Sima Yi turned to look at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang is using his own tactics against us."
"Pretending to make peace with Wei and plotting for Jingzhou, he actually harbors evil intentions!"
Cao Rui sneered: "Of course I know. He only mentioned Jingzhou, but did not discuss the attack on Wu. Every sentence he spoke was about Wudu."
"If Zhuge Liang and I could withdraw our troops, he would go back to Hanzhong and I would go back to Luoyang. If it were two months ago, I might have agreed to his request."
Cao Rui stood up from behind the desk, stroked the scabbard on his right hand, and sighed, "It's a pity that I have already arrived in Wudu."
"Sikong! What did Emperor Wu say when he conquered Zhang Lu?"
Sima Yi certainly knew this, but he didn't know whether it was appropriate to say this. But after Cao Rui stared at him for a few moments, he cupped his hands and said, "People suffer from having no feet. Now that we have taken Longyou, we want to take Shu again!"
"That's it." Cao Rui nodded and said, "In the past, Emperor Wu took Hanzhong but not Yizhou. A few years later, Hanzhong was lost to the enemy. If I don't take Hanzhong now, I'm afraid I will be forced to come to Wudu again in two or three years."
Cao Rui beckoned and said, "Come here, Bo Yue, and deliver another letter to Zhuge Liang for me."
"He has been sent to the enemy camp three times without losing the prestige of the Wei Dynasty. I'm sure Bo Yue will have a place in history books in the future."
Jiang Wei took the brush with ease and said, "As you wish, what do you want me to write?"
Cao Rui said in a deep voice: "Tell Zhuge Liang! The world is in trouble and wars are endless because of these ambitious people who go against the will of heaven and attempt to secede!"
"Didn't the Han Dynasty treat the Qiang people as human beings in the past? I will treat the millions of Qiang people as equals to the Han people. This year I will plan to send 300,000 Qiang people to cultivate the land. He should not worry about Longyou and Guanzhong."
"In Huainan, I defeated Sun Quan and captured 50,000 Wu troops. I also set up Qiankou and Hefei to guard the river."
"In Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou, I have already begun to reduce rents for the people who have settled in the countryside, restore the people's strength, and promote education."
"In Luoyang, I set up the Imperial Academy and recruited the sons of the noble families and poor families in various states to educate them, so that they can become the pillars of the future Wei Dynasty."
"In Bingzhou, I put down the Xianbei rebellion and made Kebi surrender."
"The world is at peace, and the people are looking for stability. Ask Zhuge Liang, how can he, with only one state's strength, defeat my mighty power!"
Sima Yi knew that the emperor was trying to intimidate Zhuge Liang, and when he saw him pause for a few moments, he added, "Your Majesty, perhaps you can tell him that Xiahou Ru is coming with his army."
"Yes." Cao Rui nodded and looked at Jiang Wei: "One more thing, Xiahou Ru has already arrived at Hechi with 15,000 elite soldiers."
"When Bo Yue meets Zhuge Liang, you can tell him that what he said in the Longzhong Plan about the world changing is no longer possible!"
"Let's see how he moves!"
……
Jiang Wei rested for a night and set out for the Shu army camp again early the next morning.
After a whole day, he arrived outside Zhuge Liang's camp, but was not summoned immediately.
"Prime Minister, the Wei bandits have sent people here again and again. Could it be that Cao Rui is so stupid that he thinks that the Prime Minister and the Han Dynasty can be persuaded?" Fei Yi said puzzledly as he stood in front of Zhuge Liang.
"He's waiting, and so am I."
Zhuge Liang seemed to have understood the fundamental meaning of Cao Rui's letter: "Cao Rui wrote to me just to buy time and mobilize the troops from Longyou and Guanzhong here."
"He has troops to mobilize, and I also have troops to mobilize." Zhuge Liang looked at Fei Yi calmly and said, "Wenwei, draft a letter to Li Zhengfang and ask him to gather the troops of Jiangzhou and the troops of Jiangyang and Fuling counties and march north."
Fei Yi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Let Li Yan mobilize the troops? He is jealous of the Prime Minister's Northern Expedition and asked to be transferred to Jiangzhou. Will he be willing to come?"
Zhuge Liang was silent for a few moments, then said, "I have calculated that if Li Yan gathers together, he can probably squeeze out another 10,000 soldiers."
"It is already mid-March. He must be in Hanzhong by the end of April! It is a thousand miles along the Migang Road to Hanzhong. One month is enough for him."
Fei Yi thought for a few moments, raised his eyes and asked: "What about the memorial to His Majesty...?"
"I will write it myself." Zhuge Liang said softly, "When have I ever asked you to write a memorial to His Majesty?"
"I understand." Fei Yi then asked, "Then the Wei envoy Jiang Wei who is waiting outside the tent, would you like to see him?"
Zhuge Liang nodded: "It's nothing more than a waste of words. Let him in. I want to see what Cao Rui has to say."
Fei Yi bowed and agreed, then added: "Should we call everyone in together?"
"Forget it, it's all nonsense. There's no need to call everyone here. You don't have to be here, go and do your work. I can go see him myself."
"Follow the order."
Fei Yi walked out of the tent and gave a few instructions to the soldiers outside the door. Then two armored soldiers came over, one on the left and one on the right, following Jiang Wei.
Of course, he was not the only one in Zhuge Liang's account.
The subordinates in charge of organizing the military secrets in the tent, as well as the eight soldiers guarding the side, were all at their respective posts. However, they had nothing to do with this meeting.
"Greetings, Prime Minister Zhuge." Jiang Wei bowed and saluted.
"Why is it you again?" Zhuge Liang laughed. "Besides you, does Cao Rui have no one else to send?" Jiang Wei replied calmly, "There are many talented people in Wei. I am just the most mediocre one. The rest of the ministers are busy with military strategies, so they always let me go."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said nothing.
The atmosphere between the two of them was not as tense as when they first met. Without the thought of a verbal confrontation, their communication became more harmonious.
Especially after Jiang Wei got Cao Rui's permission to talk to Zhuge Liang about things other than military intelligence without any taboos, the two talked more when they met for the second time.
This also makes sense.
Not to mention the virtual "compatibility" or something like that, when these two people put aside their grudges and talk seriously face to face, it is hard not to have a good impression of each other.
As the Prime Minister of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang was dignified and handsome, and his strategies and speech were also first-class in the world.
Jiang Wei was about 20 years younger, at the age of being brave and vigorous. His many experiences in Luoyang Imperial College and in the army had given him a vision and perspective far beyond that of other Shu Han officials of the same age.
What's more, things like wisdom and insight can really be seen through by the person you are talking to in just a few words.
It could be the precision of the language description, the control of logic in long and difficult sentences, or the subtle probing in indirect ways.
All in all, Zhuge Liang actually had more appreciation for the young envoy from Wei State in front of him.
It was just like when I first met Ma Liang and Ma Jichang.
When Zhang Wen of the former Eastern Wu came to Chengdu, he won the favor of the emperor and his ministers of Shu Han with his eloquence and eloquence.
Jiang Wei today is even better than Zhang Wen back then.
Jiang Wei handed over the letter and said, "Your Majesty, please read this letter yourself, Prime Minister Zhuge."
Without Zhuge Liang's personal instructions, the soldier standing in the tent took the letter and presented it to Zhuge Liang.
Open the letter and take out the white silk.
Zhuge Liang read it word by word, with a serious look in his eyes that was not there the previous two times he received Cao Rui's letters.
What Han, what Wei, what Mandate of Heaven, what Restoration, are nothing but convenient words used to gather people to act.
When it comes to rulers and governors like Cao Rui and Zhuge Liang, what they really consider are the people's strength, people's hearts, political strategies and military tactics.
Talking about ideological issues is just like going on a blind date with a veil on.
This time, Cao Rui talked about some practical things in his letter.
Policy strategies, burdens on the people, farming and grain storage, military matters...
Zhuge Liang read the letter of just over 300 words no less than ten times, which took more than the time of an incense stick.
Comparing each item with the current situation in Yizhou, I feel depressed again and again.
There was no one else in the tent except Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei, only subordinates and soldiers, and none of them could participate in the conversation between the two.
Only this and the third meeting were real conversations between Jiang Wei and Zhuge Liang.
"Before you left, did Cao Rui tell you what you can and cannot say?" Zhuge Liang asked.
"Of course I do." Jiang Wei cupped his hands, "But His Majesty also said that if you have anything to ask, I will answer it if I can."
"I have many questions to ask." Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and pointed to the seat at the side. "I was rude to you for not letting you take a seat twice before. Please take a seat."
Jiang Wei did not answer, but walked over with a straight posture. After sitting down, he looked in the direction of Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang asked directly: "How is the Imperial College rebuilt by the Wei Lord in Luoyang different from the Imperial College before the chaos and during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling?"
Jiang Wei was keenly aware of Zhuge Liang's choice of words. He used the term "Lord of Wei" instead of calling Cao Rui by his name, which was a rare friendly gesture.
Jiang Wei answered in a clear voice: "The current Imperial College recruits scholars from all states and counties, and no state or county is left out."
"In July of the first year of Taihe, only 100 of the first 500 students of the Imperial College were able to graduate and were awarded the title of Imperial College Scholar with a salary of 300 shi."
Zhuge Liang asked again: "What are the subjects you are studying?"
Jiang Wei replied: "The course is based on the Five Classics of Zhengxue. But in the graduation examination, the Five Classics only account for half of the content."
"The other half is mostly about judging cases, general affairs, official documents, and strategies. These contents are not taught in the Imperial College, but officials from the Secretariat are invited to give lectures on them regularly."
"By the way, His Majesty has also come to the Imperial Academy to teach twice."
Zhuge Liang frowned and asked, "The Lord of Wei actually went to the Imperial Academy to give lectures in person? What did he teach at the Imperial Academy?"
Jiang Wei's expression became slightly strange. After thinking for a few moments, he replied, "Your Majesty's first lecture at the Imperial College was to follow the etiquette of the local school and ask questions of the public."
"Your Majesty went to the Imperial Academy for the second time to give a lecture, explaining to the students your Longzhong Plan and Lu Su and Lu Zijing's strategy on the couch." (End of this chapter)
