Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Seeing Cao Rui's gaze turn to him, Wei Guan quickly added, "Secretary Yang said that this military report from Lord Man is very urgent, so he ordered me to deliver it to the Emperor immediately."

"Oh?" Cao Rui immediately laughed, "It seems I have gained two things today. Privy Councilor, read them!"

Cao Rui pointed at Xu Shu.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Xu Shu nodded, stood up, walked into the hall, took the military report from Wei Guan, and read it aloud in front of everyone.

With Yang Yi's troops forced to retreat by Man Chong, Guo Huai's route to the north was completely opened, and communication resumed.

When Man Chong's message first arrived at Baishuiguan a dozen days ago, it caused a wave of controversy among the officials in the imperial court.

Now that Man Chong has arrived in Shu, no one cares about his previous careful arrangements in Xiling and Baidi; all eyes are on his next plans.

Privy Councilor Xu Shu advised Man Chong to maintain the status quo, decisively divide his forces, and launch a multi-pronged attack from all sides to dismantle the regimes of various prefectures and counties in Shu as quickly as possible.

Wei Zhen, Pei Qian, and others suggested that Man Chong quickly head north to annihilate Wu Ban's troops who were still in Dangqu, with one part holding off the Shu army in Deyang and Guanghan, and the other part advancing westward by land to Zizhong, directly attacking Chengdu, the capital of Shu.

When Man Chong last sent a letter to the imperial court, he did not clearly explain his strategy, but only informed him of the current state of his army.

Faced with two different suggestions, Cao Rui was torn between them. He suppressed the opinions of Xu Shu, Wei Zhen, Pei Qian, and others, and decided not to command Man Chong's troops, leaving them to decide how to attack.

Both sides are his own flesh and blood. Everyone here is a subject of Wei, so for Cao Rui, who should claim the credit and how it should be awarded is irrelevant. Since it will ultimately belong to him anyway, it's best to respect Man Chong's command for now.

However, after Man Chong's letter arrived in Baishui, the views expressed in it were completely different from those of the two previous factions.

Man Chong had no intention of dividing his forces or directly attacking Chengdu. Instead, he intended to defeat the main force of the Shu army in the Deyang-Guanghan area in a straightforward manner, while simultaneously sending a detachment to attack Langzhong and breach Jiameng Pass!
A moment of silence fell over the tent.

Xu Shu concluded: "Firstly, Lord Man believes that in a war to destroy a country, prudence should be the priority. We should not take risky actions, but rather strive to annihilate the powerful enemy and avoid a situation where we launch attacks from all directions and all sides are caught off guard. This place is not the Central Plains, and our army is in a foreign land. It is advantageous to unite, but harmful to divide."

"Secondly, Duke Man wants to attack Zitong County first, and then attack Jiange and Jiameng from the rear, thus opening up the northern route and welcoming His Majesty's army south. As for whether Chengdu is attacked early or late, it is not important."

After Xu Shu finished speaking, no one responded.

When it comes to military strategies, everyone has their own rationale. If Man Chong were to employ more aggressive tactics, he would accuse you of being imprudent and that if you were to fail due to underestimating the enemy and acting rashly, who could bear the responsibility for the eventual defeat? It would be safer to use superior forces to destroy the main force of Shu.

Moreover, Man Chong indicated that he intended to welcome His Majesty south and present the greatest credit for the destruction of the country to the emperor as a gift.

Who can stop them? It's simply impossible to speak up!
Ultimately, the choice of military strategy boils down to whether or not to trust Man Chong. There is no single, definitive solution to a war of annihilation.

Cao Rui coughed lightly, breaking the tense atmosphere in the tent, and said, "Gentlemen, as the saying goes, 'If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them.' General Man has been a veteran minister for decades, and his hard work over the years has placed him among the top ministers in the court. This is why I appointed General Man as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army."

"Regardless, General Man's military campaign from Xiling to Baidi City, from Yong'an to Jiangzhou, and then to Deyang, has been flawless. Reaching the heart of Shu in just three months can be described as a rapid advance." "Since General Man has devised his strategy, I will still respect his ideas. General Man has the Left Valiant Guard, the Right Martial Guard, and Cao Zhao's 10,000 infantry, plus Guo Huai's 20,000 troops, bringing the total strength to nearly 50,000. Given the current fragmented state of Shu's forces, I believe it is not impossible for General Man to defeat the main force of the Shu army."

“Privy Councilor.” Cao Rui turned to look at Xu Shu.

"Your subject is here." Although Xu Shu did not entirely support the emperor's stance of supporting Man Chong's strategy, he still bowed respectfully.

This was not out of respect for the emperor's status, but rather out of respect for his undefeated record in conquering all directions over the years. All the stories prove that the emperor's commands were mostly infallible.

With such an emperor, his subjects need not be so insistent on opposing him.

Cao Rui said, "The Privy Council should send a letter to General Man, making it clear to him that he can attack the Shu army in Guanghan from Deyang, but he should first be allowed to defend Deyang. We should send troops to completely wipe out Wu Ban's Shu army in Dangqu to prevent future troubles!"

"Furthermore, tell him that military strategy is crucial. If you must divide your forces, do so boldly and attack where the enemy is bound to come to their aid. How can you send a single force to attack Langzhong, a place that is not of great importance? Even if you do capture Jiameng Pass, what then?"

"Instruct General Man not to divide his troops after taking Dangqu, but to focus all his efforts on defeating the Shu army in Guanghan!"

Xu Shu bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject understands."

As the military council gradually dispersed, Cao Rui's central command tent also gradually quieted down, with only two attendants, Wang Su and Cui Lin, on duty in the tent.

Just then, Yang Fu, the Director of the Imperial Secretariat, walked in from outside and requested an audience.

Cao Rui looked up with slight surprise: "Why is Minister Yang here?"

Yang Fu bowed respectfully and presented a letter, saying, "Your Majesty, this is a secret report sent to you by Guo Huai."

Cao Rui frowned slightly: "Since it is a secret report rather than a military report, I presume that Minister Yang has already seen it. Tell me, what is written in this secret report?"

Yang Fu replied, "Your Majesty, Guo Huai is dissatisfied with General Man bringing his troops under his command. However, General Man has the authority to grant him the power of imperial authority, which he uses to force Guo Huai to comply. Guo Huai has no choice but to temporarily submit to his command."

"Guo Huai also said that he wanted to lead his army alone, attack Zizhong from Deyang and then march straight to Chengdu. He said that since they had come to Shu, there was no reason to confront the Shu army outside. They should quickly capture the capital, and then the rule of Shu would naturally be over!"

Cao Rui took a deep breath and said, "Tell Guo Huai that I will not grant either of his requests. Since Shu has already stationed troops in Guanghan, and Guanghan is not a fortified city, it can be conquered with the overwhelming strength of Wei's army. Why should we spare troops now?"

"However, be a little more tactful with Guo Huai. Go and draft a private letter for me. I understand Guo Huai's ambition very well; he always wants to lead an army and achieve great merit. He must be frustrated that he failed to do so this time. Tell him that if he had succeeded, I would not have shortchanged him on his contribution!"

Yang Fu sighed softly, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will go and draft the decree immediately." (End of Chapter)