Whether to fight against foreign aggression or to keep peace at home, this is a question that every force has to make a choice throughout the ages.
There is nothing new under the sun. Although Liu Chan is not interested in the Western Church and its teachings, this sentence in his scripture is still very reasonable.
Cao Wei wanted to attack Wu. No matter how crazy Cao Pi was, he would not completely ignore Liu Han.
But he had no choice. When Sun Quan refused to send his son north, the impact was extremely bad.
At the beginning, Cao Pi accepted his surrender despite all opinions, but now Sun Quan is doing this, what is the difference between slapping him with a big mouth and calling him a big fool?
Secondly, the Qingxu issue cannot be postponed any longer. Cao Pi's compromise made Qingxu's tyrants even more unscrupulous, and the posture of a state within a state would change over time.
The new emperor of the Wei Dynasty said he wanted both, whether to conquer the outside world first or to secure the internal affairs first.
He wanted to solve these two problems through a war.
In fact, this is not a stupid move. After all, fighting has a cost. If it can solve internal and external problems so efficiently, it can even be called a brilliant move.
...If it weren't for his father and son watching eagerly from the side.
The alliance between Liu and Sun, which was avoided through diplomatic means, was completely shattered after Liu became emperor.
As the saying goes, there are no two days in the sky and no two masters in the country. There is no possibility of compromise between Lao Liu and Cao Pi.
This assassination was his last struggle and a low-cost attempt.
Even if he fails, Liu Han will be plunged into suspicion.
If we can estrange the trust of the Liu and Sun families, or even drive a wedge between Jingzhou and Yizhou, even if there is only a slight superficial compatibility in future battles, it will be a huge opportunity for Cao Wei on the battlefield.
It can be said to be a huge profit.
Now the question of whether to prioritize foreign affairs or internal affairs has come to the side of Liu Chan and his son again.
Cao Wei has made it clear: Someone on your side has tipped me off, and you have to take care of it yourself. It is best not to help Sun Quan, otherwise your every move will be under my control.
Should we continue the Northern Expedition as originally planned with this hidden danger in mind, or should we stop and investigate the hidden culprit first?
After hearing what happened, Zhuge Liang and Fazheng looked at each other.
Then Fazheng spoke first and said: "Your Majesty, it is a mature plan for the prince to block the news in time. In my opinion, it is not appropriate to investigate this matter with great fanfare. It is better to suppress it for the time being..."
Liu Bei said angrily: "In this Chengdu market, under my feet, you dare to openly assassinate the prince. How can I let it go? Even if I kill this Yizhou official, I will kill this thief!"
"Your Majesty, calm down." Zhuge Liang cupped his hands and said, "Filial piety is also for the overall situation. I think the prince also took this into consideration, so he blocked the news in time.
"Since Cao Wei has arranged an assassination at this time, I am afraid that he will soon send out his army to attack Wu. At that time, we should also wait for the opportunity to move with Jing Yi's troops in the northern expedition. At this time, we must not cause the generals to be suspicious and fearful, and the soldiers to be uneasy."
"Then let's just forget it and pretend it never happened?!" Old Liu was furious.
Since the victory in Hanzhong, Liu Chan has become more and more confident. He has not been so angry for a long time.
Liu Chan was actually a little moved in his heart. Old Liu was uncharacteristically out of control. Of course, it was because the matter involved the prince's safety, strategic planning, and national security...
But it cannot be denied that there is also a very pure father-son relationship here. As a father, he wants to find out and kill the thieves who threaten his son's life. It's that simple.
He didn't believe that Lao Liu would not think of things that he, the Prime Minister, and Fazheng could think of immediately.
But he still did not hesitate to shake the morale of the army, and also wanted to conduct a thorough internal investigation with great fanfare...Liu Chan suddenly understood further why his second uncle and third uncle were so devoted to Lao Liu.
A monarch who can put brotherly feelings and father-son feelings above political reason is not a perfect monarch worthy of praise.
But he is definitely an elder brother that makes people willing to follow him through life and death...so that even people with modern souls can finally call him father willingly.
"Father," Liu Chan interjected, "What the Prime Minister and Fa Shangshu said makes sense. This is a God-given opportunity for the Northern Expedition. Father, we must not lose a big thing for a small thing."
"Is this the end of it?!" Lao Liu repeated it again, obviously very unwilling to do so.
"Of course I won't let it go." Fazheng took over the words and sneered, "If you want to kill the prince and collaborate with the enemy to treason, you should be punished by the Yi tribe. Everyone involved in this matter must be punished and set as a warning to others!"
Zhuge Liang nodded with a smile and said: "If this person is not eliminated, the overall situation of the Northern Expedition will definitely be affected. The two things affect each other and there is no order of priority. They should be dealt with side by side, but it does not mean that Your Majesty should ignore it."
"It's exactly what Kong Ming said. The overall situation must be taken into consideration, but this traitor must also be found." Fa Zhengdao.
The two of them talked to each other and looked at each other. It was obvious that both of them had similar ideas and both smiled knowingly.
Lao Liu looked around, but he still didn't know what they meant: "Hey, you two are still guessing some riddles with me at this time, or any clever ideas, but it doesn't hurt to talk about it."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Your Majesty, don't be anxious, just appoint the queen and prince according to the original plan. If I don't wait to investigate with great fanfare, I will scare this beast to sleep and eat."
"That's right, I expected that this beast would not be able to make a single hit, and the assassin would never come back. He didn't know what we meant, so he would definitely hide and shrink his head, not daring to move rashly." Fa Zhengdao.
"Your Majesty only needs to ask the guards to take strict precautions and hold the canonization ceremony as usual."
"When the Northern Expedition begins, I will let the beast jump out on its own. How you want to deal with it will be decided by your Majesty."
In a few words of tacit understanding, the two of them clearly arranged the future of the traitor, making it as simple as crushing a bed bug.
Liu Chan thought for a while and felt that they should use the Northern Expedition to lure the snake out of the hole, let the traitors inside show themselves and then catch them all.
The essence of the idea is the same as Cao Pi's, preparing to complete his achievements in one battle.
When it comes to fighting outside and inside, you have to be tough with both hands.
It was related to the prince's safety, so Lao Liu did not dare to be careless and repeatedly confirmed with them the certainty of the plan.
After Zhuge Liang and Fazheng explained in detail, they really came up with the idea of luring the snake out of its hole.
They told Lao Liu the prototype of their plan in their minds. This plan seemed a bit risky at first glance, but it was carefully calculated. They only needed to perfect the details and it would be foolproof.
Liu Chan also nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Such treatment can indeed minimize the external impact. It will not delay the Northern Expedition, and it can also serve as a deterrent to the monkeys.
After hearing this, Lao Liu's expression gradually softened: "But, is this person really so bold? So what if he doesn't take the bait."
"Haha, since you dare to pay for assassination and see a great opportunity, how can you not move?" Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan lightly and smiled, "If he really doesn't move, just provoke him."
Fa Zheng smiled and handed over his hand: "Your Majesty only arranges for the canonization and the Northern Expedition. This matter will be left to the ministers. Within three months after the Northern Expedition begins, there will definitely be fish biting the hook."
When Lao Liu saw that both his two great think-tanks said this and his son had no objections, he agreed.
As a result, the city of Chengdu, which had experienced an assassination in a busy city, acted as if nothing had happened.
The common people and soldiers who experienced everything at the scene that day, and the county officials who participated in the investigation and aftermath, from top to bottom, remained tight-lipped and refused to mention what happened that day.
In addition, Liu Chan issued the hush-hush order in a timely manner. Even Chengdu officials and many people did not know that this kind of thing had happened.
As for the person involved, Liu Chan... he was already like a normal person, and was ready to be crowned Crown Prince under the arrangement of Old Liu.
(End of chapter)
