Cao Rui noticed the slight swaying of Sun Lu Ban's posture as he walked outwards, whether intentionally or not.
Cao Tai and Xiahou Xuan were already waiting outside, seeing Sun Lu Ban walk out of the hall alone, her waist gently swaying, but the rope in her hand had been untied.
Who else could it be? There was no one else in the hall. It must have been the emperor himself who did it. Moreover, Sun Lu Ban, who had previously arrived with a face full of fear, even raised her head at this time.
Cao Tai's face was filled with smiles, while Xiahou Xuan was holding back his laughter. The two men, with their expressions strange one after the other, entered the house.
"Xiahou Taichu," Cao Wei looked up at the two men, slightly prolonging his voice as he said, "go stand by the corner of the wall and face the wall for an hour."
Xiahou Xuan bowed and then obediently went to stand by the corner of the wall.
Xiahou Xuan, not yet twenty, could naturally be dealt with by a mildly reprimanding punishment of standing. However, facing Cao Tai, a general over forty years old, this could not be treated in such a manner.
Watching Cao Tai's face as he forced a smile, Cao Wei said, "I have received the loot you have captured. I will record it as one of your merits."
Cao Tai bent his hands and answered, "This is within the duty of a minister. Your Majesty, the department under my command has already arrived in Shouchun. What other assignments are there after this?"
Cao Wei said, "The expedition against Wu has temporarily come to an end. I will soon return north, and you should listen to the deployment of the Grand Marshal in Yangzhou, preparing for military exercises and preparations. You also fought at Ruushi in the past. After this great victory, do you have any thoughts on using troops again against Wu?"
After a moment of silence, Cao Tai said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should put great effort into the navy. There were many reasons why the navy of the Great Wei could not cross the river in the past. For example, at the Ruushi River, it was blocked by the Eastern Wu, and at Guangling, the waterway was too narrow and lengthy."
"Now, the Anwanci Pass has been occupied by the Great Wei, which is the first time that the Great Wei has gained a strategic location along the river. If we use Anwanci Pass as a base for our navy, in a few years, we may be able to compete with the Eastern Wu on the rivers."
Great Wei's navy could not beat the Eastern Wu's navy, which was a common understanding in the three states of that time. Cao Tai dared to say this in front of the emperor without fear of punishment.
Cao Wei nodded upon hearing Cao Tai's words. It seems that the formulation of military strategy is almost always related to geography. Having a location along the river is completely different from not having one, and it's a different approach in battle. Even Cao Tai, who was always considered brave but lacking in strategy, has come to understand this. It appears that Cao Tai is gradually becoming more insightful.
Cao Wei praised, "With General Dūnxiāng supporting the Grand Marshal in the southeast, I believe I can also be more at ease regarding the matters of the southeast. If there are any important or minor matters in the southeast, you may report directly to me."
Cao Tai naturally agreed to it.
...
After dinner, Cao Wei was taking a walk in the courtyard of the palace to digest his meal.
To be honest, the southern campaign has been quite exhausting. It's not just physical fatigue; it's more like a drain from the body to the spirit.
Liu Ye and Huang Quan were following Cao Wei from the side. Cao Wei asked Liu Ye, who was next to him, "Have you met Guo Daozu?"
Liu Ye thought for a moment and said, "When I was in the city of Ye, I met Guo Daozu several times. At that time, Emperor Wu suffered from severe migraine headaches and summoned Guo Daozu to treat him. However, Guo Daozu did not finish treating him and pretended that his wife was ill to return to Xuchang."
Cao Wei slightly furrowed his brow: "I've heard of this matter. Wasn't Guo Daozu later executed?"
Liu Ye said, "That's correct. Guo Daozu deceived the court and did not obey the court's summons, which according to the law should be exiled. However, Guo Daozu could not withstand the torture and died directly in prison."
Liu Ye spoke without any concern, and Huang Quan listening beside him also did not show any special expression. A criminal dying in prison is not strange at all. There are many people who are wrongfully killed in the world. Not having Guo Daozu is not a big deal.
In this era, doctors are merely one aspect of the art of healing, not comparable to scholars who can enter the refined court. However, Cao Wei himself knew well that losing a figure like Hua Tuo was a great mistake.
Cao Wei sighed lightly: "I was going to ask about Hua Tuo's Five Poultry Exercise. Hua Tuo must have taught this Five Poultry Exercise to people before, and can his disciples still be found now?"
Liu Ye thought for a moment before saying, "I seem to remember that Hua Tuo had a disciple named Wu Pu, who was particularly skilled in the Five Poultry Exercise."
Cao Wei said, "Since someone knows this Five Poultry Exercise, send someone to summon Wu Pu to Luoyang and treat him with respect."
Liu Ye nodded.
As the two men were speaking, a rapid series of horse hoofbeats came from outside the palace. Liu Ye looked in the direction from where the hoofbeats were coming first.
A messenger who can gallop so quickly outside the palace must be carrying urgent military news. What urgent military news could there be now that the confrontation at Anwan Pass has ended?
The hoofbeats stopped at the entrance of the palace. The guards outside checked the messenger and had four people leading him into the palace on both sides.
Huang Quan quickly walked a few steps forward to take the letter, unfolded it, and then handed the document back to the emperor.
Cao Wei unfolded the document and looked at it for a few seconds before sighing heavily.
Liu Ye and Huang Quan looked at the emperor in confusion. Cao Wei looked at the two Visitors beside him and spoke softly, "We received an urgent report from Xiangyang. General Xu Yang, the commander of the southern campaign, is gravely ill and is likely to pass away in a few days."
Liu Ye and Huang Quan both changed their expressions.
The saying that it's easier to get a thousand troops than to find a single capable general holds true for General Xu Yang. By the year of Jian'an, there were few remaining distinguished generals, including Xiu Yuan, Xiahou Dun, and Cao Ren, who had all passed away.
Among the few non-clan generals who were on a par with Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and Le Jin had both died long ago. Yu Jin was originally quite good but had a blot on his record for surrendering, leaving only Zhang He and Xu Huang as the two remaining in the world.
This afternoon, Cao Wei had just praised Cao Tai for having some of Xu Huang's characteristics. Now Xu Huang is also about to pass away?
Cao Wei sighed and then told Liu Ye, "I'm feeling quite emotional. Please call the General in and tell him to come with me for a walk."
Liu Ye and Huang Quan left together. Shouchun is not a large city, and after Cao Wei had walked around the courtyard twice, Cao Zhen arrived at the emperor's side.
Cao Zhen, upon hearing that the emperor had summoned him, rode his horse over promptly. Upon seeing the emperor's slightly sad expression, Cao Zhen asked, "Your Majesty, why have you summoned me at this time? Is something wrong?"
"General, please follow me." Cao Wei pointed to the door and walked out, and Cao Zhen could only quickly follow.
The two men rode towards the north gate, and at this moment, the roadside was filled with soldiers acting as guards.
Cao Wei whispered from the horse: "General Xu Huang is gravely ill and his life is nearing its end. This is the news just received from Xiangyang."
"Does General Dàjūn know General Xu Huang well?"
"How could I not be familiar with him?" Cao Zhen showed a hint of sadness on his face as well: "Xu Huang defected to Emperor Wu from Yang Feng in the first year of the Jian'an era. He has served the Great Wei for more than thirty years. I have known Xu Huang since my youth."
Cao Wei said, "General Dàjūn is older than me by a generation, and he can still recognize these veteran generals. It's just unfortunate that I haven't had the chance to meet Xu Huang yet."
"Who is Xu Huang like?" Cao Wei asked Cao Zhen beside him.
Riding at a leisurely pace out of the north gate of Shouchun, Cao Zhen thought for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, from my perspective, Xu Huang can be said to have put the public interest above personal gain."
"What do you mean by that?" Cao Wei asked.
Cao Zhen laughed: "I recall an interesting story. Xu Huang was careful in his military strategy, often planning for defeat before victory. However, if Xu Huang thought there was a chance of winning, he would drive his troops hard and fast to engage in battle. The troops would often go without meals."
"At the time, there was a saying in Xu Huang's army, 'Without supplies, it's like Xu Huang's own army.' Xu Huang himself always put the public interest above personal gain, and he often treated others in his army as if they were his own."
Cao Wei did not comment on this. The strict treatment of the generals towards their soldiers is not something that the emperor should interfere with or care about. Moreover, Xu Huang is still a servant of the Cao family, and any benefits will ultimately benefit the Cao family.
Cao Wei said, "Does General Dàjūn enjoy boating? I came to Shouchun from Luoyang by land. The border of Shouchun is the Huai River, and I have never sailed a boat."
"Tomorrow, General Dàjūn will lead the central army back to Luoyang, and I will inspect the various counties. Tonight, General Dàjūn will accompany me to sail on the Huai River."
Cao Zhen said, "Ships from the south and horses from the north have been around since ancient times. As a native of Qiao County, which is situated between the south and the north, one should be proficient in both riding horses and sailing ships."
Why is General Cao Zhen speaking so eloquently today?
The nearest wharf in the north had only oil boats and flat boats. Cao Wei and Cao Zhen got on a flat boat and sat down, the evening breeze from the riverbank blowing gently, providing a great deal of comfort.
Cao Wei raised his head and looked at the sky. The light of the stars was reflected on the water's surface as well. The moon hung in the east. If one looked towards the east, they could still see the moonlight reflected on the waves of the Huai River.
Cao Wei said, "I still want to talk about Xu Huang. I've heard that Emperor Wu has two different evaluations of Xu Huang that are different from those of other generals. The first is that Xu Huang is 'straight forward and direct,' and the second is that Xu Huang has the style of Zhou Yafei."
"I am aware of these two things," said Cao Zhen. "Being 'direct and aggressive' refers to the praise of Xu Huang's attack on Guan Yu's camp during the battle at Xiangfan. Guan Yu is an expert in military tactics, with his camp fortified with ditches and ten layers of horns. Despite such defenses, Xu Huang managed to conquer it."
"The 'style of Zhou Yafei' refers to the fact that during Emperor Wu's inspection of the army at Mo Bi, Xu Huang's troops were the most disciplined. This 'style of Zhou Yafei' is essentially an addition to Xu Huang's praise for his 'direct and aggressive' attack at Guan Yu's camp."
Cao Wei nodded: "Are there any distinguished generals in the Great Wei today who are capable of leading successful attacks?"
Cao Zhen was silent for a moment. As the Grand General, Cao Zhen was very familiar with the merits and service records of all the well-known military officers in the Great Wei. If there were any such distinguished generals, he would have been able to name them without having to think.
Cao Wei saw this and added a sentence before Cao Zhen had a chance to speak: "I see some similarities between Cao Tai and Xu Huang's 'direct and aggressive' approach."
Cao Zhen felt relief as the emperor's words broke the silence. He then said, "Cao Tai did indeed perform well in this battle. However, Xu Huang, when attacking, did not care for the lives of his soldiers and drove them like cattle and horses, which is not something others should emulate."
(Chapter ends)
