Spring passed and summer came, and summer passed in a hurry, and in a blink of an eye it was autumn again.

The Gaolinghou Mansion became busy because Cao Liang's wedding was approaching.

Cao Liang's marriage is an extremely important event for the Gaolinghou Mansion, so even though there is still a month left, everyone in the Gaolinghou Mansion has already been involved in intense preparations.

After all, repairing the mansion, cleaning up, preparing for the wedding banquet, and sending out invitations were all urgent matters. Even if all the servants were involved, Liu Ying felt a little overwhelmed. The Gaoling Marquis Mansion was a busy scene.

However, Cao Liang was like a normal person. His task was to wait to be the groom's official. He didn't need to worry about anything else. Liu Ying had already taken care of everything for him.

During this period, Cao Liang did spend less time going to the Yueqi Camp, but the training in the Yueqi Camp was already on track. With Deng Ai and Shi Bao watching over there, everything went smoothly.

This really made Cao Liang worry-free. Deng Ai and Shi Bao seemed to know that Cao Liang's wedding was coming, so they worked extra hard in the management of Yueqi Camp. Regardless of whether Cao Liang paid attention to the matter or not, the people of Yueqi Camp

The weather remains the same.

On this day, an unexpected guest suddenly came to visit. Cao Liang came out of the house to greet him. It was not someone else, but Xia Houxuan.

Xia Houxuan is a Shangguan, and Cao Liang usually goes to see him when he has something to do. Cao Liang has gone to him countless times, whether in the army or the Changling Marquis Mansion, but this is the first time Xia Houxuan visits Cao Liang's door, asking Cao Liang to

Liang was quite surprised.

Cao Liang welcomed Xia Houxuan into the house. After a few words of greeting, Xia Houxuan took out a beautifully decorated wooden box and handed it to Cao Liang.

"This is?" Cao Liang opened it and saw a pair of crystal clear white jade bracelets, lying quietly inside the wooden box.

This pair of jade bracelets have a warm color and no flaws. At first glance, they are rare Hetian jade products and are of extraordinary value.

Cao Liang was a little puzzled by such a heavy gift for no reason and asked.

Xia Houxuan smiled slightly and said, "These pair of jade bracelets can be used as your wedding gift."

Cao Liang wondered: "Brother Taichu, didn't you send this gift too early?"

Xiahou Xuandao: "It's too late. I just received an order from the imperial court to go to Chang'an to serve as the general of the Western Conquest. I will be taking up the post soon. I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your wedding."

Cao Liang showed a slightly strange look and said, "So fast? Why didn't you hear anything in advance and just left?"

"It won't work if you don't hurry up. The general has decided to attack Shu at the beginning of next year. I am going to Chang'an at this time to be on the front line and plan for the attack on Shu. It is a heavy task."

Cao Liang knew about Cao Shuang's plan to conquer Shu. This matter had long been spread throughout the court and abroad.

Ever since Sima Yi returned triumphantly from Huainan, Cao Shuang has been under great pressure. Many voices came out, questioning that he was incompetent in literature and martial arts, and that he was not worthy of occupying the position of general.

Cao Shuang's position as general was conferred by the late emperor when he died. However, Cao Shuang, who had never had any war experience, has always been criticized for taking up the position of general. Especially after the Huainan War, there have been more and more doubts.

, which made Cao Shuang very unhappy.

Although Cao Shuang didn't need to pay attention to these gossips, in this era where prestige was important, it was difficult for the young Cao Shuang to convince the public. Under the instigation of Ding Mi and others, Cao Shuang came up with the idea of ​​​​defeating Shu.

Now that the Wei State wants to fight foreign countries, it has two options to choose from: conquering Wu or conquering Shu.

In Cao Shuang's opinion, conquering Wu is more difficult, and conquering Shu is more reliable.

Among the three kingdoms, Wei was the strongest, followed by Wu, and Shu was the weakest. Especially due to Zhuge Liang's repeated military attacks, Shu's soldiers were exhausted, its people were poor, and its strength plummeted.

Wu State, on the other hand, occupies the advantage of the water town and sits on the natural danger of the Yangtze River. Cao Pi, the leader of Wei, has personally conquered several times, but all failed. Wei State cannot easily defeat Wu State until it is strong enough to suppress the power of the Soochow Navy.

of.

Therefore, the old lady picked out the soft ones through a sieve, and Cao Shuang turned his majestic gaze to the Kingdom of Shu to the west.

Over the years, there have been constant wars between Wei and Shu, but most of them were initiated by Shu. However, there were only a handful of Wei's wars against Shu.

The largest one occurred in the fourth year of Wei Taihe. Emperor Cao of the Ming Dynasty sent Grand Sima Cao Zhen and General Sima Yi to command an army of 100,000 troops divided into two groups to attack Hanzhong. Unfortunately, the army encountered Hanzhong just as they were halfway there.

Continuous heavy rain blocked roads and prevented the troops from moving, so in the end they retreated hastily without fighting.

Therefore, in the battle against Shu, the Wei State actually did not have much experience to follow. However, in Cao Shuang's mind, it was easier to defeat Shu than to defeat Wu. After all, what the Shu State relied on was the danger of mountains and rivers, and the Wei State only had

Sending enough troops will be enough to conquer Shu.

Soon, the plan to conquer Shu was put on the court's agenda, but it was strongly opposed by Sima Yi. Sima Yi believed that the Guanshan Mountains of the Shu Kingdom were dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Over the years, they had been recuperating and recuperating, and their army was strong and the people were prosperous.

To attack Shu at the right time, the time was not chosen.

It stands to reason that Sima Yi, who has been fighting Zhuge Liang on the Western Front for many years, has the most say, but Cao Shuang does not think so. He thinks that Sima Yi deliberately stumbled to prevent him from increasing his reputation. Now in order to compete for political power, he

He and Sima Yi were already at odds with each other, so how could Sima Yi be so willing to let Cao Shuang go it alone?

Sima Yi's opposition may not mean anything, but after Sima Yi stood up, all the officials behind him jumped out and did not agree with Cao Shuang's expedition plan.

This seemed to make Cao Shuang very embarrassed. After repeated negotiations, Cao Shuang and Sima Yi finally reached an understanding. Xia Houxuan was appointed as the general of the Western Expedition, and his vacant position in the Central Guard Army was filled by Sima Shilai.

This is undoubtedly a compromise, but Cao Shuang made the decision to give in in order to gain Sima Yi's support and let people from the Sima family step in to guard the army.

However, Xia Houxuan's appointment as the general of the Western Conquest can greatly reduce Si Yi's power in Guanzhong. You must know that Sima Yi has worked hard on the Western Front for many years and cultivated many trusted forces in the Guanzhong army. If he had this opportunity, he would send Xia Houxuan

Taking up the post of General of the Expedition to the West gave him the opportunity to clean up Yongliang's army.

Moreover, the battle against Shu was a systematic plan. Cao Shuang had to make all preparations in advance and sent Xia Houxuan to Chang'an. The main reason was that here, although Cao Shuang had never fought in a war, he was born in a family of famous generals and was influenced by it.
Chapter completed!