Chapter 141 Confidentiality Seeing that the emperor was half leaning on the side of the boat, Cao Zhen mentioned another matter. "Your Majesty may not know that Xu Huang is from Hedong, and Guan Yu is also from Hedong. The two have had a personal friendship for many years, but when they were fighting, Xu Huang said he would offer a reward for Guan Yu's head, saying that whoever got Guan Yu's head would be rewarded with a thousand gold coins." Cao Rui said: "Are these two from the same hometown? I have never thought about it from this perspective." Cao Zhen then said, "How can personal friendship be considered when two armies are fighting? Xu Huang's words are absolutely correct, but Guan Yu was extremely frightened and asked Xu Huang, 'Brother, why do you say that?'" Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen and said, "The general may have not thought of this one thing." "What didn't you expect?" Cao Zhen asked. "Every time the Wei army deploys troops, it complies with the laws of the court. All the generals are dispatched according to military law." Cao Rui smiled, "There is no court justice in Shu Han. There are only a few generals. Maybe it's more about personal friendship than official business." "Your Majesty is right." Cao Zhen was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Didn't Liu Ye say something like 'Shu is a small country, and Guan Yu is the only famous general'? Liu Bei only has less than two states in total. For a general like Guan Yu who is in charge of a state, it is indeed not enough to treat him only as an official matter. Private friendship is the most important." The Huai River at night was majestic yet quiet. Not far from the shore, the boat drifted slowly along the current toward the next port two miles away. Cao Rui leaned sideways and put his finger into the water, which immediately caused a splash. Cao Rui asked: "General, have you met Guan Yu? What kind of person is this Guan Yunchang?"
Cao Zhen said: "I have seen Guan Yu in Xudu in my early years. Putting aside his appearance and martial arts, the feeling Guan Yu gives can be described in one word, which is 'arrogance'." "Arrogant? General, please tell me in detail." Cao Rui was curious. Cao Zhen explained: "Guan Yu's arrogance is as if he looks down on everyone. Originally, all the generals in Xudu thought that he was just boasting about his military prowess and talent. In addition, Guan Yu was captured alive and brought to Xudu, so they always thought that Guan Yu was exaggerating." "But when Guan Yu was at the vanguard on Bai Ma, he rode his horse and stabbed Yan Liang in the crowd, and then cut off his head and returned. Not only were Yuan's army stunned, but even Zhang Liao was stunned on the battlefield that day." "Since then, after Guan Yu returned to Xudu, although he was still as arrogant as before, no one dared to look down on him anymore." "A few years later, Zhang Liao led his troops to attack the Wuhuan at Bailang Mountain. After he killed the Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun in battle, he returned to Yexia and asked everyone whether his record in the northern frontier was slightly better than Guan Yu's at Baima." Cao Rui still liked to listen to people telling stories. When Cao Zhen finished speaking, Cao Rui shook his head and said in a long voice: "Wei Qing opened the court, Zhang Liao opened up the land, the lieutenant Piao Yao, and the general captured prisoners." After a long while, Cao Zhen asked, "Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, do you know who this general captured is talking about?" Cao Rui said helplessly: "It's just a couplet. I used it to make up the number. Li Guang or Ma Wu will do." Cao Zhen said "oh" and tactfully didn't ask any more questions. Cao Rui changed the subject: "I have seen the resumes of many military commanders and counselors, and they are often inseparable from the Battle of Xiangfan in the 24th year of Jian'an. Cao Ren and Xu Huang are like this, as are Man Chong and Zhao Yan. How did Guan Yu become such a good fighter?" "I know he can fight, but I do wonder why he is so good at fighting. Guan Yu is from Bingzhou and Hebei. He has been with Liu Bei for many years, so it's okay that he can use cavalry. In addition to cavalry, he is also proficient in infantry and navy, guerrilla warfare, defense, and camping. Although there are flaws in the overall plan, such a general is indeed strange." This was not the first time that the emperor had stumped him tonight, and Cao Zhen was helpless. Cao Zhen had always believed that he was not a natural leader, but a steady person with many years of experience in the army. If I knew how Guan Yu trained to be this strong, wouldn't I be as strong as Guan Yu? Although Cao Zhen also considered himself a famous general of the time, when he mentioned Guan Yu who forced Cao Cao to move the capital less than ten years ago, he still felt that he was a level lower. Cao Zhen could only bow and say, "Your Majesty, I really don't know." The general said so, what else could the emperor Cao Rui say? He stretched his right hand over the side of the boat again, feeling the flowing river water flowing through his fingers. Cao Rui casually said, "General, I have always had a default assignment in mind for you and the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal will be stationed in the southeast, and the General will use Wu Yongliang. The General knows this, right?" Cao Zhen responded: "I am indeed not as good as the Grand Marshal in the affairs of the southeast. I am more familiar with the northwest." "Yes, this is the best use of talents." Cao Rui said: "Although I have previously let Zhang He supervise the military affairs of Yong and Liang states, if the war in Yong and Liang breaks out again, the general will still lead the central army to Yong and Liang to take charge."
Cao Zhen replied: "I know this, and it is my duty as a general." Cao Rui nodded and said, "But if you use troops against Shu Han, General Zhuge Liang must be treated with caution and not be careless at all." "We should even treat it as a great enemy that we have never encountered before." Cao Zhen smiled in confusion and said, "Your Majesty just won a great victory, why are you wary of Shu Han? No matter how good Zhuge Liang is at using troops, can he be as good as Guan Yu?" Cao Rui did not speak, but stared into Cao Zhen's eyes. After a moment, Cao Zhen asked, "Is he stronger than Guan Yu?" "I'm not sure about this, but looking at the world today, there are few people as capable of using military force as Zhuge Liang," Cao Rui responded. Although Cao Rui himself knew Prime Minister Zhuge Liang's "future" Northern Expedition achievements, he could not use things that had not happened to prove Zhuge Liang's strength. But Zhuge Liang's current achievements were enough to make people alert. "I have carefully checked. Zhuge Liang's achievements in entering Shu and pacifying Nanzhong are unmatched by any ordinary general." Cao Rui said, "Has the general studied this before?" "I know these two things, but I have always believed that Zhuge Liang was more of a minister who was good at governing the country than a general who was good at using military force, so I haven't done much research on Zhuge Liang's military achievements," Cao Zhen replied. The boat had already passed a pier. Two trusted Tiger Guards took turns rowing the boat, and a large group of Tiger Guard knights followed along the shore holding torches. Fortunately, there are many docks outside Shouchun City for military supplies. After this dock, there is another dock two miles downstream. Cao Rui said: "General, have you noticed that when Liu Bei was slow to capture Yizhou, it was Zhuge Liang who led Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun to go upstream along the Yangtze River and fought their way from Jingzhou to Chengdu with less than 10,000 troops?" "The year before last, Zhuge Liang personally led the army to pacify Nanzhong. He set out in the spring, quelled all the rebellions in the autumn, and returned to Chengdu in the winter. It is better to be cautious of such rapid deployment of troops." Cao Zhen cupped his hands and said, "I understand your majesty's intention." Cao Rui spoke a lot of words in a long-winded manner. Although Cao Zhen agreed on the surface, Cao Rui felt that he did not actually listen. But it doesn't matter. With me as the emperor supervising the final decision, I think everything will be safe. "General, the reason why I've been so obsessed with Liang Province recently is to deal with Shu Han." Cao Rui said, "Now Zhang He is the commander of the military affairs of Yongliang, Guo Huai is in Yongzhou, Liangzhou has sent Xiahou Ba, the son of Xiahou Yuan, and Sima Fu is sent to help Xiahou Ba handle civil affairs. Regarding the Yongliang Qiang people, I sent the newly surrendered Lu Xun." "General, you should also pay more attention to the affairs of Yongliang." Cao Zhen said: "I have fought against the rebellion in Liang Province before, so I know a lot about Yongliang. Yongliang has been in chaos for hundreds of years during the Han Dynasty. It is not easy to solve the Yongliang issue in a short time since our dynasty was first established." "During the Yongchu reign, the Liangzhou Qiang Rebellion lasted for 14 years, and the military expenditure was 24 billion coins. During the Yonghe reign, the Liangzhou Qiang Rebellion lasted for 7 years, and the military expenditure was 8 billion coins. During the reign of Emperor Huan, the Liangzhou Sanming Rebellion was quelled, and billion coins were spent." "Despite such a huge expenditure, things in Liangzhou are still in a state of decline." Cao Zhen sighed slightly and said, "Liangzhou is almost..." "Almost what?" Cao Rui asked. Cao Zhen said: "It hardly looks like Han territory anymore." Cao Rui pointed to the direction where the Huai River was flowing, and waved his sleeve across half the sky: "If that's the case, then we have to unify the world before we can slowly counterattack Liangzhou from the interior." "Didn't Ban Gu write the Book of Han? When I return to the court, I will order people to start drafting a book called The Book of the Later Han." "If someone writes the Book of Wei in the future, I will be the second emperor and will naturally be ranked first. If I can really destroy Wu in ten years and create a prosperous era with you, I hope that the general's ranking in the Book of Wei can be closer to me." The ministers in the history books are ranked according to their merits. In the history books, the closer one is to the emperor, the more meritorious one must be. As for the great merits of Wei, there is no doubt that they refer to the two countries of Wu and Shu. The boat was swaying, and Cao Zhen slowly stood up in the boat. As a minister, even if he was in such a high position, he didn't have many opportunities to have a heart-to-heart talk with the emperor.
Tonight, I am sailing on the Huai River, with the bright Milky Way above my head and the water flowing eastward below my boat. Cao Zhen then bowed deeply and said to the emperor, "I understand your majesty's painstaking efforts, and I am willing to always be your pioneer." Cao Rui raised his left hand and pressed it down in the air: "Sit down quickly. I will talk to you a few more words today." "Among the generals of the Cao and Xiahou clans, who else can I rely on except you and the Grand Marshal?" Cao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Xiahou Ru might be able to do it. Xiahou Ba is still a little bit behind and needs to gain more experience in Liang Province. Cao Tai is a good general, but if we want him to lead a region, we still need to observe him for a while." "I understand." Cao Rui nodded: "However, General, Zhao Bo is about the same age as me. What do you think of his future?" Zhaobo is Cao Zhen’s eldest son Cao Shuang, also known as Cao Zhaobo. (End of this chapter)