Cao Rui nodded and said, "Since it can be done, let's do it!"
"General and Guixiang are both important ministers of the state. Things that others do not want to do, you must do them together with the emperor, so as not to live up to the heavy trust of our late emperor!"
Cao Zhen and Sima Yi naturally agreed.
Cao Rui added, "Originally, I also had an idea to try the Moxi Needle. If the days are calculated, General Liu Ru should also be near Moxi Needle by now?"
Cao Zhen said, "Your Majesty, Muxu is indeed easily defensible and hard to attack. We have attacked Muxu several times before and returned without success. Muxu truly cannot be conquered in just a short while."
"At present, the army near Muxu and Hefei numbers no more than 100,000. Moreover, our great Wei army has suffered such heavy casualties in this battle. It is really not appropriate to launch an attack on Muxu again."
Cao Rui nodded: "In that case, let's let Liu Ru retreat. Go to Wujiang Pass to defend the rear for the Grand Marshal."
Cao Zhen agreed, "I will send someone to call Liu Ru early tomorrow."
...
Compared to the way there, the return journey was slower and more leisurely.
Cao Rui also had little to do, so he began to converse with the officers and ordinary soldiers in order to 'investigate' some real situations.
The second officer Cao Rui received began to pique his interest.
It's not because of anything else, but this person is named Xu Shu.
Xu Shu currently serves as the Right Zhonglang (a rank equivalent to a general) in the outer armies of Yangzhou. In this battle, he led 15,000 outer soldiers alongside Le Nuo to support Man Chong, who was defending at Guache, and indeed earned numerous military achievements.
Cao Rui rode on his horse, full of enthusiasm, and asked, "Xu Qin used to be known as Xu Fu when he was a child. Did he ever serve as a hero?"
Xu Shu, also riding a horse beside the emperor, looked slightly embarrassed on his face: "The emperor is correct. I did indeed used to be known as Xu Fu. However, the affairs of youthful heroism were still on a lower level, and the Lord has since studied and reformed."
Xu Shu is now nearly sixty years old, and before being received by the emperor, he never thought the emperor would ask such a question.
Cao Rui nodded and continued: "Xu Qin served under Liu Bei, right? How long did you stay with him?"
Xu Shu was uncertain about the emperor's intentions for a moment. At present, Wei and Shuhan were at odds, and the emperor brought up his past service under Liu Bei, which clearly seemed unfavorable.
Xu Shu spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. These are things from more than twenty years ago. Since I have served in the Great Wei, I have had no dual loyalty at all. I beg Your Majesty to investigate clearly."
Cao Rui smiled and waved his hand: "Xu Qin, you misunderstood. I have no intention to blame you. All these people, including Chen Qun and Tian Yu, served under Liu Bei in the past. It's just a historical issue. I won't hold grudges. You have gained military achievements in this battle, and I will reward you appropriately."
"I'm just curious about people like Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. Earlier, I heard some descriptions from Huang Quan, but Huang Quan knew Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang when they had already entered Shu."
"I would like to hear Xu Qing describe the early years of these two individuals."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Xu Shu felt relieved. Xu Shu held the reins of the horse in both hands, slightly raised his head to look at the distant mountains, and thought for a whole day before saying, "Your Majesty, this is indeed a long story. It's almost thirty years ago."
"I remember it was the sixth year of Jian'an. I had been in Jingzhou for a long time at Lü Bu's residence. I heard that Liu Bei was settled in Xinwei, so I went to serve under him."
Cao Rui interjected, "Why didn't you join the Marquis Wu (Zhang Fei) or Liu Biao instead of Liu Bei, Xu Qin?"
Facing the emperor's question about death, Xu Shu gritted his teeth and explained, "Back then, the Central Plains was in turmoil. I feared danger if I returned to the Central Plains, so I did not join Marquis Wu."
"And Liu Biao was elderly and lacked the demeanor of a ruler. Moreover, he did not make use of us outsiders from humble backgrounds. Liu Bei, on the other hand, had always been well-respected, so I went to serve under him."
"Ha ha ha." Cao Rui clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Xu Qin is indeed loyal. You haven't deceived me on this issue."
Xu Shu, embarrassed, said, "How dare I deceive the sovereign. I was just speaking the truth."
Cao Rui smiled as he continued, "The relationship between Liu Bei and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei was really that good? Like brothers?"
Xu Shu raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "Who would say such a thing to Your Majesty? Liu Bei and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are just officials and subjects. It's just that the three of them have been on the move from the north to the south for many years, so their relationship is naturally closer than ordinary officials."
Cao Rui coughed lightly: "I also heard this from people when I was in the East Palace. It seems that rumors are not reliable."
Xu Shu, seeing that the emperor was quite amiable, couldn't help but ask, "I don't know why Your Majesty is interested in Liu Bei."
Cao Rui answered, "Now the country only has two enemies, the Western Shu Han and the Eastern Wu. Since Liu Bei founded Shu Han, I naturally want to learn more about him."
"Earlier, Huang Quan also asked the emperor in the same way as Xu Qing, and the emperor said the same."
Cao Rui continued to ask, "However, I have heard many different opinions about Liu Bei. Some people say he is an old slave and an old barbarian, while others say he is outstanding in appearance and has a strategic mind like a king. Some even say he is just good at deceiving people."
"All these praise and blame, I will put aside for now. Xu Qing served under Liu Bei for many years, and I want to hear what Xu Qing thinks about why Liu Bei can gain people's trust."
This question is quite tricky.
After thinking for a while, Xu Shu said, "I think what Liu Bei gained people's trust was probably through treating people with sincerity."
Cao Rui smiled and teased, "Liu Bei wandered around for many years without a place to stand, and he had no court righteousness to appoint or dismiss official positions. He had nothing to award or appoint, so he could only rely on 'sincerity'?"
Xu Shu replied helplessly, "Indeed, as Your Majesty said. However, Liu Bei always treated his ministers like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with sincerity, as well as other lords. He was able to establish heartfelt relationships. Moreover, Liu Bei's resilience and tenacity despite years of wandering and setbacks are also a heroic spirit that can attract people."
Cao Rui sighed, "So perseverant! These are the words of Cai Yong to describe Zhou En. If applied to Liu Bei, it is quite fitting."
"However, what is Liu Bei's personality like? I have heard that Song Zhong once spoke with someone in Yè City, saying that Liu Bei cried because of the fat on his thighs when he was in Jingzhou. Isn't it true that when Liu Bei was young, he beat the postal officer's whip?"
Xu Shu, although not sure why the emperor would ask so many questions about Liu Bei today, still smiled and explained, "Your Majesty is mistaken. Liu Bei crying is one thing, but him whipping the supervisor of posts is another."
Cao Rui questioned, "Is there some internal matter in this? I haven't heard of this before."
Xu Shu cleared his throat and spoke slowly, "Liu Bei was appointed as the county magistrate of Anxi because he contributed to defeating the Yellow Turbans by following Xiao Jing. This was around the middle period of Zhongping years, during the reign of Emperor Lingbi."
Cao Rui said, "Zhongping is the era name of Emperor Ling, so does it have something to do with Emperor Ling himself?"
Xu Shu smiled and nodded, "Of course, there is a connection. At that time, Emperor Ling ordered that all officials, both big and small, who wanted to take office had to pay for it."
Cao Rui was surprised, "I thought only officials in the central government had to pay money. Emperor Taizi (Cao Song, the father of Cao Cao) used to be a Taoyue and also paid 100 million copper coins to Emperor Ling."
Xu Shu said, "Even small officials have to pay. When Liu Bei received his appointment, he didn't have any money to pay. The supervisor of posts came to collect the money, but Liu Bei had no money and couldn't even see the supervisor."
Cao Rui asked, "In the end, it's still about money?"
Xu Shu shook his head: "It is related to money, but it's not just about money. At that time, the county of Anxi where Liu Bei was stationed was under the control of Zhang Chun."
Zhang Chun... the name sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Cao Rui said, "Is that Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, the two who rebelled?"
Xu Shu nodded and said, "It was indeed this Zhang Chun. At that time, Zhang Chun was plotting insurrection in the district. He also asked the court for permission to command the Wuhan horsemen, which was denied. The hearts of the people in all directions were shaken. Zhang Chun's intentions to plot a coup were already well-known throughout the district."
Cao Rui was enlightened: "So Liu Bei was avoiding Zhang Chun's mess, to prevent himself from getting into trouble?"
Xu Shu nodded: "I remember Liu Bei and I talked about this. As for Liu Bei's thoughts, I really don't know."
Cao Rui found it quite interesting. It seems that evaluating a person requires looking at multiple aspects, and one cannot only rely on hearsay. Each new angle of judgment can lead to new discoveries.
Cao Rui continued to ask, "What about Zhuge Liang? Was it Xu Qing who recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei?"
Xu Shu had already been embarrassed more than once, and he forcefully said, "This matter is related to me."
"I am from Yingchuan. Although I am like many high-ranking officials in the court who come from Yingchuan, my family's background is not even considered a humble family, so I cannot expect much progress in the district."
"Later, I came to Jingzhou with Shi Tao from my hometown, and it was there that I met Zhuge Liang."
Cao Rui said, "I am aware of what happened later with Zhuge Liang. What I am curious about is, when Zhuge Liang was still not a government official and had no extraordinary qualities, how did the people of Jingzhou made him a 'lying dragon'?"
Xu Shu thought for a moment and said, "In the year of Jian'an, the situation was different from now. If a scholar wanted to gain fame, they still needed someone to evaluate their talents."
"The most famous of such evaluations was like Xu Shaodao's 'Moon Critique' from Runan, where receiving Xu Shaodao's evaluation could bring fame to the world. With his evaluation, one could achieve twice the results with half the effort in terms of official appointments or scholarly pursuits."
Cao Rui said, "I know that Zhuge Liang has great talent and scholarship, but as for the title of 'lying dragon', I don't know."
Xu Shu explained, "Back then, this title was given by Master Sima Dejun for Zhuge Liang."
"And Master Sima Dejun chose the words 'lying dragon' for Zhuge Liang, with two intentions: one was to enhance Zhuge Liang's reputation, and the other was because as a great Confucian scholar in Jingzhou, he had always been at odds with scholars from Yingchuan."
"The Xun family of Yingchuan isn't there a saying about the 'Eight Dragons of the Xun Family'? And there's also a Shennun in Yingchuan, right? Since people from Yingchuan can make such statements, Master Sima Dejun also had the intention to compare himself with scholars from Yingchuan."
Cao Rui laughed heartily, "It seems that it's all due to this pomposity!"
(Chapter Complete)
