novelAbuy Chapter 1364 Temple Calculation
Chapter 1364 Temple Calculation
Chapter 1364 Temple Calculation
In the tenth month of Yan Xi, Grand Marshal Feng wrote "The Memorial of the Three Expeditions to the Emperor" to show his intention to carry on the late emperor's will as prime minister.
Afterwards, the whole Han Dynasty heard the news and took action, especially the officers and soldiers of various departments, who prepared their troops and were ready to go.
Just as the Han Dynasty was preparing for a decisive battle with Wei in Hebei, the internal turmoil in Wu caused by the dispute between the two palaces finally led to a temporary compromise between all parties under the pressure of Sun Quan summoning a large army to gather in Jianye:
Crown Prince Sun He was once again confined to the Eastern Palace and was not allowed to interact with outside officials.
Prince of Lu Sun Ba was also confined to the Prince of Lu's Palace, but unlike last time, this time Sun Quan personally sent the imperial guards to guard the Prince of Lu's Palace and did not allow anyone to enter or leave at will.
It can be said that Sun Quan was serious this time and treated his two sons equally in terms of punishment.
He was afraid that if his two sons continued to fight like this, it would shake the foundation of the Wu Kingdom.
The purpose of gathering the army in Jianye was to be prepared for any eventuality.
It can also be said that Sun Quan was really old. Halfway through the game, he found that he might not be able to control the situation, so he didn't have the courage to continue playing.
The impact of the dispute between the two palaces goes beyond this.
The four surnames of Wujun were severely damaged, especially the acting Prime Minister Lu Xun, who was scolded to death in this party struggle, which finally gave Sun Quan the opportunity to rebalance the forces of all parties.
He quickly issued an edict, appointing Bu Zhi as prime minister, Zhu Ran as left Sima, and Quan Cong as right Sima.
At the same time, Jingzhou was divided into two parts:
General Zhennan Lü Dai was appointed as the Supreme General, in charge of the right wing to garrison Xiangyang; General Weibei Zhuge Ke was appointed as the General, in charge of the left wing to garrison Wuchang in place of Lu Xun.
Only the former General of the Cavalry, Zhu Ju, is still reflecting in his mansion and has not yet been reinstated.
"Sun Quan is still good at this."
While preparing for the expedition, Sima Feng also took the time to read the urgent message sent back by Mi Shiyilang from the State of Wu.
He shook the paper in his hand and said something with a little admiration.
He was willing to use his two sons as bait and gamble the fate of the country just to ensure the stability of Sun's throne.
It has to be said that although Sun Quan was not very capable in military affairs, he was indeed good at politics.
From the adjustments made to the most important positions in the court and the army, it can be seen that after the sacrifice of Lu Xun, the three forces of the Wu State had reached a certain balance.
Among these appointments were two native representatives from Jiangdong: Quan Cong and Zhu Ran.
But Quan Cong was from Qiantang, Wujun, and his political inclinations were different from those of the four surnames of Wujun.
Zhu Ran was from Guzhang, Danyang, and held a neutral attitude.
But none of them came from the four surnames of Wu County.
As for Prime Minister Bu Zhi, he came from the Huaisi Group.
Locally, Lu Dai was from the Huai-Si Group, while Zhuge Ke was from the Jingzhou faction.
It can be said that this time, Sun Quan really did not give the four surnames of Wujun any face.
They would rather support other forces in Jiangdong than give the Four Families of Wujun any chance.
However, Madam You was somewhat disdainful when she heard Sima Feng's comments on Sun Quan:
"Sun Quan has ruled Jiangdong for more than forty years, nearly fifty years, right?"
"After ruling the country for decades, he still has to go to great lengths to maintain balance in the court, even at the cost of shaking the foundation of the country and summoning a large army to the capital."
"Then what has he been doing for the past few decades? Do you think he is a man of great means? In my opinion, he is short-sighted and has no sense of rules and regulations."
"You only seek temporary peace, but when something unexpected happens, you resort to such a lowly strategy, causing unrest in the whole country. How can this be considered acceptable?"
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Feng Dasima intentionally or unintentionally.
Everything is afraid of a comparison.
After being in power for more than 40 years, he never thought about how to solve the problem of constraints from the aristocratic families. Now that he is about to die, he thinks of using this method to achieve balance?
Look at King Feng the Ghost. As soon as he came out of the mountains, he immediately set rules for the noble families in Shu, letting them know what it meant to be ruthless and what it meant to be far-sighted.
Whether it is Wei or Wu, everyone knows the dangers of aristocratic families, but no one dares to say publicly that they are too powerful to be eliminated.
Because the foundation of their country is the aristocratic family.
Only the Han Dynasty not only broke free from the control of the aristocratic families, but also turned around and used the aristocratic families for its own purposes.
As the Ghost King's wife, she has been giving him advice, especially over the years.
Madam You's vision is much higher than those so-called talents of this era.
Women are as good as men; this is a fact, not just a slogan.
Therefore, Madam You had enough confidence to look down on Sun Quan's so-called methods.
In her opinion, even if Sun Quan resorted to such means, he could only gain temporary peace.
After his death, the superficial balance of the Wu State would disappear sooner or later.
By that time, if Sun Quan had not chosen a good successor, and the successors would not be able to control the current important ministers, the Wu court would most likely be in turmoil again.
Moreover, how could the four Wujun families, who were the local bosses in Jiangdong, give up just like that?
You must find an opportunity to turn things around.
Therefore, what Sun Quan is doing now, although it seems to have eliminated hidden dangers for future generations, is actually also laying the seeds of disaster for future generations.
It is difficult to evaluate the gains and losses at present.
Sima Feng caught the Right Madam's gaze and immediately felt that there was something else behind her words.
But before he could figure out the meaning, Madam You's subsequent explanation made him look extremely surprised.
Although he didn't remember the power struggles in the Wu court after Sun Quan very clearly - at least he certainly didn't remember as clearly as Sima Yi farting into the Luo River.
But I still have a general idea.
As the old saying goes, compared with the brutal and bloody political struggles between Wei and Wu, Shu Han was simply a pure land.
So the conclusion is:
After Sun Quan, the political struggle in Wu State, even if it was not as famous as that in Wei State, was undoubtedly "extremely fierce".
Although the dispute between the two palaces has been temporarily suppressed by Sun Quan, in fact, the dispute between the two palaces has just begun the prelude to the power struggle in the Wu State.
Prologue, do you know what a prologue is?
There is still a long way to go for such good days!
In the middle and late period of the Three Kingdoms in the original history, although Liu Adou's ability to govern the country was a little poor and he was a bit of a traitor.
As the saying goes, "Appoint virtuous ministers and you will be a reasonable ruler; appoint eunuchs and you will be a dark and corrupt ruler." To put it bluntly, he has no opinions of his own.
But when it comes to political struggles, the Shu Han under his rule is simply a rare white lotus in the world.
When Feng first came out of the mountains and was still a young man, he suffered from the oppression of the old demon Zhuge Liang and never thought of escaping to Wei or Wu. A big part of the reason was because of this.
There is a guaranteed bottom line!
This bottom line is very important, very important. As long as you don't do anything dangerous - such as dancing in front of the grave of the late emperor or prime minister - you can keep your life safe. The worst that can happen is exile.
Afraid of hair?
So how could Grand Marshal Feng, who knew the general direction of history, not be extremely surprised when he heard the Right Lady reveal the court situation of the late Wu Kingdom?
Feeling Feng Da Sima's unexpected, surprised, and even somewhat horrified gaze, Madam You frowned:
"What's that look on your face? What? Am I wrong?"
"No." Feng Da Sima took a deep breath and said sincerely, "In fact, what I want to say is that great minds think alike. What Si Niang said really agrees with me."
Heroines are heroes too.
When Madam You heard what Mr. Feng said, she felt a little sweet in her heart, and then she deliberately rolled her eyes at him.
The two of them had just started to flirt with each other, but then Mrs. Zuo, who had been looking at the map with her back to them, strangled them to death:
"Since Alang and Si Niang both said that the dispute between the two palaces in Wu has come to an end, Sun Quan has also rebalanced the court."
As she spoke, Madam Zuo turned around, seemingly not noticing the two men's small movements behind her back:
"Then will the troops he has gathered in Jianye march north while we are fighting the decisive battle with the State of Wei?"
"No." Feng Da Sima's eyes also fell on the map on the wall, and the corner of his mouth raised a smile that was unique to the Ghost King, "The food and grass must go first before the troops move."
"It's already a great achievement for Sun Quan to be able to solve the food problem in Wu. Where will he get the food and grass when he sets out on the expedition?"
Outside, although the Han Dynasty did not completely cut off Jingzhou's food supply, it certainly tightened it.
The people and officials of Jingzhou suffered, and the blame was borne by Emperor Sun.
Although Emperor Sun suppressed the local forces in Jiangdong, he also had to pay a price at the same time.
Food and grass grow from the ground, they do not come out of thin air.
What is the biggest advantage of Jiangdong’s local forces?
It means monopolizing most of Jiangdong’s resources, including land and population.
Who is the biggest representative of Jiangdong’s local forces?
The four surnames of Wu County.
Without the support of the Four Families of Wujun, how much money and grain could Sun Quan afford at such a short time?
Even General Feng had to make PY deals (make big promises) with the aristocratic families in Guanzhong, Bingzhou and Hedong during his previous campaigns.
The pie in the sky that Feng Dasima painted at least had a plan, a compensation plan after failure, and even financial backing from the court.
The most important thing is the confidence given by the golden signboard over the years.
What does Sun Quan have?
Sun Shiwan’s reputation?
Or is it the title of Hefei God of War?
Unless Sun Quan had the courage to take a big gamble, betting the entire destiny of the Wu Kingdom, betting that he could capture Hefei and then annex the Jianghuai area.
But when he thought of Hefei's special curse on Sun Quan, even the fierce and aggressive General Guan had to give up after putting himself in the other's shoes.
Things like curses, luck, etc. are better to believe in than not.
Thinking of this, General Guan's gaze fell on the map again.
If it really were her turn, even though she was certain that she couldn't capture Hefei, she couldn't miss such a good opportunity, right?
Otherwise, once the Han Dynasty took over Hebei, the Wu Kingdom would have no choice but to wait for death.
So we have to find a solution somewhere else.
The Hefei pass in the east cannot be taken, but there is nothing in Nanyang in the west except the isolated city of Wancheng.
The Han army launched an attack on Hebei, and Sima Yi was not an easy opponent, so even if the Han army did not fight with the entire country, it would certainly mobilize most of its troops.
The remaining troops are tasked with defending Guanzhong and it is impossible to take the risk of sending troops out of Wuguan.
This is Wu's best opportunity.
Heading north from Xiangyang and sweeping across Nanyang, if the action is fast enough, the troops can even reach Xuchang before the end of the battlefield in Hebei.
How big is Hebei after all?
How big is Nanyang County?
It's just...
General Guan's eyes subconsciously swept over Sima Feng.
Jingzhou had long been infiltrated by the Han Dynasty. If Wu really wanted to go north from Jingzhou...
To be honest, it would be better to attack Hefei directly!
Thinking of this, a word suddenly popped up in General Guan’s heart: far-sightedness.
It seems that the fate of the Wu Kingdom has been tied to a knot by Feng Dawenhe?
Feng Da Sima felt Madam Zuo's gaze, and his doubts became even greater:
Why are the two ladies looking at you in such a strange way today?
But before he could understand the meaning in the two ladies' eyes, a servant came to report:
"Grand Marshal, General Zhennan wants to see you."
"Oh, is Bo Yue finally here? Please invite him in."
With the expedition imminent, many things became complicated. The Grand Marshal and his wife, as well as the other two, each had their own duties to perform and had to summon officials and generals from various places at any time. It was naturally impossible for them to stay in the backyard and discuss state affairs.
So a guard room of the Operations Staff Office was occupied.
After a while, Jiang Wei strode in quickly. When he saw the three people in the room, he was slightly stunned, but he quickly came to his senses:
"I pay my respects to the Grand Marshal, the General who guards the East, and the Grand Secretary."
The position of General Zhennan was originally held by Chen Dao.
However, Chen Dao died in office two years ago, and because of Jiang Wei's contribution in recovering the old capital Luoyang, he took over the position of General Zhennan.
As for the Governor of Yong'an, he was concurrently appointed by Zhang Yi, the prefect of Jiangzhou and General of Annan.
Therefore, Jiang Wei, the General Zhennan, seems to be on equal footing with the General Zhendong, but in terms of seniority and military achievements, he is ranked behind the General Zhendong.
It is also normal to take the initiative to salute General Zhendong.
As for what the chief secretary said, it was not Jiang Wei's fabrication, nor was it flattery, but Zhang Xiaosi originally served as the chief secretary.
The Secretary General was first established in the second year of Yan Xi in the Later Han Dynasty (195 AD), and was in charge of books and maps. It was later abolished.
It was not Feng Dasima's first idea.
However, the Secretariat of the Grand Marshal's Mansion is not the Secretary General of the Imperial Court after all, so Zhang Xiaosi cannot become the Secretary-General.
In order to distinguish himself from other secretaries in the Grand Marshal's Secretariat, and also because Zhang Xiaosi was the head of the Grand Marshal's Secretariat, he became the chief secretary.
This is approved by the imperial court, it is aboveboard and there is nothing shameful about it at all.
Therefore, it is reasonable and legitimate to call Shundejun the chief secretary.
Of course, if the Grand Marshal really wants to do something shameful with the Secretary, that is the couple's business and it is not the turn of others to point fingers.
After the greetings, tea was served and they exchanged some pleasantries. Sima Feng then asked about the situation in Luoyang.
Jiang Wei answered them one by one.
Luoyang, as the old capital, is now on the front line between Han and Wei. As the commander-in-chief of the front line, Jiang Wei’s first task is to guard the Henan salient and second, to do a good job of propaganda for the Wei State.
Publicize the new policy of the Han Dynasty, 10% tax, abolish the head tax, distribute the land according to the number of men, women, old and young, and attract labor to work in workshops in various places...
In general, the goal is to absorb as much population from Kanto as possible.
On the one hand, it was to further weaken Wei's war potential, and more importantly, to prepare for the future eastern cotton plantations.
When people are gone, the land will naturally become empty!
As for what to do if there is a shortage of labor after the plantation is opened, that is the plantation owner's concern. What does it have to do with Feng Dasima?
Of course, if you are sincere enough, Feng Dasima is willing to help.
After all, as he is also the president of Dahan Labor Company, Feng Dasima still has some ways in this regard.
What does it mean to kill two birds with one stone?
That's it.
The reason why Jiang Wei was called back this time was not only for the upcoming war in Hebei, but also to allow him to return to Beijing to report on his work results this year.
Today, the Han Dynasty is visibly powerful, while the Wei State is visibly declining. Even the farmers in the countryside know this fact.
Coupled with the desperate propaganda efforts of the propaganda machine that was established in Nanxiang, Luoyang can now organize a group of people to come to Guanzhong every month.
I heard that even the farmers from Runan had secretly come here in groups of three or five.
When Cao Cao implemented the military farming policy, Runan was an important military farming area.
Until the time of Cao Rui, the military farming systems in various places had been ruined. Only in Runan, where the cruel official Man Chong was in charge, the local tyrants did not dare to interfere, so the military farming systems could be considered intact.
When General Cao came to power, the government was corrupt. The three dogs of Taichung and their cronies frantically amassed wealth and even dared to seize the royal gardens in Luoyang.
What does a mere military farm in Runan mean?
Not to mention that Luoyang has been lost, Xuchang is in panic three times a day, Xiangyang has also been captured by the Wu people, and Nanyang has no strategic location to defend.
Runan, which was next to Xuchang, finally collapsed completely, and it was natural for the farmers to flee.
Although official documents between Luoyang and Chang'an have never been interrupted.
But General Feng was in charge of the entire Han Dynasty, so he had to have a bird's-eye view. It was impossible for him to specifically know every detail about Luoyang.
Moreover, it is impossible to explain every aspect clearly in official documents.
So when Jiang Wei came here this time, he was able to truly understand the details.
Upon hearing that the recruitment in Luoyang had begun to affect the people of Runan, Sima Feng was very satisfied.
If the war breaks out again in Hebei, it is possible that the people in the north, at least those in Hanoi, can be driven to Luoyang again.
Unfortunately, this is not possible.
Although there was no large-scale grain transportation to Luoyang this time, Luoyang also had to cooperate with Feng Dasima's military operations in Hebei.
"If we cross the river northwards in winter and surround Wen County, how long can the food and grass in Luoyang last?"
The big river will freeze in winter, and as long as the ice is thick enough, there will be no problem for people and horses to pass through.
But the problem is that attacking a city in winter is completely stupid.
Even for the current Han army, fighting in the snow and ice is no problem at all.
Stealing a city is not a big problem as long as you can find an opportunity.
But a face-to-face attack won’t work.
Not to mention the problem of frostbite in the army, just thinking about wearing such bulky clothes in winter and putting on armor on the outside is a beautiful thought.
How to wield the weapon is a problem.
It would be unimaginable if the defenders poured water down from the top of the city.
Even if there are siege weapons such as stone cannons, you still need stone bullets. In the ice and snow, just digging out the snow and looking for stones is a strenuous job.
It is possible to melt the snow and then condense it into ice bombs, but the power is not enough.
So what Sima Feng asked about was to surround Wen County, not to besiege it.
As for why it was Wen County, it was because Wen County was the Sima family’s old nest.
As luck would have it, it was not far from a river.
When crossing the river from Mengjin and heading north, the first county you come across is Wen County.
Seeing that the Grand Marshal finally mentioned the war, Jiang Wei was cheered up, but then he became a little worried:
"Report to the Grand Marshal, the food and grass in Luoyang is not sufficient. If the army crosses the river and goes north to fight, it can only last for one and a half months at most."
It is indeed not easy to transport grain from Chang'an to Luoyang, but crossing the river to the north from Luoyang is much easier than crossing the Taihang Mountains.
This is also what Jiang Wei didn’t understand:
Why did the Grand Marshal seem to prefer to attack the Taihang Mountain Pass rather than send troops from Luoyang this time?
"One and a half months is enough."
Grand Marshal Feng nodded and looked at Jiang Wei, "Bo Yue, go back and be ready to obey orders at any time to cross the river and head north."
"As for Wen County, it would be best if we can take it down. If we can't, it doesn't matter. We just want to force Sima Yi to take it down."
"Of course, I will also ask Hedong to cooperate and see if we can seize one or two passes."
He also warned:
"If the war is going badly, we must not linger on and retreat to Luoyang in time."
When Jiang Wei heard this, he immediately understood, but was also a little disappointed.
It seems that this time, Da Sima really did not intend to attack from Luoyang.
"Grand Marshal, the Taihang Mountains are precipitous. If we forcefully attack the pass, I'm afraid there will be many casualties among the soldiers."
"When marching and fighting, there will be casualties. A merciful army is not worth leading." The Grand Marshal seemed to have seen through Jiang Wei's thoughts, "Don't worry, I know what's going on."
"In this battle in Hebei, the main task for Luoyang is to force Hanoi so that Sima Yi can't concentrate on defending Taihang Mountain."
After a pause, he made another promise to Jiang Wei:
"You are the General of Zhennan. Don't always focus on the north. The south is what you should pay attention to. For example, Xuchang is what you need to consider."
"The general understands!"
Jiang Wei immediately stood up with a look of joy on his face and saluted with his fists clasped.
(End of this chapter)