In the sixth year of Zhang Wu, in the summer of April.

Wei, Luoyang Palace.

"Your Majesty, great joy!"

Sun Quan smiled, took hurried steps through the corridors, and then walked straight into the palace.

Seeing the smile on Sun Quan's face, Cao Pi put down his song and asked with a smile, "What makes Zhongmou so happy?" ”

Sun Quan bowed to Cao Pi and said with a smile: "Your Majesty doesn't know, that old thief Liu Bei died half a month ago, and now his son Liu Chan succeeds him." Congratulations to Your Majesty, the old thief has passed away, and my Great Wei is in great trouble. ”

"Since eating His Majesty's Fortune, the minister has been conscientious and conscientious, and he does not dare to be partial. At this time, I dare not forget Liu Xuande's legacy, and hope that His Majesty can embody the humble and submissive heart of his ministers. ”

While speaking, Cao Pi seemed to think of the scene of Linhuai watching the army, and said proudly: "And the counties of Xuhuai are attached, and I will go to the river again, collect the land of thousands of miles north of the river, and then become the incomplete industry of the first emperor, dominate the world, and seal Mount Tai." ”

Although Sun Quan was dissatisfied with Cao Pi's strategy, because Cao Pi was the monarch, he could only bow his hand and say: "Your Majesty's strategy is wise, and the minister thinks it is feasible." At the banquet today, I can ask the princes if they have different opinions! ”

"No!"

Xin Bi lowered his head, took his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, it is advisable to pay attention to etiquette at the banquet, and you must not be rude!" ”

"Good!"

"Haha~"

"Huh?"

At the banquet, the sound of silk and bamboo bells and drums was endless, and the aftermath lingered; The singer danced like a dragon. Wei Guan watched the music and dance, intertwined with the chips, drank and had fun, and was very happy.

"No!"

Chen Qun was very knowledgeable, raised the wine bottle to salute Cao Pi, and said: "The wine of the minister is not for Liu Gong to drink, but for His Majesty Shengming." ”

Sun Quan held it in his hand and said with a smile: "Xiangfan has been hung white for Lao Ge, and according to the history of Jingzhou Thorn, Wuhan City is plain white, and Lao Ge's death is not a rumor. Now his son Liu Chan succeeded to the throne, and Huo Jun and Zhuge Liang were the ministers of Tuogu. ”

In addition, not long after Sun Ying raised Cao Ei, the problem of the heir withered, and Cao Pi had no choice but to crown Cao Ei as the crown prince. Under the relationship between the two, Sun Quan became more and more favored by Cao Pi.

In the opinion of the minister, Liu Bei died of illness today, and Ma Chao is afraid of China. Your Majesty might as well move to the west, lead the army to recruit Ma Chao, collect the old land of Longyou, and then watch the situation in the middle of the water thief court. And the water thieves are in turmoil in the court, isn't it easy for Your Majesty to conquer the south to destroy the thieves? ”

Cao Pi's eyes widened, revealing a look of surprise, and in order to prevent Sun Quan's news from being fake, he asked, "Where did Zhongmou get the news, have you ever distinguished the truth from the false?" ”

Cao Pi took a sip of wine, asked the singer in the hall to retreat, looked at the people under the stairs, and said proudly: "Lao Ge Liu Bei is old and sick and mourned, his son Liu Chan is in power, and Huo and Ge Quanchen are in power. It is expected that most of the officials in the south are scattered, and the people are panicked and uneasy, which is when the country is weak. ”

Although Sun Quan was not good at using troops to fight, he had merit in his national strategic judgment. In his eyes, the southern expedition is not as good as the west, Liu Bei died, the Southern Han will fall into a short period of chaos, if he can take advantage of the situation to move westward, he may not be able to level Ma Chao and recover Longyou.

Cao Pi was not very happy and criticized: "Why is Zhongmou's insight so short-sighted? ”

"Liu Bei is dead?"

Cao Pi was angry and scolded: "Chen Changwen, my Great Wei and the water thieves are incompatible, how can I sympathize with the thieves because of the old love!" ”

Saying that, Cao Pi said in a deep voice: "Don't say much, Zhuqing, now you should take Jianghuai first, and then go down to Longyou, restore the territory of the old emperor, and then build a water division to cross the river and destroy the thieves." ”

Cao Pi took the map that had been prepared a long time ago, pointed out the map of Jianghuai, and said: "I want to divide the army into two ways to march south, and the partial army will go all the way out of Jinghan and go south to Xiangfan; The army went all the way out of Xuyu and conquered Jianghuai in the south. Shi Zhen personally commanded the troops and horses, led the Chinese division, and went south along Ru, Ying, Si, and Whirlpool, and then conquered the Jianghuai. ”

"No!"

During the music, Xin Bi stepped forward with a wine bottle, saluted Cao Pi, and said.

Cao Pi, who was slightly drunk, put his arm around Xin Bi's neck and said, "The old thief died, does Xin Jun know if I like it?" ”

Although Chen Qun's words are not in line with the values of the Ming and Qing dynasties, they can meet Cao Pi's taste.

Cao Pi glanced at Song Shu a few times, excitedly put his hand around Sun Quan's shoulder, and laughed: "Lao Ge died of illness, and the side trouble disappeared suddenly; The young lord succeeds to the throne, and the powerful ministers are in charge, this is a godsend to me! ”

"Accurate!"

"Liu Bei has eloquence and can win the hearts of the people, and now the old man died suddenly, and the ministers are here to congratulate Your Majesty!"

Cao Pi drank the wine in the cup, got up from the couch, and wanted to say something, but saw Chen Qun a little unhappy, and immediately asked: "Why is Chen Lingjun unhappy sitting alone, could it be that today's wine and food are not in line with Qing's appetite?" ”

At dusk, as the attendants rushed to tell each other, Cao Wei's high-ranking officials happily went to Luoyang Palace for a banquet.

Chen Qun's face was as usual, and he sighed slightly: "Although Liu Xuande is the head of the thief, he has the grace of removing the minister as the main book, and there is still friendship with the minister. Now that Liu Xuande is dead, it is difficult for the ministers to drink and celebrate. ”

"Today, the boat has been completed, the grain is abundant, and the soldiers and horses are strong. I want to raise troops and come to Jianghuai, collect the six counties of Xuhuai, and restore the unfinished business of the first emperor, I don't know why Zhu Qing thinks so? Cao Pi said.

"Sending an envoy to slack off?"

"Good!"

Liu Bei's death was really a relief for Cao Pi. Last time, Liu Bei's troops approached Chang'an, and the war broke out at the east and west ends, which scared him a lot.

The ministers in the palace looked at each other, not knowing how to reply to Cao Pi.

"Hmm!"

Cao Pi prepared for the southern expedition the year before last year, but he did not raise troops to go south for a long time, in addition to the new boat, there were also fears of Liu Bei and Huo Jun. Now that Liu Bei has died, Cao Wei has not only removed a confidant. As Cao Pi said, Liu Chan is young and the ministers are in charge, which is not a good sign.

"Your Majesty, Huya General Xian Yufu, Captain Tian Yujiu and Liu Bei are friendly, Jintian Yu is sticking to the frontier, Your Majesty might as well choose Xian Yufu to go south, order him to hold the festival, apply for the grace of the three good, and open the door to divide the north and south dynasties." Wei Zhen said.

"After the Longyou Swing is flat, Your Majesty observes the enemy's situation arrangement, or you can take Bashu, or you can go down to Jianghuai. Now it is difficult and then easy, not to use soldiers. ”

Then, Cao Pi pulled Sun Quan to sit with him, and said with a smile: "Zhongmou, now the lord is young and strong, but can the south conquer the water thieves?" ”

At the beginning, Cao Pi met Sun Quan, and he was embarrassed because of Sun Ying. Now with the passage of time, Cao Pi is also frank.

Wei Zhen pondered for a while and said: "Now that Liu Bei has died, Your Majesty might as well send an envoy to the south, saying that he wants to make peace with the water thieves, divide the border, and make the two families good with each other, so as to slack off the heart of the water thief." In fact, the water thief is in the middle of the virtual reality, such as the thief's plan, His Majesty will march south in the autumn, or you can quickly go down to the outer city, unimpeded to the Yangtze River. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty Shengming!"

Cao Pi paced and thought slightly, and said: "And as Xin Jun said, the southern expedition in autumn and July." Today, the Chinese army and the armies of Henan are ordered to fight, and the assassins and county guards in various places should be given priority to the military, and there must be no violation of the edict. ”

Hearing Chen Qun's words, Cao Pi was not angry but happy, and said with a smile: "I want to test Qing's courage and loyalty, and now I am so frank and open-minded, I am not worried because I am very happy!" ”

On the contrary, the southern expedition to Jianghuai, not to mention whether it is easy to attack. Under the pressure of the army today, it is easy for the Southern Han Dynasty to work together, and the southern soil gathers heavy troops and fights across the Huai, which may not be impossible to fight with Cao Wei.

Seeing that Cao Pi didn't accept what he said, Liu Ye retreated into the crowd and stopped speaking.

"Your Majesty, it's the summer season, the rain is drenched, and the roads are muddy. Today, the army is raised to the south to conquer Jianghuai, and the soldiers are afraid of being affected by the epidemic. ”

Xin Bi arched his hand and said: "The minister thinks that His Majesty is not as good as using troops in autumn and winter, and when the Huai water falls and freezes the Huai, he will then go south to conquer Jianghuai." The sergeants were not harmed by dampness and epidemics, and the river froze and dried up, which was beneficial to the use of Chinese soldiers and horses. ”

As he spoke, Cao Pi's tone changed, and he asked in a deep voice: "Or are you not happy about Liu Bei's sudden death?" ”

"Haha!"

After a while, Liu Ye came out and said: "Your Majesty, the first emperor has repeatedly marched south, and there are seven out of ten in the world, which is said to be a powerful earthquake in the sea, but the south is also afraid of Jianghuai." Although Liu Bei is dead, Huo Jun and Zhuge Liang are still there, and the national strength of the water thieves has not been damaged, so His Majesty should not rush it. ”

With Cao Pi's publicity, the news of Liu Bei's death spread throughout Luoyang City almost in half a day. Compared with the officials of the southern land, the officials of the Wei State celebrated with a crown, and they all went up to celebrate Cao Pi.

Cao Pi nodded with satisfaction and said: "I have an in-law relationship with Zhongmou, and after I set out on the expedition, Luoyang should be presided over by Zhongmou to protect the grain for the army. ”

Sun Quan tidied up his clothes and asked, "I don't know how Your Majesty wants to march?" ”

"Haha!"

"Good!"

Seeing that Cao Pi's ambition was so ambitious, Sun Quan hesitated a little and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Bei has died of illness today, and it is difficult to use troops in the short term in Nantu. Your Majesty, why don't you do what is easy and then difficult, take the right of Longyou first, and capture the horse and rebel, which is not only powerful and powerful, but also has real national strength. ”

Cao Pi paced in a deep voice and asked, "Gongzhen's words are very reasonable, but who should be sent south today?" ”

Cao Pi paced, smiled and commanded, and said, "Liu Bei's death is for the joy of my Great Wei." Today, in order to celebrate Liu Bei's death, I held a banquet in the palace and enjoyed with the ministers of the court. ”

"Your Majesty, the minister has a shallow opinion, I don't know if it's okay?" Wei Zhen arched his hand and said.

"Liu Bei died of illness, and the southern soil was out of order. If we don't take advantage of the chaos of the enemy country to march south, how can we conquer Longyou in the west and make the thieves stabilize the dynasty. If Jianghuai can be leveled, it can curb the northward advance of thieves. The land of Longyou, isn't it peaceful? ”

Cao Pi glanced at Sun Quan, although he was curious why Sun Quan and Liu Ye had the same strategy, but in order to strengthen his attitude, he said: "If you don't cut down now, don't you want to keep the water thief and future generations?" If you don't take advantage of the chaos to take Jianghuai now, when the water thieves are at peace, it will be difficult for Jianghuai to take! ”

During the Han Dynasty, the conquest system prevailed, that is, a unique two-yuan monarchy was produced. In the past, Liu Bei conscripted Chen Qun as the main book, and according to Confucianism and morality, Liu Bei was actually Chen Qun's king. Therefore, for Chen Qun's morality, he must not only assist Liu Bei, but also report the emperor's kindness.

"It's better to be alone than to be happy!"

Chen Qun was not afraid, got up and bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, he will serve Liu Xuande every day, just like Your Majesty today." If the minister was unfortunately captured by the water thief, and scolded His Majesty again, what about it? ”

Cao Pi thought about it again and again, and said: "And as Gong Zhen said, General Huya Xian went south in the auxiliary festival to appease the water thieves, thinking that it was for the purpose of snubbing the enemy." The prefectures and counties of the world must not be affected by this, concentrate on preparing for war, and must take Jianghuai and return. ”

"No!"

(End of chapter)