dead. Although Feng Zei is well-equipped with both civil and military skills and is outstanding in leading the army and governing the people, he..."
Having said this, Sima Yi paused for a moment before continuing slowly:
"He is still young and has too little experience, so he may not be able to convince the crowd. There are hundreds of thousands of Shu captives in Guanzhong, but he may not have the courage to lead so many troops out of Tongguan."
Although Feng Thief is currently the commander-in-chief of the Shu captive army in Guanzhong, Sima Yi knows that the Shu captive army in Guanzhong is actually divided into two parts.
Some of them are the Liangzhou Army brought over from Liangzhou by Feng Thief, and they can be regarded as his direct descendants.
But the larger part is the Hanzhong army that has been led by Ge Thief himself.
The Ge thieves died suddenly, and the Feng thieves were able to keep hundreds of thousands of people in the pass without causing chaos. This was already an extraordinary feat.
If he dared to lead these troops to march eastward at this time, then he would really have to wonder whether Thief Feng was so famous that he could not live up to it?
Seeing his master's indifference, Master Sima felt reassured, but he still hesitated:
"Then he has been staying in Hedong for the past two months and has continued to increase troops there. What is his intention?"
Sima Yi explained to his son calmly:
"Contain Jiang Zitong (ie Jiang Ji) and prevent him from reinforcing Yecheng and Shangdang."
Master Sima has naturally thought about this possibility.
But he thought more deeply:
"Sir, Hanoi is the foundation of our Sima family! Thief Feng has always been full of tricks. This person is like a poisonous snake. If he doesn't move, he will die. If he moves, he will definitely be cunning and want to kill people. You must be on guard."
It's not that he doesn't trust adults, if it were anyone else, he wouldn't have any worries at all.
But Feng Thief is different.
After all, your Excellency was forced to lead the army from Guanzhong back to Luoyang, but Feng Thief had a share of the credit.
How could Sima Yi not know his son's psychology?
It's just that he was a little helpless about this matter.
The Battle of Guanzhong, the aftermath has not been settled.
No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, Sima Yi could tell that even his son felt restrained in his heart after confronting Thief Feng.
It can be seen from this that how many people in the Wei army are not afraid of this thief?
"That's why Thief Feng will stay in Hedong at this moment!"
Sima Yi sighed, "In this way, not only can he hold back Jiang Zitong, he can even hold us back indirectly, so that the army in Luoyang will not dare to easily send reinforcements and go north to Yecheng."
Although Sima Yi believed that the Shu captives were unable to advance eastward at this time, Feng thief had never acted according to common sense, so he should not be careless at all.
"But sir, we are not..."
Sima Shi originally wanted to say, "It's not that we don't have plans to reinforce the Shangdang."
But before he finished speaking, Sima Yi already knew what he meant:
"We know that we don't want to increase our troops in Yecheng. Even Xuchang may not dare to believe it completely, so how can Thief Feng be sure? In his eyes, we and Xuchang are one."
Xuchang never mentioned asking Luoyang to send more troops to Yecheng.
Sima Yi never took the initiative to mention the need to reinforce Yecheng.
Therefore, it can be seen that both sides are wary of mobilizing troops in Luoyang.
"So Feng Thief's real intention in increasing his troops in Hedong is to contain the forces in Luoyang and Hanoi in one fell swoop."
When Sima Yi said this, his tone finally showed some hesitation:
"Of course, there is another possibility...if he has already suspected that we have a quarrel with Xuchang, then such a big fanfare can just test the relationship between us and Xuchang."
Thief Feng is cunning, and this is not just talk, it is something that everyone knows.
Things between Luoyang and Xuchang cannot be hidden.
As long as Thief Feng is intentional, he will be able to detect it sooner or later.
Sima Yi believed that there might be many thieves lurking in Luoyang City.
Not to mention, if the situation has developed to this point, some people in the Wei Dynasty may have begun to harbor treacherous intentions.
People are against each other, maybe this means people are against each other.
Although Sima Shi experienced flashy cases and had troubles in his official career, he was as famous as Xia Houxuan, He Yan and others in his early years, and he had a high reputation among the younger generation of Wei State.
Before he killed his wife and became enlightened, he was not complacent about it.
It was only after he officially participated in family affairs, or in other words, since the Lord and the Cao family gradually drifted apart.
Only then did he realize that there are many heroes in the world.
I remembered that Thief Feng was about the same age as me, and now he was not only famous all over the world, but even adults were quite afraid of him.
Master Sima couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
Seeing Sima Shi's appearance, Sima Yi seemed to know what he was thinking:
"It is expected that the enemy must be treated leniently. Regardless of whether he is a Ge thief or a Feng thief, he is the most cunning and fierce among all the Shu captives."
Having said this, he let out a long sigh:
"There are very few people in the world who can compete with them without falling behind, but we have to compete with them. This is both a blessing and a great misfortune!"
"Unfortunately, you have to compete with a powerful enemy that is rare in the world; fortunately, if you and I, father and son, are not outstanding, who are we qualified to compete with?"
Thinking of the dilemma during the battle in Guanzhong, Sima Yi felt a little lucky: Fortunately, the Ge thief was dead!
If the Ge thieves are still there, I believe that in a few years, the Shu captives will definitely invade the east in a large scale. Who in the world can stop them by then?
In the past, Liu Bei entrusted all state affairs to Ge Liang and ordered Liu Chan to act like his father.
Over the years, Liu Chan has grown older, but he can still abide by Liu Bei's words and has no intention of seizing power.
Not only was there no suspicion between the emperor and his ministers, but Liu Chan was able to feel at ease even when Zhuge Liang was leading the entire nation's troops.
How rare?
Sima Yi couldn't help but sigh and said:
"Zhuge Liang and Feng Mingwen are so lucky to meet such loyal men!"
Looking back on myself, I was first forced to serve as an official by Emperor Wu again and again.
When he really became an official, Emperor Wu turned around and told Emperor Wen to be careful about interfering in Cao family affairs.
Fortunately, I had always been on good terms with Emperor Wen and was diligent in my official duties, so I was able to avoid a disaster.
Later, he was entrusted by Emperor Wen to assist the late emperor.
Compared with Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang, who had trusted each other for more than ten years, the former emperor was far inferior.
As soon as he ascended the throne, he couldn't wait to transfer three of the four auxiliary ministers from the court so that he could personally take charge of the power.
That's all, but he was impatient and refused to listen to others. The next year, he insisted on conquering the army himself and suffered a huge defeat.
When Cao Wenlie (aka Cao Xiu) and Cao Zidan (aka Cao Zhen) were around, it was still relatively easy to say.
As soon as these two people left, the late emperor became more and more worried about the frontier officials and generals.
If it hadn't been for the protection of Zhongshu Ling, Sun Zi and others, even veterans like Man Chong would have been suspected.
well!
Sima Yi sighed deeply, remembering the trustworthiness of Emperor Wen in the past.
Thinking about it again, could it be that I have reached this point because of the late emperor's suspicion?
How great would it be if the late emperor could trust himself as Liu Chan trusted Zhuge Liang?
Master Sima didn't know what Sima Yi was thinking. After a while, he heard his master suddenly ask:
"Are all the craftsmen sent from Xuchang here?"
"Sir, tell me that they will all arrive in Luoyang the day after tomorrow."
"The leader of these craftsmen is a man named Ma Jun. As soon as he arrived in Luoyang, I asked him to come to see me immediately."
"promise."
Sima Yi stood up, walked to the window, and looked out the window at the streets of Luoyang.
Taifu Sima can now be regarded as one of the most distinguished figures in the Wei Dynasty.
As long as the pavilions in the mansion are not lower than the palace, it is not considered illegal. Even if it is illegal, no one will probably come to investigate.
However, with Sima Taifu's caution, it is certainly impossible for political opponents to seize the opportunity.
Standing in front of the window of the Taifu Mansion Pavilion, you can see the most prosperous street in Luoyang City.
More than half a year has passed since the defeat of Guanzhong.
The initial panic gradually dissipated. As the capital of the Wei Dynasty and the core area of the Central Plains, Luoyang City began to regain its bustle.
Although it is not as prosperous as in previous years, at least there are already a lot of pedestrians.
Looking at the people and cars passing by on the streets of Luoyang City, Sima Yi, who was really in charge of the city, had no focus in his eyes and seemed to be thinking about the future direction.
Under the eyes of Taifu Sima, a group of carriages came from the east gate and stopped in front of Juepinju, the best restaurant in Luoyang.
A handsome man jumped out of the car.
Someone next to me shouted:
"Mi Langjun, I haven't seen you for a long time. You, a top-notch house, can't open the door?"
Mi Shiyilang bowed his hands to the man and saluted:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I went out of town for business a few days ago and haven't returned yet, so the wine shop didn't open in time. I'm sorry for neglecting Mr. Cao."
The passerby who called out to Mi Langjun was named Cao. I heard that he was related to the Cao family.
At this time, I didn't mind what Mi Langjun said.
Everyone knows the chaos in the city a few days ago.
This Mr. Mi Lang must have left the city to escape.
Now that peace has returned to the city, I rushed back.
He was somewhat envious of Mi Langjun being able to leave the city freely.
Since Taifu Sima led the army into Luoyang, the Cao family members who did not follow the late emperor on his eastward tour were not harmed, but they were restricted in Luoyang City and were not allowed to go out at will.
Naturally, those who relied on the Cao clan for food could only stay in Luoyang.
"My husband at home has been clamoring to come over for dinner. Now that Mr. Mi is back, he will definitely get his wish."
"The day after tomorrow, let me make some preparations in the past two days. The restaurant will definitely be open to welcome customers the day after tomorrow."
"Then it's settled. After I return home, I have to tell Mr. Lang. If you come over the day after tomorrow and the door is not open, I will break down the door."
"sure!"
…
Many dignitaries in the city know that behind Juepinju, or in other words, behind Juepinju's owner, there is the support of Princess Qinghe.
But you know, you know, some things still have to be covered up and cannot be put on the table.
For example, if Mi Langjun came back from Xuchang and didn't go directly to Princess Qinghe's house, it would be too showy.
Instead, go back to Juepinju first, wash off the dust on your body, recharge your batteries, and then go again.
Of course, the greater possibility is that Mi Langjun hasn't left yet.
The princess will send someone over early the next day, saying that she wants to eat Juepinju's food and ask Mi Langjun to deliver it to her house.
The steward who stayed behind in the store welcomed Mi Langjun into the store:
"Lang Jun, in the past few days since you left Luoyang, many people have come to ask questions."
"What did you ask?"
"Most of them ask when our restaurant will open."
"We are all regular customers. We haven't offended anyone, right?"
"No, no, how dare you, a villain. Oh, by the way, a few days ago, some of the husband's relatives and friends came to visit him, and they are still waiting."
Mi Shiyilang paused for a moment, and then his face showed just the right amount of surprise:
"Friends and relatives?"
Finally, some thoughtful thoughts:
"Well, I guess there was chaos a few days ago, so I came here to seek refuge. Where are the people now?"
"Knowing that the man was a relative of Lang Jun, the villain was bold enough to keep him without permission."
Very casual conversation.
Mi Shiyilang took a deep breath, made a fist with his right hand, and retracted it into his sleeve, trying not to let anyone see the trembling of his fingers.
But he said in a calm tone:
"Take me to him."
The steward took Mi Shiyilang to a wing in the backyard.
When he saw the people in the side room, he took a quick step and kicked the threshold away without even realizing it.
The steward followed behind, closed the door on his own initiative, and stood guard at the door.
"I've met Mr. Mi Lang."
Mi Shiyilang stepped through the door, his lips trembled slightly, and he gestured with his hands for a long time before he spoke:
"Mr. Han, you...why are you here? I...I heard that there are many border checkpoints and the inspections are very strict. How did you get here, sir?"
I have been lurking in the thief country for so long that I dare not talk in my sleep even when I sleep.
In the past few months, when I suddenly heard that the Han Dynasty had successively recaptured Bingzhou and Hedong in Guanzhong, Mi Langjun bit his towel at night and did not dare to laugh out loud.
From that moment on, he suddenly felt that everything he did had meaning.
Han Long smiled slightly:
"Wei thieves are indeed strictly investigated in Luoyang and Hebei, but I came from Wuguan Road via Nanyang."
In fact, when Han Long came out this time, he initially followed Yang Yi along Wuguan Road.
If you don't find anyone, just don't look back and just find a way to contact Mi Shiyilang in Luoyang.
"Junhou said that we must find a way to find Mi Langjun. When I passed through Wancheng, I heard that Luoyang was quite chaotic in the past few days."
Speaking of this, Han Long smiled easily and said, "I was still wondering if Mi Langjun would be okay, but I didn't expect that when I arrived in Luoyang, I saw that this exquisite residence is still there."
"The prince sent you sir, but what's the important matter?"
Han Long shook his head, "It's nothing important. The situation has been unstable in the past few months. The Lord is worried about Mi Langjun's situation, so he sent me to come and take a look."
Mi Shiyilang sent Wu Shaoyao (the goddess of heaven) back to Guanzhong, but he stayed in Luoyang. He only said that the situation was chaotic and it was the time for great things to be done.
Feng Junhou was worried, and when the situation stabilized, he sent Han Long over, hoping that he would escort Mi Shiyilang back to Dahan.
At this time, Mi Shiyilang was not willing to leave easily. He shook his head:
"Now I am deeply trusted by Princess Qinghe and no one will doubt me, so even though I am in the tiger's den, I am still very safe."
"Besides, I'm far more useful here than when I go back to Dahan." Mi Shiyilang said, his expression became solemn, "Sir, how is the situation in Guanzhong now?"
"The Prime Minister recommended the princes to take charge of all matters in Guanzhong, and everything is fine now."
Mi Shiyilang looked hesitant: "Then... did something happen?"
"Langjun, what does this mean?"
Mi Shiyilang whispered:
"Wei Wenchang and Yang Weigong are both old men in the prime minister's house. When the prime minister was there, they couldn't get them to work together. Now that the prime minister is gone, can the prince suppress them?"
When Han Long heard this, the smile on his face disappeared:
"To be honest with Mr. Mi, I actually have one more thing to do when I come here this time."
"What's the matter?"
"Yang Yi disappeared three months ago. No one was found alive, and no body was found dead. The king suspected that he had turned into a traitor, so he sent me to track him down. I have been here all the way, but I haven't found anyone."
When Mi Shiyilang heard this, his face suddenly sank:
"There is no need to doubt that he is a traitor!"
Han Long was shocked: "How did Mi Langjun know?"
"This matter has spread throughout Xuchang, and..." Mi Shiyilang gritted his teeth, "I saw him from a distance once in Xuchang."