Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui set off from Jiangning on February 9th, taking the same route he had come by. He first traveled south for two days to Caishiji, then crossed the river to Hengjiangdu, and finally returned to Jingnan Dongwu by land.

On February 12th, just as Cao Rui crossed the river to Hengjiang Ferry, General Guanqiu Jian, who was stationed outside Shanyin City, also received a reply from the people inside the city.

"What did Wu Can say?" Guanqiu Jian sat comfortably in the military tent, looking up at Zhong Yu, who walked in from outside, looking slightly excited.

There was one more piece of news he hadn't told Zhong Yu.

“Reporting to the General,” Zhong Yu said, bowing. “This is a letter sent by Wu Can’s messenger. The messenger told me that Wu Can is prepared to open the city gates and surrender at noon today. He is currently restoring order in the city and will open the gates shortly.”

"The envoy also said that Wu Can would send documents to various places in Kuaiji Commandery in the name of the governor, asking them to write letters to surrender to the Great Wei as soon as possible, in accordance with the requirements of the newly appointed Minister Gu and Governor Jiang of Yangzhou."

Guanqiu Jian took the letter, carefully opened it, read it attentively for a moment, then placed it on the table and laughed, "The people of Kuaiji are more sensible than the people of Wu County. I will first cross the Yangtze River, then the Qiantang River, and head south to Yongxing, Shanyin, and Shangyu. What hope does Kuaiji County have then?"

"The right thing to do is to surrender at the first sign of trouble and to pacify the region by issuing a proclamation."

Zhong Yu grinned from ear to ear. From any perspective, this was a joyous occasion.

According to the geographical divisions during the Han Dynasty and the Wu Kingdom, the territory of Kuaiji Commandery was extremely vast, encompassing most of what later became Zhejiang Province and the entirety of Fujian Province. The capital of Kuaiji Commandery was located in the northernmost part of the region, bordering the Qiantang River at Shanyin, which indirectly suggests that the vast area south of Shanyin was not particularly valuable.

With Shanyin surrendering, and the remaining counties of Shangyu, Yuyao, and Gouzhang also surrendering, the entire Kuaiji Commandery would be difficult to regain control of.

Of course, when the central government sent a message to Guanqiu Jian from Jiangning, it had anticipated the surrender of Kuaiji County and issued new tasks to Guanqiu Jian.

“Uncle Zhi,” Guanqiu Jian said softly.

"Your subordinate is here," Zhong Yu replied, bowing respectfully.

Guanqiu Jian said, "The court has assigned me a strategy and a new post. His Majesty has also sent me a private letter explaining the details."

"Uncle Zhi, which one would you like to hear first?"

Zhong Yu was somewhat bewildered: "Now that Wu Can, the governor of Kuaiji Commandery, has agreed to surrender, how many more battles will there be in Kuaiji Commandery? The imperial court previously promised you the governorship of Jiaozhou; does that mean they want you to attack Jiaozhou?"

"Let's listen to the imperial court's assignment to the general first."

"Alright." Guanqiu Jian smiled. "It doesn't matter which one we talk about first."

"My troops number over 30,000. Currently, there is only one place in Wu Commandery that has not yet been captured, which is Dantu in the far north. Wu general Sun Shao is putting up a stubborn resistance inside the city, intending to hold the city. The central command has ordered me to mobilize all the manpower of Wu Commandery to quickly defeat Dantu."

Guanqiu Jian picked up the military order in the style of the Privy Council from the table with his right hand and pointed it at Zhong Yuliang: "After we have taken the counties of Shanyin and Shangyu, I will lead the army back north and lead the troops of my own forces to besiege Dantu."

"After I return, I estimate that Xiahou Xian and Wang Ling should have already completed the catapults and other equipment outside Dantu City. I have heard from the Privy Council's military report that in Ruxu, it was the Right Army of the Imperial Guards that attacked the city, and in Wuhu, it was the infantry and cavalry of Yingzhou that attacked the city. On the contrary, the Wuwei and Xiaowei armies, who are most skilled in using catapults, did not have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities."

"When we get back, we should take a good look at the power of the trebuchets that smashed Dantu City. Wu has a dense network of waterways, a loyal populace, and abundant manpower and provisions, making it an ideal place to use trebuchets to attack a city."

"Then I must congratulate the General in advance on capturing this city and taking the Wu general's head." Zhong Yu was quite tactful. The boy who used to blush at the Emperor's teasing had served by the Emperor's side for so many years and was no longer the same as before. He understood everything he needed to know, and he could often guess the answers to things he didn't understand with great accuracy.

If the imperial court is a melting pot, and the capital is full of demons and monsters, then the struggles within the court and in His Majesty's study are turbulent waves that ordinary people cannot bear, where a single word can decide the life and death of tens of thousands of people.

Zhong Yu's horizons had long been broadened.

Of course, there's still practical experience to learn, and he'll soon have a chance to catch up on that.

"Uncle Zhi, you're twenty-four years old this year, right?"

"Yes." Zhong Yu didn't know why Guanqiu Jian asked this.

Guanqiu Jian laughed and said, "When I was twenty-five years old, I was still serving as a literary official in His Majesty's former residence. After His Majesty ascended the throne, I was promoted to the rank of Yueqi Colonel with a salary of two thousand shi."

"You are twenty-four years old now, and you are only serving as a clerk in my army. Isn't that a bit of a waste of your talents?"

"I dare not." Zhong Yu immediately stood up and bowed to Guanqiu Jian: "I am merely a registrar. If it were not for His Majesty and the General's high regard, how could I have received such an honor?"

"Since His Majesty sent me to the general's army, I have been patiently and earnestly instructed by the general on everything from moving camps, marching, deploying troops, fighting, logistics, and transportation. I have kept all of this in mind. In just a few months, although I am still not proficient in military affairs, I have learned the general principles of military matters. If I were to take up my post in the army in the future, I would not feel flustered and helpless."

"Thank you for your guidance, General!"

"Military affairs, to put it simply, are just these kinds of things." Guanqiu Jian spread his hands and smiled, "For anything that can be done according to the law, we follow the regulations of the Privy Council. As for the rest, the generals will make their own decisions based on the actual situation. There's nothing mysterious about it."

"It is often more difficult to judge matters within the imperial court."

"Uncle Zhi, His Majesty has appointed you as the magistrate of Jiangning." Guanqiu Jian said with a smile, "You should set off for Jiangning tomorrow morning."

“Me? Magistrate of Jiangning?” Zhong Yu was momentarily surprised: “Wu territory has just been annexed, and Jiangning is the former capital of Wu. Shouldn’t the court select a capable official for this matter? Why was I chosen?”

Guanqiu Jian said, "Not only are you appointed as the magistrate of Jiangning, but Xiahou Taichu is four years older than you, right? He is only twenty-eight years old now, and he has already been appointed as the governor of Danyang by the court."

“Uncle Zhi, being an official has nothing to do with age or seniority; it should only be about whether you are capable. You and Xiahou Taichu have always been His Majesty’s confidants. The reason for appointing you to this position is to make you good ‘confidants’.”

Zhong Yu knew that Guanqiu Jian wouldn't waste time talking to him for no reason, so he bowed again and said, "This subordinate is ignorant and humbly requests the general's guidance!"

Guanqiu Jian countered, "Uncle Zhi, since Grand Tutor Zhong is no longer here, even though you are currently His Majesty's confidant, if you were to serve as an official outside the capital for five or ten years and not see His Majesty for a long time, would you still be His Majesty's confidant?"

Zhong Yu thought for a moment and said, "I understand. A true confidant should not only be someone you trust emotionally, but also someone who can act as a confidant and do what a confidant would do, something that ordinary officials would not or dare not do! Only in this way can we maintain the emperor's trust for a long time!"

Guanqiu Jian chuckled a few times: "Uncle Zhi sees things clearly; it's just this kind of thing. You must listen to me: His Majesty uses you two to punish the old officials of Wu and suppress the local scholars. You must remember this..." (End of Chapter)