Chapter 483: Troops Arrive at Xiangyang
Since the emperor asked, Sima Yi quickly bowed and replied:
"My elder brother has been gone for a long time, so I cannot say anything about this matter. Fortunately, I have received your Majesty's decree and your mercy in granting me the title of Marquis of Guannei. I can now comfort my elder brother's spirit in heaven."
Sima Zhong and Sima Wang also bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
"Very good." Cao Rui nodded slightly and looked up at Liu Jing: "Mr. Liu has done a good job in Hanoi. I heard the Ministry of Personnel report to me last autumn."
"Go back."
"As ordered, we take our leave." Liu Jing seemed to have not thought of anything yet. After paying his respects, he took the two young men, Sima Zhong and Sima Wang, and left.
After Liu Jing left, Cao Rui yawned faintly and said, "I am tired. You can also leave. We will march to Luoyang at noon tomorrow. Rest early."
"As you wish." The ministers in the tent withdrew one after another.
Guanqiu Jian naturally went to take care of the garrison, while Sima Yi stopped Liu Ye and said, "Zi Yang, how about a banquet with the Duke of Shanyang tonight?"
Liu Ye felt that this scene was familiar. Thinking of His Majesty's gag order, he smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry that I can't say what the emperor said to the old Han emperor. Please forgive me, Sikong."
"No problem, no problem." Sima Yi said with a smile, "I will return to Luoyang tomorrow. Things in Luoyang have been put on hold for a long time, so I have to deal with some big and small things. I'll have to trouble Ziyang to take care of the Privy Council."
You don't have to say this.
Liu Ye muttered inwardly, but still had a polite smile on his face: "Thank you, Sikong, for the reminder. Goodbye!"
"it is good."
After the two said goodbye, Sima Yi slowly walked to his tent. When his right hand just touched the tent door, he seemed to think of something for a moment, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead as if he had been electrocuted.
Holding the tent door with his right hand, Sima Yi's chest rose and fell several times. After calming down for a long time, he quickly walked inside.
When Your Majesty asked Liu Jing to leave just now, he said, "Last autumn, I heard the Ministry of Personnel report on Liu Jing's political achievements."
The Minister of Personnel is Yang Ji, a close confidant of His Majesty. And there is one thing in the Ministry of Personnel that everyone knows, that is, Wang Xiang, the magistrate of Wen County, was transferred to Longle County in Dunhuang County, the westernmost part of Liangzhou. When Wang Xiang came to his house, he asked Wang Xiang to say a few good words for Liu Jing in the Ministry of Personnel.
Autumn is not the time for local officials to be evaluated, and Yang Ji would not mention a governor to the emperor for no reason. It must be Wang Xiang!
His Majesty must have guessed that I had used Wang Xiang's case to test the atmosphere. But His Majesty not only did not say it clearly, but from last autumn to now, the major and minor events in the court have been the same as usual, and the authority of my position has not changed at all.
What is it that Your Majesty doesn't know? What is Your Majesty thinking?
Compared with what Your Majesty said to Liu Jing in a casual manner, changing Sima Zhong's name and Sima Wang's father were not a big deal.
It was not common for the emperor to interfere in the family affairs of his subjects, but it was not rare. In the Huangchu period, Xiahou Shang favored his concubine and ignored his wife, Cao Zhen's younger sister. The late emperor Cao Pi personally ordered the concubine to be killed.
Compared with the late emperor, Your Majesty has only changed his name. To confer the title of Marquis of Guannei in remembrance of his merits is the greatest consolation for Sima Lang.
His heart was pounding in his chest. Just outside Zhuolu City, the fief of Emperor Liu Xie of Han, Sima Yi suffered from insomnia for the first time in his life.
……
September 10th, Jingzhou, on the Han River, 60 miles southeast of Xiangyang City.
After marching on the boats for several days in a row, the boats were swaying with the waves day and night. Even Sun Deng, the crown prince of Wu who had always lived a life of luxury, could not bear it anymore and hardly slept in the first half of the night.
On the first day, Sun Deng stayed on Sun Quan's ship for only half a day before he took Zhuge Ke and others to Quan Cong's ship. When Sun Deng was about to return to Sun Quan's ship in the evening, Sun Quan ordered him to stay in Quan Cong's fleet and also asked Quan Cong to give him a special warship.
If the tower ship is broad and stable and can be used as a command and troop transport ship, then the battleship is a specialized warship with a long and narrow hull and the fastest speed among all types of naval warships.
The speed increased, but the stability was much worse. After the third watch, Sun Deng fell asleep in a daze, but he didn't sleep for long when he was awakened by a burst of shouting outside.
Zhuge Ke also knocked on the cabin door from outside: "Prince, Prince! The front has won!"
Sun Deng sat up after hearing this, opened the hatch with bare feet, and motioned Zhuge Ke to come in: "Were you victorious? How did you win?"
Zhuge Ke squeezed in with a smile, sat on the couch, and said with emotion: "General Yang Wei led 200 warships as the vanguard of the army. Before dawn, they took advantage of the night to sneak towards Xiangyang. The Wei pirates' ships were all at the dock without any defense, and our Great Wu navy easily won!"
The so-called General Yang Wei was none other than Sun Huan and Sun Jiming, members of the royal family of the Wu State.
Sun Deng's eyes lit up: "General Yang Wei is indeed very impressive! How much did he capture? How many ships did he capture? Who is the specific general?"
Zhuge Ke stroked the few remaining whiskers on his chin and said, "I only heard that General Yang Wei sent General Zhang Liang as the vanguard, and after General Zhang won, he sent messengers downstream to report the military situation."
"Among all the armies of the Great Wu, General Yang Wei leads 20,000 troops at the front. General Sui Nan ranks second. The Crown Prince knew about this victory earlier than the Supreme."
Sun Deng nodded: "It is indeed a good thing. My father asked me to lead a fleet in this battle. I think he also wants me to make achievements."
Zhuge Ke nodded and said, "This kind of march is indeed a good opportunity for the prince to accumulate experience. The floods in the counties near Xiangyang have not receded and are all muddy and swampy. It must be because of the floods. We did not encounter the Wei navy along the way. Yu County and Yicheng on the Han River were easily surrounded or attacked by the army. This march is indeed smooth."
"Xiangyang City is within easy reach. I think the Great Wu can finally control the entire area south of the Han River."
Sun Deng walked onto the deck, looked at the splashes and the river outside the boat, lifted the jade belt around his waist, and straightened his chest slightly, seemingly gaining more momentum.
Sun Deng was in high spirits, but General Sun Huan, who was at the front line, was so angry that he almost lost his composure.
"With such a large naval camp, only a hundred ships were destroyed, and most of them were small boats and civilian ships?" Sun Huan was standing on the deck of a tower ship. Next to the ship was Huangniwu, which was on the north bank of the Han River and west of Fancheng. It was also the largest naval camp of the Wei Dynasty near Xiangyang.
"Is this how you report victory?" Sun Huan frowned and looked at General Zhang Liang standing beside him. "Let the messenger spread the news downstream. If the rest of the people don't know, they will think that I have annihilated the entire Wei navy!"
Zhang Liang knew that his general was in a bad mood, so he said cautiously, "When the general met me yesterday, didn't you allow me to report the victory?"
"Forget it." Sun Huan said helplessly: "At least we won a battle. Even if it was a small victory, it can boost morale. But don't stop, continue to lead the boats upstream along the Han River to continue the pursuit."
"How can the Wei Kingdom's Jingzhou navy only have a hundred ships? Search carefully from Xiangyang all the way to Yin County upstream. I don't believe you can't find it!"
"As you command." Zhang Liang bowed and said, "I will mobilize the troops immediately."
……
In Xiangyang City, less than 20 miles away from Huangniwu, Zhao Yan, the Grand Master of Imperial Households and the Supervisor of Military Affairs in Jingzhou, was standing on the top of the city wall, leisurely gazing at the Wu army ships passing by on the Han River in the north.
"As you and I expected, the Han River separates the north and the south. The first thing the Wu army will do is to attack our Wei navy dock."
Lieutenant General Niu Jin stood beside Zhao Yan and said, "Lord Zhao is in control of the situation. The Wu army's movements are indeed within Lord Zhao's predictions."
"There are now 10,000 soldiers in the city, 5,000 soldiers in Fancheng in the north of the Yangtze River, and the imperial court has 10,000 soldiers in Xinye. Sun Quan is good at boats but not at land warfare, so he will be unable to defend this strong city."
Niu Jin was originally a general under Cao Ren. After the Battle of Red Cliff, Niu Jin led 300 men to challenge Zhou Yu's vanguard of 3,000 men under the city of Jiangling. At that time, Niu Jin's power was gradually declining, but Cao Ren personally led dozens of cavalry out of the city to fight back and rescue Niu Jin and others. He was also praised by Chen Jiao, who was Cao Ren's chief secretary at the time, as a "god-like man".
More than 20 years later, the former vanguard under Cao Ren had grown into a general with a salary of 2,000 stones. Niu Jin could also be considered one of the few generals under Zhao Yan.
(End of this chapter)
