Chapter 45: Winning or Losing Two hundred years after Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, swore an oath by the Luo River, another emperor swore an oath by the Luo River here. The surging Luo River must be real. Since the emperor Cao Rui and his entourage returned to Luoyang, the news was sent from Luoyang to all the counties and armies the next day. The ministers in the court and the governors and generals in various places discussed it. Beigong, in the emperor's study. The Chief Secretary Liu Fang and the Chief Secretary Sun Zi, two important and confidential ministers of the Wei Dynasty, were reporting the discussions of the ministers to the emperor. The main focus of the discussion is whether or not it should be closed. Many officials thought that the king and duke should not be granted titles, and there were many reasons for their explanations. For example, a title of marquis would be enough, or at most a title of ten thousand households, or a few more would be enough. In short, they thought that the reward should be given, but not so much and so big. Some officials believed that "only the title and the position should not be given to others." They said that if the emperor conferred a title on a king with a different surname, it would bring disaster to the country and foster the ambitions of powerful officials. These people believed that the title should not have been conferred in the first place. Cao Rui leaned on the reclining chair in the study, listening to the summary report of Liu Fang and Sun Zi. The reclining chair was newly made by the emperor. These two confidential ministers were no longer surprised by the new gadgets that kept appearing around the emperor. Cao Rui said calmly, "Two secretaries, are there more people who agree or advise?"
Liu Fang bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, of course, most people agree. As for those who advise against it, most of them say that the title and reward are too much, and they hope that Your Majesty will be cautious." Cao Rui sighed softly: "These people still can't understand my painstaking efforts. Liu Zhongshu, Sun Zhongshu, what do you two think?" Liu Fang was silent for a moment and then replied, "In troubled times, we should use generous rewards. Without generous rewards, it may be difficult to motivate the ministers and noble families. Since the reign of Emperor Wu, Sun Quan has occupied Jiangdong and Liu Bei has occupied Yizhou. Shu Han and Dongwu have been divided for a long time. If it drags on, it may become a serious threat. It will be more difficult for our Great Wei to make progress." Sun Zi also had a similar attitude: "Your Majesty is wise. If your Majesty's arrangement for the kingship is followed, with three main generals and a minister in charge of logistics, if it can really be successful in ten years, then the four thrones will most likely fall to the four assistant ministers." "As for the Duke, many of the current important officials in the court are also expected to be granted the title of Duke. If the assistant ministers and important officials all give their full support, and the superiors follow suit and enforce the rules, then the officials and civilians below will be fine." After hearing this, Cao Rui leaned back in the recliner, nodded silently, and then began to think deeply. Liu Fang and Sun Zi also stood aside obediently and did not disturb the emperor's thoughts. Why did Cao Rui make a ten-year agreement? In fact, he took advantage of being a time traveler, with information gaps beyond this era. Cao Rui knew clearly that the next few years would be the most difficult years for the Cao Wei regime. Zhuge Liang of Shu Han repeatedly launched northern expeditions, Sun Quan won at Shiting and then proclaimed himself emperor, and the central army of Wei was exhausted from fighting in all directions. In the original history, even the credit for the Cao Wei regime's destruction of Shu Han was achieved by Deng Ai and Zhong Hui in the Sima Zhao era. The monarchs of the Cao family who were able to rule did not even live to see the demise of Shu Han! Not to mention the Eastern Wu, which was destroyed by the Jin Dynasty after the usurpation of the Wei Dynasty. Cao Rui could only take advantage of the fact that loyal ministers and good generals were still there to speed up his military plans. The most important military achievement is to be the first to climb the city walls. It is precisely because of the lure of titles and rewards that brave warriors would be the first to climb the city walls and risk their lives under the threat of arrows. If he wanted his officials to risk their lives to help Cao Rui conquer Wu, what kind of reward should he give? Make them marquises? Don't be ridiculous. Cao Pi had already made them marquises. All the officials who were prominent in the Wei Dynasty were marquises. When it came to Cao Rui, he could only be granted the title of king or duke. Some people were worried that the reward was too much. It was just a county or a few counties. This little fief would not have much impact. During the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, how many kings with the surname Liu had real power? The king's tutor and the prime minister were all appointed by the court! Even if we take a step back, a prefecture or several counties, even if they are real fiefs, are they less important than Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou, which are now ruled by the Eastern Wu and Shu Han? It's just like the candlelight compared to the bright moon. What's more, what about virtual fiefs? Cao Rui slowly got up from the recliner. Although the pure wooden recliner fits the curvature of the body, it is still a bit uncomfortable. It should be padded, preferably with a layer of leather on the outside. Cao Rui looked at the two secretaries who were in charge of confidential matters. Since Cao Pi came to power, Liu Fang and Sun Zi had been in charge of confidential matters. Many files were compiled by these two people before being handed over to the emperor. But in terms of information acquisition, except for the fact that the information from the School Affairs Office was not submitted by Liu Fang and Sun Zi, and the fact that military operations were summarized by the General's Office, the scope of Liu Fang and Sun Zi's knowledge of other state affairs, big or small, was almost the same as that of the emperor. Therefore, these two people can often resonate more with the emperor's thoughts. Seeing the emperor standing up, Sun Zi asked, "I have some doubts that I would like to ask Your Majesty."
Cao Rui said lightly: "It's okay, tell me about it." Sun Zi continued to ask: "Your Majesty, why is it Dongwu and not Shu Han? Shu Han is a small country with a small population, and Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang are foreigners to Yizhou after all." "From what I have seen, it seems easier to attack Shu Han than Wu. But your Majesty's oath at Luoshui points to Wu, which I do not understand." Cao Rui looked at Liu Fang and asked, "Does Secretary Liu also mean this?" Liu Fang responded solemnly: "I am indeed puzzled, but I speculate that it may be because the previous emperor never attacked Shu Han during his reign, and there are not many precedents to follow." Cao Rui shook his head slightly: "This is just one aspect." Cao Rui said: "I have discussed this matter with the general and Sima Fujun before, and we all agree that although Dongwu has a larger territory and more troops than Shuhan, it is still much easier to use troops against Dongwu than against Shuhan." Cao Rui looked at Liu Fang and said, "I want to ask you, why is Wei stronger than Shu Han? In what way?" Liu Fang thought for a moment and said: "We are strong in our large number of troops, in our food and fodder logistics, in our cavalry, and in our famous ministers and good generals." Cao Rui said, "Let me ask you again, without mentioning famous ministers and generals, if we go to war with Shu Han, where will the battlefield be?" Liu Fang had been in charge of confidential matters for many years and was quite familiar with the geography of mountains and rivers: "If we attack, the general will be in Hanzhong. If we defend, the general will be in Qishan." Cao Rui nodded: "That's it. If we attack Hanzhong, the road to Shu will be difficult, and the advantages of food and fodder logistics and cavalry will be useless. If the logistics are hindered, the military strength will naturally be limited." "What if we attack Dongwu? Although the advantage of cavalry will still be affected, Sun Quan dare not let Wei occupy the entire north of the Yangtze River. He will definitely fight me on land in the north of the Yangtze River." Liu Fang suddenly realized: "Your Majesty's intention is clear to me. Dongwu can use water transportation for logistics, and Wei can also use water transportation for logistics, so the military strength can be larger than Dongwu. The advantage of the navy lies in the boats, which is not as difficult as the Shu Road, which is difficult to make up for by manpower." Cao Rui said: "My opinion is that if we attack Hanzhong, the odds of winning and losing will be 30-70, with 3 wins and 7 losses. But if we attack Wu, the troops, logistics and navy can make up for it, so maybe we can win 60 and lose 40." There is another chapter~ issued at the same time (End of this chapter)