Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1438 Taiji Hall, Seizure of Power, and Questioning

The Luoyang Taiji Hall was built on the site of the Later Han imperial palace, but its style differed greatly from that of the palaces of the two Han dynasties.

The two-palace system and multi-functional front hall implemented during the Han Dynasty.

For example, the Luoyang Palace of the Later Han Dynasty was divided into the South Palace (administrative center) and the North Palace (the residence of the emperor and empress), which were seven li apart and connected by a covered walkway.

The Taiji Palace of the pseudo-Wei dynasty abandoned the Luoyang South Palace, making the North Palace the only palace city, with the Taiji Palace as the core of the entire palace.

Meanwhile, the central axis of the entire palace is located at the north-south center, facing the main gate of the palace city, Changhe Gate, to the south, and connecting to the emperor's sleeping quarters to the north.

If we say that the system of multiple palaces coexisting in the Han Dynasty reflects the loose balance of power among the emperor, the prime minister, the maternal relatives, and even the eunuchs, then the Han Dynasty was a system of governance.

Therefore, the Taiji Hall of the pseudo-Wei Dynasty deliberately emphasized the supremacy of imperial power, carrying a strong implication that imperial power was above all else.

This also reflects, to some extent, the completely different political situation between the Han Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty.

The imperial power of the Han Dynasty was perhaps set from the very beginning by Emperor Gaozu and Empress Lü.

Emperor Gaozu was a rogue, but he also possessed a great deal of magnanimity and self-confidence.

What belongs to Lao Liu is Lao Liu's, and what doesn't belong to Lao Liu—including his life—is up to fate.

Of course, he was also very afraid (crossed out), and very respectful of his wife.

Therefore, during the Han Dynasty, empresses dowager and empresses could often directly participate in court affairs.

The pseudo-Wei dynasty was different.

The Taiji Hall was first built in the first year of the Huangchu era after Cao Pi usurped the Han throne.

At that time, the world was officially divided into three, and Cao Pi was able to usurp the Han throne only because he had the support of powerful clans.

With powerful enemies outside and powerful families inside, the imperial power was greatly constrained, or even threatened.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why the Cao family wanted to consolidate power in the imperial court as much as possible.

Whether it's feasible or not is one thing, but it doesn't stop us from building a palace to indulge in some imagination; it's still okay to dream.

Back then, even when the Wei regime was facing difficulties on its western front, it did not deter Cao Rui from continuing to expand the Taiji Palace.

Not only during the height of the war, but also by transferring laborers to move bronze figures such as the Chang'an bronze dew-collecting plate to Luoyang.

Even when building an earthen mound in Fanglin Garden, "the officials and ministers all carried soil, planted pine, bamboo, miscellaneous trees and good grass on it, and captured mountain birds and beasts to bring into it."

Unfortunately, in this world, the weapon of criticism can never replace the criticism of weapons.

The mandate of heaven is not something that can be proclaimed; it is something that is earned through hard work and real achievements.

The Taiji Hall, representing the supremacy of imperial power, was built not long before Cao Rui was forced to make a humiliating eastern tour, which has now benefited Liu Shan (A Dou).

But for A Dou, the Taiji Palace looked magnificent, but after only a few days, he began to miss Chang'an—the Taiji Palace was all show and no substance.

As the weather gets colder, the shortcomings of the Taiji Palace become more and more obvious, namely that its insulation and facilities are far inferior to those of the palaces in Chang'an.

At this time, during the post-war recovery period, the people of Hebei were starving and desperate for food. It was impossible for Liu Shan (A Dou) to spend so much money and resources renovating the Taiji Hall.

But that's not the point.

The focus is on Jiang Wan.

The general was already seriously ill, and the comfort level of the Taiji Palace was far inferior to that of Chang'an. As the winter chill intensified, Jiang Wan's health visibly deteriorated day by day.

However, he had been suffering from illness for several years and thought that his days were numbered. He was determined to wait for death in Luoyang, so neither A Dou nor Grand Marshal Feng could persuade him to return to Chang'an.

To put it bluntly, the general probably had lost the will to live, which is why he came to Luoyang.

He toiled for over thirty years for the three restorations of the Han Dynasty, and to die in Luoyang, in the central Taiji Hall of Luoyang, he had no regrets in his life.

The general was easygoing, and so was the Grand Marshal, who had killed countless people over the years.

If it were him, and after conquering Eastern Wu, Heaven allowed him to return with a few wives and concubines, and a hundred or so items bestowed upon him by Liu Shan (A Dou)—preferably including spoils from the puppet Wei and puppet Wu—he would be quite satisfied.

Forget about the kids, I won't bring any burdens along.

Therefore, Mr. Feng understood the general's state of mind at that moment.

So, in the name of the Grand Marshal, a military order was issued, ordering Jiang Wei, who was still enjoying himself in Yanzhou and had forgotten about Luoyang, to return quickly.

The victory in Hebei was even greater than originally planned.

Originally, they only wanted to sweep through Hebei, but unexpectedly, the emperor himself came to Luoyang, and Feng, who made the pseudo-Wei state tremble with fear, also came to Luoyang.

Apart from a very few insiders, everyone said that the Han emperor was personally leading the expedition; and that Mr. Feng was there to protect the emperor.

Not only were the morale of the Han soldiers greatly boosted, but even the puppet Wei regime was trying its best to shrink its forces, and even had to transfer some troops from Yangzhou to the north.

Sima Yi led his army to retreat to Hebei. In the midst of the rout, Yanzhou, which was separated from Hebei by a river and was originally the heartland of the pseudo-Wei state, was left with no time to set up defenses.

The Han army in Luoyang was mainly responsible for defending the Xuchang-Yuzhou area in the southeast, and its role in the battle in Hebei was at most a diversionary one.

Unexpectedly, thanks to Feng's arrival, Jiang Wei no longer had any worries about Luoyang.

Although he only led a portion of his troops eastward into Yanzhou, his momentum was overwhelming, and almost no one could stop him.

A month or so after Hebei was liberated, most of Yanzhou also fell into the hands of the Han Dynasty.

Recovering lost territory is a good thing, but as the old saying goes, you can't bite off more than you can chew.

The Han Dynasty's treasury was already somewhat strained after nearly a year of war.

Furthermore, taking over another state will require an additional expenditure of money and grain for post-conquest arrangements.

With winter approaching, it's time to cut your losses.

So the Grand Marshal took the opportunity to call Jiang Wei back.

When the Great Han General Zhennan returned in triumph, he was not greeted by any officials, but was instead received by the three most powerful figures in the Great Han for a long time.

The reception was much more elaborate than when Grand Marshal Feng came to Luoyang, when he was greeted by only a few cats and dogs.

"Your Majesty, I humbly beseech you, and humbly pray that Your Majesty may live a long and prosperous life!"

In his early years, Jiang Wei followed Grand Marshal Feng in the Battle of Guanzhong and was the first Han general to lead troops to the walls of Chang'an.

Later, he took charge of a major task on his own, and successively recovered the strategic pass of Hangu Pass, the old capital of Luoyang, Yanzhou and other places. In recent years, he has been full of vigor and ambition.

"Rise, rise, rise quickly!" A Dou reached out to help him up, then pointed to the side, "General Zhennan has fought for the country and made great contributions. Why be so polite? Sit down."

A Dou sat in the main seat, with the Grand Marshal on his left and the General on his right. Jiang Wei repeatedly declined, and only then did he sit in the last seat.

Whether it was stimulated by the good news of Jiang Wei's recapture of Yanzhou or a last burst of energy before death, Jiang Wan was in excellent spirits for the past two days. He was no longer bedridden and could even drink a couple of cups of wine.

However, to avoid causing too much disturbance, A Dou and the Grand Marshal ultimately did not agree to let Jiang Wan attend the celebration banquet that was specially held later.
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In contrast to the joyous atmosphere and harmonious relationship between the emperor and his ministers in Luoyang, Qiao County was shrouded in gloom and desolation.

After his defeat in Hebei, Sima Yi led his remaining troops south across the Yellow River. Instead of immediately retreating to Qiao County, he actively built defensive lines to prevent the Han army from continuing its southward advance.

With the harsh winter approaching and having learned that Jiang Wei had returned to Luoyang, he led a dozen or so riders back to Qiao County.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the city gates, Sima Yi found them tightly shut. Left with no other option, he knelt down outside the city to beg for forgiveness.

The dim sun brought no warmth; in fact, it made people feel a bit colder.

The frost and wind on the city wall were like knives, and Cao Shuang's fox fur lining fluttered in the wind.

He looked down at Sima Yi below the city and suddenly stirred the silver frost charcoal in the brazier, making it crackle.

"Grand Tutor, you are quite impressive." The firelight reflected off Cao Shuang's puffy eyes. "Hundreds of thousands of troops were stationed in Hebei, and now only a few remnants remain?"

The words, enveloped in white steam, crashed down from the city wall, and Sima Yi kowtowed heavily:

"General, you are wise! In the spring, this old minister sent an urgent message, traveling eight hundred li, to request reinforcements. It was you who sent someone to say that the granary was infested with rats..."

Suppressed gasps came from behind the battlements—the sable tassels on the hats of several former officials of the puppet Wei regime trembled slightly between the crenellations.

When the war broke out in Hebei, the Grand Tutor sent his son Sima Zhao to provide assistance, and he even knelt in the snow at the gate of the General's Mansion for several days.

As the war intensified, the Grand Tutor repeatedly sent messengers to Qiao County.

I had also heard that the general had sent reinforcements, but news came from the Wu forces in the south that Sun Quan had gathered 100,000 elite troops in Jianye, clearly intending to invade the north.

As a result, the reinforcements that were originally going to Hebei had to return to Shouchun to prepare for battle.

Unexpectedly, the general did not provide Hebei with even a single grain of grain.

When the nation faces difficulties, we must unite as one to alleviate them; when times are critical and circumstances are dire, we must work together to save the day.

How could Cao Shuang, as a general, be so disregard for the overall situation?

Ugh!
However, the Empress Dowager is away in another palace and has not yet appeared. The Emperor is too young to rule personally, and the court and government are now completely controlled by the Grand General and his cronies.

Even if these veteran officials of Wei learned that the Grand Tutor was fighting alone in Hebei, they could only sigh helplessly.

"A rat infestation?" Cao Shuang's jade belt hook suddenly snapped open. He simply took off his sable coat and threw it to his attendant, shouting angrily:
"I would like to ask, did the Grand Tutor ever imagine that he would come to this, leading his army into Hebei without an imperial edict and appointing officials in Ji and You prefectures without authorization?"

Sima Yi's forced entry into Hebei not only marked the beginning of a public falling out between the two, but also served as a resounding blow to Cao Shuang's dignity.

Unfortunately, he was ultimately powerless against Sima Yi and even had to reluctantly allow Sima Yi to become the governor of Hebei in the name of the emperor.

However, this imperial edict could not deceive others, much less himself, and had always been regarded by Cao Shuang as a great humiliation.

Seeing Sima Yi kneeling below the city walls to plead guilty, Cao Shuang could no longer contain his emotions and shouted at Sima Yi in front of everyone.

Sima Yi finally raised his head, the icicles on his eyelashes cracking, and his seventy-year-old body erupted in a heart-wrenching wail: "Your Majesty! This old minister is guilty, unforgivable, this old minister is utterly incompetent—"

"When the late Emperor was alive, he held my hand and entrusted me with assisting Your Majesty. Who would have thought that I would be defeated by others, lose troops and territory, fail the late Emperor's trust, and deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Nearly 100,000 soldiers perished at the hands of the Han army because of my incompetence," Sima Yi said, trembling as he picked up a pottery jar. "These are the ashes of the fallen soldiers."

He grabbed a handful of ashes and scattered them on the ground, saying, "The spirits of the fallen soldiers are here. This old minister is willing to offer this head in exchange for their lives..."

"No, Grand Tutor has done his best!" Upon hearing that Sima Yi was willing to pay with his life, Jiang Ji, who had been kneeling behind Sima Yi, suddenly stepped forward, his thin body slamming to the ground. "This old minister is willing to die in place of the Grand Tutor!"

A cold wind blew, and the dust it kicked up splattered onto the mottled city gate of Qiaocheng.

The city walls were deathly silent.

The silence was broken when Situ Gaorou's ivory tablet snapped with a "crack".

The old ministers behind him were all glaring angrily at a certain figure in front of him.

"General, please open the city gate!" Minister Chen Tai suddenly roared, his white head slamming heavily against the blue bricks of the crenellations.

As the blood trickled down, the jade tablets of more than ten veteran officials struck the city bricks with a muffled, thunderous sound:
"General, please open the city gates..."

The tassels of their hats lay scattered on the city streets, like a reed that had suddenly fallen over.

The halberd bearers looked at each other, the red tassels on their spears trembling wildly in the wind.

"Humph!"

Cao Shuang glanced at the old ministers, his face showing anger, but his eyes held a hint of contempt.

They're just a bunch of old men on their deathbeds. Your high positions are due to your seniority, but what power... do you have even a fraction of it?
You think you can blackmail me?

Nothing to fear!

However, the strategist Huan Fan stepped forward and quietly advised:

"Sima Yi and Jiang Ji are both veteran ministers, highly respected and virtuous. Although they are guilty of defeat, they still have tens of thousands of elite troops behind them. If they are pushed too far, they may either rebel or surrender to the Han state, which would be very bad."

"Why not let him enter the city alone, strip him of his power for the crime of defeat, prevent him from contacting the defeated army outside the city, and then slowly win back the hearts of the defeated soldiers? At that time, Sima Yi will be under punishment within the city and will have no generals or soldiers to support him outside. His life and death will be just a matter of a thought from the General. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

After speaking, he took a step back and raised his voice:
"General, please allow me to report: The Grand Tutor was appointed by the late Emperor to assist in governing the country, and now all the senior officials in the court are kneeling before the palace to request his appointment. If we were to hastily execute him, I fear we would be harming his most trusted advisor."

"It would be better to open all nine gates and allow him to enter alone, listen to his plea, and observe his heart before making a judgment. In this way, the laws of the country and the principles of Heaven will not be violated."

Although Cao Shuang deeply hated Sima Yi, he never intended to take his life at this time.

It was nothing more than an attempt to publicly humiliate the other party and retaliate against what Sima Yi had done in the past.

The only thing he didn't expect was that so many old guys would plead for him.

For a moment, he actually managed to get himself into a straitened situation.

Huan Fan's words have now provided a way out.

But Cao Shuang hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking:

"This matter is of great importance and must be reported to His Majesty for a decision."

After a while, seventeen-year-old Cao Fang, under the protection of the halberd-bearer, stood trembling on the city wall and looked down.

Despite being wrapped in a cloak embroidered with gold dragon patterns, her physique was still quite thin, and the fear on her youthful face, a result of years of oppression by Cao Shuang, was still faintly visible.

The young emperor instinctively grasped the cold battlements, his lips trembling: "Grand Tutor, please, please rise..."

The north wind blew harder and harder, and Cao Fang's voice trailed off in fragments.

Cao Shuang strode forward, his obese body standing beside Cao Fang, casting a huge shadow:
"Your Majesty, Sima Yi has suffered a crushing defeat and disgraced the nation; he deserves to be executed!"

"Furthermore, there is a confession from the garrison commander of Ye City, who confessed to illegally diverting the Zhang River, causing the deaths of millions of people. It would not be an exaggeration to exterminate his entire clan!"

Cao Fang dared not look Cao Shuang in the eye, and said in a trembling voice:
"We must allow the Grand Tutor to enter the city and defend himself, so that the truth can be revealed. Otherwise, how can we convince the people?"

Cao Shuang stared at Cao Fang with dead fish eyes, causing Cao Fang to involuntarily shrink back as much as possible before finally speaking:

"What Your Majesty says is indeed reasonable. Then please issue an edict to allow the Grand Tutor to enter the city alone, confess his crimes, and let the truth be revealed."

"Then, according to the General's wishes, what should I say?"

"Hand over the tiger tally, seize the yellow battle-axe, and surrender the imperial staff. Only Sima Yi and Jiang Ji are allowed to enter the city; they must not have any attendants with them, and their troops are not to act rashly..."

"As the General says."

A sharp voice from a palace eunuch soon rang out, announcing Cao Fang's decree.

Upon hearing the imperial edict, Sima Yi trembled and kowtowed:

"Sir, obey the order!"

Then, with difficulty, he supported himself on his knees and stood up, his frozen leg bones making a cracking sound.

"Zhongda, this edict is not from His Majesty's own mind!"

Seeing Sima Yi preparing to obey the imperial edict, Jiang Ji hugged him and advised him:
"Entering the city at this time would be tantamount to abandoning one's weapons and binding oneself to others."

Sima Yi looked up at the bright yellow robe on the city wall, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said:
“I have received great favors from Emperor Wen and the late Emperor, and have been entrusted with the regency twice. If I were to disobey the imperial edict now, how would I be any different from a traitor?”

At this moment, the heavy city gate of Qiao County suddenly moved, opening half a foot with a click.

Jiang Ji watched the old figure slowly walk towards the city gate, his heart filled with inexplicable grief and indignation.

A strong northerly wind swept in, blowing off Sima Yi's official hat and revealing his sparse white hair.

Jiang Ji felt a chill on his face as fine snowflakes pattered against his equally aged features.

Looking up at the sky, I realized that the sun had already disappeared into the dark clouds.

The first snow of winter in the tenth year of the Zhengshi era has finally arrived.