What to do? ?
The emperor's words left both Cao Zhen and Sima Yi stunned.
In the Wei Dynasty, or in the world today, is there such a powerful villain?
Can he control the entire Wei Central Army and Luoyang City? And without bloodshed?
Cao Zhen swallowed his saliva and asked instinctively as a general in command of an army: "Your Majesty, how are the enemy's troops and combat effectiveness?"
Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "Three thousand soldiers, the combat strength of the state and county soldiers is average."
Cao Zhen looked surprised. How could they control Luoyang with such military strength?
"There are only three thousand people. I will lead two thousand cavalry, no, one thousand cavalry will be enough. I will definitely be able to take the head of the bandit chieftain for Your Majesty." Cao Zhen said confidently.
"No, you can't beat him." Cao Rui said calmly.
Cao Zhen was about to retort, how could three thousand ordinary infantrymen resist the charge of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry? But he remembered that His Majesty had said that this was a "deduction", so he had to continue asking: "Then I will find a way to send someone to sneak into Luoyang City and summon the central army to fight."
Luoyang was indeed like a large military camp at this time, with the central army stationed inside the city. Outside the city were only the Luoyang Diannong soldiers stationed in the fields.
Cao Rui shook his head gently: "The general cannot enter. After one day, the central army will obey the command of the thieves."
Cao Zhen's tone was filled with complaints: "Your Majesty, are you joking? How could such a thing happen in the world?"
Cao Rui just smiled and nodded to Sima Yi: "If the Sikong is in charge, how should we respond?"
Sima Yi heard carefully the conversation between the emperor and Cao Zhen just now. Your Majesty wanted to play this "deduction". Fortunately, he had nothing to do while hunting, so he decided to chat with Your Majesty.
Sima Yi stroked his short beard and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question. Just now, Your Majesty said that the bandits are guarding the Luoshui floating bridge, which must be to block our way back to Luoyang."
"What does the thief want? In other words, what conditions does the thief want?"
As expected, Sima Yi was better at strategy. Cao Rui smiled and responded, "Sikong asked a good question!"
"The thieves want the positions of Grand General and Minister of Works, military power and the Recorder of the Secretariat, and they want me to be a puppet in the court like Emperor Xian of Han."
Upon hearing this, Sima Yi frowned and looked at the emperor. He had the same thought in his mind as Cao Zhen had just had: Is Your Majesty here to make a fool of yourself?
But Cao Rui's gradually serious expression made Sima Yi feel a chill in his heart.
Is this a joke? It doesn't look like a joke.
Sima Yi narrowed his eyes and thought about it, and soon gave his answer: "Your Majesty, I have already guessed it in my mind."
Cao Rui nodded: "Tell me."
Sima Yi clasped his hands and said, "I believe that there are five main points in military affairs: if you can fight, you should fight; if you cannot fight, you should defend; if you cannot defend, you should flee. The other two options are either surrender or death."
"Your Majesty is a great man, I dare not use your Majesty as an example."
"From my own and the general's perspective, since we can neither fight nor defend, we should just leave. We can go to Xuchang or Nanyang. Can we surrender or die?"
Cao Rui raised his eyebrows and looked at Sima Yi: "Surrender and death are the same thing?"
"It's the same thing."
"Death can bring life, but death means real death. How can they be the same thing?"
Sima Yi explained: "We have surrendered. I am the meat on the chopping board. Isn't life or death just a matter of a word?"
Cao Rui rode forward, took a close look at Sima Yi's face, and said slowly: "Sima Yi is right! If you can fight, you should fight; if you can't fight, you should defend; if you can't defend, you should flee. Other than that, there is only surrender or death."
"Just based on what Sikong said, I should give him credit for his achievements!"
Cao Zhen on the side was a little puzzled: "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this? Do you want to promote this sentence? What Sikong said is not in line with the military law of Wei."
"According to military law, you can only surrender if you are besieged for a hundred days and still cannot get help. The Wei Dynasty has always valued fighting to the death. How can we tell our soldiers to 'flee if we can't defend'?"
Cao Rui shook his head slightly: "The general has misunderstood. Sikong's words were not directed at the Wei army, but at this emperor of mine."
"The military of the soldiers and the military of the emperor are never the same thing."
Seeing Sima Yi's confused expression, Cao Rui asked with a smile: "Can Sikong write seven-character poems?"
Sima Yi was a little unable to keep up with the emperor's leaps in thought: "Your Majesty, I can write essays and have written a few five-character poems, but I have never written a seven-character poem."
"But I know that the first seven-character poem in the world was the "Yan Ge Xing" written by the late emperor."
"I know that the late emperor was the best at writing poems about resentful women." Cao Rui actually recited it: "You are stranded in another place, and I am alone in my empty room. I am worried about you and miss you so much that I can't help but shed tears and wet my clothes.
After reading the four lines of poetry, Cao Rui smiled and said, "I also got four lines by chance. General and Minister of Works, would you like to listen?"
Somehow, Cao Zhen's mind suddenly recalled the scene from sixteen years ago.
Sixteen years ago, in the early summer, the late Emperor Cao Pi had just been appointed General of the Five Officials. Emperor Wu went west to fight against Ma Chao, and Cao Pi took Cao Zhen, Wu Zhi and others to Nanpi for hunting.
Cao Zhen remembered it clearly. When several people were riding their horses and shouting on the road, Wu Zhi had once recited this poem loudly with a smile. After reciting two lines, Wu Zhi even sang it a little. The late emperor laughed and clapped his hands beside him, and he also laughed and cheered on his horse.
A moment of trance.
Cao Zhen shook his head, awakening himself from the sudden memory. Somehow, in the past year, he recalled the old things more and more.
Seeing that Cao Zhen did not respond, Sima Yi continued, "Your Majesty has also got a good sentence? Then I will listen carefully to your Majesty's masterpiece."
Cao Rui looked at the two of them and recited slowly, "Duke Zhou was afraid of rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. Had he died at the beginning, who would know the truth about his life?" Even if Cao Zhen didn't like literature, how could he really not understand the plain and straightforward verses recited by the emperor?
Sima Yi remained silent, but his heart was already filled with turmoil. What is your majesty worried about? Or, what is your majesty hinting at?
Cao Rui chuckled and rode forward. Cao Zhen and Sima Yi looked at each other and quickly followed him.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "I am thinking of Dong Zhuo now."
Cao Zhen continued, "Dong Zhuo? Why did Your Majesty think of him?"
Sima Yi also looked over curiously.
Cao Rui said: "If Dong Zhuo died in the Battle of Meiyang and did not march to Luoyang according to Yuan Shao's order, wouldn't Dong Zhuo have become a top hero of the Han Dynasty?"
Cao Zhen touched his chin and said thoughtfully, "It seems to be true. Dong Zhuo showed his rebellious intentions only after he arrived in Luoyang."
Sima Yi, who was standing to the left of the emperor, was shocked. It was fine if Cao Zhen didn't understand, but how could Sima Yi not understand?
Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang on the orders of He Jin and Yuan Shao, and wasn't the first official position he obtained Sikong?
Your Majesty is giving me advice? That makes no sense!
Cao Rui continued to talk to Cao Zhen: "General, that's right. Decades of accumulated loyalty and merits were finally sold by Dong Zhuo for a good price!"
"But I think Dong Zhuo is really not very smart."
"If he couldn't defend it, he had to leave. Dong Zhuo did go to Chang'an. Chang'an couldn't be defended either, so Dong Zhuo went to Mei County and buried his head in Wansuiwu, refusing to leave again."
"Since you won't leave, surrender or death is only a matter of time."
Seeing that the emperor mentioned what he had just said, Sima Yi also responded: "Dong Zhuo is indeed a rare talent in the history."
Cao Rui nodded, glanced at Cao Zhen, and continued to drive his horse forward.
……
When we arrived at the camping site, although the camp had been set up in advance, there was still a lot of preparation work to be done.
These trivial matters naturally have nothing to do with Cao Rui.
Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen and said, "General, I heard that you once shot a tiger?"
Cao Zhen laughed: "Your Majesty also knew about this? That was twenty years ago. With my current physical strength, I might be able to shoot a tiger, but if I were to use a halberd to fight a tiger, it would be impossible."
Cao Zhen patted his general's belly, and Cao Rui also said with a smile: "The general is indeed a general, this belly is not ordinary."
Cao Zhen said: "Your Majesty, please don't make fun of me."
"I have been to Dashishan before, and there are indeed tigers here. There are also many common prey such as bears, deer, roe deer, and rabbits."
"How much hunting will your majesty do tomorrow?"
"I?" Cao Rui smiled and pointed at himself: "If that's the case, then I, the general, and the prime minister will each lead a team."
"Don't worry. Whoever hunts less will be fined ten bottles of wine at the banquet and sing a song."
"Hahaha, your majesty is in a good mood." Cao Zhen laughed and cupped his hands, saying, "Then I will do my best tomorrow."
In this era, apart from the serious affairs of the court, the emperor and his ministers were relaxed and unrestrained during their leisure time.
There is no need to be so polite.
Emperor Wu Cao Cao was cheerful and hospitable, while Emperor Wen Cao Pi was open-minded and wise. The heroic spirit that has continued from the turbulent era of Jian'an to the present day is the greatest background of this era.
A little competition is just a harmless change of pace.
……
The next day, the hunting team was divided into three teams.
Seventeen hundred cavalrymen were on guard inside and outside the city, while Cao Rui, Cao Zhen and Sima Yi each led a hundred cavalrymen to start hunting.
In fact, hunting is very similar to marching and fighting.
Scheduling, coordinating, setting goals, executing plans, and finally reaping the rewards.
The nearby mountains, forests and plains had already been thoroughly searched by the knights of the central army. Apart from the beasts in the mountains, there was no trace of human beings.
Cao Rui led forty cavalrymen in the center, and let Liu Shao and Lu Yu each lead thirty cavalrymen to provide support on the left and right.
That's right, Cao Rui also brought out Liu Shao and Lu Yu, who were in charge of revising the law. There were not many idle people in Luoyang City, and these two people were busy with documents all day, so it was a good thing to bring them out for some fresh air.
Also brought out was Sun Li, who had just returned to Luoyang.
Sun Li had performed brilliantly during the southern expedition against Sun Quan at the beginning of the year, leaving a deep impression on Cao Rui.
I'm afraid his talent cannot be described by a prefect with a salary of two thousand stones.
Cao Rui held the reins with his left hand and raised his right hand high, and the knights behind him also stopped their horses.
Cao Rui stretched out his right hand, and Sun Li, who was waiting beside him, handed him a gold-painted carved bow. (End of this chapter)
