The War of Sili was not only a military war, but also a political war to a large extent. In fact, Sima Yi knew this very well.
Otherwise, Chen Qun would not have recommended Sima Yi to become Luoyang's left-behind man. Cao Zhen and others really couldn't understand the interests involved.
But now, Sima Yi found that taking care of himself was not so smooth.
If he hadn't come from a wealthy family in Hanoi, Sima Yi would have even considered taking the opportunity to punish these wealthy families who were increasingly going too far.
But unfortunately, this is impossible. How can you dig your own roots?
A large family in the Sili area gained power, and the Sima family was also one of the beneficiaries. In view of this situation, Sima Yi could only write a reply to Chen Tai, explaining his strategic vision again and again, hoping that Chen Tai could calm the restlessness of the Yingchuan family for him.
But as for how these aristocratic families will arrange Sima Yi after the war, this is beyond Sima Yi's control.
You've harmed other people's interests, why don't you let them arrange your sentences? !
Therefore, Sima Yi still followed his own ideas and continued to hold on.
And this move really made Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi uncomfortable.
The city of Luyang is not big. If you want to attack it by force, it is not impossible, but the price you pay is a bit high.
Don't forget, the ultimate goal of this Northern Expedition is not to end with the capture of Luyang. There are also strong cities like Xuchang and Luoyang behind.
If the losses are too great in Luyang, we will not have enough ability to go head-to-head with a strong city like Luoyang in the future.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi never made up their minds to launch a full-scale attack on Luyang. They still hoped to lure the enemy troops out of the city to fight and use field battles to eliminate the enemy's effective forces.
Furthermore, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi are also waiting, waiting for Wei Yan and his side troops to make progress, maybe they can attack Luyang at the minimum cost.
But just waiting like this makes me somewhat passive.
In case Wei Yan and the others are unable to break through Pu Banjin, or it takes too long to break through Pu Banjin, this will give Sima Yi the opportunity to deploy troops and generals to fill the gaps in the defense line. The progress of this Northern Expedition will become much more difficult.
Therefore, if possible, Zhang Xi and Zhuge Liang still hope to lure Sima Yi into taking the initiative to fight.
To this end, Zhang Xi suggested to Zhuge Liang—why don’t we give Sima Yi women’s clothes? ! !
Anyway, this happened in history. What we did this time can be regarded as a manifestation of world line convergence. And this trick, in Zhang Xi's opinion, unexpectedly worked.
Guo Huai is the best example.
Yes, in history, Sima Yi accepted the women's clothes sent by Zhuge Liang, but in the end he did not take the initiative to fight. But the problem is, at least on the surface, Sima Yi was angered. He did not go to fight because Xinpi Chijie stopped him. At the gate of the military camp, Sima Yi's request to go to war was rejected by Cao Rui, and he had to continue to hold on.
So, it’s hard to say whether Sima Yi was really irritated or the old fox was just showing off. Although later generations generally believed that it was the old fox Sima Yi who was putting on a show, the possibility of being really irritated is not impossible.
Zhang Xi suggested giving it a try.
But Zhuge Liang had a look on his face and rejected Zhang Xi's suggestion.
We haven't reached the point where we are at the end of our rope yet.
Besides, now that you, Zhang Yuanchang, are also a famous general in the world, can you give me some face? This kind of thing, when you were young, you could say it was ignorant, but if you use it now, it seems a bit unscrupulous.
Don't you think about your reputation? !
You used this trick to trick Guo Huai twice back then. Not only did Guo Huai's reputation suffer a lot, your Zhang Xi's reputation wasn't much better either. Otherwise, how come you were only now recognized as a famous general by the world? !
He should have been completely revered as a famous general in the world after sweeping Guanzhong.
It's not that the methods you used were too despicable and that the great families in the world were ashamed, but they couldn't deny the results. The only way to deal with it was to use this cold treatment method.
It's shameless for you to come here now. I, the great Han Xing Wangshi, must be so shameless when I seek out thieves.
These days, even if it's a war, you have to pay attention to face.
So, let’s think of other ways.
Zhang Xi had no choice but to give up.
But he was very disdainful in his heart: Faced with Sima Yi, a guy who was determined to be a tortoise, if Zhuge Liang had other methods, why would he die of illness in Wuzhangyuan? !
Sima Yi can really endure it. He is determined not to fight. No one can push him except Cao Rui.
And Cao Rui is no longer in Luoyang, he is now in Yecheng.
At the same time, Cao Rui had to worry about not only the Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty, but also the mess in Liaodong, which Cao Rui had to find a way to solve.
In fact, Zhang Xi's guess was not wrong at all. At this moment, Cao Rui's head was about to explode! ! !
Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong blatantly raised the flag of rebellion against the imperial court, and immediately repelled the suppression of Youzhou governor Tian Yu. His momentum was at its peak. If he could endure this, Cao Rui would not be the emperor anymore.
Why, the Wu, Gou, and Shu thieves have united to bully me, so forget it if I can’t defeat them. Who are you, Gongsun Yuan, to dare to show your teeth at this time? !
Originally, there was really nothing to discuss about this matter. As soon as the news of Gongsun Yuan's rebellion reached Yecheng, Cao Rui was furious and immediately ordered the troops from Hebei County to be mobilized to go north, with General Cao Zhen as the commander, to conquer Gongsun Yuan.
It also takes time to assemble the army, and it also takes time to prepare the food and fodder for the army's expedition. Just when Cao Zhen had assembled his troops and Chen Qun had coordinated the supply of food and grass, the report from Sima Yi, who was left behind in Luoyang in the south, also arrived.
The Shu thieves once again vowed to send troops to the Northern Expedition, with their troops pointing directly at Heluo.
Cao Rui is a smart man. He will not think that the Shu thieves' northern expedition is just for Yingchuan County. After defeating Yingchuan County, they will withdraw their troops and go home. This time they will march eastward again. The Shu thieves' goal must be Luoyang, and it is even possible. Even Yanzhou coveted it.
The importance of Luoyang lies not only in its economic value, but also in its important political meaning - if the Shu thieves really captured Luoyang, they would not be called Shu thieves.
It is really possible that the big man will be reborn three times because of this! ! !
Cao Rui quickly stopped Cao Zhen's northward campaign to annihilate Gongsun Yuan, and once again brought his clan uncle back to discuss what to do.
Now it is more important to rush south to support Sima Yi, or to destroy Gongsun Yuan's rebellion.
The Shu thieves are enemies of life and death, and the foundation of the two countries' foundings determines that both sides will fight to the death.
And an important place like Luoyang cannot be lost easily. If Cao Rui loses Luoyang, it is hard to say how many people will recognize the aura of emperor even if he claims to be emperor.
But Gongsun Yuan's rebellion is also a big problem.
Someone in the territory rebelled, and the imperial court was unable to suppress it and just sat back and watched him proclaim himself king and emperor. This also greatly weakened the ruling foundation of the Wei Dynasty.
If there are ambitious people at this time who imitate others, if that one is not good, the Wei Dynasty may directly start an internal war, and it will fall apart without the Shu thieves coming.
So, which one should be solved first? !
Regarding this issue, there were endless quarrels among the courtiers.
Some people advocate that the integrity of the imperial court should be maintained and that Gongsun Yuan should be conquered first to serve as a warning to others.
Some people think that the Shu thieves are the biggest enemy today, and Gongsun Yuan is just a problem with scabies. Once the Shu thieves are defeated, it will not be too late to attack him again.
Both sides have their own reasons and opinions. For a while, there was a bit of a dispute.
But now that things have happened, Cao Rui has to lament that the Wei Dynasty today is really not as good as before.
In the old Wei Dynasty, it was not difficult to fight on two fronts, but now, there was endless controversy in the court over whether to go north or south.
Just when Cao Rui was feeling sentimental, Chen Qun stood up and said, "Liaodong Gongsun Yuan is a man of great ambition and talent, but he is just an incompetent person. Let's postpone it for a while, so there is no need to worry about it. The Nanyang Shu thieves are coming with great force, and they even have Zhuge Liang." , Zhang Xi and others are commanders, and your Majesty must keep an eye on them."
Chen Qun still suggested that Cao Rui go south quickly to rescue the Sili area.
Without him, it is related to the interests of the Central Plains family, and must not be lost. If it is lost, the children of the Central Plains family in Yecheng will become rootless people, unable to compete with the Hebei family.
This is a private thought, but from a public perspective, Chen Qun is right.
As far as the Gongsun family is concerned, when has there been anyone who is determined to compete for the world? !
Gongsun Zan, the most promising member of the Gongsun family, his biggest goal was to occupy the land of Hebei and become the king. He even lost to Yuan Shao, who was equally ambitious and talented, even though he had an advantage.
This Gongsun Yuan did not have Gongsun Zan's ability, but he had Gongsun Zan's temper. Therefore, Chen Qun judged that Gongsun Yuan's biggest purpose was to separate Liaodong and become king. He might not even dare to go to Youzhou.
If such a person is allowed to be proud for a while, there will only be advantages and no disadvantages.
In fact, all the smart people present understand this truth and can see it, but some people are unwilling to say it clearly due to various interest entanglements.
Some people even took the initiative to stand up and suggested to Cao Rui - since Gongsun Yuan is such a thing, he must have fallen into pride and complacency after defeating Tian Yu, the governor of Youzhou.
At this time, the imperial court suddenly sent out troops with thunderous force and attacked Liaodong unprepared. Wouldn't it be possible to defeat Liaodong in one battle? !
At that time, taking advantage of the momentum of Liaodong's great victory and going south to support Heluo, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds? !
As for Heluo, Sima Yi is so capable and holds all the financial power, military power, and political power in Heluo. He can't be unable to hold on for just a few months, right? !
When Chen Qun heard this, he took a deep breath.
Upon closer inspection, the person who said this was Taizhong doctor Liu Ye.
Chen Qun was immediately puzzled. Where are you from? !
(End of chapter)
