After Cao Rui changed to Yuan Jingchu and changed the color of his clothes, it was already the seventh month of autumn in the blink of an eye.
On this day, a fast horse relay message from Youzhou in the north reached Luoyang.
In the east hall of Tai Chi Hall.
Cao Rui frowned as he looked at the military report sent by Guanqiu Jian from Youzhou.
Gongsun Yuan, who was entrenched in Liaodong and was nominally the Great Sima of the Wei Dynasty and Duke Lelang, heard that Cao Rui had been carrying out large-scale construction projects in recent years and was not considerate of the people's strength. He thought that Cao had lost people's support, so he raised his troops to rebel!
Speaking of Liaodong, it is actually a "state within a state" within the territory of the Wei Kingdom.
Gongsun Yuan was the grandson of Gongsun Du, the prefect of Liaodong in the late Han Dynasty, and the son of Gongsun Kang, the general of the left.
When Gongsun Kang passed away, because his sons Gongsun Huang and Gongsun Yuan were still young, in order to avoid the dilemma of having a young leader and a leaderless country, the people in eastern Liaoning chose to support Gongsun Kang's younger brother Gongsun Gong, who had mediocre qualifications but was still young. He was the governor of Liaodong.
Later, Emperor Wen Cao Pi established the country on behalf of the Han Dynasty. Although Liaodong continued to obey Wei on the surface, in fact it always had second thoughts.
As early as the second year of Taihe, the ambitious and grown-up Gongsun Yuan gradually took control of the military and forced his uncle Gongsun Gong to become the governor of Liaodong. Cao Rui did not listen to Liu Ye's advice to take this opportunity to annihilate Liaodong. Instead, he worshiped Gongsun Yuan as General Yang Lie and Liaodong Governor, and ordered him to continue to rule Liaodong.
Facts have proved that this Gongsun Yuan is indeed not a kind person.
Not long after Gongsun Yuan came to power, he began to communicate with Wu and exchange information.
A few years ago, in the seventh year of Taihe, Gongsun Yuan attempted to profess his vassal status to Wu as a foreign aid to Soochow, and jointly attacked the Wei Dynasty to strengthen his own power. Sun Quan naturally had the same idea and planned to confer Gongsun Yuan as King of Yan.
Everyone from the Prime Minister Gu Yong of Eastern Wu to the general supporting Wu Zhang Zhao believed that this plan could not be accomplished. They appealed to the court, believing that Gongsun Yuan would be defeated, and they all opposed Sun Wu's support for Gongsun Yuan.
But Sun Quan had made up his mind and did not listen to their advice. Instead, he sent Zhang Mi, Xu Yan, He Da and other ministers to go north to Liaodong with gold and jade treasures and established Gongsun Yuan as King of Yan.
Gongsun Yuan did not expect that Sun Quan would value him so much, but soon after he thought about it, he thought that Dongwu was far away and Cao Wei was close. He was afraid of Cao Wei's attack and felt that it was not cost-effective to offend the great Wei. So he changed his mind again and added He also coveted the large amount of treasures sent by Soochow, so he lured the Wu envoy to death and dedicated his head to Cao Rui.
Cao Rui then took the opportunity to worship Gongsun Yuan as Grand Sima and grant him the title of Duke Lelang, in an attempt to win over Gongsun Yuan and let him continue to serve as the governor of Liaodong and command the counties.
However, since then, Ansheng's life has not passed for ten years, and now Gongsun Yuan has launched a rebellion.
Guanqiu Jian, the governor of Youzhou, made a decisive decision and immediately sent tens of thousands of border troops to conquer. However, Guanqiu Jian was really unlucky in his first battle. Because it was raining in autumn and Gongsun Yuan was holding on to the Liao Tunnel City, he had a bad start, so he had to temporarily He led his troops back to Youzhou and sent fast horses to Luoyang to report the matter to Cao Rui.
Cao Rui was not in a good mood at the moment. After thinking for a long time, he decided to call someone to discuss it together.
"Come here, tell Liu Fang, Sun Zi, and Liu Shao to come to the palace to discuss matters!"
Since Cao Rui came to the throne, he has always adopted a gentle and appeasing policy towards Liaodong. He has never fought with him and does not know its details, so he does not know how to deal with it at this time.
Among the many casual cavalry attendants, Cao Zhao also serves as the captain of the Tun Cavalry School and is in charge of the imperial army. Today, the Tun Cavalry Camp is reporting to the school, so Cao Zhao has no time to come to discuss the affairs. Gao Tanglong had been ill a few days ago and had not been to the court for several days. As for He Zeng, after taking over the school affairs office, he didn't have much leisure. And Bian Lan also passed away a few years ago. As for the Queen's younger brother Mao Zeng, he was just a loser. In addition, Cao Rui had been a bit cold towards Queen Mao in recent years. Mao Zeng, a regular attendant on the cavalry, naturally had no sense of existence.
Therefore, at this moment, the only permanent servants who can advise Cao Rui are Liu Fang and Sun Zi.
Not long after, Liu Fang, Sun Zi, and Liu Shao came to the hall.
"I will see you, Your Majesty."
"My dear friends, please get up." Cao Rui asked the waiter beside him to hand the relay report to the three of them: "This is the military report from Zhong Gong from Youzhou. I believe you have already seen the specific military information. Reported, I don’t have a decision on this matter at the moment, so I asked you to help me come up with an idea.”
Although the three of them had indeed read the Di newspaper a long time ago, they still read Guan Qiujian's military newspaper again at this time. After reading it, the three of them thought in silence for a moment before Liu Fang spoke first:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Gongsun Yuan now has an army of 100,000, and he occupies Liaodong. The terrain is dangerous and the army is strong. Although the governor of Youzhou is amazing and talented, he has never had the experience of leading an army in combat. Plus, This time the attack was unfavorable, the spirit was dampened, and morale was low. I am afraid that he is no longer a match for Gongsun Yuan. Therefore, I believe that the governor of Youzhou should be ordered not to act rashly for the time being, and your majesty will send another experienced and wise and brave general to lead the army to Liaodong. , after joining forces with the Youzhou army of Commander Guanqiu, and then defeating the enemy together, we will have a chance of winning."
After hearing this, Cao Rui was silent for a long time.
Cao Rui was naturally very aware of Guan Qiu Jian's talents. He knew Guan Qiu Jian as a young man and knew that Guan Qiu Jian was not only talented in literature and good at politics, but also skilled in martial arts, well-versed in military literature, and extremely resourceful. He was really a rare handsome talent. , he has always recognized Guan Qiu Jian's ability, which is why he handed over the Youzhou portal to Guan Qiu Jian. But this time Guanqiu Jian's luck was really bad. Liu Fang's statement just now that the morale of the Youzhou army was low and could no longer fight was indeed not alarmist.
Naturally, he understood what Liu Fang meant. The experienced "wisdom and courageous general" Liu Fang said, naturally there was no other person in the dynasty except Taiwei Sima Yi. Although Liu Fang's intention was obvious, he wanted to reinstate Sima Yi, but Cao Rui thought about it and still didn't want Sima Yi, the "Tomb Tiger", to take charge of the military again.
But what Liu Fang said had some truth to it. Gongsun Yuan's strength should not be underestimated, and Guanqiu Jianxin had not been in office for long, and he lacked military experience. The land of Liaodong was indeed not a trivial matter, and there was no room for failure, so Cao Rui did not dare to follow suit. He randomly used the important land of Liaodong to train Guanqiu Jian.
As for the others, Cao Shuang? Qin Lang? Xiahou Xian? Or Cao Zhao? Or is it Xia Houxuan who has made many military exploits for himself but is still stubborn and arrogant and dislikes him deep down in his heart?
Cao Rui understood that although they were not idiots, their ability and experience in marching and fighting were slightly less than Guanqiu Jian. In addition, the situation in Liaodong is critical this time, and even Guanqiu Jian is temporarily helpless. Naturally, he cannot leave it to these newcomers to practice casually.
Could it be that he really wanted to re-enable Sima Yi?
He remembered what Gao Tanglong said to him when Lingxiao Tower was just built.
"'Wei magpie has a nest, and Wei dove lives in it'. Today, the palace is built, the mausoleum is built, and the magpie's nest is built. This is a sign that the palace has not been completed and the original owner cannot live in it. If God's will says, if the palace is not completed, there will be another surname. Controlling this is a commandment from Heaven. You must be careful and careful. Your Majesty regards me as your heart, and this is what I say from the bottom of my heart. Although I have disobeyed Your Majesty, I hope that Your Majesty will think carefully about it!"
Gao Tanglong's words were clearly warning himself that Sima Yi must be on guard.
He remembered that although Sima Yi was now serving as a lieutenant, he could still respond to every call in the court. Even Liu Fang, Sun Zi, Jiang Ji, Gao Rou, Wei Zhen, Sima Zhi and others he trusted and relied on could not. exception.
He remembered what his father had said to his former great commanders Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu when he was dying.
He also remembered that out of the four auxiliary ministers, now only Sima Yi was left. The balance of power and prestige among the ministers in the court had long been seriously tilted.
However, what will happen if I, the Great Wei, are without him now?
Cao Rui couldn't understand this matter for a moment. At this moment, he put his hand on his forehead and frowned, looking worried.
"Liu Fang and Sun Zi conveyed my decree and ordered Liaodong to hold on for the time being and not to fight in vain; in addition, they ordered the four states of Qing, Yan, You, and Ji to build large ships and intensify cruising to prevent Soochow and Liaodong from continuing to collude.… …As for the dispatch of the expeditionary force, we will discuss it later.”
"Yes, Your Majesty." Liu Fang, Sun Zi, and Liu Shao saw that Cao Rui was tired, and their goal seemed to be half achieved, so they hurriedly left and went to the Shangshutai to draft an edict.
―――
On Xin Mao Day, officials at Lingtai discovered a strange celestial phenomenon appearing in Taibai.
Everyone knew that this was an ominous sign.
When Gongsun Yuan saw that the imperial court was not taking action for a while, he mistakenly believed that the Wei State had no available people and had enough strength and energy to deal with him. Therefore, with the strong support of a group of subordinates who were eager to make contributions and achieve great success, he established himself as the "King of Yan" ", also set up hundreds of officials, changed the year name to the first year of Shaohan, and officially launched a blatant rebellion.
The people on the border were panicked because of this, and there was a faint danger of unrest in the northern border of the Wei Dynasty.
However, when the house leaked, it rained continuously all night. Man-made disasters continued, and natural disasters came again. In the autumn and September, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou and other places suffered from floods due to the overflow of autumn rains and the Yellow River. Cao Rui, who was a little worried, immediately dispatched the censor. He went to pacify various states and counties, and opened warehouses to release grain in each state to cheer up the people, in an attempt to alleviate the disaster.
Wei State suffered from natural disasters and man-made disasters at the same time, and Wu, Shu and Mobei Xianbei were still eyeing it.
This year, the Wei Dynasty was once again in a huge crisis just like Cao Rui had just ascended the throne more than ten years ago.
But the only difference is that at this time, the talents of the Wei Dynasty were withering, and the emperor was no longer as powerful as he used to be.
In the past few months, Cao Rui has been very busy.
When he heard that the big ship had been built and was patrolling the sea day and night, Cao Rui felt a little relieved. At least now there is no need to worry about Soochow and Liaodong colluding and exchanging information. Moreover, the victims in the four states have been temporarily appeased, and floods in each state are being rectified with all their strength.
Cao Rui felt that he could finally relax a little.
Cao Rui heard that although the flowers in Fanglin Garden had died, the autumn chrysanthemums were in full bloom, so he asked people to prepare a banquet in the garden, intending to enjoy the flowers, drink and have fun with his concubines.
Queen Mao has always been reserved, and since the death of the prince Cao Yin, Cao Rui didn't know who killed his prince, so he naturally kept a close eye on everyone including Queen Wende, Queen Guo and Queen Mao. He was extremely suspicious, which created an irreparable rift between him and Empress Mao, which has been the case for many years. The young and beautiful Mrs. Guo has also been favored by Cao Rui over the years. Therefore, Cao Rui did not invite Queen Mao to this banquet.
In Fanglin Garden, Mrs. Guo and the concubines chatted and laughed with the emperor while urging him to drink. Not long after, Cao Rui was already drunk.
Mrs. Guo, who was newly favored but not stupid, felt that it would be inappropriate not to invite the Queen for such an occasion, so she said cautiously: "Your Majesty, why don't you invite the Queen to come with you to appreciate the chrysanthemums?"
After hearing this, Cao Rui shook his head and just raised a bottle to drink for himself. He said: "The queen never likes such occasions. It's better not to tell her about today's banquet."
So Cao Rui ordered the attendants and maids present not to tell the queen about today's banquet in Fanglin Garden.
Only Mrs. Guo understood in her heart that Cao Rui's reluctance to invite the Queen was not entirely due to the estrangement between him and Queen Mao. There was also another reason. It should be that Cao Rui did not want to be so rude when Queen Mao was currently there.
Mrs. Guo understood that in the emperor's mind, although today's Empress Mao was no longer the almost perfect love of his heart, she, who was newly favored and had no extraordinary merits, was even less so.
Perhaps His Majesty's heart has always been filled with the former Pingyuan Princess Mao. Except for that perfect shadow, it is difficult for anyone in this world to replace the position in the emperor's heart.
At this time, Cao Rui was very drunk, hugging him from left to right, and indeed seemed a bit debauched.
The night gradually becomes darker, and under the cover of flowers, branches and leaves, you can still hear the laughter and joy of the warblers and swallows from time to time.
―――
The next day, the bored Queen Mao was riding a lacquered wooden carriage around the palace. By chance, she met Emperor Cao Rui in a winding corridor.
The couple was a little embarrassed and remained speechless for a moment.
Perhaps because she felt the atmosphere was a little awkward, or perhaps because she was deeply disappointed in her husband Cao Rui, Empress Mao then said something that was either sarcastic or a joke. She smiled and said: "Your Majesty had a banquet in the North Garden yesterday. Huh?"
After hearing these words, Cao Rui suddenly felt a burning and stinging sensation on his face, and he became a little angry from embarrassment. Perhaps because he finally couldn't hide his ugly side in front of her, his emotions became a little out of control.
"Who told the Queen?"
"Is this important?" Queen Mao couldn't help but feel even more disappointed. The king in front of her was no longer the husband she had been with through all the hardships.
Back then, he was his husband, his support, and the sky above his head.
But now he has changed. He became dissolute and extravagant, suspicious and irritable, much like the late emperor who was sometimes unreasonable.
"Come here, arrest the palace servants who accompanied me and my concubines at the banquet yesterday, and kill them all without mercy!"
After hearing her husband's voice, which was like a devil's roar, Maomaohou suddenly felt a chill in her heart. She couldn't stop crying, and drove the car back to the palace without looking back.
Why, why did he, who was kind and generous back then, become like this today?
On the day after Cao Rui ordered the death of a dozen palace officials, a waiter came to the Queen's Jiaofang Hall carrying a lacquered wooden tray containing white silk, daggers, and poisonous wine.
Unexpectedly, Empress Mao just smiled indifferently, drank the poisonous wine, and sang the white-headed chant sung by sad people in the Han Dynasty: "
It's as white as snow on the mountain and as bright as the moon among the clouds.
I heard that you had two opinions, so I came to resolve it.
…”
For no reason, she thought of the young man who was just the King of Pingyuan in the early Huang Dynasty. At that time, he had a pair of very clear eyes, and the light in those eyes was like the clear spring in the mountains of his hometown in Hanoi. Flowed into her heart...
―――
In the Jiulong Palace, the emperor looked at the pearl hairpin she wore when she first married into the palace.
She used to be so kind and beautiful, but why did she want to kill her own royal heir and be so cold and callous to herself?
He remembered the day when his father asked him to go hunting in Dashi Mountain more than ten years ago when he was weak.
Back then, she was sitting side by side with him on the chariot, holding her hand timidly, as if she didn't want to let him leave her, but she didn't dare to hold it too tightly, and just gently pulled her finger.
"If you have a wife like this, what else can a husband ask for..."
This was the promise he made to her back then. Cao Rui once resented his father, why he was so ruthless and wanted to kill his mother, but now he suddenly realized that he was not a ruthless person.
Are those who are emperors really doomed to live a lonely life?
On this day, the emperor on the throne shed a lot of tears. Whether this was because of sadness or regret, even he himself could not tell.
On the cold and windy Guichou day, the emperor, who was becoming more and more haggard and no longer looked like a young man in the prime of life, personally presided over the funeral of his wife. Mao ended her life in this way, and was buried under the loess of Minling with her posthumous title of "Queen Mourning".
