Mi Han

Chapter 680: The Strategy of Hostage-taking Wang Ji Reminds

Chapter 680: The Strategy of Hostage-taking Wang Ji Reminds

Sima Gong?

When Cao Rui heard these three words from Cao Xiu, he was confused at first.

But Cao Rui quickly realized who the Sima Gong that Cao Xiu was referring to was - it must be Sima Yi.

Cao Rui did not realize at first that the person recommended by Cao Xiu was Sima Yi. It was not because he did not understand the current Wei ministers, but because in Cao Rui's heart, Sima Yi could not be called "public".

Cao Rui vaguely remembered that when he was a child, his grandfather Cao Cao thought Sima Yi had the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf, and would interfere in the affairs of the Cao family in the future, so he wanted to get rid of him.

However, Cao Cao's idea was dispelled by Cao Pi's persuasion.

Although Sima Yi finally survived, Cao Rui, who had always respected Cao Cao, no longer had any good feelings towards Sima Yi from then on.

As he grew up, Cao Rui witnessed how Cao Pi gradually reused Sima Yi. In terms of the degree of reuse, Cao Pi's treatment of Sima Yi was like Liu Bei's treatment of Zhuge Liang.

However, under such heavy expectations, Sima Yi's performance was disappointing - it cannot be said that the suggestions he made were bad, but the point was that his strategies were often a step slower than Mi Yang, so Sima Yi was also evaluated by Cao Cao as "slow in wisdom".

Because he was somewhat displeased with Sima Yi, Cao Rui instinctively frowned when he heard that Cao Xiu was going to recommend Sima Yi as the general to guard Luoyang.

Cao Rui's frown was noticed by Cao Xiu the first time.

Cao Xiu did not know what Cao Rui was thinking. He was just making a suggestion to Cao Rui out of a public spirit. So in order to get Cao Rui to accept his proposal, he bowed again and said:

"Sima Zhongda was intelligent and decisive, and had a straight heart. His majesty was feared and his influence was unyielding. In the court, he supported the customs of the time and all the officials followed his example; on the border, he was resolute and resolute, and was willing to fight and overcome difficulties.

Ministers like this who are pillars of our country are exactly what our dynasty needs right now.

When the late emperor was alive, he often regarded Sima Zhongda as his right-hand man. Sima Zhongda was grateful for the late emperor's kindness and always wanted to repay him.

If Your Majesty can make use of Sima Zhongda, I believe our dynasty will no longer have to worry about the west. "

Seeing that Cao Rui was somewhat displeased, Cao Xiu no longer addressed Sima Yi as Sima Gong.

It can be said that Cao Xiu's praise for Sima Yi was heavy, but it was obvious that such praise could not make Cao Rui, the ambitious young monarch, completely trust Sima Yi.

Could it be that Cao Ren, Cao Zhen, Zhang He and others received less praise than Sima Yi back then?

But what about the results?

It would be fine if he didn't think about these people, but when he did, Cao Rui felt a dull pain in his heart.

Seeing that Cao Rui's frown had not eased at all, Cao Xiu knew that his previous words were not enough to satisfy Cao Rui, so he could only continue to work harder:

"The battle of Wancheng was extremely thrilling. If it weren't for Sima Zhongda guarding it, Wancheng might have fallen into the hands of the enemy army.

Sima Zhongda was able to defend Wancheng, but why couldn't he defend Luoyang?"

After hearing what Cao Xiu said, Cao Rui's hesitant expression eased a little. After all, this was a real battle record.

Although Sima Yi was put in a passive position by Zhang Fei at the beginning of the Battle of Wancheng, he was also deceived by Deng Ai when Zhang Fei withdrew his troops and lost the great general Niu Jin.

But war is often judged by its results. Sima Yi was able to adjust his strategy in time and ultimately defend Wancheng, which is a real achievement.

Especially when compared with the Guanzhong battlefield, Sima Yi's contribution in defending Wancheng is even more eye-catching.

Seeing that Cao Rui seemed to be wavering, Cao Xiu slowly approached Cao Rui and told him the second reason why he strongly recommended Sima Yi:

"The Sima family has been a famous family in Hebei for generations."

Cao Xiu's words were just a brief one, but Cao Rui immediately heard the deeper meaning in his words.

In the Battle of Guanzhong, two famous generals from Hebei, Zhang He and Guo Huai, one surrendered and the other was captured. This was a big blow to the Hebei families.

After all, among so many children of Hebei aristocratic families, only a few could occupy high positions in Cao Wei like Zhang He and Guo Huai. It can be said that in the past, Zhang He and Guo Huai were, to a certain extent, one of the spokespersons for the interests of Hebei aristocratic families in the court of Cao Wei.

The loss of two representatives of interests at once must have shocked the Hebei families greatly, and doubts and fears would arise in their hearts.

It just so happens that Mi Yang is an expert at agitating people's hearts. Cao Rui had previously been showing favor to the aristocratic families in Hebei just because he didn't want to give Mi Yang an opportunity to take advantage of him.

But showing favor is only a temporary solution. If one wants to win back the hearts of the Hebei families and make them stand firmly on the side of Cao Wei again, the best way is to help the Hebei families re-elect their spokesperson.

Only when interests are connected will we stick together.

In Cao Xiu's eyes, Sima Yi was the best candidate.

After being reminded by Cao Xiu, the hesitation on Cao Rui's face disappeared in an instant.

Cao Rui also realized that his hesitation just now might cause a bad influence after it spread out, so Cao Rui immediately smiled and said to the ministers:

"Don't I know what the Grand Marshal said?

What I am thinking is, with Sima Gong's virtue and talent, how could he pacify Luoyang as the General of Annan?

The imperial edict was issued: In the battle of Wancheng, Sima Zhongda made great contributions in defending the territory and repelling the powerful enemy. He was promoted to General of the Western Expedition and was given the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Hedong, Luoyang, and Guanzhong military forces.

In the official system of Cao Wei, the Four Generals of Expedition were the most important local generals. Cao Rui's appointment of Sima Yi could be said to be the utmost honor and favor.

After saying this, Cao Rui still felt it was not enough, so he continued to speak to his ministers:

"Sima Zhongda's eldest son, Sima Shi, has been famous since he was young. He is now appointed as the Cavalry Commander and is assisting the Central Army."

Under Cao Rui's words, both Sima Yi and Sima Shi experienced a leap in their lives, which would have a great impact on their lives.

For Cao Rui, this generous reward was enough to satisfy the Hebei families.

From the surface, others could not see any estrangement between Cao Rui and Sima Yi. All they could see was that Cao Rui valued Sima Yi.

Therefore, as soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, all the ministers stood up and bowed to him:

"Your Majesty is wise."

After finalizing the candidate for the garrison commander of Luoyang, Cao Rui turned his attention to Yuzhou.

"Yuzhou has no strategic location to defend. Who does the Grand Marshal think can take on this important task?"

Cao Rui's tone seemed to be asking a question, but the look he gave Cao Xiu was quite meaningful.

Although Cao Xiu believed that the main attack direction of the Han army in the future would be Luoyang, due to the special geographical location of Yuzhou, it would be more difficult to defend Yuzhou.

In order to be absolutely sure of success, the general guarding Yuzhou must be at least more capable than Sima Yi.

At this moment, Cao Wei suffered heavy losses among its famous generals. Who in the court could suppress Sima Yi?

Apart from Cao Xiu, there is probably no one else.

Cao Xiu understood Cao Rui's intention, and he had already made plans, so he bowed and said:

"I am willing to go."

Seeing that Cao Xiu understood what he meant, Cao Rui showed a satisfied smile on his face. Given the current situation, sending Cao Xiu to Yuzhou was indeed the best choice.

Since Yuzhou has no natural defenses, in order to defend Yuzhou well, it is necessary to rely on the power of Eastern Wu.

Now that Sun Quan has proclaimed himself emperor, Cao Wei and Eastern Wu are on equal footing politically. If Cao Wei wants to draw on the power of Eastern Wu, it must send someone of high enough status to sit in Yuzhou.

Cao Xiu, who is second only to the emperor and above everyone else, can meet these conditions.

In addition, Cao Xiu had been stationed in Yuzhou and Jingzhou many times in his early years. He was very familiar with the terrain of the southern border of Cao Wei and enjoyed a high prestige in the hearts of local people.

As long as Cao Xiu was stationed in Yuzhou, even if Mi Yang really went to Jingzhou in the future, Cao Rui would not have to worry too much about unrest among the people on the border.

There is another very important point. Yuzhou is the rear base of Luoyang. If Sima Yi is at a disadvantage in the battle in the future, Cao Xiu can also withdraw troops to support him in time.

Taking all these into consideration, Cao Rui and Cao Xiu both felt that today's arrangements were extremely appropriate.

"I will entrust all matters concerning the south to the Grand Marshal. I hope the Grand Marshal will take care of himself!"

Under Cao Rui's earnest instructions, Cao Xiu carefully accepted Cao Rui's appointment.

As Cao Xiu left the hall to arrange everything, today's meeting came to an end.

After all the Wei ministers left one after another, Wang Ji slowly walked in front of Cao Rui.

"Bo Yu, what do you think of today's events?"

After spending several years together day and night, Cao Rui and Wang Ji developed a friendship that went beyond the moral principles of monarch and subject.

Wang Ji, who was both civil and military, understood the meaning of Cao Rui's words after a little thought after hearing Cao Rui's question.

It can be said that all the arrangements made by Cao Rui today were aimed at Mi Yang.

Mi Yang's reputation is self-evident, but no matter how good he is at fighting, he is only one person and cannot take care of both Luoyang and Yuzhou at the same time.

If Mi Yang focuses on attacking Luoyang in the future, then Cao Xiu can join forces with the Wu army to launch a fierce attack on Jingzhou.

If Mi Yang attacked Yuzhou unexpectedly in the future, Sima Yi could recreate his Weinan plan and lead his army to launch a surprise attack on Guanzhong.

No matter which situation it was, Mi Yang would have a hard time gaining any advantage as he was attacked from all sides.

It was because he felt that he had made an arrangement that could blackmail Mi Yang that Cao Rui wanted to show off in front of his friends.

But Wang Ji, who was calm in character, was not as optimistic as Cao Rui.

Noticing that Wang Ji did not respond immediately, Cao Rui thought that Wang Ji was worried about Zhang Fei, so he smiled and said:

"The one that Bo Yu was afraid of was Zhang Yide, wasn't he?

Zhang Yide is a famous general in the world.

But he couldn't think of burning the pillars and destroying the city."

In Cao Rui's view, Zhang Yide's talents were worthy of his attention, but not enough to make him afraid.

Moreover, from the arrangements Liu Bei made for Zhang Fei before his death, it can be seen that Zhang Fei was a talisman that Liu Bei left by Liu Chan's side. How could he leave so easily?

Cao Rui thought he could dispel Wang Ji's concerns, but after changing to a comfortable sitting position, he heard something unexpected from Wang Ji's mouth.

"The enemy army is not just made up of Mi bandits, there is also Crouching Dragon!"

Zhuge Kongming?

Cao Rui's first reaction was confusion. It is true that he had heard of Zhuge Liang's achievements in pacifying Nanzhong, and it is also true that he had heard of Zhuge Liang's achievements in capturing Hao Zhao with wisdom, but couldn't Zhang Fei do such a thing?

There is only one way to break the containment strategy he and Cao Xiu had set up:

While Mi Yang was concentrating on one side, a man with the same talent as Mi Yang appeared on the other side. He had full confidence in defeating the invading Wei army.

With full confidence, can Zhuge Kongming do it?

Cao Rui subconsciously sat up straight again.

　Chapter two

(End of this chapter)