My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 705: Cao's bandits were shocked and forced to move the capital

The 9th day of the sixth month, the 14th year of Jian'an.

It was also two days later that Cao Ren and Xu Huang successfully retreated from Wancheng via Luyang and Liangxian to the territory of Henan Yin.

During the entire retreat, Cao Ren and Xu Huang lost tens of thousands of regular troops.
Also, because the withdrawal was too hasty and urgent, tens of thousands of young and strong people in Nanyang County and temporarily recruited civilians and auxiliary soldiers were not taken away with the army, and a large amount of food and military supplies were not taken away.

But no matter what, Cao Ren and Xu Huang were able to come back alive and bring back the final 70,000 manpower from the war zone.

In addition to the previous waves of troops that successfully withdrew from Bowang and Ye County before Cai Mao's death, Cao's army at least managed to preserve 100,000 troops during the fall of the entire Nanyang region, which basically means losing territory but keeping people.

Of course, the fact that Cao’s army was able to “lose territory but survive” basically means that they did not fight much of a bloody battle in the process of losing territory.

Therefore, Liu Bei's army, which was fighting to seize land, did not suffer many casualties in this year's spring offensive.

Compared with the battles of Xiang and Fan last autumn, when both sides were evenly matched and fought bloody battles, neither side was willing to give in until their brains were bruised;

This year's spring offensive was a great success, but it was stopped at the right time. The weaker side has a better understanding of its own strength and was much more decisive in making the decision to retreat than last year.

After Cao Ren retreated safely and built a stable new defense line relying on the dangerous Funiu Mountain, he immediately sent a fast messenger to Xudu to report the latest military situation to Cao Cao.

Early that morning, in the Prime Minister's Mansion in Xudu, Cao Cao had just finished cleaning up and started dealing with government affairs when he saw Cao Ren's report placed at the top.

Cao Cao also knew that this matter was of great importance, so he picked up the document and read it carefully.

"Although we lost some troops and Wancheng, at least the main force was withdrawn. It can be considered a blessing in disguise. Alas."

After reading it, Cao Cao rubbed his forehead with his fingers, closed his eyes and sighed, with a miserable expression, but there were no symptoms or signs of "headache" or the like.

Maybe he had anticipated this kind of thing and was mentally prepared.

The final report of defeat was just the "second shoe to drop", and the actual loss figure was still within the acceptable range, which made him feel relieved.

Although Cao Cao was cruel and cunning, he was also open-minded. He knew that he should look forward in everything and not be bound by resentment.

So after sighing slightly, he quickly forced himself to calm down, focused his thoughts on what he had to do next, and looked forward to the follow-up plans.

"Zixiao's army has returned in defeat, and people's hearts are bound to be more unsettled. There are two most urgent matters at the moment. First, we must quickly transfer a group of defeated troops in Henan Yin's territory to strengthen the defense of Ye County, Kunyang, and Yancheng.

Funiu Mountain and Song Mountain are strategically located, and even with Yunchang's ability, it is difficult to cross them. Tongbai Mountain is not as dangerous as Song Mountain, and the pass between Bowang and Ye County must be heavily guarded. As for Yancheng and Xincai in Yingchuan, there are no strategically located places to defend, and more troops are needed to stop Zhang Fei's attempt to attack Xudu...

In addition to deploying troops and defenses, the second most important thing is to speed up the relocation of the capital back to Luoyang. All idle officials in the court who are not helpful in defending the war must be taken away. Alas, there is really no peace for a day. When did the overall situation of the world fall to this point! The scale of Liu Bei's army may have surpassed that of the court?"

Cao Cao calculated silently in his heart, occasionally talking to himself, and sorted out the most pressing matters one by one.

He also knew that Cao Ren and Xu Huang were in a very miserable state now.

But there was no other way. The situation was urgent, so these two poor people could only endure the hardship and rush to another place to plug a big leak.

After figuring out how to proceed, Cao Cao called Sima Lang, the chief clerk who was waiting on the side, and gave him a few orders:
"Pass on my order, have Xu Huang immediately lead the 30,000 troops withdrawn from Wancheng, return eastward from Liangxian, move to Yancheng, cooperate with Cao Zhen, and make sure to repel Zhang Fei.

In addition, move all idle officials in the court to Luoyang as soon as possible. Your Majesty must also set off before the end of the month! Let Wen Ruo handle the specific matters, and let Xi Lu handle some embarrassing matters. You two brothers should also keep an eye on them. "

Sima Lang was slightly stunned, but not too surprised. He quickly accepted the order and went to convey it without further mention.

The proposal to move the emperor and the court back to Luoyang was discussed at the beginning of the year when Xiang and Fan fell, and the court had already reached a conclusion. Some preparatory work had also been carried out three or four months ago.

The complete loss of Nanyang County was just the final push to the matter, forcing Cao Cao not to hesitate any longer.

Sima Lang accurately conveyed the prime minister's intention to all relevant important officials on the same day.

Xun Yu, Xi Lu and others also knew the current war situation, so no one, including loyal ministers like Xun Yu, objected anymore.

……

Just three days later, Xu Huang, following Cao Cao's orders, led tens of thousands of troops from Henan Yin to Yingchuan County. Around the end of June, he was able to maneuver to the position and participate in the battle to stop Zhang Fei.

Cao Ren continued to lead the original troops in Henan Yin and about 40,000 troops withdrawn from Nanyang to defend the defense lines of Funiu Mountain and Songshan Mountain. Guan Yu on the opposite side did not take any risky actions, and the front line in Henan Yin was also successfully stabilized by Cao Ren.

At the same time, the first batch of noble and idle officials in the court who were forced to move away from Xu Du also set out from Xu Du under the organization of Cao's army.

By land, one first goes north to Chenliu County, then west through Zhongmu and Guandu, passes Hulao Pass at Suanzao, and finally arrives at Luoyang via Chenggao and Mengjin.

If you look at the map, this is not the shortest route from Xudu to Luoyang. Instead, it is a right-angled line that goes north first and then west.

But from the perspective of actual marching costs, this route is already the most economical, because it avoids crossing the mountainous area in southern Luoyang and can make full use of water routes. The only long mountain road that needs to be taken is when crossing Hulao Pass.

When these officials left Xu Du, they had accumulated a lot of resentment, but no one dared to resist openly. They just complained privately and had to hurry on their way as usual.

The people in Xudu City were in panic and complained bitterly.

But Cao Cao still had to whitewash his emperor, and he also knew that the time for the first batch of migration was too short. After issuing the order, people had to set off only three days later. Many large families with families did not have enough time to even pack their luggage.

Therefore, he was more cautious when selecting the first list of officials to be relocated. He handed over the specific work to Sima Lang, and asked Xun Yu to carry out the final review.

In addition, when implementing the relocation order, Cao Cao asked several trusted officials who had been newly promoted in the Prime Minister's Office in recent years, such as Wei Huang and Geng Ji, the Prime Minister's Office Secretaries, to be responsible for supervision and urging.

Some people make plans, some are in charge of execution, and some are responsible for review. All parties are fully prepared.

The first group of people selected by Sima Lang to set off were basically those from small families with few people, or their hometowns were not in Yuzhou, or the pillar of their family who was an official had died and only their relatives were alive.

This kind of person doesn't need to pack much, he can just roll up his bedding and leave, and he can also minimize the voices of opposition.

But even so, there were some sudden unexpected situations during the actual operation process that interrupted the migration progress of these people.

Those who could not leave for some reason would first plead with Wei Huang and Geng Ji, hoping for more time. If their plea failed, they would go to Xun Yu to plead for revocation of the order.

Faced with this kind of entanglement, Wei Huang, Geng Ji and others were relatively insignificant and did not dare to offend Cao Cao, so they often would not approve directly. In the end, seven or eight out of ten of them turned to Xun Yu for help.

Xun Yu, on the other hand, was relatively concerned about the interests of the big families and meritorious officials, and also hoped to better maintain the dignity of the court. He would try to agree to most of the requests that could be agreed to, and then report to Cao Cao when he had the chance.

……

A few days passed in a flash, and it was June 15th in a blink of an eye.

Three days have passed since the first batch of relocated officials left Xudu.

Early in the morning, there was another routine court meeting that was held every five days.

As Cao Cao was a respected figure, he usually did not attend court meetings. Government affairs were sent directly to the prime minister's residence by his confidants for discussion and processing.

But today's situation was different. This was the first court meeting after he was forced to officially initiate the order to move the capital. In order to show that he respected the emperor, Cao Cao still came to the court reluctantly.

Before going to court, Cao Cao anticipated that some officials would complain about the "relocation deadline being too tight," so he asked his minions to prepare in advance.

During the court session, everything went as Cao Cao expected, with some obscure complaints emerging. Then his minions, such as Xi Lu and Sima Yi, jumped out and fought back against the doubters one by one.

The argument was simply that "Luoyang was originally the capital of our Great Han Dynasty. Your Majesty was forced to stay in Xudu temporarily because Luoyang was short of food. Now, after years of reconstruction and recuperation, Luoyang's people are well-off and can provide for the court nearby. An early move will prevent Your Majesty from being disturbed by the traitor Liu Bei."

At first glance, Xi Lu and Sima Yi's twisted logic and sophistry seem impeccable.

There is no problem with the general direction of returning to Luoyang. No one can object to returning to the place where Liu Xie once wanted to go.

As for the specific timing of the push, if we analyze it objectively, it is actually appropriate.

On the one hand, Zhang Fei under Liu Bei's command has indeed threatened the emperor's "safety" recently. Since the military situation is urgent, anyone who dares to oppose it will be considered to be colluding with Liu Bei.

Of course, in order to save his own face, Cao Cao would generally not use this kind of reason to explain the matter directly, and he would always have to put on another layer of fig leaf.

On the other hand, in the territory of Henan Yin surrounding Luoyang, production and people's livelihood did recover greatly during the spring and summer of this year - tens of thousands of households in Nanyang County were forcibly relocated to Henan Yin, and part of the farmland around Luoyang that had been abandoned for many years was reclaimed and planted with crops.

Cao Cao also set up military farms for these farmlands, and at the autumn harvest time, they collected rent and taxes at a rate of 60% from the government.

If the officials were moved there now, they would be able to collect grain locally to feed themselves during the autumn harvest. The two sides, those who felt it was too hasty and those who felt it was just right, argued in front of Liu Xie, and the complaints were eventually suppressed.

Cao Cao watched all this with a cold eye, and felt relieved. He thought that this matter should be over. Five days later, he would not have to attend the next grand court meeting.

However, just when Cao Cao felt that he was safe, they thought that the emperor sitting at the top had actually expressed some opinions.

After Liu Xie calmed down both parties, he suddenly spoke up and said a few words:

"What Duke Wei planned was naturally for the country. But as far as I know, this trip back to Luoyang may be a little hasty?

Some court officials and nobles had seriously ill elders or had recently suffered a bereavement or chaos, but Wei Huang and Geng Ji basically showed no leniency when executing the orders of Duke Wei.

"Would it be disgraceful for the court to have them all go and appeal one by one? I have no other intentions, but I don't want to be known as someone who doesn't care about the people when I return to Luo."

When Cao Cao heard this, he couldn't help but frown.

The emperor had seldom disobeyed him in recent years, basically like a clay sculpture or a wooden sculpture. Today, he suddenly spoke in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, and Cao Cao couldn't openly disobey him.

However, he did not think much about it and did not think that the emperor, who had always been cowardly, was plotting something.

"Perhaps, someone among the close relatives and nobles really has difficulties and has come to complain to Your Majesty? How do Wei Huang and Geng Ji do things that they have to cause such trouble! Well, let's see what Your Majesty wants to say." Cao Cao thought to himself, and decided to test the emperor's attitude first.

He looked loyal and righteous, and asked in a gentle and vigorous voice, "Your Majesty's return to the palace has caused complaints from the court. This is my fault. Please tell me, Your Majesty, whose family is in trouble?"

Liu Xie's eyes subconsciously dodged for a moment, but he still gritted his teeth and answered: "It's just a small matter, why should Duke Wei say it. To be honest, I heard the other day that the cavalry captain was ill in bed and could not travel..."

Liu Xie's tone was not intense, he just explained the situation slowly and leisurely.

When Cao Cao heard this, he frowned and felt that his luck was really bad.

Of course he knew who the "Tunqi Xiaowei" that His Majesty was referring to was. It was actually the current emperor's father-in-law Fu Wan.

It was such a coincidence - according to historical records such as the "Records of the Three Kingdoms" and the "Book of the Later Han", Liu Xie's father-in-law and Empress Fu Shou's father Fu Wan died of illness in the 209th year of Jian'an ().

As for the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the unofficial history Spring and Autumn Annals of Emperor Xian, it is said that Fu Wan lived a few more years until the Fu Shou case broke out four years later, and then the entire Fu family was killed by Cao Cao.

However, this statement was considered unreliable by later generations. Fu Wan should have died of illness first, and when his entire family was exterminated, only his children and grandchildren were killed. Including Fu Wan's wife, Princess Yang'an Liu Hua, the eldest daughter of Emperor Huan of Han, should have died of illness before the Fu Shou case broke out. There is no record that Cao Cao implicated and killed the princess.

(Note: The eldest princess is the emperor's aunt. Liu Xie is the grandson of Emperor Huan, and Emperor Huan's daughter is Liu Xie's aunt. Fu Wan is equivalent to Liu Xie's uncle, so before Fu Shou became the queen, she and Liu Xie were cousins.)
Now it was the summer of the fourteenth year of Jian'an, mid-June. Fu Wan had not died of illness yet, but he was ill. However, his condition was not well known to outsiders, so no one could determine whether he was fit to travel.

The emperor specifically spoke up to plead for his father-in-law, hoping that the relocation of the capital would be slowed down. Cao Cao could not ignore this favor.

"Why at this time! What did Wei Huang and Geng Ji do? Why didn't they report it? And Your Majesty has to raise it openly at the court meeting?" Cao Cao felt a headache and couldn't help but vent his anger on his subordinates.

However, he couldn't lose his temper in front of everyone, so he could only suppress his anger and signaled Wei Huang, who was in charge of the specific work, to explain in public:
"Wei Huang! As the chief justice of the Xiangfu, you are responsible for arranging the relocation of nobles and relatives. Don't you know the difficulties of the Buqihou Mansion?"

The title of Marquis Buqi was the noble title of Fu Wan, the sixth-generation grandson of Fu Zhan, the founding minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The title of Marquis Buqi was bestowed upon Fu Zhan when Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu founded the country, and has been inherited by six generations to this day.

Cao Cao mentioned Fu Wan's title at this moment to show that he attached great importance to this matter.

How could a small figure like Wei Huang withstand a fight between gods? He was stunned and could only hint: "I did hear that Buqi Hou was ill the day before yesterday, and I sent someone to inquire about it. They said that he was fine..."

Cao Cao frowned and asked a few more questions. He learned that Wei Huang had only sent a trusted doctor to see him. He felt that Fu Wan's illness was not too serious and he could be cured, so Wei Huang was unwilling to show leniency to him.

At this time, Geng Ji, another close official of Cao Cao who was assisting in organizing this matter, came out and gave Cao Cao a few subtle reminders, and Cao Cao gradually came to his senses.

The reason why your subordinates don't let Fu Wan cause any trouble is also for the sake of Cao Cao's important cause!
What is Fu Wan's identity? The Queen's father! If the Queen's father happens to be too ill to walk, what if the Queen wants to make an excuse to stay in Xudu for a few more days to visit her father? Will Cao Cao stop her?

If he resolutely refused to let the queen fulfill her filial duties, he would be accused of an additional crime and infamy by his political enemies.

If the deadline for the empress to leave was relaxed, the problem would become even more complicated. It would be difficult for Cao Cao to separate the emperor and the empress, right? Should he ask His Majesty to return to Luoyang before the end of the month, and the empress to stay in Xudu to visit the father-in-law? Would he separate the emperor and the empress?

"Little Liu Xie, could it be that you think Liu Bei might attack us, so you want to find an excuse to stay in Xudu? If we really delay him for too long, I'm afraid there will be other variables..." Cao Cao couldn't help but think so, and finally became nervous inside.

Unexpectedly, forcing the emperor to move the capital, which was thought to be a foregone conclusion, would cause such twists and turns. Moreover, the incident happened to a very close relative of the emperor, which made it a bit tricky.

Just when Cao Cao was in a dilemma, an important official in the court, who had not spoken a word all day, finally spoke up and helped both sides to smooth things over.

Cao Cao frowned. Without even looking, he knew from the voice that it was Xun Yu who was mediating.

Cao Cao gave the power to supervise the relocation of the capital to Xun Yu, and Xun Yu did have this authority.

He only said: "Your Majesty, the return to Luoyang was hasty, and it is inevitable that there are omissions among the myriad things. I think Wei Huang and Geng Ji were just momentary oversights. Your Majesty is magnanimous and will not investigate further.

In order to calm people's hearts, we should discuss the matter at hand and come up with a win-win solution first..."

Xun Yu then patiently analyzed the situation and finally suggested that Cao Cao should make some concessions and allow families with "elderly who are seriously ill or in mourning" to postpone their move or to decide their itinerary flexibly.

However, the scope of such special handling cannot be expanded arbitrarily.

Cao Cao knew that he had to give face to the emperor at the court meeting, so he agreed to this point on principle.

As for what to do after the court meeting, Cao Cao certainly knew what to do.

As soon as he left the palace, Cao Cao called Geng Ji, Wei Huang, and another attendant Xi Lu.

Cao Cao angrily and domineeringly ordered: "Xi Lu, immediately send the imperial physician to visit Fu Wan and ask him to give an explanation as to whether Fu Wan is fit to travel!

I also want you to promise that even if Fu Wan can't leave, you must try your best to get Empress Fu away! If Empress Fu really dares to find an excuse not to leave... Wei Huang, Geng Ji! You must promise to get His Majesty away by the end of the month! Even if the emperor and empress are separated, we must get them away!
Also, find some of the clans whose elders are seriously ill or officials who are in mourning and allow them to leave later, which can also be regarded as showing the magnanimity of the court. However, try to choose reliable people to handle special matters. "

Wei Huang and Geng Ji had bitter faces, but they could only agree. After thinking for a long time, they came up with a few candidates and asked Cao Cao to discuss them:
"Prime Minister, General Yu Jin, the Southern Guardian, died for his country in Xiangyang at the beginning of the year. His clansmen are still in the mansion in Xudu, mourning for him. They have also requested leniency from the court, hoping that when the time is right in the future, they can go to Luoyang on their own. I wonder if this situation can be granted to show the Prime Minister's magnanimity?"

Cao Cao rubbed his temple. It was rare that he felt that Wei Huang and Geng Ji were quite reliable. Why did he think of this?

Yu Jin died defending Xiangyang City, and Cao Cao personally held a memorial service for him, holding him up as a positive example of loyalty and righteousness. The family of such a person should of course be highly praised.

Now, in order to show that he was not mean and did not force the emperor and his wife to separate in order to forcibly relocate the nobles, Cao Cao must find some positive examples to establish.

So he only thought for a few seconds and then typeset on the spot: "This is a very good idea! If we do this, it will not only benefit Wen Ze's family, but also the other officers who followed him to Xiangyang, Fancheng and other places and died for their country.

If their tribesmen want to take advantage of the situation and go to Luoyang on their own in the future, they should be allowed to do so as a token of tolerance. They can also be given additional money and food subsidies. "

Cao Cao knew very well how to put on a show in this kind of matter, so he arranged it immediately.

Wei Huang and Geng Ji took the order and immediately went to take charge of it.

That night, they notified the families of Yu Jin and other martyred generals, and promised to show them mercy and allow them to plan their own journey to Luoyang in the future.

Then, they immediately rushed to the Imperial Physician and found the then Imperial Physician Ji Ping, and asked Ji Ping to personally check the condition of Fu Wan, the Marquis of Buqi, to confirm whether he could go on the journey.

When Ji Ping heard that it was the prime minister's order, he did not dare to neglect it openly, and immediately followed Wei Huang to the Buqihou Mansion.

After some treatment, Ji Ping, with his medical authority as the Imperial Physician, stated that Fu Guozhang's illness was indeed very serious. If he was forced to make the bumpy journey, he might not survive until Luoyang.

After hearing this, Wei Huang and Geng Ji had no choice but to report this conclusion to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao frowned after hearing this. "I have rarely paid attention to this imperial physician, Ji Ping, but I know that his medical skills are not bad, and he has been very effective in treating my headaches. But how could he be so ignorant of the current situation? How dare he say that Fu Wanzhen is so ill that he cannot travel? He is so ignorant of the general situation!"

Cao Cao secretly hated himself for not observing Ji Ping carefully enough. He did not pay attention to Ji Ping's emotional intelligence and only focused on his medical skills.

However, things have come to this point, and there seems to be no better way. The imperial physician's conclusion is very firm, and the matter of forcibly relocating the royal family can only be done one step at a time.

-

PS: Sorry, because a large stage of the war plot has been completed, the map has been changed.

Although I had a lot of plots I wanted to write and an outline in my mind, I couldn't figure it out for a while and didn't know where to start.

So I overturned and revised it several times, and it was even later today.

(End of this chapter)