The person left behind in Guangwu City by Tian Yu was Tian Yu's military officer Liu Qi.
When Zhong Yu met Liu Qi, he told him everything and then handed Tian Yu's letter to Liu Qi.
Liu Qi opened the letter and what caught his eye was a sentence without a signature.
"Liu Qi: I order you and Minister Zhong to go to Ke Bineng's place to deliver the imperial edict. If anything goes wrong, you must risk your life to get Minister Zhong back. This man is the eldest son of Grand Tutor Zhong, you should know the importance of this matter."
Son of the Grand Tutor? Let me take him with me?
Are they here to fight, or are they the second generation of Luoyang officials coming to the border to brush up their credentials?
Liu Qi did not dare to be negligent, and carefully put the letter into his arms, and said with a bow: "I wonder if Minister Zhong would like to rest for a night and set out tomorrow morning?"
Zhong Yu asked, "Excuse me, General Liu, if we leave now, will we be able to reach Yinguan in time by night?"
Liu Qi thought for a moment and said, "We can get there at night, but it will be late at night."
"No problem!" Zhong Yu's expression became firm: "You and I will take ten riders and leave now. We will stay in Yin Pavilion tonight!"
The army continued to march northward, and Cao Rui only stayed for one night in the house that Tian Yu had carefully renovated, and then set off for Yinguan.
On the afternoon of March 14, the army arrived at Yinguan.
Yinguan City is located south of the Sanggan River. Further northwest across the Sanggan River is Mayi City, where Liu Ye, Guanqiu Jian and Tian Yu fought together.
There is a large open space between Yinguan City and Sanggan River, where the camps of the Wuhuan and Xiongnu tribes are sparsely yet vastly spread out, stretching for several miles.
Seeing the arrival of the Wei cavalry, both the Xianbei and the Xiongnu, following Feng Po's orders, stayed in their respective camps and did not dare to disturb each other.
In fact, given the might of the Wei cavalry, they did not have the courage to disturb them.
Feng Po's three thousand soldiers had already built some basic camps here, so the twenty thousand cavalrymen saved a lot of effort when they arrived.
Cao Rui really wanted to visit Mayi. But compared to visiting the battlefield in Mayi City, there were more important things to do.
That is to meet with foreigners.
Yanmen County and Dai County were places where Tian Yu had worked for more than ten years. General Tian Yu, who protected the Wuhuan, was also happy to be the host. After he, Feng Po and He Ping carefully counted the number of Xiongnu and Xianbei, he walked into the central army tent to ask for a meeting.
When Tian Yu was summoned in, it was already evening, and the emperor was discussing military affairs with his ministers. Torches were burning around the tent, making it as bright as day.
Cao Rui said: "I followed the army over the mountains today and learned that the road from Guangwu to the west over the mountains is called Xixing. There are many beacons on Xixing Mountain, and there is a city pass on the top of the mountain that is also in ruins."
"Do you think we should renovate it?"
Man Chong thought for a few moments and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to repair the fortress on top?"
Cao Rui nodded with interest: "I have seen this place, it is a very dangerous place. How about changing the name of the pass on Xixing to Yanmen Pass?"
Man Chong nodded: "Your Majesty, it's fine to build a fortress. But we are about to deploy troops, so should we build it later?"
Sima Yi saw that Man Chong had something to say, so he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there are other cities besides the pass, such as Yinguan and Wangtao, so there is no need to rush to make it a defensive stronghold."
Cao Rui didn't care, waved his hand and said: "I just think there should be a dangerous pass in Xixing. Since both of you have objections, let's put this matter aside for now."
Seeing Tian Yu standing in the corner of the tent door, Cao Rui waved:
"What do you want to report, General Tian?"
Tian Yu walked up quickly, holding a list in his hand, and handed it over: "Your Majesty, this is the list of the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan tribes."
The attendant Xu Shu stepped forward to take it, and then placed it in front of the emperor's desk.
"Then I'll take a look." Cao Rui opened the list and glanced at it.
"The five Xiongnu tribes are the most obedient. Each tribe has sent 600 strong and strong light cavalry, a total of 3,000 light cavalry, not one more, not one less."
"The Wuhuan in Yanmen County have sent three thousand light cavalry, and they are also obedient."
"But the Xianbei tribes are a little short. Budugen came with 4,000 cavalry, Suli came with 2,000 cavalry, and Xieguini came with 1,500 cavalry. That makes a total of 7,500 cavalry."
"There are also three thousand Xianbei light cavalry led by Kebi Neng's son-in-law He Qibu. The total number exceeds ten thousand cavalry."
Cao Rui looked at Tian Yu and asked, "Didn't General Tian make it clear to these Xianbei people?"
"According to the will of the court and me, the Xianbei will only need to send 10,000 cavalry. Yanmen alone has sent 7,500 cavalry. If we add the Xianbei from Dai and Shanggu, and the people that Kebi can bring, will the Xianbei alone need to send 20,000 cavalry?"
From the perspective of the Wei court, the more troops the better is not necessarily true.
Man Chong, who was in charge of the military affairs of the country, coughed lightly and looked at Tian Yu: "General Tian, according to the court's plan, this time we will recruit the Wuhuan, Xiongnu, and Xianbei tribes in Liaodong, Youzhou, and Bingzhou. Each tribe will send troops, more or less." "On the one hand, it is to gather elite troops, and on the other hand, it is to eliminate border troubles so that the court can concentrate on the Liaodong war."
"Now that Xianbei has sent out so many light cavalry, they must be a mixture of elites and the old and weak. Are they going out to fight at the order of the court, or are they preparing to eat the court's military rations for a year?"
Tian Yu nervously cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, this matter is due to my incompetence and my failure to supervise effectively. Please give me one day, and I will definitely streamline the Xianbei here by tomorrow evening!"
Cao Rui nodded calmly: "How many people did General Tian originally want the Xianbei to send?"
Tian Yu cupped his hands and said, "This is how I allocated it before."
"Budugen sent 1,500 cavalry, Suli sent 1,000 cavalry, Xieguini sent 500 cavalry. Daijun and Shanggu each sent 1,000 cavalry."
"A total of five thousand Xianbei light cavalry is enough."
"Recruit another 5,000 or 10,000 elite soldiers from Ke Bineng."
Cao Rui nodded: "After all, they are a foreign race, and unlike the Xiongnu, they are not directly governed by imperial officials. I can tolerate them if they are slightly disobedient."
"It's okay. I will stay here for one more day. General Tian will make the arrangements. I will meet with them tomorrow afternoon."
"As you command, I'll take my leave." Tian Yu took the order and left.
……
The next afternoon, five Xiongnu generals with the rank of two thousand stones, three Wuhuan chiefs, and four Xianbei chiefs stood together in the emperor's tent, waiting to be received by the emperor.
The twelve leaders stood together in the big tent, knowing how powerful they were today. They dared not move, speak, or even look around.
It was because the one who received them was His Majesty the Emperor of Wei himself.
They all depended on the Wei Dynasty for their livelihood, and they had a clear understanding of the power structure of the Wei Dynasty. Budugen and his people had to treat the Yanmen governor with courtesy, and they had to be respectful to Tian Yu.
What about facing the emperor?
Before coming, Tian Yu had already told them one by one. When meeting the emperor, you must be as respectful as when meeting your ancestors, the gods you believe in, and the wolf gods!
Anyone who disrespects the emperor will end up dead.
No one is really a fool to be able to become a leader. After entering the central army camp of the Wei Dynasty, they had never seen such elite knights and armored cavalry in full iron armor in their lives.
Cao Rui was also a bit formal when meeting with a foreigner. He wore a golden armor but no helmet, and walked into the tent with a group of tiger guards who were more than eight feet tall.
"You have come here in compliance with the imperial edict. I want to see you today as well."
As Cao Rui spoke, he walked towards the main seat in the center of the tent.
"Kneel down!" Tian Yu commanded in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, we are here to pay our respects! Long live His Majesty!" The twelve people knelt down and saluted in unison. Their movements had reached basic standards and uniformity.
Cao Rui glanced at Tian Yu, and Tian Yu bowed slightly.
Obviously, this was also what Tian Yu had trained.
Cao Rui nodded: "Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The twelve people stood up together, lowered their eyes slightly, and did not dare to look at the emperor.
Cao Rui glanced around and said in a calm and powerful voice: "You are all subjects under my rule. Raise your heads and see your emperor and father!"
With the emperor's permission, these people dared to look up. The emperor was sitting in the middle of the tent in golden armor, and the armored soldiers guarding him were all strong and muscular.
The emperor himself is both heroic and handsome, and against the backdrop of his surroundings, he exudes an indescribable nobleness and majesty.
He Qibu, who was initially not very satisfied with being arranged by Kebineng to come to Yinguan, was now in a state of confusion. The only thought in his mind was that this emperor was really like a god!
Cao Rui looked at everyone and said, "I have seen all your names."
"Who is Budugen?"
A Xianbei man in his 50s in the middle knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am Budugen."
"Get up." Cao Rui said calmly: "Every time the court mentions the Xianbei people in You and Bing, the first person I mention is you."
"Your grandfather is Tan Shihuai?" (End of this chapter)
