Xincheng County, the southwest border of Wei State.
The feudal officials who guarded the southwest border for the Wei Dynasty, General Jianwu, Governor of Xincheng, and Marquis of Pingyang Pavilion Mengda Mengzidu, woke up from nightmares again.
He dreamed that all the pillars of his bed were broken, and then he fell into an abyss!
He had often dreamed about this nightmare since the death of his close friend Xia Houshang after he rebelled against the Han and surrendered to the Wei Dynasty.
Meng Da took the cotton towel handed by his wife and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Thinking back to a few years ago, after he surrendered to the Wei Dynasty, he not only gained the appreciation of the emperor, but also made friends with important ministers such as Xiahou Shang and Huan Jie, and the emperor's confidants. All these factors made him fearful of leaving the country and leaving his hometown. be covered up.
However, Huan Jie and Huan Boxu died of illness as early as the third year of Huangchu, and his close friend Xia Houshang passed away before him. How does this teach him not to worry?
What's even more frightening is that my only supporter, today, has to fight in person despite his illness. If His Majesty does something bad, I'm afraid there will be no one to protect me!
Thinking about this, Meng Da sighed again. At this moment, in his mind, there was only Xia Houshang's hearty laughter and determined eyes that comforted him. Perhaps only when he recalled these things, he would feel a little relieved.
As early as March, the emperor proposed his own plan to build the Qilu Canal and use the navy to conquer Soochow.
In recent days, Cao Pi became confused due to the death of his beloved general and close friend Xia Houshang, and his temperament became increasingly unstable, irritable and restless.
The headache that was originally caused by the death of his beloved son Cao Jian, King of Dongwuyang, was getting worse at this time.
To the surprise of many people, at this time, the emperor did not take good care of his body. Instead, he decided to conquer Wu personally and conquer Wu again!
In the Jianshi Hall, above the imperial court, thousands of horses were silent at this moment.
Some ministers are really worried about the emperor's dragon body. After all, to this day, the emperor has not officially appointed the crown prince. However, the emperor's character was already suspicious and jealous, and the major events that had happened one after another in recent days had made the emperor's mood even more volatile. Therefore, they would never dare to say anything that would anger Long Xin.
As for important ministers and ministers such as Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Liu Fang, Sun Zi, etc., they also knew in their hearts that it would be difficult to defeat Wu at this time, and it would only be a waste of money and resources. However, they would never do it. At this time, it is against His Majesty's will.
Because they understood that Cao Pi's health had been deteriorating over the years, especially in recent days, and His Majesty the Emperor himself was of course very aware of his condition, which was why he was so eager to attack Wu.
To put it bluntly, in fact, the emperor just wanted to try again before he fell, whether he could dominate the world in one fell swoop.
Over the years, riding in the south of the Yangtze River and drinking in the Yangtze River has almost become an obsession of Cao Pi.
Even discerning people know that this may be His Majesty's last attack on Wu. At this time, you must not touch His Majesty's reverse scale, otherwise there will be no good results.
But at this moment, when everyone was speechless, above the Jianshi Hall that should have been silent, a loud and powerful voice, neither humble nor arrogant, broke the deathly silence like a thunder in the dark night. .
"Your Majesty, I think it is absolutely impossible to attack Wu at this time!"
This is Bao Xun, the censor Zhongcheng.
In fact, it was just a guess. The important ministers also knew that it must be him, because except for him, no one of the ministers who were wise enough to protect themselves at this moment dared to criticize the emperor's rebellion.
Sure enough, some attentive ministers had noticed that the mountains in the twelve chapter patterns on the emperor's body were faintly trembling, and the dragon pattern seemed to be emitting a low roar. The patterned ax on the hem of the emperor's uniform seemed to be filled with murderous intent in an instant.
When the emperor is angry, he bleeds and drifts!
However, Bao Xun didn't know whether it was because of hindsight or because he was really not afraid of death. His eyes were still looking at the angry face of the king. His voice was still neither humble nor arrogant, without even a trace of hesitation.
Cao Rui, the king of Pingyuan in the shift, couldn't help but secretly praise in his heart at this moment: Bao Xun and Uncle Bao Ye are really loyal ministers!
Bao Xun's memorial was like striking gold and jade, emitting a clear and clear sound above the temple:
"Your Majesty, our army has conquered Wu and Yue many times before, but still failed to conquer a single city or territory. This is because Wu and Shu are closely related to each other and are separated by dangerous mountains and rivers. It is also because there is still land between the two countries. It is because of Zhuge Kongming and other capable ministers and generals. Therefore, it is difficult to attack Wu at this time.
Not only that, a few years ago, His Majesty labored soldiers and traveled far across the rivers and lakes on dragon boats, spending thousands of gold every day. Tens of millions of financial resources in the country have been wasted in vain.
There is an ancient saying: Soldiers are deadly weapons and should be used as a last resort. Besides, Your Majesty has been in poor health recently, so I thought that at this time..."
At this moment, Cao Pi could no longer stand Bao Xun's "nonsense".
"enough!"
The emperor roared, and the hearts of all the princes and ministers in the court were immediately shaken.
Bao Xun stopped talking.
At this moment, Cao Pi's already gray beard was trembling slightly, and his body, which was sitting next to the dragon table, was also trembling with rage.
"Bao Xun! I know my body myself. There is no need for you to curse me in the court!"
When Bao Xun heard this, no matter how courageous he was, he couldn't stand it anymore. After all, even if he had ten lives, he couldn't bear the crime of "cursing the emperor". He immediately knelt on the ground and begged the emperor:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. If you offend your Majesty, I will be punished by death..."
Cao Pi saw that Bao Xun, who had always liked to be a sharp-tongued man, relented. He didn't have enough reasons to do anything to him at the moment, so he suppressed his anger.
Shangshu Ling Chen Qun was originally afraid that the emperor would be so angry that he would faint and execute Bao Xun. Seeing that the emperor was so angry, he immediately found a way out for Bao Xun and the emperor:
"Your Majesty, Bao Shuye has repeatedly angered Tianyan. I believe that he is no longer suitable for the position of censor Zhongcheng. I request that he be moved to the left to serve as a bookkeeper and law enforcer."
Chen Qun's move was actually extremely clever. Bao Xun served as Yushi Zhongcheng, which was jointly recommended by him and Sima Yi three years ago. In the past, Bao Xun was appointed as Chief Fengxian because he valued his integrity. However, Bao Xun had an old grudge with His Majesty, and in recent years, Bao Xun had been outspoken in his advice, which had repeatedly angered Tianyan. Therefore, at this time The best result is that he no longer serves as the censor Zhongcheng, so that he can take the opportunity to eliminate the emperor's anger, and also prevent Bao Xun from having more conflicts with the emperor in the future. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone.
When Cao Pi saw that Bao Xun no longer prevented him from attacking Wu, his anger was mostly gone, so he said in a low voice, "Quickly play", and the matter passed like this.
In May, Cao Pi's dragon boat arrived at Qiaojun again.
The emperor looked at the rivers and mountains in front of him and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
When he came here on a dragon boat a year ago, he was very ambitious. But today, when he returned to his hometown, he only felt desolate and sad.
As a close friend, Xia Houshang was originally the leader and assistant in his heart, but he suddenly withered away. I didn't even give him a serious marquis!
[Note 1: Xiahou Shangjue Changling Xianghou, Xianghou, Tinghou and County Marquis are all lords. Under the Duke, Bozi and other titles, there are only food towns but no fiefs. 】
Thinking of this, Cao Pi felt a twinge of pain in his heart.
All the youthful emotions, pleasures and grudges from his youth came to mind one by one at this moment.
At this moment, he not only missed Xia Houshang very much, but also missed his friends Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Wu Zhi, Zhu Shuo and other friends.
In addition, there is a deep fear in his heart, that is his own life.
I still remember that when I was the Crown Prince of Wei in the East Palace, I once held a banquet for guests and asked the divine minister Zhu Jianping to come to see him. Zhu Jianping said that his life was very noble and his life span was expected to be eighty, but there would be some misfortune after reaching forty.
Now, I happen to be old enough not to be confused, but my current mentality, how can I still look like a person who has a life expectancy of eighty?
In August, the dragon boat entered the Huaisi River and began to head south toward the Yangtze River.
But the Zhenglu Canal he dug was not completed.
At this time, Jiang Ji, the minister in charge of supervising the construction of the water channel, came to the table and said that the water channel was difficult to pass and the troops should be dismissed.
But Cao Pi naturally would not listen.
A stubborn person, no matter whether the decision he makes is right or wrong, as long as he has decided and started, he will never stop. Even if there might be a wall in front of him, he must hit it first.
What's more, it's still too early to say whether it will be the southern wall or not.
In this way, the dragon boat sailed eastward into the sea and continued southward. It was not until two months later in October that Cao Pi's dragon boat sailed to the ancient city of Guangling.
This place is only across the river from Sun Quan's Stone City.
In ancient times, Jinling was said to have a royal aura. Therefore, after the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, he personally went to suppress it and destroyed the passes and abandoned the passes to cut off its aura. However, hundreds of years later, some people still claimed kingship and hegemony here.
Are there some things that not even the emperor can do?
For a moment, Cao Pi suddenly felt panic in his heart. Even if he really unified the world, would he still be like the Qin Dynasty under the First Emperor?
He couldn't think of an answer or an ending. So he simply stopped thinking.
Cao Weiwu's overwhelming army was like an iron wall at the moment, stationed in the north of the river. The emperor and his thousands of troops were watching the troops along the river, looking at the thousands of Wu troops on the other side of the river.
I saw the Wu army on the other side of the river, dressed in green clothes and armor, their armor shining in the sun, their spears shining brightly, they were very majestic and orderly.
Cao Pi not only raised his eyes to look at the sky above his head, but also thought, if there is a God in Heaven, what do the 100,000 troops, dragon boats and warships he leads do in the eyes of God?
Is it an ant or a chess piece?
The emperor once again felt helpless. It seemed that for the first time, he foresaw his own failure before the war even started.
He suddenly felt a little regretful. Why did he have to come here to defeat Wu this time?
Although the emperor was only in his forties, he could clearly feel that he was getting old.
It took him more than half a year from spring to winter to carry out the high-profile personal expedition.
Arriving north of the Yangtze River, it was already the middle of winter. The hundreds of thousands of Wei troops were like a huge dark cloud, shrouding the north bank of the Yangtze River. Hundreds of miles of flags fluttered in the wind, so that the birds were frightened and did not dare to fly over.
It was cold and the water in the north of the river was covered with a thick layer of ice, so ships were not allowed to enter the river.
Cao Pi looked at the distant south bank of the Yangtze River, where the Wu people were holding tight positions.
When Cao Pi saw the turbulent waves of the river, he was suddenly filled with emotions. The south and the north were like two completely different worlds. Even though he was an emperor, he still could not reach that world...
Standing on his horse, Cao Pi felt for the first time the insignificance of human beings. Whether it was emperors, generals, ministers, or ordinary people, there was a big difference between the vast world...
"Watching troops approach the river. How can the water flow?"
Guns and spears form mountains and forests. Xuanjia shines in the sun.
A fierce general is furious. Courage is in full swing.
Who has clouds and rivers? A reed can sail.
Subjugate the enemy without fighting. Soldiers are called virtuous.
The ancient mansion is in Qiyi. The real beginning was the Yin Shang Dynasty.
Meng Xian camp Hulao. Zheng people are afraid of Jiqing.
For state affairs farming. The first zero self-destruction.
Xingnong Huaisi. The capital of building houses is Xu Fang.
The quantity is appropriate and the power is appropriate. Xian Yuekang of the Sixth Army.
How is it like Dongshan poetry? So sad.
[Note 1: Emperor Wen Cao Pi's poem "Guang Ling Composing a Poem on a Horse". 】
Alas, Gu Tian is limited to the north and the south!"
Cao Pi immediately composed a poem, Linjiang sighed, and his face burst into tears before he knew it.
