Liu Xie put down the wine jug filled with honey, showing a somewhat melancholic expression. He looked at himself, Guo Qi Jian, who was standing next to him, and Liu Ye on the other side, for a moment before opening his mouth and asking:
"Do you want to kill me, Yan Zhong? Or do you want to blame me?"
Sitting opposite, Cao Rui seemed to feel no surprise at all and calmly replied, "What? Do you and Bo not wish to live? If you truly have a desire to die, I can arrange for someone to help you."
Liu Xie let out a chuckle, shook his head, and said, "Everyone has a desire to live, and I cannot escape being human. Besides, what business does Yuan Zhong have to come to mountain yang?"
"Yuan Zhong, did you know that since Jian'an four years, I have not seen Meng De again?"
Jian'an four years? Cao Rui silently began to calculate in his mind.
At that time, Liu Xie should have not yet promulgated the "Sashes and Tassels" edict, and Emperor Cao Cao had not yet been fighting against Yuan Shao at Guandu. Calculating thus, Cao Cao had been twenty years or so without seeing Liu Xie.
Cao Rui glanced sideways at Liu Ye, who was kneeling to the left of the table. Liu Ye understood and thought for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, I have heard that in the earlier Han dynasty, the three senior officials would be accompanied by tiger warriors on both sides when they met with the emperor."
"After the fifth year of the Jian'an era, Emperor Wu repeatedly employed military force against the Yuan family, often stationed outside Xuanchang. After conquering Yecheng in the ninth year of Jian'an, Emperor Wu established Yecheng as his capital, and all imperial edicts and commands in the empire originated from the Hebei region."
Cao Rui understood the implied meaning in Liu Ye's words and nodded slightly. It was clear that when Emperor Wu came to see Liu Xie, he had been scared by Liu Xie, so he no longer met him. You did your best as the emperor of the Han dynasty in Xuchang, while I controlled my entire empire from Yecheng, seeking a bit of peace!
The distance between Liu Xie and Cao Rui was only ten paces, and although Liu Ye had lowered his voice, Liu Xie on the other side could still hear him clearly.
Before Cao Rui could open his mouth, Liu Xie continued, "Compared to Meng De, I have actually seen Zi Huan more. In the first month of the twenty-third year of the Jian'an era, Zi Huan came to the Xuanchang Palace for an audience. I also saw Zi Huan twice during the abdication ceremony, so that makes three times in total. I am someone who is suspiciously viewed. If things were as usual, Yuan Zhong being young and in his prime would only have needed to pay homage at a distance after my death. Why would he personally come to Shan Yang to see me?"
Liu Xie picked up the wine jug and sipped some honey water, gathering a bit of courage. "I hope Yuan Zhong will not repeat the old story of Hongmen. Please be more straightforward, and tell me why you have come here."
Cao Rui laughed lightly: "What? Is Shan Yang an exotic place? Can't I come here? It's just that my army happened to pass by this place, and I wanted to meet with Bo and have a few casual conversations."
Liu Xie said, "From the first year of Huangchu to the current Taihe four years, it has been ten years. I have been disengaged from worldly affairs in Shan Yang for so long. Apart from the two national funerals in the seventh year of Huangchu and this year, I have not been aware of any state or world affairs. I am now a man living in the present, what can I possibly talk about with Yuan Zhong?"
While Liu Xie was speaking, Cao Rui listened to him while eating his meal, as if it were just like receiving a report from a minister during military campaigns. After Liu Xie finished speaking, Cao Rui also put down his bamboo chopsticks.
"Ten years out of the worldly affairs, Bo, do you have any questions for me?"
Liu Xie's mouth curled up into a wry smile, his face slightly lowered as he shook his head without speaking.
"Well, let me speak to you first, and then I will ask you some questions." Cao Rui looked at Liu Xie: "It was the second year of the Han-Wei succession. In the same year, Liu Bei became the emperor in Chengdu and continued to use the name Han."
Liu Xie sighed lightly: "The narrow state of Yi Zhou, how can it be anything but trivial?"
Cao Rui nodded: "Bo, you are correct. Liu Bei passed away two years later, and all military and political orders in the country were issued by his prime minister, Zhuge Liang. His official residence was in the north, not in Chengdu."
"Why does the Han Dynasty always produce such powerful ministers?" Liu Xie blurted out, then realized he had said something wrong. He raised his hand to explain, but tried to suppress it. "What about the Sun family in the Eastern Jiang?"
Cao Rui said, "Sun Quan is still alive. In the first year of Taihe, I defeated Sun Quan in Huainan. I also married Sun Quan's daughter and had a son."
Liu Xie was somewhat surprised: "Not conquering his country and yet taking his daughter as a concubine; is this not a way to invite trouble? Why would Yuan Zhong do such a thing?"
Cao Rui seemed to not care much: "As the emperor, one's heart should embrace the whole world. One woman is nothing. Sun Quan's daughter is no more or less intelligent than others. She is just taken as a concubine."
Liu Xie felt somewhat speechless, and could only say, "That's true."
The two of them chatted back and forth, going over the major events that had occurred in the world over the past ten years. It was all about how the countries of Wei and Shu had each changed emperors, with three wars fought during the Huangchu era and another three during the Taihe era. Cao Rui even said that if these events were to be written in history books, they could be lengthy or brief, sometimes summed up in just a few pages.
Ku Qiu Jian was on Liu Xie's side, and Liu Ye was on Cao Rui's side. The two of them kept bringing dishes and pouring honey water, and listened with one ear as the rulers of Han and Wei chatted about various topics.
During this time, Liu Xie also mentioned that he had opened a medical clinic in Zhuo Lu City. Every first, fifth, eleventh, fifteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-fifth day of the month, he would personally sit and preside over the clinic to diagnose illnesses. Since there were still some assets in Shan Yang Gongfu, all medicines for sick people in the county were free.
Cao Rui also gave a positive evaluation of this. Being able to practice benevolence and friendship, and help rescue people in a single county, was already the greatest contribution Liu Xie had made in the world. And Liu Xie even nodded in agreement.
While eating, Cao Rui said, "Ten years have passed. As Bo mentioned earlier, the old grievances no longer enter the Zhuo Lu City. I will also set everything aside. However, there are a few old matters I want to ask Bo."
Liu Xie said, "Yuan Zhong, please go ahead."
Cao Rui asked, "Bo, how do you see Liu Xuan and Sun Zhongmou, the two of them?"
Cao Rui wisely didn't mention Cao Cao and also knew that Liu Xie wouldn't openly criticize him in front of him. Therefore, he directly skipped this topic.
Liu Xie said, "Liu Bei wanted to learn from Han Guangwu, but he only learned the superficial aspects. Sun Quan relies on his distance and separatism, he's no different from Sun Zuozhong."
It was clear that Liu Xie had no good words for either of them. Referring to himself as being in the remote mountainous area of Shan Yang, Liu Bei had himself mourned and given a posthumous title before being declared an emperor in the remote and barren region of Yizhou, making him no more than a bandit ruler. As for Sun Quan, Liu Xie had nothing good to say about him. He was just a bandit ruler.
Cao Rui asked again, "And what about Shen Wenchu?"
Liu Xie spoke in a calm tone, "In the past when I was in Xuanchang, Shen Wenchu once came to the palace to give lectures. Although he is talented, his character is uncertain. If he truly belonged to the Han, why would he wait until Cao Cao became a marquis to express his opposition? And if he truly belonged to Wei, how could he come to me and seek an empty reputation?"
Cao Rui looked up at Liu Xie and asked, "So Bo doesn't like this person?"
Liu Xie sighed lightly: "It's not that I dislike him. It's just that Shen Wenchu behaves in such a way, it is neither beneficial to Han nor Wei, only to himself for earning a few thin names. I just feel that he is not worth it."
Cao Rui laughed lightly and then asked, "In the first month of the twenty-third year of the Jian'an era, Geng Ji, Jin Yi, and others rebelled in Xudu with the intention of assassinating Emperor Wen. Was this an order given by Bo?"
This is a very sensitive issue.
In the first month of the twenty-third year of Jian'an, a rebellion broke out in Xuanchang City led by Geng Ji, Wei Hong, Jin Yi, and Ji Ben, with the intention of seizing control of Xuanchang. In that uprising, Cao Wei was not inside Xuanchang but outside the city when he became the target. Only the Chancellor's Chief Assistant Wang Bi was seriously wounded and died.
After that came the famous anecdote: "The firefighters are on the left, those who do not extinguish the fire are on the right, and all the firefighters were killed by Cao Cao."
Although Cao Rui and Liu Xie have already said that all old grievances should not enter Zhuo Lu City, Liu Ye and Ku Qiu Jian still felt nervous.
"Yes." Liu Xie nodded calmly in agreement: "Zi Huan also knows about this. And he has personally told me that if he had been in my previous situation, he would have done the same thing."
"That is an honest statement." Cao Rui nodded lightly: "Do you still harbor any resentment against the Cao family, Bo?"
Hate?
Couldn't there be any hate? If there is no hate in the heart, how can the years of being a puppet be explained? The countless people who died for the Han Dynasty?
If there is hate, Liu Xie really can't say it out loud now. The only person who has been with him all these years is Cao Jie, the daughter of Cao Cao. Although Cao Pi took his position, he also honored the promise to grant him a county with the title of 'imperial commission', leaving all local affairs unchanged and allowing the ancestral temple of Han to remain. This is far better than those like Dong Zhongming and Li Jue!
Liu Xie leaned back slightly in his seat, as if recalling something, and his eyes seemed to glisten with tears. After a long while, he stood up and bowed to Cao Rui solemnly:
"I have forgiven, it's all in the past." Liu Xie gradually stood up straight, looking at Cao Rui with reddened eyes: "I shouldn't have been the emperor, I shouldn't have done that."
Cao Rui also sighed: "The position of the emperor enjoys all the wealth in the world, but also bears the responsibility of the world, which is the most difficult."
After saying that, Cao Rui also stood up and walked slowly to Liu Xie's side, using a wooden spoon to scoop a spoonful of honey water from the earthen jar and pour it into the wine jar.
He then took the wine jar and handed it to Liu Xie.
"Just now, I asked Bo so many questions. I wonder if there's anything Bo can teach me?"
"Thank you, Yuan Zhong." Liu Xie took the wine jar and drank it all in one go, standing with Cao Rui across a low table. He bit his lip and thought for a moment before saying, "I have been thinking for ten years in Shan Yang and have gained some insights. There is one thing I want to ask Yuan Zhong."
Cao Rui nodded: "Please go ahead."
Liu Xie directly asked: "What is the military formation in Luoyang now?"
Faced with someone who has never left Shan Yang, Cao Rui had nothing to hide: "After conquering Shouzhou, the military of the Great Wei is approximately three hundred and twenty thousand strong. Among them, fifty thousand are the central army that usually stays in Luoyang, while the rest are stationed in Guanzhong, Jingzhou, Huainan, or Hebei, known as the external armies and regional troops."
Liu Xie asked again, "Are all the central army within and around the city of Luoyang?"
"Yes." Cao Rui said.
Liu Xie continued to ask, "Near the city of Luoyang, there is only this central army for defense? Who is leading the troops?"
Cao Rui nodded and pointed to Ku Qiu Jian: "This person is called Ku Qiu Zhonggong, who is currently the central commander of the Great Wei and leads 5,000 troops."
"Among the five hundred thousand central army, the two camps of Wuwei and Xiaowei each have one hundred thousand infantrymen, all stationed outside the city. The central commander and the North Military Five Camps have a combined force of one hundred thousand, often guarding near the palace. The Left Wing Lin Army and Right Wing Lin Army each have one hundred thousand men, responsible for guarding Luoyang inside and outside."
Liu Xie shook his head and said, "I don't mean that. Is there anyone who can command these five hundred thousand central troops?"
Cao Rui turned around and pointed to Liu Ye: "The Zhenghui Office manages all military affairs in the world, and Liu Ziyang is the person who can formally command the central army's maneuvering. However, the maneuvering of the central army is always under my personal command."
Cao Rui did not mention the Western Hall. In fact, the Western Hall was not a formal position but a role similar to an emperor's advisor or secretary. When orders were issued from the palace, they went through the Ministry of Works, which followed the same process as if the emperor himself had given the order.
Liu Xie looked at Ku Qiu Jian and Liu Ye's faces seriously and said, "Such a central army is a path to trouble." (The chapter ends)
