Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The war between Wei and Shu came to an end with Zhuge Liang's withdrawal of troops, but the truce was not limited to Guanxi.

At the end of March, the 20,000 cavalry led by General Wen Qin of the Left Winged Guards had returned to Xiangyang. When they crossed the Han River and arrived at Fancheng, they found that the emperor himself had come to Fancheng and welcomed the army's return together with Man Chong who was waiting at the ferry.

"Your Majesty!" Wen Qin saw the umbrella in the emperor's ceremonial procession and hurriedly took two steps at a time. Before he could even greet Man Chong and Xin Pi, he immediately bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, I, Wen Qin, am honored to see you. I dare not accept your request, Your Majesty, for taking the trouble to greet me in person!"

Cao Rui arrived in Fancheng in early March. He was accompanied by General Cao Zhen and four ministers who served as cabinet ministers. He did not bring too many attendants with him. Only Guanqiu Jian led two thousand cavalrymen to accompany him.

The purpose of this tour was, firstly, to meet with Man Chong, Xin Pi and others to supervise the troop deployment and food collection along the way from Jingzhou to Xiangfan; secondly, to be closer to Hanzhong and hear the battle report from Guanxi more promptly; and thirdly, to wait in Xiangfan for the results of Wen Qin's expedition.

Cao Rui helped Wen Qin up with a smile on his face, and said in a gentle voice: "Wen Qin, you have worked hard on this expedition."

Wen Qin stood up and responded with a salute: "I am following the imperial edict and doing my best for the king. It is not hard at all. Although I did not fight the enemy this time, I have learned all the mountains and rivers along the way, which will be very convenient for attacking Xiling and Jiangling in the future."

"Moreover..." Wen Qin half-turned his body and stretched out his right hand to point at the two Jiang Lings following behind him. "Zhao Bo and Bo Yue are both leading 5,000 cavalry for the first time. They did everything perfectly, including reconnaissance, harassment, command, marching, and intimidation."

"Your Majesty, I, Cao Shuang (Jiang Wei), pay my respects to you." Cao Shuang and Jiang Wei, who were standing behind Wen Qin, saluted together.

"Zhaobo, Boyue, you two did a good job!" Cao Rui looked at them with a little approval, and then turned his gaze to Bei Yan behind them.

"Beiqing, come here!" Cao Rui looked at Bei Yan and waved his hand.

Bei Yan was a little surprised. He was only slightly stunned for a few moments, then he calmed down and walked forward to pay his respects.

From Bei Yan's perspective, the imperial court's dispatch of 20,000 cavalry to Jingzhou did have strategic significance for deterring the Wu army and investigating military affairs.

But it also contains some private goods.

Everyone knew that General Man Chong, who led the expedition to Jingxiang, had asked His Majesty for Wen Qin's five thousand elite cavalry. The last time Man Chong and Wen Qin appeared on the same battlefield was when Wen Qin defeated Gongsun Yuan in the east of Xiangping, Liaodong. Bei Yan's former master died in the aftermath of that battle.

Wen Qin was the General of the Left Winged Guards, and was a trusted member of His Majesty's Central Army. Cao Shuang and Jiang Wei, who each commanded 5,000 Hu cavalry, were also well-known figures in the court and the country. Most of the hard work of this expedition, such as opening roads, building bridges, setting up camps, and patrolling, was done by the Liaodong cavalry under Bei Yan.

There is nothing to say about this.

In the past, when Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were fighting for supremacy at Guandu, the hard work was done by the newly surrendered generals such as Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, and Guan Yu. Bei Yan had a clear understanding of his status and did not have many complaints. It was just that everyone had empathy, and seeing Wen Qin, Cao Shuang, and Jiang Wei being so friendly, he was somewhat envious and jealous.

"I have heard in Fancheng that your troops have suffered the most during this expedition." Cao Rui said with a smile, "Before this, I only gave you a house in Xuchang. Last month, I gave you another house in Luoyang. Your wife and daughter have already gone to live there."

Man Chong also smiled and said, "Hongyi is very favored by the emperor. At the end of last year, the emperor also gave your family two bushels of pearls that Sun Quan presented as tribute. Even I don't have such a reward."

Cao Rui chuckled and pointed at Man Chong: "The more you say so, the less I will give it to you. The pearls are in Jiangling and Xiling. You can go get them yourself next year."

Man Chong smiled and bowed.

Bei Yan was stunned at first, then he quickly leaned forward to thank him: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. I dare not die for you?" "Stand up." Cao Rui said indifferently, then turned around and walked towards the city gate: "Just now, the military report from Guanxi has arrived. Come with me, and the four of you should also take a seat and listen."

A moment later, in the General Zhengnan's mansion in Fancheng.

Fancheng was originally a dilapidated city, but in recent years, as the imperial court attached increasing importance to it, not only were the city walls rebuilt in batches, but a special government office area was also opened up in the city and many office spaces were built.

Cao Rui sat in the main seat, Cao Zhen, Man Chong, Xin Pi and four attendants sat on his left and right, and Wen Qin, Cao Shuang, Jiang Wei and Bei Yan sat further back.

Xu Shu picked up the latest issue of Wei Zhen's military report, read it slowly, and then looked at the emperor: "According to the military report of the Wei cavalry in mid-March, the battle in Guanxi is about to end, and the Wei cavalry will soon reach Wujie. They will wait for an opportunity to decide whether to launch an offensive against the Shu army near Wujie."

Cao Rui looked around and said, "I have heard it, everyone. What are your opinions?"

It must be said that Cao Rui's accumulation of talents over the years has had considerable effects. Apart from the four ministers who followed him, there were also three people who had served in the cabinet, Cao Zhen, Man Chong, and Xin Pi, who had sufficient prestige and intellectual reserves to help Cao Rui make any decisions on state affairs.

This is an intentional achievement.

If Cao Rui himself was in Fancheng, he could make decisions with Cao Zhen, Man Chong, and Xin Pi. If Cao Rui himself was in Shouchun, the Shangshutai and Privy Council there would also be sufficient for him to use. Even if he returned to Luoyang in person, the Nine Ministers and other central government officials were all there, and he could still rely on them. Even if he came to Guanxi, Wei Zhen, Wang Chang, and others there also had sufficient experience in the Shangshutai and Privy Council.

This can also be regarded as a reasonable transformation of the political structure of the Wei Dynasty with the emperor himself as the core.

Man Chong said bluntly: "I think the guards have done a good job there. They were able to stabilize the situation after a small defeat, and to continue to be safe and secure so that there would not be any chaos, and to prevent the Shu thieves from finding any opportunities. This is not easy."

"Allow me to speak frankly. Your Majesty has sent guard chariots to Guanxi to ensure that he can guard it safely. Now I see that it is just what he wants."

The words may not sound nice, but the truth is true.

Cao Zhen nodded and said, "Your Majesty proposed to build Wujie City and Wuxing Pass in Guanxi in the second year of Taihe. Now they have become the two frontier garrisons of Wei in Guanxi. I think that after the Shu army retreats this time, we will increase the repairs and garrison of Wujie City."

"The cavalry guards have been very mature and prudent in their use of the troops over the past few months. I have nothing to criticize. The only exception is Cao Ping from Wujie City..." Cao Zhen raised his head and observed the emperor's expression: "I think Cao Ping can be considered to have known shame and then became brave."

Cao Rui nodded gently: "My previous impression of the generals in Guanxi was that the best at defense was Hao Zhao. After Hao Zhao passed away, Cao Ping unexpectedly appeared."

"Xu Qing, please reply to the guards later." Cao Rui said calmly, "He did a good job in the war there. I will not interfere with what he will do next. In addition, I will order the Privy Council to evaluate the merits of the generals in Guanxi. If there are no mistakes in the future, I will grant Cao Ping the title of Tinghou."

"I obey your command." Xu Shu nodded in response.

But a few moments later, Xu Shu asked in a low voice: "The guards attached a page of private letters to the above report, which talked about the dispute between General Wang Wenshu of Zhenxi and General Fei Gongwei..."

Cao Rui spread his hands without commenting, and looked at Cao Zhen sideways: "Wang Chang was once the Privy Councilor, and Fei Yao is your direct descendant. Both of them were once under your control. Can you now give me a way to have the best of both worlds?" (End of this chapter)