The matter of establishing the crown prince has since been settled, but for Chen Chong, there are still too many things to be busy with.
The first is administrative resistance. In the absence of the emperor's full support, Chen Chong encountered many constraints in the chancellery and no longer had the power he once had. Although the originally well-conceived policy failed to pass the first time, the subsequent discussions were held outside the court. In addition to causing some turmoil, it was not settled at all.
Second is the aftermath of the defeat itself. The frontline could not summarize the specific casualties in the Battle of Jianye, but the court had to make corresponding arrangements. How to provide pensions for fallen soldiers? How to reorganize the wounded soldiers on the front line? How to make up for the lost horses and armor? These questions were turned into documents and piled on the desk of the Chancellor. At the same time, the Shangshutai also had to deal with matters such as spring plowing, relocation, water transportation, inspections, and merit examinations. Even if Chen Chong singled out the urgent matters and postponed all other matters, Taichung officials would inevitably be overwhelmed by this.
While discussions between North Korea and China were slow, the fighting on the front line became increasingly fierce. At this time, 40,000 Wu troops, led by Bu Zhao, were storming Hefei, and Zhuge Liang had just arrived in Shouchun and started to redouble his defenses. Although Du Ji held 20,000 troops in Huainan at this time, the Han army was extremely frustrated due to the lack of ships and horses. What's even more terrible is that there is a spring famine in Huainan, which leads to the rise of thieves and chaos everywhere. It can be said that the situation is very bad. Zhuge Liang wrote to Chen Chong saying that he planned to borrow food from Qingzhou first and appease the bandits at the same time. After the situation stabilized, he could then consider the situation of the war. The situation in Xiangyang was not good either. After Zhou Yu led the Jiangling Navy back to Jingzhou, Li Hui and others knew they were outmatched and led the Bashu Navy back to Baidi City. Sima Yi originally captured Dangyang, Zhijiang, Yidao and other places, but without a navy, he did not dare to fight Zhou Yu in the field, so he could only shrink his troops and return to Yicheng. At this time, he reported his plan, saying that Hannan was not strong enough to be defended, so it was better to move all the people in Hannan, then fortify the walls and clear the country, and only use scholar families to guard the two cities of Zhonglu and Xiangyang.
Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi were both heroes of their time and had unique military acumen. Chen Chong agreed with the two people's opinions, but in terms of specific implementation, he showed two different attitudes. Zhuge Liang was a disciple of Chen Chong. He was indifferent to fame and wealth, and was fair and selfless in his dealings. Naturally, he received Chen Chong's unconditional support. But regarding Sima Yi, Chen Chong showed a tangled attitude: Although Sima Yi is a talented person, wise and courageous, he has a cruel temperament and a deep city. Once he moves the people and sticks to it, the whole of Xiangyang will be affected. master. Regarding this situation, Chen Chong could not feel at ease, so he had to make some back-up plans.
On this day, Chen Chong went to the palace to visit the emperor again. After resting in the palace for a while, the emperor's spirit improved slightly, but his health was still very poor. When Chen Chong saw him again, he was still very thin, with obvious yellow spots on his skin, and a mass in his lower abdomen. This caused him to lie on his side, and even when he sat up, he felt a dull pain in his right rib. The imperial doctor in the palace said that judging from the current situation, His Majesty may not only have a heart disease, but may also have contracted some other diseases during the southern expedition. Because the cause of the disease has not yet been identified, it is impossible to cure it, which has led to the emperor's delay in taking matters into his own hands.
However, Chen Chong still discussed all important decisions with the emperor, especially this time when it related to military and national affairs. After sitting down, Chen Chong first introduced the specific situation to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, wars are raging now, but the most important area is Hannan. This is the gateway to Nanyang. Once lost, Wu thieves can reach the capital in ten days, so we must not be careless. . And Sima Zhongda sent a message the day before yesterday saying that Zhou Yu had 80,000 troops, and the main force had arrived at Jingling, and the vanguard had entered Green Forest. However, Nanfu still had 30,000 troops left, which could only defend the city and might not have time to deal with civil affairs, so he planned to Strengthen the walls and clear the country, relocate all the people, and stick to Xiangyang..."
Chen Chong spoke slowly, but Liu Xie was impatient. He heard that Chen Chong had other plans, so he simply asked: "Uncle, if you have any opinions or worries, you can speak up."
But Chen Chong was not interrupted by this, and still said: "From a military perspective, what Sima Zhongda said is true. Since there is no navy, our army can only allow Wu thieves to come and go. If we do not relocate the people, the people will be It was plundered by Wu thieves. But once the people were moved, the cities in Hannan were covered by the Wu people, and it was difficult to get help within half a year. Such a desperate situation requires loyal and persevering generals. I came to see your majesty today just to discuss This matter."
Although Liu Xie was unwell, his consciousness was still very sharp. He heard the deeper meaning that Chen Chong could not express: Chen Chong thought that Sima Yi was unreliable and wanted to change his generals before the battle. This made him reply: "Uncle still doesn't like Zhongda! Zhongda is my good friend. Although he is unkind, he is still loyal. He cannot be said to be a wise minister, but he can be said to be a capable minister. How can there be such a thing in the world? A perfect minister? He is straight, loyal and benevolent, but he is also extravagant. His scholar is kind and righteous, but he has no talent. Among the ministers, in terms of military strategy and courage, Zhongda is the most suitable person to guard Xiangyang."
Of course, Liu Xie also knew that what he said was a bit full, so he brought the topic back and said softly: "Besides, Hanzhen is still watching in Xiangyang. If anything happens, he will take care of him. Uncle doesn't have to." suspicious."
After that, he stood up with difficulty and urged the minister beside him to reply to the edict: he agreed to Sima Yi's arrangement, and appointed Sima Yi as the general of Zhennan. During the holiday, he would command all the military forces in Jingzhou, and Chen Zhang would be appointed as the prefect of Xiangyang and the partial general. Sima Yi's deputy. Generally speaking, this is a reasonable solution. Giving Sima Yi the Jie Yue shows the emperor's great favor. Promoting Chen Zhang to the position of partial general not only divides Sima Yi's power to show his disapproval, but also appeases Chen Chong and shows respect. The Prime Minister's opinion.
Chen Chong really couldn't say anything more, but he still had deep worries in his heart: From the perspective of talent, Chen Zhang was far inferior to Sima Yi, and he might not be able to play a role in supervising the decentralization of power. However, from the perspective of age, Chen Zhang was promoted If you go too fast, it will be difficult to convince the public in the army, and I am afraid that you will inevitably be slandered, saying that you are suffering from the lingering shadow of yourself. But looking at Liu Xie's attitude, it would be useless no matter how much he said, and he could only make up for it in other ways.
In the following days, he mainly focused on the reconstruction of Shanglin Army. At present, Guan Yu is responsible for this matter, with Wei Yan as his assistant. The plan is to restore the Forbidden Army within a four-year period, using some of the remnants of the Southern Expedition as a team. Although reconstruction is a long-term matter, especially the construction of the cavalry. But considering the remaining weapons and armor in the arsenal, it is still possible to piece together a crossbow army of about 10,000 people in a short period of time. Now that every soldier is precious, this is undoubtedly a very important mobile force. It is also a good choice to send it to Fancheng to fight independently.
But Chen Chong had another difficulty with the appointment of the crossbow generals. After staying away from the court for several years, the biggest negative consequence was not that he had alienated old people like Zhong Yao and Fa Zheng, but that he had not cultivated enough new people. Such an important position requires a loyal, brave and strategic general. Fortunately, at this time, Guo Huai led a team of more than a thousand people back to the capital to report to the court on the previous battle of Jianye. Although he was a guilty person, Guo Huai was considered a suitable candidate in terms of qualifications and background. Chen Chong specially called him to his residence to conduct a special inspection of him.
In fact, this was not the first time the two met, but it was the first time they communicated alone. Guo Huai was a little uneasy. Chen Chong personally poured him a cup of tea and comforted him by saying: "Bo Ji was once surrounded by a heavy siege and had no chance of surviving, but he was able to trek back to the court. The palace was on standby. His sincerity was evident. What's so scary about it?" ?Your Majesty and I are deeply relieved to see you back."
Guo Huai laughed dryly and said: "The Prime Minister does not need to comfort the defeated general. I also know that I have no face to see your Majesty again. If there is any use for me, I will not refuse."
Seeing what Guo Huai said, Chen Chong didn't shy away. He directly showed him the map of Xiangyang. After briefly describing the situation between the enemy and ourselves, he asked him: "What do you think of Sima Zhongda's arrangement?"
Guo Huai thought for a while and said cautiously: "Based on the terrain, there is nothing wrong with General Zhennan's arrangement. But after crossing the river this time, my biggest feeling is not the terrain, but the weather."
"Oh? Tell me."
"The weather in the south of the Yangtze River is very changeable and not as stable as in the Central Plains. Even in winter, you can encounter continuous heavy rain and fog all day long. What's more, in the spring and summer rainy seasons? General Zhennan plans to stick to the isolated city. If there is continuous heavy rain and the Mianshui River rises, The Wu people took advantage of the situation and attacked the city with water. How should our army respond? Since there is no corresponding navy, I am afraid there is no way to counterattack. Therefore, the imperial court is determined to relocate the people, so it might as well withdraw the army to Mianbei and stay in the city. Fancheng.”
"What about Xiangyang City?"
Guo Huai replied: "When the Wu people come, they will set fire to the city and burn Xiangyang to a white ground. The Wu people cannot repair the city during the rainy season, so they can only attack Fancheng on the north bank. As long as they defend Fancheng until the low tide in autumn, they will not be able to repair it." If we destroy the city, we can only return Xiangyang to the country."
After hearing this, Chen Chong was speechless for a moment. Relocation is already a last resort, but Guo Huai wants to burn Xiangyang to a white ground, which is easy to burn. Dong Zhuo's fire that year has prevented Luoyang from returning to its original situation, and rebuilding Xiangyang requires another for how long? But war is only about success or failure. From this perspective, Guo Huai's plan is undoubtedly the best plan. Chen Chong was not a person who liked to hesitate. He quickly made up his mind and appointed Guo Huai as General Jinu. After a brief training, he led his troops to rescue Fancheng. Then he sent a message to Sima Yi, ordering him to prepare as soon as possible. , while relocating the people, we must also prepare to move the army to Fancheng and demolish the Xiangyang City to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Wu people.
