Chapter 1309 Retreat

Hearing what Sima Yi said, Sima Zhao suddenly looked uneasy:

"Sir, shouldn't I come over? Or has the child done something wrong?"

Sima Yi sighed slightly:

"It's not your fault. It's my fault for not telling you clearly in time. It's just... alas!"

 It's just that some words have different effects whether they are said or not.

 For example, if you hold on to Luoyang City, you can surrender after the city is broken.

 This matter, stated explicitly and tacitly approved, are of two natures.

If you just urge them to persevere, the people below may try their best to persevere until the last step.

And if it is made clear, it will make them feel lazy, and they will surrender without even resisting. They will surrender without even resisting.

 What they have to face is Xiao Wenhe, who is known for his foresight.

Anything a little abnormal will probably be noticed by this person.

 At that time, some of the follow-up arrangements on my side will be discovered and even exploited by others.

 You cannot be too cautious with an opponent like this.

Let his son guard Luoyang personally to prove his determination to stick to Luoyang.

 Only in this way can the people below believe that they will definitely rescue Luoyang.

While Sima Yi was thinking about it, he did not continue speaking. Instead, he pondered for a moment and asked:

“Zishang, you have met Feng Mingwen. What do you think of this person?”

Sima Zhao did not expect that his master would ask him this question. He was stunned for a moment, and then he thought seriously.

 Although he only met the legendary Feng once in Chang'an, this scene really impressed Sima Zhao deeply (Chapter 1109).

Sima Zhao was deeply shocked at the first sight of the iron cavalry standing still in the snow.

Until now, he didn’t know whether the armored cavalry behind Feng Mingwen was the unparalleled armored cavalry in the world.

As for Feng, whom he had a personal conversation with, Sima Zhao naturally did not dare to forget him.

But even so, Sima Zhao finally just shook his head with shame:

“Sir, my child is stupid and cannot see through Feng Mingwen.”

 “It doesn’t matter, just say what you can see.”

  This is not the first time that Sima Yi asked Sima Zhao what he thought of Feng.

He asked once after Sima Zhao exchanged Wang Shuang from Feng.

But it was obvious that Sima Zhao at that time did not expect to see Feng in person.

It is even more difficult to see that during the prisoner exchange, Sima Yi and Feng were secretly calculating each other.

A few years later, Sima Zhao would occasionally think about how he would respond better if it happened again.

  After all, the opportunity to face Feng directly is rare for most people, especially for opponents such as myself.

 So compared to his initial thoughts, Sima Zhao naturally had more opinions at this time.

“Abandoning the rumors spread by the dead, based on what I saw when I was a child, I can tell that this man is indeed a good leader of troops. He can come to welcome Xizuo in person, which can be said to be a courtesy to a scholar."

"At that time, he was already famous all over the world, but when he talked with Na Xizuo, his face was respectful, and when he talked with the children, he was quite polite, which shows that he is by no means an arrogant person."

“I also asked my lord, my regret about not being able to fight my lord on the bank of the river was palpable, which shows that I am quite confident.”

Sima Yi suddenly interrupted Sima Zhao:

 “Sir, do you admire him very much?”

Hearing this, Sima Zhao's face stiffened for a moment, then nodded:

"I dare not hide it from the adults. The children really admire him."

As he spoke, he sighed and even looked a little confused:

“The child is not much different from this person in age, but he is incapable of writing and martial arts, let alone governing the country and the people..."

In his early years, he also admired the scholar leaders of the Wei Dynasty, such as "Si Cong Ba Da" and others, but these people were simply not worth mentioning in front of Feng.

 Have a unique talent among the eight in the world!

Every article that circulates is unprecedented.

 King Chen (Cao Zhi) traveled to Ayu Mountain in the East and compiled the notation of Sanskrit chant. He had just understood the way of phonology from Sanskrit.

(Note: Cao Zhi should be the first person to explore and summarize the rhythm of poetry. The rhythm of poetry was first developed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and was not fully mature until the Tang Dynasty)

 Feng's articles are already a complete collection of phonology.

No wonder even King Chen felt inferior to him.

As for military strategy, there is no need to mention it.

 Such a person is rare to meet in a century.

If Sima Zhao had never met Mr. Feng, it would be fine. At most, he would be like Sima Shi. He knew that he might face Mr. Feng, but he might not have the courage to fight.

 But he had experienced it. Not only had he seen it, but he had also talked with it in person.

 In addition, my own master was also defeated by this person.

And his brother was even worse. The one who defeated him was said to be the bodyguard led by Feng's trusted general.

Every time I think of Mr. Feng’s humble appearance when talking to me, and then I think of the encounter between the adult and his brother.

Especially after his brother passed away, Sima Zhao faced the pressure from the west alone and had nightmares for several days:

Mr. Feng, who had a modest look on his face, stood in front of his couch and said humbly to himself, Sima Langjun, get up. I didn't expect that we would meet again.

Behind him, there was a murderous iron cavalry soaring into the sky, staring at him eagerly, ready to rush over at any moment and trample him into a pulp...

 So, when I came to Yecheng in a hurry, I may not be afraid.

Thinking of this, Sima Zhao was startled and remembered that there was an adult on the other side.

 “Sir, I...”

 “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Sima Yi seemed to have read through Sima Zhao's mind, "Whether you admire him or fear him, Feng Mingwen is indeed an extremely difficult opponent."

 At this point, he even laughed at himself:

"When I was a father, wasn't he said to be as afraid of Shu as a tiger? But what about now? How many people are not afraid of Shu?"

Those who really did not believe in evil mostly followed the late emperor down there.

Even my own son...

Thinking of this, Sima Yi looked at Sima Zhao with two more understandings:

 “It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you are afraid of it.”

Sima Zhao's face turned slightly red when his master revealed his thoughts.

"But we, the Sima family, can't retreat now, because we have no way out."

Sima Yi sighed, "As long as the Wei Dynasty is still there, we will not be able to retreat."

Sima Zhao looked ashamed again and whispered:

“Sir, I know I’m wrong. I’ll go back to Luoyang immediately tomorrow.”

"No need." Sima Yi shook his head, "Now that we are here, there is no need to go back in a hurry."

As he spoke, he looked at Sima Zhao with a somewhat thoughtful look, "I happen to have something to do here, and I want you to take care of it."

Sima Zhao quickly stood up:

 “Sir, please give me your instructions.”

“I want you to go to Chang’an again, meet Feng Mingwen again, and bring him a message for me.”

Sima Yi paused for a moment, as if to let Sima Zhao concentrate on listening clearly, and then continued:

 “Do you want to take Luoyang?”

Sima Zhao was shocked, "Sir, this?"

 “Don’t be nervous, sit down first.”

 Sima Yi pressed his hand down.

Sima Zhao sat down with some anxiety, his eyes never leaving Sima Yi for a moment. He seemed anxious to get the answer from his master.

Sima Yi did not answer him immediately, but just asked:

“Sir, in your opinion, can Luoyang be defended?”

Sima Zhao hesitated for a moment, but finally shook his head:

"Although we have the ability to fight,... I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Sima Yi smiled, but he didn’t know what he was laughing at.

 Just continued to ask:

"Since it can't be defended, then why do you think the Han army stayed at Hangu Pass and was unwilling to attack Luoyang?"

Sima Zhao replied hesitantly: "Probably, maybe, it's because of the alliance with Wu Kou?"

 The tone was quite unconfident:

“I heard that the Wu invaders could have taken Shangyong, but in the end they gave it to the Han Dynasty, so is it possible...”

 “This is naturally part of the reason.”

Sima Yi said slowly, not knowing what he was thinking of, with a sarcastic look on his face:

"But this is not the first time that the Han Dynasty has borrowed land. Liu Bei could borrow Nanjun from Sun Quan back then, and his son Liu Chan could borrow Luoyang again, so why not?"

“What’s more, the Wu invaders are far away from Luoyang. Even if the Han army marches hard and takes charge of them on the pretext of taking them back later, can the Wu people still stop them?”

“So,” Sima Yi put away the sarcasm on his face and looked at Sima Zhao again, “The reason why Han does not want to take Luoyang now is not because he does not want to, but because it is unnecessary.”

"Because in their eyes, Luoyang is already in their mouths. If they don't take it now, it's because the preparations are not enough."

To say that the Han Dynasty suffered no losses during the Shangdang battle would be to deceive one's ears.

Not to mention that most of Wei Yan's elite troops were lost, even Wei Yan himself was seriously injured and suffered from wind paralysis and could not get up again.

 More importantly, it consumed the foundation of the Han State and bought the Wei Dynasty a few more years of breathing time.

The Han army finally turned defeat into victory, but it could only stop at Hangu Pass because the grain and grass from the rear could not be delivered in time.

“Therefore, the so-called covenant between Han and Wu is actually just an excuse for Han to take advantage of the situation.”

 “Then Sir…” Sima Zhao couldn’t understand Sima Yi’s thoughts even more.

 Does Han want Luoyang?

  Definitely want it.

 Why not now?

 Because of lack of preparation.

Then why did you ask yourself to bring that sentence to the Han Dynasty?

As if thinking of something, Sima Zhao lowered his voice subconsciously:

　　"Is it possible that you want to kill three people with two peaches?"

 Using Luoyang as bait to drive a wedge between Han and Wu?

Sima Yi smiled, shook his head, and then nodded again.

“If this is really the case, that would be the best, but Feng Mingwen, with his foresight and foresight, would definitely not fail to think of this.”

Sima Yi said, lowering his eyes:

“What I’m doing now is just to give Han a reason to occupy Luoyang.”

Sima Zhao was a little anxious when he heard this:

“Sir, I still don’t understand. Even if we can’t defend Luoyang, why must we give Luoyang to the Han Dynasty at this time?”

There is no doubt about the importance of Luoyang. Even if we can't hold it and occupy it for a while, it will still be of temporary benefit - just intercepting the supplies coming from the west will bring countless benefits.

"That's too late."

Sima Yi shook his head, "I don't want to either, but Han..."

Sima Yi raised his somewhat cloudy eyes and looked into the void. He seemed to be mumbling, but also seemed to be explaining:

"The actions of the Han State are beyond my imagination. The foundation of the Han State is too strong..."

Of all the passes in Taihang, the best one is Jingxing.

  That is the road from Taiyuan east to Jizhou.

 So Taiyuan is also the focus of Sima Yi's attention.

 Sima Yi knew immediately that the governor of Bingzhou had changed.

Sima Yi was deeply impressed by Wang Ping who used thousands of soldiers to hold back tens of thousands of his own elite soldiers.

The performance of Wang Ping in the battle at Otaniguchi made Sima Yi think that this person was the most important hidden trump card that Feng deliberately arranged in Bingzhou, or at least one of them.

Now that someone from Feng asked Wang Ping to be the governor of Bingzhou, Sima Yi immediately smelled something unusual.

"Sooner or later Luoyang will be unable to be defended. It is better to withdraw our troops and use the rivers and Taihang Mountains to concentrate on defending Hebei."

Sima Zhao just lacks experience, but he is not a fool: "But sir, if this is the case, will it give people a handle?"

Sending the capital of Wei Dynasty away, no matter how high your reputation is now, I’m afraid I won’t be able to withstand the pressure.

Sima Yi looked at Sima Zhao meaningfully and said:

“That’s why I asked you to bring the message in person!”

Then he said leisurely:

"I think about the year before last, when I sent people to Wu to question Lu Xun, I didn't send any of your brothers."

 “Huh?” Sima Zhao looked dull and opened his mouth, “The year before last?”

Sima Yi's calm tone was like thunder, which made Sima Zhao speechless for a long time:

"I asked someone to ask Lu Xun: Do you want to take Xiangyang?"

"Don't look at me like that," Sima Yi saw Sima Zhao's appearance and just smiled lightly, "I guessed at that time that Lu Boyan was most likely planning to attack Xiangyang."

 In the battle the year before last, before the war, Wu State recruited civilians in the name of digging the East Canal, plus the news they received from Guo Xun.

Sima Yi knew that the Wu State had been planning this war for a long time, and it could even be said that it was a nationwide effort.

 It is abnormal for Lu Xun to be absent from this kind of battle.

"I sent someone over just to remind Lu Xun that I guessed his intention."

Do you want to take Xiangyang?

 This sentence can be an affirmative question or a general question.

 It doesn’t matter how everyone understands it.

Lu Xun was a smart man and made the most correct understanding: inviting someone from Feng to help.

 That makes sense, right?

Sima Yi also responded very well and did not remind General Cao - General Cao wouldn't listen anyway, which makes sense, right?

Sima Zhao was so shocked that he could not speak for a long time.

“Feng Mingwen is naturally a smart person, and he can definitely understand what I say.”

Sima Yi's words seemed to come from the sky, "Now that you have come to Yecheng, it will be easy for the Han army to capture Luoyang."

“At that time, it will no longer be us but Xuchang who will have a headache.”

It is four hundred miles from Luoyang to Xuchang, and the cavalry can reach them in two days regardless of their power.

Moreover, after leaving the Luoyang Pass, the road is smooth and there is no danger to defend.

After the Han army captured Luoyang, it is worth considering whether to go directly to Xuchang without any effort, or to cross the Taihang River and cross Taihang to Jizhou with great effort.

"I have blocked Cao Zhaobo for so many years. I hope that this time, he can help me delay the Han Dynasty."

You can’t say that I have to risk my life to help General Cao hold off the Han army, right?

 General Cao will not be grateful to me.

"Actually, letting the Han army capture Luoyang may not be a bad thing. At least it will let Cao Zhaobo know that the main enemy of our Wei Dynasty is the Han State, not me."

Looking at his son's figure leaving blankly, Sima Yi sat there, his eyes becoming increasingly cloudy.

 He is old.

Over the years, he has often felt powerless in the face of tremendous pressure from all aspects.

 What he said to Sima Zhao was actually partly hidden.

It is true that he has no way out, but the rest of the Sima clan may not have no way out.

 Especially Zishang, he had a casual acquaintance with Feng.

 This time we go again, it will be a double acquaintance...

 (End of this chapter)