"Alright, just arrange it as General Man Chao suggested." Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi, "Just now, Minister of Defense mentioned a fourth matter, did he talk about the Xianbei?"
"Yes, that's right." Sima Yi said, "Since the beginning of Taiping year four, Your Majesty set off from Luoyang, through Xuancheng to Yin and Bai, and launched campaigns against Wuhuan, Xiongnu, Xianbei and other tribes to conquer Manchuria. Three ethnic groups of Huns followed You with their lives, which can be considered a great success."
"The Xiongnu and Wuhuan have always been respectful and compliant, but the Xianbei present some difficulties. I suggest, we could follow the precedent of deploying elite soldiers from Liaodong to serve in Henan for the Great Wei, and recruit the Xianbei cavalry to form a permanent military force?"
"If so, there is no need to worry about Ke Bipin's growing ambitions as the single chief of the Xianbei, as it will be similar to the situation in Yecheng with Huchongquan."
Cao Rui nodded: "I think it's feasible. How easy can it be to take the Golden Seal of the Xianbei Single Chief? In addition to this recent campaign in Liaodong, we should grant Ke Bipin the title of General and allow him to stay in central China to lead troops."
Man Chong bowed and said at this moment, "Your Majesty, I believe that since the purpose is to keep Ke Bipin in the central plains, it's better to have fewer troops rather than more. Withdrawing the elite forces from Ke Bipin's tribe, leaving just two thousand light cavalry would suffice; having too many could lead to unrest."
"In addition to Ke Bipin, two thousand light cavalry are also needed to be mobilized for Budegen and other tribes, in order to prevent a loss of Ke Bipin and the rise of Budegen."
Cao Rui nodded: "Then let's make this arrangement. Let Budegen come as well, to serve the Great Wei is their honor. Specific arrangements should be handled by General Man Chao, ensuring everything is done properly."
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I am determined to handle this matter well," Man Chong replied.
...
To stabilize an area, fighting is merely the fundamental aspect. Arranging farmland and household registers, clarifying administrative practices, encouraging agriculture and accumulating grains are all tasks that require considerable effort.
The army barely had time to rest; from the end of June to early July, they were busy with the mundane tasks of reorganizing, dispatching, training soldiers, and relocating civilians.
On the morning of July 1st, in Wuancheng city, Jiang Wan personally sent someone to look for Hu Zong. Upon hearing this, Hu Zong happily came to the guest house to meet.
At the gate of the guesthouse in the northern part of Wuancheng City, Hu Zong hurriedly arrived to see Jiang Wan already waiting at the door.
From a distance of two li (about 66 meters), Hu Zong raised his hand with a smile to gesture: "Brother Gongyan, are you well? What important matter brings you to seek me today?"
"What's wrong with that? Can't we meet just because there's nothing to do?" Jiang Wan smiled and said, "Today the sky is clear and the air is fresh. How about we take a walk by the river and chat casually, to relieve our minds?"
Hu Zong sighed bitterly, "The task for Gongyan's mission to Wuancheng is to meet with the King of Wu. However, I am in a different situation. There are numerous affairs inside and outside the palace, and I'm really stretched thin."
As he spoke, Hu Zong bowed to Jiang Wan. "Why don't we talk another day? I thought Brother Gongyan must have something important to discuss, but since there's nothing urgent, I'll head back to the palace first."
"Don't rush to leave yet." Jiang Wan stepped forward and grabbed hold of Hu Zong's sleeve. "How can you think that I've just met you for the first time? If there really is nothing, why would I bother coming to see you?"
"In the past, Zhuge Liang and Lu Zijing met at Changban and forged a divine bond. How can we not follow the example of our predecessors? Please follow me."
The stories of Zhuge Liang and Lu Zhi were brought up, so it seems that Jiang Wan truly has something important to discuss today.
He promptly agreed.
Jiang Wan and Hu Zong rode out of the northern gate of Wuancheng together on horseback. When they reached the riverbank, after walking for about an incense stick's worth of time, the idle chatting had reached its end, and Jiang Wan suddenly stopped.
"Weizhe, I came to find you here, where no one else is around, because I truly want to talk with you as freely as Zhuge Liang and Lu Zhi did. Although Han and Wu are allies, there is often a lack of timely coordination between the two sides, and there are always some secrets in military matters."
Jiang Wan looked straight at Hu Zong: "I want to tell you everything about the military situation and troops of the Great Han without any concealment. I hope you can be as open and honest as me!"
Although Hu Zong was moved by Jiang Wan's sudden frankness for a moment, he still maintained the dignity of a senior minister of Eastern Wu: "Brother Gongyan, please proceed."
You're the one who suggested it, so of course you should speak first!
Jiang Wan was also straightforward: "I won't deceive you, the Great Han currently has a total of 80,000 troops. That's not a exaggeration!"
Hu Zong's expression also gradually became serious: "Only 80,000? Excluding the troops defending Chengdu, and excluding the troops stationed in Jiangzhou to guard against Eastern Wu, how many troops does Zhuge Liang have left?"
Jiang Wan replied just as solemnly: "Weizhe has also led troops, and the strength of an army should be measured by combat power, not just numbers. In the past, when Han Xin swept through Hebei from Jingxing Pass, how many troops did he have?"
"An army is more valuable for its quality than for its quantity. Since last year, Zhuge Liang decided to face the enemy with elite troops and retrained the troops of the Great Han. Times have changed. " Hu Zong shook his head: "Brother Gongyan is a loyal subject of the Han dynasty, and I am a loyal subject of the King of Wu. Whatever you have told me today, I will report it to the King of Wu without any omission."
"Of course," Jiang Wan said. "The Great Han has 80,000 troops. There are 12,000 troops around Chengdu, 10,000 on the border with Eastern Wu, and 8,000 in other districts. The remaining 50,000 elite troops are led by Zhuge Liang and stationed on the northern front to defend against the enemy."
Hu Zong sighed and said, "Brother Gongyan, you mentioned that you have led troops before. I also want to ask about military matters. Even if Zhuge Liang has 50,000 battle-ready troops, do you not need to defend the passes and cities? And what can be left for offensive operations against Wei territory?"
Jiang Wan stared at Hu Zong for a moment and shook his head: "I just told you that the strength of an army lies in its quality, and you must not know about the abilities of Zhuge Liang in training troops. If we are to attack Wei territory, Zhuge Liang can raise at least 40,000 elite troops!"
Hu Zong nodded: "Brother Gongyan has been very open with me, and I should also respond in kind. To be honest, before the defeat in Huai'an, Eastern Wu had nearly 200,000 troops."
Jiang Wan nodded: "The Great Han had 120,000 troops at that time."
Actually, Jiang Wan was well aware that having 200,000 troops was not significant for Wu. The three to four ten-thousand elite troops were the strongest, followed by second and third-line units. Together, they added up to 200,000 without much exaggeration.
Hu Zong continued, "After nearly four years of recuperation and development, Eastern Wu now has a total of 180,000 troops."
Jiang Wan pondered for a moment and furrowed his brow, trying to ask with a frown, "I seem to recall that Wu suffered heavy losses in An weapon. How can the number of troops have decreased by only two thousand?"
Hu Zong sighed lightly: "There are certain unique circumstances in Eastern Wu. How can it be compared to Han? The land of Yizhou, if it can guard a few strategic passes and roads, will be fine."
"Looking at Eastern Wu, the Yangtze River winds and extends for thousands of miles, from Xiling to Wu County. Where does it not need troops for defense? There's unrest in Jiaozhou and the various Shan Yue tribes are rampant. Even if they are not as elite, the number of troops must be increased."
"Greatness also has its limitations."
Jiang Wan also sighed: "Each family has its own difficulties. Weizhe, if the King of Wu wishes to attack Xiangyang, how many troops can he mobilize at most?"
Such figures have been discussed countless times between Sun Quan and his ministers. Therefore, Hu Zong replied directly:
"Seven million!"
Jiang Wan confirmed once more: "Can seven million troops be mobilized to attack Xiangyang?"
Hu Zong nodded: "Brother Gongyan understands military matters as well. To gather seven million troops for an attack from a total of eighteen million is no easy feat. With such a vast territory, places like Yangzhou and Wuancheng require defense everywhere."
Jiang Wan nodded: "Since we have been honest with each other, I will certainly believe what Weizhe said."
"There is one more thing I need to inform Weizhe about."
"What is it?" Hu Zong replied.
Jiang Wan said: "Since March, the drought in the lands of the Great Han has lasted nearly a hundred days. If we launch an attack on Wei territory this year in autumn, the food supply there will definitely be insufficient."
Hu Zong frowned: "A drought for nearly a hundred days? Has Zhuge Liang estimated how much the production in Wei's Guanxi will decrease?"
Jiang Wan replied calmly, "The main drought area is in Guanzhong, with some relief in Longyou and Hanzhong. However, these two places are not the main grain-producing regions. We estimate that this year Wei's Guanxi will see a decrease in production of about half."
"Half?" Hu Zong asked. "How can Wei not have any stored grain?"
Jiang Wan snorted coldly: "There is one thing that Weizhe may not know. Cao Rui of Wei is overly ambitious and lacks talent. He has completely assimilated and incorporated all the Qiang people from Longyou, Guanzhong, and other areas into the military system."
"At first, keeping these Qiang people to farm was just a temporary measure, and I believe the stored grain of Wei won't last long. The end of the year is the best time to launch an attack on Wei!"
Hu Zong was silent for a few moments before saying, "Eastern Wu's spies have learned that Wei has sent large troops to the North this year. It is either to conquer the Xiongnu or the Liaodong Peninsula, and the details are not clear."
"It seems that the time has truly come to attack Wei!" (End of this chapter)
