Chapter 32 Three, the war is imminent

After a moment of silence, Zhuge Liang gently shook his goose feather fan, then turned to Jiang Wan and asked, "Have the 3.6 million shi of grain for our 130,000-strong Han army been prepared for this Northern Expedition?" Jiang Wan clasped his hands together and said, "Report to the Prime Minister, 3.6 million shi of food has been collected, which is enough for our army for eight months." Zhuge Liang's complexion darkened slightly: "It's really hard for the elders in Sichuan! Eight months... Thank you everyone for trusting the truth, and giving the truth eight months to do everything possible... The truth is only 'Dedicate yourself to death and die'!"

When Jiang Wan, Jiang Wei, Yang Yi, Qiao Zhou, etc. heard this, they couldn't help but change their colors: "Why did the prime minister say that? The prime minister has wisdom in the world and seeks to win the past and the present. This Northern Expedition will surely be successful and smooth sailing!" A faint wry smile appeared on Zhuge Liang's face, and he asked Yang Yi again, "Have those four thousand 'wooden ox' carts ever been built?" Yang Yi respectfully replied, "Everything has been built." "What about the 3,000 'Liu Ma' chariots?"

Yang Yi replied again: "Prime Minister, don't worry. In the past three years, our army has cut down tens of thousands of trees, and according to the design pattern you gave, Prime Minister, these 3,000 'Liu Ma's" have also been produced in a hurry. " Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, turned his eyes to Jiang Wei, and asked, "How are the five thousand 'serial crossbows' made?" Jiang Wei clasped his hands and replied: "My subordinates have supervised it day and night, and it has been completed." "Well...you take it out and try its efficacy."

Immediately Jiang Wei left the table and stood up, quickly took out a bow and crossbow from behind, and held it in the palm of his hand. Qiao Zhou, who was sitting at the end of the mat, looked intently, but saw that the crossbow in his hand had a strange shape: its handle was more than two feet long, and the quiver in the middle protruded like a hump. The spread of the bow wings on both sides is more than three feet wide, but the stretched bowstring is as thick as a little finger!On closer inspection, it can be seen that the crossbow seems to be made of hardwood, and the bow wings inlaid with a layer of copper skin are polished black iron!

Jiang Wei held up the crossbow and showed it carefully in front of Jiang Wan, Yang Yi, Qiao Zhou, etc., then pulled out a handful of feathered arrows from the quiver at his waist, and stuffed them into the arrows on the crossbow body one by one. In the arrow box. After stuffing the feathered arrows, Jiang Wei picked up the bow and crossbow, aimed at an archery target on the training ground outside the tent, and snapped his fingers on the spring at the front of the crossbow's body ties—the bow's wings buzzed. In an instant, Qiao Zhou felt a blur in front of his eyes, and several beams of white light formed a stream of silver. There was a sudden sound of "bang bang bang", and a string of feather arrows shot out from the belly of the crossbow. Into the red heart of the target!

"Awesome! Awesome! So amazing!" Jiang Wan saw the power of this "serial crossbow" for the first time. One can count as ten, invincible..." Jiang Wei introduced to them again: "In order to restrain the 'Spike Crossbow' of the Wei thief, the Prime Minister also invented the 'Hundred Stone Crossbow'. Jiang Wan and the others nodded and bowed to Zhuge Liang together, saying, "Your Excellency's skill in improving ordnance can be described as 'ingenious'. Even if the puppet Wei has 100,000 cavalry, it will be difficult for the enemy!"

"You guys are overwhelmed—whether these ordnance are powerful or not can only be known when you face the enemy! It's too early to tell about your reputation!" Zhuge Liang gently slapped the goose feather fan in his hand a few times, Xu Sheng said, "During the past three years, my great man has been united as one, waiting for the day, planning night and day, and has made 'perfect preparations' for this Northern Expedition, waiting for His Majesty's order to go straight out of Hanzhong and fight Sima Yi has a showdown!" Jiang Wan, Yang Yi, Jiang Wei, Qiao Zhou and others raised their voices in unison: "Prime Minister, don't worry—we are willing to devote ourselves to the great cause of the Northern Expedition and repay it with death!"

After hearing this, Zhuge Liang seemed very satisfied.He made up his mind, looked at Qiao Zhou who was standing at the end, and waved his sleeves to Jiang Wan and Yang Yi: "Jiang Jun, Yang Jun, you two go out of the tent and wait for a while. The truth is confidential and important, so I need to consult Dr. Qiao..." When Jiang Wan and Yang Yi heard the words, they hurriedly stood up and retreated. Only then did Zhuge Liang gently put down the goose feather fan, put his hands on both sides of the desk, and looked up at Qiao Zhou.Qiao Zhou hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Jiang Wei.Zhuge Liang would be pleased with him, so he just smiled faintly: "Bo Yue (Jiang Wei's character is "Bo Yue") is a disciple of this related sect, you can speak bluntly in front of him, Mr. Qiao..."

Qiao Zhou nodded, with a respectful expression on his face: "My lord, in the past few days, after repeated in-depth research by many star official warlocks in our Taishi Department, they believe that the prophecy on the 'Spiritual Turtle Profound Stone' is a natural miracle. Not a vain thing.” "Then, what is the meaning of the prophecy on the mysterious stone of 'Great Discussion with Cao Yan'? What is good or bad for the Lord?" "The so-called 'challenging Cao Yan' is self-evident - the puppet Wei will be robbed by swords this year, and will fall into ominous doom from then on!"

"Hmm... Since the puppet Wei has fallen into a terrible disaster, isn't it auspicious for me, a big man? Could it be that this year is a good omen for my big man's recovery?" "This..." Qiao Zhou's face showed hesitation, and he hesitated for a long time before slowly answering, "This is exactly what Qiao and the princes of the Taishi Department are most puzzled..." "What doubts? Why not tell me." Zhuge Liang picked up the goose feather fan and fanned it slowly. "Prime Minister, please forgive me for being so blunt - I watched the sky at night recently and found that the sky is very strange - although the astrology of the false Wei Dynasty is gradually getting weaker, and the star energy over my great Han Xishu is not too strong... ..."

"Huh? How could there be such a strange thing?" Zhuge Liang couldn't help but stop the goose feather fan that was shaking gently in his hand. "Moreover, the most strange thing is that three strange stars have appeared above the night sky in the direction of Bingzhou, presenting a triangular confrontation, and their light is getting brighter and brighter..." "Above the land of Bingzhou?" Zhuge Liang frowned slightly, "How come there are strange stars appearing there?" "That's right! The land of Bingzhou is the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods! It is closely adjacent to Jizhou, the root of the pseudo-Wei astrology..." "Oh... so it turned out that there were high stars shining above the land of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period? But my current aura and dragon veins should have been in Yizhou... No! It should be that there are bright stars in the sky above Yizhou." It's normal..." Zhuge Liang himself was also proficient in astronomy and astrology, so he couldn't help muttering to himself. Qiao Zhou could only keep silent when he heard his words. After a long time, Zhuge Liang calmed down his distracting thoughts and asked Qiao Zhou: "So, according to Dr. Qiao's speculation, what is the prospect of our great man's Northern Expedition?" Qiao Zhou saw that he was asking sharp questions, so he knelt down and muttered: "The officials are stupid, they don't understand military and state affairs, so they dare not talk about it." Zhuge Liang said solemnly: "The job of doctor Qiao is to observe the sky and tell the time, divination of good and bad luck, and to explain doubts and doubts for the court. What can I say? I forgive you for expressing any opinions without guilt..." Now that the prime minister has expressed such an attitude, Qiao Zhou naturally couldn't just refuse blindly, so he muttered and said slowly: "Recently, it is reported that the residents in the suburbs of Beijing have reported that the trees such as pines, cypresses, peaches, and bamboos in the Longquan Station are unexpectedly dead after nightfall. It sounded like a human being and wept endlessly, scaring the surrounding residents to sleep uneasy. Six days ago, under the bright daylight, there were thousands of white cranes flying over the Jinjiang River. They circled several times and threw themselves into the river to die... Our Taishi Office has repeatedly studied and judged, and believes that these are the omens of my big man's "state-owned funeral"! I implore the Prime Minister to rest assured and not to move lightly for the time being!" "'State-owned funeral'? You are talking nonsense!" Zhuge Liang was slightly taken aback when he heard it, and after a while he couldn't help saying, "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life, how could something unexpected happen?" He said Just as he was speaking, his heart suddenly tightened, and he seemed to understand faintly, so he shut his mouth suddenly, and didn't say any more. However, Qiao Zhou kowtowed repeatedly on the floor: "I want to report to the Prime Minister that the celestial phenomenon is such a warning. It is a fact that everyone can see. The officials don't dare to fabricate lies..." When he was in a hurry to defend himself, he saw Zhuge Liang's face slowly softened, and he sat back on the couch, saying: "That's all! Doctor Qiao doesn't need to say any more. The truth is that I don't mean to blame you—you today What you have said in this account with the truth, you must remember to keep silent in your heart, and you must not let it out lightly!" "Yes! Yes! Yes! I must keep this in mind!" Qiao Zhou kowtowed profusely in reply. Zhuge Liang cast his eyes from the tent window long and far away, looked at the sky to the north, and said slowly: "Your Taishi Department is in charge of astronomical observation, yin and yang calculations, accounting for marquis pushes, and everything about the sun, moon, stars, and weather. , Prediction of earthquakes and mountain torrents. For our army’s Northern Expedition, we have to need a person like you, Dr. Qiao, who is well versed in astronomy and climate observation——this Northern Expedition, you will go with the truth!” The red ball-like morning sun slowly rose into the sky, and the market places in Chang'an City gradually became lively. Chang'an was a key point and was once the capital of the Han Dynasty. Although it has experienced many years of wars and wars since the last years of Emperor Lingling of the Han Dynasty, it has gradually recovered under the careful management of Zhong Yao, Cao Hong, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhen, Sima Yi and other governors in Guanzhong. The prosperity of the past. At this moment, it is the beginning of spring, and there is an endless stream of vehicles, horses and pedestrians entering and leaving the market place, and there is a lot of noise.On the tables of the densely populated shops, whether it is the cows and sheepskin products produced in the land of the Xiongnu in Shuofang, the beautiful jade and gemstones produced in the Western Regions, the special dishes produced in the Central Plains, or the silk and satin produced in the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, Bashu The colorful brocade and bright porcelain produced in Yizhou can be described as dazzling.As for the copper pots, tin lamps, iron plows, pottery cups, lacquer dishes, flowers, fruits, birds and animals, fish, meat, vegetables, mats and sandals, etc., which are needed for daily life, there are countless and piled up like mountains. However, the Shifang in Chang'an City is not a whole: it actually includes two parts, one is the "Military Square" in the south of the city, and the other is the "Military Market" in the north of the city.Regardless of the folk squares, the "military market" is an original invention of Sima Yi, the governor and general of the Western Conquest of the West. It is specially designed to meet the food and living needs of soldiers in the military camp. Under the supervision of the military marquis, all traders enter the interior with amulets and pay taxes to the military magistrate and military marquis, but the premise is that the quality of their goods must be qualified.And why Sima Yi divided the market into "military use" and "civilian use", his intention is to make the military and civilian transactions in Chang'an city have their own place and appropriateness, and to avoid these two vicious incidents of violent soldiers deceiving the people and tricky people deceiving the army. On the east corner of the "Military City" square, under the shade of a large pagoda tree, is a simple wine shop built with wooden boards.Opening a wine shop in the "Military City" square is also a pioneering work of Sima Yi - only soldiers who have made meritorious service on the battlefield are eligible to enter the shop with a talisman engraved with the word "reward" to drink and enjoy themselves. Beside a table near the window in the restaurant, sat a round forehead, bearded, handsome, green-robed elder who was over half a century old, and beside him stood two tall and vigorous young men. , sat a red-faced, hale and hearty old man in white robes.The old man in white robe slowly sipped the wine in his glass, and smiled slightly at the elder in green robe, "General, your 'Military Market' can be described as 'military and civilian convenience', each has its own advantages!" The green-robed elder had a plain expression on his face: "Martial Master Zhao, I am truly honored by you! Today we are here to see if the 'Military Market' system is perfect and whether it is worth promoting everywhere..." While he was talking, there was a deafening noise from the corner of Junshifang far outside the window, interrupting his words. The blue-robed elder's face froze, and he followed the prestige: I saw a group of Guan Zhong soldiers surrounded a few vendors over there, pushing and arguing about something.After pondering for a while, he lost his eyes at the two young men beside him.As soon as they clasped their fists together, they turned and went out to check. Among the crowd, a strong red-faced man who smelled of alcohol was holding the peddler's collar in one hand, and raised his fist as big as a bowl with the other, making a gesture to hit him in the face: "You profiteer—how dare you Do you think the baht money I gave you is too little? Hey! Don’t you want to live anymore, kid?” The peddler replied with a mournful face: "Master Jun—you want to buy this small bag of wheat noodles for eight baht. This...this...how can you do it?" "Master, let me say yes!" The red-faced man almost sprayed the saliva on the peddler's face, "Brothers--bring me all these bags of flour from him!" "Stop!" With a loud shout, a middle-aged silk merchant squeezed over beside the peddler. He was born with a gentle face, folded his fan in his hand, and shouted at the red-faced strong man, "You barbarian, how dare you stand in broad daylight?" Do you still have the king's law in your eyes when you rob people's goods by force?" "Wang Fa? Hehehe... In this military market, I am Wang Fa!" The strong man threw aside the peddler and leaned over to the silk merchant with his face close to his face, "Hmph! I really deserve a beating! How dare you come to be a hero in front of the uncle with a pair of skinny ribs? Don’t ask me carefully to find out what the background of this uncle is in this military city..." A pawn next to him yelled sharply: "You 'pig head', don't you know, my elder brother's origin will scare you to death! We are the younger brother of the late great Sima Cao Zhen and the subordinates of General Anxi Cao Fan! Don't tell me. You little merchants, even the servants of the Chang’an government office in the folk workshops outside, saw us and had no choice but to take a detour!" "Oh? So it's the part of General Cao Fan?" The silk merchant sneered, took off the scarf on his head, threw it on the ground, and said in a firm voice, "Okay! You guys will accompany me to the Chang'an government office. Let's go!" "To the Chang'an government office?" The red-faced strong man was shocked all over, "Who are you? Your tone is not small!" The silk merchant arched his hands and said awe-inspiringly: "I don't change my surname when I am in office, and I don't change my name when I sit. It is Yan Fei, the commander of Chang'an Prefecture! Recently, many traffickers have reported that there are often villains in your 'military market'. The misdeeds of robbing people and stealing goods, I hereby change clothes and come here to investigate—now that the stolen goods are all taken away and the facts are clear, why don’t you obediently accompany me back to Chang’an Mansion for trial?” "Hey! It turns out that you came to our 'Military Market' to deliberately 'prick'!" The red-faced man shrilled coldly, "It's a pity——in this 'Military Market', we obey It's military law, not the king's law of your little mansion... Come on! Brothers! Give me a hard lesson for this ignorant fellow!" As soon as his words fell, the group of soldiers beside him roared in unison, and they were about to attack the generals! And the surrounding Chang'an government offices pretending to be merchants also embraced, and firmly protected Yan Fei—Yan Fei was not afraid, and he looked up to the sky and laughed: "Good! Good! Good! You guys How dare you say that 'the law of the military is greater than the law of the king', you are really looking for your own death, and you can no longer blame others!" At this critical moment, a loud shout came from the oblique stab: "Stop!" The two sides were startled, and turned their heads to look: only to see a young general with raised eyebrows, watching them solemnly from three feet away!A young man in white shirt next to him was also serious and silent. "Liang... Liang joins the army?" When the red-faced man saw the young general, his whole body trembled, and all the alcohol in his body turned into cold sweat—he often saw this Liang Jilai in Cao Fan's mansion. He came and went, so he was quite familiar with his status as a member of the general's office.Surprised, the red-faced burly man also began to speak a little awkwardly: "You... you... why are you here, old man?" "If Liang doesn't come, do you still have to wait for you to cause a catastrophe for our Guanzhong army?" Liang Ji frowned, "Cao Bing, why don't you apologize to Yan Junwei and the others soon?!" The red-faced burly man stiffened his neck, raised his head and said, "These local government servants deliberately sneaked into our 'military market' to 'pick' - Cao will never give him this softness!" "Picking? Cao Bing! What did you say just now, 'in the military market, it is the military law, not the king's law of the Chang'an government' - this sentence is very wrong!" At this moment, the young man in white shirt spoke slowly. Now, "Military law and royal law are both promulgated by the Wei court. They are both integrated. How can you tell who is big and who is young? This is how your general Cao Fan teaches you every day? Thanks to you, you are quite qualified." Veteran, how could you say such 'dumb words'?" "You... who are you?" Cao Bing heard that the white-clothed young man gave himself a lesson as soon as he came up, and his face was a little uneasy, but seeing Liang Ji by his side, he didn't dare to act recklessly, so he could only hum asked chirpingly. "This young master is Sima Zhao from the Office of the General's Office." Liang Ji solemnly introduced to Cao Bing, "Cao Bing, why don't you even pay attention to the Lang official from the General's Office who came to question me?" ?" Cao Bing murmured, "You...you are turning your elbows out, following these local government servants to criticize...Cao just refuses to accept it! If you have the guts, let's go to General Cao Fan for a review..." "Picking? This 'thorn', they picked right!" The green-robed elder who was drinking and discussing in the wine shop just now came over at some time, followed by the white-robed old man, "Cao Bing! You This 'thorn' should be picked up by Yan Jun and the others! No matter which master you go to judge this matter, I'm afraid it must be justified!" "General Si... Sima General?! Zhao... Military Commander Zhao?" Cao Bing was so frightened that his legs went limp, and immediately he and his friends threw away their sticks and knelt down on the ground. Yan Fei heard it clearly, looking sideways, his heart fluttered: it turned out that the elder in green robe was Sima Yi, the great general of the dynasty and the governor of the Western Conqueror, and the elder in white robe was Zhao Yan, his shogunate military advisor. Sima Yi raised his right hand and commanded coldly: "Come here—drag them down and beat each of them with seventy army sticks, and put them all in the shackles in the military market for three days! Anyone who dares to use it in the future will be severely punished!" "No!" A group of patrolmen came over and carried Cao Bing and the others down like a dead dog. "General Sima... I'm here to greet you." Yan Fei waited until he came to his senses, and they all hurriedly bowed down. Zhao Yan glanced at the expression on Sima Yi's face, moved in his heart, took a step forward, and asked Yan Fei: "Yan Jun——you have handled today's affairs well. But I have to say it impartially: you both I already know that there are villains in this 'military market' who are bullying people and stealing goods, but why don't you report it to the military market department in advance? It's not appropriate to change your clothes like you did today to investigate secretly— —If General Sima hadn’t met you here today, how would you deal with the aftermath? Are you really going to encourage the local government servants to fight with the soldiers of the barracks?” "Reporting to General Zhao and Military Adviser Zhao, how dare the subordinates act so boldly?" Yan Fei broke out in a cold sweat when he heard Zhao Yan's words were light but serious, "You don't know something, the past ten days The lower officials sent three urgent letters to the Military Martial Order and the Military Martial Marquis asking for assistance in handling this matter, and saw the vendors crying and complaining, so they had no choice but to make such a bad move..." Hearing Yan Fei's explanation, Sima Yi gradually softened his complexion, waved his hands and instructed Liang Ji and Sima Zhao: "There have been many times in this 'military market' that such villains tried to be brave and robbed people and goods. , Then how did the military marshals and military commanders act? You two pass down an order to this commander to dismiss them all on the spot and hold them accountable, and then choose the best to serve them!" After finishing speaking, he turned his face to face Zhao Yan and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhao, you and I are visiting the 'Military Market' in micro-services today. How did you expect this episode? It seems that this 'Military Market' system Although it is good governance, if there are no good officials to guard it, it will ultimately be of no benefit to the public. Whether it is employment or administration, it is like the two wheels of a cart or the two wings of a bird, and it must not be neglected at all!" "The general is wise and intelligent, understands by analogy, draws inferences from one example, I admire you." Zhao Yan hurriedly answered with cupped hands. Sima Yi twitched his beard and smiled, turned around and looked straight at Yan Fei. Yan Fei was so startled that he was at a loss what to do: "Great... General... I'm sorry... I'm rude..." "I'm rude? What's your disrespect?" Sima Yi smiled at him, "Okay! I really appreciate Yan Jun's ability to enforce the law for the people without fear of tyranny—how about this, I will reward you Chang'an County Wei Department A privilege that allows you government officials to enter my 'military market' at any time based on the reports of the people to arrest all kinds of lawbreakers!" Yan Fei's complexion suddenly changed when he heard this, he kowtowed suddenly, and was so moved that he choked up: "Great... the general is selfless and ungrateful, and my subordinates are extremely respectful." After Yan Fei and his party left, Sima Yi called Sima Zhao and told him: "Zhaoer, please write a secret memorial for my father, who will recommend Yan Fei as the prefect of Pingyuan County... There are fewer and fewer honest officials like him now..." Zhao Yan heard it clearly from the side, and couldn't help laughing and said: "Since the general has such a good intention to serve the country, why didn't he explain it to him in public?" After Sima Yi heard this, he turned to Zhao Yansu and said: "Martial Zhao, a noble rewarder, is also a public weapon of the court. How dare I do my own work for myself? To choose talents for the country and accept private ones, this is not what I do! " Zhao Yan stroked his palms and smiled: "Everyone says that General Sima is very much like Xun Lingjun's 'loyalty and wisdom' in the past, and what Yan saw with his own eyes today is true!" While they were talking, a soldier galloped over on horseback and shouted from afar: "General Sima! The imperial edict has arrived, and the imperial envoys are already waiting in the general's mansion..." "In the past, Zhou Gongdan helped the prime minister to become a king and achieve peace, and he was loyal to the sun and the moon, and he finally received the tribute of the pheasant; today Sima Aiqing is in charge of Shaanxi, honest, diligent and respectful, and has the dedication of the white deer-is it not loyal and consistent? Deed, to serve the family of the state, to rest forever? Now that the Wu thief is blaming the name and the Shu bandits are making stupid moves, I am deeply worried, and I can only divide it with Sima Aiqing! Special gift of the late emperor's token, the national treasure 'Zilong Jue' In order to show my favor - this is it!" Zhou Xuan finished reading the imperial edict in a mellow and melodious manner, and after Sima Yi kowtowed his head to thank him, he rolled up the edict, stepped forward to help him up, and said with a smile: "Ru'er, quickly send the brocade box to you!" Come, present it to General Sima." Guan Ren, Taishi Cheng, came over with a multicolored brocade box and gently opened it in front of Sima Yi: a snow-white and fat half-moon-shaped jade ring appeared impressively on the bright yellow satin cushion, and the embossed and exquisite skirt on the body The dragon-shaped purple pattern seems to be more ostentatious and vivid, and it looks even more powerful when its beard is flying! Staring at this "Purple Dragon Jue", Sima Yi's eyes suddenly burst into bright tears, and the scenes of the past flashed like lightning in his mind—— At the Yuxian Hall of the Xun Mansion, Xun Yu, a Confucian sage, personally put this "Purple Dragon Jue" on his belt, and his brows and cheeks were full of kind and sincere encouragement and joy; In the Eastern Palace of the former Emperor Cao Pi, in order to please Cao Pi and win his trust, I humbly donated the "Purple Dragon Jue" to him. At that time, he was so excited that he jumped up from his seat and applauded repeatedly; In the mansion of the former Taiwei Jia Xu, in order to win over Jia Xu, he helped Cao Pi succeed to the throne, and he did not hesitate to bow down and give this jade as a token to Jia Xu; In the inner hall of the palace, Jia Xu had no choice but to put on a smile under the hint of Cao Pi, who had already proclaimed himself emperor, and obediently returned the "Purple Dragon Jue" to Cao Pi, not daring to keep it for himself; But today, Cao Rui threw out this "Purple Dragon Jue" to the old man as a token of favor... ... In just twenty years, the tortuous fate of this piece of "Purple Dragon Jue" floating in the hands of everyone in the world is so intriguing when you think about it carefully... However, in the end, this piece of "Purple Dragon Jue" returned to his own hands—as if everything had returned to the original point!Sima Yi seemed to hear Xun Yu's usual calm, gentle and kind words: "Now, as a teacher, I am presenting this treasure to you—I hope you will see Jue's ambition, keep striving, and become a generation as soon as possible." Great weapon, made great achievements for our great Han dynasty!" For a moment, Sima Yi couldn't control it anymore, and tears welled up in his eyes, rolled down, and wet the front of his clothes. "General..." Zhou Xuan and Guan Ren couldn't help being surprised when they saw each other. Sima Yi reacted immediately, and hastily raised the sleeve of his robe to wipe the corners of his eyes, choked up and said: "Your Majesty actually rewarded this commander with such a treasure, this kind of favor can be described as heaven and earth... This commander can't help but burst into tears. I swear to be loyal and sincere to my Great Wei until death, in order to repay Your Majesty's gracious gift!" "General Sima's utter loyalty to Wei, Zhou and others are all in admiration!" Zhou Xuan and Guan Ren praised him repeatedly. Sima Yi slowly restrained his expression, waved his right hand, asked them to sit down on the side seats, and said haha: "Come here, serve fresh milk cakes! This commander should do his best to clean up the dust for the two imperial envoys!" "Fresh milk cake?" Zhou Xuan was surprised when he heard it, and turned his head to look at Guan Ren, "Ru'er, your divination skills have improved a lot—the night before yesterday, you dreamed of fire Niu Chongshan, he asserted that he would taste the delicacies related to cattle... At this moment, isn't your Zhanyu already come true?" "Thank you, master, for your compliment!" Guan Ren nodded and smiled slightly, but bowed to Sima Yi and asked, "General Sima, please tell me, what kind of meal do you plan to entertain me at noon?" Sima Yi stroked his beard and replied, "Of course it's my famous dish in Guanzhong—red and spicy roast beef!" After hearing this, Guan Ren turned around and said to Zhou Xuanchang: "Master, you are so clever! The disciples can only predict that they will taste the delicacies related to cattle, but you, master, immediately judged me You will be able to eat the meat of roast beef as soon as you enter the customs! The disciple's measurement is vague, far inferior to your master's clear judgment!" "Hey! Both of you master and apprentice are amazing people who can detect the past and predict the future, so don't show off your magical powers here to astonish the world!" Sima Yi snatched the conversation with a smile, "I will rely on you two in the future. There are still many places to go! By the way, Doctor Zhou, I want to ask you a few things about the recent court affairs." When Zhou Xuan heard it, his face immediately became solemn, and he raised his right sleeve—Guan Ren would be overjoyed, and picked up the copper bowl containing fresh milk puff pastry, drank it all in one gulp, and wiped his mouth with the corner of his sleeve , then stood up and bowed deeply to Sima Yi, then went out. Sima Yi also cast his eyes to the left and right, and Liang Ji immediately retreated with all the servants and guards, leaving Sima Zhao alone to serve.Sima Zhao's eldest brother, Sima Shi, was supposed to be in the general's shogunate, but Sima Yi sent him to Longliang to supervise the affairs of the army station, and he never came back. "Senior Brother Zhou, you went to Guanzhong personally this time, probably because of the prophecy on the 'Spiritual Turtle Profound Stone'?" Sima Yi remained calm, holding a bowl of fresh milk cakes, and slowly put He pursed his lips. "That's right. Zhongda, it's exactly as you expected—His Majesty sent Zhou to try to suppress the evil spirit on the 'Spiritual Turtle Profound Stone'!" "Hey!" Sima Yi put down the lacquer bowl and smiled slightly, "What's the use of the prophecies on the mysterious stone in Yanzhen now? Their pictographs have already been spread, and I'm afraid your majesty can't stop them if they want to." Living……" Zhou Xuan heard that Sima Yi had "something to say in his words", he twitched his beard, blinked his eyes, and said with a smile: "This... Zhou, as an official of Qintian astrology, has been ordered by the emperor, so he still has to do the rituals that should be done. Yes! As for whether it will have any effect in the future, Zhou dare not make any guarantees." Sima Yi listened, pointed at Zhou Xuan, and laughed: "Senior Brother Zhou! You... OK! Tomorrow Yi will send someone to escort you to Kunlun Mountain to collect the 'Xuanyin Soil' to fill stones and suppress evil spirits." .” "So, Zhou would like to thank Zhongda!" Zhou Xuan nodded with a smile, "Your Majesty is really wise—you immediately followed Zhou's wonderful method of changing 'discussion' into 'plan'... " Sima Yi thought to himself: What was said in the Xuanshi prophecy to change "discussion" into "trick", is actually deceiving oneself and deceiving others!Doing so can only make the description darker and darker - and it will also make it more obvious that you, Cao Rui, lack confidence and are timid!But there was no strange expression on his face, and something suddenly came to his mind, and he asked seriously: "Senior Brother Zhou came from Luoyang Capital, did you know the court's strategy for disposing of uncle Gongsun Yuan's self-reliance in Liaodong?" how?" "How else can we deal with it?" Zhou Xuan shook his head, with a helpless expression on his face, "The imperial edict has been issued, recognizing Gongsun Yuan as the new Liaodong prefect, and naming him 'Le Lang Gong' to keep him in custody..." "Hmm... how can this matter be handled like this? Chen Jiao and others are soft and weak, which is really detrimental to the country's prestige!" When Sima Yi heard this, he was furious on the spot. Will secretly laugh at me that there is no one in the Great Wei Dynasty!" "Then, according to Zhongda's opinion, how should this matter be properly handled?" "According to my opinion, everything has its root and its end, and those who manage affairs focus on holding on to the root and controlling the end: Gongsun's family has separated Liaodong since the early years of Jian'an in the previous dynasty. It is far and difficult to control, but the succession of officials and power for a long time can be called "the trouble of aliens" in our Great Wei Dynasty. Now Gongsun Yuan has turned against him. If he is not punished now, there will be changes in the future. Obey him, wait for him to sit down and make a big mess, and then raise troops to fight again, I'm afraid it will make things difficult. It's better to take advantage of the time when he suddenly seizes the throne, the people in the territory are divided, there are parties and hatred, and there are grudges. But the thunder strikes, sends troops to attack, sets up rewards, cuts off branches and leaves, and weakens its power, all of which can be decided without any effort!" "Zhongda's strategy is very clear and clever. It's a pity that Chen Lingjun is just a graceful and obedient official. How can he have your great wisdom, great charm, and great means?" Zhou Xuan couldn't help but praise deeply after hearing this. road. "That's all! That's all! No matter how clever my commander is, they always don't listen to it... just let me be angry for nothing!" Sima Yi sighed deeply, and said leisurely, "To be honest, according to my commander's opinion, it's like Xia Houxuan, Deng Yang, He Yan and other so-called "rising stars" of the imperial court are all people who are talkative, graceful, and inexperienced. How can they support the great cause of "destroying Wu Tunshu and bringing peace to the world" in the future? I am very worried." Zhou Xuan gently swung the tail whisk in his hand outwards: "Zhongda, you worry too much about those things. The key is that you have a sudden crisis right now, so you should be deeply worried!" "Oh? Are you referring to the fact that the Wu and Shu bandits formed an alliance to commit crimes?" "That's right - on the way to Guanzhong, Zhou heard that the two bandits of Wu and Shu had formed an alliance in Wuchang, calling them the 'two emperors of the East and West', and agreed to raise troops together to attack the Great Wei, and even determined the division of territory after the war Now: They want to divide the world, and the five states of Yan, Ji, Bing, Yong, and Liang belong to Shu; the five states of Henan, Qing, Xu, Yang, and You belong to Wu; Take Hangu Pass as the boundary and take half of it! Maybe in this ten-month period, the east and west wings of our Great Wei will be raging again..." While listening to Zhou Xuan's words, Sima Yi nodded deeply with a sullen face: "Zhuge Liang's alliance with the puppet Wu this time is really unexpected-who would have expected that he would give up the orthodox status of the Han Dynasty, openly To admit that Jiangdong Sun Quan and the great Han were honored as emperors in exchange for help? His endurance and determination to forge ahead cannot be underestimated! In the past three years, he has "accumulated and suddenly exploded", and he must be fierce and difficult to confront the enemy. Yi has been worrying too much lately!" "Can Zhongda be afraid of Zhuge Kongming?" Zhou Xuan was startled, and raised his eyes to look at him. "Zhuge Liang's strategy is very deep, he uses soldiers like a god, and it is said that he has invented many powerful weapons. How can this commander not be afraid? He is so determined to come to the Northern Expedition. If the commander makes a slight mistake, he will definitely be caught by him. It is doomed!" Zhou Xuan didn't want Sima Yi to get more and more worried about this topic, so he changed the topic: "Zhongda, do you know that Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor in Wuchang, not only did he have a "Huanglong" year with my Great Wei tit for tat? No., and planning to move the capital to Jianye City in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River..." "Jianye City?" Sima Yi frowned. "That's right! Jianye City! He also asked his warlocks to spread the word that Jianye City contains the nobility and dragon veins of the king. Sima Yi walked a few steps in the hall with his hands behind his back, raised his eyes and looked to the southeast, and said slowly: "I also know a little about this Jianye City. In short, this city can also be called the "Emperor's House". Even in terms of geography, this city can be said to be a pivotal place for the military and the country. It must be observed. Today's puppet Wu, the west is close to our Great Wei Jingzhou, and the king of Jingzhou Chang, Zhoutai, etc. are all good generals, so Sun Quan left his false heirs, Sun Deng and Lu Xun, to take control of Wuchang to fight against the enemy; the central part is adjacent to our great Wei Yangzhou, and Yangzhou Tian Yu, Wang Guan, etc. are also extraordinary soldiers, so Sun Quan also left Zhuge Jin and Zhu Ran fought against it in Chaisang City; in the east of Xuzhou, there was Bo Ning (Man Chong's character is "Bo Ning"), the governor of the town and the east, who was the greatest threat to his puppet Wu. ——That's why Sun Quancai moved his capital to Jianye to establish a foothold, intending to lead Quan Cong, Zhu Ju and other generals to attack our great Wei from here! Uh... not good! I must write a letter as soon as possible!骑急函，提醒伯宁早作防备！” 周宣听得又是赞不绝口：“仲达明察善断、算无遗策，周某佩服。” 司马懿转过身来，深深凝视着他：“周师兄——懿有一事相求：您此番从昆仑山取'玄阴土'填石镇邪归来之后，就不妨留在我关中大军之内暂任军祭酒一职，以您的阴阳推算、天文占断之术在懿身边参赞军机，怎样？” 周宣迟疑着答道：“这个倒是可以。只是陛下那里……” “没关系。本帅今夜就给他那里呈进一道奏表，请求将您暂时留在关中以作奇用……陛下应该是不会对本帅这一请求轻加拒绝的。” 目送着遮天蔽日的滚滚烟尘渐去渐远，站在欢送台上的蜀帝刘禅仍是满面恭敬地弯着腰，不敢稍有怠慢。 “陛下……丞相已经走远了……”侍立在台侧边缘的黄门丞黄皓一溜碎步儿地趋近前来，“您还是回龙床上休息一下吧……” 刘禅依然半躬着身，用袍袖轻轻擦了一下眼角，将那晶莹的泪珠儿拭去，喃喃地自语道：“相父……相父真是太辛苦了！黄皓啊！这几个月没见，朕看到相父的鬓角又花白了不少了……朕真担心相父的身体怎么吃得消啊？” 黄皓听了，只是低眉垂目地俯着腰，也不多说什么。 “朕是真心希望相父这一次最终能够底定中原、肃清魏贼啊！”刘禅这才慢慢直起腰来，望着北方的天际，深深而道，“相父——在您此番北伐期间，朕每日入夜都会在未央宫寝殿为祝您胜利而焚香祈祷的……” 黄皓斜眼瞧着刘禅，随口附和道：“是啊！丞相此番北伐集结了大汉上下十三万精锐王师，其中还从南蛮那里征用了一万'藤甲兵'……而且，他调发各郡县农夫多达二十余万人！这真可谓是'举全蜀之力以求毕其功于一役'！他费了这么大的劲儿，应该是能够殄灭魏贼了吧！” “可是，朕听闻魏之关中一带布下了二十万人马，相父此番亲率十三万王师前往，只怕亦仍是以寡击众啊……还有司马懿那老贼又是那么狡猾……” 看到刘禅一副忧心忡忡的模样，黄皓款款开解道：“陛下，丞相如今发明了'连环弩''百石弩''轩辕车''木牛流马'等神妙器械，而魏贼'器无所长、技无所精'，必非我大汉之敌也！” “但愿这一切能够如你所言吧！”刘禅双眉稍展，忽又想起了什么，迟疑着说道，“你大约也知道了，太史署曾经送来奏折，奏告近日益州境内多有不祥之象发生：成都郊外龙泉驿之处的松柏桃竹等树一入夜晚居然便发出人之哭声；还有光天化日之下，锦江水面竟有千百白鹤翔集于空，盘旋数匝之后纷纷投水而死……这些都让朕心头好生不安啊！” “陛下……陛下您为这样一些稀奇古怪的现象担心什么？这大千世界，无奇不有——奴才小时候还曾见到过长着三条腿的蛤蟆和只有一只爪子的野雉呢！这些也算是怪物了吧？也没见有什么不吉之事发生……” 刘禅瞧了瞧他那故作憨态的样儿，先是抿嘴一笑，然后又板起脸来说道：“你这阉儿懂什么？古语有云，'物反常即为妖。'凡有怪物异事，皆是上天垂象示警于朕，与你这样的奴才有何干系？你根本就不配……” 黄皓听了，慌忙叩伏在地，连声急道：“哎呀！奴才该遭掌嘴！该遭掌嘴！奴才本就是一个区区的阉宦，也不懂什么'天理大道、国家大事'……奴才一个心眼只想逗陛下开一开心呢……” “起来吧！若不是瞧在你这份心意上，朕早就让人把你拖出去重责八十杖啦！”刘禅有些不耐烦地摆了摆手，让他平身而起。他正欲迈步向欢送台下走去，忽又回过头来向黄皓说道：“黄皓，你知道相父在此番北伐临行之前曾经写了一份密折上来吗？” “这个……奴才不晓得。”黄皓其实在给刘禅传送文书时曾经看到那份密折匣盒的，但它是诸葛丞相写的——他就有十个脑袋也不敢乱动它一下啊！ “相父在这份密折里要求朕对内廷服侍的宦官、侍女予以大力削减，让你们出宫返乡为农……”刘禅盯着黄皓，慢慢地说道。 “奴……奴才不……不愿出宫！奴才愿意一辈子好好侍奉陛下……”黄皓腿膝一软，又给刘禅跪了下来。 “朕没有答应，但朕也不敢否定。这毕竟是相父的意见嘛……”刘禅瞥了他一眼，继续说道，“朕和董允商量了一下，想出了一个折中的办法——暂时不削减你们这些宦官、侍女，但你们必须要在后宫林苑里像宫外的农夫农妇一样耕织自足……黄皓，你近来可有的忙了……” “奴才叩谢陛下隆恩！”黄皓一边连声称谢，一边心底却想：还是陛下体恤咱们这些奴才啊！咱们这些奴才在宫廷中待了这么多年，一个个早都没了什么“耕织之长”，一下被逐出宫去，还不都是给活活饿死？这个诸葛亮怎么这么心狠啊？ !他其实并不知道：诸葛亮为人最是“清浊分明”，他一直痛恨当年阉宦弄权而毁了东汉，所以对黄皓他们也是视为猪犬而不甚爱惜，每欲逐之而后快！若无刘禅拼命抵挡，那些内廷宦官、侍女几乎早就被削减一空了！ 黄皓看到刘禅已经走到了台梯边，急忙又小跑上去奏道：“启奏陛下，此番订立盟约之后，东吴进贡了三头白象和六只五彩孔雀前来……它们那模样生得煞是好看。陛下可否有意前去欣赏？” “这……这……相父给朕安排了每日要抄写一篇《孟子》《韩非子》的功课，朕……朕还没写完呢！你没看到董允已在那边等候了吗？朕这……这时只怕没空……” “陛下！您这是去检阅外邦方物，又不是去擅自嬉戏游乐。董侍中他凭什么约束您？！走！走！奴才这便去传旨起驾……” 刘禅犹豫了半晌，大袖一甩，道：“罢了！罢了！董爱卿这个人的脾气你又不是不知道——满朝上下，除了相父之外，谁能拧得过他？他万一乘车追上来谏阻，朕怎么办？罢了！罢了！朕还是先回宫抄好了相父布置的功课之后，再去'检阅东吴方物贡品'吧！”