Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

After hearing Cao Tai's words, Qian Zhao showed some relief on his face and turned to look at Cao Rui:

"Your Majesty, regarding the Wuwei Camp, I have nothing else to tell General Cao. Please give me your instructions."

Cao Rui nodded: "Okay, I have something to say."

Cao Rui pulled out a letter from the wooden box beside the table, took it out and looked at it carefully, then handed it in the direction of Cao Tai:
"This is the letter I wrote to Sun Quan yesterday. I am handing it to you today. When we capture Yukou, find someone to deliver the letter to Sun Quan on my behalf."

"I obey your order." Cao Tai stood up and walked to Cao Rui's desk. He put his hands flat and respectfully took the letter.

Both Cao Rui and Cao Tai believed that this was a matter of course and would happen sooner or later.

Seeing this, Qian Zhao asked calmly, "I heard that in the first year of Taihe, when you were in Wancheng, Your Majesty wrote the eight characters 'Spring water is just beginning to flow, you should leave quickly' and gave them to Sun Quan. I wonder if today's letter is the same as the previous one?"

Cao Rui said calmly, "No. In the past two years, I have written to Sun Quan and he has replied to me quite a few times. This time, I just wanted to chat with him about family matters. I told him about Sun Zhaoyi's recent situation in Luozhong and gave him a portrait I copied myself of his grandson, Prince of Changle Cao Yan."

"I have always been generous to Sun Quan. It has been clearly written in the letter. If he surrenders now, I am willing to grant him the six counties of Jiangdong and let the Sun family rule as kings for generations. If he refuses and insists on rebelling, I will also take drastic measures."

Qian Zhao sighed softly, "Your Majesty is kindhearted, and the heavens and the earth can bear witness to it. Earlier in Chiting, I wrote a letter to Zhuge Kongming, advising him to wake up as soon as possible and not to be an enemy of Wei. It's a pity that Wu and Shu are stubborn and unyielding, causing nothing but casualties."

Xiahou Xian then said, "Since Sun Quan is ignorant, we, the generals, should share the emperor's worries."

Cao Rui laughed and said, "That's how it should be."

Just as Cao Rui and three generals were giving instructions on military strategies for Jingzhou and Yangzhou, the Minister of the Central Secretariat Liu Fang walked in from outside with a stern face. Under the gazes of Qian Zhao, Cao Tai and Xiahou Xian, he bowed, walked straight to the emperor, whispered for a few moments, and then stood aside with his hands behind his back.

The study room instantly fell into silence.

As the Minister of the Secretariat who was in charge of confidential matters, Liu Fang could report important matters at any time, but it was limited to important matters.

Cao Rui's expression gradually changed from calm to serious, and then he showed a bit of sadness. He lowered his head, picked up the pen and wanted to write something on the paper, but he couldn't put pen to paper for a moment, so he put the pen aside.

Seeing this, Qian Zhao immediately asked, "Liu Zhongshu, may I ask what happened?"

Liu Fang glanced at the emperor behind the desk, and seeing that the emperor had no intention of speaking, he replied softly:

"General Qian, General Wuwei passed away in Yecheng."

Qian Zhao was stunned, while Xiahou Xian and Cao Tai either lowered their heads or shook their heads and sighed.

When Qian Zhao first heard the word "Wu Wei", he thought it was referring to himself who had just resigned from the Wu Wei Camp. Then he realized that Liu Fang was talking about Xu Chu, the Tiger Marquis, who had retired and returned home to live in Yecheng.

Xu Chu had been in the imperial guard for a long time and had served the Cao family for nearly forty years, so he could be regarded as a great hero.

Qian Zhao and Xu Chu did not have much personal relationship, nor could they be considered close friends, but Xu Chu had just left the Wuwei Camp at the end of last year, so he could be considered the predecessor in this position.

Even the fox mourns when the rabbit dies, let alone the two of them holding the same position one after another? Not to mention that Cao Tai, who had just taken over the Wuwei Camp, was also here and felt the same way.

While the three generals and Liu Fang remained silent, Cao Rui finally put pen to paper, writing more than ten large characters in neat official script. He picked up a corner of Zuo Bo's paper with his hand and showed it to Liu Fang.

Liu Fang has a photographic memory and sees things clearly.

'He was posthumously named Zhuang, and two hundred households were added to his rank. He was buried in Ye.'

This is what is written on the paper.

"Mr. Liu, go and draft an edict for me quickly, and summon Xu Yi and Bian Lan here as soon as possible. I want to see them both."

"As you wish." Liu Fang said goodbye. At the end of last year, when Xu Chu retired, Cao Rui promoted his son Xu Yi from a 1,000-stone Sima to a 2,000-stone lieutenant, and kept him in the Xiaowei Army.

The two thousand stone positions in the central army are fixed, and they are all generals with many years of service. In order to let Xu Yi in, one of the original people would have to be transferred away, which is a favor to Xu Chu.

After giving a few more instructions, except for Qian Zhao who stayed in the study room, Xiahou Xian and Cao Tai said goodbye and would set off south today, heading to Chen Qun in Yangzhou and Xu Shu in Fancheng respectively.

Bian Lan was closer, in Xuchang City. The Xiaowei Camp was stationed three miles west of the city. By the time the palace staff found Xu Yi and the two of them gathered outside the palace and reentered, half an hour had passed.

The two men entered the study and after paying their respects, they still did not understand why the emperor summoned them in.

Cao Rui sighed softly: "Qian Qing, I can't bear it, you come and ask me and Xu Yi to talk about it."

"As you wish." Qian Zhao responded, then stood up, walked to Xu Yi, and spoke slowly.

As soon as he heard the beginning, Xu Yi's sturdy body staggered and almost fell. Qian Zhao quickly supported him with his hands, and Bian Lan, who was standing beside him, also stepped forward to help.

"Please accept my condolences." Qian Zhao said in a low voice, "His Majesty has ordered your father to be posthumously named Marquis Zhuang, and to increase the fiefdom by 200. He has also ordered you to inherit the title of Marquis of Mouxiang. Why don't you thank him and accept the order?"

After hearing Qian Zhao's words, Xu Yi knelt down and bowed, kowtowed in tears, and his sorrowful sobbing was touching.

Cao Rui sighed and said, "That's fine. I'll give you a month's leave. Please return to Yecheng to take care of General Xu's funeral. It must be solemn. I will also suspend court for one day in Xuchang to express my condolences."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty." Xu Yi couldn't help choking up.

"Bian Lan." Cao Rui looked at the person behind Xu Yi.

"I'm here." Bian Lan replied with a bow.

Cao Rui said softly: "You will be my envoy and go to Yecheng to express my condolences. This is the first task I have assigned you since you took office, so you must do it properly."

Bian Lan bowed and said, "I understand, Your Majesty, don't worry."

Cao Rui nodded slightly.

……

At noon the next day, the commander-in-chief Guanqiu Jian led 5,000 central cavalry and 3,000 Xiongnu light cavalry to the outskirts of Fancheng. Xu Shu, Shen Dan, Wen Dai and Lu Shi also came out of the city to greet them.

Guanqiu Jian was the commander of the army, a high position with great power, and he was also a confidant of the emperor. No one dared to neglect him, not even Xu Shu, who had served as the attendant to the emperor.

After a round of greetings, Xu Shu smiled heartily, walked up to Guanqiu Jian, and took Guanqiu Jian's arm:
"The envoy from Xuchang arrived in Fancheng two days ago, bringing with him a handwritten letter from your majesty and a military order from the Privy Council. He only said that someone would be sent to help, but he didn't say who it was. Now they have sent Zhong Gong to Fancheng. I really didn't expect this before."

"Let's go, Zhong Gong, come with me into the city."

"I heard that there are few cavalrymen in Fancheng, and the Yulin Left Army and the Five Colonel Battalion have come a long way and need to be reorganized, so I was sent ahead." Guanqiu Jian was humble and stepped aside to make way: "General Xu, go first."

The cavalry came from afar, and under the leadership of the Sima and the chief officers of each department, they were stationed in a flat area northwest of Fancheng. This place was originally the camp of General Shen Dan's troops. When Guanqiu Jian came, Shen Dan also "uprightly" gave up the camp without showing any dissatisfaction.

Compared to the high-ranking but lightly responsible Shizhong, the position of Zhonglingjun was more important, and Shen Dan naturally understood this. However, it was not a big deal for Shen Dan himself, as the really tedious things were done by his subordinates.

In the main hall of the Fancheng government office, a map of the mountains and rivers near Xiangfan is hung on the screen.

Han River, Xiangyang, Fancheng, Yu River, Yuliangzhou, each place is clear. However, this map is obviously made of paper, and it is still a little small compared to the huge map made of a whole piece of paper in the Luoyang Palace.

Guanqiu Jian smiled slightly when he saw the map: "If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. General Xu has brought your majesty's methods to Fancheng. The geography and military camps are all clearly visible." (End of this chapter)