Nan Zhong during the campaign naturally held high expectations, but after the major battle in Nan Zhong, the return journey was comparatively less exciting.
When Cao Rui arrived in ShouChun, it was the end of January and nearly February.
At this time, the Grand Marshal Cao Xiu was leading his army on the line from Wankou to Qiankou, facing off across the river against the Eastern Wu forces.
It is likely that the skillful tactics developed from years of fighting against the Mountain Yue were beneficial. All high-ranking Wu military officers who escaped during the Battle of Gua Chē basically managed to escape into the hills with the protection of their subordinates and none were caught.
Even though Wu has suffered significant losses in the Battle of Gua Chē, it is not a problem to temporarily gather an additional 30,000 to 40,000 troops.
Zhuge Jin had 10,000 men in Wancheng originally, and He Qi's 8,000 naval troops were also unscathed. Adding the regional forces from various counties south of Wankou, Sun Quan was able to scrape together nearly 40,000 men with some urgency.
The note "Spring water is just beginning to flow, it is appropriate for you to leave quickly" has also been sent across the river to Sun Quan by messengers. Cao Xiu added a few more twists to the story by returning the letter that Zhou Cheng had sent to him in the past, along with Zhou Cheng's current position in Wu's army opposite the river.
Leaving aside the fact that Cao Xiu, under the suppression of Wu's naval forces, had no ships to cross the river and could only set up a camp on the northern bank and display his military formation to intimidate.
After reaching Shouchun, Cao Rui encountered an even more absurd matter.
In charge of guarding Luoyang, Jishiuge Yao Jiang and Tiansiling Xu Yarager, the acting minister of justice under the right handle, sent his son Wei Li to Shouchun. He almost arrived at Shouchun at the same time as Cao Rui.
In fact, communication between Luoyang and the front emperor has always been smooth. The emperor was still on the road when he reported daily until he passed Chenliu. After passing Qiubing, he reported every three days. After starting from Shouchun to the south, he reported every five days.
The distance is indeed too great, and there is really no way around it. The fastest method of information transmission in this era is merely the speed of four horses' legs. Limited by this constraint, the frequency of communication can only be gradually reduced.
But Wei Zhen now sent his son Wei Li here? What seems to have happened in Luoyang?
Wei Li was only twenty years old at the time, and he felt a bit nervous when meeting the emperor.
When Cao Rui summoned Wei Li, he dismissed his attendants and asked him, "Why did your father send you here?"
Wei Li carefully took out a letter from his bosom and said, "Your Majesty, my father has entrusted me to present this letter to Your Majesty, but he has not told me any other matters."
At that time, Wei Li did not have an official position, so he could only refer to himself as 'I' and not 'My Lord'.
Cao Rui furrowed his brow, walked to Wei Li, and broke open the letter. After reading for a while, his expression began to change from sunny to stormy.
Indeed, there seems to be a new incident in Luoyang since the emperor is not there.
As the director of the Sirai Circuit, Wei Zhen does indeed have the authority to supervise all matters in Luoyang. However, this is a matter of great importance and Wei Zhen cannot make a decision alone. He can only report the matter to the emperor as quickly as possible.
The emperor began his southern tour on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. The people of Luoyang were among the first to know, and the news slowly spread from Luoyang. The people thought it was like when Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen went on tours to places like Xuchang and Qiaopai.
Only after the news of the emperor's sacrifice at Shouchun and the military campaign to the south was spread to Luoyang did the matter of using force against Wu slowly began to spread. Gradually, this matter began to change in tone.
Later, rumors spread that the royal troops suffered a major defeat in the Lujiang prefecture, and the emperor also died in Huainan!
Although Luoyang is the true political center of the world, all kinds of elites, families, and crowds gather in Luoyang, turning it into a blurred vat of confusion.
Rumors are the same. It's even more malicious and absurd to slander the emperor, saying that he has died abroad.
The cleverness of this rumor lies in the fact that it's impossible to find the originator. Wei Zhen cannot command the Secretarial Affairs, and it's also impossible to trace the source of this rumor in a short period of time. Rumors have a shelf life. If you can't dig out the roots at the beginning of their spread, you won't be able to find them later either.
On the other hand, it involved bringing Yongqiu Wang Cao She to the affair.
Many 'uninformed masses' in the court were shocked on one hand, and on the other hand, they were considering the matter of supporting Yongqiu Wang Cao Zhi!
On the other hand, this rumor was also spread to the palace. Empress Dowager Xian even summoned Wei Zhen to the palace and personally inquired about the emperor's situation outside.
Wei Zhen is only reporting every five days, so how could he possibly know the exact situation on the front line at that time? The more vague Wei Zhen's reports become, the more suspicious Empress Dowager Xian becomes. After all, Wei Zhen cannot show Empress Dowager Xian the secret report that the emperor has signed, which would go against the system!
Wei Zhen met with Empress Dowager Xian, but spoke in vague terms. This news somehow leaked from the palace and spread to the extent that it was known by all the court ministers.
From the spread of the rumor to its full development, it took only three days, which coincided with the interval between two reports. At this point, Wei Zhen also dared not trust the security of the relay stations and sent his own son directly.
Wei Li stood in the hall of the imperial palace in Shouchun, watching the emperor read the letter and then put it down. After putting down the letter, he walked for a moment before lifting his hand to look at it again.
Cao Rui looked at Wei Li: "When you came to Shouchun, did anyone in Luoyang know?"
Wei Li shook his head: "Your Majesty, no one else knows about this. My father sent me out of Luoyang at night, accompanied by ten subordinates from the Director of the Sirai Circuit."
After thinking for a moment, Cao Rui nodded: "Go and live with Wei Li's officials in the camp of the Grand General. Tell them it is my order."
Wei Li showed respect and then withdrew.
Cao Rui sat alone in the hall, momentarily dumbfounded.
As an emperor, what can be considered a reliable and trustworthy support?
Cao Rui couldn't help but recall the speech of Dong Zhao in the military warehouse of Luoyang on that day. According to Dong Zhao's words, for Cao Rui, this 'name' could not be relied upon. The only 'reality' that could serve as a shield was the military forces alone.
Cao Rui had been half-believing and half-skeptic about Dong Zhao's words on that day. Cao Rui thought at the time that, after all, he was the legitimate and rightful emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, having inherited it from the previous emperor. In terms of both sentiment and reason, it should be no one else's place to shake this position in a short period of time.
It wasn't until now, when his emperor position was being directly threatened, that Cao Rui realized Dong Zhao's wisdom and understood the foresight of this Wei Dynasty strategist.
Great Wei, the Cao family, just a bandit chief. Born into such a home, how can you not rely on strong military power, but on what is the eldest son, what is the name? That's really stupid!
The 'name' that I rely on, as a descendant of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen, is even if Cao Zhi himself never had the chance to use it, then an ambitious man can place that 'name' on Cao Zhi's head.
Cao Rui no longer hesitated and sent his guards to summon the Grand General, the Minister of the Interior, and four palace attendants.
Several people arrived in turn and, seeing the emperor sitting quietly in the hall without saying a word, they did not find it strange and each found their own place to sit. These several people had long accompanied the emperor, and such an incident had become a routine for them.
After everyone was present, Cao Rui looked around and then slowly and softly said, "Ministers, there are some people in Luoyang who wish to rebel."
Cao Zhen was the first to stand up, with a serious expression, and asked, "Your Majesty, what happened in Luoyang? I have not heard any news about it."
Seeing Cao Zhen stand up, Sima Yi also stood up. He and Cao Zhen were both trustees who had the responsibility to maintain consistency in their positions on such matters.
The remaining four palace attendants, seeing that both the Grand General and the Minister of the Interior had stood up, also had no choice but to follow suit. The eyes of the seven men converged on the face of the emperor.
Cao Rui expressed himself impassively: "There are rumors in Luoyang that I died in the campaign in Lujiang Prefecture. Wei Zhen couldn't find the source of the rumor for a while, and the Empress Dowager Xian also acted confused."
"Wei Zhen had no choice but to urgently dispatch his son Wei Li to Shouchun to find me. Wei Li just left, and I have asked him to reside in the camp of the Grand General."
The several people in the hall all showed expressions of shock. After looking around, Emperor Cao Rui continued to prolong his tone and slowly said, "Many ministers in Luoyang City are discussing the idea of installing Yongqiu Wang as the emperor."
Cao Zhen's face flushed with anger and said, "Your Majesty, who dared to spread such a rumor? Let me have 5,000 horsemen, and I will personally lead them to Yongqiu and bring Yongqiu Wang to Shouchun."
Before Cao Rui could speak, Sima Yi spoke with certainty: "General Cao, that is not advisable!"
Cao Zhen's eyes were filled with confusion as he looked at Sima Yi. As both were trustees appointed by the late emperor, Cao Zhen had no doubt about Sima Yi's stance. Cao Zhen had only proposed what he believed to be the most reliable solution, and what else would Sima Yi say?
Sima Yi bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, such rumors are so absurd that how many people would believe them? Yongqiu Wang has been in the outer fief for a long time. You have already ordered Wei Zhen to dispatch people to keep an eye on him, so what kind of trouble can he cause?"
"And since Your Majesty is in Shouchun, with the Grand General leading the army here and the Grand Marshal leading the army outside, with over a hundred thousand soldiers in Yangzhou, I believe that at this moment, Shouchun is the safest place for Your Majesty."
"They are just a group of lowly rebels. Your Majesty should sit in Shouchun and observe the situation. When the time comes, we can crush them all at once."
Cao Rui sighed lightly after hearing this.
The most direct reaction is often the most genuine.
When faced with such rumors in Luoyang City, Cao Zhen's first reaction was to personally lead his cavalry to bind Cao Zhi in Shouchun and thus prevent any further waves of unrest in Luoyang City.
When faced with this rumor, Sima Yi's first reaction was also that there were large armies in place, with the emperor commanding over a hundred thousand troops in Yangzhou and having just achieved a significant victory. There was no need to fear any unrest in Luoyang City.
Both are representatives of the martial people from Qiao and the gentry, and when facing a crisis, both Cao Zhen and Sima Yi's first instinct is to use force and rely on force.
While sighing, Cao Rui's mind increasingly recalled Dong Zhao's piercing gaze.
An emperor, the one with strong troops and abundant horses, is indeed right!
(This chapter is completed)
