Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui sat upright behind the desk, glanced around, and asked, "I just took a look and felt that something was missing. It's not quite right. It would be better if more people were present to discuss this matter. Minister, send someone to the Secretariat, the Central Army, and the Prefecture to summon Jiang Zitong, Guanqiu Zhonggong, Yang Yishan, and the six ministers. Hurry, I'm waiting here."

"When everyone is here, I will start discussing matters with you. Today, we, the monarch and his subjects, will hold an enlarged meeting in the cabinet."

The emperor called the minister, and any minister could answer the call. However, Pei Qian was the most self-aware among the four. He stood up without hesitation, bowed his hands and said, "I will go and tell him right away."

Cao Rui nodded slightly.

When the ministers, Jiang Ji, Guanqiu Jian, and Yang Fu entered the palace and the study, they hurriedly bowed and sat down. The study, which was not very big, was already crowded with people. But even in such a small room, the ministers were all in high spirits. This was the most powerful place in the world, where the key political affairs were in charge.

The fact that the emperor gathered his ministers together in such a serious manner also indirectly shows the importance of today's meeting.

Cao Rui looked around and said slowly, "I have been on tour for several months. I returned to Shouchun yesterday. This morning I took time out to discuss matters with you. I counted and found that there are 21 ministers here today. The oldest, Mr. Dong, is nearly 80 years old, and the youngest, Zhong Gong, is just over 30 years old. The ministers, chancellors, privy councilors, and generals are all outstanding figures in Wei. Let me boast that today is truly a gathering of all the wise men, young and old."

Cao Rui chuckled a few times, and the ministers just laughed along with the emperor. Cao Rui then looked at the outline on the table. His expression gradually became serious, and his voice became sonorous and powerful.

The ministers were all solemn.

"Conquer Wu!"

Cao Rui said directly: "What I want to discuss with you today is the matter of conquering Wu. Since the war between Emperor Wu and Sun Quan during the Jian'an period, Wei and Wu have been fighting for thirty years. The world has suffered because of this. It is time to end it. Prepare for a year next year, and the year after next, mobilize a total of 250,000 troops, cavalry, and navy to march south to conquer Wu."

"I have been staying in Shouchun for nearly a year, and I have personally visited the borders of Yangzhou and Jingzhou. You should have guessed about the attack on Wu. Today, I will talk to you about the plan to attack Wu."

“Minister Pei.” Cao Rui raised his eyes and looked at Pei Qian: “Today, you will be the first to introduce the general situation to the ministers.”

"I obey your order!" Pei Qian answered without hesitation in a loud voice.

As Pei Qian spoke, everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him. Pei Qian stood up calmly, walked to the side of the emperor's desk, bowed, and then turned to face the ministers.

"Everyone, according to the general plan designated by His Majesty, make the following arrangements for the war against Wu scheduled for the ninth year of Taihe..."

Regardless of what they were thinking, everyone's eyes were on Pei Qian at this moment.

The court seems to be united, but it is not. Some people are radical, some are conservative, some want to achieve merit on the battlefield, and some just want to keep their power safely.

When it comes to war, there are so many things involved once it starts. Military affairs are politics, and politics are personnel affairs.

If we want to attack Wu, how should we choose the commanders? Who should we use as generals? Who should fight the easy battles and who should take on the tough ones? Who should be in charge of logistics? Who should make plans and who should supervise the army? Everyone has superiors and subordinates, as well as friends and fellow townsmen. One move can affect the whole body. This is roughly the case.

If nothing unexpected happens, the twenty-one ministers in the study today will be the actual persons in charge of the entire attack on Wu. Who has done more, who has done less, and each position will obviously be contested. The examples of Emperor Gaozu of Han and Emperor Guangwu of Han are clearly written in the book. Even if they missed the war to destroy Qin and conquer the world, they could not miss the opportunity to participate in the Battle of Gaixia. From the perspective of the Wei Dynasty, Sun Quan had harmed the country for thirty years. If any young general could split a leg with him, he might be able to create a noble family.

If the central government wants to plan a big game, it must first sort out the complex internal relations, determine the military strategy, then the personnel, and finally determine the specific and complex practical operations.

In short, the attack on Wu is a national war, and the overall control must be designed from top to bottom, otherwise it will be a blind move that is bound to fail.

Although the court had used troops in Yongliang, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Liaodong, and Bingzhou since the first year of Taihe, and all of them had achieved their goals, the whole court was full of confidence. But Sun Quan's 180,000 soldiers were not fake after all. Whether it was the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao's four crossings of Chaohu Lake, or Cao Pi's three expeditions to Wu, they were all blocked by Sun Quan. This is also an indisputable fact. No one can ignore the matter of conquering Wu. The thousand-mile Yangtze River runs east-west in the south. Even if there are thousands of cavalry and hundreds of thousands of armored men, they must cross the river first!
Sima Yi looked at Pei Qian who was explaining the decision-making process, and couldn't help but feel emotional.

The core of the world is indeed the emperor himself! The emperor is knowledgeable about politics, military affairs, and can lead troops. His wisdom and strategy are inherited from Cao Cao and Cao Pi. As long as the emperor himself is willing, he can make decisions with anyone!
He can discuss with Jiang Ji in Yangzhou and with Man Chong in Jingzhou. He has four attendants following him at all times. Even such an important event as today is discussed by the attendants!
In this contrast, the cabinet seemed a little redundant. After Pei Qian gave a brief introduction to the emperor's decision-making process over the past few months, he continued with a stern face:
"By the end of next year, that is, before December of the eighth year of Taihe, the central government, the armies, and the prefectures must complete the scheduled arrangements. This time is a time that the whole country must abide by. If anything goes wrong, the court will definitely punish severely. All of you who are discussing this today, including me, Pei Qian, are also included in this list."

"By the appointed time, the total military strength of the imperial court must be expanded to 400,000. Hebei is far away from the war zone and has the most populous population in the world, so the insufficient military strength will be recruited from the counties of Hebei."

"For Guanxi, including Qin, Yong, Liang, and Hanzhong counties, the total quota set by the court is 60,000." Pei Qian cleared his throat, "Guanxi needs to draw 20,000 elite foreign troops before the end of next year, led by General Fei Yao to move the troops to Jingzhou and be under the command of General Man Chong. When attacking Wu, Guanxi affairs will still be led by General Wei Zhen. If necessary, Guanxi can recruit soldiers from prefectures and counties and auxiliary troops on its own. The prefectures of Yong, Liang, and Qin will all be dispatched by Wei Zhen, and there is no need to report everything to the court."

The ministers in the study were already taking some actions at this time, either exchanging glances or whispering to each other.

Just now when we talked about Guanxi, the imperial court drew 20,000 elite soldiers from Guanxi, and gave Wei Zhen the power to recruit soldiers on his own as a general of chariots and cavalry. This was unprecedented since the founding of the Wei Dynasty, and it was the highest power for a minister! The emperor's trust in Wei Zhen and his delegation of power were beyond the expectations of the ministers.

Master Wei... If anyone could foresee and know that being a master in the emperor's palace would bring such benefits, I'm afraid they would fight for it even if they broke their heads. Wei Zhen was just a minister before, but he rose to prominence in a few years, often guarding the rear for the emperor. This time he took full charge in Guanxi. This position might not be exchanged for a Taiwei, the head of the three officials.

"After talking about Guanxi, let's talk about the military affairs of each state." Pei Qian continued, "Among the states of Wei, Yingzhou will be left with 20,000 troops to garrison, Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou in Hebei will be left with 30,000 troops to garrison, Sili will be left with 10,000 troops, Qing, Yan, and Xu will be left with 10,000 troops, Yuzhou will be left with 10,000 troops, and Yangzhou will be left with 10,000 reserve troops. All the strong troops from various places will go south to form the army to attack Wu."

"Your Majesty." Cao Zhen looked at the emperor and wanted to interrupt him to ask a question, but Cao Rui shook his head and refused: "Wait a minute, General. Let's wait for Minister Pei to finish speaking first."

"Yes." Cao Zhen had no choice but to nod.

Pei Qian continued, "The 250,000-man army will be divided into six routes: one for Xiangfan, two for Jiangxia, three for Wancheng, four for Ruxu, five for Guangling, and six for the navy."

"The army in Xiangfan was led by General Man Chong, who commanded 20,000 troops from outside Jingzhou, 20,000 troops from Guanxi, 10,000 troops from prefectures and counties, 5,000 elite cavalry from the central army, and 5,000 light cavalry from the Xiongnu, for a total of 60,000 troops."

"The Jiangxia army is led by General Xiahou Ru, the General of Pingnan, who supervises 10,000 foreign troops and 10,000 soldiers from prefectures and counties, for a total of 20,000."

"The troops at the mouth of the Wan River are led by General Huan Fan, who is in charge of 20,000 troops outside the city of Wan, and 5,000 cavalry in the central army, for a total of 25,000."

"The navy was led by General Lu Xun, who commanded 50,000 naval forces and defeated the enemy on the river from east to west."

"The remaining two routes of Ruxu and Guangling are under the direct command of the Central Command, totaling 95,000 troops. Among them, the Central Army totals 40,000, the Liaodong Army's infantry and cavalry totals 15,000, the Wuhuan Volunteers, the Xianbei Volunteers, and the Yingzhou Goguryeo, Baekje, and Buyeo infantry total 15,000, and the Yangzhou external army and prefecture and county soldiers total 25,000."

After saying this, Pei Qian nodded to everyone, then turned around and bowed to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I have finished introducing the assignments. Please give your instructions."

Cao Rui nodded slightly: "Pei Qing, go back first."

"As you wish." Pei Qian responded.

It has to be said that when such a grand overall plan was revealed to everyone, all the ministers fell into deep thought.

Different ministers have different thoughts.

Some thought about the institutional level. The emperor's ordering Pei Qian to read out this matter today was more like a notification than a meeting. It showed that the emperor was able to make such detailed and grand decisions without having to deal with the three major institutions, the Cabinet, the Secretariat, and the Privy Council. From today on, the chief officials of all places should have a sense of urgency in their hearts that they might be replaced at any time.

Some of them thought about the military strategy itself. What would happen if Shu invaded? Would the troops drawn from Guanxi be too many? How would they support the food and logistics of Jingzhou's 60,000 troops and Jiangxia's 20,000? How would they divide the 95,000 foreign troops in Ruxu and Guangling into two routes?

There are many more examples. (End of this chapter)