Although Cao Rui was indeed interested in the Qishan and Lucheng areas, he was still somewhat surprised by Yang Fu's enthusiastic attitude. "Yang Qing is right. I think so too." Cao Rui coughed lightly, "As for the specific choice, I still need to go there in person to make a decision." "Tomorrow the whole army will set out for Shanggui. I will celebrate the New Year with you in Shanggui City!" "Yes, Your Majesty." Sima Yi, Yang Fu, Chen Jiao and others saluted together. The next day, early in the morning of the 29th, Cao Rui personally led the few remaining cavalry in front and marched south. Qian Zhao led the remaining infantry and surrendered soldiers and marched slowly behind. As the emperor himself continued to move south, "good news" continued to arrive. Among the military reports, the one that surprised and impressed Cao Rui the most was what Lu Xun and Xiahou Ba had done in the west. "Sikong." Cao Rui rode his horse southward and waved to Sima Yi who was standing behind him. "What instructions does Your Majesty have?" Sima Yi asked with a bow. Cao Rui took a deep breath and said, "Sir, please take a look at this military report. Lu Xun promised the two counties of Wudu and Yinping, recruited 30,000 Qiang cavalry from Liangzhou, and persuaded Tang Yi's 10,000 men to leave outside Xiangwu City."
Sima Yi took the military report handed to him by the emperor, and as he read it, his brows gradually furrowed. After reading it carefully twice, Sima Yi looked up at the emperor. Their eyes met in the air, and there was some indescribable meaning in their expressions. It’s not that Lu Xun did anything wrong, but that Lu Xun did it too well, so well that it’s a little scary! Ever since Longxi County was besieged and Nangan County was occupied by the Shu army, neither Cao Rui nor Zhang He had received any news from Liang Province. As for Liangzhou, the emperor and his important ministers also reached a basic consensus on sending additional reinforcements to Longxi County. According to the situation in Liang Province, it seems that the reinforcements should be mainly composed of Hao Zhao's two thousand foreign troops and the county soldiers recruited by Xiahou Ba from Liang Province, supplemented by Lu Xun's Qiang volunteers. Who could have expected that Lu Xun would become the protagonist? Even the emperor himself, who had been in constant correspondence with Lu Xun and had discussed many arrangements regarding the Qiang people, did not expect that Lu Xun could gather so many Qiang people! The two looked at each other in silence for a few moments, and Sima Yi spoke to break the deadlock. "Your Majesty, as the imperially appointed commander of the Qiang Guard, Lu Xun's duty is to recruit Qiang people for combat and defense. Although the Wei Dynasty has never recruited Qiang people on such a large scale, Lu Xun did not exceed his authority if we look at the details." "It was this man who rescued Xiangwu from the west and forced the Shu army to retreat in Nan'an County. Moreover, this man was appointed by Your Majesty himself. He has made great contributions and no mistakes. Lu Xun should not be punished." Cao Rui was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Sikong, do you think I would be jealous of talented people? Lu Xun has done a good job in the west, and I don't have time to reward him, so how could I be on guard against him?" Sima Yi was also surprised: "I am short-sighted. I wonder what your majesty means?" "I was thinking about the many conditions that Lu Xun offered to the Qiang people." Cao Rui sighed softly, "Selecting officials from the Qiang people, recruiting volunteers, and treating them equally with ordinary people in Wei are also reasonable matters." "But what I am thinking about is that Lu Xun promised Wudu and Yinping to the Qiang people." Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "Lu Xun's original intention was good. He stimulated the Qiang people's desire for war, but he did not give away the land of Longyou casually. But after the battle of Lueyang, Zhuge Liang took the initiative to retreat. I am really unsure about how to take back the two counties of Wudu and Yinping." Sima Yi followed behind the emperor's horse, and the two of them chatted as they rode. When they reached this point, they fell into silence. Cao Rui also fell into deep thought, and so did Sima Yi. The sound of the wind blowing through the woods on both sides of the road became the background sound of the noisy march of the army. There were a few cirrus clouds dotted in the azure sky, and the mountains in the distance made the moving army of tens of thousands of people seem tiny. "I have some different ideas."
Sima Yi smacked his lips and said tentatively: "Your Majesty, can we look at this matter from another angle? Instead of starting from Lu Xun's promise, we can look at it from the perspective of the many Qiang people who have volunteered in Liangzhou?" Cao Rui nodded gently: "Sikong is always quick-witted, let me try to explain it." Sima Yi continued, "Before Lu Xun, Wei officials in Yong and Liang provinces had never recruited Qiang people to fight in battles, but before Huangchu, such things were common." "People like Wang Guo, Bian Zhang, Han Sui, and Ma Chao?" Cao Rui asked back. "Yes, it is these people." Sima Yi said: "Although from the current point of view, these people are all rebellious bandits. But they can easily gather the Qiang people one by one, which must be beneficial to the Qiang people." "But before the rebellion in Liang Province, Han Sui and Ma Chao promised nothing more than official positions and property. After just 10 or 20 years, do they really want to move to Wudu and Yinping?" Cao Rui replied, "Lu Xun is trying to lure the Qiang people, and the Qiang people are also testing Wei!" "That's exactly what I mean." Sima Yi replied, "The Great Wei has only been established for seven years, but the new dynasty is completely different from the Han Dynasty. These Qiang and Hu people are also unsure of the temperament of the Great Wei." "Luckily, Lu Xun fought well and encountered the retreat of the Shu army. Otherwise, if a tough battle really happened, it is unknown whether these Qiang people could fight for Wei." Cao Rui sneered: "So these Qiang people want to see if I am generous or not!" Sima Yi responded: "It should be like this." "Then I will be generous to them this time." Cao Rui said with a smile: "Let these people who are not even country bumpkins see the prestige of the court!" "What is your majesty doing?" Sima Yi was puzzled. Cao Rui glanced at Sima Yi and said, "You will know when you get to Shanggui! I will give these Qiang people an explanation!" Sima Yi had no choice but to agree and watched the emperor ride his horse to the front of the team, leaving him alone in the team and moving forward slowly. Your Majesty today and the late emperor have two completely opposite personalities. The late emperor was unusually magnanimous. He not only listened to the opinions of the ministers around him, but also often acted in accordance with their opinions. He was very receptive to good advice. But the current Majesty, who has been on the throne for only a year and a half, has personally led two military campaigns in Huainan and Longyou, and was on the verge of victory in both battles. With the military victory came the further consolidation of the emperor's power. General Cao Zhen had almost no say in major military strategies and became just a commander-in-chief leading the army to battle for the emperor. And he, the Sikong, together with Dong Zhao, Wei Zhen, Xin Pi and others, almost became the emperor's military advisers. If Your Majesty is undecided about something, you will choose the best opinion from your ministers. If Your Majesty is determined in his heart, it will not be changed in the slightest by the opinions of your ministers. Over the past year and a half, almost every major decision made by the emperor has been proven to be correct! When Emperor Wu was the King of Wei, he was not so centralized and wise! Sima Yi could only complain in his heart, but he didn't have the courage to speak out. After thinking about it, he could only sigh. Let’s go to Shanggui and see how Your Majesty will make and fulfill his promises to the Qiang people. …… On the evening of the 30th, Cao Rui and his 4,000 cavalry arrived at Shanggui, with Qian Zhao leading the infantry following behind, and they still had a day's journey to go. Anyway, we finally made it to the last two days of the year, so we can finally celebrate the New Year in Shanggui.
In addition to Cao Zhen, Guo Huai, Lu Pan, Hu Zun and others went out of the city five miles to welcome the imperial carriage and brought the emperor into the city. After praising Guo Huai and others for their perseverance, the emperor entered the county government office, where a banquet had already been set up. "General, I have no choice but to celebrate your success!" Cao Rui said to Cao Zhen while looking at him with a smile. Guo Huai and others who followed behind him changed their expressions instantly when they heard the emperor's words. They thought that the emperor was dissatisfied with the banquet held to welcome him because of the war. It was the first time that Guo Huai met the emperor, but Cao Zhen had been familiar with the emperor in Luoyang for a long time and knew that the current emperor was always casual and liked to make jokes. Cao Zhen smiled and responded beside him: "Thanks to your majesty's great blessing, except for Xixian and Qishan, the four counties in Longyou have been recovered. The soldiers are eagerly waiting to be judged for their merits. It is also their blessing to be able to have a feast with your majesty." "Hahahaha." Cao Rui laughed and said, "Great General, you are right! I have always been generous in rewarding those who fight well in battle. I think it will be a good thing to have a feast with the meritorious officials today." The county government office in Shanggui was not big, but it was enough to hold more than ten people for a banquet. The emperor sat at the top, so it was spacious, but the tables in the hall were crowded into two rows. Cao Rui's eyes turned and he found Lu Xun from the crowd following behind. "Bo Yan, come here." Cao Rui smiled and waved: "I saw you when I was outside the city, why are you always hiding behind? Don't you want to see me?" Lu Xun smiled awkwardly, bowed and saluted respectfully: "It is a great honor for me to see the emperor, but I have not led the army to fight, so I am naturally out of breath compared to the generals, so I can only hide behind." Cao Rui laughed in silence: "Why are you always so cautious? I know everything you have done. In my opinion, it is just like a military achievement!" "Bo Yan, this is your first time to have a feast with me, don't be restrained." Cao Rui instructed, turning to look at Cao Zhen: "Since the general has arranged the seats, let's prepare to sit down and have a feast!" Cao Zhen nodded in agreement, then directed the generals and ministers following him to take their seats. In other dynasties, after a battle had just ended and 10,000 soldiers had died, even though most of the lost territory had been recovered, there would probably not be any thought of having a banquet. But in this era, there are too many wars. Especially for the generals of Cao Wei, there is almost no year for leisure. There are wars every year, and even the softest heart is tempered into steel. The army suffered heavy casualties, so it was time to grieve. But after the grief, it was natural to celebrate the victory, and to celebrate it even more enthusiastically. This sense of open-mindedness caused by current affairs has always been passed down from Cao Cao, Cao Pi to generals and ministers during the era of Han-Wei transition. Wine and song, life geometry! For example, the morning dew has a lot of suffering. The short song written by Cao Cao in the past was improvised at a banquet after the war. This can be considered as an alternative background of the times. (End of this chapter)