HLnovel Chapter 466 From beginning to end, everyone was an unwitting plaything.
Chapter 466 From beginning to end, everyone was an unwitting plaything.
Liu Bang: “…”
How should I put it? It feels pretty good to hear the enemy praise you.
"Don't you think that even if Emperor Gaozu were alive, he wouldn't have been able to do better than me in the same situation?"
Upon hearing this, Sima Shi suddenly fell silent.
When he ordered the generals to disperse and evacuate while he remained in the camp, he wondered why the favorable situation he had been in control of had turned out that way.
He did consider that this young emperor might not be so simple.
But no one expected that they would be completely manipulated from beginning to end!
Sima Shi even had a vague feeling that the young emperor might never have considered him an opponent at all.
"Perhaps that's true. I'm not as skilled as others and have failed my father's expectations."
“You did not let me down. If your father were here, the process might have been more difficult, but the outcome would not have been any different.”
Liu Bang said calmly.
Whether in the original history or in the present, the Sima family has always lost.
In the original history, the Sima family lost to Cao Mao and was forever nailed to the pillar of shame by Cao Mao through the blood of the emperor.
In this challenge, they naturally lost even more completely.
Even if Sima Shi were replaced by Sima Yi, their fates would not change in the slightest.
Sima Yi could never have imagined that the puppet would dare to rush out of the palace gates to his death.
"At what point did you begin planning this?"
Sima Shi did not refute his words, but instead asked a question.
"Start with the Empress Dowager, take advantage of your trust in the Guo family to avoid being seen by you in the palace, win over Chen Tai, win over Gao Rou right under your nose, use Gao Rou to entice Wang Xiang, then incite Guanqiu Jian to rebel to lure you out of the capital, and then drive Wang Xiang to the brink of despair, using his death to completely expose the gentry's fear and resentment towards your Sima family."
"Do you still want to hear it?"
Liu Bang said it casually.
Although he had anticipated some of it, Sima Shi still couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
So it started right here?
"I want to hear it!"
He desperately wanted to know how he had been forced to squander such a good hand.
"The next step is even simpler: leak the news that Guanqiu Jian has raised an army to rebel and that you have dispatched troops to quell the rebellion to Shu, and at the same time leak the news that the capital of Great Wei is about to be in turmoil."
"Although the last emperor of Shu was incompetent, Jiang Wei was very clever. From these two events, he was able to deduce that the defense of Chang'an must be weak."
"Of course, his feigned attack on one side while secretly advancing on another has nothing to do with me; it was purely his own decision. I will not claim credit for it."
"Actually, the original plan was simpler. After the Han army defeated you, we would take advantage of their attack on the capital to force all the powerful clans to focus all their efforts on fighting the enemy and have no time to spare for anything else."
"When Guanqiu Jian's army returns to reinforce, the Han army will have no choice but to retreat. The gentry will naturally have no room to maneuver and will be at my mercy."
"However, due to certain reasons, the Han army withdrew ahead of schedule, and I will not be able to wait for Guanqiu Jian."
At this point, Liu Bang no longer needed to hide anything, so he simply revealed his original plan.
For no other reason than that Sima Shi had sincerely praised him earlier, which made him feel quite pleased.
Why is Guanqiu Jian's army moving so slowly?
"Although I left some troops behind to cover the rear, his movements were far too slow."
"Was this also your arrangement?"
Sima Shi couldn't help but ask.
"It was my arrangement, but he wasn't slow; he was waiting for Sima Zhao and the army from Xudu."
"Otherwise, why do you think I would leave my hometown and the capital?"
"If Guanqiu Jian can't return anytime soon, and I stay in the capital, the gentry will realize what's happening, and the Sima family will become the ones who hold the emperor hostage. Wouldn't that be a waste of time?"
Upon hearing Liu Bang's words, Sima Shi's face turned deathly pale.
Until that statement, he still believed that Sima Zhao was able to occupy Xuchang and look out for the capital, waiting for the Han army to be forced to withdraw and Guanqiu Jian to be transferred back to guard the border, so that he could find an opportunity to counterattack at any time.
But he only found out now.
It turned out that all his actions from beginning to end were within the little emperor's expectations.
No, it's like being a puppet.
He did exactly as the young emperor instructed, without making a single mistake!
How can there be such a person in this world?!
He compared himself to Emperor Gaozu of Han.
Perhaps he really does have that ability!
In that instant, Sima Shi had many thoughts on his mind.
In the end, only one thought remained.
If he hadn't compromised with Empress Dowager Guo back then, and had insisted on supporting Cao Ju as emperor, Sima Zhao would probably be waiting to receive the abdication and become emperor by now.
Everything will proceed as expected.
Sima Zhao declared himself emperor, then entered Shu to pacify Han, and marched south to destroy Eastern Wu.
Everything should have gone this way, perfectly smoothly.
But he lost because of that one wrong decision, which allowed the young emperor to obtain the title of Son of Heaven, and then everything was ruined!
"It's not an exaggeration for someone like you to compare yourself to Emperor Gaozu of Han. You might just be the second Liu Bang in this world."
After a long while, Sima Shi seemed to have come to terms with it.
He gave a bitter smile, then lay down on the prison cart and said nothing more.
He lost, and the Sima family lost.
But Jiang Wei didn't win either, nor did those greedy aristocratic clans.
Everyone was a pawn, manipulated at will by this terrifying little emperor.
He had previously thought that the young emperor had finally suffered a setback and was forced to evacuate from the capital.
But now it seems that even leaving his hometown was his own choice.
From beginning to end, everyone was unaware that they were merely playthings.
The powerful clans in the capital must be feeling quite smug right now, right?
They may have already realized that they are eager to force the Empress Dowager to issue an imperial edict to establish a new emperor, and then have the newly established puppet emperor grant them the title of king to satisfy their greed.
Little did they know, their remaining time was already counting down.
Who could have imagined that in this day and age, when the Great Wei Dynasty was riddled with holes by the gentry, such a prodigy emperor would suddenly emerge?
Could it be that Heaven is truly blessing the Great Wei?
Could it be that the Mandate of Heaven of the Han Dynasty has truly been transferred to the Wei Dynasty because of an abdication?
Sima Shi could only guess at this.
Seeing that he had stopped making a sound, Liu Bang ignored him and continued on his way.
He still doesn't know if Wen Yang has captured Chang'an. If he hasn't, he'll have to change his route to Xuchang.
At that time, facing the entire nation's gentry with only one state, the situation will only be worse.
After all, the powerful clans in the capital also had their own emperors.
Using the Cao family's name, they recruited talented individuals again, using those from the lower classes to challenge the legacy of aristocratic clans.
It's feasible, but a single state is too small and the task is too difficult.
"Zifang, what do you think we should do if Wen Yang fails to capture Chang'an?"
"In that case, we should head straight for Huainan and, in the name of the Emperor, seize Zhuge Dan and replace him!"
Including Guanqiu Jian's original territory and Xudu, it still consists of three prefectures!