In the middle camp, Emperor Cao Rui had a lively conversation with General Cao Hong, the Guardian General.
The two discussed the Battle of Guandu, the siege of Yanshi City, the campaign to Xingyang against Dong Zhongjian, the campaign to abolish Liu Bei, from welcoming Emperor Xian to his southern descent at Red Wall.
As Cao Hong, the adoptive brother of Cao Cao, had experienced and witnessed numerous events, he could be considered a witness to the entire process of the Cao family's rise to power. Moreover, being generous and eloquent, conversing with Cao Hong about old tales indeed provides a delightful experience.
After Cao Rui was about to leave the middle camp, Cao Hong even invited the emperor to his home for a banquet, but was rejected by Cao Rui on the grounds of being busy and promised to entertain Cao Hong at a banquet in the palace on a later date.
Cao Hong, of course, accepted it with pleasure.
Among the generational relatives and commanding officers of Cao Cao, the leader of the Tiger and Leopard cavalry, Cao Jun, died earliest. Xia Hаo Yuan was killed in battle at Dingjun Mountain, Xia Hаo Dun had already died of illness long ago, and Cao Ren died after the defeat at Ruyu.
Among the current generational relatives and commanding officers of Cao Wei, Cao Hong is the oldest and most experienced one.
At the beginning of this year, when Emperor Cao Pi, the predecessor, had not yet died, he intended to execute Cao Hong for committing unlawful acts in his doorstep as a guest. Although he was saved from death by the efforts of Empress Ping and his family property was returned to him, his official position and title were stripped away.
An old minister who had been aiding Cao Cao since he rose in arms was treated this way, and many members of the royal family had quite a bit of resentment.
The royal family is a problem that cannot be avoided by all dynasties and generations.
During the Han Dynasty, the power below the emperor was divided into three parts by eunuchs, court officials, and scholars.
When eunuchs were powerful, the relatives of the imperial consort could unite with scholars. And when scholars gained influence, the relatives of the imperial consort and eunuchs could also join forces to resist.
In Cao Wei, the founding emperor Cao Pi issued a special edict limiting the powers of eunuchs and imperial consorts, essentially depriving them of their power from the start.
Cao Pi even abolished the positions held by eunuchs, changing the yellow door, which was always near the emperor and held by eunuchs, to a position for relatives and their children called scattered riding.
With the three legs of the imperial consorts, eunuchs, and scholars having had two cut off, there was only one leg left, which was the scholars, standing in opposition to the military aristocracy represented by the Xia and Cao families.
This refers to the opposition between the Qiao and Pei military clans and the You and Ying aristocratic families.
According to common sense, Cao Pi, who based his rule on the Cao family's military prowess, should have used the Qiao and Pei military clans as the foundation to govern the state. However, who could have predicted that Cao Cao's leniency towards his two sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi during his later years would lead to a struggle for succession?
During the struggle for the throne, Cao Pi's supporters, whether Chen Qun, Zhong Yao, or Sima Yi, all represented the scholar class. The scholar class championed the patriarchal system, which naturally favored Cao Pi more.
While Cao Sheng's brothers Ding Yi were all from Qiao County, Cao Pi had more than one layer of distrust towards the Qiao and Pei people. When Cao Cao led his troops to invade Hanzhong, the leader of the rebellion in the city of Dathel, which Cao Pi had crushed in Dathel, was Wei Xifeng, a native of Pinyuan!
It could be said almost definitively that Cao Pi's treatment of the royal family and the Qiao and Pei military clans was far more distant than Cao Cao's. The generals of the royal family have been dwindling, and Cao Pi also did not grant Zhi He, an unrelated general, true authority.
In Cao Rui's eyes, this was a gradual chipping away at the 'substance' of the Cao family, at the roots of their rule.
Cao Rui's visit to the middle camp to meet Cao Hong was intended to signal that he would like to utilize the Cao family as a means to gain more power, much like buying a 'corpse of a horse' with valuable gold.
Luoyang, the heart of the empire, every move of Emperor Cao Rui would be thoroughly analyzed. It is expected that the relatives and family members such as Xia and Cao will definitely sense some goodwill from Emperor Cao Rui.
At the same time, in Wu country, Wusong.
Zhuge Jun walked into the hall, laughing as he spoke to Wu King Sun Quan: "Your Majesty, just now I received news from Zhou Can: Cao Xiu has agreed to Zhou Can's request and is beginning to plan to launch an attack on the south."
Sun Quan laughed heartily: "Cao Xiu is short of wisdom and cleverness, and he was indeed duped by Bo Zheng's scheme."
Sun Quan looked at Lu Su and said, "Bo yan, I must thank you for your strategy. By feigning surrender in Poyang, you have lured Cao Xiu to advance from the south of Wan City. If this succeeds, I will certainly celebrate your victory publicly!"
Lu Su still had an expression of indifference, sitting at the table and slowly bowing to Sun Quan said: "Your Majesty, Cao Xiu agreeing to this can only be considered half of our strategy has been successful."
Sun Quan said: "The other half? Bo yan is referring to how to win, right?"
Lu Su nodded: "Exactly. The letter of feigned surrender from Zhou Fang says that he wants to have Cao Xiu lead ten thousand men south from Wan City to the river. But when and how to fight this battle still depends on how many troops Cao Xiu brings."
Sun Quan also slightly furrowed his brow, thinking: "Bo Zhuge, bring over Zhou Can's documents. I will look at them myself."
Zhuge Jin dare not be lax, also did not care to look at it again to confirm, both hands held up and handed to Sun Quan.
Sun Quan furrowed his brow, looking at Zhou Can's documents and the handwritten letter from Feng Ping, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Wu.
Sun Quan asked: "What is Feng Ping's background? I have never heard of this person before."
Zhuge Jin interjected on the side: "Last year, when Emperor Cao Pi invaded the border, there were people who surrendered from the north who mentioned Feng Ping. They said Feng Ping had been in office in Hebei for a long time, but I'm not clear on the rest of his affairs."
Sun Quan nodded in agreement, continuing to read the two documents. At this moment, Lu Su suddenly said: "I have heard that Emperor Cao Pi has always had the habit of inserting relatives and friends into the army, and Cao Pi has been long in Yan'an. I speculate that Feng Ping should be closely related to Cao Pi."
"Exactly!" Sun Quan examined the documents carefully: "In Feng Ping's document, he says that Cao Xiu will personally lead several thousand troops south."
"Bo yan, what do you say about these 'tens of thousands'?"
Lu Su asked: "Two or three thousand can be called tens of thousands, and seven or eight thousand can also be called tens of thousands. However, I want to ask your majesty, do you want Cao Xiu's army to have more troops, or fewer troops?"
Sun Quan looked at Lu Su: "Bo yan's intention is to let Zhou Fang communicate again with Cao Xiu, allowing Cao Xiu to decide how many troops to send?”
Lu Su nodded: "That is precisely what I mean."
"Since Cao Xiu has been moved by Zhou Fang and the Wei army is advancing from Wan City to cross the river, it is naturally aimed at crossing the river."
"Wei troops have no ships how to cross the river? It is naturally rely on Zhou Fang's ships provided on the south bank of the river, logistics and food are also provided by Zhou Fang."
"Then your majesty can order Zhou Fang to inform Cao Xiu of the situation regarding the ships and supplies. Once Cao Xiu learns about the ships and supplies, he is sure to send additional troops."
Sun Quan nodded in agreement: "Your words are very true. Bo yan, just now you asked your majesty if you hope Cao Xiu has more or fewer troops this time."
"I will give you an answer now. I intend to use troops of one hundred thousand in the vicinity of Wan City. Whether Cao Xiu brings one thousand, three thousand, or five thousand troops, your majesty can certainly achieve a great victory!"
"What do you think, Bo yan?"
Lu Su heard Sun Quan's words and remained silent for a moment before slowly saying: "Your majesty, using ten thousand troops may be too expensive. Perhaps reducing the number to around five thousand would be more appropriate. With the help of the Great River and Wan Pass, it should be sufficient to deal with Cao Xiu."
"I think that the remaining troops need to be deployed along the river for defense, in case Wei troops advance south from their generals in Jing State and the southern area of Jiangxi."
After hearing Lu Su's words, Sun Quan remained expressionless, but there was a trace of discontent in his heart. This had become a common situation in Eastern Wu, where everyone was brave in defense but conservative in offensive campaigns.
This had become a heartache of Sun Quan's throughout his reign.
