Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

"Please take a seat," Cao Rui said casually, waving his hand.

"Yes." Sima Yi responded and sat down.

Cao Rui paused for only a few moments before continuing, "The second matter I wish to discuss with you today is military reform. According to a rough estimate by the Privy Council, the current strength of the Wei army is over 450,000, which should be reduced to 350,000."

“Minister Liu,” Cao Rui looked up at Liu Ye, “Last night you came to me saying that you had drafted the military system and incorporated all the opinions I had raised several times. I didn’t hear you say it last night, so today at the meeting, you should read it all out in front of everyone.”

"Your subject obeys the decree." Liu Ye bowed and accepted the order, then stood up and handed a document to the emperor. He then faced the crowd just as Pei Qian had done earlier.

When Liu Ye first went to war, his health was already somewhat poor. After a whole year, although he accompanied the army on its campaigns, Cao Rui forced him to eat and rest enough every day, take the tonics prescribed by the imperial physicians regularly, and even began practicing the Five Animal Frolics. As a result, his health is now even better than at the end of last year.

Liu Ye slowly said, "Military system is a complex matter, but the most important one is the central army."

"The Privy Council proposed to expand the original 50,000 personnel of the Central Army to 80,000, abolish the Five Colonels Camp and the Central Commander Camp, divide the Martial Guard into the Left and Right Martial Guards, divide the Valiant Guard into the Left and Right Valiant Guards, and transfer the Liaodong infantry and cavalry that were incorporated into the outer army of the Great Wei in the fourth year of Taihe to the Central Army. The Hu cavalry conscripted from the Wuhuan, Xianbei and Xiongnu tribes were also incorporated into the Central Army, for a total of 80,000 personnel."

As soon as Liu Ye finished speaking, the officials in the hall began to discuss it almost immediately. Even Cao Zhen's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Liu Ye, as he was unaware of this matter!

Objectively speaking, apart from Cao Rui, Liu Ye, Pei Qian, and Wang Su, the rest of the people knew nothing about it.

This top-level design was not decided by the majority of people, or rather, it could only be decided by the emperor's will. The ministers who made the decision were merely helping the emperor find the solution that best met the strategic objectives.

Minister of the Left, Huang Quan, immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe we should not include the Liaodong infantry and cavalry and the Hu cavalry in the central army. The combat strength of these two units is far inferior to that of the central army, and they are completely inconsistent with the strength of the central army!"

Cao Rui raised his hand and pressed down, gesturing for Huang Quan to sit down, then said with a smile:

"Minister Huang asked a very good question, and I would like to explain this to you all. When the Great Wei was first established, there was a distinction between the Central Army, the Outer Army, and the troops of the prefectures and counties. The so-called Central Army was the army directly under the court and stationed in the capital. The so-called Outer Army was also the army directly under the court and stationed in key border areas."

"The distinction between the Central Army and the Foreign Army has nothing to do with the size of their fighting force, but only with their location. These two armies should be stationed in Luoyang, hence they are promoted to the Central Army, with a total strength of 80,000, which will serve as the foundation for suppressing the world."

"As for changing the Wuwei to the Left and Right Wuwei, and the Xiaowei to the Left and Right Xiaowei, the reasons are twofold: first, to expand the central army; and second, because the previous Commander-in-Chief Guanqiu Jian was stationed outside the capital, and the five colonels each had their own duties, the organization had been disbanded, so the Central Commander-in-Chief Camp and the Five Colonels Camp were no longer established."

"The Left Army of the Martial Guard, the Right Army of the Martial Guard, and the Right Army of the Valiant Guard are infantry, while the Left Army of the Feathered Forest Guard, the Right Army of the Feathered Forest Guard, and the Left Army of the Valiant Guard are cavalry. These six armies take turns in charge of guarding the palace and its surroundings."

"The position of the Central Army is not permanent. The Central Army is personally led by me, and the selection and appointment of generals is handled by Zhen Xiang, the commander of the Central Guard."

Huang Quan bowed and said, "Your Majesty's decision is wise, I understand."

"Alright." Cao Rui nodded slightly. "Liu Qing, please continue."

At this point, the officials in the hall all began to ponder. The five colonels had all been appointed to external posts, General Guanqiu Jian was in Jiaozhou, and the former General of the Valiant Guard, Wang Ling, had been reassigned as General of Anxi and was unlikely to return to the central army anytime soon. Wouldn't that leave at least three positions in the central army, each commanding ten thousand troops, vacant?

Liu Ye continued, "Apart from the central army, the Wu Kingdom has been destroyed. The only concern of the nation is the Shu Kingdom on the western border."

"To demonstrate the intention of guarding the border and suppressing disobedience, the Governor-General of Jingnan, Man Chong, was given a command of 90,000 troops, including 50,000 infantry and 40,000 naval troops. General of Chariots and Cavalry, Wei Zhen, commanded 60,000 troops in Guanzhong. Thus, there were 150,000 troops."

Sima Yi then spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have a question."

“Tell me about it.” Cao Rui nodded.

Sima Yi cupped his hands and asked, "The Great Wei originally had a navy of over 50,000, but after the Battle of Wuhan, it suffered heavy casualties and was reduced to 40,000. Now, all 40,000 naval troops are under the command of the Jingnan Commandery. Wouldn't it be inconvenient if the court used naval troops in other areas as well?"

“Sikong’s question is correct.” Cao Rui nodded: “The navy is different from the infantry. When traveling along the river, it is not as constrained by food and supplies. I have discussed this matter in detail with Lu Boyan and others. If the navy sets off from Jiangling quickly along the river and sails downstream, the entire army can reach Dantu in as little as ten days. I think we do not need to worry about this speed of march for the time being.”

"Furthermore, Lu Boyan's troops defeated the Wu navy at Yidao more than ten days ago. If Wu and Shu make no further moves, or if their navies become weaker, I believe it would be acceptable to reduce the Jingnan navy to 20,000. That's a matter for later, and I will not discuss it with you all today." "Your subject understands." Sima Yi cupped his hands in greeting.

Cao Rui said with a smile, "Since there are changes in the military, there should also be some changes in personnel."

"Rename General Cao Tai, the General Who Guards the East, to General of the Left Guard; rename General Xiahou Xian, the General Who Spears the Tiger, to General of the Right Guard; rename Colonel Jiang Wei, the Colonel of the Cavalry, to General of the Left Valiant Guard; rename General Hu Zun, the General Who Guards the Distant Lands, to General of the Right Valiant Guard; appoint General Bei Yan, the General Who Upholds Righteousness, to command 10,000 infantry and cavalry from Liaodong; and appoint General Sun Li, the General Who Plays Guerrilla, to command 10,000 Hu cavalry."

As soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, Cao Tai, Xiahou Xian, Jiang Wei, Bei Yan, and Sun Li, who were present, all bowed and expressed their gratitude. Cao Rui only offered a few words of encouragement and then told them to return to their original positions, saying that in a few days, along with the distribution of rewards for their merits, the Privy Council would issue official decrees and seals of appointment.

As for the other officials, Cao Tai's transfer from General Who Guards the East to General of the Left Guard was nothing to write home about. The emperor's appointment of a member of the imperial clan as the head of the Left Guard, a position of great importance to the central army, demonstrated his immense trust in Cao Tai, regardless of his rank. In fact, according to custom, it seemed that Cao Tai was a potential successor to Cao Zhen.

The ministers' speculations were one thing, but Cao Rui was unwilling to establish the Grand General position, a top-level general. This position, which commanded the armies of the entire country, was actually a dreg of the practices accumulated over the past two hundred years in the Later Han Dynasty. It was not good for the monarch, nor for the ministers. Cao Zhen, on the contrary, became one of the few Grand Generals in two hundred years who landed the position safely.

It was only natural that Xiahou Xian and Hu Zun were promoted to the central army, and it was also reasonable for Bei Yan to rise from leading 5,000 cavalry to leading 10,000 troops. However, it seemed that Jiang Wei and Sun Li were promoted a bit too much.

But who doesn't know that the emperor values ​​Jiang Wei? In this campaign against Wu, Jiang Wei did not achieve many military exploits, and neither the court nor the public clearly saw Jiang Wei's abilities... This is where the emperor's heart lies; the court is not a place for reason.

Cao Rui gestured slightly towards Liu Ye, who understood and continued, "The total number of personnel in the Central Army, Guanzhong, and Jingnan is 230,000."

"General Tian Yu, Protector of the Wuhuan, and General Duan Zhao, Protector of the Xianbei, together with the various prefectures in Hebei, commanded a total of 20,000 troops, while Wu Gai, the military supervisor of Yingzhou, commanded another 20,000 troops."

"General Guanqiu Jian commanded 20,000 troops in Jiaozhou."

"The troops originally stationed in Huainan, Wancheng, Jiangxia, and Xiangfan by the imperial court will be abolished and replaced with 10,000 troops stationed in Wuhan and Shouchun respectively, in case of emergency."

"Including these 80,000 troops, they now account for 310,000 of the 350,000 personnel."

Cao Rui nodded and addressed the crowd as before: "After the court withdrew elite troops from the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Xiongnu tribes, and after Wang Xiong quelled the rebellion in Liangzhou, the north is at peace, and the 20,000 troops in Hebei are sufficient. In case of emergency, the central army in Luoyang can march north at any time. The 20,000 troops in Yingzhou are also self-sufficient due to their remote location and garrison duties, so these two places will remain unchanged for now."

"In addition, Guanqiu Jian served as the governor of Jiaozhou and the general of the army. Because Jiaozhou was too remote, his functions were not separated, and he was in charge of both military and political affairs in Jiaozhou."

"As for Wuhan and Shouchun, I intend to change the title of Yueqi Colonel Cao Shuang to Tiger Fang General and have him stationed in Wuhan. I will order Heng Hai General Huan Jia to be stationed in Shouchun."

"Your Majesty is wise!" the crowd responded in unison. Huan Jia hurriedly stood up and was about to step forward to pay his respects, but the chorus of voices left him somewhat at a loss, unsure whether to advance or retreat, which caused a burst of laughter.

Cao Rui smiled and beckoned: "Come, Huan Qing, come and pay your respects to me. I entrust such a crucial place as Shouchun to you."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly guard Shouchun well for Your Majesty!"

Cao Rui nodded and said no more.

Liu Ye then continued, "In addition to the above-mentioned military organization, the imperial court has established permanent armies in Yangzhou, Jiangzhou, and Xiangzhou in Jiangnan to suppress the former Wu region. Each prefecture is headed by a general who leads 5,000 local troops."

Cao Rui picked up where Liu Ye left off: "This is something the court has been discussing for a long time. You all know that Duan Mo is in Yangzhou."

"Duan Mo, the former Commandant of the Changshui Battalion, was appointed Protector of Yangzhou; Bian Lan, the former Commandant of the Infantry, was appointed Protector of Jiangzhou; and Xiahou Ba was reinstated as Protector of Xiangzhou. That's all."

"As for the remaining 25,000 personnel, they will be distributed among the various prefectures outside Yanbian." Cao Rui smiled. "These 350,000 personnel will become the standard for the Great Wei and will not be changed. If the court needs to increase the navy in the future, some of these 350,000 personnel will be reduced accordingly to provide some surplus for the navy."

"Do you all understand my meaning?"

"Your Majesty's wisdom and wisdom are boundless; we, your subjects, bow in reverence." Everyone rose in unison to pay their respects. (End of Chapter)