Jia Xu was too old and sick to attend court, so he spent his days recuperating in Taiwei Mansion. Cao Pi often sent imperial doctors to consult him and gave him precious medicinal materials to prolong his life. His gratitude made the courtiers envious.
The royal chariot arrived at the Taiwei Mansion, and Jia Xu's eldest son Jia Mu went out to meet him.
"Where is the Taiwei now? Is he still in good spirits?" Cao Pi asked as he walked.
Jia Mu bowed his hands and bowed: "My father is still the same, but he has not woken up from his nap now. Please go to the main hall to drink first, and I will wake you up immediately."
"No hurry, I'll wait for a while." Cao Pi raised his head and moved forward, and Jia Mu had to follow him to keep him company.
Jia Xu was a very low-key official. The Taiwei Mansion received the emperor with all kinds of wine, meat, fruits and vegetables, but he did not raise a beautiful singer like other nobles. Cao Pi seemed a little bored after waiting for a while.
Jia Mu went outside the house under the pretext of being respectful, avoided Xu Chu's sight, contacted his brother Jia Fan, and asked him to wake up his father Jia Xu quickly. It was a crime of disrespect to make the emperor wait for his ministers for half an hour.
The children of the Jia family were trained to be cautious by Jia Xu, and they immediately rushed to the back house and helped Jia Xu to the front hall.
Cao Pi saw that Jia Xu was mentally depressed and walking very slowly when being supported by others. He couldn't help but lament that time is not forgiving. After all, he was already seventy-seven years old and he was no longer as nimble as before.
Jia Xu knew that Cao Pi's visit must be important, so after he sat down, he immediately dismissed his son and servants, and asked tremblingly: "I heard that Quanzi mentioned that the war situation in Huainan and Jingzhou has improved. Your Majesty came here despite his busy schedule. Could it be Yong?" Something happened to Liang?"
Cao Pi nodded solemnly, "Lieutenant, as expected, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were bluffing, making us mistakenly believe that the other side would attack the east and attack the west, either attacking Jingbei or plotting against Liangzhou. As a result, Liu Bei led the elite of Yizhou out of the Qin Dynasty." Sichuan, raided Dashan Pass, besieged Chencang Fortress, and captured Chang'an, seriously endangering the security of the capital."
Jia Xu was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth for a long time, and then he swallowed his saliva and asked in confusion: "How many people did Liu Bei have? I remember that Chencang was guarded by General Zhang He, which was enough to withstand tens of thousands of troops. Moreover, General Zidan was very stable. He It is impossible to remain indifferent, how could Liu Bei capture Chang'an so quickly?"
"According to Zi Lin (Xiahou Mao), Wei Yan suddenly appeared in Chang'an with 100,000 troops. He defended for several days and could not resist it. He was worried that Liu Bei had already captured Chencang, so he took away the Chang'an soldiers and suggested I sent troops west out of Tongguan and joined forces with Zidan to trap Liu Bei to death in the pass." Cao Pi explained, stroking his beard.
Jia Xu did not believe that Xia Houmao had such strategic vision. He guessed that someone must have taught him to say this to prevent him from being convicted for abandoning the city when he returned to Luoyang. Thinking of the close relationship between Xia Houmao and Cao Pi, Jia Xu just saw through it without telling him. Jia Mu, who was on standby, called in and asked him to get the combat map of the Yongliang area.
"Xiahou's Prince Consort has a good idea. If Your Majesty insists on using troops in Guanzhong now, Liu Bei's army's supplies will have to be transported from Shu. It is obvious that transporting grain on Shu roads is difficult. If Liu Bei insists on staying in Guanzhong, he will probably be exhausted. Yizhou's national strength will also indirectly affect the fate of Jingzhou and Jiaozhou." Jia Xu nodded slightly.
"The Taiwei's opinion is the same as that of Yuan Chang (Zhong Yao), but I can't figure out why Liu Bei has so many soldiers, and Wei Yan appears in Chang'an without anyone noticing." Cao Pi frowned.
While the two were talking, Jia Mu handed the map to Jia Xu and laid it out.
Jia Xu looked at the familiar Guanzhong, his old eyes narrowed to a slit, "Liu Bei used troops on such a large scale, even if most of them were recruited civilians, General Zidan was guilty of oversight. Why didn't he get any information in advance? Furthermore, If Liu Bei conquered Chencang first and then advanced eastward, Xiahou's prince consort should have known about it in advance and could not have reacted hastily."
"What Taiwei means?" Cao Pi hesitated.
"My veteran guessed that when Wei Yan came to Chang'an, Chen Cang should still be in the hands of Wei. If Wei Yan entered Guanzhong from Baoxie Road, the defender of Yi County would have given an early warning, so the opponent should have made a move of limited chess." Jia Xu Focus on the easternmost Ziwu Ridge.
Cao Pi was excited when he heard this. He stood up and came to Jia Xu. He also saw the valley path. He then shook his head and said, "The Ziwuling trail is difficult and dangerous. In the past, the late emperor had sent people to explore the road before attacking Zhang Lu. It is impossible for a large army to do so." I passed it smoothly, so I finally chose to take the Chencang Avenue to hit Yangping head-on."
"Even His Majesty and the late Emperor think it is not feasible. Will Xiahou's Prince Consort set up defenses on this road? If I were Liu Bei, I would be willing to take the risk, but a hundred thousand troops should have enough water. It can be seen that Liu Bei's army has solved the difficulty of transporting grain and grass. From this point of view, Get up and they will do it in Guanzhong." Jia Xu did not continue.
It was very cold in Luoyang during the first month of the year. After listening to Jia Xu's analysis, Cao Pi suddenly felt a chill in his vest. Even Ziwu Ridge could be climbed easily, so why waste Yizhou's national strength?
"So Luoyang is in danger, do I need to consider moving the capital?" Cao Pi panicked.
Jia Xu shook his head and replied: "If your Majesty moves the capital to Hebei, not only Liu Bei will take advantage of the opportunity to invade the Central Plains, but Sun Quan from Jiangdong will also go north to get a piece of the pie. At that time, Yu, Yan, Qing, and Xu will not be able to keep it. Staying in Luoyang will help them unite." In the hearts of the people, the nobles of Henan will definitely help His Majesty with all their strength in order to defend their homeland."
"It's the same truth. That would be a huge defeat." Cao Pi nodded lightly in agreement with Jia Xu, and then told the thoughts of Chen Qun, Wang Lang, Xia Houshang and others.
"The strategies of all the ministers are very good. I think Liu Bei will not advance eastward for the time being. After all, General Zidan's heavy troops are still in Longyou, and Liangzhou's strategic depth is large enough. It will not be easy for them to gain a foothold in Guanzhong, but I am worried There were frequent rebellions in Liangzhou, and the people did not sincerely surrender.
Now that Chang'an is under the control of Liu Bei, military supplies from the Central Plains can no longer be transported. The border officers may rob the people of the border counties due to lack of food and clothing. Once the foreign tribes in the border areas rebel against Wei, they will surely It will become a powerful aid to the enemy, so Your Majesty must retake Chang'an, otherwise General Zidan will be in danger."
Jia Xu's strategic layout was superior to that of other ministers of the Wei State, so when he expressed his hidden worries, Cao Pi could no longer calm down at this time. He originally thought that Cao Zhen had more soldiers and could wait, but it seemed that the other party was in danger.
"Since the Lieutenant has pointed out various key points, is there any clever plan to help me overcome this crisis? It will take time to mobilize troops and horses in Huainan, and it will also take time for Wang Sikong's strategy to be effective. I am worried that Zidan (Cao Zhen) cannot afford to wait." Cao Pi pinned his hopes on Jia Xu, thinking that among Cao Cao's four major ministers who trusted him, Jia Xu, an outsider, was the most reliable.
Jia Xu pointed to the location of Nanxiang and said: "Your Majesty, you can ask General Wenlie to lead his troops to move here. The counties south of Wancheng can be temporarily abandoned. It will not be too late to recover them when Huainan's troops arrive. As long as Guan Yu is found to be unable to succeed, then We can attack Chang'an from Wuguan and Tongguan, and cooperate with Yongliang's original troops to consume Liu Bei. In addition, "
(End of chapter)
