Chapter 832 Conspiracy
The so-called King of Dong'a is Cao Zhi.
In general, he can be regarded as Cao Rui's imperial uncle.
It's just that this emperor's uncle was the loser in the previous competition for the throne, so his identity is very embarrassing.
It happens that Cao Wei's policies towards the recent and distant sects of the Cao family are two extremes.
Not only can he lead the army, but he can also guard the territory and be given great authority.
As for the emperor's uncles and brothers, he was strictly guarded against them.
Although each has its own fiefdom in name, in fact the fiefdom is a huge cage.
Not only cannot you leave without permission, but you must also be careful in your own home.
Because there are officials sent by the emperor to supervise the house, as long as you say something wrong or do something wrong, you will be reprimanded by the emperor at least, or you will be demoted or expropriated.
But no matter what, as long as you can live comfortably, you can still have good food and clothing, and you can live a good life.
The only exception is Cao Zhi.
Not just because he was the loser in the previous competition for the throne.
Also because his reputation is so great.
Of course, the main reason is because he was the loser in the competition for the throne.
However, it is precisely because Cao Zhi's talent is recognized by the world and his reputation is too great. If he died suddenly for no reason, people in the world would inevitably suspect that the Wei emperor was too narrow-minded.
You can’t even tolerate your own brothers, who dares to believe that you can tolerate outsiders?
The Han Emperor who abdicated...maybe he will die suddenly one day, right?
Coupled with the blessing of the Empress Dowager Bian, Cao Pi was not able to kill his brother in the end.
However, if you can't kill it, you won't be killed, but you can still hit it from time to time.
So over the years, Cao Zhi's fiefdom has been changing. As a member of the royal family, he is like an exiled prisoner, either preparing to move or on the way to move.
After finally enduring Cao Pi's death, Cao Zhi felt that he was finally relieved, so he wrote to Cao Rui many times, hoping to be appointed.
What if Cao Cao finally chose Cao Pi?
Cao Zhi is talented, but a person who is suitable for being a talented person may not be suitable for politics.
If he just calms down, he might be able to live a peaceful life for a few days like other princes.
Cao Zhi wrote a memorial saying that I could still use my spare energy to contribute to the country. Cao Rui immediately felt that this old guy was evil-minded.
In response to the memorial sent by Cao Zhi, Cao Rui ostensibly responded with his own hands: The emperor's uncle's literary talent is very good...
Then he ordered to the left and right: Go and help my uncle move, so that he can move more so that he won't think about it all day long.
So Cao Zhi moved several times, and finally realized that Cao Pi and Cao Rui, father and son, never wanted to leave hope for themselves in this life.
He who has no hope is crazy.
Coupled with the departure of Cao Pi, Cao Zhi became the representative figure of Wei's literary movement.
When Feng thieves passed on the world with several articles, and when Wei Guo's connection was defeated, this undoubtedly gave Cao Zhi a amulet.
With no hope in sight, Cao Zhi simply started to spray:
"Yao's teachings were to first get close and then distance, from near to far. King Wen of Zhou punished his widow, and his brothers, to control the family and the country... As for his ministers, human nature was hopeless, and the Ming Dynasty was imprisoned, and the ministers stole and hurt themselves. "
“We are close and have incompatible marriages, and the brothers are arrogant. We question good and bad times, and the rituals of celebrating and mourning are abandoned. The violation of kindness and discipline is worse than that of passers-by; the difference of estrangement is different from that of Hu Yue.”
“Now that I have taken all measures to control it, I will never have any hope of going to Hajj. As for my heart being devoted to the emperor and my love for the Purple Gate, God knows it clearly.”
…
First, let’s criticize the emperor’s attitude towards his relatives:
Look at the virtuous kings in ancient times, which one did not first get close to his relatives and set an example for them personally, and then he dared to tell the people of the world to behave according to the rules.
Let’s look at the way we, the Wei Dynasty, treat our own clansmen now. Brothers are cut off from correspondence, not allowed to greet each other, and can’t even communicate with each other to celebrate funerals. It’s almost as barbaric as those barbarians from Hu Yue!
Your Majesty, how can you educate the people of the world in this way?
I don’t expect to return to Luoyang now, but I want to say something fair for my people. This is wrong!
Then, the importance of kinship is discussed through the deeds of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Zhu Xuhou and Dongmou Hou, King Wen of Zhou and his brothers Guo Zhong and Guo Shu, and King Zhou Cheng and Zhao Gong and Bi Gong.
The so-called Zhu Xuhou and Dongmou Hou are both grandsons of Liu Bang and contributed greatly to quelling the Lu family's rebellion;
As the younger brothers of King Wen of Zhou, Guo Zhong and Uncle Guo played a great role in the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty by King Wen of Zhou;
Zhao Gong and Bi Gong were the uncles of King Zhou Cheng. They assisted King Zhou Cheng in establishing the rule of Chengkang.
They are all examples of clan members supporting others.
Finally, Cao Zhi pointed out:
Those who can make the world pay attention are those who are in power. Therefore, conspiracy can change the master, and intimidation can frighten him. When a powerful right is in power, it is not with relatives. Where the power lies, even if it is sparse, it must be strong; where the power is gone, even if it is close, it must be light.
The Tian clan who took Qi was not Lu Zong; the Zhao and Wei who were divided into Jin were not Ji. But your Majesty will check it out.
…
It means that those who can make people in the world obey are those who hold power.
The current state of Wei is governed by aristocratic families, not our Cao family.
If things continue to develop as they are now, the power of our Cao family will sooner or later be controlled by the powerful families.
If you don’t believe it, look at the people who carved up Qi. It was the Tian family and not the Lu family; the three families were divided into Jin, and the Zhao family and the Wei family were not Ji.
Your Majesty, think about it!
After reading it, Cao Rui smashed the memorial to the ground on the spot, saying that I miss you, my mother!
Zhu Xuhou originally wanted to make his brother the emperor, but Dongmuhou later rebelled. Are you bullying me because I am ignorant?
Even Feng Thief's article can't be suppressed, so what's the use of having you, a representative of the literary movement, come here?
If Cao Zhi had not been involved in this Wei-Shu war, it is impossible for Cao Rui to think of throwing Xiahou Ba's blame on Cao Zhi.
But after seeing Cao Rui lose his temper, his face suddenly turned gloomy and clear, looking extremely ugly.
The timing of Cao Zhi's memorial to say these words was very good.
No matter how hard Cao Rui gritted his teeth, he knew that after the defeat of Xiao Guan, Cao Zhen could not afford to fall ill. Looking at the Wei Dynasty, it was indeed as Cao Zhi said, and it was inevitable for a large family to take power.
Unless he can have five, six, seven or eight years to calmly deal with the domestic situation.
At present, this is almost a luxury idea.
Sun Quan's position as King of Wu was granted by the previous emperor. Now that he has abandoned the king and proclaimed himself emperor, he has slapped not only the Shu people in the face, but also the Wei state.
If you don’t express anything, what authority do you have?
I thought that the Shu people would break off relations with the Wu people because of this, and I would have my own thoughts then.
Unexpectedly, Zhuge Pifu could suppress the objections of the Shu people and even sent people to congratulate Sun Quan.
Thinking of this, Cao Rui cursed again: "Liu Chan, that loser! What is the difference between Zhuge Pifu's behavior and usurping the throne? You are actually willing to pretend to be him!"
In addition, Longyou fell into the hands of the Shu people, Liangzhou was cut off, and Guanzhong was threatened.
If the Wei Dynasty ignores this and only focuses on running the Central Plains, I am afraid that when we turn around in a few years, the Shu people will have arrived in Wanluo!
This time he planned carefully for two years to recapture Longyou, just to regain a strategic advantage over the Shu people.
As long as Guanzhong Longyou is used as a barrier and the Shu people are blocked in Hanzhong, Wanluo will have no worries and the Central Plains will be stable.
At that time, whether it is external or internal, you can slowly figure it out.
Unlike now, there are Wu bandits in the south and Shu bandits in the west. There will be no peace for a day.
In addition to compromising step by step with the aristocratic families in exchange for their support, what else can we do?
Relying on you clan members?
Do we rely on you to defeat the enemy?
As soon as he thought about this, Cao Rui's eyes flashed and he shouted: "Lian Zhao!"
“Your Majesty, I am here.”
Cao Rui gestured to the memorial thrown on the ground and said with a gloomy face:
"I pass on this memorial from the emperor's uncle, and tell me what he said, which touches my heart. The reason why the late emperor did not allow the kings to enter the capital was because the young master was on the throne and the queen mother was the regent, so as to prevent things from getting worse."
“I have not seen the princes for twelve years now, and I miss you very much. I have specially ordered the princes from all over the country to send their eldest sons to Beijing to comfort my thoughts.”
Speaking of this, Cao Rui emphasized:
“Also, relatives and relatives from various places who were in charge of military affairs and administration abroad also recalled them to Beijing to show the joy of royal family ties.”
He looked at Lian Zhao and said, "Especially the Xiahou clan are the most important in-laws of our royal family. Anyone who guards more than one county must be invited back."
Lian Zhao quickly responded: "No!"
“Is Cao Rui really going to be fooled?”
Feng Yong was lying half in the carriage, holding the news that had just been sent from Wei State in his hand, with a look of surprise on his face.
After staying in Hanzhong for two or three months, he finally set off back to Longyou.
Qishan Road is the best road out of Hanzhong. In addition, the Han Dynasty has not stopped repairing Qishan Road in recent years.
Now, many postal stations have been built along the entire Qishan Road, making communication between Longyou and Hanzhong faster.
There are even many sections where two cars can merge.
"He doesn't want to be fooled, but even if he knows that this is a rumor spread by a big man, he will still hold his nose and admit it, saying that Xiahou Ba is a collaborator."
Zhang Xingyi, who was sitting next to him, had a cunning look on his face, and his big eyes were shining.
“Talk about it.”
Feng Yong got up and asked with great interest.
Although he initially wanted to spread rumors, his main purpose was to disgust Cao Rui and Xiahou Ba, and to stir up public opinion.
The position of public opinion is, if you don’t occupy it, the enemy will.
It is always right to create more public opinion.
As a half-disciple of the Prime Minister, it is natural to learn from the Prime Minister's operation of "making two shots if there are jujubes but no jujubes".
Unexpectedly, Zhang Xingyi guessed that he wanted to mess with Xiahou Ba, and actually planned the rumor plan himself.
Feng Junhou's attitude towards the women who follow him has always been different.
For example, to Guan Ji, it is similar to Adou: "Xi Jun is right, Xi Jun is right!"
As for Amei, I try my best to give her a quiet environment so that she can study and do scientific research with peace of mind.
For Li Mu, as wild as your heart is, I will have as big a platform as I can.
As for Zhang Xiaosi, he basically dragged her to do bad things together.
After all, Zhang Xiaosi is good at conspiracy.
This time, Zhang Xiaosi once again proved his talent: from Cao Rui's series of actions, it seems that he was really fooled.
Although Zhang Xingyi has learned to ride a horse in Longyou in the past few years, riding a horse frequently can easily lead to bandy legs.
Last time, she had to rush, so she could only ride with Feng Yong, but this time the trip was easy, so she naturally wanted to take a car.
Feng Yong sometimes got tired of riding and got into the car to rest for a while, which was quite pleasant.
It's just that the car's shock absorption is very poor, and the road conditions are far inferior to those of later generations' highways. Sitting in the car, it shakes a bit.
But seeing Zhang Xingyi shaking his head as the car rocked, he said proudly:
“Since Cao Rui became the puppet emperor, the battles at Longyou and Shiting have exhausted all the prestige he had accumulated.”
“In addition to the battle with Xiao Guan, if he doesn’t handle it well, he may lose face.”
Ordinary people, if they have no prestige and face, have little say at home and will be bullied by others outside.
But as an emperor, it would be easy for his ministers to bully him.
It would be fine if the people in the country can still live their lives, but if they cannot, someone will make a slanderous statement about an "incompetent king" or a "foolish lord", and it will be a matter of life and death.
I don’t care how wise and decisive you are, you have spent so much money and food, emptied the treasury, and made the people in the country miserable, but you have been defeated for several consecutive years. This is incompetence.
You are so incompetent, and for the sake of the country, do you ask the Queen Mother to establish a new king? Is it too much?
Not too much at all!
“So Cao Rui must be in urgent need of someone to take the responsibility for this defeat on his behalf this time…”
“Take the blame?”
“What’s the point of taking the blame?”
"Oh, it's okay. I mean, the commander of this battle is Cao Zhen. He led an army of 100,000 and was defeated. What can Xiahou Ba do?"
Feng Junhou still doesn’t quite understand.
“You’re so stupid! After the Battle of Shiting, was Cao Xiu later held accountable?”
Zhang Xingyi curled his lips, "Not only did Cao Rui not hold Cao Xiu responsible for the defeat because he regarded Cao Xiu as a kin, but he also sent people to comfort him. Cao Zhen is also a kin, why should he be held accountable?"
"If we didn't ask Cao Xiu for his responsibilities in the past, the soldiers below may not have complaints; if we hold Cao Zhen accountable now, we will lose the hope of the clan. Cao Rui would do such inconsistent things only because he was frustrated."
“If you don’t ask Cao Zhen’s responsibility, how can you explain it to the hundreds of thousands of Cao thieves in Guanzhong? Or Cao Rui should take the responsibility himself..."
When Zhang Xingyi said this, Feng Yong completely understood and blurted out: "Either find someone to carry it!"
"That's right!" Zhang Xingyi said with a smile, "Alang has also said before that Cao Rui is the most impatient person and is suspected of overjoying great achievements."
Think about what Alang said about this "great joyful success", it's really a wonderful word.
“So according to my concubine’s wishes, he will definitely not take on this responsibility unless he is forced to do so. And I also said before that if Cao Rui doesn’t handle it well, his face will be lost.”
"So even if he had the intention, he would not dare to take the responsibility for the defeat easily at this time."
Feng Yong slapped his thigh and laughed:
“It just so happens that Xiahou Ba is an in-law of the Cao family, and his status is neither big nor small, so it’s a good fit. Coupled with the rumors we spread, Cao Rui just went with the flow and put the blame on him."
An upright conspiracy, Cao Rui knew there was a problem, but he still endured his nausea and stepped into it.
“In this case, I’m afraid he will still thank us! Si Niang, I feel like a fish in water when I have you...”
Looking at Zhang Xiaosi’s beautiful face, Feng Junhou couldn’t help but move closer, feeling that he really loved this woman.
"Thank you, thank you." Zhang Xingyi used to take the initiative, but now Feng Qinshou rarely takes the initiative, but she is a little shy, "I'm afraid Cao Rui wants to eat you!"
“I want to eat you now too…”
Feng Junhou hugged her.
(End of this chapter)