Chao's words were not even out when Fei Yuo spoke up on the side: "General Cao, this seems somewhat inappropriate."
"Where is it inappropriate?" Du Xi asked.
Du Xi took over the response that should have been given by Cao Zhen, and Cao Zhen was delighted to let Du Xi do the work for him. If everything was handled by the General, what would he, the General's Chief of Staff, need to do?
Fei Yuo answered as if counting his own possessions: "Before the war broke out, there were only two thousand troops and two thousand local troops in Lintong. Later, the emperor sent Qi Zhao and Zhu Gai to send two thousand troops to Chang'an. That makes it six thousand."
Last year, when the Sichuan rebels invaded, the emperor also issued an edict for Chen Paragon to dispatch ten thousand troops from Jingzhou. Adding this up, the total military strength amounts to seventy thousand.
Fei Yuo cleared his throat softly: "Seven thousand troops, after the loss in Lintong and the Battle of Yulian Pass, and the battles for Zengcheng and Hanzhong, the losses were enormous."
"But of these, there were indeed three thousand troops dispatched from Jingzhou and Yangzhou, which should not be returned?"
"Return? Cao Zhen laughed out loud, waving his hand abruptly, 'Return what? Is General Gongwei mad?' "
"All of them are troops of the Great Wei. It doesn't matter if they were sent to the Western Regions, or even if they are not in the Western Regions, I, as the Generalissimo, can still command them."
Fei Yuo bowed with his hands clasped together and said, "It is also for the benefit of General Cao that I speak."
"The ten thousand two hundred soldiers at the Marquis of Taishan's command are manageable. Jingzhou has always had a small army, and General Chen has been sent eight thousand soldiers twice... What if he reports to the emperor?"
"He can report it. I don't mind." Cao Zhen was indifferent: "When I was fighting in the Huainan and Western Regions, Chen Qun did not contribute anything at all. If some of his troops are deployed, what's wrong with that?"
"Please do not speak about this matter anymore."
"Yes." Fei Yao smiled awkwardly and bowed.
Du Xi continued: "Just now General Gongwei mentioned more than 50,000 troops. If we count them carefully, it should be around 56,000."
"After excluding the nine thousand troops from the Yong state, two thousand troops from the Qin state, and seven thousand troops from the Liang state, this adds up to eighteen thousand."
"The remaining thirty-six thousand outside troops, there are only three thousand five hundred at Chen Cang." Du Xi began to calculate item by item: "Guo Hui has fifteen thousand in Hanzhong, Lu Pan has five thousand in Wuxing. The remaining over ten thousand are all with Zhang He returning to Qishan."
After the calculation, Du Xi raised his head and said earnestly, "There truly are no more troops to return to Jingzhou and Yangzhou."
"Yes, return what?" Cao Zhen added.
Du Xi turned around and asked, "However, the Qiang troops were not included. Lu Sun leads ten thousand Qiang troops in Ta Zhong. The remaining troop vacancies can only be filled from the Qiang people."
Cao Zhen said, "When I was at Shanggui, I saw the ten thousand 'elite' troops selected by Lu Xun. Their combat strength can only be half that of the county troops."
"If we use Qiang troops for open-field combat, it may be a foolish fantasy in the short term. But after training for one or two seasons, they should be suitable for defending cities."
Du Xi nodded, "General Cao is right. Fortunately, there are many Qiang people, and we can always select the best among them to pick out some able-bodied young men."
"This matter has already been discussed. Regarding Guo Hui, a continuous supply of ten thousand Qiang troops will be given. What about Zhang He?"
"Zhang He," Cao Zhen puckered his lips: "Can we supply three thousand troops to Qin State?"
Fei Yuo turned his head to look at Cao Zhen: "There are already ten thousand at Lu Sun's place, so that would mean supplementing Zhang Zhenxi with an additional six or seven thousand?"
"Not including Lu Xun," Cao Zhen said. "I don't know how he managed to obtain such treatment from the emperor. If he has one thousand troops in Da Zhong, he should just stay there and not cause any trouble."
Du Xi replied: "Then add ten thousand six Qiang troops to Zhang He. The total recruitment is twenty-six thousand."
Cao Zhen nodded, "That's the number."
It is said that there is no denying it, the emperor's generous reward to Lu Xun and the rumors in the army are not a complete fabrication.
Firstly, it's about the origin of the generals.
Due to Lu Xun's losses that depleted Sun Quan's capital in Huainan, the evaluation of Lu Xun by the military circle of the Great Wei was not very high.
After the successful surprise attack on Bai Shui Pass and securing victory in the Battle of Zengcheng, Lu Xun's reputation improved slightly, but overall, it was still negative and he was labeled as a fortunate minister.
Because he only submitted after being captured, he is not as esteemed as Huang Quan, the Marquis Huang Gongheng.
There's no denying that, perhaps only the emperor himself knows, Lu Xun is truly a rare military strategist. He has no connection with any of the factions or groups in the Great Wei.
The second reason is that the rewards are too generous.
The titles of Protector of the Qiang and Marquis of Wu bestowed upon Lu Xun are manageable; after all, the Great Wei has a tradition of treating surrendered generals with favor. It's just a matter of putting them on display, but not using them.
What no one could have expected is that the emperor also made a promise to marry a princess to Lu Xun.
The political treatment was as if Lu Xun were part of the imperial family, which shocked Cao Zhen, Cao Hong, and other relatives of the royalty.
While such thoughts may cross one's mind, since the emperor has already bestowed these honors, who could dare to challenge the emperor to a public debate? Who dares to do so?
Since it can't be talked about and cannot be handled properly, let Lu Xun stay in Da Zhong.
Du Xi nodded: "The framework for military deployment and troop replenishment has been established. Now we need to focus on the emergency strategy."
"Shi Zai," Du Xi turned to look at Deng Ai, "The defense of Hanzhong originated from your advice. What suggestions do you have now?"
"General Cao, Sir Du," Deng Ai bowed respectfully and said, "Under my humble opinion, it would be difficult for us four people and ten officials under your command to handle all the tasks at Chen Cang in the entire Western Regions."
"Why not call all of the nearly two hundred people under your command in Luoyang to Chen Cang?"
Deng Ai's words immediately brought a silence to the room.
"Cao Zhen and Du Xi did not respond. Yang Dan realized this and addressed Deng Ai, his fellow official at the same level: 'Shi Zai, this matter can be put off for a while. We should first establish a plan and then recruit office staff. Why not wait until later?'"
"Why?" Deng Ai turned his head to look at Yang Dan. "Traveling from Luoyang to Chen Cang takes only about a fortnight. How can they not come? If we recruit new office staff, it will take even longer."
Yang Dan smiled and did not speak, muttering to himself in thought.
Du Xi noticed the hidden smile of Yang Dan and sighed softly, shaking his head.
Yang Dan didn't want to delve into it, but Deng Ai, albeit nominally under his command, might still bring it up. Du Xi needed to make it clear for that reason.
"Shi Zai," Du Xi took a deep breath, "Do you think that if General Cao comes to Chen Cang, his household officials would also have to come here?"
Deng Ai noticed the slight change in the atmosphere but still explained with an open mouth, "Perhaps it's not necessary for all of them to come. If only half or a third come, is that not acceptable?"
"None of them should come."
Du Xi explained with a sense of helplessness, "The two hundred officials in the General Cao's household in Luoyang, though they are technically part of the General Cao's household and his personal retainers, in reality, they handle the military affairs of the entire Great Wei."
"The emperor has assigned General Cao to move to Chen Cang and placed him in charge of the Western Regions. Once he has taken on his new duties, it would be inappropriate for him to maintain any ties with the previous incumbent."
Du Xi looked at Deng Ai: "Shi Zai may not know this, but these two hundred household officials manage all the military affairs of the Great Wei. It is extremely complicated. It would be difficult to even move thirty or twenty of them, let alone one-third."
"If none of them are transferred, it can show the emperor and the whole world our impartiality. Moreover, you and I, along with the ten officials outside, can all be used."
Deng Ai had never considered this level of detail and, after hearing what Du Xi had said, rose to his feet, bowed respectfully, and apologized, "I have spoken out of turn. I sincerely hope the General Cao will forgive me."
Cao Zhen was magnanimous: "It's all right. Shi Zai doesn't understand or isn't skilled at it, but Du Zi Xu and I can teach you."
"I'd hate to have to teach you twice."
"Thank you, General Cao." Deng Ai bowed again.
"Sit down," Cao Zhen waved his hand indicating: "We haven't discussed the emergency strategy yet."
Deng Ai straightened his mind and sat down, saying slowly: "The defense of the three cities in Hanzhong can be worry-free. The key points will be dealing with Wu Jing in the Battle Pass and Wu Xing to the north of Hanzhong."
"Although there has been some discussion and plans to station troops at Wu Xing to prevent the Shu state, the construction work has not yet begun."
"I suggest that we make the construction of the pass at Wu Xing and the construction of a strong city at Wu Jing a priority."
Cao Zhen agreed: "Shi Zai's suggestion is good. Currently, these are the only two gaps we need to address."
Deng Ai continued, "The Western Regions are vast. From Chen Cang to Yangping Pass is a distance of five hundred and fifty li, and from Qiushan to Yangping Pass is also a long distance."
"If there is an alert in Hanzhong or at Wu Jing, the quicker we can send troops, the more effectively we can respond."
Du Xi turned to look at Deng Ai: "How can we send troops faster?"
Deng Ai said, "I have two strategies."
"The first strategy is to store grain in sections."
"During the leisure time of the farmers, conscripts from Qin and Yong provinces can be mobilized to transport grain in advance to Qishan, Wu Xing, and Hanzhong. This can be done half a year once. For other materials, they can be transported regularly."
"If we do this, we can quickly remove the hindrance of logistics in the event of war, quickly advance to the front line to face the enemy."
Cao Zhen nodded, "In that case, we should prioritize the construction of the Wu Xing Pass."
Deng Ai continued, "The second strategy is to maintain and improve the military roads, constructing permanent camps and daily maintenance by personnel."
"If we do this, we can avoid the trouble of deploying relief troops."
Deng Ai looked at Cao Zhen: "Given the long distances, only by making advance preparations can we move quickly in time of battle." (End of this chapter)
