At the time when Lu Sun and Pan Juan were discussing the state affairs of the Eastern Wu, in the Shouchun City of the Yangzhou region of the Cao Wei, Generalissimo Cao Xiu was also worrying about the military and state affairs of the Wei.
Cao Xiu furrowed his brow as he finished reading the letter on the table, showing a hint of anger in his expression, and threw the letter directly onto the ground.
Standing up, Cao Xiu placed his hand on his waist, pointing to the letter on the ground and angrily said: "Jia Qiao dared not listen to my command, does he not know that I am the Generalissimo? It's really hateful! Uncle camp, what should we do with this Jia Qiao?"
Jia Qiao served as the Governor of Yu Province, responsible for commanding the regional troops of Yu Province.
From a logical point of view, Cao Xiu's position as the military supervisor of the military affairs of the Yangtze River region seems to have no direct control over Jia Qiao, who is responsible for commanding the regional troops of Yu Province. However, this year, Cao Xiu was appointed as the Grand Marshal by the new emperor Cao Rui, who is responsible for national conquests. Therefore, it seems that he has some control over Jia Qiao.
A few days ago, Cao Xiu received an imperial edict from Luoyang ordering him to gather his troops and prepare for a southern campaign. Relying on this edict, Cao Xiu intended to order Jia Qiao to move his troops to Shouchun, but was refused by Jia Qiao.
In the letter, Jia Qiao stated that he would only act after receiving an edict from Luoyang. Such a response thoroughly enraged Cao Xiu, leading him to lose his temper and unleash this outburst.
Cao Xiu looked at his Grand Marshal's Secretary Feng Ping.
Feng Ping said: "The underlings fear that Jia Yu State still has a grudge against Grand Marshal, so he used the matter of edict to evade Grand Marshal."
Cao Xiu coldly snorted: "Since it is like that, there is no need to blame me for filing a complaint against him to the court. Uncle camp, I will state my position, and you will draft the letter."
Feng Ping naturally agreed and, according to Cao Xiu's intention, wrote a document to impeach Jia Qiao and sent it to Luoyang at a gallop.
When there is a conflict between court officials, reporting to the court is a matter of course. Jia Qiao's daring to refuse General Cao Xiu's orders clearly was not without preparation.
After writing a letter to refuse General Cao Xiu's order, Jia Qiao also wrote a counter-letter in which he stated the details of the incident, and also sent it to the court.
In fact, the order by General Cao Xiu for the Governor of Yu Province, Jia Qiao, to gather at the provincial capital Shouchun in Yangzhou is not problematic from a military standpoint.
As the Governor of Yu Province, Jia Qiao, if he were to gather troops within the territory of Yu Province, naturally they would converge at Yunan, which is located along the Huai River. Following the course of the river downstream could lead one to Shouchun, which is located in the middle reaches of the Huai River.
Shouchun is an important fortress on the Jiang-Huai river. The Cao Wei to the north, if they want to invade Wu in the Yangtze region, must rely on two main waterways.
The first is to depart from Shouchun and follow the Fei River, Shi River, Chaohu Lake, and Rushu Waterway to reach the Yangtze River. This waterway has been divided between the Cao Wei and Wu states; the Cao Wei are stationed at Huaihe to the north of Chaohu Lake, while the Wu state has set up a fortress at Rushu Port to the south of Chaohu Lake to resist the enemy.
The second is still to depart from Shouchun and follow the Huai River downstream, reaching Guangling after passing through Zhongdu Waterway.
No matter which route is taken, it is a must to start from Shouchun.
And besides Yu Province, for northern armies and supplies to head south, they also have to pass through Shouchun. As early as the time of Cao Cao, the large army and supplies traveled south from Yecheng, crossed the Yellow River at Liyang, entered the Wei River via canals, and then traveled south into the Huai River, where they also gathered in Shouchun.
The Cao Wei actually attach more importance to the importance of water transportation than the Shu Han and Dong Wu.
The importance of Shouchun is self-evident. Therefore, it can be seen that the dispute between Cao Xiu and Jia Qiao had nothing to do with doing things, but was entirely entangled in the issue of procedure.
In the end, it is still a conflict between the two individuals.
A few days later, in the northern palace study in Luoyang.
Cao Rui read the memorials submitted by the two senior local officials: one was from Generalissimo Cao Xiu, impeaching Jia Qiao for not complying with his order to mobilize troops; the other was from Jia Qiao, stating that Cao Xiu had issued orders without an explicit edict from the court, and Jia Qiao claimed that he would mobilize troops to Shouchun only after receiving a clear edict from the emperor.
Two memorials were thus placed on the emperor's desk. The conflict between the two senior officials over the border region had to be handled personally by the emperor.
Cao Xiu, as a supporting minister of the imperial family, is self-evident. Jia Qiao, as the Governor of Yu Province, is also a senior official in charge of a region, and has administered Yu Province for many years with notable achievements. He is a capable official who can lead troops on horseback and govern people off horseback.
How to deal with these two officials who are at odds with each other, for a moment, caused Emperor Cao Rui to be at a loss.
Whipping them both fifty times is definitely not appropriate. It is not appropriate to punish the main commander of the army before going to war against the Eastern Wu, especially at this critical time.
If Jia Qiao is handled according to Cao Xiu's proposal, who will lead the troops in Yu Province? At the moment, there is no better choice than Jia Qiao.
As an emperor, Emperor Cao Rui could only choose to swing high and land light, aiming to pacify both sides. Punishing either one would only make Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu laugh in disbelief.
Of course, these two memorials were naturally delivered by the Imperial Secretary who was in charge of important matters, Sun Zi. After delivering the memorials, Sun Zi stood aside and awaited further instructions from the emperor.
Cao Rui also asked Sun Zi, who had delivered these two memorials, "Sun Imperial Secretary, when dealing with conflicts between senior officials, what was the usual practice of the previous emperor?"
Sun Zi bowed and said, "Such matters naturally require the imperial judgment of Your Majesty, which is not within the scope of my authority. However... however, since the reign of the previous emperor, the Generalissimo has always had quite a few criticisms for Jia Yu Province."
Cao Rui asked, "Is there such a thing?"
Sun Zi nodded: "That is indeed the case. Jia Yu Province is known for his integrity and righteousness, while the Generalissimo has always had conflicts with him. In the third year of Huangchu, when the previous emperor planned to grant Jia Yu Province the right of a general who was not an official, it was blocked by the Generalissimo."
"I recall that at the time, the Generalissimo stated that Jia Yu Province was of a stern and disdainful nature, and was not suitable for being granted the authority of a general who was not an official. Indeed, the previous emperor did not grant Jia Yu Province such authority."
Cao Rui, who was unaware of the conflict between the two officials beforehand, then asked: "Did Jia Qiao really disdain the generals?"
Sun Zi shook his head slightly: "Jia Yu Province is just a person of integrity."
Cao Rui nodded upon hearing this, without further thoughts.
As Sun Zi was explaining Jia Qiao's character to the emperor, at the same time, Xin Pi, the Imperial Tutor in the study, spoke out to refute him.
Xin Pi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."
Cao Rui felt somewhat surprised. Xin Pi was known for his integrity and forthright nature. However, this was the first time Xin Pi had interrupted another official during a petition.
Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi. Sun Zi also slowly turned his head and cast a sidelong glance at Xin Pi.
Xin Pi said, "Your Majesty, do you not know about the private friendship between Sun Zi and Jia Yu Province? I think that Sun Zi's words are somewhat biased towards Jia Yu Province."
Cao Rui's expression did not fluctuate, and he looked at Sun Zi again: "What is your private relationship? I am indeed unaware."
Sun Zi slightly bowed and replied, "In my early years, I served in Hedong Prefecture with Jia Yu Province. In those days, Jia Yu Province advised me to take a government job as a county official. Later, when I worked at the Prime Minister's Office, I recommended Jia Yu Province to serve in the court."
Sun Zi bowed his hands: "This is how the private friendship between myself and Jia Yu Province stands."
Cao Rui nodded slightly and said, "I understand. To promote talents without avoiding friends, let alone Sun Zi and Jia Yu Province, who are both of great assistance to me? Sun Zi, you may leave first. Wait for me to decide on how to handle this matter before calling you to draft an imperial decree."
Sun Zi respectfully bowed: "I will withdraw." Then he slowly walked out of the emperor's study.
