Pee Chun wisely guarded in the value house until he watched the tiger guards close the room door and their footsteps gradually moved away, then slowly returned to his seat and sat down.
Cao Rui watched as several eunuchs stood motionless outside the doorway, holding trays with hot food, and curiously asked:
"Why isn't it distributed?"
Biji whispers, "The tiger guards did not hear the emperor's orders with their own ears. It is the critical time for vigilance at midnight, and the old slave's words will not be listened to."
Cao Rui gave a glance at the fawning expression on Biji's face, then nodded slightly towards the tiger guard general Guofeng behind him, and promptly walked back into the study.
Only after the door to the emperor was gently closed did Guofeng nod to the rotating tiger guards to take turns eating these hot foods.
...
The next morning, the four ministers of the Western and Eastern Galleries arrived together in the study.
In turn, the eight people sat down in order. Cao Rui pointed to Pee Chun and looked at everyone and said:
“Yesterday, Pee Chun and I reviewed all the evil deeds of Gong Sun Yuan, and also proposed to summon him to court.”
"Pei Jing, come and explain to the ministers."
"In compliance with the command." Pei Chun first stood up and paid a courtesy to the emperor before walking to the center and facing everyone.
The rest had no objections, but Dong Zhao and Man Chang simultaneously grew alert.
How could a single Minister, Pei Chun, interfere with state military affairs? Policies and strategies related to military matters have always been proposed by the Western Gallery.
Pei Chun has overstepped his authority!
At this moment, Pei Chun stood in the middle of the study, his face calm and wanting to speak, showing no sign of tension at all.
Overstepping authority?
Of course, Pei Chun knows that military affairs are exclusively proposed by the Western Gallery.
However, Pei Chun has been accompanying the emperor for more than a year and a half. In the past, Huang Quan and Yang Fu were appointed as prefectural governors in less than a year, but Pei Chun was appointed from a prefectural governorship to a higher position, naturally seeking even greater ambitions.
In the world of officialdom, isn't it common to overstep one's authority? How can one advance without stepping over the line?
Pei Chun, in front of the other seven ministers and the emperor, calmly and unhurriedly presented the three reasons for summoning Gong Sun Yuan to court.
The first reason is that Gong Sun Yuan has no title and righteousness, and the Liaodong region has no ruler. This is a time of mutual suspicion both inside and outside. If there were not extreme doubts and worries, Gong Sun Yuan would not have killed the Wu envoy and sent him to us.
The second reason is that Gong Sun Yuan has allied with Sun Quan, and he deserves punishment. Moreover, the Gong family has been committing evil deeds for a long time; Gong Du harmed renowned scholars and overstepped the ritual system, and Gong Kang launched an attack on Qingzhou across the sea. Their crimes have been accumulating for three generations.
The third reason is that the country can bear with Wu and Shu, but there is no reason to bear with a mere Gong Sun Yuan.
After Pei Chun's long speech, Dong Zhao coughed lightly and looked up at Pei Chun:
"Pei Minister has spoken very correctly. But what if Gong Sun Yuan does not come? Are you going to attack, besiege, or simply ignore him?"
Dong Zhao did not speak any opposing opinions.
Everyone present is experienced and wise, and the emperor allowing Pei Chun to speak here already shows the emperor's attitude.
Allowing Pei Chun to make such a speech suggests that the primary consideration is to reach a unified opinion.
Pei Chun nodded to Dong Zhao and said, "Respectfully, if Gong Sun Yuan does not come, the Great Wei should send troops to conquer him!"
Dong Zhao chuckled slightly, nodded but did not speak.
Man Chong asked, "Minister Pei, do you remember Liang Bo?"
Pei Chun looked at Man Chong: "How could I forget? General Man is referring to the time when Liang Bo came to Liaodong, and Gong Kang wanted to send 30,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry to attack the city of Yanzhou?"
Man Chong nodded.
Lang Mao was an old minister during the reign of Emperor Cao Pi and had a very close relationship with him.
When Cao Pi first became the governor of the palace and opened his own government, Lang Mao became his chief advisor. When Cao Pi was appointed heir to the throne of Wei, Lang Mao served as the prime minister.
If Lang Mao had lived another ten years, his position would have been no less than that of Sima Yi.
Pei Chun said, "At that time, the world was in chaos, and various lords raided the people and drafted troops. Even if we count five or six tens of thousands of soldiers, it could be raised from Liaodong."
"But now China has enjoyed stability for a long time, and the weaponry, armor, and training of soldiers are not comparable to the early days. At this time, it is more valuable to have well-trained troops than to have a large number of them."
Man Chong calmly said, "Liaodong also has an iron official, and they are not short of weapons and armor there."
Pei Chun replied, "Although they may have weapons and armor there, how can they compare to the sharpness of weapons in the army of the Great Wei?"
"Last year, the imperial court issued an edict to have the middle army equipped with new armor. Over a year and a half later, the protective headgear, shoulder guards, and skirts have been almost completed. With full armor for everyone in the two thousand infantry troops, except for the military guards whose equipment has not changed, all troops of the courageous guard are equipped with long spears and powerful crossbows, and their combat power is no longer comparable to what it was in the past."
"The Left and Right armies of the guard have also been equipped with stirrups and horseshoes. Moreover, there are already nearly a thousand heavily armed heavy cavalrymen. By next spring's end, the number of heavily armed heavy cavalrymen should reach two thousand."
"Although Liaodong is a remote and obscure place, can you know how powerful the army of the Great Wei is?"
Man Chong nodded: "Such a powerful army is capable of fighting."
In fact, Man Chong's questioning Pei Chun in this way was just waiting for Pei Chun to respond in such a manner.
The combat power of an army is naturally related to factors that are intangible and cannot be seen or touched, such as morale, military strategy, and command.
However, it is not the time for Guo Jia to boost Cao Cao's morale and discuss what are ten victories and ten defeats in front of the emperor. Saying such empty things in front of the emperor is bound to be a laughingstock.
If Pei Chun were to speak directly about the difference in military strength, he could only discuss it in terms of weaponry and equipment, and the sharpness of the soldiers.
From last year to now, the person who has been in charge of the reform of the middle army and the replacement of armor and weapons is none other than General Man Chong himself.
The aforementioned achievements by Pei Chun were actually attributed to General Man Chong. During these turbulent times, even though many industries have declined, the production of military equipment and armor has been extremely advanced.
By pleasing the emperor and also mentioning his own achievements, Man Chong can be said to have hit two birds with one stone.
Seeing no one else speaking, Cao Rui looked towards the two people from the Eastern Gallery:
"How do the Grand Master of Works and the General of the Imperial Guard say?"
Sima Yi said, "I think it can be done. The middle army is no longer what it used to be."
"From the perspective of combat power, the 3,000 archers and foot soldiers of the brave guard can defeat ordinary foot soldiers numbering tens of thousands, not to mention mounted troops."
"Liaodong, being a remote and obscure place, is definitely not an opponent of the Great Wei."
Wei Zhen reminded, "If we are to summon Gong Sun Yuan, we should also offer him an official position and title. I speculate, it should not be below the level of the nine ministries."
Cao Rui laughed and said, "Although we are discussing here the possibility of attacking Liaodong, if there is an unexpected event and Gong Sun Yuan actually responds to the invitation, I would not disappoint him either."
"A title of 5,000 households and a general commanding the East. What do you think?"
"I faintly remember that in the past, when Zhang Xiu surrendered, none of the generals had fiefdoms over a thousand households, except for Zhang Xiu, who was granted a fiefdom of two thousand households."
"Given the generosity of the Great Wei towards surrendering generals, this condition is not considered too harsh."
Wei Zhen bowed and said, "Your Majesty's wisdom is beyond doubt."
"You all, what do you think?" Cao Rui asked the remaining three ministers.
The three ministers all nodded in agreement.
Cao Rui nodded: "Then, Pei Minister, go draft an imperial edict for me. Today is the end of September, and by the first of November, the edict should reach Liaodong."
"When we receive a reply or message from Gong Sun Yuan, whether it's positive or negative, it will be near the end of the year. By then, I will discuss with you all again."
The crowd answered in unison.
……
After the ministers had left, Emperor Cao Rui called out to Man Chong, "General Man, come with me for a walk outside."
Man Chong bowed respectfully: "Which area of the city would you like to inspect, Your Majesty? Whether it's the inner or outer military camps, they can be inspected at any time. I would be honored to guide you."
Cao Rui said, "Pei Minister just mentioned the reequipping of the middle army. I last went to the middle army camp in early May. It's been nearly four months since then."
"At that time, the armor-clad heavy cavalry had not yet started the process of reequipping. Now, how many armor-clad heavy cavalrymen do we have? Pei Minister just mentioned that there are more than a thousand."
As the daily supervisor of the middle army at the Western Gallery, Man Chong knew these numbers like the back of his hand: "Your Majesty, we have built up a complete armored cavalry force of 800 men, led personally by General Wen Qin of the Left Guard."
"The preparation for armored cavalry is intricate. If Your Majesty wishes to inspect, I will send someone right away to notify General Wen Qin to get ready."
Cao Rui nodded: "Very well, send someone to notify General Wen Qin. In ten minutes, General Man, come with me to set out."
Man Chong bowed and said, "I will obey the order."
More than a year has passed since the conclusion of the campaign against Shu. Under Man Chong's leadership, the restructuring and reequipping of the middle army have been done quite well.
In line with Cao Rui's usual theory and habits, the titles of generals must be commensurate with their actual abilities.
Previously in Qin state, Zha Yue's title of general commanding the Westward Expedition, Guo Huan's title of general commanding the Southward Expedition, and Lu Su's title of general guarding the Qiang people were all issued following this logic.
There were no new honorary general titles created.
After the restructuring of the middle army, there were four generals leading a total of 40,000 men, aside from the 100,000-man command led by the Commanding Officer of the Central Army and the four commanders of the five battalions.
General Xu Chu, the commander of the military guards, and General Wang Ling, the commander of the brave guard, each led 10,000 infantry troops.
General Wen Qin, the commander of the Left Guard, led 10,000 cavalrymen.
General Cheng Xi, the commander of the Right Guard, led 10,000 cavalrymen.
Generals Xu Chu, Wang Ling, Wen Qin, and Cheng Xi have only the authority for daily governance and management. The authority to command and dispatch lies with the newly established Zhong Hui Yuan (Imperial Court Secretariat).
The 800 armor-clad cavalrymen mentioned by Man Chong just now are part of Wen Qin's Left Guard cavalry.
When Cao Rui arrived at the training ground of the Eastern suburbs of Luoyang, Wen Qin's 800 armor-clad cavalrymen were already lined up in formation.
Cao Rui rode his imperial horse slowly forward, and what met his eyes were cavalrymen in full shining armor, with their horses also equipped with armor.
The eight hundred armor-clad cavalrymen stood in formation, and the reflections from their shining armor were extremely dazzling. With only eight hundred horses, when viewed with the eye, there was a sense of weightiness like that of mountains.
It is likely due to the full armor they wear.
A knight with a muscular build rode his horse out from the side of the formation, galloping towards the emperor at a distance of two zhang (a traditional Chinese unit of length). He removed his helmet, bowed respectfully and said, "I, General Wen Qin, greet Your Majesty. Wearing armor, I apologize for not being able to fully perform the formalities."
Cao Rui spurred his horse forward, gazing intently at Wen Qin's armor from a close distance with a hint of curiosity: "Swords and spears form a forest, and armor shines in the sunlight!"
"How does your armor, General Wen, feel? Does it feel a bit heavy?"
Wen Qin replied: "Your Majesty, with my physique, I find it a bit heavy. Let alone the other cavalrymen."
Cao Rui nodded: "So it's hard to choose the knights?"
Wen Qin shook his head and explained: "Your Majesty, it is actually difficult to choose the horses. The 800 armor-clad cavalrymen before Your Majesty are all the elite troops I personally selected from the Left Guard of the Army."
"The weight of the armor and horse armor combined is not comparable to that of the light cavalry before. If we add the weight of the knights, it's not something ordinary horses can bear."
Cao Rui pondered for a moment: "Since it's hard to find good horses, perhaps it's because the armor is too heavy, and the knights can't be too tall? If the knights are too heavy, the horses can't carry them?"
"Knights with a lightweight build wouldn't have enough physical strength to wield a spear and fight on horseback after wearing heavy armor?"
"That's the idea, Your Majesty, indeed wise." Wen Qin nodded solemnly in agreement. (This chapter ends)
