Chapter 21 1. Cao Cao regretted

After beheading Cai Hao and Zhang Yun, Cao Cao immediately appointed Yu Jin as the commander of the navy, and Mao Jie as the deputy commander and supervisor of the navy. Mao Jie stated to Cao Cao on the spot that he was not qualified for the post of deputy commander of the navy and supervisor of the army, and begged Cao Cao to withdraw his order. Cao Cao said: "I heard that Lord Mao led Wu Ding to take refuge in Jinan, Qingzhou, and fought against the bandits in a boat. He has quite a lot of experience in water warfare. He must be proficient in water warfare." Mao Jie jumped up from his seat when he heard the words, and said in a hurry: "The prime minister doesn't know that the warships under his command in Qingzhou are just slightly modified fishing boats for the common people, and the number of them is not large. There are only 20 or 30 ships, how can this be regarded as having experience in water warfare? The subordinates are irresponsible, I am really afraid that they will miss the prime minister's important event of the Southern Expedition!"

"Alas! Lord Mao, don't take this matter of water warfare too hard!" Cao Cao still refused to change his words, "The so-called general affairs of water warfare, the main method is just boats coming and going, arrows coming and going, nothing complicated .And all the military training is under the auspices of the general, Lord Mao only needs to be present on the spot to clean up the military style and discipline, and be responsible for urging the soldiers to speed up their familiarity with water warfare." He spoke so bluntly that Yu Jin and Mao Jie naturally did not dare to have any objections, but in the end Mao Jie suggested that Cao Cao appoint Wen Pin as the chief instructor of the Navy.In this way, their hearts were a little more at ease.

In fact, within the Jingzhou navy, more than 13,000 seriously ill soldiers were massacred and burned overnight, which has left a very bad impression on other sailors.Although the current epidemic in the military seems to have been contained, and the number of people suffering from the disease seems to be decreasing, it seems that the horrible memory will never be erased from their hearts.This time, Cai Hao and Zhang Yun, the governors of the original navy army, were beheaded on charges of treason and collaborating with the enemy. This made the Jingzhou navy's already unstable military morale even worse.The generals of the Jingzhou navy are walking on thin ice, for fear that they will be caught if they are not careful, and their heads have fallen to the ground with a "click"!This made them trembling and tied their hands and feet when dealing with Yu Jin, Mao Jie and others in military affairs, and they did nothing but nod and obey orders.In such a harsh and depressing atmosphere, another change occurred within the Jingzhou Navy.Many sailors took off their armor overnight and fled to the grass, returning to their hometowns, throwing themselves to the east of the river, or rushing to the summer of the river. Even if Mao Jie tried to contain and stop them with severe punishments, it seemed that it would be of no avail.

At this time, Jia Xu, the Zuo army division, was finally cured of his severe cold.He returned to the Southern Expedition Army Administration to manage affairs. On the second day after he recovered from his illness and returned to his post as a director, he went to Cao Cao to have a face-to-face discussion on related matters: "Why did the Prime Minister have to burn and kill those 13,000 critically ill patients twenty days ago? Sigh. , you are clipping your own wings!" Cao Cao looked at him inexplicably in surprise: "Why did Master Jia say such a thing at this moment? Xia Houyuan, Cao Chun, Mao Jie, Sima Yi, etc. all reported the truth that day, and you have no objection to sending these more than 13,000 people Severely ill patients should be exterminated to eliminate future troubles!"

"This..." Jia Xu was momentarily at a loss for words. "Did you say this at the time: 'This kind of thinking of "scorpion venom stings the hand, and the strong man cuts the wrist" is not useless. If you really want to "grasp the big and let go of the small, take the heavy and discard the light", everything should be adjusted according to the current situation. Act cautiously.' At that time, the 90,000 soldiers from the northern part of the truth were afraid of the epidemic. Everyone was in danger and fearful. They all regarded the seriously ill patients as scourges. It will definitely lead to chaos in the whole army! Sigh... The actions of the time are indeed cruel and cruel, but if you don't make a cruel move, I'm afraid it will be too small to bear and cause great harm! The truth is true. Sometimes I also think about my heart late at night, and the horoscope of 'adapting measures to the current situation and acting prudently' should have been achieved in the truth!"

"Oh, Prime Minister... your understanding is a bit biased. This...Xu did say that to Xia Houyuan, Cao Chun and other generals, but the implication of what Xu said at that time was that 'the time has not come' and it cannot be implemented. 'Ah! When the morale of the army is fluctuating and the feelings of people are raging, the best policy is to be sparse but not blocked, and to be lenient but not strict. Although you suppressed these undercurrents in one fell swoop with a thunderbolt, it is difficult to guarantee the future. ... Sigh! That's why Xu has repeatedly emphasized that 'everything should be done in a prudent and timely manner'!"

When Cao Cao heard this, his mood was shaken immediately, and he couldn't help raising his beard with excitement: "Well... how could you mean this in your heart? Alas! Wenhe! This is your fault. If you have such intentions, even You are sick in bed, why not use a letter to speak frankly and frankly the truth? Why are you so reserved and convoluted." "This...Xu's emotions seemed a bit extreme when he saw General Xiahou and General Cao at the time, and it was not good for Xu to intensify the controversy on the spot." Jia Xu's forehead was already slightly sweating, "However, Xu has solemnly entrusted Sima Yi to report to him. You conveyed Xu's three countermeasures, didn't he tell the prime minister?"

"Oh... Sima Yi passed on your three countermeasures to the truth - one is to ensure the safety of water sources, pay attention to epidemic monitoring, and implement separate camps for the land and sea armies to isolate; Cure the epidemic; third, if there is a chance, please personally visit the navy camp to condolences to the sick..." After hearing this, Jia Xu thought for a while, then suddenly frowned slightly, shook his head and sighed, "No! No! That's not exactly what Jia told Sima Yi at that time." He thought to himself, it seems that Sima Yi later He also changed his mind, and went with Xia Houyuan and Cao Chun's line of thinking that "scorpion venom stings the hand, and the strong man cuts off the wrist".well!Why is he so confused!It was a waste of my earnest entreaties in his ears!But, then again, with Xia Houyuan and Cao Chun's high status and high status in the military camp, it's really hard for him to stand up for a small Zhonglang.

"What? Did this Sima Yi say something wrong or did he miss something?" Cao Cao raised his brows like knives, "The Prime Minister immediately summoned him to confront you, Junshi Jia." "Oh...no need. When confronted seriously, he didn't say that he was wrong or missed. But he didn't give me the priority of these three countermeasures. He didn't seem to really understand that I'm adapting to the situation. Forget it, forget it, he was still young, and he probably couldn't remember these details at that time. Alas, Jia should have been sick and forced himself to explain to the prime minister that night. ..." Jia Xu patted his knees and sighed sadly, his face was full of deep regret.

Hearing what he said, Cao Cao couldn't help feeling a little unhappy in his heart.You, Jia Xu, are worried in your heart that you are afraid of being at odds with Xiahouyuan, Cao Chun, Mao Jie, etc. because you insist on your own opinions, so you use this tactful technique of "flattering on both sides, getting both ways", and you want to attract a young man like Sima Yi It is still a lot worse for officials to be "speaking tubes" than Xun Lingjun, who is "clear and straight, upright and upright, concerned about public affairs and forgetting personal interests"!Xun Lingjun, as long as one thing is wrong, one thought is uneasy, he will try his best to make it right, not afraid of power, not shy of reputation, and regardless of life and death.How can you be as ingenious and sleek as you?well!You misled my plan because of your temporary avoidance, but now you show off your "independent wisdom and foresight" in front of the truth, you are too thick-skinned!As soon as he thought of this, he said coldly: "Forget it! It's been so long, so what's the use of talking about pros and cons when we go back to the source? Jia Junshi should do more for our army's upcoming conquest across the river." heart!"

When Jia Xu heard Cao Cao's tone suddenly become so cold and piercing, Jia Xu couldn't help being shocked, and then glanced at the faint sullen look in Cao Cao's eyes, so she had to suppress all the fluctuations on her face, and replied respectfully: "Yes. Follow Jun's orders." Seeing Jia Xu restraining his expression and stopping, Cao Cao felt a slight movement in his heart, and realized that his outrageous actions just now might have frightened him a little bit, so he calmed down, slowed down his tone, and said slowly: "Wen He—— What Benxiang dislikes the most is to regret the right and wrong decisions of his previous decision because of his current bluntness! After doing everything, where is there any "regret medicine" to take in this world? For example, Benxiang has also reflected recently, If, in July this year, Zhenxiang led the army to set off from Xudu, if the strategy at that time had been changed to focus on conquering Sun Quan in the east, and Zhenxiang would personally command Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, Chen Jiao and other senior generals from Xu and Xu to advance quickly and approach Wancheng. He caught Sun Quan by surprise, and at the same time sent Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Xu Huang, etc. to the south to contain Liu Biao and Liu Bei in Jingzhou. At that time, Liu Biao in Jingzhou was seriously ill and was dying. If you don’t take action and join hands with Sun Quan to create chaos——the result is very likely that Jiangdong Sun Quan will surrender because he is alone. Once Jiangdong is in his hands, Jingzhou will definitely become a fish in the bottom!——Wenhe, what do you think?" After all, Jia Xu is Jia Xu, and she is not an ordinary person with a small belly.After hearing what Cao Cao said, he closed his eyes slightly, bowed his head in thought for a while, and then said leisurely: "Master Prime Minister, your reflection is indeed justified. Sigh... It's all because Xu waited for the staff to be ignorant of short-term benefits, and neglected Yu Yuantu thought that Liu Biao in Jingzhou was about to perish, and with Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and other internal and external echoes, he could go down with a drumbeat, but unexpectedly Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and others escaped to Xiakou by means of the "golden cicada escape shell" plan, attracting Jiangdong Sun's family to the east. Come to help. Xu and the others never expected that at such a young age, Sun Quan was already a generation of heroes with great ambitions, capable of planning and making decisions, and Zhou Yu and Lu Su were under his command. Waiting to go...Xu and others really made the mistake of underestimating the enemy, so I ask the prime minister to punish him." Cao Cao stretched out his hand and chuckled, "Why does Junshi Jia blame himself so much? Although the truth has reflected on this, he will never regret it, and he will not blame others like Yuan Shao! The strategy of the Southern Expedition is determined by the truth alone. , What has it to do with you? If you want to investigate the responsibility, the truth is the first one who should be punished." When Jia Xu heard this, she was so panicked that she was sweating profusely, and hurriedly leaned on the table and said, "The prime minister's words made Jia even more panicked and ashamed!" Cao Cao sat quietly on the couch, fell into deep thought, and asked after a long time: "Wenhe... now there are only you and me in this tent, you might as well express your feelings directly in front of the truth. Be bold and speak freely. In this battle of crossing the river, what should we do next?" Jia Xu raised his head slowly from the seat, looked at him with both eyes, and his face was extremely solemn: "Master Prime Minister, would you like to listen to the words of the bones or the words of A Fu?" "Of course it's the words of the bones!" Cao Cao replied solemnly. "Then Xu will be outspoken in front of you. From Xu's point of view, the current Southern Expedition Navy is divided up and down, and the morale is weak. In addition, Cai Mao, Zhang Yun and other generals were killed for betraying and collaborating with the enemy. The backbone talents have been completely lost. , have already become a group of timid and exhausted soldiers, and they no longer have any extraordinary fighting power. If you forcefully rely on them to cross the river to fight, there will be deep hidden dangers, and I am afraid that you will stumble before the battle! I am not good at sailing on foot and in boats in the north, and I am not familiar with water warfare. If I really want to train them into a strong naval force, it will not happen overnight, what a dilemma! "So, from Xu's point of view, you might as well calm down the inside and outside with your utmost concentration. On the one hand, you will temporarily stay here with the general and Lord Mao to actively train the sailors, and raise their full front to serve them; on the other hand, dispatch Xiahouyuan and Cao Cao. General Chun and others led a hundred thousand cavalry to continue eastward from the land to Xiakou, and no longer entangled with Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Zhuge Liang and others here, treating it as if the waves of the sea rose and fell by themselves. In this way, the prime minister will It is to use the long to attack the short, and you will be able to conquer the entire Jiangbei area of ​​Jingzhou in one fell swoop; after you have settled the entire Jiangbei area in Jingzhou, you can turn back to the north, sit in Xudu and control each other from a distance. The coalition forces are bound to be overwhelmed by the wind!" "Oh... your opinion is to gather troops to take Xiakou from the east first, and then turn the army back to the north to appease it?" Cao Cao's tone changed suddenly, and he was a little passionate, "but... alas! Junshi Jia, don't you I understand, if this Southern Expedition fails to win the Jiangdong Sun clan in one fell swoop, it cannot be regarded as a complete victory! At this moment, what will they think if Zhenxiang and Zhou Yu leave here without a fight? Zhou Yu and the others will definitely be even more serious. Arrogant and complacent, they think that the truth has frightened them, and they will definitely step up their raids——Yu Jin and Mao Jie will certainly not be at peace here! Anyway, there will always be a battle sooner or later, so why avoid the truth? No matter how hard it is, the truth We must also win a tough battle here beautifully, and then go to capture Xiakou City!" Then, he turned his eyes to the direction of the water army camp, listened to the faint sounds of the soldiers training and fighting, and said firmly: "Just wait for a month or two, wait until On the day when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, the truth will surely be able to personally command the navy, guide the sword to the shore, and level the east of the river!" Jia Xu sat silently on the table, but his eyes were lowered. Cao Cao was only concerned about his heroic spirit and strong words, but he didn't notice the slight melancholy in his eyes.