Shu Chen

Chapter 169 Expediency
Since ancient times, countless people have sacrificed themselves to serve the country.

However, "a scholar has a hundred practices, with virtue as the first."It is the duty of a minister to be loyal to the country, but to die for the country and bear the eternal infamy will make people hesitate.

Regarding the posthumous name of the lintel of the family, how many people do not hesitate?
But now in the letter, Zheng Pu bravely and fearlessly claimed that if the conspiracy is leaked, he is willing to take it for the country alone!
"Serving the country at the expense of honor and disgrace is the style of a national scholar!"

After being silent for a long time, Li Yan finally sighed and said with emotion, "Today I know why Kong Ming said that this son will be a public assistant in the future."

"Ugh"

Hearing this, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang also sighed, and said in a low voice, "Zijin's talent, learning and loyalty are commendable, but this scheme is too cruel and hurts the peace of heaven. Although it has contributed to the community, it may lose life!"

Li Yan didn't feel much about this.

The child does not speak strange powers and ghosts.

Soldiers are fierce.

Since you are recruited as a soldier, if you don't kill the enemy, you will be killed by the enemy.

Zheng Pu's plan was only to exterminate the cavalry who defended Xiaoguan against the Wei Dynasty, but not to slaughter the people of Li and common people.
In the past, Zhou Yu in Jiangdong burned Chibi with fire, and my great Han Guanhou flooded the Seventh Army, isn't it the same?
Water and fire are used to kill the enemy, which can be praised as a great military exploit. Is it cruel to kill the enemy with corpse poison?

Could it be that people who were burned to death or drowned felt more "kind" than being poisoned to death?
When you are not cruel to the enemy, you are cruel to your own army!

May I ask, in a normal offensive and defensive battle, how many soldiers would the big man need to die in order to capture Xiaoguan?
Given Xiao Guan's precipitousness and strategic significance, no less than [-], right?
It is obvious that the soldiers took Xiaoguan without bloodshed, but because of the bondage of benevolence and righteousness, countless soldiers of the Han Dynasty were buried in other places, which is not advisable!

On the battlefield, where is the theory of benevolence and righteousness!
The only benevolence and righteousness is to cherish the lives of one's own soldiers!
With such thoughts in mind, Li Yan admired Zheng Pu's ruthlessness.

However, since the prime minister has already said that he is cruel, it is not easy for him to refute.

After thinking for a while, he followed the prime minister's words to comfort him, "If Kong Ming feels that this matter is not good for my reputation as a great man, he will keep today's matter in his heart and keep it from the world."

After saying that, without waiting for the prime minister to say anything, he threw Zheng Pu's letter of remonstrance into the brazier.

The prime minister, who was a little caught off guard by this, stood up to stop him in Wei Wei's shock, "No way!"

It's just one step too late.

As soon as the letter fell into the blazing brazier, it was completely swallowed by the flames.

When the prime minister saw him, he couldn't help but shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said, "What the affirmative action is doing is trapping me in injustice!"

Correct!
The prime minister kept this letter all the time, thinking that one day the conspiracy of corpse poisoning would be leaked, so he used the book as evidence to claim that the conspiracy was determined by his decision.

In order to make Zheng Pu less attacked by secular morality.

After all, the prime minister has never lacked responsibility in his principles of conduct.

But Li Yan knew the prime minister's thoughts, and pretended to destroy the cloth for the reputation of the big man.

It's not that he has any opinion on Zheng Pu by acting like this.

It's because the current Zheng Pu is just the executor of leading the expedition.

But the prime minister is the ruler of the country, carrying the banner of the revival of the Han Dynasty on his shoulders, and he is an example for the government and the public.

Which of the two is more important, Li Yan can clearly understand in his heart.

"Hahaha~~~"

Hearing the prime minister's emotion, Li Yan clapped his palms and laughed, pretending to be ignorant and asked back, "Why did Kong Ming say such evil? Keeping this book is not good for me, so why not burn it?"

"Heh~~~"

The matter is over, the prime minister didn't argue any more, he could only smile wryly.

Seeing this, Li Yan restrained himself, and said softly, "If Kong Ming thinks Zheng Zijin's loyalty is commendable, he will not hesitate to promote him. From my point of view, the meritorious service this son has made before, the official position is definitely more than that. Now that Xiaoguan was taken back without bloodshed, If Kong Ming doesn't go to the emperor to ask for credit for it, I will do it for him!"

"Um"

Slightly nodding his head, the prime minister also put aside his thoughts of talent just now, and smiled, "I used to think that Zijin was young, and I was afraid that his high position would give rise to arrogance, so I didn't want him to be promoted too much. Now he has the ambition to sacrifice himself to serve the country, and he is square. Fight for him too, so I won't be a villain."

"Exactly!"

Li Yan nodded, and responded with a loud voice, "At the time when we are in the Northern Expedition of the Great Han Dynasty and need the strength of our soldiers, our military achievements cannot be concealed. Although Zijin is young, his wife is the younger sister of the current empress, so there is no need to worry about criticism from the government and the public if he is in a high position. And in the old days, Huo Qubing, a big man, was young and held a high position, who would doubt it? As long as the military exploits are comparable, promotion is a matter of course."

After the words fell, there was a pause, but then he sighed wistfully, "Alas, today I am a man of great ambitions, and all ambitious people are able to advance, and the young man has also made great achievements in battle. Gong, really ashamed!"

"Hehe~~~"

As soon as the words fell, the prime minister couldn't help but smiled, "Zhengfang's remarks are insinuating, accusing me of not allowing your previous request." After saying this, he stroked his Hu and pondered for a moment, then nodded lightly, "Well, Zhengfang's old things are re-emerging today Mention, I can't stop it anymore. After this battle, let's show it to the emperor."

More than ten days later.

All the Cao troops who besieged Hanzhong County retreated in an orderly manner under the supervision of their respective generals.

Wei Da Sima Cao Zhen, who personally led the rear of the palace and guarded against the big man's pursuit, was expressionless when he walked back slowly, but his usually tall and straight body was slightly hunched.

In the bleakness of late autumn and early winter, I feel lonely.

The emperor's edict from Luoyang forced him to retreat.

I also have to accept that this war ended in Wei's defeat.

Although, winning or losing is a common matter in military affairs.

He has been in the army for decades, and he has long been indifferent to victory and defeat.

However, the main reason for his withdrawal this time was not his defeat in the military battle.

Even if Xiao Guan's conspiracy cannot be implemented, and the torrential rain in the Qinling Mountains lasts for a month, he can continue to attack, so that Bashu will not be able to enter Liangzhou in the next four to five years, or even more than ten years.

Because he wants to fight for national strength!
With continuous attacks, the lives of soldiers on both sides are consumed, and the war potential of Bashu is wiped out with battle losses.

Bashu, with its small land and few people, would be powerless to start another war as long as [-] to [-] soldiers were lost in battle.

After all, even if they captured Liangzhou, they didn't have enough soldiers to garrison, and they didn't have enough deterrent force to appease the Qianghu tribe and Haoyou.

As for the loss of [-] to [-] soldiers in the battle of Bashu, how much does Wei need to pay?
In Cao Zhenxin's opinion, even if one hundred thousand troops are killed in battle, it is acceptable!
Because after fighting the war damage, Wei Guo can worry about the war in the northwest!
And with the national power of Wei, it will definitely recover faster than Bashu!

The deeper reason is that only by using this strategy can the rise of Bashu be contained.

Wei Guo has lost Xiaoguan.

Now if we don't take this opportunity to deplete Bashu's war potential, how can Liangzhou, which has become an enclave, defend it?

If Liangzhou doesn't keep it, there will be no worries about the future against Shu, and relying on the horse breeding land of the four counties in Hexi and the interests of the Silk Road in the Western Regions, can Wei's Guanzhong Sanfu still be safe?
The First World War can usher in a respite, and it can brew the opportunity to recapture Longyou in the future. Why not bear the loss of a mere [-] soldiers in battle!

Moreover, if you are reluctant today, the future war damage may be even greater.

Compassion does not command soldiers, so why short-sighted evil!

However, the decision from the temple made him reluctant to give up this strategy.

It wasn't that the emperor Cao Rui didn't approve of his decision, but that the princes of Gungun petitioned for orders, so that Cao Rui could no longer support him.

The Mandate of Heaven originating from Xiao Guan is more serious than expected.

One is the Qianghu tribe.

The small branch of the Qifu tribe of Xianbei in the Wushui River Basin moved to the four counties in Hexi in order to avoid being involved in the leader's competition, and it also spread the saying that "attacking the Han will be punished by heaven".The result was that the [-] to [-] Qiang Hu who followed Xia Houru to attack Longyou in response to the call of Xu Miao, the governor of Liangzhou, all retreated.

That is to say, without the suppression of the [-] to [-] Qiang and Hu tribes, the Wu Ban, Chen Shi and other tribes that Ni Shu stayed in Longyou can be freed up.

If he rushed to help Hanzhong County, it would offset Wei's military advantage.

If you send troops from Xiaoguan, you can't stop them from entering Guanzhong just by relying on the soldiers of Anding County.

At that time, no matter whether they divert to attack Fanxukou on Guanlong Road, attack Chencangcheng, or use cavalry to attack the transportation of grain, fodder and supplies, Cao Jun who entered the Qinling Mountains will be doomed.

It can be said that the Qianghu tribe that responded to Xu Miao's help in the past was a double-edged sword.

The defensive strength of Bashu was once stretched, but now it has become the cause of the failure of Wei's front.

Secondly, it is the turmoil of Sanfu in Guanzhong.

Nearly [-] troops died in the Xiaoguan epidemic, and the continuous torrential rain in the Qinling Mountains made countless people feel that Wei's advance was cursed by the heavens.

Otherwise, why is God so demanding?

Li Shu who had been conscripted into corvée before the autumn harvest, because of the unspeakable suffering and the secret work of Bashu lurking in Guanzhong, preached that "Wei has no destiny", and they are more willing to believe that this is a punishment from heaven.

Even those Li Shu who migrated from Jizhou were skeptical.

Under such circumstances, the princes above the Luoyang temple felt that if they continued to support the great Sima Cao Zhen in attacking Nishu, the Shu army in Hanzhong County would not die in battle, and the Lishu in Guanzhong would take the lead in gathering people to rebel.

Again, it is the separation of the rich and powerful families in the Kanto region.

Qiao Zhou preached in the past that "Cao Pi replaced the Han and let the heirs wither", which eventually spread to the Kanto.

Coincidentally, the second son of last year's Emperor Cao Rui, Fanyang King Cao Mu also died.

Now that Cao Zhen’s conquest of Shu has encountered the unfavorable nature of the gods, the accumulated dissatisfaction with losing the benefits of the Silk Road and the return of the farmland has erupted in a more serious attitude than giving up Liangzhou’s speech.

In the past, the aristocratic families who vigorously preached that "Han Zuo is extinct and Cao Wei should be prosperous", chose to keep silent when faced with the question of whether Cao Wei had been punished by heaven.

It is no longer just to speak righteously, claiming that "the Cao Wei Dynasty is the destiny of the Han Dynasty".

Sometimes silence is an answer.

It also caused all kinds of rumors about the destiny in the counties and counties of the Kanto to suddenly rise and intensify.

Especially the place that was once slaughtered by Wei Guo.

For this reason alone, the emperor Cao Rui dared not support Cao Zhen to continue his attack.

He needs the soldiers under the command of Cao Zhen to guard the pass, so that he can have enough time and troops to dispel those rumors with ulterior motives;

As for Liangzhou becoming an enclave, it should become an enclave.

Regardless of whether Nishu can capture Liangzhou in the future, it is not as important as the stability of a state in the hinterland of the Central Plains today.

In the end, for the end of this battle, the princes of Gungun also gave the emperor Cao Rui an acceptable proposal.

It is a proposal that can appease the Kanto family and make it difficult for Nishu to capture Liangzhou.

It is an escalation of the scheme proposed by Liu Ye, the former attendant: not only to indulge the power of Liangzhou Haoyou and the local Qianghu tribe, but also to implement "border rule by people on the side"!
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the appointment of chief officials of prefectures, counties and counties has to "avoid their nationality", and there has always been an unwritten rule not to serve in the county.

Cao Wei also implemented this policy after the Han Dynasty, with few exceptions.

But now that Xiaoguan is lost, it will become very difficult for Guanzhong to help and restrict Liangzhou.

Those Qianghu tribes and Haoyou have always been at the opposite end of the scale, and it is difficult to guarantee that they will not fall back against Shu.

Therefore, instead of making Nishu cheaper, it is better to grant those bureaucrats of Liangzhou native place official positions in the county, so that they can form a "separate regime" in disguise, so that they will not fall to Nishu.

As we all know, what Liangzhou Haoyou lacks most is ambition, and what he cannot refuse is separatism.

This is the reason for countless previous rebellions.

And the national conditions of Nishu, it is impossible for these tyrants to dominate the local area!

Just imagine, if Ni Shu, with a small land and few people, is allowed to separatist regime, and can neither conscript troops nor collect taxes, then what is the use of them taking Liangzhou?
Therefore, these tyrants will definitely hold up the banner of Wei State and fight Ni Shu to the end.

Moreover, even if Wei Guo implements the strategy of "people from the border rule the border", there will be a day when the power will be taken back.

For example, Wei Wu Cao Cao's policy on Qingzhou and Xuzhou in the past.

At that time, Wei Wu and Cao Cao were not very powerful, so they adopted a restraining policy against Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun and others who had independent territory and troops, rewarding them with official positions, painting land and raising soldiers, as long as they were conscripted That's it.

It was not until Wei Wen and Cao Pi's three expeditions to Soochow that Zang Ba and others were transferred back to Luoyang to serve, and the separatist regime was eliminated.

Now that Cao Rui is delegating power again and conniving at Liangzhou's tyrants to form a separatist regime, this is what the princes said, and it is an expedient measure to imitate Wei Wu Cao Cao.

Can you take back your power in the future? It should be possible, right?
As long as Cao Zhen brings the army that attacked against Shu back to garrison in Guanzhong, those Liangzhou tyrants will spontaneously join forces with Wei's garrison to resist against Shu for their own power.

There is no shortage of soldiers and horses, so when will the power be taken back, what is the difficulty?
Furthermore, the garrison's food, fodder and supplies can also be provided by the separatist Haoyou, which can be regarded as a disguised transfer of supply pressure.

And the immediate effect of this strategy is to slightly appease the resistance of the Kanto family.

For them, the imperial court's abandonment of Liangzhou in disguise, and no longer recruiting the powerless people in the Kanto to fill the bottomless pit of Liangzhou, is a compromise to them in disguise.

Many reasons were added together, and the emperor Cao Rui compromised.

But Cao Zhen was disappointed.

He has guarded the northwest of Wei State for countless years, and he knows that once some things are lost, they can never be taken back.

(End of this chapter)