However, due to a document from the envoy of Ye City, I have to return to the south in a hurry.
Although Cao Rui's words could convince the officials, it still seems a bit strained. All considerations are based on hypothetical situations. The emperor is concerned about the situation in Henan, and he personally leads the army to quickly standardized it. Who among the officials would dare to refuse?
Yu Lu, who had been silent for a long time, bowed and asked: "I agree with the emperor's intention to return to the south. However, I still want to request that the emperor consider his body. We have marched for 20 days without rest and now have to rush again. Will the emperor be too tired?"
Cao Rui turned to look at Lu Yu: "I know, Lu Qing, that you have good intentions, and there is no need to worry about that. As I said before, I am a founding emperor, not a ruler who preserves the realm."
After saying that, Cao Rui smiled and lightly tapped his chest: "There are 365 days in a year, and most of them are spent riding on the battlefield. As for this urgent march, covering 150 miles in a day, I can still bear it."
"Formerly, Emperor Wu pursued Liu Bei in Jingzhou with the tiger and leopard cavalry, marching 300 li in a day. But I am just marching within the borders of the country. All grain and supplies are in order. How could there be any danger?"
"My Lord..."
Just as Lu Yu was about to say something, Cao Rui waved his hand to stop him.
"Lu Qing, do not speak. National affairs are important, and I cannot leisurely return. When my Majesty and the ministers were in the city of Tu Yin in Beibing, this place is still too far from Henan. The further south, the faster the message is transmitted, and the situation is more stable. Perhaps when I arrive in Ye City, the situation won't be as urgent as before."
Lu Yu sighed lightly: "As you command."
At the moment, when there are various matters in the court and military, whenever the emperor is unsure or has some hesitation, he often carefully listens to the opinions of the officials and selects the most appropriate plan to be carried out. However, once the emperor has made a decision in his heart, almost no one can persuade him.
Man Chong then took a step forward, bowed, and asked: "Since the emperor has appointed the subject in this palace, I still want to request a verbal order from the emperor and confirm it again."
Cao Rui sat back in his seat: "General Man, go ahead."
Man Chong said: "I have three things to ask."
"The first is that the light cavalry of the Xianbei, Wuhan, and Hu horse tribes should go where to return? These light cavalry came from Guangping in Shanggu and returned along the same route?"
Cao Rui remained silent for a moment: "What do you think is the better route? The Xianbei and Wuhan of Youzhou should naturally disband their troops in Youzhou, so we should only consider the Beizhou region."
Man Chong bowed and said: "I think we should divide into three routes. Let the General Duan Zhao in charge of protecting the Xianbei be responsible for the Xianbei and Wuhan of Youzhou, and let General Tian Yu in charge of protecting the Xianbei and Wuhan in Beizhou return to take the original route."
"And the Huns from the prefecture of Tainan, I will lead my own troops to return to Ye City and then dispatch someone to send the Huns passing Hengshan to return to the army in Tainan."
Cao Rui thought for a moment, pointing with his finger at Lu Yu, "Lu Qing, accompany General Man here in the military camp. It will be up to you to lead the Huns back to Tainan, and then return to Luoyang from the north."
"I will comply," Lu Yu answered.
After getting the answer to the first question, Man Chong asked: "Shen Zongshu, who manages the grain supply for the army, also has much grain in Quanzhou in Heze. Please allow the subject to oversee the military and transport grains southward to prevent any unforeseen needs."
Cao Rui nodded lightly: "Good, General Man has thought things through thoroughly. After you go south to Quanzhou, have Minister Xin return to Ye City first to find me, and then you will take over the management of grain supplies in Hebei."
"As for the ships that were collected from various places, the court had previously agreed to give them expenses. General Man, please make sure that the officials in Quanzhou properly supervise their work and do not withhold payment. Otherwise, the court may lose its credibility. These are small matters, so please make sure there are no mistakes."
"I understand." Man Chong then asked: "The third matter is that the subject requests the emperor to order the preparation of troops' rewards in Ye City and to issue them there, so as not to wait until Luoyang."
Cao Rui pondered for a moment, his expression reflecting some nostalgia as well. "When dealing with matters in the court, it is necessary to have experienced old officials who can hold the reins firmly and not cause chaos. If it were not for General Man's reminder, I almost didn't think of this point."
"If the south is peaceful, it's still manageable. But if we really face battle, and the soldiers have been far from home for more than half a year without receiving rewards, they might feel resentful and unwilling to continue fighting for the government."
"General Man, you have earned a merit for yourself!"
Man Chong did not thank or decline as a result; instead, he bowed respectfully and then stood aside.
"Alright, the officials who will accompany the emperor on the southern journey, please hurry to prepare your horses and supplies. There's not much time left." Cao Rui scanned the room full of officials and said firmly.
"I will comply."
The officials bowed and then left in turn, leaving the vast hall with only Emperor Cao Rui sitting alone on the chair, closing his eyes to rest. The room was filled with silence, save for the tiger guards who were fully armored, standing guard at the door and in the corners of the room.
Before the time for a censer had passed, Xiahou Xuan entered silently, making soft footsteps.
"Emperor, Emperor?" Xiahou Xuan called out softly, afraid of disturbing the emperor.
"What is it?" Cao Rui did not open his eyes.
"Your Majesty, there are three people outside requesting to see you, respectively: General Tian, General Duan, and Liu Youlan."
Tian Yu, Duan Zhao, and Liu Xie?
Cao Rui nodded: "Let Tian Yu and Duan Zhao come first, and Liu Yue will come later."
"I will comply." Xiahou Xuan had just stepped out when Tian Yu and Duan Zhao entered.
"What do you two have to say to me?" Cao Rui replied softly without opening his eyes: "I am feeling tired, and since I will rest here for a while, there is no need for the formalities."
"Speak only the important matters."
Although the emperor said that formalities were not necessary, Tian Yu still dare not be negligent, just as he usually did. He asked respectfully: "General Tian Yu has a question. According to the previous arrangements of the court, Ke Bi Neng will lead 2000 light cavalry to return to Ye City with the main army. Who will lead the 2000 light cavalry of Bubudigen's troops?"
Cao Rui said softly, "Is Budugen compliant?"
"Ever since ancient times, he has been respectful," Tian Yu said. "For several years, he has shown no disrespect to Wei."
Cao Rui slightly opened his eyes to look at Tian Yu and replied, "This time, since Budugen's troops are fewer in number, let Budugen, Suli, and Xie Guini's troops return to Yanmen first. Then you send someone to select 2,000 riders from Budugen's forces, and hand them over to Lu Shizhong on his journey south to Luoyang. It's important to choose the right men; who leads them is not so crucial."
"Right, Tian Qing, you should let Lu Shizhong know later. Also inform Ke Bi Neng and Budugen that the light cavalry accompanying the court southward will be supplied according to the standards of the state's and county's troops."
"Yes, the subject understands," Tian Yu asked again: "If Ke Bi Neng is not in the tribe, I'm afraid there will be trouble in the Western Xianbei tribe."
Cao Rui continued to reply: "You take charge of it, for now, just keep the peace and avoid any chaos."
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"I will comply. I have asked all my questions." Tian Yu bowed and took a step back.
Duan Zhao, who had served in the Five Commandant Camp for many years and always acted meticulously, asked after Tian Yu: "I would like to ask Your Majesty how I should act in Beiping of Youzhou? Do you have any instructions?"
Cao Rui slightly shook his head: "I appointed you in Youzhou for the purpose of guarding Lu Long Pass and the adjacent sea road. For other trivial matters, you can follow the instructions of the Grand Secretariat, and I will not say more."
"I will comply. Thank the Emperor!" Duan Zhao bowed deeply and, along with Tian Yu, exited the hall in unison.
Liu Xie followed closely behind and entered.
Cao Rui looked at Liu Xie and said, "You are about to set off on a long journey. Why haven't you gone back to tidy up?"
Liu Xie bowed: "Small matters are taken care of by my colleagues. I came to see the emperor because I have a question in my heart. Please enlighten me."
"Sit down." Cao Rui sighed softly and pointed to the nearest seat: "What is it on your mind, Minister Liu?"
Liu Xie asked directly: "I just wonder what the emperor thinks of the current states of Wu and Shu. The subject has been in Youzhou for a long time and has had less communication with the emperor on these matters."
Cao Rui has always relied on Liu Xie, valuing his sharp sense of foresight and decisive thinking.
If others came to ask, Cao Rui would only send them away, lest they disturb his rest. But since Liu Xie came to ask, Cao Rui wanted to communicate with him and review his judgments from a different perspective.
He had many worries in his heart, and it was indeed necessary to exchange some ideas with such a wise person.
Cao Rui said, "I'll start by asking you. After the flood in the fourth year of the Huangchu era, how were the grain stores in various places dealt with?"
He was surprised that the emperor asked about grain storage first. He still answered: "The great flood in the fourth year of Huangchu era caught the court by surprise, and there was no way to respond. We could only wait until the water receded to rebuild, and transported grain from neighboring prefectures to relieve disasters."
"Fortunately, the people engaged in the garrison fields are all organized and under control, so it won't be as bad as during the Western Han period when a bit of natural disaster would turn people into refugees."
"What else can we do?" Cao Rui asked.
Liu Xie shook his head: "There is no way to deal with floods as big as that of Huangchu's fourth year. Ordinary floods can still be managed."
"I know," Cao Rui said next. "Minister Liu, weren't you asking me what I think of Wu and Shu? To be honest with you, I believe that Wu and Shu should have already formed another alliance and are plotting to invade the Great Wei."
Liu Xie bowed: "How do you know that?"
Cao Rui explained patiently: "Sun Quan of Wu and Zhuge Liang of Shu are both men who act for their own benefits, paying no attention to a bit of reputation or hatred. In the first year of Taiping, Sun Quan suffered a great defeat; in the second year, Zhuge Liang did as well. In the third year, Zhuge Liang launched two invasions. If we continue this logic, this year Zhuge Liang should still try to attack the Great Wei."
"It's already August now, and there's not much time left for Zhuge Liang this year. Moreover, Sun Quan hasn't sent me a letter for several months; isn't it possible that he has turned against me?"
Liu Xie nodded slightly: "Regarding Sun Quan, I will not discuss him. As for Sun Quan of Wu, he has always surrendered and apologized when he was weak, but resumed attacks as soon as he recovered. If there is a disaster in the Great Wei, I think Sun Quan would do something like taking advantage of the situation."
Cao Rui sighed softly: "Yes, I know, and so does Minister Liu. The Great Wei and Wu and Shu have been at war for many years. At what point should we do what we should do, and to some extent, we can guess that."
"If Wu and Shu attack separately, I am not afraid of them, and even if I don't mobilize the central army, I can deal with it. But now there is a grain shortage in the west, and there might also be floods in the central region. If Wu and Shu launch their troops from both sides, I will have to take it seriously."
"What do you think Wu and Shu would attack?" (This chapter ends here)
