Perhaps neither the Wei nor the Wu could have imagined at this moment that Yu Zhi, the governor of Yu Province, was squatting on a low mountain in Huaiyang, with no more than a hundred archers by his side.
It was just a company of Wu foot soldiers, no more than a hundred people, that allowed the governor of the entire province to watch for an hour.
Jia Kai understands that if the Wu army comes closer, reaches the vicinity of this low mountain, they may discover the fact that the strong mouth here has been constructed.
With such a large camp, if it were discovered by Wu military leaders, it might affect the direction of the war.
The Wu troops did not approach, instead circling the area of intersecting rivers and lakes for half an hour before heading eastward.
At this moment, the Wuzhao Fort where Jia Kai is located is one hundred li to the northeast, where there is Chaohu Lake.
Chaohu flows southeast towards the Yangtze River via the Ruxu River, and the famous Ruxu Fort, which was repeatedly attacked by Cao's troops but still could not be taken down, is located at the junction of Chaohu Lake and the Ruxu River.
If we calculate it, the Ruxu Fort is nearly two hundredli away from the Wuzhao Fort. The Wu troops we saw earlier were only about a hundred in number, and it's impossible for the Wu military leader to have sent only a hundred men such a long distance for reconnaissance. There might have been five hundred or even a thousand following behind.
Are the Wu troops beginning to gather?
Jia Kai, who is usually in Yuzhou, is blocked by the Dabie Mountains to the south and does not directly border Wu. However, Yuzhou is an important support force, which can help Cao Xu in Yangzhou to the east and Chen Qun in Jingzhou to the west.
Jia Kai not only knows about military matters but also is aware of the daily deployment of troops in the Eastern Wu. If compared with the usual situation, doubts arise.
The Wu troops were almost two hundredli away from Ruxu Fort, and coincidentally, they arrived near the Wuqiang Pass. This indicates that the commander of the Wu troops in Ruxu may have believed that war might break out here. If no war occurred, Zhu Han would not have come to such a remote place as Wuqiang Pass to investigate.
If the confluence of Huai River into the Yangtze at Huakou is taken as the base point, Zhou Fang's Poyang is upstream, while Zhu Han's Ruxu is downstream. The upstream Zhou Fang wants to surrender, and the downstream Zhu Han, who is separated by over eight hundred li and knows ten days in advance?
Zhu Han is not a god!
The only possible result is that Zhu Han has already learned about Zhou Fang's false surrender, and possibly Wu troops are already being dispatched to the area around Wan Pass and Wan City. Moreover, there have been no messengers reporting from the direction of Wancheng, so it must be around Wan Pass!
It must be said that there are always some outstanding generals with keen intuition, who, based on some battlefield wind and grass stirrings, coupled with bold and reasonable deductions, manage to deduce most of the truth about the situation.
Although Jia Kai does not know that Zhu Han is currently in Wu'an or that the new commander of Ruxu is Luo Tong, this does not affect how Jia Kai acts.
Jia Kai did not hesitate and got back on his horse, riding the original route to his own tent, where he wrote two documents.
One was sent to Shoushen, three hundred and fifty li to the north, where he wrote in full detail about what he had discovered and what he guessed in his mind, and presented the document directly to the emperor.
The other was sent to Wancheng, one hundred and eighty li to the southwest, instructing the commander to strictly guard the city and not to investigate elsewhere.
Jia Kai's actions of informing the emperor on one hand while ordering Wancheng not to investigate on the other hand, are justified.
Jia Kai has reason to believe that Sun Quan's Wu troops have begun their advance to the designated meeting point at Wan Pass, as agreed upon with Zhou Fang. If Sun Quan makes such preparations, it is undoubtedly with the intention of waiting for the enemy to tire out and even to launch a surprise attack. Jia Kai is afraid that if the troops of Wancheng go out to investigate and are seen by the Wu troops, or if their plan is altered, this could lead to unforeseen circumstances.
After carefully writing the letters, drying the ink marks, sealing them with hot wax, and then sending messengers in both directions, Jia Kai sat in his tent and thought for a long time.
In fact, Jia Kai doesn't have much respect for Cao Xu. It's not that Cao Xu lacks courage or is afraid to die, but rather that Jia Kai believes Cao Xu is not a competent commander.
In Jia Kai's eyes, letting Cao Xu lead ten thousand men into battle personally would result in the best performance. Cao Xu's fighting spirit and tactical training are both exemplary, having fought with the tiger and leopard cavalry under Emperor Wu Cao for over a decade.
However, when it comes to commanding over a hundred thousand troops as a commander, Cao Xu truly lacks that ability.
During the reign of Emperor Cao Pi, the late Emperor led the army three times to attack Wu. The last two times were personally led by the late Emperor to Guangling.
During the first expedition against Wu, Cao Xu led eighty thousand troops in the east, and Jia Kai was present in his army. The success of Cao Xu's victory over General Lv Fan's troops, resulting in the killing of several thousand Wu soldiers, was largely due to favorable weather conditions that caused Lv Fan's ships to drift to the northern shore of the Yangtze River. Cao Xu took advantage of this situation.
Cao Xu even submitted an edict to the late Emperor in the presence of all the generals, saying that he would 'lead the army to cross the river immediately, obtain supplies from the enemy, and if I die, please do not worry about it, Your Majesty.'
This is absurd! Can you really cross eighty thousand people at once? The supplies for eighty thousand troops would probably deplete the resources of several counties in Wu.
And as the Commander of the Ministry of War, you sought death by putting yourself in danger? If you died, what would become of the eighty thousand troops under your command?
Jia Kai remained silent after hearing Cao Xu's words and turned back to his own camp without rest. He immediately wrote an edict to Emperor Cao Pi, accusing Cao Xu of dereliction of duty.
From then on, Jia Kai and Cao Xu began to confront each other.
Jia Kai's disdain for Cao Xu is consistent. Even when Cao Xu became the Grand Marshal, Jia Kai only regarded him as someone who had become prominent because of his imperial lineage.
If Cao Xu is not qualified to lead the over one hundred thousand troops, then who can? I heard that General Cao Zhen, the Commander-in-Chief, has also arrived in Shoushen with the central army. Could it be that he is to be used instead? How would Cao Xu take that?
...
Cao Rui and his entourage arrived in Que County on the afternoon of December 20th.
Even with local officials and officials offering wine and food, the group of about five or six thousand people did not stop; instead, they continued south to Shoushen.
In the past, both Cao Cao and Cao Pi traveled from Que County to Shoushen by boat. However, since the 5,000 cavalry that accompanied Cao Rui were the last troops to arrive from Henan, there were no spare ships available for them to use.
Cao Rui had no complaints either. After all, he was the emperor; the entire country was his. If the boats were used to transport grain and forage for his own needs, what was there to complain about?
Traveling at an average speed of 80 miles per day, Cao Rui, Cao Hong, and Xu Chuo led the last 5,000 troops to arrive outside Shoushen City on December 25th.
Shoushen City was built on the banks of the Huai River and served as a transportation hub for north-south traffic. There were no fewer than ten docks in the vicinity of Shoushen City. Troops from Henan, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou had gathered here. The camps were densely packed along the Huai River for over fifty li.
Cao Zhen had already arrived in Shoushen long ago. Upon hearing the messenger say that the emperor would arrive outside the city this afternoon, both Cao Xu and Cao Zhen led a procession of civil and military officials to greet him, stationed five li north of the ferry crossing on the northern bank of the Huai River.
Although located along the Huai River, the temperature in the winter was still quite cold. However, hearing that the emperor was coming, none of the officials complained.
To be honest, most of the prefects, generals, and governors stationed in various locations haven't met the emperor yet. This was their first audience with him. Who would dare to be negligent by even half a moment?
As everyone anxiously awaited, a thousand cavalrymen sent to clear the way came first to take precautions. The main body of troops followed one after another.
Looking up, the first person they saw was riding a magnificent white horse, wearing a golden helmet and armor, so dazzling in the sunlight that they couldn't see his face clearly.
Who else would dare to dress like this but the emperor?
As the emperor drew closer, a group of civil officials and military officers also knelt to greet him, under the command of Cao Xu.
The sound of horsehooves gradually grew closer, yet slowly came to a stop.
"Get up, everyone. After we enter the city together, I will have a proper meeting with you."
Except for Cao Xu, Cao Zhen, and a few commanders from the central army, most people were momentarily taken aback and stared at Emperor Cao Rui sitting on his horse.
Cao Rui, however, had grown accustomed to it. People couldn't look away from his eyes, after all, because of his appearance.
Emperor Cao Rui sat on his horse and smiled, "Among you, many have not seen the emperor before, have they? Since it's the first time you're seeing me, look as much as you can. I want you to remember what I look like."
Some of the officials smiled broadly, while others joined in with a few compliant chuckles.
Emperor Cao Rui nodded to the officials and said, "Since that's the case, everyone mount your horses. We will chat in detail once we enter Shoushen City."
Emperor Cao Rui then looked at Cao Xu and Cao Zhen standing by his side: "Grand Marshal and Commander-in-Chief, you have both worked hard. Would you accompany the emperor on horseback?"
Cao Xu and Cao Zhen naturally agreed. The group then set off southward in a grand procession. Apart from the thousand cavalrymen clearing the way, the three leading figures at the front were Emperor Cao Rui, Grand Marshal Cao Xu, and Commander-in-Chief Cao Zhen.
Cao Cai, the General of the Ministry of Works, as well as the four Johns of Palace Service and other court officials followed. The newly received officials had to take their place even further behind.
Commander-in-Chief Cao Zhen set off southward with forty-five thousand central troops on the same day of the great court session in Luoyang in early December. Grand Marshal Cao Xu had returned to Shoushen as early as August. To calculate, Emperor Cao Rui had not seen Cao Xu for four whole months.
Cao Xu rode on the right side of Cao Rui, smiling and said, "I have never seen the emperor dressed in armor before. The majestic aura fills me with admiration."
Cao Rui looked at Cao Xu: "Does the Grand Marshal find this armor familiar when he sees it?"
Cao Xu was puzzled: "Your Majesty, this is a golden helmet and armor, and I have never seen this armor before. But in my early years, at a banquet, I heard Emperor Wu say that when he was the Director of the Academy of Martial Arts in the Western Garden of Luoyang, he had seen Emperor Ling reviewing the troops wearing golden helmet and armor."
Cao Rui smiled and shook his head: "Although both are in gold armor and helmets, I can wear it to lead the army in a campaign against the foreign, while the deceased Emperor Ling could only wear it in his death throes."
Cao Xu realized that he had said the wrong thing: "The Grand Marshal is at fault, please forgive me."
Cao Rui looked at Cao Xu and said with a smile, "What crime to punish? I am not that petty. Grand Marshal, you may speak freely. However, do you really have no recollection of this armor?"
Cao Xu leaned forward and said, "Your Majesty mentioned it, and from the shape, I feel that this armor is somewhat familiar. Perhaps..."
Cao Rui nodded: "This armor is made by the order of the emperor according to the pattern of Emperor Wu's large armor. The shape is exactly the same, but the armor plates are covered with gold, and the size is just one circle larger."
Cao Xu laughed and said, "Now I see. It's no wonder the details of this armor are quite different from the ones we have now."
(This chapter concludes)
