Chapter 172 Secession
After a brief exclamation, all the students of the Imperial College and the accompanying officials looked up at the map intently.
Mountains, rivers, counties and cities are all in sight at this moment.
"Silence!" Gao Tanglong took a step forward with a stern face, and loudly maintained order in the hall. As the voice fell, the noise that had just arisen in the hall also subsided, and the silence was reduced to the sound of breathing.
"What is the general trend of the world?" Cao Rui said in a serious voice, "What I want to tell you today is that the general trend of the world can be summed up in four words."
"The destiny is with Wei."
Cao Rui spoke these four words word by word, and his sonorous voice, accompanied by a slight echo, began to stir the hearts of the students in the hall. The students also turned their heads to look at the emperor on the podium.
After pausing for a few moments, a smile appeared on Cao Rui's face.
"I know that the Wei Dynasty is not unified now." Cao Rui raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the direction of the map: "Wu in the southeast and Shu in the southwest. Wu and Shu together control four states. If Liu Chan was in Chengdu or Sun Quan was in Wuchang and gave lectures like me."
"They would also say something like 'The Mandate of Heaven is with Wu' or 'The Mandate of Heaven is with Han'."
Cao Rui said these two joking words with a smile on his face, and the atmosphere in Jixian Hall became more relaxed.
Cao Rui could still see the faces of the Class A students sitting in the first three rows. Some were grinning and almost laughing, some were staring at him with wide eyes, and some were frowning and thinking.
Sima Shi glanced at Xiahou Xuan, who was kneeling on the table, still standing upright like a jade tree, with a serious and sharp face. Jiang Wei, who was a little further away, frowned and fell into thought.
'The Mandate of Heaven is with Wei...' As Sima Yi's eldest son, Sima Shi was somewhat disdainful of these four words.
If it were other young men from noble families, they might have had a deep-seated respect for the imperial power. But Sima Shi was different. Sima Yi had discussed all the major and minor events during the Jian'an and Huangchu years with Sima Shi in detail in his study.
What is destiny? If my father had not assisted the late emperor in eliminating dissidents and winning over the hearts of the people, how could the late emperor have become the King of Wei and then achieved his imperial career? I have also heard the saying "I know the affairs of Yao and Shun"!
People who are close to imperial power naturally have less respect for it.
Cao Rui looked around and said slowly, "I want to ask you a question first. Why were Wu and Shu able to establish their own territories, so that Wei could not pacify them for more than ten years?"
"I can't beat him!" This was the answer that immediately popped into Sima Shi's mind, but he couldn't say it out loud.
But... why couldn't they win? The answer to this question is probably even more complicated and difficult to answer, and Sima Shi couldn't summarize it at the moment.
The students all looked thoughtful, and after a few moments, several students from the Imperial College raised their hands, wanting to answer.
Cao Rui looked over and said, "Bo Yue, please tell me something."
"As you wish." Jiang Wei stood up and bowed slowly.
"Your Majesty, I was born in Tianshui County, Yongzhou. Tianshui was once the land of Liangzhou. Although I have never served in the army, many of my clan members have followed Emperor Wu to conquer Hanzhong. I have some thoughts on this matter."
"Tell me." Cao Rui raised his hand.
Jiang Wei bowed and said, "I think the reason why Wu and Shu were separated is actually because of the 'separation of mountains and rivers and the geographical constraints'."
Nearly half of the first three rows of Class A students turned to look at Jiang Wei. Xiahou Xuan frowned, not knowing what he was thinking, while Sima Shi was curious about how Jiang Wei would interpret it.
Cao Rui, standing on the podium, did not say a word, but listened quietly to what Jiang Wei said.
"In the 24th year of Jian'an, I was 19 years old and my father was in charge of the transportation of Tianshui County to Hanzhong. As far as I know, after Emperor Wu of Han marched into Hanzhong from Chang'an, Liu Bei defended Hanzhong without fighting and repeatedly disrupted the food supply route of the imperial army. Only then did the imperial army withdraw from Hanzhong."
The 24th year of Jian'an was almost the year that established the world order. Many ministers present had personally experienced that great war.
For example, among the four ministers, Liu Ye was the military chief and Xin Pi was the prime minister’s chief, both of them were in Cao Cao’s army that conquered Hanzhong. Yang Fu was in charge of logistics as the governor of Wudu, while Chen Jiao was in charge of administrative affairs as the minister of state in Yecheng.
Liu Ye looked at Jiang Wei, wondering what this young man would say, and the other three attendants thought the same.
Liu Ye was extremely sensitive to the power structure around the emperor. During the last southern expedition, Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan accompanied the emperor, but Liu Ye and Jiang Wei rarely talked and were not familiar with each other.
Cao Rui nodded: "Bo Yue is right. I also agree that Emperor Wu was forced to retreat to Hanzhong by Liu Bei without fighting."
Jiang Wei said in a resonant voice: "It is precisely because the Yongliang Army is already short of food and supplies, and it is difficult to transport them through the Qishan Road and Baoxia Road. This is the fundamental reason why the Wei army withdrew, not because the war was unfavorable."
"There is a vast expanse of Qinchuan between Yongliang and Hanzhong. The geographical barrier of mountains and rivers will cost us more manpower, financial resources, and military strength to make up for it."
"The reason why Wei and Jiangdong face each other across the river is actually because the river is a natural barrier and the north is not good at naval warfare. The surging river is actually like the Qinchuan Plain." "Therefore, I believe that the reason why Wu and Shu each ruled their own territories is because of the 'separation of mountains and rivers and geographical constraints'."
Cao Rui raised his right hand and pressed it down, motioning Jiang Wei to sit down.
"What Jiang Boyao said just now, 'the mountains and rivers are divided and the geography is restraining each other', do you think it is right or wrong?" Cao Rui asked, "Does anyone have a different opinion?"
This time, more people raised their hands than before. With someone leading the way and setting an example, those behind will be braver.
"Taichu!" Cao Rui pointed in the direction of Xiahou Xuan.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiahou Xuan stood up and bowed respectfully, then said, "I think what Jiang Boyao said just now is somewhat correct, but it is not the main reason for the separation of Wu and Shu."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Then please tell me, what is the reason?"
"Eastern Wu and Western Shu were divided, and the root cause was the destruction of the Central Plains, while Shu and the areas south of the Yangtze River suffered little loss."
"Since the time of Emperors Huan and Ling, the prefectures and counties of the Central Plains have been plagued by natural disasters and man-made turmoil. First, there was the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and then there were warlord separatism. Emperor Wu fought wars in all directions for decades, and the Central Plains no longer had an overwhelming advantage over Shu and Jiangdong in terms of manpower and material resources."
"Bone bones are exposed in the wild, and no rooster crows for a thousand miles. If only one person survives out of a hundred, it breaks one's heart." Xiahou Xuan recited these two lines of poetry in a heavy tone, and then slowly said: "Since the chaos, whether it is Liu Bei in Shu or Sun Quan in Wu, they have been able to accumulate considerable strength to fight against the Central Plains."
"Your Majesty," Xiahou Xuan said, cupping his hands, "This is what I think."
After Xiahou Xuan finished speaking, the students at the Imperial College present all fell into deep thought.
Although there are differences, Jiang Wei's explanation from a geographical perspective and Xiahou Xuan's explanation from a national and people's strength perspective complement each other in explaining the reasons for the separatist rule of Eastern Wu and Western Shu.
Liu Ye and Xin Pi looked at each other and quickly exchanged opinions with their eyes. Having worked together for many years, they still had some tacit understanding. In the eyes of the emperor's confidants, the opinions of these two people were nothing new, and they were just clichés.
What are the qualifications of Liu Ye and Xin Pi? Although they did not agree, the students present at the Imperial Academy found this perspective of looking at the overall situation to be truly shocking.
Cao Rui stood on the podium and nodded.
"My fellow students, what Jiang Boyao and Xiahou Taichu just said explained the basis for the current separation of Wu and Shu from two different perspectives, but they did not actually explain the fundamental reason why Wu and Shu were able to separate."
Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan thought that what they had just said was well thought out. But what did the emperor just say, that they only explained the current situation but not the reason, what did they mean?
Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan also continued to think.
But from Sima Shi's perspective, what was wrong with what Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan said? How would the emperor explain it?
The other ordinary students of the Imperial College, who had neither the military experience of Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan nor the family background of Sima Shi, were just confused. The amount of information was too huge and it would take some time to digest it.
Cao Rui turned to look at Liu Ye and said, "Mr. Liu, during this southern expedition, I asked you to talk with Huang Quan and Lu Xun. You have a photographic memory, so why not tell us about it?"
Liu Ye took a step forward, cupped his hands and said slowly, "Your Majesty, are you asking about the Longzhong Plan and the Couch Plan?"
"That's right." Cao Rui nodded in response.
"As you wish." Liu Ye then began to speak briefly to the students of the Imperial College present.
Due to the inefficiency of information transmission in that era, the strategic planning of such important figures in the enemy country was by no means known to ordinary people. Huang Quan, who was once a high-ranking official of Shu Han, and Lu Xun, who was once a high-ranking official of Eastern Wu, knew about these two things.
Huang Quan and Lu Xun didn't need to say anything. But who told the emperor to "know" Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Plan and Lu Su's Couch Plan? Since the emperor asked, how could he not answer?
Liu Ye is not only a man of first-rate wisdom, but also a man of first-rate eloquence.
"In the fifth year of Jian'an, after Lu Su was recommended to Sun Quan by Zhou Yu, he conspired for Sun Quan while drinking on the couch..."
"Therefore, Lu Su's suggestions to Sun Quan were, first, 'Stand firm in Jiangdong and wait for the world's troubles', and second, 'There are many things to do in the north, so attack Liu Biao, go to the end of the Yangtze River, establish the title of emperor and plan for the world'."
After Liu Ye finished describing the strategy on the couch, he glanced at the emperor. Cao Rui nodded, signaling Liu Ye to continue.
"In the 12th year of Jian'an, Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, who was stationed in Xinye at the time. Liu Bei went to Longzhong to visit Zhuge Liang. This 'Longzhong Discussion' was the proposal that Zhuge Liang accepted for Liu Bei at the time..."
"In short, Zhuge Liang suggested that when the world changes, we should go north from Jingzhou to Wanluo and north from Yizhou to Yongliang, so as to recover the Central Plains and revive the Han Dynasty."
After Liu Ye finished talking about "The Strategy on the Couch" and "The Longzhong Plan", he stood up with his hands behind his back and said in a serious manner: "But you all know what happened later. Guan Yu, a member of Liu Bei's group, was defeated in the battle of Wanluo in the north, and Sun Quan was unable to completely occupy Jingchu."
(End of this chapter)
