"General, don't be angry. Just do as you say." Xiahou Ru kept persuading him. Wen Pin's expression relaxed a little and he began to give instructions in a low voice again.
City defense, officers, fields...
Wen Pin seemed to be afraid of missing something, and he kept speaking one sentence after another until his voice became inaudible and he closed his eyes.
"General Wen, rest in peace." Xiahou Ru bowed three times beside the couch with a sad expression, covered Wen Pin with the brocade quilt, then stood up and turned to look at the crying Wen Dai.
Wen Dai looked up in surprise, only to find Xiahou Ru staring at him. After thinking for a few moments, he quickly reached under the quilt and took out the military token from his still warm hands. Then he presented it to Xiahou Ru with both hands, wiped his tears, and said respectfully:
"Here is the Jiangxia military token. Wendai will obey the general's orders."
Xiahou Ru nodded and said, "Let's talk outside. Wen Xiu, go call the family in, and notify the ministers to come and pay their respects."
"Yes, sir." The adopted son Wen Xiu also bowed and accepted the assignment.
Xiahou Ru held the military token in his hand and walked into the courtyard with Wen Dai behind him. After standing still, he said, "At present, in the cities of Jiangxia, apart from the soldiers guarding the city, how many troops are available if we want to reinforce Xiangyang?"
Wendai is a man of average talent. For such a man, the death of his father, whom he had relied on for decades, makes him feel anxious and can only pin his future on Xiahou Ru.
This was the reason when I took the military order just now, and it is the same when I submit now.
Wen Dai said respectfully, "General, there are 25,000 soldiers in Jiangxia County. 15,000 of them are garrison soldiers who have been stationed for many years. They are useful for defending the city, but difficult to use in Xiangyang. If the general wants to use them, only 10,000 foreign troops are available."
"I don't need it, you do." Xiahou Ru stared at Wen Dai with a serious expression: "Jiangxia is indeed General Wen's life's work, but Xiangfan is the heart of Jingzhou in the Wei Dynasty."
"You lead these 10,000 soldiers and follow the same route you came from, passing through Suixian, Anchang, and Caiyang to Fancheng. I will be in charge of Jiangxia County, and if anything goes wrong, it will have nothing to do with you, the Wen family."
Wen Dai asked in a panic, "But my father just said..."
As soon as Xiahou Ru frowned, Wen Dai dared not continue. He lowered his head slightly and replied softly, "Can you allow me to wait until after my father's funeral?"
Xiahou Ru said: "If you want to be filial to General Wen and do your best for state affairs, you don't need to worry about anything else. Are you worried that I can't defend Jiangxia?"
"I dare not." Wen Dai said hurriedly: "If I reach Fancheng, which general will command these 10,000 foreign troops? If they are stopped by Wu's army before reaching Fancheng, what should I do?"
Xiahou Ru calmly assigned the task: "From Anlu to Fancheng, the distance is 500 miles. I will allow you 10 days to arrive. When you arrive in Fancheng, it is best to follow the command of Zhao Dujian. If Zhao Dujian is difficult to contact, you can follow the orders of General Lu and General Shen."
"As for being blocked by Wu's soldiers, I think Wu's soldiers can't reach Caiyang yet. As long as you can bring 10,000 people to the vicinity of Xiangyang, I will commend you to the court! Do you understand?"
"As ordered! I will order your men to prepare and send out the troops tomorrow morning."
Seeing Wen Dai turning around and about to leave, Xia Houru took a half step forward and pulled Wen Dai's sleeve to turn him back: "Go and kowtow to your father. It's okay to go later. It won't take a moment."
"General, that's right." Wen Dai nodded quickly in agreement.
……
Nightfall, Luoyang North Palace.
We will leave for Xuchang tomorrow. Tonight's dinner will be all Luoyang delicacies, including the fresh Luoshui carp. There are a total of twenty-eight dishes.
Cao Rui did not enjoy the meal alone, but called two concubines, Jia and Feng, to dine together.
As early as the second year of Taihe, Cao Rui ordered the craftsmen of the Shaofu to make this dining table with a rotating tabletop. If you want to eat a certain dish, you only need to give a glance and the eunuchs will rotate the dish over.
When eating with his concubines, Cao Rui always ate at the same table, not separately. After two or three years, the concubines got used to it.
Jia Cheng is on the left and Feng Yuan is on the right.
Cao Rui was chatting with the two girls while eating, and before he knew it, he had guessed what was going on in their families.
Cao Rui asked Jia Cheng casually, "Has your father written to you recently?"
Jia Cheng's father was Jia Kui, the general stationed in Wankou. Thanks to Sun Quan's forbearance and obedience, there had been no fighting in Wankou in the past three years. The Wu navy showed off its military power a few times, but Jia Kui managed to resolve it.
Jia Cheng replied, "Your Majesty, please take care of me. My father sent me a letter at the beginning of the year. He asked if I was doing well in the palace, whether I was pregnant, and asked me to send my regards to Your Majesty." Cao Rui ignored the woman's thoughts and smiled, "You don't need to make up for your father. He is an important official and has his own channels to write to me. There is no need for you to whisper in my ear."
"I have good intentions as well." Jia Cheng explained in a low voice.
"I don't blame you." Cao Rui smiled and said, "Do you know that your father gave you another sister in Wancheng four months ago? He told me about it in his memorial. I remember he was fifty-six years old, right?"
Jia Cheng was only twenty years old now. When he heard the emperor's words, his cheeks became hot and he said in a panic, "I have a younger sister, do I? I really don't know about this."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "It's good that your father had a daughter when he was over fifty years old. The late Master Zhong was even more vigorous. By the way, I remember that you have a younger brother who lives with your mother in Luoyang. His name is Jia Chong?"
"Your Majesty, please take care of me." Jia Cheng said, "My younger brother Jia Chong is thirteen years old this year. He started studying the classics when he was eight years old, and my father also found a teacher in Luozhong to teach him."
As she spoke, Jia Cheng looked at the emperor tentatively and put a piece of roasted mutton in front of Cao Rui's mouth: "I wonder if I can ask for a favor for him and let him enter the Imperial College in two years?"
Cao Rui laughed twice, put the food handed to him by Jia Cheng into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it before saying, "You always worry about so many things. Your father is the General of Zhennan. Can I let his legitimate son be without education?"
"Tell me yourself, what's the point of worrying about so many things? You might as well find some fun for me."
Jia Cheng smiled shyly, lowered his head and did not answer.
At this time, the beautiful lady Feng Yuan, who was sitting on Cao Rui's right hand, held up the honey water and brought it to Cao Rui's mouth:
"Your Majesty, please drink a little."
Cao Rui took a sip and looked at Feng Yuan again: "I remember you are good at Guqin? Play a piece for me later."
"If Your Majesty wants to listen, I can play ten songs, not just one." Feng Yuan smiled tenderly and looked at Cao Rui affectionately: "I learned a new musical instrument this year. Does Your Majesty like to listen to Hujia?"
"Hujia?" Cao Rui thought for a moment and asked, "Is it Cai Zhaoji's big Hujia?"
"It is Cai Zhaoji's Eighteen Beats." Feng Yuan nodded with some surprise and said, "The Queen Mother invited Cai Zhaoji to the palace to chat in April. I was there at the time. With the Queen Mother's approval, I even asked her to teach me."
Now it was Cao Rui's turn to be surprised: "You mean, you took Cai Zhaoji as your teacher?"
Feng Yuan looked over with her charming eyes and said teasingly, "I became your disciple to learn the guqin and hujia. I am still not good enough at learning poetry and prose."
"What a coincidence." Cao Rui said with a little emotion: "You learned Hujia from Cai Zhaoji in April. When I arrived in Yanmen, Bingzhou in April, I also heard the local musicians playing Hujia. Its sound is rich and deep, which is indeed different from the instruments in the Central Plains."
"If I hadn't heard Minister Lu talking about the 'Eighteen Beats of the Hujia', I wouldn't have thought that Cai Zhaoji was still in Luozhong."
"Yes." Feng Yuan nodded and said, "I brought a Hujia outside. Why don't I play it for Your Majesty now?"
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Well, I will listen to how you, the female disciple of Cai Zhaoji, learn the Hujia. Have you learned all the eighteen beats of the Hujia?"
Feng Yuan stood up and bowed, then with a bit of embarrassment, she explained, "I have learned all eighteen beats, but I am most familiar with the first one."
"Hahahaha." Cao Rui laughed a few times: "This is normal. Go ahead, you play the flute and I will sing along with you."
Feng Yuan's eyes were filled with surprise and joy: "I'll get it right away."
But in a moment, Feng Yuan quietly stood opposite the dining table a few steps away and started playing the flute while standing.
Listening to the prelude, Cao Rui sighed softly: "It's like resentment, like longing, like crying, like complaining."
Jia Cheng on the left wanted to pick up some food for Cao Rui again, but Cao Rui stopped him by shaking his head slightly.
Feng Yuan's hujia sounded gentle and sad. Cao Rui was in high spirits and sang along with her, tapping the table with his right hand:
"When I was born, the Han Dynasty was in decline. After I was born, the Han Dynasty declined."
"The heavens are unkind and have brought about chaos and separation, the earth is unkind and has made me encounter this time..." (End of this chapter)
