Chapter 209 Coup Plot
After thinking about it, the soldiers all felt that Su Liang's analysis made sense.
The areas surrounding Qinzhou, Longxi County and Gaoping County, were both barren lands that could not support so many rebels.
The Guanzhong Plain near Chang'an is naturally the best target, but the imperial court has a large army stationed there, and there is also the thorn of Chencang, which is not so easy to deal with.
Yuan Xiuyi, the governor of Yongzhou, had served as the governor of many states. He had a good reputation for his governance and was also very law-abiding in his military management.
Apart from the corruption that was characteristic of the Northern Wei royal family, Yuan Xiuyi was already one of the few capable talents in the entire royal family.
Sending troops to Chencang was a brilliant move.
Chencang is an important military town and has been a fortress since the Qin and Han Dynasties. After being managed by successive dynasties, all the loopholes in Chencang have been plugged.
There have been countless battles of all sizes here. The fortress is strong and is also called Chencang. It is also a large granary.
The troops stationed in Chencang did not have to worry about supply problems at all, and this army was stuck on the road where the rebels from Yongcheng were leaving the mountains. If Mo Zhetian wanted to attack Guanzhong, he would have to pass by Chencang. At that time, the Wei army in Chencang could attack his army at any time.
Mo Zhe Tiansheng also discovered this problem, so he sent a large army to besiege Chen Cang, but after fighting for a month there was no result.
In comparison, the only place near Qinzhou where you can get enough food without knocking out your teeth is Hanzhong, also known as Liangzhou.
Thinking from this perspective, this is not a prediction, but a necessity.
Su Liang continued, "Years ago, Mozhe Dadi ordered his general Lü Bodu to enter Liangzhou along the West Han River. According to the military situation ahead, the enemy has already captured Wuxing and is fighting for Mianyang County."
Su Ze looked at the map and said, "Mianyang County is the gateway to Nanzheng, where Dingjun Mountain is located, and where Prime Minister Zhuge is buried?"
“It is exactly here.”
Su Ze is indeed knowledgeable about military affairs. As long as I mention Mianyang County, he will understand the importance of this place. Meeting such a lord can save a lot of trouble.
But the downside is that when you meet a lord like this, you will have even fewer opportunities to show your abilities.
Su Ze also felt a little emotional. There were many Wuhou Temples in later generations, but Zhuge Liang’s real burial place was in Mianyang County.
When Zhuge Liang died, Hanzhong was still in the hands of Shu Han. He requested the later lord to bury him in Mianyang County, with the intention of making the successor of Shu Han realize the importance of Hanzhong and make sure to defend Hanzhong.
It’s a pity that Zhuge Liang used his burial place to warn the rulers and ministers of Shu Han of the importance of Hanzhong, but in the end Hanzhong was still lost.
After losing Hanzhong, Bashu lost its barrier, and was eventually conquered by Deng Ai who flew to Yinping and destroyed Shu Han.
In Zhuge Liang's strategic concept "Longzhong Strategy", the earliest idea was to unify the country by conquering the north based on Jingzhou and Yizhou.
This strategic plan ultimately failed because of the loss of Jingzhou, but Zhuge Liang still came up with another plan.
That is the foundation for the unification of Liangzhou and Yizhou.
That's why Zhuge Liang went to Qishan six times. His goal was not to destroy Cao Wei in one fell swoop, but to control Longxi and then take over Liangzhou, integrate the resources of the two states, and then erode Guanzhong, and finally use the southwestern half to fight against Cao Wei.
Unfortunately, this idea became a pipe dream after the loss of Hanzhong.
No matter how good Jiang Wei was at fighting, the Shu Han lost hope for the future after losing Hanzhong.
Su Ze thought of himself again. He was now only away from occupying the ancient Liangzhou, the land of Qinzhou. If he could occupy Liangzhou (Hanzhong) and then Yizhou, wouldn't that be the completion of Zhuge Liang's strategic conception of using Liang and Yizhou as the foundation of his hegemony?
Then Su Ze sneered again, thinking that he was thinking about running before he even learned to walk. He should deal with the current situation first.
Su Ze looked at Su Liang again and asked, "Jingshun, based on your strategy, what should we do?"
Su Liang said without hesitation: "After Mozhe Dadi enters Liangzhou, we will also enter Liangzhou."
"Why not attack Qinzhou?"
Su Liang's answer was also perfect. He said, "It's very simple. Qinzhou is too poor. If the general captures Qinzhou, will he have enough food to reorganize the army and regulate the people's livelihood? If not, Qinzhou will definitely rebel again."
Su Ze was silent. Su Liang was right.
In history books, various rebellions and uprisings are often described as the actions of individual ambitious people and rebels.
In fact, these events are the inevitable choices made by the people who cannot survive.
Some ambitious people and rebels only accelerated this process.
In the final analysis, if Qinzhou rebelled, he would not be able to survive.
Whether it was because they could not survive being exploited by corrupt officials or because they could not survive due to disasters, after all the turmoil in the second year of Shengui, Qinzhou in the third year of Shengui could only be even worse.
Just like Mo Zhe Dam didn't attack Longxi because Longxi had no food, Su Ze couldn't attack Qinzhou because he couldn't feed so many people in Qinzhou.
Su Ze has also provided relief to the disaster victims in Longxi County these days.
In history books, "great disaster led to cannibalism" is just five short words.
But in reality, what Su Ze saw were starving people everywhere and disaster victims who could not be provided with relief.
This was because Longxi County had not suffered too much military disaster or major unrest.
There is no chance of spring ploughing in Qinzhou now, and what will follow will be a greater famine.
At that time, Qinzhou would become a huge animal world, and anything would be wiped out in the wildness of survival.
And this was just the unrest in Guanzhong. When the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons broke out, the entire north would be plunged into hell.
Su Ze let out a long sigh, and he became more determined in his belief that only great unification could end these three hundred years of turmoil!
Just as the Qinzhou rebels had only Liangzhou as their choice, Su Ze’s only choice was Liangzhou.
After the military meeting determined the strategic direction, Su Ze's military government began to operate at full capacity. Weapons, equipment and horses were distributed, and food and fodder were transported to the front line.
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In Huayin City, the Northern Wei Dynasty marched westward to attack Daxingtai.
The Western Road Commander-in-Chief Xiao Baoyin sat high up in the seat, with his subordinates standing on both sides in a clear distinction.
On the left hand side was the Guandong faction headed by Liu Kai, the chief secretary of Xiao Baoyin's office. Most of them were counselors, but Cui Yanbo, dressed as a military general, sat at the top seat. His seat was second only to Xiao Baoyin, and he was the highest-ranking official present.
On the right is the Guanxi faction. Since Su Liang left, the Guanxi faction has lost its leader and its voice has been suppressed by the Guandong faction.
But they are local tyrants, and Xiao Baoyin still needs to rely on these people from Guanxi to organize local volunteer armies, prepare food and logistics, gather intelligence, etc., so his voices cannot be completely ignored.
Ever since Xiao Baoyin entered Huazhou, the struggle between the two factions has intensified, and now has reached the point where they are irreconcilable.
Any suggestions made by the Kanto faction would be fiercely opposed by the Kansai faction, and vice versa.
As a result, Xiao Baoyin was unwilling to hold meetings, and he usually discussed and decided things with a few aides.
However, doing so made both factions unhappy, as both sides felt that the other side had made false accusations.
Xiao Baoyin had to attend a meeting today.
Because today we are discussing the next counterinsurgency strategy. If we cannot reach a consensus, there is no need to fight this war.
Fortunately, there are only two paths before Xiao Baoyin.
One was advocated by Cui Yanbo, who wanted to send troops to attack Yongcheng and recapture Qizhou. The other was promoted by Su Liang and Yang Kan, who wanted Xiao Baoyin's army to enter Liangzhou from Baoxiadao to support Fu Shuyan's army in stabilizing Liangzhou.
Fortunately, Su Liang and Yang Kan, who pushed for the second point, are no longer around. The Guandong and Guanxi factions have reached a difficult consensus on this point and sent troops to Yongzhou to support Chencang and wait for an opportunity to take back Yongcheng.
But this was one of the few consensuses, and the two sides began to argue fiercely over the selection of the vanguard general.
The Guandong faction believed that Cui Yanbo should be appointed as the general. Cui Yanbo was the governor of Qizhou and was familiar with the affairs of Qizhou.
However, the Guanxi faction believed that Cui Yanbo had suffered a defeat in Qizhou and his reputation in Qizhou was not high, so the current Yongzhou governor Yuan Xiuyi should be appointed as the vanguard general.
The two sides argued endlessly, which made Xiao Baoyin almost mentally exhausted. In the end, he made a decision to appoint Cui Yanbo as the vanguard general and lead an army of 30,000 to support Chencang and wait for an opportunity to recapture Yongcheng.
Xiao Baoyin led the remaining troops to Wugong, west of Chang'an, to support Cui Yanbo's actions and to immediately recapture Qizhou once progress was made.
This result finally won the support of the Kanto and Kansai factions.
The Guandong faction needed military merits. They had not achieved any success since entering Guanzhong. There had been many voices of impeachment in the court, and Xiao Baoyin was under too much pressure.
The Guanxi faction needed Xiao Baoyin's army to be dispatched as soon as possible to protect their homes. The sons of the gentry in the Qinzhou area were even more anxious because their hometowns had been occupied by the rebels.
In this way, time finally came to April of the third year of the Shengui year.
Xiao Baoyin's army finally set out from Huazhou and entered Yongzhou in a mighty manner, preparing to attack Mozhe Tiansheng who was stationed in Yongcheng.
Mozhe Dati gave orders to his son Mozhe Tiansheng, asking him to defend Yongcheng to the death and continue to besiege Chencang.
Mozhe Dati personally led an army of 30,000 refugees, plus 40,000 cannon fodder who were included in the army, claiming to be an army of 400,000, and entered the Huicheng Basin along the West Han River. The goal of his army was to enter Wuxing and attack Mianyang County, the important town at the gateway to the Hanzhong Basin.
The entire Guanlong area is in flames again!
-
Luoyang.
During this period, Jiangyang King Yuanyi was very annoyed.
Ever since Xiao Baoyin went to war, there has been no victory. Now the war is raging in Guanzhong, and Xiao Baoyin was the commander-in-chief recommended by himself. There are more and more impeachment memorials against King Jiangyang in the court.
Even Empress Dowager Hu summoned Yuan Yi repeatedly to inquire about the progress of the war in Guanzhong.
Yuan Yi had no choice. His envoys went to Guanzhong many times, urging Xiao Baoyin to send troops. However, according to Xiao Baoyin, the situation in Guanzhong was complicated and even if troops were sent, there would be no immediate results.
But Yuan Yi had more than one worry.
This matter means that Prince Qinghe has regained his favor!
Last year, Empress Dowager Hu favored Li Shengui, the son of General Li Chong, and Prince Qinghe was neglected.
Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Hu seemed to be more affectionate towards her younger brother-in-law Yuan Yi. After a brief change of taste, she finally felt that Yuan Yi was more considerate.
It happened that the position of Governor of Xiangzhou was vacant. Empress Dowager Hu appointed Li Shengui as Governor of Xiangzhou and sent him out of Luoyang. She then began to frequently summon Prince of Qinghe Yuan Yi to the palace again.
After Prince Qinghe regained favor, Yuan Yi felt a sense of crisis.
This restoration of favor made Empress Dowager Hu trust Yuan Yi even more. Not only did she increase his fiefdom, she also completely handed over the Menxia Province to Prince Qinghe.
Now that he had taken control of the Menxia Province, Yuan Yi rejected all the proposals from Yuan Yi's followers. The Minister of Personnel Cui Liang controlled the personnel power in the court and exiled Jiangyang King Yuan Yi's followers out of Luoyang one after another.
Today was the day for Yuan Yi and Grand Chamberlain Liu Teng to have a secret meeting. Under the candlelight, the two discussed the situation in the palace.
Liu Teng held the tea bowl and said:
"The Queen Mother has been summoning Prince Qinghe to the palace every day these days. There are rumors in the palace that the prince is going to go to Xuzhou to take charge of the southern defense line."
Xiao Yan changed the reign title to "Pingbong", and his intention to launch a northern expedition was obvious. The current situation is very similar to that when Liu Yu launched the northern expedition.
There is unrest in Guanzhong. If Southern Liang intervenes, the Wei Dynasty will be seriously damaged.
These days the court has been discussing sending important officials to Xuzhou to reorganize the defense system against Southern Liang.
Liu Teng was a close minister to the Queen Mother, and the "rumors" he told were most likely true.
After saying this, Liu Teng started coughing violently again.
Liu Teng's health is getting worse.
Yuan Yi felt fear. Liu Teng was his important helper in the palace. Only with Liu Teng could he find out the Queen Mother's intentions in time and avoid being slandered.
If Liu Teng died and he was still leading troops outside, then Yuan Yi, the Prince of Qinghe who controlled the government, would only need to make some slanderous remarks and he would be dead without a burial place.
Is Yuan Yi going to defect to Southern Liang again like Xiao Baoyin?
Liu Teng said in a sinister voice:
"My king, it's time to make a decision."
Yuan Yi sighed and said, "Xi Kangsheng is not ready yet. What if we start now?"
Liu Teng started to cough violently. He said, "Your Majesty, there is no perfect solution in this world. Isn't there a way to deal with things one step at a time?"
Yuan Yi and Liu Teng had plans for a coup d'état from a very early stage.
But they miscalculated one person in their plan.
Xi Kangsheng, the General of the Right Guard, was an important official in charge of protecting the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Xi Kangsheng's son Xi Nandang was recommended by Yuan Yi as a Qianniu Beishen, the young emperor's closest guard.
The father and son of the Xi family were originally important chess pieces planted by Yuan Yi in the imperial palace. Xi Kangsheng had also long been allied with Yuan Yi, and his position was also arranged by Yuan Yi.
But no one expected that Xi Kangsheng would change his attitude after he became the General of the Right Guard.
Xi Kangsheng not only refused to attend Yuan Yi's banquet, he also acted like a loyal minister and warned his son Xi Nandang to protect the emperor and the empress dowager with all his strength.
Xi Kangsheng and his son were generals of the Right Guard Army, responsible for guarding the emperor and the empress dowager. They were the last obstacle for Yuan Yi to launch a coup.
Yuan Yi felt extremely regretful when he thought that he had created this obstacle himself.
Liu Teng said: "I have already won over most of the palace guards. Now it depends on the king's decision."
Yuan Yi still hesitated and asked, "Does it really have to be launched?"
In this small group of two, Jiangyang King Yuanyi was the hesitant one, and many times it was Liu Teng who forced him to move forward.
Liu Teng stood up and said, "If the king doesn't do it, then you will die and your family will be destroyed!"
"Teng doesn't have many years to live anyway, and he has no offspring or family. At worst, he will be whipped in the underworld. We will meet in the underworld then. Don't regret this, my king!"
Seeing Liu Teng was about to leave in anger, Yuan Yi gritted his teeth and said, "What are you talking about, Liu Changqiu! We agreed to live and die together that day, and now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to leave!"
(End of this chapter)