Shu Han Confucian General of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 256 Fighting for the Heir

A few days later, an astonishing news quickly spread throughout the fourteen prefectures of Han Dynasty.When the prime minister, Cao Cao, the king of Wei, canonized his second son, Cao Pi, as the son of the king of Wei, he added [-] households to Shiyi.At the same time, Cao Zhang, the third son, was granted the title of Marquis of Yanling, and Cao Zhi, the fourth son, was granted the title of Marquis of Linzi, with three hundred households each added.

"Cao Pi has been established as the crown prince so soon?" Zhao Feng was also very surprised when he heard the news.The roads in Xichuan are not smooth, and when the news reached here, it was already more than a month later.Zhao Feng reckoned that the reason why Cao Pi was made the heir apparent so quickly was probably because he saved his father in the battle of Dongjun last time and earned him a lot of impression points.

"Old Liu, old Liu, you can really hold your breath!" Looking at Cao Cao's efficiency, Zhao Feng couldn't help but think of himself as the boss again.Cao Cao has already made a choice between the difficult multiple-choice questions of Cao Zhi and Cao Pi. Now you have to do multiple-choice questions. Although there are four options, those three are really not at the same level as Liu Feng.Old Liu, old Liu, what are you still hesitating about?

"General, Captain Mi please see me!" At this moment the guard came to report, Zhao Feng quickly signaled to let him in.Not long after, Mi Wei hurried in, and after saluting Zhao Feng, Mi Wei quickly took out a letter and handed it to Zhao Feng.

"General Zhao, this is my father's handwritten letter, please read it!" Mi Wei hurriedly said, Zhao Feng opened it up and saw that Mi Zhu who was in Xuchang was eager to see Cao Cao's birth of a son, and he couldn't hold back any longer. angry.

"Alas!" Zhao Feng sighed, he finally understood that what Liu Bei really cares about now is the attitude of the Jingzhou faction.Thinking of their Xuzhou faction, not to mention their high positions and weights, just the top members who hold military power and sit on one side, there are myself, Wei Yan, Zhang Liao and Wei Yan, and even Zhang Zhao in the rear can be counted as half.If Liu Feng was crowned the heir apparent again so early, then the people of Jingzhou would really never have a bright future.

"That's all, Jianwu, I can't do anything about this matter in Xichuan, why didn't your lord go to Lu Zijing to discuss a solution?" Zhao Feng was suffering from a headache, and wanted to use his strength to make Lu Su come out.Unexpectedly, Mi Wei smiled wryly after hearing the words: "My father also thinks so, but Mr. Zijing was just sent by the lord to the south to inspect the affairs of other counties, and he will not return to Xuchang in a few months."

It seems that Lao Liu is also anticipating the enemy's opportunity. Although the Xuzhou faction is high and powerful, he and Lu Su have been dismissed. Mi Zhu and the others can't make any waves. Even if Zhang Zhao takes the lead in the joint letter, it is just Drizzle only.After thinking about it, Zhao Feng couldn't think of any idea for a while.

"General, you don't know. Those boys in Jingzhou are really unscrupulous. Wang Zhongxuan and Pang Shiyuan have already written to the lord, requesting that Mr. Ayong be named the heir. Father is worried that if this continues, if there are long nights and dreams, it will be bad! Seeing that Zhao Feng has been silent, Mi Wei hastily said.He is Liu Feng's cousin, so he naturally hopes that his cousin will inherit the throne.After thinking about it, Zhao Feng suddenly thought of an excellent excuse, which can not only get out of the matter, but also not hurt the friendship with Mi Zhu.

"Jianwu, in fact, we are trying our best here, but we can't use our strength. In this way, I will point out a clear way, let Zizhong act according to the plan, and it will be safe!" Zhao Feng laughed, Mi Wei was overjoyed when he saw this, and hurriedly asked for advice.

"Although Zijing and I are highly valued by the lord and occupy a high position, we are not the ones the lord relies on the most in his life. Of course, Zijing and I are not as important as those two, and Pang Shiyuan and others are even far behind! "Zhao Feng said leisurely.

"General, what do you mean?" Mi Wei seemed to have realized what he said, and his eyes lit up.

"That's right, it's the Second General and the Third General!" Zhao Feng nodded.Then he explained to Mi Wei in detail: "The two generals are the lord's brothers of the opposite sex. When we met the lord at the infancy, the depth of our relationship is by no means comparable to that of us. If they are willing to show up, I am afraid that the eldest son's heir will be regarded as Fei. , and can’t fly away!” Zhao Feng said leisurely.

"The general is right!" Mi Wei nodded, but then frowned and said, "But the two generals have always been at odds with each other, how can we ask them to come forward, it is really a lot of thinking!" , Guan Yu has been in Jingzhou for several years, and he has taken in two concubines in Jingzhou. It is hard to say whether he will "rebel" in such a thing.

Mi Wei is not a fool either. Over the years, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have always been vain and submissive in regard to the succession of the heirs, and did not get involved in this muddy water easily.But Zhao Feng knew that, as Liu Bei's loyal confidantes, even if they wanted to stay out of the matter, once the matter reached the point where Liu Bei's stability was endangered, they would no longer be able to keep calm.

While pacing back and forth, Zhao Feng slowly said: "The second general and the third general are loyal to the lord, if the title of the eldest son's heir is not determined early, I am afraid that people's hearts will inevitably fluctuate, and this is not what the two generals want I would like to see you. Mr. Zizhong can persuade the two generals with this, and it will definitely work!" And according to Zhao Feng's observation, although Guan Yu is contemptuous of scholars, he still has a good friendship with Mi Zhu, Lu Su, and Sun Qian of the Xuzhou faction.The so-called contempt is only true for those particularly arrogant scholars, such as Pang Tong and Wang Can.Even if Guan Yu wanted to be impartial, subconsciously, emotionally, he must still be inclined to the Xuzhou School.As for Zhang Fei, he has been in Xuzhou for many years, how could he turn his head to support the people of Jingzhou who cannot be beaten?
"The general's plan is very clever, Wei should sue my father!" Mi Wei nodded quickly, and after leaving, he wrote a letter to reply to Mi Zhu without mentioning it.Looking at Mi Zhu who was fooled away by him, Zhao Feng also felt helpless.Power is such a thing, once it is attached to the body, it is very difficult to get rid of it.

A few days later, Liu Bei, who was in Xuchang, received letters from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.In the letter, Guan Yu proposed that his eldest son Guan Ping inherit his former title of Hanshouting Hou, and Zhang Fei also proposed that his eldest son Zhang Bao inherit his former title of Xinting Hou.Of course, this is not all. In the letter, both of them vaguely reminded Liu Bei that if he did not decide on an heir as soon as possible, the hearts of the people would inevitably become unstable, so he had to be cautious.

"Alas!" Liu Bei also sighed after reading the two letters, and then handed the letter to Jian Yong beside him.Apart from his two brothers, his most caring person in this world is his fellow countryman when he was young.After Jian Yong saw it, he also nodded and said: "My lord, what the two generals said is very reasonable, please make a decision as soon as possible, my lord!"

"Hehe, the second brother and the third brother only know one thing, but not the other!" Liu Bei laughed.In fact, Liu Bei has more plans, and the early decision of an heir can certainly make people feel more at ease.But in this way, although the Xuzhou faction is dominant and the Jingzhou faction is obviously suppressed, then the enthusiasm of the two factions will inevitably be reduced in the future.But now that it's unresolved, people on both sides are trying their best to perform, which is better for Liu Bei.Therefore, the reason why a leader is a leader in many cases is that his considerations are indeed higher than your average person.

At present, Liu Bei wrote a letter to reply to the two brothers, stating his interests to them, and at the same time ordered the eldest son Liu Feng to be the Marquis of Duting, Guan Yu's eldest son Guan Ping to be the Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and Zhang Fei's eldest son Zhang Bao to be the Marquis of Xinting.Such a move made people wonder Liu Bei's motive for a while.It seems that he is just canonizing a title for the next generation of his three brothers; it also seems that he is focusing on cultivating Liu Feng.After the Xuzhou faction saw it, they let go of half of the stone in their hearts, but they didn't dare to let it go completely; the Jingzhou faction saw it, and suddenly became anxious, so they could only continue to work hard secretly.

Liu Bei's art of employing people has been vividly displayed, and at the same time in the north, Cao Pi, who has just succeeded the prince of Wei, still looks respectful and humble, at least in front of the public, even in front of Cao Cao.And when he really showed his proud face, it was in private.

"Ma'am, do you know that I am already the eldest son, and I can succeed my father in the future!" Cao Pi, who was already a little silly, repeated these words over and over in his marquis' mansion.His wife frowned slightly after hearing the words, and then said: "Congratulations, husband, but although you are able to inherit the throne, husband, you still have to pay attention to your words and deeds in the future. If your behavior is too frivolous, I'm afraid it's not the way to stand up!"

"I already know! Ah Ying, you are too careful!" Cao Pi said disapprovingly, and then slapped his forehead and said: "By the way, you see, I am so happy that I forget the big things. What happened to my father-in-law?"

"Father coughed up blood again last night, I'm afraid it's going to die!" Ah Ying burst into tears when she heard that, Cao Pi frowned and said, "My father-in-law is in his prime of life, he just catches the wind and cold occasionally, why can't he get sick? "

"Father has a mental illness. He was humiliated by Zhao Botao in every possible way in Hanzhong that day, and he was depressed all the time. That's why he got this illness!" Ah Ying sighed.That's right, her father was Xin Pi who was sent to Hanzhong to lobby Zhao Feng, but Zhao Feng made him run naked and lost face.After returning to Hebei, Simpi fell ill.By this year, it was already dying, and I almost couldn't swallow my breath.And his daughter, Cao Pi's wife, is the famous talented Xin Xianying.

"This hateful Zhao Botao, I will avenge my father-in-law in the future!" Cao Pi also said angrily.At this moment, the guard came to report that Cao Cao had something to do and asked him to discuss it.Cao Pi quickly regained his energy and didn't mention it when he went to see Cao Cao.

"Father, why call the child here?" Cao Pi asked Cao Cao after saluting.

"Although my son has experienced battles in his life, his military strategy is still lacking. Now I have declared you as the captain of Changshui, and the emperor has already agreed. In the future, I will lead the Changshui camp and defend the capital!" Cao Cao said while Pass a letter of appointment to Cao Pi.Colonel Changshui was in charge of commanding more than [-] cavalry. He was stationed in Changshui at first, and later defended the capital. However, he was still called Captain Changshui habitually and did not change his name.

"Thank you, father, for your trust, and thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" After Cao Pi took over, he still bowed to thank the emperor from a distance.Although my father and son never put Liu Xie in their eyes, superficial articles are still to be done.Cao Pi understood this truth, and Cao Cao understood it even more.

"King Wei, please see Mr. Jia Wenhe!" Just as the father and son were acting, the guard suddenly came to report.

"Wenhe, what's the rush?" Cao Cao asked quickly when he saw Jia Xu walking quickly.

"My lord, just now Sima Zhongda wrote a letter saying that his father Sima Fang passed away. He begged the lord to allow him to return to his hometown to be his father Ding You!" Jia Xu played, with a hint of elusiveness in his tone.

"Oh, Sima Fang is dead?" Cao Cao was really surprised when he heard the words. Looking at Jia Xu, Cao Cao knew that he was caught off guard by this sudden incident.

"Wen He, do you want to allow him to go back to Ding You?" Cao Cao frowned.The so-called Ding You is an official who suspends official duties for his dead relatives and returns to observe filial piety.Of course, you have to apply for it yourself, and then the leader approves it.If you slap your ass and leave without applying, then it's not easy to talk.

Of course, the leader can also disagree, thinking that you are very important and everyone can’t do without you, so they force you to continue working and not keep your filial piety.This kind of situation usually happens to those very important people.For example, Cao Cao, when his father was killed, he didn't worry about Ding for a day, and directly led his army to take revenge.Even if he didn't get revenge, he was still full of energy and became the prime minister later, without any rest at all.

As for Sima Yi, he is just a prime minister, obviously not enough for this kind of weight. It stands to reason that Cao Cao should release him quickly, but Cao Cao is really worried about him.

"Zihuan, what do you think about this matter?" Cao Cao sighed and asked his son.Cao Pi pondered for a while, and finally said: "Father, Sima Fang's eldest son, Sima Lang, is now stranded in Yanzhou. As the second son, Sima Yi wants to take care of his father, Ding You, and Yu Qingyu is not easy to object to his father." Then Cao Pi lowered his voice and said: " Furthermore, my father is worried that Sima Yi has great ambitions, and this time when he returns to his hometown Ding You, his father can just remove him from his official position and no longer hire him!"

"That's great!" Cao Cao nodded. Seeing that Jia Xu was still worried, Cao Cao quickly asked, "Wen He, why are you frowning?"

"My lord, Xu always feels that this matter is not that simple, and Sima Fang's death is a bit strange?" Jia Xu frowned.His intuition told him that Sima Yi should do something.But what it is exactly, he has been unable to figure out.Now once Sima Yi returns to his hometown in Hedong, Jia Xu feels that he will definitely make a name for himself.

"Wen He is worrying too much. Even though Sima Yi wants to overthrow the river, he doesn't have a single soldier in his hands. I want to see what he can do! But don't be careless. Even if this person returns to his hometown in Liaodong, he will fight with me. Send someone to keep an eye on it." Cao Cao sneered.Jia Xu was silent, and finally nodded with a sigh.

A few days later, because of his father's death, Sima Yi, the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Mansion, asked for an order to return to his hometown to take care of his father Ding You.At the same time, Cao Cao directly appointed Cao Yi and Chen Lin, the original text, as the chief bookkeeper, basically asking Sima Yi to dismiss him from office.When everyone saw this posture, they knew that Cao Cao didn't want to see Sima Yi very much, and Sima Yi made friends in Yecheng, all of whom were wine and meat friends.So when he left, there was no one to see him off.Sima Yi rode a horse by himself, took a few followers, and left quietly.

"Hehe, Cao Mengde, Cao Mengde, you have been a traitor all your life, but you never expected me to have such a clever plan!" On the way back home, Sima Yi was also secretly proud.

"Second young master, Jiguan is just ahead, do you want to stay here tonight?" Just as Sima Yi was wandering in Taixu, a follower asked loudly.

"Forget it, it's getting late, let's find a place to spend the night here!" Sima Yi nodded, then remembered something, and hurriedly ordered: "Wang Shuang, quickly fetch a pigeon with me!"

(End of this chapter)