Chapter 890 Chaos in Wei State
“Vomiting blood? Fainting?”
When the Auxiliary Officer of Literary Defense heard this, he immediately broke into a cold sweat on his forehead.
As an official sent by the imperial court to supervise the palace, the Literary and Defense Auxiliary Officer certainly knew what his position was.
Whether he is guarding, supervising, or even intimidating, it doesn't matter. In the end, he is just a vicious dog of the court.
And clansmen are clansmen after all, and the surname Cao is naturally more noble than his foreign surname.
My memorial has just been sent out, and something unexpected happened to King Chen on the back foot.
If you really want to say that this matter has nothing to do with you, who would believe it?
When the time comes to force this **** prince to death, he will definitely blame it on himself.
It's just a matter of moving your head. If you're afraid, your whole family will be severely punished.
At the moment, let alone washing up, he didn't even dress neatly, so he hurriedly followed the servants to see King Chen.
“What’s going on, Your Highness?”
As soon as the person entered the house, he hurriedly asked.
Rather than saying "how is your highness?" he asked "what's going on" to show that he had no knowledge of his highness's vomiting blood and coma.
It's just that he usually dominates and brings blessings, so everyone in Prince Chen's palace is afraid and disgusted with him.
Moreover, most of the people in the room just bowed their heads and felt sad. Who was in the mood to pay attention to him?
The Auxiliary Officer of Literary Defense squeezed through the crowd gathered in front of Cao Zhi's couch and took a closer look, only to see Cao Zhi lying on the couch with his eyes closed and his face like gold paper.
Most importantly, the chest was stained with red blood stains.
Princess Chen, who was closest to her, was standing on the bedside weeping.
When the Auxiliary Officer of Literary Defense saw this situation, his heart beat like a drum and his hands and feet became cold.
This is the first time I bowed respectfully to Princess Chen:
“I dare to ask the princess, what happened to King Chen?”
Princess Chen is Cao Zhi’s second wife.
His first wife originally came from the Cui family in Qinghe.
But when Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were competing for the throne, Cao Cao thought that Cui's clothes were too gorgeous and violated the frugal government order, so he had Cui died.
Later, Cao Cao killed Cui Yan, Cui's uncle and a representative of Cui's family in Qinghe.
This is actually a method used by Cao Cao to suppress the Hebei aristocratic family.
Compared to the Cui family of Qinghe, the current Princess Chen is from an ordinary background.
Normally, she would be a little frightened when the Literary Assistant Officer was so respectful to her.
At this moment, how could she be in the mood to pay attention to the Literary Defense Assistant?
I saw her shaking her head sadly:
“The medical staff is examining her, and I don’t know what the situation is.”
Hearing this, the Auxiliary Officer of Literary Defense had no choice but to suppress his anxiety.
Finally, after waiting for the medical engineer to finish reading, the Literary Assistant Officer was the first to speak:
“How is King Chen?”
The medical worker's face looked a little ugly, and he lowered his voice and replied:
“King Chen’s health was not in good condition to begin with. Now he drank too much, causing qi and blood to become disordered, so he vomited blood and fainted..."
The Auxiliary Officer of Literary Defense was moved in his heart and said hurriedly:
“Is there something wrong with the wine?”
He was eager to get rid of his responsibilities, and this word came out of his mouth.
The medical engineer naturally did not dare to guarantee it, but hesitantly said:
“This... villain has not yet seen that King Chen looks like he was poisoned...”
Cao San couldn’t help but said:
"It's absolutely impossible. Feng Jun once said that in terms of literary talent in the world, only King Chen can catch his eye, and the rest are all mediocre."
“Taking the poem given to King Chen by Feng Jun as a gift, how could he possibly do such a thing to King Chen?”
He brought the wine back. If there was something wrong with the wine, he would not be able to escape death.
What's more, the literary defense officer in front of me suspects that there is something wrong with the wine. What's the difference between that and suspecting that he has conspired with thieves to poison King Chen?
This is a fatal matter.
So he didn't have to worry about it.
Literary defense assistants still need to be shameless.
He had the idea of mounting the calligraphy painting, and naturally he had also read the poem.
Since Thief Feng can give such a poem that has been passed down for generations to King Chen, if he insists that there is something wrong with the wine, it is obvious that he is treating the world as a fool.
After all, the literati of this era are still very much like the ancient gentlemen.
So when Cao San said this, the Literary Defense Assistant looked a little embarrassed and stopped talking.
“Get out!”
A faint voice came from nowhere.
Princess Chen, who was focused on Cao Zhi, shouted in surprise and joy: "Your Highness!"
Everyone looked around quickly and saw that King Chen had woken up at some point.
“Your Highness, how are you…”
The Literary Defense Assistant wanted to get closer with concern.
Unexpectedly, Cao Zhi stared at him fiercely, his voice weak but filled with disgust:
“Get out!”
“Your Highness…”
“You shameless villain, how dare you talk about the matter between me and Mr. Feng? Get out of here! Don’t taint my eyes!”
When did the Literary Defense Assistant receive such anger in Prince Chen’s Mansion?
It was just a sensitive period at this time, so he did not dare to provoke King Chen too much, so he had to force a smile and said:
“If Your Highness is in a bad mood, I will not disturb His Highness.”
At the same time as he turned around, he was secretly angry in his heart, waiting for Cao Zhi to get better and see how I can give a secret report to His Majesty!
Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked to the door, he heard another exclamation from inside: "Your Highness!"
He quickly turned around and saw Cao Zhi straighten up and spit out a mouthful of blood!
This time scared him out of his wits!
For everyone in Prince Chen's Mansion, Cao Zhi's serious illness may be a sign that the sky is about to fall.
But for Cao Rui, it was just a quick glance at the content.
Because for Cao Rui, with the death of the Empress Dowager (ie Bian), the last threat from his close uncle also dissipated.
Not to mention other Cao family members.
So in the past two years, he has been much tolerant of the Cao family members who were entrusted in various places.
Not only were the kings and princes of the Cao family allowed to send their legitimate sons to the capital, but even Cao Zhi was able to come to the capital for an audience.
Because of Cao Zhi's repeated memorials before, Cao Rui's move not only showed his humility in accepting advice, but also showed that he valued the kinship of the Cao family.
This little bit of fame is nothing but a drop in the bucket for the foundation shake caused by the failure of the connection in recent years.
Compared with Cao Zhi's serious illness, Cao Rui was more concerned about the news about the Shu bandits brought back by the envoy.
In his view, the Shu people forcefully swallowed up Liangzhou with a mere state of land, which was like a snake eating an elephant.
Even if there are people like Zhuge Liang who are good at governing the country, if they can live in peace for three years and rule for ten years, they are already blessed by heaven.
Of course, it would be better if the Shu people suffered from Liangzhou and wasted their national power like the Later Han Dynasty did.
I didn’t expect Feng Thief to be able to settle down in Liangzhou for more than half a year...
Most of the year!
It only took more than half a year!
Thinking of this, Cao Rui couldn't help but smash the memorial in his hand to the ground, and said bitterly:
"Feng Thief! He is the most cunning person in Shu!"
At the same time, a sense of powerlessness arose in his heart:
"Why do the Shu people, with the power of one state, have Zhuge in front of them and Feng Thief in the back? However, given the size of China, whenever major events happen, they always have me worry about myself, and no one can worry for me?"
At this moment when he was upset, his favorite minister Lian Zhao came in holding a memorial and said softly:
When Cao Rui heard this, he felt a little impatient and said impatiently:
"read."
The content of the memorial is not good news. It says that Liaodong Gongsun Yuan secretly communicated with Wu Lu, and the state of Wu sent a large number of boats to Gongsun Yuan to deliver gifts.
When Cao Rui heard this, his face became even more gloomy. After a while, he asked:
“What do you think of this matter?”
Although Lian Zhao is considered a villain and can use small mistakes to frame others in front of Cao Rui, his talents are extraordinary.
He seemed to have been prepared for it. When he heard Cao Rui's question, he immediately said without thinking:
“Wu Lu, with the boat division as their leader, now wants to use the sea route to reach Liaodong and win over Gongsun Yuan. However, Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong appears to be surrendering to the Wei Dynasty, but in fact he has two intentions. This move may be seeking a way out.”
“Furthermore, the Wu captives are short of war horses, and Liaodong produces good horses. The intersection between Wu and Liao will probably be very detrimental to the Wei Dynasty.”
Cao Rui nodded, "What you said is very much in line with my wishes."
At this point, he let out a long sigh, "Whenever important events happen, all the princes in the court will either welcome you or dare not say anything for fear of making a mistake and endangering their position. Alas!"
“If there were more people like you, why would I use so much hard work?”
Speaking of "flatter you", Cao Rui thought of a person in his mind and asked:
“That Liu Ye, how is he doing now?”
Thinking about the fact that whenever there was a major event in the past, I would often discuss it with Liu Ye, and he would always be able to give me advice.
Cao Rui couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.
Lian Zhao's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
He has been with Cao Rui for a long time, and now he is deeply favored by Cao Rui. He knows the elegant meaning of words when he hears them, so how can he not guess what Cao Rui is thinking.
Liu Ye was brought down by himself and his minister Chen Jiao in the beginning. If His Majesty suddenly decided to use this person again, where would he be?
At once he quickly replied:
"Back to Your Majesty, after Your Majesty saw through Liu Ye's good intentions, he went crazy and is now bedridden at home. I think he feels guilty and has no face to see Your Majesty."
"I'm sick..." Cao Rui frowned and waved his hand, "Then let him serve as Dahonglu. After all, he is a veteran of three dynasties and cannot be too harsh."
The Dahonglu is in charge of the praise and guidance of the rituals of the imperial sacrifices.
Letting a veteran like Liu Ye serve as Dahonglu and rank as the ninth minister can be considered as a means of allowing him to retire in peace.
Lian Zhao lowered his head and said, "No."
Where Cao Rui couldn't see him, a relaxed smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Thinking about the fact that all the ministers in the court advised him to recuperate and not to use weapons rashly, Cao Rui gave up the idea of asking other ministers to come to discuss the matter.
He thought deeply for a while and then said:
“While preparing the imperial edict, Liaodong Gongsun Yuan had a double-minded intention, so he contacted Wu Tong and ordered Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou, to lead the Youzhou troops and attack them by land. Tian Yu, the prefect of Runan, would supervise the Qingzhou troops to attack them by sea.”
Sima Yi, the Great Sima, is currently farming in Guanzhong. He has only a few years of business and is afraid that he will not be able to go west.
Forced by the Shu invaders, the main strategic direction of the Wei Dynasty is now in the west rather than the east.
Before Longyou and Liangzhou are solved, it will be difficult for the Wei Dynasty to mobilize a large army to attack Jiangnan like the late emperor did.
Neither Shu nor Wu can move. The only one who can move seems to be Liaodong.
Otherwise, if Liaodong is connected with Sun Wu, the Wei Dynasty will be surrounded by enemies on all sides!
It is better to strike first and be stronger, to control others without controlling others.
)
When they learned that Cao Rui wanted to conquer the Liao Dynasty by land and sea, the ministers of the Wei State and the Manchu Dynasty strongly opposed it.
"Any country that is not a annexation country and does not invade the rebellious ministers should not attack them lightly. If you attack them and fail to control them, you will drive them into thieves. Therefore, it is said: 'Tiger and wolf are in the way, don't control the fox.' Get rid of the big harm first, and then take care of the small harm." ."
“In this land outside the sea, there have been many appointments and pledges for many years. Every year, there is no lack of responsibilities and tributes. Those who make decisions are the first to do so.”
It means that Liaodong is still considered a minister of the Wei Dynasty and should not be attacked lightly. If it is a crusade but cannot be controlled, it will drive the ministers to become thieves.
At present, Shu and Wu are the current major enemies and must be dealt with with all their strength. As long as these two enemies can be eliminated, Liaodong will be at peace.
“If you are just trying to defeat someone in one fell swoop, it will not be enough to benefit the country if you gain the people, and it will not be enough to make you rich if you gain the wealth. If it is not what you want, it will be a grudge and a breach of trust.”
Even if it can be conquered in one fell swoop, taking the people of Liaodong will not be enough to benefit the country, and the wealth of Liaodong will not be enough to enrich the country. But if it fails, it will lead to resentment against Liaodong.
Moreover, there was no open rebellion in Liaodong, but your Majesty openly attacked it, which would cause the world to worry about breaking the trust.
Cao Rui had long expected the reaction of the ministers, and he was not moved at all.
With the current unstable foundation, it is necessary to divide the land of aristocratic families internally to win over the people and strengthen the country.
Either you can attack the outside world and show off your power and power to establish your authority.
The former is too difficult and takes too long. It is lucky to see results in ten years.
Even if Cao Rui can wait until then, how can Shuwu let him wait with peace of mind?
How could those aristocratic families be obedient and give up their land to the head of Guizhou?
Although the latter is more difficult, it is much easier than the former.
Shu Wu cannot be moved lightly. Is it possible that it is only a small area in Liaodong and cannot be moved?
Besides, now that Liaodong is connected with Wu State, this is not considered a rebellion against the Wei Dynasty. So what is a rebellion?
It was precisely because of the great defeat of the Wei Dynasty and the decline in prestige that it gave Liaodong the courage to take action.
If Liaodong is not punished, who will take Wei seriously in the future?
Cao Rui was impatient and fierce, and Wei accepted the abdication from the Han Emperor and considered himself the orthodoxy of the world. How could he be so low-key and consider himself weak and be laughed at by the world?
Therefore, it is impossible for Shu to take the initiative to tolerate after being bullied by Wu like Shu did in previous years.
In August of the sixth year of Taihe (the tenth year of Jianxing), Cao Rui's edict reached the hands of Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou.
After Wang Xiong received the edict, he did not act immediately. Instead, he sent a post to invite someone to come.
"The envoy called me here, but something happened?"
On the second day, a dusty man entered the governor's house and saluted Wang Xiong.
The visitor was none other than Han Long, who had left Liangzhou.
As soon as Wang Xiong saw Han Long, a smile appeared on his face:
“Qian Yong, come quickly, come quickly, sit down!”
He personally helped Han Long to his seat and asked someone to bring him tea. Then Wang Xiong asked affectionately:
“I just heard that Qian Yong had returned from outside the Great Wall two days ago. How was it? The trip went well.”
Han Long nodded and replied:
“It’s a good thing that I have trouble making you think about me.”
There were many generous people in Yanzhao. Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, many famous people in Hebei had friends with knights, and even cultivated knights.
Although after the great chaos, knight-errants have become increasingly rare.
But this trend still exists.
As the governor of Youzhou, it is not surprising that Wang Xiong can be friends with Han Long.
“I have always known Qianyong to be familiar with the situation outside the Great Wall. I invite you here this time just to ask if the barbarians outside the Great Wall can still live in peace at this time?”
"Over the years, the envoy has shown kindness and trust to the Hu people and implemented pacifying measures. The Hu people have rarely entered the fortress to plunder, so why should they be restless?"
Tian Yu, the captain of Qianwuwan School in Youzhou, suppressed many Hu people outside the Great Wall in order to avoid the trouble of Tanshihuai.
They often sow discord among the barbarians, making them hate each other and attack each other.
But Wang Xiong believed that Shu and Wu were the great enemy, and advocated appeasing the Hu people to prevent them from disturbing the border.
As for whose idea is better, Han Long believes that he is not qualified to comment.
"I am just envoy. When I went out of the fortress this time, I found that Chief Hu Kebineng wanted to devour the Xianbei tribes in the east."
"If it succeeds, then everything from Liao River in the east to Bingzhou in the west will be his."
“And Ke Bineng is a powerful leader. If he is allowed to grow stronger and his ambition grows, I am afraid he will become disobedient!”
When Wang Xiong heard this, his eyelids twitched slightly:
“Kebi can have ambitions for Xianbei, Liaodong?”
Han Long nodded: "Yes, I heard that he is now reorganizing his troops and planning to march eastward in September."
Wang Xiong couldn't help but curse secretly.
He was at odds with Tian Yu and squeezed Tian Yu away on the pretext of disturbing the border. This did not mean that he was blindly tolerant of the Xianbei Hu people.
As the governor of Youzhou, he naturally cannot be a fool.
Yidi and his like are afraid of power but not virtuous.
If Kebi is allowed to grow stronger and really wants to attack Youzhou, he may be implicated if he proposes to appease the Hu people.
Thinking of this, Wang Xiong's face couldn't help but darken.
(End of this chapter)