The personnel preparation of the Crossbow Army is very fast, but the specific organization and training will still take time. After all, many soldiers were recruited from the Sanhe area and did not know how to recognize flags, drums and military orders, let alone change formations freely in the formation. Fortunately, this is just a crossbow army, not as complicated as the cavalry or soldiers. According to Chen Chong and Guo Huai's estimates, it will take about two to three months for this crossbow army to be put into the battlefield. During this period of time, Guo Huai stayed temporarily in Taixue in the south of the city.
On this day, after Guo Huai, Chen Chong, Guan Yu, and Wei Yan inspected the progress of the training, they dined together in Taixue. Even during the meal, they did not forget to talk about military affairs, even if the food on the table was already gone. It's cold, they all still have more to say. In view of the current shortage of officers, Chen Chong had the idea of setting up a martial arts lecture hall in the capital, so that he could specially recruit some army sergeants or poor soldiers, which would not only speed up the reconstruction of the Shanglin Army, but also improve the quality of the officers. Everyone here is a warrior, so they naturally agree with this.
When the meal was over, Chen Chong stopped staying and asked about this year's land rent. In the past few days, Chen Chong proposed an agenda at the court meeting that would allow farmers to pay rent with mulberries in the spring, thereby reducing taxes in the autumn. This would not only reduce the burden on farmers, but also maintain the rations of frontline sergeants. The rest of the people were busy with their own affairs. Guan Yu wanted to count the armor and weapons in Hebei, and Wei Yan went to supervise the recruitment in Henan. The people dispersed quickly. Guo Huai sat in the house for a while, intending to read some military books. After a short nap, he continued to train in the army.
Unexpectedly, someone came to visit at this time. Guo Huai went out to check and found that it was Wu Zhi, an old friend of Beifu. Wu Zhi was from Jiyin, Yanzhou, with a humble background, but he was very talented and learned. He was highly appreciated by Chen Gong in his early years. However, after Cao Cao became independent, he became loyal to Cao Cao and his son and worked as a literary scholar. Later, after the fall of the Eastern Dynasty, he joined the imperial court and then served as some idle officials in Jinyang. It was at that time that Guo Huai met Wu Zhi. Unexpectedly, after not seeing him for two years, he actually moved to Beijing.
There are many happy events in life, but the most touching thing is the reunion of old friends. Guo Huai asked Wu Zhi to come in and take a seat, and at the same time ordered his entourage to make tea for the guests. While waiting, the two of them set up a chess scale and chatted while playing chess. Wu Zhi said that he was transferred to Henan last year, but he served as a minor official such as a county magistrate. It was only this year that he was transferred to Henan Yin Mansion to work as a literary rafter. Although the official rank is average, he has become a Beijing official, and he may be prosperous in two years.
After he finished speaking, Guo Huai chatted about his experiences in the past two years, focusing on his experience in the Battle of Jianye. After all, this was the country's biggest defeat in the past ten years. Due to the busy schedule of the government and the wide range of people involved, the Chancellery has not yet issued a specific announcement, so many people in the government are not familiar with the process. At this time, Guo Huai talked about it as a person involved. Wu Zhi listened with great interest and asked for details from time to time. Guo Huai had also been depressed about this for a long time and wished he could just talk about it. They talked for almost an hour.
When Guo Huai finished speaking, Wu Zhi lifted the chess piece but did not drop it. After hesitating for a moment, he said to Guo Huai: "Bo Ji, who do you think is primarily responsible for the failure of this war?"
Guo Huai didn't know why, so he naturally said: "In this battle of Jianye, our army failed in the front and could not quickly break through the Stone City, and in the back, we could not retreat early, and Huang Gongheng could not resist the enemy on the river, which eventually led to a catastrophe. The responsibility for the failure naturally lies with us. Me and the two generals Zhou and Huang."
However, Wu Zhi just smiled and then looked around the room. After confirming that there was no one else, he leaned forward and his elbows were almost pressed on the chess scale. Then he lowered his voice and began to say: "Don't you think it was caused by His Majesty's return to the capital?" Is it a defeat?"
Guo Huai was shocked when he heard this. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand and lowered his voice and shouted: "What are you talking about? Is this something you and I can say? Once word gets out, it will be a serious crime of slandering the emperor!"
Wu Zhi moved Guo Huai's hand away and said with a smile: "You and I can talk in private. Do you think I am the only one who feels this way? The whole capital has gone crazy." Then he acted mysteriously again With a pensive look on his face, he widened his eyes and said, "And everyone secretly said that there is a big conspiracy here!"
Guo Huai's face was full of suspicion. He unexpectedly heard about some conspiracy, and he immediately retorted: "What conspiracy can there be about defeating the battle? Are you saying that His Majesty killed his wife himself and hoped that the army would be defeated?"
"Hey!" Wu Zhi shook his head, leaned his upper body back, and said slowly: "It's not that your Majesty has
What kind of conspiracy, but someone is secretly planning a conspiracy to force His Majesty to return to Beijing! "
Guo Huai still couldn't believe it, but after hearing this, he felt that it did make some sense. After all, when the emperor said he was going back to Beijing, there were no signs at all, and the military report of encountering the enemy on the front line came too late, so there was no time to withdraw the troops. In the dark, it seemed that there was indeed a pair of invisible hands controlling it. Wu Zhi's suspicion, what was he confused about at that time?
Wu Zhi then explained: "First of all, who is the Queen Mother? How could someone who dared to go directly to the Xiongnu tent to sit in the Huns' tent as the late Emperor pressed forward to suppress the battle, but not know the disadvantages of the Emperor leaving the army? Even if the Queen Mother cares about it, she will be in chaos. She doesn't know. Are Zhuge Kongming and Pang Shiyuan at the Chancellery still unclear? Normally, this letter would never be sent out. Even if it were sent out, Zhuge Kongming always puts the overall situation first and would advise His Majesty to take advantage of the situation to withdraw the troops. What happened? ? Listening to what you said, His Majesty just received a letter urging him to return to Beijing. There is no other content in it. Isn’t this strange? Is this in line with the practice of the Secretariat? "
Guo Huai lowered his head and stared at the black and white chess pieces, listening carefully to Wu Zhi's every word.
Wu Zhi added: "After your Majesty left, he handed over the affairs of the entire army to the Governor of Zhou Dynasty, and Huang Quan and you were co-counselors. The army of 200,000 was stagnant in the south of the Yangtze River. You said that it was already very difficult in the continuous heavy rain. Fighting It is indeed normal that the battle was defeated, but as for the loss to this extent? The most terrible thing is that after Wen Zong died, Jiangnan and Jiangbei lost contact. This seemed to be caused by Wu Jun's strict defense, but the Yangtze River is so long, and the river surface It’s so wide, why can’t even a boat pass through it? You and I have both been on the battlefield, so we should know that it’s hard to guard against scouts. But Wu Jun did it, isn’t it strange?”
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Wu Zhi paused for a moment to observe Guo Huai's reaction. Guo Huai just kept flipping the chess pieces, turning them all upside down. Wu Zhi calmed down his thoughts and continued: "And the strangest thing is the problem of casualties. Governor Zhou is so wise, even if he encounters danger, he has reached the riverside in the end, and there are soldiers guarding him to the death. It is impossible to win, but he escapes It's always okay, right? In the end, he didn't escape, and he didn't even find his body. And he wasn't the only one who couldn't find the body? Hundreds of thousands of troops were dead! Who was the one who survived to take control of the situation in the end? They were all The Prime Minister’s people!”
With a "pop" sound, Guo Huai hit the chess piece in his hand on the chess scale.
"Zhou Buyi is dead, Huang Gongheng is dead, Li Mancheng is dead, Jia Liangdao is also dead. Almost all the ministers that your Majesty has promoted and promoted over the years were wiped out in one battle! Logically speaking, these people should be the ones who go to Huainan to take charge of the overall situation, but now But Zhuge Kongming took the lead. As far as I know, you were sent to Xiangyang this time because the prime minister was dissatisfied with Sima Zhongda and wanted you to restrain him so that his son Chen Hanzhen could take charge of the overall situation. You said no Is it strange?"
"Then you mean, who killed Zhou Buyi?" Guo Huai raised his eyes and stared at Wu Zhi.
Wu Zhi felt furious for a while, but he had a heavy responsibility and would not give up halfway. He continued to answer: "I think the person who can tell the news of Zhou Buwei's death is the most suspicious."
"You mean Deng Shizai?" Guo Huai asked.
"It's very possible." Wu Zhi added: "Don't forget, Deng Shizai's current home is in Yingchuan. He once changed his name to Deng Fan, saying it was to pay tribute to the Prime Minister's ancestor Wen Fan Gong. It is very likely that he is the Prime Minister's pawn. !」
He added: "After Zhou Buji's death, it seems that the country suffered a loss, but the Prime Minister has lost a serious worry! If Zhou Buji had not died and had accomplished the great task of destroying the country this time, his achievements would have equaled those of the Prime Minister. I'm afraid that all the armies of the five provinces will be under his control, and the post of prime minister will be indispensable in the future. So after decades of hard work, the prime minister will end up empty-handed?"
Guo Huai shook his head and said: "Impossible. Jianye's defeat, what good will it do to him?"
Wu Zhi reminded: "What he wanted was to fail in this battle, and he probably didn't expect a big defeat. After all, a 200,000-strong army would die like this in one battle. Who would have thought? As long as Zhou Buyi and others died, Your Majesty has no one available to you. Look, hasn’t he returned to his position and taken charge of the government now? And he is still staring at Sima Yi. Why? Isn’t it because Sima Yi is not his person? And the reason why he can use you , and it’s also because you are from Beifu, and you are not counted as His Majesty’s!”
Guo Huai heard this,
I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, but I was a little doubtful. After all, this plot is too bizarre, but it still seems to make some sense. Guo Huai pondered for a long time, and finally said: "But the Prime Minister has not been greedy for power and position in the past few decades, nor does he care about fame and fortune. His reputation as a virtuous man is well known all over the world, and he is the sworn brother of the late emperor! Although what you said makes a little sense, But I still can’t believe it!”
Wu Zhi leaned over and said, "There are no real saints in this world. They are just people who are just seeking fame. The more serious and self-disciplined he is on weekdays, the more he may have a bigger conspiracy in private. Uncle Did Ji forget about Wang Mang? He has been pretending to be a saint for decades, but he still showed his flaws! I think the prime minister is getting better soon!"
At this point, Guo Huai also reacted. He stood up suddenly, turned his back to Wu Zhi and said, "Ji Zhong, you have said so much, I'm afraid you have a plan! Who do you belong to?"
Wu Zhi smiled and said, "Boji, I am not anyone's, I am just a loyal minister of the country. I hope you can also understand the overall situation, work for the Tian family, and prevent national traitors from happening before they happen."
These words could not help but attract Guo Huai's attention. He turned around slowly and asked, "Tianjia, which Tianjia?"
Wu Zhi patted the chess scale and said softly: "Of course it is the prince's family."
