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

"Having said that."

Guan Yu stopped talking, his tone full of distrust towards Sun Quan.

"Sun Quan is fickle. He surrenders today and rebels tomorrow. We must be on guard. We must also warn the King of Yan not to be careless and trust Sun Quan."

Once bitten, twice shy.

Guan Yu still remembered clearly the surprise attack on Jiangling by Sun Quan.

He could have made great achievements in China, but due to his negligence, he was stabbed in the back by Sun Quan.

Since then.

Guan Yu no longer dared to be arrogant or careless.

In the past he was very aggressive, but now he is very reserved.

If we use the theory of contradictions to discuss it.

Guan Yu was able to hide his edge and be restrained today, truly possessing the qualities of a great general, all thanks to Sun Quan's stab in the back. It was both a curse and a blessing.

Otherwise, an arrogant general would not only bring disaster to Jingzhou, but also to the entire Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei trusted Liu Feng very much: "With my son's caution, Yunchang does not need to worry. No matter how Sun Quan changes, he will not be able to escape my son's control.

I will issue an edict based on what my son reported in the military report. First, I will order Sun Quan and Sun Deng to come to Chang'an to meet me. Then I will order them to be appointed as civil and military officials in Jiangdong to help my son win the hearts of the people in Jiangdong."

If Zha Quan were present, he would definitely be envious, jealous and resentful.

In the face of power, Liu Feng was just a foster son, and a foster son whose achievements surpassed those of Liu Chan. How could Liu Bei be as loving as a father and as filial as a son to Liu Feng?

Look at what Liu Bei said. He was not at all wary of Liu Feng, not even the slightest doubt!

Fake son!
Liu Feng is just a fake son!

Isn't he worried that Liu Feng's toughness and difficulty in control would threaten Liu Chan's position?

If Zha Quan knew that Liu Chan had always respected Liu Feng as an elder brother, he would probably be even more upset.

Not only were Liu Bei and Liu Feng like a loving father and a filial son, but Liu Feng and Liu Chan were even more like brothers.

It's messed up!
It's all chaos!

This is not a father-son-brother relationship under power at all!
Fathers, sons and brothers under power should be like Yuan Shao and his son, Liu Biao and his son, and Cao Cao and his son. For the sake of power, their own sons are suspicious and their own brothers can be killed.

Sun Quan didn't understand Liu Feng's thoughts even more.

For Liu Feng: The harder I beat him, the more secure Adou's position will be; the more secure Adou's position is, the less people will dare to sow discord. Those who slander Adou will die in a month, and those who slander me will die on the same day.

No one stipulates that under power, the father must suspect the son, the son must suspect the father, the brother must suspect the younger brother, and the younger brother must suspect the older brother?

Liu Feng even had to scold Sun Quan: You are a bad boy. You don’t learn from your brother, but you learn from Cao Cao?

And when Liu Bei was happily delivering the imperial edict to Liu Feng.

Cao Pi in Luoyang began to have a headache again.

Cao Pi sometimes wondered whether this migraine was inherited from Cao Cao, otherwise why would he suffer from headaches so often?

In terms of character, Cao Pi is far superior to ordinary people.

The person who could remain calm under Cao Cao's high-pressure education must have an extraordinary character.

however.

Even so, Cao Pi had already overturned several desks.

He even shouted "Cao Xiu has misled me" three times in a row, full of anger.

Even after the imperial edict was issued, Cao Xiu actually replied, "A general is away from the battlefield and is not subject to military orders!"
True.

Cao Pi also agreed with the saying "When a general is away from the army, he is not always subject to military orders." After all, Luoyang was too far away and the specific situation and variables were unknown. It was understandable for a general to change the strategies issued by the court according to local conditions and the times.

But the prerequisite is that you have to win!
If you don't win, then you are "disobeying the imperial order and behaving inappropriately."

The current situation troubles Cao Pi very much.

From a military perspective, Cao Xiu's capture was not a big deal; it was just a loss.

Cao Wei has a vast territory and can afford to lose.

What troubled Cao Pi was that the loser was Cao Xiu, and Cao Xiu was captured alive!

Cao Pi would not be troubled if the losers or captured people were Jia Kui, Wang Ling, Man Chong and others.

If you are from another family, you will be punished according to normal procedures.

But it was Cao Xiu!

There are currently only four members of the royal family that Cao Pi can use: Cao Ren, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and Xiahou Shang.

Cao Ren is old, and I don’t know how many more years he can last.

Xiahou Shang was strangled because of his beautiful concubine, and he played the role of "affectionate nobleman" every day.

Cao Zhen had to assist Cao Pi in commanding internal and external military affairs and could not leave without permission.

As for Cao Hong, the miser who refused to lend money was not within Cao Pi's consideration.

According to Cao Pi's original plan: Cao Zhen would command internal and external military affairs in Luoyang and take control of the four directions; Xiahou Shang and Cao Xiu would lead the large army to defend against Liu Bei outside and intimidate Cao Zhang inside; and Sima Yi, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Man Chong and other outsiders would serve as minions.

The military power will be firmly in Cao Pi's hands.

Never thought.

In just less than a year, Xiahou Shang and Cao Xiu, one "went crazy because of love" and the other "was captured because of arrogance".

play me too!
When he thought of Cao Zhang in Linjin, Cao Pi became even more furious.

Now Cao Zhang is certain that Cao Pi has to rely on him, so he organizes gangsters to farm the land in Linjin and calms the army's morale every day, conserving his energy and not being arrogant or impatient.

Guo Huai, Yang Qiu and others also attached themselves to Cao Zhang for their own interests in order to redeem themselves from their crimes.

If Cao Pi were Cao Cao, he would not be angry facing the current situation, because overall, there was no serious damage.

This was just what Cao Pi considered to be "internal and external troubles."

Internal worries: The worry is that Cao Zhang’s prestige is growing.

External troubles: The trouble is the lack of checks and balances from outsiders.

after all.

The reason why Cao Pi was able to usurp the Han Dynasty and establish the Wei Dynasty was essentially because outsiders were stronger than members of the royal family, which allowed Liu Xie to abdicate smoothly.

He would naturally guard against his subordinates imitating him in the same way he ascended the throne.

In front of the palace.

Cao Ren, Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Jiang Ji, Liu Ye and others all bowed their heads in silence.

Only after Cao Pi's anger had been vented and his fury had subsided did they all breathe a sigh of relief.

The emperor is irritable, and his companions are like tigers.

"My dear ministers, do you have any good strategies to deal with this?"

Sima Yi had gone to Yiyang before Cao Xiu was defeated and was not present. Cao Pi then turned his attention to Cao Zhen.

After Cao Zhen returned to Luoyang, Cao Pi promoted him to General of the Central Army and gave him the title of Imperial Secretary, commanding all the troops in Luoyang. He could enter and leave the palace at will and only obey Cao Pi's orders.

Cao Zhen understood Cao Pi's intention and said, "Although General Zhengdong was captured due to his carelessness, Liu Feng did not kill him because he wanted to ask for benefits from Your Majesty. I think that the Great Wei cannot do without General Zhengdong. Your Majesty should redeem General Zhengdong."

The words fell.

Both civil and military affairs are quiet.

redemption?

What can I use to redeem it?
Should I take Pingchun or Shouchun?
But since Cao Zhen has said so, who would dare to question or object?

The civil and military officials who had dissenting thoughts in their hearts all looked at Chen Qun.

nowadays.

The only one who was qualified to refute Cao Zhen was Shangshu Ling Chen Qun.

Chen Qun couldn't help but frown.

To refute Cao Zhen is to refute Cao Pi, which would make Cao Pi unhappy; but not to refute is to sit back and watch the national interests of the Wei Dynasty being ignored.

Think for a moment.

Chen Qun asked Cao Zhen, "General of the Central Army, how do you think Your Majesty should redeem the General of the Eastern Expedition? Should we cede land, pay compensation, or exchange hostages?"

Since he could not refute it directly, Chen Qun chose to pass the question back to Cao Zhen.

You said you wanted to redeem Cao Xiu?
Okay, I have no objection.

But you have to come up with a specific method of redemption, rather than just saying "redemption" to express your attitude.

Cao Zhen originally proposed to redeem Cao Xiu in order to cater to Cao Pi's intention. As for whether to cede land, pay compensation or exchange hostages, Cao Zhen had not thought about it carefully.

Deep down, Cao Zhen was unwilling to use the people, land, money and food of the Wei Dynasty to redeem people.

Where there is one there are two, and when there are two there are three.

If this becomes a habit, won't Liu Feng have to use money and food to redeem a general whenever he captures one?
The generals from the Cao family want to be redeemed, but should the generals from other families also be redeemed?
If the general of another family does not redeem himself, wouldn't he be alienated from the people's hearts?
When Xiahou Dun was captured in the past, Xiahou Dun's deputy general Han Hao chopped Xiahou Dun together with him, which frightened Lu Bu's surrendered generals into releasing Xiahou Dun. As a result, Cao Cao issued a decree that "from now on, anyone who holds a hostage should be attacked together, regardless of the hostage."

This decree has been implemented for many years and has always been the case in the military.

however.

The one in power now is Cao Pi, not Cao Cao.

Cao Pi did not have the prestige of Cao Cao, so he did not dare to abandon Cao Xiu.

Facing Chen Qun's question, Cao Zhen once again said stubbornly: "Cessing the land is definitely not an option, but it can be redeemed with money and food." However, even Cao Zhen himself did not believe what he said.

Money and grain to redeem Cao Xiu?

Not to mention whether Liu Feng is willing or not, even if Liu Feng is willing and asks for a sky-high price, will Cao Pi really give it to him?
Why did Liu Bei keep his troops in Guanzhong?

Why did Liu Feng suddenly go to attack Jiangdong?
Isn’t it because there is not enough money and food to support the Northern Expedition?

Use money and food to redeem Cao Xiu, and then let Liu Bei and Liu Feng get the money and food to continue the attack?
Crazy!
After Cao Zhen said he would use money and grain to redeem Cao Xiu, Chen Qun started to cry poor: "General, you said redemption with money and grain lightly, but where can we get the money and grain?

The soldiers need food and drink, the weapons need money and food, the officials need money and food, the counties need money and food to be pacified, disaster relief and rebellion relief need money and food, water conservancy construction needs money and food, everything needs money and food, where is the money and food to redeem people?"

Cao Zhen lowered his head and said nothing.

How could I not know that I need money everywhere?
Your Majesty, if you want to redeem Cao Xiu, you can't ask directly, so I have to ask for it. Why are you making things difficult for me?

Do you have the guts to embarrass His Majesty?
With Chen Qun's start, many civil and military officials also refuted Cao Zhen. Using the excuse of refuting Cao Zhen, they were actually secretly admonishing Cao Pi.

Just when Cao Pi was having a splitting headache, the general Cao Ren who had been silent all this time finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, I think that Cao Xiu disobeyed orders and refused to return, which led to his defeat and capture. This is Cao Xiu's own fault.

Cao Xiu had already undermined the prestige of the country, so how could he conduct another act of "ransom"? The late emperor had said, "From now on, anyone holding a hostage should be attacked together, regardless of the hostage."

You can order Sima Yi in Yiyang, Yu Jin in Pingchun, and Man Chong in Hefei to guard the city strictly and be on guard against Liu Feng leading troops to attack again. Also order Jia Kui, Wang Ling, Zou Qi and others to gather troops in Shouchun and support the two places at any time.

Liu Feng was a much more ruthless person than Liu Bei. Although he joined forces with Sun Quan to defeat Cao Xiu, I predict that Liu Feng would take the opportunity to destroy Sun Quan and completely put an end to Sun Quan's rebellious intentions.

However, not everyone in Jiangdong is convinced by the Pseudo-Han. If Sun Quan is destroyed, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong will definitely waver between the Pseudo-Han and the Great Wei. This is a good opportunity.

Your Majesty can send more spies into Jiangdong, offer high positions and generous salaries to win over the civil and military officials in Jiangdong who are unwilling to submit to Liu Feng, and then order Man Chong and others to support them.

Even if we cannot seize Jiangdong, we can at least make Liu Feng fall into the civil strife in Jiangdong and prevent him from leading his troops to invade the north. I hope Your Majesty will think about this carefully!"

As soon as Cao Ren opened his mouth, Cao Zhen tactfully shut up.

As a great general, he was also one of the first members of the Cao clan to follow Cao Cao in starting a business.

Cao Ren's words are authoritative enough.

There are some things that Cao Zhen cannot say openly, Chen Qun cannot say openly, and no civil or military official present can say openly.

As for Cao Ren, he can say it clearly!

In other words: Cao Ren was captured not as a crime of war, but because of Cao Pi's strategic mistake, as he ignored Cao Ren's letter and insisted on letting Cao Ren stay in Xiangfan; and Cao Xiu was captured because he was arrogant and disobedient, which was a crime of war. It was Cao Xiu's own incompetence that made him not blame others.

Cao Pi frowned.

Cao Pi understood what Cao Ren said.

However, even though he understood the situation, Cao Pi was really unwilling to give up Cao Xiu.

"General, if it weren't for Wen Lie, who could be my General who Conquers the East?" Cao Pi asked tactfully. In fact, he was hinting to Cao Ren that only if Cao Xiu became the General who Conquers the East could Cao Pi feel at ease.

Cao Ren took a step forward and raised his voice: "Man Chong, you can be the General of the Eastern Expedition!"

Once these words were spoken, Cao Pi's plan to redeem Cao Xiu was completely blocked.

Man Chong was also an old veteran who had followed Cao Cao for a long time, and his ability and loyalty were impeccable.

What Cao Ren said was equivalent to telling Cao Pi: Just because Cao Xiu is the only loyal person, don't even think about redeeming Cao Xiu. The top priority is not to redeem Cao Xiu, but to guard against Liu Feng's invading the north and undermining Liu Feng's control over Jiangdong.

See this.

Chen Qun also stepped forward and echoed: "Your Majesty, I think the general's words make sense. You can promote Man Chong to the rank of General of the Eastern Expedition and control Yu Jin, Jia Kui, Dai Ling and others to resist Liu Feng."

Many civil and military officials came forward to agree.

Finally, Lian Cao Zhen gritted his teeth and advised: "Your Majesty, if you want to redeem Cao Xiu, the best way is to capture Liu Feng's generals alive and exchange hostages for hostages. Please think twice."

Seeing that neither the civil nor the military officials were willing to redeem Cao Xiu, Cao Pi's mood became complicated.

a long time.

Cao Pi sighed secretly and said against his will: "Just follow what everyone said, pass on my imperial edict, and appoint Man Chong as the General of the Eastern Expedition, grant him the Yellow Axe, and supervise Jia Kui, Wang Ling, Yu Jin and other troops to resist Liu Feng. Don't be arrogant and self-conceited, or you will mess up state affairs."

There was a pause.

Cao Pi said, "I will also appoint General Yu Jin, the Southern Guardian, as General of the Front, and his son Yu Gui as a Marquis, to reassure him. I will also order General Xu Huang to station troops in Luyang to prevent Zhao Yun from attacking from the north."

Yu Jin’s current situation is too embarrassing.

He followed Wen Pin to defend Shiyang, Wen Pin died in the battle and Yu Jin was the only one who survived; he followed Cao Xiu to defend Pingchun, Cao Xiu was captured and Yu Jin was the only one who survived.

If a person with a dull mind were to do this, they would suspect that Yu Jin was really having an affair with Liu Feng.

Thinking of the previous rumors about Yu Jin, Cao Pi dared not ignore it. If Yu Jin was afraid of being punished and really defected to Liu Feng, the entire Huainan front would be irreparably flawed.

now.

Cao Pi directly promoted Yu Jin to the rank of General, which was to tell Yu Jin: You have redeemed the crime of the defeat in Fancheng with your merits.

And enfeoffing Yu Jin's son Yu Gui as a marquis was to tell Yu Jin: I have raised your son, you don't have to worry about anything.

have to say.

Although Cao Pi wanted to redeem Cao Xiu at first, his final response was still perfect.

People like Yu Jin.

The more suspicious Yu Jin is, the more he will fear guilt.

The more favor you show to Yu Jin, the more at ease he will feel.

Now that he has been promoted and his son has been granted a title of nobility, what else does Yu Jin have to worry about?

The summer heat could not stop the messengers of Liu Bei and Cao Pi from galloping.

In other words, for a messenger, delivering messages is a duty more important than life, not to mention the summer heat.

When Cao Pi's imperial edict was delivered to Pingchun, Yu Jin's heart finally settled down.

Since Cao Xiu was defeated and captured, Guan Xing has been sending letters to Yu Jin frequently.

At most, there were seven letters of persuasion to surrender in one day, urging Yu Jin to "understand the current situation."

Because of the frequent sending of letters, even Sima Yi in Yiyang was secretly on guard against Yu Jin.

And now.

Cao Pi's edict has arrived.

Whether it was conferring the title of General on Yu Jin or conferring the title of Marquis on Yu Jin's son Yu Gui, it showed trust and respect for Yu Jin!

"I, a guilty subject, bow down to thank Your Majesty."

Inside Pingchun City, Yu Jin knelt and wept facing Luoyang.

Six years!
It has been six years since we were captured in Fancheng.

During these six years, Yu Jin suffered miserably as he was labeled a surrendered general and a traitor.

From being the high-spirited Left General, he was demoted to the General of Zhennan. He was often insulted and suspected, and in six years, Yu Jin's hair turned gray.

Now the clouds have finally cleared and new hope has arrived.

The messenger was sent away.

Yu Jin sent someone to invite Sima Yi to a banquet.

Pingchun and Yiyang are each other's supportive forces.

Since Sima Yi had arrived in Yiyang, as the garrison commander of Pingchun and a former general who had just been transferred, Yu Jin naturally wanted to establish friendly communication with Sima Yi.

Sima Yi was the military governor, who was there to both lead troops to reinforce and supervise Yu Jin.

After learning that Yu Jin was transferred to the position of General, Sima Yi understood Cao Pi's intention.

same.

Sima Yi was also glad that Cao Pi chose to treat Yu Jin well.

The situation in Huainan is currently in chaos. If something unexpected happens to Yu Jin again, it will be a disaster for the entire Huainan!

Therefore.

After receiving Yu Jin's invitation, Sima Yi brought his eldest son Sima Shi, who was with the army, to Pingchun for the banquet.

"Congratulations to the former general for finally getting his reward after all the hard work he has endured."

As soon as Sima Yi met Yu Jin, he praised him and even asked Sima Shi to present a gift.

Sima Yi was very good at dealing with people.

This is also the reason why Sima Yi was able to be jointly guaranteed by many ministers during the Gaopingling Incident.

Before he rebelled, Sima Yi treated others with humility, just like Wang Mang in the past. Even a general like Yu Jin, who was not very good at getting along with others, could feel the kindness in Sima Yi's words and deeds.

"Thanks to your majesty's trust, I have achieved what I have today. I have prepared a banquet in the city. Please follow me into the city." Yu Jin did not forget to express his respect for Cao Pi in front of Sima Yi.

And on the other side.

Liu Bei's imperial edict was also delivered to Chaisang by courier and fast horse and boat.

Zhou Qian was horrified by what he saw.

It took half a month to go there and half a month to come back, which means that Liu Bei had almost no hesitation after receiving Liu Feng’s military report and directly issued an edict!
Originally, Zhou Cang was a little worried that Liu Bei would hesitate because of Liu Feng's great contributions, or send someone to supervise Liu Feng.

result.

Not to mention sending someone to supervise, Liu Bei did not hesitate, and did not even change the list that Liu Feng had prepared to send. He directly issued an edict according to Liu Feng's request.

He even ordered Liu Feng to be fully responsible for all affairs in Jiangdong, and if necessary, he could directly consult Liu Chan for coordination without sending anyone to Chang'an to ask for orders.

In other words: Liu Bei only looks at the results, while Liu Feng takes care of the process himself.

Seeing that Liu Feng was so trusted and valued by Liu Bei, Zhou Cang became more confident: As long as I sincerely follow His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, the Wujun Zhou family will surely rise. (End of this chapter)