Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1060 Sima's Choice
Outside Hulao Pass, the fighting was raging, but in Yingchuan, hundreds of miles away, there was peace.

Although it had just been back and forth between Liu He and Cao Cao, Yingchuan County was a large county in Yuzhou and the common residence of several major aristocratic families in Yuzhou. No matter who was in charge of this place, there was no harassment to the people.

Sima Mansion was the temporary residence of the Sima family of Henei after they fled from the rule of Liu He's court.

At the beginning, Sima Fang was frightened by Liu He's massacre of disloyal aristocratic families. In addition, among the many families whose property was confiscated, there were many who had close personal relationships with Sima and even had marriage relations with him. Before the uprising, many families had written to Sima Fang, inviting him to participate.

Although Sima Fang rejected all his offers, he was still worried, so he did not dare to resign from his official position and prepared to retire. He came all the way to Yingchuan. Although Yingchuan County was where Zhang Yong was stationed for a long time, it was possible to go to Xuzhou in the east and Jingzhou in the south. It was a smooth road. Finally, there was a way out, which made the Sima family feel at ease.

After Cao Cao retook Yuzhou, Sima Fang claimed to be ill and refused Cao Cao's call. Sima Lang, who had already reached adulthood, and Sima Yi and Sima Fu, who were about to reach adulthood, did not hold positions in the court of Liu Xie. The entire family lived a quiet life of farming and studying in Yingchuan.

However, even though this family seems to be the envy of outsiders, the head of the family, Sima Fang, has been restless in the past few days.

"Father."

Sima Lang and his younger brothers came all the way from the study to the lobby and greeted Sima Fang in unison.

Sima Fang raised his eyes and looked at them: "Have you finished reading the book?"

The eldest brother Sima Lang stepped forward, bowed and said, "Father, today I took my brothers to read Gongyang Chunqiu. Now I have finished reading the third volume, Duke Zhuang. Please examine it."

Sima Fang glanced at the children and waved his hand, showing no intention of testing them.

Sima Yi saw that his father's face was full of sorrow, so he stepped forward and said, "Father, I think there is no need to worry about what you are worried about."

"Oh?" Sima Fang looked at him with some surprise: "How do you know what your father is worried about?"

Sima Yi said respectfully, "Since the day when the coalition forces of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian attacked Hulao Pass, father has been unhappy and unable to sleep or eat. I presume that father must be worried about the outcome of this battle."

Sima Fang immediately showed some relief, but in a flash, he looked worried again.

"Ah..." He sighed softly.

"Since you asked, I might as well discuss it with you."

After saying that, he pointed to the seats on both sides of him, signaling everyone to take a seat. Under the leadership of Sima Lang, a total of eight brothers sat down in order of seniority.

Sima Fang immediately spoke up: "My father resigned from his official position, left Luoyang, and moved his family from Hanoi to this place. On the one hand, he wanted to avoid the sword of the current emperor against my noble families, and on the other hand, he wanted to take the opportunity to observe the direction of the world situation."

"Cao Cao was once a powerful leader, but now he is fighting with the imperial court at Hulao Pass. It is hard to predict who will win or lose. I wanted to join him, but I was afraid that he was no match for Your Majesty. If I were defeated and killed, my entire family would be implicated. If I were to return to the imperial court, I was worried that Your Majesty would not be able to accept me."

Sima Lang was the first to say, "Father, why don't you wait until the outcome of the war is clear before making any plans?"

Sima Fu was the first to refute: "Brother, what you said is wrong. Cao Cao just tried to recruit father and you a few months ago. If you refused at that time, if Cao Cao returns victorious and holds the world in his hands, then our Sima family will become a laughing stock if we go to him for help, won't we?"

Sima Lang did not take it as an offense, but instead showed an approving expression: "Well, what you said makes sense, third brother. I will learn from your advice."

Sima Fang's face became more solemn. "Alas, this is what worries me. Our Sima family is not a noble family in Yuzhou and Jingzhou. Compared with the many big families under Cao Cao, such as Yangdi Guo family and Yingchuan Cheng family, we are weak after all. If we can help in times of crisis, we can still gain some status and reputation. But if we do so, we will tie our entire family to Cao Cao's chariot. If we are not careful, it will be a disaster for the extinction of the family. It is really difficult to choose."

Sima Yi straightened his chest and said, "I think this matter cannot be done more easily."

"Oh? Zhongda, what's your opinion? Let's discuss it." Sima Fang's face was full of expectation. All his eight sons were extremely intelligent, even the young Sima Tong and Sima Min had shown extraordinary talents. But among them, the second son Sima Yi was the most outstanding, and he always had high expectations for him.

Sima Yi said: "I said this because I thought that my father could neither return to the court in Luoyang nor go to Cao Cao."

Sima Fang was surprised: "Why? Not returning to Luoyang is reasonable, but why can't Cao Cao join us?" Sima Yi said respectfully: "Cao Cao is a man of respect, decisiveness, and thunderbolt tactics. Although he is a wise leader, I have calculated that he is no match for Your Majesty. Even if the whole army is not annihilated in the battle of Hulao Pass, Your Majesty will capture him sooner or later."

"Hiss... Second brother, you are so arrogant." The third brother Sima Fu said in shock: "Since the current emperor started the army under the Lang Diao, he has hardly ever been defeated. He only suffered a few defeats at the hands of Cao Cao, and even once caused his emperor to almost suffer a disaster. How dare you conclude that he will definitely fail?"

"Fu'er, let your second brother finish speaking." Sima Fang's majestic words made Sima Fu shut up immediately.

"Thank you, father." Sima Yi bowed his head in thanks and continued speaking.

"Third brother, you are not wrong. Cao Cao is indeed a great hero of the time. If it were during a time of chaos, he would be a great enemy to your majesty. If they were to fight, it would be hard to tell who would win. However, the situation in the world is different now."

"How is it different?" Sima Fang asked.

"First, when Cao Cao first broke with Your Majesty, Your Majesty had already controlled the four states of Bing, Ji, Si, and You. Now, you have also controlled the two states of Liang and Yan. These six states have been peaceful for many years, agriculture and sericulture are thriving, and the people live in peace. The population of these six states accounts for seven out of ten of the Han Dynasty, and the national strength is strong. Compared with the two emperors Huan and Ling who controlled thirteen states in the past, it is probably even stronger. With the power of only one or two states, Cao Cao can hardly turn the tide even if Zhang Liang is resurrected or Han Xin is reborn."

"Secondly, although on the surface, it is the coalition of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian, plus Liu Yan of Yizhou, who is also ready to make a move, however, whether it is Your Majesty or the people of the world, they all believe that Cao Cao is Your Majesty's number one concern. Among this three-party coalition, there is also a tendency for Cao Cao to be the leader."

Sima Lang nodded, "Second brother, you are right. Cao Cao is stronger than Sun and Liu in terms of both strength and military power. After all, the wealth of Yuzhou alone is no less than the sum of Qingzhou and Xuzhou. Moreover, there is Jingzhou with a population of over 4 million. Although Cao Cao only occupies southern Jingzhou, his strength is definitely stronger than the other princes. It is only natural that he should be the leader."

"That's the problem." Sima Yi said, "The so-called coalition army is nothing but a mob. Sun and Liu are not of the same mind as Cao Cao, so how could they really join forces with him to attack the imperial court? In the battle of Hulao Pass, Cao Cao must have contributed the most, so it is inevitable that he will be targeted by Your Majesty. With Your Majesty's bravery and the strength of the imperial court's army, even if the three parties work together, there is still no 100% chance of victory. If the imperial court attacks Cao Cao, how can Cao Cao not be defeated?"

"This..." Sima Fang fell into deep thought for a moment.

Sima Yi continued, "Sun Jian attacks Hangu Pass, and Liu Bei sits on the mountain and watches the fight. Perhaps they will both gain something, but Cao Cao will never stand a chance, whether it is a violent attack or a surprise attack. At least 80% of the imperial army is focused on guarding against him. They have generals such as Guan, Cheng, Zhang, Zhu, and Gao. The plans of the two Xuns, Cui, and Xu are impeccable. Under such circumstances, Cao Cao's defeat is only a matter of time."

"Once we lose Hulao, it will be a landslide. Hundreds of thousands of Cao's troops will abandon their armor and roll up their flags to retreat. Not only will the imperial army pursue us, but the Sun and Liu families will also turn their guns around and divide up the cities occupied by Cao Cao. In a few days, the seemingly powerful Cao Cao will disappear completely."

His words shocked Sima Fang and others.

Sima Fang looked his son up and down and said, "In your opinion, should our Sima clan surrender to Yizhou?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi, regardless of his father and elder brother, just sneered with a look of disdain on his face.

"I don't know if Liu Yan, the old villain, can even breathe. His son Liu Zhang may not even be a good guardian dog. How can we, the Sima family, be so heroic? How can we throw away such a precious pearl?"

Sima Fang was shocked, but then he became very happy: "Well said, well said. What do you think of Liu Bei and Sun Jian?"

Sima Yi said without hesitation: "These two are heroes of the time. In times of chaos, they both have the potential to dominate the world. Although Liu He dominates one side now, he is not completely without opportunities. If we, the Sima family, can help one of them achieve unprecedented achievements, it will be a good opportunity to leave our name in history and prosper our family for generations to come."

"Hmm..." Sima Fang nodded slightly. "Liu Bei has always been known for his benevolence and righteousness. After Tian Feng, Shen Pei, Chen Deng and others joined his army, they were given important positions and obeyed his orders. In just a few years, he seized the land of Qingxu without bloodshed. He is truly a man of wisdom that no one else can match."

"As for the Sun family in Jiangdong, they have always relied heavily on local nobles. Our Sima family is both civil and military, and is very powerful. If we go there to serve them, we will surely have a place in Jiangdong. But I don't know how to choose between the two."

Sima Yi raised a finger: "This matter is also simple, it can be summed up in one word, but it depends on how we are qualified to advance."

"Oh? What capital do we have, Sima?"

Sima Yi pointed to the south and asked: "How did Jingzhou fall into Cao Cao's hands?"

Just this one sentence made Sima Fang seem to suddenly understand something. He slapped his thigh and laughed uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)