"May I know when Your Majesty expects me to depart for Jiangxia?"
Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu: "The national affairs are urgent. Lord Xu, rest for one night, and then set out by carriage towards Jiangxia tomorrow. You should be familiar with the situation in Jingzhou."
Xu Shu replied: "To go to Jiangxia, the nearest route should cross the river at Yangwu, through Yingchuan and Nanyang districts to Jiangxia. However, no matter which route is taken, the subject will have to pass through Caiyang. Caiyang is not far from Xiangyang and Fancheng."
Cao Rui heard the implied meaning in Xu Shu's words, that he was asking whether there was a need to visit Zhao Yan in Xiangyang. Suddenly, Cao Rui recalled some allusions, and playfully shook his head and said:
"Is Lord Xu going to defend Xiangyang and Bancheng?"
The ministers in the hall were initially surprised, but upon seeing the emperor's smiling face, they all burst into laughter. After all, the people present were either ministers or court officials who had been by the emperor's side for a long time. The atmosphere in the hall was much more relaxed than when out officials met the emperor.
Xu Shu was also puzzled, but upon thinking of Xiangyang and Fan City, he said with a faint wry smile, "Your Majesty, do not laugh at your subject. If Your Majesty commands me to defend Xiangyang and Fan City on this return trip, I will surely hold them for You no matter what."
It is well-known that before becoming a loyal subject of the Great Wei, Xu Shu served as an official under Liu Bei for a period of time.
From Jian'an 6 to Jian'an 13, during this period, Liu Bei resided in the small city of Xinwei for six or seven years. Xu Shu was the first strategic mind by Liu Bei's side during that time.
When in the year Jian'an 13, Cao Cao led a large army to attack Jingzhou, Liu Bei, who was stationed in Fan City, abandoned Fan City and crossed the Han River to the south under the joint suggestion of Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang. This is also the reason why the emperor just teased Xu Shu about Xiangyang and Fan City.
Cao Rui nodded and said, "I understand what Lord Xu means. Zhao Yan is guarding the various armies in Jingzhou in Xiangyang. If you pass through Xiangyang, please deliver a few words to him on behalf of me and give him some advice."
As a joke, when it comes to serious matters, Xu Shu still bowed and replied: "Your Majesty's oral instructions, the subject will deliver them to Xiangyang word for word."
Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu and said, "Good. Lord Xu, on my behalf, tell Zhao Yan that the situation in Jingzhou is different from that in Yangzhou and Yong-Liang. The Han River separates the north and south, and it is difficult for the court to cross the river."
"No matter how the situation in Jingzhou changes, it is the absolute bottom line for me to defend Xiangyang."
Xu Shu replied: "I understand."
"No, you don't understand. I haven't finished speaking," Cao Rui shook his head and said: "Xiangyang is my absolute bottom line. Xiangyang is more important than Fan City and more important than Jiangxia. With Xiangyang, I can obtain other places in Jingzhou."
"Understood?"
Xu Shu, as an expert in military strategy, understood the crux of the matter after a slight thought. The same was true for Sima Yi, Liu Ye, and Xin Pi on the side. Although Pei Qian was not good at military strategy, as he had served as the governor of Jingzhou in the past, he could still understand the emperor's meaning.
Cao Rui noticed that the three newly appointed Attending Court Attendants were somewhat confused. He pointed to Xu Shu and said, "Lord Xu understands. My attendants don't understand, so Lord Xu, please explain it to them."
"Acknowledged." Xu Shu rose to his feet and gave a slight bow to Xiahou Yuan and the others.
Xiahou Xuan, He Liao, and Xiahou Hu also quickly returned the bow.
Xu Shu said: "If Jingzhou is a chessboard, the Great Wei and the Wu are two players fighting. The city of Xiangyang, located on the southern bank of the Han River and south of Fan City, is the undisputed eye of the game."
"The Han River flows through Jingzhou from the northwest to the southeast. Since Jiangling is not in the hands of the Great Wei, Xiangyang becomes the only important fortress on the southern bank of the Han River. Fan City and Jiangxia are both on the north bank, which for the Great Wei, are places that are easy to defend but hard to attack. However, for the Wu, it is just the opposite; they are hard to defend but easy to attack."
Xiahou Xuan bowed and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, it seems that I have understood. As long as Xiangyang is not abandoned, the Great Wei can retake the various cities on the north bank of the Han River at any time."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "That's exactly what I meant."
While the two were speaking, the Grand Secretary Liu Fang brought the edict and the seal. Cao Rui rose and walked to the center of the hall, took it from Liu Fang's hands, and placed it into Xu Shu's hands.
"Xu Shu, please go back and rest. The matters here will not be concluded anytime soon, and you will need to leave early tomorrow."
Xu Shu placed the seal in his bosom, and held the edict in his palm. He deeply bowed and said, "Many thanks for the grace, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."
Cao Rui nodded in agreement, and Xu Shu, not being a person of affectation, followed Liu Fang directly out of the hall.
Cao Rui looked at the gradually disappearing figure for several seconds before continuing to speak.
"Minister of Works, do you have anything else?"
Sima Yi bowed and said, "There are two matters that need to be addressed, but they are not as urgent as the water levels and military affairs that we just discussed."
"The deceased Empress Wu Xuan was buried in the Gao Ling Mausoleum. As Your Majesty returns to the capital of Yuanchuan, it is appropriate to pay respects before leaving."
Cao Rui said, "Minister of Works, make arrangements. I will go there tomorrow."
Tomorrow?
Sima Yi added, "There's no need to be so urgent, Your Majesty. Why not rest for two days in Yuanchuan first?"
Cao Rui said, "There's no time to rest. I will perform the sacrifice at Gao Ling tomorrow, then pay my respects at the Zhao Yang Mausoleum, and return to Luoyang the day after."
Xin Pi spoke up, "I beg Your Majesty not to overexert yourself like this. Your health is of paramount importance."
Cao Rui chuckled and said, "Xin Jing also wants to advise me? I have been taking care of my body all these years to be able to use it when needed. There's no need to discuss this further. The imperial treasury and the military command are all in Luoyang, so why should I stay in Yuanchuan?"
"The emperor is wise." Xin Pi could only bow with resignation, while Sima Yi's corner of the mouth also curved up slightly.
Is that already tiring?
How should I calculate it if I travel from Xianping to Luoyang and then from Luoyang to Yuanchuan one day non-stop, and then return to Luoyang the next day?
Sima Yi continued, "There is only one matter left in the court, and the decision can be made sooner or later. The first batch of scholars from the Imperial Academy have already returned from Lungyi and are expected to arrive in Luoyang within a few days."
"Oh? I haven't heard about these scholars from the Imperial Academy for a long time. How are they doing in Lungyi?" Cao Rui asked curiously.
Sima Yi: "Your Majesty, previously, the inspector of the Qin Prefecture, Chen Jiabo, sent a letter to the Prefecture Director Yang Yishan saying that in the examination of the Qin Prefecture, the top five tax officials were all scholars from the Imperial Academy."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "It seems that I sent them to work on the land was the right decision. Ministers, what were your first positions when you were young?"
"Minister of Works, you can start."
Sima Yi was the first to bow and say, "When I was twenty-two years old, I was appointed as an Imperial Secretary by the county."
Cao Rui said, "A twenty-two-year-old Imperial Secretary, considering your talent as the Minister of Works, seems just right, but perhaps a bit too early."
Sima Yi hesitated and smiled awkwardly, not responding.
The so-called Imperial Secretary is an official who, during the autumn and winter each year when the court assesses the yearly duties and mistakes of each county and state, represents their respective counties in reporting to the court. Sima Yi's native Henan was a large county, and being an Imperial Secretary was one of the few prestigious positions within the county.
Of course, if we were to delve deeper into the matter, Sima Yi's position as an Imperial Secretary in Henan at the age of twenty-two was roughly equivalent in age to his eldest son Sima Shi's position as a state officer in Yangzhou. There is a significant difference between the positions held by Sima Yi's father Sima Fang and Sima Yi himself now.
It is an objective fact in the current Great Wei that it is easy for the offspring of officials to become officials. This is something that Emperor Cao Rui cannot change at a moment's notice. To arbitrarily order that the offspring of officials should not be appointed would be to challenge the entire administrative system of the country, which is akin to undermining one's own foundation.
By the year Taihe 4, the Imperial Academy had only graduated three classes of students. Changing the structure of government officials and the path for promotion is a long and difficult process that does not need to be rushed.
Cao Rui continued to look at Liu Ye: "I am aware of the story of Lv Yi. At twenty-five years old, he daringly entered the camp of thousands of bandits, cut off their heads and took over their troops, displaying an extraordinary courage similar to that of Fu Jiezi."
"Minister Liu, your talents have been underutilized over the years. You should have been promoted to a general much earlier."
Liu Ye felt awkward and smiled: "My family is in a remote area of Yangzhou, and my youthful strategy was merely a pragmatic move for self-preservation. How can I compare to Fu Jiezi?"
Cao Rui smiled slightly, said nothing, and then turned his gaze to the other individuals present.
Xin Pi kept his composure and bowed with both hands: "My first position was as an adjutant under the command of Yan Beipu in Jiezhou."
Cao Rui nodded: "Xin Jing is indeed similar to Xu Zhongshu."
Pei Qian replied, "My first position was as a county official in Changsha County."
Cao Rui asked curiously, "Minister Pei, I didn't know that story. How did you end up in Changsha? I remember that the former Minister of the Imperial Treasury Han Jie and his son Han Xu were also from Changsha."
"Colonel Han Jie was from Changsha, and at that time, I served as an official under his command. As for why I went to Changsha, the story is quite long." Pei Qian sighed: "Your Majesty knows that Li Jue and Guo Si had previously caused chaos in the capital?"
Cao Rui nodded: "The two ministers of Dong Zhuo, I have heard their names."
Pei Qian said: "My father used to be a minister in the capital of Changsha..."
Cao Rui interrupted Pei Qian: "Minister Pei, are you referring to the period when Dong Zhuo died and Li Jue and Guo Si seized control of Changsha?"
"Exactly," Pei Qian replied, "My father was an official in the Han court in Chang'an at that time."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Minister Pei, please continue."
Pei Qian said: "After Dong Zhuo's death, Li Jue and Guo Si tormented the Pass of Gansu. In the first year of Xingping, the state was hit by a severe famine, and grain in Chang'an was as expensive as gold. Although I was still young at the time, I remember the grain prices vividly. Millet cost 500,000 money per bushel, beans and barley cost 200,000 money per bushel. The people were destitute to the point where they were resorting to cannibalism. Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fu Chou divided the city into three parts and controlled their respective areas. They also sent troops to plunder the surrounding regions."
"My father, though a court official at the time, was unable to support his family. Therefore, he had to send my brother and me out of the city. I went to Jing Sheng of Jingzhou, and my brother Pei Jun went to Yizhou."
"My brother Pei Jun is now serving in Shu Han, and I reported this to the court when I learned the news."
Cao Rui nodded slightly, not feeling surprised.
Times of chaos and displacement are far from an empty phrase.
In the midst of chaos, it is not just a saying that 'one should not put all their eggs in one basket' or 'diversify investments'. Behind it are tears. People at that time could not predict how events would develop, and in order to preserve their lineage, they had to send their sons to different places. This is not a simple phrase that can be explained, but behind it are tears and hardships.(Chapter complete)
