Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Meanwhile, General Cao Zhen occupied the main hall of the Privy Council and summoned all the major generals of the armies near Shouchun to the hall, along with Privy Councilor Dong Zhao and Deputy Privy Councilor Liu Ye.

The main hall of the Privy Council was originally a place for deliberation, but when so many generals stood in the hall in military uniform, and Cao Zhen strode in in armor, the atmosphere instantly became like that of a military tent.

Cao Zhen walked through the two rows of generals, reached the front, turned around, scanned the group, and said in a deep voice:

"Today, the General, together with the Privy Councilor and Grand Commandant Dong Gong and the Deputy Privy Councilor Liu Ziyang, will review and assign military duties in the main hall of the Privy Council. The various armies will be arranged in the order of today's review and, in accordance with the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven on the tenth of the first month, from south to north. After the Emperor reviews the troops and announces the start of the march, they will proceed in order."

"This general is in charge of the main force of the nation. This time, the route of the campaign will still be from Shouchun southward by waterway, first to Hefei, then across Chaohu Lake to Dongxing, then southward along the Ruxu River to capture Ruxu Dock, and after meeting up with Lu Zhengdong's navy, we will cross the river in two routes from Ruxukou and Liyangdu to advance on the Wu rebels' capital Jianye."

"Do you all understand?" Cao Zhen raised his voice slightly and looked around at everyone.

"Understood!" the generals replied in unison.

"Alright." Cao Zhen remained standing still and looked at Liu Ye, the Deputy Privy Councilor standing to his right: "Ziyang, please call out the names."

"As you command." Liu Ye nodded, took half a step forward, and read aloud the document he had written:
"General Cao Tai, the Guardian of the East!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Cao Tai clasped his hands and stepped forward.

Cao Zhen said, "Your 10,000-strong Wuwei Army will be the vanguard of the main army, located at the southernmost point."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Cao Tai was overjoyed and readily agreed.

The imperial court launched a massive campaign against Wu with 250,000 troops, including cavalry and navy, divided into six routes. The route led by General Cao Zhen at Ruxu was the strongest and was personally overseen by the emperor.

Just as high-ranking officials had various military command positions to consider, the generals of the central and outer armies stationed in Shouchun had been stationed there for at least a year, and sometimes two or more years. They regarded who would be the vanguard and who would go first and who would come later as extremely important.

To serve as the vanguard under Cao Zhen is equivalent to serving as the vanguard before His Majesty and among an army of 250,000.

Everyone has a competitive spirit, let alone these middle-ranking generals who are eager to fight, want to make achievements, and earn titles and wealth for themselves.
This discussion began as early as last year among the generals. The Imperial Guards, the Martial Guards, the Valiant Guards, and the Central Guards in the central army became popular candidates in the discussion, while the troops of General Cao Zhao, who was in charge of pacifying the east, and General Zhang Hu, who was in charge of breaking the enemy, were also mentioned.

Of course, each of these candidates has their own reasons for making these choices.

The reason for mentioning the Left Army of the Imperial Guards instead of the Right Army is that these two cavalry units have similar functions, and the Left Army has more armored cavalry, and its commander, Wen Qin, is more renowned and has more merits than Cheng Xi. The Wuwei and Xiaowei are also traditional elite troops, and Guanqiu Jian, who leads the central army camp, is a close confidant of the emperor.

Some say that using Cao Zhao would commemorate Cao Xiu's failure to participate in the campaign against Wu. Others say that using Zhang Liao's son, Zhang Hu, could bring some good fortune to the campaign against Wu...

However, as Guanqiu Jian took command of a large army in Guangling, General Wang Ling and General Cao Zhao both joined his ranks. Furthermore, General Wen Qin of the Left Feathered Forest Guard was recruited by General Man Chong of the Southern Expedition to assume a more important position in Jingzhou. The pool of candidates gradually narrowed down to three options: the Martial Guard Army, the Valiant Guard Army, and Zhang Hu's forces.

The selection of Cao Tai's Wuwei Army was a prudent and conventional move. The Wuwei Army was the strongest of the emperor's personal guards. During the Taihe era, they fought in the north and south, attacking Wu's army in southern Anhui, battling Zhuge Liang in Guanzhong, and holding off Sun Quan in Fancheng. Their military achievements were truly outstanding.

It is what everyone expects.

After Cao Tai was appointed as the vanguard, the generals had a general idea of ​​who to lead the troops. This expedition would be conducted with caution and prudence.

"General Fengyi, Bei Yan!" Liu Ye continued calling out names. "Your subordinate is here!" Bei Yan stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

Cao Zhen said in a deep voice, "Your five thousand cavalry will set off behind the Wuwei Army."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Bei Yan replied with a hint of excitement, clasping his hands in response.

The Great Wei has always been lenient towards surrendered generals, a tradition that began in the time of Emperor Wu, Cao Cao. After His Majesty personally led the expedition to Liaodong in the fourth year of the Taihe era, Bei Yan, who had surrendered, was appointed General Fengyi and was given command of 5,000 elite cavalry from Liaodong.

The Privy Council had already conducted a combat capability assessment of Bei Yan's 5,000 cavalry. The conclusion was that the combat capability of these 5,000 Liaodong cavalry was slightly weaker than the weakest of the five colonels in the central army, but significantly stronger than the other foreign cavalry from Guanzhong and Huainan.

Among the cavalry within the central army, the Central Commander's Army was generally the strongest, followed by the Left and Right Feathered Forest Armies, with the Five Colonels' Army at the bottom.

Even the lowest-ranking Fifth Company was still stronger than the other foreign cavalry units.

Liu Ye continued calling out names: "Jiang Wei, Colonel of the Cavalry!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Jiang Wei stepped forward from the last five captains in the row, which surprised the generals present.

The emperor knew of Jiang Wei's loyalty and ability, and had previously entrusted him with the task of leading the Hu cavalry, but the others were unaware of this. Today's sudden announcement made it seem as if Jiang Wei had been exceptionally promoted and given an important responsibility. However, considering that Jiang Wei was among the first batch of graduates from the Imperial Academy and had served as a Gentleman-in-Attendance by the emperor's side for so long, the generals did not find it incongruous.

The rule of this world is to appoint people based on kinship, but the current emperor has an excellent skill: he can always promote outstanding people to his side and make them his confidants.

Cao Zhen said in a deep voice: "His Majesty has decreed that Jiang Wei, the Colonel of the Cavalry, shall lead 5,000 Wuhuan soldiers, 5,000 Xianbei soldiers, 2,500 Goguryeo infantry, 1,500 Buyeo infantry, and 1,000 Baekje infantry, plus his own 1,000 cavalry, for a total of 16,000 men, and shall be ranked after General Fengyi Beiyan."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Jiang Wei calmly accepted the task, but the emotions he felt inside were far from calm.

If we can seize this opportunity, we will rise to the top!
Liu Ye then said, "Right Feathered Forest General Cheng Xi!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Cheng Xi stepped forward in response.

Cao Zhen looked at Cheng Xi: "Your unit is located behind the garrison commander's unit, which is a crucial position."

"This subordinate obeys!" Cheng Xi readily agreed. The word "backbone" said it all. Cheng Xi was not like Wen Qin, who was competitive and wanted to stand out from the crowd. This arrangement suited Cheng Xi's wishes perfectly.

"Archer Cao Shuang!" Liu Ye continued calling out names.

"Your subordinate is here!" Cao Shuang stepped forward to receive the order, his voice trembling slightly. He glanced at his father before lowering his head again.

Cao Zhen stared intently at Cao Shuang for several moments before speaking: "By imperial decree, Cao Shuang, the Colonel of the Archers, is to lead his own 1,000 cavalry and command 5,000 Liaodong infantry, and be appointed as the Right General of the Feathered Forest Guard."

"Your humble servant obeys!" Cao Shuang's voice trembled even more as he replied. (End of Chapter)