In fact, ever since Jincheng was captured and forced to surrender to Shu, he had been thinking about how to return to Wei. Unfortunately, he had been stuck in the enemy camp and the external information he received was only one-sided and filtered information.
This led to serious deviations in his judgment.
The scene in his imagination was that he was still highly respected in the Wei Kingdom, and everyone was looking forward to his "return as king."
However, the actual scene is that everyone despises him and wishes he would die.
This resulted in him being unable to return to Wei openly and honestly after he had worked hard to gain his freedom.
Let’s not talk about the invisible hands behind the back and the unknown purpose of the conspiracy.
Guo Huai felt very unwilling just to escape back in such a dejected manner.
After escaping like this, he will never be able to hold his head up again for the rest of his life... just like the situation he was in when Yu Jin was forced to surrender to Guan Yu, then to Soochow, and finally sent back to Wei.
Thousands of people spit on him, and he will die in depression.
So, he must figure out what is the purpose of those big hands?
If he doesn't understand this, he will never be willing to accept it for the rest of his life!
Originally, he thought that the man behind the scenes was Ma Su, and the purpose was to use his hand...or to use his plague-stricken body to harm the Wei State.
But judging from what happened in the past two days, the man behind the scenes may just be trying to make some small profits and deliberately embarrass him.
This is not like Ma Su's style at all.
It also doesn’t fit in with Ma Su’s pattern.
A commander of a large country who controls more than 100,000 troops would never engage in such a low-interest prank.
Therefore, Guo Huai was particularly confused at this moment and couldn't figure out who was messing with him?
After much thought, he decided to go to Tianshui first, meet with Sima Yi, and explain clearly what happened to him that he was forced to surrender to Shu. Then he would turn around and clean up the invisible tail behind him.
Because he had been in prison for more than a month, he was now skinny and skinny, with disheveled hair, ragged clothes, and unkempt beard piled on his upper and lower jaws. He looked like a savage, and he was the same as the former "Guardian and Protector of Jincheng in the Kingdom of Wei"
The great and upright image of "Qiang Xiaowei" is vastly different.
With such a distinguished appearance, even an acquaintance might not be able to recognize him in person.
Therefore, he can leave at any time.
Guo Huai left the Youjia Memorial Hall and came to a nearby town. He bought a set of coarse linen clothes, open-toed straw sandals, a hollow bamboo hat, and some dry food, and strode toward Ji County, more than 400 miles away.
.
It’s not just a day on the road.
When the weather gradually warmed up, Guo Huai finally reached Ji County. Sima Yi, the general and governor of Yongliang, led tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to garrison here, blocking Ma Di from the west and Zhuge Liang from the south.
Because it was not war time, the guards at the city gate were lax, so Guo Huai entered the city easily without attracting anyone's attention.
As soon as he entered the city gate, he encountered a small group of Wei cavalry going out. Guo Huai quickly retreated to the roadside and saw the cavalry galloping past him, and he felt an inexplicable emotion in his heart.
Once upon a time, he was also aloof, commanding thousands of the elite cavalry of the Wei Dynasty, roaring in and roaring away with such ease and joy.
Now all that's left is a broken body and a lot of infamy.
The ups and downs in the human world are so unpredictable.
After entering the city, Guo Huai quietly came to the General's Mansion and hid not far away to observe.
People were coming and going in front of the gate of the General's Mansion, and generals of all levels were constantly rushing in and out, which was very lively. There were several notices issued by the court posted on the wall next to the door. Four soldiers were divided into two rows, holding hand-held
Sabers guard both sides.
Guo Huai approached the wall and read the notices carefully, hoping to understand the current situation of the Wei army in Longyou through these notice boards.
Posted in the most eye-catching place is an announcement on the determination of responsibility and punishment for the fall of Liangzhou:
Xu Miao, the prefect of Wuwei, was posthumously named Zhonghou, and his son took the title; Guo Huai, the prefect of Jincheng, removed his officials and nobles and treated his family well; the later general Fei Yao removed his officials and nobles and treated his family well.
General Sima Yi sent troops without success, so he was demoted one level to General of Chariots and Cavalry, temporarily acting as General of Military Affairs.
The next notice was about Cao Shuang, saying that he performed poorly in the early days of guarding Shanggu City, but later faced defeat without chaos, gathered all the generals to defeat the Shu army, paid homage to the former general, unified five troops to guard the capital, and attacked
His father became the Marquis of Shaoling.
The last content is: Hao Zhao, Xia Houba, You Chu and other generals at all levels who participated in the victory over Shu have also been upgraded by one to two levels.
…
Just as he was watching with excitement, he was driven aside by a soldier holding a knife.
Only then did Guo Huai suddenly realize that the notices from the Wei court were not for the common people, but for the generals and soldiers.
Unlike Shu and Wu, both countries were foreign regimes that forcibly occupied the local area and sucked the blood of the people. They needed to rely on the people to stabilize their political power. Therefore, the notices of their two courts were usually written for the people.
The Wei State is not like this at all. The Wei State regards itself as the core of the Central Plains, and Cao Cao uses the image of a savior to wipe out the Central Plains and the north. He slaughters all the people while also saving them. Therefore, the Wei State court has always been aloof and has a very average attitude towards the people.
Or rather dismissive.
To sum it up: If you love someone, you'll be treated well; if you don't, you'll go to a barren land.
Guo Huai walked away and sneered "Haha".
His family was not implicated, Cao Shuang lost the battle but was promoted, etc., all within his expectations.
It's just that Sima Yi was demoted one level, which made him feel a little guilty.
Although the main reason for the fall of Liangzhou at that time was that the Shu army was too strong, well-equipped and irresistible. But if he could have sent a signal to Sima Yi earlier for help, it is still unclear who would win the battle in Liangzhou.
At least it won't fall so easily.
Therefore, Sima Yi will be held accountable entirely because of his inability to defend the city.
Guo Huai tried to visit Sima Yi, but the soldiers guarding outside the mansion ignored him.
With no other choice, Guo Huai had no choice but to turn around and leave the General's Mansion. He walked to a secluded place and squatted down. He took out some dry food from his arms and chewed it slowly.
It was not until nightfall that Sima Yi stood up in disappointment and walked towards the "official residence" in the city before he left the house.
"Guanshe" is an institution specially used by Tianshui County to accommodate refugees. All homeless refugees can stay there for free. If they still want to eat, they need to pay the corresponding price.
Either join the army or do labor.
If you just live there, it doesn't matter once or twice. If it happens too many times, you will be forcibly requisitioned.
Usually, refugees will not choose to seek refuge in official residences unless they have absolutely no choice.
But Guo Huai had no choice.
Without revealing his real name, he had no way to get close to Sima Yi.
Even the method of waiting at the door is very risky.
Think about it, when General Sima Yi was leaving the house, a disheveled refugee suddenly came out, shouting "Zhongda, Zhongda...General, General..." and tried to get close to Sima Yi. There was a high probability that he would be arrested.
The soldier hacked him to death on the spot.
Guo Huai walked to the door of the official residence and knocked on the door. Soon a middle-aged man with his nostrils turned upward opened the door.
"Who are you?"
"From where?"
"What?"
Guo Huai looked up at the middle-aged man, speechless: "I want to stay."
The middle-aged man shouted angrily: "You can stay here if you want? Do you think this is an inn or your home? Come on!"
Bang——
The door was slammed shut.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Guo Huai gritted his teeth and continued to knock on the door.
"Are you done yet? Are you looking for trouble?" The door was pulled open with great force, and the middle-aged man stuck out his head and glared angrily.
"I am a refugee..." Guo Huai said.
The middle-aged man's overwhelming anger disappeared instantly. He nodded, opened the door, grabbed Guo Huai's shoulders and led him inside. He said in a familiar tone: "Didn't you tell me earlier that you were a refugee?"
"You are dressed so well, I thought you were a troublemaker."
Am I dressed well?
Guo Huai looked at the middle-aged man in disbelief.
The middle-aged man seemed to know what he was thinking, and pointed at the two people working in the backyard: "Hey, this is what refugees wear."
As he said that, he looked solemn and said in a cold voice: "With clothes like yours, you don't look like a refugee at first sight!"
"Tell me, where did you come from? What do you want to do in Tianshui City?"
"Are you an undercover agent from the Shu Kingdom?"
"Are you planning to assassinate General Sima?"
"I'm not afraid to tell you, I can arrest dozens of undercover agents like you in a day!"
"..." Guo Huai glanced at the two men who were worse than beggars, and asked with a confused look on his face: "May I ask your surname?"
"Menggui, my surname is Sima, and my given name is a square character."
