Luoyang City is the time when all things revive.
The still biting north wind was blowing the plain colored soul-calling flags outside the gate of the mansion.
Yu Jin, this old man who had experienced honor and disgrace all his life in the military, finally passed away with some regrets and the misunderstanding of the world.
After a long time, the number of guests coming and going to express condolences decreased from more to fewer, from rare to none. Thin dark clouds drifted across the blue sky, making people feel melancholy.
Yu Gui's eyes were red, but there were no tears. He silently put a stack of paper money into the brazier and closed his eyes.
Looking at the haggard and thin master, Xia Houxuan clenched his fists.
It is said that Grandpa Yu Jin died of shame after seeing the murals in Gaoling, Ye County. Some people say that the mural was arranged by His Majesty, but I don’t believe it.
Who is the person behind this... There must be justice in everything!
The young man returned to Pinglinghou Mansion and stared at the fish in the pond in the garden in a daze. The fish jumped out of the water from time to time, and where the fish tail swept, there were layers of ripples, just like things that seemed to have no connection, but there seemed to be some connection among the chaos.
——
Just after Cao Pi met with his confidants at Lingyuntai to discuss military plans, the general, Jingzhou Mu, and Wu King Sun Quan once again sent envoys to deliver a handwritten letter.
This time, it was good news from the Jingzhou front line.
Wu general Lu Yihuo attacked Liu Bei's 700-mile company camp and defeated the Shu army. Not only that, Sun Huan, Sun Quan's nephew and Andong Zhonglang general, blocked Liu Bei's return path. On the Kui Road, Liu Bei suffered a loss. After suffering a heavy loss, he led the remaining defeated soldiers and fled back to the west of the Three Gorges in embarrassment, temporarily stationed in the palace of Baidi City.
Not only that, Yingzhou Mu Xiahou Shang also sent a handwritten letter.
Because Lu Yi took advantage of the current to cut off the siege and the Shu Han's southern army was defeated, Huang Quan, the general in the north of Shu town, was cut off from his return route and could not return to Shu. He was unwilling to surrender to Wu, so he led his troops to surrender to Wei.
Huang Quan and his 318 people including Shi He, the prefect of Nanjun under his command, all went to Yingzhou Mu Xiahou Shang and presented them with fake seals, ribbons, halberds, banners, tooth gates, and drum carts.
The emperor was naturally in a good mood.
This is really a good thing that comes in pairs. How could Cao Pi be unhappy?
Therefore, Cao Pi specially held a banquet at Chengguang Hall in Luoyang, as well as singing, dancing and elegant music to cleanse Huang Gongheng, a famous scholar in Shu who had abandoned the dark and turned to the light.
A general with a sword beard and eyebrows, a haggard complexion, and wearing a gray singlet was leading several companions who also came from foreign countries and were walking on the white marble steps covered with red carpet in the palace.
He used to be a famous general of the Han Dynasty, but now he is a minister of the Wei Dynasty.
If Huang Quan and General Jianwu and Xincheng Governor Meng Da were together at this moment, they must have felt sympathy for each other.
Even though Huang Quan had witnessed the emperor's majesty and thunderous wrath countless times in Shu Han, he still felt a breathtaking pressure at this moment.
If the old master Liu Xuande is a warm charcoal fire, then His Majesty Cao Pi in front of him is an icy well.
The chill that hit his face made Huang Quan feel a little trembling.
"The sinner Huang Quan, please pay homage to Your Majesty!"
Cao Pi made a gesture of support, smiled and said:
"There is no need to be polite, Gong Heng, please get up quickly!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Huang Quan slowly straightened up.
Cao Pi looked at Huang Quan who looked tired and continued:
"You are obedient and obedient, abandoning the dark and turning to the bright. You can really track Chen Ping and Han Xin of the previous dynasty!"
After hearing Cao Pi's comfort and praise, Huang Quan did not express joy, but looked ashamed, sighed and replied:
"I received a special treatment from Master Liu. I could not surrender to Wu. I had no way to return to Shu, so I returned to my life. Moreover, a defeated general is lucky to avoid death. How can the ancients admire him!"
After hearing this, Cao Pi was not angry but happy. He thought to himself that once a famous person like Huang Quan, who was loyal but had unrealized ambitions, decided to join, he would never have any different intentions. It seemed that he had gained another general.
"Okay, Gongheng is really a righteous man!"
Cao Pi raised the jade cup and saluted Huang Quan from a distance: "Come, I will accompany the general and drink this cup to the full!"
"Your Majesty, please."
Huang Quan's behavior was courteous and appropriate, and everyone at the table secretly admired him.
"The general is a famous person in the world and a talented general. I now confer you the title of General Zhennan, Marquis of Yuyang, and add me as a servant. I hope that the general will live up to my expectations."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"
Huang Quan paused.
Cao Pi nodded and continued:
"I heard that Liu Xuande, the Lord of Shu, had sent people to kill your wife when you returned to Wei. My heart is really hurt, so now I will give you gold and silk, carriages and horses, clothes, curtains, wives and concubines."
After hearing this, Huang Quan's expression did not change, he paused again and said:
"Your Majesty, I have known my late master for several years and know that he is a generous man and would not act like this. Therefore, I ask your Majesty to take back this reward."
Cao Pi nodded and said no more words.
——
In the realm of Shu, Baidi City, Yongan.
In the palace, officials from the Department of Justice came to the bedside of Liu Xuande, the Lord of Shu:
"Your Majesty, Huang Quan, the former general of the northern town, rebelled against the Han and surrendered to the Wei. Will his family members be implicated?"
After a long time, an old and sad voice came from the hospital bed:
"If I fail Huang Quan, I will not fail Huang Quan. I should treat Gongheng's family well..."
——
"Clang!"
With a loud noise, Emperor Cao Pi slammed a jade penholder on the dragon table onto the white marble foundation and shattered into powdery residue.
Cao Pi did not expect that Sun Quan, the king of Wu who had just become a vassal for a year, would once again send envoys to form an alliance with the Shu Han after defeating the Shu Han and betray the Wei Dynasty.
He felt that he had been slapped hard by Sun Quan. This is really unreasonable!
Cao Pi suppressed his anger and began to plan his strategy to defeat Wu.
"Come here, tell the general of the army to come to Shanglin Garden."
Northern Suburbs Hunting Garden.
Hou Cao of Dongxiang really helped the emperor round up a strong stag with his bow and horse.
"Zidan, you can stop it!" Emperor Cao Pi, dressed in casual clothes, reined in the horse "Huang Claw Feidian" and blocked the deer to its right.
"Nuo!" Cao Zhen, holding a curved bow, also turned the horse's head of "Jingfan Cong" and moved towards the left wing.
The emperor and the general rode like two lightning bolts, one yellow and one black.
Just two sounds of "whisking" were heard, and two feathered arrows flew towards the deer one after another like meteors.
Cao Zhen made the first move and hit the deer in the chest and abdomen with an arrow, causing the deer's running to stall. Then Cao Pi's golden feather arrow penetrated the deer's eye.
"Your Majesty, you are good at shooting!" Cao Zhen put away his bow, flew down the "Jingfan Cong", and then smiled and said: "I wonder if your Majesty still remembers that in the late spring of the tenth year of Jian'an, we were in the west of Yedu A hunting day."
"Of course I remember. Back then, we captured nine roe deer in a row." Cao Pi was also thinking of the scene of young knights and all-day hunting, and smiled in retrospect.
[Note 1: See Cao Pi's "Autobiography of Classical Theory": "In the tenth year of Jian'an, Jizhou was first settled... It was late spring in the year, Jumangsi Festival, and things like fans, the bow was dry and the hands were soft, the grass was shallow and the animals were fat. , and his clan brother Zi Dan hunted all day long in the west of Ye, and caught nine roe deer and thirty pheasants and rabbits."]
Even if you are an emperor and a lonely person, there are always some memories that need to be treasured for the rest of your life.
Cao Pi was stunned for a moment, then his cold brows and cold eyes slightly wrinkled, he looked at Cao Zhen seriously and said: "Zidan, this time, Wu general Lu Yi led his troops to defeat Liu Bei's 700-mile company camp at Xiaoting, and sent more people If you want to renegotiate peace with Shu and rebel against the Wei Dynasty, if you allow Soochow to do this, you will see it become a climate in vain. For the current plan, Soochow must be suppressed. What's more, The day before yesterday, Sun Quan refused to send his descendants to join the Wei Dynasty as hostages. Since ancient times, there has never been a vassal king who has not sent his descendants to the court. His disobedience has been clearly exposed! This is the opportunity for our Wei Kingdom to go south. Zi Dan, may I Help me to chase this deer from the world again!"
"I am willing to serve your Majesty and the Wei Dynasty, and I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Cao Pi raised his bow and arrow, aimed at a deer in the garden far away, and slowly opened his bow: "Bashu has been defeated miserably, but Wu Yue is so arrogant, so we will use its fierceness to let them know that in this world, Who is the leader?"
'call out! ’, the golden arrow was as powerful as a shooting star, and the deer fell down in response.
"I am willing to lead the tiger soldiers and conquer the south of the Yangtze River for Your Majesty!"
—————
Dongxiang Hou Mansion. Cao Xizheng was practicing the "Xiahou Cao's" sword technique.
Cao Xi seemed to feel that his eldest brother had indeed changed a lot in the past few years in Chang'an. They don't want to accompany themselves or their brothers. The brothers have become a little unfamiliar. Now that I think about it, it is understandable that the eldest brother ignored Ah Xuan that day in the palace.
Cao Xi held the sword in his left hand and pointed it toward the sky. He turned the sword in his right hand and stabbed behind him. He then swung the sword forward and then shook his wrist to hang the sword. This was exactly the move of "Peacock Flying Southeast". I practiced this pose hard for more than half a month, and finally I became proficient. In fact, this 'Peacock Flying Southeast', strictly speaking, does not belong to Xiahou Cao's swordsmanship. It is said that it was created by my uncle Xiahou Shang, uncle Cao Xiu, and my father. Therefore, this set of swordsmanship is not known to anyone except these three families. , no one will use it anymore. He sheathed his sword, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and headed towards the west hall.
In the west hall, my father seemed to be explaining something. Cao Xi did not enter the room directly, but stood outside the hall and listened carefully.
"Shuang'er, you are almost fifteen this year. I think back then, when my father and I were about your age, we went to the battlefield..."
After hearing this, Cao Xi felt nervous. Could it be that his father wanted his eldest brother to go to the battlefield to fight for his life? But after thinking about it carefully, there was nothing wrong with him. The eldest brother had followed his father to Chang'an for several years and was now considered a young adult. .
The sound in the hall seemed a little slight, so he got closer. It seemed that the eldest brother had hesitated for a while. He only heard silence for a while before his voice came: "Shuang'er... I am willing to serve as my father's vanguard... to serve the country!"
After hearing his father's admiration in the hall, Cao Xi seemed to be able to see his father's rare kind smile. He had never been as valued by his father as his eldest brother, so why couldn't he please his father for once. With this in mind, Cao Xi stepped into the inner hall.
"My son, I would like to send my regards to my father and brother." He slowly raised his head, mustered up the courage, looked his father in the face, and said without any hesitation: "Xi'er is also willing to serve as his father's vanguard and repay the country's kindness!"
Cao Zhen smiled, looked at his two sons, nodded, and then laughed:
"Hahahahaha, I, Cao Zidan, gave birth to a son like this, why can't I worry about sharing the worries of Wei for generations to come!" Cao Zhen held the hands of the two children and said: "This time, we, father and son, will go on an expedition together!"
————
Cao Zhen came to Yishoutinghou's mansion to express his condolences the next day. He thought that Yu Gui should have regained his composure by now. Some words should always be said after the other person has meditated.
It didn't seem that long before the guards outside the door saw Cao Zhen leaving the house.
"General, Captain Yu, aren't you willing to go out with the army?" a close aide accompanying him asked casually.
"Yes, alas..." Cao Zhen sighed, and Yu Gui's desperate bitter smile just now appeared in front of his eyes: "He said that he was tired and wanted to stay at home and spend more time with Mr. Yu. .....”
What shocked Cao Zhen was Yu Jin's posthumous title, "Marquis Li".
Killing innocent people is called Li, being cruel and disrespectful is called Li, being ruthless and disrespectful is called Li, supporting evil and violating the right is called Li, and having a long tongue is called Li.
Cao Zhen frowned, closed his eyes and meditated. Although General Yu said that his life was in danger, he had made great achievements in battle and worked hard for his country all his life, but he ended up with this result...
But, were the murals in Gaoling of Ye County really done by His Majesty? Cao Zhen actually shivered and didn't dare or didn't want to think about it anymore. He walked quickly, and his back gradually disappeared into the night.
————
September is the harvest season. The so-called "no troops are deployed in winter and summer" is precisely because the autumn weather is crisp and the horses are strong and the food is sufficient, which makes it easier to use troops.
After the court meeting, the emperor finally decided to send three armies to conquer Soochow.
Along the way, Cao Xiu, the governor of Yangzhou and the general who conquered the east, was the commander, supervising Zhang Liao, Zang Ba and other armies as they left Dongpukou.
Along the western front, Xia Houshang, the governor of Jingzhou and the general who conquered the south, was the commander, supervising the troops of Cao Zhen, Zhang He, Xu Huang and others, and marched into Jiangling.
Along the middle line, with General Cao Ren as the commander, he advanced directly from the middle palace and attacked Ruxukou.
As for the defense of the capital, Cao Pi entrusted it entirely to Sima Yi, the servant, and Zhu Shuo, the leader of the army, two former friends of the East Palace.
At this moment, it can be said that the northern world is completely in the hands of Cao Pi's old friends in the East Palace.
[Note 2: "Three Kingdoms·Volume 47·The Second Biography of Master Wu": "Wei wanted to send his servants Xinpi and Shangshu Huanjie to swear an alliance and recruit his son, but he refused to give up the power. In the ninth month of autumn, Wei He ordered Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, and Zang Ba to come out of the cave, Cao Ren to come out of Ruxu, and Cao Zhen, Xia Houshang, Zhang He, and Xu Huang to surround Nanjun."]
The armies have been marching for more than ten days, and they are still marching towards the south through the night dew.
Among the troops marching along the Western Front, three young men wearing soft armor were reining in their horses and following closely behind the cavalry of General Cao Zhen. These three men were brothers Cao Shuang, Cao Xi, and Xia Houxuan and three others.
At this moment, Cao Zhen was commanding the armies and marching towards Xiangyang, intending to join the main force of the commander Xia Houshang.
The night dew was already heavy and the army was already tired, so it was no longer suitable to march. Cao Zhen squinted his eyes and carefully looked at the surrounding terrain. He saw that the terrain was open and had water sources. He immediately waved his arm to signal the three armies to stop and camp on the spot.
The night was getting darker, and the thin military tent did not block the cold wind that swept across the plain, but Cao Zhen didn't seem to feel how cold it was.
He stared at the march map on the desk, and when he thought that the world's structure was about to be changed in the hands of his brothers, the blood in his body began to boil.
After a long time, Cao Zhen took out the sharp dagger from his waist and stabbed it heavily into the location of Jiangling City on the map.
The night is coming to an end and the sky is still dark. The Tiger Soldiers have already begun to continue their journey south. Tens of thousands of people were marching in formation, and the sound of heavy and neat footsteps, the clash of weapons, and the sound of hunting flags blowing in the cold wind were now accompanied by the dark cloud-like military formation, pressing toward the south.
The dawn sun penetrated the clouds. Cao Zhen looked at the sparkling river surface in the distance under the morning light and showed a smile. After crossing the river, you will reach Xiangyang City.
On the other side of the river, Xiahou Shang was lining up to greet him.
On the warship in the river, Xia Houxuan saw his father in the distance. He suddenly felt that he was different from the elegant and humble father in the image. The father at this moment was wearing armor, solemn, quiet and majestic, which made people feel sad. Awe.
In the military camp on the southern outskirts of Xiangyang City, in the big tent.
Coach Xia Houshang, deputy coach Cao Zhen, as well as generals Zhang He, Xu Huang, and Man Chong are planning the situation of the two sides before the battle.
"Bo Ren, do you know what the enemy's situation is this time?" Cao Zhen had guarded Yongzhou's governor'an for many years, so he didn't know much about the situation in Jingxiang in the south.
"The land of Jiangling has been a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack since ancient times." Xia Houshang pointed to the map and said loudly: "As for the enemy generals, Lu Xun not long ago defeated Liu Bei's 700-mile company camp, and he is far away in Yiling at the moment. To guard against the Shu army, the commander-in-chief of Jiangling City is Zhu Ran."
"Although Zhu Ran is a famous general in the Wu Kingdom, he is nothing to be afraid of!" Cao Zhen said confidently: "Then, can the enemy's reinforcements arrive?"
"Of course there is. According to the report from the scouting horse, Zhuge Jin, Pan Zhang, and Yang Can have led the Wu army to Jiangling, and they will arrive in the near future." Xiahou Shang understood that this time the enemy and our forces were evenly matched. In addition, Jiangling is a big city and will not be easy to conquer. Therefore, a quick victory is impossible. Fortunately, we have Xiangyang in the rear to provide supplies, so we can plan for it slowly. Xia Houshang looked at Xu Huang and said: "General Gongming, you helped General Cao Ren defend Xiangfan and guarded the south of Jingzhou for many years. You might as well tell us about the terrain here and the length of the enemy forces."
"No!" Xu Huang bowed slightly and saluted, strode forward, and pointed to the map: "Jiangling City is surrounded by plains, but there are two rivers in the north of the city, Zhangshui and Jushui. The rivers crisscross each other, so Jiangling City is dangerous and difficult to attack. It's because of the danger of water. The elite of Soochow mainly rely on naval forces, so the general believes that in order to defeat the Wu army, it is necessary to defeat its naval forces first."
"That's right." Xiahou Shangjian pointed at the map: "It takes twenty days to get from Xiangyang to Jiangling. Our army can speed up the march before the enemy's reinforcements arrive, set up pontoon bridges on Ju and Zhang, and cross the river quickly, so that the enemy cannot Stop our army’s offensive.”
"Okay!" Cao Zhen said with his palms raised: "Without further delay, Boren, let's set off now!"
"Okay!" Xia Houshang took out the commander's military talisman and ordered: "Generals, listen to the order. The three armies will set off immediately for Jiangling!"
