Nowadays, Cao Wei's general and chief Sima is Cao Zhen. This man was once Cao Cao's adopted son. He followed Cao Cao in many wars and made countless meritorious deeds, almost without defeat.
After three generations of Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui, Cao Zhen was highly regarded, was named a general, and even received the same privileges as Xiao He, Huo Guang and other powerful officials such as "swords and shoes go to the palace, and he will not follow the rules when entering the court."
"The Wei Dynasty was defeated!"
When Cao Zhen summoned everyone and said this sentence, the atmosphere became very solemn. The counselors, generals, and soldiers in the camp lowered their heads at this time, their eyes full of anger and surprise.
They didn't expect that Wei would be defeated!
And he failed so miserably!
Cao Zhen looked at each other for a moment with the generals, his eyes full of confusion. He put down the scout's message and said slowly: "The entire army on the right was wiped out. Its leader, Zhang He, was captured alive by the Shu army. His life or death is unknown!"
"Ah, this?!"
If the news just made them angry, now, they felt chilled from the bottom of their hearts.
Zhang He!
He was the man who followed Boss Cao to conquer the world. Over the course of three generations, he made great military exploits for Cao Cao. He was also a handsome man with both civil and military skills. Not only did he take the lead in most battles, but he was also able to stand alone. He once led an army alone to pacify the country. There were several rebellions.
It was also because of this that Emperor Cao Rui allowed himself to be in charge of Xi County and let Zhang He go deep into his residence. Because in terms of ability and resourcefulness, Zhang He could choose the right opportunity to defeat the Shu army.
But now... Zhang He was captured alive by the Shu army.
If this news reaches Wei State, you can imagine how much shock it will cause!
Zhuge Liang led less than 100,000 troops, stationed in Qishan, captured the Yongliang counties, defeated Zhang He, and destroyed the Wei army.
"General, did the right general underestimate the enemy and rush forward, and fell into Zhuge Liang's ambush?"
"General, don't worry. Although the right general was defeated, our Cao Wei's fundamentals have not been shaken. As long as we plan well, we will attack the Yongliang counties sooner or later."
Cao Zhen shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with coldness.
He just read the scout's reply and thought that if he were put in Zhang He's position, he would definitely make the same choice.
But... the Shu army was in such a desperate situation, they were able to defeat Zhang He, achieve a decisive comeback, and capture Zhang He alive!
What an incredible thing!
"General, why don't we march immediately?! Now that the Shu army has been fighting for days, the soldiers must be tired. Let's take the opportunity to charge into Baoxie Road and destroy those Shu troops!"
"No, Zhuge villagers should not be underestimated!" Cao Zhen shook his head and said, "I will go to Chang'an immediately to see Your Majesty and ask for His Majesty's opinions before making a decision!"
"General, the general is outside, and the military orders are not obeyed!"
Jiang Ji advised: "Now that the war is critical, why did the general go to see your majesty? We should attack Yongliang as soon as possible and fight Zhuge Liang and other Shu troops in a decisive battle!"
"no."
Cao Zhen rejected this plan again and said: "Now that the new emperor has just ascended the throne, the ministers in the court have different ideas. Now that our Wei army has suffered another disastrous defeat, I am worried that your majesty is afraid, so he has to go to Chang'an."
Now everyone understood.
In short, in order to resist Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Cao Rui, as the emperor, sat in Chang'an and originally wanted to boost morale. But now that he has suffered a big defeat, those ministers may be in chaos.
So Cao Zhen is going to the town!
They think from a military perspective, while Cao Zhen thinks from a political perspective.
Soon, Cao Zhen traveled lightly to Chang'an. Xi County was not far from Chang'an. It only took three days to reach Chang'an.
Upon learning of Cao Zhen's arrival, Emperor Cao Rui was very happy, and immediately ordered his soldiers to summon Cao Zhen.
When Cao Zhen arrived at the main hall, there were already many people standing in the hall, including Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Jia Kui and other high-ranking people.
What surprised Cao Zhen even more was that Sima Yi was among them.
I remember that when Cao Pi passed away, he appointed four ministers to take care of his orders, including General Cao Zhen, General Chen Qun of the Zhenjun, General Cao Xiu of the Zhengdong Army, and General Sima Yi of the Fu Army.
Now the third of the four ministers who have taken care of life has arrived. Only Cao Xiu is defending Soochow in the south and cannot express his feelings.
It seems that His Majesty attaches great importance to this court meeting.
Although Cao Rui was young, he had a very calm personality. He looked at Cao Zhen who came in and asked, "General, I only know about the defeat and don't know the details. Please tell me."
"yes!"
Cao Zhen cupped his fists and saluted, and then told the story of the war between Yong and Liang in detail. He and Zhang He often exchanged letters, so he knew Zhang He's actions very well. Under his narration, everyone understood the causes and consequences of the war.
"Who is to blame for this battle?"
Cao Rui glanced at everyone. He was a stutterer, and his biological mother was killed by Cao Pi, so he was taciturn and withdrawn.
Cao Zhen quickly lowered his head and said, "It's my sin."
"Okay then, reduce your empire and demote you to the rank of General of the Conquest of the West. Remembering your past achievements, you can still lead the three armies!"
Cao Zhen hurriedly knelt down to thank him.
"Now that the war has been lost, what strategies do you have?"
Jia Kui thought: "Although Yongliang has been invaded by the Shu army, it still wants to fight against the people of Wei in secret. I think that we should gather those people first and resist in secret."
"Let the general attack Baoxie Road again. As long as we can enter Yongliang, our army will win!"
Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye.
Liu Ye was well regarded by Cao Rui because of his nice words. At this moment, he said: "Zhuge Liang hastily sent out troops, and Shu will definitely be unstable. I heard that many ministers in Shu opposed the Northern Expedition, and I can order envoys to go to Shu to win over and seek peace. The minister spread rumors about Zhuge Liang and asked Liu Chan to order Zhuge Liang to retreat."
Everyone put forward their ideas one after another, and the court was in chaos. Cao Rui nodded from time to time, but didn't speak.
When everyone had finished talking, Cao Rui stood up and slowly ordered: "General Zhang is our loyal minister of the Wei Dynasty and the backbone of the Wei Dynasty! Now that he is captured alive by the Shu army, I am heartbroken and don't want to live, so I ordered Liu Ye to go to Shu. , have an interview with Liu Chan, no matter what the cost, we must rescue General Zhang!"
"Your Majesty, no, Your Majesty!"
Jia Kui hurriedly knelt down and begged: "Your Majesty, if the Shu Han people learn about this, they will definitely become angry. If the price is too high, how can we, the Wei Dynasty, afford it?"
"Must be saved!"
Cao Rui's attitude was very firm and he said coldly: "Don't let the soldiers fighting on the front line feel cold. General Zhang will definitely suffer at this moment. Every time I think of it, I always feel miserable. When General Zhang comes back, I will personally go to the border to greet him!"
"Can……"
"Don't try to persuade me again!"
"yes!"
"I think we can't just sit back and watch the Shu army grow bigger." Cao Rui glanced around, finally stopping at Sima Yi, and asked: "King Sima Xuan, you didn't speak just now. I want to ask you, what should I do now?"
Sima Yi's face remained calm and he said: "Although Shu Han has few soldiers and few generals, the soldiers are united and led by Zhuge Liang, so they should not be underestimated. I think it is necessary to send more troops to Yongliang."
"Oh? Then who do you think should be in charge of the army?"
"I!"
"Haha, King Sima Xuan is indeed my humerus minister. I let you lead 30,000 troops. However, you are old and may be exhausted mentally and physically. So, I will send Jia Kui as your counselor to advise you. What do you think? ?”
"Can."
The court meeting went very quickly. Although Cao Rui was young, he arranged the government affairs in an orderly manner without any rust.
It was so easy, as if Cao Rui had already known how to deal with it, who was suitable for what position, and still let Cao Zhen lead the army, while Sima Yi left the pass and entered Yongliang to fight Zhuge Liang.
After the meeting ended, the soldiers drove Cao Zhen's horse. After learning what happened to Cao Zhen, they couldn't help complaining: "Our Majesty, I don't know what you think. You have worked so hard and accomplished so much, but you have to reduce your food."
"Silence!"
Cao Zhen glared at the soldiers and scolded: "Your Majesty is so wise and powerful, how can you understand it?"
Then he closed his eyes, leaned against the car window, and thought carefully about Cao Rui's arrangements.
The new emperor demoted himself, a general, in order to establish his authority and prove to all ministers that His Majesty is the true master of the Wei Dynasty and possesses all the rights of the Wei Dynasty.
He wanted to save Zhang He to inspire the soldiers, and also to show that His Majesty was a good emperor who loved his soldiers as much as his son. As long as he fought well, there would be a steady stream of rewards.
Looking at all the officials in the court, Sima Yi is the only one who can fight with Zhuge Liang. However, His Majesty could not trust Sima Yi, so he asked Jia Kui to be his deputy, who was called to provide advice, but in reality it was for surveillance.
This new emperor is too smart!
Shen Yi lost consciousness and acted as he pleased. He not only had the courage, but also the means. It was really a blessing for the Wei Dynasty!
