Sun Lu Ban's question was quite direct, but often, the more direct a question is, the more difficult it is to answer.
Sun Quan fell silent for a moment: "Besides Lu Bu Yan, there is indeed no suitable person now. My father is good at being a monarch but not good at being a general. If there are ten thousand troops and one is to be chosen to rely on, besides Lu Bu Yan, I really have no other choice."
Sun Luba seemed relentless in her pursuit of the question: "If there isn't one now, when will there be one in the future?"
Sun Quan thought for a moment and said: "Perhaps there will be one in the future. Among the current generals, Zhu Ran, Zhu Huan, and Quan Cong seem to be able to be cultivated."
At this moment, Sun Quan's mind flashed back to the scene on the city wall of Wuchang, where Quan Cong was the first to kneel and proclaim "Supreme" to him.
Quan Zong...
Thinking of this, Sun Quan looked at his daughter Sun Luba, who was sitting in front of him with great interest.
Big Tiger lost her husband a few years ago, and Quan Zong's wife passed away last year. Perhaps, they can become a match?
Although this subject is somewhat awkward to bring up, as a father, Sun Quan should still say what needs to be said.
Sun Quan cleared his throat and said: "Big Tiger, Quan Zong's wife passed away last year. He is under 40 years old, has a impressive appearance, and is well-versed in both literature and military affairs. He can be appointed as the Military Commander of Sannan."
"Big Tiger, if father wants to bring this together, what do you think?"
Though only twenty-three years old, Sun Luba had been married once before and had even become a widow, so she was no longer a girl who had not seen the world.
After spending several years in widowhood at home, there were so many loneliness and things to be said to no one. As for remarriage, Sun Luba had also thought about it. However, marriage is a matter of parents' orders and her own mother, Bù Lianxī, is a person who lacks initiative. Ultimately, this kind of thing still needs the father, Wu King Sun Quan, to say.
Quan Zong is about ten years older, but it's not something she can't accept.
Sun Luba, known as Dahu, had never been a weak or timid person since childhood. Seeing her father soften, she said immediately, "Although father has agreed, daughter still wants to see for herself. If it suits my liking, then it's fine. But if it doesn't suit my liking, I wouldn't want to get married so carelessly."
Sun Quan smiled and shook his head: "Full Cheng just left Wuangxiang a few days ago, and I haven't seen him for several years before that. It's not easy for Dahu to meet him."
Sun Luba rolled her eyes and asked: "Didn't Full Cheng go to Wanhou with my father?"
Seeing her father's gaze fixed on her, Sun Luba continued, "For many years, father has never taken me along when he went to battle. This time, why not bring me along as well?"
As Sun Quan was about to shake his head, Sun Luba quickly added: "Daughter will just stay on the ship, I promise not to trouble father."
Sun Quan was drunk at this moment and, without realizing it, followed Sun Luba's words. If she lived on the ship, it would probably be safe enough?
Sun Quan nodded immediately.
Seeing her father agreeing, Sun Luba's smile became even more radiant.
……
Wei, Shouchun.
On the second day after Cao Rui arrived in Shouchun, the Vassal General Liu Ruo and the Inspector of Yan Province Wang Chang were sent out by Cao Xu to build encampments and repair roads by order of Cao Xu.
From the twenty-sixth to the beginning of the Yuan Festival, Cao Xu, together with his high-ranking officers in the Great Marquis Office, carried out a hurried inspection of all the troops that had arrived in Shouchun after him but had not yet been inspected.
Imperial Consort Liu Xie and Huang Quan were also sent out by Cao Rui, following Cao Xu's chronicler Feng Ping to inspect the preparedness of the various armies.
Imperial Consort Liu Xie had long accompanied the army, and his insight into situations or people was incredibly sharp. As for Huang Quan, who had led the army for many years before joining Cao Wei, he was an insider in the palace who had no personal connection with any of the generals or military units, making him an impartial judge.
Liu Xie and Huang Quan went to visit each military camp, while Xin Zhi and Chen Jiao went to inspect the emperor's supplies, provisions, and weapons.
When Xin Zhi and Chen Jiao were first given their task, the emperor specifically instructed them to pay attention to the storage of medicinal herbs. Moreover, they were told to inform the officials responsible for logistical support in each army, such as military secretaries and assistants, that during the march and camp setting up, they should do their utmost to keep water sources clean and strictly prohibit soldiers from contaminating them, which was elevated to the level of military law and even a death penalty.
People from any era are not idiots. What kind of basic things like separating water sources from toilets, everyone would intuitively understand just by being human. The Nanhua region has many rivers and streams, so it's not too difficult to get fresh water. It's just necessary to ensure that the water sources are not polluted.
As for talking about drinking boiled water... That's a pipe dream. To boil water for a hundred and ten thousand people, where would there be the time, cooking utensils, and fuel? It's likely that even if the emperor really did order it, the soldiers would still drink untreated water when they were thirsty.
temporarily, there is no solution.
All four imperial attendants went down to work, and Emperor Cao Rui was also busy. While Emperor Cao Rui was sorting through the affairs sent from Luoyang, along with Marshal Sima Yi, in the small palace of Shouchun City, he was also sorting out and collecting various news.
Sima Yi and his officials from the Ministry of Works were essentially used by Emperor Cao Rui as a war council.
To summarize what Emperor Cao Rui has been doing these days, we can use four words: logistics allocation, food supply arrangement, marching order, and military deployment.
This was not only a southern expedition, but also a military education class exclusively for Cao Rui himself.
Being an emperor is a profession with a very low lower limit and a very high upper limit. It's not easy to be an emperor who wants to accomplish something, especially an emperor who leads troops.
As the tradition of Lord Cao Cao and Lord Cao Pi, who had led troops in person for many years, Cao Rui was able to personally command an army on his accession to the throne. The military generals and officials heard that the emperor was personally leading the middle army on a southern campaign, and they could only express admiration, without thinking too much about it.
In the chaotic era, there are traditions that are not well-known. This is also an advantage in another way. Unlike many Han emperors, who grew up in the palace since childhood and stayed in the palace after ascending to the throne, spending half a lifetime without ever leaving Luoyang.
Emperor Cao Rui spent fifteen days on the road from Luoyang to Shouchun. With more than 5,000 cavalry riding at a speed of eighty miles a day, it was actually quite generous. In the past, Xia Hаo Yuan was known for his rapid march speed in the Cao army, and there was even a saying in the army, "Commandant Xia Hаo Yuan, five hundred miles in three days, one thousand miles in six days."
Therefore, after adapting to long-term riding, Cao Rui also learned camping, scouting, and marching related knowledge from two senior generals in the army, Cao Hong and Xu Chu. In addition, Cao Rui was also interested in learning a few cavalry formations and even personally led 500 riders to attempt a charge.
Of course, Cao Rui also discovered some problems, such as the lack of stirrups on horses at this time. Temporary preparations were not realistic, and he could only wait until after this battle to lead the troops back home, and then issue an order to promote the use of stirrups on horses on a large scale.
By the day before the Yuan Festival, all the affairs in the various armies in Shouchun had been dealt with, and only after the New Year's Day reform of the era and a sacrifice to heaven, they would be ready to set out for battle.
This was a southern campaign, so a platform about 30 meters high had been built in the south of Shouchun. Of course, the platform could only be used on the day of Yuan Festival for the sacrifice to heaven.
Below the altar, there was a smaller platform about one meter high, which was divided into three layers. At this time, the emperor's honor guard was arranged on the top of this one-meter-high platform.
During the Han and Wei dynasties, there were many rituals. If you were to pull out the ritual systems and regulations from the four-hundred-year history of the Han Dynasty and add to it the "Book of Rites," a large tome, there would be so many rituals that it would be hard to keep track of them all. However, whether in the court or among scholars, everyone had gone through the chaotic times of the Jian'an period, so naturally, one had to adjust their rituals accordingly.
While it is said that way, there are indeed some rituals that can be followed, such as the Simplified Grand Archery Ritual that will be held here today in the south of Shouchun.
The term "Great Shooting Ritual" is naturally related to the "Shooting" character and archery. Shooting is one of the six arts of a gentleman, according to the "Book of Rites," an act that can very well test a gentleman's virtue.
Different from modern sports competitions, the shooting ritual is not just an archery contest; it is a ritual activity under the constraints of etiquette, where people shoot arrows in a manner that conforms to ritual law and establishes hierarchy.
In short, compared to the "Shooting" character, the word "Ritual" in "Shooting Ritual" actually has a greater weight.
A plot of land about ten meters long was cleared in front of the platform, and all the generals and officials in Shouchun who held a salary of 2,000 grains of rice or more lined up and stood at attention. A cold winter wind swept over the field, flapping the flags on the sides vigorously.
The two thousand knights of the Military Guard encircled the field. The cavalrymen lined up around the perimeter, and although there was no loud chatter, the occasional neighing of horses and the soft sound of hooves could be heard at times.
After waiting for a while, the imperial escort slowly came out of the southern gate of Shouchun City. At this time, Cao Rui was wearing his official robes and slowly walked up the steps to sit on the platform. This was the second time Cao Rui had appeared before the generals and officials in Shouchun.
Today, the official in charge of the Grand Shooting Ritual was General Cao Xu. If it were on a normal day at court, such a high-ranking official would not be responsible for guiding etiquette. But this was Shouchun, Cao Xu's home turf. In addition, the Grand Shooting Ritual is a ritual that establishes hierarchy and determines order, so Cao Xu took the responsibility without hesitation.
Looking down from the platform, Emperor Cao Rui could see that there were about sixty to seventy officials in line, all ranked by their salary of 2,000 stones, standing in the field below.
This number may seem large, but it is actually quite modest.
The total number of troops in the middle army, which has 50,000 soldiers, includes generals of 2,000 stones responsible for actual commanding the troops such as Xiao Dai, Zhong Langjiang, Pi General and Pian General. This amounts to nearly thirty people.
For example, among the five battalions of the Yue Riding Unit led by Qu Qiao Jian, a total of 4,000 horsemen were assigned. There were five generals of 2,000 stones in charge of each battalion, with each general commanding less than 800 riders on average. In addition to Wen Qin as the battalion supervisor of the five battalions, there were six generals of 2,000 stones among the 4,000 people in the five battalions.
The middle army is based in Luoyang City, which is closer to the power center, resulting in a higher density of high-ranking officials. In addition to the five cavalry units, there is generally one officer of 2,000 stones for every 2,000 or 3,000 troops in the middle army.
In comparison to the middle army, the density of high-ranking officials in the outer armies and local state troops is much lower, with one officer of 2,000 stones per every 4,000 to 5,000 troops. Even officials like Wang Chang, the Governor of Yong Province who was sent to repair roads, and Jia Kuai, the Governor of Yu Province who was constructing a camp at Wuqiangkou, were only officials of 600 stones according to court regulations.
Of course, the political status of these governors is far higher than that of ordinary 2,000-stone county governors. These positions of influence and power, which are heavily suppressed, all come from the layers of patches added up over four hundred years of the Han Dynasty.
In summary, today in the southern outskirts of Shouchun, the emperor intends to familiarize himself with these officials of 2,000 stones through the Grand Shooting Ritual, thus preparing for the departure tomorrow.
(Chapter ends)
