Chapter 37 Strategic Stalemate Jiangxia, Wenpin, Xunyu, Xunshi... The late Emperor Cao Pi was already distancing himself from the Yingchuan gentry. Wouldn't the generals fighting in the war follow suit? Thinking of this, Cao Rui sighed: "I was just worried about the military situation at the front. I spoke out of turn." Cao Zhen didn't know what to say for a moment. Sima Yi, on the other hand, saw that the situation had fallen silent and was about to take the initiative to persuade them. Obviously, Sima Yi, who was as shrewd as a human, had discovered some details in the emperor's words that reflected the emperor's true inner thoughts. The emperor first mentioned that "Wen Pin flattered Xun Yu", and then went on to mention that "Wen Pin flattered the people of Yingchuan". If Sima Yi's guess was correct, the emperor had only met Xun Yu once, so there was no question of personal likes or dislikes. Wen Pin had been stationed in Jiangxia for many years, and as a general commanding troops on the front line, the emperor had no reason to dislike him. Then the only reasonable explanation is that the emperor had long disliked the scholars of Yingchuan. Was Chen Qun sent to Jingzhou because he was born in Yingchuan? The emperor seemed to hate the people of Yingchuan? Sima Yi silently took note of this matter in his heart. Sima Yi said: "Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty is worried about the frontline generals making friends with the powerful, but I think there is no need to worry too much at this time." Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and raised his eyebrows slightly. Sima Yi continued, "I think that Wen Pin has been stationed in Jiangxia for eighteen years. In fact, Wen Pin has been on the border for a long time and does not know much about the affairs of the court. Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. Wen Pin is far away from Luoyang and does not know Your Majesty well. He must be very worried."
"Now that the Imperial Censor has come to Jiangxia, and it happens to be a good opportunity to have some military achievements, Wen Pin does have the intention of trying to please Xun Yu, but the one Wen Pin actually wants to please is you, Your Majesty." Cao Rui was not used to hearing such pleasant words coming from Sima Yi. Perhaps Cao Rui himself did not realize that he was too nervous about the war on the front line. Friends who often travel through time know that the first war or battle after traveling through time is the most crucial. On the surface, Cao Rui felt that Sun Quan's invasion this time would be of no consequence according to the course of history. But deep down in my heart, I am worried a lot. Before Cao Rui looked at the archives, he felt that the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu were all equally weak, so he thought that he should just hold on steadily, develop and wait for the right time, and when he had enough troops and food, he could launch a powerful attack and unify the kingdom. But when Cao Rui read the military archives of the Wei State, he could describe it in four words: shocking. There was no other reason, the Wei State had suffered too many defeats. To be more precise, facing Shu Han and Eastern Wu, Wei State never won at the grand strategic level. This is not alarmist. Everyone knows that in the Battle of Red Cliffs in the 13th year of Jian'an, the Sun-Liu alliance defeated Cao's army. However, in the 13th, 18th, 19th and 21st years of Jian'an, Cao Cao crossed Chaohu Lake four times to attack Eastern Wu, but he always returned without success. Of course, this does not mean that Cao Cao has never won a battle, but from a strategic perspective, Cao Cao has never achieved any major strategic goals. Did Cao Cao ever win against Shu Han? Sorry, from an overall strategic point of view, it was still a lose-lose-lose situation. In the 24th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei led his army to attack Hanzhong. Xiahou Yuan was killed in battle by Liu Bei's veteran general Huang Zhong at Dingjun Mountain. Even though Cao Cao led his troops there later, he was unable to change the outcome. Also in the 24th year of Jian'an, Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan in the north, flooded seven armies, and shocked China. Cao Cao was even forced to think about moving the capital. Cao Cao died the next year, and Cao Pi came on the stage. How was Cao Pi's foreign war going? Unfortunately, there was no progress either. He attacked Wu three times, and retreated on his own initiative the first time, and did not even fight the second and third battles.
How was the war between Cao Pi and Shu Han? There was basically no war, and Cao Pi's seven years on the throne just passed by. Can any normal person, let alone the emperor, have any confidence after seeing such a poor record of Wei? I'm afraid we can only pray that the opponent is just as bad, and that we get stuck in a strategic stalemate and just keep surviving like this. Anyone in the Wei State can fantasize, Cao Zhen can fantasize, and Sima Yi can also fantasize. But Cao Rui couldn't do that. Not only because Cao Rui was the emperor, the success or failure of the country's military was related to his life and prestige. Moreover, he knew clearly that Zhuge Liang would not be content to stay in Shu and would continue to launch northern expeditions, each time with more fierce attacks than the last. Sun Quan would also continue to attack the north. Sun Quan also attempted to increase his prestige through a great victory and become emperor himself. This is very difficult to deal with. There is no way to just enjoy yourself. This is Cao Rui's biggest feeling now. If we summarize carefully, Cao Rui's cognition in the more than two months since he came to the Three Kingdoms can be divided into three stages. In the first stage, the mountain is seen as a mountain. There are thirteen states in the world, Cao Wei occupies nine states, and the remaining Yizhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou belong to Shu Han and Dongwu. Nine mines against four mines, the advantage is mine. Just stay defensive and wait for the flowers to bloom. In the second stage, the mountain is no longer a mountain. What is military? It is the external manifestation of politics! If you want to do politics well, you must establish a balance between the gentry and the royal family, regulate the Imperial Academy, and reduce power and procedures. In the third stage, the mountain is still a mountain. Political reforms and class transitions are all good things, of course. But we have to prioritize things. Did you see that Sun Quan has already attacked us? At the latest, Zhuge Liang also launched his first northern expedition the year after next! No one can immediately understand what he should do or figure out the priorities of national affairs when he becomes emperor. The same goes for Cao Rui. There is no system in his mind that will make a ding sound and plan the best route for him. Transfer Cao Xiu and Chen Qun away to balance the internal and external affairs and consolidate power. He reorganized the Imperial Academy, befriended Zhong Yao, and prevented the monopoly of talent training by the gentry. Deal with Sima Fu and Chen Jiao to ensure smooth implementation of the Secretariat's policies and avoid wrangling in the court. Completing these tasks in two months seemed good enough. But in reality, Cao Rui was still a long way from being able to just lie back and enjoy himself. When Cao Rui heard Sima Yi's words, he was a little confused for a moment. Did Sima Yi really think Wen Pin was kind-hearted, or did he want Cao Rui to stop being on guard against the Yingchuan gentry? Just as several people were discussing the battle situation on the front line, Zhong Yu walked slowly into the study holding a long scroll. Zhong Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the border defense map has been drawn according to your request." Cao Rui nodded and unfolded the long scroll on the table. The length and width of the scroll was about the length of a person's hands, and it was spread out on the table. The mountains, rivers, geography, border defenses and fortresses of the Wei Kingdom were all visible in it. After greeting Cao Zhen and Sima Yi, Zhong Yu stepped back and stood in the corner of the study waiting. Cao Rui waved his hand, signaling Cao Zhen and Sima Yi to come forward. One of them was a scholar, the other a warrior, not to mention that Sima Yi had special accomplishments in military strategy. "General, Lord Sima, this is the border defense map of the Great Wei that I ordered the Imperial Attendants and the Imperial Guards to create." "You two may as well go forward and take a look." (End of this chapter)