Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Upon hearing this, Cao Rui calmly nodded and turned to look in Huang Quan's direction: "Minister Wei once mentioned this matter. At that time, he was discussing how to divide it?"

Huang Quan cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, Minister Wei said that the territory of Yizhou was too vast and could be divided into three provinces. Nanzhong should be one province, the area north of Chengdu and Hanzhong should be one province, and the area south of Chengdu, Sanba, Fuling, and Yong'an should be one province.”

"However, the Secretariat is only making suggestions; the specific division should be decided by His Majesty."

Cao Rui chuckled lightly: "The so-called Yizhou is the unification of four places: Hanzhong, Shu, Ba, and Nanzhong. Shu, Ba, and Nanzhong can each be a province, but Hanzhong, though surrounded by four passes like Guanzhong, is far less vast."

"In that case, the question of how Yizhou should be redistributed boils down to which province Hanzhong should belong to."

Pei Qian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, historically, the division of various regions has been based on the advantages of the terrain and the mutual restraint among them. Luoyang is in the north, not the south, so it is more important to defend the south than the north. I believe that Hanzhong should be placed under the jurisdiction of Qin Prefecture or Yong Prefecture, not in the south!"

Cao Rui nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What did the Ministry of Personnel say?"

Wei Zhen's previous proposal was to include Hanzhong and Chengdu under the jurisdiction of Yizhou. With Wei Zhen absent, and Huang Quan serving as the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Cao Rui had to show them some respect.

Huang Quan remained silent for a few moments before slowly saying, "Yongzhou is prosperous, while Qinzhou is remote and small. It should belong to Qinzhou, not Yongzhou. If it is divided in this way, there is generally nothing wrong with it. Yinping County should be separated from Qinzhou and given to the south. There will be some obstacles from north to south."

Cao Rui nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's do it this way. We'll still follow the proposal from Minister Wei regarding the three provinces, but with some minor changes to the details."

"Qin Prefecture separated Yinping Commandery and incorporated Hanzhong Commandery, while still maintaining Qishan City as its capital."

"The name Yizhou still exists. Wenshan County, which was part of the Shu Kingdom, was merged into Guanghan County. The six counties of Shu, Jianwei, Hanjia, Guanghan, Dongguanghan, and Zitong were combined to form Yizhou, with its capital located in Chengdu County of Shu County."

“The two commanderies of Yidu and Jianping during the Wu period were combined to form Xiling Commandery, and the six commanderies of Ba, Baxi, Badong, Jiangyang, Fuling and Xiling were combined to form Bazhou, with the capital of Bazhou located in Jiangzhou of Ba Commandery.”

"The Nanguang Commandery established by the Shu Kingdom was abolished, and the Zangke Commandery, Jianning Commandery, Yongchang Commandery, Yuexi Commandery, Zhuti Commandery, Yunnan Commandery, and Xinggu Commandery were established as Ningzhou, with its capital located in Dianchi County of Jianning Commandery."

After Cao Rui finished speaking, he looked around and slowly asked, "Do any of you have any objections to this division?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Everyone stood up and bowed.

Yizhou, formerly part of the Later Han dynasty, was divided into three provinces by a few words spoken in the headquarters of the Wei emperor and his ministers. In the foreseeable future, these three provinces will become political divisions of the Wei dynasty, just like Qinzhou, Yingzhou, Xiangzhou, Jiangzhou, Guangzhou, and Shuozhou, which were newly established during the Taihe era, becoming new components of the Wei territory.

Officials from the Central Plains, Hebei, Guanzhong, and the Southeast will be assigned to all official positions of 500 shi or above in Yizhou, Bazhou, and Ningzhou under the command of the Imperial Secretariat, just as the Wei dynasty did after it destroyed Wu.

After the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, due to the chaos in the world, people from Dongzhou and Jingzhou who had entered Shu through various means would return to their hometowns under the orders of the court. Local scholars from Yizhou would also be able to study at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, and capable officials from Shu could be transferred to the north.

The Shu Kingdom had not yet fallen, but the central government of Wei had already planned what would happen after its demise. This was the natural right of the victor, unaffected by the emotions or desires of the vanquished.

The victor gains everything; this is the greatest truth in the world. On February 25th, following Guo Huai's advice, Jiang Wei led 10,000 cavalry to the north of Chengdu, causing a great uproar among the officials, soldiers, and civilians in the city.

Feelings about war also vary in levels.

Even in a small region like Yizhou, the battle lines at Baishui, Jiameng, Baidi, and Jiangzhou are different from those at Fuxian and Mianzhu. Even within Shu Commandery, the situation of Guangdu and Xindu facing the enemy is entirely different from the enemy reaching the walls of Chengdu.

The 'Han Army,' which had originally been a unified entity, was now divided into different groups based on various criteria. Who was from Dongzhou, who was from Jingzhou, and which of the local Yizhou soldiers lived in the Wei-occupied territory... The internal suspicions within the army had reached their peak.

Jiang Wan could only see these Sima and Xiaowei, who each commanded a thousand or two thousand men, maintaining respect for him while patrolling the city. But once there was any disturbance in the city, Jiang Wan believed that these mid-level officers would make their own choices.

The officials were also deeply divided.

The elite forces that originally belonged to the Prime Minister's residence were mostly scattered outside, and the rhetoric of surrender was rampant. Jiang Wan had no energy to manage it at all, and Liu Shan himself was in a state of indecision, so how could he suppress such sentiments in the city?

Finally, on the second day after the Wei cavalry arrived north of Chengdu, Du Qiong, Meng Guang, Lai Min, and Pei Jun entered the palace together to request an audience with Liu Shan.

Liu Shan had no reason to refuse to meet these four men. Du Qiong was the Grand Master of Ceremonies, the head of the Nine Ministers; Meng Guang was the Grand Minister of Agriculture; Lai Min was the Grand Master of Ceremonies; and Pei Jun was the Grand Master of Ceremonies. From any perspective, these four were important officials of the court.

When the four entered and met Liu Shan, it was already afternoon. Chengdu and the surrounding area had been cloudy for several days. At Liu Shan's request, no candles were lit in the hall, making it appear particularly gloomy.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects." The four men bowed in unison.

Liu Shan's face was hidden in the shadows, and could not be clearly seen from two zhang away: "Do you gentlemen have any advice for me?"

Meng Guang, Lai Min, and Pei Jun all looked at Du Qiong at the same time. Du Qiong coughed lightly, took half a step forward, cupped his hands and said, "We have come here to discuss prophecies with Your Majesty."

Liu Shan looked up at the group and asked, "Are you saying that the prophecies have come to persuade me to surrender?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not," Du Qiong said. "It's just that we have made some discoveries and dare not conceal them from Your Majesty."

Liu Shan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "When I was in Baishui, I corresponded frequently with Cao Rui, the ruler of Wei. When we talked about Confucian classics, Cao Rui said that the New Text Confucian classics and the theories of prophecies and calamities were mixed together and could not be separated. Wei has fully adopted the royal school of thought and reformed its scholarship."

"I didn't take it seriously at the time, but I only understand Cao Rui's reasoning today. Minister Du came to talk to me about prophecies today, but weren't you the ones who offered prophecies when the late emperor ascended the throne? I can still remember all of those prophecies!"

"The Luo Shu Zhen Yao Du says, 'When the three red suns are prosperous, the nine generations will be in harmony, and together they will form the imperial era.' The Luo Shu Bao Hao Ming says, 'When the heavenly order and the imperial way are complete, one will be called emperor, and with the power to rule and hold the covenant, one will be successful in every way.' The Luo Shu Lu Yun Qi says, 'When the nine marquises and seven heroes fight for the people's lives, the people cook the corpses, and the roads are filled with the sight of countless heads. Who sent the master, Xuan Qie, to come?' The Xiao Jing Gou Ming Jue Lu says, 'The emperor establishes three times and the nine gatherings are complete...'"

"Minister Du, were all those prophecies you used to advise the late Emperor false?" (End of Chapter)