Chapter 131: The Secret Strategy of the East China Sea, Changyi’s Good Plan 【Part 1】
Cao Rui looked at the rising sun above the tower, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
Some things can only be figured out after calming down.
Why, why do my children always die young or have accidents for no reason? Is God really punishing me?
No! That’s absolutely not the case!
Cao Rui suddenly opened his eyes, and he looked directly at the sunshine, his eyes full of determination and fierceness.
No matter who is secretly harming my heir, I will definitely find you out. Even if it is really a punishment from God, then I will punish God and seek justice for my Yin'er and other children!
At this time, the school official, Cao Zun, Cao Desi, the general of Wu Wu, strode to the tower with a memorial sent from Manchong, the general of Yangzhou's expedition to the east and the Marquis of Changyi.
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Yangzhou. The Lord of Wu, Sun Quan, has sent General Lu Yi of Soochow to lead an army of more than 6,000 to besiege Hefei!"
When Cao Rui heard this, he didn't feel much excitement in his heart.
As early as more than three years ago, in the fourth year of Taihe, Cao Rui, who had just ascended the throne, saw Sun Quan of Eastern Wu brazenly proclaiming himself emperor, so he decided to build "Hefei New City" in Yangzhou, the southeastern border of the Wei Dynasty, to stabilize the situation in the southeast.
More than three years ago, Cao Ruiming, who succeeded the late Sima, Changping Hou Cao Xiu's general to conquer the east, Yangzhou governor, and Changyi Hou Manchong broke ground thirty miles west of Hefei City. Until now, in the first year of Qinglong, after three After more than a year, the Hefei New City was finally built.
In the three years since he was building the new city of Hefei, Sun Quan had already made two large-scale invasions, but failed to occupy an inch of the Wei Dynasty. Now that the Wu army has made a comeback, in Cao Rui's view, it doesn't seem that scary.
He took the letter from Cao Zuan and opened it: Man Chong, the general who conquered the east.
"His Majesty the Emperor's Yingjian: The city of Hefei is bordered by rivers and lakes to the south and Shouchun to the north. The thieves are attacking and besieging it, and it is easy to use the water as a force. To save it, our officers and soldiers must first defeat the thieves' elders, and then the siege can be broken. However, the strength of this place, the thieves It is very easy to get there, but it is very difficult for the soldiers to rescue them. In my humble opinion, it is better to move the troops inside Hefei City. Thirty miles to the west, there are strange dangers to rely on, and build a stronghold to defend it. This is to attract thieves to attack. The way back is according to plan. I favor Bai Bai."
[Note 1: In order to make the reader's meaning clear, this article is modified based on the memorial table in "Three Kingdoms·Wei Shu·Mantian Qianguo Biography 26·Man Chong Biography". The following Man Chong memorial table uses the same technique.]
Cao Rui looked at the memorial list and frowned slightly. This matter needed to be discussed with the ministers. It happened that he also had something to arrange, so he called:
"Incoming news is that Cao Zhao, the Marquis of Changping, Cao Shuang, the Marquis of Shaoling, and Jiang Ji, the general of the army guard, are here to discuss matters in the palace."
"Only..." After hearing this, the waiter on duty who was waiting outside the palace went to summon Cao Zhao, Cao Shuang, and Jiang Ji outside the palace.
Not long after, everyone arrived at the tower.
Cao Rui first told everyone the strategy of resisting the enemy, Man Chong, the general who conquered the east.
"General Zhengdong, he wants to withdraw his troops from Hefei, retreat to Xincheng, and lure the enemy deep into Shouchun?"
After hearing this, Cao Zhao fell into deep thought.
After the guard general Jiang Ji thought about it carefully, he first thought it was impossible. He remonstrated:
"Your Majesty, the new city of Hefei is a good place to defend against the enemy. If we follow General Zhengdong's wishes and show weakness to the world, let the enemy attack the city and cut off their return route, if this plan is successful, we can definitely destroy the Wu army; But if the interception fails, wouldn't it mean that the new city is destroyed because of the fireworks? If Hefei New City does not attack and extricate itself, not only will the Wu army rob unlimited military resources, I am afraid that we, the Wei Dynasty, will also laugh at the world and lose all the land in Huainan and use Huaibei as ours. I hope your Majesty will think twice."
After reading the memorial, Cao Zhao thought for a moment and said:
"Wei Chen believes that this strategy is feasible. Although Hefei has a fortified city and a deep pond, it is too far away from our army's Yangzhou prefecture, so it is quite inconvenient to transport grain and grass. If we can lure the enemy deep into the city, there will be no such disadvantages."
After listening to Jiang Ji's advice, Cao Rui thought what Jiang Ji said was very reasonable, and decided in his heart that it was better to stick to the new city.
After a period of silence, Cao Rui saw that no one else had any other opinions, so he spoke:
"In the past, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to occupy Lueyang and finally defeated Weihuo. But when I was the late emperor, I established Hefei in the east, Xiangyang in the south, and Qishan in the west. When thieves came, they defeated the three cities. This is because The land must be fought for. The city of Hefei has sufficient food and supplies. If we abandon it, wouldn't we be endangering the enemy?"
What Cao Rui just said was an old story of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty. In the past, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty sent a small number of elite troops to defend the distant Lueyang County. Due to the favorable geographical location, they finally defeated the powerful Wei Xiao. Cao Rui obviously came to Lueyang after Emperor Guangwu. For example, Hefei in the current state of Wei.
Cao Rui did not agree with what Man Chong said in the memorial and what Cao Zhao had said just now, so he ordered Jiang Ji to send an order to the Secretariat and ask Liu Fang and Sun Zi to issue an edict to reject Man Chong's strategy of resisting the enemy.
At this time, only Cao Rui and two close relatives, important ministers, and confidants of the clan, Cao Shuang and Cao Zhao were left on the tower. Seeing the emperor's expression, Cao Shuang and Cao Zhao understood that the emperor was still sad for the prince's early death.
Cao Shuang comforted the emperor and said:
"Your Majesty, since His Majesty has passed away, I would like to ask Your Majesty to express your condolences and accept the change, and to put the dragon body first..."
"Changsi, Uncle Zhao..."
Cao Rui slowly turned around, looked into their eyes, and said solemnly:
"I want you to help me find out who has been murdering my royal heir all these years!"
"Your Majesty is saying that!" Cao Zhao couldn't help but tremble slightly after hearing what Cao Rui said. Regarding the fact that the emperor's heir might have been assassinated, Cao Rui only mentioned it to Changling Marquis Xia Houxuan, so Cao Zhao Cao Shuang and Cao Shuang were naturally shocked when they suddenly heard about it. Cao Zhao said in disbelief:
"How could someone be so bold..."
Cao Shuang also looked solemn, but he was always calm, so he was not too surprised by this incident.
"Last night, I thought carefully about it all night long."
Cao Rui narrowed his eyes slightly and said quietly:
"Do you still remember how my Mu'er and Juan'er died a few years ago?"
"Report to Your Majesty..."
Cao Zhao thought about it carefully and couldn't help but took a breath:
"His Royal Highnesses King Fanyang and King Qinghe both passed away suddenly after they were awarded the title of king..."
"That's right!"
Cao Rui held the wooden dragon head on the railing tightly, with veins popping up on the back of his hand. He said very sadly:
"Over the years, as long as I show any intention of establishing a heir apparent to any of my princes, something will happen to that prince of mine. Also, why do accidents always happen to my princes, but not to the princess? Everything is fine, is this really just a coincidence?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. No matter who this person is or what his identity is, I will definitely find him out and hand him over to Your Majesty even if I risk my life!" Cao Zhao said with determination.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do my best to find this villain!"
Cao Shuang also solemnly promised the emperor.
"well……"
Cao Rui patted Cao Zhao and Cao Shuang on the shoulders:
"As long as Changsi and Uncle Zhao are here, I will feel relieved about this matter..."
"That's right, Your Majesty."
Cao Zhao seemed to suddenly remember something, raised his head and looked at Cao Rui and said:
"His Royal Highness Yin has not yet received a posthumous title. I would also like to ask Your Majesty to bestow a title and a posthumous title on His Highness, so that I can preside over the funeral ceremony for His Highness Yin."
Hearing this, Cao Rui closed his eyes. After a long time, he slowly said: "I originally... hoped that Yin'er could grow up safely... so I would posthumously title him King Anping, and posthumously name him King Anpingai... "
"only."
After Cao Zhao saluted, he and Cao Shuang left the palace together.
After Cao Zhao and Cao Shuang returned to Luoyang and presided over the funeral of King Ai of Anping, they began to investigate in the palace.
"You are saying that the palace maid Qixiu's home is just outside the palace on the outskirts of the city?"
Cao Zhao was thoughtful after listening to the statements of the palace maids who usually had a good relationship with the palace maid Qixiu.
"Yes, Lord Changping, and I also heard that on the second day after Qixiu was executed, his old mother and younger brother left Luoyang."
"Leaving Luoyang..."
Cao Zhao couldn't help but frown, and he continued to ask:
"Then do you know that the hometown of Qixiu's family was originally in Hezhou County?"
"Qixiu's family originally lived in a small county in Donghai County, Xuzhou. Later, after Qixiu entered the palace, their family also moved to Luoyang."
The palace maid tried her best to recall everything she knew. As a prince of the clan, Cao Zhao was not only handsome and elegant in appearance, but also talented. Therefore, many palace maids dreamed of marrying him as a concubine in the future. Now Cao Zhao If you come to ask about things in person, they will naturally be happy to tell you more.
"Donghai County..."
Cao Zhao concentrated on thinking for a while. Since His Majesty ascended the throne and His Highness Cao Lin, King of Donghai, came to the country, Donghai County, as the fiefdom of His Highness Cao Lin, has also become the Kingdom of Donghai. Cao Zhao seemed to vaguely feel that there seemed to be something in this. Some connection, but he couldn't figure it out for the time being.
"Then, do you still remember who the palace maid Qixiu met before the incident?"
"Before Qixiu, she only had a good relationship with the maids in our Jinyun Pavilion Xiu Room. She was with us most of the time... Oh, by the way, I remembered it, I remember that A few days ago, Granny Mo, who is in charge of the cloth and sundries in the embroidery room, came to see Qixiu, but I can't remember the other people."
Cao Zhao thought to himself: It seems that he needs to ask this Granny Mo.
"Thank you. If you have anything else to ask, I will come back to ask again. I'll say goodbye."
"Master Changping, walk slowly."
The maids looked at Cao Zhao and turned around with a smile. They couldn't help but forget to do the work they were doing. They all looked at Cao Zhao's back and giggled.
―――
Cao Shuang did not immediately start to investigate from King Anping Ai in front of him.
He thought about it carefully and decided to start with the causes of death of King Qinghe and King Mu of Fanyang many years ago.
"To inform the Marquis of Shaoling, Po Wen, who delivered the baby to His Royal Highness King Fanyang, seems to be... It seems her surname is Mo or something else. I can't remember clearly. Anyway, she was transferred to the embroidery room two years ago. , As for the servants who served His Royal Highness King Fanyang back then, they have all been scattered to various places in the palace. As for the others, I really don’t know."
An old chamberlain who had served King Fanyang Mu was trying to recall the events of that year to Cao Shuang.
"Xiufang, my surname is Mo..." Cao Shuang threw a silver coin to the old waiter, stood up and left.
————
The southeastern border of the Wei Dynasty, Yangzhou, and Hefei New City.
A majestic veteran with silver beard and hair, wearing a military uniform, was writing something under the dim light of the candlelight.
This is the elder of the three dynasties of the Wei Dynasty, the southeastern barrier, the general who conquered the east, the governor of Yangzhou, the Marquis of Changyi, and the favored Man Boning.
Since the death of Emperor Wen's Tuogu minister, Grand Sima Cao Xiu, Man Chong, a veteran with great military exploits, has taken over the most important southeastern defense of the entire Wei Dynasty.
His memorial a month ago was approved by Emperor Cao Rui, but the Emperor rejected his plan, which made Man Chong very anxious. It was naturally safe to stick to Hefei New City, but this would inevitably consume a lot of troops to defend the city. Weapons, bows and arrows. If you follow your own strategy, the Wu army can retreat in one battle!
At this moment, what he was writing was a memorial to provide advice to the emperor again. He believed that this time the emperor would definitely agree with his strategy.
Half a month later, the two new halls of Xuchang Palace, Jingfu Hall and Chengguang Hall, were completed.
Of the two palaces, Jingfu Palace is the most majestic and majestic.
In order to celebrate the completion of the new palace, Emperor Cao Rui arranged a banquet in Jingfu Palace and entertained the talents of the dynasty, including the consort of Princess Jinxiang whom he had disparaged, Emperor Wu's adopted son He Yan, Uncle Ping, and others.
After the banquet, Cao Rui also ordered everyone to write articles and poems about the scenery of Jingfu Palace.
What Cao Rui didn't expect was that among the poems written by everyone, "Jingfu Palace Ode" written by He Yan actually came out on top, and he was the most satisfied.
At this moment, Cao Rui was admiring He Yan's eloquent poem.
"Wei is the most powerful state. There are philosophers and sages in the world. Wu created the foundation of the Yuan Dynasty, and the collection of works has great destiny. They are all made according to the heaven, and the government is established according to the time..."
These two sentences are praising the achievements of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen, but they are not flattering and grand. After reading, Cao Rui couldn't help but nodded.
"Because of the victory of the Eastern Division, in exchange for the bribes of the evildoers, the secret palace of Jingfu was built and the system of the imperial residence was prepared. You built the palace with rich layers and layers, and built the hall with high base. The Luoshu pillars are gushing over and solemn. The clang of the Hubei...the majesty of the flowing feathers, the dazzling beauty of the hanging rings. The flags are nine-stringed, fluttering in the wind. The bright colors are shining brightly..."
After reading this paragraph, Cao Rui felt that it was catchy and coherent, and he couldn't help but have a good impression of this pretender of Emperor Wu who he had always disliked.
"Looking at it from a distance, it's like looking at the red clouds and shining astronomically; looking at it from a distance, it's like looking up to the mountains and wearing hanging clouds. The Qiang and Wei are so magnificent and so numerous that it's hard to distinguish them. This is a big comparison. If it's Cui Wei, a tall bird , Feiyu Chengni... Birds stand on the mountain, flying as if they are stagnant. The achievements of the mountains and rivers cannot be recognized. Although they are far from the essence of Zhu, they are still dazzling and cannot illuminate the sky."
The more Cao Rui read, the more he discovered that the article "Jingfu Palace Blessings" was majestic, so he simply ordered someone to copy the text and hang it in the main hall of Jingfu Palace.
At this moment, the memorial table delivered by Yangzhou Manchong was also delivered to Jingfu Hall. Cao Rui immediately opened the memorial table and saw lines of Cang Xiong Gu Jian's official script reflected in his eyes:
"Your Majesty the Emperor: Sun Tzu said that soldiers are deceitful. Therefore, they can show weakness and incompetence, arrogance can be used to gain, and arrogance can be used to frighten them. This is a form that does not necessarily correspond to reality. It is also said that 'those who are good at moving the enemy' "Xingzhi". Now the thieves have moved outside the city before they arrive. This is called "shape and luring". They lead the thieves to travel far across the water, choose the advantage and move it, and then lift it outside, then blessings will be born inside. I favor Bai."
Seeing Man Chong's repeated requests to move outside Hefei New City, Cao Rui became hesitant.
It happened that Minister Zhao Zi was in the Jingfu Palace at the moment, and Cao Rui asked Zhao Zi for his opinion:
"Zhao Zi, this is a memorial from Man Boning, the Marquis of Changyi. What do you think?"
