Zhang Wu four years, autumn and July.

At the court meeting, Cao Pi sat on the couch in a crown robe, and asked everyone: "Zhuqing, what can I do about the locust plague in Jizhou?" ”

During the Xiaoice period, the land of China was not very good. Fortunately, the Great Han Dynasty established Wu Chu, and the disasters that he was worried about were none other than floods caused by floods and sea invasions, as well as locust plagues. Wei is located in the north, and there are both the Yellow River and drought, and the snow and locust plagues are also fortunate from time to time.

Today, the Han Dynasty is in a period of vigorous development. The Hebei region of the Northern Wei Dynasty was trapped by a locust plague, and now it is so serious that Cao Pi needs to come forward to ask the government.

"Your Majesty, Jizhou is the cornerstone of the country, now there are locusts in Jizhou, the people are hungry, and they must be saved, please send a messenger to the north to open a warehouse to help the people!"

Xin Bi took the wat board out and replied: "And Your Majesty's policy of moving the Hebei Shijia to the south is not feasible because the people have nothing to eat, so it should be stopped." ”

Most of the household registrations under Cao Wei's name are concentrated in Jizhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Sili areas. Among them, under the management of Cao Cao for more than ten years, the Jizhou area has migrated people from all over the place, and the household registration has reached more than 400,000 households.

Because of Runan and Yingchuan, Yuzhou has more than 100,000 household registrations; Although Yanzhou is located in the Central Plains, it is the place where Cao Cao made his fortune, and there are more than 100,000 households; Needless to say, Hedong and Hanoi are subordinate, and the number of household registrations in the remaining counties is second only to Jizhou.

With the continuous results of the Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty, the perennial defeat of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the Henan region suffered many blows, so in order to strengthen Henan's military strength and prepare for the future southern expedition, Cao Pi wanted to move 100,000 households of scholars in Jizhou to Shiyan, Si, Qing and other Henan prefectures.

"Jizhou was plagued by locusts, what does it have to do with the relocation of the people to the south?"

Hearing this, Cao Pi frowned, and said in a deep voice: "Now we should not only help the victims, but also migrate to the south, and use it to Henan." ”

Seeing that Cao Pi was still preparing to forcibly move the people south, Sun Quan couldn't help but persuade: "Your Majesty, there is a great hunger in Jizhou today, and the people have nothing to eat. For 100,000 households, there are no less than 400,000 or 500,000 people, and for those who have migrated, half of the people have lost their lives. For the sake of state affairs, the right to think that His Majesty cannot do it. ”

Sima Yi said bitterly: "Your Majesty, Henan has a lot of military affairs, and it is not a wise move to put the people in danger. Now it is better to give relief to Jizhou first, and then watch how the military affairs are, and then discuss the matter of migrants. ”

Seeing that the ministers were opposed, Cao Pi's face sank, and he said: "Today, Henan is empty, and the army is not large, so I am afraid it will be difficult to resist the water thieves." If we don't move now, when will we wait, could it be that I am wrong now? ”

"I honestly think it's wrong!"

Xin Bi was not afraid, and arched his hand and said: "Although the water thieves have made repeated northern expeditions, won Xiangfan, and expanded Xuhuai, they have more wasteland and no people. Huo Jun solidified Jianghuai and reordered the Huai people to return to their hometowns, which was a drain on the national strength of thieves. ”

"Today, the thief has to go down and it is difficult to go north, not because he is unable to go north, but because he is afraid of the fortified city of Shouchun. Your Majesty's dispatch of good generals is enough to curb the trend of the thieves' northern expedition, why do you need to move people south to Henan? ”

Cao Pi got up and was angry, and said: "There is no need for Qing to say much about the matter of moving to the south, I will discuss it with Zhu Qing!" ”

Cao Pi was very angry that his subordinates could not understand his painstaking efforts. shouts every day that the Central Plains is in the country, and despises the southerners as water thieves. However, in fact, it is said that the Central Plains is withered, and the population of today's state is not as large as that of the former county, so he closed himself off to cultivate and prevented himself from going south.

If he didn't go south today, but blindly defended, he was afraid that Huo Jun would attack his hometown of Qiaojun. Is there any reason for the Heavenly Empire to be beaten and not to fight?

Seeing that Cao Pi was angry, everyone didn't dare to continue to say more, only Xin Bi argued with reason, and said: "Your Majesty doesn't think that the ministers are not talented, so they are reused and entrusted to serve and consult officials." If there is a state affair today, how can you not consult with your ministers? ”

"What the minister said to His Majesty is not His Majesty's private matter, but it is actually the concern of the society, and An Neng is angry with the minister!"

"You~"

Under Xin Bi's righteous words, even though Cao Pi was angry, he couldn't do anything. Immediately, he angrily shook his sleeves and left the court.

Xin Bi strode forward, grabbed Cao Pi's sleeve, and said loudly: "Today's major matter is undecided, how can Your Majesty leave the court alone?" ”

"How dare Xinzuo do this?"

Cao Pi saw Xin Bi tugging on his sleeve and not letting him go, he was ashamed and annoyed, and then pulled back his sleeve hard and walked straight into the harem.

Seeing Cao Pi returning to the palace angrily, the ministers looked at each other.

Liu Ye asked helplessly: "How should the Jizhou locust plague be cooked?" ”

"Wait a little longer, Your Majesty has not let Zhu Qing retreat, maybe he will return to the court." Sima Yi said.

As Sima Yi said, Cao Pi, who had been sulking for a long time, returned to the palace.

Cao Pi, who was angry a little, did not give up, and asked Xin Bi in person: "Why is George so pressing? ”

Xin Bi held the wat board and bowed his waist, and said sincerely: "It is not that the ministers are forcing Your Majesty to be anxious, but that Your Majesty is forcing the people to be very anxious. After the battle of Hanzhong, the first emperor deeply felt that the world was withering, and it was difficult to get rid of the water thieves, so he issued an edict to rest and recuperate, and the world was happy for a while. ”

"At the beginning of the war, the people in Jizhou are hungry. His Majesty's move south to 100,000 scholars' homes and leaving the people without food is a harmful move to the people, and His Majesty is afraid that he will lose the support of the people because of this. ”

"I hope Your Majesty will be cautious!" Sun Quan, Sima Yi, Liu Ye and others said in unison.

Under the unanimous opposition of the ministers, Cao Pi no longer insisted on his opinion, his tone softened, and said: "I and Zhuqing each take a step back, and the number of families who have migrated will be halved. Migrate 50,000 households to Henan, and choose a place where paddy fields are flourishing. As for the locust plague in Jizhou, the special Shangshu servant shot Du Ji to open a warehouse to cheer him up. ”

"No!"

Seeing that Cao Pi retreated, the ministers didn't say anything.

The atmosphere eased a lot, and Cao Pi asked, "Do you have anything important to do?" ”

"Your Majesty, Qingzhou is mostly attacked by water thieves, and the people are plundered by thieves. The assassin Cheng was overjoyed, and his speech was suspected to be sent by Huo Jun to attack the border. The Jianghuai ruled by Huo Jun, connecting the sea in the east and Shouchun in the west, is not Cao Zhengdong alone, and His Majesty should choose the general to guard Qingxu. Sun Zi said.

Since Huo Jun formulated the policy of attacking Qingzhou at the beginning of the year, let Guan Chengzhong run the old business, and let the Qingzhou seaside that has been peaceful for many years fall into turmoil again. Qingzhou soldiers and horses are powerless against the water thieves entrenched on the island. The coastal people may be scattered into the interior due to the rebellion; Or persuaded by others, go south to Jianghuai.

Now, in order to curb Huo Jun's development in the east, it is already necessary to open another war zone in Qidi and cooperate with Cao Xiu, who is sitting in Shouchun.

Qingxuzhou is a Qi land, which can be said to be equal to Guanzhong. Those who sit in the Qingxu Military Region cannot be appointed by non-clansmen. Looking at the current clan, the only person who can make Cao Pi trust is the southern general Xiahou Shang.

Cao Pi pondered for a while and said: "General Zhengnan has made meritorious contributions to Luoduo, and now he can move to Langya Kaiyang and supervise the military of Qingxu and Xuzhou." Yanzhou Assassin Shi Wang Ling and Yuzhou Assassin Shi Jia Kui, each exercising military affairs and cooperating to resist thieves. ”

After a pause, Cao Pi looked at Sima Yi and asked, "If the general of the south is in Dongzhen, there is no general in Wancheng." I want to entrust the monarch to Wancheng and govern the military of Jingzhou, why do you want to? ”

Sima Yi said in a deep voice: "Today's state affairs are in difficulty, how dare the minister not accept the order to join the expedition!" ”

Thinking that the power of the Southern Han Dynasty had penetrated deep into the Central Plains, Cao Pi looked around at everyone and asked, "Xi Huo Jun took advantage of our army to go west, defeated our army, and took Pi by trickery. Now in order to regain the old land, I want to send a large army to the south, what is it? ”

"Your Majesty wants to conquer the south, and the minister thinks it is feasible!"

Xin Bi came out again, arched his hand and said: "But the water thieves are prosperous and the people are safe, our country has been harmed by the locust plague, and now Your Majesty hastened the southern expedition, I am afraid that it is rare to have a big victory." Therefore, in the opinion of the ministers, His Majesty might as well suspend the use of troops. ”

Cao Pi looked at Sima Yi and Liu Ye and asked, "Is it okay to cut down Pi?" ”

Liu Ye pondered for a long time and said: "When the minister heard that Huo Jun migrated the people to Huainan, it can be seen that the thief has no intention of defending Xiapi. Now His Majesty wants to send troops to the south, and if our army is numerous, I am afraid that the thieves will give up Pi and avoid the war in Huainan; If our army is small, and the thieves send reinforcements and enter Surabaya to save them, I am afraid that it will be difficult to overcome them. ”

Xiapi was tossed by Huo Jun, which made Cao Wei disgusting. As Liu Ye said, if Cao Wei levied hundreds of thousands of troops to besiege Xiapi, Huo Jun would abandon Xiapi and retreat to Huainan. When Cao Wei's soldiers and horses retreated, Huo Jun might send troops and horses to recapture them.

That is to say, there are fewer Wei soldiers and they can't beat the city; If there are too many soldiers, the Han army may avoid fighting. Therefore, if you don't solve Huo Jun, who is entrenched in Huainan, it is not of great significance to just win Pi.

Cao Pi was silent, he had gradually had a plan for the southern expedition.

The great army only conquered Picheng, and its significance is not high, and it may be retaken. If you can cross the Huai River and break through Zhongli, Huaiyin and other cities, then Xiapi will surrender without a fight, even if you can't fully take Jianghuai. But it is not impossible to suppress the thieves in the cities of Jiangbei.

"Good!"

Cao Pi instructed: "After ordering Du Ji to appease Jizhou, he and Shang Shulang Zhuge Dan will build a royal boat together." ”

"No!"

"Your Majesty, Xiapi is lonely from Huaishui, raising troops to besiege and defend it, and there is still a plan. If His Majesty wants to raise troops and horses to conquer Huainan, the ministers cannot agree. ”

Xin Bi objected again and said: "The people of Wu and Chu are dangerous and difficult to treat. Today's military troubles, as far as China is concerned, have never been seen since ancient times. Now Your Majesty has both the sea, and those who do not go well can survive for a long time? ”

"In the past, Wei Tuo was called the emperor, and the name of Gongsun was not long, either a minister or a punishment. What is it? It is said that the thief of disobedience shall not be complete for a long time. ”

"The former emperor was almost invincible in the world, and he repeatedly raised sharp divisions, but he swirled around the river. Today, the Sixth Army is not inferior to the enemy, and it is difficult to say victory if it returns to the old things. The soldiers said, the temple is counted and then the army is still afraid, and now the temple is not enough, how can it conquer Huainan. ”

"In the opinion of the minister, find today's plan. The best policy, according to the edict of the first emperor, with the law of Fan Li to support the people, the good government of the Zhong, such as the old policy of Zhao Chongguo Tuntian, more than ten years, the strong elders are not old, children and young children have become, and the army will be able to sweep away the Yikou. ”

Seeing that Xin Bi repeatedly broke his own ideas, Cao Pi became more and more angry in his heart. shouting the edict of the first emperor every day, he and I have slept with all the women, why bother to follow the rules now.

Cao Pi had a cold face and asked rhetorically: "If you don't get rid of the thief today, don't you leave the thief in Zihu?" ”

Xin Bi faced Cao Pi's gaze and said calmly: "King Wen of the former Zhou Dynasty left King Wu behind, why? It is because of its self-knowledge, although Shang is dying, but his strength is long. The situation is unfavorable now, and bear with it for a while, why not! ”

"In the past, Bai Qi was crisscrossing the heroes, and he fought with Lian Po for a long time. It is quite dangerous to defend, and if it is not a battle, Qin is rare. If it weren't for Zhao Kuo, the party would be owned by Zhao Zhi, how could there be a defeat in Changping? ”

"Han Xin's soldiers broke through the east of the river, and Linjing fought with Chen Yu. Li Zuoche knew the situation of the enemy and me, and offered to be cautious. The rest did not listen, so there was a defeat in the water. If the strategy of reusing the left car, can Han Xinan take Zhao? ”

"Huo Jun has the ability of Han Bai, almost swept the east and west, and the first emperor also lost his hand. Later, the first emperor knew what he could do, and insisted on Shouchun to contain Jianghuai. Shouchun City is large, accommodating more than 100,000 people, backed by the Central Plains, storing grain for more than a year, although it is not a moat, it is a moat. ”

"Huo Jun is not long-lived, and he is even more dead. Jianghuai and Wuhan are sparse, and there are many riots. When the Chinese population breeds and the enemy country changes in chaos, why can't we calm the southern thieves? ”

Listening to Xin Bi's tirade, although Cao Pi was indignant in his heart, he also sighed silently.

In the middle of the sound, Cao Pi got up from the couch and said in a deep voice: "I have made up my mind, there is no need to say more." Build boats, strong soldiers and horses, and wait for the southern expedition. ”

"Hey~"

Seeing that Cao Pi didn't listen to himself, Xin Bichang exhaled turbidity and shook his head towards Sun Quan. Sun Quan smiled bitterly, he didn't know how to evaluate Cao Pi's obstinacy.

Seeing that Cao Pi was about to leave the palace and retreat, the attendant hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Ma Chao is asking for peace, and Jiang Jian will be sent to Beijing in the near future." ”

"Treat them with courtesy!"

"No!"

(End of chapter)