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

Chapter 355 The Paperhanger of the Great Wei

The reason it is described as "about to".

Strictly speaking, Zhu and Zang only captured the capital of Eastern Wu and took the King of Wu prisoner.

However, they did not completely occupy the entire territory of Wu.

Not to mention Jingzhou, which is far in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and Wancheng, which is north of the river.

Even within Yangzhou, large areas remained unconquered.

Moreover, it is said that before Sun Deng was arrested, he had already secretly moved his offspring and some of his relatives.

These are the foundations upon which the Eastern Wu kingdom will be restored in the future.

Therefore, it is too early to declare the Wu Kingdom dead.

Regardless, with the fall of Jianye, Sun Deng was captured.

The Sun family regime in Jiangdong has temporarily entered a state of brain death.

This undoubtedly brought a slight sense of relief to Ye City, north of the Yellow River, and Guanqiu Jian, who was barely surviving on the east side of Dongjun.

Upon receiving the letter, Ye City immediately dispatched envoys southward, ostensibly to commend Cao Zhi and the two generals, in an attempt to win back these out-of-control Huainan military leaders.

However, the messenger only completed one-third of his mission.

Cao Zhi was successfully commended.

Then they were stopped.

Cao Zhi personally stopped him.

"The messenger is unaware of something."

"After Zhu and Zang entered the city, they disagreed on how to deal with the Sun clan."

"Zhu Wenbo advocated killing Sun Deng and then installing a young member of a collateral branch as the ruler, so as to quickly pacify the Wu region."

"Zang Xuangao, however, believed that the remaining troops of Eastern Wu were nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs, and it would be better to eliminate the Sun family completely to prevent future troubles."

"The two generals got into a huge fight over this and almost came to blows. I sent someone to mediate, but they rebuked me instead. It's really infuriating!"

Upon hearing this, the messenger's face immediately turned worried, and he said:
"Where is King Deng of Wu now?"

Cao Zhi shook his head and sighed:
"They have probably met with some misfortune."

“I heard from the messenger that Sun Deng’s wife, Zhou, inherited the beauty of her mother, Xiao Qiao, and is quite beautiful.”

"Both generals wanted to take it for themselves and were unable to reach an agreement, so they argued for quite some time."

"If both generals harbored ambitions to manipulate Sun Deng, how could they dare to openly insult his wife? They must have been murdered..."

Upon hearing this, the envoy from Ye City's face became completely tense, and he looked up to the sky and sighed:
"If that is the case, then although we win this battle, it will not be a blessing for Great Wei! Rather than saying that Wei has defeated Wu, it would be more accurate to say that each of the two generals has won!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhi asked, somewhat puzzled:

"It's better for two tigers to fight over food than for two tigers to cooperate. Why is the messenger sighing?"

The envoy from Ye City cried out in anguish:

"Where's the good?"

"Both generals acted on their own initiative in handling such important matters as the affairs of a country and its ruler without consulting the court. This clearly shows that they harbored ambitions of secession!"

"I believe that although the Jianghuai region has not been captured by the Han army, it is no longer Wei territory!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhi's expression changed, and he was filled with worry.

However, as a member of the royal family confined to his fiefdom, what could he do besides worry?

So their gaze fell upon the envoy from Ye City.

The other party wore a blue sash at their waist, indicating that they must be of high status.

So he took the initiative to inquire:

"May I ask the name of the envoy, and what official position does he hold in the court?"

The envoy from Ye City returned the greeting:

"I am Xu Shu, courtesy name Yuanzhi, and was originally the Commandant of the Capital Region."

"Sili has now been occupied by the Shu bandits, but Your Majesty does not punish me and still trusts me. Recently, he has promoted me to the rank of Attendant Gentleman of the Palace and specially sent me across the river to inquire about the affairs of Yangzhou."

Cao Zhi's worry immediately turned to joy, and he stepped forward to grasp Xu Shu's hand, saying:

"I have long heard that Lord Xu possesses the qualities of a national hero and is also extremely loyal."

"Now I wish to serve the court but have no way to do so. I often lament that I have wasted my days. I hope that Master Xu can guide me through this predicament!"

Xu Shu: "Of course, of course..."

……

In the spring of the fourth year of the Taihe era, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei issued an order in Ye City.

Cao Zhi, the Marquis of Xiapi, was rewarded for his meritorious service in conquering the state and was granted the title of King of Chu, with Huainan Commandery in Yangzhou as his fief, with its capital at Shouchun. Furthermore, citing the dire state of affairs, he dismissed Wang Su, who was in mourning, and appointed him as the Chancellor of Chu.

He also remotely appointed Cao Xiu, the former General Who Conquered the East and Governor of Yangzhou, whom he had painstakingly rescued from the Jianye dungeon, as the King of Wu.

He appointed the two generals as his advisors to help Cao Xiu continue to pacify the Wu region.

As for why it was a remote worship.

One story is that Cao Xiu spent five or six years in the Jianye dungeon, leaving him barely alive and unable to cause any more trouble.

Secondly, everyone knows that Zhu and Zang have already lost control and are running away on their own.

The so-called conferment of the title of King of Wu upon Cao Xiu was merely a way to save face for both sides.

In short, thanks to Xu Shu, a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, who traveled all over the country, the Great Wei Kingdom was barely salvaged.

The Battle of Yanzhou, which was actually a devastating defeat, was covered up by a proclaimed "Great Victory of Yangzhou".

Yes.

For the sake of so-called dignity.

According to the official narrative of the Wei Kingdom, the humiliating defeat suffered by Cao Hong at Weishi, in which he lost 40,000 to 50,000 troops, was completely fabricated.

He died a heroic death while trying to stop the Han army from marching south to rescue Yangzhou.

For this, Cao Rui posthumously conferred upon him the title of Grand General and the posthumous name of Gong, bestowing upon him the highest honors.

Even Wang Ling, the governor of Yuzhou who also died in battle, received a posthumous title.

Guanqiu Jian, who also participated in the battle and survived, did not receive any reward.

It is said that Guanqiu Jian was responsible for the delayed rescue efforts following the deaths of Cao Cao and Wang Ziya.

However, considering his meritorious service in blocking Guan Ping in Dongjun and protecting Puyang City, his merits and demerits were offset, and he was allowed to continue serving as the governor of Yanzhou with the authority to act on behalf of the emperor.

By the time everything seemed to have settled down, it was already late spring of that year.

Xu Shu returned "successfully" from his mission and immediately went to the palace to report back.

When facing Cao Rui, he naturally spoke the truth—in a sense.

"Your Majesty, now that the Jianghuai region has been lost, although the King of Chu (Cao Zhi) is loyal and the Chancellor of Chu (Wang Su) is capable, they can only appease Jiangdong to a certain extent and cannot rely on him for assistance."

"From this day forward, the only lands that our Great Wei can use are the three prefectures of Hebei and some counties in Yan, Yu, Qing and Xu provinces."

Upon hearing this, Cao Rui suddenly burst into laughter:
"Is Minister Xu trying to make me happy?"

"Of the so-called three prefectures in Hebei, Bingzhou has been besieged for a long time, and Youzhou is further weakened by the fact that the Gongsun family of Liaodong is only superficially united. How can they be considered as providing assistance?"

"As for Yan, Yu, Qing, and Xu... since you returned from the south, how could you not know that apart from a few loyal and virtuous men like Guanqiu Zhonggong and Wang Gongyi, the rest are no longer under my control?"

"To be honest, the only things I can rely on right now are Ji Province and most of You Province!"

Xu Shu was flustered and dared not answer.

Cao Rui stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and asked with a focused gaze:
"Tell me the truth, on your journey south, did the ruler of Shu...Han secretly send envoys to persuade you to surrender?"

Xu Shu trembled violently, and it took him a long time to shakily reply:

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you; it is indeed true."

Cao Rui: "What official position has the Han emperor granted you?"

Xu Shu: "He is nothing more than a prefect or commandant of a commandery."

"I don't believe it." Cao Rui shook his head slightly, his gaze still fixed on Xu Shu.

The latter took a slight breath and said again:

"I heard that Kongming intends to offer me a position as a high-ranking official."

Cao Rui: "What duke? Which minister?"

Xu Shu: "It is said that He Zong, the Grand Herald of the enemy state, has recently fallen seriously ill, and Kongming intends to have me fill this position."

Upon hearing this, Cao Rui released his grip and laughed heartily:

"Given your talent, being appointed as a mere figurehead minister is already a beneath you."

"Zhuge Liang wouldn't even give her the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies, only granting her the title of Grand Herald?"

"Is this how the rulers and ministers of an enemy state seek out talented individuals?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu replied:

"Your Majesty's favor is well known to me."

"But since the enemy country reopened the old routes to the Western Regions and the South, the number of tributes from various countries has increased year by year, to the point that the authority of the Grand Herald in Chang'an has become increasingly important, far beyond what our country can match."

"I have heard that last year, King Botiao of the Yuezhi sent envoys to Chang'an to present rare and precious items. The Han emperor then bestowed upon Botiao the title of King of the Yuezhi who was close to the Han, and appointed the Minister of Ceremonies as his envoy to travel west to the Yuezhi to proclaim the king's decree..."

Upon hearing this, Cao Rui's smile gradually froze on his face.

(End of this chapter)