Theoretically speaking, Liu Ye's suggestion is actually reasonable.
Considering Gongsun Yuan's virtue, he must be arrogant and arrogant now. He would never have thought that the imperial court would complete the mobilization for the northward expedition so quickly, so he must be unprepared.
At this time, troops were suddenly sent to conquer Gongsun Yuan. Gongsun Yuan was bound to be completely defeated due to lack of preparation.
As for Liaodong, where there was little land and few people, Gongsun Yuan could not afford several defeats. The Xianbei people, the two forces Gongsun Yuan relied on to support him, were just at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Although Soochow Wu was not bad in power, it was far away from them. Liaodong was too far away to support Gongsun Yuan in time.
In other words, as long as Gongsun Yuan is defeated once, most of his power will be destroyed, and what is left is just some finishing touches, which is not difficult at all.
And to defeat Gongsun Yuan, there are many famous generals in the court who can do this.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, Liu Ye's suggestion is correct. But this suggestion should not come from Liu Ye's mouth.
If a representative of the Hebei family stood up and said this, Chen Qun would still have some understanding, but Liu Ye. Although Liu Ye was a member of the former clan, he was also a veteran of the three dynasties of the Wei Dynasty.
Moreover, Liu Ye was born in Huainan and was a member of a well-established Central Plains family. There was no reason to speak from the perspective of a Hebei family.
Aren't you afraid that something unexpected will happen in the middle? Sili's side will be lost. With Sima Yi's ability, it is indeed impossible to lose Heluo in just a few months. But the problem is, Sili will be crippled and crippled. No, it would not be good for our Central Plains family.
The most important thing now should not be to keep Sili? !
Chen Qun was so stunned that he didn't have time to think of a rebuttal. Hebei aristocratic families also stood up one after another and agreed with Liu Ye's statement.
No matter what you, Liu Ye, think, but since you took the initiative to say what we wanted to say, why don't you be polite and follow us quickly?
The war in the Sili area will affect the interests of your Central Plains family, and the war in Liaodong will not spread to Hebei? !
Choose the lesser of two evils. A dead fellow Taoist is better than a poor Taoist! ! !
Chen Qun was stunned. He was caught off guard by the Hebei aristocratic family and lost the opportunity to speak for a while.
Cao Rui is also weighing the pros and cons and thinking about decisions that are in his own interests.
The Shu thieves were indeed a serious problem. Cao Rui knew this very clearly and would not think of it as indifferent.
But the problem is, Liu Ye is right.
In the past nearly two years, Cao Rui had delegated all Luoyang's financial power, military power, and personnel appointment and removal rights to Sima Yi. The purpose was to enable Sima Yi to defend Luoyang for him. Giving so many concessions was even equivalent to tacitly allowing the Central Plains family to embezzle the imperial court. You, Sima Yi, can't hold on to Sili's rights and interests for even a few months, right? !
Yes, the Shu thieves are powerful, but the total force used by the Shu thieves in the Northern Expedition is only more than 70,000 people. Compared with the more than 200,000 troops in the last Northern Expedition, it is not even a bit worse.
And the memorial you Sima Yi gave me in the middle of the year also said that 70% of Sili's combat strength has been restored, and there are more than 70,000 fighting troops in total. Your forces are about the same, so it shouldn't be a complete defeat, right? !
You, Sima Yi, are recognized by officials in the imperial court as a general who knows how to fight.
From this perspective, the Sili area can be delayed for a period of time, but Gongsun Yuan's side, Cao Rui really can't swallow this breath.
These days, do you dare to ride on anything? !
If he didn't quickly put down Gongsun Yuan's rebellion with the power of thunder, where would Cao Rui's face be? !
It's understandable that he couldn't defeat Soochow. After all, Emperor Taizu Wu once said, "Having a son should be like Sun Zhongmou." After all, Sun Quan was a promising monarch. He also had famous generals like Zhou Yu and Lu Xun under his command, and he had the support of Jiangdong families. .
It makes sense that he could not defeat the Shu thieves. After all, both Emperor Taizu Wu and the late emperor had times when they could not defeat the Shu thieves. The late emperor had been in power for six years and had even lost the state of Guanzhong. So far, he has only failed. It’s just Nanyang, it’s nothing.
But if Gongsun Yuan is allowed to become king and cause internal instability within the country, then this matter will be troublesome.
Cao Rui must prove to the world that the Wei Dynasty is still the Wei Dynasty. Even if it is temporarily trapped, it is not just a cat or a dog that can shake the rule of the Wei Dynasty.
This is a matter of the majesty of the imperial court and the foundation of political rule. This cannot be messed with.
Another one, Cao Rui looked at his uncle Cao Zhen.
This means asking Cao Zhen if he is sure of quickly pacifying Gongsun Yuan.
Cao Zhen stood up directly, raised his hands and assured Cao Rui, "Your Majesty and I will give you two months, and I will defeat the traitor Gongsun, and behead him and present him to the court."
Forget it about others. If Cao Zhen can't defeat Gongsun Yuan, then he might as well just disband and return to the field.
Moreover, since the emperor asked himself this, he must give an affirmative answer. Moreover, after losing all battles in these years, Cao Zhen also needs such an opportunity to prove his ability.
When Cao Rui heard what Cao Zhen said, he immediately felt confident. It wouldn't work if he didn't have confidence. Now he only has this clan uncle left to rely on.
Xia Houshang died of illness not long after returning to Yecheng. In the middle of this year, Cao Xiu fell ill in bed. Now he is in good and bad situations. We can't let such a man go into battle again, right? !
Among the clan generals, only Cao Zhen can lead troops into battle. If Cao Rui doesn't rely on Cao Zhen, who can he rely on? !
A general with a foreign surname? !
It's true that Cao Rui is not a petty person. He is already very generous to give Sima Yi such great power. But how many generals with foreign surnames in the court today have this ability and are loyal enough? !
Even Tian Yu, a veteran of the three dynasties, was defeated. Those who were inferior to Tian Yu were sent to conquer Gongsun Yuan. They were not to beg thieves, but to deliver food.
Therefore, Cao Rui could only rely on Cao Zhen, and immediately issued an edict, asking Cao Zhen to set off at a certain time, go straight to Liaodong, and encircle Gongsun Yuan.
After the encirclement and suppression was completed, he immediately went south to support Sima Yi who was fighting in Luoyang.
Cao Zhen led the troops. After going to court, he just went home to pack his clothes, and then settled in the military camp overnight.
Early the next morning, Cao Zhen led his troops directly to the expedition.
It's not that Cao Zhen is in a hurry, but in order to have a surprise effect, Cao Zhen must rush to Liaodong as soon as possible and launch an attack while Gongsun Yuan is careless. Only in this way can he defeat Gongsun Yuan and put down the rebellion in Liaodong in the shortest possible time.
This is the so-called military strength and speed. Just because Cao Zhen couldn't defeat Zhang Xi, Zhuge Liang and others, it doesn't mean that he is really incapable.
But the problem is that less than ten days after Cao Zhen led his troops on the expedition, Sima Yi from Luoyang sent someone to report.
Pubanjin was lost, and Hongnong County fell to Luoyang without a fight.
Well, Cao Rui directly copied his father and took his breath away on the spot.
Finally, under the diagnosis and treatment of the imperial doctor, Cao Rui slowly woke up, but he still couldn't swallow it. He ignored the dissuasion of Chen Qun and others and almost changed all the furniture in his palace! ! !
Now, Cao Rui is really anxious to get angry with your Sima Yi. I gave you such great power and such great trust, but in less than a month, you let the Shu thieves attack Luoyang City? !
Actually, Chen Qun wanted to remind Cao Rui that the Shu thieves had only captured Hongnong County and had not yet reached Luoyang City. But what's the point? !
Even Chen Qun didn't expect that Sima Yi was so useless and could so easily let the Shu thieves get into Hongnong, Sili's heartland.
So, if he had listened to himself, regardless of Gongsun Yuan, and gone south to support Luoyang, the army would have almost reached the Yellow River by now.
But now that Cao Zhen has led his troops to the border of Youzhou, he can't call them back.
If you really want to call him back, that would be child's play.
Therefore, Chen Qun could only find a way to comfort Cao Rui, and at the same time, persuade Cao Rui not to lose his calm.
If even the emperor loses his cool, the people below will not know what to do.
Moreover, it is not that Sima Yi did not leave a backup force in Luoyang. He left Xinpi and Sima Zhao in Luoyang to defend the city, and he also left a reserve of 10,000 soldiers in Luoyang.
Considering the strength of Luoyang City, if ten thousand soldiers hold on, it may not be impossible to hold it.
Another thing, according to the military newspaper, the Shu thieves entered Hongnong County through the Yellow River waterway after breaking through Pubanjin. The number of troops was only about 10,000. This army may have the effect of a surprise attack, but it only relies on It is still difficult for this army to capture Luoyang.
In addition, although Hongnong surrendered without a fight, Wang Chang of Tongguan still had 10,000 soldiers, and Hedong County was not lost. If the Hedong families worked together, they might not be able to raise 10,000 troops. In addition, Sima Yi's main force If he can return to Luoyang in time to defend, Sili may not be lost.
At least in a short period of time, it may not be lost.
Well, Chen Qun himself didn't have much confidence in what he said. After all, he was not on the front line of Sili. The only conclusion he could draw was based on military reports.
As for the military newspaper, let alone the issue of whether it is trustworthy or not, the amount of information it contains is too small, and Chen Qun cannot fully judge the full picture of the Sili War.
After all, in Sili, military warfare is one aspect, and political interest exchange is another battlefield.
If it was just a military failure, then Sili might still be able to hold on.
But if there are problems with political interests, then Sili really can't hold on.
These matters are beyond the direct control of Chen Qun in Yecheng.
Now Chen Qun can only comfort the emperor Cao Rui while hoping that Sima Yi can stabilize the situation. He really doesn't want to let the emperor down.
(End of chapter)
