Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Luoyang.

Despite frequent wars in the world, Luoyang never lost its prosperity.

The children of the noble families sang and danced in peace and prosperity, and could only sigh that the world was infinitely beautiful.

Even ordinary people living in Luoyang City have infinite longing for life.

With all the wealth in the world gathered in one city, even a dog in Luoyang is far better than a dog in a remote city.

Although Cao Pi once issued an edict calling on all officials and civilians to be frugal, there are countermeasures to every policy, and it is against common sense to ask a group of dignitaries, nobles, young and old to be frugal.

not to mention.

The so-called frugality advocated by Cao Pi was only relative frugality. Compared with the people in the Central Plains who really couldn't even afford to eat, it was actually not much different from "Why not eat meat porridge?"

Just like some groups that do not have to bow to the demands of life will shamelessly declare "I am just an ordinary person", "The people around me are much better than me", etc.

March.

The spring breeze is like brocade.

The young masters and ladies of Luoyang also went out of the city in groups, either riding horses or taking carriages, to experience the pastoral scenery.

Common name: outing.

in the city.

Sima Yi also got on the carriage.

Sima Yi, who had stolen a half-day of leisure, was going out of the city for a walk with his wife Zhang Chunhua, his eldest son Sima Shi, and Sima Zhao, who had just turned fourteen.

Sima Yi felt very relieved when he saw Sima Shi, who was only seventeen but already mature and steady, and Sima Zhao, who was not as mature as Sima Shi but was well-behaved and smart.

What made Sima Yi even more relieved was that Cao Pi finally listened to his advice.

No longer thinking about how to use troops against Liu Bei, but giving priority to the development of people's livelihood.

Sima Yi came from a prominent family, and the principle he followed was to use his background to suppress others.

You, a scholar from a poor family, are so talented that it seems as if there is no one else in the world better than you.
Nothing.

You roll as much as you can, roll at the cost of your life, roll your peers to death, grab their resources, be anxious and sleepless all day long. You won't live long anyway, and when you are rolled to death, your descendants will still be just from a poor family.

But I, a scholar from a wealthy family, don't need to roll at all. I have plenty of resources at hand just by lying down. I don't have to worry or be anxious, and I can live to be old.

Because this is the habit we have lived with since childhood and the way we think, we also apply it to governing the country.

In Sima Yi's view:

Cao Wei has a strong foundation, just like a wealthy scholar.

The Shu Han had a poor foundation, just like a scholar from a poor family.

Therefore, Shu Han was thinking about how to use tactics and launch surprise attacks every day, wanting to cause trouble. They wished there would be fighting every day, and the only thing they could do was to roll.

At this time, it would be extremely unwise for Cao Wei to compete in the same race as Shu Han. The best strategy is: you go ahead and I don't bother to pay attention to you. Anyway, I occupy the rich Central Plains and have sufficient foundation. Even if I do nothing, money, food and talents will increase steadily.

If Cao Pi had not been so determined to prove himself and use his own weaknesses to counter the strengths of others, he would not have been fooled by Sun Quan and beaten by Liu Bei in recent years.

What made Sima Yi feel fortunate was that Cao Pi recognized himself clearly, decided not to compete on the same track with Liu Bei, and began to live a peaceful and healthy life.

To use Cao Pi's words a few days ago: I can't beat Liu Bei, but can I live longer than Liu Bei? So what if Liu Feng is brave? He will get injured if he is always on the battlefield, and maybe he will get sick and die one day.

"Father, it's time to get in the car." Sima Zhao on the side urged Sima Yi excitedly.

Sima Yi stroked his beard, smiled, and touched Sima Zhao's head.

Just as Sima Yi was about to get on the car, a rider on a fast horse suddenly appeared at the gate of the mansion.

The knight dismounted and, seeing Sima Yi, he immediately knelt before him and shouted, "General, there is urgent news from Jingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi's smile froze instantly, and Zhang Chunhua, Sima Shi and Sima Zhao also stopped smiling.

Why didn’t you come earlier or later? Why did you come at this time?

Is this a grudge against my Sima family?

If it was ordinary information, Sima Yi would not care much about it, as there was plenty of such information.

Even if there was urgent news from various states in the Central Plains, Sima Yi would not care about it for a night. Accompanying his wife and children was the most important thing.

But Sima Yi dared not ignore the urgent news from Jingzhou.

[What evil things are these Shu thieves planning again! ] Sima Yi cursed inwardly.

Sima Shi came forward to receive the urgent report and said to Zhang Chunhua, "Mother, you take brother Zhao out of the city first. I will discuss with father for a while and come back later."

Zhang Chunhua also noticed Sima Yi's unspoken annoyance and coaxed Sima Zhao into getting on the car.

"Father, this is a letter from Shi Bao." Sima Shi looked at the mark and recognized the secret code on it.

Sima Yi frowned, turned around and went back to the inner room to sit down: "Read it."

Seeing Sima Yi's unhappy expression, Sima Shi did not hesitate and spread out the secret letter and said:

".Liu Feng secretly entered Wuchang and used Shu brocade to seduce Sun Quan's eldest daughter, Sun Luban, in order to seduce her. Guan Xing took advantage of the discord between Cao Xiu and Yu Jin to spread rumors, hoping to make Cao Xiu suspicious of Yu Jin, or to stop him from sending troops. Sun Quan's second son, Sun Lu, had a close personal relationship with Liu Feng. Lu Xun, the governor of Poyang, secretly communicated with Liu Feng, and seemed to have the intention of offering Poyang to him."

Ok?
The more Sima Yi listened, the more frightened he became. In the end, he snatched the secret letter and quickly glanced at it.

The information Shi Bao delivered this time involved so many confidential information that Sima Yi even suspected whether the secret letter was forged.

a long time.

Sima Yi put down the secret letter and asked Sima Shi: "My son, do you think what Shi Bao said in the letter is credible?"

The more dense the information is, the more suspicious it becomes. Sima Yi thought about it and asked Sima Shi for his opinion.

Sima Yi had high expectations for his eldest son, whose character and wisdom far surpassed those of his peers, and he often discussed military and national affairs with Sima Shi.

Sima Shi always gave pertinent and even excellent answers when necessary.

This is also the reason why Sima Yi valued Sima Shi. He was the future tiger of the Sima family and Sima Yi's favorite heir.

Sima Shi did not disappoint Sima Yi's expectations. He quickly recalled the information related to Shi Bao sent back by other spies as well as the information that Shi Bao had sent back in the past.

He said: "Although Shi Bao is highly regarded by Liu Feng, and they ride in the same carriage and sit at the same table together, Liu Feng is a man of power and calculation, so he probably won't trust Shi Bao completely. You can't believe everything in the letter."

There was a pause.

Sima Shi said, "However, Liu Feng likes strange strategies. He suddenly ran from Guanzhong to Xincheng, which made people suspicious. Now he sneaked to Wuchang, which must be a conspiracy.

Looking at what Shi Bao said in the letter, combined with Liu Feng’s past attitude towards Sun Quan.

I think that Liu Feng wanted to create civil strife in Jiangdong, instigate Jiangdong nobles such as Lu Xun to rebel, and then win over Sun Quan's relatives such as Sun Luban and Sun Lu, so as to change the master of Jiangdong and then achieve his intention of seizing Jiangdong without bloodshed.

The Shu Han today is no longer what it used to be. It not only controls Jing and Yi, but also occupies Yong and Liang. Even if it cannot compare to the Central Plains occupied by the Wei Dynasty, it has become an unshakable existence for the civil and military leaders in Jiangdong.

People in Jiangdong have always only relied on the strong.

When Sun Ce was strong, they depended on Sun Ce; after Sun Ce's death, all the counties rebelled; later when Sun Quan was strong, they depended on Sun Quan again. Now that Sun Quan is weak, the people of Jiangdong will surely seek a new master.

Just like the Battle of Red Cliff, countless people from Jiangdong secretly surrendered to the late emperor. "

Listening to Sima Shi's analysis, Sima Yi nodded in agreement: "My son's words coincide with mine. Today, Sun Quan has lost the power to challenge the Central Plains, and is just struggling to survive between Shu and Wei.

If the Wei Dynasty had not been unable to match Sun Quan's navy, I would have long ago advised Your Majesty to forcibly invade Jiangdong.

However, Liu Bei had a powerful navy in Jingzhou and occupied the upper reaches of the river, which would surely frighten the civil and military leaders in Jiangdong.

Now both Shu and Wei have stopped fighting, and Liu Feng suddenly entered Wuchang, he must be planning to take over Jiangdong.

If Liu Feng were to take over Jiangdong, given his brave and warlike personality, he would surely lead the Jiangdong troops north to Hefei. Now that Zhang Liao is dead, I'm afraid no one can resist Liu Feng in Hefei.

We must try to thwart their plans and not let them succeed."

Liu Feng's acquisition of Jiangdong was equivalent to opening up a second battlefield.

Just like when Yuan Shao and Cao Cao fought at Guandu in the past, Yuan Shao ordered Liu Bei to enter Runan to open up a second battlefield.

If the sabotage is not quickly suppressed, new threats will emerge.

Jiangdong was rich in money and grain. Even if the powerful private soldiers in Jiangdong were unwilling to use their troops to help Liu Feng, Liu Feng could still transfer the troops from Jingzhou to attack Hefei.

The biggest obstacle for the troops in Jingzhou not to march north now is that they do not have enough money and food, so they need to combine farming and warfare by means of military farming.

But if Liu Feng took over Jiangdong and had enough money and food, then why would he bother with military farming?

Just hit it and it's done.

What Sima Yi was even more afraid of was that with Liu Feng's bravery and ability to win people's hearts, if he went to Jiangdong, it was possible that the Jiangdong soldiers would become as brave as those in the Sun Ce era.

That was definitely not what Sima Yi wanted to see.

After discussing with Sima Shi, Sima Yi decided to meet Cao Pi first.

Such a major change must be informed to Cao Pi.

In particular, the discord between Cao Xiu and Yu Jin had to be resolved by Cao Pi.

Otherwise, if the rumors succeeded in alienating Cao Xiu and Yu Jin, not only would it fail to stop Liu Feng from seizing Jiangdong, but Ping Chun might also be implicated.

"My son, you can leave the city first and take good care of your mother and younger brother." After Sima Yi instructed Sima Shi, he arranged for the vehicle to go directly into the palace gate.

Cao Pi was not in a hurry to deal with official business today, but was playing with the beauty.

After experiencing several failures in battles against Liu Bei, Cao Pi became more open-minded.

Just as mentioned a few days ago, in order to see who can live longer than Liu Bei and Liu Feng, a lot of official duties were divided up and only the most important ones were dealt with.

Cao Pi had a lot of problems when he was young because of the fight for heir. Although he started to pay attention to health preservation at the age of 36, it is not too late.

For Cao Pi, the choice of lifestyle is more about what purpose to achieve.

If internal circulation could defeat Liu Bei, Cao Pi would also have engaged in internal circulation and become the Emperor Wen of Wei who unified the country.

But after discovering that he could not defeat Liu Bei through internal involution, Cao Pi became a little scared. He was afraid that he would not even survive Liu Bei and would not have the face to see Cao Cao after his death.

At that time, Cao Cao asked Cao Pi: Who is better, my son or Liu Bei's son?
Then Cao Pi said: I don’t know, Liu Bei was not dead when I died.

Cao Pi would probably be beaten up by Cao Cao in his grave: Why did I choose you as the heir? You died earlier than Liu Bei? Why did I choose you? It would be better to let Cao Zhi be the heir!
Seeing Sima Yi coming, Cao Pi's flushed face was slightly surprised: "Didn't Zhongda take a leave today to go out of the city with his wife and children? What do you want to see me for?"

Sima Yi's face was solemn: "Your Majesty, I have urgent matters to report." Cao Pi frowned: "Zhongda, you advised me to combine work and rest, why are you working yourself? But these are just some urgent matters, we can discuss them tomorrow."

Sima Yi shook his head: "Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed. It is related to Liu Feng."

When he heard the word "Liu Feng", Cao Pi's smile froze instantly. He snorted coldly and ordered the beauty to leave.

"What conspiracy is this jackal Liu Feng planning again?"

Cao Pi was very dissatisfied with Liu Feng. It was to the point that he would become unhappy whenever he heard Liu Feng's name, and he wished he could pick up a knife and kill Liu Feng himself.

Sima Yi succinctly summarized the intelligence obtained by Shi Bao and other spies, and came to the conclusion that "Liu Feng wanted to seize Jiangdong."

Cao Pi sneered and said, "No wonder when I was conquering Sun Quan, I proposed to divide Jiangdong with Liu Feng. Liu Feng not only disagreed, but also attacked my Shiyang and killed my general Wen Pin.

It’s not that he doesn’t want Jiangdong, he wants to take Jiangdong for himself, damn fake son!

hateful! "

Cao Pi was very upset by Liu Feng's ambition, as he was not only unwilling to divide Jiangdong equally, but also wanted to take it all for himself.

Is this as if I don't exist?
Do you think you can take Jiangdong all by yourself if you want to?

Immediately.

Cao Pi made a decision: "Send a message to Xuzhou Governor Zou Qi, Yuzhou Governor Wang Ling, Yanzhou Governor Jia Kui, and Man Chong who was stationed in Hefei, to pay close attention to the changes in Jiangdong.

I will draft another imperial edict and send it to Cao Xiu in Pingchun. A mere rumor can harm my general? Ridiculous!
Send another letter to Sun Quan, informing him of Liu Feng's plot. Although Sun Quan was barely surviving in Jiangdong, he was not dead or sick, and he would definitely not sit idly by and watch Jiangdong be taken away by Liu Feng.

If Sun Quan is willing, I can also allow him to be the King of Wei and Wu, guarding Jiangdong for generations, and he doesn't have to send his son as a hostage anymore."

If it is beneficial, then unite; if it is not beneficial, then separate.

This is politics.

Everything is centered on the overall interests of the country.

Sun Quan is useful, that is, the King of Wu of the Great Wei, and we should do our best to win him over.

Sun Quan is useless, he is a rebel in Jiangdong, we should do our best to conquer him.

As long as Cao Pi doesn't lose money, it doesn't matter whether Sun Quan loses his pants or not.

After the failure of his last expedition against Sun Quan at Ruxukou, Cao Pi had come to see things more clearly: it was easier to profit by playing the role of a fisherman than to directly fight with Sun Quan.

Last time, Liu Feng took advantage of the situation and this time Cao Pi wanted to get back the ground he lost last time.

Who doesn’t know how to be a fisherman?

Seeing that Cao Pi handled the situation comprehensively, Sima Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just now he was really afraid that Cao Pi would mobilize his troops to lead the army in person again.

[I was overthinking it. Your Majesty is becoming more and more calm.] Sima Yi secretly praised Cao Pi and prepared to carry out the order.

Just as he was about to leave, Cao Pi called him back and said, "Since you are here, I have something else that bothers me. Can Zhongda help me think about it?"

Sima Yi replied: "It is my duty to serve Your Majesty."

Cao Pi's eyes showed some sadness: "Liu Feng's sudden appearance in Wuchang may have his own cunning reasons, but it is also related to the King of Rencheng.

I appointed Prince Rencheng last year with the original intention of sending him to Yongzhou to deal with Liu Feng. Even if he could not win, he could still confront Liu Feng for a long time.

Having Prince Rencheng to hold Liu Feng back would also prevent Liu Feng from being distracted and plotting other things.

Unexpectedly, King Rencheng actually gave up Chiyang and retreated to Linjin, which not only allowed Liu Bei to obtain the Yongliang area, but also gave Liu Feng the opportunity to leave Guanzhong.

However, Prince Rencheng safely brought back more than 10,000 Yongliang civil and military officers such as Guo Huai, Yang Qiu, You Chu, and Hu Zun, and he and Zhang He in Tongguan formed an offensive and defensive alliance, preventing Liu Bei from taking Tongguan from the east.

Even if I wanted to ask for punishment, I couldn't find a reason.

My younger brother is much smarter than before. He knows how to protect himself by keeping the enemy at bay.

snort! "

Cao Pi was very unhappy.

Letting Cao Zhang replace Cao Zhen was to allow Cao Zhang and Liu Feng to restrain and consume each other.

result.

In Luoyang, Cao Zhang vowed that he would be sworn enemies with Liu Feng, but when he arrived in Chiyang, he had never even seen Liu Feng, let alone the "sworn enemies".

After gathering together civil and military generals such as Guo Huai, Yang Qiu, and You Chu, he went straight to Linjin, and even wrote back to Cao Pi saying that "the way to command an army does not lie in the gain or loss of a city or a pond" and so on.

It seems to make sense, but it's actually all bullshit.

But Cao Pi was helpless and could only watch Cao Zhang reorganize his troops and build up his reputation in Linjin.

Cao Zhang did not commit any major mistakes, he just strategically retreated to Linjin. If Cao Pi sent someone to hold him accountable or directly dismissed Cao Zhang from his post, it would seem that Cao Pi was targeting Cao Zhang too deliberately.

If this were really the case, Cao Zhang would have to say in return: If Your Majesty wants me to die, you can issue an edict following the example of Fusu's death, and I will die in the army.

What made Cao Pi even more headache was that Prince Yongqiu Cao Zhi had been restless recently, thinking that if Cao Zhang could be the General of the Western Expedition, then why couldn't he, Cao Zhi, be the General of the Southern Expedition?

Cao Zhang has started to "nurture the enemy for his own benefit", and if Cao Zhi also "nurtures the enemy for his own benefit", Cao Pi will be annoyed to death.

When Sima Yi heard Cao Pi asking about Cao Zhang, he also had a headache.

Although Cao Zhang was initially recommended by Xiahou Shang, it was Sima Yi who instigated and suggested that Cao Zhang go to Yongzhou.

At this time, it is difficult to comment on Sima Yi.

"Your Majesty, I believe that as long as we destroy Liu Feng's plot to seize Jiangdong, he will surely fight with the King of Rencheng again when he returns to Guanzhong."

Sima Yi would divert the conflict.

The implicit meaning is: the reason why Cao Zhang "nursed the enemy for his own benefit" was that Liu Feng was not in Guanzhong. If Liu Feng was in Guanzhong, he would have taken the initiative to attack Linjin, and naturally would have fought with Cao Zhang.

If you want Liu Feng to go to Guanzhong, you must first destroy Liu Feng's conspiracy to take over Jiangdong.

It is even possible that Liu Feng would suffer a major defeat in his attempt to take over Jiangdong.

Cao Pi saw that Sima Yi was unwilling to give a direct answer, and he also knew that this matter was somewhat embarrassing for Sima Yi, so he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this matter for now. As for Liu Feng's plot to take over Jiangdong, I'll have to trouble Zhongda to take care of it."

Sima Yi hurriedly said: "It is my honor to share your majesty's worries. I will not let your majesty down!"

With Cao Pi's approval, Sima Yi did not hesitate.

On the one hand, he sent people to deliver letters to Sun Quan in Jiangdong, and on the other hand, he intensified his spying efforts on Jingyang.

All matters are centered on destroying Liu Feng's plan. If we can't get it, we will destroy it and never let Liu Feng monopolize Jiangdong!
Sima Yi did not believe all the information sent by Shi Bao.

the other side.

Cao Pi's imperial edicts were also sent out of Luoyang one after another to Jia Kui, the governor of Yanzhou, Wang Ling, the governor of Yuzhou, Zou Qi, the governor of Xuzhou, and Man Chong who was stationed in Hefei.

Although Jia Kui was the governor of Yanzhou, he had always been in remote command due to military needs. In fact, he and the governor of Yuzhou, Wang Ling, were both in Shouchun. Only the governor of Xuzhou, Zou Qi, stayed in Xia Pi honestly.

The imperial edict sent by Cao Pi to Pingchun arrived earlier.

But when he saw the contents of the imperial edict, Cao Xiu's face turned pale.

Even people who have not experienced it can empathize with the pain and resentment of having a disagreement with colleagues in other places and then having the emperor issue an edict to condemn them in Luoyang.

Yes, I bullied Yu Jin.

But if you, Yu Jin, feel unhappy, you can confront me in person. Why are you telling tales behind my back?

The moment he saw the imperial edict, Cao Xiu subconsciously thought that it was Yu Jin who secretly sent someone to send a letter to Cao Pi and cried to Cao Pi about Cao Xiu's humiliation. Otherwise, how could Cao Pi, who was far away in Luoyang, know about it?
"Yu Jin, you old man, are going too far!"

Cao Xiu slammed the table, his eyes full of anger towards Jin.

Subsequently.

Unable to contain his anger, Cao Xiu took his personal guards and went straight to the military camp to look for Yu Jin.

Cao Xiu couldn't get rid of this anger and his mind became confused.

Cao Xiu rode his horse at full speed all the way to the military camp and went straight into the tent where Yu Jin was without saying a word.

"Yu Wenzhe, get out here!"

Hearing Cao Xiu's angry shout, Yu Jin's face in the military tent changed.

Before Yu Jin could even stand up, Cao Xiu had already rushed into the military tent and shouted angrily: "Yu Wenze, you old man, how dare you accuse me of insulting you in front of His Majesty? If you don't accept it, then fight me. What's the difference between slandering and accusing me behind my back and being a villain?"

Yu Jin was confused.

what's the situation?
Why is this drunken man Cao Xiu acting so crazy again?
Seeing Cao Xiu's scolding getting worse and worse, Yu Jin also became angry: "General Zhengdong, I don't know what you are talking about!"

Cao Xiu sneered and slapped the imperial edict on the table in front of Yu Jin: "Your Majesty's imperial edict has been sent to Pingchun, and you still dare to say you don't know? You old man, do you think I dare not kill you?"

Yu Jin secretly clenched his fists, suppressed his inner anger, spread out the imperial edict and quickly scanned it.

While Yu Jin was reading the imperial edict, Cao Xiu also saw another letter on Yu Jin's desk and snatched it away.

Seeing that the sender was Guan Xing, Cao Xiu became even more furious and pointed his sword at Yu Jin: "Well! How dare you, old man, collude with the Shu thieves!"

Yu Jin felt like his head was about to explode.

Good fortune never comes alone, misfortune never comes alone, how could it come at such a coincidence!

Just before Cao Xiu arrived, Yu Jin suddenly received a letter from someone claiming to be an old friend, but it turned out to be from Guan Xing, the prefect of Jiangxia.

In the letter, Guan Xing expressed his admiration for Yu Jin and his sympathy for Cao Ren's humiliation of Yu Jin. He also said that Yu Jin's defeat at the hands of Guan Yu was not due to the fault of war but to the right time. He then derived the idea that it was the Mandate of Heaven for Han to let Yu Jin abandon darkness and join the light.

This was not the first time Yu Jin had received a letter of this kind.

Guan Xing had sent six letters to Yu Jin in various ways, but the previous few times, Yu Jin threw them directly into the brazier, and Cao Xiu didn't know about it.

Unexpectedly, before he could throw the fire basin today, Cao Xiu rushed directly into the military tent and happened to be seen by the angry Cao Xiu.

Although Yu Jin was very angry, he had to suppress his anger at this moment and said calmly:
"General Zhengdong, I have no secret relationship with the Shu thieves. This must be a plot by the Shu thieves to sow discord!

The Shu bandits wanted to seize Jiangdong, and were afraid that the General who Expeditions to the East would help Sun Quan, so they deliberately wrote to me, hoping that the General who Expeditions to the East would be suspicious of me and not dare to send troops to help Sun Quan.

Your Majesty must have learned the secret from somewhere else and was worried that you and I would fall into a trap in our fight, so you issued an edict to persuade me.

Now that your Majesty's edict is here, the General of the Eastern Expedition may not trust me, but do you still want to doubt your Majesty?" (End of this chapter)