Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 499 Give up Henan, the scapegoat
Knowing that Shen Chen had arrived in person, Sima Yi knew it was bad.

They were originally scheduled for Sima Yi to block Zhuge Liang on the south line, Xia Houyuan to block Guan Yu on the east line, and then Bingzhou used the Huns to rebel and deal a heavy blow to Shen Chen.

But unexpectedly, Shen Chen was not in Bingzhou at all, but appeared in Henan, which also made Sima Yi realize that something was wrong.

In the eyes of the Han army, Bingzhou is the top priority, and taking Luoyang directly is obviously the next choice.

Because under normal circumstances Luoyang cannot be defeated.

There were [-] defenders in Luoyang, but in an unexpected situation, Hu Chuquan escaped. In order to prevent Hu Chuquan from sending the news of the Huns' rebellion to the Han army, Cao Rui temporarily mobilized troops to search and arrest.

At that time, Jiguan was guarded by thousands of people, and Luoyang was also guarded by thousands of people. According to Cao Wei's estimation, Yubandao's feigned attacking army had at most several thousand people.

Therefore, in Cao Wei's view, relying on the fact that the Huns planned to stab Cao Jun in the back, the Han army feinted to attack Luoyang in two ways, and the main force went straight to Bingzhou, which was the best choice.

Things developed as Cao Wei expected.

As the closest passage to Luoyang, Jiguan Road was attacked first.

Then the main force of the Han army marched into Qinshui, intending to join forces with the Huns.

But things are different now.

Because Shen Chen is in Henan!
If he is there, it means that Henan's offense is not a feint, and Bingzhou's offense has become secondary.

This shows that Shen Chen changed his style of play. Instead of going to Bingzhou to unite with the Huns, he took advantage of Cao Wei's focus on Bingzhou to raid Luoyang!

So why did he change his style of play, instead of choosing to attack Bingzhou, which seemed to be the best choice, he chose to attack Luoyang instead?
There are only two possibilities!

It's just that Shen Chen already knew that the Huns planned to rebel again.

In other words, he didn't trust the Huns from the beginning, and planned to use the Huns as a cover to make a smack.

No matter which one it is, it means that the center of gravity of the Han army has been adjusted. It is no longer Bingzhou, but Henan.

If Cao Rui hadn't mobilized Luoyang soldiers and horses to search and arrest because of Hu Chuquan's escape, then even if Shen Chen mobilized a large army to besiege Luoyang, he should be able to hold out for at least a few days, maybe he would be able to wait until his reinforcements arrived.

However, Cao Rui searched and captured Huchuquan, resulting in insufficient troops in Luoyang, and was quickly occupied by Shen Chen.

Then the current situation has become a steamer, layer upon layer, with Zhuge Liang's army in the south, followed by Sima Yi, then Shen Chen in Henan, and finally Wuqiu Jian in Bingzhou.

It seems that everyone is sandwiching each other, but don't forget that Guanqiu Jian is restrained by the main force of the Han army on the western front, so Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang may flank Sima Yi.

More importantly, after losing Luoyang, Sima Yi became very uncomfortable, and he was hit by enemies.

After he wanted to understand this, he hurriedly discussed with the soldiers and told everyone about the situation he was facing now.

"That's the way it is now."

Sima Yi looked around and said, "Shen Chen suddenly appeared in Henan. Our Luoyang defenders couldn't hold on anymore and were defeated by them. Then we will face the pincer attack of Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen. The army is at stake."

"Then what should we do?"

Guo Huai already knew what the result would be, but he still pretended to be stupid and asked Sima Yi what they should do.

Sima Yi asked, "What do you think we should do?"

"Forehead"

"The last general thinks it's better to ask His Majesty first."

"Ask Your Majesty? Your Majesty's life or death is unknown now. Besides, do we have time to go north to contact the imperial court?"

"It's better to fight to the death with the Han army."

"The opponent has an army of more than 20, and they are attacking from the north and the south, and the rear is cut off. What about the food and grass? We will all starve to death if they are surrounded for a few months."

"This doesn't work, that doesn't work, tell me what to do."

"This"

It was a mess below, and everyone's faces were anxious and worried, but the eyes that kept blinking betrayed everyone's thoughts.

Now Cao Rui's situation is unclear. The most important thing is that they lost Luoyang and their retreat was cut off. The army in Henan became very dangerous.

Naturally, the best strategy is to retreat the main force to Hebei. Relying on Hebei's population and land, it can barely separate one side, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that Cao Wei is already a broken ship, and the situation is declining. If you continue to stay on this ship, the ship will be destroyed danger.

So everyone has their own ideas.

It's just that at this juncture, no one dared to say anything, not even the withdrawal of troops.Because once they withdraw, it means that Cao Wei will give up the entire Henan area. If Cao Rui does not die in the future, the blame will come down, I am afraid...

Seeing that none of the crowd said what he wanted, Sima Yi frowned for a while, then suddenly relaxed, looked around, and said softly: "I know what you are thinking."

As soon as he spoke, everyone shut their mouths.

Then Sima Yi continued: "I believe everyone understands the current situation. If you don't respond, once Shen Chen cuts off the food and grass, the whole army will be wiped out. I know that no one wants to take the blame. If no one comes, Then only I will come. But I hope everyone thinks clearly, if I make this decision, then everyone is in the same boat, you understand?"

This sentence is very straightforward.

The army in Henan is very dangerous now, and Sima Yi must withdraw his troops before Shen Chen's side takes action. Once he withdraws his troops, not only Henan gives up, but also sells Xiahouyuan.

Although he would definitely send someone to inform Xia Houyuan of the situation and ask Xia Houyuan to withdraw from Xuzhou to Qingzhou, but there was no discussion or request for instructions.

To a certain extent, Cao Rui did not give him an order to withdraw troops, so he acted without authorization. If Cao Rui wanted to stabilize people's hearts and used Sima Yi's loss of Henan as an excuse to treat him as a lamb, then Sima Yi would undoubtedly die.

This is why everyone knows that the troops must be withdrawn now, but no one dares to say so.

No one wants to die, and neither does Sima Yi.

So he had to figure out a way.

Tying everyone in one boat is the best way.

Everyone was silent for a while, and Guo Huai took the lead in expressing his opinion: "The withdrawal of troops is a matter of mutual discussion."

"That's right. In the end, only the governor will follow."

"We have no objection."

Several people also immediately made statements one after another.

Sima Yi glanced indifferently at the other generals who did not speak, and said coldly, "What about you?"

Those few people shuddered, and quickly got up and bowed their hands in salute: "The final general is willing to follow the governor, go through fire and water, and will not say anything."

"Ah."

Sima Yi nodded slightly.

Abandoning Henan without Cao Rui's order must be a felony.

But if he didn't withdraw his troops, he would face the pincer attack of Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang, and the main force was in danger of being wiped out.

He can't wait for Cao Rui's order now, he must evacuate as soon as possible.

So in order to prevent Cao Rui from finding an excuse to kill him in the future, he can only drag everyone into the water together and take the responsibility for this crime together.

The most important thing is that at this time Sima Yi already had the idea of ​​embracing his own strength. He fixed his eyes and said in a cold voice: "The withdrawal of the troops is also for survival, but I am afraid that some people will disagree."

"Who?"

"We all felt we had to withdraw our troops."

"Who did the governor say?"

Everyone said.

Sima Yi spit out a few words slowly: "General Zhengnan!"

General South?

Everyone looked at each other and looked at each other.

Everyone knows that Xia Houshang is the deputy general in name, but in fact he is Cao Rui's trusted representative.

Just like in history, although Sima Yi was the main general, he almost couldn't suppress the many soldiers who asked to fight. It wasn't until Simpi came that everyone died down.

The reason is that Simpi came here as an envoy, representing the emperor Cao Rui!
Same now.

Sima Yi is a general of chariots and riders, but he doesn't hold festivals in his hands. Xia Houshang is a general who conquers the south, but Cao Rui gave him holidays before.

This is the root of the problem.

Once Xia Hou still disagreed with the retreat, and killed Sima Yi with integrity, and he was the main general, that was within the allowed range.

However, none of us want to die, and withdrawing troops is the best plan.

What if Xia Houshang is unwilling to withdraw his troops?

Jia Kui looked around and asked, "According to the opinion of the governor, what should we do?"

Sima Yi sneered, and said: "General Zhengnan was sent by me to help His Majesty, but the battle failed and the entire army was wiped out. What do you think?"

"Hi!~"

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.

But the room fell into silence, and no one spoke.

After a while, Guo Huai still said: "If Your Majesty knows the news, he will also lament the misfortune of General Zhengnan."

"That's right, Shen Chen's beast is extremely vicious. He first killed General Zhenxi and then General Zhengnan."

"Would it be possible to do this, in case the news leaks out, wouldn't we"

"What are you afraid of, just keep it secret."

"Everyone."

Sima Yi looked at the crowd and said: "Our force is already the last strong army of Wei. The current situation is that we can live together if we work together. If we disagree, we will die together."

This sentence is very clear.

It means that they must control this army to be able to continue to live. In the future, whether they go north and return to the Cao Wei court, or find a way to become a prince, even if they surrender to the Han Dynasty, as long as there is an army, everything can be said.

If they go back directly, Cao Rui deprives their army in a rage, and then kills them, then everyone will die.So in order to survive, we must first hug together to keep warm.

Guo Huai said, "What does the governor mean?"

A hint of evil flashed in Sima Yi's eyes and said: "First, we must stand on the same boat. After Xia Houshang returns, everyone here will stab him with a knife to reassure everyone!"

Everyone was terrified. Some people wanted to say something, but seeing Sima Yi's fierce eyes, they had no choice but to swallow what they wanted to say.

This is the tent of Sima Yi's coach, surrounded by Sima Yi's personal guards, if he disagrees with Sima Yi at this time and doesn't want to accept the certificate of honor, then he probably won't be able to get out of this tent.

"second."

Sima Yi tapped lightly on the table and said: "All the blame must be placed on Xiahoushang, because Xiahoushang's battle was unfavorable, resulting in the loss of Henan, our retreat was cut off, and we had to retreat back to Hebei. Thinking about it, Your Majesty would not say anything. "

"It's still the governor who has a vision."

Wang Ling made a compliment.

Sima Yi continued: "Thirdly, if Shen Chen appears in Henan, it means that the Han army in Bingzhou will not be fooled at all. I am afraid that Wuqiujian is in danger. We will cross the river and return to Hanoi County to help Wuqiujian. Bingzhou is also a great achievement."

"Wonderful, wonderful, the governor is really far-sighted."

Another said.

Sima Yi finally said: "Fourth, I don't want to rebel against Wei or stand on my own feet, I just want to save my life and yours. I hope you can understand our current situation. Peace will benefit both, and fighting will hurt both. To survive and preserve the family, we must do what I say. Otherwise, we will die, and the family will also be destroyed."

After some words came out, everyone couldn't help but nodded.

In fact, although Sima Yi said that everyone has to hug each other to keep warm in order to survive, in fact everyone has concerns.The reason is that they are not alone, but have a family, a family behind them.

Cao Wei's system is very simple. As a general in the front, your family and family must stay in the capital.Not only the system of Cao Wei, but also the system of many dynasties later, once the front-line generals mutinied or violated orders, their families would be killed immediately.

For example, Ma Teng had defected to Cao Cao, but after Ma Chao's rebellion, Cao Cao executed Ma Chao's family.In addition, during the Huainan Three Rebellions, Guanqiu Jian, Wang Ling and Zhuge Dan's family members were all implicated.

So although they all wanted to live, they were worried that their family would be executed by Cao Rui.

Fortunately, Sima Yi did not intend to defect to Cao Wei, but to find reasons and excuses for his withdrawal.

To kill Xia Houshang, the first was to unite everyone, and the second was to shift the blame to the dead.

Then go north to help Wu Qiujian, so that he can make meritorious service.

Even if Cao Rui learned that Sima Yi had given up the whole of Henan, it was probably because of a scapegoat Xia Houshang, plus the rescue of Wuqiu Jian, and the credit for keeping Bingzhou, he pinched his nose and admitted it.

Therefore, to a certain extent, this is also a strategy for Sima Yi and everyone to protect themselves, not to defect to the Southern Han, or to separate one side and become a prince.

In fact, even if everyone wants to defect or plan to separatist regime, it probably won't work.

Cao Wei not only strictly controlled the family members of generals, but also the family members of soldiers. Most of the 10,000+ population in Luoyang before were soldier family members, and there were also a large number of soldier family members in Yecheng.

If they really defected or separatist, the soldiers would not follow them, they might disperse by themselves, or simply kill them.

So no one wants to surrender to the Han Dynasty, but thinks about how to find an excuse to escape the great guilt of abandoning Henan.

Now, Sima Yi has found a reason for them.

They need a scapegoat.

At this moment, the guard outside said: "Report, General Zhengnan is back."

Before the words were finished, Xia Houshang walked into the tent in embarrassment, bowed his hands to Sima Yi and said: "The governor, the general failed to repel Shen Chen in the end, please punish him."

After he finished speaking, he originally wanted to wait for Sima Yi's relief.

After all, although he is Sima Yi's subordinate in name and the number two figure in Cao Wei's army, everyone knows that he represents the emperor, and it is impossible for Sima Yi to really do anything to him.

However, after waiting for a while, he found that there was no relief as he imagined, but a dead silence.

Xia Houshang looked around and looked at those colleagues and subordinates, but found that the eyes of each of them were full of strangeness, as if they were thinking about something, but they didn't seem to think about anything.

They are thinking.

The scapegoat, isn't it coming?
(End of this chapter)