My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 576 Sima Jianguo
Lu Xun's two-pronged approach was quite successful, and he quickly recruited more than four thousand laborers.

In addition, Zhuti, as the capital of the Jianwei State and an important town in the south, stored a considerable amount of grain, amounting to 130,000 shi.

This is not surprising, as Zhuti has a thousand soldiers in its own county, plus officials in the counties and districts, which together require more than 30,000 shi of grain each year.

In addition to the two thousand reinforcements brought by Deng Xian, the annual grain requirement is fifty to sixty thousand shi (a unit of dry measure). Adding the reserves of the prefectural and county granaries, grain merchants, and charitable granaries, the total is as much as thirteen thousand shi.

These grains were undoubtedly much closer to the Bidao Pass, which also reduced some of the logistical pressure.

After making the arrangements, Lu Xun broke camp again and set off, appointing Deng Xian as his military advisor. He personally led Sun Ce, Liao Hua, Wen Ping, Lü Dai, and the troops under Xizhen to continue north, preparing to join forces with Lü Meng's troops at the city of Bidao. As for Hanyang, which was occupied by Wen Ping, and Pingyi, which was occupied by Lü Meng, Bu Zhi of Qielan sent troops to take over them.

In addition, more than 2,600 laborers were also gathered in Qielan County to escort Zhuti and then be incorporated into Zhuti's supply train.

**
Zhao Wei stood atop the battlements of Fucheng, looked up at the sky, clapped his hands, and laughed. His voice, like a resounding bell, shook the city walls, almost drowning out the screams, wails, and pleas for mercy carried on the wind.

Suddenly, Zhao Wei called to his attendants, "Jingyun! Ziju! Bojiang! Please take a look."

Zhao Wei, his brocade robe fluttering, pointed his halberd towards Chengdu and said with self-satisfaction, "Now that Fucheng has fallen, Pang Xi has fled like a rat, and Liu Jiyu is terrified at the mere mention of his name. Judging from the current situation, within ten months, I will sit high in Chengdu and drink a celebratory cup with you all!"

At that moment, an autumn wind suddenly arose, whipping the banners atop the city walls. Zhao Wei's jade pendant jingled at his waist, a sound like the clash of swords and the clang of horses. Hearing this, the soldiers around him drew their swords and shouted, "We are willing to follow you, my lord, and take Chengdu!"

The sound shook the Fu River, startling a few crows that flew across the long sky under the setting sun.

Leaving Zhao Sheng aside, Gong Yang and Cheng Ji both frowned upon seeing this scene.

The former was worried that his lord had become too arrogant, winning battle after battle and capturing important towns one after another, which made Zhao Wei realize that he no longer needed Liu Feng's help.

When Liu Feng came to inquire whether Zhao Wei needed assistance from the north, Zhao Wei changed his previous attitude and politely declined Liu Feng's question, hoping that Liu Feng could provide more military supplies.

While these battles were won easily, a significant amount of weaponry was lost and needs to be replenished promptly.

Before these cities were conquered, Pang Xi always managed to take away all the weapons and important supplies from the city. Although Zhao Wei obtained a lot of money and grain, he could not convert them into weapons and could only continue to bow his head and ask Liu Feng for support.

The bigger problem is that Zhao Wei raised an army to rebel under the pretext of relieving the people and punishing the guilty, but now wherever he goes, he lets his soldiers run rampant and forcibly levies and plunders. Where is the semblance of a people-oriented official?

This undoubtedly disappointed Gong Yang greatly.

Cheng Ji keenly realized that as the war progressed smoothly, Zhao Wei and his army began to become arrogant. As the saying goes, an arrogant army is bound to be defeated, which was clearly not a good thing.

At the same time, he also realized the problems that Gong Yang had realized, but he thought even further ahead than Gong Yang.

In his view, Zhao Wei's army had very poor discipline. As they marched north, they engaged in all sorts of looting, levying taxes, and extortion, completely unlike the troops of this prefecture. As for the Ba people, they could be described as having absolutely no discipline. Now that sparks were lit in Fucheng, it was obvious that they were set off by the Ba people.

Do these damned barbarians really enjoy causing destruction?
When you start a fire, don't you consider how troublesome it will be to put it out once it gets big?
Both Gong Yang and Cheng Ji had privately advised Zhao Wei several times, but Zhao Wei always made excuses, saying that the war was difficult and the soldiers needed to vent their frustrations, and that they should be treated well. He simply wouldn't listen to their advice.

As for Liu Feng's location, the surrounding area became even more suspicious and volatile, with heavy troops even being stationed in towns along the Fu River. It was obvious who they were guarding against.

Hearing the cries and screams carried on the wind, Gong Yang and Cheng Ji's expressions grew even more grim.

"Ziju, it will be hard for you to return to Jiangzhou."

Zhao Wei noticed Gong Yang and Cheng Ji's discomfort, so he changed the subject, saying, "The army's weapons are almost exhausted. Please send more supplies, General Zuo."

Gong Yang's face turned ashen. He realized that Zhao Wei was deliberately trying to undermine him, but he still nodded in the end.

Seeing Gong Yang nod, Zhao Wei smiled with satisfaction, and then instructed Cheng Jidao: "Bojiang, starting tomorrow, you will have to work hard to count the spoils of the city. Chengdu is almost in sight. I want to reward the whole army, boost morale, and take it in one fell swoop."

Unlike Gong Yang, Cheng Ji was not as strong-willed. Although he was inwardly complaining, he still respectfully obeyed Zhao Wei's order: "It is my duty, and I dare not disobey."

Zhao Wei then laughed with satisfaction, his gaze involuntarily turning towards the southwest.

Chengdu is located in that area. Whoever controls Chengdu controls Yizhou. We will definitely be able to conquer Chengdu, obtain the money, grain, and troops accumulated by Liu Zhang, and then turn around to deal with Liu Feng and drive him out of Bashu.

Although Liu Feng's forces are strong, he has also made many enemies. At worst, he can ask the Grand Marshal and the General for help, which will make him unable to attend to both sides.

To be fair, Zhao Wei was sincere when he sought Liu Feng's help, and he was even willing to cede Jiangguan and Jiangzhou later.

But as he won every battle along the way, Zhao Wei became more and more confident.

Originally, all that was needed was to defeat Liu Zhang, capture him, and bring him to justice.

But as he won more and more battles, Zhao Wei's desires also grew.

He was no longer content to continue being Liu Feng's vanguard; he wanted the entire Yi Province. If Liu Feng's power waned, Jing Province might also be worth a try.

**
"Is Zhang Lu willing to submit to the imperial court?"

Cao Cao was overjoyed, but he wasn't entirely confident about sending Sima Yi as an envoy to Hanzhong.

However, Cao Cao, Xi Zhong, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Man Chong and others all felt that Liu Feng's capture of Shangyong would inevitably put great pressure on Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

Even if the visit at this time cannot be made public that Zhang Lu has surrendered, it can at least win over Zhang Lu and let the other party know that there is also a great general in the court who cares about Hanzhong.

The biggest advantage is that if Zhang Lu is forced into a corner in the future, he can choose to surrender to Cao Cao. At worst, when he needs help, he can think of Cao Cao and give Cao Cao an opportunity to intervene in Hanzhong.

In recent years, Cao Cao has been quite distressed to watch Liu Feng expand his territory. The only direction he could expand in was Guanzhong, but the warlords in Guanzhong were mostly cavalry. Although he was not afraid to fight them with his infantry, it would still be quite troublesome if they actually fought.

Regardless of the outcome, even if Cao Cao won, how to severely damage the opponent was a problem that gave him a headache.

Cavalry are fast and have good endurance, so infantry simply can't catch up. Even if they win a great victory in battle, they find that they haven't gained much advantage after the battle.

After all, in any era, the real victory never comes during the confrontation between the two armies, but rather after one side has been routed.

If Sima Yi hadn't volunteered and signed a pledge, Cao Cao wouldn't have actually preferred him as the envoy to Hanzhong.

Now it seems I underestimated Sima Zhongda.

After reading Zhang Lu's memorial, Cao Cao's smile became even more genuine, and his opinion of Sima Yi rose several notches.

Although Zhang Lu did not surrender outright, his document clearly stated his willingness to submit to the imperial court and obey the orders of the Grand General. This gesture of submission delighted Cao Cao. Furthermore, Zhang Lu indicated that starting this year, Hanzhong would resume reporting to the imperial court.

The "Shangji" system included taxes, but it wasn't just about paying taxes. It also included submitting account books and records from Hanzhong, as well as recommendations for talented individuals.

With this plan in hand, the imperial court can gain a better understanding of the current situation in Hanzhong. They can also take advantage of the opportunity to bribe and win over officials who submit the plan. Furthermore, they can use rewards to honor those who submit the plan.

This is an open conspiracy; you can't refuse it.

Therefore, the feudal lords in various regions disliked submitting reports to the government. Unless there was no other way, they would rather pay taxes than submit to the government's reports.

Zhang Lu's willingness to follow the plan signifies his submission to the imperial court, and the person in charge of the court is none other than Cao Cao. Doesn't this clearly mean that Zhang Lu has submitted to Cao Cao?
Moreover, with this relationship, if Liu Feng wanted to seize Hanzhong again, Cao Cao could use the emperor to command the other lords and prevent Liu Feng from launching an attack.

If the other side listens, that would be ideal, as it would be a victory without a fight.

If he didn't listen, Cao Cao could not only rebuke Liu Feng for disloyalty in the name of the emperor, but also, with Zhang Lu's support, launch a preemptive strike on Hanzhong and seize it.

From beginning to end, Cao Cao never dared to hope that he could directly persuade Zhang Lu to hand over Hanzhong. As long as the other party opened a door, why would he be afraid of not having another opportunity in the future?

Sima Yi's achievements have exceeded Cao Cao's initial expectations.

"Zhongda, you've worked hard this time."

Cao Cao stood up excitedly from his seat, his short, stocky body pacing back and forth in the hall. Finally, he pointed at Sima Yi and said, "What do you want? Tell me everything, and I will reward you handsomely."

These words reveal just how delighted Cao Cao was; he even found Sima Yi particularly agreeable.

It's no exaggeration to say that Cao Cao would agree to even the most outrageous demands from Sima Yi, even if he wanted to seize military power.

Although Cao Cao was suspicious by nature and valued military power highly, he also had a magnanimous side and rarely broke his promises.

Of course, if Sima Yi really asked for military power, Cao Cao would agree, but in the following days he would definitely make things difficult for him.

Sima Yi entered the court as an official through Xun Yu's recommendation. The Sima family was a prominent family in Hanoi, and even in the context of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were firmly a second-class aristocratic family, no less than the Xun family, and second only to top aristocratic families such as Yuan and Yang.

Therefore, as soon as Sima Yi entered officialdom, he was appointed as a Gentleman of the Palace by the court, and soon after, he was promoted to Gentleman of the Palace.

However, Sima Yi has now persuaded Zhang Lu to submit, which is a first-rate achievement. According to the court's reward, Sima Yi could be directly promoted to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Note that this is only Sima Yi's way of rewarding Zhang Lu for his service, not Zhang Lu's actual surrender.

If Zhang Lu had surrendered directly, as Jia Xu suggested to Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao would have at least granted Sima Yi the title of Marquis of Ting, with a fief of no less than five hundred households.

Furthermore, the position of Shangshu Lang is no longer sufficient to reward merit; one must be promoted to Shizhong with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

Therefore, it was not that Cao Cao mistreated Sima Yi, but rather that Sima Yi's great achievement was indeed somewhat exaggerated.

Sima Yi ignored his brother's suggestive glances and replied on the spot, "Your subject is willing to serve in the General's office."

"Oh?"

Cao Cao became interested and his gaze toward Sima Yi became even more amiable.

Sima Lang's face darkened; he hadn't expected his younger brother to respond in this way.

The reason is simple: Sima Yi's current position is Yilang, which is an official position in the imperial court. Although he only has a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain), in theory he is a colleague of General Cao Cao.

However, if Sima Yi were to transfer to the General's office, things would be different. According to the dual monarchy system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he would be acknowledging Cao Cao as his lord.

From then on, Sima Yi was essentially branded with Cao Cao's mark. In a sense, Cao Cao would become the emperor, and both were Sima Yi's sovereigns.

It's no wonder Cao Cao was even happier, while Sima Lang was somewhat worried.

"Um……"

Cao Cao stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "I am still lacking a military advisor in my household. If Zhongda does not mind, I will temporarily appoint you to this position and will compensate you later."

"How could I, Yi, dare disobey the Great General's grace?"

Sima Yi bowed deeply and said, "I thank the General for his kindness."

Cao Cao smiled with satisfaction and nodded repeatedly.

The position of "Military Advisor and Chief of Staff" was equivalent to that of a chief of staff. In the Han Dynasty, "Chief of Staff" was usually the head of a certain institution (such as the Doctor of Scripture and Chief of Staff, whose official rank was 600 shi). However, the position of "Military Advisor and Chief of Staff" was created by Cao Cao. Previously, the position was held by Cao Cao's trusted ministers Xi Zhong and Xi Zhicai, whose official rank was naturally higher, with a rank of 1,000 shi.

Moreover, the strategist was Cao Cao's confidant, with access to confidential documents in the general's mansion and deep involvement in political and military affairs, making him a person of great power and influence.

In addition, this position is also a highly prestigious one that can enhance one's resume.

After serving as the military advisor and chief strategist for a year and a half, he had the opportunity to become the prefect.

In fact, that was exactly what Cao Cao thought. He planned to cultivate Sima Yi to be the deputy and strategist of his eldest son, Cao Ang.

Sima Yi was a man of both literary and military talent, and was young and vigorous. He was a few years younger than Cao Ang, making him very suitable to become part of Cao Ang's inner circle.

Moreover, since Sima Yi had rendered meritorious service in Hanzhong, Cao Cao had long intended to send Cao Ang to Chang'an to serve as the Commandant of the Capital Region, holding the imperial insignia to oversee all the armies in Guanzhong and to take charge of the Guanzhong region.

If Sima Yi truly submits to him, then he would be a suitable candidate for Cao Ang's inner circle.

At that time, Sima Yi was appointed as the Assistant Commandant of the Capital Region and concurrently served as the Western Cao of the General's Office (and concurrently as the Military Advisor of Guanzhong). He was able to assist Cao Ang and make contributions in Guanzhong and Hanzhong.

"Okay, okay!"

Cao Cao personally descended the steps and helped Sima Yi up: "Zhongda, although you are young, you are truly talented. If you continue to work diligently, I will not let you down. If you make new contributions in the future, I will reward you handsomely. Even if you are ennobled and granted a title, it will be only as you deserve."

Sima Yi prostrated himself on the ground and bowed twice, his forehead lightly touching the blue brick: "I... dare not fail to exert all my strength to repay your kindness and favor!"

(End of this chapter)