On the night that Zhuge Liang set up the ambush, Zhang He led his army to Shanggui.
After another whole day, that is, on the evening of the 28th, the news that Shanggui, Linwei and Xinyang cities had been recovered and the news that Zhuge Liang led his troops to retreat southward were all transmitted back to Lueyang City.
But Cao Rui was holding two letters from Luoyang in his hands, and there was a hint of doubt on his face.
"What is your Majesty worried about?" Sima Yi asked tentatively, looking at the emperor's slightly conflicted expression.
Cao Rui looked up at Sima Yi, then at Yang Fu, Chen Jiao and others in the hall, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should speak or not.
After a few pauses, Cao Rui finally spoke: "It's good news from Luoyang! Concubine Sun is pregnant, and Concubine Mao is in charge of the harem, and they wrote to me personally to announce the good news."
Sima Yi and Chen Jiao looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Be it Cao Rui, Sima Yi, Chen Jiao and other important officials of the Wei Dynasty, they were not considering trivial matters such as Concubine Sun was pregnant but Concubine Mao announced the good news.
What really made the two of them feel a little difficult was that the pregnant person was Sun Quan's eldest daughter, Sun Luban.
Seeing the hall fall into silence, Cao Rui smiled helplessly, spread his hands and said: "Why is everyone silent? Is there no one who can give me some advice?"
Sima Yi saw that he could not escape, so he smiled and bowed to the emperor to congratulate him: "I congratulate your majesty on the birth of another child! Your majesty's affairs are the most important of state affairs, and the prosperity of the royal family is a blessing for the Great Wei."
"Stop talking nonsense." Cao Rui rolled his eyes at Sima Yi and said, "Sikong knows what I want to ask!"
Sima Yi coughed lightly and said, "I do know what your majesty is worried about. You are simply worried about how to deal with Concubine Sun if she gives birth to a prince, as well as with Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu."
"Yes, go on."
"I think your majesty does not need to worry about this." Sima Yi smiled and said, "The one who should be worried is Sun Quan!"
“How come you see?”
Cao Rui sat up straight and looked at Sima Yi.
Sima Yi explained: "I will not talk about things that are too far away, but only about a few things that are close to me."
"During the reign of Emperor Ling, Empress He gave birth to Liu Bian, while Empress Dowager Dong raised Liu Xie. The disputes within the palace led to instability in the outer court, allowing Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo and others to abuse their power at will."
"If we look at more recent cases, there are also the cases of Yuan Shao's son and Liu Biao's son. I understand your Majesty's concerns."
Cao Rui nodded slightly, said nothing, and continued to look at Sima Yi.
Sima Yi's throat moved slightly, and he explained: "If Concubine Sun can really give birth to a prince, not only will it not cause trouble, but it will also be more helpful for Your Majesty to recover Dongwu."
Cao Rui smiled and shook his head: "Why do you think so? Even though this is Concubine Sun's child, will Sun Quan use this as an excuse to surrender to me?"
"That's not the case." Sima Yi said, "When Sima Zhi, who was sent to the Eastern Wu, returned, Sun Quan bribed Your Majesty with a large sum of gold, pearls and other valuables."
"If Concubine Sun is pregnant, Sun Quan will have a harder time than Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, why don't you put this matter aside for now, issue a reward to appease Concubine Sun, and inform Sun Quan of this matter to see how he will act first!"
"Hahaha." Cao Rui laughed. "Sikong is just going with the flow! If Sun Quan shows goodwill to Wei again, people in Wu will be suspicious of him. If Sun Quan ignores this matter, how do you explain his previous bribery?"
"I remember that since Sima Zhi returned this year, Sun Quan has written me three letters, right?"
"Yes, three." Sima Yi replied, "The words in these letters are more modest than those in the old Jian'an period."
The letter from Sun Quan to Cao Rui was not only a private greeting and communication between the two monarchs, but also a dialogue between two confronting political entities.
When Sun Quan captured Guan Yu's head and presented it to Cao Cao, a letter with extremely humble words arrived in Xuchang along with Guan Yu's head.
Zhong Yao, who was very good friends with Cao Pi, commented after reading the letter that "thinking of Sun Quan, she became more charming."
Even Cao Pi himself sighed, "Sun Quan was so charming that he could not let go of the book."
Since Sun Quan is so eager to make peace, let's see how he reacts!
"Bring me some writing material! I want to personally write a reply to Concubine Mao!"
Yang Fu, who was closest to the emperor, brought the pen and ink he had just used to draft the document on his desk directly to the emperor.
When the ministers in the hall saw that the emperor was busy writing a letter, they all waited in silence for a while.
Cao Rui wrote for half an incense stick of time before he put down his brush and said with a smile, "I need to give you more instructions on household matters as well!"
"Mr. Chen, send this private letter from me along with the next batch of envoys returning to Luoyang!"
"As you wish." Chen Jiao stood up and gently absorbed the ink-stains with a small piece of silk cloth. Then he folded up the Zuo Bo paper, sealed it, and covered it with sealing wax in front of the emperor.
"Let's wait and see how Sun Quan acts." Cao Rui said, "You have all read the military report sent by the general just now."
"The cities of Ji County, Xinyang, and Linwei have all been recovered. However, since Nan'an County and Longxi County are located in remote areas, the news has not yet reached Lueyang."
"The general asked me to move my troops to Shanggui in the military report. What do you think?" Cao Rui looked around at the ministers in the hall and asked.
Yang Fu from Tianshui was the first to respond, "I think the general's words are very appropriate!" "Your Majesty has been stationed in Lueyang for a long time. Since there is a large army guarding Shanggui and there is no risk, the more than 10,000 soldiers staying here should also be brought to Shanggui."
"At that time, I will either rectify the internal affairs of the four counties in Longyou, or lead the army to the south to recapture Lucheng and Qishan. It will be as easy as commanding an arm."
"Why don't you, Mr. Yang, invite me to Ji County where your home is?" Cao Rui asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty," Yang Fu smiled awkwardly and explained, "Although my family is in Ji County, I also know that Shanggui is the most important place in Longyou."
"It is correct to go south to Shanggui, why go to Ji County?"
Cao Rui shook his head slightly: "Then Ji County has no chance."
Yang Fu was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a few seconds, he finally understood the emperor's implication, and immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Shanggui is indeed better than Ji County. I cannot sacrifice public interests for personal gain!"
Sima Yi and Chen Jiao also agreed.
Cao Rui stood up and sighed, "Do you all think Shanggui should be the capital of the newly established Qinzhou?"
Sima Yi said: "Shanggui is located on a strategic road and is also an important town in Tianshui County. Is there any other more suitable place besides Shanggui?"
After hearing Sima Yi's words, Yang Fu and Chen Jiao nodded and looked at the emperor with confusion.
Cao Rui asked: "Why do you always want to look at Qinzhou with the current perspective?"
"Sikong, I want to ask you, how should a state's governor be chosen?"
Seeing the emperor asking him a question, Sima Yi thought for a few moments and then answered, "We should choose a place with convenient transportation, beautiful mountains and rivers, and abundant products. Shanggui is located on the bank of the Wei River, controlling the Wei River Road to the east and the Longshan Road to the north. It is the most important town in Longyou."
"Important town? What is an important town?" Cao Rui asked again.
"Of course it is to control the important defensive positions along the roads..." Sima Yi said this and suddenly understood what the emperor meant.
Sima Yi bowed slightly and said, "I understand your majesty's intention. I was short-sighted."
"It's not short-sightedness, but thinking in the wrong direction!" Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi, then at Chen Jiao and Yang Fu who didn't quite understand, and explained with a sigh:
"I want to establish this Qinzhou, not to let Qinzhou help me herd people like Henan and Hebei provinces, but to attack Shu and be ready for war at any time!"
"Come on, all three of you come together."
Cao Rui stood up and walked towards the map drawn by Zhang Yi that day, and waved to Sima Yi and the other two: "Look at the map with me before making any plans."
After the three men stood behind him, Cao Rui pointed to the location of Shanggui with his right index finger, and then went against Zhuge Liang's route of advance.
First point southwest from Shanggui, and after reaching Xixian, point south to Lucheng and Qishanbao areas.
Cao Rui turned his head again and looked at Yang Fu and Chen Jiao.
Yang Fu, who was very familiar with the local area, had already understood it by now, but Chen Jiao was the only one who still looked confused.
However, Cao Rui was not in the mood to explain to Chen Jiao alone, so he asked Yang Fu: "How about Qishan Fort and Lucheng? Can we use this place as a base to attack Shu in the south?"
Yang Fu slowly opened his eyes, his expression gradually became serious, and he seemed to be trying hard to recall something.
"Your Majesty, I am familiar with Lucheng. When Ma Chao was in rebellion, I led the people from Lucheng and marched north to attack the remnants of Ma Chao."
"Your Majesty, please look." Yang Fu pointed to the bank of the West Han River. "Lucheng is narrow from north to south but wide from east to west. The river valley along both sides of the West Han River is nearly 100 miles long and can be cultivated."
"And the reason why Lucheng is called Lucheng is because there are a lot of salt ponds here, and the salt produced here tastes almost the same as sea salt. If we can build a city near Qishan Fort, we can take advantage of the geographical advantages of Qishan and the convenience of water transportation of the West Han River."
"Whether it's transporting food to an expedition or transporting supplies, it's the best choice!"
As he spoke, Yang Fu became more and more excited.
"Your Majesty, if we march from Qishan along the West Han River, we can reach Yangping Pass directly by boat! Although Zhang Yi, the thief, lied to me that day, he was right about one thing: the West Han River is indeed a smooth route for transporting grain!"
Yang Fu took a half step back, bowed and said, "I think your majesty's idea is very good!"
"If we build cities on the left and right of Qishan Fort, we can not only have sufficient food and grass resources, but also benefit from producing salt. If we advance, we can control Wudu and Hanzhong, and if we retreat, we can protect the entire territory of the four counties in Longyou!"
"Your Majesty," Yang Fu said earnestly, "There is no better choice than Qishan Fort!"
But Sima Yi on the side had some different opinions: "Have you ever thought about how many people are left in Qishan and Lucheng after the chaos caused by the Shu army?"
"How can we support the governance of a state?"
"Since everything else is not a problem, then there is only one person's problem at the moment!"
Yang Fu cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, now we only need to relocate the people to the Lucheng and Qishan areas, and this difficulty will be solved instantly!"
"This place is wonderful!" (End of this chapter)
