Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The next day, in Fancheng, north of the Han River.

The siege of Xiangyang was lifted, and Zhao Yan, Guanqiu Jian and others in the south could breathe a sigh of relief. But Xu Shu in Fancheng in the north was facing even greater trouble.

The Wu navy still firmly controlled the Han River, preventing Xiangyang and Fancheng from traveling. In addition, the Wu army knew that Guanqiu Jian had crossed the Han River from upstream, so it would be difficult for him to cross back.

For Xu Shu, it became that the more than 30,000 soldiers here had to face Sun Quan's more than 50,000 troops.

During the military meeting in the city, Lu Shi was the first to speak:
"Mr. Xu, the Wu army withdrew from Xiangyang at night yesterday. I saw it all from the top of the city wall. This morning, the thick smoke from the Xiangyang defenders burning the Wu army camp drifted across the Han River and spread to Fancheng."

"Since Fancheng is still outnumbered, why not ask the court to send some reinforcements?"

Lu Shi was a straightforward person. He was an excellent general in carrying out tactical actions, but if he said such words during a military meeting, it would seem that he was not aware of the overall situation.

Before Xu Shu could say anything, General Cao Tai, the Eastern Guardian, refuted him:
"You can expect reinforcements just by talking? This year, Yuzhou, Sili, Yanzhou, and Jingzhou have all suffered from floods. How can there be extra food and grass to supply reinforcements? The food and grass sent from Nanyang the day before yesterday were all transported from Jizhou. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

"It was my fault." Lu Shi smiled awkwardly.

There are some things that Xu Shu can't scold directly, but it's okay for Cao Tailai to do it.

When Cao Tai followed his father Cao Ren to guard Jingxiang, Lu Shi was just a Sima under his father and son. The Wei army also had various strongholds, and Lu Shi was in Jingzhou, so he could be considered a general of Cao Ren's faction. Cao Tai's words seemed to be protecting him.

If we don't discuss this point, just the title of General Zhendong and his surname Cao on Cao Tai are convincing enough.

Xu Shu sighed: "The Wu army is getting stronger and stronger north of the Han River, and we can't drive them out for the time being. Fighting with our backs to the river is the Wu army's advantage, and they have the fort as a support, so it's difficult to conquer them."

"Report this matter to the court as soon as possible."

The day before yesterday and yesterday, Xu Shu led his troops out of the vicinity of Fancheng and moved eastward to approach the Yukouwu where Sun Huan was stationed.

However, since ancient times, it has been difficult to attack a city but easy to defend it, not to mention that the area of ​​Yukouwu facing the water on both sides was narrow, making it difficult for the Wei army to deploy its troops. The Wu army also built a floating bridge on Yuliangzhou Island, connecting the tens of thousands of Wu troops together.

For two consecutive days, Xu Shu didn't find any opportunity to attack.

In the case of a disadvantageous force, a strong attack is not feasible at all. How can we just throw away the already insufficient force?
Cao Tai thought for a moment, then bowed slightly to Xu Shu and said, "General Xu, before I came to Fancheng from Xuchang, His Majesty gave me a letter and ordered me to deliver it to Sun Quan after I captured Yukouwu."

"Letter?" Xu Shu frowned and looked at Cao Tai: "What letter?"

As soon as he said this, Xu Shu felt that he had spoken out of turn. How could a minister like him have the right to ask what the emperor had written to Sun Quan?

Unexpectedly, Cao Tai really knew it.

"General Xu, His Majesty told me something at the time. It's not something that is taboo." Cao Tai hesitated for a few moments, then continued, "His Majesty said that he wanted to use this letter to persuade Sun Quan to surrender, asking him to give up his land and surrender, so that he would not lose his status as a king."

When everyone heard what Cao Tai said, they burst out laughing.

Can Sun Quan surrender? Everyone present knew clearly that Sun Quan would never surrender. Then what was the point of Your Majesty writing a letter to Sun Quan persuading him to surrender? Was it just a waste of words?

Of course it makes sense!
The distinction between the ruler and his subjects, between the host and the guest, between righteousness and justice... these important and intangible concepts are spread through these seemingly futile political declarations.

Xu Shu thought thoughtfully: "How could I forget this!"

Everyone in the hall watched Xu Shu write something quickly on Zuo Bo's paper, but they didn't understand what he meant for a moment and could only look at each other in confusion.

After about a quarter of an hour, Xu Shu finally stopped writing and said with a smile: "General Cao just reminded me. Sometimes, to make the enemy retreat, it is not necessary to use military means, but also political affairs and people's hearts can be used."

Cao Tai vaguely sensed something, but he still couldn't figure it out for a while, so he asked, "I don't understand something, General Xu, why don't you speak frankly?"

Xu Shu took the seal and stamped it on the end of the document, saying, "Having led so many troops, it is inevitable that we have to consider things from a military perspective. Is Sun Quan withdrawing from Xiangyang just to stay at Yukou and confront us, wasting food and grass?" Cao Tai suddenly realized, "Fancheng is out of reach, and Xiangyang is also out of reach. It is useless for Sun Quan to stay here, so it is better to withdraw!"

"That's right." Xu Shu nodded, folded the letter and put it in the box, carefully sealing it with wax: "Your Majesty, please write a letter to Sun Quan to explain the pros and cons, maybe you can make him withdraw his troops."

"Very good, very good." Cao Tai said with a smile.

……

It is six hundred miles from Fancheng to Xuchang, and a messenger can arrive in three days.

On the afternoon of October 28, when Cao Rui was practicing archery in the palace, the attendants Pei Qian and Lu Yu led Man Chong and Liu Ye into the palace to look for the emperor, but were stopped by eunuchs outside the martial arts field.

"Mr. Man, everyone," Bi Jin bowed slightly, "His Majesty is practicing archery at the moment, please wait outside for a while."

When Man Chong heard what Bi Jin said, he immediately frowned and said, "Your Majesty has already issued an order that ministers can come to the palace for an audience at any time if they have important military or national affairs. Why can't we meet today?"

Bi Jin laughed, lowered his head, and then said softly: "Mr. Man, it's not impossible, but it's a little inappropriate."

Pei Qian noticed something strange on Bi Jin's face. Normally, this eunuch was very knowledgeable, but he must be hiding something today because of his behavior.

"Officially," Pei Qian asked, bowing, "May I ask who is with His Majesty?"

"Since the Minister has asked, I will answer truthfully. Today, Concubine Guo, Lady Yang, and Lady Wen are accompanying Your Majesty in practicing archery."

Man Chong was a little impatient. The eunuchs of the Wei Dynasty were not the eunuchs of the Han Dynasty. They had no power and were almost like slaves. He said impatiently, "Wen Xing, there is no need to say more. Please report quickly!"

"Wait a moment."

Bi Jin came in with a bow, went in for a moment and then came back, making a gesture of invitation: "Your Majesty, please invite Lord Man and everyone in."

The cabinet ministers have a respected status and can be called Dukes. This is something that is tacitly accepted in the current court. As for the Shizhong and Shumi, they have not yet reached this level.

Four ministers walked in slowly, and seeing Man Chong and others approaching, Cao Rui shot all five arrows in the quiver on his waist before handing the bow and quiver to Wen and Yang.

"What happened today?" Cao Rui expanded his chest and looked at Man Chong and others with a slight smile.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you..."

Man Chong, Liu Ye, Pei Qian and Lu Yu saluted at the same time, but when they said the second word "bai", there was an obvious pause, not knowing what to say next, and Cao Rui tactfully stopped them.

What's more, they didn't know who was who in the emperor's harem, and the court had no regulations on how to greet the concubines and beauties in the harem. There were regulations for the empress, but there was no empress at the moment.

"No need to be so polite." Cao Rui said, "I know that in the ten years since the establishment of the country, except for Empress Dowager Guo during the reign of the previous emperor, today should be the first time for an outsider to see the empress."

Man Chong thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise, so it should be so."

Cao Rui smiled and said, "This is not an ordinary matter. I don't need to set up a special rule for you concubines. Since it is not common, there is no need to say anything about greeting today."

Guo Yao, Yang Huiyu and Wen Fang stood behind Cao Rui on the left. From Bi Jin's perspective, Guo Yao was slightly taller than Yang Huiyu, while Wen Fang was half a head taller than Yang Huiyu.

Do not look at anything inappropriate, this is the rule that ministers should abide by. Therefore, Man Chong and the other three did not look directly at the emperor for a while, just to avoid the concubines.

Cao Rui turned around and waved, "You three, come closer."

When Guo Yao, Yang Huiyu, and Wen Fang came closer, Cao Rui said calmly: "These are the loyal ministers of the Wei Dynasty that I often told you about. Since this is a coincidence, I will introduce them to you." (End of this chapter)