As many guards carrying chariots and sedan chairs came closer and closer, the general Cao Zhen who was sitting on them also saw Xia Houhui, who had already stepped aside and bowed his head in salute.
However, when the chariot and sedan chair passed by, he did not say anything to let it follow him into Tianyuan Pond.
Of course he could guess why Xia Houhui chose to wait outside instead of entering Tianyuan Pond directly.
In this case, let him continue to wait.
After a while, the emperor's chariot arrived, and he naturally followed him in. There was no need to be embarrassed.
Yes, although Xiahou Hui Shangshu refuted the strategy of conquering Shu, Cao Zhen had no grudge against him in his heart.
On the contrary, it is quite appreciated.
The reason is not limited to what Xia Houhui said, what he said is true, but it is not right for the person. It is also because Cao Zhen was a person who experienced the period of Emperor Wu Cao Cao.
In the early years when Emperor Wu Cao Cao started his business, the princes of Xia and Cao Xian were responsible for their lives, marching on the front lines without caring about life and death, and fought in the south and north without hesitation, fearing that their achievements would fall behind others.
And what about the current clan and Qiao Pei Yuanxun?
Born into wealth, they no longer had the boldness and heroic spirit of their fathers, but instead had the loyalty and integrity to work hard for the benefit of the community without seeking personal gain!
Xia Houhui did this very well.
He knew clearly that refuting the strategy of conquering Shu would bring consequences to himself, but he still did so~
Regardless of whether Shang Shu is right or wrong, just having the courage to speak out is really rare, and it is better than other clans and heroes!
This was also the reason why he wanted to meet Xia Houhui.
Otherwise, given his status, could a mere rebuttal from a Sanqi servant make him look at him with disapproval or influence his strategy to attack Shu?
After a while, the emperor arrived.
He had already learned from the eunuchs that Xia Houhui was unwilling to enter Tianyuan Pond. He did not let the driver stop, but waved as he passed by and said slowly, "Zhiquan, come with me."
"only."
After bowing in response, Xia Houhui quickly followed.
After entering Tianyuan Pond, I discovered that there was such a quiet and remote place within the palace confinement.
Looking from a distance, the lake is reflected blue by the sky. There is light snow on the edge of the lake, and a thin layer of fine ice is like tiny white flowers rippling in the wind.
White smoke curls up from the entire lake, like a dusty mirror. Countless yellow swans, white spoonbills, mergansers, black storks, cormorants and other wintering migratory birds are floating in it, either spreading their wings and chasing each other, or
Two pairs of people kissing each other, or swaying with the ripples, they are smart and leisurely, adding a lot of vitality and charm to the bright winter.
The place chosen by Emperor Cao Rui and Cao Zhen to sit and talk was a small pavilion deep into the lake along the line bridge.
The place where you lean on the railing is filled with mist, and occasionally there are a few harmless yellow swans or black storks passing by gracefully, which just brings back the leisurely elegance of drinking wine and enjoying the snow.
Cao Zhen, who had arrived early, was leaning on the pavilion pillar, staring blankly at the birds on the lake. He didn't even notice the emperor's slow steps, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
"What are you thinking, General?"
The emperor was not annoyed by this, but asked the question very kindly.
When Cao Zhen came back to his senses and wanted to stand up and salute, he quickly stepped forward and put his empty hand on his shoulder to indicate that he should continue to sit down. "There are no outsiders here, and we are just chatting. General, there is no need to be polite."
Indeed, there were only three of them in the small pavilion in the lake.
The rest of the soldiers and officials were left by the emperor at the bridge end of the lakeside line.
Xia Houhui, on the other hand, did not sit down, but consciously stood at the pottery stove where the wine was being warmed, holding the wine spoon and pouring wine for the two of them.
There is no way, who made him have a low official position and be the youngest?
Moreover, in the current trend of respecting the elders and respecting the elders, it is not considered an insult for him to come to pour wine for the two most powerful people in the Wei State. In other words, such a good thing is something that no one else can ask for!
After the emperor took his seat, he ignored Xia Houhui and just talked to Cao Zhen about trivial daily matters.
It was not until he had finished drinking for three rounds that he grabbed the dried fruits on the table and went to feed the birds that occasionally swam by, giving up the control of discourse to Cao Zhen.
But Cao Zhen did not speak immediately.
Instead, he turned his head and looked at the leisurely birds. After a while, he called out in a low voice, "Zhiquan."
"Huizai."
Xia Houhui, who had been resting for a long time, immediately responded loudly.
"Your Majesty told me that you have a lot of talent and learning, but there is something I don't understand."
Cao Zhen, who had been in power for a long time, stared at Xia Houhui. Although his face was expressionless but not angry, he asked softly, "Since you raised troops against Shu and invaded Yongliang, your brother Xiahou Zhongquan has written more than once.
I am willing to fight, and I am willing to lead my troops as the vanguard, and swear to the death to repay the country's kindness. We are both from the same roots, but why do you say that my country, Wei, is not suitable for attacking Shu?"
Alas, sure enough.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he accused me of being unfilial.
Hearing this, Xia Houhui couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
It’s right to think about it.
His father and brothers Xia Houyuan and Xia Hourong both died in Hanzhong County. General Cao Zhen wanted to attack Shu. At best, he wanted to be loyal to the country, but at worst, he wanted to avenge Xia Houyuan. According to common sense, as a son of a man, Xia Houhui should not be happy.
Zisheng, it is only right to ask for orders to follow the expedition. How can you refute it?
Isn’t this unfilial~
"Returning to the general, I have no intention of avenging my father and brother if I am not a favor."
Xia Houhui, who had been mentally prepared for a long time, said without thinking, "Bashu has dangerous mountains and rivers. No matter whether they leave Shu to invade the invaders or we, the Wei State, attack them, they will all be trapped in the hardships of transporting grain and fodder and marching. No matter whether we are the enemy or not, who will raise troops to challenge them?"
At the beginning of the war, they were defeated by three points without fighting! However, Ni Shu has frequently invaded the army since the beginning of the second year of Taihe, and raised troops three times at the age of two! Ni Shu is a state with a small land and few people, so it will be difficult to conquer.
It's bitter! If it goes on for a long time, civil strife will inevitably arise! Therefore, Hui Shangshu said that it is not appropriate to attack Shu at this time, but he is allowing Shu to frequently raise armies, waiting for the enemy to go on a military rampage and become poor and weak, so that we, Wei, can fight.
It depends on the opportunity."
At this point, he paused and his tone turned passionate.
"General, Hui Wu will one day forget the hatred between his father and brother! He also hopes that one day he can wield swords and spears for the country, join the army in conquering Shu and recapture Hanzhong, report to the world that he has been greatly benefited by the country, and down to avenge the shame of his family, in order to comfort the souls of his father and brother in heaven!"
"good."
After hearing this, Cao Zhen raised his hands and praised.
His eyes also softened, "Put public first and then private. Don't focus on the family's private interests instead of focusing on the overall interests of the country. This is how you call it "Children's Quan".
It was just a compliment, and he added, "Zhiquan said that Bashu has dangerous mountains and rivers, and it is difficult to get out of Shu and enter Shu. For our country, Wei, there is no need to worry. Today, there are three points, and our country, Wei, has the exclusive
Secondly, the national power and the people's power are far greater than those of Ni Shu, which is enough to offset the difficulties of marching and transporting grain and fodder. It is nothing more than recruiting more young people and strong people, but it does not lead to Zhi Quan's words of "defeating three points before fighting". In this way, Zhi Zhi
Is it true that the power cannot be defeated?"
Of course I still persist!
Xia Houhui raised his head and was about to continue expressing his thoughts, but Cao Zhen beat him to it.
"Zhiquan, please don't use Wei State's endless conquests for years as an excuse."
Cao Zhen raised his hand to stop Xia Houhui from speaking, and said slowly, "Since Emperor Wu of the Wei Dynasty established farming, all states and counties have reserves of grain and fodder. Now there is no need to worry about the shortage of grain and fodder for the war. And the swordsmen and soldiers frequently use It makes the common people of Li suffer. The world is unfair, how can the common people of Li be at peace? Now it is time to rise up and raise troops to seek peace, but only then can the common people of Li be able to recuperate and recuperate!"
Uh, okay.
In today's world, in the eyes of meat-eaters, the so-called common people are just cattle and sheep in prosperous times, cannon fodder in troubled times, and have no qualifications to say whether they are suffering or not.
Xia Houhui opened his mouth, but finally responded with silence.
But Cao Zhen hasn't finished speaking yet.
He first raised the wine cup, took a slow sip to moisten his throat, and then spoke loudly, "Shu is a small country, and its famous general is Wei Yu. This is what the officials in the temple said in the past. Although it is biased, Liu Bei himself was defeated. After Yiling, what should we fear if we go against Shu?"
That’s it~
I actually forgot a little bit!
Neither the emperor Cao Rui nor the general Cao Zhen has the same "foreseen future" as me~
Yes!
At this moment, Xia Houhui finally knew that the reason why the emperors Cao Rui and Cao Zhen insisted on attacking Shu was because they felt that Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang had no military strategy and the Shu army could not compete with the elites of Wei!
Why do you have such thoughts~
You can understand this by counting the three wars in which Shu invaded its territory.
When Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, sent his troops out of Qishan for the first time, it could be said that he caught him by surprise and attacked him unprepared.
Using Zhao Yun's troops to lead troops out of Baoxie Valley and into Guanzhong as a cover, he deceived the Wei temple and quickly appeared in Tianshui County before the Yongliang tribes could react, causing Tianshui, Nan'an and Anding counties to rebel against Wei. response!
It can be said that we have taken the lead!
However, what is the result?
The general Ma Di, who could only talk on paper, was guarding the street pavilion. He was defeated by Zhang Jaw in one fell swoop, ruining the good situation and had no choice but to retreat back!
This gave the monarchs and ministers of the Wei State an impression of Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu: He knows people poorly!
The second time he raised troops to invade the country was to attack Chencang City via Dashan Pass.
At that time, the Wei State had just experienced the Battle of Shiting and was severely damaged by Jiangdong. The temple had no choice but to dispatch many troops and horses to the eastern front of Huainan, taking advantage of the situation.
But what about the result?
Tens of thousands of troops besieged Chencang City for a month, but they were still unable to break through Hao Zhao, who was only guarded by more than a thousand soldiers. Moreover, before the emperor ordered Zhang Jaw to rush for reinforcements, they were stranded and had no food supplies, so they stopped and returned. Even after retreating On this occasion, they also set up an ambush and killed Wei general Wang Shuang, but the Wei monarchs and ministers still thought that the Shu generals were too weak to fight and were powerless to arrest him!
Without him, Wang Shuang would have been captured alive by the thief Wu in his early years!
If he violated the military taboo of not stopping after returning to the army, it would be no surprise if he was beheaded.
When the Shu Kingdom invaded the country for the third time, although Wudu and Yinping counties were captured, many Li Shu people in Wudu County and many Di tribes in Yinping County had been moved away as early as the period of Wei Wu and Cao Cao. !The Wei State regarded Wudu County as a buffer zone on the Wei-Shu border. They only set up some scouts and did not arrange an organized military garrison at all.
Otherwise, the first time Shu Kingdom left Qishan, it would not have been so smooth.
Moreover, in this war, the two kingdoms of Wei and Shu did not engage in close combat.
When Shu general Chen Shi seized the military capital and the two counties of Yinping, Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, planned to supervise the troops of Longyou County to rescue him. However, Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led his troops to Jianwei at the bottom of Qishan Mountain to garrison for reinforcements. Guo Huai, who had few troops, did not dare Go south.
Therefore, even if two counties were lost, the monarchs and ministers of the Wei state would not feel that Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, had the ability to manage the army and that the Shu soldiers were inappropriately sharp.
After all, there is a record to follow~
As for Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, he had the merit of quelling the rebellion in Nanzhong.
In the eyes of Wei's monarchs and ministers, it was nothing more than trying to quell the rebellion of ignorant barbarian tribes.
For example, the rebellions of the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Qianghu tribes in the northwest of the Wei Kingdom were not suppressed as soon as troops were sent out!
There is nothing worthy of praise for your achievements in defeating the barbarians.
It’s not like Huo Qubing in the previous dynasty who sealed the wolf as a Xu and contributed to the expansion of the country’s territory by thousands of miles!
In other words, in the hearts of the emperors Cao Rui and Cao Zhen, as well as many officials who clamored to attack Shu, the Shu Kingdom, which had already lost tens of thousands of its elites in the Battle of Yiling, was not something to be afraid of! Although Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, had a strategy for running the country, he had no plans to do so. Having the talent of a commander-in-chief is not worth mentioning!
Yes~
This is how it was in the original historical trajectory.
Before Cao Zhen failed in his attack on Shu, everyone in Wei thought that Bashu, with its dangerous mountains and rivers, could be conquered!
Before Sima Yi contributed "three thousand soldiers" in the Battle of Lucheng, the officers and soldiers of the Luoyang Central Army and Yongliang all believed that the soldiers of the Shu Kingdom could not match the elites of the Wei Kingdom!
Therefore, in the hearts of the emperors Cao Rui and Cao Zhen, it was inevitable to conquer Shu.
How can the vast Wei Kingdom, which already occupies seven percent of the world, tolerate the Shu Kingdom, which only has a land of Yizhou and was severely damaged by the bandit Wu in the Battle of Yiling, to repeatedly invade and provoke?
In particular, Shu State still regarded itself as the orthodox state of the previous dynasty and competed with Wei State for destiny.
If the Wei State does not raise troops to attack it, how can it enhance its prestige?
How to prove that Dai Han is the destiny of destiny!
How reassuring!
Xia Houhui, who had a clear understanding in his heart, remained silent for a long time.
After all, he can't say that the reason for his rebuttal is that he knows how the historical trajectory develops, right?