"When does Your Majesty want me to go to Jiangxia?"
Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu and said, "State affairs are urgent. Xu Qing, take a rest for a night and take a car to Jiangxia tomorrow. Xu Qing should be familiar with the situation in Jingzhou."
Xu Shu replied, "The shortest way to Jiangxia is to cross the river from Yangwu, pass through Yingchuan County and Nanyang County to Jiangxia. However, no matter which way I take, I will have to pass through Caiyang, and Caiyang is not far from Xiangyang and Fancheng."
Cao Rui heard the hidden meaning in Xu Shu's words, which was probably asking him whether he wanted to go to Xiangyang to meet Zhao Yan. Cao Rui suddenly remembered some anecdotes and shook his head jokingly, saying:
"Are you going to defend Xiangfan, Mr. Xu?"
The ministers in the hall were stunned at first, but after seeing the emperor's smiling face, they all started to smile. After all, the people present were either cabinet ministers or eunuchs, all of whom had been with the emperor for a long time, and the atmosphere was far from as formal as when foreign ministers paid homage to the emperor.
Xu Shu was also somewhat puzzled, but after thinking of Xiangyang and Fancheng, he smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, please don't laugh at me. If you ask me to come back to defend Xiangfan this time, I will do it for Your Majesty no matter what."
As we all know, before becoming a minister of the Wei Dynasty, Xu Shu worked as an official under Liu Bei for a period of time.
From the sixth year of Jian'an to the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei lived in the small city of Xinye and wasted a full six or seven years. At that time, Xu Shu was the most intelligent person by Liu Bei's side.
When Cao Cao personally led his army to conquer Jingzhou in the 13th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei, who was stationed in Fancheng, abandoned Fancheng and crossed the Han River to the south under the joint advice of Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang and others. This is also the reason why the emperor teased Xu Shu and Xiangfan just now.
Cao Rui nodded and said, "I know what Xu Qing meant. Zhao Yan is in Xiangyang to supervise the troops of Jingzhou. If Xu Qing passes by Xiangyang, please give him a few words for me and give him some advice."
Jokes aside, when it came to serious matters, Xu Shu still cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's order, I will bring it to Xiangyang without missing a word."
Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu and said, "Okay, Xu Qing, tell Zhao Yan for me that the situation in Jingzhou is different from that in Yangzhou and Yongliang. The Han River separates the north and the south, and it is difficult for the court to cross the river."
"No matter what the situation in Jingzhou is, holding on to Xiangyang is my bottom line."
Xu Shu replied, "I understand."
"No, you don't know. I haven't finished yet." Cao Rui shook his head and said, "Xiangyang is my bottom line. Xiangyang is more important than Fancheng and Jiangxia. With Xiangyang in the whole Jingzhou, I can get other places."
"understand?"
Xu Shu was also a man who was well versed in military strategy. He understood the key to the matter after just a little thought. The same was true for Sima Yi, Liu Ye, and Xin Pi. Although Pei Qian was not good at military strategy, he had served as the governor of Jingzhou after all, so he could understand the emperor's intention.
Cao Rui noticed that the three imperial guardsmen who were participating in the meeting for the first time seemed to understand but not quite. He raised his hand and pointed at Xu Shu: "Xu Qing, you understand. My imperial guardsmen don't understand. Xu Qing, please explain it to them."
"As you wish." Xu Shu stood up and bowed slightly to Xiahou Xuan and the other two.
Xiahou Xuan, He Chuan and Xiahou Hui also hurriedly bowed in return.
Xu Shu said: "If Jingzhou is a chessboard, and Wei and Wu are two chess players, Xiangyang City, located on the south bank of the Han River and south of Fancheng, is the undisputed chess center."
"The Han River is in Jingzhou, flowing from northwest to southeast. Jiangling City is not in the hands of Wei, and Xiangyang is the only important town on the south bank of the Han River. Fancheng and Jiangxia are both in the north of the river. For Wei, this is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. But for Wu, it is just the opposite, a place that is difficult to defend but easy to attack."
Xiahou Xuan cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I seem to understand. As long as Xiangyang is not lost, the Wei Dynasty can recapture the cities on the north bank of the Han River at any time."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "That's what I meant."
While they were talking, the Minister of the Central Secretariat Liu Fang brought the imperial edict and the imperial seal. Cao Rui stood up and walked into the hall, took them from Liu Fang and put them in Xu Shu's hands.
"Xu Qing, please go back and rest. I don't know how long I will have to discuss matters here, and you have to leave early tomorrow."
Xu Shu placed the imperial seal in his arms, held the imperial edict in his palm, and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."
Cao Rui nodded in agreement. Xu Shu was not a pretentious person either, so he followed Liu Fang out of the hall.
Cao Rui stared at the receding figure for several seconds before continuing:
"Sikong, what else?"
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "There are two more things that should be done, but they are not as urgent as the water and military situation we discussed earlier."
"Empress Wuxuan was previously buried in Gaoling. Since Your Majesty has returned to Yecheng, you should go there to pay your respects before leaving."
Cao Rui said: "Please inform the Minister of Works and I will go there tomorrow!"
tomorrow?
Sima Yi replied, "There is no need to be so anxious. Your Majesty should rest in Yecheng for two days."
Cao Rui said, "No rest. I will offer sacrifices at Gaoling tomorrow and Chaoyangling on the way. I will return to Luoyang the day after tomorrow."
Xin Pi said, "Your Majesty, please don't be so tired. Your health is more important."
Cao Rui chuckled: "Xin Qing is here to advise me too? I usually take good care of my body so that I can use it when I need it like now. There is no need to discuss this matter. The Secretariat and the Privy Council have returned to Luoyang. Why should I stay in Yecheng?" "Your Majesty is wise." Xin Pi bowed helplessly, while Sima Yi on the side also raised the corner of his mouth.
Tired?
Then what about the fact that I had to travel from Xiangping all day to Luoyang to supervise the funeral, and then rush from Luoyang to Yecheng?
Sima Yi continued, "There is only one matter left in the court, and the decision can be made sooner or later. The first batch of Imperial College students have returned from Longyou, and are expected to arrive in Luoyang in a few days."
"Oh? I haven't heard from these Taixue students for a long time. How are they doing in Longyou?" Cao Rui asked curiously.
Sima Yi: "Your Majesty, the governor of Qinzhou, Chen Jibi, has written to the Guanglu Xun Yang Yishan, saying that the top five military farm officials in Qinzhou were all Imperial College students."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "It seems that I have sent them to cultivate the land, which is really a good idea. My lords, what was your first job when you were young?"
"Sikong speaks first."
Sima Yi was the first to bow and said, "When I was 22 years old, I was recruited by the county to be the chief accountant."
Cao Rui said: "A 22-year-old Shangjiyuan is not a problem for a Sikong with his talent, but it seems a little early."
Sima Yi smiled awkwardly and did not respond.
The so-called Shangjiyuan was an official who reported to the court on behalf of the county when the court inspected the duties and mistakes of each county in the autumn and winter. Henei County where Sima Yi was located was a large county, and Shangjiyuan was one of the few prominent positions in the county.
Of course, if we want to discuss it in detail, Sima Yi's position as the Shangjiyuan of Henei County at the age of 22 is a big difference from that of his eldest son Sima Shi, who was about the same age as him. And the official position of Sima Fang, Sima Yi's father, is also a level lower than that of Sima Yi himself.
It is an objective fact in the current Wei Dynasty that children of officials find it easier to become officials. Cao Rui cannot change this for the time being. If he rashly orders that children of officials should not be recruited, it would be a challenge to the entire country's administrative system and would be tantamount to digging up his own foundation.
By the fourth year of Taihe, the Imperial College had only graduated three classes of students. Changing the official structure and promotion path is a long and arduous journey, and there is no rush.
Cao Rui then looked at Liu Ye and said, "I know Liu Qing's story. At the age of more than 20, he entered the enemy camp of several thousand people, cut off their heads and took their soldiers. He was as brave as Fu Jiezi."
"Mr. Liu has wasted his talent over the years. He should have become a general earlier."
Liu Ye smiled awkwardly: "My family lives in a remote place in Yangzhou. When I was young, I made this decision. It was just a temporary measure to protect myself. How can I compare with Fu Jiezi?"
Cao Rui smiled slightly, did not answer, and looked at the others.
Xin Pi bowed his hands without changing his expression and said, "My first post was as a military officer under Yuan Benchu in Jizhou."
Cao Rui nodded: "Xin Qing is the same as Xu Shizhong."
Pei Qian then replied: "My first job was as a county official in Changsha County."
Cao Rui asked curiously, "I don't know about Pei Qing's story. How did he get to Changsha? I remember that the former Shangshu Ling Huan Jie and Huan Boxu were from Changsha, right?"
"Duke Huan was from Changsha, and I was an official under him at that time. My trip to Changsha is a long story." Pei Qian sighed, "Your Majesty, do you know that Li Jue and Guo Si once caused chaos in Chang'an?"
Cao Rui nodded: "Dong Zhuo's two ministers, I have heard of their names."
Pei Qian said: "My father was once an official in the court of Chang'an..."
Cao Rui interrupted Pei Qian and asked, "Are you talking about the time when Dong Zhuo died and Li Jue and Guo Si occupied Chang'an?"
"That's right." Pei Qian replied, "My father was an official in the Han court in Chang'an at that time."
Cao Rui nodded: "I understand, Pei Qing, please continue."
Pei Qian said: "After Dong Zhuo's death, Li Jue and Guo Si caused trouble in Guanzhong. In the first year of Xingping, there was a great famine in the country, and grain in Chang'an was as expensive as gold. Although I was young at that time, I remember the grain prices clearly. One hectoliter of grain cost 500,000 coins, and beans and wheat cost 200,000 coins. The people were so poor that they almost had to eat others. Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou divided the city into three parts, each guarding their own area, and sent troops to plunder the three prefectures."
"Although my father was an official at the time, he was unable to support his children. Therefore, he had no choice but to send me and my brother out of the city. I went to Jingzhou to Liu Jingsheng, and my brother Pei Jun went to Yizhou."
"My younger brother Pei Jun is now serving as an official in Shu. After I learned of this news, I also reported it to the court."
Cao Rui nodded slightly, not feeling surprised.
Being displaced in troubled times is by no means an empty phrase.
No matter how bad the regime is in control of Chang'an, it is better than a group of Xiliang rebels sweeping back and forth as spoils of war. People at that time could not predict how the world would develop. In order to preserve their blood, they had to send their sons to two places. It is not a simple explanation of "don't put all your eggs in one basket" or "diversify your investment". There are blood and tears behind it. (End of this chapter)
