Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Although it was night, there was still noise beside the Han army prime minister's tent.

Countless bonfires and torches dispelled the thick darkness of the night. The soldiers, clerks, and others in charge of various matters did not rest, but were still busy calculating the logistics of allocating food and fodder, or sorting out various trivial military affairs.

The strength of an army lies not only in the wisdom and courage of its officers and soldiers, but also in the unknown people who are in charge of military affairs.

Zhuge Liang walked in front with his hands behind his back, and Jiang Wan and Fei Yi followed closely behind him.

The three of them left the big tent, passed the gate, walked a few dozen steps to the left, and came to a small tent where archives and books were stored.

When the soldiers guarding on both sides of the tent saw Zhuge Liang coming in person, they made way for him and Zhuge Liang and his two companions followed him inside.

"The sinner Li Yan greets the Prime Minister." Li Yan stood up from the seat on the ground, slowly stood up, and bowed.

Zhuge Liang stood still and said in a calm and gentle voice: "We will be heading north tomorrow. I was delayed in assigning military tasks and was unable to meet Zhengfang earlier. Zhengfang has been rushing from Chengdu for more than ten days to get here. He should also have a good rest."

"Prime Minister," Li Yan lowered his eyebrows and looked at the ground, his voice gradually weakened: "I came here from Chengdu, only hoping to be of service to the Northern Expedition..."

"No need to say more." Zhuge Liang interrupted Li Yan and said loudly: "Didn't Zheng Fang tell the matter to the military officer She Wenxiong? Wenxiong reported the matter to me this afternoon, and I already know everything."

"Yes." Li Yan had no choice but to nod in response.

Zhuge Liang said: "Since your majesty has sent Zheng Fang here to assist in the Northern Expedition, I cannot go against your majesty's wishes."

"Please take a seat."

After saying that, Zhuge Liang walked to the table and sat down. Jiang Wan and Fei Yi looked at each other and sat down as well. Li Yan looked at the three of them and sat down as well.

Zhuge Liang looked at Li Yan, as if the fact that he had demoted him to a commoner had never happened. He calmly asked, as if he was talking to an old friend:
"What position does Zheng Fang want to hold? Leading troops in battle, assisting in military affairs, or assisting in logistics?"

Li Yan sighed, bowed, and then raised his head:

"I dare not ask for an official position, but I am willing to lead a hundred men and clear the way for the army. I will do whatever the Prime Minister commands."

Seeing Li Yan being so respectful and his words seemed to be full of sadness, Zhuge Liang also felt a little sentimental:

"Zheng Fang and I were born in the same year, and we are both fifty this year. We are both appointed as regents. If I really let you be the commander of a hundred men, and if anything goes wrong, how can I face the late emperor in the future?"

When Li Yan heard what Zhuge Liang said, he lowered his head and remained silent. He knelt on the spot and even started to sob.

Zhuge Liang said: "Since the sixth year of Jianxing, I have been training troops in Baishui to prepare for war. Each general has trained his troops for two years. The soldiers and generals know each other well and are like one body. They cannot be divided. It is also difficult to allocate troops for Zhengfang to lead at the moment."

"The court's laws are above all else. Without Chengdu's permission, I cannot appoint an official to a court position. How about you temporarily take up a military post in the prime minister's mansion?"

Li Yan's voice trembled a little: "The Prime Minister's kindness has exceeded my expectations. If the Prime Minister has any instructions, please tell me. I will never refuse even if it means death!"

Zhuge Liang stared at Li Yan for a few moments, chuckled, and shook his head:

"Zheng Fang, do you recognize Fei Yi, the military officer of the Xiangfu, Fei Wenwei?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "I have met General Fei. General Fei is a talented man, famous in Shu. Who doesn't know him? It's just that I haven't had the opportunity to make friends with him before."

Zhuge Liang said, "General Wei Wenchang is in the north. He will march westward to attack Wudu tomorrow. I have ordered Wen Wei to assist Wenchang's army at night. Zhengfang should also go with him. Do whatever you can."

Li Yan's eyes widened slightly, and he glanced left and right, not knowing what Zhuge Liang meant. Everyone knew that Wei Yan was the Sima of the Prime Minister's Office and Zhuge Liang's most trusted general. Was he going to assist him in military affairs, or was he going to use Wei Yan to kill him? ?
The arrow is on the string and has to be shot. The previous promise still lingers in Li Yan's mind, and he has no reason to refuse. He said solemnly:

"As long as the Prime Minister assigns it, I am willing to follow it! May I ask the Prime Minister, when will I and General Fei go north?"

Zhuge Liang said in a deep voice: "Let's go now. Go north at night. There are still thirty miles to go. We should not delay any longer."

"As you command..." Li Yan just acknowledged it and looked up at Zhuge Liang again: "Prime Minister, could you allow me to see Li Feng? I only have one son, he is a Zhonglang in the Prime Minister's Office, I miss him very much."

Before Zhuge Liang could speak, Jiang Wan suddenly stood up from the table, frowned and looked at Li Yan, with a hint of anger in his tone:

"The Prime Minister has forgiven your previous crimes and appointed you as a military officer. This is already a grace. How can you ask for more? The military order is above us. We cannot take care of father and son, so how can we allow you to see your son! You should go north with Officer Fei as soon as possible!"

Li Yan's chest heaved a few times, but he lowered his head and looked at the seats. He did not argue with Jiang Wan at all, just waiting for Zhuge Liang to speak.

Zhuge Liang sighed slightly and said, "Zhengfang's son is a Zhonglang in the prime minister's residence. He is now in Wujie Wu Ziyuan, supervising military rations, and is not here."

"Let's go ahead and do it."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Li Yan responded and said no more.

An incense stick later, Fei Yi, wearing leather armor and carrying Zhuge Liang's order in the bag on the side of the saddle, went north at night with Li Yan and eight elite cavalrymen, a total of ten riders.

Although it was dark at night, fortunately there was only one path, and Wei Yan was the vanguard and had repaired the road along the way, so there was no fear of getting lost.

After midnight, at 2:15 am, Fei Yi and ten other riders finally arrived at Wei Yan's camp. Under the guidance of the military officers, they came to Wei Yan's tent.

Wei Yan was fast asleep in the tent. The guards came in and quietly woke him up. After whispering a few words, Wei Yan woke up, put on a fur coat, and went outside the tent to greet him. As he walked, he said in a loud voice, "Wen Wei came here at night. Did you bring the Prime Minister's order?"

After Wei Yan saw Fei Yi, he looked at Li Yan beside him. His smile froze, and he frowned and looked him up and down for a few moments, then asked in a pretentious tone:
"Shouldn't Mr. Li be in Chengdu at this time? How did you get here with Wen Wei at night?"

Considering Li Yan's past identity, it was not excessive for Wei Yan to call him Lord Li. However, the term 'Lord Li' sounded more like a mockery to Li Yan at this moment.

"Greetings, General Wei. Your Majesty sent me to the Prime Minister's residence to perform my duties. The Prime Minister just ordered me to serve as a military officer..."

Li Yan lowered his head slightly in response, but before he could finish, Wei Yan came forward, held Fei Yi's arm, and asked Fei Yi to go in with him, as if he was unwilling to hear Li Yan finish his words.

Fei Yi smiled bitterly and followed Wei Yan into the tent. Li Yan hesitated for a moment and was about to follow, but was stopped by two elite guards standing outside the tent. An armored soldier on the left said in a deep voice:
"Mr. Li, there is no order from the general yet, please wait outside."

The two guards did not recognize Li Yan, but simply addressed him as their own general, just doing their job.

"This..." Li Yan was helpless for a moment, looking in the direction of Wei Yan and Li Yan, the two had already walked six or seven steps away, and had no intention of paying attention to him. With a long sigh in his heart, he could only shake his head silently and wait outside the tent.

Fei Yi was a man of shrewd thoughts and good words. He was the one who was most compatible with Wei Yan's temper among all the people in the prime minister's residence. Wei Yan often regarded him as a close friend, and in front of Fei Yi, Wei Yan did not hide anything.

"Wenwei, why is Li Yan here? What is your majesty doing in Chengdu, and what does the Prime Minister think?"

Fei Yi seemed somewhat helpless. He told Wei Yan everything he had seen and heard today without hiding anything. He even told him about how he and Jiang Wan suggested to execute him in secret.

Wei Yanji sat on the couch, looking at Fei Yi sitting next to him, his eyes rolled a few times, and asked with some speculation: "We have been fighting against the Wei thieves in the north for many years, but people like Li Yan have been sitting in the court, leaving a great reputation. Wenwei, do you think the Prime Minister wants me to kill this man?"

Fei Yi shrugged his shoulders and said, "The Prime Minister is very wise, how can I speculate? Wen Chang, I have told you exactly what the Prime Minister said to me, without leaving out a single detail."

Wei Yan was slightly suspicious and asked, "So the Prime Minister wants to use him?"

Fei Yi said, "He was originally a political enemy and has only been quiet for a few months. How could they use him so soon? Maybe the Prime Minister just threw him here with Wen Chang so that he could turn a blind eye to him."

"Well, it's nothing more than a matter of having one more mouth to feed." Wei Yan sighed softly, "Does the Prime Minister have any military orders?"

Fei Yi stroked his beard calmly, but did not mention the military order first. Instead, he talked about the Prime Minister's evaluation of the generals in the central army tent tonight:
"The Prime Minister evaluated the generals in front of all the officials and generals today. Wen Chang was the most meritorious general in the court, and he was ranked first. Wu Ziyuan was second, and then Wang Ping and Wang Zijun."

Wei Yan chuckled, a little complacent, and instead of talking about himself, he commented on Wu Yi and Wang Ping: "Wu Ziyuan is a relative of the emperor, and has led troops for many years, so it's no problem for him to be ranked second. Wang Ping can only defend but not attack, but he can be ranked third?"

Fei Yi said softly: "It can only be Wang Ping."

"Yes, although he is a bit rigid, he is better than Wu Ban and Chen Shi." Wei Yan said to himself.

Fei Yi said, "The Prime Minister has made it clear that we should follow the previous strategy and use the Wei army to win the battle in the field. Therefore, we need to send an important general to take Wudu first and lure Zhang He in Qishan to attack. After much thought, only Wen Chang can do this important task."

"The Prime Minister therefore ordered me to come to Wenchang's camp to announce the order, and I also followed Wenchang to Wudu in the west to assist in military affairs."

Wei Yan stroked his beard and replied, "The Prime Minister has given orders, and I shall obey them. Has the Prime Minister said when the money will be returned?"

"Assess the situation and do not sacrifice soldiers. Just bring Zhang He here. We need to see the specific military situation before the battle. The Prime Minister said: Wen Chang is the best among all the generals in terms of decisiveness and leading the troops in battle."

Wei Yan sighed, stood up straight, and bowed towards the south:

"The Prime Minister has placed me in a high position. I cannot repay him even a fraction of his power unless I die!"

Fei Yi also stood up and said nothing.

Wei Yan said, "It's getting late. Wen Wei must be tired after coming here at night. Just lie down on the same bed with me."

"Very good." Fei Yi nodded: "Master Wen, Li Zhengfang is still outside."

Wei Yan sneered: "If I don't place him there, will he still have nowhere to sleep?"

Fei Yi was a little helpless: "Wen Chang is the leader of the military camp. If you don't speak up, how can your subordinates place him? Don't be so irritable. It's just a matter of two words."

Wei Yan smiled and said, "Just look at Wen Wei's face."

After saying that, Wei Yan stood up and walked out. Fei Yi looked at Wei Yan's back and remained silent for a while.

……

The next morning, Cao Rui, dressed in tight clothes, and escorted by a thousand knights from Cao Shuang's Shesheng Camp, rode out of the south gate of Xuchang Palace, crossed half of the city, and arrived at the parade ground in the south of the city.

Guanqiu Jian's Zhongling Army Camp was ready and lined up here, waiting for the emperor's inspection. On the east side of the Zhongling Army Camp, 3,000 Xiongnu light cavalry also lined up.

However, the central army camp was in a solemn battle formation, no one was talking, only the neighing and panting of the horses could be heard. In contrast, the Xiongnu cavalry to the east seemed to be noisy.

According to the central army system, the cavalry were reviewed in units of 500 men each, lined up in a single row. With this arrangement, including the intervals, the east-west length of the array was only about three miles, which was convenient for the emperor to ride in front and inspect them from west to east.

Seeing the emperor's procession coming from the north, Guanqiu Jian jumped on his horse, reached out to take the helmet from the guard, put it on his head, tapped the horse's belly, and headed towards the emperor's feather canopy. (End of this chapter)