Cao Rui smiled and replied, "I believe so too."
Sun Shiwu is a well-known title for posterity, and how could Cao Rui not be aware of it?
But jokes aside, a hundred thousand troops represent an absolute number that no one can afford to overlook, regardless of the era or location.
Constrained by logistics, transportation, management, and many other factors, the ability of one side to concentrate a force of a hundred thousand soldiers on a single battlefield is almost the upper limit of this era.
If one wants to gather more than ten thousand troops, they must either work hard on logistics to support the army, or have a high-level person who oversees the battle in management.
During Cao Pi's reign, he launched three southern expeditions to Wu. The first expedition had the largest force, exceeding two hundred thousand. Of course, these two hundred thousand soldiers were not concentrated on a single battlefield but were divided into three routes: the eastern route at Guangling, the central route at Ruxu, and the western route at Jiangling.
If Sun Quan were to really deploy a force of one hundred thousand in Wancheng, dealing with it would not be simple.
Cao Rui addressed Cao Zhen: "Great General, go to my study and let's discuss our countermeasures by consulting the map."
Cao Zhen readily agreed. By the time both returned to the emperor's study, Sima Yi had been waiting outside for quite some time.
Cao Rui, of course, found this normal, as it was Cao Rui who sent for Sima Yi. However, Cao Zhen was somewhat puzzled. He had come to report military affairs to the emperor, so why had Sima Yi also come?
In the end, they didn't manage to ask it out.
In fact, whenever Cao Rui convened Cao Zhen and Sima Yi in his study for discussions, the two were almost always present at the same time. If Cao Zhen arrived first, Cao Rui would summon Sima Yi to be there. If Sima Yi arrived first, Cao Rui would invite Cao Zhen over.
One civil and one military, each balancing the other.
Cao Rui saw Sima Yi bow and nod, and replied, "Your arrival is most timely. I believe Zhou Can pretended to surrender, intending to discuss military matters with the Great General. Please join us in our discussion."
Zhong Yuyu was a man of quick wit. On the way, he heard that the emperor intended to use the map. At this moment, he lightly and quietly walked to the bookshelf and took down the map, spread it out on the table and slowly unrolled it, then retreated to the corner of the room.
Cao Rui cast a glance at Zhong Yuyu but said nothing. Although Zhong Yuyu was only fourteen, he was cautious and measured in both his actions and character, making him a seed worth cultivating.
Upon seeing the map unfolded, Cao Rui called forward the two principal advisors to watch it together, pointing to the place designated by Zhou Can's letter for the rendezvous with Cao Xu.
Cao Rui said, "Zhou Can's letter mentions two crucial points. I will go over them one by one with you."
"Firstly, it is about the troops. Zhou Can advises General of Great Marшal to lead one hundred thousand troops southward. Sun Quan, if he wants to swallow up the troops of General of Great Maršal, must have at least two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand troops."
"I just discussed this with the Great General. Sun Quan can at most gather a force of one hundred thousand."
"Secondly, it is about the location. Zhou Can also mentioned that they must follow the An River to Jiang. However, the mouth of the An River into the Jiang is currently under the control of the Eastern Wu!"
Cao Rui pointed from Wancheng to the mouth of the An River by the Jiang, tapping heavily with his brush at the location of Wan Kou.
Cao Zhen was silent for a moment and then said, "But based on Zhou Can's words, if Sun Quan attacks from four directions to the north, then places along the river like the mouth of the An River will be empty. It seems that Sun Quan must be placing heavy troops at the mouth of the An River."
Cao Rui nodded in agreement. "The mouth of the An River is situated by the great river, with Jianye above and Wuchang below. Compared to the Wei, Sun Quan has more convenience in either deploying troops or transporting supplies."
Cao Zhen wondered, "Then what should we do? How can we go to the river bank from Wancheng without going through Wan Kou?"
Cao Rui sneered coldly: "If it can't be reached, then there's no need to go to the river bank!"
"I have made it clear. If the Great Marshal goes south, Sun Quan will surely set an ambush along the road from Wancheng to Wan Kou. How to annihilate Sun Quan's ambushed troops is what we should be considering!"
"As for Zhou Can's surrender letter, it merely tells us the location of Wancheng as our battleground. We don't need to worry about the rest."
Sima Yi, who was standing by and listening intently to the conversation between the emperor and Cao Zhen. Sima Yi arrived later and did not know that the emperor and Cao Zhen had already decided that Zhou Can's surrender was a ruse. However, he had already picked up on their discussions.
It seems that the emperor intends to play along with the trick, allowing Cao Xu to go south to lure Sun Quan's ambush and then destroy the troops that Sun Quan has set.
The ideal is very full, but the reality may not be feasible. Sima Yi quickly realized that, according to the emperor's hypothesis, Sun Quan could gather an army of ten thousand in the area between Wancheng and Wan Kou because he relied on the convenience of water transportation.
If the Wei wants to annihilate Sun Quan's troops, which are at least two to three thousand and up to ten thousand, how many troops will they need, and how should they go about it?
Even someone as wise as Sima Yi could not help but be surprised at the emperor's ambitious appetite.
If Sun Quan deploys ten thousand troops, and the Wei deploys more than ten thousand troops, would there really be a battle involving more than twenty million troops on the battlefield from Hefei to Wancheng to Wan Kou?
Sima Yi had not prepared yet, and he didn't know how to prepare either. He couldn't even believe that Sun Quan could mobilize so many troops.
At this moment, Sima Yi said, "Your Majesty, are you overestimating Sun Quan? Where does Sun Quan get ten thousand troops to deploy in Wancheng?"
"Even if the Great Marshal really follows Zhou Can's advice and deploys troops along the Wancheng front, how could Sun Quan mobilize more than ten thousand troops? Perhaps no more than three or five thousand would be sufficient."
Cao Rui shook his head. Sima Yi's words perfectly fit his usual style. Sima Yi had long been preparing logistics for Cao Pi's southern expeditions, so naturally his mind was filled with provisions, equipment, and other supplies needed for troop movements.
In Sima Yi's considerations for decision-making, he couldn't think of anything that would justify Sun Quan deploying ten thousand troops to Wancheng.
Sima Yi may not know, but Cao Rui was well aware of it in his heart.
After Sun Quan's retreat at Jiangxi, and the two consecutive defctions of Han Zong and Zhai Dan, Sun Quan now urgently needed a decisive victory to cover up his decline.
Therefore, Sun Quan sent Zhou Can to seek out Cao Xu in order to feign surrender. The incident of Zhou Can's feigned surrender occurred two years earlier than in the original history!
In the original history, Sun Quan gained great authority and was able to establish the Wei by relying on his victory in the Battle of Shiting.
In other words, Sun Quan's decision to let Zhou Can feign surrender was not a military operation with the goal of attacking cities, looting lands, or altering the strategic landscape between Wu and Wei.
What does Sun Quan seek, then? Sun Quan seeks to boost his reputation and achievements! He needs a major victory to cover up his decline, or even to help him declare himself emperor. This is fundamentally an operation with political motives!
Deploying ten times as many troops to fight against a mere one hundred thousand of Cao Xu's army does not mean loss!
Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and slowly said, "Sima Ying, what do you think is Sun Quan's motive for sending Zhou Can to feign surrender?"
Sima Yi thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that because of the poor performance in the summer at Jiangxia and Xiangyang, Sun Quan is trying to stabilize his internal situation with victories? Perhaps it's also because of Han Zong and Zhai Dan's surrender. I've heard that some officers along the river in Eastern Wu are restive."
Sima Yi guessed right about half of it. Cao Rui asked, "If I say that Sun Quan is eager to become emperor?"
Sima Yi's eyes widened slightly, a line of thought that Sima Yi had never considered. But Sima Yi remained online in intelligence: "Then according to the emperor's idea, Sun Quan is now just trying to win a victory to increase his reputation?"
Cao Rui nodded, and Sima Yi also fell into deep thought.
