Chapter 7 Second, count the inexhaustible policy

Under the dark night, the candles at the four corners of the conference hall of Xiangyang Mufu were burning brightly, as bright as day. Sima Yi wore a tiger-headed golden helmet and a bronze black armor. His face was as heavy as iron, his eyebrows were raised like knives, and he sat majesticly behind the desk. There seemed to be a fierce and fierce aura like arrows and arrows as he raised his eyes. Coming, forcing the subordinates on both sides in front of his case to breathe hard! Jingzhou Mu Peiqian leaned forward and stood at the top of his right hand, looking at Sima Yi's armor from the side up and down, and was secretly surprised: the Sima Yi he saw in the Changle Hall of the Luoyang Palace on weekdays were all in wide robes and sleeves , E Guanbo's graceful and solemn appearance, but he did not expect that after wearing a suit of armor, he would look as mighty as a tiger, as vigorous as a scorpion, as energetic and as brilliant as a brute!This Sima Yi, who was born in a famous family, merged with the image of the scorching armor and sharp-edged owl general in an instant, from the outside to the inside, from the virtual to the real, as if he was born to be a soldier and a king. The "talent of Han Xin" on the battlefield was just hidden by the gentle and gentle Confucianism before!

Among the civil servants and military generals on the field, not only Pei Qian had such thoughts in his heart, but also Niu Jin, the prefect of Xiangyang, Xia Houru, captain of Xiaoqi school, Cao Zhao, captain of Tunqi school, etc. also felt the same way.Sima Yi gave them the impression that he was like a general who had left the battlefield for a short time and now returned to the battle with a sense of majesty and ferocity in his every move! "Report—" A battalion patrol captain hurried to the entrance of the hall, knelt down on his knees, and clasped his fists to report, "Report to Governor Sima, Dangyang County Chancellor Xiao Yi, and Maicheng County Gong Cao Wenfeng, who abandoned themselves last night. He fled from the crowd and tried to go back to Xiangyang to hide. This morning, he was captured by our army's patrolling sentry in the southern suburbs of the mountain forest, and has now been captured back to the city. Please ask the commander-in-chief to send him down!"

When Xia Houru heard it, he roared angrily, stretched out his hand to hold the scabbard, and said bitterly: "Why do these people who are greedy for life and funerals come to the hall to ask for instructions? Send an order to behead them both quickly. Show the public to be righteous!" Niu Jin stood aside and scolded angrily: "These fools have no courage! Then Lu Xun is still halfway up the river, and he is still far away from their Dangyang and Maicheng. These fools are actually afraid of What a coward! Commander! Let Niu go down and chop off the heads of their dogs to honor the flag!"

Everyone turned their attention to Sima Yi, who stood by the case.In their imagination, Sima Yi would be furious and punish Xiao Yi and Wen Feng severely!However, at this moment, the majestic Sima Yi frowned, stretched out his hand to stroke his beard and pondered for a moment, then suddenly waved his right palm, and said in a soft voice: "Slow down! Battalion patrol officer, please pass on the instructions of the governor. Order to go out and declare to the whole county: In this difficult and dangerous situation, if there are people who hide and save themselves and come out when the time comes, they can leave the city. Don't die for the defenders of the city. The governor will never pursue it; Everyone can still return to Wei Qiushi, the governor will not blame the past, and gentlemen don't need to mind. Xiao Yi and Wen Feng, let's save their lives for the time being, and they will be punished later!"

"No!" Although the battalion captain replied in this way, his face was still blank, so he had to drop his hands and back out slowly. Facing the surprised and suspicious gazes cast by the civil servants and generals, Sima Yi did not evade, but responded calmly——his eyes were desolate, deep and far away, which made all the subordinates murmur and be unable to say more!yes!Some hard facts are clearly laid out in front of everyone: Since General Xia Houshang, the former governor of the south of the town, died of a sudden illness in Wancheng at the beginning of this year, the people of Jingzhou have been in turmoil and panic every day. Xiao Yi and Wen Feng are nothing but Too bad luck and was caught by the city patrolling sentry!There are too many other county and county officials who abandoned their officials and fled but were not caught!How can this be forbidden by killing him two or three people with severe punishment at this moment?Instead of making everyone feel insecure and jumpy, it is better to show benevolence and be lenient, which may have a certain effect on appease the hearts of the people in the whole state.Thinking of this, the corner of Sima Yi's mouth curled up into a bitter smile: More than ten days ago, in the early morning of Wei Wendi's death and the second afternoon of the new emperor Cao Rui's succession to the throne, he hastily held a piece of paper to worship him as the town The appointment edict of the governor of the South University rushed to Xiangyang City non-stop to clean up the difficult and dangerous situation that Jingzhou is facing at the moment of "attack from east and west, and enemies from both sides"!For more than ten days in a row, the governor has forgotten to eat and sleep, dispatch troops and generals, and think day and night, until now he has not been able to breathe a sigh of relief!Jingzhou——Could it really become a "bush of thorns" where I will be smashed into the yellow sand when I first grasped the military talisman?

He shook his head slowly, gritted his teeth tightly, and tried to drive away all the distracting thoughts in his heart—he picked up a long and thin copper ruler, and pointed to the cypress hanging on the cypress wall behind him. The silk map of Jingzhou's military terrain carefully analyzed the situation of the battle: "Masters, according to the reports from the scouts from all sides of our army: this time the Wu bandits came to attack, and the troops were divided into two groups. The Qianshui Division, from the bank of Dongting Lake in Changsha County, went up the river and came to attack our Jiangling; all the way, the 50,000-step cavalry led by Zhuge Jin set off from Xiakou City and came west along the south bank of the Han River, intending to attack our Great Wei Mianyang City. Then, they joined forces from east and west in Dangyang County, and went north to attack Xiangyang!

"In this situation, the governor has been thinking hard for several days, and finally came up with such a countermeasure: Facing the two lines of enemy forces, our army must use two lines to fight separately-but in the deployment of the two lines of troops, there should be some countermeasures. There is light and heavy, there is false and real! First, let’s look at the deployment of the enemy’s troops: Lu Xun’s troops are few and sharp. To win a tie, Mianyang City may be lost due to insufficient reinforcements; Zhuge Jin's army is large and slow, and the whole army inevitably has the idea of ​​relying on more to win, so it is easy to become an army. The "virtual soldiers" who have opportunities to take advantage of - we should just start with him, first use Mianyang City as a "scented bait" to hoist their arrogance, and then secretly gather the elite main force of our Jingzhou camp, Also give him a "division of soldiers into two routes": one will advance eastward from the north bank of the Han River, and the other will sail down the Han River in a boat to the east, roundabout outflanking their "old nest" Xiakou City!

"Everyone should know that Xiakou City is the most important vassal screen to the west of the Wu thieves. It is only three hundred miles away from their puppet capital Wuchang City! If Xiakou City was attacked by our army, Wuchang must have Worrying about dying lips and cold teeth! In order to prevent Cao Xiu, the great Sima, from Hefei on the east wing to launch a sniper attack on his back, it is impossible to go to Fankou City, which echoes Xiakou across the river, to defend against it. Therefore, we only need to step up against Xiakou City If we attack fiercely, Sun Quan will definitely order Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin to rush back to help. In this way, the siege of Jiangling and the danger of Mianyang in the Wei Dynasty can be solved without fighting. After that, our army will take advantage of the situation. Go west, teach Zhuge Jin's Eastern Wu infantry division a lesson! By the time Lu Xun's navy rushes to Xiakou City, my tens of thousands of strong troops will be safely stationed in Mianyang, enough to wait for work!"

Although the words were spoken so smoothly at the moment, they had actually been rethought in Sima Yi's mind countless times!After Pei Qian listened to it, he was stunned: Sima Yi's tricks of "avoiding the truth and pretending to be false", "surrounding Wei and saving Zhao", and "waiting for work with ease" are really extraordinary moves!He really deserves to be the "Tsuka Tiger" who was praised by his master, Mr. Shui Jing!Maybe the current dangerous situation in Jingzhou of "clamping attack from east to west, being attacked from both sides" can really be resolved by him in one fell swoop!

At this time, Cao Zhao let out a "chuck" laugh: "The governor speaks clearly and logically—but, according to the opinion of my subordinates, is it possible that facing our own soldiers and horses, 'the east is empty and the west is solid', and the east is weak and the west is strong? In such a situation, would Sun Quan make such a low-level mistake?" Sima Yi heard the faint sarcasm in his words, and said calmly as if nothing had happened: "Sun Quan's mistake this time is not a low-level mistake, but a high-level mistake: he wants to attack both sides, and each has its own merits. Yang, he took Jiangling again, and he was dreaming of the dream of "getting both the bear's paw and the fish"! However, his move was also a wild gamble: he bet that there would be no one else in Jingzhou since the death of the governor of Xiahou. He was able to see through his poisonous trick of "hands-on both ways"! It's a pity that he still lost the bet - he probably wouldn't have guessed that Ben Du would "do the opposite" and take Mianyang as his own. 'Bait', ignore Jiangling, and go straight to Xiakou City, his western throat fortress! In this way, he will panic and call Lu Xun back in a hurry!"

"Well... what if Lu Xun insisted on disobedience and refused to attack Jiangling to the death? If Jiangling is lost, our Xiangyang City is also in jeopardy! If he continues to march northward from the front line of Dangyang, we still have great worries in Xiakou Ah!" Xia Houru said worriedly. Sima Yi listened carefully, his eyes flashing like lightning, and he waited until Xia Houru had finished speaking before he said slowly: "That's right, this governor's strategy of 'avoiding the truth and then pretending', 'attacking in a roundabout way' and 'surrounding Wei and saving Zhao' should be concealed." But Lu Xun. After all, Lu Xun is a generation of Confucian generals who are loyal to the emperor and uphold integrity. If he has not been authorized by his lord, Sun Quan, he may not dare to do extraordinary things. If our army can cause a crisis in Xiakou and a shock in Wuchang, then Sun Quan He will definitely be called to withdraw his troops and rush back to help the Savior! With Sun Quan's majesty and majesty, and laws like mountains, Lu Xun, who has always been strict and strict, should be irresistible..." Hearing this moment, all the generals under his account were convinced and had nothing to say. Seeing the expressions of conviction on their faces, Sima Yi raised the scepter in his hand and ordered decisively: "Now, the governor orders: Niu Jin, you lead 20,000 tigers and leopards to ride from the north bank of the Han River to the east. Attack down and take Xiakou City; Pei Qian and Xia Houru, you two ride 15,000 paces and ride south through Dangyang County to support Jiangling City; Cao Zhao, you ride 10,000 paces from Hanshui River The south bank galloped down to defend Mianyang City; the governor personally led 20,000 boat troops from the Han River downstream to attack Xiakou City!" "No!" All the civil servants and generals clasped their fists together and responded loudly. At this moment, the soldiers outside the hall raised their voices and said: "Liang Ji, who joined the army, and Niu Heng, who was in charge of Bingcao, have finished their condolences to Xincheng County. I am here to return!" Sima Yi heard it clearly, his eyebrows twitched immediately, his eyes brightened, he pondered for a while, raised his right hand, and said in response: "Okay! Then I will thank you all for going down quickly and obeying the order! Soldier, Chuan Liangji and Niu Heng come in! Also, Pei Qian and Niu Jin, you two stay here for now!" "Liang Ji, have you asked Meng Dake if he intends to send troops to the east to help?" Sima Yi sat back on the leopard-skin mat, took off the heavy purple gold helmet with a tiger's head, and put it next to the desk.While gently rubbing his "temples" on both sides with his fingers, he squinted at Liang Ji slightly, and asked slowly. Liang Ji was the only son of Sima Yi's colleague Liang Guang when he was an official in Hanoi County in his early years.Later, Liang Guang was seriously injured in the fierce battle with Yuan Shaoyu's party and unfortunately died. When he was dying, he entrusted his only son to Sima Yi as his adopted son.Sima Yi regarded him as his own, and had always trusted him. He kept him by his side and started as a personal bodyguard.At this time, Liang Ji heard Sima Yi's question, so he held his breath and replied respectfully: "This...Meng Da claimed that he suffered from headaches and waist and leg diseases, and it was difficult for him to go into battle for a while, so he couldn't lead the army this time. He came to help. His subordinates asked him to send troops to the east for support, but he told his subordinates that he would leave a large group of troops in Xincheng County to prevent the Shu bandits from taking advantage of the fire and looting and attacking Shennong Mountain." "Do you think what he said is the truth or lies?" Sima Yi asked Liang Ji, but his eyes turned to Niu Heng who was standing on the right side of Liang Ji.The two brothers Niu Heng and Niu Jin were the two "wedges" that he broke into the Xiangyang Mufu when the former general Cao Ren was in charge of Jingzhou.For so many years, he has used the Niu brothers as his eyes, ears and siblings to influence and manipulate the political situation in Jingxiang. Even his in-law Xia Houshang, who is so shrewd and powerful, has never been out of his invisible remote control!This is also the fundamental reason why Sima Yi was able to easily adapt to the internal and external situation as soon as he entered the Jingxiang camp, and quickly entered the role of "Great Governor". "The 'insider' lurking in Meng's mansion said that his 'headache' and 'waist and leg disease' were all faked." Niu Heng's words were always so concise. "Then, have there been any changes in the tens of thousands of soldiers under Meng Da's command recently?" Sima Yi asked again. Niu Heng and Liang Ji looked at each other, and answered with clasped fists, "According to a report from Niu's 'insider' stationed in Meng Da's army, Meng Da hasn't acted unusually yet, but is just deliberately standing still and watching the situation change." Liang Ji on the side also nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Oh? So he wants to 'step on two boats'? Hehehe... As long as he still has such wandering thoughts at the moment, it will be fine!" Sima Yi's eyes shone coldly, and he nodded slightly, suddenly as if He glanced at Pei Qian meaningfully, then looked at Liang Ji, and said leisurely, "Liang Ji, have you released the 'Smoke Array' carefully prepared by Ben Du for Meng Da? How did he react?" ?” "Report to Chief Governor, following your secret instructions, this subordinate skillfully cast the 'Smoke Array' on Meng Da. He should have fallen for the trick." Pei Qian was a little puzzled when he heard it from the side, so he interjected and asked, "Governor Sima, please forgive Pei for taking the liberty, what kind of 'smoke formation' did you cast on Meng Da? It's really not easy." Sima Yi stared at Pei Qian's serious expression, remained silent for a while, then suddenly gave him a "puchi" smile, and replied to him: "Hehehe... Mr. Pei! Speaking of this 'smoke screen array', it's a little bit like you. Relationship...Liang Ji, tell Mr. Pei the details." "No." Liang Ji responded, then turned to Pei Qian and said in detail, "This 'Smoke Array', Liang cast it like this: During the conversation with Meng Da that day, Liang pretended to mention inadvertently— —Because the senior ministers of the imperial court think that Pei Mujun has been ineffective in fighting against Sun Quan and Lu Xun and was passively beaten, they have a motion to resign you. Then, Liang also cleverly hinted to him that the position of Mujun in Jingzhou is about to be suspended And he, Mr. Meng, is probably the best candidate to take over Jingzhou because of his high skill and seniority... According to Liang's secret observation, Meng Da was delighted to hear Liang's words, and he rewarded him Liang's ten ingots of gold cakes..." "Meng Da is a greedy and capricious villain! He is really shameless!" Pei Qian couldn't help cursing bitterly as he listened. Sima Yi stared at him with a smile, and explained gracefully: "Mr. Pei, you are not too careful when Bendu fabricates rumors about you like this, right? This 'contradictory plan' was thought up by Bendu on a whim! You I don't know, this Meng Da is definitely not a kind person, he likes to harm others and benefit himself the most. A few months ago, he secretly bribed Xiahou Zhennan with a lot of money, hoping that Xiahou Zhennan would speak well for him in front of the late emperor. To replace you, the shepherd of Jingzhou... But he didn't know that Xiahou Zhennan actually told Ben Du all these things before he died. So Ben Du came a few days ago to "Borrow Flowers to Offer Buddha" to spread the news temporarily The rumors he likes to listen to confuse him as a 'smoke screen'...Pei Jun, you don't mind?" The expression on Pei Qian's face relaxed, and he cupped his hands to Sima Yi and said, "Where did the commander-in-chief say this? You are setting up a smoke screen for the sake of military and national affairs. How dare Pei Mou dare to be paranoid?" Pei Mou thinks: this Meng Da is really a wild dog that can't get enough to eat, you have to be more vigilant!" Sima Yi nodded slowly, thoughtfully.In fact, he had secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart just now: no matter what, he tried his best to stabilize Meng Da temporarily!Based on this alone, I should congratulate myself!Right now, I am facing Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin "attacking from east to west, and being attacked from both sides", which is already under great pressure-if Mengda in the northwest is not stabilized, if he temporarily raises troops to make trouble, he will immediately fall into " The nightmare of three-sided attack, three-sided enemy"!That would really make me feel in a hurry and lose sight of another! However, these secretly happy emotions just flitted through the bottom of his heart: Meng Da is a capricious and mercenary person. At this moment, it seems that he has temporarily stabilized him, but if he personally leads the army to attack Xiakou City in the east , he saw that the defense of Xiangyang City was empty, and then took the opportunity to make trouble behind himself, how should he deal with it?Pinning the hope of stability and safety on such an unreliable villain like him is really hanging... However, Sima Yi is worthy of being Sima Yi. Although he is secretly anxious deep in his heart, he is calm and calm on the surface.He turned his face, cast his Youyou eyes deeply on Pei Qian, and said, "Mr. Pei, you are going to defend Jiangling City this time, and the pressure on your shoulders is really not small!" "Yeah!" Pei Qian frowned, his face full of worry, "Lu Xun is a soldier like a god, and even Liu Bei, the false emperor of Western Shu, was defeated by him back then... If Pei fought against him, I'm afraid More bad luck than good..." Sima Yi smiled slightly, and patiently persuaded him: "Mr. Pei, the foreign enemy is indeed powerful, but we also have our own ways to deal with it. There is a saying in the tactics of soldiers, 'When two armies meet, if they cannot fight, they will make peace; if they cannot make peace, they will defend; When you and Xia Houru arrived in Jiangling, don't go out of the city to compete with him, Lu Xun, you just need to hold him patiently outside the city for twenty or thirty days, and everything will be fine!" "What? To delay him for 20 or 30 days?" Pei Qian still looked worried, "Governor, Pei can only promise to do his best here..." "Pei Jun, I believe that you will be able to hold on." Sima Yi solemnly said, "In my opinion, Jiangling City originally had 20,000 soldiers, with strong walls, thick doors, complete supplies and equipment. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack; secondly, although Lu Xun has 35,000 elite soldiers and is far away from the root cause, it is not advisable to procrastinate for a long time. Therefore, you will definitely be able to survive until the last moment..." The expression on Pei Qian's face still couldn't cheer up: "Pei is most worried about what happens if Sun Quan sends troops to reinforce Lu Xun..." "You don't have to worry too much about this. The governor can swear by the Han River outside the city and assure you: Sun Quan will never send troops to reinforce Lu Xun." Sima Yi waved his hand and called him to come closer. Standing up and leaning over to him, he said with confidence, "Why did the governor leave you alone? I just want to give you a detailed analysis. You may not have seen it, but this time Sun Quan implemented the 'combat attack from east to west, attack from both sides'" In terms of deployment and deployment of troops, there have been obvious selfish distractions from the very beginning. Since the Battle of Yiling five years ago, Lu Xun has set fire to the 800-mile company battalion of the Shu army and forced the puppet emperor of Western Shu, Liu Beizhi, to death in one fell swoop. Great Gong, who had a great reputation in Jiangdong's ruling and opposition parties. Sun Quan may have already harbored a secret suspicion of him as a master of great merit... That's why he deliberately let Zhuge Jin command far more troops than Lu Xun this time, forcing him to Lu Xun had to use a small force to gnaw at the "hard bone" of Jiangling City, which gave him a dilemma. If he wins this battle, it goes without saying that Lu Xun will definitely win the battle very hard, and the results will not be very dazzling. "If this battle is lost, Lu Xun's prestige will be damaged and his reputation will plummet. In fact, Sun Quan is secretly happy about it. Since Sun Quan has such a mind, you say he will send troops to reinforce Lu Xun, and once again add to Lu Xun's numerous achievements." '?" Sima Yi spoke in such detail in his mouth, but at the same time he thought to himself in his heart: The emperors and monarchs in the whole world are almost all the same, no matter whether it is Cao Pi or Sun Quan--all of them are the achievements of jealousy. Power, for talented and capable subordinates, they are often overtly guarded and restrained!If Sun Quan made a decisive decision with a vigorous and upright attitude, let Lu Xun go and treat him as he did during the Yiling battle, boldly allocate 50,000 to 60,000 elite soldiers, and order Zhuge Jin to attack from the east with only 20,000 cavalry If Mianyang is to support Lu Xun, then Lu Xun's soldiers will be able to take Jiangling in one fell swoop and drive northward with a strong force. That is the most serious crisis that our Great Wei fears!What is gratifying is that Sun Quan abandoned this plan because of his own selfishness, which is really the great luck of Wei!Based on this point, Sima Yi has already seen the "crux" of Sun Quan's success as an emperor despite being a hero of a generation - he is just as afraid of Sima Yi as Cao Cao was, and also deeply afraid of his No. 1 Confucian general Lu Xun! After hearing Sima Yi's words, Pei Qian was secretly relieved, and his frowns that were tightly locked gradually relaxed.Feeling relaxed, he clasped his fists to Sima Yi and said, "Thank you, Commander Sima, for your guidance and clear up the confusion! How about this, the situation in Jiangling City is critical now, and Pei doesn't dare to stay any longer, why not just leave it at that Take your leave, and rush there with General Xia Houru to make a good garrison!" Sima Yi nodded solemnly, waved his right hand, and said, "Mr. Pei acted decisively, swiftly and without sloppiness! This governor admires it very much! Alright! You go now! This governor hereby wishes you the best of luck and drives out the enemy in one fell swoop. Under the strong city!" After Pei Qian hurriedly exited the hall door, Sima Yi slowly leaned on the brocade backrest of the couch.He took a rough breath, and the resolute and steady expression on his face gradually subsided like layers of light tides, replaced by a look of deep anxiety and exhaustion. "Governor, now that the plan has been decided, what else are you so anxious about?" Niu Heng glanced at Sima Yi and asked cautiously. Sima Yi squinted his eyes slightly, and asked in a serious manner: "There is an old saying, 'Disasters often arise from negligence.' Mr. Niu, guess what this governor is anxious about right now?" Niu Heng rolled his eyes, and replied softly: "Could the governor still be anxious about Meng Da?" "That's right." Sima Yi opened his eyes and stared straight at him, "This Meng Da is capricious, unpredictable, and elusive. If he attacks Xiakou City in the east of Bendu, he will fight inextricably with Wu Kou At this time, they became mad and ran wild, and they used Li Yan, the governor of the puppet Shujiang Prefecture on the east side of Shennong Mountain, as an aid, while they went straight to Xiangyang and went down to the inside—how should we deal with it?" "Governor, you have falsely proclaimed the post of Jingzhou pastor as a 'bait', and cast a 'smoke screen' on him. He is greedy for power and profit, and his eyes are fixed on the top official hat. I'm afraid he won't be easy Just break with me, Great Wei?" Liang Ji mused as he spoke beside him, his eyes flickering like water. Sima Yi didn't answer his words, but still said slowly, "These are just expedient measures used by the governor to temporarily stabilize him, and they won't last too long. To be honest, they are just the governor's plan." A soft hand'. To make this Meng Da completely free from any chances for profit, the governor must have a 'hard hand' to monitor and guard against him." "Governor Sima is really overwhelmed. Meng Da probably wouldn't choose to 'fish in troubled waters' at this juncture." Niu Jin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "You can assume that even if Meng Da took the risk in desperation, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward. After taking this step, attacking Xiangyang City from behind our army - the consequence of this is that our army may be defeated, but Meng Da may not get any advantage! Because after our army is defeated, Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin will definitely coerce tigers and wolves Zhiwei came from the north to encroach, and the power is already dominated by Yike. What profit does Mengda have in front of them? Li Yanshang is still far away in the east of Shennong Mountain. For Mengda, it is also "far away cannot quench his thirst." '. What a calculating man Meng Da is, how could he do something like the sneak attack on Xiangyang that hurts others but is not beneficial to himself? He should just wait and see and wait for the situation to change..." When Sima Yi heard this, he was secretly amazed: I never thought that Niu Jin would grow from a valiant warrior to a general who can see current affairs as he is today!His sharp eyesight and sophistication are really different from the old "Ameng under Wu"!He was secretly happy in his heart for a while, and slowly said: "Niu Jin's words are very true. However, the governor has always been strict and careful in his actions, and he still can't let such a capricious villain like Meng Da wander out of our control... ...This man is full of tricks, who knows what troubles he will make in the future?" After hearing this, Niu Heng lowered his head slightly and slowly muttered.After a while, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his eyes, he clapped his palms together, and said happily: "That's right! Governor, Niu almost forgot, this time this subordinate brought back a person from Xincheng County, he is very familiar with Xincheng County, The inside information of Weixing County and other areas in the southwest may be beneficial to the Governor-General to monitor and guard against Meng Da with a 'hard hand'." "Who? What is his background?" Sima Yi's eyes jumped brightly. "He is a dead man we have raised for many years in Jingzhou. He was born as an orphan from a poor family. He has worshiped Niu as his adoptive father. His name is Zhoutai. He is 28 years old this year. Although he is young, he is smart, studious, and courageous. He is resourceful and able to act, and he is a man who can be made. Niu followed your instructions three years ago, and in order to monitor Mengda in time, let Zhoutai have been lurking in Xincheng County, Weixing County, etc. as an iron dealer. The southwestern area secretly spied on Meng Da's inside story." "Zhou Tai? The Zhou family in Mianyang, Jingzhou is quite famous. Could it be that he is a descendant of the Zhou family from there?" Sima Yi knew all the surnames and clans in Jing very well, so he asked casually. "To the Governor, the surname of this Zhoutai is the 'Zhou' of 'Jingzhou', not the 'Zhou' of Taishi Ling Zhouxuan. Zhoutai himself took this surname for himself, claiming that he used his name to symbolize his aspirations. : 'Those who live in a state can protect the state of a state.'” "Oh? Taizhou? 'Can keep a state'?" Sima Yi smiled slightly, "It sounds like this kid is quite ambitious! As an iron salesman, he actually has" Interesting! Interesting! Rare! Rare! The Governor really wants to see him—OK! Go and send him in to answer!" After Niu Heng responded and left the door, Sima Yi reached out to pick up the green jade double-eared cup on the desk, slowly sipped a sip of jujube and green lotus tea, and glanced at Niu Jin and Liang Ji at the side of his desk. Standing respectfully, he waved to the two of them and said with a smile, "You two are probably tired of standing by now—sit down on that bench and rest!" Niu Jin and Liang Ji murmured in response, but did not move.Sima Yi knew that the two of them might lose their manners, so he didn't want to persuade them too much. He calmed down and said, "Niu Jin, it's a good thing that the governor came to this Jingxiang area. There are a few able-bodied generals such as Pei Qian who are supporting it below—otherwise, once the governor landed on the ground in Jingzhou, what a big deal would it be? You also have to be considerate of some of the governor's difficulties: Speaking of Jingxiang, there are many talents in the camp, but Xia Houru is Xia Houshang's cousin, and Cao Zhao is Cao Xiu's son. They are both relatives of the emperor with a lot of background. How can the governor easily order them? And you Both brothers and Pei Qian are close friends of the Sima family, and they are not outsiders behind closed doors. Sometimes Ben Du’s lectures are emphatic or light, so don’t take it to heart—you just need to know how to break through. After passing the current difficulty, the road ahead of everyone will suddenly be clear!" Tears welled up in Niu Jin's eyes when he heard this, he clasped his fists together, bowed and said, "Governor, my brothers and sisters will be loyal to you to the death! If you have a mission, just speak up!" Sima Yi nodded deeply, his eyes full of approval.He was about to speak, but when the wooden door of the hall opened, Niu Heng led a tall young man in a strong suit to come forward quickly: the young man saw Sima Yi at first glance, but suddenly stopped, and faced Sima Yi from a distance Kneeling down, he raised his voice and shouted: "Little man Zhoutai pays homage to Governor Sima!" "Excuse me!" Sima Yi put down the earcup in his hand, his face tightened, and he replied slowly. Zhou Tai raised his head and looked up at Sima Yi from the ground.Sima Yi took a closer look, and saw that he was about twenty-seven or eight years old, wearing a green scarf, a square face with Chinese characters, a pair of black pearl-like eyes that kept blinking, and a pale yellow beard. Underneath, the two mustaches are slightly upturned, exuding an indescribable vigor and cleverness!When Sima Yi saw it, he could tell that this person was a clever character who came out of the various situations of the three religions and nine streams. As long as he is properly trained, he is really a rare "talent for the community"!He settled down, his eyes brightened, and he looked at him and asked slowly: "Zhoutai, I heard that you have traveled around Xincheng, Weixing and other counties and counties. What you understand—you report it in detail, and let the governor listen to you." "I would like to report to the governor, that Xincheng, Weixing, Fangling, Shangyong and other counties in the southwestern region are almost hidden in the heart of the villain, almost omniscient and know everything. "Zhoutai's black eyes rolled a few times, "But I don't know which aspect you want to hear the details? If you don't know how to ask, where will the villain start to talk about it?" "What a Zhoutai! In front of the Great Governor, you are still so glib! What a wise and wise man the Great Governor is, how can you say something offensive? Why don't you hurry up and apologize to the Great Governor!" When Liang Ji heard this, he couldn't help but change his expression, and he scolded him on the spot. Na Zhoutai tilted his head, and cast a nonchalant glance at Liang Ji: "This lord is too serious! What the villain said just now is not impolite—if you want to talk about Xincheng, Weixing, Fangling, Shangyong, etc. The internal and external aspects of all the counties and counties in the region are superior, and the geography and human relationship are important. If the villain does not distinguish the importance, regardless of the truth, I am afraid that I may not be able to finish talking here for three days and three nights! If you want to ask anything, you can just ask. That being said, the villain has a good target." Sima Yi also knew that his question just now was a bit abrupt, so he waved his hand to stop Liang Ji, and asked calmly: "Zhoutai, what you said is very good. The governor will directly ask you: If Meng Da, the prefect of Xincheng County, has a heart If there is a rebellion with different ambitions, which fortress in the southwestern region must the governor occupy first before he sends troops so as to block his way?" "This Meng Da has always been spooky and capricious. The court should have transferred him long ago! The previous Xiahou Zhennan was too soft-handed, and indulged him even more wildly!" Zhou Tai's eyes lit up, and he muttered After a few words, he replied loudly, "However, don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, as the saying goes, 'It's not too late to mend the dead sheep'——in the opinion of the villain, Meng Dana is really going to attack Xiangyang with an army, and you You can quickly send a strong force to occupy Huayangjinkou in the upper reaches of the Han River first, and give him the momentum of "closing the door and beating the dog" at the key point where the water and land meet. If you fail, you will definitely lose!" "'Close the door and beat the dog'! What's the trend of 'close the door and beat the dog'? Also, if that time comes, will the governor still have time to deploy troops to guard Huayangjinkou?" Sima Yi couldn't help but change his face in horror when he heard it, and leaned over. Stare straight at him and continue to question. "Of course there is time. If Meng Da wants to raise an army and make trouble, the first step he has to do is not to go eastward to attack Xiangyang, but to turn around and swing westward to capture Weixing County! Governor, you think—here At that time, we had Huayangjinkou in the east and Weixing County in the west, so if two gates were closed tightly, wouldn’t it be that the ‘mad dog’, Meng Da, was locked inside and beaten so that he had nowhere to escape?” Zhoutai gestured left and right with both hands, while explaining happily. Liang Ji heard him speak a little vulgarly, and immediately felt that he was indeed a vulgar peddler, and couldn't help frowning coldly and squinting at him.But Sima Yi didn't seem to care. He listened to Zhou Tai's words very seriously, and murmured: "Weixing County? That's right! Shen Yi is on duty there! Why did the governor forget it all of a sudden?" ..." "Governor, have you figured it out? You probably didn't know it before: Meng Da and Shen Yi, the prefect of Weixing County, have always been in harmony." Zhou Tai saw that Sima Yi really attached great importance to his suggestion, and his heart suddenly became more and more serious. Satisfied, he continued to talk eloquently, "Shen Yi and his eldest brother Shen Dan and Meng Da joined the Great Wei Dynasty together. Shen Yi thought that the contribution of his brothers must not be inferior to that of Meng Da, but unexpectedly Meng Da was good at sycophancy and flattery, and he made his way to the top. He not only stole the military exploits of his two brothers, but also slandered the late emperor, causing his eldest brother Shen Dan to be transferred to the inland to do a job in Yuzhou. Therefore, Brother Shen Yi has been incompatible with Meng Da all these years. It is also because of this that if Meng Da raises an army, he will be most afraid of Shen Yi stabbing him from Weixing County!" Sima Yi's eyes flickered from time to time, and he had been quietly listening to Zhou Tai's words. After a while, he suddenly asked again: "Mr. Zhou Tai, the governor heard that you have been hiding in Xincheng County for many years, so you must be with me." Have you ever dealt with Meng Da before? In your opinion, what is Meng Da's virtue and talent?" “嗨！大都督，照小人看来，这孟达虽然官秩高得出奇、架子大得吓人，其实只不过是一头纸扎的老虎，没什么可怕的！”州泰谈起孟达时就把嘴一撇，满脸的不屑之色，“您听小人给您摆一些关于他的那些事儿：有一日他在郡中酒楼大摆宴席款待辖下的三教九流之士，小人也在被邀之列。只因酒楼厨师上菜稍稍晚了一些，短短一盏茶的工夫间他以太守之尊竟一连起席催促了七八次，那副大呼小叫、面红耳赤的模样，让小人一下便瞧出了他是个十足的孬种，终究成不得什么大器！” “好！好！好！州泰君一席话，实在是让本督大受启发啊！”司马懿听到这里，不禁面露笑容，向州泰欣然而视，“州泰君年纪虽少，知人料事的本领却非同一般，是一棵值得好好栽培的好苗子！听你说来，这孟达实乃性躁而心多、喜诡变而乏沉着的庸碌之材，当是不足为忌了！本督现在也知道该当如何以'硬的一手'对付孟达了！” 他讲到此处，语气顿了一顿，蓦地肃然发令道：“梁机——你稍后带上本督的亲笔信，迅速前去豫州牧府，让豫州刺史贾逵出面说服申耽，请申耽给他弟弟申仪写去一封绝密家书，就说朝廷新帝即位，已然查明当年孟达在先帝面前进谗排挤他兄弟二人之事，现在对他兄弟二人将要重新起用，徐图取代孟达而接掌西南守疆之任。要嘱咐申仪切要与本督密切配合，在西面暗中监控和掣肘孟达！ “还有，牛恒你下来之后，马上带领一支死士劲旅，衔枚潜行，悄悄占据华阳津口，以防时势万一生变！” 说罢，他一转头又看向州泰：“州泰君，本座现在任命你为镇南大都督府兵曹署秘书郎，官秩八百石，担任牛恒的副手，专管应对新城孟达之事！本督即将东下直攻夏口，你要在后方全力协助牛恒君为我东征大军守好西南门户，免生后顾之忧！” 州泰在他案前听得一阵心神恍惚：先前牛恒兄弟在他面前谈起司马懿时总会洋溢出满面敬佩之情，他见了还有些不信不服——今日自己亲眼目睹了司马懿的谈吐风采之后，却不禁暗暗为之倾倒！他用人行事当真是“从善如流、不拘一格”——刚才自己还是一介布衣商贾的身份，眨眼之间已被他一举擢拔为八百石官秩的朝廷命官！这一份雷厉风行、立竿见影的手法，在州泰耳目所及的荆州上下谁人能及？