In mid-summer and in May, Emperor Liu Chan visited Hanzhong County on his northern patrol.
The reason why the trip was so fast was that everything such as ceremonial guards, carriages and horses was kept simple, and even the escorting guards were only 800 people.
In the exhausted season of Bashu and the national policy of resting with the people, both the prime minister and the princes in the court felt that since the purpose of the Northern Expedition was to feed the soldiers of the Northern Expedition and to stabilize Longyou and Liangzhou counties, then
Just don't be too extravagant.
The emperor himself had no objections.
Especially after going through hundreds of miles of plank roads on the Shu Road, he felt that Yu Bao and other honor guards should not be brought along.
Because just as the procession passed Ma Mingge Road, several musicians panicked and caused the packhorse to be frightened and fall down the valley. There were no casualties, but a lot of items were lost.
In response to this, Xiang Chong, who was in charge of the bodyguard duty, was so shameless that he almost had those Ji Le officers punished by military law.
The emperor was deeply touched.
It was not easy for them to travel north with light equipment. The hardships of the soldiers who had been transporting grain and baggage from Shu to Hanzhong can be seen clearly.
At that time, he also expressed emotion to Zheng Pu.
He said: "In the past, Jin once said to me that 'knowledge and action are one.'
In the northern period, everyone in Chengdu thought that the rebellion against the Wei Dynasty was already in decline, and that entering the pass could be decided in a single battle. This is what they can tell!"
Oh, what's so strange about this?
If they had survived a severe winter in the bitter cold Hexi Corridor, experienced a fierce battle with corpses strewn in the fields, experienced a rapid march of hundreds of miles, and the pain of the skin and flesh between the thighs sticking to the military uniform, etc., they would not
I dare to talk about military war.
Zheng Pu replied quietly in his heart.
He finally found an opportunity to give advice to the generals who would replace Xiang Chong in guarding the capital and inside and outside the capital.
Yes, although the imperial court has approved Xiang Chong's request, he will not be able to take up his post in Longyou until next year.
It was a matter related to the safety of Kyoto and the emperor. He had to transition his responsibilities slowly and wait until his successor was familiar with the affairs and established his prestige.
Anyway, the battle for the old capital will start in who knows how many years!
Besides, he has been guarding Chengdu for more than ten years, and he doesn't care if he stays in Chengdu for a few more months.
After learning that Zhao Tong had other responsibilities, Zheng Pu's preferred candidates were Ma Dai, who was now a former general, and Zhou Tai, who stayed in Wuwei County to guard Xuanwei City.
There is no doubt about Ma Dai's resume and loyalty.
He is taciturn and cautious, and is impartial and meticulous in his affairs. He is a good choice to guard the rear. The most important thing is that he has now retired to the pasture and no longer supervises the Xiliang cavalry expedition.
In this way, transferring him to guard the capital was also a sign of the imperial court's commendation to the veterans of the Northern Expedition.
Zheng Pu wanted to remonstrate and transfer Zhou Taiye back to Chengdu because he had previously been favored by Sima Yi, who was against the Wei Dynasty, and he had said that he did not want to meet Sima Yi on the battlefield. Now the Southern Xiongnu left Liu
Leopard had already moved away from Tuze, and the threat was no longer there, so the garrison in Xuanwei City would naturally move to other places.
Therefore, Zheng Pu felt that rather than letting Zhou Tai, who could be called a good general, be transferred to garrison in Dunhuang or Xiping County and waste his talents, it would be better to transfer him back to Chengdu to gain qualifications, so that he could later go to Zhennan Zhong or Yong'an to resist Sun Wu.
In any case, it was he and Zhuge Qiao who recruited Zhou Tai to surrender, so naturally they should be more careful.
Of course, these considerations were in Zheng Pu's own mind. If he wanted to persuade the emperor, he would need to reconsider his words.
And now the emperor laments that "you don't know how difficult things are until you do it yourself" is the best reason.
Zheng Pu followed the lead and argued that the people in Chengdu despised the strength of the rebels against Wei and were too optimistic about the Northern Expedition. He suggested that the capital should have participated in the Northern Expedition, knew that the land of Longyou and Hexi was barren and cold, and was familiar with the nature of Qiang and Hu.
The generals with high prestige in the ranks were deployed to guard the city, so as to change the overly optimistic atmosphere among the Chengdu scholars.
In addition, it is necessary to support a general who is familiar with the military system of the Wei Dynasty.
Because the Wei State was able to sweep across the north and flatten the Central Plains in just over ten years, and almost occupied all the rich lands in the world, its farming system and military system were indispensable. The Han Dynasty could criticize these two systems as tyranny, but it cannot be denied that these two systems
This system allowed Wei Wei to fight fiercely for a long time without worrying about food and supplies, and it was easy to replenish its troops after a defeat.
Under the stipulation of the world military system that "all men join the army as adults", even though the Wei Dynasty lost many troops and lost territory, there are still no less than 100,000 troops stationed in Guanzhong today!
Moreover, if the Han Dynasty wanted to return to the old capital, both sides would have to exchange offense and defense.
As the attacker, the Han Dynasty had few troops and was limited in transporting food and supplies when fighting in a different place. Therefore, the strategy adopted must be to attack step by step and slowly encroach.
After at least occupying Youfufeng as the rear, we can have the opportunity for a decisive battle under Chang'an City.
Therefore, everyone in Chengdu thought that a battle would determine the outcome of Guanzhong's eagerness for quick success and immediate benefits, and they could not tolerate it.
When the sun is mid, it will be wilted, and when the moon is prosperous, it will be depleted.
If the progress of the war in Guanzhong is slow or unsatisfactory by then, and the hopes of the Chengdu scholars are disappointed, they may return to the previous culture of staying in a corner of peace and putting security first.
After saying what he was thinking and worrying about, Zheng Pu solemnly gave his advice.
He said: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, things must turn to the extreme. When you are in peace, you should be prepared for danger. The current atmosphere of the government and the public in Chengdu cannot be turned a blind eye! If Xiangzhong leads the army to Longyou to supervise the troops, he should replace it with a prudent veteran general to guard the capital. Pu thought that the generals of the Northern Expedition
Among them, the former general is the most appropriate. There is also Zhenwei General Zhou Anyue, who is familiar with the military system of the Wei Dynasty and can also be used as a deputy."
"When Zi Jin was appointed as a servant, he rarely had any responsibility for attending to the affairs of the government. Now that he has resigned and has been transferred to the post of Prime Minister, he has come back to give me advice. Could it be that there is no military in the country now, and that makes Zi Jin impatient for leisure?"
After making a joke, the emperor nodded and replied, "The atmosphere in Chengdu is indeed as Zijin said, and that is what worries me. However, who should take over the responsibility of guarding the capital is a serious matter, and I need to discuss it with my father-in-law and the officials in the court.
We can only make a final decision later. Well, I will mention the people Zijin recommended to my prime minister after they arrive in Hanzhong."
This is what you want!
Suddenly, Zheng Pu felt at ease.
Because he knew that after the prime minister delegated power to rest, he was particularly concerned about establishing the emperor's prestige, and would focus on the emperor's tendency when making decisions on many affairs in the court.
The same goes for the people who guard the capital.
Once the emperor has a candidate of his choice, the prime minister will give priority to the candidate and may even finalize it directly.
After all, Ma Dai and Zhou Tai are good choices in every aspect.
In addition, Zhang Bao will be relied upon by the emperor to control the military power in the future, and he will continue to stay on the front line to accumulate meritorious deeds, which is also the prime minister's long-term plan.
With a heart full of success, Zheng Pu smiled calmly and said, "Your Majesty accepts the advice well and is dedicated to his work without being arrogant or worried. If you fail to catch something, the Prime Minister will know it and you will be relieved!"
No more words were spoken along the way.
After arriving at Yang'ankou, Hanzhong County, the two parted ways.
The emperor and his entourage naturally went to look for the prime minister, while Zheng Pu made a farewell trip and returned to Longyou County.
