Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui drank the wine in his cup to the brim, but did not sit down. Instead, he continued to stand behind the table.

Seeing the emperor's actions, the crowd, though puzzled, maintained the decorum befitting high-ranking officials and stood properly before their desks.

Cao Rui sighed softly, then said, "It is now the ninth year of the Taihe era. Nine years ago, I and you all made a vow on the banks of the Luo River. Do you still remember it?"

Cao Zhen was also somewhat moved at this moment, and was the first to answer from the side: "Of course I remember. Back then, Your Majesty and your ministers made a vow to pacify the Wu Kingdom in ten years. During the Taihe era, Your Majesty's army marched more than ten thousand miles! First, you took Wancheng, then Hanzhong, stabilized Hebei, and pacified Liaodong. You did not spare any effort in military campaigns, just like Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen."

"Now that the ten-year period is about to expire, Wu has lost its fundamental territory. Once Wuchang is captured, the whole world will be at peace. At that time, we can just take Western Shu. Without Wu as a shield, Shu will find it difficult to survive on its own."

"Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations!"

Cao Rui nodded to Cao Zhen and said softly, "Don't rush to congratulate me. I'm not here to boast about my achievements, but to fulfill the promise I made to you, my trusted and loyal ministers."

promise?

Upon hearing this word, Cao Zhen instantly became alert, and the other officials in the tent held their breath. What other promise could there be? Of course, it was the oath His Majesty made on the banks of the Luo River! The promise to bestow titles of kings and dukes upon his subjects! And if he was going to bestow titles of kings, how could he possibly avoid him, the Grand General? Was he finally going to be made a king?

Cao Zhen's throat bobbed slightly; faced with the imminent danger, he lowered his head. The generals in the tent also dared not look at the emperor, fearing he might misunderstand and think they were seeking credit.

Pei Qian, Wang Su, and the others standing nearby were also surprised. They had been traveling with the emperor for so many days, yet they had never heard him mention this matter! It seemed that His Majesty had made the decision himself.

Cao Rui slowly said, "The one who makes the greatest contribution shall be enfeoffed as a king with the territory of a prefecture. The general and the commander who has made great contributions in transporting goods may be enfeoffed as a king with the territory of a county. The remaining meritorious officials may be enfeoffed as dukes."

"My lords, that's what I said back then, wasn't it?"

“Yes…” Cao Zhen replied with a cupped hand.

With Cao Zhen taking the lead, the other officials in the tent nodded in agreement.

Cao Rui nodded and said, "I would like to make it clear to you all that I have already made some plans on my way from Ruxu to this place. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to speak frankly with you all."

"According to the system of the Han Dynasty, no one other than a member of the Liu family could be granted the title of king, and it was rare for a subject to be granted the title of duke or king. You all know the story of Emperor Wu being called the Duke of Wei and the King of Wei. This matter was quite taboo in the Han Dynasty, but I do not care about it. Moreover, there is no binding force of the White Horse Alliance. Why should I consider these old customs of the Han Dynasty? Rewards should be given when they are due. This is my attitude!"

"This campaign against Wu has progressed extremely rapidly. Even I myself have already arrived in Chaisang. If we travel a hundred li, my ministers and I will be three she (a unit of distance) away. Since we are being frank, I will tell you all clearly that I will be bestowing three royal titles and ten duke titles! One of the three royal titles will be a county prince!"

How could someone who can share a banquet with the emperor be mediocre?

The fact that the emperor could provide specific figures already explains a great deal.

The only two attendants in the tent, Pei Qian and Wang Su, exchanged a glance before quickly looking away. In that single look, they understood each other's meaning. Three royal titles… naturally corresponding to three meritorious officials.

Interestingly, when the emperor first made the oath in the seventh year of the Huangchu era, there was considerable discussion both in the court and among the people. One widely circulated and accepted theory was that, according to the court's historical practice of sending troops in three routes, this would mean the enfeoffment of one prefectural king and two county kings. Furthermore, those responsible for logistics and transportation who made great contributions could also be enfeoffed as kings, thus creating another county king.

One prefecture king and three county kings – this is the generally accepted conclusion.

However, whether in court or in private conversations with his ministers, Cao Rui never offered any explanation for this matter. He provided nothing, including details about how many kings or dukes he would bestow titles upon, or the specific criteria for selection.

This adds to the mystery surrounding the matter.

However, with the rapid development of the imperial army during the Taihe era and the continuous accumulation of military advantages of the Great Wei against the Wu and Shu states, the imperial court abandoned the traditional three-pronged approach to military operations and instead launched a six-pronged approach.

General Man Chong, who led the Southern Expedition, departed from Xiangyang; General Xiahou Xian, who pacified the South, departed from Jiangxia; General Huan Li, who guarded the North, departed from Wancheng; General Cao Zhen, who led the army, departed from Ruxu; General Guanqiu Jian, who led the army, departed from Guangling; and General Lu Xun, who led the Eastern Expedition, led the navy.

This is intriguing.

Of the three royal titles Your Majesty just promised, will you choose three commanders to be enfeoffed as kings, or will you choose only two generals and one logistics officer?
The glance that Pei Qian and Wang Su exchanged just now was to confirm this matter.

Having served the emperor closely for so long, the two men could now guess that there was a very high probability that three commanders would be chosen. Cao Zhen was certainly one of them, but the others were less certain.

Could Lu Xun, who led 50,000 naval troops, be considered? If Lu Xun were made a king, he might be able to pacify and stabilize the former Wu people.

Can Man Chong, who commanded 60,000 troops to conquer Jiangling, be counted? Can Guanqiu Jian, a long-time confidant of the emperor and appointed governor of Jiaozhou, be counted?
Should we include the promise made earlier to grant Wu's General Zhuge Jin the title of Prince of Langya among these three?
Everything is unknown.

But one thing is certain: no one can now oversee the court's logistics. The two men previously discussed in court, Chen Qun and Sima Yi, have lost all hope.

Needless to say, Chen Qun had been leading troops in the field for many years, serving as a figurehead, and had long lost any standing in the central government. This time, he was appointed as the chief military judge, and the emperor did not take him with him when he came to Chaisang, leaving him only to oversee things in Ruxu.

As for Sima Yi... Sima Yi also lost hope.

As the court intrigues of the seventh and eighth years of the Taihe reign unfolded, Sima Yi, the only person in the past to hold the positions of Grand Secretary, Minister of Works, and Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was stripped of his Grand Secretary position. While the Three Dukes' positions were still prestigious, during the Taihe reign, they never held any real power, and the Right Vice Minister was no longer a significant figure in the court.

In addition, the four members of the first cabinet—Dong Zhao, Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, and Chen Jiao—were all expelled from the cabinet and went to the Secretariat and the Privy Council to take up their posts. Sima Yi was still responsible for complicated political affairs, but his power ranking within the Wei Dynasty was secretly much lower.

Specifically, in the great war of the six-pronged attack on Wu in the ninth year of Taihe, who could truly command the logistics of an army of 250,000? Including the civilian laborers and auxiliary soldiers conscripted from various prefectures and counties, the total number of people was over a million, and no one could truly command them!

Even with all these preparations, the court still placed Yang Fu in Chenliu to oversee the transportation of goods in Hebei and Yanzhou. Xin Pi was appointed to Xiangyang, where he succumbed to illness due to overwork. Sima Yi was in charge of the logistics of 150,000 troops in Shouchun, but Jiang Ji, Huang Quan, Li Yan, and others also held their respective positions. The Great Wei had long since passed the point where a single minister could control logistics! (End of Chapter)