(ps: Please request the last monthly ticket for 2013, book the monthly ticket for 2014, and wish all my friends a happy New Year and all the best in 2014.)
"Traitor! Big-eared thief, you are so cruel!"
The emperor's uncle's army unexpectedly stood still in Chencang. The person who was most annoyed was not Cao Ang, Xun Yu, and Guo Jia, Cao's buddies, but Sima Yi, the upstart in Cao's army who first proposed the strategy of driving away wolves and fighting tigers. In anger, he always behaved like a young man. After the famous Sima Yi learned the news, he even scolded his mother on the spot for the first time. At the same time, Sima Yi, who had always been confident, also began to realize that he had underestimated Liu Huangshu, who had a small number of soldiers but was able to deal with Deputy Director Tao and Boss Cao for many years. It was definitely not as easy as imagined to achieve his long-cherished wish.
After being angry, Sima Yi quickly calmed down. Cao Ang ordered Sima Yi to write to Liu Huangshu again, asking Liu Huangshu to send troops to Chang'an as soon as possible to annex the rest of Cao's army. After repeated calculations and analysis, Sima Yi told Cao Ang that he could not do this. Cao Ang was surprised and asked why, and Sima Yi replied: "My lord, it's not that I don't want to serve my lord, but doing so will only be counterproductive. May I ask, my lord, who in the world is a careful internal response who will send letters again and again?" The same thing? If you take the risk of sending letters and repeating the same request again and again, the insider is not afraid that the news will leak out and cause the family to be wiped out? "
"Besides, Liu Bei is also a suspicious person. He deliberately stood still in Chencang, which must have his own special purpose." Sima Yi added: "We have no idea what Liu Bei's purpose is now, but since Liu Bei stood still, it proves that he is currently standing still." It is beneficial for him to station troops in Chencang, but it is detrimental to him to send troops to Chang'an immediately. If I repeatedly send letters asking Liu Bei to do something unfavorable, with Liu Bei's treachery, how can I not suspect that I am a fake surrender arranged by my lord? If I lose Liu Bei's Trust me, in the future, my lord, if you try to reversely judge the purpose of this traitor from Liu Bei's orders to his subordinates, it will not only be impossible, but Liu Bei may also take advantage of the opportunity and set a trap for our army."
Cao Ang has always trusted his good friend Sima Yi and listened to what Sima Yi said was reasonable. There will be no more persecution. He just asked: "In your opinion, how should we act?"
"I believe that my lord can implement Mr. Wen Ruo's plan and try to lure Liu Bei's main force to Chang'an as soon as possible. According to the plan, Liu Bei will be sent out to drive tigers and wolves." Sima Yi replied: "As for me, my lord, please allow me not to do anything. Action. Even if Liu Bei doubts his intention to surrender, he will not be able to judge whether he really surrenders. Let his subordinates retain the opportunity to gain Liu Bei's true trust. As long as Liu Bei believes that his subordinates really surrender. He trusts his confidant, even if Liu Bei takes action, he will Nothing to worry about.¡±
Cao Ang thought about it for a long time, and finally nodded and said: "Okay, as per your plan, you should not participate in this attempt to lure the enemy, so as not to let the big-eared thieves find out that you are pretending to surrender."
When Sima Yi deliberately lay dormant, Cao Ang's handwritten letter asking for help was sent out, and it was delivered to Chencang in turns by fast horses. As for whether this letter would be effective, Cao Ang, Xun Yu, Sima Yi and others actually had no idea. Be sure, just give it a try and try your luck. But at this time, a piece of good news came from Tongguan. Deputy Director Tao sent his counselor Jiang Gan as an envoy to carry sacrificial rituals to Chang'an to mourn. When they arrived, they did not dare to decide whether to accept or expel Jiang Gan, so they had to temporarily place Jiang Gan and his party under house arrest, and sent someone to report to Cao Ang urgently, asking for Cao Ang's instructions.
After receiving this news, Cao Ang, who had been in contact with Jiang Qianduo in Xuzhou, was both happy and worried. He was happy that he finally had the opportunity to reunite with his old friend after many years, but he was also worried that after he allowed Jiang Qian to enter the pass to mourn, Jiang Qian would be killed by Cao's soldiers. After being killed, he had to quickly summon his father's confidants such as Xun Yu, Guo Jia and Cheng Yu to discuss countermeasures. When Xun Yu and others learned about this incident, they immediately sneered and said, "Tao Thief made a good excuse. Jiang Qian's visit to mourn is a lie, but to recruit him to surrender is the truth."
"Surrender?" Cao Ang pretended to be surprised and asked: "Three uncles, do you think Mr. Jiang Qian is here to surrender to me?"
"Of course." Guo Jia said with a sneer: "Back then, my old lord and the Tao thief exchanged hostages. My lord, you were forced to live in Xuzhou for three years. Tao Ying, the treacherous traitor, treated you well even though he rescued his brother first. The pottery merchant also sent back the gift that my lord you were unscathed to the old lord. Now that the old lord has been killed by the Tao thief, my lord, you have been appointed as the heir. Of course, the Tao thief will make a plan to get back the courtesy he gave you back then, including the profits. So Jiang Qian came here to pay his respects this time. It was made clear that it was just an excuse. In fact, he wanted to take the opportunity to get in touch with you, my lord, and persuade him to surrender to you."
"As I guessed, Mr. Ziyi really came to surrender me." Cao Ang muttered in his heart, and then took the opportunity to test the attitudes of Xun Yu, Guo Jia and others, and asked: "Then in the opinion of the three uncles, how should my nephew deal with it? About this?"
"Lord, do you still need to ask?" Guo Jia quickly said: "Tao Thief and you have a sworn relationship."??If you still treat Tao Thief's envoys kindly because of the revenge of killing your father, how can our soldiers obey? The best way is to chop off Thief Tao's messenger with a knife. If my lord can't bear it and wants to repay Tao Thief for his kindness, you can also drive him away and prevent him from entering the prison. "
The disappointment that flashed in Cao Ang's eyes did not escape the eyes of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu. After sighing quietly, Xun Yu reminded: "My lord, you can't be confused about this matter. Although Yu and others followed the old lord's order and You have promoted the position of heir, but my lord, you should be very clear in your heart. There are still people in our team who are unwilling to give up. My lord, if you are confused in this matter, the consequences will be disastrous, and you yourself will fall into collusion. The eternal infamy of enemies and forgotten fathers.¡±
"Lord, you don't have to worry, we still have the strength to fight." Cheng Yu also said: "There are still nearly 40,000 soldiers and horses in Guanzhong, and Tongguan and the Yellow River are naturally dangerous, and Ren Zhonglang and Prefect Pei are still fighting hard in the east of Hedong. Surrender, and contain the Tao bandits' partial troops for our army. In order to keep Hanzhong, Liu Bei will definitely support our army in resisting the Tao bandits. Our army still has hope of making a comeback. My lord, if you give up this hope, our soldiers will not be convinced."
"My lord, on this matter, you must learn from Liu Bei's perseverance." Guo Jia added: "Don't talk about Liu Qi. He surrendered the great Jingzhou to the Tao thieves. He was unworthy of the soldiers of the three armies and unworthy of his father. "
After hearing the insinuations of Guo Jia and Cheng Yu, Cao Ang, who was loyal but not stupid, could not understand their thoughts. He was secretly disappointed and the atmosphere in the room became depressed. After thinking for a long time, Cao Ang finally He nodded reluctantly. Qiang Dao smiled and said: "Thank you three uncles for your advice. Please rest assured, my nephew will not act foolishly. I will carefully consider this matter before Jiang does it. I will give a satisfactory explanation to the officers and men of the three armies."
Xun Yu, Guo Jia and others knew that Cao Ang was hesitant. He did not force Cao Ang to act according to his suggestions. He just stood up and said goodbye, leaving Cao Ang alone with his thoughts. When he was leaving, Xun Yu stopped. He pursed his lips hesitantly, but still turned around and said to Cao Ang: "My lord, don't let generals like Dian Wei and Cao Hong know about this matter. They are hot-tempered and impatient. If you find out about this matter, you It¡¯s even harder.¡±
"Thank you for your uncle's advice, my nephew understands." Cao Ang also knew what Xun Yu said, and would never say it unless he really considered it for himself, so he also bowed to Xun Yu and thanked him solemnly.
Xun Yu, Guo Jia and other important officials in Cao's army left, but Cao Ang, who was alone, became increasingly depressed. As a famous filial son in history who could die for his father, Cao Ang certainly hoped to avenge his father, and did not want Cao's boss. The Cao Army's hard-earned foundation was given away, but Cao Ang knew very well that even his heroic father was no match for Deputy Director Tao, not to mention his own talent and ability that were far inferior to his father's and a somewhat weak character?
At the same time, Cao Ang understood better that what Boss Cao left for him was actually a mess caused by internal and external troubles. All the remaining defeated soldiers were added together. Even if the rural soldiers guarding the place were included, there were only more than 40,000. It was impossible to be like the Tigers and Wolves of Xuzhou. The division's opponents can only rely on Tongguan and the Yellow River to survive. But even if there are mountains and rivers to defend, Cao's army cannot even achieve the minimum self-sufficiency of food and grass. The land in Guanzhong, which has just experienced a severe drought, has almost no harvest in spring and summer. If Uncle Liu Huang hadn't sent two grains in time, 100,000 hu of army rations are needed to provide emergency relief. I am afraid that Cao¡¯s army has already begun to run out of food. As for Uncle Liu's intentions in supporting Cao's army to fight against Tao, Cao Ang had long known it in his heart.
The interior is depleted and surrounded by dangers. The Xuzhou army is overwhelming in the east, Liu Huangshu is watching in the west, and even farther away, Ma Teng and Han Sui are sneaking around. Under such a situation, Cao Ang even suspected that his father got sick later and died before Guo Jia. , in fact, they were drained of their efforts by internal and external troubles, their minds were polished by the gloomy prospects, and they were exhausted to death.
Cao Ang thought more than once about leading the remnants of Cao's army and surrendering to Deputy Director Tao, whom he had always admired. However, Cao Ang knew very well that if he made this decision, important civil servants such as Xun Yu and Guo Jia would never agree. Dian Wei, Cao Hong and countless other officers and soldiers of Cao's army would never agree. Even a simple order like opening Tongguan and letting the Xuzhou army enter could not be carried out by the defenders of Tongguan, because the person guarding Tongguan was Cao Ang's cousin Cao Ren. Cao Ren, who has personally experienced all the grudges between Cao Tao and Cao Tao, will not bow to the Xuzhou army that killed countless Cao family members and countless Cao army soldiers, even if he died!
Cao Ang also knew that if he forcibly ordered a surrender, I am afraid that Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Dian Wei, Cao Hong and other important civil and military officials of Cao's army would immediately knock him out of his position as the commander-in-chief of Cao's army. Help the second brother Cao Pi or other brothers to succeed their father. At that time, not only will he not be able to keep the army of soldiers left by his father, but he may also cause the inheritance left by his father to be lost even more.?, the death will be even worse!
Thinking of this, a deep feeling of powerlessness enveloped Cao Ang's heart, and tears gradually seeped out of the corners of Cao Ang's eyes. Cao Ang couldn't help but sob low, and choked up: "Father, you know that this child is not talented. Why do you still want me to be your heir when you know that your child is not willing to fight Tao Shijun? Why do you want me to inherit your throne? Father, my child is too difficult, too difficult"
"Lord."
A sudden soft call from outside the door interrupted Cao Ang's tearful muttering. He recognized Sima Yi's voice. Cao Ang quickly wiped away the tears on his face, cleared his throat, and then allowed Sima Yi to enter. After Sima Yi entered the door with a pile of official documents, he saw that Cao Ang's eyes were a little red and swollen. Guessing that Cao Ang had shed tears just now, he quickly asked: "My lord, what happened?"
"Nothing, it's just that an urgent report has just been sent from Tongguan. It said that Tao Ying sent Jiang Gan as an envoy to come to Chang'an to mourn his father." Cao Ang did not hide anything from Sima Yi. He first briefly introduced what happened just now, and then said with a wry smile: "I I just hinted that I wanted Mr. Jiang Qian to go to Chang'an, but Uncle Xun Yu and others immediately firmly opposed it and reminded me that I couldn't let General Dian Wei and General Cao Hong know about it. It seemed that there was no other way. This time I I can¡¯t accept Tao Ying¡¯s kindness.¡±
"A little hint of asking Jiang to go to Chang'an? Is it possible that he wants to surrender to Lieutenant Tao?"
Sima Yi snorted coldly in his heart. He had long seen that Cao Ang actually wanted to surrender, and after some further calculations. Sima Yi soon felt something in his heart. He hurriedly said: "Lord, this is a good opportunity to achieve multiple goals with one stone. Why didn't you think of seizing the opportunity?"
"What's a good opportunity to kill multiple birds with one stone?" Cao Ang asked in surprise.
"Behead Jiang Gan and send his head to Chencang to present to Liu Bei!" Sima Yi said quickly: "In this way, my lord, you have not only won the hearts of the former lord's old ministers, but also made Liu Bei believe that our army and him The sincerity of joining forces to fight against Tao made Liu Bei immediately send troops to Chang'an to listen to him. If the lord is willing, he can also let the wind out and say that this is something Wei Chen strongly advocated, and Liu Bei will believe Wei Chen's sincerity in secretly surrendering to him. Received in one fell swoop Three benefits!"
"No!" Cao Ang flatly refused and said, "Not to mention the two countries fighting each other and not killing the envoys. Just because Tao Ying treated me well that year, I can't do that! Besides, when we were at Hangu Pass, Tao Ying clearly only wanted to Attacking can defeat our army, but in order to allow my father to complete the final journey, he ordered the troops to retreat and miss this opportunity. If I kill his envoy, it will be unreasonable!"
"But my lord, this is your only way." Sima Yi reminded: "My lord, when you were a hostage in Xuzhou, Tao Ying not only treated you kindly, but also taught you various farming techniques. This is known to the whole world. After that, you Once again, you spoke pro-Tao. Although there have been changes in recent years, whether it is the important ministers of our army who were left behind by the old lord, or our current allies Liu Bei and Liu Xuande, they are still worried about your pro-Tao attitude and have doubts. My Lord If you don't take practical actions to prove that you have made a clean break with Tao Ying and are irreconcilable, our military officials will not believe that you will avenge your old lord, and Liu Bei will not believe that you will work together with him."
"Even if this is the case, I can't do it." Cao Ang still refused, and said in a sad tone: "If they want to doubt it, just doubt it. A real man does something and doesn't do something. I will never do such a thing as killing an envoy." Do it!¡±
"Trouble, I didn't expect Cao Cao's son to be so stubborn." Sima Yi was discouraged, and after some calculations, Sima Yi had no choice but to change his words and said: "My lord, since you don't want to kill the envoy, then let's just ask my subordinates to come forward and kill him." Jiang Gan captured it, put it in a prison car and took it to Chencang to present to Liu Bei, so that the same effect can be achieved."
"Isn't that the same thing?" Cao Ang said angrily: "I captured Mr. Jiang Qian and took him to Chencang to present to Liu Bei. Liu Bei chopped him with a knife. Aren't the sins still on me?"
"Lord, what are you in a hurry for?" Sima Yi said with a smile: "There is a distance of four hundred and fifty miles from Chang'an to Chencang. It cannot be covered in one day. If Mr. Jiang Qian took the opportunity to escape during the journey, wouldn't all the problems be solved? Already?"
Cao Ang raised his head fiercely and stared at Sima Yi for a long time. Cao Ang finally showed a smile and said: "I am really a wise man, but you have to make it clear to Mr. Ziyi that I did this because of the pressure from my father's old ministers. Please make sure Tao Shijun understands my difficulties."
"Sure enough, I was still thinking about asking Taiwei Tao to surrender. Unfortunately, you don't have this chance. None of your Cao family has this chance! On the way, I chopped Jiang Gan with a knife and sent his head to Liu Bei. , put all the blame on you and see how Taiwei Tao forgives you in the future!"
Sima Yi snorted coldly in his heart, but said respectfully on his face: "Don't worry, my lord, I will definitely let Mr. Tao Taiwei and Mr. Ziyi understand your difficulties."
¡¡¡¡¡¡
At noon that day, in the mourning hall of Boss Cao, in front of a group of important civil and military ministers of Cao's army, Cao Ang announced the news that Deputy Director Tao had sent Jiang Gan to mourn. Then Cao Ang immediately announced without waiting for the generals such as Dian Wei and Cao Hong who were present to roar. He accepted Sima Yi's persuasion and decided to capture Jiang Gan, put him in a prison car and take him to Chencang to hand him over to Uncle Liu Huang. As a result, although the anger of the generals of Cao's army subsided, they all persuaded Cao Ang not to hand over Jiang Qian to Liu Huangshu, and suggested that Jiang Qian be taken directly to Cao Cao's tomb to be beheaded as a memorial. Cao Ang refused to comply on the pretext that the two countries were in conflict. , insisted on ordering Jiang Gan to be escorted to Chencang and handed over to Liu Huangshu to show the sincerity of the alliance. Cao's generals, who had been worried about the ambiguous relationship between Cao Ang and the Xuzhou Army, saw that Cao Ang was finally determined to cut off the Xuzhou Army, but reluctantly accepted Cao Ang's decision.
Two days later, Cao Ang's order was sent to Tongguan. Cao Ren, who was guarding the pass, mourned the death of his cousin and carried out Cao Ang's order without hesitation. He ordered Jiang Gan to be put into a prison car and taken to Chang'an to be dealt with by Cao Ang. Jiang Gan's other followers He was expelled back to Hongnong by Cao Ren and reported to Deputy Director Tao. Regarding Cao Jun's act of repaying kindness with revenge, Jiang Gan's followers cried bitterly, but Jiang Gan himself was calm and composed. He walked into the prison car with his head held high and followed Cao Jun into the pass with a calm demeanor. Even Cao Jun's officers and soldiers secretly admired him.
If things go smoothly, then Mr. Jiang Qian's life may be in his own hands, and Sima Yi can successfully achieve his goal of making it difficult for Deputy Director Tao to forgive Cao Ang. However, Sima Yi forgot one thing, that is, the distance from Chang'an to Chencang is 450 Hanli, which cannot be covered in one day, and the distance from Tongguan to Chang'an is also 370 Hanli, which cannot be covered in one day. I could finish the walk, so on the way, an accident happened
The accident happened on the official road between Zhengxian County and Xinfeng. When the Cao Jun army escorting Mr. Jiang Qian was heading westward, a group of Cao Jun soldiers in bright armor came face to face. The leader of the Cao Jun Du Bo came to escort Jiang Qian. The chief of Cao's army showed a handwritten order from Cao Ang and asked the chief of Cao Ren's team to hand over Jiang Gan to him. The chief of Cao's army verified that the official document and the order were correct, and immediately carried out Cao Ang's order and transferred Mr. Jiang Qian to him. He was handed over to Cao Jun Du Bo and returned to Tongguan to hand over orders to Cao Ren.
When the team that had escorted Jiang Gan went far away, the Cao soldiers immediately turned south and escorted Mr. Jiang Gan deep into the forest of the Qinling Mountains. Then they released the confused Mr. Jiang Gan from the prison car. He also provided dry food and a change of clothes to Mr. Jiang Gan, and finally pointed out the mountain path to Mr. Jiang Gan to bypass Tongguan and escape back to Hongnong.
He thought he would die but unexpectedly escaped death. Jiang Gan was surprised and happy, and asked who was entrusting this group of Cao soldiers. The leader of the Cao army, Du Bo, told Mr. Jiang Qian that he was indeed under Cao Ang's order. came to release Mr. Jiang Qian, and also explained the reason why Cao Ang was forced to act like this because he could not withstand the pressure of Cao Jun¡¯s veterans. He asked Mr. Jiang Qian to truthfully report to Deputy Director Tao after escaping back to the Xuzhou Army. Mr. Jiang Qian was overjoyed and hurriedly reported to Cao Ang All the Cao soldiers who were sent thanked him profusely, and then quickly took a small road and fled back to Hongnong. Mr. Jiang Qian was not afraid of death, but he still didn't want to die if he had the chance.
Looking at the back of Mr. Jiang Gan hurriedly escaping into the mountains, Uncle Cao Jun, who had rescued Jiang Gan, showed a proud smile and whispered to his companions on the left and right: "It's done, leave the prison car here so that Tongguan can have clues to pursue it, and find someone." Put on common people's clothes in a secluded place, return to Chang'an in pieces, and find the second young master to ask for a reward." (To be continued)