In a great battle in Yangzhou, both Wei and Wu suffered heavy losses.
The Wu army lost nearly 10,000 people, while the Wei army also lost more than 2,000 soldiers. However, after all, the Wei army won this battle. Not only did they defeat the commander-in-chief of the Wu army, but they also gained a lot of gains.
In the Luoyang Tai Chi Hall, the little emperor Cao Fang and Cao Lanqing, who was about to be nine years old, was listening to General Cao Shuang reporting to him the military battle report on the front line. Wang Ling is the Governor of Yangzhou whom Cao Shuang values and personally supports. He has extremely high qualifications and outstanding military achievements. Cao Shuang naturally wants to take advantage of this victory to promote him. Although Sun Li had a different personality from Cao Shuang, after all, he was a talent left to Cao Shuang by Emperor Cao Rui of the Ming Dynasty. His position as governor of Yangzhou and general Fubo was also arranged by himself. In addition, Sun Li's contribution is indeed not insignificant. , so Cao Shuang did not deliberately erase Sun Li's contribution.
In addition, Zhaowu General Zhuge Dan, whom he valued very much, also made great contributions to Yangzhou this time, so Cao Shuang also wanted to promote him.
After Cao Shuang thought again and again, he said:
"Jizhou is close to Beihu, and non-talented people cannot guard it. Now, the post of Jizhou Mu is vacant. I think Sun Deda can be sent to Jizhou to be promoted to the post of Prefectural Mud. As for the post of Yangzhou Governor, Zhuge Dan is a very suitable candidate. "
Cao Fang nodded and expressed his opinion:
"The general's words make sense. In addition to Sun Li being promoted to Jizhou Mu, I also want to give him 700 pieces of fine silk as a reward. Old General Wang Ling has worked hard and has made great achievements. He can be granted the title of Marquis of Nanxiang. He will be promoted to the second rank of chariot and cavalry. General, Yitong is with the three divisions. As for Zhuge Gongxiu, let him be promoted to the governor of Jingzhou according to the advice of the general."
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Cao Fang listened to Cao Shuang's suggestions and analysis, and finally decided to reward the Yangzhou generals. He called the servants around him and ordered them to quickly summon some of his regular servants. Not long after, four casual cavalry regular attendants, including Changshui Colonel Guo Zhi, Dingling Hou Zhongyu, Cavalry Captain Xunyi, and General Cao Shuang's fifth brother Cao Yan, came to the Tai Chi East Hall together. Sima Jun, who was also the captain of the Tun Cavalry School, was busy leading the Tun Cavalry camp to defend Gongcheng at the moment, so he did not come under the order.
"Four dear friends, this is what I have listed with the general. You should go to Lantai as soon as possible to discuss the draft of the merit book for this Yangzhou battle, and then discuss it and prepare the edict, and then send it to me for reading."
Zhong Yu, Guo Zhi, Cao Yan, and Xun Yi took the draft and quickly went to Lantai to prepare the recruitment.
Soon after, the emperor's edict to express condolences to the soldiers of the three armies in Yangzhou arrived in Yangzhou.
Fubo General Sun Li was rewarded with 700 pieces of silk because he took the lead and fought bloody battles. He was also promoted to Jizhou Mu. However, he did not accept these rewards. Instead, he distributed all 700 pieces of fine silk to his soldiers and the families of the fallen soldiers. [Note 1: A piece of fine silk was worth nearly 3,000 yuan in the late Han Dynasty. Its purchasing power was equivalent to 1,500 yuan, and 700 pieces was equivalent to 10.5 million yuan. 】
General Wang Ling, the governor of Zhendong, was officially promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was awarded the title of Marquis of Nanxiang with 1,350 households in Yitong.
Zhuge Dan became famous all over the world as a result of this battle, and was officially promoted to the important post of governor of Yangzhou.
At this time, Xia Houxuan held an important position in the Central Guard Army in Luoyang, and was given the title of Marquis of Changling; Guanqiu Jian and Guanqiu Zhonggong served as General of Du Liao, Governor of Youzhou, and Colonel of Wuhuan, with the power of envoys and governors. The title of Marquis of Anyi. Several friends who had known each other in the first Imperial College of the dynasty all held important positions in the dynasty, and they were very high-spirited.
Zhuge Dan was very excited, but he did lack some experience in governing a state, so he immediately wrote a letter to his friend Guanqiu Jian, asking him for his strategy for governing state affairs.
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News of the great victory in Yangzhou soon spread to Jingzhou.
When this news reached the ears of Zhu Ran, Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Zhuge Ke and others who were rapidly attacking Fancheng and Lu'an, as well as the Wu army, the Wu army in Jingzhou suddenly lost its determination to fight. The house leaked and it rained all night. Just when Zhuge Jin and others were hesitating whether to retreat, they soon learned two pieces of bad news.
One is that the prince Sun Deng, whom Zhuge Jin and his son had always supported, died suddenly!
Secondly, tens of thousands of troops commanded by Sima Yi have also arrived in Jingzhou!
The news of the prince's death undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to General Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Ke, Zhu Ran and others. The prince Sun Deng has just passed his thirtieth year this year, and he has always been known for his virtuous reputation and extraordinary talents. In the eyes of Zhuge Jin and other veteran officials who founded the country, the hope of the country of Wu lies with the prince. Zhuge Ke has known and known Prince Sun Deng since he was a child, and he has been studying in the East Palace in his early years. He is the first of Wu Prince Sun Deng's "Four Friends of the East Palace". If the prince successfully succeeds to the throne in the future, then Zhuge Ke's future will be natural. It's also limitless, but now...
In the Wu army camp, on this day, Zhuge Jin once again dreamed that he, his dead brother Zhuge Liang, and all his relatives gathered together happily. He also dreamed that the wise and unparalleled Crown Prince finally became a holy king and unified the country. Broken mountains and rivers. But after waking up from the dream, Zhuge Jin found that everything was still so cruel.
General Zhuge Jin, who was already sixty-eight years old, nearly seventy years old, and physically weak, finally couldn't hold on any longer. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Zhuge Jin felt a lot more relaxed, but at the same time, the breath that was holding him could not help. Then it dispersed.
After Zhuge Ke, who had been unable to attack Liu'an for a long time, heard the news that his father was ill, he withdrew his troops at starry night and rushed back to Fancheng Dazhai. Zhuge Ke, who endured his grief, finally made up his mind to retreat. After all, there was no hope of winning this battle. In addition, the prince of the country passed away, and there were still many things waiting for him to fight for and deal with.
That night, Zhuge Ke ordered the entire army to conceal the general's condition, and asked spies to spread the news that the Wu army was about to attack the city. He also left many straw men and lanterns in the camp. He fled towards the south in the dark of night without anyone noticing.
When Sima Yi's army arrived in Jingzhou, Xia Houru's hanging heart finally calmed down. He quickly counted his troops, joined forces with Sima Yi, attacked decisively, and began to formally counterattack the Wu army besieging Fancheng.
But what Xia Houru didn't expect was that his opponent Zhu Ran actually broke out of camp in a hurry that night and retreated quickly!
At this time, Xia Houru and Sima Yi, who were fully dressed in military uniforms and armor, led their 30,000 elite infantry and cavalry, and were inspecting the dilapidated camp of the Wu army.
"Master, I wonder if we should take advantage of the situation and pursue it at this time?"
A confident light flashed in Sima Yi's eyes. He stroked his gray beard, held the sword at his waist with one hand, and held the reins of the war horse tightly with the other. He smiled and answered Xia Houru:
"Jun Lin, if you and I don't take advantage of the victory and pursue it now, when will we wait?"
Xia Houru immediately nodded and chopped the flag in his hand:
"All the officers and soldiers in the army obey the order and quickly pursue the Wu army!"
After receiving the order, all the officers and soldiers of the Wei army immediately turned into a black gust of wind and began to blow towards most of Zhu Ran's body.
Although Zhu Ran made a decisive decision and retreated in time, he was still a step late after all. In addition, the Wu army had too few cavalry and mostly infantry, so the marching speed was far slower than that of the Wei army. Sima Yi and Xia Houru caught up with the Wu army in less than half a day. Most of the rear army.
Xia Houru, who had been hunkered down in Xiangyang City for nearly two months, changed from his normal state and showed his spirit as a famous general. At this moment, he took the lead and led the elite cavalry of the Wei Dynasty behind him to continuously attack and kill the Wu army. The rear army formation.
At this moment, Zhu Ran had a clear vision in his mind. He understood that this battle was definitely unwinnable, and the major events in the country were still undecided, so he could not be reluctant to fight. Therefore, he gritted his teeth and ordered the 3,000 manpower of the rear troops to fight to break up the rear, while he led most of the troops. He quickly fled south.
——————
Just as Zhuge Ke was leading his army back south quickly, his father Zhuge Jin finally couldn't hold on any longer.
At this moment, with tears in Zhuge Ke's eyes, he listened to his father, who had spent half his life in the military, explaining his last words:
"After I die... everything will be simple... The prince is dead, the three princes are harmonious, and they are benevolent and filial. My son... will support the third prince and take the throne in the East Palace... ....”
Zhuge Ke felt a sharp pain in his heart. At this moment, his father passed away suddenly, and he thought of Prince Sun Deng, who was like an elder brother, and suddenly his heart was twisted and tears fell like rain.
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Jiuzifang, Luoyang, Changlinghou Mansion.
At this moment, Xia Houxuan looked at the contents of the letter sent by his uncle Xia Houru about the situation in Wu, and he was filled with emotion.
I heard that Sun Deng, Prince Wu, was a benevolent, filial and clever prince, and he was about the same age as himself, at the height of his power in the Spring and Autumn Period. Now that he passed away suddenly, he should have been happy, but for some reason, Xia Houxuan felt a trace of pity in his heart.
Xia Houxuan picked up the letter and once again read Sun Deng's last words copied from the letter:
"... I heard that life and death have destiny, and the length and breadth come from heaven. Zhou, Jin, and Yan Hui had great wisdom and talents, but they died young. However, I was stupid and lived past my life. I was born as an heir to the country and did not enjoy honors and honors. There are so many ministers, so why be sad and resentful! The major events are still undecided, the bandits have not been punished, and all the countries are chattering. Your Majesty, please look forward to peace for those who are in danger, and for justice to those who are in chaos. May your Majesty abandon your ministers, cut off the favor of others, and repair Huang Lao's technique is to cultivate the divine light carefully, add shameful and precious food, and widen the concerns of the gods to determine the endless career. Then the people will be lucky and the ministers will die without regrets. The prince is benevolent, filial, intelligent, and virtuous. It is advisable to build it early. Place it in order to tie the popularity of the people. Zhuge Ke is talented and broad, and his weapons are at his disposal. Zhang Xiu, Gu Tan, and Xie Jing are all smart and discerning. Zhuang Jie has the style of a national scholar. Yang Gou is quick in arguing and has special talents. Diao Xuan is excellent and ambitious, and his ambition is to follow the truth. Pei Qin Bo Ji, Han Cai is fully useful. Jiang Xiu and Yu Fan have clear ambitions and integrity. All these ministers , whether it is Yilangmiao, or whether he is a general, he has practiced current affairs, learned the laws clearly, kept his word and righteousness, and has an unbreakable ambition. These are all illuminated by the sun and the moon. Your Majesty selects ministers and officials who can do their jobs, prepare for the knowledge, and dare to do it. Chen Wen. I have heard that there are many dangers outside the country today, and the divisions and troops are not yet resting. We should strengthen the six armies in order to make progress. The army regards people as a mass, and the masses regard wealth as treasure. I have heard that the counties and counties are quite desolate, the people are withered, and the people are treacherous. When chaos arises, it is because of the multiplication of laws and regulations and the heavy lifting of punishments. Ministers listen to the government and listen to the people, and laws and orders change with time. Chengyi and the generals and ministers carefully choose the right time, draw on the opinions of the public, lighten punishments and light taxes, and balance the labor force. , in order to obey the people's expectations. Lu Xun was loyal and diligent in his time. He was born and worried about the country. Yan Zhen, Zhang Cheng, and Sun Yi were loyal to the country and well-versed in governing the body. They could make Chen Shang cheap, eliminate troubles, love raising horses and horses, and care for the people. After five years, within ten years, those who were far away would return. Those who are close will do their best, and the army will not be bloody, and major events can be decided. I heard that "when a bird is about to die, its song is mournful, and when a man is about to die, his words are also kind." Therefore, when the son's body is dying and his last words are warning, a gentleman thinks that he is loyal, not to mention the minister. , How can it be done? May your Majesty pay attention and listen to me. Even though I am dying, I am still alive."
After Xia Houxuan read this letter, a drop of clear tears could not help but fall from his eyes.
The hero's ambition was not over, but he died first. How can something like this not be heartbreaking?
As the saying goes, heroes cherish each other, Xia Houxuan felt very sad at this moment. He raised his wine glass and drank quickly, downing three large glasses of wine in one breath.
At this moment, a figure rushed into Linzhixuan and snatched the wine glass from Xia Houxuan's hand!
