novelSusiti Chapter 98 Discussing the "Conquest of Shu"
Chapter 98 Discussing the "Conquest of Shu"
Chapter 98 Discussing the "Conquest of Shu"
A servant entered from outside, bowed to Sima Zhao, and said, "General, the Chief Clerk requests an audience."
Sima Zhao frowned, then relaxed. He said, "Let him in."
"Yes." The waiter bowed again, turned respectfully, and left.
Not long after, Shi Zuan arrived outside Sima Zhao's room, beaming with pride. "Indeed, I am the General's confidant."
Before entering the room, Shi Zuan composed himself, straightened his clothes, and then went inside.
He was about to bow.
Sima Zhao asked directly, "What is it?"
Shi Zuan immediately raised the bamboo slip above his head, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the General, this is a message from Bingzhou that barbarians are causing trouble."
Because of the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, and because Cao Cao's massacres were too brutal, barbarians were everywhere in Bing, Liang, You, and even Guanzhong and Hebei.
These barbarians are difficult to control and cause headaches. However, the imperial court cannot do without them; without them, the court would have no tax revenue, and how could the court officials wear Shu brocade?
Therefore, barbarians are constantly migrating to the interior.
"It's just a minor ailment, nothing to worry about," Sima Zhao said dismissively. Then he raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Shi Zuan, and asked in a deep voice, "The Chief Clerk has arrived at the right time. I intend to attack Shu. Will the officials agree?"
"I knew it..." Shi Zuan smiled inwardly, then bowed and said, "General, I believe that Shu is weak and easy to deal with. However, because of the natural defenses of Ba and Shu, and their advantageous terrain, and Jiang Wei's strength and skill in warfare, I think the officials will probably not agree with you, General."
How could Sima Zhao not understand Shi Zuan's implied meaning? I support you, but the officials may not.
Sima Zhao felt annoyed, then gritted his teeth and said, "Summon the officials and nobles of Luoyang to the General's Mansion for discussion."
He wanted to become emperor; he wanted to conquer Shu.
Never mind, let's summon them and ask them first. What if the officials agree? Even if they oppose it, he can find another way.
"Yes." Shi Zuan immediately bowed in agreement and turned to leave. As for the matter of the barbarians in Bingzhou, there are priorities. Who cares about such trivial matters?
Since I am to meet with all the officials, I cannot wear this outfit.
"Someone come and help me change my clothes." After Shi Zuan left, Sima Zhao stood up and said to those around him.
"Yes." The servants responded in unison, and then brought clothes and a hat for Sima Zhao to change into.
The Grand General is a military officer, and Sima Zhao wore a military cap adorned with two pheasant tails. Although Sima Zhao was over fifty years old, he was still quite healthy, with a heroic appearance and tall stature. This Grand General's attire accentuated his imposing military bearing.
After Sima Zhao finished changing his clothes, he waited for a while before a servant came in to report that all the officials had arrived.
He then stood up, sword in hand, and strode out of the bedroom, arriving at the main hall in the front courtyard.
Inside the main hall, civil and military officials sat high on their thrones.
The civil officials wore the Jinxian crown, and the military officers wore the Wubian crown; they sat separately.
Sima Zhao entered the main hall through a side door and sat down. All the civil and military officials bowed and addressed him as "Great General".
"Gentlemen, you may dispense with the formalities." Sima Zhao was not yet the emperor, so the form of address was very particular.
Wenwu stood up smoothly.
Sima Zhao said, "Since Chen Zhi's death, the Shu Kingdom has declined year by year. Even a villain like Huang Hao can monopolize the government. It's like the Ten Attendants of yesterday. Villains like Yan Yu are all siding with Huang Hao. The Shu court and the country are in turmoil, and the ruler is incompetent—this is evident. Huang Hao has also forced Jiang Wei to leave Chengdu. Shu has few capable villains; only Jiang Wei is a pillar of the state. The Shu ruler is destroying his own kingdom."
At this point, he took a short breath, then looked intently at his ministers and said in a deep voice, "I intend to conquer Shu and destroy the country. Then, using Yizhou as a base, I will build ships to sail down the river and wipe out Eastern Wu."
To bring unity to the world and peace to the universe.
In the end, Sima Zhao couldn't help but become enthusiastic. This was an achievement that even Cao Cao hadn't accomplished, and now it's mine.
If I can accomplish such a great feat and unify the world, the reputation of our Sima family in history will certainly be stronger than that of Cao Cao.
Sima Yi usurped power and killed the emperor in the street, which was like a piece of silk stained with black ink, making it difficult to clean.
Cover it up with greater achievements.
He will also achieve even greater feats, so that he may rise to the highest rank.
After hearing Sima Zhao's words, the officials fell silent, and some of them looked at each other in bewilderment.
Sima Zhao's face darkened. With his current power, it would take courage to oppose him, so silence was tantamount to opposition.
Or perhaps the officials are waiting to see who will speak first.
As expected. General Deng Dun took a deep breath, bowed solemnly to Sima Zhao, and said, "General, Jiang Wei is exceptionally talented and frequently leads the Shu army to attack Yong and Liang. Even now, border generals cannot maintain a firm grip on defense. How much less can they launch a campaign against Shu?"
After speaking, Deng Dun bowed deeply to Sima Zhao and said earnestly, "Your subject begs the General to reconsider."
Sima Zhao's face darkened further; he wished he could kill Deng Dun, but he restrained himself. A ruler needs this much magnanimity. It would be terrifying if no one spoke up in the court.
As Dunn spoke, the surging power seemed to find an outlet.
Most of the court officials spoke up, and they all opposed it.
"General, General Guo is right. Although the Shu Kingdom is weak, it has the advantage of its terrain. The Qinling Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles, and the Daba Mountains for hundreds of miles. It is Heaven's will that the Shu people should occupy Bashu. We cannot go against Heaven's will."
"General, when Emperor Wu of Han conquered Yizhou, he still lamented the difficulty of traversing the Shu Road. Even with a million-strong army, he could only muster the strength of ten thousand men. If the Shu army could simply hold the strategic points and harass the supply lines, they could block our army. In that case, not only would we fail to achieve great success, but we would also have to endure a long and arduous campaign, incurring huge costs and causing turmoil in the court and the country."
"General..."
'
The dissenting voices were like ocean waves, one higher than the next, just as Sima Zhao's campaign against Shu was destined to fail. And if he failed, Sima Zhao's position would be shaken.
As soon as Sima Zhao's position is shaken, Cao Wei will launch a counterattack.
Of course, some things were said veiledly, not openly.
In short, if Sima Zhao did not listen to them, his country would perish.
Sima Zhao was powerful and ambitious. He was displeased by the opposition from his officials, but he did not dare to forcefully push through the matter.
Even an emperor cannot move an inch if he goes against the will of the people.
Moreover, he wasn't entirely the emperor.
Sima Zhao turned his head slightly, his eyes flashing as he looked at one official after another.
I want to find a way to back down gracefully.
Zhong Hui keenly sensed Sima Zhao's intentions, stood up, bowed to Sima Zhao, and said, "General, what you gentlemen have said makes sense, but you only know one side of the story and not the other."
"In military strategy, the situation is never static. The reason why Emperor Wu of Han failed was because Liu Bei and Sun Quan were still alive. Now, Liu Bei of Shu has been dead for decades, and Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and others are all dead. Petty men are in power in the court and among the people. The situation is different in Wei."
After a pause, Zhong Hui continued, "With the General assisting in governing the country, the Great Wei Kingdom is prosperous and its people are thriving, its national strength far surpassing that of yesteryear."
This ebbs and flows. The General's swift and decisive campaign against Yong and Shu will surely succeed.
He was the second son of Zhong Yao, a minister who helped establish the Cao Wei dynasty. He served as Sima Zhao's advisor from an early age and was known as a "talented advisor to the king".
He was not yet forty years old when he was appointed as the Commandant of the Capital Region.
He had a majestic appearance, a tall stature, and an especially loud voice. At first glance, he exuded an aura of righteousness.
However, he did not enjoy high prestige in the government and among the public.