Chapter 26 1. Shu Wei in the rear

Although the city of Chengdu in the Kingdom of Shu has entered the midsummer season early, it is not like the Guanzhong area, which is always warm and cool like spring, cool and pleasant.This place is far away from the brutality and bloody on the front battlefield, and the endless plain villages in the outskirts, filled with a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere, it seems that it has not been affected by the war in any way. In fact, this is just a charming appearance of tranquility and stability covering up and down the Shu Kingdom.Now that the war has broken out, it will inevitably affect the production and life of the people.Leaving aside those farmers and women who were busy plowing day and night to prepare food and weave cloth for the soldiers in the front, even officials big and small in the Kingdom of Shu also lived a hard life of clear soup and cabbage.The imperial court stipulated that each official and his family members could only receive eight or two rice or wheat noodles for cooking each day, and at the same time solve the problem of dishes by themselves.The saved rice and noodles were all sent to the front line for the soldiers to eat.Such a difficult life is naturally very difficult for Shu officials.But for the rejuvenation of the Shu Han, the subjects of the ruling and opposition parties gritted their teeth and survived.With Prime Minister Zhuge in command of the three armies and commanding the authority of the Quartet, all the relatives in his family can only provide about six taels of food per person per day, which is less than the quota of ordinary people-this makes all the subjects of the world feel unconvinced. oral?

The days of Li Yan and his family members who were entrusted to Gu Ci Fu by Gu Ming and Shang Shuling of the Kingdom of Shu and his family did not live as rough and hard as the relatives of Prime Minister Zhuge.This is mainly because he built a ten-acre fish pond in his mansion.He raised a lot of turtles, turtles, carp and crucian carp in the pond, which can be watched and entertained, and can also be used for stewing and eating. This is quite different from the embarrassment of others living with vegetables, radishes and brown rice. On this day, the sky was clear, and the fish pond was shining like a piece of flawless jasper, reflecting the floating clouds in the sky, the sky was clear and clear, and it was really beautiful.Shang Shu Ling Li Yan was sitting on a big rock by the pool at this moment, his eyes were half-closed, he was holding a long and thin green bamboo fishing rod in his hand, and a sliver of silver fishing line was hanging straight into the middle of the pool. , as if frozen in this large piece of green ice-like fish pond water, motionless.

Suddenly a breeze passed by slowly, and a layer of sparkling waves appeared on the surface of the pool.Li Yan clasped the five fingers of his right hand holding the fishing rod, and was about to lift the rod to fish, but saw a servant coming over with his hand down, and whispered behind him: "My lord, Mr. Huang from the palace is asking to see you outside the mansion." Li Yan's right hand, which was about to lift the pole and draw the silk, suddenly affirmed, and he didn't answer, just sat quietly on the boulder, as if he had heard the report to the servant, but it seemed that he hadn't heard anything.The servant didn't dare to say much, he held his breath with his hands down, stood in awe, and waited quietly for Li Yan's instructions.

After a long while, Li Yan seemed to be reluctantly sighing, without turning his head, he said slowly, "I invite Mr. Huang to meet you." The "Eunuch Huang" mentioned by the servant is Huang Hao, the most trusted confidant eunuch around the emperor Liu Chan.Li Yan knew that he and Liu Chan were playmates who had played and played together since they were young, and the two were almost like brothers, their relationship was very close.Moreover, Li Yan had also dealt with Huang Hao several times in the palace, and felt that this young eunuch, who was about the same age as the emperor, was quick-witted, intelligent, witty, and eloquent, so he should not be taken lightly.Therefore, out of prudent self-protection considerations, Li Yan had to pay enough attention to this little eunuch from the fourth rank.Let him enter the mansion today to meet him in order to meet him, and he is not only approachable, but also respectful.

After the servant went away in response to the sound, Li Yan turned around and glanced at the servant's back.His face gradually became serious, as if he had fallen into deep, deep thoughts.As the saying goes: "If you have nothing to do, don't go to the Palace of Three Treasures." What is the intention of this Huang Hao, who dares to leave the palace and come to our residence?Eunuchs go out of the palace to meet ministers privately, this is very inconsistent with the etiquette system of our Han Dynasty!Could it be that he brought some orders from the emperor to come over to discuss with me... Li Yan was already full of thoughts at this moment, but the expression on his face was still extremely solemn, without any disturbance.

Not long after, he heard the footsteps "Duk Tuk" approaching from far away, coming directly behind him and stopping.Li Yan knew who it was, but he didn't look back.After a long while, a slightly shrill voice finally sounded slowly from the back of his head: "Master Shang Shuling is so elegant! Huang Hao is so polite." Li Yan pretended to be surprised when he heard this, put down his fishing rod hastily, turned around, and saw Huang Hao, who was dressed in a blue robe and had a delicate face, standing behind him bowing, he couldn't help shouting: "Oh! Oh! I don't know why Mr. Huang I have already come to the humble house in person, I am rude!" At the same time, he turned his head and scolded the servant standing beside him, saying: "Just now, Eunuch Huang walked behind me, but you didn't know how to remind me to let me be rude to you. Your honored guest, you should be punished!"

The servants fell to their knees one after another, trembling and terrified. Huang Hao's face was very calm, but there was a vague smile on his lips, and after Li Yan finished his anger and lectured, he said unhurriedly: "Huang is just a eunuch, lowly Like a dog, it’s hard to say who you want to respect or not! Shang Shu ordered the adults not to reprimand them anymore, it was Huang who told them not to inform you. Shang Shu ordered the adults to look up to Huang so much, Huang felt a little ashamed .” While apologizing, Li Yan ordered his servants to bring Huang Hao a red sandalwood chair and sit down.Then, he himself went back to the pool to fish and stood there, and said leisurely: "Eunuch Huang, today we are going to be more casual, without any formalities. May I ask what you are doing in my residence at this moment?"

Huang Hao didn't answer, his eyes rolled around, looked around at the servants of the Li family, coughed lightly, and stopped talking.When Li Yan saw this, he felt sorry, and waved his left hand, making all the servants retreat. Huang Hao saw that the servants had gone far away, so he smiled slightly and said: "What important matter can a mere eunuch come to Shang Shuling for something? It's just following His Majesty's order and coming to ask Shang Shuling for money. Just go back and honor His Majesty with a few meat dishes that you can swallow!" "Oh? Is the food expenses in the palace in a hurry?" Li Yan was taken aback.

"That's not true! It's just that Prime Minister Zhuge taught His Majesty every day to 'cultivate one's morality by being quiet, cultivate virtue by being thrifty, and shepherd oneself by being humble'. As a result, His Majesty lived on vegetables, tofu, and white rice at a young age, and was so skinny... ..." Huang Hao said with tears in his eyes, and couldn't help wiping the corners of his eyes with the sleeve of his robe, "Huang couldn't bear it, so he tried hard to persuade His Majesty to allow him to run away secretly at the risk of being impeached by the censor. Go to Lord Shang Shuling and beg for some meat for His Majesty to go back to replenish your body..."

"This... the various expenditure plans in the palace were made by Prime Minister Zhuge!" Li Yan seemed a little troubled, "He is the chief minister of Gu Ming, and many things have to be decided by him... If this seat is bad If you break his rules, I'm afraid it's a little difficult to explain to him..." "Yes! Yes! Prime Minister Zhuge is Gu Ming's first assistant minister, and Lord Shang Shuling is Gu Ming's second assistant minister—it's rare for you to respect him so much!" Huang Hao said with a slight smile after hearing this, "It's just that you give him humility everywhere, but he doesn't necessarily take your painstaking efforts to help you through the difficult times... He is also the Minister of Gu Ming, but he can run the government independently, However, he single-handedly stopped Shang Shuling from setting up a government office, and placed Shang Shuling in a favored position—this made us outsiders see it, and also felt that Shang Shuling's lord felt cold!"

After hearing these words, Li Yan didn't make a sound for a while, but his right hand holding the fishing rod trembled a few times, and the fishing line swung a few times, immediately forming layers of ripples on the surface of the mirror-like pool.To be honest, Huang Hao's words really hit the "sore spot" in his heart.Ever since the first emperor Tuogu in Baidi City, although Zhuge Liang and himself were the ministers of Gu Ming and assistant government, he has always suppressed himself everywhere: at first, he assigned himself to fight against Wu in the Xiajiang area in the east of Shu, and refused to let him go. He returned to the center of power in Chengdu by himself, and later transferred himself to the imperial court to take up the post of Shang Shuling, only in charge of military supply and logistics affairs, and did not allow himself to participate in the core decision-making process of military and state affairs—just like this Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang was only in charge of him. Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, Jiang Wei and other cronies and ministers under his command closed their doors to discuss in the "small circle" and never communicated with himself in advance.Moreover, Zhuge Liang has always been pretentious, arbitrarily arbitrary, giving orders, and he is transferred around, never respecting himself, and he plausibly said that "the palace and the mansion are all one" and "the prime minister's mansion represents the imperial court", and no other elders are needed The important ministers also set up the government to manage affairs, so as to avoid the excessive establishment of institutions and the spread of politics.Thinking of this, Li Yan was furious.But at this moment, how dare he show his face to let outsiders see it?He didn't say a word, and stood quietly, letting the resentment in his chest slowly subside.At the same time, his heart skipped a beat: This Huang Hao dared to come secretly to sow discord among the two ministers who were in charge of the government today. I really don't know what he intends to do?He couldn't help but look terrified, on the surface he still pretended to be nonchalant, but pricked up his ears to observe coldly, waiting for changes. Seeing that he didn't answer, Huang Hao said to himself: "Huang heard the news from the Wei State that the false emperor Cao Rui was building a palace and sending people around to search for treasures. What was eaten was ivory chopsticks from Jiaozhou of Eastern Wu, what was eaten was whale meat from the Liaodong sea area, and what was brought into the palace was a beautiful girl from Jingyang and Yangzhou... That emperor must have a good taste! How can it be like our majesty—— —Although you are the son of heaven, the food, clothing and sleeping place are as cheap as ordinary people!" Hearing this, Li Yan stretched out his left hand and lifted the long beard on his chest, and couldn't help coughing.Huang Hao immediately realized that his words were out of line for a moment, so he changed his words and said: "Oh! Huang deserves to be slapped! He deserves to be slapped! Our Majesty humbles his palace, saves his food and clothing, cares about the world, works hard to govern, and does not treat the people How can Cao Rui, that obscene and obscene king, be able to compare with the strength of his service?” He slapped himself a few times, and said, “Although your Majesty is a saint, you can humble yourself, Frugality in everything, the suffering of rough food and clothing all day long - this is really unbearable in the eyes of us as courtiers! Huang has no other thoughts in his heart, but he only wants to serve His Majesty well. Please Shangshu Ling adults to allow Huang to bring some meat dishes back to honor His Majesty!" But Li Yan was still hanging fishing without saying a word, only stretched his head to look at the surface of the pool, standing still.Seeing that he didn't seem to be listening to what he was saying, Huang Hao felt that he was making fun of himself, so his face darkened.Suddenly, Li Yan raised his fishing rod, and a carp burst out of the water with a "squeak", and drew a golden arc in the air. With a "snap", it was thrown ashore by the fishing line and landed on Huang Hao. On the ground next to his feet, he was alive and kicking. Huang Hao looked down and saw that this golden carp was about two feet long, fat and big, and couldn't help but blurt out praise: "Master Shang Shuling's fishing skills are really amazing!" There was also a smug smile on Li Yan's face, he pointed at the golden carp jumping on the ground with the green bamboo fishing rod in his hand, and said, "If Eunuch Huang doesn't mind this golden carp, Then take it back to the palace and cook it yourself! As for the things His Majesty needs, Eunuch Huang will go back for now. After an hour, I will try my best to find the best delicacies from mountains and seas and send them to the palace." Huang Hao couldn't help being overjoyed when he heard that , Thank you again and again. "In addition, the old minister has an idea: in a few days, Zhang Wen, the envoy of the Eastern Wu, will go back. Although we failed to reach an agreement on the joint attack on the puppet Wei this time, Zhang Wen made a special decision before leaving. He put forward a request to purchase Shu brocade from our Han territory for national use." Li Yan said unhurriedly, "You should also know that our Shu brocade has always been of high quality and is very exquisite. Even the King of Wu and Sun Quan couldn’t put it down. According to Zhang Wen, as long as we are willing to provide enough Shu brocade, they can give us anything we need in exchange..." "Shu brocade?" Huang Hao was stunned, his expression was blank, "Master Li...Huang knows that there are still 300,000 pieces of Shu brocade in the treasury, but Prime Minister Zhuge personally explained before his departure: There is an urgent need, and when it is a last resort, it is used to exchange food and ordnance with Soochow!" "This veteran also knows. Is Eunuch Huang afraid that if Prime Minister Zhuge blames him, he won't be able to bear it? You don't have to worry too much, the veteran will take care of everything!" Li Yan said to himself, holding a fishing rod in one hand and facing the pool. He looked at him, but didn't look back at him, and a deep smile slowly appeared on his face, "Xiao He, a virtuous prime minister of the former Han Dynasty, once said to Emperor Gaozu, 'The palaces are simple but there is no way to strengthen the power of heaven, and the food and clothing are poor but not enough. Taking care of the emperor is the fault of being unfaithful to the emperor.' So the old minister decided to use the 300,000 pieces of Sichuan brocade to exchange some top-grade pearls, emeralds, tortoise shells, colorful feathers, and ivory from Soochow. The imperial palace has been redecorated to make it more magnificent, so as to promote the beauty of my great man Wuhua Tianbao!" "This... This is of course great!" Huang Hao was so happy from ear to ear when he heard this, he said happily, "After Huang returns to the palace, he must tell His Majesty: Mr. Li still remembers His Majesty wholeheartedly. The assistant minister who knows the heart and lungs of His Majesty!" "Then thank you, Eunuch Huang, for your kind words in front of His Majesty." Li Yan slowly put away the fishing rod, approached him, and said slowly to Huang Hao, "Your Majesty has lived a miserable life for dozens of days. It’s also very clear—it’s all caused by the Northern Expedition, which is a waste of money and money, and has no merit at all.” Speaking of this, his eyes suddenly darkened, but his tone was calm: “However, please tell your Majesty, Eunuch Huang, At most, I will have to endure it for another month or two. The veteran doesn't want to make everyone in the government and the public feel disheveled because of the so-called great cause of a certain person, and they don't know the joy of living." After hearing this, Huang Hao's face froze, and he said in a low voice: "Master Shang Shuling and Mr. Huang, and... I really want to go together, or how can I say that you are 'His Majesty's intimate assistant minister', It's not like some people who only care about their own history and leave a name, but don't know the general outline of the court, so that everyone from top to bottom will suffer with him!" Li Yan understood Huang Hao's words in an instant, "And..." Who was the person behind referring to, he stretched out his hand and arched at him, smiled without saying a word. The sudden relegation of Cao Zhi, the king of Dong'a, actually aroused the secret sympathy of many ministers in the court of Wei State.However, sympathy is all sympathy, and no one dared to stand up and say a fair word for him-they all knew why the emperor attacked his virtuous uncle so ruthlessly.Who told King Dong'a to become the emperor's so-called "biological father" inexplicably in that sensational rumor?In order to show the people all over the world that he is the legitimate son of Emperor Wei Wen, and to show the people all over the world that his blood is pure, the only trick that the emperor can do is to quell the rumors by severely beating his own uncle!At present, his trick has really paid off, and as Cao Zhi was publicly reprimanded, the rumors gradually subsided. And Dong'e Wang Cao Zhi himself probably understood the intentions of his emperor's nephew, and immediately made a tearful and bloody apology, acknowledging the "unnecessary" charges imposed on him by the court. Everything is true, and at the same time, he publicly promised to voluntarily stay in Dong'a City to wait for the old, no longer care about the affairs of the court, never set foot in the capital, and vowed to be a companion of poetry, books and books for the rest of his life. Chen Qun was one of the very few veteran ministers who were invited into the palace to see Cao Zhi's apology in the first time.At that time, he couldn't help feeling a sore nose, and tears were about to come out of his eyes.Originally, as Gu Ming's auxiliary minister, he should be happy that Cao Zhi, a potential political opponent, has completely withdrawn from the court.However, for some reason, he still couldn't help feeling a "sorrowful rabbit dies and a fox" in his heart.He deeply understood that it can be seen from the emperor's harsh and ungrateful and merciless attack on Cao's clan, that the emperor has decided not to use the clan kings as the pillars of his imperial power.The Cao family members, just like the relatives of the later clan who were swept into the garbage dump of history more than half a month ago, are also lingering in the political arena of Wei State.At the same time, judging from the emperor's many favors and great rewards for the members of Sima Yi's family recently, the balance of the highest power in the Wei family has finally tilted towards the so-called Sima family who are "brilliant in meritorious service and deeply respected by everyone"!What a dire red flag this is! When he thought about it further, he was even more terrified: In the current imperial court, only he is the last obstacle to the Sima clan controlling the court and arbitrarily ruling the court!If it was said that there was Queen Mother Guo's party and the Cao clan in the imperial court who could be used as targets to win against Sima, but now, he looked around but he couldn't find a right-hand man!Unknowingly, he has been pushed to the forefront of the court by the current situation to check and balance Sima! After pondering for a long time, Chen Qun raised his eyes and looked at Zhong Taifu, Wang Situ, Doctor Dong and others who came into the palace with him to watch Cao Zhi's apology form.All of them had serious expressions on their faces, completely covering up the turmoil in their hearts, making it impossible to see what was going on in their hearts.After a while, these adults all reasoned that they were too old to be tired from sitting for a long time, and one by one they resigned and left the palace.In the huge political discussion cabinet, only Chen Qun, who was responsible for the affairs of the prime minister's various ministries, was left alone to discuss with Sun Zi and Liu Fang how to deal with the current famine among farmers in Yuzhou. "In my opinion, it's better to continue to allocate surplus food from Xuzhou and Yangzhou to save the people of Yuzhou from the famine as in previous years." Chen Qun is already familiar with handling such matters, and the emergency plan is easy to come by without thinking, " Lord Sun and Lord Liu please draw up the decree quickly!" Unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, there was an astonishing silence in the arena.Sun Zi and Liu Fang looked at him quietly with wry smiles all over their faces, without any response. "My lords, what's the matter?" Chen Qun was taken aback, "Could there be some accident?" Liu Fang glanced at Sun Zi, and smiled bitterly: "Chen Sikong dares to think that the two states of Xu and Yang are as easy to manage as they were when they were under the command of General Sima! Brother Sun, tell Chen Sikong the situation of those two states. Let's talk, Sikong!" Sun Zi also smiled helplessly, and looked up at Chen Qun who was full of doubts, and said, "Chen Sikong, you also know that in the past, whenever there was a famine in various parts of the Great Wei, it was caused by the two states of Xu and Yang. A "spare granary" to adjust grain for emergencies is really "supplied as soon as it is called, and as soon as it is supplied", and there has never been any hindrance-but that is where General Sima, a minister who is worried about the world, has been there for the past few years. Respond to the imperial edict at any time! General Sima always prefers to let the soldiers under his command live a little tighter for the time being, but also to deliver the relief food meticulously in time according to the imperial order to save the people from the famine . "But this year, General Sima was transferred to the Guanzhong area to fight against Shu. The two generals Man Chong and Jia Kui who stayed behind in the two states of Xuyang and Yangzhou were not as loyal and pure as he was, and took the overall situation into consideration! No, we haven't An edict was issued to distribute grain from their Xu and Yang states for disaster relief, and the two of them acted pre-emptively. They sent an express report from 800 miles three days ago, claiming that the grain harvest in their military village was not very good this year. , please the imperial court not to recklessly transfer... You see, they have become 'iron cocks' who have nothing to pull out!" "Huh?" After hearing this, Chen Qun couldn't help being furious as soon as he slapped the book table, "It's really unreasonable, Man Chong and Jia Kui are too much! Master Sun and Master Liu, immediately issue stern words to reprimand them! They pushed back and forth against the court's will and bargained." Sun Zi and Liu Fang couldn't help being surprised when they saw that Chen Qun was really angry.Sun Zi hurriedly stepped forward to persuade him: "Lord Sikong, please calm down, don't get angry over such a trivial matter!" "Oh! Hundreds of thousands of hungry people in Yuzhou are waiting to be fed. This is not a trivial matter!" Chen Qun said anxiously, "Now Guanzhong is under pressure from the enemy, and Xuyang and Yangzhou refuse to transfer food for disaster relief. What if there are so many hungry people? Wouldn't it be dangerous to cause trouble in the hinterland of our Great Wei Zhongyuan because of hopeless food supply?" "Lord Sikong, don't worry. General Sima sent a memorial yesterday, and decided to temporarily allocate 400,000 shi of grain from the Guanzhong military station to rush to Yuzhou for emergency..." Sun Zi smiled suddenly, and persuaded Zheng, who was in a hurry in the Yizheng Pavilion Chen Qun, who was running around, "Besides, he seemed to know about Xu Yang's two states' refusal to adjust grain, so he sent two urgent letters, sternly reprimanding Man Chong and Jia Kui, ordering them to obey the imperial court's rules." I believe that General Sima's order will be prepared and delivered to Yuzhou in time...I believe that Xuyang and Yangzhou will follow the instructions of General Sima." After hearing this, Chen Qun stabilized his mood and his face returned to calm.He settled down and sat quietly on the chair for a while, then took another sip of tea, before reaching out to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, he sighed: "It's so good, it's so good." Before the words were finished, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind: At present, Xu Yang and Yangzhou are making such a fuss for no reason, and Sima Yi immediately stepped out to make it quiet—could it be that Sima Yi wrote and acted the ups and downs, the ups and downs, and the ups and downs? A "live drama"?Could it be that he is using this to demonstrate to the old man?Thinking of this, Chen Qun's heart suddenly sank.He knew that with Sima Yi's helping hand, he would no longer be ashamed to argue with him on the strategy of dealing with Shu. He sighed secretly in his heart, his face became serious, and he asked Sun Zi and Liu Fang: "I heard that the emperor is going to issue an edict, declaring that anyone who talks about the war in Guanzhong again will be demoted to three ranks, expelled from the court, and exiled to the border." "If anyone spreads rumors and slanders General Sima, once they are found out, they will be severely punished. Is there such a thing?" After listening, Sun Zi and Liu Fang nodded.Liu Fang looked casual and said, "Your Majesty does have this intention. Your Majesty believes that this year, General Sima came to Guanzhong to take charge of the army and was able to fend off the rampant attacks of the Shu bandits. "No fault is a merit." Let some officials who don't understand the general situation and the overall situation discuss the Guanzhong war behind the back of General Sima, so as not to cause unnecessary noise and disturbance." Chen Qun's face changed slightly when he heard this, he pondered for a moment, and said quietly: "Since it's the emperor's will, that's all. I'm afraid that the imperial court will be much quieter after this edict is issued. When the time comes, what does the emperor want?" It may not be enough for the minister to talk more!" He stood up and walked around the pavilion with his hands behind his back as he spoke, and then said: "The old man heard such an interesting rumor recently circulated by the Shu bandits in Hanzhong, what do you say? "Don't be afraid when you meet a horse, and hide when you meet a deer." After careful questioning, I realized that the "horse" in this rumor alludes to General Sima, and the "deer" alludes to General Zhang He... It seems In the eyes of the Shu bandits, they are more afraid of General Zhang Yun!" "Lord Sikong, since it is a rumor from the Shu bandits, how can you use it as a basis for speculation?" When Sun Zi heard that Chen Qun was about to bring up the matter of "changing generals in battle", he said seriously, "The Shu bandits deliberately released this This rumor is clearly trying to sow dissension. It wants to stir up discord among our generals in the Great Wei Dynasty and shake our army's morale. Then they can take advantage of the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and win in the chaos! In Sun's opinion, it is better to put it aside. I promise, after the battle in Guanzhong is over, we will judge the rivalry between General Zhang He and General Sima! However, the current overall situation in Guanzhong must remain stable!" After listening to his words quietly, Chen Qun felt that there was nothing wrong with it, and the current situation could only be like this, so he nodded in agreement and said no more.