Chapter 173: Destiny is in Wei
Cao Rui nodded and motioned Liu Ye to go back.
No matter they were the students of Rank A or Rank B, or those from noble families like Xiahou Xuan and Sima Shi, or smart people like Jiang Wei and Fu Gu, all looked shocked.
Being able to hear with one's own ears the highest strategies of the Wu and Shu countries was something the students of the Imperial College had never thought of.
The amount of information today is so overwhelming that many students don't even understand all of it.
Cao Rui chuckled and pointed to Jiang Wei in the first row: "Bo Yue, let me ask you, did Zhuge Liang or Lu Su mention any mountains or rivers blocking the way?"
Without waiting for Jiang Wei to answer, Cao Rui pointed at Xiahou Xuan and said, "Taichu, is there any comparison between the national strength and the people's power in these two strategies?"
Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan stood up together, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, no."
"Please sit down." Cao Rui looked around and said with a smile, "Do you know how old Lu Su was when he proposed the 'Strategy on the Couch' and Zhuge Liang was when he proposed the 'Longzhong Plan'?"
"Twenty-nine and twenty-seven years old." Cao Rui said, "They are not much older than you students today. You should still work hard."
Jiang Wei was already 27 years old at this time. Hearing that Zhuge Liang was only 27 years old when he proposed the "Longzhong Plan", he couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Cao Rui said loudly: "Western Shu and Eastern Wu are divided. Geography and people's strength are indeed important, but they are not the decisive factors in the problem."
“The real determining factor is the speed of integrating forces.”
Zhong Yu was already standing on the side holding a thin long stick. Cao Rui waved his hand slightly and Zhong Yu handed the stick over.
"When the Han Dynasty was in decline, the country was in chaos and the country was in turmoil. In the sixth year of Zhongping reign of Emperor Taizu Wu, an army was raised in Chenliu." Cao Rui spoke slowly as he walked to the map and pointed to the location of Chenliu with a long stick.
"We occupied Dongjun, obtained Yanzhou, attacked Xuzhou, and pacified Yuzhou." Cao Rui knocked on Puyang heavily: "In the fifth year of Jian'an, the Battle of Guandu completely defeated the Yuan family."
"After Emperor Wu completely pacified Hebei, it was already the 13th year of Jian'an."
"Can we not mention the 13th year of Jian'an?" Liu Ye stood aside in silence, sighing in his heart.
Cao Rui, of course, could not hear Liu Ye's voice, and pointed to the location of Nanjun and said, "In the 13th year of Jian'an, the king's army attacked Sun Quan and Liu Bei and was defeated at Chibi."
Everyone present listened very carefully. It seemed that the current emperor did not shy away from talking about the defeat at Red Cliff.
"Why did Sun Quan and Liu Bei win? Why did the royal army lose?" Cao Rui looked at the students of the Imperial College who were listening attentively, and said slowly: "This is the first time in history that the power of the south can defeat the power of the north."
"After decades of man-made disasters, natural disasters, wars, and plagues, the Central Plains' human, material, and financial resources are all facing exhaustion, to the point where the country has to resort to farming and storing grain." Cao Rui shook his head: "But Jingzhou and Jiangdong are more stable than the Central Plains."
"What Emperor Wu did in the Central Plains and Hebei was actually the same as what Sun Quan did in Jiangdong. Expanding territory and stabilizing people's livelihood were actually integrating forces."
"Do you remember what Minister Liu just mentioned, Lu Su's 'Strategy on the Couch'?" Cao Rui said with a smile.
The students answered in unison: "Remember!"
Cao Rui nodded and said, "When Liu Biao was still alive, Lu Su suggested that Sun Quan take advantage of the northern strategy to defeat Huang Zu and Liu Biao, so as to integrate the power of Jiangdong and Jingzhou. Remember, Lu Su said this in the fifth year of Jian'an."
"But!" Cao Rui shook his head gently. "By the 13th year of Jian'an, when Liu Biao had already died of illness, had Sun Quan taken Jingzhou? Of course not. It has been eight years, and Sun Quan still hasn't swallowed Jingzhou, so we have to think of other plans."
"Bo Yue! Are there any mountains or rivers between Jingzhou and Jiangdong?" Cao Rui asked.
"Your Majesty, there is no geographical barrier between Jingzhou and Jiangdong," Jiang Wei replied.
Cao Rui continued, "At this time, the royal army from the north is coming to attack. If Sun Quan wants to continue to rule, what should he do?"
Jiang Wei replied: "Let's unite with Liu Bei and fight against the king's army together."
"That's it." Cao Rui laughed and threw the long stick in the direction of Zhong Yu. After Zhong Yu caught it with both hands, Cao Rui paced on the podium with his hands behind his back.
"Everyone, remember, this was the first time that Sun Quan and Liu Bei integrated the power of the south and forced the north to retreat." Cao Rui said slowly: "In fact, from the perspective of the Wei Dynasty, whether it is Liu Bei or Sun Quan, their way of thinking is actually very simple."
As soon as these words came out, even Liu Ye, Xin Pi and others looked at the emperor on the podium in confusion. This sentence is really a bit... arrogant, right?
Feeling that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Cao Rui said slowly: "Whether it is Lu Su or Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan or Liu Bei, their actions can be summarized in one sentence."
"Those who can be swallowed are enemies, and those who cannot be swallowed are allies."
"Taichu." Cao Rui pointed at Xiahou Xuan's name and said, "Do you remember what I said? Tell me! How did Liu Bei and Sun Quan's followers act after the 13th year of Jian'an?"
Xiahou Xuan also had a very good memory. He recalled the "Longzhong Plan" Liu Ye had just said, and gradually came up with the answer in his mind. Xiahou Xuan cupped his hands and said, "Just now, the Minister Liu said that Zhuge Liang once said that Liu Biao and Liu Zhang of Jingzhou and Yizhou could not defend themselves and should be annexed. Sun Quan has occupied Jiangdong for three generations, so we can help him but we can't plot against him."
"Liu Bei therefore successively annexed Liu Qi and Liu Zhang, and occupied the lands of Jing and Yi. Sun Quan also slowly annexed Jiaozhou as a result."
Cao Rui asked again: "What is the situation of war and peace between Sun Quan and Liu Bei?"
After thinking for a few moments, Xiahou Xuan replied, "Sun Quan of Jiangdong sent Lu Su to Jingzhou, and Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang to Chaisang. They both believed that the Sun and Liu families should not annex each other."
"So what happens next?" Cao Rui continued to ask.
Xiahou Xuan continued, "Sun Quan and Liu Bei thus became allies."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "So, when Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan in the north in the 24th year of Jian'an, Sun Quan believed that Guan Yu was in a desperate situation and Jingzhou could be annexed, so he attacked Nanjun to attack Guan Yu from behind."
"Liu Bei's party apparently believed that Guan Yu's ambush by Sun Quan was an accident, so they mobilized the power of Yizhou to attack Wu in the east, intending to retake Jingzhou and once again realize the territory spanning Jing and Yi. However, they were defeated by Lu Boyan in Yiling, returned in defeat, and finally died."
Cao Rui looked at Xiahou Xuan and said, "So now, Shu is unable to swallow Wu, and Wu is unable to swallow Shu. What should we do between the two?"
Xiahou Xuan said clearly: "Wu and Shu should unite again!"
"That's right." Cao Rui waved his hand and motioned Xiahou Xuan to sit down.
Cao Rui stopped and looked at the five hundred students in the hall with his hands behind his back: "The so-called Wu-Shu separatism is nothing more than Liu Bei's faction integrating Shu and no longer having the strength to expand; Sun Quan's faction integrating Jiangdong and Jingzhou also had no strength to expand."
"Mr. Liu, you are older. Let me ask you, where are Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Lu Su and Zhou Yu from?" Cao Rui pointed at Liu Ye.
Liu Ye cupped his hands and replied, "Liu Bei was from Zhuo County, Youzhou, Zhuge Liang was from Langya, Xuzhou, and Lu Su and Zhou Yu both grew up in the Jianghuai area of Yangzhou."
"Lu Su, Zhou Yu, and Liu Qing are from the same hometown!" Cao Rui said with a smile: "After the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, talents from the north flocked to the south, which gave the south a talent base to compete with the north."
"But now Zhou Yu and Lu Su are long dead, and Liu Bei is already buried. Without the leadership of this northerner, what will happen to the southerners? Of course, they are conservative."
"Mr. Liu, what did Zhuge Liang say in the Longzhong Plan at the end?"
Liu Ye replied, "Zhuge Liang said that Liu Bei should lead the people of Yizhou to Yongliang and order a general to march north from Jingzhou to Wanluo."
Cao Rui nodded: "Liu Bei himself has died of illness, and the 'General' Guan Yu was defeated and killed in battle. After Liu Bei and Guan Yu died, can others still do this?"
Cao Rui looked around the stage and saw that many of the A-level students in the first few rows were already shaking their heads.
"Of course not!" Cao Rui said firmly.
"There is a very good saying in Lu Su's "Strategy on the Couch", which is 'the north is indeed full of troubles'. From the fifth year of Jian'an to the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, people like Sun Quan and Liu Bei only had twenty years in the south."
"The North is slightly weaker than the South due to wars, natural disasters and man-made calamities. This is the first and last time so far. Opportunities cannot be missed. Twenty years have passed, and Liu Bei and Sun Quan have not been able to unite. There will be no chance again. Let me see, destiny is not on their side!"
"Xin Qing!" Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi and asked, "How did you advise the late emperor when he went south to personally attack the State of Wu?"
Xin Pi took a deep breath, as if the emperor had mentioned some past events that he did not want to recall. After thinking for a few moments, he said, "I advised the late emperor at that time that the country had just been pacified, the land was vacant and the population was sparse, and the military force had not increased compared to the time of Emperor Wu. It was really not a good time to mobilize troops."
"We should rest and recuperate, and live in peace and contentment, and then march south again in ten years or so. The adults now will still be able to fight, and the children now will have grown up. When the time comes, we will be invincible."
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Did you hear that? What Minister Xin said is really good advice!"
"The Qinchuan River and the Yangtze River separated China into the north and south geographically. When China was weak, the Eastern Wu and Western Shu were unable to unite for 20 years."
"If the Great Wei rests and recuperates, and relies on the strength of Hebei, Central Plains, Qingxu, Yongliang, to conquer Eastern Wu and Western Shu, wouldn't it be as Minister Xin said, 'everywhere is profitable'?"
"I am only in my twenties, and all the students present here are only in their teens or twenties." Cao Rui smiled and pointed at the students below: "When the country is pacified in the future, I think you can all make contributions to the country!"
Looking at the excited expressions of the students, Cao Rui took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"What is the general trend of the world?"
"The destiny lies with Wei! This is the general trend of the world!"
(End of this chapter)
