Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Deng Ai was reprimanded and kicked out by Wei Zhen; this was the first time Deng Ai had ever served as Wei Zhen's subordinate.

Wei Zhen's eldest son, Wei Lie, stood silently beside his father, witnessing the entire argument between the two. Seeing his father pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands on his hips, he couldn't help but speak up and offer advice:
"Please, Father, do not be angered by Deng Sima's words. Father, please sit down and rest for a while."

Wei Zhen shook his head: "It's not anger, but disappointment. I have been teaching Deng Shizai for several years, and His Majesty has repeatedly placed high hopes on him, but he has never made much progress. No matter how well he is proficient in general affairs and military strategy, how can he function if he doesn't understand people's hearts and politics?"

"Prepare pen and ink for me; I need to submit a memorial to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Wei Lie immediately began to prepare, but kept talking as he asked, "Are you going to talk about Deng Ai?"

Wei Zhen nodded: "I want to talk about Deng Ai and the generals of Guanzhong's desire for war, as well as my views on the various regions after the war. And... it seems I should return to the capital."

"Return to the capital?" Wei Lie exclaimed in surprise. "His Majesty has had Father stationed in Guanzhong for several years, and Father has made no mistakes whatsoever. His Majesty has also bestowed upon Father continuous favors and even granted him the title of Duke. Why does Father want to leave?"

Wei Zhen glanced at his son and said calmly, "Remember this: the most important thing for an official is to assess the situation and act accordingly. For me, it means not clinging to power."

"Your Majesty's appointment of me to lead the troops was a matter of expediency in the past; I had no prior experience in commanding troops. Now, several years have passed, the Wu region has been pacified, and there is no need for me to continue to oversee the Guanzhong region. It is sufficient to select a true general to lead the troops..."

Wei Lie interrupted his father: "Whom does Father wish to recommend?"

Wei Zhen countered, "Between Wang Chang (Wang Wenshu) and Guo Huai (Guo Boji), which one do you think is better?"

Wei Lie said, "My son doesn't know. Wang Zhenxi used to be a governor, and Guo Zhengshu has served in border affairs for many years. Perhaps both of them are suitable."

Wei Zhen was silent for a few moments, then said, "Guo Boji is better than Wang Wenshu."

Seeing that his father offered no explanation, Wei Lie could only respond with a few words of agreement.

Wei Zhen continued, "In addition, the Grand General of the court has been dismissed from his post and the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry of Minister Chen has been revoked. Currently, the highest-ranking military officer in the court is me, the General of Chariots and Cavalry."

"Among the Four Expeditionary Generals, there is only one General Who Conquers the South, Man Boning; among the Four Garrison Generals, there are only two Garrison Generals, Huan Yuanze who Garrisons the South and Wang Wenshu who Garrisons the West. Among the Four Generals of the Four Directions, there is only one General Who Rears, Fei Gongwei. Now that the border affairs of the country are gradually stabilizing, I should request to relinquish my title of General."

Wei Lie said with some regret, "But His Majesty has always been kind and trustworthy to Father. Should Father reconsider?"

Wei Zhen said, "The more Your Majesty trusts me, the more I must consider Your Majesty's interests. There's no need to persuade him further. Several years ago, Your Majesty discussed with Prince Dong the issue of the proliferation of general titles at the end of the Han Dynasty, which is also related to the overall strategy of consolidating power in the country..."

"You and General Guo should write a letter asking him to come to Xiabian from Nanzheng, saying that I have important matters to discuss with him."

"Yes." Wei Lie nodded.

On the last day of October, Guanqiu Jian received an urgent report from Sima Shi from Panyu. He led 5,000 infantrymen south to Nanhai County and took over the city of Panyu and many archives in the prefecture.

Guanqiu Jian traveled from north to south until he reached the vicinity of Panyu City, where he gradually understood the fundamental reason why Lü Dai had surrendered.

First, Jiaozhou is almost devoid of soldiers, as they have been almost entirely drawn away by Sun Deng, who previously defended Jiangling. Frankly speaking, Jiaozhou already lacked sufficient troops, and now it is even more stretched thin. Nanhai Commandery, as Lü Dai's garrison and the commandery in Jiaozhou closest to the Central Plains, is particularly vulnerable.

Secondly, this flood truly had a significant impact on Nanhai Commandery. People were displaced, houses were destroyed, livestock were scattered, roads were damaged... Lü Dai couldn't even launch a campaign against it.

Guanqiu Jian was magnanimous and did not feel that he had lost out on the conditions he had promised Lü Dai. Instead, he readily accepted them and, on the very first day he met Lü Dai, sealed the petition for merit in front of Lü Dai and sent it away.

Lü Dai repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Of the 5,000 men brought by Guanqiu Jian, 1,500 were left to guard the city and prepare for war, while the rest participated in disaster relief.

Nighttime, inside the Panyu City Prefecture.

Several servants entered from outside and brought food to Guanqiu Jian, Lü Dai, Zhang Hu, Sima Shi, and Xie Zan, the Prefect of Nanhai, who were seated in the hall. Guanqiu Jian naturally took the main seat, and Lü Dai sat to Guanqiu Jian's right, bowing slightly apologetically and saying, "The state has suffered a disaster, and the food is meager. It is truly my fault to entertain General Guanqiu with this. Although Panyu is remote, it is still by the sea. Under normal circumstances, there should be cattle, sheep, and fresh seafood available."

"It's alright. I'm used to military campaigns and don't care about such trivial matters of food and drink," Guanqiu Jian said magnanimously.

Lü Dai nodded slightly.

During the meal, Guanqiu Jian simply ate. Lü Dai, unfamiliar with Guanqiu Jian's habits, dared not speak. Only after Guanqiu Jian finished eating did Lü Dai ask:
"General Guanqiu, I have a question I would like to ask you."

"Tell me about it." Guanqiu Jian nodded.

Lü Dai said, “Now that the general has accepted our surrender, he has also appointed me as the Commandant of the Guards, one of the Nine Ministers. I wonder when the general plans to send me north, and what arrangements will be made for Prefect Xie of Nanhai Commandery beside me? After Sima arrived in Panyu, I have already sent word that the prefects of the six commanderies of Cangwu, Hepu, Yulin, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan should all come to Panyu to pay homage to the Great Wei army.”

Xie Zan nervously swallowed, his eyes fixed on Guanqiu Jian.

Guanqiu Jian then exchanged a few glances with Xie Zan and said in a deep voice, "Prefect Xie and Lord Lü voluntarily surrendered to the Great Wei. I can recommend Prefect Xie for a position as a prefect. However, he cannot serve in any of the prefectures in Jiangnan. I wonder if Prefect Xie is willing?"

"Yes, of course I'm willing!" Xie Zan nodded hurriedly, "Thank you for your kindness, General Guanqiu!"

Guanqiu Jian smiled and said, "This is my duty. However, Lord Lü and Prefect Xie are respectful to the Great Wei, but what about the prefects of the other six prefectures? Will they obey Lord Lü's summons? What if they don't come?"

For Lü Dai, having done these things, he had already fulfilled his duty as a surrendered subject. What did the coming or not of the six prefectural governors have to do with him, an old man about to head north to Luoyang to assume the post of Commandant of the Guards? Therefore, Lü Dai simply replied:
"Let the general know that Cangwu, Hepu, and Yulin are not far from Panyu. With your military might here, you should be able to come. But Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan are far from Panyu and the land route is inconvenient. People from ordinary prefectures usually travel by boat to these prefectures. Your army is coming from the north, so it will be difficult for you to advance in a short time."

"Furthermore, Chen Shi, the governor of Jiaozhi, was originally a military officer under Sun Quan, the former ruler of Wu, and might not necessarily surrender to Wei outright. Shi Song, the governor of Jiuzhen, was originally a close advisor to Sun Quan, and the governor of Rinan has never been a northerner; the current governor of Rinan is called Huang Gai..."

"Huang Gai?" Guanqiu Jian frowned, puzzled.

Lü Dai explained, “This Huang Gai is not the Wu general Huang Gai from the Jian’an period, but a man from Nanhai County in Jiaozhou. It’s just a coincidence that the names are the same. Rinan County is almost completely under the control of the king and is too far away. Even when I was the governor, I had little control over Rinan County.”

Guanqiu Jian also sighed softly: "Rinan, Rinan, judging from the name of this prefecture alone, it is an extremely remote place. It is normal that Wu and Lord Lü have not put it under control."

"Let me ask you, Lord Lü, if Jiaozhi Commandery and the two southern commanderies of Jiuzhen and Rinan do not submit to the Great Wei, how should you lead your army to pacify them?"

After a few moments of hesitation, and making sure this question wouldn't cause him any trouble, Lü Dai slowly stroked his beard and said:
"General, Jiaozhou was previously dominated by the Shi family. Eight years ago, Shi Xie and Shi Weiyan, who had served as the governor of Jiaozhi for forty years, passed away. His son, Shi Hui, intended to rebel against Wu and establish himself as emperor. I obeyed the orders of the former Wu ruler, Sun Quan, and dispatched three thousand infantrymen from Panyu. We sailed by sea to Hepu County, where we joined forces with General Dai Liang's five thousand troops. Then we sailed by sea again, crossed the estuary, and arrived in Jiaozhi. We besieged Longbian City, killed Shi Hui and his six brothers, and then took advantage of the situation to continue sailing south to Jiuzhen County, where we also quelled the rebellion there."

"Even though the advance was extremely successful at the time, I never actually went to Rinan County. Instead, I sent people to persuade them to surrender."

"In my opinion, given the remoteness of Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan, as long as these three prefectures do not explicitly rebel against Wei, we can temporarily abandon them. After all, we will be traveling by sea, and your soldiers have been in Yangzhou and the Huai River region for a long time. They are not used to the local climate and water. It would be better to train the local troops in Jiaozhou before showing our military might."

Guanqiu Jian pondered for a long time, then sighed, "Lord Lü, I was originally from Hedong County. After coming to Jiaozhou, I realized that there are places in the world that are still so hot in October. The further south you go, the hotter and more humid it becomes. Even the strongest soldiers from Jianghuai often have trouble here. In the past few days, some people have already fallen ill."

"If what Lord Lü said is true, the three prefectures of Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan are even hotter and more humid, and there is also miasma in the area, then it is indeed better not to wage war for the time being."

Lu Dai stroked his beard and said slowly, "Indeed. South of Panyu lies the boundless sea. After sailing past Zhuya Prefecture and then past Rinan County, there are countries such as Linyi and Funan. I once sent Zhonglang Kangtai and Congshi Zhu Ying to lead a fleet to visit these two countries. They heard about the affairs of more than a hundred small countries overseas. The two even met the envoy of the Kingdom of Sindhu in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Linyi."

"The Kingdom of Sindhu?" Sima Shi asked in surprise, "Could it be the Kingdom of Sindhu mentioned in the book, located southeast of the Yuezhi?"

“Exactly.” Lü Dai smiled. “The world is vast, far beyond the scope of China alone. There are hundreds of countries overseas, which, though separated by thousands of miles of ocean, can still be reached by boat. However, these small countries are far too far away, practically at the ends of the earth, and not worth mentioning.”

"General, Kang Tai and Zhu Ying are still in the city. I have copies of the two books they wrote after their return, 'Records of Strange Things in Funan' and 'Records of Foreign Countries.' If you are interested, you can take the books to read or ask them for more details."

Guanqiu Jian said, “There are so many foreign countries at sea, this is the first time I have ever heard of them. Since they are foreign lands, they should all be under the jurisdiction of the Court of State Ceremonies. How about this, when I send someone to escort Lord Lü and Prefect Xie back to Luoyang, these two men and their books can also be brought to Luoyang.”

"Very good, very good." Lü Dai stroked his beard and nodded. (End of Chapter)