In the hall, the gaze of all the officials were focused on Liu Ye, and his composure during his recommendation seemed as if he had never left the emperor's side.
Cao Rui stretched out a finger and said, "Tell me, Liu, what is your opinion?"
Liu Qing bowed and said, "I humbly request to speak in front of the map."
"Permission granted."
Liu Ye took a leisurely step forward, giving a slight bow to Man Chong: "Just now I heard General Man's words and had an insight."
The emperor was behind him, and all his colleagues were watching. Man Chong, though dissatisfied, did not show it. He smiled slightly, stepped aside by two steps, and left the seat for Liu Ye.
Liu Ye pointed to the route of Lu Long Daozhong and said, "Your Majesty, from Lu Long Daozhong, go north then east, pass through Ping Gao then east to Liucheng, and then to Changli."
"The total length of Lu Long Dao is eight hundred miles, and it takes light cavalry fifteen days to reach."
Liu Ye then pointed to the route along the seaside path, saying, "If one sets out from Tuyin via the seaside path, it is also an eight-hundred-mile journey to BinTu."
Cao Rui interrupted Liu Ye's words, "Let me ask you, how far is Changli from BinTu?"
Liu Ye said, "120 li, and both are to the west of the Yi Wu Lu mountain."
Cao Rui asked again, "Whether from Changli or BinTu, both routes involve crossing the Yi Wu Lu Mountain and proceeding to Wulü City west of the Liao River before heading east?"
"Yes, it is exactly like that." Liu Ye nodded confidently.
Before Cao Rui could continue to ask, Sima Yi opened his mouth and asked out the question that Cao Rui wanted to ask: "General Liu, I remember that both Changli and BinTu are located on the east bank of Yu River, with no obstacles between north and south because they are all plains."
"Both are eight hundred miles, and these two forts are also quite close to each other. Why must we divide the troops into two routes?"
Liu Ye took a deep breath and looked at everyone, saying, "Do you know the Liao Sea?"
Liao Sea?
Man Chong interjected, "General Liu has been in Youzhou for a long time, so naturally he knows about it. As for the Secretariat of Military Affairs, which oversees military affairs throughout the empire, how could they not be aware of such a natural barrier in Liaodong as the Liao Sea?"
"Your Majesty, please look," Man Chong walked around to the other side of the carriage chart and pointed to the vast area between Yi Wu Lu mountain and the Liao River, saying, "The so-called Liao Sea is a large wetland formed by various marshes, rivers, and lakes between Yi Wu Lu mountain and the Liao River."
"The mud is difficult to travel through, with a width of about two hundred li, making it almost impossible to circumnavigate."
Cao Rui nodded, "So the so-called natural hazard of Liaodong is due to two things: the long distance and the Liao Sea?"
Man Chong continued, "Your Majesty speaks the truth."
Cao Rui chuckled lightly, "I understand what you two are saying."
"General Man is saying that the imperial army must travel eight hundred miles along the seaside path, then cross the Liao Sea from the south of Wulü City, and reach the Liao River at Liao Su city."
"And what does Liu Ye want to do? He wants to go around the Liao Sea from the north via the Lu Long Dao."
Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye: "General Liu, do you want to attack Xiangping from the north, or do you want to go to Gokusoku?"
The term Goguryeo can refer to both the ancient Goguryeo Kingdom located further east in Liaodong and the Goguryeo County in the old Xuanwu Commandery.
The names of the Goguryeo cities come from the Goguryeo tribe, but they do not belong to them.
Liu Ye bowed with respect and said, "Your Majesty has a clear vision of the empire. I simply wish to dispatch troops to the Goguryeo City in Xuanwu Commandery!"
"In terms of the geography of Liaodong, General Sun Quan's forces must be defending along the Liao River, in the areas of Liao Su and Xiangping, just as holding Xu and Yang necessarily requires defending Hefei. There's no way to bypass this route."
"And the special forces I mentioned can indeed bypass General Sun Quan's forces to the northeast, causing disturbances in their rear, and can also communicate with the Goguryeo Kingdom to jointly launch an attack!"
Man Chong frowned and said, "The Sun family has ruled in Liaodong for three generations. Since Sun Wu was in power, the Goguryeo Kingdom had been subdued by the Sun family."
"These distant barbarians are not aware of imperial rule. How can they respond to the call of the Great Wei to join in the attack?"
Liu Ye calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I have truly been to Xuanwu Commandery. At that time, I also dispatched messengers from the commandery to the King of Goguryeo under the command of General Sun."
"Last year at the end of the year, I sent someone to deliver a letter to King Yujun of Goguryeo by taking a detour to the north of Xuanwu Commandery. Just last month towards the end of spring when the weather began to warm up, I received a reply from King Yujun!"
Sima Yi's eyes lit up: "General Liu is saying that Goguryeo is willing to join the Great Wei in their campaign against the Sun family?"
"Yes!" Liu Ye nodded in agreement: "How long the Sun family has exerted pressure on Liaodong, the Goguryeo and Fuyu tribes have hated the Sun family for as long. Using force to compel them without benevolent education, even barbarians cannot be loyal."
"Yujun clearly states that if the Great Wei can send troops to Xuanwu Commandery, Yujun will certainly raise his troops to respond!"
Sima Yi nodded slightly, then said no more.
When Man Chong proposed to take the seaside path earlier, Liu Ye jumped in to suggest dividing forces, and Sima Yi immediately felt that something was amiss.
The military strategy proposed by Man Chong is not his opinion alone.
In terms of logistics, dredging the canals in various counties of Ji Zhou to facilitate transportation northbound grain, as well as recruiting numerous warships from Qingzhou for sea travel, are all important measures to ensure the support of supplies for the army traveling along the seaside path.
From the perspective of material preparation, rain gear, tools, medicine, boats, iron locks, and ropes... Almost all materials gathered from various places in Hebei Province were prepared for dealing with rain and rivers along the seaside path.
In other words, advancing along the seaside path is the collective effort and dedication of the Secretariat, the Ministry of Personnel, and officials from various regions in Hebei Province.
It has been prepared for more than half a year. How can it be changed so easily?
Unless the emperor himself issues an edict explicitly opposing the move, it is now set to advance along the seaside path, and it would be difficult to change.
Liu Ye's military strategy of advancing through the Lu Long path is a clear consolidation of his own three years of efforts in Youzhou. When he welcomed Your Majesty outside Changping City, Liu Ye claimed that he had personally traversed the Lu Long path and the seaside path twice. At the moment he proposed dividing the troops to take the Lu Long path, his credibility was immediately higher than anyone else's.
If someone questions this, Liu Ye can even directly ask: "Have you walked along the seaside path? Have you walked along the Lu Long path? I have, and I have walked them both twice!"
No one can withstand such a challenge.
Cao Rui sat in the honored seat in the hall and sighed lightly, "Although Goguryeo is dissatisfied with the Sun family, they will only agree to send troops after seeing the Great Wei army."
"Regardless of other factors, just looking at what I know, Goguryeo has been repeatedly entangled by the Sun family, losing soldiers and resources. Even if Goguryeo does not send troops to reinforce the Sun family, they will definitely not become their loyal servants if the Great Wei army arrives in Xuanwu Commandery."
"I trust General Liu's words."
Liu Ye seized the opportunity when neither Man Chong nor Sima Yi had spoken, turned around immediately, and bowed to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, I am Liu Ye, the commander of the reconnaissance army sent to guard the Great Wall. Over the past three years in Youzhou, I have become familiar with its geography and customs. I would like to serve Your Majesty as a commander of a detachment to advance along the Lu Long path, across the Liao Sea and through the Xuanwu Commandery to attack Nanshen Commandery as a flanking maneuver for your main army!"
Liu Ye's voice was full of emotion and vigor, but Cao Rui had become much more calm.
After giving a slight nod, Cao Rui turned to the people in the hall and said, "Ministers of the Western and Eastern Libraries, what is your opinion?"
"Can a detachment be allocated?"
In front of these senior officials, the emperor has always been unreserved about his tendencies and ideas, and there is almost no communication cost in handling state affairs.
Now that the emperor has not said no, but has only asked whether it is feasible, it is clear that he has agreed.
Realizing this, Man Chong immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this matter is feasible! We should dispatch light horse to travel along the Lu Long path and set a date before advancing!"
Sima Yi also bowed and said: "I agree."
Cao Rui looked around the hall at the assembled ministers: "All of you, do you have anything to say? If so, speak up quickly."
A few attendants indicated that they had no objections. Xia Hao Xian, who had been with Liu Ye for a long time, naturally agreed as well.
Only General Tian Yu, who protects the Wuhan, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
"General Tian, speak up!" Cao Rui pointed a finger towards him.
Tian Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the areas north of the Lu Long Pass, including Liucheng and Changli, are the traditional habitats of the Wuhan tribes. In the year 207, during the reign of Emperor Wu, he defeated the Wuhan people in Liucheng, not the Xianbei."
"In the three tribes of Wuhan, Xianbei, and Hun that the court has recruited this time, Wuhan has always been the most obedient, has contributed the most to enlistment, and is also most dependent on Great Wei."
"I believe that if we are to choose light cavalry to travel from the north, we should select Wuhan light cavalry, not Xianbei or Hun."
Cao Rui nodded, "General Tian, your words are reasonable."
After that, Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye: "General Liu, you have volunteered to lead troops and engage in battle. How many cavalrymen do you wish to lead along the Lu Long path?"
Liu Ye bowed and said, "Please grant me three thousand central army light cavalry and five thousand Wuhan light cavalry! I do not need heavy cavalry or infantry."
Cao Rui asked again, "If eight thousand light cavalry set out from Lu Long Pass, how many days can General Liu reach the Goguryeo City of Xuanwu Commandery?"
Liu Ye said: "It will take fifteen days to travel along the Lu Long path, and another fifteen days to reach Xuanwu Commandery. I can reach the Goguryeo City of Xuanwu Commandery from Lu Long Pass in thirty days!"
Cao Rui spoke calmly, "Thirty days? What will you do once you reach the Goguryeo City?"
Liu Ye became more and more agitated, "Firstly, to disturb the flank of the public office, and secondly, to contact Goguryeo for an attack."
"I only wish to fulfill these two tasks for the Emperor!"
"I approve," said Cao Rui with a gentle nod. "Thirty days is not enough. I'll give you an extension of ten more days. Can you reach Xuanwu in forty days, Liu?"
"Yes!" Liu Ye answered decisively.
Cao Rui raised his eyes to scan the assembled ministers in the hall: "Do you all have any further objections?"
Sima Yi rushed to answer: "I will faithfully follow the instructions of the Supreme Ruler."
Man Chong and the others also spoke in agreement.
Cao Rui placed his hands on the table and spoke aloud, "Commander Liu Ye of the Path to Liaodong, hear the imperial edict!"
Liu Ye immediately knelt down and made a grand gesture of respect, "I, Liu Ye, listen to the imperial edict!"
Cao Rui said, "I command you to oversee the deployment of Central Army Mounted Cavalry Commander Cao Zuo's forces, Infantry Cavalry Commander Duan Zhao's forces, and Yue Li Cavalry Commander Zhen Xiang's forces, as well as 5000 light cavalry from the Wuhan tribes. A total of 8000 light cavalry will be deployed from the Lu Long path to the north on a different day!"
"The Liao Sea is vast and separates the north from the south. I do not give you any specific instructions, only that you act as you see fit."
"Cao Rui, staring into Liu Ye's eyes, said," Liu, in the past year as a Grand Master of the Chamber and for three years as a special envoy and prefect, with four years of experience to your name, I hope you can establish new merits for me and Great Wei."
"I have always been a generous emperor. What kind of rewards and how much favor I can bestow upon you depends on how you act."
Liu Ye bowed and said: "I, Liu Ye, accept the imperial edict! I will do my utmost for the Emperor and Great Wei, to quickly eliminate the various scoundrels who have usurped Yan Dong, repaying the boundless benevolence of Your Majesty!"
Cao Rui waved his hand, "Rise, please."
"I came to Changping not to play or watch plays. Time is precious, we must work diligently." Cao Rui looked at the officials: "Ministers, tomorrow morning, set out for Jizhou. Three days later, the main army will march to Youbei Turin, and Liu Ye's detachment will march to Lu Long Pass!"
Everyone bowed in unison, acknowledging the command. (End of this chapter)
