After the battle at Dayin Mountain, Guan Yu ordered his troops to clean up the battlefield, count the losses, and sent scouts to find out where the Wu people were in the south. If the war situation allowed, he planned to take advantage of the victory and enter Huainan. It would be best if he could drink the Yangtze River. Even if it failed, he would still capture one or two cities as a base camp for his future march into Huainan. Unfortunately, the scouts went south for reconnaissance and saw numerous campfires in the distance. The expected defeat of the Wu people did not happen. Most of the Wu soldiers were holding swords and their formations were still strict. Although they endured hunger and fatigue, they were obviously still ready for battle. . They may be at the end of their tether and collapse at any time, or they may be desperate to fight back.
Guan Yu was a little disappointed. After collecting his troops at noon, he found that the Han army had tens of thousands of casualties. Many of the Wu people in Huaibei were remnants of the Eastern Dynasty and had a bloody feud with the Han army. After fighting to the death, they actually burst out with astonishing willpower and fought bloody battles in the dark night to the end with very few prisoners. The Han army that faced the battle also lost forty-five-tenths. Among the generals, Guo Huai suffered many wounds, especially a cut on the back of his neck by a knife, and his skin and flesh were bruised and bloody. His servants took turns sucking the blood from the wound, saving his life. After Guan Yu heard about it, he went to visit him personally. He admired Guo Huai very much, comforted him repeatedly, and promised to ask for merit for him. He also thought that people would be thirsty after losing blood, so he asked someone to bring a bucket of mare's milk to Guo Huai.
Guan Yu then discussed with the generals and finally decided that it was not appropriate to take the risk without the navy following him, so he gave up the idea of heading south to Huainan. He instead moved his camp to the north of Zhongli. The Wu army had built two lines of defense between the Huai River, and Zhongli was the core area of the first line of defense. Guan Yu used this as the breakthrough point for the next stop, so he headed towards Suiyang. When the emperor reported his victory, he also began to mobilize resources to build a city on the other side of Zhongli and named it Yicheng.
When the city was being built, the rest of the Han troops stationed in Xiaxiang, Xiapi, and Pengcheng also gathered together to prepare for the emperor's inspection. For a time, the Kwantung and Han armies gathered within ten miles of Yicheng, and there was a lot of noise and excitement every day. Although everyone has been traveling back and forth for thousands of miles in the past two months, most of them are dusty and tired, but they can't hide their joy at being able to achieve a complete victory. As usual, Guan Yu had a feast of cow and goat milk wine for three days after all the soldiers had arrived. The happy scene was naturally self-evident.
At the banquet, the generals in the battle discussed their merits and rankings in private. It can be said that this victory was possible first thanks to Sima Yi's surprise attack on the prime minister. After he captured the prime minister, the Wu army in northern Huaihe was defeated. The former general Zhao Yun was able to successfully intercept the Wu army halfway, which was also a great contribution. When Guo Huai encircled and annihilated the Wu army, although It's hard work, but the temple has already won a big victory, and the result is naturally deserved. Therefore, in this battle, Sima Yi should be the first, Zhao Yun second, and Guo Huai third.
Speaking of this, everyone was very emotional, saying that His Majesty's vision is still very unique. Among the selected talents, Zhou Buyi and Sima Yi have stood out. Even if the veterans have opinions, they may be unstoppable. For a time, everyone went to toast Sima Yi and congratulate him in advance for his promotion. Some people even heard that Sima Yi's eldest son, Sima Shi, was in his early ten years and not yet engaged, so they secretly planned to marry him. After all, according to Liu Xie's preferences, I am afraid that in less than two years, Sima Yi will be able to take charge of one government and divide the town into one.
It's just that Marshal Guan Yu's face was very ugly. After he saw Sima Yi, he only had a few polite conversations, neither commending nor reprimanding him. He quickly left hastily without speaking to him again. This really didn't seem like a treat. The attitude of a hero. But everyone also knows that the marshal has never liked the children of the aristocratic family, and he does not polish his words, so he often has a bad face. See you today, and everyone is not surprised by this.
Huang Zhong specially criticized Sima Yi for this, saying: "The marshal and we are both old. In the future, it will be your young people's business to travel north and south and dominate the world. Although the marshal is biased against you, it will never affect your request for credit. Don’t worry too much, and don’t let the emperor down in the future!”
Sima Yi naturally agreed to this, but Liao Hua on the side said: "That's not necessarily the case. I heard that the marshal was not dissatisfied with Zhongda's family background, but was dissatisfied with the killing of prisoners. Before sending troops, he had discussed this matter I reported to Your Majesty that I wanted to replace Zhongda, but Your Majesty suppressed it." Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and Liao Hua said to Sima Yi again: "Killing prisoners is a taboo in our army. I'm afraid it will affect your reward. You You must be mentally prepared and never do it again in the future.”
Sima Yi nodded and said again and again: "I had no choice but to do it, and I regret it in my heart.
! ” However, although there was an annoyed look on his face, he had another thought in his heart: in killing the prisoners and driving out the people, he was sure that the emperor wanted to perform meritorious deeds, and calculated that he would not care about it, so he did so, and the people around him His colleagues didn't care much about this. What impact could the marshal's power alone have on him? After all, the coach of this Eastern Expedition is still the emperor in name.
Things turned out as he expected. Four days later, Emperor Liu Xie arrived at Yicheng. When he first met with the generals participating in the war, he did not hesitate to express his appreciation. He publicly praised Sima Yi's talent and compared him to Tian Dan and Zhao She, but only Not a word was mentioned about killing prisoners. Then he inspected the various departments of the Han army, looked at the three armies, and praised: "Among all the departments, Zhongda is the leader. He is as gentle as a mountain forest, standing tall and motionless, and has the wind of a thin willow."
The next day, Liu Xie ordered Chen Lin to write a post-war cloth. Firstly, it was used to show off martial arts and boost morale. Secondly, it was used to spread the word about Soochow's surrender and rebellion. It begins with: "Sun's soldiers, relying on the strength of the boat, want to catch a glimpse of the divine weapon and try to devour it. When my heroic plan shines, the divine signal flies with the wind, the thunder strikes, and the haze sweeps away. As soon as the Sixth Division came out, Clear the East China Sea..." After hearing this, everyone said that it was very good, and there was an awe-inspiring atmosphere. They also pointed out the achievements of the generals who participated in the war one by one, saying that Sima Yi "combined the grand strategy of the nine soldiers, and studied the integrity of the five soldiers." Everyone privately Everyone said that this kind of kindness from the emperor was probably no less than that shown by the late emperor to the prime minister.
However, Liu Xie broke with the convention and promised Sima Yi in private: "When I go back this time, I will grant you the title of Marquis of Pengcheng." Sima Yi was naturally overjoyed, but his words still remained. He repeatedly declined, claiming that his moral character was lacking, but in the end, of course, he still gave in half-heartedly. Since there was no immediate plan to invade Huainan, various armies began to return to their bases one after another. But the emperor was not in a hurry to return. After staying in Luoyang for a long time, he left the capital again. He felt a rare sense of freedom and comfort, so he planned to tour Xuzhou before the New Year, and at the same time deepen the court's control over Xuzhou. .
Liu Xie started from Yicheng and went east along the Huai River to Haixi and north, and then continued all the way to Qu County. The weather in Xuzhou in early winter is still pleasant. The sea breeze keeps the air from being too cold, and the flat roads make people open-minded. Every morning, a layer of crystal frost will appear among the autumn grass in the fields, which is very moving. , this kind of aura made Liu Xie, who grew up in the north, feel fascinated, and then he kept looking around. Moreover, just after late autumn, it happened to be the season for eating seafood. The locals offered some crabs, oysters, fish dumplings, lobsters and other items. Liu Xie also found it strange and sighed to his followers: "People's diets are so different across the world. Being so far away shows that being a unified emperor is really an extraordinary thing."
However, along the way, Liu Xie also discovered that after years of war, Xuzhou had long been empty of houses. Although Yuan Xi and Sun Quan had worked hard, what they could see were either bushes or crumbling old walls. From time to time, elk could be seen crossing the road, and occasionally the roar of tigers could be heard. It’s no wonder that Sima Yi was able to get out of the way. A surprise attack in the wild forest. According to the household registrations reported from various places, there are only more than 300,000 households left in this once blessed land, which is less than one-tenth of what it was at its peak, so much so that even Liu Xie felt a bit desolate. .
By the end of October, the emperor arrived in Quxian, and was led by a local guide to the east for twenty miles, and then watched the sea on the east bank of Qushan. This is the first time Liu Xie has seen the sea. The waves are splashing, the seagulls are chirping softly, and the glow has merged with the sky. On the endless sea, only one or two ships are still floating, as inconspicuous as fallen leaves. . This made Liu Xie particularly emotional. He said to Zhong Yu who was accompanying him: "The world is so big that life seems short. It's no wonder that both Shizong and the First Emperor wanted to live forever. After all, who doesn't want to live as long as this picturesque country?" "
Zhong Yu and others nodded repeatedly, but Pang Tong made a big fuss. He admonished from the side: "But it is a natural principle that life will sometimes be poor. The ancestor dragon compares himself to the gods, and uses the heart of one person to win the hearts of ten thousand people, but When the body dies, the country is destroyed. How can it be compared to the freedom and ease of the great ancestor who saw through life and death and established our country?"
Liu Xie wasn't angry at all. After getting along with him for the past few years, he was used to Pang Tong's incomprehensible style. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Shi Yuan is right. That's why I'm so eager to build my career! Life is short, and I don't know. When will there be no chance?"
These words were unlucky. Liu Xie himself felt inappropriate, but he did not take back these words. Instead, he continued to look into the distance and sighed: "The late emperor once told me that when he was watching the sea, a whale came out of the sea, and its shape was It is as big as a building. I have always longed for it, but unfortunately I am not close to it.
I have only come here this time in thirty years. If I can’t see it today, I’m afraid I won’t be able to see it in the future either. And now I want to prove something to the late emperor, but it's a pity that he can't see me either. "
Then he leisurely recited the folk song "Xizhou Song" he heard along the way. The emperor liked it very much. The poem is as follows:
"Recalling the plum blossoms, I went to Xizhou, folded them and sent them to the north of the Yangtze River. My single shirt is apricot red, my temples are the color of a crow's baby.
Where is Xizhou? Two oars bridge crossing. Shrikes fly at dusk, and the wind blows on the black mortar trees. "
After he finished reading the poem, he said calmly: "Let's go. I've been out for so long, and I feel a little homesick."
Everyone else was surprised when they heard this. Although the emperor has always been domineering and domineering, he rarely showed his sad side. Therefore, all the officials only thought that the emperor was mean and ungrateful, and had a heart of stone, but they never thought that he was also like this. A sentimental moment.
