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

January of the eighth year of Zhangwu (228 AD).

Wen County.

The emperor's palace.

Liu Feng, Liu Shan, Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, and other civil and military officials arrived one after another.

Although Cao Wei still had some remaining forces in Yan, Yu, and Xu that had not been completely wiped out, the overall situation in Yan, Xu, and Yu was settled, and Liu Bei set his sights on unifying Hebei.

but.

On unifying Hebei.

A disagreement arose among the civil and military officials.

Zhuge Liang suggested using superior troop strength and geographical advantages to wage a protracted war against Cao Wei.

On the one hand, they "entered Baima, gradually established camps in Hebei, built more boats and repaired weapons," and on the other hand, they "dispatched elite cavalry to raid their borders, making them restless, and we took advantage of their ease."

If we allow ourselves to recuperate for three years, we can destroy Cao Wei without having to rush into a decisive battle.

Liu Feng argued that the art of war dictates striking while the iron is hot, pursuing the fleeing enemy relentlessly. The Southern troops are currently riding high on morale; a truce would only encourage their complacency and desire for peace. Cao Wei, having suffered this defeat, will surely learn from its mistakes and may even emulate Goujian's perseverance and determination to rebuild. If Cao Wei is not destroyed now, future attempts to conquer it will be ten times more difficult.

Zhuge Liang focused on national welfare and people's livelihood, opposing excessive military campaigns, while Liu Feng focused on achieving lasting results and adhering to the principle of enduring hardship before enjoying the rewards.

Both sides stuck to their own arguments and debated, neither able to convince the other.

Among the civil and military officials, some supported Zhuge Liang's three-year campaign to wear down Cao Cao, while others supported Liu Feng's strategy of pursuing the fleeing enemy with the remaining strength.

Liu Bei listened quietly, without interfering with the debate.

War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

Especially with precedents like Yuan Shao's defeat at Guandu and Cao Cao's defeat at Chibi, Liu Bei could not afford to be careless.

In the midst of a debate.

Zhuge Liang also cited the examples of Yuan Shao's defeat at Guandu and Cao Cao's defeat at Chibi to refute Liu Feng's strategic idea of ​​rushing into battle.

"In my opinion, Yuan Shao's defeat at Guandu and Cao Cao's defeat at Chibi were not due to strategic errors."

Although both men were powerful figures of their time, their offspring lacked their talents and magnanimity. Once their fathers died, their sons would inevitably fight for power.

It is said that no one knows a son better than his father. The two men knew that if they could not unify the country in their lifetime, their sons would fight and quarrel among themselves after their deaths, which would give their rivals an opportunity to take advantage of them.

That is why he was so eager to fight, hoping to establish his rule over the world in his lifetime.

The same is true.

After Yuan Shao's death, his three sons fought for control of Hebei, giving Cao Cao the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi became suspicious of the imperial clan, giving us the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Now, Father Emperor is sixty-seven years old. No one can guarantee how much longer he will live. If something were to happen to Father Emperor in these three years, how can the Prime Minister know that the Han Dynasty wouldn't descend into infighting because of it?

Liu Feng argued his case logically, even bringing up Liu Bei's advanced age to refute the claim.

If there were any treacherous officials here, they would surely impeach Liu Feng for being disrespectful and unfilial to Liu Bei.

However, although those present had differing political views, they were not villains and possessed the pride of the strong. They would not take Liu Feng's objective arguments to heart and resort to underhanded tactics.

Although Liu Feng's words made sense, Zhuge Liang disagreed, arguing, "The Prince of Yan and the Crown Prince are like brothers, how can they be compared to the sons of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao? Even if something were to happen to Your Majesty in these three years, would the Prince of Yan and the Crown Prince still fight amongst themselves?"

Zhuge Liang's proposal to wage a protracted war also took into account the brotherly affection between Liu Feng and Liu Shan, meaning that even if Liu Bei did not live past these three years, it would not affect the overall situation.

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng's expression turned solemn: "I and the Crown Prince will certainly not fight amongst ourselves, but others may. If one day, one of my subordinates feels that I am too cold and secretly drapes a dragon robe over me, what do you think, Prime Minister, is it better for me to wear this dragon robe or to execute my subordinate?"

Zhuge Liang was taken aback.

Wearing a dragon robe is tantamount to rebellion, while not wearing one is tantamount to destroying one's own forces. Wearing or not wearing one would be a great loss for the Han Dynasty.

"Your Majesty is overthinking this. With Your Majesty's military prowess, how could any of your subordinates dare to defy the world and commit such a rebellious act?" Zhuge Liang retorted, but his tone gradually became uncertain.

Liu Feng's military prestige was too great.

Liu Feng conquered most of the country, and his subordinates had a strong sense of admiration and respect for him.

The feeling that Liu Feng was cold was not necessarily due to physical coldness, but could also be due to a sense of injustice felt towards Liu Feng for being treated coldly.

If the world is unified, there is still the capacity to bear risks.

Now that Cao Wei still exists, how could they miss this golden opportunity?

Liu Feng said solemnly, "I know my army best. Though its spears are sharp, they are also easily broken. There are too many variables in the next three years. If something really happens, even I may not be able to handle it properly."

When my father was alive, I was able to command my generals to fight bravely in the name of helping him unify the country. But if my father passes away, the merits of my generals may not be comparable to those of a close minister of the Crown Prince. How can I then command my generals to fight to the death?

"But if we destroy the puppet Wei regime while Father is still alive, and then when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, I can assist him in bestowing favors upon meritorious generals, then the emperor and his ministers will be in harmony, and both civil and military officials will be at peace."

Zhuge Liang was speechless.

Liu Feng has already said this much, how can you refute him?

Only Liu Feng would dare to speak so frankly.

This is tantamount to telling everyone directly: if we don't work together to destroy Cao Wei while Liu Bei is alive, Liu Feng might very well be forced to wear the imperial robes after Liu Bei's death.

If Liu Feng can wait, how dare the rest of us?
At that time, history would probably record it as follows: Liu Feng was worried that he would be coerced into rebellion by his subordinates, so he firmly proposed to kill Cao Wei and unify the country while Liu Bei was alive. However, he was opposed by everyone. Several years later, Liu Feng was framed by villains. His subordinates were indignant, so they dressed Liu Feng in a dragon robe while he was asleep. This was known as the "XX Mutiny".

All of a sudden.

The small pavilion was silent, and everyone looked at Liu Bei, who had remained silent all along.

"We humbly request Your Majesty's judgment!"

Liu Bei was the true emperor.

People can argue and debate, but they cannot make decisions for Liu Bei.

"We should press on with our remaining strength to eliminate the enemy. What the King of Yan said is brilliant! If we do not take what Heaven has given us, we will suffer the consequences." These simple words revealed Liu Bei's attitude.

Liu Feng stepped forward and echoed, "Father is wise! Since it is a decisive battle, Father can draw on the fierce generals and soldiers from various prefectures, divide the troops and advance, veteran generals can go to war, and civil officials can also go to war."

The words fell.

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes snapped open, and his gaze toward Liu Feng held a newfound approval.

The phrase "veteran generals are ready to go to war" was incredibly appealing to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu was in a high position and was old, so the risk of going on a campaign was too great, and it was unlikely that he would have another chance to go on a campaign.

If we miss this decisive battle, we'll have no chance to go to war at all.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

These five short words directly revealed Guan Yu's attitude.

Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng both chose to second the motion.

"Old generals can go to war" was said to Guan Yu; "civil officials can also go to war" was said to Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng.

In other words: the spoils will be distributed equally, and everyone can share the military merits of eliminating the false Wei!
This is where Liu Feng's brilliance lies.

Focus on strategy, not military achievements.

Strategically, we must follow Liu Feng's approach, while military merits should be distributed equally among all.

Why did Huan Wen's Northern Expedition fail?
The reason is that almost all the military credits were taken by Huan Wen and his cronies, leaving no one else a drop of soup, yet they still wanted others to cooperate.
Only a fool would cooperate!

We all have one head and two hands, so why do you get to eat meat while I can't even get soup?
The civil and military officials followed suit in unison.

Liu Bei also decided to press his advantage and pursue Cao Wei.

He immediately issued an imperial edict to summon valiant generals and fierce soldiers from the five prefectures of Yi, Jing, Yang, Yong, and Liang.

Six regional governors were appointed.

The roles were respectively held by Liu Feng, Liu Shan, Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Ma Chao, and Lu Xun.

among them:

Liu Feng stationed his troops at Baimajin, Liu Shan stationed his troops at Yanjin, and Guan Yu stationed his troops at Cangtingjin, thus capturing Jizhou.

Zhuge Liang stationed troops at Mengjin, while Ma Chao stationed troops at Shanjin, and together they captured Bingzhou.

Lu Xun stationed his troops in Pengcheng and captured Qingzhou.

Liu Bei was in charge of overseeing six routes of military operations in Hanoi.

The imperial edict sparked heated discussions in the five prefectures of Yi, Jing, Yang, Yong, and Liang, as well as the newly acquired Yan, Yu, and Xu.

"We just finished fighting in Yanzhou and now they want to send troops to Hebei? Who suggested this? This is too aggressive and will only lead to a difficult battle to win."

"You start pontificating about the state of affairs just because you've learned a new word? This was the suggestion of the Prince of Yan. Does the Prince of Yan need you to teach him how to wage war?"

"So what if he's the Prince of Yan? Doesn't he know that pride comes before a fall? Back then, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao lost Guandu and Chibi precisely because they were too eager to wage war."

"That's right! They actually let Prime Minister Zhuge, who's in charge of supplies, lead the troops to attack Bingzhou. Does Prime Minister Zhuge have that kind of ability?"

"Prime Minister Zhuge has taken Longyou, so why can't he lead troops? You must be spies from the fake Wei, daring to incite the people."

"If we win this battle, will there be no more war? I just want to farm, not plant enemies in my fields."

"There shouldn't be any more wars, right? The world has suffered from war for too long. Once the fighting is over, we can enjoy peace."

"Why bother with all that! I only want military merit! I want to be ennobled!"

"."

Yecheng.

Cao Pi, who had just used an edict of self-reproach to appease the people of Hebei, had no time to catch his breath before receiving intelligence that Liu Bei was leading a six-pronged northern expedition.

"Still fighting?"

Cao Pi was a little confused.

Normally, if Liu Bei suddenly achieved such great results, he should temporarily cease hostilities to consolidate his gains.

Whether it was Cao Pi, Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, or others, they all made this judgment.

Too much to chew.

If the regions of Yan, Yu, and Xu are unstable, how can we cross the Yellow River to fight?

however.

Liu Bei, however, chose to press his advantage and pursue the enemy.

Consolidate the spoils of war?

Liu Bei didn't bother to digest it at all.

Taking advantage of Cao Pi's illness to kill him, it's not too late to kill him first and then deal with him slowly.

All of a sudden.

Cao Pi was at a loss and hurriedly summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. The ministers were equally terrified by Liu Bei's relentless pursuit of his victory.

The army had just suffered a defeat, and its morale had not yet recovered.

Liu Bei then planned to cross the Yellow River to attack.
block?
What can I use to block it?

Given the current situation, none of the ministers knew what Cao Pi could do to stop him!
When Yuan Shao was campaigning in the south, countless men under Cao Cao wanted to surrender.

When Cao Cao campaigned in the south, countless of Sun Quan's subordinates wanted to surrender, and Jingzhou was surrendered without hesitation.

Given the prevailing trend, very few people are willing to risk their lives to resist it.

"Your Majesty, Liu Bei, riding the wave of his recent victory, has launched a six-pronged attack. Our army's morale is already low. If we fight again, it will surely lead to widespread suffering in Hebei. It would be better to temporarily retreat and preserve our lives!"

"The Mandate of Heaven has already been bestowed upon the Han Dynasty. To forcibly resist would be to defy Heaven's will. If we submit early, we may be able to preserve the ancestral temples and the offerings of sacrifice. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

"In the past, during the struggle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, the loser could still preserve his life; now, if we surrender to the prevailing trend, we may be able to preserve our imperial clan and ancestral temples—this is the best course of action!"

"The southern army is advancing like a whirlwind, and Ye City, an isolated city, is difficult to defend. Rather than perish together, it would be better to surrender and offer the imperial seal to appease the people!"

"Liu Bei, though old, still possesses decisiveness, and the Prince of Yan is even more valiant than before. How can our exhausted army withstand such a force? We truly cannot bear to see Your Majesty take such a perilous path!"

"Hebei has been peaceful for a long time, and the people are weary of war. If we were to force them into battle again, it would likely lead to internal strife. Your Majesty should consider the well-being of the people!"

"Liu Fengyan said, 'We should pursue the fleeing enemy with our remaining strength,' indicating his determination to win. Our army's morale is low; we cannot go against the tide."

"Zhuge Liang has stationed his troops at Mengjin, and Ma Chao is eyeing Shanjin with hostility. The encirclement from six directions is complete. Every day of delay increases the danger. I urge Your Majesty to make a swift decision!"

"Your Majesty's foundation is solid, but fate is unpredictable. If you return to Han now, your bloodline can still be preserved for future generations, which is better than dying and your country perishing!"

"Liu Bei is benevolent and will not mistreat surrendered lords; if he waits until the city falls, it will be too late to regret it!"

All of a sudden.

There are countless people advocating surrender.

It was just like how the people of Jingzhou advised Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao, and the people of Jiangdong advised Sun Quan to surrender to Cao Cao.

The boomerang flew back after twenty years.

This scene broke Cao Pi's heart.

In the past, Cao Pi would have executed the officials who tried to persuade him to surrender.

But now, Cao Pi wanted to cut him but dared not make a move.

The nine-rank system for selecting officials meant that most of the officials came from prominent families, making it difficult for Cao Pi to simply dismiss them at will.

If one is killed today, a powerful clan will defect to Liu Bei tomorrow.

Just as Cao Pi was getting anxious.

Sima Yi stepped forward sternly: "Why surrender before the battle is over? There are still 100,000 strong troops in Hebei, and the Yellow River is a natural barrier. Why should we fear Liu Bei? If anyone speaks of surrender, Your Majesty should execute them to boost morale."

The voice just fell.

One of the officials spoke sarcastically: "General Sima, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Your clan in Hanoi was slaughtered by Liu Feng, and you harbor a deep hatred for him."

Although I don't know what personal grudge you have against Liu Feng, Liu Feng didn't even spare a dog from your clan, so he certainly won't let you go. That's why you dare not surrender.

But what business is it of ours if you have a personal feud with Liu Feng? Now, Liu Bei's restoration of the Han Dynasty is an inevitable trend, and no human power can stop it.
We advised Your Majesty to surrender in order to preserve Your Majesty's ancestral temple, the civil and military officials, and the people of Hebei. You, for your own selfish interests, incited Your Majesty to resist.

"You have ulterior motives! You should commit suicide to atone for your sins!"

Sima Yi was furious when his thoughts were exposed: "I have no personal grudge against Liu Feng, and my advice to Your Majesty to fight again was also without personal motives. How dare you make such malicious assumptions? Could it be that you are in cahoots with Liu Bei?"

The official sneered, "If General Sima wants to kill me, why bother with such a ridiculous reason? If advising His Majesty to surrender is considered colluding with Liu Bei, then most of the people present are colluding with Liu Bei."

Sima Yi clenched his fist.

Upon hearing that Liu Feng had massacred the Sima clan of Hanoi, Sima Yi nearly fainted.

If Cao Pi hadn't suffered a crushing defeat and been forced to retreat to Ye City with him, Sima Yi would have long wanted to lead his troops to fight Liu Feng.

Now that the minister has reopened his wounds, how could Sima Yi not be furious?
"Stop arguing!"

Cao Pi was annoyed by what he heard.

"I will give you three days. After three days, we will discuss war and peace."

Done.

Cao Pi got up and left, not wanting to listen to the ministers arguing any longer.

Seeing this, Sima Yi also left with Cao Pi.

Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, and the others also left one after another, and judging from the direction they were heading, they clearly intended to secretly go and find Cao Pi.

Among the remaining officials.

There was much discussion and debate about how to persuade Cao Pi to surrender.

For these officials from powerful and influential families, opportunism was the only rule for survival.

The winds are blowing in favor of Wei, which could support Cao Pi's usurpation of the Han throne and establishment of the Wei dynasty.

The winds are blowing in favor of the Han, which could support Cao Pi's surrender to the Han Dynasty.

"Imperial Censor Xu, I've heard you're an old friend of Liu Bei. Why didn't you advise His Majesty to surrender to the Han Dynasty just now?" The official who had just angrily confronted Sima Yi sought out Imperial Censor Xu Shu.

Xu Shu is now almost sixty years old.

After many ups and downs over the years, I've become indifferent to many things.

"I have submitted my resignation to His Majesty and will soon leave the court to visit old friends and travel among the mountains and rivers. These important matters of the court can only be decided by you, my lords and ministers." Xu Shu spoke indifferently, as if nothing could affect his state of mind.

The official sneered, "It seems that Imperial Censor Xu intends to seek out Liu Bei while still out of office, refusing to share his fate and honor. This is tantamount to cutting himself off from us. Does Imperial Censor Xu really intend to do this?"

To put it bluntly: Damn it, you, Xu Shu, are pursuing wealth and status all by yourself without including us. If we don't get rich and status, you won't have a good life either.

Xu Shu remained silent for a moment, then said, "The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Liu Bei are old friends. Why don't you go and persuade the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat? If the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is also willing to persuade His Majesty to surrender, you will surely be able to share wealth and honor with him in the future."

Upon hearing this, the courtiers immediately realized its validity.

Although Xu Shu had a past relationship with Liu Bei, he was only a minor Imperial Censor, a position with little power.

Chen Qun was different. He was the Grand Secretary of the Great Wei, in charge of all officials and a leader of the gentry. He also had a past relationship with Liu Bei. If Chen Qun took the lead, not only would they not suffer from the ravages of war, but they would also not have to worry about being abandoned after surrendering.

Although he cannot keep his current official position, his career path will not be completely cut off.

Seeing the officials leave one after another to look for Chen Qun, Xu Shu sighed inwardly, his mood becoming extremely complicated.

Several years ago, after Meng Jian surrendered to the Han in Liangzhou, he secretly sent a letter to Xu Shu, hoping that Xu Sheng would abandon Wei and return to Han, but Xu Shu refused.

It wasn't that Xu Shu was loyal to Cao Wei, but rather that he didn't know how to face Liu Bei.

Even though Xu Shu left Liu Bei against his will, once he left, he left. Xu Shu was forced to leave, so why did Guan Yu and others remain loyal to him until death?
Furthermore, when Cao Pi became emperor, Xu Shu also submitted a memorial urging him to take the throne. Unable to let go of his pride, Xu Shu felt he had no face to see Liu Bei again, so he drifted aimlessly in Cao Wei.

After Cao Pi's major defeat and Liu Bei's active northern expedition, countless officials and commoners of Cao Wei were afraid of war, and Xu Shu also realized that he could no longer stay in Ye City.

Xu Shu did not want to see Liu Bei again as a prisoner, so he submitted his resignation, intending to leave Cao Wei and wander among the mountains and rivers in order to preserve his last bit of dignity.

the other side.

Cao Pi flew into a rage in the villa, his tone a mixture of anger and sorrow: "I never imagined that I would one day be persuaded to surrender by my ministers!"

Thinking back to how Liu Xie was also coerced into abdicating the throne by his ministers, Cao Pi felt as if he had swallowed excrement, and a sense of powerlessness arose spontaneously in his heart.

"Your Majesty, do not worry. As long as the troops are still in Your Majesty's hands, whether to surrender or fight is entirely up to Your Majesty. Liu Bei is eager to wage war, which means he is old and near death. Once Liu Bei dies on the way, Your Majesty can turn the tide." Sima Yi strode in and reiterated his advocacy for war.

Behind.

Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, and others followed closely behind, also expressing their support for war.

These were all important civil and military officials left by Cao Cao to Cao Pi, and naturally their hearts were with the Cao family's legacy.

after all.

These civil and military officials are the key to preserving the Cao family's legacy.

If they surrendered to Liu Bei, these civil and military officials would be considered surrendered subjects.

A surrendered official is destined not to hold a high position, and how could someone who is used to power easily give it up?
For example, Mi Fang, who surrendered according to historical records, was the most important Prefect of Nan Commandery under Liu Bei, but under Sun Quan, he would be scolded by Yu Fan even when he went out, and he had to serve as a subordinate general to quell rebellions.

Seeing that his supportive ministers were all advocating for war, Cao Pi's anger subsided somewhat.

"Morale is low, the ministers are uneasy, and Liu Bei has launched a six-pronged attack. If we are to fight, how should we fight?" Cao Pi asked, expressing his concerns.

At the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Red Cliffs, both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao concentrated their forces, and after each defeat, they had to retreat across the board.

This time, Liu Bei was different.

They directly divided their forces into six routes to capture Bingzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou.

This means that defeating only one army is not enough to defeat Liu Bei; all six of Liu Bei's armies must be defeated simultaneously in order to establish a foothold in Hebei.

If Liu Bei's army wins one of its major victories, Cao Pi will lose.

Sima Yi offered a strategy: "If we divide our forces to resist, with our current military strength and morale, we cannot completely defeat Liu Bei's six armies. If any one of them fails, it will enhance Liu Bei's prestige. Therefore, I believe we should concentrate our forces to directly attack Hanoi, where Liu Bei is located, and attack what he will have to defend!"

Cao Zhen also agreed, saying, "Zhongda is right! Rather than passively responding to Liu Bei's offensive, we should take the initiative, attack Liu Bei directly, and decide our fate in one battle!"

Liu Bei certainly couldn't have imagined that Your Majesty would be so determined to fight to the death to take him down. If Your Majesty can kill Liu Bei, you can turn the tide of battle and, with the momentum of a great victory, recapture Luoyang and the three provinces of Yan, Yu, and Xu.

Even if we cannot kill Liu Bei, we can still repel his six armies.

Cao Pi did not immediately approve Sima Yi's suggestion, but instead fell into deep thought.

True.

Sima Yi's suggestion was excellent: take advantage of the fact that Liu Bei's troops were scattered to launch a surprise attack on Hanoi, forcing Liu Bei's dispersed forces to abandon their original plan.

But when Cao Pi thought of Liu Feng's military style, he felt a sense of danger: "Liu Feng likes to use himself as bait. What if Liu Bei is a bait in Hanoi? If I lead my troops to attack Hanoi, wouldn't I be falling right into a trap?"

Sima Yi advised, "Liu Feng is Liu Feng, and Liu Bei is Liu Bei. Liu Feng relies on his martial prowess and uses himself as bait, but Liu Bei is now old and is the emperor of the pseudo-Han dynasty. Even if Liu Bei is willing to be the bait, why would Liu Feng and others take the risk?"
Your Majesty, hesitation will only lead to more trouble. In the past, when the late Emperor was alive, he launched a surprise attack on Wuchao with the force of breaking a pot and sinking a boat, which turned the tide of the defeat at Guandu.

The crisis Your Majesty faces now is no less severe than that of the Battle of Guandu. Only by risking your life can you have a chance to turn the tide. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!

Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, and others also strongly urged him to do so.

When faced with a crisis, avoidance will not change the outcome; only by going all in will there be a chance of survival.

not to mention.

Sima Yi's analysis is also correct.

Who would dare to use Liu Bei as bait?

Liu Feng won't do either!
a long time.

Under the persuasion of everyone, Cao Pi finally made up his mind: "Let us follow Zhongda's idea, openly divide our troops to resist Liu Bei's six armies, and secretly transfer elite troops. I will personally lead the troops to launch a surprise attack on Hanoi!"

Since Liu Bei won't give me a way out, I will fight him head-on! The Han Dynasty is long gone. I am the true Emperor! (End of Chapter)