Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui arrived in Jianye in the afternoon.

When the Emperor of Wei first came to the south of the Yangtze River and visited the former capital of Wu, he was naturally invited to a banquet. The venue for this banquet was naturally chosen to be the main hall of Sun Quan's Jianye Palace, the place where Sun Quan used to hold Wu court assemblies.

The day before, Jiang Ji, the governor of Yangzhou, had sent a messenger to Jianye who had spoken to Cao Zhi about this matter.

When it comes to banquets and entertainment, Cao Zhi was a true expert. Whether it was a simple banquet or a poetry gathering, it was all a piece of cake for him. Inside the hall, seats and tables had already been arranged in order. The emperor sat at the head, while Cao Zhi, the first general of the fleet to enter Jianye and the imperial uncle, presided over the ceremony on the side. The officials of Wei sat on the left, and the surrendered officials of Wu sat on the right.

However, when Cao Zhi went to personally invite them, he was turned away by the three cabinet ministers.

"General Cao, the three of us cabinet ministers, along with Minister Huang and Privy Councilor Liu, all have meetings tonight, so we probably won't be able to attend the banquet."

Pei Qian bowed as he spoke, but his eyes kept glancing to the side, as if he didn't want to talk to Cao Zhi much.

Cao Zhi was not annoyed and his attitude remained amicable: "Is it really that you don't even have time to attend the banquet? I have already reserved the first seat in front of His Majesty for Attendant Pei."

Only then did Pei Qian look directly at Cao Zhi, and after thinking for a moment, he spoke up to remind him:

"General Cao, there are indeed many political and military matters to attend to. We three cabinet ministers certainly cannot participate, so we would be grateful if you would leave your post. Privy Councilor Liu is also in charge of military affairs and will certainly be unable to leave. However, Minister Huang... General Cao can go and ask Minister Huang. Since everyone from Gu Yong down has been assigned to the Secretariat, he should go."

"Thank you for your guidance, Attendant-in-Ordinary Pei," Cao Zhi said politely as always.

"It's alright, it's alright, General Cao, please make yourself at home. I'm going back inside." Pei Qian nodded in acknowledgment and then left.

The nation was at war, and military affairs were paramount; everything could be linked to military matters, so Liu Ye couldn't escape it. As for Huang Quan... the cabinet ministers' exclusion of the Secretariat was almost an open secret, and Cao Rui himself was aware of it, yet he turned a blind eye to this internal court's encroachment on the external court's power.

It's always good for ministers to compete with each other. Even if Pei Qian, Xu Shu, Wang Su, and others want to do a lot, they ultimately need the emperor's approval. Weren't the old ministers gradually transferred from inner court officials to outer court officials? Moreover, if the time is right, Cao Rui wouldn't mind appointing Pei Qian and others to outer court positions as well.

As expected, after Cao Zhi petitioned the emperor, Huang Quan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was invited to the banquet.

Pei Qian, Xu Shu, Wang Su, and Liu Ye were working in the Danyang Prefectural Governor's Office in Jianye City, which was also Zhuge Ke's former official residence. At this time, the banquet in the palace had already begun, but the four of them were still busy handling political affairs.

"Your Majesty is having a banquet today. We will draft a major treatise and then present it to Your Majesty for your review."

"The first matter," Pei Qian coughed lightly, "is that Yang Fu reporting from Chenliu that in mid-January, excessive conscription of people in Dongjun led to a rebellion in Puyang and Lihu, with the number of people gathering reaching three thousand. Prefect Ren Gu was unable to resolve the situation and concealed it for seven days, causing the transport of grain from Hebei to Henan to stall for eight days."

“Sun Zi, the governor of Yanzhou, has led the local troops to temporarily suppress the people’s rebellion. Ren Gu has been temporarily imprisoned and detained. Yang Fu is dissatisfied with Sun Zi’s actions and requests the central government to punish Ren Gu according to military law and to execute him.”

“He should be executed.” Xu Shu immediately nodded. “Fortunately, Sun Zi arrived in time, otherwise he would also be guilty.” Wang Su also nodded in agreement. “I also think he should be executed. Sun Zi’s reason for doing so is that Ren Gu is learned and prolific, a great Confucian scholar of the state. What does that mean in wartime? Not to mention, I have read several of Ren Gu’s works, and they are all devoid of new ideas, just pedantic pronouncements, utterly useless. Since he has misled the military, he deserves to die. He should be taken as a precedent.”

"I agree." Liu Ye had no personal relationship with Ren Gu and didn't care whether he lived or died.

"The second matter concerns provisions," Pei Qian continued. "Please have Privy Councilor Liu speak on this."

“Alright.” Liu Ye nodded and cleared his throat: “According to the calculations made by the Privy Council before the expedition, the grain supplies along the Yangzhou route can last for six months. The court originally planned to launch a full-scale attack on Jianye across the river before the end of February, but now it has been completed by the end of January. The pace has been greatly accelerated, and the original plan will have to be revised.”

"I have drafted two plans with you, the three cabinet ministers, and I would like to ask you to listen to the details."

Pei Qian nodded: "Please speak, Privy Councilor Liu."

Xu Shu and Wang Su also looked over.

Liu Ye said: "Firstly, the 20,000 infantry and cavalry under the command of the Grand General, together with Lu Zhengdong's 50,000 naval troops and Huan Zhenbei's more than 20,000 troops, should be combined near Chaisang. After deducting the troops lost in several battles, the total force can reach more than 90,000. The Grand General will be in charge of the Chaisang battle, and starting in late February, we will choose an opportunity to attack Wuchang to the west along the river."

"The advantage of this plan is that it can quickly attack the Wu army and take advantage of Sun Quan's reluctance to return east to crush his morale with a resolute attack. It can strive to annihilate 20,000 to 30,000 Wu troops near Wuchang, thereby achieving a response to Man Zheng's southern campaign in Jiangling."

"The drawback of this plan is that it places too high a demand on the logistics of food supplies. The grain production in Chaisang and the areas south of Chaisang, such as Poyang and Yuzhang, is not abundant and supplies are scarce. All the food supplies need to be transported from Yangzhou. In addition to the losses during transportation, the consumption of laborers and boats, and the consumption in Yangzhou, the pressure on military food supplies will only be greater. It is estimated that supplies can only last until the end of April."

Xu Shu interrupted Liu Ye: "Prime Minister Liu, is the second option a delayed attack?"

"Yes." Liu Ye nodded: "Using Chaisang as the boundary, we should first digest all the former Yangzhou territory from the Han Dynasty. Currently, the Great Wei only occupies the area along the river, and Guanqiu Jian of Wu Commandery has only sent men to Qiantang. Among the Jiangzhou planned by the court, the five commanderies of Yuzhang, Poyang, Luling, Zhang'an, and Jian'an have not yet been acquired. Perhaps we should take these commanderies first before attacking Wuchang."

Xu Shu took a breath: "Since the military momentum is already so rapid, why not go straight up the river to Wuchang and crush the Wu Kingdom in one fell swoop! I agree with a rapid attack and do not agree with a slow one."

Pei Qian sighed, "Logistics and supplies are indeed a major problem. If we can completely conquer Yangzhou, it wouldn't matter if we delay the attack by another six months. There are advantages to being hasty, and there are advantages to being slow. I reserve my opinion."

Wang Su said, "Even in the populous Dongjun, people have rebelled due to excessive conscription. This military campaign is indeed putting too much pressure on the rear. If we could collect grain from Wu, it would be a good thing. I agree to postpone the military campaign."

Liu Ye also sighed, "Then please let His Majesty make the decision."

"And you?" Xu Shu asked, "Liu Shumi, what are your thoughts?"

Liu Ye initially wanted to say he supported a hasty attack, but after glancing at Pei Qian and the others, he shook his head and remained silent. (End of Chapter)