Chapter 1078 Changing stance
“General, I have been watching this matter, but in the past few days, Ma Deheng only built the Thunderbolt Chariot and came to report his merits.”
Deng Yang carefully observed Cao Shuang’s expression while organizing his words:
"I was thinking, didn't Emperor Wu already own this Thunderbolt Chariot? So I asked him to build everything on the drawing and then submit it to the general."
After hearing this, Cao Shuang nodded and said:
“I see, I thought those utensils had already been made.”
Seeing Cao Shuang's unconcerned expression, Deng Yang finally realized that the general was not asking him about this matter.
He couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After relaxing, Deng Yang couldn't help but feel even more resentful when he remembered that Ma Jun and others had bypassed him and went directly to the general.
“General, Ma Deheng is just building the Thunderbolt Chariot that Emperor Wu had at the time, and he is so eager to take credit.”
"It can be seen that although he has dexterous skills, he is just a person with shallow knowledge. Only the escaped Shu captive, according to the current investigation, there is no flaw."
“We just need to find out the relevant information about Guanzhong, and then we can confirm the identity. Then please ask the general to make careful arrangements.”
As expected, Cao Shuang’s attention was diverted by Deng Yang, and he asked with interest:
“Oh, so it’s possible that the Shu captives who surrendered people may be the ancestors of the Ge rebels?”
“The possibility is not small.”
If he didn't have to wait for news from Guanzhong, I'm afraid he would be sure now.
Because the Jiang man could not only tell in detail various things in the territory of the Shu captives, but also corroborate them one by one with the information mastered by the Wei Dynasty.
And he also knew the Shu army well.
Even broke out an extremely shocking news:
Feng Thief was so lustful that he set up a special women's camp, euphemistically called the Female Guards Camp, which was dedicated to his sexual pleasures on weekdays.
“It is rumored that Feng Thief is the ghost king and controls three thousand women at night. It turns out that it is not groundless.”
Cao Shuang sighed.
Why is there even a hint of envy in your tone?
Deng Yang said to Cao Shuang:
"Although Yang doesn't know about soldiers, he also knows that women are not allowed to be hidden in the army. Otherwise, military discipline may be ruined. When soldiers go into battle, they only worry about the women's property behind the battle. How can they be willing to kill the enemy?"
Cao Shuang nodded in agreement: "Yes, Xuan Mao's words make sense."
Deng Yang continued:
"Feng Thief, a man with such a corrupt moral character, can actually become a Shu general. It can be seen that even if the Shu captives can be strong for a while, they will not last long in the future."
“Xuan Mao’s words are truly profound!”
The Ge thieves are gone, and the Feng thieves are the worry of the Wei Dynasty.
I heard that in the Wei army, when they heard the name of Feng Thief, their expressions changed.
Now that he suddenly learned about Feng Thief’s weakness, Cao Shuang couldn’t help but be overjoyed and said:
“We should inform the generals of the army about this news and let them know that there is nothing to fear from Thief Feng.”
“The general will see you clearly.”
As a result, Feng Junhou, who was patrolling Hedong, was given the bad reputation of being "a promiscuous womanizer and a debaucher".
“Thief Feng is just a prostitute, so there’s nothing to fear?”
Hearing that such rumors were circulating in the general's palace, Liu Fang and Sun Zi looked at each other with astonishment on their eyes and faces.
To be honest, when things have reached this point, the two of them already feel a little regretful.
The main reason for promoting Cao Shuang to come to power was to prevent the two of them from being liquidated by political opponents such as Cao Zhao.
Secondly, it is naturally because Cao Shuang has a weak temperament, does not have much opinion, and is easy to control.
What the two of them didn't expect was that their main purpose was indeed achieved.
But the side effects are quite serious.
When Cao Rui was originally there, although the Wei State suffered repeated defeats, the foundation of the throne was unstable and the emperor's prestige was insufficient.
But he could still use the Shangshutai and the Zhongshu Province to balance the forces in the DPRK and avoid major chaos.
Now that Cao Shuang has become the general, he records the affairs of the minister, and there are three Taichung dogs as minions in the minister's desk.
The power of the Chancellor's Office naturally has the tendency to overpower the Zhongshu Province.
In addition, Zhongshu Province no longer has the support of the emperor, or in other words, the emperor of Wei is now young and has no personal power.
Zhongshu Sheng, which was originally positioned as the secretary of the emperor, naturally lost its power support in name.
At the beginning, Cao Shuang respected both of them and was at least willing to listen to their opinions.
But when there were three mad dogs at the Chancellery, things gradually changed.
However, Sun and Liu were also mentally prepared for this matter.
After all, when they supported Cao Shuang to come to power, they were looking for a way out.
Besides, the two of them are getting older. As long as they can survive the past few years, they will gradually withdraw from the court.
No matter who comes to power in the future, as long as their interests are not affected, based on their qualifications, among all the officials in the court, who should not respect them?
This plan is quite good.
But the two really underestimated Cao Shuang's incompetence and the madness of the Three Dogs in Taichung.
"There is indeed a person named Yang Yi in the history of Ge Thief. How important is his identity? Now that Yang Yi has come to surrender not long after Ge Thief's death, Cao Zhaobo (Cao Shuang) should confirm his identity as soon as possible."
“If it is true, then it should be treated with great courtesy to show the court’s magnanimity, and at the same time, it should be widely publicized to destroy the thieves’ military morale and the people’s morale.”
Liu Fang said with some dissatisfaction:
“It’s good now. Not only is the identity of the descendant still uncertain, but also dares to say that Feng Thief is not something to be afraid of? It’s simply ridiculous!”
Is Feng Thief not something to be afraid of?
Could it be that when the Wei Dynasty lost Longyou, Liangzhou and Guanzhong, they all ran into the hands of Shu barbarians?
“Ignoring the fundamentals and looking at the end is nothing but short-sightedness!”
Sun Zi was also dissatisfied:
"If this continues, will the empire built by the three generations of the Wei Dynasty be destroyed in their hands? Then the Wei Dynasty and the people will be restless, and the Shu captives will take advantage of the opportunity to enter. I am afraid that we, the old ministers, will not have the face to face Emperor Wu! "
To the two of them, it doesn't matter who is in power in the Wei Dynasty - as long as they are not political enemies - it doesn't matter even if the Wei Dynasty changes its master.
As long as the two of them continue to enjoy prosperity and wealth.
“I heard that the people who surrendered from Shu also brought the method of making sharp weapons for the Shu army. I don’t know whether it is true or not.”
Compared to the second and third generations like Cao Shuang and others who have enjoyed fine clothes and food since childhood and have never been in battle, Sun and Liu have experienced four dynasties and have seen and heard how much stronger they are.
In addition, the Zhongshu Province where the two of them are located specializes in confidential matters.
The Wei Dynasty was repeatedly defeated at the hands of the Shu captives. According to the confidential military reports coming from the front, there was countless news about the Shu captives' heavy armor and powerful crossbows.
As Taifu Sima Yi said: "Although a horse stirrup is very simple, it can train three years of cavalry for the Shu captives, which can be compared with ten years of veterans of the Wei Dynasty."
Another example is the battle at Xiaoguan. There was an army report that the Shu captives were throwing stones, like huge thunder falling in the sky above the city, which made the defenders terrified and did not dare to fight.
In the Battle of Guanzhong, Sima Yi gave up Chang'an easily, not only because Feng thief threatened his back, but also because it was rumored that Shu captives had siege weapons that could easily smash the city walls.
It doesn’t matter whether the Shu captive is Yang Yi or not, but if he can really come up with so many tools from the Shu captive army, his identity will definitely not be simple.
Cao Shuang actually didn’t pay any attention to it, he was like a dog!
Sun Zi’s eyes flashed coldly:
"Cao Zhaobo has gone too far! But now, everyone inside and outside Xuchang is controlled by him. The three dogs in Taichung have repeatedly tried to seize power from Zhongshu Province. We are afraid that we must not act rashly at the moment."
Liu Fang nodded and said:
Not to mention that Cao Shuang, as a general, had the power to assist the government and also controlled the imperial army.
Even his surname alone is enough to suppress the two of them in terms of justice.
The only person who can compete with the auxiliary minister is naturally the auxiliary minister.
The two of them knew each other's thoughts without any unnecessary words.
“In the past few days, Sima Zishang (Sima Zhao), the second son of Taifu, has been quite active in Xuchang and has sent greetings to my residence many times.”
Liu Fang stroked his beard and said slowly:
"He can be considered our nephew. If we always turn him away like this, I'm afraid some people will say that we bully the small."
Sun Zi nodded: "Exactly, I have also received several greetings from him at my house. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so it is okay to meet him if I have the opportunity."
Liu Fang nodded in agreement: "That's fine."
It's just that the Three Dogs in Taichung are keeping a close eye on the Central Publishing House. If Sima Zhao is rashly allowed to come to the mansion - whether it is the Liu Mansion or the Sun Mansion - it will probably make Cao Shuang suspicious.
“I heard that a new restaurant, Juepinju, was recently opened in Xuchang. It was moved from Luoyang to Xuchang. The food is very good.”
Sun Zi was still a little hesitant when he heard Liu Fang’s words:
“I heard that the owner of Juepinju has an unusual relationship with Princess Qinghe.”
Liu Fang smiled slightly:
“It’s precisely because of the unusual relationship that I want to go there. Princess Qinghe is just a woman, how much knowledge does she have?”
“In order to vent my personal anger, I did not hesitate to slander my husband-in-law Xiahou Zilin (Xiahou Mao) and wanted to kill him.”
“It can be seen that this woman is not only vicious-hearted, but also extremely selfish. If he is used well, he can actually use her hand to convey news.”
Sun Zi was thoughtful:
“I heard that Princess Qinghe sent retainers to look for connections, just to move the princess palace to Xuchang…”
Liu Fang said meaningfully:
“She wants to move the princess palace to Xuchang. In addition to getting the imperial decree, she also has to get the approval of the Grand Tutor of Luoyang!”
To put it shamefully, the Cao family members in Luoyang are actually the hostages in the hands of the Taifu.
Is it possible that the hostages want to leave Luoyang without the consent of the Taifu?
So Princess Qinghe must also be seeking help from Taifu.
At this point in time, if she has the opportunity to contact the Taifu, she may not be happy in time.
Sun Zi was still a little worried: "I'm just afraid that she will tell Cao Zhaobo afterwards."
"Before it was done, she couldn't leave Luoyang, so she didn't dare; after it was done, she couldn't get away from it." Liu Fang said leisurely, "How can she sue?"
With Princess Qinghe's vicious selfishness, how could she take the initiative to expose herself to Cao Shuang regardless of her own safety?
Liu Fang’s calculations don’t stop there:
“I heard that Cao Zhaobo secretly brought several talented people from the palace who were left behind by the late emperor to his own residence. I don’t know if this is true or not?”
“If it’s true, we can go see the Queen Mother and ask her opinion on this matter.”
“What if it’s fake?”
Liu Fang said faintly: "If it is false, then make it true."
There are more than 3,000 palace residents. The number of people released from the palace should not be less than 2,000.
Who can tell where so many women will end up?
He Yan and Deng Yang are both lustful people. Instead of believing that they are not meddling in it, it is better to believe that the Feng thief really has nothing to fear.
There is no way to explain this kind of thing clearly as long as you use some tricks.
As a direct descendant of Princess Qinghe, it would be hard to say whether she would dare to believe Cao Shuang if she learned about this.
“Besides, given the current situation, even if we do nothing, I’m afraid we will be bullied by Ding Yanjing (Ding Mi) and his like before long.”
After four dynasties, Liu Fang and Liu Fang have seen countless swords and swords, and their experience in political struggles is far beyond what Cao Shuang can compare with.
The most important thing is that these old people can make decisions at critical moments.
After weighing the pros and cons, the two immediately sent someone to quietly inform Sima Zhao and agreed on a time to meet at Juepinju.
Sima Zhao has repeatedly encountered obstacles in the past few days. Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected surprise, and he was overjoyed at the moment.
So he followed the advice of Sun and Liu and found an opportunity to sneak into Juepinju on a certain day while avoiding the eyes and ears of others.
In July of the 15th year of Jianxing, Sima Yi, the Taifu of Wei State, reported to the court:
Feng Thief led the army to station in the east of the river, and seemed to have the intention of advancing eastward. The city wall of Luoyang, the capital of the Wei Dynasty, was in disrepair for a long time and needed to be repaired by recruiting civilians. The court was asked to send some skilled craftsmen to help.
Luoyang is now one of the base camps to prevent Shu invaders from advancing eastward.
If Luoyang is lost, the Wei Dynasty will no longer have a barrier.
Therefore, even if Cao Shuang and others were on guard against Sima Yi, they were still highly consistent in preventing the Shu captives from advancing eastward.
If Sima Yi asked the court for money or food, Cao Shuang would think twice about it.
But now we just need some manpower. It would be disrespectful not to give them even this.
Deng Yang got Cao Shuang's permission, so he took advantage of the opportunity and sent Ma Jun to Luoyang to build the city wall in the name of being a skillful man of the court.
At this time, Yang Yi was granted the title of Submissive Marquis by Cao Shuang and was assigned a sinecure.
With the confirmation of Yang Yi's identity, Thief Feng's reputation for "having no **** with women and being extravagant" gradually spread throughout the Central Plains.
Feng Junhou, who was patrolling far away in Hedong, suddenly sneezed several times in succession under the scorching sun: "Sneeze, sneeze, sneeze..."
“Junhou, are you okay?”
Jiang Wei, who came to accompany him, asked with concern.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Feng Junhou rubbed his nose and looked at the smoke and dust rising on the road. "But the horse was riding too fast and the dust was too big, so I felt a little uncomfortable."
Hearing this, Jiang Wei smiled and said, "The official system in Hedong is indeed far inferior to the official system in Hanzhong."
Is that possible?
As the world’s earliest cement highway, Shuangnan Avenue uses low-quality cement, but it’s still much better than this loess road.
Due to the increase in traffic and pedestrians, Shuangnan Avenue has been damaged in recent years. I heard that the government has repaired some sections of the road again.
Hearing what Jiang Wei said, Feng Junhou looked to the south thoughtfully:
“It’s a pity that the situation is not stable now. Otherwise, it would be very convenient to rebuild Tongguan using cement.”
If Tongguan and Wuguan are not repaired for a day, the little fat man will be stuck in Hanzhong.
“That’s what the prince said.”
“Is there any news from Hanoi?”
“No, everything is fine.”
“Sima Yi is not a simple person, you must be careful in everything.”
Feng Junhou came to Hedong to hold back the Wei army in Hanoi and prevent them from sending troops to support the Shangdang.
Sima Yi knew this.
Feng Junhou also knew that Sima Yi knew.
Now that Feng Junhou has played his cards, it depends on how Sima Yi responds.
I hope that, as Zhang Xiaosi said, Sima Yi and Xuchang have reached the point where they seem to be inseparable but distrust each other and are even wary of each other.
Otherwise, if Sima Yi is really asked to mobilize troops to Yecheng, Wei Yan will be unable to attack Shangdang for a long time, and I am afraid that the situation will change drastically again.
PS: The tiger girl followed her mother-in-law back to her parents' home these days. The author finally had a holiday. I wanted to be lazy for a day, but I just opened my beloved Romance of the Three Kingdoms and was about to kill everyone.
Suddenly, the news flashed, and the tiger girl sent a soul torture thousands of miles away: Have you updated today?
wipe!
(End of this chapter)