Xin Pi's worry was about policy fluctuations. It would be too absurd if every other emperor made such a big turn.
What method can last forever?
Cao Rui couldn't help but shook his head. It would be good if he could rule for 50 years. He could think about it, but he couldn't leave things unfinished just because they might change.
Cao Rui started by saying, "The first is the title, the second is the salary, and the third is the official position. I have seen that the Han Dynasty royal family has been talking about these three things for 400 years."
"This is a serious matter. Today, I can approve the relocation of the Cao family in Yecheng, but I cannot easily decide these three matters with Xin Qing. When we return to Luoyang, Xin Qing, remember to submit this matter as a serious topic to the Shangshutai and the West and East Pavilions for discussion."
Xin Pi cupped his hands and said, "I understand."
……
Cao Rui returned to Yecheng on September 4th, and continued southward early in the morning of September 6th, preparing to return to the capital Luoyang.
As for the State of Wu, after many days of consultation, analysis and argument, the people of Wu finally reached a consensus and decided to send troops to Xiangyang.
September 6th was the day when the State of Wu officially sent troops north.
Thanks to the developed shipbuilding industry, and in addition to warships, more than a thousand civilian ships were requisitioned, so all of the 70,000 Wu troops could be transported by ship.
Forty thousand Wu central troops and thirty thousand garrison troops from various places rushed out in full force, leaving only three thousand soldiers to guard Wuchang City.
This is the advantage of water transportation.
The Yangtze River and the Han River were like an unobstructed passage for the Wu State, which had the right to shipping. Whether it was Xiling in the west or Wujun in the east, they could arrive by boat without having to worry about logistics when marching north.
Perhaps because there was no commander, or perhaps out of a sense of security in marching by water, Sun Quan decided to lead his troops to Xiangyang on his own.
On a huge ship with a huge structure, colorful patterns painted on it and a dragon carved on the bow, Sun Quan was standing at the railing, looking at the river in the distance.
"Do you still remember whose plan it was to take Xiangyang?" Sun Quan turned and looked at the ministers who were accompanying him.
Zhuge Jin, Quan Cong, Bu Zhi, Sun Huan, Pan Jun and other generals were all in their respective fleets, and those who followed Sun Quan, in addition to Hu Zong and the recently favored Yin Fan and Yin Shuping, as well as many accompanying ministers, also included Sun Quan's Crown Prince Sun Deng of Wu.
Sun Deng cupped his hands and answered loudly: "Father, it was Lü Ziming's plan to take Xiangyang."
Lu Ziming, refers to Lu Meng.
Sun Quan nodded and sighed slightly: "If Lü Ziming was still alive, Xiangyang would be in the hands of the Wu Kingdom. Why would I have to lead the army to take it?"
Hu Zong interrupted and said, "Sooner or later, Xiangyang will belong to the territory of the Great Wu. This time, the Supreme is personally leading a strong army to march north to Xiangyang, and he will definitely be able to capture Xiangyang."
Crown Prince Sun Deng was 21 years old at the time, and had been in the palace and the capital for a long time, so he was not familiar with military affairs. Therefore, Sun Quan brought Sun Deng out this time with the intention of testing him.
Sun Quan glanced at everyone present, and then asked, "Zigao, I want to ask you, how many days will it take for the army to reach Xiangyang?"
Xiangyang was not a strange place for the Wu Kingdom. It was a fairly standard question.
Sun Deng thought for a few moments, then said, "My father, it is about 900 li from Wuchang to Xiangyang via the Miankou Pass and the Han River."
"Since we are sailing upstream, the fleet can travel about 40 miles every hour. If we calculate that we march for more than five hours every day, the Wu navy will arrive in Xiangyang at noon on the fifth day, which is noon on September 10th."
Sun Quan asked again: "If the Wu navy reaches the Han River between Xiangyang and Fancheng, how should we fight?"
This is a bit beyond the scope.
Since Sun Deng was the crown prince of Wu, he naturally had subordinates.
Zhuge Ke, Zhang Xiu, Gu Tan, and Chen Biao were standing behind Sun Deng. The plump Zhuge Ke wanted to warn him, but just as he opened his mouth, he was frightened back by Sun Quan's sharp eyes.
Sun Deng thought for a moment and said, "Father, I think that with the help of the Wu navy, the first thing we should do is to use the Han River to separate the north and the south, so that the Wei army in the north cannot come to the south to help."
Sun Quan asked again: "How can we separate the north and the south? Should we place boats across the river so that the Wei army cannot cross the Han River to the south?"
Sun Deng shook his head: "The Wei army also has a navy. The first thing to do is to defeat the Wei navy, burn its docks and naval camps, and allow the Wu navy to move freely on the river."
Sun Quan then smiled: "Okay, even if I follow Zi Gao's advice and destroy the Wei navy near Xiangyang, how can we capture Xiangyang?" Each question was more and more beyond the scope of the syllabus. Sun Deng felt a little embarrassed for a moment: "The Art of War says: The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities."
"I think that after the Great Wu has besieged Xiangyang, it should persuade the Wei generals defending Xiangyang to surrender, just as the Great Wu persuaded Mi Zifang to surrender in Jiangling. If he refuses to surrender, then lure him out of the city to fight. If he still refuses to surrender, then forcefully attack the city."
Sun Quan laughed loudly, pointed at his prince and said to the crowd: "My son Zi Gao also understands the art of war! Zi Gao is right, the military principles are just that simple."
"Attack the enemy's plans, alliances, soldiers, and cities. Attacking cities is only a last resort. But Zi Gao is still thinking too shallowly. Wu and Wei have been fighting for so many years, and they are very familiar with each other. How can the Wei general surrender easily? We must attack when we need to, and make the Wei general lose his temper."
"The Supreme Saint."
"This time, the enemy will surely surrender."
"We will definitely take Xiangyang."
Sun Quan looked at the prince, who in his eyes was quite good, and listened to the praises of the ministers around him. He leaned against the railing and felt quite pleased with himself for a moment.
Just now, Sun Quan patiently guided Sun Deng to think about how to capture Xiangyang. Sun Deng mentioned the art of war, and Sun Quan gave him guidance. Yes, Sun Quan knew the art of war.
Sun Quan really understands.
If Sun Quan had no knowledge of military tactics in the thirty years since he inherited the Jiangdong foundation, he would have been wiped out in the constant wars. How could he have been able to occupy the foundation he has today?
The art of war is easy to understand, but commanding in battle is more difficult, and fighting is the most difficult.
Was it because Sun Quan did not know the art of war that Sun Quan was in such a predicament when facing Zhang Liao at Xiaoyaojin? He had more soldiers and generals than Zhang Liao, but it was his negligence and hesitation at the time of battle that made Zhang Liao lead his army to Sun Quan's face and almost succeed.
Yin Fan, who was standing by, smiled and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, if the Great Wu besieges Xiangyang City, I am willing to persuade the garrison commander to surrender on your behalf."
Sun Quan glanced at Yin Fan and asked, "Does Shuping know who the garrison commander is?"
Yin Fan smiled and said, "This matter is almost public. Xiangyang is an important town in Jingzhou. The Wei army's garrison commander is either Zhao Yan or Xiahou Ru. I don't think there will be any other candidates."
Sun Quan nodded without comment, neither agreeing nor denying, but continued to talk about other topics.
Although Yin Fan appeared calm at the moment, if you put your ear close to his chest, you could hear his heart beating violently.
That’s right, Yin Fan had information to pass on to Zhao Yan in Xiangyang City.
Before Sun Quan decided to send troops, the internal discussion actually lasted nearly ten days. During these ten days, Yin Fan went back and forth between government offices under the pretext of signing the petition for the King of Wu to ascend the throne.
After Zhuge Jin, Quan Cong, Bu Zhi and other generals arrived one after another, Yin Fan also went to their army in person, holding a prepared petition for succession, and asked the two thousand stone generals to sign it one by one.
It can be said that the entire list of officials in Wuchang of the Wu State, the list of generals of these 70,000 people, as well as information on troops, ships, etc., were all stored in Yin Fan's mind.
Just for a matter of persuading the emperor to ascend the throne, Yin Fan was able to make so many things of it, which was worthy of the teachings of the Imperial Academy and Yin Fan's own ambitions.
Some people only care about playing it safe, while others take risks everywhere and use the thrill of dancing on the edge of a knife and the great satisfaction after success as spiritual food.
Although it is difficult for people to understand the various kinds of people in this world, Yin Fan's real idea was to go to the State of Wu to be a spy, and he took the initiative to propose it to Yang Fu, Yang Yishan, the Guanglu Xun who was in charge of the Imperial Academy.
Yang Fu was surprised and reported the matter to the emperor himself. Cao Rui also met with Yin Fan and instructed him to use the Han-Wei abdication as a stepping stone.
How could a student from the Imperial College know the secrets and intelligence of the Wei State? He had nothing else to offer, so he could only use this as a tool.
The bet was that Sun Quan wanted to become emperor, and the bet was successful.
How could the Imperial Academy teach the etiquette of abdication? The people of Wu State were clearly trapped in this dangerous situation of information asymmetry.
For Yin Fan, his trip would be complete as long as he could meet Zhao Yan or any general of the Wei army.
Meanwhile, Sun Quan was still instructing his son on military strategy: "Zigao's general idea is correct, but his practical implementation is a little shallow."
"Although the Wu navy has occupied the Han River, it would be a disadvantage if it only blocked the enemy from advancing southward. The more important approach is to occupy the various sandbanks in the Han River with the navy, and plunder the counties and cities near Xiangyang and Fancheng along the Han River. And besieging Xiangyang is not something that can be done simply by landing on the shore."
"Zigao, I have a question for you. The reason why the Great Wu sent out the troops this time is to take advantage of the flood. If Xiangyang is still a swamp, how can we besiege it?" (End of this chapter)
