Chapter 325: Butcher Ma has no good intentions, Sima Yi can be the master

The eastern capital Luoyang.

It has been more than a few months since Ma Yue welcomed the emperor back. In a blink of an eye, it was the spring of the 11th year of Jian'an (198). Since welcoming the emperor to Luoyang, Ma Yue immediately recruited 100,000 civilians from Guanzhong to Luoyang, and built a large-scale palace in the Dongdu. He then collected tens of thousands of refugees from Yan and Henan provinces to move into Luoyang.

Major shops in Guanzhong supported by Ma Yue also opened shops in Luoyang. For several months, the eastern capital Luoyang was full of traffic and pedestrians were endless, and gradually returned to the past, especially the city of Ma City was even better than the past. The emperor was very happy and immediately issued an edict to add Ma Yue as prime minister and add two thousand households to the town.

Luoyang East City, the Prime Minister’s Mansion Warm Pavilion.

Ma Yue was lying on the brocade stool comfortably. This brocade stool is specially made. It is hollowed out at the bottom like a toilet, with a backrest, a floor room under the stool, a stone is placed, and red is burned. A maid is watering the stone, and steam is poured up to smoke the butcher's lower body, which is very pleasant.

Amid the sound of tiny footsteps, Diao Chan (real Diao Chan) lifted the curtain into the inside.

The beautiful eyes glanced at Ma Yue's scarred naked body lightly, and a faint trace of regret suddenly flashed through Diao Chan's eyes and said, "Master, Lord Jia is here."

Ma Yue whispered, waved his hand, and was half-squatting on his delicate body and pounding Ma Yue's legs. Er Qiao Yingying, who was covered with thin silk threads, stood up, bent down and bowed to Ma Yue, and then disappeared behind the screen. Ma Yue then said to Diao Chan: "Can'er, let Lord Jia come in."

Diao Chan responded and turned around and left.

In less than a moment, Jia Xu had already entered the bamboo curtain, bowed to Ma Yue and said loudly: "Xu meets the lord."

"No need to be polite." Ma Yue grabbed a long robe and wrapped it on his body, then lay down on the cushion, greeting Jia Xu, "Come on, Wenhe comes and sit."

"Thank you lord."

Jia Xu thanked him, then stepped forward and took the seat two steps and sat next to Ma Yue.

"Lord, Xuchang has already captured." Jia Xu said, "but only Xun Yu was captured, but not Cao Cao. Even Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Xun You, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Jia Kui, Liu Ye, and Zangba did not catch any civil servants and generals under Cao Cao's command."

Ma Yue said: "Wenhe thought that Cao Cao and his civil servants and generals died in the chaos or escaped?"

Jia Xu said: According to Zi Yan, during the last big breakout, dozens of cavalry and cavalry of Cao's army broke through the siege. Xu thought that Cao Cao and his confidant civil and military personnel might have already become ordinary cavalrymen and escaped by concealing the world."

Ma Yue said, "The Gu (now Ma Yue is Liang Gong, so there should be no problem calling him a lonely man and a widow) also thinks so."

Jia Xu said: "Oh, the lord has set up a net of heaven and earth outside Xuchang City. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao escaped. This guy is really lucky."

"Haha." Ma Yue smiled, "Wenhe thought Cao Cao was so lucky, and Cao Cao was so lucky. Sanjiangkou, Yecheng, and Sishui Pass, wouldn't he escape from death? They are both together. If Cao Cao died so easily, then he wouldn't be Cao Cao."

To be honest, Ma Yue really has a mutual appreciation for Cao Cao.

If it weren't for the times, Ma Yue would have really wanted to make friends with Cao Cao, and Ma Yue believed that with their nature, they would probably become close friends!

Jia Xuxi said: "So, the lord doesn't plan to punish General Gao Shun?"

Ma Yue said: "Why did Gao Shun commit crimes?"

"Thank you, lord." Jia Xu said happily, "Xu went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to release General Gao."

"Hmm?" Ma Yue said in surprise, "Gao Shun has returned to Luoyang?"

Jia Xu said: "He knelt with Zi Yan and the foreign minister of Prime Minister's Mansion and apologized to the lord."

"You." Ma Yue smiled and pointed at Jia Xu, saying, "Gao Shun, although Li Su is innocent, he is also responsible. Cao Cao finally slipped away from them. This kneeling is inevitable, so let them kneel down. Wenhe, don't rush to leave, I have important things to discuss with you."

Jia Xu said happily: "Xu dares not obey orders."

Ma Yue looked up and said, "Dian Wei."

A figure outside the warm pavilion flashed, and Dian Wei's iron tower-like figure had lifted the curtain and asked, "What are the instructions for the lord?"

Ma Yue said: "Send someone to invite Lord Fazheng."

"Affect the order."

Dian Wei agreed and pressed his sword.

Ma Yue said again: "Wenhe, I have something I want to discuss with you before I arrived."

Jia Xu said: "Please speak with lord."

Ma Yue said: "In the battle with Cao Cao, our army suffered a lot of casualties, especially the Wuhuan wolf cavalry led by Jutu had suffered heavy casualties. The wolf cavalry soldiers were from Wuhuan. According to the military rules of Liangzhou, they could not enjoy the same pension as the Han soldiers. But then again, these Wuhuan soldiers have been following Yu Gu since the Shanggu. They have been through many battles and are loyal. Yu Gu, Yu Yu's soldiers are really the same as those of the tribe. I can't bear it."

Jia Xu looked solemn, and he stood up and bowed to Ma Yue, saying, "Lord, kind, the Wuhuan soldiers are very lucky! The Liang army soldiers are very lucky! The people in the world are very lucky!"

"Wenhe sat down and talked." After Jia Xu re-entered the seat, Ma Yue continued, "I have an idea and want to discuss with Wenhe."

Jia Xu said: "Xu listened attentively."

Ma Yue said: "Gu intended to use Jutu's eldest clan Yandunna as his adopted son, and gave him the surname Ma, and became a Han citizen! The orphans of the other Wuhuan soldiers who fell into battle were given Han clans and changed their surname to Wu. In this way, the Wuhuan soldiers can enjoy the same pension as the Han soldiers. The warriors of various tribes of Wuhuan, Yuezhi, and Qiang tribes would not be disheartened. What do Wenhe thinks?"

Jia Xu Surong said: "The lord is wise."

This is by no means Jia Xu's compliment, but comes from the heart. Ma Yue's cruelty is only for the enemy, but he is extremely sympathetic to his subordinates. From ancient times to the present, no lord has ever attached the life of the lord as much as Ma Yue, and no lord has ever been able to gain the lord's sincere support like Ma Yue.

Soldiers are often rough people. They don’t understand any big principles. As long as you treat them well, they will work hard for you. Things are that simple.

As he was speaking, Fa Zheng came, bowed to Ma Yue, and sang: "See the lord."

Ma Yue nodded gently, signaling Fa Zheng to sit down, and then said, "I invited you here today to discuss the future strategies of the Liang army. Xiaozhi, you can talk about it first."

Fa Zheng was obviously prepared. As soon as Ma Yue finished speaking, he replied loudly: "The lord welcomes the emperor, the world returns to his heart, Cao Cao is defeated, he is alone, Liu Biao is mediocre, although Sun Jian is a hero, but he is in peace with Jiangdong. He has only 3, 50,000 soldiers, and only 1 million people."

"As far as the general trend is concerned, it is the best time to attack Jing and Yang. It's a pity that our army lost a lot of money and food in the battle with Cao Cao. The savings of years of rest and rest have been exhausted. Moreover, the Liangzhou Legion fought for a long time, and the soldiers were exhausted and needed rest urgently. It would be difficult to launch a large-scale war in a short period of time."

Ma Yue turned his gaze to Jia Xu and asked, "What do Wenhe thinks?"

Jia Xu said: "What Xiaozhi said is not without reason. The Liang army's strategy for the next three to five years should be to consolidate the Central Plains. First, we will pacify Yuan Shao to pacify the north, and then accumulate ten years of strength to gather to sweep Jingyang with the force of Mount Tai to suppress the top, and finally enter the Sichuan tripod to determine the world."

"Entering Sichuan?" Ma Yue's heart was thrilled and he suddenly asked, "Will Cao Cao go into Sichuan and join Liu Zhang after he leaves Xuchang?"

Jia Xu said: "If Cao Cao enters Sichuan and surrenders to Liu Zhang, he will definitely die. The lord only needs to condemn eloquent people to go there to accomplish things."

Fa Zheng said: "If Cao Cao was lucky enough to not die, he would not defect to Sun Jian. He could only go to Jingzhou to join Liu Biao."

Ma Yue said: "Aren't Liu Biao afraid that Cao Cao's nest will be occupied?"

Fa Zhengdao: "Although Liu Biao was the lord of Jingzhou, he was actually hard to be given the name."

"Oh?" Ma Yue said, "I would like to hear the details."

Fa Zhengdao: "The clans of Jingxiang are powerful, especially the four families of Cai, Kuai, Huang and Wang, and the most powerful. Among them, the Cai family in Xiangyang and Liu Biao are still in-laws, but Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue have been captured by the lord, and Liu Biao was once again defeated by the military advisor. The Kuai family in Nanjun was almost destroyed by Liu Biao, and its power is no longer as good as before!"

"The real power of Jingzhou is actually controlled by Liu, Cai, Huang, and Wang. If Cao Cao fails to join Jingzhou, the Jingxiang family will inevitably suggest that Liu Biao recruit Cao Cao to fight against his lord and Sun Jian for the sake of protecting his own interests. Even if Liu Biao is unwilling, he will not be able to control the overall situation."

"Oh." Ma Yue slapped the table with a palm and sighed, "If things are true as Xiaozhi said, Cao Cao will sooner or later enter Jingzhou! Now Sun Jian leads his army to attack Huainan and Xuzhou again. Our army is exhausted for a long battle and is beyond reach. The fertile land of the Jianghuai River will be owned sooner or later. In this way, Cao Cao in the south and Sun Jian in the east, it may cause great harm!"

Fa Zhengdao: "I have a plan to relieve the lord's worries."

Ma Yue said, "Are you going to have a plan?"

Fa Zhengdao: "The three masters of the Yuan family hope to return to China, with a very deep foundation. Although Yuan Shao was defeated by Guandu, the 300,000 army was destroyed. However, his foundation was not damaged and his strength was still there. The lord was eager to do so, for fear of losing troops and generals, and losing money and food in billions! Why not go to Emperor Chen to report to Yuan Shao's achievements, expressing his eldest son Yuan Tan as the governor of Yangzhou, the second son Yuan Xi as the governor of Xuzhou, the third son Yuan Shang as the governor of Yuzhou, and the female nephew Gao Gan as the governor of Yanzhou! Yuan Shao is stubborn and self-righteous and happy to be successful in seeing the edict."

"Hahaha, good plan." Jia Xu said, "If the lord takes the opportunity to form an alliance with Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao will agree happily. In this way, without the need for one lord, one soldier, you can use Yuan Shao's power to stabilize the situation in the Central Plains. If Sun Jian wants to gain a fertile land in the Jianghuai area, he will have to fight with the Yuan family's strong manpower and material resources to defeat both sides."

Fa Zheng also said: "There are two major benefits to doing this. One is to consume Yuan Shao's strength, and the other is to disperse the troops in Hebei. After three or five years, Guanzhong has sufficient money and food, the lord can sweep Hebei without any effort, the Central Plains, and get all the former lands of Yuan. This is the so-called raising tigers is a problem, and raising pigs can eat meat."

"Haha, OK!" Ma Yue slapped the table and said loudly, "It's a good thing to raise a tiger, but you can eat meat for raising pigs. Yuan Shao's pig is still raised!"

"But..." Ma Yue changed his tone and continued, "Cao Cao's tiger should not be indulged, and he should not be allowed to use Jingzhou as a springboard to seek Xichuan. If Cao Cao enters Xichuan, it will be difficult to plan again... It will be difficult! Before Cao Cao takes action, Meng Qi is the main general, leading an elite army to go south to Hanzhong to seek Xichuan. Wenhe, Xiaozhi thinks it is okay?"

Jia Xu thought for a while and advised: "Everything is a hasty thing, so the lord thinks twice."

Fa Zheng also said: "Lord, our army has fought fiercely for several months, and the soldiers are exhausted. Moreover, the treasury is consumed with huge amounts of money and food, which is difficult to last. At this time, it is really not a good idea to send troops in a hasty manner."

This time, Ma Yue and Jia Xu and Fa Zheng finally had serious differences in their opinions.

As a time traveler, Ma Yue certainly knew the seriousness of Cao Cao's entry into Sichuan. If Cao Cao really entered Xichuan, he would become Liu Bei in official history. Even if Ma Yue unified most of China north of the Yangtze River, he might not be able to enter Xichuan. Under the chain reaction, Ma Yue could not concentrate his troops to attack Dongwu due to Xichuan restraint.

In this way, the situation of the Three Kingdoms in official history is likely to appear again, which is something that Ma Yue cannot tolerate. Liu Biao is eager to get Cao Cao's help, so Ma Yue must seize Xichuan before Cao Cao takes action and kill the possibility of the Three Kingdoms in the bud.

Ma Yue said decisively: "I have made up my mind, but I don't have to say much about my filial piety and righteousness."

Jia Xu and Fa Zheng were relatively silent.

Ancient city.

Before the Tibetan Ba ​​was washed away, he hurried to the dilapidated county government lobby. Cao Cao hurriedly led everyone to welcome the Tibetan Ba ​​into the lobby.

Zangba reached out and took the kettle handed over by Yu Jin, drank the water from the kettle Gudong Gudong, and then wiped his mouth and said to Cao Cao: "Lord, the last general has already found out."

Cao Cao said, "No hurry, Xuan Gao sit down and talk slowly, everyone should sit down together."

After everyone sat down, Zangba breathed and said, "Lord, Xuchang has been captured. Mr. Xun Yu has been captured by the Liang army. I don't know whether he lives or death. The Ma Butcher has welcomed the emperor to the Dongdu. He also transferred 100,000 civilians from Guanzhong to repair and arrest the palaces and palaces of Luoyang, Hulao Pass, and Sishui Pass have also been repaired and arrested. The Ma Butcher has sent heavy troops to garrison!"

"The local officials in Yan and Henan Province fled, died, Mangdang Mountain, Jiuli Mountain, and Taishan Mountain are rampant, and the creatures are in trouble. In the end, there are few families within a thousand miles of travel. The former prosperous land is almost barren."

[Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Ma Yue fought against the Central Plains, Yan and Henan, and most of the people in Xuzhou, Huainan, Guanzhong, Jingzhou and other places. A small number of people who remained and became bandits.]

Speaking of this, the tone of Zangba actually choked up, and Liu Ye, Zhang Liao and others who were listening were also looking dim.

Cao Cao sighed to the sky and said tragically: "The horse butcher's disaster to the country and the people is so great!"

The Tibetan Ba ​​said again: "Sun Jian has already attacked Huainan, Lei Xu died in battle, Mei Cheng surrendered. Now the Wu army is splitting troops from two groups to attack Guangling, Xuzhou from the west and the south sides, and is fighting fiercely with Chen Deng in Jiangdu."

Cao Hong asked: "Has the Liang army of the Ma Butcher sent troops?"

Zang Badao: "The last general secretly went to Luoyang Jingzuo, and after many spying, he did not find any signs of large-scale assembly of the Liang army. It seems that the butcher Ma did not intend to send troops to rescue Xuzhou."

Cheng Yu said: "It's not that Ma Butcher Ma doesn't want to save him, but he's afraid he's not strong enough. Although Ma Butcher Ma won the battles in Luoyang, the battles in Nanyang, the battles in Yecheng, the battles in Xuchang and the battles in Qingniu Pass, the battles in Liang's army also ended with the victory of the Liang army, but the Liang army was actually seriously injured and injured, and the money and food were exhausted. It's probably difficult to recover without three to five years of rest."

Cao Cao's slightly narrowed eyes suddenly opened, glanced at everyone, and said, "This is roughly the situation today. What do you think?"

Jia Kui said: "The lord, Yan and Yu are already barren lands and are difficult to become foundations; Huainan is already owned by Sun Jian, and it is impossible to make an urgent decision; Xuzhou has many gentry and family members, and the butcher Ma may not be willing to use the emperor, nor should he go there; Yuan Shao has a great grudge with the lord, and if he goes there, he will definitely be harmed, and Hebei cannot go there; in addition, he can only go to Jiangdong, Jingzhou or Xichuan. Kui thought that Xichuan was surrounded by mountains, easy to defend but difficult to attack, and had a thousand miles of fertile land, with a population of up to five or six million. If the lord can take it for himself, it will be enough to compete with the butcher Ma."
To be continued...