Two hundred years after Emperor Liu Xiu of the Han Dynasty swore by the Luo River, another emperor made the same vow by the Luo River.
The Luo River flows gently, surely it cannot be deceitful.
Since Emperor Cao Rui's carriage and accompanying officials returned to Luoyang, the news was sent out from Luoyang to all the prefectures and military camps the next day. Discussions were held among the officials in the court and military commanders in various regions.
In the north palace, the emperor's study.
The Minister of Books Liu Fang and the Director of the Secretariat Sun Zi, these two key officials of the Great Wei, were reporting to the emperor about the discussions among the ministers.
The main focus of the discussion is whether or not to grant an honor.
Many officials believed that it should not be bestowed with titles of kings or dukes. The reasons given were numerous. For example, titles of marquesses would suffice, at worst titles of households with ten thousand households, and it would be enough to bestow more titles. In summary, they believed that rewards should be given but that awards should not be so many or so great.
There were also officials who held the view that "titles and honors cannot be bestowed upon unworthy individuals." They argued that the emperor's act of granting a title of a non-related king would bring trouble to the country and would instead nourish the ambitions of powerful ministers. These individuals believed that it was fundamentally inappropriate to bestow such a title in the first place.
Cao Rui leaned on the new armchair provided by the emperor, listening to Liu Fang and Sun Zi's summary report. The armchair was a gift from the emperor himself. These two key officials had become accustomed to new inventions and innovations surrounding the emperor.
Cao Rui, with a calm face, said, "Lord Liu and Lord Sun, who is more in favor of this proposal?"
Liu Fang bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, naturally there are more in favor. As for those who advised against it, they mainly spoke of the excessive grants of titles and rewards, expressing a wish for Your Majesty to exercise caution."
Cao Rui sighed lightly and said, "They still cannot understand the sincerity of my heart. What do you, Lord Liu, and Lord Sun think?"
Liu Fang remained silent for a moment before responding, "In times of turmoil, heavy rewards are necessary. Without them, it may be difficult to motivate officials and aristocratic families. Since the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sun Quan had established a foothold in Jiangdong and Liu Bei had seized control of Sichuan. The Shu and Wu kingdoms have already held their territories for a long time. If this continues, it may become a serious internal threat. It will be even more challenging for our Great Wei to make further advances."
Sun Zi shared a similar sentiment: "Your Majesty is wise. If Your Majesty's arrangement for the titles of kings is followed, with the three main generals and an additional minister to oversee logistics, if they truly achieve success within ten years, it is likely that these four positions will fall to the four ministers of assistance."
"As for the dukedom, many current officials in the court have also been earmarked for it. With the full support of the assistant ministers and important officials, if they carry out their duties effectively and without any hindrance, the subordinates and the people will also comply."
Cao Rui listened to this and nodded silently in approval, leaning on the armchair. He then began to ponder deeply.
Liu Fang and Sun Zi stood to the side in a disciplined manner, not interrupting the emperor's contemplation.
Why did Cao Rui propose a ten-year agreement? In fact, it was still advantageous for him as a time traveler, with information beyond his time.
Cao Rui was well aware that the next few years would be the most challenging for the Cao Wei regime. Zhuge Liang of Shu Han frequently launched northern expeditions, Sun Quan of Wu had won at Shitingshi and then declared himself emperor, and the middle army of Wei was constantly fighting on all fronts.
In the original history, the Cao Wei regime's credit for destroying Shu Han was attributed to Deng Ai and Zhong Hui in the era of Sima Zhao. Even the Cao family rulers who were in power did not live to see the end of Shu Han!
Much less the Eastern Wu, whose destruction even happened during the era of Sima Wei, after which the Jin Dynasty replaced Wei. Cao Rui could only take advantage of the loyalty and talent of his officials and generals while they were still available, and accelerate the military plans.
The greatest achievements in battle should be recognized first, that is, by offering titles and honors as incentives. Only then can brave warriors face the arrows and climb up the city walls to die for their country.
If one wants the ministers to risk their lives to help Cao Rui pacify Wu, then what kind of rewards should be offered? A knighthood? Come on, don't be ridiculous. Cao Pi has already bestowed knighthoods liberally. Any dignified minister in the Great Wei Dynasty is no less than a marquess!
When it comes to Cao Rui, there is no choice but to bestow titles of kings and dukes. Some are worried that the rewards are too generous, such as a county or a few, which won't cause much trouble. The Western and Eastern Han Dynasties lasted four hundred years, yet even the same-family kings, how many had real power? The Prime Minister of the kingdom and the National Chancellor were appointed by the imperial court!
Even to take the most extreme case, a county or a few, even if they are actually granted, how do they compare in importance to the regionally divided provinces of Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou in the Eastern Wu and Shu Han? It's like comparing a candle flame to the full moon. And what about nominal titles? What difference does it make if they are merely nominal?
Cao Rui slowly stood up from the armchair, although the wooden armchair conforms to his body curves, it was still a bit uncomfortable.
It should be padded with something soft, and ideally, covered with genuine leather on the outside.
Cao Rui looked at the two officials who held the keys to important matters, Liu Fang and Sun Zi, who had been jointly in charge of the secretariat since Cao Pi came to power. Many archives were compiled by these two and then presented to the emperor.
However, in terms of information access, except for the information from the Secretariat Office not being presented by Liu Fang and Sun Zi, and military affairs being summarized by the General Affairs Office, their understanding of other major and minor state affairs is almost on par with the emperor.
Therefore, these two officials were often more in tune with the emperor's thoughts.
Seeing the emperor rise, Sun Zi asked, "I have a doubt that I wish to inquire from Your Majesty."
Cao Rui lightly said, "It's alright, go ahead and ask."
Sun Zi continued to ask, "Your Majesty, why is it the Eastern Wu and not the Shu Han? The Shu Han is small in territory and its people are narrow-minded. Lü BuChang and Zhuge Liang, the rulers and ministers, are ultimately outsiders to Yizhou."
"In my opinion, conquering Shu Han seems easier than the Eastern Wu. But Your Majesty's vow by the Luo River pointed towards the Eastern Wu, and I truly do not understand why."
Cao Rui looked at Liu Fang and asked, "What do you, Lord Liu, think?"
Liu Fang responded seriously, "I also do not understand, but I speculate that it may be because during the reign of His Imperial Ancestor, there was no attack on Shu Han, and there were no precedents to follow."
Cao Rui shook his head lightly, "That is just one aspect of it."
Cao Rui said, "I previously discussed this with the Generalissimo and Sima Yu, and we all agreed that while the Eastern Wu has a larger territory and more troops than Shu Han, it is easier to attack the Eastern Wu than Shu Han."
Cao Rui looked at Liu Fang and asked, "What do you think, Your Majesty, is the Great Wei stronger than Shu Han?"
Liu Fang thought for a moment before replying, "We are strong in our numerous troops, in our food and supply logistics, in the power of our cavalry, and in our renowned scholars and valiant generals."
Cao Rui said, "Let's not talk about famous scholars and valiant generals. If we were to fight against Shu Han, where would the battlefield be?"
Liu Fang, who had been in charge of the secretariat for many years, was quite familiar with the geography: "If we attack, it will be at Hancheng. If we defend, it will be at Qingshan."
Cao Rui nodded: "That's it. If we attack Hancheng, the treacherous roads of Shu are such that our advantage in food supplies, logistics, and cavalry would be of no use. Being burdened by logistics, our troops would naturally be limited in number."
"If we attack the Eastern Wu, although our advantage in cavalry will still be affected, Sun Quan dare not let the Great Wei fully occupy the northern bank of the Yangtze River. He must engage us in land battles on the northern bank."
Liu Fang suddenly understood: "Your Majesty, I see your point. The Eastern Wu can rely on water transport for logistics, and the Great Wei can too. Therefore, we can have more troops. The advantage of the navy lies in ships, which is not as difficult to compensate for with manpower as the treacherous roads of Shu."
Cao Rui said, "My opinion is that if we attack Hancheng, the chances of victory and defeat are about 3:7. But if we attack the Eastern Wu, our advantage in troops, logistics, and the navy can fully make up for our disadvantage. Perhaps we can achieve a ratio of 6:4 in victory and defeat."
