Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui smiled and nodded in agreement, then continued, "Although we have all been granted titles today, Jiangling has not yet been recovered, and the four prefectures of Jingnan and Jiaozhou still need to be pacified. The court still has many things to do."

"Even if we destroy Wu, there is still Shu. Even if both Wu and Shu are destroyed, we cannot rest on our laurels and do nothing more. National affairs come first. I have been in Wuhan for the past few months thinking about many things that need to be done in the future. Today, taking advantage of this opportunity to bestow rewards, I would like to have a frank conversation with you."

Sima Yi cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, we will never be complacent. Whatever Your Majesty commands, we will do our utmost to serve you!"

"That would be best." Cao Rui smiled. "If we're being serious, there are three things to do."

"The first thing is to completely destroy the Wu Kingdom."

"From the end of March to the end of June, Guanqiu Zhonggong, Cao Zhaobo, and Sun Deda thoroughly surveyed Kuaiji Commandery from north to south, winning dozens of battles, large and small. In these battles, nearly 10,000 mountain Yue rebels were beheaded, and more than 90,000 men and women were captured and brought under the jurisdiction of various commanderies and counties. The vast territory of Kuaiji Commandery has been initially settled."

"In addition to the war to quell the rebellion in Yangzhou, the replacement of officials from the north in the prefectures of Jiangzhou and Yangzhou is also underway. The campaign against Wu should not be rushed. It would be most appropriate to advance after the rear is stabilized."

"Today is July 30th. I intend to officially send troops to Jiangling five days from now, on August 5th, with the troops divided into four routes."

"According to the agreement I made with you before, General and Boyan, after you are enfeoffed as kings, you will not be allowed to hold any official positions, and your original positions will be revoked." Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen and Lu Xun: "Now that we are at war, I am granting you both the titles of Special Envoy, Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, and Acting General of the Imperial Guard, and you will continue to lead troops as I command. Do you two have any objections?"

Cao Zhen smiled and replied, "As long as Your Majesty still needs my assistance, how could I possibly object?"

Lu Xun nodded in agreement: "I second that proposal."

"Very well." Cao Rui continued, "Man Zhengnan will lead 50,000 infantry and cavalry out of Xiangyang and head south, first to Dangyang, then to Zhijiang and Xiling, to block the alliance between the Wu and Shu armies."

"Boyan led 40,000 naval troops along the river through Baqiu and Lexiang to Jiangling, blocking the north and south banks of the Yangtze River."

"The Prince of Hejian led 60,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Jiangling from Wuhan along the land route north of the Yangtze River."

“Zhong Gong led 20,000 infantry and cavalry, passed through Baqiu and attacked the two prefectures of Wuling and Changsha. Depending on the situation, he then marched south to attack Lingling, Guiyang, and Jiaozhou.”

Cao Zhen was momentarily taken aback when the emperor addressed him as the Prince of Hejian. After all, he had been a Grand General for many years, and suddenly being relegated to that position felt somewhat strange. However, thinking of the golden seal of the Prince of Hejian he carried, Cao Zhen felt that the position of Grand General was not so important after all.

In today's court, it's not just about official rank; it also depends on His Majesty's favor. Did Guanqiu Jian really rise from Marquis to Duke solely based on his merit in pacifying the Shanyue tribes? Wasn't it all thanks to His Majesty's patronage? Being valued by His Majesty is certainly a skill in itself.

Cao Rui continued, "In that case, the four armies of infantry, cavalry, and naval forces, totaling 170,000, will attack Jiangling. I will accompany the Prince of Hejian's army. Now that the overall situation is settled, the battle for Jiangling cannot be delayed any longer. It would be best to conclude this battle within two months."

“Of course,” Cao Rui shook his head slightly, “If we can’t finish the war, I won’t force it. Let the war go on for as long as it’s supposed to. Military matters should be the priority.”

"Your Majesty, we obey." Everyone bowed.

Cao Rui looked around and continued, "Then I have something to tell you about the second thing."

"Land and taxes".

"The Kingdom of Wu no longer has any strategic locations, and its army can easily traverse the lands. However, the Kingdom of Shu in the west, surrounded by mountains, remains a difficult and intractable state. The roads to Shu are treacherous, and one man can hold off ten thousand; I am well aware of this. After conquering Wu, but before conquering Shu, I need the entire court to work together to overcome these difficulties and thoroughly address the issues of land and taxation." "The specifics of how to do this will be determined by the court in due course. Today, I will only share a few of my thoughts with you."

"Firstly, taxes must be reduced from the current general rate of 35% to 25% within three years. This is not a figure I set arbitrarily. After the pacification of Wu, Xiangfan, Jiangxia, and Huainan will no longer require land transport and troop deployment. The more than 100,000 troops that have been stationed there can be redeployed to places with favorable water transport. Taking into account the savings in money and grain and domestic expenses, I believe that reducing taxes to 25% is roughly achievable."

"Since the chaos of the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the world has suffered for a long time. I want to completely relieve the burden on the shoulders of all the poor people in the world."

"Secondly, after completely destroying Wu, I will carefully re-evaluate the land in the three prefectures of Yangzhou, Kuaiji, and Danyang in Jiangnan, as well as Jiangzhou, Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Jiaozhou, a total of four and a half prefectures, just as Emperor Guangwu reorganized the land in these former Wu territories."

"Jingzhou has a small population, while the three southern prefectures of Yangzhou, Jiangzhou, Xiangzhou, and Jiaozhou are all newly acquired territories, a blank canvas for making progress. We have long wanted to reform the land to prevent annexation. We will use these places as an experiment, whether it takes three years or five years. I am not in a hurry. We will study it carefully and then promote it to the other prefectures and counties of the Great Wei."

"Furthermore, in addition to military settlements, all civilian settlements established in the north since the early Jian'an period should be abolished, and land should be distributed to the people. The new military settlement system also needs to be governed and improved."

"These matters will be handled by the Ministry of Personnel," Cao Rui said with a smile.

Sima Yi and Huang Quan immediately stood up, with Sima Yi bowing and replying, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that the reduction of taxes and the equalization of land distribution are benevolent policies that will last for thousands of years. The Ministry of Personnel will certainly complete these matters properly."

"Alright." Cao Rui nodded: "Just remember this. I'll only give you a general outline today. The details, how to formulate them, and how to implement them will require your own study."

"I have a third thing to tell you now."

"The third thing is education. Teaching and educating people so that they know the principles and understand loyalty and filial piety is something that the Holy Dynasty must do."

"The scale of the Imperial Academy should be further expanded. Each prefecture should establish a prefectural academy, each county should establish a county academy, and each county should establish a county academy, all based on the Wang Academy of the Minister of Works. The papermaking technology has been improved a lot, and the paper should be made cheaper. I have also given instructions to the Directorate of Works on improving printing. You should see the finished products soon."

Cao Rui pointed to Wang Su, who was sitting to the side, and then continued, "I have already made a decision: whether people can pursue education depends on the amount of wealth they have at home, and wealth is related to land."

"Since the land in the Jiangnan region has been redistributed, I will set a standard today. When the land is redistributed, the land allocated to children will be no different from that allocated to adults. If a person has a son or a daughter, they will continue to receive land according to the same standard. The sage advocates education for all, regardless of gender. All children, regardless of gender, must attend school in the county during the off-season for three years when they reach the age of ten. During this period, their food, lodging, and other expenses will be provided by the county government. If a child fails to attend school without a valid reason, their allocated land will be revoked. This matter will be implemented first in Jiangnan, and then extended to the north."

"As for what to do if there isn't enough land," Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen and the others, "that's the business of my generals."

Cao Zhen cupped his hands in response: "The state raises troops precisely for this purpose."

Cao Rui smiled and said, "After the chaos and turmoil of the Han Dynasty, we need not worry about this issue for at least the next twenty or thirty years."

"The three things I'm discussing with you today are: first, to destroy Wu; second, to reduce taxes and distribute land; and third, to promote education."

"I have already made this clear to you all today. These three matters, along with the subsequent conquest of Shu, will allow the credit for the entire court to come from these four areas."

"Gentlemen, give it your all!"

"Your Majesty, we will certainly not fail your high expectations!" the crowd replied in unison, bowing respectfully. (End of Chapter)