The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 296: Capture the thief first and capture the king first

Although Zhong Hui's way of changing the subject was a bit awkward, Cao Mao still followed his train of thought.

"good."

"Sima Zhao, once the situation becomes extremely urgent, will resort to risky and reckless actions."

"He's different from the general. The more critical the situation, the calmer the general is. But as for General Wei, the more urgent the situation, the more reckless he becomes."

"Judging from the current situation, if he wants to take a risky approach, he can only attack the military power. I think he is likely to attack He Zeng and Chen Ben."

"He will send people to stir up internal strife between He Zeng and Chen Ben, then imprison them, take over the military power, and then lead the army out of Yecheng under the pretext of suppressing bandits, leaving He Zeng and Chen Ben no chance to withdraw their troops!"

"Their destination will be Hanoi. After returning to Hanoi with their troops, they will seize the opportunity to attack Luoyang, hoping to tear down our defenses in one fell swoop and capture Luoyang directly."

Cao Mao told the story very seriously.

Zhong Hui was stunned.

He knew the emperor was powerful, but you couldn't predict such details directly, could you? Are you still going to say when they would attack Luoyang?
Zhong Hui's face was filled with suspicion. "Your Majesty, why are you so sure? How do you know this?"

"Oh, Yin Damu sent someone to tell me."

"Ah? Even if General Wei trusted Yin Damu, he would be under strict surveillance. How could he send someone to leak the secret so easily?"

"Oh, it's like this. I have some acquaintances in Hebei, so I sent someone to contact Yin Damu. They were very quick to get back and forth. Oh, and in a few days, a wise man will be coming. We'll have to hold a banquet to entertain him. You can prepare it."

"Wise man??"

Zhong Hui was very confused. He suddenly felt that the emperor seemed to be hiding a lot of things from him.

He looked at the emperor again. At this moment, he felt that the smile on Cao Mao's face was a little mysterious. The smoke from the incense burner rose slowly, making the emperor's whole body look as if it was wrapped in dense clouds, which was actually a little sacred.

Zhong Hui was stunned and tried to wake himself up.

"General Wei is in Hanoi right now?"

"They probably haven't arrived yet, but they'll be here soon. The Hebei army has been brought here in the name of suppressing the rebels. I think the rebels are probably scared. That's an army of nearly 100,000."

When Cao Mao talked about this, he couldn't help laughing.

Sima Zhao led his army to Henei in the name of suppressing the rebels. His purpose was to capture Luoyang.

Unfortunately, not everyone knows what he is thinking.

I wonder what the fear is in Mr. Guo in the mountain right now. A hundred thousand troops are enough to turn Wangwu Mountain upside down.
The reason why Cao Mao was so confident in letting Sima Zhao do whatever he wanted was because he did not have much information gap with Sima Zhao.

Until now, Sima Zhao has not been able to discover what happened in Luoyang, but he is clear about all of Sima Zhao's movements and knows them like the back of his hand. He even has information from two people to verify.

Cao Mao had been doing business in Hebei for many years and had a great reputation among groups such as knights-errant, merchants, and farmers. This time, the knights-errant from Hebei helped Cao Mao a lot.

The retainers that Cao Mao left behind when he was in Yuancheng were now traveling in Hebei, and Liu Lu was responsible for contacting them.

Cao Mao deliberately did not mention this matter, but unexpectedly, it was still discovered by Zhong Hui. It seems that he will have to express his concern for Sima Zhao from time to time in the future and not reveal his flaws easily.

It took Zhong Hui a long time to calm down.

"Your Majesty, so what do you think?"

"My idea is to let Shiji come up with an idea."

Hearing these familiar words, Zhong Hui burst into laughter.

I still remember that the general was also...
Zhong Hui hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, if Yin Damu were with General Wei, things would be much easier."

"Your Majesty, please tell us your plans first, and I will check for any deficiencies and fill them in."

In the past, Zhong Hui would never ask Cao Mao for his opinion. He would make his own decision and get the Holy King's approval. However, after what happened just now, Zhong Hui was a little worried that he would lose face.

If the emperor has other backup plans, and I rashly propose it, I will inevitably be ridiculed by the emperor in the end, which is absolutely unacceptable.

Cao Mao said seriously: "Actually, I have already made preparations."

"I intend to have Wen Yang lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry out of Luoyang."

"Sima Zhao has a large army surrounding him. We cannot rush into battle with him at this moment. The General Zhendong's army is too far away to support him in time. If Sima Zhao launches an attack suddenly, I'm afraid there will be heavy casualties."

"However, Sima Zhao's army will not always be by his side. He will certainly have his troops stationed on various roads and distributed throughout Sili, ready to attack."

"I want Yin Damu to find out where Sima Zhao is staying, then launch an attack. I want Yin Damu and Wen Yang to work together from the inside to capture Sima Zhao as quickly as possible and bring him back to Luoyang."

"Once Sima Zhao is gone, the coalition forces will lose their leader. When the time comes, I will personally go and directly subdue the Hebei army."

For some reason, Zhong Hui felt a little uncomfortable when he heard Cao Mao's talk about the tactic of capturing the king. He thought about it carefully and felt that this method was extremely risky, but with Yin Damu's cooperation, it would be feasible. Moreover, Zhong Hui believed that Sima Zhao should not only have Yin Damu around him, but there must be others.

That Cheng Shi is very suspicious!
Zhong Hui felt that there was an 80% chance that he was His Majesty's man!
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, could you let me take charge of this matter?"

Cao Mao laughed and said, "Isn't this just asking for your thoughts?"

"As long as you don't feel tired, you can naturally take care of it." Zhong Hui then asked for more details, and the two began to conspire in the Taiji Hall.

Inside the palace, Wang Xiang hid in the study, secretly observing the situation outside. His brows were furrowed, and he was no longer as calm as before.

What a pit!!
Previously, Cao Mao vowed to seize the right to interpret the classics from Wang Su, and he actually believed it and foolishly thought about how to join forces with Wang Su.

I didn’t expect it to be like this!
At the Dongtang Banquet that day, he fought against Wang Su without any fear, just because he thought the emperor would stand on his side. Unexpectedly, this was just his wishful thinking.

The emperor just made a feint and then disappeared.

If I had known that the emperor would not show up, I would have just hidden myself! Why bother to confront Wang Su head-on?

After the emperor left, the follow-up of the banquet was handled by Zhong Hui. However, Zhong Hui did not express his position, but asked them to resolve the matter privately.

Wang Su was naturally unwilling to do so, and he had to make this matter clear to Wang Xiang.

Wang Xiang was sent back to the mansion. Even though Wang Xiang seemed to be denying the matter now, if the other party kept throwing out evidence and Wang Xiang kept silent and had nothing to produce, his reputation would definitely be ruined.

The ministers just wanted to suppress Wang Su, there was no reason for them to always stand on his side.

Wang Xiang was guarding the window. He was afraid of hearing Wang Su's voice.

He didn't even understand what the emperor was trying to do. He had been so determined earlier, as if he was determined to take back the right of interpretation and be the judge himself. Why did he just fall silent after he had made his contribution?

Is this your resolution?
Wang Xiang suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside.

At this moment, Wang Xiang was a little panicked, but he quickly calmed down and took a deep breath.

It has come to this point. No matter how things develop next, I have to bear it and never give up.

"Raja."

Zhao Guo knocked on the door gently.

"Oh what's going on?"

"The Chief Censor is here to pay his respects."

"Zhongcheng Yushi?"

Wang Xiang had no idea who the current Chief Censor was. He was now enjoying the same treatment as Cao Mao had in the past: isolated from the world, completely monitored, and knowing nothing.

But he had no confidant who could pass on the message.

"I'll go greet them."

Wang Xiang stood up. The Chief Censor came here, most likely for Wang Su's matter. His Majesty did not have many important ministers around him at the moment, so it was most likely a young man. With his reputation and qualifications, he should suppress the other party a little and take the initiative in the conversation.

Wang Xiang had a good idea, but when he went out and saw the Chief Censor, he immediately shut his mouth.

Chief Censor, Guanqiu Dian.

Well, Guanqiu Dian isn't scary at all, he's indeed a young man, but his father is Guanqiu Jian!!

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that after Your Majesty takes power, Guanqiu Jian will most likely take off.

Guanqiu Jian was the only person who stood on the emperor's side from beginning to end. It can be said that when Sima Shi was at his most powerful and the emperor was insignificant, both father and son stood on the emperor's side regardless of their own lives. No one dared to imagine what Guanqiu Jian could achieve in the future.

Many people speculate that the next general will be Guanqiu Jian.

Within a year, he will become one of the Three Dukes.

However, the ministers had no reason to be jealous or reject him. After all, he was doing this at the risk of having his entire clan executed.

When the emperor wanted to rehabilitate Xiahou Xuan in Yuancheng, it was Guanqiu Jian who stepped forward and confirmed the emperor's position. Otherwise, he would have been killed at that time.

The seriousness on Wang Xiang's face gradually disappeared, revealing a gentle smile. "So it's Guanqiu Jun. How is your father?"

He couldn't understand why this person appeared here.
Guanqiu Jian reacted so quickly? Was his army already nearby?

Guanqiu Dian smiled and returned the greeting, "Greetings, Your Majesty. My father has often mentioned you. He will come to see you in a few days."

The corner of Wang Xiang's eye twitched. "I dare not trouble the General."

"My Lord, please do not refuse. I heard that His Majesty wants Duke Zheng to be the Minister of Education."

"What do you think?"

Guanqiu Dian suddenly asked.

Wang Xiang was a little confused. Why did you start talking about Zheng Chong?

In an instant, Wang Xiang seemed to remember something, and he suddenly asked, "Does that mean Wang Su will be the Minister of Works?!"

(End of this chapter)