Cao Rui nodded, indicating for Liu Hui to return.
Below, regardless of whether it is the students of the upper rank or the lower rank, or those with high-status families like XIA Hou Xuan and SIMA Shi, or intelligent people like JIANG Wei and FU Gao, everyone was shocked by this incident.
To be able to hear the highest strategies of Wu and Shu, this was something that the students of Ta never imagined.
Today's information volume was so immense that even many students had not fully comprehended all the meanings.
Cao Rui laughed lightly and pointed to Jiang Wei on the first row: "Beyi, I ask you, did Zhuge Liang or Lu Su mention any mountainous terrain or obstacles?"
Without waiting for Jiang Wei to answer, Cao Rui pointed to Xiahou Xuan: "Taichu, is there any comparison of national strength and people's efforts in these two strategies?"
Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan both stood up, bowing their hands and answering: "Your Majesty, there is no."
"Sit down." Cao Rui looked around and said with a smile: "Do you know how old Lu Su was when he proposed the 'mat bed strategy' and Zhuge Liang when he proposed the 'Long Zhong confrontation'?"
"Twenty-nine and twenty-seven," Cao Rui said. "Not much older than you students here today. Gents, you still have much to strive for."
At this time, Jiang Wei was already twenty-seven years old. Upon hearing that Zhuge Liang had proposed the 'Long Zhong confrontation' at the age of twenty-seven, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Cao Rui spoke in a clear voice: "The western Shu and the eastern Wu each occupy a territory, and geography and manpower are indeed important, but they are not the decisive factors of the problem."
"The true deciding factor lies in the speed of integrating forces."
Zhong Yu had already stood by the side, holding a thin, long stick. Upon Cao Rui's slight wave, Zhong Yu immediately handed the stick over.
"As the Han dynasty was collapsing, the state was in turmoil and the whole country was unstable. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty launched his rebellion in Chenliu in the sixth year of Zhongping." Cao Rui said slowly, walking over to the map, pointing to Chenliu with a long stick.
"Occupied the Dongjun Commandery, gained the Yanzhou, attacked the Xuzhou, and pacified the Yuzhou." Cao Rui pounded heavily on the place of Pu Yang. "In the fifth year of Jian'an, at the Battle of Guandu, we utterly defeated the Yuan family."
"After Emperor Wu completely pacified Hebei, it had already been the thirteenth year of Jian'an."
“Can we not mention the thirteenth year of Jian'an?” Liu Ye stood silently, sighing in his heart.
Cao Rui, of course, could not hear Liu Ye's thoughts, and pointed to the location of Nanjun: "In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, the royal army attacked Sun Quan and Liu Bei, suffering a defeat at Red Cliffs."
The people present were all listening very attentively. It seems that the current emperor does not hesitate to speak about the Red Cliffs disaster.
"Why did Sun Quan and Liu Bei win, and why did the royal army lose?" Cao Rui looked at the students of Ta who were listening intently, and said slowly: "This is the first time in history that the strength in the south could defeat that in the north."
"After decades of man-made disasters, natural calamities, wars, and plagues, the people's strength, material resources, and financial power in the Central Plains were facing depletion, to the point where the state had to resort to storing grain through military farming." Cao Rui shook his head: "But compared to the Central Plains, Jingzhou and Jiangdong were relatively more stable."
"What Emperor Wu did in the Central Plains and Hebei is actually the same as what Sun Quan did in Jiangdong. Expanding territories and stabilizing the people's lives are both about integrating forces."
"Do you remember the 'mat bed strategy' proposed by Lu Su, as just mentioned by Liu Zhong?" Cao Rui said with a smile.
The students chorused, "Remember!"
Cao Rui nodded and said: "When Liu Biao was still alive, Lu Su advised Sun Quan to take advantage of the northern strategy to defeat Huang Zhu and Liu Biao, thus integrating the forces of Jiangdong and Jingzhou. Remember, Lu Su said this in the fifth year of Jian'an."
"But!" Cao Rui lightly shook his head, "By the thirteenth year of Jian'an, when Liu Biao had already died of illness, had Sun Quan seized Jingzhou? Of course not. It's been eight years, and Sun Quan has still not taken over Jingzhou, so other plans need to be considered."
"Beyi! Is there any mountainous terrain or obstacles between Jingzhou and Jiangdong?" Cao Rui asked.
"Your Majesty, there are no geographical barriers between Jingzhou and Jiangdong," Jiang Wei replied.
Cao Rui continued, "At this time, if the northern royal army attacks, and Sun Quan wants to continue his separatist rule, what should he do?"
Jiang Wei replied, "Cooperate with Liu Bei and resist the royal army together."
"That's right." Cao Rui laughed and threw the long stick towards Zhong Yu's direction. Zhong Yu used both hands to catch it, and Cao Rui began to pace up and down the platform with his back turned.
"Remember this, gentlemen," Cao Rui said slowly, "This was the first time Sun Quan and Liu Bei integrated the southern forces to repel the northern forces." He continued, "From the perspective of the Great Wei, whether it's Liu Bei or Sun Quan, their way of thinking is actually quite simple."
As soon as this was said, even Liu Ye and Xin Bi looked confused at the emperor on the stage. This statement was quite……overbearing, wasn't it?
Feeling the focus of the audience's gaze on himself, Cao Rui said in a leisurely manner, "Whether it's Lu Su or Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan or Liu Bei, their actions can be summed up in one sentence."
"Those that can be annexed are enemies; those that cannot be are allies."
"Xiaohou Xuan." Cao Rui pointed to Xiahou Xuan: "Can you remember what I said? You'll tell us! Since the thirteenth year of Jian'an, how have Liu Bei and Sun Quan's factions acted?"
Xiahou Xuan had an excellent memory as well. He briefly recalled the 'Long Zhong confrontation' just mentioned by Liu Ye, and a solution began to form in his mind.
Xiahou Xuan bowed and said, "As the Grand Secretary Liu just mentioned, Zhuge Liang once said that Liu Biao and Liu Zhang in Jingzhou and Yi Province could not defend themselves and should be annexed. Sun Quan has controlled Jiangdong for three generations, and he can be an ally rather than a target to be seized."
"Liu Bei thus annexed Liu Qi and Liu Zhang, occupying the land of Jingzhou and Yi Province. Sun Quan, on the other hand, slowly conquered Jiaozhou."
Cao Rui asked again, "What are the situations of war and peace between Sun Quan and Liu Bei?"
After pondering for a moment, Xiahou Xuan replied, "Sun Quan of Jiangdong sent Lu Su as an ambassador to Jingzhou, and Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang as an ambassador to Chaisang. Both agreed that the two families of Sun and Liu could not be annexed by each other."
"So what happened next?" Cao Rui continued to ask.
Xiahou Xuan continued, "Therefore, Sun Quan and Liu Bei became allies."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "So, when in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, when Guan Yu launched a northern attack on Xianning and Zhongan, Sun Quan believed that Guan Yu was in dire straits and could be conquered, so he attacked the southern part of the county and attacked Guan Yu from behind."
"And Liu Bei's party, obviously regarded Guan Yu's surprise attack by Sun Quan as an accident. He led the full strength of Yi Province to the east to invade Wu, intending to regain Jingzhou and once again cross Jingzhou and Yi Province. However, he was defeated by Lu Buyan at Yiliang, suffering a defeat and returning home, eventually dying."
Cao Rui looked at Xiahou Xuan: "So now, with Shu unable to swallow Wu and Wu unable to swallow Shu, what should the relationship between the two be?"
Xiahou Xuan answered neatly, "Shu and Wu should once again unite!"
"That's right." Cao Rui waved his hand, indicating Xiahou Xuan to sit down.
Cao Rui stopped standing, turned his hands behind him, and looked at the five hundred students in the hall: "So-called Wu-Shu separatism is merely that after Liu Bei's party integrated Shu territory, they had no more power to expand; and after Sun Quan's party integrated Jiangdong and Jingzhou, they too had no power to expand."
"Liu, you are older. I ask you, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Lu Su, and Zhou Yu are all from where?" Cao Rui pointed to Liu Ye.
Liu Ye bowed and replied, "Liu Bei is from the Xiao commandery in Yan state, Zhuge Liang is from Langya in Xu state, and both Lu Su and Zhou Yu are from the Yang River region of Yang state."
"Lu Su and Zhou Yu, they are also from the same hometown as you, Liu," Cao Rui said with a smile. "After the great chaos at the end of the Han dynasty, talents from the north all moved to the south, which is why there was a talent base in the south that could compete with that in the north."
"But now, Zhou Yu and Lu Su have been dead for a long time, and Liu Bei has been buried in the ground. Without the leadership of such talents from the north, what will happen to those in the south? Of course, they will only be conservative."
"Liu, in Zhuge Liang's Long Zhong strategy, how did he conclude?"
Liu Ye replied: "Zhuge Liang said that Liu Bei himself should lead the troops of Yi Province northward to Mengliao and have a senior general from Jingzhou advance northward to Wanyue and Luo."
Cao Rui nodded: "Liu Bei himself has died of illness, and 'the senior general' Guan Yu has been defeated and died in battle. After the death of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, can others still accomplish this?"
Cao Rui looked around the audience, and many of the students in the front rows were already shaking their heads.
"Of course not!" Cao Rui said decisively.
"Lu Su's 'Strategy on the Bed' has a very good saying: 'The north truly has many affairs.' From the fifth year of Jian'an to the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, there are only twenty years left for people like Sun Quan and Liu Bei in the south."
"The north, due to war, natural disasters, and man-made calamities, is somewhat weaker than the south. This is the first time and the last. The opportunity cannot be missed, and the twenty years have passed. Liu Bei and Sun Quan have not been united together, and there is no opportunity left. In my opinion, destiny is not on their side!"
"Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi: "What did you advise when Emperor Wen descended southwards to personally attack Wu?"
Xin Pi took a deep breath, as if the emperor had mentioned some past events he preferred not to recall. After pondering for a moment, he said, "At that time, I advised the late emperor that the country had just been pacified, with vast tracts of land and sparse population. The military strength had not increased compared to the time of Emperor Wu, so it was really not a good time to launch an offensive."
"It should be to rest and recuperate, to live and work in peace. After ten years, we can launch a new southern campaign. The adults at that time will still be able to fight, and the children will have grown up. When we launch the offensive then, we will be invincible."
Cao Rui nodded: "Have you heard, gentlemen? The words spoken by Xin Zhong truly are golden and precious!"
"The Qin River Valley and the great river divide the land geographically into north and south. During the years when the Chinese terrain was weak, for two decades in a row, both Eastern Wu and Western Shu were unable to unite into one."
"If the Great Wei restores order, relying on the power of Hebei, Central Plains, Qingxu, and Yonglan, it would be like what Xin Zhong said: 'There is no place that they cannot conquer.'"
"I am also only twenty-something years old, and the students of Taixue in front of you are also only ten-something to twenty-something years old." Cao Rui smiled and pointed to the students below: "Once the country is at peace, I believe you all can make contributions to the country!"
Looking at the excited expressions of the students, Cao Rui took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"What is meant by the overall situation of the world?"
"Destiny is with Wei! This is the overall trend of the world!"
(Chapter ends)
