"My lord, Sima Zhao, pays homage to your majesty. Long live your majesty, long live, long live!"
Sima Zhao, who lowered his head and folded his hands, walked forward in small steps. He came to the palace, prostrated on the ground, and kowtowed once every time he shouted "long live".
The words and deeds during the pilgrimage are meticulous and extremely standard, and the demeanor and tone are extremely respectful, making it impossible to find a single fault.
When Cao Fang saw Sima Zhao's appearance, her face showed joy and she was about to speak. Fortunately, before she spoke, she glanced at Cao Shuang subconsciously.
But he saw Cao Shuang staring at Sima Zhao with a gloomy expression.
Cao Fang, who had already spoken half a word, quickly stopped talking, put down her outstretched hand, and stopped speaking.
The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Sima Zhao, who rested his hands on the ground and pressed his forehead against the back of his hands, did not hear the emperor's call and did not dare to make any movement.
Of course, no one could see the look on his face at this time.
This time, Man Chong stood up again:
"General?"
"snort!"
Cao Shuang snorted, flicked his sleeves, turned his head, and said nothing.
Seeing Cao Shuang's move, Cao Fang shrank and did not dare to speak out.
He is ten years old. Although he is not very old, he has already understood a lot of things by staying in a place like the palace.
In particular, Empress Dowager Yu, who was supposed to be Cao Fang's biggest supporter in the palace, was forced to move to a separate palace by Cao Shuang. Mother and son could not see each other more than once throughout the year.
It made Cao Fang even more cautious.
Therefore, seeing the appearance of the general, Cao Fang naturally did not dare to make any decisions.
The scene in front of them made many veterans feel angry:
Cao Shuang is such a jerk!
Man Chong tilted his head slightly and glanced at Ting Wei Gao Rou.
Gao Rou understood and stood up:
"Your Majesty, now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we must retreat from the thieves. Now that Taifu has sent envoys here, it is a good opportunity to work together to defeat the thieves!"
The words were spoken to the emperor, but his eyes were looking at the general.
Thinking of the war in Jingzhou, Cao Shuang reluctantly raised his chin and gestured to Cao Fang.
Seeing this, Cao Fang stretched out her hand again and shouted: "Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing this, all the old ministers were secretly angry.
It's just that in addition to his status as an auxiliary minister, Cao Shuang also has another level of relationship, that is, clan kinship.
The relationship between him and the emperor was not only a matter between the emperor and his ministers, but also an internal family matter within the Cao family.
As a minister with a foreign surname, no matter how much I couldn't stand it, I still had some concerns and didn't dare to interfere easily.
After all, we are not close to each other!
Sima Zhao, who had been lying on the ground, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the emperor's words and stood up quickly.
"General Sima Zhonglang, you said you came here to discuss how to defeat thieves?"
Cao Shuang sat there and asked condescendingly.
"Back to General, that's right."
Sima Zhao replied respectfully.
"Oh?" Cao Shuang said in a long voice, "But I don't know what the master's plan is?"
Seeing how he was still putting on airs, many veterans secretly cursed:
This guy is so clueless!
"Back to the general, the thieves in Shangdang and Hedong are rampant. The Taifu wants to personally lead the army and cross the river to the north to defend against the enemy."
"Therefore, Taifu asked Zhao to come and report to Your Majesty that the enemy in the north will be blocked by Taifu so that Your Majesty does not have to worry."
After hearing this, Cao Shuang looked at Sima Zhao, his expression calmed, and he straightened his body:
"What did you say? You mean that the Taifu wants to lead the army across the river and go north?"
"Back to General, that's right."
Hearing Sima Zhao's affirmative answer, Cao Shuang's heart moved:
Doesn't that mean that Xuchang no longer has to worry about the army in Luoyang?
Not to mention Cao Shuang, everyone in the court, except for a few people such as Man Chong and Gao Rou who had learned the news in advance, the remaining ministers were in a commotion.
Those who think faster can guess Sima Yi's intention at once.
So some people couldn't help but sigh in their hearts:
Taifu...this is taking the overall situation into consideration!
In the last few years, Cao Rui suffered a lot of blows and became more suspicious, so he sent more guards to block the palace.
In addition, female officials were set up in the harem to serve as female ministers, so that Dian Sheng could carry out affairs outside the palace, thereby reducing contact with foreign ministers.
Cao Rui's move, apart from liking women, may not mean that he was beaten into self-isolation.
After arriving in Xuchang, Queen Mao was sentenced to death for inquiring about Cao Rui's condition.
All the palace servants who served him that day were also executed.
Under such high pressure to block news, the fact that Cao Rui once cursed Sima Yi in private was only spread within a small area.
In addition, before Cao Rui died, he left a will to make Sima Yi his assistant minister - this was Cao Rui's last desperate attempt to protect Wei from being divided.
Cao Rui's edict to make Sima Yi the assistant minister was very confusing to the ministers in the court.
Maybe someone in the court has realized something is wrong.
But under the pressure of foreign enemies, no one dared to raise this issue clearly - even Cao Shuang never publicly said that Sima Yi had a desire to be independent.
However, what Cao Shuang has done in recent years has gradually lost people's support.
In contrast, some people now think that Sima Yi is thinking about the overall situation, which is normal.
Compared with the bad one, normal people will naturally prefer the less bad one subconsciously.
While everyone was confused, Cao Shuang still asked again and again in disbelief:
"Is this true?"
As soon as this question was asked, someone frowned again.
The general's words really seem to be too narrow-minded, or in other words, not magnanimous enough.
Even if you don't believe it, you shouldn't ask directly.
Because this is considered to be a public suspicion that the Taifu deceived the Emperor in the court.
Besides, if the Grand Tutor leads an army north to fight against the bandits, such a major matter, one only needs to send people to Luoyang to inquire about it, and they can find out.
Wouldn't it be beneath the general's dignity to ask such a question at such a time?
After Cao Shuang asked this question, he realized that he seemed to be too reckless.
But before he could open his mouth to make amends, Sima Zhao had already said loudly:
"How dare Zhao lie about such a big matter in front of His Majesty?"
As soon as Sima Zhao finished speaking, the servant Wang Guan couldn't help but stood up and said:
"The general and the Taifu guard the two capitals separately. The Taifu guards the Western bandits in the north, and the Taijun serves as the Wu bandits in the south. Therefore, the late emperor asked the Taifu and the general to assist His Majesty."
"Now that the bandits have invaded Jingzhou, the war is urgent. The general must focus on getting rid of the bandits at this time. Regarding the matter in Jingzhou, the general should make an early decision."
Wang Guan was lonely and poor since he was a child, but he was ambitious. Later, he was called by Cao Cao to serve as the Prime Minister's literary advisor.
During the four dynasties of Cao and Wei, he held many positions.
In the era of Cao Rui, he was recommended by Sima Yi and served as a lieutenant. Later he was promoted to Shangshu, Henan Yin, and then Shaofu.
After Cao Rui's death, the general assisting the government, Cao Shuang, took full power and lived a luxurious life. He repeatedly misappropriated money and materials from the palace and treasury for his own use.
The Shaofu was originally in charge of the income and expenditure of the imperial family. After Wang Guan learned about what Cao Shuang had done, he specially created a book and sealed up the royal property.
In order to facilitate himself to continue to occupy the royal family's property, Cao Shuang transferred Wang Guan to the position of Taiwen.
Therefore, Wang Guan has been dissatisfied with what Cao Shuang did for a long time. How can he tolerate it now when he sees that Cao Shuang is so confused about the importance?
Although Man Chong, Gao Rou, and Wang Guan were all deprived of real power by Cao Shuang, they were all veterans of the four dynasties and had great reputations.
With an army of thieves approaching, and in front of everyone in the court, Cao Shuang naturally couldn't easily refute the reputation of the three of them.
His eyes swept across the faces of Man Chong, Gao Rou, Wang Guan and others. Finally, he succumbed to the situation and gritted his teeth and said:
"What Mrs. Wang said makes sense, but I was negligent."
…
After the dynasty dispersed, Sima Zhao went out of the palace. A servant came over and saluted him:
"Master Sima, please come this way."
Sima Zhao looked over and found Man Chong sitting on a carriage. He lifted the curtain and looked towards him.
Sima Zhao quickly saluted Man Chong from a distance to express his gratitude, and then followed his servants.
After getting in the car, Sima Zhao thanked him again:
"Thank you, Mr. Manchu."
Man Chong waved his hand: "I'm just doing it for the great Wei Jiangshan'er."
After lowering the curtain, Man Chong's body swayed gently with the carriage, and he could only hear him sighing softly:
"In the third year of Chuping, Emperor Wu came to Yanzhou and specially recruited me to work. It has been fifty years now."
"During these fifty years, I followed Emperor Wu in his expeditions to the north and south, and watched with my own eyes as Emperor Wu pacified the north and founded the country as king."
"I also watched Emperor Wen accept the abdication of the Han Emperor and ascend the throne as emperor, and I also know that thieves were rampant during the late emperor's time."
"I have been a minister of Wei for most of my life, and I have devoted countless efforts to Wei."
Man Chong said, his tone became a little sharp:
"If Cao Zhaobo can hold on to this power, I won't say anything. But if he can't, then let someone else do it."
Sima Zhao bowed his head respectfully and listened.
Man Chong's voice continued to sound in the carriage:
"The Wei Dynasty is such a huge country. Although my surname is Cao, I also have merit."
"Not only the old man, but also the Taifu, Gao Tingwei, Wang Taipu and other senior ministers of mine have all contributed. Only Cao Zhaobo (that is, Cao Shuang) can enjoy the success."
"I'm already this old, and I probably don't have much time left to live. In these last days, I just want to prove one thing."
"That means that my hard work for most of my life has not been in vain. Otherwise, I will never die in peace!"
Man Chong said so much in one breath, and seemed a little tired, so he closed his eyes to rest his mind.
Feeling that Man Chong had finished speaking, Sima Zhao raised his head, glanced at Man Chong, and then said cautiously:
"What Duke Manchu said is absolutely true, and your Excellency also means the same thing. As the saying goes, brothers are jealous of each other within the wall, and they can resist their insults from outside."
"No matter what the general thinks of you, when facing foreign enemies, you must do your best to protect the country we have conquered together."
Sima Zhao has traveled frequently between Xuchang and Luoyang over the years, and is well aware of the psychology of these veteran ministers.
Some of them don't want their life's hard work to be wasted.
Some want to protect their own prosperity and wealth that they have maintained on the mountains and rivers of Dawei.
Some are thinking about their own future generations...
There are many different reasons.
But the ultimate goal is to maintain the empire they have built with their own hands.
What Cao Shuang and the Taichung Three Dogs did was obviously damaging the foundation of the country, and naturally they were not happy about it.
Man Chong heard Sima Zhao's words and nodded:
"The Taifu and I are both veterans of the Wei Dynasty. We naturally understand that it was not easy for Emperor Wu to conquer the country back then."
"Alas, General, he was born into wealth. He has not experienced the difficulties of starting a business and does not know how to cherish it. It is really sad."
Sima Zhaogong claimed it was.
Man Chong asked with concern:
"The Grand Tutor is leading the troops to cross the river and go north. Isn't Luoyang empty? The thieves are coming out of Tongguan. What should we do?"
Sima Zhao replied:
"Don't worry, Lord Manchu. Your Excellency once said that among the generals who are traitors to the West, Feng is the greatest disaster."
"Now that the traitor Feng is in Wuguan, he has also transferred some of the defenders at Tongguan, so Luoyang has no worries for the time being."
Man Chong asked:
"What should we do if Thief Feng leads the army to turn around?"
Sima Zhao smiled and said:
"That's why Zhao came to Xuchang."
Man Chong understood, nodded with a smile, and asked again:
"Master, are you sure you can defeat the thief this time?"
Sima Zhao shook his head:
"The matters in the army have always been under the control of my lord and my brother, and they are unknown. Besides, who can say that they are completely sure of the battle before the formation?"
Man Chong patted his knees, nodded and said:
"That's right, no one can say for sure what happens before the battle."
After saying that, he looked at Sima Zhao again and said with some meaning:
"Over the years, the Wei Dynasty has been repeatedly defeated at the hands of Western thieves. Everyone in the government and the public is afraid of hearing the name of thieves."
"If Taifu can defeat the Western bandits this time, it will boost the morale of the Wei generals, and Taifu's reputation will also grow."
Sima Zhao said modestly:
"In accordance with Duke Man's auspicious words, Your Excellency, this time is actually to dampen the spirit of the Western thieves, so that the thieves will not dare to be so rampant."
"As for reputation and so on..."
When he said this, he glanced at Man Chong and knew that he couldn't tell lies in front of the other party, so he changed his words and said, "It's just to protect myself."
When Man Chong heard this, he sighed slightly:
"The General has been loyal to the Party over the years and has repeatedly changed the system. Many upright and outspoken people have either been forced to leave the court or have been transferred to empty posts."
"The master is worried and wants to protect himself, which is reasonable."
Not to mention waiting for these old ministers, even the great scholar Lu Zhi and his successor Lu Yu, and the Northern Fu clan's successor Fu Gu and others were all squeezed out.
Hearing Man Chong's words, Sima Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief:
"It would be great if the Lieutenant could understand you, sir, it would be great if you could understand me!"
Man Chong has a complex expression:
"Given the current situation in Wei Dynasty, how can we not understand Taifu?"
The fact that he dotes on these old ministers does not mean that he has never thought about what Sima Yi might do in the future.
But so what?
Again, they just want to keep their share of the country.
Besides, Taifu Sima had worked with him and others for many years, and they were both veterans of the four dynasties.
Even if you have other plans, it would be much better than Cao Shuang and the Taichung Three Dogs, right?
As the saying goes, choose the lesser of two evils. If Sima Taifu were in charge, at least veterans like myself would not be taken advantage of by those flashy people like now.
The government will not be ruined by these people like it is now.
While Sima Zhao and Man Chong were talking, Cao Shuang came out of the palace and entered the general's mansion angrily.
Taichung Three Dogs, followed closely behind.
"General, Sima Yi's move is just to show off his power in front of the general. He is going too far. We might as well find an excuse to arrest that Sima Zhao and use him as a hostage."
"No! As everyone in the court said, the two thieves are attacking at the same time. When we work together to stop the thieves, we must not create extraneous problems."
"It makes sense. If Sima Yi is angered and leads Luoyang's army southward, and there are Feng Yong and Lu Xun in the southwest, what should Xuchang do?"
Cao Shuang was fat and could not stand for a long time. After sitting down, he said bitterly:
"What I care about is whether Sima Yi's move is true or false? What if he leads the army back to Luoyang halfway, but the Xuchang Forbidden Army has been transferred to Nanyang? What should we do?"
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