"Drinking alcohol for three rounds, the atmosphere of the banquet also gradually became lively."
Although the scene is harmonious, these generals and dignitaries are all sharp-witted, and they are unwilling to let their eyes off the emperor during the banquet.
Cao Rui had just lifted the wine cup for a moment when the previously lively hall fell silent immediately.
With a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth and a light laugh, Cao Rui said loudly, "In this campaign to reconquer Longyou, all the ministers and generals have devoted themselves wholeheartedly, and I also feel touched."
"Although it is said that merit and reward are to be discussed again in Luoyang, I will now roughly rank you in order for you. It's like the old days in Shoushun."
The close attendants who accompanied the emperor, such as Sima Yi, Yang Fu, Chen Jiao, and Cao Zhi, knew that this military campaign was different from the previous one in Huainan; there was little strategic planning involved.
Therefore, they paid no attention to it and waited for the emperor to arrange the order for all the generals.
The generals, however, were all holding their breath, fearing that they might miss even a single word.
Cao Rui scanned the assembly hall and then burst into laughter: "General Commander, why are you looking so anxious? I am discussing military achievements now. Given your rank, you need not be discussed along with them."
It had been thirty years since Cao Cao's uprising. In the past, banquets celebrating military achievements were always very harmonious, and there had never been any instances of generals being punished for speaking their minds.
To put it simply, there are very few rules about generals during a banquet.
With the emperor's previous remarks, and as the ministers and generals were already in high spirits, the hall erupted in laughter upon hearing the emperor teasing General Cao Zhen.
Cao Zhen, with both hands in a bow, laughed and said, "I only want to listen to the emperor's intentions. I have no intention of competing with other generals for achievements."
Just a moment ago, Cao Rui was teasing, but now he became serious: "How could I not know about General Commander's achievements? The specifics of the increased land and returning to Luoyang will be discussed."
Cao Zhen stood up, bowed his hands, and said, "I thank Your Majesty for Your grace."
Raising his right hand to gesture for Cao Zhen to sit down, Cao Rui then spoke seriously to the ministers, "The battle of Longyou is an all-or-nothing affair. I and General Commander have traveled from Luoyang to take part in it. Without the timely contributions of General Zuo Ji (Zhang Ji) of Huating, Longyou's situation might have been in ruins."
"General Zuo," Cao Rui raised his wine cup with a smile on his face, "In this campaign, you made decisive and timely decisions from Chenping, reinforced Longyou promptly, seized Lueyin and held fast as a mountain. You annihilated the troops of Deng Zhi of Shu and dampened enemy morale. You worked together with the rest of the army to defeat most of the troops of Shu."
"In my eyes, you have achieved the greatest merit! It is not in vain that I have entrusted Yongliang to you!"
As the commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Yongliang, Zhang He had high status and authority. However, to others, he was seen as the one who should be responsible for the rapid loss of Longyou. Even before Cao Rui led the army from Luoyang, some people in the court had expressed such thoughts.
This idea sounds somewhat reasonable at first glance. Yongliang is your area of defense, how could you lose three and a half counties so quickly without even engaging in battle?
But as an emperor, Cao Rui's mind was as clear as a mirror, and he would not be distracted by such words.
When Zhuge Liang led his Eighth Army to attack, Zhang He had fewer troops but managed to respond in such a way, it was already very difficult. There is no need to demand more.
Opposing them is Zhuge Liang with an army. How can one expect to easily repel them as Zhang Liao did in the defense of Huaihe?
One cannot blame Zhang He for a thing that is fundamentally impossible to achieve!
Standing up from his seat, Zhang He bowed to the emperor with a solemn expression on his face: "Your Majesty honors me with the first merit. However, these days, I often feel ashamed and have not lived up to Your Majesty's deep trust in entrusting Yongliang to me."
Cao Rui gently shook his head: "You need not say these things to me. Without your steadfast defense of Lueyang, Longyou would not be under the country's control now. The merit is something you should have received."
"Come, let us drink a toast together with the emperor!"
Zhang He lifted the wine cup with both hands to show respect when drinking with the emperor, and immediately raised his head and drank all the wine in the cup.
"General Zuo, please sit down."
Just as Zhang He had put down the wine cup, Zhan Rui's courtier Jiang Wei, who was standing by his side, filled the emperor's wine cup with a wooden spoon.
"When the main army defeated the enemy at Lueyin, the enemy reinforcements were only half a day away from us. Without General Chen Zhuo (Chen Qian) of Zaixi, who led his troops to attack Wei Yan's camp in a decisive manner and break through the enemy camp within half a day, the situation in Longyou would have lingered longer in Lueyin."
"General Chen Zhuo," Cao Rui smiled as he looked at Qian Zhao, "you led the infantry to break through the enemy's strong defenses. Your achievements are second in merit!"
Looking at the emperor's raised wine cup, Qian Zhao did not behave like Zhang He, who was humble in his refusal. Instead, he simply expressed his gratitude and drank the wine in the cup immediately.
Cao Rui nodded in satisfaction and then turned his gaze to Guo Hui.
"After the battle of Lueyang and as we moved south, without Governor Guo Hui, known as Guo Boji, holding out at Shangguan, Zhuge Liang would not have had to withdraw his main force. Instead, he could have held out locally around Shangguan and engaged in a stalemate with me."
"Governor Guo," Cao Rui nodded and said, "Withstanding alone in the enemy's rear and fulfilling your duty to protect the city, causing the enemy to retreat while losing their foothold, your achievements rank third in merit!"
Standing up respectfully, Governor Guo Hui's eyes were slightly red: "I could only save Shangguan in a hurry. As the governor of Yongan, I lost three and a half counties under my rule, which is indeed my fault."
"I hope Your Majesty will see the truth!"
Cao Rui looked at Guo Hui with a slightly dissatisfied expression and said, "I have just given General Zuo credit for his achievements. During the attack by the enemy, you had fewer troops and were outnumbered. This was truly a helpless situation, not a crime. Do you understand?"
To be honest, when Zhang He deferred the first merit just now, Cao Rui truly believed that Zhang He did not want to accept the credit.
But Guo Hui followed Zhang He's lead with similar words, and since Cao Rui was not well-acquainted with Guo Hui, there was no mutual understanding between the monarch and his minister. This made Cao Rui suspect Guo Hui's intentions.
Is it to seek an exemption from blame for himself? Or is he genuinely believing this to be the case?
But no matter what, such a thought process should not be openly discussed.
Finally, Guo Hui also agreed, bowed, and finished the fine wine in the cup.
Cao Rui nodded and looked at the other generals: "Today, in the battle of Shangguan, I will only recognize the first three merits. I have seen all the merits of the other generals."
Cao Rui pointed to each one with his hand, and as if naming them, he pronounced the names of everyone.
When he came to Lu Xun, Cao Rui asked with a laugh, "General Bo Yan, did you trust the Qiang people to Lokekou and leave them under the care of Xiahou Zhongquan and Hao BoDao?"
Lu Xun was quite astute at this moment: "Your servant only borrowed the majesty of the emperor to attract the Qiang people here, not something that a low-ranking figure like myself could accomplish. The Honorable Xiahou Zhongquan and Hao BoDao are also Your Majesty's subjects and can sufficiently deter the Qiang and Hu people."
"Splendidly said!" Cao Rui nodded in agreement: "Come, General Bo Yan, let's drink a toast together with the emperor!"
Lu Xun did not hesitate, and both he and Cao Rui raised their cups and finished the wine in one go.
The banquet in the hall gradually became lively again after discussing the merits. The officers of the middle army, such as Cheng Xi, Xiahou He, Wen Qin, and others, were gradually becoming familiar with Luo Ban and Hu Zun, the officers stationed in Yongliang.
Drinking with the emperor at the banquet could serve as credentials to speak of.
As the night deepened, the banquet also gradually came to an end.
As the host of the entire banquet, Cao Zhen, upon receiving the emperor's command, kept Lu Xun behind when all the generals had bowed and dispersed.
Also left in the hall were Sima Yi and the three chancellors, as well as General Cao Zhen, General Zhang He, and Governor Guo Hui of Yongzhou.
It may be that the wine here is hard to get drunk, or maybe these high-ranking officials and generals have excellent self-control. When the emperor gathered them to discuss state affairs, they all woke up and there was not a hint of drunkenness in their eyes.
At this time, the high-ranking officials of Da Wei were not one of the ordinary talents. At least Cao Rui believed this to be true.
Cao Rui sat calmly at the highest seat and said directly, "I have summoned you all here to discuss two matters with you."
"The first thing, I intend to split four counties in Longxi, Nanyan, Tianshui, and Guangwei, as well as two more counties in Wu Du and Yinping, into a separate state."
"Name it Qin State."
Qin State?
Everyone present, except for Sima Yi, Yang Fu, Chen Jiao, and Wang Shou, looked shocked upon hearing this.
"Cousin Yang, please explain to the others what I said when I discussed this matter with you before."
"Yes, your Majesty." Yang Fu stood up and recited the emperor's considerations from the previous day about preparing for war against Shu, strategic planning, and geographical advantages.
Establishing a new state is a significant matter, so it is necessary to consult with relevant officials and obtain their consensus before proceeding.
However, the sudden proposal of this matter left almost everyone with questions.
Zhang He's question was very straightforward: "If Your Majesty wants to incorporate the two counties of Wu Du and Yinping and build the prefectural capital in the area of Qixianlu, is it not necessary for our army to continue marching south?"
"Yes!" Cao Rui said with certainty, "Zhuge Liang came from Nanman and attacked our Longyou region. Is he planning to retreat now?"
"If I let him go so easily, it will be hard to ease my grudge! The Yinping and Wu Du counties that were lost during the time of Emperor Wu are, this time, with the full might of our central army present, to be retrieved by my own hand!"
Zhang He originally wanted to ask the emperor how the war would be conducted, whether his current position as the military commander of Yongliang would include the newly established Qin State... but after thinking about it, he did not dare to ask.
Governor Guo Hui, seeing Zhang He's hesitation, understood his intention. However, considering the situation in Longyou under his administration, he still decided to speak up and ask:
"Your Majesty, if we establish the prefectural capital in the area of Qishan and Lücheng, there are few people there, which is not enough to support troops. Shouldn't we move the people from the other counties in Longyou to the area around Lücheng?"
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Your question is well put! However, what Guo Bojing just asked is actually the second thing I want to discuss with you."
"I intend to incorporate the Qiang people into our official census!"
Governor Guo Hui widened his eyes and, without thinking, blurted out, "The Qiang people are an alien race; how can they become subjects of the Great Wei? I fear this would cause unrest!"
Cao Zhen and Zhang He nodded in agreement.
But Sima Yi and the others, who were already aware of the emperor's intentions, all spoke up in support.
Cao Rui shook his head and laughed, "As expected, this matter is harder for you to accept than the establishment of the new Qin State."
"During my stay in Luoyang, I thoroughly studied the causes and effects of the two Qiang uprisings in the Western Han Dynasty, and also discussed them clearly with the Minister of Rites and Cousin Yang."
"The Qiang people are different from the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wufang tribes; they are also capable of farming."
"What's more," Cao Rui sighed, "The Han Dynasty has always treated the Qiang people as subhuman. However, the Qiang people themselves yearn for civilization! Now that Longyou lacks people, why should we not accept the Qiang people and integrate them into our society instead of waiting for Shu to conquer Longyou again?" (Chapter ended)
