Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

In the study room of Xuchang Palace, Pei Qian sat behind a side desk, meticulously drafting an imperial edict, his small official script very elegant.

Cao Rui became interested and looked up to say to everyone, "Wang Zuojian usually doesn't speak in front of the emperor, but today he hit the nail on the head, which is really different from others."

Wang Guan bowed and replied, "I usually don't speak much, just because I am useful and my words are trustworthy."

"Hahaha." Cao Rui clapped his hands and laughed, "What a trustworthy person! Is Wang Qing trying to be like Zixia?"

Wang Guan said: "In Zixia's time, rituals and music were in decline, but I live in an era of benevolent rulers and prosperity. Zixia is far inferior to me."

Seeing that the topic was heading in a strange direction, Liu Ye quickly said:
"Your Majesty, the battle situation in Jingzhou has not yet been discussed, but we are already talking about Xu Yuanzhi's battle report."

"Okay, let's continue with the battle report." Cao Rui nodded.

Liu Ye said: "In the battle to relieve the siege of Fancheng, General Ningyuan Xu Yuanzhi reported the merits of the generals, with Lieutenant General Dian Man in the first place, followed by General Wang Qi, and then Lieutenant Wei Sheng, and then Shen Dan, Wen Dai and other generals. In addition, Xu Yuanzhi also recommended Lieutenant Wei Xian, who died in the battle, to be granted the title of Tinghou, and recommended Quchang Zuoshi to be Sima of Qianshi."

Cao Rui said, "I will not ask about these minor details. Liu Qing, what do you and Wang Qing have in mind? You two can discuss it."

"Xu Yuanzhi is the commander-in-chief of this battle. I have no objection." Liu Ye said and looked at Wang Guan: "What do you think, Weitai?"

"I second the motion." Wang Guan bowed.

Cao Rui asked, "Speaking of Zuo Shi, I have some impression of him. He is the chief of Qu in Zhong Gong's camp, right?"

"That's right." Liu Ye said.

Cao Rui said: "I was the one who pointed this man out to Xu Shu. It is his good fortune."

"Xu Shu also mentioned the navy in his letter from Fancheng, and I have seen it. More than a hundred ships are parked in the bay of Yushui Caiyang, and they are of no use against the Wu army. It seems to me that the Jingzhou navy is completely useless. If the Wei wants to train the navy, I think it can only start from Yangzhou."

Sima Yi said, "Your Majesty, if everything goes well with Chen Situ in Yangzhou, the Wei Dynasty will have full control of Chaohu Lake. Then we can train our navy and build warships in Chaohu Lake, and we won't need to send ships from Hebei, Yanzhou, or Yuzhou."

Pei Qian had prepared an order by this time, and stood up and returned to his seat, and said, "Your Majesty, the Jingzhou navy's combat effectiveness is not the fault of Zhao Dujian, but a long-standing problem. When I was the governor of Jingzhou, the Jingzhou navy began to be rebuilt near Xiangfan."

"I wonder if your Majesty remembers that in the first year of Taihe, Chen Situ was the commander-in-chief of Jingzhou's military affairs. When he was sailing eastward along the Han River, he was defeated by the Wu army's navy. He lost ships and soldiers, and has not recovered in the past few years."

Cao Rui sighed, "How could I forget this? This summer I appointed Du Shu as the governor of Xiangping. You are all familiar with this man, right? He was a minister of the imperial guards beside me."

"I know."

"I know this person."

"He is the son of Lord Duber."

Cao Rui nodded: "Sikong has been in the Shangshutai for a long time, so he must be familiar with Du Shu's father Du Ji."

Sima Yi's expression became more serious. "More than familiar, I and Du Bohou were both serving as ministers in the Secretariat. When the late emperor conquered Wu, I stayed in Xuchang and Du Bohou stayed in Luoyang. We followed the late emperor's order to build a large ship in Mengjin."

"Du Bohou, in his capacity as a minister, personally went to the ship to test the boat, but the ship capsized due to strong winds and waves, and Du Bohou died as a result. It is truly a pity."

Cao Rui said: "It took a long time to build a navy. In order to advance into Guangling in the sixth year of Huangchu, the Wei Dynasty even lost a Shangshu Pushe. If we can occupy Chaohu Lake, the navy will be of great use."

Liu Ye said, "Your Majesty, according to the regulations during the Huangchu period, the ships of the Wei Dynasty were built near Luoyang under the supervision of the General of Works. After the ships were built, they entered the Caoqu from the Yellow River and then entered the Huai River. It was a long journey and wasted money. It would be better to build a shipyard in Yangzhou."

"That's a good idea." Cao Rui said, "Chaohu Lake is south of Hefei, and there are few people nearby. It's better to put it near Shouchun."

"Sikong," Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "Summon the general Ma Jun to Xuchang for me and order him to take the lead in building a shipyard in Shouchun to solve the problem of Wei's lack of ships."

"As you wish." Sima Yi thought for a moment and said, "If I remember correctly, most of Wei's shipbuilding craftsmen are in Luoyang and Yecheng."

"Is there a shipbuilding site in Yecheng?" Cao Rui asked.

"Yes." Sima Yi said, "In the 13th year of Jian'an, Emperor Wu ordered the construction of a large number of boats in Xuanwu Lake in Yecheng in preparation for the southern expedition."

Cao Rui shook his head. "The 13th year of Jian'an, the year of Red Cliff? Forget it. Let's summon Ma Jun first. He is a man of many ingenuity and has already put many of my ideas into practice in the Ministry of Works. I will discuss the boat issue with him later."

"Yes." Sima Yi said.

Liu Ye then said: "In addition to Fancheng, Sun Quan also built a Yukouwu at Yukou in the north of the Yangtze River, which is across the river from the Wu army camp at Yuliangzhou in the south. According to Xu Yuanzhi's description, Yukouwu is somewhat similar to Ruxuwu. I think that Sun Quan must not be allowed to occupy this place, and he should be ordered to conquer it as soon as possible." Sima Yi said the same thing.

Cao Rui said, "Sun Quan is trying to establish another Ruxuwu! One place like this is enough. How can I allow a second one? Send a message to Xu Shu and order him to remove this place as soon as possible."

"By the way, Wang Ling's Xiaowei Battalion has also arrived in Xuchang." Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye and asked, "Should we send some more reinforcements from the Xiaowei Battalion to Xu Shu?"

"Your Majesty," Sima Yi said with a folded hand, "Right General Zhu Gai's reinforcements of 10,000 people set out from Runan and should reach Fancheng in due time. Xu Yuanzhi himself did not request reinforcements, so I think the court should wait and leave more troops for Xuchang."

Liu Ye also said at the same time: "The Wuwei Camp has arrived at Fancheng, so it is better for the Xiaowei Camp not to move. I also agree to wait and see the battle situation."

"Well," Cao Rui said, "then let's do as you say and wait for the battle report from Fancheng."

"By the way, has the second military report from Chen Situ arrived?"

"Already arrived."

Liu Ye took out the document that Chen Qun had sent to the Privy Council from the letter box beside him, and stood up and handed it to Cao Rui behind the desk. The envelope had been opened, and the Privy Council also had the authority to review military reports. Cao Rui unfolded the letter and read it for a while, then nodded slightly:

"A letter from Shouchun arrived yesterday, and this is the second one today. I think this is making the best use of people."

"Let Chen Situ lead tens of thousands of troops to fight against Wu's army, Chen Situ may not be able to do it. But if I let him lead the troops to press but not attack, and dispatch the soldiers and civilians of Yangzhou to build the city, it will show Chen Situ's extraordinary ability. It is a bit of a waste of his talent to rush to build four cities."

"Make the best use of people." Sima Yi took over the conversation: "Didn't the messenger say yesterday? Chen Situ chose the first option and didn't even hesitate for too long. With Jiang Zitong helping him, Chen Situ will probably be more relaxed."

……

Just as Cao Rui and his ministers were discussing the military and political affairs of Jingzhou and Yangzhou in the Xuchang Palace, all 40,000 Shu troops had arrived at the ruined Wujie City on the border of Qinzhou.

On a low hill in the north of the city, Zhuge Liang, Yang Yi, Fei Yi, Wei Yan, and Wu Yi, surrounded by a group of soldiers, stood there, observing the mountainous terrain of Wujie.

Zhuge Liang was wearing a fur robe, with his hands behind his back, looking northwest, and said softly: "One hundred and fifty miles northwest of here is Dazhong where Lu Xun is. Last year, I led you to attack Dazhong. Although we did not capture the area, we did get a rough idea of ​​the time when Zhang He, Cao Zhen and others were deployed."

"Ziyuan." Zhuge Liang looked at Wu Yi and said, "Lu Xun's troops are all Qiang cavalry. They come and go like the wind, but they are not good at attacking and fighting, and their fighting spirit is not as good as the rest of the Wei army. I am using you to guard this place. Do you have any complaints?"

Wu Yi quickly responded, "How dare I complain when the Prime Minister assigns me this? Moreover, Wujie connects Dazhong, Baishui, and Wudu, and is the only way for the Northern Expedition Army to march forward and return. The Prime Minister has already placed me here to guard this place."

"Ziyuan, I'm glad you understand." Zhuge Liang stroked his beard and said, "In the direction of Dazhong in the north of the city, the distance between the mountain and the Qiang River is only one mile. Today, the soldiers have worked hard all day, and the trenches, walls, antlers and other things have been laid for you. You stay here and observe the terrain and choose the opportunity to add more."

"In short, you must not let the Wei army pass you even a little bit! If you violate this rule, don't blame me for using military law."

Wu Yi replied: "I understand the importance of this place and have a sense of proportion in my heart."

Wei Yan said, "Prime Minister, this place is still 240 miles away from Xiabian City. If we march 40 miles a day, the army will reach Xiabian on October 8th. The Prime Minister has not yet given us instructions on how to fight there, and I am a little uneasy."

Zhuge Liang turned around and glanced at Wei Yan: "Wen Chang abandoned Xiabian City in the past. Could it be that he is still unhappy today?"

Wei Yan nodded: "Of course. When we get there, I hope the Prime Minister will allow me to lead the troops to attack the Wei army to avenge our past grudges."

Zhuge Liang sighed and said, "Wen Chang is not the only one who has a grudge against the Wei army. Do I have no grudge against the Wei army? I have made a decision in my mind. You four should listen to me."

The wind was strong on the mountain, so Yang Yi, Fei Yi, Wei Yan and Wu Yi all moved closer.

When Zhuge Liang led his army to the north, almost all of the officials in Baishui Xiangfu also followed him.

The former military officer Yang Yi was promoted to the position of the Prime Minister's Chief Clerk, while Wei Yan was still the Prime Minister's Secretary. Fei Yi was the military officer who was in charge of confidential matters, while the newly arrived Jiang Wan was in charge of general affairs of the army. The chief clerk Yang Xi was in charge of the military report, and the four officers Li Feng, She Yuan, Fan Qi, and Ma Qi assisted Jiang Wan in managing the logistics and food supplies.

In fact, for Zhuge Liang, this attack on Wudu was much simpler than two years ago, both in terms of the difficulty of advancing and the difficulty of food and logistics.

First of all, distance.

From Baishui to Wudu, the supply line was half that of the four counties in Longyou two years ago. The logistics route was half as short, but the difficulty was reduced by more than half, to about one-third of the previous one.

The second is military strength.

The difficulty of commanding 40,000 people is much easier than that of commanding 80,000 people. If the 7,000 people Wu Yi left in Wujie are subtracted, Zhuge Liang's main force will only have 33,000 soldiers left. (End of this chapter)