Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chapter 692 Night Outing
"Man Qing, do you want to attack first?" Cao Rui slowly turned his head to look at Man Chong.

All eyes in the hall were simultaneously fixed on Man Chong. The war against Wu was a national war, with as many as six armies advancing from west to east, and as many as 250,000 soldiers. If the laborers and officials transporting grain and military supplies in the rear prefectures and counties, as well as the people from the front prefectures who were conscripted by the imperial army, were included, the army could be called a million-strong force.

In such a serious matter, deciding which unit to attack first and which to attack later is not only a military issue, but also a political one.

“Indeed.” Man Chong cupped his hands in response: “Your Majesty, General Wen has already estimated the possible situation in Wu next year during his trip.”

“If Wu’s army continues to march at the same pace as it did this year, I believe that 60,000 troops can at least draw away an equal number of Wu’s troops.” Man Chong became more and more excited as he spoke, and even stood up, walked to the map hanging in the hall, stretched out his right hand, and began to tap the map forcefully with his knuckles.

Placing maps of the Great Wei Dynasty in the offices of local officials had become a common practice during the Taihe era.

Man Chong didn't pause for a moment. Seeing everyone's attention focused on him, he said with certainty, "Your Majesty, General, everyone, according to the military intelligence Zhong Ruo has gathered, there are at least 30,000 Wu troops near Jiangling. Boyue has been patrolling the vicinity of Xiling for over a month, and Bu Zhi's troops there have not been mobilized. Therefore, the troops heading to Jiangling must be the Wu troops from Changsha and Wuchang."

"If the Wuchang army moves, in order to maintain the balance of military power of Wu along the river, Sun Quan himself will definitely move the troops stationed near Jianye in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to Wuchang. They can advance upstream to Jiangling and Xiling, or retreat downstream for several days to reach Jianye. For Sun Quan, this is a win-win situation."

Undoubtedly, the intelligence on Wu army troop deployment brought back by Wen Qin after his return greatly inspired Man Chong. Upon hearing Man Chong's words, Cao Rui did not linger and went straight to the map.

Cao Zhen followed closely behind, followed by four attendants, and then everyone else moved closer.

Cao Rui frowned and asked, "I understand what you mean, Manqing. In the eighth year of Taihe, Wei attacked Jiangling. If they attack again next year, Sun Quan might develop this fixed mindset and send reinforcements to Jingzhou more quickly. Is it right that you want to wait until Manqing is locked in a stalemate with the Wu army in Jingzhou before the main force breaks through from Yangzhou?"

"That is exactly what I meant."

“I think this is not advisable,” Cao Zhen said, “Your Majesty, the Great Wei has mobilized 250,000 troops this time, which is more than the enemy’s in every direction. Why make such a deployment? What if Sun Quan responds? What if he doesn’t? If Sun Quan is allowed to concentrate his forces in Jingzhou, what if something goes wrong in Jingzhou?”

Man Chong responded without hesitation: "If Jingzhou goes wrong, then so be it! Even if I cannot lead the army to capture Jiangling, the key to the years of war between Wei and Wu lies in Yangzhou, not Jingzhou. If Ruxu falls, Wu's rule in Jingzhou and Yangzhou will come to an end, and its defeat will only be a matter of time!"

“Your Majesty,” Man Chong turned to Cao Rui earnestly, “I am willing to act as a decoy to lure the enemy in Jingzhou. I beg Your Majesty’s permission!”

Cao Rui said earnestly, "There is much preparation to be done, but Manqing's words have given me a good idea. Since this matter was raised in Fancheng, I will also be in Fancheng to work with you to resolve it."

"The six-pronged attack on Wu, as Manqing just mentioned, is actually a feint to the east while attacking the west. Where Wu has troops, where they are being deployed, what signs are there, the marching time between each two garrison locations, and the time difference between their return—these are actually just some mathematical problems."

Cao Rui looked around and said, "The General is here, as are Man Qing and Xin Qing, and the four cabinet ministers. I will give you ten days to study this matter carefully, and then submit it to me for review. In short, the goal is to mobilize Sun Quan. Even if he has ships and can transport troops along the river, we must make him unable to advance or retreat!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" the crowd responded in unison.

That's how the emperor's orders are; they often come very quickly, giving the officials no time to refuse. Cao Rui thought this was the right thing to do, so he ordered it to be done. The reasoning was that simple.

That night.

Cao Rui's inspection tour has lasted for over a month. It must be said, Shouchun is indeed a place blessed with good fortune.

In early January, Consort Sun Luban became pregnant again. In mid-March, a messenger from Shouchun reported that Consort Mao Yan was also pregnant.

These things are unpredictable; there's no definite probability to calculate. Cao Rui has spent many nights at Guo Yao's place, but for some reason, there's been no news from her side.

In the middle of the night, Cao Rui lay alone on his couch, the increasingly warm weather making him inexplicably irritable. He summoned Zhao Jie, who was waiting outside, to bring him an outer robe. Cao Rui pushed open the door and looked at the Tiger Guards of the Central Army waiting outside.

Emperors have always treated their guards as if they didn't exist. But when His Majesty pushed open the door and came out, the armored soldiers stood up straight, trying their best to leave a good impression on the emperor.

Unexpectedly, the emperor spoke up today.

"Hu Kai, which commander is on night duty tonight?" Cao Rui asked, looking at the centurion guarding the door.

Hu Kai clasped his hands in response: "Your Majesty, it is Lieutenant Jiang's turn to be on night duty tonight. General Guanqiu personally gave me the order and handed over the night duty token to Lieutenant Jiang."

Cao Rui nodded slightly and said, "Go and summon Boyue for me."

"Yes, sir." Hu Kai jogged out and found Jiang Wei at the gate outside the courtyard, then brought him over.

“Boyue has just returned today and is already on night duty for me.” Cao Rui gently shook his head: “Boyue, you don’t need to work so hard.”

Jiang Wei bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, I have been away from you for a long time. It is my duty to stand guard for you today. I hope Your Majesty will not take offense."

"How could I possibly blame you?" Cao Rui shook his head slightly. "Let's go, come with me for a walk."

"Your Majesty is going out? May I ask where Your Majesty is going so that I may send someone to escort you in advance?"

"Let's go to the Han River," Cao Rui said. "As for the guards, a hundred riders will suffice. It's late at night, and I'm traveling in high spirits, so I don't expect any accidents."

"As you command." Jiang Wei thought for a moment and realized it was no problem.

A hundred light cavalrymen guarded him on either side, but Cao Rui only ordered them to keep a distance so that the torchlight would not interfere with his enjoyment of the night view.

Cao Rui and Jiang Wei walked along the riverbank one after the other. Cao Rui asked, "Boyue, this is your first time leading 5,000 troops. Are you adapting well?"

Such an experience of accompanying the emperor on a night tour was extremely rare, and Jiang Wei dared not be negligent in the slightest, quickly replying, "Your Majesty, I am quite comfortable with it. This time, when the army was dispatched, General Wen ordered me to lead five thousand Hu cavalry to patrol the Xiling area alone, and I also discovered a lot of enemy information, and did not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations."

(End of this chapter)