The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 225 Volume Today the world is divided into three parts...

"I will always be a minister of the Han Dynasty and will never think of anything else!"

Yang Xiu, the clever little guy, also said something respectful.

"Okay, everyone, get up."

Liu Xie couldn't help laughing when he saw the two people's buttocks raised high.

"Yang Xiu, weren't you dissatisfied with Zhongda's winning the first place in the imperial examination?"

"Now I will allow you to ask him thoroughly. If you feel that he is not as good as you, then you should think that there is something fishy going on in this imperial examination."

Yang Xiu was terrified: "I dare not."

"If you ask, just ask."

Yang Xiu had no choice but to ask Sima Yi a few questions with a wronged look on his face.

Especially the last arithmetic question.

Yang Xiu didn't think he was defeated by the previous questions. If there was any gap between him and Sima Yi, it was probably only the last arithmetic.

Sima Yi did not dare to be arrogant and told Yang Xiu all his ideas for solving the problem.

With Yang Xiu's intelligence, he naturally figured out the key point quickly, and immediately slapped his thigh and said, "If I were to answer the question again now, I would definitely be the top scorer!"

Sima Yi did not want to offend Yang Xiu, so he flattered him: "That's true."

However, these words made Liu Xie somewhat dissatisfied.

"Zhongda, don't spoil him. Tell him about your essay on Shu as well. Let him know what it means that there are always people better than you."

Liu Xie became angry when he saw Sima Yi like this.

He is obviously a sunny boy, but how come he becomes like Jia Xu once he enters the officialdom?

Moreover, if Yang Xiu's arrogance is not suppressed, I'm afraid his little tail will get up again.

Sima Yi did not dare to offend Yang Xiu, let alone the emperor, so he could only dance on the edge of the knife carefully, taking both sides into consideration: "Your Majesty, what I said was just talk on paper, don't take it seriously."

Liu Xie interrupted Sima Yi: "It's not just talk."

"I have already sent Uncle Liu from Yinping to attack Chengdu. Later, I called in Zhang Liao and Xu Huang to come to the rescue. Chengdu and most of Shuzhong have been pacified. Only Ba County has not been recovered."

"I have decided to adopt Zhongda's strategy and implement it in Shu. Therefore, Zhongda, please do not underestimate yourself."

Conquered Shu?

When did this happen?
The pupils of Yang Xiu and Sima Yi shook at the same time!
How come the imperial court didn't know anything about such a big thing?

"Because I don't want to affect the imperial examination, I have kept the matter under wraps until now."

"Moreover, there have been too many celebrations and ceremonies recently. The people of Guanzhong have only just recovered from the disaster, and I cannot bear to disturb them with a big fanfare."

In fact, there are more reasons than just these.

As for the characterization of Liu Yan, the court was ultimately unable to reach a fair consensus.

If they are identified as traitors to the Han Dynasty, what should be done with Liu Zhang, Wu Yi, and the generals in Shu who were promoted by Liu Yan?
But if he is defined as a loyal minister, many new troubles will arise.

For example, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, Zhang Lu, Zhang Wei, and the most important one... Jingzhou!
Liu Yan and Liu Biao, the two enemies, often had conflicts.

After Liu Yan's death, Liu He, the deputy governor of Jingzhou, directly instigated Shen Mi, Lou Fa and Gan Ning to start an uprising.

If Liu Yan is defined as a loyal minister, then what about Liu Biao who wantonly attacked Yizhou?
Therefore, the imperial court also hopes to deal with this matter calmly rather than publicize it in a big way.

Anyway, the Shu territory has been basically taken, so all he needs to do is make a fortune quietly. Why bother creating unhappiness for Liu Biao, his ally?
Sima Yi and Yang Xiu did not understand the twists and turns and just smiled at each other.

"The imperial court has actually conquered Shu. How far will it be before the Han Dynasty is restored and the world is pacified again?"

Sima Yi said excitedly: "Yizhou is rich and is a natural granary. It will be of great benefit to the court!"

"And Yizhou has the Yangtze River waterway. We can use Jingzhou to contact Yuan Shu in Yangzhou and jointly attack Yuan Shao and Cao Cao!"

Yuan Shu?

Liu Xie didn't expect that Sima Yi would actually cooperate with Yuan Shu, and he couldn't help but frowned.

"His Majesty."

Sima Yi said solemnly: "Although the world is in chaos now, it is roughly divided into three parts."

"Now that Yuan Shao has established a fake emperor and a fake dynasty, he controls several states in Guandong and has the greatest strength. Once Gongsun Zan of Youzhou is no longer a constraint, he will definitely attack Guanzhong with all his strength!"

"By then, even if the imperial court has the fortress of mountains and rivers, I'm afraid there is no guarantee that it will be able to withstand the attack of the two."

"At this time, if we can form a pincer attack with Yuan Shu, we will definitely be able to tie down part of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's forces in the Central Plains and reduce the pressure on the court!"

"To make friends with those far away and attack those near is the way to conquer the world! I hope Your Majesty will abandon your past prejudices and send someone to form an alliance with Yuan Shu, so that they can be of use one day."

And Sima Yi was sure: "This day will definitely not be too long!"

Liu Xie: "Why do you think so?"

Sima Yi asked: "If Your Majesty were Yuan Shao or Cao Cao, would you sit back and watch the court grow stronger, relying on the solid mountains and rivers to slowly accumulate strength?"

"We are all familiar with the story of Qin's conquest of the six kingdoms. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were both powerful men. They will never wait for Your Majesty to rest and recuperate in Guanzhong."

"Besides, the imperial court has now taken over Shu, and is on a par with the Qin king who swept across the world. How can they not panic?"

"If my prediction is correct, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao must have already started preparing for war, wanting to eliminate Gongsun Zan in one fell swoop and completely resolve their worries. After that, they will march westward and take Guanzhong directly!"

"Therefore, although I think the court needs to rest and recuperate, the first priority of rest and recuperation is to prevent the enemy from invading the border! Otherwise, if we attack Taiyuan today and Hangu Pass tomorrow, the army will be exhausted and the people will be tired. How can we rest and recuperate?"

Sima Yi's words made Liu Xie ponder. Indeed.

The imperial court was able to survive the two years of natural disasters safely because the Battle of Hedong had built up momentum, preventing Yuan Shao and Cao Cao from sending troops rashly.

Liu Xie had always wanted to rest for a few years, and when he had accumulated enough military equipment and food, he would send troops to the east and take over Hebei and the Central Plains in one fell swoop.

but……

As Sima Yi said, will Yuan Shao and Cao Cao give Liu Xie this time?

Thanks to Yuan Shao's establishment of the Hebei court, the situation in the entire north was actually much more peaceful.

Moreover, there was no Liu Bei in history who contained Cao Cao in Xuzhou, so the potential of the Central Plains was not greatly damaged.

Because of the emergence of the imperial court, a powerful enemy, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao cooperated sincerely and many of the original cracks were reduced.

If such an alliance were to launch a fierce attack while the imperial court has not yet recovered its strength, the imperial court might not be able to withstand it.

However, Sima Yi’s statement that he wanted to cooperate with Yuan Shu is questionable.

It was not that Liu Xie had a psychological mysophobia and thought that Yuan Shu was a traitor to the Han Dynasty, so he was unwilling to cooperate with him.

The real reason is actually Liu Biao of Jingzhou.

Liu Biao and Yuan Shu were great enemies.

If he formed an alliance with Yuan Shu, he would inevitably offend Liu Biao.

Due to the importance of Jingzhou, Liu Xie really had no reason to abandon Liu Biao and choose to ally with Yuan Shu, a weakling in combat.

However, Sima Yi seemed to see Liu Xie's doubts and directly advised: "Your Majesty, are you thinking about Liu Jingzhou's affairs?"

"Your Majesty, have you ever thought that the court taking over Yizhou is actually equivalent to taking food from Jingzhou's mouth, which has already offended Liu Jingzhou."

"Besides... Liu Jingzhou is too controlled by the local scholars. If the imperial court really fights Yuan Shao and Cao Cao one day, I'm afraid they won't send troops to help."

"Even...if Liu Jingzhou's will was a little weaker, he would have been coerced by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao and become a great enemy of the imperial court!"

Liu Xie was not happy to hear this: "Zhongda, don't make assumptions about Liu Jingzhou! Liu Jingzhou has been loyal to the country and has done his duty. How dare you slander him like this!"

Sima Yi bent down and apologized to Liu Xie.

However, after apologizing, Sima Yi still did not give up his point of view -

"I have also heard of Liu Jingzhou's reputation for kindness. Moreover, Liu Jingzhou is highly respected and an important official of the royal family. I dare not slander him."

"But the situation in Jingzhou is complicated. After all, it is beyond the control of the imperial court."

"So, I want to ask - what if?"

"What if Liu Jingzhou is coerced by Yuan Shao, or if Liu Jingzhou suddenly encounters an accident and Jingzhou falls into the hands of the enemy, how should the court respond?"

"Once Jingzhou abandons the imperial court's position and forms an alliance with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, a huge military encirclement will be formed in an instant!"

"Your Majesty, are you going to put the safety of the court and the lives of the people in the hands of a man like Liu Jingzhou who can do nothing about it?"

If Jingzhou surrendered to Yuan Shao, it would be a complete disaster for the imperial court!
At that time, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao will be able to attack the imperial court from four directions: Taiyuan, Hangu, Nanyang, and Shu at the same time!

Such a situation would be a calamity for the imperial court!

And is it possible for the scene described by Sima Yi to happen?
Have!
Absolutely!
Because with the promulgation of the imperial examination system and the "Jian'an Code", anyone can see that the current court is going to deal a devastating blow to the power of the aristocratic families.

Liu Biao was already under too much control of the Jingzhou families, so when the time really came, he would probably do something against his will.

……

Liu Xie suddenly felt a little annoyed.

He raised his hand to stop Sima Yi from continuing.

Is Sima Yi right? Of course he is right.

But Liu Xie still had a good impression of Liu Biao.

If it weren't for the grain from Jingzhou, the disaster in Guanzhong would have gotten out of control, not to mention the battles to capture Liangzhou, Hanzhong, and even Shu.

It was not something Liu Xie could do to break off all ties with Liu Biao just because of some possible difficulties in the future.

"We'll talk about this later."

Sima Yi now felt that he had said too much today, so he chose to keep his mouth shut.

Only Yang Xiu looked confused.

What is this for me?

Aren’t you all talking about the imperial examination and the test papers?

Why did it suddenly bring up the overall situation of the world?
and……

Yang Xiu looked at Sima Yi as if he were a monster.

Yang Xiu also heard what was said just now.

Is this really a strategy that an ordinary scholar could think of?

Am I competing with mortals?
Only then did Yang Xiu realize the difference between a genius and a super genius. A deep sense of loss swept over him, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Dad, you usually pretend to be dead in the court... that's really smart!"

(End of this chapter)