Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

For Cao Rui, governing the present Wei Dynasty is not a difficult task. One of the important reasons is the talent advantage of Wei Dynasty.

That’s right, compared with the two kingdoms of Wu and Shu, the current Wei is stronger in almost all aspects, including land, talents, systems, finances, etc.

When it comes to specific state affairs, the general plan for attacking Wu drafted by Jiang Ji, the governor of Yangzhou, for Cao Rui is a clear example. It has clear logic, detailed numbers, and is highly feasible.

Sima Yi and Chen Jiao, who were cabinet ministers, could do this, and Jiang Ji, who was a provincial governor, could do it as well. And according to Cao Rui's understanding of the ministers, in addition to Jiang Ji, there were more than a handful of ministers who could do this.

This is the basis for governing the world.

Man Chong stood up, walked to Cao Rui, took the booklet written by Jiang Ji with both hands, stood one step in front of Cao Rui, and began to read it page by page.

"Your Majesty, was this outline of the plan to attack Wu really written by Jiang Zitong alone?"

Cao Rui smiled and replied, "He wrote it alone. What do you think of it, Mr. Man?"

Man Chong nodded continuously: "It is a masterpiece with a good balance of details and all aspects. I think this strategy does not need to be revised significantly."

Cao Rui said: "No need for major changes. I will not change the position of General Man. You will stay in Jingzhou and lead the western army to attack Wu. However, I still need to explain the specific strategy to you in detail."

"How many tens of thousands of troops would you like to lead?"

Man Chong thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the current number of Wei's troops is 350,000. Do we need to increase the troops in the next two years?"

Cao Rui said, "This is also the question I want to ask you. General Man, how many soldiers would you like to lead?"

Man Chong was silent for a few moments, and then replied in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please allow me to say something inappropriate."

"Tell me about it." Cao Rui's expression remained unchanged: "There is nothing to say, just tell me."

Man Chong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you a question. If the Wei Dynasty gathers 50,000 naval forces and gives them to Lu Xun, will Lu Xun succeed? What if Lu Xun fails? What will happen to the 200,000 infantry and cavalry of Jingzhou and Yangzhou of the Wei Dynasty?"

"Hahaha." Cao Rui laughed several times. Man Chong looked at the emperor who was laughing with a look of surprise on his face.

What I asked were all reasonable matters, all important national issues, so why are you laughing, Your Majesty?

Cao Rui pointed to the chair opposite him and said calmly, "General Man, please sit down. I will talk to you."

"Yes." Although Man Chong didn't know the reason, he sat back instinctively and waited for the emperor to speak further.

Cao Rui said: "General Man asked a good question. Jiang Ji's strategy of 250,000 troops to attack Wu, the 50,000 navy on the Yangtze River to defeat the Wu army is the most important. General Man is right. If the navy cannot break the situation, the rest of the army will be useless. However, I still want to believe that the navy can win."

"Is there any real evidence?" Man Chong asked.

Cao Rui nodded: "The navy and the infantry have similarities and differences. The similarities are strict military discipline, division of tactics, and unity of advance and retreat. The difference is that the victory of the navy does not only depend on the people, but also on the ships."

Man Chong stopped talking and listened quietly to Cao Rui's speech.

Cao Rui said, "In the past two years, I have worked with the Wei General to develop several new warships. Whether it is a tower ship, a warship, or a battleship, they are all more improved than ordinary ships. Generally speaking, there are three main differences: the paddle, the ram, and the crossbow."

"Racing pole, ramming horn, crossbow..." Man Chong repeated softly, as if thinking about something.

Cao Rui smiled and said, "To be more specific, the paddle is a tool used to hit the hull, the ram is placed on the bow, it can ram the enemy ship, and the crossbow can injure the enemy at a longer distance. General Man does not need to understand these details, I will ask the Privy Council to send you a memorandum when the time comes."

"Yes..." Man Chong responded instinctively, still thinking about the three things the emperor had just mentioned. Cao Rui said, "In short, the Wei ships are bigger, more stable, and more powerful than the Wu ships. I don't believe that Lu Xun alone can lead the navy to victory. The key to the navy's victory was determined when the commander-in-chief built the new ships."

The emperor was full of confidence, so Man Chong naturally had nothing to say. He could only cup his hands and reply, "I hope Your Majesty will not blame me. I did not know that the new ship made by the court was so powerful, so I spoke inappropriately."

Cao Rui nodded and said, "Although the generals of the Wei Dynasty are not good at naval warfare, Lord Dong, the general, and the two privy councilors Liu Ye and Wang Guan have all carefully examined the new ships of the Wei Dynasty. They do have the potential to win."

"How about this, General Man, can you answer my question just now, how many troops do you want to lead in Jingzhou?"

Man Chong replied: "Your Majesty, I have another question. I cannot answer it unless you ask clearly."

Cao Rui was also a little helpless. Why did Man Chong have so many questions today?
"Go ahead." Cao Rui moved back.

Man Chong said, "Your Majesty, Wu and Shu have agreed to form an alliance, and this is known to everyone in the world. If I attack Wu in Jingzhou, how will Shu react? Has the central government predicted this in advance?"

Cao Rui said: "I have discussed this issue with the ministers before. Later, we came to the conclusion that no matter what happens to Shu, we should withdraw the strong troops from Guanxi to Jingzhou and let General Man command them, while the weak troops from Guanxi can bluff in Qinzhou."

"I understand." Man Chong cupped his hands and replied, "If so, please allow me to lead 60,000 troops to attack Wu."

"How to attack?" Cao Rui asked.

Man Chong said: "Forty thousand men will besiege Jiangling without attacking it, in order to defeat the reinforcements of Wu, just like when the general, Zhang Junyi, Xu Gongming, and Xiahou Boren led their troops to attack Wu during the Huangchu period. Another ten thousand men will be sent to harass Xiling, and another ten thousand will be stationed in Dangyang, Yicheng and other places to guard the grain roads and serve as a reserve force."

Cao Rui pursed his lips and said, "This is an upright way of playing."

Man Chong said: "Your Majesty, the attack on Wu is a national war, and we should fight it uprightly."

Cao Rui nodded: "Where did the 60,000 troops come from?"

Man Chong said, "Your Majesty, we can draw 30,000 soldiers from Xiangfan, Xinye and other places, and 10,000 soldiers from Jiangxia. I also ask the court to increase the number of soldiers by 20,000. Whether it is soldiers from prefectures or recruited Qiang and Hu, I will accept them all. I only ask for 5,000 elite cavalry from the central army."

Cao Rui nodded and said, "Your Excellency requested cavalry. I have approved it. Jingzhou's grain supply is weak and cannot be compared with Yangzhou. Your Excellency requested 5,000 cavalry, no more, no less. If there are more, I am afraid that your logistics here will not be able to support it."

"I have the same idea." Man Chong replied.

As he was talking, Cao Rui leaned forward slightly and asked with a smile: "There are many cavalrymen in the central army. Do you have any cavalry generals that you like?"

Man Chong also laughed out loud: "Your Majesty, when I was helping Your Majesty to defeat Gongsun Yuan in the fourth year of Taihe, I saw with my own eyes that General Wen Qin of the Left Winged Guards fought bravely and was truly worthy of your command. Please, Your Majesty, send Wen Qin to Jingzhou to accompany me."

"Okay." Cao Rui thought for a moment and agreed decisively: "In addition to Wen Qin, I will give you another 3,000 Xiongnu light cavalry. As for the Xianbei and Wuhuan light cavalry, in my opinion, they are not as stable as the Xiongnu light cavalry, so I will keep them in front of you."

"It should be so." Man Chong said with emotion: "Two hundred and fifty thousand troops, from east to west, marching south together, I wonder what a magnificent sight it would be."

Cao Rui also sighed, "It is not easy for Wei to gather these 250,000 troops. Man Qing also knows that the navy is now expanding, and the number of recruits has been determined. It can be said that 20,000 of the 40,000 foreign troops in Huainan have been transferred to the navy, and now it is the central army that is guarding Huainan. Once the war starts, we will have to continue to draw troops from the Central Plains and Hebei. I think that with the new recruits recruited at that time, the total number of Wei’s troops may be close to 400,000."

"That's how many we should have." Man Chong responded, "The attack on Wu is a once-and-for-all matter, and we shouldn't worry about the number of people."

"Yes." Cao Rui nodded slightly. "After all, I came to Jingzhou to have a detailed discussion with General Man, and also to inspect Jingzhou. General Man, please accompany me these days, to Shangyong in the west and Jiangxia in the south. I have never been to these places, so I should take a look."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Man Chong said with a smile: "Although I am old, I can still ride a horse and wield a spear to protect Your Majesty!"

"Okay." Cao Rui nodded. (End of this chapter)