Cao Zhi sighed and said, "Your Majesty may not know that in the 24th year of Jian'an, when I was in Chang'an and Emperor Wu was in Hanzhong fighting against Liu Bei's party, there was also a discussion of literature during that period."
"Literary theory?" Cao Rui asked puzzledly.
"As the two armies were at a stalemate, Emperor Wu and Liu Bei exchanged letters and debated with each other. At that time, an article I wrote, "On the Second Ancestor of the Han Dynasty," was sent to Liu Bei by Emperor Wu, and Zhuge Liang also wrote a letter in reply to me."
"There is such a thing?" Now it was Cao Rui's turn to be surprised: "What did Zhuge Liang talk about with the emperor's uncle?"
Cao Zhi tried to recall it and said, "At that time, I talked with Ding Yi about Emperor Gaozu of Han and Emperor Guangwu of Han, so I wrote this article to discuss them."
Cao Rui asked curiously, "Is Emperor Gaozu of Han better? Or is Emperor Guangwu of Han better?"
Cao Zhi smiled and said, "I used to think that Emperor Guangwu of Han was superior to Emperor Gaozu of Han. Emperor Gaozu lacked in subtleties, while Emperor Guangwu was familiar with etiquette and laws. Emperor Gaozu had little gentlemanly demeanor, while Emperor Guangwu was like a sage."
Cao Rui asked again: "What did Zhuge Liang say?"
Cao Zhi shook his head and said, "Zhuge Liang and I have roughly the same opinion, but he thinks that Emperor Gaozu of Han is not as capable as Emperor Guangwu, and that he only relied on the merits of Zhang Liang, Han Xin, Chen Ping, Zhou Bo and others."
"And Emperor Guangwu of Han was more far-sighted than Emperor Gaozu. His generals and advisers were also similar to those of Zhang, Han, Chen, Zhou and others."
Cao Rui was about to leave, but when he heard Cao Zhi talking about old things, he turned around and sat back at the table.
Cao Rui said softly: "Guangwu respected Confucian scholars, treated the powerful with favor, and was as stable as Mount Tai. He was not like Emperor Gaozu of Han who braved the arrows and stones himself."
"And there is also the 'miracle' of the Battle of Kunyang." Cao Rui laughed out loud: "The emperor's uncle and Zhuge Liang both prefer Emperor Guangwu of Han. This seems normal to me."
"But to this day, who do you think is better, Emperor Gaozu or Emperor Guangwu?" Cao Rui asked in return.
Cao Zhi sighed softly, "Emperor Gaozu rose from humble beginnings, swept the country, defeated Xiang Yu, and personally led expeditions against the princes. These are things that Emperor Guangwu could not have done."
Cao Rui nodded: "So in the final analysis, it is because the emperor's uncle and Zhuge Liang were both young at the time and did not know the difficulties of state affairs."
"Guangwu sent his generals to conquer the four directions, and he stayed in Luozhong to unify the four seas. I'm afraid that at that time, both of you thought that pacifying the world should be like Guangwu."
"But Emperor Gaozu personally led the troops to fight, and ordered Ying Bu, Han Xin, Peng Yue, Liu Jia and others to fight separately, just like his own hands and feet, and they were able to use them freely, which actually made him inferior."
Cao Rui shook his head: "Let's take the division of troops and power as an example. Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang only divided Guan Yu, and his Longzhong Plan became a bubble. Only after experiencing setbacks can we understand the difficulties of the world."
"I think Zhuge Liang would be more grateful to Emperor Gaozu of Han at this time."
Cao Zhi nodded silently.
In the past ten years, neither Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Liu Bei nor Sun Quan were able to fight a battle like Emperor Guangwu of Han or Emperor Gaozu of Han.
When discussing two hundred years and four hundred years ago, and discussing who is better or worse, people now feel more admiration and envy.
Cao Rui stood up and walked out. When he was at the door, he turned his head and looked inside the house: "This matter still needs your careful consideration. The Shu Kingdom is not a monolithic entity!"
Cao Zhi bowed and said, "I understand. I will present it to Your Majesty in due time."
Cao Rui nodded, and then left with Jiang Wei.
……
Near dusk, Shangguan Qi slipped out of Ji County, riding two fast horses in turn, holding Yin Shang's token, and headed east, pretending to deliver a message to Xinyang.
Xinyang was a small county, and its population and grain reserves could not be compared with Ji County. Therefore, the Shu army simply withdrew the 500 soldiers stationed in Xinyang to the west.
Go west from Xinyang, pass Jixian and go west again to reach Luomen. Go south from Luomen to Qishan and Lucheng.
Shangguan Qi rode quickly into Xinyang City, which was in chaos at the moment.
This is also something that can't be helped.
The city of Wei was first returned to Shu Han, but Shu Han now wants to withdraw its troops and has not yet taken away the officials and civilians in Xinyang City.
If the Wei Dynasty comes back... the people will definitely be safe, but the officials will be held accountable and punished!
Unfortunately, the Shu army didn't care about these things when they retreated, and they left resolutely. But then again, these 500 soldiers were not able to do much more.
Shangguan Qi took advantage of the chaos to find the county government office, grabbed a man dressed as an official, and asked, "What is the current situation in the city? Are there any movements of the Wei army nearby?"
The middle-aged official was grabbed by Shangguan Qi's wrist. He was in pain but could not shake it off. He could only answer: "The city is now in such a state. Can't you see it?"
"As for the Wei army, there are Wei cavalry stationed in the east of the city right now. Please go there by yourself and don't delay me here."
Shangguan Qi frowned and asked, "I delayed you? What do you want to do?"
The middle-aged official finally threw his hand away, then immediately took a step back and said cautiously, "Of course I am going west to make a living! If you want to find the Wei army, please go by yourself! Don't block me!"
In this chaotic time, all kinds of people were making different choices. If Shangguan Qi saw this middle-aged official's behavior yesterday, he would definitely scold him.
But after hearing about Yin Shang's matter this morning, Shangguan Qi, a young man under 30 years old, gained a better understanding of the complexity of this world and human hearts.
If he wants to go, he can go by himself.
The path forward is up to me! Shangguan Qi hurried out of the city to the east, and ran into Dian Man's scouts, and was then brought to Dian Man.
Luoyang is a big melting pot. Dian Man has been in the central army for nearly twenty years and has become a shrewd man. His usual simplicity and honesty is just a protective color.
Dian Man frowned and asked, "You said you came from Ji County? Didn't all the people in Ji County surrender to the Shu bandits? Did you surrender as well?"
"That's not the case!" Shangguan Qi had done nothing wrong, and his attitude at the moment was quite high: "After the Shu army entered Ji County, I abandoned my seal and hid in the city for these days."
"Today, the Shu army retreated westward, and the entire Ji County is almost emptied! Food, household registration books, military supplies, and civilians will all be moved west to Luomen, and then south to Wudu and Hanzhong!"
Dian Man's eyes were still full of suspicion: "This is a serious matter. How can I trust you? Are you here to defraud me?"
Shangguan Qi's expression became more and more anxious: "General! Xinyang City is only three miles to the west. Send five or ten riders to investigate!"
Dian Man then nodded slightly and ordered a capable Sima under his command to lead people to investigate.
As expected, Xinyang City was in chaos. Dian Man did not hesitate any longer and immediately led his army into Xinyang and sent someone to inform General Cao Zhen of the news.
If it wasn't already late and he didn't know the details of the route, Dian Man would have set out for Ji County immediately.
……
On the other side, outside Lueyang City, Huan Fan led 3,000 cavalrymen and slowly returned in the evening.
Zhang Yi, the governor of Guanghan of Shu, was escorted to the lobby of the county government office with his hands tied behind his back.
Cao Rui, Sima Yi, Yang Fu, Chen Jiao and others were all sitting in the hall at this moment, looking leisurely at the Shu general Zhang Yi who was kneeling on the ground.
Cao Rui looked at Huan Fan and said, "You have done a great job this time, Huan Qing! The Shu troops that surrendered today will be escorted to Qian Zhenxi and handed over to him to manage together with the previous captives."
"It is all thanks to your majesty's great fortune. How dare I take any credit for it?" Huan Fan said with a folded hand: "Your majesty said he wanted to see Zhang Yi, so I brought him here. He just told me that he also sincerely wanted to surrender."
"I, the surrendered minister Zhang Yi, pay my respects to Your Majesty." Zhang Yi made a move to kowtow upon hearing this, but because his hands were tied with ropes and behind his back, he fell to the ground sideways.
Cao Rui laughed when he saw this and said, "Since they have surrendered, untie this Governor Zhang."
After the emperor said this, two soldiers walked into the hall from the side and slowly untied the ropes on Zhang Yi.
After Zhang Yi freed his hands, he adjusted his posture, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the ground with a thumping sound: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty!"
"Stand up." Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "Since he is a surrendered general, Sikong, please interrogate him for me."
Sima Yi nodded in agreement, then stood up and looked at Zhang Yi: "Zhang Yi Zhang Bogong, right? I am the Minister of Works of the Great Wei, and I am here to ask you questions on the orders of Your Majesty. You must not lie when you speak, do you understand?"
Zhang Yi stood up from the ground, his body still trembling a little, but he didn't know whether it was because of the cold or lack of food.
"I understand. Please continue to ask questions, Sikong." Zhang Yi said.
Sima Yi asked: "Where are you from and what is your resume?"
Zhang Yi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am from Wuyang County, Qianwei Prefecture. My great-grandfather Zhang Huihao was once the Minister of Works, and my great-great-grandfather Zhang Huigang was the governor of Guangling Prefecture."
"Where are your father and grandfather?" Sima Yi asked.
Zhang Yi did not shy away: "My grandfather was a county magistrate, and my father was a state official."
"Yes." Sima Yi nodded: "Go on."
Zhang Yi said slowly: "In the past, when Liu Bei was the governor of Yizhou, I served as his secretary, and then gradually rose to become a county magistrate and a prefect. I am currently the prefect of Guanghan..."
Sima Yi asked questions one by one, and Zhang Yi answered them one by one.
Cao Rui listened carefully in the classroom. Many of the things Zhang Yi said were consistent with what was already known. Logically speaking, Cao Rui did not hear any falsification.
After Sima Yi asked this question, he bowed to the emperor.
Cao Rui asked, "According to what you said, Zhuge Liang also encountered a lot of resistance in his Northern Expedition?"
Zhang Yi cupped his hands and replied, "It is true that the roads in Shu are difficult, and the transportation of food and grass and the mobilization of civilians are excessive. There are also many criticisms from both the government and the public, and the discussion is so intense that it is difficult to control for the time being."
"Your Majesty, I have just arrived in Wei and have not made any achievements. But the maps of the counties and mountains of Yizhou are all in my mind. I am willing to present the map of Yizhou to Your Majesty!"
Cao Rui sneered: "I have heard of stories where the real motive is revealed. Don't play that trick on me."
Zhang Yi immediately knelt down and said, "How dare I do such a thing? Just now outside Your Majesty's hall, every inch of my body was checked, and I didn't have any weapons!"
Cao Rui looked at Huan Fan, who nodded slightly to indicate that everything was fine.
"Well then," Cao Rui said, "Sima Kong, give him a piece of Zuo Bo paper and let him draw here!"
"As you wish." Sima Yi replied. (End of this chapter)
