Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chen Zhi knelt in the center of the military tent, listening to Pei Jun's seemingly familiar conversation with the Emperor of Wei. He was dumbfounded and terrified.

What's surprising is that Pei Jun could so quickly consider himself a subject of Wei. What was the purpose of his direct request to be sent as an envoy before the emperor in Chengdu the day before yesterday?
What's truly alarming is how many people like Pei Jun are still in the court? Are the Han Dynasty's repeated defeats on the battlefield due to the overwhelming strength of the Wei forces, or are there serious internal problems within the Han court?
Chen Zhi knelt on the ground, and for a moment felt a little dizzy.

What can he do?

"Your Majesty," Pei Jun said after talking with the Wei Emperor for a long time, finally bringing up the matter of Liu Shan: "The reason why the Shu ruler sent me and Commandant Chen here is to discuss the matter of surrender. I have already informed the Shu ruler that the matter of surrender, both internally and externally, will be decided by the Great Wei. The person in charge just needs to wait for the assignment."

"The Shu ruler's mind is made up to surrender. I hope Your Majesty will not hesitate and will go south to accept the surrender. The army has already besieged Chengdu, and there will be no turning back."

Upon hearing Pei Jun's words, Chen Zhi, filled with shame and indignation, could only bow and add, "This humble subject and Lord Pei have come together on the orders of the Shu ruler. We beg Your Majesty to have mercy on the Shu ruler and allow him to continue the ancestral sacrifices so that they may not be cut off."

This was the meaning of requesting the State of Wei to bestow a title upon Liu Shan.

Pei Jun and Chen Zhi dared not look directly at the emperor, and their gazes also turned forward. The other officials in the tent also looked at the emperor.

Lu Xun glanced around, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Shu Kingdom is but a single city, easily obtained. The Shu ruler will surely be captured! Why should we use the titles and stipends of the Great Wei to support him?"

Li Yan, the Minister of Civil Affairs who had never had much of a presence in the court, spoke up at this moment: "Your Majesty, what Prince Lu said is absolutely right. The Shu Kingdom is about to be destroyed, so it is not advisable to grant titles to the Liu family, lest future generations use their name to cause chaos."

"The Sun family of Jiangdong has been exterminated, so how can the Liu family of Western Shu be spared? Your Majesty, please show the world the same order and do not let the traitors go unpunished."

Upon hearing Li Yan's words, Chen Zhi hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "The safety of the Shu ruler rests entirely on Your Majesty's decision. The Shu ruler is willing to surrender Chengdu, and hopes that Your Majesty will consider the fate of the soldiers, civilians, and treasury of Chengdu!"

“If we don’t listen to you, are you going to burn Chengdu down? Is this a threat?” Lu Xun questioned from the side.

Chen Zhi kowtowed repeatedly, blood streaming down his forehead: "This humble subject dares not! The Shu ruler absolutely dares not! I only beg Your Majesty for mercy! The Shu ruler will assist Your Majesty in persuading the remaining cities and generals of Yizhou to surrender, and will have no other intentions!"

Cao Rui knew Lu Xun's attitude. The topic of Shu was an absolutely safe zone for Lu Xun. As the person temporarily in charge of military affairs, his words carried weight.

Li Yan's actions stemmed purely from personal resentment. After the army captured Yang Yi, he learned that after he betrayed the Wei Kingdom, his son Li Feng and his clan were escorted from Chengdu to Nanzhong, where they died mysteriously along the way, leaving no trace of their remains.

Cao Rui tapped the armrest of the chair slowly with his knuckles. The sound was not loud, but to Pei Jun and Chen Zhi it sounded like a resounding bell, captivating and stirring their hearts.

Cao Rui finally spoke: "Liu Shan is very fortunate. When the country was about to perish, he still had two loyal ministers speaking up for him. One flattered me, and the other begged for my mercy."

"However, I will not decide Liu Shan's fate at this time. Such a major matter cannot be represented by either of you two. I want Liu Shan to come before me and tell me himself!"

……

The situation near Chengdu deteriorated rapidly.

After learning that Chengdu had sent envoys to the Wei army to negotiate surrender, the morale of the soldiers and civilians defending the northern capital, Xindu, collapsed, and Guo Huai tricked and coaxed them into opening the city gates.

Meanwhile, Guangdu on the south side fell under the fierce attack of the three kingdoms' armies under the command of Guanqiu Jian. Both Guo Huai and Guanqiu Jian knew that this might be the last battle they could fight in this campaign to destroy Shu, so they both exerted their utmost efforts.

The army marched south from Fuxian, a vast and imposing force, and it took twelve days to reach the vicinity of Chengdu. After capturing Xindu, Guo Huai emptied the city and built the best military tents for the emperor within his means.

By the time the army reached Xindu, forty li north of Chengdu, it was already March 10th.

Cao Rui also met Jiang Wei, who had come after hearing the news, in the new capital.

Jiang Wei walked steadily into the tent from outside, bowed and said, "Your subject Jiang Wei greets Your Majesty."

"Rise," Cao Rui waved his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jiang Wei cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the Shu ruler Liu Shan has been asking me for the past few days when he should leave the city to surrender. I have not yet replied that Your Majesty has not yet arrived here. Now that Your Majesty has arrived in the new capital, shouldn't you summon Liu Shan here?"

Cao Rui laughed and said, "It was I who quelled the rebellion. How could there be any reason for us to accept the surrender in the new capital? We should accept the surrender outside the gates of Chengdu!"

"However, since Boyue has arrived today, let's return to the outskirts of Chengdu after the meeting in Xindu. I have matters to discuss with my ministers, and you may also participate."

"As you command." Jiang Wei bowed and responded, glancing around before standing behind Privy Councilor Xu Shu.

The conversation hadn't ended, and Huang Quan, who had been interrupted, continued, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture:
"Your Majesty, now that the Shu Kingdom has been pacified, I believe that the three prefectures of Yizhou, Bazhou, and Ningzhou should be governed and managed by a Shangshu Tai, just as they were in the Jiangnan prefectures after the destruction of Wu. The court should also appoint generals to oversee the military affairs of these areas and suppress any disobedience."

Cao Rui nodded: "I have already appointed Deng Shizai as the governor of Ningzhou, and there are still two vacancies in Yizhou and Bazhou. Since we are here today, I will appoint these two vacancies together."

"Boyue," Cao Rui pointed at Jiang Wei, "This time you led the army to attack Chengdu on the southern route, marching over a thousand li and winning eight battles in eight consecutive victories, capturing eight cities in a row. It is truly a magnificent feat. You have served in the army for many years, and I intend to let you gain some experience in the prefectures and counties."

Cao Rui looked in Jiang Wei's direction and smiled, "Governor of Yizhou or Governor of Bazhou, which one would you like to choose?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Jiang Wei looked stunned and was speechless for a moment: "Your Majesty is of limited talent and learning... How can you be qualified for this task?"

Cao Rui laughed: "So what if you've never been a governor before? This is easy! You'll get the hang of it as you go. What's so difficult about it?"

“Boyue, look at the officials present today: Xu Shumi, Huang Pushe, Pei Shizhong, Cui Shizhong, Wang Shizhong, Li Shangshu… which one of them hasn’t served as a prefect? ​​There’s no need to worry too much.”

Jiang Wei's throat bobbed. It wasn't that he felt he lacked ability, but rather that he felt his age of around forty was somewhat too young, and it seemed a bit unreasonable. Moreover, he wondered how he could so easily choose the position of governor of a prefecture.
This is far too frivolous!

But then I thought, isn't this relaxed and composed demeanor the exclusive domain of the victor? Your Majesty should be this composed, this relaxed, and treat all official positions in the world as a joke. This is the true spirit of a sage ruler of the Great Wei!

Wasn't Emperor Gaozu of Han, as depicted in historical records, also such a figure? (End of Chapter)