Chapter 1046 Continue the Northern Expedition?
The last month of the 14th year of Jianxing passed quickly.
According to tradition, the three kingdoms of Han, Wei and Wu would hold great court meetings on New Year's Day, the first day of the year.
The new emperor of Wei State ascended the throne in Xuchang and officially declared the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty.
Let us declare to the world that Wei Dynasty is still the righteousness of the world.
Secondly, it also implicitly expresses to the people of Wei that where the emperor is, the country of Wei will be righteous.
At the same time, a general amnesty was granted to the whole country, and all ministers and workers were promoted to nobility and rewarded.
Tafu Sima Yi and General Cao Shuang both served as ministers. Both of them held orders, supervised the Chinese and foreign armies, recorded affairs of the ministers, and each commanded 3,000 elite troops as troops to jointly manage the government.
Among Sima Yi's descendants, three are princes and four are cavalry captains.
And Cao Shuang's younger brothers Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Cao Yan and others also received rewards.
Other than these two people, the most eye-catching ones are Liu Fang, the Supervisor of Zhongshu, and Sun Zi, the Supervisor of Zhongshu.
These two were each added to the title of Guanglu Dafu on the left and right, with gold seals and purple ribbons. They had the same rituals as the three divisions, and three hundred households were added to the food court.
At the same time, each of his beloved sons was granted the title of Marquis of Ting, the second son was granted the title of Cavalry Commander, and the remaining sons were all granted the title of Langzhong.
Everyone in the world is paying attention to the extremely precious moment of these people.
However, they did not notice that Sima Shi, the son of Sima Yi, Liu Xi, the son of Liu Fang, Sun Mi, the son of Sun Zi, and others were all involved in the "glorious case" in the early years.
Nowadays, these people are either granted the title of marquis or occupy the position of confidant around the emperor.
This means that Cao Rui suppressed these people in his early years to curb the trend of flashy talk.
At the same time, by the way, the arrogant actions of warning the aristocratic family or the powerful people who moved closer to the aristocratic family have all been in vain.
At the same time, it also announced that aristocratic family politics had once again won victory in Cao Wei.
Compared with the funerals held in Wei State, the great court meeting held in the 15th year of the founding of the Han Dynasty was another lively event.
Because of the great victory in the Battle of Guanzhong, Emperor Liu Chan of the Han Dynasty held a grand court meeting in his palace in Hanzhong.
Seven minutes before the night leakage ended, the bells and drums in the palace were ringing together, and all the officials in the court came to court and lined up in front of the palace.
I could only hear Xiaohuangmen shouting: "The auspicious time has come, His Majesty is coming to court!"
Officials with more than two thousand stones took off their shoes and swords one by one, and ran into the main hall with small steps.
The first time he stood in the corridor of the hall, and the third time he stood outside the hall.
Just waiting for the gatha to call the police, all the officials shouted three times: "Long live the emperor."
After the emperor received the congratulations, he gave a banquet and at the same time performed a great feast.
The little fat man was very happy today. He spent his own money to buy a lot of wine and meat, and drank with his ministers until night.
The two countries Han and Wei each had their own lively activities.
The great court gathering in Wu State seemed much deserted.
Emperor Wu used to like to hold banquets and drink with all his ministers. He even ordered that he could not leave the banquet unless he was drunk.
Logically speaking, it is Emperor Wu’s favorite time to hold a banquet for a legitimate reason, such as the Great Court Meeting.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Wu only had a few drinks after accepting the congratulations from the ministers, which was more like a routine matter, and then hurriedly left the banquet.
The ministers saw that the emperor was in a bad mood, so naturally they did not dare to indulge in drinking - otherwise, wouldn't this be a clear attempt to bring bad luck to the emperor?
Sun Quan returned to the palace with a irritable look on his face. After walking back and forth, he began to sigh again.
After a long time, he seemed to have made up his mind and ordered:
“Where is Zhongshu Lang?”
Zhong Shulang, who was on duty, trotted in quickly and said, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"I have something that has been undecided for a long time. I want to ask the Prime Minister for advice. Please go to the Prime Minister's house for me."
)
When he learned that the emperor had sent Zhongshu Lang from the palace, Gu Yong was not surprised at all.
In other words, he made himself look calm.
As the nominal chief minister, Gu Yong sat closest to the emperor. Naturally, he could see that his majesty was full of worries.
Let everyone in the family leave, and then Gu Yong asked;
“I dare to ask Zhongshu Lang, what kind of instructions does your Majesty have?”
Zhongshu Lang quickly replied:
“Exactly, Your Majesty asked me to come here just to ask the Prime Minister: Over the years, Wu and Han have joined forces to defeat thieves, and Shu has succeeded many times. Now Liangyong and the three states have all fallen into their hands.”
“But Dawu spent countless money and food, but made no progress. Every time I think about this, I can’t help but gnash my teeth and feel heartache.”
“I heard that Cao Rui, the puppet emperor of Wei, died suddenly after being sent by heaven. Isn’t it a good opportunity for the Northern Expedition? Therefore, I want to join forces with the Han Dynasty again this year to attack the thieves together. Is that okay?”
After listening to what Zhongshu Lang relayed, Gu Yong just sat back in his seat silently and remained silent for a long time.
Zhongshu Lang waited for a long time, but when Gu Yong didn't speak, he had to ask carefully: "Prime Minister?"
Gu Yong was still sitting there with his head bowed, as if he was asleep.
Zhongshu Lang had no choice but to speak louder: "Prime Minister?"
“Oh? Oh, it turns out to be Zhongshu Lang, why haven’t you left yet?”
Gu Yong finally raised his head and asked somewhat unclearly.
When Zhongshu Lang heard this, he was immediately stunned:
“Prime Minister, Your Majesty is still waiting for your reply.”
Gu Yong shook his head: "I am already old and stupid. I'm afraid I can't give your Majesty much advice on this matter."
“Ah, this…”
It was the first time for the young Zhongshu Lang to be sent to the Prime Minister's residence. How could he have known that he would encounter such a scene?
But seeing him dumbfounded, Na Na didn’t know what to say.
“Don’t worry, you will tell the truth when you go back. Your Majesty will not blame you.”
Gu Yong seemed reluctant to say anything. After saying this, he stood up and prepared to see off the guests.
Zhongshu Lang had no choice but to leave the palace uneasily and return to the palace uneasily.
Before he could speak, Sun Quan asked him directly:
“You’re back so soon? The Prime Minister didn’t entertain you?”
"Replying to Your Majesty, the Prime Minister didn't want to say that he was hosting a banquet, and he didn't want to say much. He only said that he was too old to give His Majesty advice on this matter."
As Zhongshu Lang spoke, he looked at His Majesty carefully, for fear that His Majesty would be angry.
That's the Prime Minister!
Your Majesty personally sent me to ask for advice on state affairs, but he dared to say that he was old and fatuous and ignored state affairs?
Unexpectedly, Sun Quan was not angry after hearing Zhongshu Lang's words. Instead, he sighed:
“So, the Prime Minister doesn’t agree with my idea!”
Gu Yong is a man who does not drink alcohol and is taciturn.
If the memorial is accepted, it will be attributed to the superior; if it is not accepted, it will be kept secret.
If the emperor asks him for advice and he thinks it can be implemented, he will prepare food and drinks for Zhongshu Lang who comes to the house, and he will take the opportunity to study it repeatedly to avoid any omissions.
If he didn't agree with the emperor's idea, he would remain silent, and naturally he would not have food or drinks for Zhongshu Lang.
So when Sun Quan heard that Gu Yong did not entertain Zhongshu Lang, he already knew in his heart that Gu Yong was opposed to this matter.
Just when he remembered that the two countries joined forces to defeat the thieves, the Han State had already gained the land of Yongzong and merged the two states, and its national strength had greatly increased.
But he was still blocked in Hefei, and he couldn't help but feel jealous and anxious.
The one who is jealous is Han, and the one who is anxious is himself.
Da Wu also put in a lot of effort, not to mention spending countless money and food, so why should the Shu people be given the advantage?
Lv Yi, secretary of the school affairs office, as a close confidant of the emperor, has long seen that His Majesty is in a bad mood these days.
Now that I finally know what His Majesty is thinking, I took the opportunity to suggest:
“Your Majesty, it is right for the Prime Minister to consult the Prime Minister on the government affairs of the DPRK. But everyone in the world says that the general knows the military situation, so when it comes to Chinese and foreign military affairs, you have to ask the general.”
“What’s more, during the Northern Expedition last year, the General advised your Majesty to withdraw the troops. Your Majesty has not yet understood the true meaning. Why don’t you send someone to Wuchang to inquire now?”
Sun Quan frowned when he heard this.
During the Northern Expedition last year, Lu Xun, like others, persuaded himself to withdraw at the most critical moment.
The so-called knowing the military situation, doesn't it mean that there is no time to make mistakes?
Besides, I asked him to sit in Wuchang and take charge of everything west of Yuzhang.
This is already considered extremely trustworthy.
This does not mean that even matters concerning Yuzhang and Edong must be decided by him.
After thinking for a long time, Sun Quan finally wrote a letter and sent someone to Wuchang.
After all, the Prime Minister does not agree with his own idea. If he insists on the Northern Expedition this year, it will seem a little insistent.
If you can get Lu Xun to agree to this, it would be a good choice.
At the same time, he said with some worry:
“Over the past few years, His Majesty has been planning to go north almost every year, spending countless amounts of money and food, and has had to make a lot of money repeatedly. Nowadays, the prices among the people are soaring, and the people are quite complaining.”
"I heard that in the Jingzhou area, many people don't like to use big money. They either barter with grain or silk. Large families would rather use Shu money notes. This shows that the disadvantages of big money are serious!"
“Therefore, I think it is better for your majesty to rest the people and not to use weapons anymore. What do you think, Ziyu?”
At that time, the generals stationed in Jingzhou included Zhuge Jin, Lu Dai, Zhu Ran, Bu Zhi and others, but they were only in charge of military affairs and not civil affairs.
How can he be qualified to be like a general who can write letters to discuss matters in the DPRK at any time?
Not to mention, even if Zhuge Jin has the power to take charge of the current affairs in Jingzhou, he has to think twice whether he dares to do so.
Shu's money notes are much more valuable than large coins made of iron, forcing others to use big money instead of money notes.
Not to mention whether the army lieutenants who have made a lot of profits every year by using the cultivated fields to grow sugar cane in recent years will cause trouble.
(In the fourth year of Jianxing, Lu Xun ordered his generals to increase the number of acres of land because Jingzhou had experienced wars for a long time, the land was deserted, and there was too little grain.)
Even the folks in Jingzhou wanted to poke his spine.
Without the support of the folks in Jingzhou, where would the army’s grain come from?
Do they all expect the fields cultivated by the generals in the army?
Or is it enough for everyone to just eat sugar cane?
Zhuge Jin pointed to the letter in Lu Xun's hand and said in a somewhat evasive manner:
"Your Majesty only allows me to lead the army. I cannot talk about the political affairs in Jingzhou lightly. However, I see that Your Majesty has many regrets about last year's Northern Expedition. How should Boyan respond?"
In the past few years, when Lu Yi's arrogance was at its most arrogant, Lu Xun repeatedly wrote letters to speak out about the shortcomings of the school administration.
But Zhuge Jin, Lu Dai, Zhu Ran, Bu Zhi and other leading generals outside the country all remained silent in order to avoid suspicion.
Lu Xun also knew Zhuge Jin's concerns, he just sighed:
“Man Chong is an old man from Cao Cao’s time. He is brave and resourceful. Hefei has an advantageous location, and Wei has the advantage of fine cavalry. I dare not say that we will definitely win.”
(Historically, Lu Xun was forced to retreat by the Manchus)
“Last year during the Northern Expedition, Your Majesty was hesitant at first, and then left Chao Lake and went ashore, underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly. This is a taboo for military officers. For your Majesty’s safety, I have to act cautiously.”
"Who could have expected that Cao Rui would suddenly die suddenly after we retreated? This can be said to be unpredictable."
Zhuge Jin was silent.
Indeed, with hindsight, it is unclear what the situation would have been like if the army had been able to stay under the walls of Hefei for one more month.
But in this world, who can predict what will happen a month later?
Thinking of this, Zhuge Jin whispered:
“Bo Yan had better explain it to Your Majesty in detail.”
Lu Xun nodded: "I know it."
If it were anyone else, after reading the letter and knowing that the emperor was slightly dissatisfied, he would definitely not go against his wishes, and at most he would be vague about the Northern Expedition.
Perhaps that’s what Sun Quan thought.
Just who is Lu Xun?
How can there be sand in your eyes?
In the past two years, Lu Yi, Qin Bo and others in the school affairs office have been much more low-key.
Lu Xun only said that the emperor was still the same majesty who was willing to listen to advice for the great cause of the world.
However, he was completely unaware that it had been nearly ten years since Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor and moved the capital to establish a business, and he himself had been guarding Wuchang for nearly ten years.
The past ten years have been enough to turn many people into people that they don’t even recognize.
Lu Xun’s reply this time not only stated his thoughts during last year’s Northern Expedition, but also told Sun Quan clearly and emphatically:
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He did not expect that after the letter reached Sun Quan's hands, Sun Quan first cleared everyone out with a calm expression.
After the door was closed, his expression suddenly changed. He suddenly drew his sword and chopped it on the desk, gritting his teeth and saying:
“Gu Yuantan (Gu Yong, courtesy name Yuantan) opposed my Northern Expedition, but he still didn’t say anything because he wanted to save my face.”
“What do you mean by what Lu Bo said? You are talking about people complaining, which is no different from pointing your nose at me and calling me a fool!”
Just after he finished cursing and venting, Sun Quan also felt a little troublesome when he thought about the lack of support from the prime minister at home and the opposition from the generals at home.
At this time, Lu Xiaoshi, a loyal man who wholeheartedly considered the emperor, once again offered his words:
“In my opinion, defeating the bandits is a major matter for both Wu and Han. In the past, it was Han who took the initiative to make an agreement with Wu, asking us to help detain the Wei bandits.”
"Now that the Han Kingdom has benefited, Wu has not gained an inch of land. It is unfair. If your majesty writes a letter and sends it to Shu, the Han people will not be embarrassed to refuse it."
“Your Majesty, the internal and external ministers are all opposed to the Northern Expedition, but they have forgotten that Wu and the Han State joined forces to defeat the bandits, which is clear to the world.”
“I suspect that the Han Kingdom may not have the intention to continue to advance eastward when it is just about to win a great victory. If the Han Dynasty has the intention, but the ministers of Wu are opposed to His Majesty’s Northern Expedition, wouldn’t that be trapping Your Majesty in a place of treachery?”
Lu Yi had been speculating on Sun Quan's intentions for a long time, and his sentence "Han has gained benefits, but Wu has not gained an inch of land" simply spoke to Sun Quan's heart.
But Sun Quan finally nodded and made a decision:
"Of course! I'll write a letter first to ask the Han Lord what he wants."
At this point, he glanced at Lu Yi and emphasized:
"This letter will be sent personally by the school office and will not pass through the hands of the general."
Go to General Lu Xun and find a seal sent by Sun Quan.
In the past, letters sent to Shu were always sent to Lu Xun first, and he was asked to review and revise them, and then stamped them with a big seal.
Obviously, Sun Quan was beginning to prepare to take back Lu Xun's rights.
Lu Yi knew what he meant. Although he tried his best to conceal his inner ecstasy, the corners of his mouth could not stop curling up:
“No!”
After returning to the school office, all the school officials heard about this and all held their hands in celebration.
Campus Minister Qin Bo praised:
“Why did I, Dao Zhongshu, suggest to Your Majesty to ask Lu Xun in the first place? It turned out that I knew that Lu Xun would object to this matter?”
Lu Yi looked proud, but said modestly:
"How could I expect that Lu Xun would object? I just made two preparations."
Qin Bo really knew what was going on, so he came up and asked:
“But I don’t know what perfect plan Zhongshu has taken?”
Lu Yi grinned:
"If Lu Xun approves of this matter, our school office can use the name of preparing food and grass to collect more money."
“Not to mention that we can take the opportunity to plant more sugar cane in Jingzhou and obtain more grain from the Shu people.”
A few days ago, the Xinghan Society personally sent a man named Xu You over, saying that he was a brother of Xu Xun, one of the top ten members of the Xinghan Society.
At the same time, he is the person in charge of the route of Dongfeng Express from Jincheng to Yongan and finally to Jingzhou.
This person reached an agreement with the school government on behalf of the Xinghan Hui, and promised to deliver a batch of military rations to Dawu every year, enough to feed 30,000 soldiers.
If the cooperation is happy in the future, or if there is a war, it is not impossible to discuss additional additions.
Shu was originally a land of abundance. Coupled with the improvement of farming technology, there was an increase in cultivated land due to the reclamation of wasteland and the use of oxen to clear wasteland.
The grain output of Dahan has almost doubled compared with previous years.
Liangzhou is already self-sufficient in food, and the Hanzhong army is supplied by Hanzhong, Longyou and other places. In addition, there is a highway in the Yuexisun River Valley plain leading directly to Jincheng.
Not to mention that the Han Dynasty has now captured Guanzhong - this is another land of abundance.
It can be said that as long as the Han Dynasty is willing, the Xinghan Hui can mobilize most of the grain from the Shu plain to enter the Wu Kingdom to cause trouble in the later stage.
The Kingdom of Abundance supports only 30,000 horses and horses. If it were anyone else, the cost of food transportation might have to be considered.
But what would Xinghan be afraid of?
Dongfeng Express must achieve its mission.
What's more, the Han Dynasty Military Food 2.0 greatly reduces the burden of transportation - it is not for the soldiers under my brother's command anyway, it is just about eating without killing anyone.
At worst, give the Wu people some dry food mixed with brown sugar and let them use it to feed their elite troops.
Calculated in this way, part of the food is dry food, and part of it is dry food, so the transportation pressure is not that great.
In the original history, when the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty went on the Northern Expedition, it was difficult to transport grain through the Shu Road, but he could still support 100,000 troops.
And from Jincheng to Jiangling, everything can be transported by water, which is very convenient.
In any case, in Lu Yi's opinion, the deal between the school office and the Xinghan Association was a huge profit.
If the land used to grow sugar cane in Jingzhou is used to grow food, it is hard to say whether it will eventually be able to supply the needs of the army.
Not to mention that everyone can still make so much money.
Unlike now, where can you find a good thing like growing sugar cane and selling it for money, supplying military supplies, and making money at the same time? Where can you find such a good thing that kills two birds with one stone?
"If Lu Xun disagrees, I will take the opportunity to make a provocation in front of Your Majesty. Even if I cannot bring Lu Xun down for a while, I will keep Your Majesty away from this person."
Speaking of this, Lu Yi couldn't help but sneer:
"People like General Zhuge Jin don't dare to do anything to us. They only protect themselves wisely. However, Lu Xun dared to go up and slander the school affairs office many times. I have long hated him to the core!"
(End of this chapter)