Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Yangzhou, Shouchun.

On the afternoon of January 6, Dong Zhao and Sima Yi, one on each side of Cao Rui, strolled slowly along the Huai River outside the city.

Shouchun, located in the middle reaches of the Huai River, is now the undisputed logistics and shipping center of the Great Wei Dynasty. Having just bid farewell to the last fleet sailing from Chaohu to the west of the sea, the docks near Shouchun remain incredibly busy. Ships from Hebei, Sili, Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu provinces arrive in an endless stream, continuously delivering grain and various military supplies to Shouchun and its surrounding warehouses.

"To be honest, if Jiang Zitong hadn't come to ask me yesterday and urged me, I probably wouldn't have been able to make a decision until the day before I was to depart," Cao Rui said slowly. "I thought about it all night and finally decided that Lord Dong and the Minister of Works would stay in Shouchun to guard the area. Lord Dong will still be in charge of the Privy Council, and the Minister of Works will be in charge of the Secretariat. If there are any urgent matters in the rear, the two of you can discuss and make decisions together."

"Your Majesty can rest assured that the affairs of state in the rear are entrusted to me," Sima Yi replied repeatedly.

Cao Rui nodded slightly, but after a few moments, he still didn't hear Dong Zhao respond. Cao Rui turned to his left and found Dong Zhao frowning, seemingly deep in thought. Noticing the emperor's gaze, Dong Zhao coughed lightly and slowly said:

"I have a question, and I would like Your Majesty to answer it for me."

"What's the matter?"

"Will His Majesty cross the river?" Dong Zhao asked calmly.

Cao Rui remained silent for a moment, then replied with certainty, "If the army crosses the river, I will certainly cross it as well. However, if I cross the river, I will only go to Jianye, which will be enough to show the whole world that I will not go anywhere else."

"Your Majesty understands." Dong Zhao nodded. "Your Majesty requests that Your Majesty appoint the eldest son, the Prince of Ye, to remain in Shouchun, and that your Majesty and I, the Minister of Works, assist the Prince of Ye in managing all affairs of the imperial court and concurrently hold our own duties."

Cao Rui was taken aback by Dong Zhao's words: "Lord Dong, I am merely crossing the river, is that really necessary?"

"The Yangtze River is a natural barrier. For more than 30 years, Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen have tried to cross it many times but failed. Even the late Emperor almost fell into danger when he tried to cross the river by boat." Dong Zhao stopped and looked at Cao Rui with a serious expression. "For the Great Wei and the kingdoms of Wu and Shu, and for the whole world, Your Majesty's personal crossing of the river is enough to inspire the people of the whole world."

"However, crossing a river requires boats, which is beyond human capability. Moreover, the Yangtze River is not like the Huai River, which can be crossed by pontoon bridges. The Wei navy boasts of its strength, and General Lu Boyan, the General Who Conquers the East, is Your Majesty's brother-in-law and a capable general, and he also has a deep-seated hatred for Sun Quan. But Sun Quan's navy is well-versed in boats, and in warfare, one cannot completely disregard the possibility of disaster. In the past, whether Your Majesty went to Guanzhong, Youzhou, Bingzhou, or Yingzhou, if there were any disagreements, Your Majesty could always be protected by the strength of your cavalry. But crossing a river is a different story."

"Therefore, I have these words to present to Your Majesty."

Cao Rui stood with his hands clasped, took a deep breath, and then glanced at Sima Yi. Sima Yi was clearly also taken aback by Dong Zhao's words and instinctively wanted to observe the emperor's expression. The eyes of the emperor and his subject met in mid-air.

Sima Yi instinctively lowered his head to avoid it, but as soon as he did, he suddenly realized the inappropriateness of his behavior. What was there to hide from?

Sima Yi swallowed hard and immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, Lord Dong's wise and insightful words on governing the country are reasonable, but they seem to be a bit too cautious. Whether it is permissible or not, I believe Your Majesty can decide according to your own judgment."

"I have no objection or disapproval." Cao Rui chuckled and continued walking forward with his hands behind his back. "The Prince of Ye is my eldest son, and he is indeed intelligent. Giving him this empty title of 'Acting in Charge of All Affairs in the Imperial Palace' is not out of the question. Let's do as Lord Dong suggests."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Dong Zhao stroked his beard and nodded, his face remaining calm, as if he felt nothing that the emperor had agreed to his suggestion.

The two continued to stroll along the Huai River with Cao Rui, discussing various matters related to preparing for the military expedition.

Liu Ye, the Vice Privy Councilor, and Huang Quan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, accompanied the delegation as the chief officials of the Privy Council and the Ministry of Personnel. Among the ministers of the Six Ministries, Sima Zhi, Minister of Works, and Wang Ji, Minister of War, were selected. The Privy Council also selected Privy Councilors from the Yangzhou Office, the Military Registration Office, and the Military Affairs Office to accompany the delegation.

After the three finished their walk and rode back into the city, Sima Yi and Dong Zhao escorted the emperor to the palace gate to take their leave, then split up and returned to their respective offices. On the way back, Sima Yi kept thinking about the conversation between the emperor and Dong Zhao that day. While Dong Zhao's words were reasonable, the emperor's decision had been made so quickly. Moreover, judging from the emperor's questioning of Dong Zhao, Dong Zhao hadn't actually consulted with the emperor. So why did the emperor agree so readily?
Dong Zhaoxian proposed, saying, "Whether it is permissible or not, Your Majesty may decide as you see fit." Then the emperor said, "I have neither a question nor an objection," and that was how the matter was settled.

Neither acceptable nor unacceptable?
Sima Yi vaguely remembered that this quote came from the Analects of Confucius. He returned to his office and ordered a clerk to bring the book so he could read it himself. He found that it was indeed true. However, Sima Yi instinctively felt that the emperor's words had a deeper meaning, so he summoned Xu Xuan, the Minister of Rites, to his office.

"Baojian, there's something I'm unsure about. You're the most learned in Taichung, so I'd like to ask you for your advice." Sima Yi gestured for Xu Xuan to sit down.

"What does the Minister of Works want to ask his subordinate?" Xu Xuan asked, somewhat puzzled. This was the first time Sima Yi had come to him about something like this.

Sima Yi stroked his beard and said, "Neither is true nor false, what do you mean by that?"

Xu Xuan raised an eyebrow and carefully observed Sima Yi's face. Sima Yi shouldn't be unaware of this saying from the Analects. After a moment's thought, Xu Xuan organized his thoughts and then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying:

"It means literal meaning, neither here nor there. However, there are two sources for this phrase. The original source is the Analects of Confucius, where Confucius said that he could either serve as an official or retire from public life. The second source is where I read it in the book when the late emperor ordered me to compile the Eastern Han Records."

"The Eastern Han Records?" Sima Yi asked rhetorically.

"Yes." Xu Xuan nodded: "It is said that when Ma Yuan returned to Longxi after meeting Emperor Guangwu of Han in Luoyang, Wei Xiao asked him what kind of person Emperor Guangwu was. Ma Yuan said that Emperor Guangwu's mind was similar to that of Emperor Gaozu of Han. Wei Xiao then asked if Emperor Guangwu could be compared to Emperor Gaozu of Han. Ma Yuan replied that he could not, saying that Emperor Gaozu of Han was neither good nor bad."

Sima Yi nodded silently.

"Sikong, Sikong?" Xu Xuan looked at Sima Yi and asked in a low voice.

"I have nothing else to do here, Baojian, you should go back now. It's wartime, and even your Ministry of Rites has taken on the responsibility of supervising the grain supplies, which is quite arduous. After we win the war against Wu, I will come to recommend you and the Ministry of Rites for commendation." Sima Yi casually brushed off a few words.

"Alright, I'll take my leave." Xu Xuan didn't linger, bowed and left, leaving Sima Yi alone in the room.

Sima Yi devoted himself to general affairs from a young age and did not pay attention to classical studies. Although he knew the essentials, when he encountered academic problems that required specific interpretations, he still had to consult books or learned people.

Sima Yi secretly comforted himself. If it came from the *Dongguan Hanji*... not many people have read that book, so it's understandable that he didn't know it. It seems he should read more books in the future.

The Cao family spanned three generations: Emperor Wu, Cao Cao, was exceptionally talented in literature; Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, was learned and quick-witted; and Your Majesty is well-versed in both civil and military affairs. It is perfectly normal for Your Majesty to be inferior to them.

"Does Your Majesty wish to compare yourself to Emperor Gaozu of Han?" Sima Yi muttered to himself, then sighed, "If Your Majesty intends to emulate Emperor Gaozu, can I be your Xiao He?"

He then shook his head.

Emperor Gaozu of Han considered both men and dogs as merits, with Xiao He being the greatest contributor to pacifying the empire. Sima Yi, however, was self-aware enough to know that he could not compare to Xiao He, and even figures like Zhang Liang and Chen Ping seemed inferior to him.

There is ample time.

Sima Yi quietly comforted himself. (End of Chapter)