It is said that in the past year or so, Cao Shuang first restored some corporal punishments, then decentralized talents to enrich the counties, and finally divided Hedong County to prepare for the removal of counties and establishment of counties. Various reforms and restructuring work were carried out in an orderly manner, but Sima Yi With great scheming, he sent Nanyang Guitai to spread the nursery rhyme "He Dengding, chaos in the capital" and the three dogs of Taichung at the critical moment when Cao Shuang was dividing Hedong County. This incident greatly dampened the enthusiasm of the general and his party for reform.
Even He Yan, the core talent of the reform, began to live passively.
Wuyanghou Mansion.
On this day, after Sima Yi secretly met with Wang Guan, Gao Rou, Jiang Ji, Wei Zhen, Sun Zi, Liu Fang, and Lu Yu, he called Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, and Sima Jun over:
"Now, Cao Shuang's reforms have reached the point where he is riding a tiger and cannot get off. If we can cause him some more trouble, then Cao Shuang will be trapped on the back of a tiger and unable to escape!"
"What does father mean?"
Master Sima didn't understand his father's specific arrangements at this moment.
Sima Yi did not immediately answer his son's question. He looked at the rising sun outside the house and showed a mysterious smile:
"Although the sunshine is dazzling, it will soon be waning..."
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While the adults were discussing important matters in the secret room, the children were playing carefree.
Sima Yan, He Shao, and Zhuge Liang were pushing Taofu's four-wheeled cradle slowly in the corridor. Although he didn't like this brother very much at first, this little guy was so cute that Sima Yan has been following him unknowingly these days.
When Sima Yan pushed the cradle and came to the lotus pond in the corridor, he suddenly saw several lotus buds that looked like seals and were about to bloom. On a sudden impulse, he plucked three buds and handed one of them to him. In the hands of Xiao Taofu:
"In the future, I will give my peach charm a title of prince!"
Xiao Taofu took the buds and chuckled. Sima Yan threw the remaining two buds to Zhuge Liang and He Shao:
"As for you two, just make yourself a duke!"
He Shao heard the words, thanked him, and caught the flower bud thrown by Sima Yan. Zhuge Liang felt a chill in his heart when he heard Sima Yan's clamor for the title of king and duke. He was distracted and accidentally let the flower bud fall to the east of the corridor. In the pool above.
Seeing this scene, several people looked at each other slightly awkwardly and continued to walk with Taofu without saying anything.
In the house, Ling Tan, who was about to marry Zhen De, was currently embroidering a pair of red needlework. She looked worried and had pricked her finger twice by accident.
Yirong next to her saw her cousin's appearance and was about to ask a question, but Lingtan spoke first:
"Cousin, can you tell Lingtan that on that day Weng Weng asked my cousin to get married, why did she resist so much? Could it be that Zhen De was a bad person?"
After hearing what Lingtan said, Yirong finally understood why Lingtan was so distracted. She smiled warmly, grabbed her cousin's hand and explained:
"I'm not familiar with General Zhen, and I don't know what kind of person he is, but I often hear Nian Rong talking about him, so I guess he is an honest man. As for the reason why I don't want to marry, I don't know if I should explain it or not."
After hearing what her cousin said, Lingtan felt a stone fall from her heart. She begged:
"Good sister, tell me, have you secretly promised your heart to a certain young master?"
Yi Rong smiled and poked Ling Tan's forehead:
"Children only know how to ask questions and make random guesses. I won't tell you!"
The two sisters just laughed and talked about their inner thoughts while doing the girl's work.
Unknowingly, when the lanterns were first lit, it was already the time when the moon was at its peak.
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Three days later, at the court meeting, Sima Yi, who was still pretending to be ill, specially arranged for his third brother Sima Fu to propose in the temple the idea of setting up Dazhongzheng in each state to further enhance the efficiency of selecting talents.
As soon as this statement came out, all the veterans of Taifu's party spoke out in agreement.
After hearing this, brothers Cao Shuang and Cao Xi were shocked. They winked at Ding Mi, and Ding Mi immediately left the shift:
"I think that what the Minister said is inappropriate. Nowadays, the power of Zheng Guan among the clans in each state and county is strong enough. If we still need to set up Dazhong Zheng in each state, then how can the imperial court have any power to select officials?!"
As soon as these words came out, the nobles and veterans of the Taifu Party began to curse angrily. After Zhang Dang, the chief internal officer, stopped him, the temple became quiet for a while.
Master Sima came out of the class at this moment and said:
"What Ding Shangshu said is wrong. Clan is the clan of the imperial court. Clan elections are also for selecting talents for the imperial court. How can it be like what Ding Shangshu said, that the imperial court has no right to elect officials?"
Ding Mi chuckled, smoothed his goatee, and retorted:
"Zhonghujun, if the clan is as pure as snow as you say, then Wang Mang's head will not be stored in the inner palace at this moment, but will be worthy of being kept in the Ancestral Temple!"
This dynasty accepted the Zen of the Han Dynasty and founded the country. Naturally, all the treasures and curiosities of the previous dynasty were stored in the large internal treasury.
Wang Mang's head was naturally among them.
Master Sima was speechless for a moment after what Ding Mi said and could only stop talking.
Although there was a fierce debate at the court meeting, the matter still did not come to a conclusion.
Cao Xi, who was on vacation, was thinking a lot at the moment. It seemed that Sima Yi was determined to set up Dazhongzheng to obstruct the reform.
In his daze, he suddenly felt tired, so he reclined on the couch in the study and fell asleep.
After a while, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared in the lotus pond in the center of the corridor. Cao Xi looked at it intently, only to find that the shadow of the person gradually dissipated. Cao Xi was eager to know who this person was, but the more he looked, the more he looked. If you look carefully, the shadow becomes blurrier.
Just as Cao Xi rushed forward to see the man's face clearly, he suddenly woke up.
Only then did Cao Xi realize that he had just had a dream.
When Cao Xi woke up, he recalled the details of the dream. The clothes and behavior of the person in the dream were exactly the same as those of his cousin Xia Houhui when he was a boy!
Only then did Cao Xi realize that he had dreamed of his cousin Xia Houhui, who had been dead for many years!
Yuanrong, Yuanrong, do you have anything to say to your cousin?
Cao Xi recalled all the events in his boyhood and couldn't help but burst into tears and be filled with emotion.
"Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Wei Yuan had just seen her husband taking a nap in the study. She was afraid that he would catch cold, so she turned back to get a piece of clothing to cover him from the cold. When she returned, she saw that Cao Xi had already stood up, looking desolate and with tears in his eyes.
When Cao Xi saw his wife arriving, he collected his thoughts. He and Wei Yuan had always treated each other sincerely and never concealed anything, so he replied sincerely:
"I just dreamed of a shadow that looked exactly like my cousin. It was standing in the lotus pond. It seemed like it was about to stop talking, but it suddenly disappeared. After waking up from the dream, I couldn't help but feel sad."
Wei Yuan understood that her husband was a sincere gentleman who valued love and justice, so she did not feel unhappy. She comforted her husband softly and said:
"Husband, my cousin Yuanrong has passed away a long time ago. You must have been busy with the official work of reform recently, so you dreamed of her. Don't be sad, husband. I will buy some sacrifices someday, and you and I will visit Yuanrong's tomb. That’s fine.”
After hearing his wife's words, Cao Xi's sadness eased a little. After taking two sips of hot tea, he returned to the cases and said:
"Now the Sima family is determined to go its own way and wants to establish Dazhongzheng in each state to restrict the reform and strengthen the clan's electoral power. I racked my brains in the past two days and wrote this most public opinion. I think it can curb the Sima family in public opinion. arrogance!"
Wei Yuan took the Zhigong Lun, looked at it for a long time, nodded and said:
"My husband's writing style is still as good as before. It's just that the Sima family is bound to win this time. Can my husband really curb the Sima family's ambition with just one article?"
Cao Xi smiled and said:
"What Madam said is indeed reasonable. An Treatise on Supreme Justice is just an article, but my husband pointed out the wolf ambitions of the Sima family in the article, and raised the matter of setting up a great Zhongzheng to the level of national security. Your Majesty is proficient in Confucianism. , after reading this article, you will understand my deep meaning, and you will definitely be wary of the Sima family's actions. Therefore, even if this article cannot change the Sima family's idea of setting up a great Zhongzheng, I believe that they will not dare to act rashly again for a while. !”
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In order to be on guard against Sima Division, Xia Houxuan wrote a letter to arrange for Su Mu to be transferred from Sima Jun's cavalry camp to Sima Division's guard camp. Su Mu was proficient in martial arts, straightforward, and good at camp affairs. After going back and forth, he gradually became Sima Division of cronies.
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On this day, Shu Han Wei General Jiang Wei received an urgent secret letter.
This is exactly the letter sent by King Hu Zhiwudai, who was previously defeated by Xiahou Xuan, Guo Huai, and Xia Houba in Liangzhou of Wei State.
Zhi Wudai said in the letter that he no longer had a foothold in the Wei Kingdom and was frightened every day. Therefore, he wanted to move his family into the Han Dynasty and submit to Wang Hua. He also hoped that Jiang Wei could help him move south to Shu smoothly.
The population of Shu Han is now scarce, and Zhi Wudai is the king of the Western Domain. If Zhi Wudai's tribe can be absorbed, it will be beneficial to Shu Han's national strength and prestige.
Jiang Wei thought over and over again and decided to personally lead his troops north to assist King Hu in his fight against Wu Dai.
However, this news accidentally leaked out and was discovered by Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou in Wei State and former general.
Guo Huai did not act arbitrarily, but immediately reported the matter to Xia Houxuan, the powerful governor and general who conquered the west, who now occupied half of the northwest.
Guo Huai's suggestion was to arrange for a general to lead a strange army to block the main road connecting Jiang Wei and the Zhiwudai tribe, and try to prevent the Shu army and Hu soldiers from gathering together.
In Chang'an City, General Zhengxi is in his camp.
Xiahou Xuanzheng, together with former general Guo Huai, Xiahou Ba, the governor of Shu, Deng Ai, the governor of Nan'an, and others discussed the specific plan to prevent the handover between Shu and Hu.
"Gentlemen, General Guo Huai has received news a few days ago that the remnants of the previously rebellious Hu army in Liangzhou of the Wei Dynasty have exchanged rumors with Shu general Jiang Wei and are trying to move their entire clan south to Shu. Jiang Wei plans to personally lead his troops to invade the north again in order to respond. King Hu controls the people without Dai. This matter is of great importance. If Hu and Shu's conspiracy succeeds, it will inevitably increase the arrogance of the Shu captives, disgrace our Wei Dynasty, and make people in the Central Plains panic. Therefore, this battle , there is absolutely no room for error! If you have any good ideas or suggestions, you might as well say so."
At this time, Deng Ai, the governor of Nan'an, stood up.
I saw him stuttering and saying:
"Qi...qi reports to the general. In the end...the general will have a plan to prevent...the communication between Hu...Sichuan."
Everyone was used to his stuttering, so no one laughed at him.
After experiencing these several battles, no one would doubt Deng Ai's talent.
The Deng family was once considered a wealthy family in the Xinye area of Nanyang, but Deng Ai lost his father when he was young. He was homeless since he was a child, living a life of poverty and misery.
Even so, Deng Ai was still very motivated. He loved reading since he was a child, especially military books and agricultural books.
In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao captured Jingzhou and moved most of the people in Jingzhou north to the Central Plains. It was at this time that Deng Ai, his mother, and his tribe moved to Runan and became farmers of the imperial court.
There are very few talented people among the people in the countryside. Deng Ai relied on his talents and learning to be recommended by the local township officials as the bachelor of Diannong Duwei. Although this was only a lower-level official position, for a person with a humble background, it was a great achievement. A way to change the world.
But because Deng Ai stuttered, Captain Diannong thought that he could not hold an important position, so he assigned him to be a small official guarding the straw.
Deng Ai liked military affairs very much. Whenever he saw mountains and rivers, he would survey the terrain there and point out the location of military camps. He didn't mind being laughed at by others.
In this way, after Deng Ai had been a straw clerk for nearly twenty years, he took on the position of dianongcao and assisted in the management of farming affairs.
He thought that there would be no more major twists and turns in his life, but just this year, his life happened to take a major turning point.
Deng Ai, who went to Luoyang to report his work, happened to meet Sima Yi, who was then the captain. After a conversation, Sima Yi appreciated his talents so much that he recruited him as a servant of the Taiwei Mansion. As a result, Deng Ai's life changed drastically.
In the early years of Zhengshi, Deng Ai attracted the attention of both the government and the public with his essay on river management, so he was arranged by the court to farm in the Huaisi area in the southeast, where he accumulated a lot of military rations for the country.
Starting from the second year of Zhengshi, the Wei State opened rivers in Huainan and Huaibei and cultivated land on a large scale. On the more than 400 miles of fertile land south of Zhongli and west of Hengshi, bounded by the Huai River in the north, an army camp was set up for five miles. Each battalion had sixty people. One side was stationed in the fields and the other side was garrison. At the same time, the imperial court also widened the Huaiyang and Baichi canals according to Deng Ai's method, and diverted water from the Yellow River into the Huai River and Ying River. Therefore, Yingnan and Yingbei had sufficient water sources, and many Pitians were built. This more than 300-mile-long canal dug in the Huai River area not only irrigated more than 20,000 hectares of farmland, but also connected Huainan and Huaibei into a monolithic structure.
In the past six or seven years, from Kyoto to Shouchun, soldiers and villages looked at each other along the way, and the sound of chickens and dogs could be heard. It was a prosperous scene.
Not only that, Huainan and Huaibei have accumulated more than 30 million dendrobium grains in recent years. This grain can be used by 100,000 people on the southeastern border, which can last for five years. If the country relies on this to control Wu, it will naturally be invincible.
These are naturally due to Deng Ai.
Later, Deng Ai served as a member of the army of Xiahou Xuanzang in the Western Prefecture, and then became the prefect of Nan'an in Yongzhou, becoming a general who resisted the Shu invaders.
Just listen to Deng Ai continue to say:
"General, Ai... Ai thinks that if the Shu captives want to go north to meet with King Hu, they must pass through this place."
Deng Ai spoke intermittently while pointing at the map. When the generals looked up, they found that the place Deng Ai was pointing to was Dazhong.
Although Tazhong is a small, bitter and cold county in Yinping County, it is located at the junction of Liangzhou of the Wei State and Longzhou of the Shu Han Dynasty. If King Hu Zhiwu Dai wants to go south to Shu, this road is indeed the best choice.
Xia Houxuan nodded, thinking that Deng Ai really had the ability to anticipate the enemy's plans. With Deng Ai Qimou, Xia Houxuan no longer hesitated, he directly ordered:
"What Shi Zai said is absolutely true. General Xiahou Ba obeys the order!"
"The general is here!"
Xiahou Ba, the army guard who conquered Shu, stood up and cupped his hands.
"I order you to lead ten thousand troops and rush to Tazhong at starry night to stop Jiang Wei from handing over to Zhi Wudai!"
"promise!"
Xiahou Ba retreated after receiving the order and immediately returned to the army for deployment.
"General Guo Huai obeys the order!"
"The general is here!"
"I order you to lead an army of ten thousand from Wudu Starry Night to the north of Yinping County to cut off Jiang Wei's return!"
"promise!"
Guo Huai took the order and retreated.
Xia Houxuan saw that there was no problem with the coordination of all parties, so he asked everyone to disperse and perform their duties.
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After Xiahou Ba received the order, he marched under starry night and led his troops straight to Tazhong. As expected, he met Shu general Jiang Wei here!
The night dew is heavy.
A large army wearing fine armor and holding ring knives and long axes sneaked quietly along the Longyou Mountain Road with their men holding their titles and their horses equipped with bells.
This was the team led by Shu Wei general Jiang Wei himself, who went north to meet King Hu Zhiwudai's troops.
What Jiang Wei didn't expect was that on the hillside, another team was quietly watching his troops.
That was Xiahou Ba's troops who arrived in Tazhong one day in advance and were waiting here.
Just when the Shu army reached the middle of the valley, there was suddenly a thundering sound of drums and shouts from the mountains, and then, the Wei army rushed down like a wave.
The Shu army was immediately in chaos. Fortunately, Jiang Wei's Tiger Infantry were all powerful soldiers and barely collapsed at this moment.
"withdraw……"
Jiang Wei fell into Xiahou Ba's hands again. He looked north angrily, made a decisive decision, and immediately led his troops to flee south.
Jiang Wei never expected that the Wei army would actually understand his plan, and also see through his plan to march north to Tazhong. In panic, his command failed, and King Hu was naturally unable to continue southward without Dai.
Jiang Wei's panic subsided a little at this moment, and he finally calmed down. He thought to himself: Since Wei Guo has seen through his plan to go north, he will definitely send people to cut off his return. If he loves to fight at this moment, the consequences will be disastrous.
Jiang Wei had no choice but to completely withdraw from the Wei border and quickly retreat back to his country.
