Cao Rui and his ministers rode into the city on horseback. Liu Ye's position was right behind Sima Yi and Man Chong, but ahead of several other attendants.
Cao Rui's evaluation of Liu Ye has always been very thorough, and today's actions have only further deepened his understanding of him.
Liu Ye was a man of extraordinary wisdom and strategy. He always had insightful views on court strategies and battle plans, and was a man of great talent in offering advice on governing the country.
But in terms of character, Liu Ye's flaws are also obvious: flattery and seeking favor. These two shortcomings can be summed up in one, that is, the intention to be valued and used exclusively by the king, and to do this, he repeatedly tried to figure out the emperor's intentions.
In this era when aristocratic families are deeply rooted, smart people like Liu Ye who do not care about reputation or relationships but only obey their superiors should be put to good use.
As an emperor, loyal and honest ministers should be used, and smart ministers who are striving for "progress" should be used even more. Clear water and turbid water should not be neglected, and they always have their own suitable uses.
The emperor cannot handle all the affairs of the world alone, so power must be shared with others. Giving Liu Ye a favored and capable minister is much more lovable than the people like Bao Xun and Zhan Qian who were rebellious during the previous emperor's time.
After entering Changping City, Cao Rui did not stop for a moment and directly summoned all the ministers to discuss matters together.
There were eight people in total here, including two cabinet ministers Man Chong and Sima Yi, three attendants Xu Shu, Pei Qian and Lu Yu, General Du Liao and Governor of Youzhou Liu Ye, General Protector of Wuhuan Tian Yu, and General Anbei Xiahou Xian.
The remaining attendant, Xin Pi, had already been ordered by Cao Rui to stay in Quanzhou, a key place in the southeast of Yuyang County, to be responsible for the overall coordination of inland river transport and sea shipping of grain and supplies.
Xin Pi, who had been in charge of food and logistics in Chang'an during the expedition to Shu, took on his new position with great diligence and without any complaints.
Xin Pi is loyal, dedicated and decisive, making him the most suitable person to coordinate the army in the rear.
The army does not move, but food and grass must be sent first. This kind of key job function cannot be replaced by just any provincial governor, so Cao Rui was reluctant to send Xin Pi away.
Cao Rui glanced at everyone in the hall and said in a deep voice: "I set out from Luoyang at the beginning of the year, passing through Xuchang, Yecheng, Yanmen, Daijun and finally Yanjun. All the assignments and plans were for the Liaodong matter."
"Xige, I will explain the military strategy to you gentlemen."
Upon hearing this, Man Chong stood up, bowed to Cao Rui, and then turned to the crowd and said loudly: "Everyone, Liaodong has been ruled by Gongsun Kang and Gongsun Gong since the time of Gongsun Du, and is now ruled by Gongsun Yuan."
"The land is remote and the population is small. Gongsun Yuan has the ambition to establish his own regime but has no strategy to govern it. According to the Privy Council, Gongsun Yuan is just a smaller version of Wei Xiao."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "You are all familiar with the affairs of Wei Xiao. Before this, during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Wei Xiao occupied Longyou and attempted to establish his own regime, but was eventually defeated by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty and his generals."
Man Chong continued the emperor's words and said, "Kui Xiang surrendered to Emperor Guangwu and then rebelled again and again, and repeatedly blocked Emperor Guangwu's army by relying on his remote location."
"Based on the success of Emperor Guangwu of Han in conquering Wei Xiao, we should have defeated the enemy with lightning speed, cut off their heads and offered them to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and achieved the goal in one go. We must not have repeatedly launched wars and allowed the enemy to use our remote areas to consume our military resources."
Cao Rui said: "I agree with Xige's words. Liaodong County is 4,000 miles away from Luoyang. I set out from Luoyang after the New Year and it took me nearly a hundred days to reach Yan County."
"It's such a long journey, it's enough for me to walk it once." As he spoke, Cao Rui smiled and said, "None of you want me to walk this long distance again, right?"
Everybody burst into laughter.
Sima Yi saluted and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong has no military strategy. He usurped the throne and is hated by both humans and gods. He has no sense of strategy and propriety."
"His time of death has come."
Cao Rui also smiled and replied: "We, the king and his subjects, are talking about Gongsun Yuan in Changping City. Who knows, he is in Xiangping City, telling the people of Liaodong how delusional I am."
"We should be optimistic in strategy, but we must not be careless in the specific tactics of marching and fighting."
Man Chong cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty is right. I would like to discuss the three aspects of military strength, roads, and logistics."
Cao Rui said, "General Man, please speak."
Man Chong waved towards the door, and He Chuan and Xiahou Hui carried a frame brought by the army. On the frame hung a long white silk cloth, on which was outlined the vast area from Ji County to Liaodong.
This mode of hanging maps to explain the battle strategy has been widely adopted since the last expedition to Shu, and has become the standard procedure for discussing military strategies in the Privy Council. After He Yu and Xia Houhui set up the shelf, they stood in the corner of the hall without moving. Seeing that the emperor had no intention of sending them out, Man Chong took two steps forward to the map and explained:
"As far as roads are concerned, there are two routes to attack Liaodong."
"One is Lulong Road."
"When Emperor Wu of Han went on an expedition to conquer the Wuhuan, he took the Lulong Road. Guided by the local scholar Tian Chou, he went north from Lulong Pass, passed Pinggang, and arrived at Liucheng."
"The second is the coastal road."
"The Banghai Road is close to the seashore, with rivers and swamps crisscrossing it, and it is often difficult to travel due to high water levels. When Emperor Wu of Han conquered the Wuhuan, he was unable to set out due to heavy rains in July, so he took the Lulong Road instead."
Cao Rui nodded: "Lulong Road and Banghai Road each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Most of you are old ministers of the country, and you should be familiar with these old things."
"The Lulong Road is a winding and cold road that travels over land. Although Emperor Wu defeated the Wuhuan by taking the Lulong Road, he lost many men due to the cold weather and lack of food. He often felt scared when he thought about it."
“The coastal road is close to the sea, the route is shorter, but it is more likely to be dangerous due to flooding.”
Cao Rui coughed lightly and said, "General Man, please tell me first. Which path does the Privy Council want to take?"
Man Chong bowed and said, "I, the Minister of Works and the Privy Council have discussed together and decided that we should take the coastal route!"
Cao Rui raised his eyes and looked at Man Chong: "Why?"
Man Chong said: "I think that the king's army is far away to attack Gongsun Yuan. The military strength and combat power are stronger than the enemy. The most important thing to consider is the food and logistics."
"Your Majesty came from Dai County to Yan County with a total of 39,000 infantry and cavalry. Previously, the Privy Council, in accordance with Your Majesty's edict, sent troops from various counties in Jizhou to gather in Ji County. General Xiahou has just told me that Ji County has 3,000 foreign troops and 14,000 soldiers from prefectures and counties, a total of 17,000 infantry."
"There are 56,000 soldiers in total. If we take the Lulong Road, we will have to cross mountains and hills to find water and grass, and we will run out of food and grass! If we take the coastal road, we can use the canal and sea transport ships to provide food and grass, so we don't have to worry about logistics problems."
Cao Rui calmly asked, "So you are all talking about logistics? How is Gongsun Yuan's military strength?"
Man Chong said: "I learned this news from General Liu. Please ask General Liu to explain it to Your Majesty."
This was the first time Liu Ye was addressed as General Liu. He stood up and bowed to the emperor, then bowed slightly to Man Chong:
"Your Majesty, I had previously traveled to Liaodong with the Central Commander Guanqiu Zhonggong and almost persuaded Gongsun Gong to surrender, but later gave up because Gongsun Yuan imprisoned his uncle and rebelled."
"Gongsun Gong has always been respectful to the Wei Dynasty. According to Gongsun Gong, the Liaodong Gongsun clan has 30,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry and 25,000 infantry. If war breaks out, I estimate that they can temporarily increase their troops by 20,000 to 30,000."
Cao Rui asked, "Did Gongsun Gong say all this?"
Liu Ye replied: "Gongsun Gong only told me about the military strength at that time, and the statement that 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers could be added was based on my assessment of the people's strength."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "Thirty thousand infantry and cavalry can indeed compete with me."
"Do all the ministers agree to take the coastal route?"
Before Liu Ye sat down, he blurted out: "Your Majesty, I think we should also select a group to march along Lulong Road!"
The emperor and his ministers in the tent didn't feel anything, but Man Chong beside him narrowed his eyes slightly.
Before the military meeting began, Man Chong had discussed it with Liu Ye. Liu Ye was the governor of Youzhou and the newly appointed General Du Liao. After Man Chong explained the arrangements of the Privy Council, Liu Ye agreed with everything and did not raise any other opinions.
But at this moment, during the military meeting in front of His Majesty, Liu Ye suddenly said that he could consider the Lulong Road. Was it a new idea he had come up with, or had he planned it long ago without telling me? (End of this chapter)
