"Pursue at night?" Cao Rui turned his head and stared at Sima Yi who had just finished speaking.
"That's right!" Sima Yi said with a folded hand, "If we can get another thousand cavalry to Xiangping, we will have a better chance of taking Xiangping and chasing Gongsun Yuan. We should not be stingy with the cavalry's horsepower now, this is the time to use it!"
Man Chong also said in a deep voice: "The enemy's situation has already collapsed. Sikong's judgment is feasible. I hope Your Majesty will understand it."
Cao Rui raised his head slightly and walked slowly around the room. After about half an incense stick of time, Cao Rui finally made up his mind and said firmly: "General Man, please lead the army to go there at night. Let Wen Qin lead all the Yulin Left Army to follow you, and the 3,000 Xiongnu light cavalry will also accompany you."
This is military merit that comes to your doorstep!
Moreover, it is double military merit. How could Man Chong be willing to let it go? It is simply what he wants!
Man Chong immediately responded: "I accept your order. Please give me half an hour to prepare. I will leave later."
"Okay!" Cao Rui nodded: "After Xiangping is captured, I will move from Liaosui."
Man Chong took the order and left, but Sima Yi and Zhen Xiang did not leave. Cao Rui sent someone to give Zhen Xiang wine and food, and also asked someone to prepare some hot food for Zhen Xiang's subordinates to eat.
Sima Yi followed Cao Rui and said, "Today, the army fought and killed more than 3,000 enemy soldiers. The number of prisoners is less than 6,000. All their weapons have been confiscated and they are under strict guard in the north city."
"The king's army suffered about 1,600 casualties."
Cao Rui frowned slightly: "With such a big chance of winning today, where did all these more than a thousand people go?"
Sima Yi hummed, and quickly searched through the military reports he had just heard:
"Among the three groups of infantrymen who crossed the river, Xiahou Xian of the north and Tian Yu of the middle lost about 500 soldiers, and the rest were the result of the battle between Xianyu Jing's troops of the south and the enemy cavalry. Zhou Ding, the commander of Hejian County, also died in the battle."
Cao Rui said: "Zhou Ding? He was the first officer of the rank of 2,000-stone official to die in the Liaodong expedition. The court should send someone to his family to provide him with a good pension, and posthumously confer the title of Guannei Hou on his descendants."
"As for Xian Yujing, I remember that when we attacked Wuliu City, his troops also suffered more casualties than Tian Yu. It seems that this man is not lucky."
Sima Yi said: "On the battlefield, the military situation changes like water and is unpredictable. Those who can stand out from ordinary generals and become famous generals are almost all people with extremely good luck."
Cao Rui nodded: "I wonder if Sikong has discovered something? It seems that in recent years, there are no longer as many brave generals in Wei and Wu and Shu as there were during the Jian'an period."
"Take Wei for example. There are fewer and fewer generals like Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan who broke through Sun Quan with 800 soldiers and killed Wuhuan Tadun in battle; Xu Huang and Xu Gongming who marched straight into the enemy territory in full armor; and Le Jin and Le Wenqian who were the vanguard. It seems that we can no longer see brave generals like Guan, Zhang, and Zhao of Shu Han, or capable generals like Zhou Yu and Lu Meng of Dongwu."
Sima Yi thought for a moment, then bowed and flattered: "The number of brave generals is gradually decreasing. This is a blessing for your majesty and the Wei Dynasty."
Cao Rui asked: "How do you explain this? I just feel that there are not as many beautiful battles as in the old days."
"Your Majesty just mentioned these famous battles of brave generals, most of which were fought under disadvantages. Only when the few defeated the many will people remember, while relying on the many to win is a bit mediocre." Sima Yi smiled and said, "The Wei Dynasty has been fighting with Liu Bei and the remnants of Sun Quan for so many years. Not only have they become more familiar with each other, but the scale of the battles has also been getting bigger and bigger."
"Since the Taihe era, the national strength and military power of Wei have always been greater than those of the enemy, and the number of risky tactics has gradually decreased. Take the current Hefei and Shouchun areas for example. There are tens of thousands of troops stationed in Huainan. How could Zhang Wenyuan take the risk with 800 people?"
Cao Rui sighed, "We lack brave generals, but we can show our leadership. However, I was present in all three expeditions, so the Grand Marshal, the General, and the General Man stayed by my side, and the credit seemed to be shared by all of them."
Sima Yi bowed slightly and said: "This is a blessing for the country!"
Cao Rui nodded, "It is indeed a blessing. With General Man's departure tonight, Xiangping should be in the hands of Wei. Just now, as Bo Ming said, Liu Ye has sent someone to secretly inform Na You of his position. Gongsun Yuan has the enemy of Goguryeo in front of him and the imperial army chasing him from behind."
"How unwise is this man? He is even worse than Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi of the past."
Yuan Xi?
Sima Yi thought of a story that he could not tell His Majesty, and then he said, "Gongsun Yuan first usurped the throne of his uncle, which was unfilial; then he disobeyed the king's order, which was disloyal; and he fled in the face of battle, which was immoral. What's wrong with such an unfilial, disloyal and immoral person doing such things?"
"This man doesn't even have half the wisdom and strategy of Wei Xiao during the reign of Emperor Guangwu."
Cao Rui said: "If you don't take what God has given you, you will suffer the consequences! If Gongsun Yuan is defeated, the four counties of Liaodong will surely be taken in one fell swoop. It is already the beginning of June. If we can defeat Gongsun Yuan in the middle of the month, how long will it take to stabilize the four counties?"
Sima Yi thought for a moment and said, "Based on the distances between the various places, it will take at least a month. Liaosui and Xiangping are both in Liaodong Prefecture. Xuantu Prefecture in the north is relatively close, while Lelang and Daifang Prefectures in the south are even further away."
"Liaodong is fine, but Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang are too remote." Cao Rui stroked the sword at his waist thoughtfully, "Post-war distribution is still a troublesome matter."
trouble?
The emperor did not continue, and Sima Yi was tactful and did not ask further questions. After all, this topic was still somewhat sensitive.
If Liaodong is to be stable, the first problem is how to govern it. Since Liaodong is a remote place, Xiangping is 4,000 miles away from Luoyang, which is even farther than Wuwei County in Liangzhou and about the same distance from Dunhuang.
Should we set up a military governor's office in Xiangping, as we did in Shouchun or Chencang? Or should we restore the system of prefecture and county soldiers in Liaodong?
It all depends on how Your Majesty decides. It is now the fourth year of Taihe, and Sima Yi has become accustomed to his work status.
When he was in Luoyang, he was in charge of the government affairs of the country.
Accompany the army in the campaign and assist Your Majesty in all military affairs, big and small.
They are all top-notch ministers both inside and outside the court.
Even with such a pivotal position, Sima Yi still did not dare to say much about the post-war arrangements for Liaodong, as His Majesty did not take the initiative to propose it, lest it offend His Majesty. In the past two years, His Majesty was still as receptive to advice as before, but he became more and more arbitrary in major matters.
We will surely know the answer after Gongsun Yuan is executed, right?
Just as Cao Rui and Sima Yi were talking, in the Governor's Mansion far away in the city of Xiangyang in Jingzhou, Zhao Yan, Zhao Boyan, who was the Grand Master of Imperial Household and the supervisor of all military affairs in Jingzhou, welcomed an unexpected guest.
"You said that this person came from Luoyang and brought a letter from Wei Pushe?" Zhao Yan glanced at Liang Ji, the military officer on duty tonight.
"That's right." Liang Ji bowed and replied, "From my observation of this man's age, it seems that he has just been married for a short time, but he has a dignified appearance and extraordinary demeanor."
Zhao Yan stroked his long gray beard and said, "In that case, please invite this person in."
"Yes."
Soon, Liang Ji led the young scholar in.
"Students Yin Fan and Yin Shuping pay their respects to Lord Zhao." The young scholar bowed respectfully.
"When I heard the report from the mansion just now, I was a little surprised." Zhao Yan stood up with a smile on his face, without any airs of a frontier official: "Since you are here, you are my guest. Please take a seat."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao!" Yin Fan bowed slightly, then calmly sat down on the front chair on the right side of the hall.
Zhao Yan, along with Chen Qun, Xin Pi, Du Xi and others were known as the four famous scholars of Yingchuan. Facing this young man who claimed to be a student, he also maintained the humble etiquette of a scholar.
Supporting young people is a shortcut to building a good reputation among the scholar community, and Zhao Yan did it with great ease almost instinctively.
"Shuping is from Luoyang? Your surname is rare. This is the first time I have heard of it." Zhao Yan asked with a kind face.
Yin Fan sat upright on the chair and answered, "Lord Zhao, I am from Beihai County, Qingzhou, and I am 22 years old this year. The surname 'Yin' is a descendant of the Ji clan, whose ancestor is Duke Yin of Lu, and it is not a big surname. I entered the Imperial College in the second year of Taihe, and I came here today on the order of Duke Wei, the Minister of State."
Zhao Yan did not rush to ask Wei Zhen why he was sent here. Instead, he stroked his beard and smiled, "I have learned a lot today. Shu Ping came from Luoyang. Is Wei Pushe doing well? I wonder if there is anything new in Luoyang?"
Yin Fan bowed and said, "Before I set out, I was received by the Minister of State, Wei, and he was in good health. As for the matter in Luozhong, there is something I can mention at the home of Grand Tutor Zhong Gong."
"Oh?" Zhao Yan didn't expect to be able to ask anything. "Mr. Zhong is old and virtuous. He lived a glorious life and died a tragic death. He has no regrets in this life. What else can he ask?"
Yin Fan said, "Mr. Zhong has no regrets, but his family has had some troubles. Minister Zhong's mother, Ms. Sun, has always lived outside the Zhong Mansion, and Mr. Zhong's wife, Ms. Zhang, did not allow Ms. Sun to come to express her condolences. On the day of the funeral, Ms. Sun blocked the road and made a scene, which was a bit awkward."
Zhao Yan was amazed: "There is such a thing! What do Wei Pushe and the other officials in Luozhong have to say?"
Yin Fan smiled bitterly and said, "What else can you say? Sun is the biological mother of Minister Zhong, and was awarded a house by His Majesty. It is not important for Wei Pushe to get involved in such a trivial matter. Among the three ministers in the court, the Grand Commandant Hua is ill and cannot go, the Minister of the Interior Chen is in Shouchun, and the Minister of Works Sima is in Liaodong. How could the nine ministers wade into such muddy waters?"
"I won't repeat the harsh words, but in the end, it was Minister Zhong who knelt down and kowtowed to his biological mother and stepmother in public, and only then did the farce stop."
It is inevitable that such troubles will happen behind the scenes of an old man and a young wife!
While Zhao Yan secretly criticized Yin Fan in his heart, he also had a more positive impression of Yin Fan's words. At the age of 22, he was able to answer fluently in front of a frontier official like himself, which showed that he was not a mediocre person.
Zhao Yan nodded slightly: "Shu Fang just mentioned that he brought a letter from the Guards?"
"That's right." Yin Fan stood up and took out the letter from his arms. He presented both hands in the direction of Zhao Yan, and the guard immediately took the letter and handed it to Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan frowned and stared for a long time, then looked at Yin Fan: "This journey is dangerous, and I can't help you much. Shuping, take care!"
Yin Fan bowed deeply. (End of this chapter)
