Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

All the generals knew that this was the last battle for the Great Wei to pacify the world. Since entering the central army, Sun Li had not made any contributions. Therefore, he personally led his cavalry to charge forward at a distance of ten miles from the Shu army.

The high mobility of light cavalry lies in this: since the entire Shu army is composed of infantry, light cavalry will never be outmaneuvered by the infantry.

Yang Yi and his two thousand infantrymen, led by Commandant Zhao Zheng, left the camp at dawn and headed south. In just over half an hour, they made contact with the vanguard of Sun Li's troops. Sun Li dared not be negligent, nor did he dare to detain Yang Yi on his own. He immediately ordered his men to set up defenses in the area and personally led Yang Yi south to Guanghan.

The emperor's headquarters has arrived here.

"Yang Yi?" Cao Rui frowned slightly upon hearing Pei Qian's report. "Why did he surrender? Is there a reason?"

Pei Qian replied softly, "I asked Sun Deda, and Yang Yi said that Zhuge Kongming is dead, and Liu Shan did not use his plans, so he abandoned the darkness and came to join the Great Wei."

Cao Rui chuckled, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table. After a few moments, he said, "Pei Qing, you see, people in this world can never do things as they please. Ma Zhongcheng surrendered a few days ago after the city fell, which was an act of exhaustion and cannot be criticized. Today, Yang Yi has also come to surrender. If I don't use his schemes, he will rebel? I am extremely disgusted with him, but I still have to accept him and even give him an official position and a title."

"It is clear that even after being emperor for many years, one cannot act arbitrarily."

Pei Qian smiled and said, "He who bears the nation's shame is called the ruler of the state. He who bears the nation's misfortune is called the king of the world. Your Majesty bears the weight of the world, so there is no need for mere Yang Yi to worry about you."

"How about I summon Sun Deda and Yang Yi together?"

"Okay." Cao Rui nodded.

Before long, Pei Qian led Sun Li and Yang Yi into the tent. Of course, Yang Yi's hands were bound behind his back. Meeting the emperor was no ordinary occasion; this was not the time to display magnanimity.

In other words, there was no need to treat Yang Yi, who had come to surrender on his own initiative, in this way.

After exchanging greetings, Cao Rui sat upright in his tent, while Pei Qian stood to his side and asked questions on his behalf. Pei Qian explained everything clearly, from the deployment of Shu troops and the identities of the generals in each area to the internal situation, as if spilling beans.

Yang Yi was in Wei's camp and made no attempt to conceal it.

"Your Majesty, I have finished asking." Pei Qian turned and bowed to the emperor.

Cao Rui nodded calmly, then squinted at Yang Yi: "Yang Yi, now that you have surrendered, do you have any requests?"

Yang Yi kowtowed and said, "This humble subject only asks to serve the Great Wei, and has no other desires! This humble subject has told you everything he knows, and hopes that Your Majesty will have mercy."

Cao Rui then asked, "Since you have surrendered to the Great Wei, given the benevolence of the Holy Dynasty, you should be given the same position. What are your aspirations? Please tell me."

What are your aspirations...?

Yang Yi, kneeling on the ground, was momentarily speechless, his face flushing red. It seemed he hadn't considered this question in a long time. He had joined Liu Bei's camp and worked his way up to this day. After the Prime Minister's death, he had been preoccupied with military affairs. Yesterday's betrayal—the details of which were too numerous to recount—left him with no time to consider ambitions.

Cao Rui quietly observed the changes in Yang Yi's expression. After a moment, Yang Yi kowtowed and replied:
"Your Majesty, since the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the empire has been in chaos, with endless wars and the people's strength exhausted. If I may express my aspirations, it is to end the war in Yizhou as soon as possible and allow the people to rest!"

Cao Rui nodded, turning his head to look at Huang Quan, who was sitting on the right side of the hall: "Yang Yi has submitted to the Great Wei, and I have accepted him today. Minister Huang, you are to be the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Tell me, what position and title should be given to him?"

Huang Quan glanced at Yang Yi, and, fulfilling his duty, replied:

"Your Majesty, Yang Yi is from Xiangyang. During the Jian'an era, he first served as an official in Xiangyang, as the chief clerk of Fu Qun, the governor of Jingzhou..."

At this moment, Pei Qian interjected, "Your Majesty, Fu Qun was my predecessor when I served as the Governor of Jingzhou." Cao Rui nodded slightly, indicating that he had heard. Yang Yi felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Huang Quan continued, “Yang Yi later surrendered to Guan Yu and, after entering Shu, served successively as the Prime Minister’s Military Advisor and Chief Clerk, and later as the Military Advisor General in Shu. This man first betrayed the Cao family and submitted to the Liu family. Then he betrayed the Liu family again and returned to the Great Wei. I believe that if we are to appoint him, we should consider his past actions and his current merit of submitting, and appoint him as a 2,000-stone official and a marquis, to show the Great Wei’s magnanimity and acceptance.”

Yang Yi was extremely anxious. His eyebrows shot up, and he was about to argue with the emperor, but when he looked up and saw the emperor's expressionless face, the words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

I dare not say, I truly dare not say. Huang Quan is now the Left Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Wei, and is highly trusted by the Wei Emperor. Although he is also a surrendered official, how could I possibly offend Huang Quan here?
Before surrendering to Wei, how could he have imagined that the Wei people would bring up his experiences from the Jian'an period?

Yang Yi lowered his head again, quietly awaiting the final judgment on him.

Cao Rui said, "Since the death of Ji Liang, the Minister of the Imperial Household, last year, there is a vacancy among the Nine Ministers. Let Yang Wei be appointed Minister of the Imperial Household. In addition, grant him the title of Marquis of Ting and a fief of a thousand households to show our benevolence."

Only then did Yang Yi's heart finally settle down, and he immediately kowtowed and loudly replied, "Your subject Yang Yi thanks Your Majesty for your kindness! Your subject is willing to die for the Great Wei."

When Cao Rui heard Yang Yi's words of loyalty, he simply smiled and said, "Past merits and demerits are wiped clean, and I will not mention them again. However, not mentioning them does not mean that those stories are gone. Shu is not yet fully pacified, and I want to see Minister Yang's loyalty to me!"

"Be flat."

"Yes, yes. Your subject understands." Yang Yi thanked the emperor repeatedly.

Only then did Cao Rui ask, "You said before that Zhuge Liang died in Guanghan?"

"Yes," Yang Yi replied with a cupped hand. He stood up straight, as if he had always been a subject of the Great Wei: "I was right beside him at the time. He died from overwork and heart palpitations. It was only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Cao Rui then asked, "Are you in pain?"

Yang Yi replied, "No."

Cao Rui nodded: "Where is Zhuge Liang's coffin now?"

Yang Yi pursed his lips: "The coffin is currently in the Langting army. Before I came south from Langting, there were still 10,000 infantrymen there. General Sun's troops should be in pursuit."

Cao Rui looked at Sun Li: "Deda, return to the army. I will send General Bei with cavalry to assist you and launch a rapid attack on this Shu army. If you encounter Zhuge Kongming's coffin, do not destroy it; preserve it properly. Minister Yang, go with us as well. If you encounter a stubborn enemy, you will persuade them to surrender!"

"Your subject obeys the decree," Sun Li said solemnly, bowing with his hands clasped.

……

Yang Yi left to pursue his own future, but this caused great trouble for Fei Yi behind him. Fortunately, the Wei cavalry did not attack immediately, which gave Fei Yi time to move his troops north.

This window of opportunity was short; after only half the journey, the Wei cavalry resumed their previous offensive posture, constantly harassing and engulfing his rear.

To reiterate, when Zhuge Liang was alive, Yang Yi believed he was capable of commanding troops. After Yang Yi fled, Fei Yi initially thought he could also take on the role, but after a series of defeats, he gradually became disheartened.

This has nothing to do with loyalty, but with the facts. (End of Chapter)