Cao Rui is currently in Shouchun, while Luoyang is far away, truly beyond our reach.
Just like when the owner is not at home, often thieves will come. When the emperor is not in the capital, this has given traitors the opportunity to spread rumors.
For a while, there was no way to investigate thoroughly.
To identify the person responsible for spreading rumors was clearly not an easy task. Cao Rui believed that since he had ascended the throne, he had not initiated any major persecution nor punished any officials.
There's no possibility at all for so-called "scholar groups" or "military merit groups" to concoct such a scheme.
Two leaders of scholars in the current era, Chen Qun is confined in Xiyang City, while Sima Yi has been almost always by his side during his southern campaign. If the leaders of scholars don't participate, who else would concoct such schemes?
And those military generals in command of troops, they still need to play such tricks with rumors, and it's not easy for them. They already have official ranks and rewards, why do they need to engage in such minor operations?
If we eliminate the two most powerful groups in the present day, the scholars and military officers, what kind of trouble can other "interest groups" stir up?
Eunuchs? They have long lost any say in matters.
The palace harem? Can it be that having a son as the emperor is better than having a grandson? This is also not possible. The current palace harem also has no power.
The method of elimination may be a bit clumsy, but it is undoubtedly very useful. Besides these factions, there are only two other possibilities left: the royal family and the remnants from the previous dynasty. Can these two groups really pull off such a big thing?
Since his accession, Cao Rui has been intentionally diluting the functions of the "examination" system, a secret police organization. Cao Rui has tried to dominate the government through appointments of capable officials based on his general understanding of figures in the court.
Now in retrospect, it appears that this path was not correct. It ignored the unrest in Wei and ignored the people with ulterior motives in Luoyang.
You gave you freedom, and now you've caused such a mess. Well, then I won't be polite anymore. I'll just increase the efforts of the School Inspector.
However, all of these things will have to wait until I return to Luoyang. For now, I am in Shouchun, and there's not much point in thinking about it. What's important right now is to calm down the current chaos in Luoyang, and then we can deal with it when I return to Luoyang.
Cao Rui gently shook his head and looked at Cao Jie and Sima Yi: "General Cao, Premier Sima, both of you are right, but not entirely so."
"There is turmoil in Luoyang because I am not in the capital and communication with Luoyang has decreased during the southern campaign, which has led to discord."
"I am thinking that perhaps it's time to inform Luoyang about the progress of this war."
Sima Yi first bowed and said, "I believe the emperor's words are reasonable. It would be best to send someone to Luoyang to report the victory as soon as possible. With the news of the emperor's successful campaign spreading, I believe the rumors will be dispelled on their own."
Cao Rui nodded: "In that case, I will send someone to return with Wei Lie to Luoyang to formally report the victory to the palace and the Secretariat, and to offer sacrifices at our great Weicang ancestral temple."
Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen: "General Cao, when our ancestors returned victorious from war, how were they worshipped?"
Cao Zhen hesitated for a moment, seeing Cao Rui frown, finally replied: "Your Majesty, in the past when we returned victorious from campaigns, we almost never worshipped the ancestors."
"Since the eighteenth year of the Jian'an era, when Emperor Wu founded the state in Ye City, the Cao family has had a ancestral temple. And Emperor Wu's numerous great victories were also victories for the Han dynasty's military, so they could not be worshipped in the We state's ancestral temple."
"Although the Marquis of Shan Yang once worshipped in the Han Dynasty's Temple of the Sun, after Emperor Wu moved the Marquis of Shan Yang from Luoyang to Xuchang, the Temple of the Sun no longer allowed him to worship there."
"And since the deceased emperor moved from Ye City to Luoyang, he only began moving the ancestral temple of Ye City to Luoyang last year. And after victories in wars, there has never been a sacrifice made to the ancestors of Luoyang."
Cao Rui was rather helpless.
Cao Rui said, "Alright, since it has not been established as a rule, there will inevitably be irregularities this time. Let's wait until I return to the capital before discussing it."
Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye: "Liu Zhongshu, send someone to bring Guan Jian to this place."
Liu Ye bowed and accepted the order, then went out of the hall to give instructions to the guards. He then returned to the hall.
Cao Rui pointed to the seats for the officials: "Sit down, Your Majesties. I have summoned you here not only to discuss this matter, but also to discuss other matters."
Cao Rui said, "My officials, what do you think Cao Shang's next move should be in his standoff with Eastern Wu at Wan Pass?"
All the officials turned their attention to Cao Zhen. It was a well-understood convention among them to let Cao Zhen be the first to answer the emperor's military questions.
Cao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, according to past precedents, when Sun Quan is on the defensive, he would always send messengers to negotiate. However, this time there is no messenger from Sun Quan. Perhaps this means that Sun Quan has changed his attitude and is determined to fight against Wei all the way."
Cao Rui chuckled lightly: "How can he fight on? To cross the river and attack? In my opinion, Sun Quan probably lost this battle, but won't admit it, so he doesn't send a messenger to me here. Instead, he is pretending to be strong and trying to maintain his face."
"Has Sun Quan responded to my proposal for prisoner exchange?"
Cao Zhen shook his head: "Sun Quan has not replied, he just keeps facing us across the river, and occasionally sends his water army to show off in front of the campaign of the Grand Marshal."
"The Grand Marshal's military report clearly states that the ships of the Wu troops are carved and decorated with colors, and covered with blue sails and scarlet curtains. The masts, oars, and weapons are all painted with floral patterns. The cangjian warships are connected in front and back, looking far away like a continuous mountain range."
Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "Who is leading the Wu navy? Is it still He Qi?"
Cao Zhen answered, "It is indeed He Qi. When the Grand Marshal attacked Wei in Guangling years ago, it was He Qi's navy that blocked his advance."
Cao Rui sighed: "The Yangtze River is indeed a natural barrier! With the help of the river, land has been divided into North and South since then, and the territorial division of the country has also been separated."
"Is it possible to build a city at Wan Pass? Can soldiers be stationed there permanently?"
Sima Yi answered, "Your Majesty, the location at Wan Pass is too close to the river, making it unsuitable for building a city. The Wu navy can quickly and easily move across the river, making it much more difficult to compete on land. If a city is built on the riverbank, it will clearly be under direct threat from the Wu navy."
"Eastern Wu's navy can land and attack at any time, while Wan Pass is too far from Shouchun. It would take some time to send reinforcements."
Cao Rui said, "Since Wan Pass is unsuitable, and Wan City is a hundred li away from the river, how can we establish a long-term garrison there? If we can't even set up a long-term garrison in Wan City, then this campaign would simply be about capturing enemy soldiers and not gain any other tangible benefits."
Sima Yi explained, "Wan City can indeed be garrisoned, but since there are few local people around, it may be quite costly to transport supplies from the interior."
Cao Rui asked, "Is it possible to settle soldiers to cultivate land near Wan City?"
The gaze shifted from Sima Yi to Liu Ye, and Cao Rui said, "Liu Zhongshu, you previously said that you wanted to have the Wu soldiers as laborers for farming. If we settle soldiers to cultivate land in Wan City, how can we do it?"
Even with Liu Ye's quick wit, he was taken aback by the question for a moment.
For Cao Wei, farming lands in border territories were almost nonexistent.
For example, in the original defense line of Cao Wei in the south of the Yangtze River, Shouchun, as the hub for water transportation and the base for fighting against Wu, guards the central part of the Huai River.
The actual front-line position against the enemy is not Shouchun, but Hefei to the south. The connection between Shouchun and Hefei, in addition to the roads on land, is also connected through the Shaobi Reservoir and the nearby river system.
If large-scale farming is done in the Yangtze River region, it would be better to establish farms in Shouchun, which is safer and closer to the rear. Who would want to farm near Hefei City, constantly exposed to Wu's attacks?
Therefore, Liu Ye said, "Your Majesty, it may be quite difficult to implement farming in the vicinity of Wan City. The people of Lujiang Prefecture have already been lost since the end of Jian'an period, and where can we gather the people for farming?"
Cao Rui slowly said, "What if it's military farming?"
After thinking for a moment, Liu Ye said, "Military farming is also quite difficult. Wan City is close to the Wan River, and overall it is easier to attack and harder to defend. If we establish military farms near Wan City, we might be disturbed by Wu forces."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Liu Zhongshu, all of you officials, please listen to what I think."
"Throughout history, when the Great Wei attacked Eastern Wu, what we have lacked are the waterways needed for naval advancement, often preventing us from entering the Yangtze River. This is why Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen repeatedly attacked Rushu for this reason."
"And Wan City is close to the Wan River. If we can enter the Yangtze River through the Wan River, we will gain the advantage of water transport. Since we will use the Wan River, we must have a garrison near the Wan River to build irrigation projects and ships." But currently, there are no such geographical conditions near Wan City."
"I have come up with a plan like this. Wan City is easy to attack and difficult to defend, right? Then why not build fortresses and garrisons in the vicinity of Qiankou, where the Qian River flows into the Wan River, to control the waterways? Eastern Wu also has built Rushu Fortress near Rushu Water, right?"
"If this can be done, then wouldn't there be a barrier of protection for the area around Wan City? Establishing military farms would also be more secure, and we would no longer have to fear the Wu people's harassment along the river."
Sima Yi and Cao Zhen looked at each other, their eyes showing a trace of surprise.
Sima Yi recalled the time when the emperor just ascended the throne. At that time, Sima Yi and the other three regents visited the emperor in court. The emperor then said that fortresses like Qiushan, Xiangyang, and Hefei should be built on the border to control the enemy's advance routes. This would allow for a recovery of national strength and accumulation of power.
More than half a year has passed, and the emperor has spoken and acted accordingly. In the battle at Wan City, although Sima Yi and his colleagues have made many contributions with their advice, most of the strategy was actually determined by the emperor himself. When using troops, he anticipated defeat first and did not act recklessly. After a great victory, he promptly returned.
This is actually saving military strength and national resources.
If it can be done as the emperor suggests, building a fortress like Ruoshu at Qiankou, and if it truly succeeds, regardless of the various military advantages, given the geographical position of Wan City, Qiankou, and Wan Pass being in the middle of Shouchun and Xiangyang, it will inevitably become a new military zone!
Just like Chen Qun's supervision of Jingzhou and Cao Huo's supervision of Yangzhou, Wan City is almost equidistant from Xiangyang and Shouchun. It would be inappropriate to be under the jurisdiction of Shouchun. If a general is to supervise military affairs alone, who would be more suitable for the job?
Sima Yi had been serving as an official in the East and West Cuit of Cao Cao's regiment during his early years. He was responsible for personnel management and allocation within the regiment. From a 'human' perspective to judge politics has become a subconscious reflex response.
(End of Chapter)
