Hearing that the emperor wanted to go on an expedition in person, many civil servants and generals were very enthusiastic and were willing to accompany him on the expedition. The general Guan Yu couldn't help it. He stroked his long gray beard, stepped out of the queue and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, now Cao Pi has
If he dies, his famous generals will wither, and Cao Rui's son will ascend the throne, there is no need to worry about it. Why bother your majesty to go on a personal expedition? As a general, I am willing to serve your majesty, capture Cao Rui's son, and offer it to your Majesty."
Feng Zhou looked at Guan Yu and saw that his hair and beard were as white as snow and his face was wrinkled like ravines. He shook his head and said: "Second uncle has other important responsibilities. I am marching east to Luoyang. Bu Dugen and Ke Bineng in the north will not be humble."
Give it up, I need important ministers like my second uncle to stay in Northern Xinjiang, just in case."
"This..." When Guan Yu heard that His Majesty had given him a more important task, he couldn't help but be startled, and could not continue his impassioned words.
He originally thought that the emperor would refuse, so he could use the allusion that Huang Hansheng killed Xia Houyuan when he was seventy years old, and Lian Po ate rice and meat when he was eighty years old, so that the emperor would agree to his expedition.
But the emperor gave him the task of guarding Northern Xinjiang, and it was hard to refuse.
Since ancient times, foreign troubles have been greater than internal troubles, and the glory of winning a battle against foreign enemies is far greater than the glory of civil war. If Guan Yu refused here, it would be a bit ungrateful.
But in fact, Feng Zhou was not optimistic about Guan Yu leading his army to the east.
When he was young, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were of course the enemies of thousands of people, a military god of a generation, and powerful in China.
But they are now over sixty years old. They have been in Jingzhou for several years and have never been able to capture Wancheng, which is guarded by Sima Yi. This shows that their military capabilities have reached a certain bottleneck and it is difficult to break through.
Feng Zhou recalled them to Chang'an just to preserve their reputation for life.
But they can't be left idle.
After all, one is a general and the other is a cavalry general, and they have enough say in major affairs of the court.
However, the political affairs of the Han Dynasty were handled by the Prime Minister's Office headed by Zhuge Liang.
Although Zhuge Liang could easily subdue Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with his talents, Feng Zhou was not willing to let Zhuge Liang be limited to a situation where he was fighting for power.
Therefore, when he went on an expedition, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could not stay in Chang'an City, otherwise he would be in conflict with Zhuge Liang in political matters.
So Feng Zhou said: "Second uncle leads our army of 20,000 to guard Pubanjin, and third uncle leads 10,000 troops to guard Gaoling. We are leaning on each other to prevent Xianbei and the Xiongnu from taking the opportunity to go south. If necessary, we can go north to preemptively strike!"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei cupped their hands and obeyed the order.
"The Prime Minister is based in Chang'an, providing logistics for our entire army, and overseeing government affairs without any mistakes."
"I obey," Zhuge Liang said, cupping his hands.
He had been with Feng Zhou for several years, and he had long understood that the emperor was not only extremely brave, but also well versed in the art of war. He was no longer the Jingzhou Adou of the past. The two of them had been studying for many days for this battle, and they already had a plan in mind, knowing that this battle would be won.
Therefore, he sat at the rear and had no worries.
Feng Zhou stood up on the throne and faced the ministers, and said proudly: "The late emperor was not halfway through his business, but the middle path collapsed. Today, I am a strong man, and my soldiers are dedicated to their lives. This is a good opportunity to unify the world with sincerity, so be filial and loyal."
The ministers who are unremitting in their internal affairs, and the heroic and brave men who forget themselves externally, are the ones who have received the favor of the Han and are loyal to the king, and want to repay it to your majesty.
Since I was appointed, I have been lamenting day and night, often fearing that I will not be able to do what I have to do, which will harm the late emperor's dynasty and the hope of the country. The year before last, the commander-in-chief crossed the Long Army, penetrated deeply into Yongliang, and swept the courtyards and plow holes. Now Guanzhong has been settled, and the troops
Now that the armor is sufficient, it is time for the three armies to conquer the Central Plains from the east. We must drive away the traitors, revive the Han Dynasty, and then return to the old capital!"
Feng Zhou's words were impassioned. His highness and his ministers were so high-spirited that they all bowed and shouted: "May your Majesty get rid of the traitors, revive the Han Dynasty, and return the old capital!"
…
On the first day of April in the third year of Jianxing of the Ji Han Dynasty, Feng Zhou swore an oath to fight in Chang'an. Zhuge Liang led the civil and military officials who stayed in Chang'an to see him off. Looking at the mighty and powerful Han army in full swing, everyone had different moods, either excited or angry.
Worried, or with tears in their eyes, they silently watched this luxurious army, which was also the most powerful force of the Han Dynasty. Under the leadership of the heroic young emperor, they faced the bright spring breeze and sang loud military songs with great energy.
Yiyi set out for the battlefield in Guandong.
"May your Majesty conquer Guandong, wipe out the heroes, unify the mountains and rivers, and build a strong nation again!" Zhuge Liang held a goose feather fan, saluted solemnly, and said loudly.
"Don't worry, Prime Minister. When I return in triumph, I will have a drink with the Prime Minister to congratulate you. When the time comes, I hope that the Prime Minister will have poems passed down to the world, and I will not be in vain."
"Your Majesty..." Zhuge Liang choked up and bowed.
Obviously, the emperor hoped that Zhuge Liang would not work too hard, but should combine work and rest, and it would be best to have a masterpiece that could be handed down from generation to generation.
It is said that establishing one's virtues, one's words and one's merits are the three immortal things of a scholar.
As a monarch, if you care about your subordinates like this, what more can you ask for?
After bidding farewell to Zhuge Liang, who was united in strength, and farewell to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were as close as father and son, as well as the queen and beloved concubine in the palace, Feng Zhou set out on his journey with an army of 150,000.
The army went all the way east, and after leaving Tongguan, the troops split into two groups. The hussar general Ma Chao commanded 30,000 Liangzhou cavalry, and Gao Xiang led 20,000 rear troops to merge with the state in the north;
Passing Hangu Pass and advancing towards Luoyang.
In this army, there are not only the Beiwei army, which is known as the elite of the Han Dynasty, but also the guards commanded by Zhao Yun, the Bai soldiers commanded by Chen Dao, Wei Wu's elite soldiers commanded by Wei Yan, the Xichuan army commanded by Huang Quan, and the Wu troops commanded by Wang Ping.
The Dang Fei Army and the Zhonghu Infantry Army led by Wu Ban can be described as a huge gathering of troops.
In addition to the above-mentioned famous teachers and generals, there are also young generals who have emerged enthusiastically, such as Jiang Wei, Wu Tong, Zhang Wen, Deng Zhi, Zhao Tong, Zhao Guang, etc., there are countless. So many Han officials who have some knowledge of military affairs sincerely
He sighed: "Your Majesty's generals are like clouds, and his warriors are like rain. If they attack from the east, they will be able to defeat them all."
But precisely because of this, many civil and military officials were secretly worried that if His Majesty were to advance forward with light troops and be restricted by Cao Wei on the inner lines of Guandong, and if he were defeated in the first battle, the Han Dynasty would turn from prosperity to decline.
However, those who understand Feng Zhou's strength know that Feng Zhou can use his personal power to make a strong army invincible and unstoppable. He can kill Xu Huang, Zhang, Lu Meng, and Han Dang, and can also intimidate them.
Guo Huai and Cao Zhen were not as capable as the former overlords of Western Chu.
In order to preserve his physical strength, Feng Zhou did not seek success and make the army march in a hurry. He chose to let the main force march at a normal speed. He planned to arrive at the stronghold in Tongguan in five days, rest for a few days, and arrange military affairs before leaving Guandong.
During this period, the news that the main force of the Han army was launching a large-scale eastward expedition had already spread throughout the Guandong through various channels, shocking countless Wei officials and military officers, and causing turmoil in Luoyang.
Luoyang, the Imperial Palace of the Wei Dynasty.
In a hall, Cao Rui sat alone on a high platform, while Xia Houshang, Zhong Yao, Hua Xin, Liu Ye, Jiang Ji and others stood aside in awe.
Cao Rui, who was sitting in the seat, had an angry look on his face. He said to everyone: "This Liu Chan is really ambitious. He has only occupied Guanzhong for two years and yet he dares to be so ambitious and attack Luoyang. He is really arrogant and rude. All of you dear ministers are important ministers of the country."
, is there any strategy to defend against the enemy?
Taifu Zhong Yao reported: "Any general who is smarter than others can control them. Sun Tzu said: Know your enemy and yourself, and you will be victorious in every battle. Dai Ling, the guard of Hangu Pass, has been using troops for a long time, but he is no match for Liu Chan. I recommend this person.
, you can retreat the Shu soldiers. I don’t know whether the holy will is accurate?" Cao Rui said: "You are an old minister. Are there any wise men who can retreat the Shu soldiers? They have been summoned early to share the worries with me." Zhong Yao said: "Hussar
General Sima Yi, the governor of Nanyang, is stationed in Luoyang, and he will definitely be able to repel Liu Chan's army of 100,000 men."
Cao Rui asked: "Zhongda is in charge of Wancheng and has a heavy responsibility. If he goes north, who can take over?"
Zhong Yao said: "As the governor of Yuzhou, Manchong, the Marquis of Changyi, can replace him."
Cao Rui nodded and immediately issued an edict, ordering Sima Yi to return to Beijing at night to prepare for war.
Hua Xin further said: "Sima Yi is a hero who is decisive internally, a hero who is decisive externally, a god of military maneuvers, and has no plans. He is the best candidate to resist Liu Chan. However, Liu Chan is extremely brave and brave, no less than the overlord of Western Chu, so Shu is strong against Wei.
If we are weak, we should join forces with Wu to resist Shu and attack Liu Chan together.",
Cao Rui hesitated and said: "But Sun Quan killed 70,000 of my troops in the battle at Shiting, and even the general died of illness from shame. We, the Wei Dynasty, and Jiangdong have already formed a deep hatred. How could Sun Quan form an alliance with me? And not long ago, Sun Quan had already
Ascended to the throne and proclaimed himself emperor..."
Hua Xin shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends in the world. Sun Quanzuo leads Jiangdong. He has great talent and great strategy, no less than others. When he became emperor, he just didn't want to bow to anyone. Now the Shu Han is powerful
, he is definitely willing to form a good alliance with the Wei Dynasty and fight against the Shu and Han Dynasties together."
Cao Rui nodded and said: "In this case, I invite Zitong (Jiang Ji) to go to Jiangdong as an envoy to congratulate Sun Quan on his accession to the throne..."