In front of the Prince's Mansion in Jibei, a farmer riding a donkey came.
The faces of farmers have been engraved with traces of hard work because they have been working in the fields all year round.
The back of the hand holding the donkey's reins has turned gray and black, and is covered with rough lines.
The burlap clothes on his body were dusty, and the shoes on his feet were stained with mud and grass clippings.
All indicate that this is a real farmer.
But the farmer's eyes looked at the Prince of Jibei's Mansion, but they were full of complex expressions.
Leading the donkey, he came to the side door and knocked on the door.
no response.
Cao Miao frowned and increased his strength.
“Bang bang bang!”
The door finally opened from the inside, and the old and dizzy concierge stood there tremblingly, his cloudy eyes looking up and down at the farmer in front of him.
It seems that he is a little confused, how can such a Guizhou leader have the courage to knock on the door of the princes and kings of Wei Dynasty.
But strangely enough, the person in front of me always feels familiar.
Cao Miao was a little helpless:
“Uncle Yan, it’s me.”
Hearing this voice, the old concierge finally recognized the person in front of him. It was Dalang Jun who had been away from the house for several years.
“Mr. Lang? Are you the eldest son?”
The old concierge tremblingly supported Cao Miao's arms, with tears streaming down his face:
“How did you become like this? How much hardship have you suffered!”
Cao Miao's eyes twitched and she looked at the creaking door panel.
Looking again at the collapsed courtyard wall that had not been repaired.
I remember that when I left, the gap was not so big.
well!
Each one has his own suffering.
Although the countryside is not as prosperous as here, it is better than being at ease.
Being the king of Jibei here, it is difficult to have freedom.
“Master, come here, my servant will take you back to the house.”
Cao Miao quickly held down the old concierge:
“Uncle Yan, no need, I know how to get there myself, just keep guarding at the door.”
"That can't be done. The eldest master has not come back for so many years. How can the old servant ignore him?"
"No, no, no," Cao Miao thrust the donkey's rope into the old porter's hand, "Well, Uncle Yan, help me tie the donkey up, and I'll go in and see Yungong myself."
“Donkey?”
The old porter looked at the rope in his hand, then at the donkey behind Cao Miao, and finally his eyes fell back on Cao Miao, crying again:
“My lord, you are outside and suffering a lot. You can’t even ride a horse, so you can only ride a donkey.”
In the countryside, it would be nice to ride a donkey.
Not to mention that over the years, the Wei Dynasty has continued to lose the land for raising horses, and now only Youzhou remains.
After Sima Yi entered Jizhou, even Youzhou stopped transporting horses to the south of the river.
There is a serious shortage of horses in the government and the army. How can there be any horses among the people?
Even if there is one, it is basically an old horse and a broken horse. It is good to have a rogue horse.
And it may not be as good as your own donkey.
“Okay, Uncle Yan, let’s put the donkey in the front yard. You can just watch it from here.”
The King of Jibei, Cao Zhi, came over at some point and gave orders, which relieved Cao Miao's embarrassment.
In Prince Ji's Mansion, most of the people are old, weak, sick and disabled. The front yard is not cleaned very often throughout the year and is overgrown with weeds.
Even though the winter grass is dry, there is no telling that the donkey will be able to find a few bites of food in the yard as spring approaches.
Two brothers, one wearing the royal robes and the other wearing coarse linen, looked at each other.
After a long time, Cao Zhi suddenly smiled and said:
“Brother, you are here.”
Cao Miao nodded:
“Yes, I’m coming.”
“Counting the days, it’s almost here, so I came out to give instructions. Unexpectedly, it will be half a day sooner than I thought.”
Cao Zhi stretched out his hand to salute:
“Brother, please come in.”
Cao Miao looked at Cao Zhi steadily for a while, smiled, and finally stepped inside.
“It’s okay if you don’t clean up the outside, and you don’t ask anyone to clean up the inside.”
Looking at the mess in the living room, some of the utensils are even imported from the West. If they are put outside, they might be able to sell them at a good price if they meet someone who knows the stuff.
Cao Miao couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
“Where is the extra manpower in the house?”
Cao Zhi smiled nonchalantly, with a somewhat bitter look on his face, "There were only two or three people who could walk, and they all went out with the caravan."
Jibei Prefecture definitely does not have caravans, nor does it have that many manpower to organize caravans.
But there is a way.
Here in Kanto, there are many families with caravans and no way out.
However, Cao Zhi knew very well that a big tree attracts wind, so he only asked for 10% every time.
No matter who you cooperate with, it only costs 10%.
Even if someone insists on giving him a few percent more, he doesn’t want it.
And he is also very careful in choosing his collaborators.
He would not choose any of the larger aristocratic families - this was to avoid suspicion and to avoid disaster.
The smaller heroes don’t have that qualification.
So those who are not big or small, and who can establish a relationship with a certain aristocratic family in a roundabout way, covertly or covertly, are the ones he cooperates with.
There is no shortage of money, but there is not much money either.
It’s enough anyway, and you can still enjoy some things from the West.
This is the situation in Prince Ji's Mansion.
After hearing what Cao Zhi said, Cao Miao looked around.
“Don’t look, there are only you and me here.”
When Cao Miao heard this, his face suddenly showed surprise:
“Literary defense auxiliary officer?”
“Literary defense auxiliary officers are used to protect adults. You and I, brothers, have no reputation. How can we be worthy of being assisted?”
The word "auxiliary" has a slightly strong pronunciation and even a hint of ridicule.
“So after your lord’s death, the last auxiliary officer left office, and the imperial court never sent anyone again.”
After the death of Cao Zhi, one of Cao Miao and Cao Zhi became the king of Jibei, and the other went to the countryside to farm.
Cao Miao has been farming diligently over the years. If it is not necessary, he will never inquire about the news of Prince Ji's Mansion, let alone take the initiative to contact him.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be dressed like a farmer.
Hearing what Cao Zhi said at this time, he couldn't help but ignited a glimmer of hope:
“Has the imperial court changed its tyrannical rule?”
No wonder Yungong suddenly called him over.
“What are you thinking about?”
Cao Sheng laughed and pointed at himself and then at Cao Miao:
“I’m afraid the imperial court has too much time to take care of itself. How can it still be in the mood to care about us princes and kings outside?”
Cao Miao's face suddenly showed a look of disappointment, and then her heart shrank suddenly, and her voice couldn't help but become a little lower:
“Then why did Yungong call me here?”
Cao Zhi did not answer immediately. He handed over the "Six Dynasties Theory" that he had prepared long ago and explained:
“This is an article that has been circulating among the clan recently. I heard that a few days ago, a clan member wrote a memorial to the court.”
Cao Miao took it without knowing why, opened it and read it briefly, with a look of surprise on his face:
“How do you feel about this memorial...”
“Somewhat familiar, right?”
Cao Zhi spoke out for him, "I felt the same way when I first saw it, so some people said that this is your lord's legacy."
“Your Excellency has indeed written a similar memorial.”
Cao Miao was a little unsure and looked through it again.
Cao Zhi shook his head: "But this is definitely not written by your Excellency. Your Excellency has a hand-written catalog. All articles written by Your Excellency are recorded, but I did not find this article in the catalog."
“You mean, someone is pretending to be an adult?”
Cao Zhi nodded.
Cao Zhi's face became a little gloomy: "Luoyang is lost." "Ah? Is this true?"
The news of the loss of Luoyang spread very quickly.
Even Cao Miao in the countryside has heard the news.
When I received the confirmation from Cao Zhi, I felt quite complicated, but it was not a big surprise.
Cao Zhi nodded, and then told Cao Miao unexpected news:
“Cao Shuang has taken the Queen Mother and the Emperor hostage and is patrolling Qiao County eastward.”
"What?"
This time, Cao Miao was really shocked.
Then a strange thought came to mind:
The late emperor patrolled from Luoyang to Xuchang, and now His Majesty also patrols from Xuchang to Qiao County. Where will he visit next time?
(Empress Dowager Yu gave a like.)
Cao Zhi pointed to the article in Cao Miao's hand: "This article was written at that time."
After a pause, Cao Zhi showed a mocking look on his face, "But the court did not adopt it."
"Brother, the country is about to be destroyed. The imperial court can allow outsiders to gather large numbers of troops and control the states and counties, but it is not even willing to give people of the same clan a chance to join the imperial court."
Perhaps he was too disappointed, or perhaps he was numb. Cao Zhi’s eyes were empty, but he said a cruel fact in the calmest tone:
“Brother, the thing you least want to happen in your lifetime is probably going to happen.”
“This great Wei Dynasty is probably going to die.”
Even if you are mentally prepared and farming in the countryside, you are still preparing for this day.
But when he heard his brother say it himself, Cao Miao still seemed a little unable to accept it.
His lips trembled slightly and opened weakly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.
The body that had been quite strong from working in the fields all year round suddenly collapsed, as if all the strength had disappeared.
After a long time, Cao Miao asked in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible:
“Yungong, are you really going to take this step?”
Cao Zhi smiled miserably:
“Brother, haven’t we been waiting for this day all these years?”
"With the fall of Luoyang, there will be no more strongholds in Kanto that can stop the Han army."
Even if you guard the pass, you can't stop the Han army.
There is no danger to defend, so what can we do to fight the Han army?
Intellectually, both brothers knew that this day was likely to come.
But emotionally, they hope that this day will never come.
This is an extremely contradictory psychology.
Even this mentality is a kind of torture for them.
Especially for Cao Zhi, the suffering was even worse.
Because he still needs to keep an eye on the changes in the world's situation all the time, and then make judgments.
You cannot join Wei when there is still hope.
Nor can we take refuge when the overall situation has been decided.
Too early is called forgetting one’s ancestors.
It’s too late and it’s useless.
"Jingzhou and Yangzhou have more than 200,000 troops in total. If we add the troops and horses under Sima Yi's command in Jizhou, the number will be no less than 500,000."
Cao Miao said with some reluctance, "No matter how you say it, Sima Yi can be regarded as the Taifu of our great Wei Dynasty."
“No matter how much he and the general are at odds with each other, he should still know the truth of the relationship.”
It was okay for Cao Miao not to mention Sima Yi, but when he mentioned Sima Yi, Cao Zhi's face became extremely gloomy.
“If he knew this, he shouldn’t let Luoyang fall!”
Sima Yi was at odds with Cao Shuang, and he had to defend Luoyang and fight with the Han army, which would inevitably lead to a shortage of food and grass.
If he controls Jizhou, gathers the strength of Hebei, uses Taihang Mountain as a wall and Hangu Pass as a gate to prevent the Han army from advancing eastward.
It is not incomprehensible to cross state boundaries without permission.
Cao Shuang is unpopular anyway.
In just a few years, national affairs were turned into a mess.
Instead of leaving Hebei in his hands to cause harm, it would be better to use it to stop the Han army.
"If Sima Yi really wants to defend Luoyang, he may not be able to defend it."
In any case, after taking Shangdang, he eagerly took the risk to attack Taiyuan, which is not what a cautious person like Sima Yi should do.
Especially his opponent, who is not an unknown person.
That is King Feng Gui, who is not inferior to the double jade of the former Han Dynasty.
Even if Sima Yi had the intention of underestimating the enemy because he easily captured Shangdang.
But after entering Yecheng, he can still lead the army back to Hanoi, and then cross the river from Hanoi back to Luoyang.
If Sima Yi personally defends Luoyang, Hangu Pass may not be lost.
But what Cao Zhi found strange was that not only did Sima Yi not return to Luoyang, he didn't even send back a single soldier.
Until Luoyang was lost, he stayed in Yecheng.
There are only two explanations for this kind of practice.
First, he deliberately sat back and watched Luoyang fall.
Second, he regarded Hebei as his own, so he would rather lose Luoyang than take Jiyou into his hands as soon as possible.
No matter what the explanation is, this is unacceptable to Cao Zhi.
When Cao Miao heard what Cao Zhi said, his face turned pale:
“Yungong means...Sima Yi has different intentions?”
Aren't there many people who say that the Taifu is a loyal minister of the Wei Dynasty, and only the Taifu can help the Wei Dynasty not fall?
"I don't know if he has any ulterior motives, but he certainly didn't try his best to protect Luoyang."
Even if you don’t have any different intentions, at least you have selfish intentions.
Internally, Cao Shuang and the Three Dogs of Taichung were causing trouble, while externally, Sima Yi and others had selfish motives.
The Han army is already at Cloyang and can march eastward at any time.
The seven temples have been destroyed and the country is about to be destroyed. Until this point, the imperial court is still unwilling to relax the kinship and kings in the slightest.
As a descendant of the Cao family, what can you do?
Although Cao Miao is the elder brother, his talent is far inferior to that of Cao Zhi.
Coupled with the fact that he has lived a semi-reclusive life in the countryside for the past few years, his news channels are not as good as those of Cao Zhi.
Hearing what Cao Zhi said at this time, his face became extremely ugly.
“Everyone outside said that Cao Shuang was incompetent, and only Sima Taifu could protect the Wei Dynasty. Unexpectedly…”
"The matter has come to this, there is no use in talking more." Cao Zhi shook his head and looked at Cao Miao, "Brother, did you bring that letter?"
Cao Miao nodded:
“Dare not leave me day and night.”
Cao Zhi nodded, as if he had made up his mind and breathed a long sigh of relief:
“Brother, please be prepared in the next few days. When the people who come to inquire about the situation come back, you may have to set off.”
Although I had already figured out why Yungong called me here.
But when things came to an end, Cao Miao was still surprised: "So fast?"
Cao Zhi smiled calmly:
"Luoyang has fallen, and the emperor is patrolling eastward. I'm afraid there will be chaos in Guandong for a while. If we don't take advantage of the chaos and leave, how long will it take to wait?"
Cao Miao had a look of hesitation on his face.
Cao Zhi saw his appearance and asked:
“Brother, do you have any doubts?”
Cao Miao smiled bitterly:
“I was thinking that although your Excellency has exchanged letters with that person, he has never met him, and he is also a sworn enemy of the Wei Dynasty.”
After a pause, he asked hesitantly:
“Yungong, tell me, will he really take us in?”
Cao Zhi shook his head:
“Honestly, I don’t know. But I do know that this is our last chance.”
He looked deeply at Cao Miao:
“Brother, I am afraid that our Cao family will have to entrust everything to you.”
His uncle's move to usurp the Han Dynasty meant that the Cao family had no way out.
It was really worse than the Han Dynasty, and the Cao's family was not enough.
Making a choice now, there may still be a slight chance.
In Cao Zhi's view, this slight chance is at least many times greater than believing that Wei can come back.
Finally, Cao Zhi warned:
“Brother, remember, if you really see him, you must call him uncle.”