The eyes of the people in the tent focused on Jia Qi's face, but Jia Qi was silent at that time. He neither spoke to agree nor spoke to refuse, nor stood up to take orders.
Jia Qi's behavior is indeed beyond reproach.
And even if we don't mention that this is the emperor's main tent and that it's a war zone, just by the fact that it's during a time of war and this is the front line, Jia Qi, as the top military official of the country, has no choice but to comply with Da Xiang Cao's orders.
Although Cao Xiu has mentioned Jia Qi's name, the emperor is still sitting in front. Therefore, what Cao Xiu has just said can't be considered an order. If it's not an order, does Jia Qi, as the governor of Henan, have to give him an explanation?
Jia Qi sat there bound, letting others' eyes glance at him.
However, from the perspective of Cao Rui, he couldn't distinguish Jia Qi's attitude towards Cao Xiu at first. Was Jia Qi very much against Cao Xiu or unwilling to do such things?
Cao Rui coughed lightly and asked, "Uncle Jia, what the Da Xiang Cao said is indeed reasonable. Would you be willing to lead your troops to accept the order?"
Jia Qi finally stood up to answer, "Your Majesty, whether it's fighting or constructing roads, it's all for the victory of our country. I, Jia Qi, am willing to die a thousand deaths without hesitation."
"Your Majesty, just now I listened to the opinions of the gentlemen, but no one mentioned the five thousand soldiers stationed in An Ran City. I would like to ask the gentlemen in front of Your Majesty, when the foot soldiers led by the Great General arrive, should we proceed south?"
"But what about the five thousand troops in Wan City? Are they not isolated and cut off from the main army? Is it true that people's hearts in the city will not become disheartened?"
Cao Xiu, upon hearing this, replied awkwardly, "Jia Fangbo, you arrived early. We discussed it in Shouchun a few days ago. The city defenses of Wan City have been reinforced repeatedly and should be able to hold out for a month."
Although Cao Rui's face didn't change, he still nodded in his heart.
In the past, when faced with the siege of three tens of thousands of troops from Cao Wei, and another three tens of thousands outside, totaling six tens of thousands, Jingling City was still able to hold out for more than half a year.
Wan City is smaller, but after Cao Xiu captured it in August, he did reinforce its defenses. With five thousand men to defend the city for a month, that should be manageable.
However, Jia Qi quickly responded.
Jia Qi didn't speak loudly or raise his voice. His tone was still calm and unhurried: "Da Xiang Cao also said it should be so. How can we use the word 'should' to guess military affairs in a battle where two armies vie for victory?"
"The outcome should be determined by military strength and situation, but it also depends on people's morale!" Jia Qi turned his body towards the emperor and bowed respectfully with seriousness: "Your Majesty, the ten thousand soldiers I brought from Yu Province now have four thousand men surrounded by the Wu army. I beg Your Majesty to consider the morale of the five thousand men in Wan City and to inform those within the city that the royal army is approaching!"
After Jia Qi finished speaking, including Cao Xiu, Sima Yi, and other officials in the tent, even Cao Rui himself, everyone was silent for a moment.
After a while, Cao Rui slowly stood up and looked at Zheng Zhi. Since the time of Shouchun, Cao Rui had already assigned responsibilities to the crowd. Zheng Zhi was always clear and loyal, and this time he was responsible for the military laws and rewards and punishments of officials and generals above 2000 households.
Cao Rui spoke directly, "Vice Minister Xin, record a promotion for Jia Fangbo."
Zheng Zhi naturally obeyed, and as the emperor wanted to give an official a promotion, Zheng Zhi had no right to question the reason. But the eyes of other officials in the tent all looked over.
Even Jia Qi himself looked confused.
After a soft sigh, Cao Rui said, "From Luoyang to Shouchun in fifteen days, and another ten days to Wuqiangkou. During this time, I have gone through countless calculations with the ministers, all about military strength, grain supplies, logistics, and so on."
"Today, Jia Fangbo's words have reminded me. In a battle against the enemy, of course we need to look at the deployment of forces, but how can we ignore people's hearts? The five thousand soldiers in Wan City are not only Jia Fangbo's troops from Yu Province, but also the subjects of Your Majesty."
"The vanguard of my army is only ninety li away from Wan City. How can I let the soldiers in the city be trapped without any news?" Cao Rui looked at Da Xiang Cao: "Da Xiang Cao, please pass the order to Zhu Gai for Your Majesty."
Cao Xiu bowed and agreed, waiting for the emperor to give the order.
Cao Rui continued, "Zhu Gai has already set up camp at GuaChe. I will now use the advantage of his cavalry to order Zhu Gai to leave someone behind to guard the GuaChe camp, and begin moving towards Wan City from tomorrow."
"Zhu Gai has over 9,000 cavalry, and even when all the cavalry of the Wu army are gathered together, they do not match half of his. Let Zhu Gao advance as far as possible towards Wan City, without seeking to inflict damage but only to gather intelligence on the strength of the Wu army."
"From the hills south of the GuaChe to the front of Wan City, let Zhu Gai also send people to explore."
Cao Xiu nodded his head while noting down in his heart.
Cao Rui walked towards the giant map hanging in the tent, using his finger to point to the place north of Wan City where the characters Tianzhu Mountain were marked, "Da Xiang Cao, is it passable for cavalry here?"
Cao Xiu replied, "Tianzhu Mountain is extremely dangerous. It would be impossible for a large army of cavalry to climb up there. Moreover, around Wan City, there should be many Wu soldier camps now."
Cao Rui asked again, "If sending infantry in the mountains, can they reach there?"
After thinking for a moment, Cao Xiu said, "From Jia Shi to Wuqiangkou and then to Wan City, there is a flat ground of one hundred and eighty li, and there are small paths on the mountains to the north. It's just that large groups of people find it difficult to pass through."
Cao Rui said, "Let Zhu Gai send a team of soldiers to go over there. If it's impossible, they can dismount and walk to the mountains north of Wan City. They can investigate the situation and then decide how to notify the garrison in Wan City."
Cao Xiu, upon hearing this, replied, "Your Majesty's benevolence is commendable. I will immediately send a fast horse to give Zhu Gai the order."
Cao Rui nodded and looked at Jia Qi, "Jia Fangbo, I will not abandon your Yu Province soldiers. I will not abandon any army. Just wait for Zhu Gai's report."
"Your Majesty's benevolence." Jia Qi also bowed respectfully and said.
The officials in the tent also echoed Jia Qi's words.
Shaking his hand, Cao Rui turned around and sat down, looking at Sima Yi who was seated to his right: "Vice Chancellor, you shall explain the next arrangements for me."
"I accept the order." Sima Yi stood up and bowed, then walked from behind the table to the front of the map.
"Everyone, please look at this." Sima Yi looked at his fellow officials and then pointed to the direction of Wan City with his hand.
"This afternoon, the troops of General Zhu Gai encountered the vanguard of the Wu army at GuaChe. From the words of the captured soldiers, we can learn that Sun Quan had personally arrived in Wan City a few days ago. After the Wu army set off north on the first day of the first month, they arrived and established camps around Wan City on the third day. Since today, the vanguard led by Liu Shao has just arrived at GuaChe."
Sima Yi used his hand to draw a circle at the location of Wan City, and he tapped it heavily with his index finger.
"An city is surrounded by the west-facing secret water and the east-facing Wan water. Except for the few li near the foot of the mountain on the east bank of Wan Water, which are flat land, most of the area from Wan Water to Qiankou is undulating hills. Therefore, if Wu troops establish a camp, they must be in the area of flat land opposite An city on the east bank of Wan Water."
"Wan City is under siege, and the exact number of Wu troops is unknown. If we estimate based on Your Majesty's figure of 100,000, it is likely that the entire area east of Wan City is now occupied by Wu military camps."
"The Wu army is good at water battles but not at land battles. They will definitely take advantage of the terrain behind Wan City, preparing to encircle the besieged or ambush travelers on the way. For our army, the best strategy is also similar to that of the Wu army - to lure the Wu army eastward and away from Wan City."
"The most important thing is how to allocate the troops."
As Sima Yi was explaining the situation, Cao Rui suddenly raised his hand to indicate, and Sima Yi knew to stop.
Cao Rui looked at Cao Xiu and said, "Da Xiang Cao, when will the various armies arrive? Let everyone know."
Cao Xiu replied, "Your Majesty, the order set at Shouchun was for cavalry to be dispatched first, followed by infantry. Among the infantry, external troops and state and district troops were dispatched first, with the two thousand infantry led by the General of the Central Army being sent last to hold back."
Calculating in his mind, Cao Xiu then said, "It is the sixth day of the first month tomorrow. Before evening of the next day, the 15,000 troops led by General Man Chong, the 8,000 troops led by Wang Ling, the 2,000 troops led by Governor Hu Zhi of Dongguang Commandery, the 5,000 troops led by Governor Sun Li of Langya Commandery, plus the 5,000 troops from Han Zong and Zhai Dan who defected from Eastern Wu to our Great Wei, will arrive in total of 35,000."
"What about the rest of your troops?" Cao Rui asked.
Cao Xiu continued, "The next day is the seventh day of the first month, and the troops of General Cao Tai will arrive at one thousand people. The remaining 15,000 external troops should also arrive before evening of the next day. Finally, the remaining two thousand infantry led by the General in Command will arrive along with any additional troops and provisions provided by Governor Wang Chang of Yuan Commandery to ensure smooth travel. They should all be there by evening on the eighth day."
The first day, 35,000; the second day, 25,000; and the last day, 25,000.
"Da Xiang Cao, wait a moment." Cao Rui furrowed his brow, "If you say so, the large camp at Wuqiangkou may not be sufficient."
Cao Xiu nodded, "Jia Fangbo and General Liu have established eight large camps at Wuqiangkou, which can accommodate up to 80,000 troops. The 35,000 troops arriving tomorrow can be accommodated. But by the following day when another 25,000 troops arrive, it will need to be considered again."
Cao Rui said, "Da Xiang Cao's words, I have taken note of all of them. Please, Vice Chancellor, continue."
"I accept the order." Sima Yi continued to point to the map and explain.
In fact, southern Anhui is rich in rivers and hills. Marching on flat land is indeed more convenient, but the mountains to the north and the hills to the south should still be cautiously guarded.
After Sima Yi had finished explaining the terrain from Wuqiangkou to Wan City, he bowed and returned to his seat.
Sima Yi then said, "In accordance with my intention, from tomorrow onwards, let Zhu Gai lead the mounted army to advance towards Wu forces while also sending detachments to explore the surrounding hills and the Tianzhu Mountain to the north of Wan City."
"Cao Rui looked towards Liu Ru, who was seated in the tent. "You, General Liu, with your 5,000 troops, will advance to Ruoshi in the northeast direction tomorrow. The main objective will be to level the roads and approach with caution. The Ruoshi fort is located on the east side of the Ruoshi River, while your advance direction is on the west side of the river. You should not encounter heavy Wu forces."
"How many days will your troops need for the two-hundred-li journey?"
Liu Ru immediately stood up and answered, "I request to complete the journey in eight days."
Cao Rui said to Liu Ru, "Since you say eight days, then eight days after that I want your troops to appear on the other side of the Ruoshi fort. This is crucial for coordinating the actions of the troops from Wuqiangkou and Hefei. You must not miss the deadline."
Liu Ru continuously agreed.
(Chapter ends)
