Chapter 9 Four, Heavenly Generals

"Your Majesty, Xiangyang has not sent the battle situation report for a long time. I'm afraid there is some accident? Why don't you quickly send an edict to Chief Sima Cao Xiu to launch a surprise attack from Hefei City, so as to support Governor Sima!" The imperial military meeting in the Changle Hall was very tense at the moment, and the air in the entire hall was suffocating to the point of exploding—the servant Xin Pi and the Huangmen servant Wang Su came out hand in hand to sing a wat to the new emperor Cao Rui . Cao Rui had just ascended the throne for two months today, but he still couldn't hide his slightly tired look while sitting on the dragon bed on the throne.The dragon bed of the horned dragon and panchi was wide and high, and the colorful brocade cushions were cold and soft, enough for three or four people to sit side by side—he sat upright in the middle, and the rosewood incense wood armrests on both sides were completely useless.In the past, he had seen the late emperor sitting up and criticizing the red. At that time, he just felt that the people sitting here seemed unattainable and majestic. It was only in the past two months that he sat on it himself to truly appreciate the "unreliable around, hanging in vain". The feeling of being alone in the middle of the sky!Seeing the ministers of civil and military affairs under Dan Chi sitting kneeling in different classes, he often felt a little inexplicably emptied while being secretly proud: So this is the Ninth Five-Year Honor, the position of the Son of Heaven? !At such a young age, can I live in these four universes, eight wildernesses, Liuhe and Kyushu?

The sound of Xin Pi and Wang Su's playing was still lingering in his ears, and they were waiting for his reply—Cao Rui's mind froze, and he said slowly: "The two Qing's playing are also It's out of the kindness of caring about Sima Aiqing. I can understand it. However, in my opinion, let's wait and see——Sima Aiqing's military strategy and ability to manage the army, when I was in the East Palace I have heard about it all along, and I have always trusted him. Besides, he was appointed as the governor of Zhennan in the posthumous edict written by the late emperor...Will the late emperor misjudge him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a call from the servant on duty at the entrance of the main hall: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, Mu Peiqian of Jingzhou, Xia Houru, Captain of Xiaoqi School, Cao Zhao, Captain of Tunqi School, Niu Jin, Governor of Xiangyang, and other generals Jointly handed in the eight hundred miles to speed up the battle situation report..." When Cao Rui heard this, he quickly raised his hand to straighten his own crown, his heart was beating wildly, he secretly gritted his teeth to gather himself, cleared his throat, and said in a loud voice: "Quickly present it!"

Opening the emergency military information report sheet with the pheasant feather logo stuck on the right corner, he held his breath and read out word by word: "Chen Peiqian, Xia Houru, Cao Zhao, Niu Jin and others jointly signed Zhuo, Sima Yi, the governor of the south of the town, first came to Jingxiang, and he was not chaotic, he employed people properly, appointed him well, and led the three armies to attack bravely. Now he has won a big victory in Heilinyu and Hanjiangkou, and he has solved the siege of Jiangling in one fell swoop. The danger of Yang..." As he was thinking to himself, all the ministers in the palace were shocked: this Sima Yi is so amazing!On weekdays, I only see that he is well-organized and orderly in economics and general affairs, but I didn't expect that he had just taken over the military power and he made extraordinary moves. With one move or two, he resolved the aggressiveness of the puppet Wu Dynasty of "fighting troops from east to west and attacking from both sides". crisis.

"Sure enough, the first emperor was very wise. He appointed Sima Aiqing as the governor of Zhennan with the edict. On the occasion of the Jingchi Festival, the planning was like a god, and the command was determined. Within a month, Lu Xun, Zhuge Jin and other cunning captives were forced to retreat, Zhang Ba, Zhang Xian and other enemy generals were beheaded, and 16,000 bandits were wiped out. More than a thousand people have made great contributions! I want to reward them heavily!" Cao Rui put down the report with a "wow", raised his head and glanced around at the officials in the palace, his face overflowing with joy could not be concealed.

Grand Fu Zhongyou, Yushi Dafu Dong Zhao, Situ Wang Lang and others looked at each other, and the foreman Qiqi went out to play and said: "I congratulate Your Majesty on the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Tian Zong is wise and talented, and he made Sima Yi show his strategy and make a great effort." Victory in the battle, firmly restraining Wu Lu's rampant jumping beam, is really the great fortune of the country!" Cao Rui nodded with a slight smile, and in the blink of an eye, he saw that the Taiwei Hua Xin, who holds the power of the army and horses of the states and counties in the world, was sitting on the special table alone, silent, looking gloomy and preoccupied.He couldn't help but looked over in astonishment: "Captain Hua, what do you mean..."

Hua Xin hastily left the table and came out to worship, with a look of hesitation on his face: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, I would like to ask, how many soldiers and horses did our army lose in this battle against Wu?" Cao Rui looked back at the report for a moment, frowned and said: "During the battle against Wu, our army also lost a total of more than 9,000 soldiers..." "Oh? It turns out that my Wei soldiers also lost more than 9,000 people?" Hua Xin smiled coldly, arched his hands, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, from this point of view, the so-called 'Heilinyu Great Victory' at the mouth of the Han River "Great victory", resolving the siege of Jiangling and the danger of Mianyang, etc., was just a fluke for Sima Yi by relying on the spiritual power of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen! In this battle against Wu, our army also lost nearly ten thousand soldiers and horses. Compared with Wu Lu, it can be described as a "small victory". Sima Yi's "small victory" can only prove that the appointment of him in Emperor Wen's edict was wise and correct-he can only be regarded as a big man who seems to be relatively qualified at the moment. Commander! From this point of view, why should he be rewarded excessively for his meager work?"

"This..." Cao Rui didn't expect Hua Xin to belittle Sima Yi's record so little as soon as he opened his mouth, and he couldn't help being greatly surprised—as Sima Yi's immediate superior in Wei Guo's military circle, Taiwei Hua Xin didn't invite Sima Yi Seeking rewards for meritorious service, but being so critical of him is really a bit unbelievable! While he was contemplating himself, he heard the Minister on Duty report again outside the palace gate: "Qizou Your Majesty, Sima Yi, the governor of the south of the town, rode in at a speedy 800 miles, and please appreciate the watch..."

"Thank you, please reward me? This person is so rude! Rewarding meritorious deeds is a matter in His Majesty's hands, and you have to weigh and make a clear decision. Unexpectedly, he presented this memorial first, and gave himself 'thank you, please reward'! This Are you a little impatient too?" Hua Xin couldn't help saying angrily when he heard this. Cao Rui also felt that Sima Yi's move was quite inappropriate, so he lowered his face, took Sima Yi's "thank you, please reward the watch" with one hand, and slowly started to read.After reading it, surprise appeared on his face, and then he showed deep admiration: "Well...it turns out that Sima Aiqing didn't 'thank you' for his own achievements, but for his. His subordinates Pei Qian, Xia Houru, Cao Zhao and other generals "thank you for your kindness"..."

Hearing these words, Hua Xin was also startled. She raised her head and looked at Cao Rui in a daze: "Sima Yi is indeed a very deep city mansion, which is really unpredictable..." "Sima Aiqing is really a man of integrity! In this memorial, he claimed that the battle against Wu was the result of a group of bureaucrats who worked together to overcome the difficulties and worked hard to achieve the victory in Heilinyu and the mouth of the Hanjiang River! So , he begged me to reward Pei Qian, Xia Houru, Cao Zhao, Niu Jin, etc., so as to encourage the strength of the three armies. However, he himself humbly said that he was relying on the great blessings of the late emperor Lingwei and me But occasionally winning a small victory is not enough to receive kindness and rewards. Dedicated to dedicating the beauty to the superior and sharing the merits with the inferior, Sima Aiqing is indeed a great leader of a generation of saints!"

Speaking of this, Cao Rui looked at Ling Lingran and looked at Hua Xin: "What's even more valuable is that Sima Aiqing also proposed in the memorial that he was willing to resign from the position of Shangshu Pushe in order to concentrate on military affairs and fight against Wu Lu... " No matter how thick-skinned Hua Xin was, he didn't feel a little hot at the moment. He couldn't help lowering his head, not daring to face Cao Rui head-on. Cao Rui's voice suddenly reverberated, and echoed clear and bright in the hall: "Sima Aiqing does not care about salary, does not covet rewards, does not exaggerate, works hard, and is loyal to the country. I am very grateful! Yes, now he He is not in charge of the army, so the position of Shangshu Pushe does not need to be vacant on him—I want to promote him to Yushi Zhongcheng, and he will be a role model for all officials with his caring for public affairs and forgetting selfishness, and his dedication to serve the country!" Although the position of "Censor Zhongcheng" is nominally the adjutant of the Censor Doctor, it is an independent government and governs affairs.Cao Rui promoted Sima Yi from the position of Shangshu Pushe to Yushi Zhongcheng at once, which actually promoted him by half a rank, and it was considered a reward for him. As soon as Cao Rui announced this edict, all the ministers in the palace fell down, and Hua Xin had no choice but to follow the mountain and shout: "My emperor is just and wise! Long live! Long live! Long live!" As soon as the call of all the Qings was finished, there was a report from the Minister on Duty outside the gate of the palace: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, Cao Zhen, the general and governor of Zhenxi, sent an army report of 800 miles to speed up and ride fast from Chang'an City. Newsletter..." When Cao Rui heard this, he thought to himself: Perhaps it was Cao Zhen who made the victory in exterminating the Western Qiang in Liangzhou, right?Today is really a "happy event"!He casually ordered: "Read in public!" "No!" The servant on duty responded, and opened the report at the door to take a closer look, his face changed drastically, and he read in a trembling voice, "The old minister Cao Zhenqi played your majesty, the false Shu Chancellor Zhuge Liang has brazenly kissed you!" Leading an army of 130,000 rebels out of Jiange Pass to the west, stationed in Hanzhong County, pointing directly at Yongliang and Liangzhou..." Under the blue sky, a light boat floats leisurely on the "Shenbi Lake" outside the "Qingyun Villa" of the No. 1 school in Jingzhou, like a red lotus floating up and down in the vast expanse of blue waves. Sima Yi was dressed in casual clothes, with his hands behind his back, standing upright on the bow of the boat, raising his eyes to admire the mountains and forests around the lake, full of interest, as if immersed in it and blindly looking at it. "I have been to my hometown for 20 years, and I am deeply interested in revisiting it today. The autumn scenery of the lake is still there today, and I don't see the people who were in the same boat." He let the breeze blowing from the lake slowly shake his beard, hair and skirt, while slowly reciting He wrote an impromptu poem with seven characters. "Father, have you been here before?" Sima Shisheng who was standing behind him asked cautiously in a low voice, afraid of disturbing his interest. "Yes! Master, look, there is Xiuyun Peak to the south, and Baopu Rock to the east... Have you seen the Qingyun Villa on the hillside of Xiuyun Peak? It was created by your uncle Sima Hui himself Yes. During the thirteen years of the former dynasty, all the students of Jingxiang came here. Now the high-ranking Mujun Pei Qian, the governor of Liangzhou Mengjian, and the young minister Cui Zhouping all graduated from here. Back then, The reputation of this villa is comparable to that of Ziyuan Academy in Linglong Valley where my father studied Taoism. Your uncle is a great man of his generation. I heard that there are seven or eight counties in Jingzhou who have set up memorial shrines in his honour. ..." As soon as "Sima Hui" was mentioned, Sima Yi's throat couldn't help sobbing, and the figure of his uncle Sima Hui suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, and his eyes were blurred by tears. vision.He couldn't help but recited Sima Hui's favorite poem during his lifetime: "'Cold clouds cover the shadows of cranes deeply, and I go up to the faint star-picking platform alone. The autumn wind is rustling and the curtain is moving, and the mountains and rain are coming from afar." Alas, if If your uncle is still alive in this world, if he sees the scene of his father returning to the 'Qingyun Villa' with the Jingxiang military power in his hand today, he will be so happy in his heart... He has worked hard for his father for twenty years Years ago, it was not until today that I really got the sole right to hold festivals. Thinking about it, I really feel ashamed of all the sacrifices and dedications made by your uncles and grandfathers back then..." Sima Shi saw that his father became so agitated for some reason at this moment, he was at a loss for what to do, but he hesitated and didn't know how to persuade him. After a while, Sima Yi himself calmed down slowly.He slowly wiped away the tears on his cheeks, and suddenly said with deep emotion: "In the last years of the previous dynasty, the world was in chaos. How many people with lofty ideals like your uncle and grandfather would not hesitate to hide their reputations, live in seclusion in the grass, and cultivate talents in order to help the world and the people. Cultivate talents for great use...How many people can match this kind of high moral integrity that cares about the country and the people?" Sima Master listened, thought for a while, but muttered from the side: "Father, you don't have to be so sentimental...Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer hermits and sages in the grass and fields, isn't it a good thing ?My grandfather once said well in the inscription, 'If there is no abuse in the court and no virtuous people in the country, the world will be peaceful.' If my Great Wei Dynasty can wipe out all the hermits and high sages in the world, why worry about Wu Shu not being destroyed? Why worry about the injustice of the world?" "Good! Good! Good! Master, you have spoken well!" Sima Yi turned his face and smiled, and gave Sima a meaningful look, "Then how can you catch all the hermits and sages in the world at once? ? Why don't you talk about it for your father?" "This... this... I haven't thought much about it. However, I have always been the most straightforward in doing things. To recruit them, I use both soft and hard methods! Putting on the front is the most difficult thing to stand up to. Sometimes the more you praise him, the more he shows off! Naturally, the boy first invites him with nice words and rich gifts, but if he deliberately pushes back and forth, then the boy will not allow them to be so contemptuous The majesty of the court may be brought to justice!" When Sima Yi heard this, he stared at him for a long while, and said coldly, "You idiot—why are you acting so recklessly? According to your method of giving courtesy before fighting, and using both soft and hard tactics, at most you can only recruit some moderately talented people. As for the outstanding talents and stalwart weapons like your uncle and Mr. Hu Zhao, even if you have a knife and saw in your hand, you can only look at the shadows and sigh! In the final analysis, if you want to catch all the hermits and high sages in the world, Or only a passage in the recent article "Teacher's List" written by the pseudo-Shu Zhuge Liang is good..." "Oh? Which passage is it?" Master Sima hurriedly asked. "'A virtuous minister, far from a villain, this is why the Han Dynasty prospered; a pro-little man, a virtuous minister, is why the Han Dynasty has declined since then.' Zhuge Kongming can be said to have a deep understanding of the key to governing the country with scholars! His words , is the correct way to catch all the hermits and sages in the world!" Sima Yi murmured, his eyes slowly passing over the sparkling clear waves of the "Shenbi Lake" to the west. In the boundless sky, he said slowly and softly, "Zhuge Kongming... Your "List of Teachers" is well written! Have you finally ushered in a great opportunity to take power and show your ambitions? Twenty years It's gone...Twenty years have passed...I'm afraid you haven't come back to this "Qingyun Villa" to see it again? The green hills here are still the same, and the green water is the same as before, but the bosom friends who swam together in the boat in the past are far away from each other... " At this point in his words, all kinds of past events when he, Zhuge Liang and Lu Su were boating together and discussing the plan to fight against Cao emerged in his heart, and before he knew it, tears were slowly streaming down his cheeks.Who would have thought that twenty years would pass away in the blink of an eye, during which time Lu Su had already died, the Three Kingdoms had come to power, and Zhuge Liang would finally hold the military and political power of the Shu Han. And the confrontation and confrontation... These were all vaguely contemplated in the depths of my heart at the beginning, but now they seem to be getting closer and closer and more realistic... Could this be the fate of myself and Zhuge Liang? "Father, it sounds like you are very familiar with this Zhuge Liang?" Sima Shi asked in amazement. "He used to be the most proud closed disciple of your uncle, Mr. Sima Hui." Sima Yi didn't answer directly, his face was extremely calm, but he seemed to talk about other things, "I can tell you very seriously as a father. In the not-too-distant future, he will also be the strongest and most terrifying opponent of our Great Wei Dynasty!" After hearing this, Master Sima showed disbelief, but he didn't dare to openly refute him because of his father's face. "Master, as the saying goes, 'Spiritual trees are conceived in strange mountains and different waters.' Some trees in the 'Xiuyun Peak' will definitely open your eyes...here, have you seen those two trees on the bank? "Sima Yi glanced at his expression, just smiled indifferently, and didn't say anything to him, so he changed the subject. Master Sima looked intently in response to the sound, and saw two tall trees standing close to each other on the shore of the lake. They were really different: the one in front was on the same root and grew at the same time. Two tree trunks as thick as sea bowls come, one on the left and the other on the right, vividly resembling the character "娘", stretching straight to half the waist, and then parting obliquely from the middle, each spreading its branches and leaves, competing for novelty. Bucket green, comparable; the one behind is actually two green trees about four feet apart from each other, stretching from the ground to a height of more than two people, and suddenly intertwined with each other. Close up to form a whole big tree growing towards the sky.Sima Shi looked at it from a distance, and felt like a big "person" standing there, it was really a rare and rare object, which was rare in a hundred years.He turned his head, looked at his father, and said in surprise, "These two big trees grow really strange..." "A natural genius is different." Sima Yi said lightly, "This is the 'twin tree' and the 'combined tree'... Master, just like you today, when I saw these two strange trees when I was a father At that time, I was stunned by the strange state of the two of them when they separated and reunited! How much enlightenment has been given to us by these two strange trees: everything in this world , Divide if you want to divide, divide to be full of vitality and splendor; unite to unite, unite to be abrupt, majestic and captivating!" Master Sima listened, and kept nodding his head in agreement. But Sima Yi let go of his thoughts leisurely: Isn't the reunion and reunion of myself, Zhuge Liang, Lu Su and others in this "Qingyun Villa" that day just like this "Twin Tree" and "Composite Tree"?Now that I am in charge of the most important areas of Wei Guo's confidantes, I don't know what kind of drama of "separation and combination, offensive and defensive" will be performed with Zhuge Liang, the current prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty?By the way, why did Zhuge Liang choose Hanzhong County as his base when he launched an attack on Wei this time?The location of Hanzhong County is quite delicate. It faces Qishan Mountain in the west, Xiegu Road in the north, and Weixing County, the gateway to Jingzhou in the east. It is a strategic location that can attack from three sides!Could it be that Zhuge Liang is still intentionally implementing his "Longzhong Opposition" strategy?That strategy is already familiar to me, and its core content is "East to Sun Quan, north to attack the Cao family; west to Hanzhong, east to Jingxiang; left to take Chang'an, right to attack Wanluo"!Oh!Now he intends to implement his "Longzhong Opposition" strategy on a large scale - his first step in "going east to Jingxiang" will be to start with Weixing County and Xincheng County where Mengda is based!He just wants to use the two "springboards" of Weixing County and Xincheng County to penetrate into the northwest of Jingzhou in one step, and then go down the Han River to snatch Huayang Jinkou, and come to seize Xiangyang and Fancheng!Thinking of this, Sima Yi frowned tightly: It seems that he has to "see the opportunity, not wait until the end of the day", and is always ready to pull out the "nail" of Meng Da in one fell swoop, so as to be solid for my great Wei. Guard the southwestern feudal households! At this moment, Master Sima blushed suddenly, and asked him expectantly: "By the way, my lord... I have a question that has been lingering in my heart, and today I finally have the time to ask you: Why did you ask me, Father, the day before?" He has never held military power before, but in this fight with Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun of the Eastern Wu, he is like a fish in water and can gallop freely?" "Hehehe... Master, I also see that you have wanted to ask this question for a long time... I am very satisfied that you are able to ask this question boldly today. Only by studying hard and asking questions can you improve your virtue. The only way to go! If you can pay attention to this point everywhere in the future, you will naturally make rapid progress. Anyway, I will tell you as a father: Do you know that there are actually two kinds of wars in this world-one is' Visible war, is there an 'invisible war'?" "'Visible battle'? 'Invisible battle'?" Sima Shi looked bewildered. "That's right. In my father's opinion, this 'visible battle' means fighting against others, against foreign enemies, and fighting with real swords and guns. Like the marshals Zhang Liao and Cao Zhang you admire, they What you are good at is this kind of warfare, which is what you were familiar with before; and the "invisible battle" is to fight against yourself, against the destiny, and fight with strategies and strategies, like King Wen of Zhou, King Han Gaozu, Emperor Guangwu, etc., they are good at this kind of warfare. The real famous generals should have "both hands" for these two tactics, and they should not be partial to each other. To be honest, Emperor Taizu Wu is actually like this A talented genius with both hands and both hands - as his father once served by his side, he has more or less participated in various "visible battles" and "invisible battles", and knows how to use tactics to fight against himself It is the true meaning of being able to control the heroes with tactics, so once the military power is in hand, it is natural to use it with ease, and there will be no disadvantages!" Master Sima listened carefully, and nodded if he realized something. "Master, you were influenced by your father-in-law Xiahou Zhennan earlier, and Niannian only wanted to learn the martial arts general strategy of being the 'enemy of ten thousand people'. This is not bad. But I, a child of the Sima family, should be determined It is a higher level. You have also read the "Historical Records" written by our ancestor Sima Qian. It is recorded there that Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, is powerful? In the midst of competing in the world, he was defeated and died in Dongcheng in the end?" At this point, Sima Yi paused, took a deep look at his son, left him a moment to think, and then continued to preach, "This That is, Xiang Yu has always been self-willed, brave and self-satisfied. He used his own wisdom instead of being good at learning from each other's strengths to make up for his weaknesses. Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty: He was originally a middleman. He was not as resourceful as Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, he was not as good as Han Xin in using troops, and he was not as good as Xiao He in governing the country. However, he swept Liuhe and dominated the world in seven years! What is the reason? This is Because he is good at recognizing talents and appointing talents, following the good like others, as Zhuge Liang said, "be close to virtuous ministers and far away from villains" and "unify talents with one talent", so he won God's help and was invincible in the end! You— ——You should make up your mind to be a famous general with great wisdom and great wisdom like Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty!" When Master Sima heard that his father had expected him to be a "kingly man" like Han Gaozu, he couldn't help but be moved, and he replied solemnly: "My father's earnest teachings, my son has firmly remembered them. According to my son, , my father can be called such a famous general who is good at 'combining talents with one talent'..." "Hehehe... Teacher's words are exaggerated! Among the father's ears, ears, eyes and ears, the great sage who is really good at "unifying talents with one talent" has been the only one who respected the marquis Xun Yu and Xun Lingjun in the past hundred years. Only one person! He is really thirsty for talents and loves talents like his life, so only he can truly achieve "unifying talents with one talent". To be honest, being a father has always been secretly I sincerely admire him as a role model..." Sima Yi's eyes suddenly became inexplicably softer, and he murmured, "You see, my father favored Zhoutai a lot, just like Xun Lingjun had a lot of favor for my father back then. Plus, this Zhoutai is a natural genius, and my Sima family will definitely cultivate him for great use in the future! Master, you should also become friends with him, and learn a lot from him about being smart and practical!" "This... Father, this Zhou Tai was just recognized by you at a glance due to his occasional frivolity! But the bottom line is that he is just a lonely man from a poor family. What kind of family background did he come from? In the end, it is clear but not deep. It's not far..." Master Sima curled his lips slightly, and said indifferently. "Family background? Family origin? You idiot! Don't you know the motto 'Emperors, generals, and ministers are better than kindness'? Commander Zhang Liao and General Cao Zhang you admire, what kind of background and family do they have?" Learning from the source? Hmph..." Sima Yi straightened his face and said to him coldly, "Before my father came to Xiangyang to take up his post this time, your righteous uncle Huan Fan will personally send the ten-mile long pavilion to my father, and give him a lesson. The words of the words are bestowed, "For those who are in charge of the aspect, the important task is to solve the obstruction; the task of solving the obstruction is to go down; the way to go down is to listen to it; You can reach it by yourself. If this is the case, the people who have heard and seen are wide; if you want to be blocked, you can’t get it. It seems that your "heart block disease" is very serious, you go down Then, before going to sleep every night, copy this teaching of your Uncle Huan ten times, and paste it on the side of the bed, so as to remind yourself every day!" "Yes." Master Sima blushed from his father's training, and hurriedly lowered his hands and nodded repeatedly.