Upon hearing the emperor's question, Sun Zhi's heart raced intensely. Sun Zhi had been in charge of important affairs for a long time, yet neither Cao Cao nor Cao Pi had ever asked Sun Zhi anything about such a crucial appointment before.
In other words, Sun Zhi has always been a tool. It is surprising that the emperor is now asking him about such an important personnel matter.
Sun Zhi's heart at this moment guessed that the emperor could ask such a question out of habit, in line with his usual style of action. The other half of the possibility was that the emperor really valued him.
Should he express his opinion or not? Sun Zhi was restless in his thoughts. But after a moment's hesitation, Sun Zhi made his decision.
Sun Zhi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is beyond my ability to discuss. It would be better if Your Majesty inquires about it from the Grand Admiral."
Clearly, Sun Zhi chose a conservative and prudent approach: using his position as an excuse to let the emperor ask the actual commander-in-chief Cao Zhen, who holds military affairs.
Reasonable and sensible.
Different from domestic officials and foreign officials. Although it cannot be said that accompanying the ruler is like accompanying a tiger, being cautious and meticulous is the foundation of the career of domestic officials. For such sensitive matters, it is better not to express opinions to avoid giving the impression that one is conspiring with foreign officials.
Seeing that Sun Zhi did not speak, Cao Rui also seemed not to mind: "Sun Zhongshu, where is Zhang Heng now?"
Sun Zhi thought for a moment: "General Zhang He should be stationed in Mi County."
Cao Rui nodded and took a jade pendant from his waist: "Send someone to deliver this jade pendant to General Zhang He. Give him an imperial edict ordering him to come to the capital, Luoyang."
Sun Zhi nodded in agreement and inwardly felt relieved that he had kept his mouth shut. It seemed likely that the emperor was going to appoint Zhang He as the governor of Guanzhong.
...
The emperor's carriage slowly approached the front of the Zhongli Fort, while at this time, General Guo Hong, who was in charge of the Zhongli Fort, had been waiting at the entrance for a long time.
The Zhongli Fort is an important unit in the central army of Cao Wei.
The Central Army of the Cao Wei had a total of 50,000 personnel. Among them, the Wubei Camp had 25,000 men, the Zhongjin Camp had 8,000 men, the Zhonglei Camp had 7,000 men, the five military commandants' camps each had 4,000 men, the Middle Leader directly led 3,000 men, and the Grand General directly led 3,000 men.
The person in charge of the central army of Cao Wei often changed. Only from the time when Cao Wu became emperor, generals like Cao Xu, Xiahou Shang, Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Wei Zhen, and Zhu Ye have successively taken charge of military affairs in the Zhongli Army as the Middle Leader or Leading General.
Such frequent personnel changes had little impact on the palace guards, which was related to the unique system of the Cao Wei central army.
In a nutshell, the Middle Leader or Leading General is responsible for daily affairs and command of the central army during peacetime, but during war, the central army is entrusted to the generals who are leading the external campaigns.
During the second year of Huangchu when the Qiang people in Liangzhuo Province were in turmoil, Cao Zhen led 20,000 central troops on an expedition to Liangzhuo Province, opening up the Silk Road.
In the third year of the Huangchu era, during the three-pronged invasion of Wu, half of the 50,000 central troops remained in Wan City to protect Cao Pi, with the other half given to Cao Ren for the middle route attack on Ruyu Pass, and the remaining half was entrusted to Xiahou Shang and Cao Zhen for the attack on Jingling.
And General Guo Hong was responsible for many affairs of the Zhongli Fort.
The emperor's carriage departed from Beiping Palace and arrived at the front of the Zhongli Fort within half an hour. At this time, Luoyang City was actually a military city. The central army of Cao Wei, with a total of 50,000 personnel, was stationed within the city.
After dismounting, Emperor Cao Rui saw that General Guo Hong was about to kneel and pay homage, so he quickly walked a few steps forward and pulled Guo Hong's sleeve out of the way.
Emperor Cao Rui smiled and said, "General Guo Hong is a founding father of the great Wei and also an elder of mine. How can I let General Guo Hong kneel to welcome me?"
Before Emperor Cao Rui ascended the throne, he had not interacted with the ministers. This was the first time General Guo Hong had seen the emperor in person. Seeing the emperor personally support him, Guo Hong was even more nervous and distressed.
General Guo Hong respectfully said, "I am but an ordinary sinner who has been elevated by Your Majesty. I am already grateful beyond words, how could I possibly deserve the emperor's support?"
General Guo Hong was also a man in his mid-60s, and while he was quite sturdy, he had some white hair.
Standing at the entrance of the fort, Emperor Cao Rui held onto General Guo Hong's hands with both hands, smiling and asking, "General Guo Hong definitely deserves it. Show the emperor around inside the fort?"
General Guo Hong promptly agreed and led the emperor forward into the fort. Two palace attendants, Liu Ye and Chen Jiao, followed behind, with various duweis (commanders) and xiaos (officers) of the Zhongli Fort trailing behind them.
Emperor Cao Rui asked casually, "General Guo Hong, how has the matter of selecting troops in Hebei progressed?"
General Guo Hong replied, "Thanks to Your Majesty's heavenly power, the selection of troops in Hebei has indeed progressed smoothly. The troops from various regions have all gathered in the city of Yè. After completing the verification of these troops in Yè, I have brought them back to Luoyang."
Emperor Cao Rui looked at Guo Hong, "Have you supplemented over ten thousand men now? How many are veteran soldiers and how many are new recruits?"
General Guo Hong bowed and replied, "Approximately 70% are veteran soldiers, and the remaining 30% are mainly the reserve soldiers from various places in Hebei. For the selection of troops for the central army, naturally, we choose the best among the best."
Emperor Cao Rui nodded, "The soldiers of the central army naturally need to be selected from the best among the best."
General Guo Hong, seeing that he had already accounted for his previous duties, then asked the emperor, "Your Majesty is inspecting the Zhongli Fort, and I should lead Your Majesty around to various places."
Emperor Cao Rui smiled and said, "It's unnecessary. Although I am inspecting the Zhongli Fort, in reality, I am still coming to see General Guo Hong. With General Guo Hong managing the Zhongli Fort on behalf of me, can my arrangements not be appropriate?"
General Guo Hong replied quickly, "I am now old and decrepit, originally thinking that I would spend the rest of my days at home. I didn't expect to be given such an important task by Your Majesty, which is indeed beyond words of gratitude."
Emperor Cao Rui said with a smile, "Although we are ruler and minister, in terms of generations, General Guo Hong is still my great-granduncle."
General Guo Hong stood still upon hearing this, bowed respectfully to the emperor, and said: "As the supreme ruler, how can I dare to boast about my lineage? I kindly request that Your Majesty refrain from saying such things in the future."
Emperor Cao Rui nodded: "Never mind, I understand."
General Guo Hong led the way, and the group arrived at the main hall of the Zhongli Fort.
Emperor Cao Rui naturally sat in the middle, General Guo Hong sat to the right of the emperor, and the two palace attendants and various xiaos (officers) and duweis (commanders) were all standing below the stage.
Emperor Cao Rui looked at General Guo Hong and said, "Today, when I see you, I will not discuss military affairs but only talk about the past."
General Guo Hong bowed and said, "If it comes to military matters, I fear that I will not be able to live up to Your Majesty's trust. However, if we talk about old matters, I have participated in the rebellion of Chenliu during the reign of Emperor Chendi and have experienced many old events over the past few decades."
Emperor Cao Rui said with a smile, "I learned from historical records that during the Battle of Guandu between Emperor Wu and Yan Shao, it was General Guo Hong who was responsible for guarding the camp?"
General Guo Hong was not naturally cautious and careful. The previous cautious demeanor was actually forced out by Cao Pi's blame. Having now seen the new emperor's easygoing nature, Guo Hong gradually relaxed.
General Guo Hong laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty has a wonderful memory. I remember when I was guarding the camp, I'm sure you're referring to the time when Emperor Wu personally attacked Woniashao?"
Emperor Cao Rui nodded with a smile, "Exactly, that's what I was asking about—the extraordinary attack on Wuniashao by Emperor Wu."
General Guo Hong became interested and stroked his beard, saying, "The Battle of Wuniashao has been over thirty years. I remember that it was just after dinner. I was still patrolling the central army's large camp when I unexpectedly found Xu You, a strategist of Yan Shao, running outside the camp."
"Xu You persuaded Emperor Wu to launch an attack on Wuniashao by claiming that it was empty. The emperor immediately led troops there that very night, leaving me and Xun Yu to guard the camp."
"I remember it was in the middle of the night, I was sitting and pacing in the camp, feeling restless, when suddenly I heard cheers outside. I went out of my tent to look in the distance, and there were fires at the direction of Wuniashao..."
...
