Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood today, Cao Shuang interrupted and asked, "Your Majesty just mentioned the matter of becoming a pair, but I don't know who this Yin Shuping is."

"You will know in two days." Cao Rui nodded gently: "Zhao Bo, Bo Yue, you two should return to your camps. Chang Si will be on duty as the guard in the palace today. Come with me to the study. Since the battle in Xiangyang is over, I will issue an order to recall Zhong Gong to Luoyang in a few days, and you three will be able to relax a little."

"Guarding the palace, how dare we say it's hard work?"

"This is my duty."

"According to the order."

Cao Zhao was on duty today, following closely behind Cao Rui on the left. Behind him were dozens of tiger guards wearing full armor and holding halberds, as well as some eunuchs and palace maids.

"Changsi," Cao Rui asked Cao Zhao casually, "Among you, Zhaobo, and Boyue, you are the oldest, and you served in Shouchun for a long time with the former Grand Marshal, so you have the most experience in military affairs."

"I vaguely remember that you were born in the first year of Jian'an?"

Cao Zhao replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am sorry to bother you. I am already thirty-five this year."

Cao Rui chuckled. "The news from Jingzhou and Yangzhou these days is good. Chen Situ has completed the construction of the city in Yangzhou and is currently facing off against the Wu army, but the situation does not seem to be dangerous and has stabilized. Sun Quan has also withdrawn his troops in Jingzhou, and the pressure on the border with Wu has been reduced. Except for the war in the west, there is no need to worry."

"You have been in Yangzhou for a long time. Are you used to your time in the Central Army?"

Although Cao Zhao did not quite understand what the emperor meant, he answered truthfully: "I led the troops in Liaodong and now I am guarding the palace in Xuchang. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Changsi, I won't bother you any more." Cao Rui said slowly, "You are the son of the late Grand Marshal, and a general of my clan. I will promote you when it's time to do so. I have never denied this. I did this to Xiahou Zhongquan, Xiahou Kangren, and Xiahou Junlin."

"There are no major threats in Jingzhou and Yangzhou now, so I intend to send you out as a general. Where would you like to go, Changsi?"

"Your Majesty..." Cao Zhao was obviously hesitant.

Cao Rui and his entourage walked along the alley between the palace walls towards the study. It would take some time to arrive, so Cao Rui was not in a hurry.

"Take your time to think about it. There's no rush." ​​Cao Rui said.

"Yes."

It was not until he could see the soldiers on duty outside the study courtyard from afar that Cao Zhao responded:
"Your Majesty, I have some ideas."

"Oh? Where do you want to go?" Cao Rui looked sideways at Cao Zhao. Cao Zhao's face was serious at the moment, and he even looked a little nervous and embarrassed.

"Your Majesty, my father once served the country in Huainan for many years, and I once served as a military officer there. I am more familiar with Yangzhou than Jingzhou. I am willing to go to Huainan as a general and fight against the rebellious forces for the emperor!"

Huainan?
Cao Rui was not surprised by Cao Zhao's idea.

The defense of the southeast of Wei was centered in Shouchun, and the chief commanders in charge were Xiahou Dun, Cao Xiu, and Chen Qun. Chen Qun had not been in Shouchun for long. If Cao Zhao went to Huainan, the kindness of Cao Xiu's former officials and generals would still be there.

Cao Rui stopped and thought for a while: "It's a good idea to go to Huainan. Previously, the southernmost place in Huainan facing the enemy was the southern part of Jiazhen near Wancheng and Wankou. The military and politics there are integrated, and Jiazhennan cannot be moved lightly. The next is Zhang Hu's army in Hefei. Now the Huainan generals are confronting each other in Ruxu. I intend to let Zhang Hu guard the front line of the enemy. After all, he is the son of Zhang Wenyuan and has the style of his father. I trust him."

"Although Minister Chen and the Privy Council have not yet decided on the distribution of troops to be stationed in Yangzhou after the war, I will make a decision now and promote you to General An Dong and lead 5,000 troops to guard Hefei."

Cao Zhao did not hesitate at all and bowed immediately: "Your Majesty has entrusted Hefei to me. I will live up to your trust and be loyal to the emperor and the country!"

Cao Rui looked down at Cao Zhao's hair crown, sighed softly, and helped him up: "Changsi, you are the Marquis of Changping of the Wei Dynasty, you must work hard to be a figure like Wei Qing and Liu Long!"

Cao Zhao bowed his head, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty has entrusted me with this important task. Wei Qing is unparalleled in the world, and my talents and virtues are incomparable. I am willing to be a Liu Long for Your Majesty!"

The title of Marquis of Changping was established in the Western Han Dynasty. Wei Qing and Liu Long were both granted the title of Marquis of Changping. Wei Qing's military achievements were undoubtedly important, and Liu Long was not as good as Wei Qing, but he was also ranked 16th among the 28 generals of the Yuntai of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu.

Cao Rui patted Cao Zhao on the shoulder to encourage him: "I will give you ten days to settle down, and then you can go to Huainan to take up your post."

"I will obey your order." Cao Zhao said.

Cao Rui then walked calmly into the study courtyard. Not far away, Man Chong and Liu Ye were already waiting outside the door.

To be honest, Cao Rui was somewhat disappointed with what Cao Zhao had just said. Although Wei Qing and Liu Long were not in the same position, if they had asked Cao Shuang and Jiang Wei about this, they would have certainly been full of bold words, and they would definitely not be as simple and cautious as Cao Zhao, or to put it bluntly, they would have been cowardly.

However, we cannot expect everyone to be like Jiang Boyue. It is not a bad thing to let Cao Zhao go to Huainan for some experience and have more loyal and steady generals from the royal family.

Cao Rui approached, and after Man Chong and Liu Ye saluted, they followed the emperor in, talking about the military situation in Jingzhou. Cao Rui also leaned back in the recliner skillfully.

After listening for a while, Cao Rui looked up at Liu Ye: "Zhao Yan wrote a letter of resignation to the Privy Council? Why didn't he tell me directly?"

Liu Ye also showed a helpless expression: "This, Zhao Dujian did not explicitly say that he wanted to resign, but he wanted to ask the Privy Council to seriously consider the candidate for Jingzhou on the grounds that he was trapped in Xiangyang and did nothing in this battle."

Cao Rui snorted lightly: "Zhao Yan is not resigning, but using the results of the battle in Jingzhou to ask my attitude! If I am dissatisfied with him, I will dismiss him. If I am satisfied with him, I will just ignore this matter."

"Is he so afraid of me? Liu Qing, tell me!"

Liu Ye was a little embarrassed: "Zhao Dujian is neither a royal family member nor a high position like Chen Situ of Yangzhou. It is inevitable that he is a little scared after the war." "Since he didn't ask me, I won't tell him directly. Shouldering such an important task, he doesn't want to properly rectify the defense of Jingxiang after the war, but instead has the intention to retreat! Even if he asks me for soldiers, ships, and generals, it is better than this!" Cao Rui raised his hand and pointed at Man Chong: "Write a letter to Zhao Yan in the name of the cabinet to reprimand him."

"I understand." Man Chong cupped his hands and replied, "What about Zhao Yan's position?"

"No change!" Cao Rui said firmly: "I never doubt my border generals. This siege is not his fault. I will not punish him."

"According to the order."

Cao Rui nodded, then leaned back on the recliner and squinted his eyes. When Liu Ye and others were here, he had already read through the military report signed by Zhao Yan and Xu Shu at a glance, and continued to explain in a simple and orderly manner. When Liu Ye finished speaking and Cao Rui opened his eyes again, Wang Guan, Pei Qian, and Lu Yu had all arrived.

Cao Rui shook his head slightly and said, "Xu Shu is a bit too harsh."

Liu Ye responded, "Xu Yuanzhi looked down on Shen Dan and Wen Dai and wanted to only praise their hard work instead of their merits, which was inconsistent with the idea of ​​Your Majesty and the court to be lenient and generous to the generals. He refuted the Jingzhou garrison in the military report and said that if he had not taken the overall situation of the battle into consideration, he would have said it earlier."

Man Chong also said, "Xu Yuanzhi is a bit too much. Shen Dan's troops are the weakest in Jingzhou. Wen Dai's troops have been in Jiangxia for so many years and their combat effectiveness has gradually declined. It is not achieved in one day. Compared with Guanxi and Yangzhou, Jingzhou's combat effectiveness is the weakest. This is a fact, but we still need to take it slow."

Cao Rui sighed, "General Man and the two Privy Councilors should judge the merits of the generals in Jingzhou tonight, and send the general's order back to Xiangyang tomorrow morning. Generals Shen Dan, Niu Jin, Wen Dai, Lu Shi and others have all made contributions without faults. If they are unwilling to give up their official rank and fiefdom, who would be willing to serve the Wei Dynasty? Moreover, Jingzhou has had the least wars in recent years, and the generals have received fewer rewards than other places. Please be more generous and don't delay in judging the merits. I know what the generals are thinking."

"I understand." Man Chong replied.

"Also, let Cao Tai lead the Wuwei Camp back to Wancheng and temporarily station there. There is no need to rush back to Xuchang. Zhong Gong will go directly back to Xuchang, and the rest of the generals will station in Xiangfan until next year. Don't move rashly for the time being."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will obey your command." Man Chong bowed.

At this moment, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Liu Fang hurriedly walked in from outside. He looked up and saw so many people in the study, and couldn't help but look surprised.

"Secretary Liu, what happened?" Cao Rui asked with a frown.

Seeing Liu Fang's hesitation, Cao Rui became impatient and knocked on the armrest of the recliner: "If you have anything to say, please just say it!"

"As you wish." Liu Fang walked closer, bowed, and handed the military report to Cao Rui. "Your Majesty, this is a letter signed by General Du Xi, the military advisor of the general, General Fei Yao, the general's military commander, and General Guo Huai, the general who conquers Shu, in the military camp outside Biancheng. The general has a headache and is unable to manage affairs, so I am reporting this urgently."

Cao Rui opened his eyes slightly and stared at the letter in Liu Fang's hand for a long time. Then he suddenly reached out and snatched the letter, holding it in his hand, and asked:
"Why is it so? Every time I write to you, I always remind you to take care of your health. Why is it so?"

Liu Fang lowered his head slightly, avoiding Cao Rui's gaze. "Your Majesty, according to what is said in the letter, it is because the military affairs on the front line are too heavy, and the Shu army is well-organized with very few flaws. The general is tired and has a headache again."

Cao Rui stood up suddenly, paced in the hall for a while, picked up the letter and read it several times, muttering to himself: "The general has ordered Zhang He to advance from the west, attacking from both sides, and the troops are not absolutely superior. Zhuge Liang's 33,000 troops were trapped by the general and Zhang He from the east and west. How could they be besieged so easily? Lack of food, insufficient troops, and the commander is ill, so how could so many things happen at the same time!"

"Your Majesty." Man Chong stood up solemnly. As a cabinet minister, he was always willing to take on responsibilities. Seeing the emperor's doubts, he immediately said:
"The general is the leader of all the generals of Wei. His responsibility is as heavy as a mountain and cannot be neglected. Since the general is ill and cannot take charge of the affairs, why not send someone to order him to recuperate in the rear and choose one of Du Xi, Fei Yao, or Guo Huai to take charge!"

"I agree that we should not let the general face danger." Liu Ye also stood up and made a suggestion.

"I second your opinion." Wang Guan, who was always cautious, also responded.

Pei Qian also bowed and said, "Your Majesty, since General Zhang Junyi, General Lu Boyan, and General Guo Boji are all here, the war there must be safe! It's time to withdraw the general to the rear!"

Everyone expressed their opinions, but Cao Rui's frown showed no sign of relaxing.

The Cao family founded the country with military power, and military affairs were the most important. The generals of Xiahou and Cao were the minions of the emperor who controlled the army. The death of Cao Xiu last year brought a lot of chaos, and even changed the system of governors of foreign troops in Wei. Cao Rui would not allow such a thing to happen again!
Cao Rui said in a deep voice: "If I ask the general to withdraw, transfer the general Lu Xun to the general's place, and let him command the troops, would that be appropriate?"

"I don't think so!" Man Chong's full-throated voice came again: "Your Majesty, although Lu Xun is highly valued by Your Majesty, he is a surrendered general of Wu. It would be more appropriate for him to lead the Qiang soldiers under his command. The general is in charge of the central army, the foreign army, and the Qiang soldiers. Lu Xun has no prestige in the army. If you force him to command, the army will definitely be suspicious, and suspicion will lead to chaos, and chaos will lead to danger!"

"Then who do you think should be used?" Cao Rui asked back.

"Use General Guo Huai who is responsible for conquering Shu!" Man Chong answered firmly.

Cao Rui and Man Chong looked at each other, and Man Chong's eyes were full of confidence, as if to give Cao Rui confidence. However, after looking at Liu Ye, Wang Guan, Pei Qian, Lu Yu and others, Cao Rui only saw doubt in their eyes.

"I have made up my mind." Cao Rui took a deep breath. "The general is the pillar of the country and cannot be in danger. Also, because the general is the main general in the army, I order the general to return to Chencang to recuperate as soon as possible. I order the general's military advisor Du Xi and the general's Sima Fei Yao to lead the general's headquarters and the Yulin Right Army to retreat to Gudao. The general who conquers Shu Guo Huai's troops will retreat to Wuxing. Zhang He and Lu Xun will also retreat to Wudu and hold on. I will leave the two cities of Xiabian and Hechi and half of Wudu County to Zhuge Liang!"

When the ministers in the hall, including Man Chong, heard Cao Rui's words, they all stood up in silence.

Only the emperor could talk about abandoning land. If the ministers even mentioned it, they would face huge political risks, not to mention during the Taihe period when the Wei Dynasty was constantly attacked from all sides.

Man Chong thought for a moment and said slowly, "We are withdrawing this year because of food and grass. Our military strength has not been reduced. Wei is stronger than Shu, has more soldiers and better generals. After the grain harvest next year, we will send troops to retake these places."

Cao Rui's expression remained solemn: "Save the people and lose the land, but both the people and the land will be saved. Let's do it this way, Secretary Liu, send a message to Guanxi as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" Liu Fang replied.

From the outside of Xiabian City to Xuchang, it was more than 2,000 miles. At an average speed of more than 200 miles per day, it would take at least eight days to reach the destination. When the emperor's edict reached Guanxi, no one could say for sure what the battle situation there would be.

But this is how the times are. Cao Zhen is the core figure of the Wei Dynasty in Guanxi. If something happens to Cao Zhen, playing it safe is the most correct choice! (End of this chapter)