The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 317 Moving the Capital
"Does the Crown Prince intend to move the capital?"

With things having come to this point, Wang Lang had nothing left to hide.

Moreover, for the Great Wei, which possesses "five capitals," a temporary relocation of the capital is not something to be ashamed of.

As early as the 24th year of Jian'an, when Guan Yu launched his first northern expedition against Xiangfan and his might shook the Central Plains.

Cao Cao was concerned that Xuchang, where Emperor Liu Xie of Han was located at the time, was too close to Guan Yu, so he planned to move to Yecheng in Hebei.

At that time, the country was still called "Han", and Ye City was not even a secondary capital, but the capital of the Wei Kingdom.

The situation in Luoyang today is even more perilous than that in Xuchang back then.

The status of the five capitals had already been established long ago.

Why can't we discuss it?
As expected, Cao Rui blushed slightly, but still said firmly:
"It is not that I am unwilling to defend our ancestral property, but that the rebels are too powerful and the Heluo region is no longer a viable place to stand."

"Rather than being trapped in one place and suffering mutual destruction, it is better to follow the ancient story of enduring hardship and biding one's time, accumulating strength, and planning for the future."

"But I worry that my ministers may not understand my intentions and may mistakenly believe that I want to abandon the country and seek my own safety. What should I do?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lang stroked his beard and asked:

"Where does the Crown Prince intend to move to?"

Cao Rui countered, "What does Your Highness think of Ye City?"

"With its strong fortifications, deep moats, ample reserves of food and military equipment, and the natural barrier of the Taihang Mountains, it is a suitable place for the emperor's rear garrison."

Wang Lang began to analyze slowly.

"But there are also two shortcomings."

"Firstly, several years ago, Jizhou suffered a locust plague, and the late emperor relocated tens of thousands of households to Henan. Although Hebei is not as desolate as the three rivers, it is certainly not as prosperous as the three rivers."

“Once the imperial carriages head north, the available manpower and resources will inevitably be reduced, which is not a long-term solution.”

"Secondly, although Ye City has the natural barrier of Taihang Mountain to the west, the prerequisite is that the Shangdang highlands are not lost."

"Otherwise, it would be like the Zhao state after the Battle of Changping, which lost the cover of Shangdang, and the Qin army could come and go as it pleased, making it impossible to defend against."

"And now, south of Huguan in Shangdang, there are still Shu bandits lingering... This is a problem!"

Cao Rui sighed heavily.

These issues have obviously been considered.

He then asked, "Regardless of the merits or demerits of Ye City, regarding the matter of moving the capital, do the princes agree or disagree?"

Wang Lang knew that the Crown Prince was forcing him to make a statement.

But Wang Sikong, a seasoned official, was shrewd and had seen it all.

He remained silent, seemingly weighing the pros and cons carefully.

Helpless, Cao Rui could only look at Guanqiu Jian again.

The latter immediately stepped forward and said to Wang Lang:
"So that the princes and dukes may know, I have inquired about the opinions of the officials in Luoyang regarding this matter. Apart from the three dukes, those who agree and those who disagree are evenly divided."

Wang Lang glanced at him sideways and said:

"It's unclear who specifically agrees and who disagrees?"

Guanqiu Jian glanced at Cao Rui, and upon receiving the latter's approval, he replied succinctly:
Xiahou Anxi was the most vehement opponent, arguing that the ancestral temple should not be abandoned.

"Cao Zhendong initially only had some minor complaints, but after hearing about General Anxi's attitude, he became quite vehement."

Although Chen Lingjun did not explicitly say whether it was acceptable or not, she did not refute the opposition from the cabinet.

"As for the Nine Ministers and the various Secretaries, their opinions differ..."

Wang Lang showed no surprise and said:

"Please forgive my intrusion."

"Judging from Xiahou Zilin, he appears brave but is actually cowardly. Don't be fooled by his fierce words; he's probably already hoping to leave Luoyang."

"General Zhen Dong is indeed brave, but outside of military affairs, he can only parrot what others say and is not worth mentioning."

"Chen Wenchang does have insight, but he is bound by his hometown sentiments. If he were to move to Hebei, where would that leave the scholars of Yingru? Even if he agrees, it would be inconvenient for him to openly refute it. Perhaps he has mixed feelings about it."

"The rest of the people who opposed it were mostly scholars from Henan, who naturally did not want to see the imperial carriage going north."

Those who agree have the opposite view.

At this point, Wang Lang paused slightly and looked directly at Cao Rui:

"Has the Crown Prince consulted the Left General and the Commander Sima about this matter?"

Cao Rui nodded and said:
"General Zuo said that if I were to move to Hebei, he would volunteer to stay in Luoyang and continue to protect the ancestral temples for the court."

"Zhang Junyi is truly a pillar of the nation!" Wang Lang couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Cao Rui: "As for Sima Yi, he quite agrees with this matter and even submitted a memorial to appoint Wu Zhi as the chief craftsman, to go to Ye City first to build more palaces."

Wang Lang was slightly surprised this time, but nodded and stroked his beard, saying:
"The two generals are based north of the Yellow River, so they naturally agree to the imperial carriage traveling north."

Having summarized all this, Wang Lang finally gave his opinion: "From a military perspective, it is perfectly reasonable to temporarily avoid the enemy's sharp edge."

"But moving the capital is no small matter; it affects everything."

"If Cao Cao acts too hastily, he may easily turn a good thing into a bad thing."

"In my humble opinion, Your Highness should first ascend the throne in Luoyang, offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple, and then issue decrees to the officials and the people to express your aspirations before implementing them."

"Furthermore, the emperor's carriage must travel slightly later than the officials heading north, to show that the emperor still has the will to protect the state."

"In this way, the turmoil caused by moving the capital can be reduced."

This means that, in principle, they support moving the capital.

Cao Rui's expression immediately relaxed.

But I still cautiously pressed for more information:
"If the imperial edict is widely disseminated, will it cause Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, and others to think that I am cowardly and launch a hasty attack on Luoyang, thus worsening the situation?"

Wang Lang shook his head and said:
"This major battle in Hedong has already depleted the grain reserves in Guanzhong. Although Sima Fu's army was defeated at Anyi, it was not without its merits."

"If I were Zhuge Liang, I would have stayed at home for the next few years to allow the people to rest and recuperate, so as to avoid excessive expansion and any unrest within the pass."

"If the Crown Prince were to openly show his sincerity to the world at this time, the Shu rebels would know that their foundation is not stable and they might not dare to offend him lightly."

"On the contrary, if they leave secretly, Luoyang will surely be shaken to its core afterward. At that time, neither Zhuge Liang nor Guan Yu will be afraid to take another risky gamble!"

Snapped!
Cao Rui smiled and said:

"Your words, Your Highness, are like the sun breaking through the clouds; they have truly enlightened me!"

The following lavish praise gave the old man, known as the Three-Year Old Man, ample face.

But after Wang Lang left...

Cao Rui's smile vanished quickly.

"I remember that Your Highness is from Donghai, Xuzhou?"

“Tanxian County in the East China Sea,” Guanqiu Jian replied readily.

Cao Rui: "Is the Shu general Mi Wei also from Donghai?"

“…Qiu County, Donghai.” Guanqiu Jian hesitated slightly.

Cao Rui: "Since they are from the same prefecture, do you think the princes could persuade them to surrender?"

"I've heard that Mi Wei is a man of both literary and martial talents, a true national hero. If I could gain his assistance, I would be like Goujian with Fan Li. Why would I worry about not being able to conquer Wu with three thousand Yue soldiers in the future?"

Guanqiu Jian's expression immediately became tense:
"Your Highness! Given the favor bestowed upon the Mi family father and son in Chang'an, how could they possibly choose another master simply because of their shared hometown?"

"Besides, Mi Wei was born into a military family and spent most of his youth in Jing and Yi provinces. He probably can't even speak his native dialect properly, so how could he possibly cherish any old friendships with fellow townsmen?"

"If you expect the princes to shamelessly try to persuade the enemy to surrender, they will only bring shame upon themselves!"

"Although the prince did not explicitly support moving the capital to Ye City just now, he was genuinely planning for Your Highness's benefit. Why should we further pressure him?"

"Ha... It was just a joke, Zhonggong, why take it so seriously?"

Cao Rui's lips curled slightly.

"How could I not know that princes and dukes are also concerned about criticism from the court and the public?"

"How could one not know that one's ancestral home is different from one's hometown?"

"Does kinship equate to closeness?"

Having said that, he laughed loudly and left.

Guanqiu Jian looked at the other person's inexplicably lonely back and immediately stopped his words of advice.

Speaking of which, the Crown Prince's ancestral home was indeed in Qiao County.

However, he grew up in Ye City, the capital of Wei, and his birth mother, Lady Zhen, was buried there.

For him, Qiao was not as good as Ye, and the South was not as good as the North.

His ability to suppress his "local sentiments" and widely accept advice demonstrates that the Crown Prince possessed the magnanimity of a wise ruler.

If you push too hard, it may backfire.

Think about it this way.

Seeing that the situation in Luoyang was not good, the military governor Sima had already gone to Hebei to make arrangements, which truly pleased the emperor.

No wonder that after a major defeat, although he was further away from the central government, he did not lose his official position.

If the imperial carriage does indeed travel north in the future, the person will have actually performed a service in some sense, like a follower of the emperor.

This insight and courage.

It is truly appalling.

(End of this chapter)