When Emperor Cao Rui was touring the southern suburbs of Xuchang and supervising the construction of Jingfu Hall and Chengguang Hall, Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou, Tian Yu, the governor of Qingzhou, and Han Qianwei, the school official in Jiangdong and the commander of the Wuwei camp, successively reported to Xuchang Three urgent intelligence military reports were sent.
Among the three secret reports sent to the palace in Xuchang, Han Qianwei, who was far away in Jiangdong but was the first to learn the news, was the first to send the news: Sun Quan, Lord of Wu, had sent envoys to fight dozens of warships, intending to form an alliance with Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong.
Immediately afterwards, there was a secret message from Tian Yu, the governor of Qingzhou: Soochow warships had appeared on the East China Sea.
Finally, there is a secret message from Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou: Gongsun Yuan and the Soochow envoy drank and talked happily every day, and the two sides seemed to be colluding!
These three pieces of news made Emperor Cao Rui extremely angry. After all, for so many years, Gongsun of Liaodong has only received rewards and titles from the Great Wei Dynasty, but now, Gongsun Yuan is so inconsistent!
Speaking of Liaodong, it was already under the control of the Gongsun family as early as the Jian'an period of the previous dynasty. In the sixth year of Zhongping in the previous dynasty, Dong Zhuo, who controlled the Han Dynasty, appointed Gongsun Du as the prefect of Liaodong. Gongsun Du governed with an iron fist. In the eastern part of Liaodong, the great and famous people gradually became famous. Goguryeo, Wuhuan, Fuyu, Haoqi and other northern barbarian countries were frightened by the power of the Gongsun family, and they all came to pay tribute and submit. At that time, warlords were fighting in the Central Plains, but there were few wars in Liaodong. Gongsun Du became increasingly ambitious, and proclaimed himself the Marquis of Liaodong and the Mu of Pingzhou. From then on, the Gongsun family began to dominate.
Later, after Gongsun Du died, his son Gongsun Kang inherited the hegemony in Liaodong. At that time, Emperor Wu of the Great Wei Dynasty, Cao Cao, was powerful. After defeating the Yuan family in the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao's sons Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled to Liaodong, their former allies. However, frightened by Cao Cao's power, Gongsun Kang decisively killed the Yuan brothers, expressed his submission to the court under Cao's control, and accepted the titles of General Zuo and Marquis of Xiangping awarded to him by Cao.
At that time, Sun Quan, who was still a minister of the Han Dynasty, had already sent an envoy to Liaodong, hoping to form an alliance with Liaodong. However, Gongsun Kang rejected Sun Quan's intention to form an alliance and even killed the envoy of Soochow. The two sides had been at odds for many years.
Now, after many years, Sun Quan has proclaimed himself emperor. He wanted to go north to the Central Plains, so he naturally once again came up with the idea of alliing with Liaodong and flanking the Wei Dynasty. But this time, Gongsun Yuan, the son of Gongsun Kang and the governor of Liaodong in the Wei Dynasty, apparently also had such an intention.
In the past many years, the reason why the Cao family did not completely conquer Liaodong with force was because the Gongsun family seemed to be peaceful on the surface. Not only that, at this time, Liaodong had been painstakingly managed by three generations of the Gongsun family, and there were already tens of thousands of armored soldiers. If there was a rash attack, if Wu, Shu, Mobei Xianbei and other forces took the opportunity to invade the border again, the consequences would be disastrous. .
But Cao Rui never expected that Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen's years of connivance would not only fail to allow the Gongsun family to stay in peace, but would instead allow Gongsun Yuan to arouse the ambitions of the entire world!
The sudden change gave Cao Rui, who was initially discouraged by the loss of his beloved son, new motivation. At this moment, he clenched his fists and secretly swore that for the rest of his life, he would not destroy Liaodong and would not be a human being!
Cao Rui immediately summoned Zhongshu Ling Sun Zi, Zhongshu Supervisor Liu Fang, Sanqi Changshi Jiang Ji, Cao Zhao, Gao Tanglong, Bian Lan, He Zeng and others to discuss matters at the palace in Xuchang.
When Cao Rui saw everyone arriving, he immediately began to explain the whole story to everyone and asked for countermeasures:
"Dear sirs, today I have received three secret reports from Jiangdong, Qingzhou, and Youzhou. That Sun Quan intends to form an alliance with Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong and is waiting for an opportunity to attack our great Wei Dynasty! But Gongsun Yuan, the governor of Liaodong, does not think about the majestic favor of the emperor, and actually wants to accept it. Sun Quan's alliance is planned to be good with Wu Tong! I think that since Gongsun Yuan has a secret intention to be with Wu Tong and no longer wants to be my minister in the Wei Dynasty, then I don't want to be polite to him anymore. I want to make Runan the governor Tian Yu, acting as the governor of Qingzhou, directed the troops of Qingzhou to attack Liaodong from the sea route. Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou, marched from the land route and advanced in two directions to annihilate Gongsun Yuan in one fell swoop. What do you think?"
Like the emperor, who lost his beloved son Jiang Jun, Sanqi Changshi and Guannei Marquis Jiang Ji thought for a long time and felt that it was not the best time to suddenly conquer Liaodong. He went out to admonish the emperor:
"Your Majesty, I believe that the expedition to Liaodong at this time is too hasty. It is not appropriate to attack countries that do not need to devour each other and those who have not yet invaded and rebelled. If the attack is sudden and cannot be controlled, it will be driving thieves and driving fish into the abyss. . I have heard a saying: "Tiger and wolf are in the way, but foxes are not to be controlled." This is exactly the principle of getting rid of big harm first and then dealing with small harm. Today, the land outside the sea of Liaodong is for me, the Wei Dynasty. I have appointed protons for many generations, and every day They are chosen to be filial and honest at every age, and there is no crime of lack of positions and tribute. If they attack suddenly, the unknown master will hardly be popular. Moreover, Liaodong is a small country. It will not benefit the country if it has its people, and it will not be rich if it has its wealth. If it is not as good as your Majesty's If you don't intend to do so, you will become enemies with the soldiers and civilians of Liaodong and break your trust. May your Majesty think twice."
Cao Rui, who had lost his beloved son, was already full of anger. He did not think carefully about this expedition to Liaodong, but he was already determined to conquer, and naturally he would not give up. Facing Jiang Ji's advice, Cao Rui said nothing.
Gao Tanglong, a regular servant of Sanqi, also advised Cao Rui not to conquer easily. He believed that Gongsun Yuan was granted the title of Great Duke of Wei and was separated from Soochow by the sea. He would not really sacrifice the near for the distant and serve as the master of Wu.
After hearing what his teacher Gao Tanglong said, Cao Rui hesitated for a moment, but he was still unwilling to give in. After pondering for a while, he turned his attention to three or four of his cronies, Liu Fang, Sun Zi, Cao Zhao, and He Zeng.
Although Cao Zhao had extraordinary talents, he did not know the details of the matter deeply and did not have a good idea at the moment, so he chose to remain silent.
Liu Fangxin, the supervisor of the Central Secretary, knew that the emperor wanted him to support his conquest, but he happened to agree deeply with the opinions of Jiang Ji and Gao Tanglong, so he also chose to remain silent.
He Zeng, the Changshi of Sanqi, Yangwu Tinghou, had a very good idea of his lord's temper when he was assisting Cao Rui in the East Palace. He understood that the emperor wanted to fight, but he knew that Sun Zi would not disobey the emperor's will, so he He simply didn't speak and just waited for Sun Zi to speak.
Zhongshu Ling Sun Zi has always been good at figuring out the emperor's intentions. Although he knew what Jiang Ji and Gao Tanglong said was reasonable, at this moment the emperor obviously wanted to send troops to conquer Liaodong. If he was repeatedly dissuaded, the emperor, who had been emotionally unstable recently, might get angry again. Not only that, after thinking about it, Sun Zi felt that it was not without benefits to conquer Liaodong at this time. After thinking about it, he said:
"I support your Majesty's decision. I believe that no matter what happens at this time, we should immediately send troops to Liaodong to annihilate the Wu army. Only in this way will Gongsun Yuan be afraid and dare not rebel!"
This was what Cao Rui was waiting for. Seeing that his close advisors were fully supporting him, he suddenly had the courage to defy everyone's opinions. Cao Rui stood up, waved his sleeves and said:
"I have made up my mind. I order Tian Yu, the governor of Runan, to immediately lead the troops of Qingzhou to attack Liaodong from the sea route. Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou, attacks from the land route. The two routes will attack Gongsun Yuan together. There must be no mistake."
Seeing that the emperor had made a decision, the ministers no longer objected. Liu Fang and Sun Zi immediately began to draft the emperor's edict.
At this moment, a chamberlain entered the hall and delivered a letter from Chen County, the fiefdom of King Chen Cao Zhi. Cao Rui hurriedly opened the letter. He had always been respectful and afraid of this talented uncle. What I respect is his unparalleled talent and reputation, but what I fear is also his unparalleled talent and reputation.
Over the years, King Chen Cao Zhi has made many requests to go to the border of Wu and Shu to lead the army in battle and serve the country. But how could Cao Rui dare to let this prestigious and amazingly talented uncle take over the military power?
He understood that this memorial letter should be a self-recommendation letter from King Chen. Cao Rui opened the memorial table, and the lines of official script that were domineering inside and outside came into view [Note 1: The following is Chen Siwang Cao Zhi's "Qiu Self-Examination Table", originally written in the second year of Taihe, for the needs of the plot, in the text Moved to the sixth year of Taihe, the content is too exciting to be omitted. In order to make it easier for readers to understand, the complexity has been deleted]:
"Chen Zhi said: When I heard about the life of a scholar, I served my father when I entered, and I served my emperor when I left. Serving my father is more important than honoring my relatives, and serving my king is more important than rejuvenating the country. Therefore, a kind father cannot love a useless son, and a benevolent king cannot care for useless ministers." Those who judge virtue and confer officials are successful kings; those who measure their abilities and receive titles are ministers who have fulfilled their duties. Therefore, the king does not give in vain, and the ministers do not receive in vain. . . .
This minister has been greatly favored by the country, and has lived for three generations now. At the time when His Majesty is in peace, it is a great blessing to bathe in the holy lake and cultivate the virtues! As for those who are in the East Fan clan, the nobles are in the upper ranks, the body is lightly warmed, the mouth is disgusted with all kinds of tastes, the eyes are extremely luxurious, and the ears are tired of silk and bamboo, this is due to the high rank and generous salary. Reminiscing about those who received honors and honors in ancient times, they are different from this. ...
Fang today unified the whole country, Jiuzhou Yanru. In the west, there is Shu who disobeys orders, and in the east there is Wu who is disobedient, so that those who have not received tax armor on the border and have no counselors can rest assured, they sincerely want to mix with the inner world and achieve peace.
Therefore, when there was a Hu Hu in the Qi Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty was successful, in the Cheng Dynasty, it defeated the Shang Dynasty, and when it was dying, Zhou De wrote. Now His Majesty rules the world with his sage, and he will continue his achievements in civil and military affairs, succeed in success, and prosper in Kang, and grant talents to Jian Xian. He will use Uncle Fang and Zhao Hu as ministers to guard the four borders and serve as the minions of the country. It can be said that he is worthy of it. However, if the tall bird is not hung on the light hook and the deep fish is not hung on the hook and bait, I am afraid that the skill of fishing and shooting may not be exhausted. ...
The favored ministers of the husband want to eliminate troubles and bring benefits; when the ministers serve the emperor, they must kill themselves to calm the chaos and repay the master with their merits. ...
In the past, Wu of the Han Dynasty treated Huo Qubing and said in his words: "The Huns are not destroyed, and I can't take care of my family." Gufu was worried about his country and forgot about his family, so he sacrificed his life to help those in need, which is the ambition of a loyal minister. Today, I am living outside, and it is not unreasonable. However, if I cannot sleep well and cannot eat well, I will think that I am not able to control the two aspects.
He steals without knowing what he is doing, he is determined to serve his life, and he makes great achievements in order to repay the kindness he has received. If His Majesty were to issue an unparalleled edict and follow the use of the awl knife, the general in the west would be able to serve as a school team; if the general in the east would be responsible for unifying the partial divisions, he would take advantage of the danger and sail on the boat. The sharp edge touches the front, which is the first step for the soldiers. ...
Although he was born in Shu, he was still in his prime when he was at Wu Palace. Just like a person with a small talent who has not been tested, who has not been known in the world, who only glorifies his body but enriches his body, whose life is of no benefit to his work, and whose death is of no use to his number. He who holds a high position in vain but pays much attention to his salary, a bird rests and looks at it, and finally his head becomes white. This disciple circle The nourishment of the prison is not what the minister wants. ...
In the past, I went from Emperor Xianwu to Chi'an in the Antarctic, facing the Canghai in the east, looking at Yumen in the west, and out of Xuansai in the north. I saw the power of the army marching and using it, which was wonderful. Therefore, soldiers cannot predict, and they are those who make changes when faced with difficulties. The ambition will be effective in the bright time and make contributions in the holy world. Every time I read historical records, I look at the loyal ministers and righteous men in ancient times who sacrificed their lives for the country. Although their bodies were slaughtered to pieces, their merits were inscribed on the bells and their names were hung on bamboos and silks.
The ministers heard that the Lord Ming envoys will not abolish the guilty ones. Therefore, the defeated generals who ran to the north used Qin and Lu to achieve their success; the ministers who stole horses with Jueying were pardoned, and Chu and Zhao relieved their difficulties. I feel that the late emperor died early and the mighty king passed away. I am the only one who can survive for a long time! ...
When I hear the Qi Ji's long cry, Bole Le shows his ability; when the Lu Dog wails mournfully, Korea knows his talent. This is to use the road of Qi and Chu to achieve the mission of thousands of miles; to test the cunning and avoidance, to test the effectiveness of fighting and devouring. Today, I am committed to the small merits of dogs and horses, but I only try to save them by stealing them. In the end, I will not be able to do anything like Bole Korea. This is why I steal them and hurt myself.
... In the past, Mao Sui and Zhao's companions were like a metaphor for a fake cone bag, which was used to achieve meritorious service by the enemy. How much more so in the dynasty of the great Wei Dynasty, where there were many officials who died generously! If a husband shows off and matches himself, it is an ugly behavior of a scholar and a woman; if a husband strives to make progress while doing his job, it is a taboo of Taoism. Those who dare to report this to Your Majesty are those who sincerely share the same spirit as the country and share its sorrows and sorrows. I hope to use the dust and mist to replenish the mountains and seas; to brighten the sun and the moon with the last light of a candle. Therefore, if you dare to risk your ugliness and offer your loyalty, you will definitely be laughed at by the courtiers. The Holy Lord does not let others talk nonsense, but His Majesty rarely listens to God, so I am lucky. "
Cao Rui read his uncle Cao Zhi's eloquent self-examination list in one breath, and he didn't know how he felt. Why don't I want to reuse talented people like my uncle, but since my father, Emperor Wen, has been very strict in controlling the children of the royal family who have close bloodline, I have the intention to promote the clan and reform the system, but if this matter suddenly If so, I'm just afraid that I won't be able to control the situation.
I had previously changed the enfeoffments and expanded the fiefdoms of the kings, just to prepare for this matter. This matter was also a secret plan between him and his teacher Gao Tanglong.
After a while, Liu Fang, Sun Zi and others had already drafted the edict, and Cao Rui also came out of his meditation. Seeing that the emperor had an idea, Cao Zhao also had some plans in his mind. He admonished and added:
"Your Majesty, I think that external conquests will make Gongsun Yuan afraid, which is natural. However, I feel that it is still necessary to secretly send an envoy to explain the interests to Gongsun Yuan!"
When Cao Rui heard this, he was convinced. After pondering for a while, he already had an idea in his mind:
"Changsi, I issued an edict: I ordered Wu General Cao Zuan to be killed, and led dozens of capable school officials to go to Rencheng State to meet with Yulin Supervisor Xiahou Xuan, with Xiahou Xuan as the chief envoy and Cao Zuan as the deputy envoy. Then he ordered the envoy to rush straight to Liaodong to lobby Gongsun Yuan!"
At this time, Cao Rui's eyes inadvertently glanced at the self-examination form written by King Chen Cao Zhi on the case, and he said softly:
"I'm passing through Chen County on this trip. I'll call the envoy and pay a visit to King Chen on the way..."
