Seeing that the three advisers were unanimous, Cao Cao personally wrote a letter to Hefei Jiang Ji, ordering him to lobby Sun Quan to attack Guan Yu's rear, and gave him the right to act expediently.
"Although the solitary letter has been written, it is still unclear whether Biyaner can use his strength. If Guan Yunchang fights with us, will the subsequent supply of food and grass be able to keep up?" Cao Cao put down his brush and looked at Sima Yi and asked.
Since Cao Cao became Duke and Xun Yu and Xun You died one after another, the Yingchuan nobles have obviously not paid attention to logistics supplies. Cao Cao has learned from experience and lessons after encountering obstacles several times and showed his goodwill to the Yingchuan nobles by re-employing Chen Qun, Zhong Yao and others, but now there is still no The tacit understanding has been restored to the past, and the corvee problem exposed in the Battle of Hanzhong is the source of Cao Cao's current distress.
Sima Yi was born in Hanoi County. His grandfather Sima Jun was the governor of Yingchuan, and his father Sima Fang was the governor of Jingzhao. The Sima family was inextricably linked to the Yingchuan gentry. After the Xun family faded out of Wei's sight, Sima Yi gradually became He became one of the spokespersons of the Henan gentry.
Cao Cao has been checking and balancing the gentry all his life. He has already seen Sima Yi's background clearly. The inquiry at this time is to clarify the attitude of the gentry in Henan.
Sima Yi was very smart. He quickly excused himself and said: "Due to the heavy corvee work in the past two years, there are many wastelands in the Central Plains that are uncultivated, so the grain production has been severely reduced. General Yuan Rang is defending on the eastern front, and I think we must continue to farm. This way Only in this way can we maintain sufficient food and grass.”
Seeing Sima Yi talking about him, Cao Cao frowned and said in a more serious tone: "Guhui Tiaoyuanrang came back to farm, but is there any problem with the supply of food and grass to the Fancheng battlefield now?"
"Uh... no problem, it's just that the people are having a hard time doing corvee work. It's best to have someone supervise the transportation along the way..." Sima Yi saw that Cao Cao was pursuing and beating him, so he quickly handed over the real information.
Before Cao Cao became successful, except for Li Dian, most of the people who supervised the transportation of grain and grass were escorted by his confidant Xia Houyuan. At this time, the grain roads were all within his sphere of influence, and there was no need to worry too much about Guan Yu or Sun Quan's interference.
Seeing Sima Yi's suggestion, Cao Cao followed the current and told Liu Ye: "What Zhongda said is very good. Send an order to Zijian to be Nan Zhonglang General, and go to conquer the captive general, and ask him to come to the front line as soon as possible to supervise the transportation of grain and grass."
"The Marquis of Linzi has no experience in commanding troops. Why doesn't the King of Wei send Marquis Yanling to go?" Sima Yi looked at Cao Zhang in the hall and made a suggestion, thinking to himself, why would my lord choose the distant place instead of the near?
Cao Zhang, who was standing aside, didn't answer, because no matter how the two brothers fought for the throne, he had no chance as a martial artist, and he was disgusted with Sima Yi pulling him into the water.
Cao Cao frowned and asked in a deep voice: "You have to practice only if you don't have experience. Didn't Ziwen's achievements also come from practice? Zijian and Ziwen are both Gu's heirs. Of course, they must be given a chance. Zhongda also wanted to say What?"
"I don't dare." Sima Yi quickly bowed his hands in salute. He did not dare to participate in Cao Cao's housework.
Sima Yi was thinking about writing a letter to remind Cao Pi that Cao Cao had been entangled with Cao Pi and Cao Zhi when he was establishing an heir. He was worried that Cao Cao would do something stupid like changing reserves in his later years.
Cao Pi is now done, and it is impossible for Cao Cao to commit such a feeble-minded thing as changing the governor. The appointment of Cao Zhi at this time is nothing more than a slap in the face of the Henan nobles represented by the Yingchuan nobles, which means that he still has room for choice. The Hongnong Yang family behind Cao Zhi was also a giant among the gentry.
Cao Cao nodded with satisfaction. He tapped the table gently and continued to ask: "That's it. Regarding the battle situation in Fancheng, does Zhongda have anything else to say?"
"Well... Hu Xiu, the governor of Jingzhou, has a rough character, and Fu Fang, the prefect of Nanxiang, behaves arrogantly. I think they should not be stationed at the border. Once there is a change in Nanxiang County, it will not only affect the defense of Fancheng, but also Wan and Luo. Threatened." Sima Yi answered seriously.
During the Liu Biao period, Jingzhou was divided into seven counties: Nanyang County, Nan County, Jiangxia County, Lingling County, Guiyang County, Wuling County, and Changsha County. After the Battle of Chibi, the southern part of Jingzhou was controlled by Guan Yu, and the northern part of Jingzhou was occupied by Cao Cao.
Cao Cao changed the control area north of Nanjun to Xiangyang County, and classified Nanxiang, Zhuyang, Yinxian, Shunyang, Xixian, Wudang, and Fuxian counties that originally belonged to Nanyang County into Nanxiang County. The seven counties of Jingzhou became He went to the nine counties of Jingxiang.
Nanxiang County is located to the east of the three eastern counties of Han Dynasty controlled by Liu Bei, to the north of Xiangyang County controlled by Cao Cao, to the west of Nanyang County, and to the south of Sili Prefecture. The upper reaches of the Han River pass through here.
Sima Yi was really out of public interest at this time, but Cao Cao thought that he had ulterior motives and replied impatiently: "It is a taboo for military officers to change generals before the battle. Zhongda, don't worry too much, just raise food and grass for me."
"Wei." Sima Yi lowered his head again.
"Zi Yang, quickly send Gu's letter to Hefei on Pegasus." Cao Cao raised his hand and pushed the letter to the case.
"Wei." Liu Ye responded and stepped forward to take the letter.
When leaving the hall at the end of the day, Sima Yi quickly caught up with Cheng Yu who was in front of him, bowed his hands and asked: "Mr. Zhongde, in the past, you have repeatedly offered suggestions in front of the King of Wei. Why do you rarely express your opinions today? With public wisdom, you should be able to tell I am sincere."
Cheng Yu smiled slightly, showing the wrinkles on his face: "I am an old man, it would be nice to be able to breathe. Where can I have any opinions? I think Zhongda's wisdom is the best among the ministers. It is the tiger that comes out of the mountain to make his name. It’s the time to establish ten thousand...”
"Sir, you have been following the king for a long time. Do you have any ideas to teach me?" Sima Yi saluted and asked again.
"How can I teach you as soon as I am dismissed from office and reinstated? However, I have been idle at home these past few years. I feel that talking less and arguing less usually makes me more healthy. I said goodbye..." Cheng Yu turned around and left. He walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
Sima Yi looked at the nine-foot-tall Cheng Yu and fell into deep thought, thinking, I am in my prime and you want me to be silent?
After Cheng Yu was dismissed from office, he reviewed his life and discovered that Jia Xu, the most obstinate person, lived the most transparent life. Therefore, after being re-enabled by Cao Cao, he chose not to take sides and speak as little as possible. After all, he was already so old.
Cao Cao's letter was delivered to Hefei, and Jiang Ji sent someone to deliver the letter to Sun Quan, agreeing to meet on the west bank of Shi River.
At this time, Sun Quan was stationed in Chaohu but had not yet disembarked. When Cao Cao and Liu Bei were fighting for Hanzhong, he mobilized troops and horses to send troops to Ruxu under the instigation of the Huaisi faction. He hoped to wait until Cao Cao transferred the garrison in Huainan and then capture Hefei, Shouchun and other places in one fell swoop. The hometown of Yangzhou.
Because Zhang Liao's troops were stationed in Hefei and Xiahou Dun's troops were stationed in Shouchun, Sun Quan got the news that Liu Bei had occupied Hanzhong before Cao Cao could withdraw his troops. The allies used too much force and did not give themselves a chance.
Sun Quan was now in a dilemma. He had finally mobilized his troops in Ruxu. Now he had no guarantee of victory if he went ashore to fight hard. It would be embarrassing to retreat directly. Therefore, he felt relieved after receiving Jiang Ji's letter. He decided to go to the appointment to see him. .