The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 343 Big Man
On the endless road, the soldiers are struggling forward.

The wounded soldiers groaned in pain.

The rest of the soldiers lowered their heads, formed a long line, and marched towards the distance.

Their eyes were somewhat dull and had long lost their luster. They were like zombies, just following the people in front of them on this difficult road.

Their great-grandfather set out from here to fight against the Cao thief.

Their father also set out from here to fight against the Cao bandits.

Now it's them.

Perhaps, their children will also set out from here to fight against Cao thief.

The war has been going on for many years. The years of fighting have made it almost impossible for them to see their families and they have never enjoyed a relaxing and pleasant day.

Fortunately, the general treated them well, did not whip or insult them, and occasionally gave them some rewards.

This is actually better than being at home. These days, the harvest is getting worse every year. When I write to my family, all I hear are complaints.

In the military camp, although you may die, you will not starve to death.

Just live like this until the day you die in battle.

These people are already very familiar with this difficult road. Although their steps are a bit heavy, this is the way back home after all.

Jiang Wei rode on a horse, stood on a high place, looked at the road in the distance, and at the same time checked the marching status of his entire army.

The morale of the army has fallen to a very low level.

This crushing defeat is truly unacceptable.

Not only these soldiers, but even Jiang Wei could hardly hide his inner loss and fear at this moment.

After the war, he thought a lot. Perhaps he should have listened to Zhang Yi's advice and stopped advancing.

When Chen Tai arrived, I should have given up my expectations and returned in time.

When encountering Cao's central army, he should not have been in a hurry to change the formation and use the tactics he used against the Yongliang army to deal with the central army.

Jiang Wei reviewed the situation a lot and found it difficult to accept his failure.

Jiang Wei was extremely frightened by Chen Tai's precise attack on him and the sudden appearance of the central army. He was not afraid that he could not defeat the other side, but that he had been seen through by them.

Chen Tai predicted his strategy in advance, and the central army was also familiar with his tactics.

But until now, Jiang Wei didn't even know who the commander of the central army was.

Is it Guanqiu Jian?
Or Wenqin?

Without Guo Huai, they will still have Chen Tai and others.

But without me, what would the Han do?

Jiang Wei did not think that the other side's commander was better than himself, but the other side was willing to fight. Although Cao Wei suffered tens of thousands of casualties in a battle, they would not be affected by this, as they would have more soldiers next year.

But Jiang Wei was not like that. If he had fought with all his elite troops, the Han Dynasty would have perished in his hands.

This time, he cruelly abandoned Zhang Yi, letting him cover the retreat while he broke through with the elite troops.

Although Jiang Wei and Zhang Yi were not on good terms, Jiang Wei never thought of getting rid of this man. There were not many generals in the Han Dynasty, and even fewer who were good at military tactics. He even needed important officials of Cao Wei like Xiahou Ba to lead the troops and assist.

Now Zhang Yi is gone too.

His own army of tens of thousands suffered heavy losses.

But what worried Jiang Wei the most was the Northern Expedition.

If the court knew the result of this expedition, would he still be able to continue the Northern Expedition?

Will the ministers in the court allow me to go to war?

What would Your Majesty think?
The forces in the court that oppose sending troops are already quite strong, and this failure will be their best opportunity to fight back.

What is worrying is that Cao Wei's strength is constantly increasing. They have already figured out their own bottom line, and the future Northern Expedition will be full of difficulties. These difficulties come from both internal and external sources.

Jiang Wei felt an unprecedented pressure, which almost made him breathless.

The faint groans of the soldiers in the distance lingered in his ears, making him unable to calm down.

Jiang Wei looked into the distance and sighed.

The ambition to help the world seemed to become so distant in an instant.

No matter what, he couldn't avoid it. Once these things were reported back to the government, they would definitely cause an uproar.

How will His Majesty the Emperor view me?
How can we revive the great cause in the future?
This great Han state.
Jiang Wei stretched out his hand, as if trying to grab something, but couldn't hold it.

"I got you!!"

Liu Chan laughed loudly and quickly untied the cloth tied around his face. When he saw the eunuch he had caught, Liu Chan couldn't help laughing.

"You! Why is it you?!"

The beauties around were also laughing at this moment.

Liu Chan quickly said, "No, this doesn't count!"

The shy beauty from Bashu quickly said, "Your Majesty has already made a promise. How can you go back on your word?"

Liu Chan shook his head, smiled bitterly and said, "Okay, okay, I admit defeat, I admit defeat!"

"Huang Gonger!!" He just called out, and immediately a bright-eyed eunuch walked up to Liu Chan. He looked very honest and saluted Liu Chan, "Your Majesty."

"I lost, I have to pay them!!"

"It was clearly someone who interrupted, so how can it be considered Your Majesty's loss? Whoever disrupted the game should be held responsible for the compensation."

Huang Hao said with a smile.

Liu Chan slapped his thigh fiercely, "Yes, yes, that's the truth!"

He quickly looked at the eunuch and said, "You come here! You pay for this!"

The eunuch had a bitter look on his face and reluctantly took out money from his pocket. Liu Chan laughed out loud at this scene and was in a very good mood.

Huang Hao just stood aside and watched the emperor play. Huang Hao looked well-behaved and likable. Since entering the palace, he has been trying his best to make the emperor have more fun.

Liu Chan naturally did not forget to reward him. He continued to promote and reward him, and Huang Hao's power in the palace became increasingly greater.

The eunuchs in the palace began to actively participate in government affairs. They set up their own businesses outside, and their slaves and relatives acted tyrannically and domineeringly in various places.

Liu Chan then played other games with many beauties.

Huang Hao was a master at playing games. He provided Liu Chan with many entertainment programs. These entertainment programs were authentic entertainment programs of the Han Dynasty. They were left over from Emperor Ling and others and had been passed down for a long time. The Han Dynasty continued in Bashu, and this continuation was in all aspects.

When Liu Chan was tired of playing, Huang Hao helped him walk back.

As they walked along the road, Huang Hao said, "Your Majesty, I just received a memorial from General Wei."

"Oh, what happened?"

"The battle was lost."

"Another defeat?"

Liu Chan frowned, quite displeased.

Huang Hao quickly said, "Your Majesty, he has written to the court asking for money to be prepared for the dead and injured. He said the army's morale is unstable and needs a reward from Your Majesty to alleviate it."

"It's like this again, is my money so easy to take?"

"When my father was still alive, he went to war year after year, but he never asked me for money!"

Liu Chan was a little angry. After thinking for a while, he said helplessly: "Give it to me. Military affairs cannot be neglected."

Huang Hao nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

"However, I heard that countless soldiers died in this battle, and only half of them returned. The General of the Western Expedition had previously sent someone to inform us that General Wei was stubbornly pursuing his own course and ignoring the advice of others."

"I think that General Zhengxi and General Wei may have had some conflicts, which will cause instability in the army."

Huang Hao said very seriously.

Hearing this, Liu Chan was even more helpless. He was well aware of the conflict between Zhang Yi and Jiang Wei. The two had argued in the temple before. Unexpectedly, they would quarrel on the battlefield. No wonder the war was not going well. The generals were busy quarreling, so how could the war go smoothly?
Liu Chan said helplessly: "When General Zhang comes back, I will solve it myself!"

Huang Hao's eyes were a little cold.

He thought of the report he had just submitted: the entire army was defeated, and the life and death of the General Zhengxi was unknown.

He did not tell the truth, so if anyone is to be blamed, it should be the nosy Jiang Wei.

You are always clamoring for war, wasting money, and even writing letters to impeach us and control our people. Who do you think you are? You are just a surrendered general. If you refuse to listen, I will make you suffer.

When His Majesty asks you about Zhang Yi, I wonder what else you can do!
Liu Chan was very unhappy at the moment. He had been having a great time, but just because of these words, his good mood for the day was ruined.

He missed the time when his father-in-law was still alive. Back then, he was carefree and relaxed all day long. It was nothing like now, where he couldn't have fun every day.

Liu Chan suddenly remembered something, "Oh, by the way, where are the ministers in the court? Do they know about this?"

"Your Majesty, today is the birthday of Grand Secretary Wei. I heard that all the ministers are celebrating at his residence. They must be unaware of this matter."

Liu Chan immediately frowned, "How can this be?!"

Huang Hao was stunned and looked at the emperor hesitantly. Liu Chan said, "Why didn't you invite me?!"

Inside the Wei Mansion, there was singing and dancing at this moment, beautiful women were dancing gracefully, and musicians were playing music.

Many ministers gathered together, with all kinds of delicious food placed in front of them. Maids brought out ice cubes for everyone to cool down.

The ministers were having a great time, enjoying the food, wine and dancing.

"Oh, I heard Jiang Wei was defeated."

A minister whispered.

"You ignored our words and sent troops on your own. You deserved to be defeated."

"Alas, Your Majesty should also implement benevolent policies. I heard that the Zhongzheng officials over at Cao Wei are planning to make further changes, assigning ranks to clansmen and allowing them to serve as officials for generations!"

Several ministers were talking in low voices, with unknown lights flashing in their eyes.

"Time is becoming increasingly difficult. Today, I am celebrating Duke Wei's birthday, but I can't even gather five thousand pieces of brocade."

"Who says it's not true? Isn't it all Jiang Wei's fault? He's been sending out troops all day, and even the national treasury has been squandered by him! How can we expect to have a good life?"

"But this time, he's going to suffer a great loss. We should publish a letter together to make sure he doesn't dare talk about the Northern Expedition again."

"Hahaha, that makes sense!"

"Come, gentlemen, drink this wine. Tomorrow, we will urge His Majesty to establish a benevolent government. This will surely restore the Han Dynasty and ensure the eternal prosperity of our country!"

(End of this chapter)