Chapter 344 Giving away heads
On the surface, every sentence is a reflection of what he has done, but in fact, he is criticizing everyone in Cao Wei. Not only did he refuse to return to the Han Dynasty, but he also developed an unyielding intention. He did not want to think about the people of the world, but only wanted to
Personal interests······
If it hadn't been for the above, he would not have had no choice but to attack Dongjun with floods and send troops to Cao Wei!
As early as when they saw this letter of guilt, Xia Houchun, Cao Ren, Cao Pi and other powerful people in Cao Wei were dumbfounded.
Is the person who said these words really the emperor they know? Fake?
Back when you were in Xuchang, you had a low eyebrow all day long, and you didn't even dare to fart.
Now, just a few words can be used to scold the Cao family completely, confusing things and confusing the public.
By the way, you were not like this when you were in Xuchang.
Although we have imprisoned you here, as the emperor, what do you have but freedom?
I've been serving delicious food and drinks all day long, but in the end you actually said such words to slander me. What do you mean?
Is this a self-incriminating letter? This is clearly a statement accusing Cao Wei of attacking Cao Wei!
I don’t know who taught the emperor how to write such heart-wrenching words.
Of course, even a brainless fool can do it. There is only one person who can teach the emperor to do such a shameless thing - Xi Yu!
Xi Yu, I am afraid that only Xi Yu can do such a thing in this world.
He occupied the Qingxu area and had countless literati.
After all, it is a place where celebrities and righteous people gather, and it is also a place that the world's literati yearn for. Therefore, no matter what happens there, it can become the talk of the world.
This is still the case on weekdays, not to mention that the person who issued the proclamation now is still the emperor, and with the support of many literati, as soon as the book of sin comes out, it seems to occupy the highest point of morality, crusade and abuse of Cao Wei's ministers.
Everywhere.
In an instant, Cao Wei was like a rat in the gutter, with everyone shouting to beat him.
Cao Pi was so exhausted mentally and physically by these rumors that he soon fell ill in bed.
After falling down, he lay there for more than half a month. His body was exhausted and he had no energy to do anything.
In a daze, he felt that the thousands of miles of land built by his father, Cao Cao, seemed to be gradually collapsing and dissipating in his own hands...
"Why... why is this happening?"
Chang'an City, inside the government office.
Cao Pi sat high in the main hall. Although his life was as comfortable as before, with no worries about food and clothing, gold and silver, and countless servants, he just couldn't be happy. He didn't know what the future would hold, let alone what would happen next.
How to go.
Even the splendid palaces and the people walking through the city couldn't cheer him up.
Because in his opinion, this is the time when Cao Wei's life and death are most critical.
The people of the world were lashing out at him, but the other princes remained indifferent. They watched from afar and even secretly stared at him, treating themselves as a cat without claws who might come forward to tease him at any time.
In addition, many local officials also have impure thoughts about Chang'an. They are all waiting to see their own fate.
If they still have some strength left to face Xi Yu, these people who are eyeing him might withdraw their ambitions and quietly lie dormant, waiting for the next opportunity.
But if I don't have the slightest resistance against Xi Yu, I'm afraid that without Xi Yu taking action, the others can completely overthrow this huge Cao Wei with just a word from me.
By that time, not to mention Yanzhou, I am afraid that local officials in Jizhou will defect and surrender to Xiyu.
Just when he was melancholy about how to break the situation, Xi Zhi, with gray temples, walked quickly from the door.
Over the years, he has always been fond of drinking and sex, even though Xiyu had summoned many famous doctors in the world to treat him, but it was only able to ease his condition a little.
But even though his body had only recovered a little, he was still addicted to beauty and walked back and forth to Fireworks and Willow Lane all day long, causing his body to become increasingly decadent.
Now he is no more than middle-aged, but he gives people the feeling that the sun is setting and he is getting old.
He walked quickly to Cao Pi's side and bowed with his hands raised. Now his cheekbones were prominent, he was getting thinner and his eye sockets were sunken, which made people feel unbearable.
But Cao Pi didn't think so.
After so many years, the guy in front of him has challenged his endurance more than once or twice. To this day, he is no longer willing to endure it anymore.
It’s just...how useful is this guy?
Apart from anything else, if it hadn't been for him, the black knights lurking in Chang'an City would not have been discovered yet, and it would have been impossible to kill some of the black knights and obtain the weapons they used with the cooperation of Cao Zhen and others.
equipment.
Over the years, as the research on those weapons and equipment has become more and more in-depth, Cao Wei's army can be regarded as a rather unique army.
These people were all carefully selected and screened from the army. They have strong combat effectiveness and high military literacy. Coupled with many unprecedented super-destructive weapons, they were able to serve Cao Wei's army well on the battlefield with Xiliang this summer.
Bad breath.
Not only did he kill many of Ma Teng's soldiers, but he also shocked many princes in the west, making the name of Cao Wei's army shine brightly.
This is the biggest happy event for Cao Wei since the emperor Liu Xie was kidnapped!
It was precisely because of this that he was happy for a while and made Xi Zhicai the censor Zhongcheng, ranking first-rank. Soon after, he made him a marquis and gave him a girl from the Xiahou family as a reward.
But it was also because of this that Xi Zhi was in the limelight for a while. While he felt relieved, he became more and more loyal to the matter of looking for flowers and asking willows. He indulged in the mountains and rivers all day long, and often got drunk.
This caused Cao Pi to become even more disgusted with him.
Nonsense, who in the whole city of Chang'an didn't bow down and bow down when he saw me?
Xi Zhicai was the only guy. I saw him ten times, and at least eight of them smelled of alcohol, and his words were not as respectful as others.
Even though he was the one who promoted him to a higher position, the other party not only showed no gratitude, but also used his father to make excuses all day long.
It's like the only person in this world that he can call his lord is his father.
Yes, he also admitted that his father's great talent was an unparalleled talent, and it was also the peak that he wanted to climb throughout his life.
But no matter how high the mountain is, there are always birds passing by, and the mountains and forests are rooted and not insurmountable.
It’s okay for my brother-in-law to look down on himself. How can you, a mere minister who has been asked to do anything alone, have the right to look down on me, the leader of Cao Wei?
"Why are you so panicked?"
Looking at Xi Zhicai, who had a ruddy complexion and blurred eyes, and smelled strongly of alcohol, Cao Pi frowned, feeling very unhappy.
At first glance, this guy looks like he came from some gentle country.
"Wei Gong, I have thought of a way."
Xi Zhicai completely ignored the other party's expression and just said with a smile: "I heard that after Xiyu flooded Dongjun, he asked the emperor to write a book of guilt and attribute the source of all sins to us...
·”
"This matter will definitely make us passive, because the time, place, and people are favorable, and we don't occupy the slightest bit, but this does not mean that there are no opportunities to take advantage of!"
He stared at Cao Pi with his big eyes and continued: "Do you still remember the agreement we made with Xi Yu? The three lands were cut off just to stop the war, but now Xi Yu is not trustworthy and has ruined the agreement between both parties.
There was a mistake first!"
"He has always said that he is a man of promises and is based on integrity, but now he turns a blind eye to the promises he made."
"If we seize this point, write an essay to explain it, and at the same time ask the emperor to report it to show our loyalty, the other party will be unable to refute."
"This is the first, and the second is that we ask the emperor for the title of General of the Western Expedition. Now we can't get Yanzhou back, but if we turn to the west, we may be able to conquer a big world."
As Xi Zhicai spoke, he walked towards the map hanging on the shelf and said excitedly: "Look, Duke Wei, this is Yizhou. If we can conquer the land of the Qiang people in the west, it would be best to go to Yizhou, so that the entire Sichuan and Shu
Then it will all belong to us."
"As we all know, the road to Shu is difficult, difficult to march, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but its leader Liu Zhang is too weak to be reused. Let's destroy him and seize the opportunity to capture the entire Xichuan. Half of the world will be in the hands of Cao Wei
!”
"At that time, even if Xiyu has the power to reach the sky, I'm afraid he won't be able to reach into the territory of Sichuan and Shu!"
"······"
Looking at the map and pondering Xi Zhicai's words, Cao Pi's eyes, which were originally dull, suddenly lit up. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
What a wonderful idea!
Western Expedition, Sichuan and Shu.
Why is it that in the process of fighting against my uncle for many years, I have always relied on my head to be tough with the opponent, but I have never thought of temporarily avoiding the edge and finding another way.
Now that things have come to a point, since I know that I can't fight against my brother-in-law, why not switch to another person and continue the fight?
After all, the foundation of Cao Wei is still there. Although it can't beat Xi Yu, it still has some advantages compared with the land of Xichuan.
In this case, let's stop the war with my uncle first and show my surrender. While easing the relationship with Xi Yu, I will also have more time to fight against the Qiang people and Liu Zhang in the west.
I think my uncle will definitely agree to this, because he has always been cautious, and now that Yanzhou is about to be taken, he will definitely spend a lot of time to govern this place and suspend the war.
Cao Pi felt that he knew his brother-in-law somewhat.
When my father was still alive, my brother-in-law once said that compared to his father, who was full of "risk-taking spirit" and "romantic spirit", he preferred to seek stability within stability!
Only by doing things steadily and being cautious can you have the last laugh.
This may be the biggest difference between my uncle and my father, and it is also my biggest weakness.
If you can take this opportunity to develop the West, it would be a good idea.
"As expected, it can only be you, Xi Zhicai!"
As soon as his worries were settled, Cao Pi suddenly had a smile on his face, and his body no longer exuded a dark and sinister aura.
Hearing this, Xi Zhicai straightened his body, smiled slightly, and said: "Wei Gong gave me the reward, but I was just sharing your worries and saying what was on my mind. Back then, my lord once said that I would do my best to help you. Even today,
I don’t dare to slack off even a little bit…”
Hearing these words, Cao Pi, who had just raised the corners of his lips, curled his lips decisively. His ears were almost numb from hearing words like this in recent years.
If he hadn't been really talented and could solve his own worries, and he was one of the few people who could be reused among the few ministers who had supported him, how could he have saved his life to this day?
If Zhongda also had this strategy, how could he have to reuse him?
If the Western Expedition is successful in the future...
Cao Pi suppressed the killing intent in his heart and sighed deeply.
That’s all, the time is not ripe yet, let’s wait until we win...
Park Year 214, early winter.
Cao Pi took advantage of the rumors to intensify and hurriedly submitted a memorial of surrender to the emperor.
He wrote in it that he cared about the Han Dynasty and would always be the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. He never dared to have any intention of treason.
At the same time, Xi Yu, who was in Xiapi, received another letter.
It was also from Cao Pi. Apart from the first few greetings that had no nutritional value, it was mainly asking him why he did not abide by the covenant he had promised in Jizhou, why he wanted to use troops against Cao Wei, and whether he had any intentions of breaking the contract.
After reading the memorial showing his loyalty, and then reading the letter accusing himself of breaking his promise to use troops against Yanzhou, Xi Yu smiled and shook his head.
He handed the letter to Kong Ming, Feng Xiao, Jia Xu and others who were warming themselves by the fire nearby without saying a word.
Dianwei and Zilong rarely came back to rest here because they had nothing important to do with the army.
Huang Zhongze has been sitting next to Xi Yu and warming himself by the fire.
Now that he is getting older, he no longer cares about military affairs. Apart from doing Tai Chi and doing maintenance all day long, he seems to be busier than in the military.
However, his busy schedule was somewhat effective.
Although he is relatively older among the crowd, he looks energetic and does not look like a middle-aged or elderly person who is over fifty years old.
By the way, almost a year has passed, and this is the first time that everyone has sat together in one place like this.
Not far away, Huang Xu, Dianman, Pu Yuan...many young students were playing and talking and laughing in the courtyard.
As far as the scene of the elders sitting around without saying a word, they are really not interested and have no meaning at all.
"Cao Pi's work is becoming more and more interesting now. What do you think of this?"
Guo Jia took a sip of the freshly heated wine and felt that all the pores in his body were relaxing. After letting out a sigh of relief, he smacked his lips and said, "The person who came up with this idea is not an easy person. He must be careful."
Promise is the starting point, which really makes us wait to stop the war."
"Well said."
Zhuge Kongming nodded and continued: "First, express your loyalty to the emperor, and then use a letter to accuse us of not keeping our promises, and use this as an excuse, hoping to get the result of delaying the war and stopping the war. These purposes are easy to guess.
It’s clear in the letter.”
"It's just... I don't understand what they are going to do after the war ends?"
"Isn't stopping the war the ultimate goal?"
Dian Wei wiped the wine from his mouth, looked at Zhuge Liang suspiciously, and said, "He wants to stop the war, which means he is afraid. That bastard Cao Pi must be cowardly."
"Let me tell you, no one in the Cao Wei clan today is courageous. Compared with the brave and resourceful Duke Cao back then, they are really nothing!"
"That's true, no one in Cao Wei today can compare with him!"
Xi Yu nodded, agreeing with Dian Wei's words.
But only the second half of the sentence. As for the first half... he didn't think the other party was simply afraid.
To be more precise, he didn't think Cao Pi would retreat so quickly after being timid. There must be something wrong with this.
In fact, it didn't matter to him whether he retreated or stopped the war.
After all, the land of Yanzhou still needs to be managed, and the Liannu, which has been improved for a long time, is also at a critical juncture.
Speaking of which, this was the inspiration given to him when Zang Ba burned the grain and grass in Puyang City.
In order to fulfill his military orders, that guy succeeded at the cost of the lives of more than half of the soldiers.
In order to reduce the cost of such heavy casualties, Xi Yu specially ordered people to change the previously developed arrow pipes to iron, and tried to make them hollow and place kerosene bombs inside.
At the beginning, this was just a relatively perfect idea, but as the craftsmen worked day and night, it was now somewhat possible to make it possible.
If it really succeeds, it will be extremely simple to attack the enemy's army and burn the food and grass in the future.
In addition to these, Xi Yu also planned to establish an astronomical academy in Xiapi to recruit people who are proficient in astronomy to conduct more detailed research on astronomical phenomena.
It was also through this flood in Dongjun that he came up with a strong idea of studying natural disasters and astronomy.
If there is another natural disaster in the future, I can prevent it to some extent in advance, right?
However, these disciplines are newly developed, and not many people are familiar with them. A lot of time is needed to study and explore them. There is still a long way to go before we can maturely study earthquake disasters and climate disasters.
.
Therefore, it is not impossible to stop the war.
But what makes Xi Yu curious is, what exactly is Cao Pi going to do after the war ends?
"By the way, where did Wen Wen and that guy go? He has always been cunning and cunning, maybe he is here -"
"Lord..."
Jia Xu's plaintive voice came from behind Xi Yu, "Isn't it inappropriate for you to praise me as a cunning person?"
"Besides, I'm squatting under you!"
Indeed, before Xi Yu mentioned his name, he had already been by Xi Yu's side for a long time.
only·····
What's going on? How many years have passed, and my sense of existence is still so low?
"I'll go, when did you come?"
When Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia heard his voice, they were so frightened that they almost threw their wine glasses away.
Dian Wei poked his head forward, blinked when he saw Jia Xu, and said seriously: "Hey! You are really here, so why haven't you spoken? I don't even know what happened."
Faced with this situation, Jia Xu felt aggrieved in his heart.
He lowered his head, sighed deeply, and then spoke resentfully.
"Cao Pi wanted to cease the war, but what was more important was the shortage of money and food. How could they dare to collect grain and tax on a large scale when the people in the country were already complaining?"
"As a result, there will be insufficient food and grass, and it will be difficult for the troops and horses to move."
"Furthermore, after experiencing the East County floods, they need time to recuperate and win over people's hearts."
"In the end, I guess they finally saw the true nature of us after fighting us for so many years. They knew they couldn't fight us, so they wanted to change the target."
Chapter completed!