In the main hall of the Luoyang Palace in the State of Wei.

On the throne is the ten-year-old Cao Fang, who looks a little more mature than when he ascended the throne two years ago. At this time, he is wearing the crown of the emperor, and the twelve white jade beads hanging in front of him, blocking his sight, and the sight in front of him is also divided into twelve sides.

Looking at His Highness’s ministers, Cao Fang’s palms were sweating slightly.

The ministers were holding tablets in their hands, lowering their heads and eyebrows, and the entire solemn hall was surprisingly quiet.

Cao Shuang stood in front of the ministers, looked at Sima Yi who was calm next to him with a faint expression, and thought to himself: "This old thief is a veteran of four dynasties after all. He has a strong prestige in the court, and there are many ministers who support aristocratic families. If I don't suppress him, I'm afraid I will cause disaster."

He turned around and there were three people behind him. It was He Yan, Deng Fei and Ding Mi who planted the infamous dynasty, who were called "Three Dogs in Taichung" at that time.

Since Cao Shuang came to power, he has directly activated the role of He Deng who was never hired because of the Taihe Fuhua case, and has also brought his long-time confidant Ding Mi to the court. He is completely nepotism, and even Xiahou Xuan, another person in the Fuhua case, has been brought in.

Cao Shuang was originally known for his humility and prudence, and had received many praises from Emperor Ming Cao Rui during his lifetime. However, since the death of the late emperor and becoming a minister of life, he immediately showed his rampant side.

First, he reported to Your Majesty, coerced or threatened the ministers to submit a complaint, and gave Sima Yi the position of Taifu. Everyone dared not speak out, and the swaying minister simply joined Cao Shuang's faction to seek peace. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that it seemed to be above the Three Dukes, but they had no real power, which was equivalent to demotion.

Sima Yi did not fight or avoid it, and took over the position of Taiwei without saying a word.

Not only that, Cao Shuang also appointed Jiang Ji, who was also a veteran of the four dynasties and a great family, as the leader general and took charge of the military power of the imperial guards. However, Cao Shuang was promoted to the Taiwei who had no real power.

Under the official position system of Cao Wei, the three dukes have become virtual positions with high positions and have no real power. They are similar to the Taifu and do not have much real power.

This offended the aristocratic family all the time. The other two elders of the four dynasties, Situ Gaorou, one of the three dukes, and Wang Guan, one of the nine ministers, also began to secretly support Sima Yi.

Luoyang's imperial guards are mainly the new fifth battalion, namely the Wuwei, Zhonglei, Zhongjian, Xiaoqi, and Guerrilla battalion. They are led by the Wuwei General, Zhongling Army and Zhonggu Army.

Cao Shuang's younger brother Cao Xi served as the Central Leader, commanding some of the imperial guards, and Cao Shuang's other younger brother Cao Xun served as the General of the Wuwei, and was in charge of most of the imperial guards in the capital. However, the Central Guard was held by Sima Shi, who controlled one of the imperial guards. In the competition between the clans and the aristocratic families, the aristocratic family barely maintained this position, and Cao Shuang did not dare to force it too much. After all, he had already undermined Sima Yi and Jiang Ji to avoid the death of the enemy's power.

This is also one of Cao Shuang's fatal mistakes in the future.

It can be said that in the current Wei court, Cao Shuang almost wants to get the wind and rain.

Cao Fang looked at the two great gods under his seat, one was a relative of the Wei State and the other was an old minister of the four dynasties, and none of them were easy to mess with. He was only ten years old and lacked prestige. Almost all the ministers were headed by Cao Shuang, the auxiliary minister, and they had the right to issue orders. This made him very depressed and almost became a puppet. However, he was afraid of a family like Sima Yi, and had to obey Cao Shuang's will.

Cao Shuang took a step forward, held the tablet with both hands, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I have important reports. At present, the Yan bandits in Liaodong have annexed Goguryeo, and their strength has increased greatly. They have become different from the past. Their territory, troops, and people are far better than Gongsun Du of the past. This is a problem for raising a tiger, so we must send troops to attack him."

Cao Fang did not answer silently, looked at the ministers and frowned and said, "The issue of sending troops requires discussion. What do you think of your dear friends?" He stared at Sima Yi, who was down and pondering and was unconciled, and asked, "Tao Fu, what do you think?"

Sima Yi seemed to have not heard it.

The ministers couldn't help but feel uproar, and even Cao Shuang couldn't help looking at each other and thought to herself: "This old thief is so arrogant that he pretends not to hear His Majesty's words."

Cao Fang was stunned and asked loudly again.

Jiang Ji was so shocked that his spine became cold, and he quickly reached out and pulled his sleeve. Sima Yi raised his head in confusion, with a puzzled face: "Your Majesty... Are you calling for the old minister? Oh, the old minister is guilty of death. Now that he is getting older, his ears are not working. I don't know - I don't know what your master calls the old minister?"

As soon as this was said, most of the court did not find it strange. After all, Sima Yi was already 61 years old and was as old as the wind and willows walking. It was normal for him to lose his hearing and vision.

Cao Fang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Sima Yi was not so arrogant that he was disobedient, and asked: "Yan State annexed Goguryeo, destroyed my vassal state, and damaged the prestige of the Great Wei. General Cao Shuang proposed to send troops. What about the Taiwei's opinion? Should we send troops to Yan State?"

This time, the volume was significantly increased, the tone was slowed down, and Sima Yi could listen to it realistically.

Sima Yi said in a daze: "Yan Country is rampant, which is particularly hateful. Unfortunately, the journey to Liaodong is long and thousands of miles away. It is extremely difficult to transport supplies. Not to mention sending troops, if you arrive in Liaodong, you will be trapped and have too few horses. How can you fight with me? The old minister suggested not to send troops."

"Yes, the expedition to Liaodong is extremely dangerous, so we should slow down."

Cao Fang nodded, and the ministers also praised it. After all, Liaodong is far-reaching, and this journey is a journey of 4,000 miles. It is more difficult to attack than Wu and Shu. Otherwise, the four generations of people from Gongsun Du to Gongsun Xiu would have spent a hundred years safely.

Even Cao Cao only conquered Qingzhou and drove away the Liao general Liu Yi, who controlled Donglai counties in the seaside area, and did not pursue and destroy Liao. In order to pursue Yuan Shao's second son and the remaining generals, in March 207, Cao Cao decided to conquer Wuhuan. As the rain in early summer continued to pass, the coastal area was muddy and difficult to move forward, and Cao's army was blocked and could not move forward. The road often accumulated water in summer and autumn, and it was shallow that it could not be opened to traffic and horses, and deep that it could not carry boats, which was a problem that could not be solved for a long time.

Finally, Tian Chou's suggestion: "Now the enemy will be in a big army, and they will not advance and retreat, and they will be relaxed and unprepared. If you return silently, you will go beyond the danger of Baitan from Lulong's mouth and come out of an empty land. If you are close to the road, you will be able to cover up your unpreparedness. You will be able to fight without fighting."

Cao Cao finally chose to withdraw his troops, instead of leaving the expected Wuzhong County, but took a detour from Lulongkou and unexpectedly avoided the sight of the Wuhuan army. In mid-August, Cao Cao climbed Bailang Mountain and suddenly met the Wuhuan army. At that time, the Cao army's baggage was behind the army, and there were very few soldiers wearing armor. Fortunately, Lao Cao saw that the Wuhuan army was not in a state of disguise, so he hurriedly ordered Zhang Liao to launch an attack. The Wuhuan army was in chaos, and there were more than 200,000 surrendered Hu people and Han people.

After solving the Wuhuan and the Yuan brothers, the weather was already in the middle of winter and encountered a severe drought. There was no water source within 200 miles and there was a lack of food. Cao Cao had to kill thousands of horses, drink horse blood, eat horse meat, and dig more than 30 feet to find the water source.

After returning to Xuchang, Cao Cao rewarded his staff who had previously advised him not to conquer Wuhuan, and lamented that it was purely luck and will of heaven: "Walking forward alone, taking advantage of danger to be lucky. Even if you get it, it is supported by heaven, and you can't take care of it."

If Cao Cao chooses another chance, he will definitely not want to conquer Wuhuan. After all, it is very likely that the entire army will be wiped out, and the danger can be imagined.

Cao Shuang saw that from His Majesty to the ministers, they were all opposed to conquering Liaodong. How could he establish his authority in the world? He hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't bother. Yan thieves are extremely arrogant. They are obviously a vassal state of our Great Wei, but they dare to devour Goguryeo. This is the reality of self-reliance. We can use this reason to send troops to attack him."

Cao Fang frowned and said, "But it was extremely difficult to go to Liaodong. Taizu was lucky enough to help him. In the third year of Qinglong, Wuqiu Jian attacked Liao, and in the second year of Jingchu, Taifu attacked Liao, all of them returned without success. How sure is the general to attack Liao?"

This is really good at checks and balances. Feng Qingyun refuted Cao Shuang's intention to conquer Liaodong and led the fire to Sima Yi.

Your general is conscious of conquering Liao. Can you be better than Taizu and Sima Yi in the army?

Cao Shuang frowned and looked at Sima Yi next to her. She still looked old and stupid. She felt very upset: "The old thief has been valued since the reign of Emperor Wen. This aristocratic family has become more and more rampant every day. The clan relatives have been repeatedly suppressed and have no chance to look up. They were defeated in the conquest of Liaodong two years ago. What qualifications are there to discuss the art of using troops?"

Understanding this section, he said proudly: "Your Majesty, I am sure to pacify Liaodong. Although Yan State is far away, I will definitely come when I go. As for the strategy of defeating the enemy, Gongsun Xiu has achieved Goguryeo, but the people have not been attached to him. He has moved inwardly and has not yet stabilized his foundation. Once he falls into turmoil, he will inevitably follow the chaos."

Before Cao Fang answered, Jiang Ji sneered from the side: "Your Majesty, I think it's not possible. The general has never had the experience of leading troops. He lives in the palace and impeaches the "rebel ministers" and makes no mistakes in auditing and monitoring matters. If you lead troops to attack Liao, you may not be better than the Taifu or Wu Qiu Jian."

The strong smell of gunpowder was about to break out, implying Cao Shuang could only spread rumors and impeach the aristocratic families, but she had no ability to use troops.

Cao Shuang was immediately angry: "You..."

Cao Fang frowned and said to the muddy: "That may not be the case. The situation is unstable, the situation is different, and the results are naturally different. Perhaps, the general also has his own tricks."

"Your Majesty is wise, I have a good plan to respond, so there is no need to be afraid."

Cao Shuang saw His Majesty speak, and said sarcastically: "I think that using troops should be used to attack heavily, and there is no chance for Liaodong Gongsun. Since we are going to fight, as a soldier, we should eliminate the roots, instead of raising the enemy and respecting the enemy, or just exaggerating the words and conceiting the enemy. When Qin merged with the six kingdoms, the King of Qin wanted to destroy Chu, so he asked Li Xin and Wang Jian, how many soldiers could destroy Chu? Li Xin replied 200,000, and Wang Jian replied 600,000 troops. The King of Qin felt that the 600,000 troops had consumed troops to attack Chu, and almost emptied all the troops of Qin, so he immediately chose to adopt Li Xin as the main general. The result was that the attack on Chu was not smooth, and the Qin army was against Changping, and the Qin army's food route was cut off and he could not advance eastward. He had to return to the army to recover Yingchen, and was later pursued by Xiang Yan, resulting in a great defeat."

Speaking of this, Cao Shuang glanced at Sima Yi without hesitation, and said to the point of a slander and accusing the locust. Sima Yi nodded calmly, refused to deny it, and replied: "The battle in Liaodong is indeed because I am careless and underestimating the enemy. Alas! It's Li Xin."

The four words "I am Li Xin" are spoken to Cao Fang.

Cao Fang's face was complicated. After all, she was young and didn't know how to respond after thinking about it. However, the ministers knew very well about Sima Yi's conquest of Liaodong: Gongsun Yuan proclaimed himself king, and the late emperor ordered an army to attack. The ministers even thought that Sima Yi had 40,000 troops on an expedition and demanded that the troops be deducted. It was only after Cao Rui's determination that he had opposed the public opinion.

It can be said that Sima Yi was not conceited by underestimating the enemy, but now he is guilty of underestimating the enemy. He seems to have regretted it, but in fact he is willing to give in and be generous, and has won the favor of many people.

Cao Shuang narrowed her eyes and stared at Sima Yi and said, "Taifu, the lower official has no intention of innuendo."

Sima Yi did not comment and sighed: "If the general is expeditioning to Liaodong, he should be careful and not careless. Gongsun's cunning rabbit three kilns, the road to this trip is difficult, and he travels through mountains and rivers is full of dangerous shoals. I hope to pay attention to safety."

Cao Shuang was stunned. Why did she feel so hypocritical? She smiled and said, "Don't worry, the senior official will do her best. As the saying goes, a lion fights with a rabbit, and she still uses all her strength and will never show mercy."

Cao Fang frowned and asked, "How many troops do the general think the conquest of Liao will take?"

Cao Shuang said: "It should be in the army of 100,000 infantry and cavalry."

"so much?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone present was surprised.

Sima Yi raised his eyelids and then lowered.

Cao Shuang had no choice but to do anything about this move. He also knew that it was not easy to conquer Liaodong, and he thought that he did not have the ability to use military forces in Cao Cao and Sima Yi. Fortunately, he had Xiahou Xuan, Deng Yang and others under him. In addition, he was determined to show his power in this battle and did not care about death or injury at all. As long as he could obtain Liaodong and do something that Sima Yi could not do, he could reduce his prestige in the court in one fell swoop.

Cao Fang smiled bitterly, thinking that this was another waste of money and money, but he had to issue an order. He knew that he would only delay it for several months if he did not agree, and it would not be of much use. Cao Shuang changed his former modesty and prudence. Although he was still loyal to the royal family and maintained etiquette rules, it was difficult to guarantee that he would not have greater ambitions one day. Fortunately, the court still maintained a balance between clans and aristocratic families.

After retreating from the court, Sima Yi slowly left the hall with his tablet. Jiang Ji followed him and whispered: "Tao Fu, why don't you say a word and keep tolerating it again and again?"

Sima Yi glanced at Jiang Ji beside him, and he looked deaf and dazzled. He said calmly: "Cao Shuang wants to attack Liao, and he is determined to win, so let him try it. Although there are 100,000 troops and thousands of miles of troops, the dangers during this period are not something that he, a scholar, can know."

Speaking of this, he paused, looked to the east, and smiled and said, "He compared himself to Wang Jian, and Gongsun Xiu may not be the King of Chu."

Jiang Ji then understood and whispered: "The Taifu meant that Cao Shuang could not defeat Yan State during this expedition of 100,000 troops?"

"In the bitter and cold land in Liaodong, every time it is in the middle of winter, the weather is cold and the land is frozen. If you don't have enough food and grass, and you are short of water and food, it will be like hell on earth."

Sima Yi smiled faintly, worried about the battle of Liaodong, and whispered: "I participated in the research of the essence obtained in the battle of Taizu's battle to conquer Wuhuan, and dared to make a bold statement to the late emperor: Go to a hundred days, attack a hundred days, and return a hundred days, and use 60 days as a way to adjust the rest. Although I despise the Gongsun family in Liaodong and return in vain, if I cannot conquer for three months, I can only wait for the winter snow to melt the next year before making plans. If I fail, I am not arrogant and arrogant."

Jiang Ji suddenly realized, thinking that after all, a hundred thousand troops raised up, shocking the earth, it was the first time that such a large-scale conquest of Liao. After all, Yan State was weaker than Wei State in all aspects. He frowned and said, "I don't think it is necessary. Cao Shuang raised a hundred thousand troops after all. If he got the initiative, he would definitely defeat Yan State."

Sima Yi laughed and thought to himself that if he had to raise an army of 100,000 to conquer Liaodong, it would not be difficult to defeat Yan State, but it might not have been replaced by Cao Shuang.

He couldn't help but feel sad. He waited for another opportunity. Cao Shuang wanted to kill himself everywhere and had to pretend to be old and stupid as a cover. At present, the Sima family had no military power, just like the fish on the chopping board being slaughtered. Only his son Sima Shi still had the position of Zhonggu Army, which was desperately protected by the ministers, and held the military power of more than a thousand people.

"Perhaps, this is the turning point."

Sima Yi looked around and the towering and strict imperial palace was like a prison. His experience in his forty years of officialdom told him that if he did not give up, the Sima family would probably end it sooner or later.
Chapter completed!