Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

At this age, most people wield swords, or use a one-handed knife, or a combination of sword and shield, or a spear. In short, they rarely use two of the same weapons at the same time.

"General," Cao Rui, dressed in a tight suit and holding a halberd in each hand, looked at Cao Zhen breathlessly, "How well can I use the double halberds as well as the late emperor?"

Seeing Cao Zhen hesitate, Cao Rui added: "Tell the truth!"

Cao Zhen thought for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the hand halberd requires strength, opening and closing it widely, and holding it with both hands back and forth. In short, it is related to strength. Your Majesty is taller than the late emperor, but a little thinner. If I answer truthfully, I can be 60% as good as the late emperor."

After saying this, Cao Zhen seemed to be afraid of Cao Rui's blame, so he added: "The late emperor was proficient in knife, sword, halberd, and archery, which was rare in the world. Your Majesty really shouldn't be compared with the late emperor, because your body is different."

Cao Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead, handed the double halberds to Jiang Wei, who had just practiced with him, and said with a smile: "I am satisfied if I can achieve 60% of the skill of the late emperor. The late emperor claimed that he was unrivaled in the world. I have seen the late emperor's style and I agree with him."

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Cao Rui clapped his hands and looked at Jiang Wei: "Bo Yue, I want you to do something for me."

"I'm here." Jiang Wei bowed.

Cao Rui said: "Bo Yue will set out in a few days, lead a thousand cavalry to Luoyang, bring Guipin and King Ye to Shouchun, and celebrate the New Year together!"

"As you wish!" Jiang Wei bowed in response.

……

The seventh year of Taihe, winter, twelfth month.

The New Year was approaching, but Jiang Wei and his party were not in a hurry. They set out slowly from Luoyang, traveling only a few dozen miles a day along the way. It was not until December 20th that the team arrived outside Shouchun City.

"Eunuch Chu, please ask the noble concubine for instructions. We are ten miles away from the Huai River ferry. Should we go there directly or ask someone to report to Shouchun first?"

"General Jiang, you don't have to be so polite to me. I've told you so many times along the way. Just call me Old Chu." The eunuch Chu Cong said with a smile, "General Jiang, wait a moment. I'll go ask the concubine."

"Thank you." Jiang Wei bowed.

Eunuchs live deep in the palace and are most adept at reading other people's expressions and acting accordingly. To put it simply and roughly, they act according to the person they are dealing with.

In the eyes of the old eunuch Chu Cong, this General Jiang was the most popular person in front of His Majesty. He was a graduate of the Imperial Academy, served as a cavalry officer, was sent to command troops, and often accompanied the emperor in martial arts training. All of these things were known to people inside and outside the palace. Although General Jiang Boyao was only a minor general, he had a bright future, and Chu Cong also wanted to make friends with him.

Soon, Chu Cong walked out from behind the carriage curtain on his knees, found Jiang Wei's position, and said directly: "My dear concubine, please lead the team directly into the city. My dear concubine said that His Majesty is busy with state affairs all day, so please don't bother His Majesty with these trivial matters."

"Thank you, Eunuch Chu. Please pass on the message to the concubine. I obey your orders." Jiang Wei bowed slightly and then rode forward. He had no intention of making friends with Chu Cong.

Chu Cong just shook his head and sighed, thinking that it was not fate yet and didn't take it seriously.

The inner palace during the Taihe period really had no sense of existence. In other words, the inner palaces of Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui, three generations of ancestors and grandchildren, had no sense of existence at all, no say, and no power.

Jiang Wei knew that this was a matter of great importance, so even though he was about to enter the city, he did not dare to delay and went straight to check the Huai River Floating Bridge. Only after confirming that it was correct did he lead the team to pass. Only Jiang Wei and a few others knew about this matter, and most of the court officials were not aware of it.

Cao Rui's action was also very obvious. Mao Yan was a noble concubine, the only second among the empress, noble concubine, Zhaoyi, Jieyu, and beauty in the Wei harem, with the highest status, and the Prince of Ye was the eldest son of the emperor.

The political implications behind calling these two people from Luoyang are already very obvious.

That means the emperor supports the eldest son!
This is a very clear signal.

On the other side, in Shouchun City, inside the Privy Council.

A huge screen was hung in the main hall of the Privy Council. Looking closer, it was a map of Guanxi in the Wei Dynasty. From Gaochang in the west to Tongguan in the east, from Shuofang in the north to Chengdu in the south, all the mountains, rivers and cities were included in the map.

Just as Concubine Mao had guessed, Cao Rui himself was indeed busy with state affairs, or to be more precise, he was busy with the war.

The six people in total were here: General Cao Zhen, General Lu Xun, Privy Councilor Dong Zhao, Deputy Privy Councilor Liu Ye, Shizhong and Cabinet Minister Xu Shu, and Privy Councilor Zhou Tai of the Guanxi Department of the Privy Council.

Liu Ye stood beside the map, holding a thin stick in his hand, pointing at several places on the map:

"Wujie is located in a remote area. If the messenger sends a message to the emperor at full speed from there, it will take about 20 days. I only have the battle report of November 29th."

"Zhuge Liang arrived at the city of Wudu on October 8th. It is estimated that there were about 40,000 troops sent out this time. Cao Ping, the defender of Wujie City, led 5,000 soldiers to defend the city. He was lured out of the city by Zhuge Liang and was defeated in a small battle, losing 1,500 soldiers. He then stayed in the city and did not go out."

"Upon hearing the news, the Wei Cheqi, together with the rear general Fei Yao, hurriedly led 15,000 infantry and cavalry from Xiabian, taking the road that leads directly to Wujie from Xiabian. They began to confront Zhuge Liang's army on October 20th. The Wei Cheqi led the army to fight and retreat. By the time the letter was sent, they had retreated to the bank of the Xihan River. If they retreated further, they would have to cross the Xihan River."

Cao Rui sighed softly: "Where is Wang Chang? How is Wang Chang doing?"

Liu Ye replied, "Wang Zhenxi has led 10,000 reinforcements to the east bank of the West Han River and has almost joined the guards."

"Your Majesty," Liu Ye said, "The current problem is which direction Zhuge Liang will deploy his troops. Even according to the latest military reports, it is still not clear enough..."

Cao Rui reached out his hand to stop Liu Ye and said in a deep voice: "You don't need to explain the current problem, I see it clearly."

"The first thing is the military strength. It is questionable how many troops Zhuge Liang sent out. Cao Ping, this idiot, didn't stay there to defend the city properly. He had to lose more than a thousand soldiers before he was willing to stay in the city. He said Zhuge Liang had 40,000 soldiers. Whether he really had 40,000, I think it is still questionable."

"The second thing is the direction. Zhuge Liang surrounded Wujie and led his troops to Xiabian. I know that road. No matter how many troops there are, they can't be deployed. It's hard to say how many Shu troops forced Master Wei's 15,000 men back."

"The third thing." Cao Rui snorted, took a half step forward, and tapped on Dazhong with his hand: "There are only three roads in Wujie, one to Baishui, one to Dazhong, and one to Xiabian. Now Zhuge Liang comes from one road and blocks another road. How can Dazhong be saved!"

"Your Majesty, let me make some suggestions," said General Lu Xun, who was standing nearby, with a bow.

Cao Rui nodded: "Hu Qiang Xiaowei Zhou Duo is your old subordinate, and you have been in Dazhong for many years. You can tell the story!" (End of this chapter)