Upon receiving the emperor's orders, Guan Qi left. The next day, he led his own troops of 700 riders, along with Wei Lie and others who had sent letters to Luochun, and set off back to Luoyang.
It was not logical for Man Qianjian to return to Luoyang with such a large number of cavalry. The purpose of these 700 riders was to demonstrate the support of Emperor Cao Rui, as the emperor, by assigning his trusted troops to Wei Zhen.
Let's see how things develop.
Since he had left Luoyang under the pretext of a southern expedition, after the affairs in Shouchun were concluded, he could still make a tour of the counties along the way on his return journey. In December, when he set off southwards, Chenliu stayed for only one day, and Qiao simply passed by without even entering the city.
Apart from Chenliu and Qiao County, one could also visit Changyi, where the Shanyang Marquis Liu Xie resides, and Yongqiu, where King Yi Zhi Cao Zhi is based. To be honest, Emperor Cao Rui did indeed want to meet Liu Xie and Cao Zhi.
At this time in Shouchun, Emperor Cao Rui was not idle either. He had to deal with numerous and complicated matters every day, which could be roughly divided into three categories.
The first category was to arrange rewards after the battle. This battle was the first major victory in years of fighting against Wu, and since it was a major victory, there should be an attitude that reflects its magnitude.
For the various commanders who performed outstandingly in the battle, careful planning was needed for their ranks and fiefdoms. It is difficult to fight in a war, but it is even more difficult to appraise the merits after the war. Who contributed more, who contributed less, who had greater achievements, and who should be punished—all these decisions are accompanied by many considerations.
The second category was the distribution of tasks after the war. For example, the future deployment of the region around Anhui, Huancun, and Ankun Pass, and who to withdraw first and last among the more than ten thousand soldiers, arrangements for Wu's captives, and other various matters.
To be honest, these trivial matters could be left to Emperor Cao Rui without any concern. However, since everyone was here, it was still best to see these things for himself in order to feel at ease.
The third category is what one might call 'research.' Just as chatting with Xu Yu can validate some past events, communicating with senior military officers, junior officers, even common soldiers in the army, can lead to new insights.
Xiahou Xuan entered the hall and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lord Lu has arrived."
Emperor Cao Rui glanced at Liu Ye and Huang Quan seated on either side of him, nodded, and signaled to Xiahou Xuan to bring Lu Xun into the hall.
Lu Xun approached slowly, bowed to Emperor Cao Rui, and said, "The subject Lu Xun pays respects to Your Majesty."
Emperor Cao Rui looked at Lu Xun and said, "Why do you call yourself an 'outside minister'? Sun Quan has indeed been rebellious, but Weiyi has not revoked his title as Wu King. You people are all criminals, so there's no need to call yourself an 'outside minister'."
Lu Xun was taken aback for a moment and immediately understood the emperor's intention. The emperor wanted to imply through Sun Quan's title as King of Wu that Wu was a rebellious state of Weiwu, rather than an enemy nation. Lu Xun was not a stubborn man; since he was in Shouchun, it was appropriate for him to bow slightly.
Sun Ce killed nearly half of the Lu family, and Lu Xun himself did not abandon Sun Quan either? Whether it's the softness of any noble family or the habit of bending one's back too much, Lu Xun now does not have any intention to commit suicide.
Lu Xun bowed and said, "Your Majesty's words are sharp, and I am not worthy of them."
Lu Xun had not yet become a subject, but the change from 'outside minister' to 'I'm beneath you' was enough for Emperor Cao Rui to feel that he could now speak freely.
Emperor Cao Rui did not dwell on the issue for long: "That's not a problem. How has Lu Xun's illness improved?"
Lu Xun replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I merely caught a cold and have been treated by the imperial physician. I am now mostly recovered. Thank you for Your Majesty's care."
Regardless of social class, as long as there is a topic to start a conversation, simply continue along with it.
After Lu Xun woke up from his coma, he originally thought that a Weiyu general or a confidant of the emperor would come to interrogate him about military secrets and information from the Eastern Wu. To his surprise, in the two weeks since his awakening, no one from Weiyu had come to ask him anything.
After holding a high position for many years, Lu Xun still had the composure to maintain his demeanor. Being confined to camp in Shouchun, unable to leave or read books, other than lamenting the surrender of his troops, there was not much else for him to do.
Today, Emperor Cao Rui summoned him, which was the first time Lu Xun had engaged in any form of communication for these many days. Of course, daily meals and such trivial matters did not count.
Emperor Cao Rui opened his mouth and asked, "Lu Xun, today I want to ask you, the prominent families of the Jiangdong region, especially the Lu family, are not originally enemies of the Sun family? Why did you become officials under the Sun family and serve Sun Quan at his side?"
Lu Xun thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, Luoyang is far away from Jianye. From the beginning, the Sun family has been serving the court."
Emperor Cao Rui nodded. During the years of the Jian'an era, there was chaos throughout the country, and Sun Ce and Sun Quan held official positions and titles appointed by the court. What Lu Xun said—that following the Sun family was following the court—was indeed correct.
Even if we step back and consider that the prominent families of Jiangdong at the time wanted to follow the Han dynasty or Emperor Cao Cao, would they have to cross through the territory controlled by the Sun family and then cross the river to make their allegiance? This is not practical.
Emperor Cao Rui asked again, "Lu Xun, are you afraid more of the Sun family's military strength, or more of the status they hold as part of the Sun family?"
Lu Xun had been serving the Eastern Wu for more than twenty years, and when the emperor asked this question, it almost felt like an old wound that had been opened up again, revealing some helplessness in his expression: "As Your Majesty said, how could I possibly ask half of the Lu family to continue dying when half of them have already perished under Lord Sun Ce?"
"Not only is this the case for my Lu family, but the Gu family, Zhang family, Zhu family, and so on initially took service under force as well. But they later discovered that Sun Ce was quite capable of governing Jiangdong securely, so they wholeheartedly served the Sun family."
Emperor Cao Rui looked at Lu Xun: "Lu Xun, you have been quite honest with me."
Lu Xun did not speak. Such questions that everyone pretty much knows the answer to, how could Lu Xun not tell the truth? Would the emperor opposite him be an idiot?
Emperor Cao Rui saw that Lu Xun remained silent, and he knew that Lu Xun's attitude was one of passive resistance at this point. He still wanted to test him further.
Emperor Cao Rui asked in a seemingly casual tone, addressing Liu Ye who was seated to his left front, "Niu Chuzhong, it's been days since I sent a letter to Sun Quan. Has Sun Quan asked about Lu Baiyan in his reply?"
Liu Ye also nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty, Sun Quan has not yet replied to our inquiry about Lu Baiyan. Perhaps Sun Quan overlooked this matter?"
Lu Xun, standing in the hall, listened carefully. Usually, it was Lu Xun who employed psychological warfare on others. The emperor and Liu Ye were obviously using words to confuse him. Lu Xun was very confident that such small tricks of psychological warfare could not sway his heart.
Even though he was very clear in his mind, today he was in the enemy's land and at the mercy of others. Moreover, Lu Xun truly knew that it was possible for Sun Quan to do such a thing! The mention of Sun Quan not sending any messages to inquire about him, even though it made sense intellectually, still hit him emotionally. It struck a chord within him, reminding him of the uncertainty and treachery that could exist within the ranks of his own ruler and allies.
When the events were linked together, the chaotic thoughts in his mind began to spiral out of control.
Having lost my army and deeply entrenched in enemy territory, now as a defeated general, is Sun Quan blaming me? With the entire weight of the Lu family on my shoulders, will the Lu family in Jiangdong still be well off?
Lu Xun gently lowered his head and sighed.
This critical facial expression was accurately captured by Liu Ye, who turned his head to look at the emperor. Emperor Cao Rui also looked at Liu Ye for a moment and understood his meaning. Over time spent together, they had developed this simple form of silent communication.
Emperor Cao Rui spoke slowly, "Lu Xun, you have come to serve the Weiyi for many days, and this is the first time we have spoken. Is there anything you would like to ask me?"
Lu Xun certainly had questions to ask, and there were more than one. How is the situation now? Have any other Eastern Wu generals been captured? What is the total number of losses for the Wu army? How will Your Majesty deal with me?......
But Lu Xun's composure had been disrupted by the words of Emperor Cao Rui and Liu Ye. Such information would eventually have to be known, and if he were to hear such details now, there was a fear that his panic might lead him to make a mistake.
Lu Xun bowed and said, "I thank Your Majesty, but at this moment, I truly have no questions to ask Your Majesty."
Emperor Cao Rui raised his eyebrows, "Is it that you don't want to ask?"
Lu Xun replied, "It's that I'm afraid to ask."
Emperor Cao Rui nodded, not continuing to press Lu Xun, instead saying, "Since Lu Xun has nothing to ask me, I have a few questions for you."
Lu Xun stood in the hall, silent and still. In Lu Xun's heart, integrity was still important. If the emperor asked him about military secrets, he would keep silent. The worst outcome would be to be beheaded, and what did he have to fear?
Emperor Cao Rui, seeing that Lu Xun did not delay, directly said: "Lu Xun, in the past, Ju Jing first surrendered to Guan Yu, and then Luo Meng captured Jianling City. Ju Jing's surrendered troops were also obtained by Luo Meng and the Eastern Wu. Isn't that right?"
Lu Xun could never have guessed that the emperor would bring up the matter of Yu Jing from so many years ago. This issue was trivial and did not harm anyone, so he should just speak what he knew.
Lu Xun replied, "Your Majesty is correct. At that time, Lu Xun was also in charge of this battle in Jingzhou. Ju Jing's surrendered troops were indeed captured by Luo Meng in Jianling, and then these troops were transferred to various districts for settlement."
"Are they being settled in military farmlands? Or are they being forced into hard labor?" Emperor Cao Rui stared into Lu Xun's eyes.
"Both of them are present," Lu Xun thought for a moment before saying, "Military farmlands have been established in several counties of Wu Yi, Changsha, and Wuchang, and some of them have been reintegrated into the military in the Eastern Wu."
Emperor Cao Rui asked: "Some? How many were reintegrated into the military?"
Lu Xun said, "There are about five thousand. When Lu Dai, known as Lu Dinggong, was the governor of Jiaozhou, he led these surrendered Wei soldiers south to Jiaozhou. During the Yellow Initial period, he used these troops to quell the rebellion of Wang Jin in Xingyang. The year before last, he also used them to suppress the rebellion of Shi Hui."
Emperor Cao Rui and Liu Ye looked at each other, both revealing surprised expressions. Huang Quan, who was listening to Lu Xun's words, also raised his eyebrows. Using Wei troops to quell Jiaozhou? Whether this could be described as an ingenious idea or simply making the most of available resources was unclear.
Emperor Cao Rui coughed lightly and then said, "At the time of bestowing the title of King Wu to Sun Quan, the Weiyi court also debated this matter. It was stipulated that Sun Quan should return the captives of that day. Sun Quan returned about 10,000, but the rest were all found to be excuse-giving."
"It's truly unexpected that they were sent to Jiaozhou."
(This chapter concludes)
