Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chapter 33: One Word One Question

Chen Qun raised his eyebrows, obviously very surprised by the emperor's appointment.

Cao Rui looked at Chen Qun, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, and Chen Jiao all looked at Chen Qun. Facing the gazes of everyone, Chen Qun hesitated for a second, and after confirming that he had heard correctly, he slowly stood up.

Chen Qun, who was nearly 60 years old, had slightly gray hair and beard. But when such a leader of the Yingchuan scholars from a noble family received the military appointment from the emperor, his solemn and resolute expression inexplicably revealed a sense of majesty.

Chen Qun bowed to Cao Rui solemnly and said, "Your Majesty has given me the order, and I will not fail your Majesty's trust. But I have one word and one question, and I hope your Majesty will reply."

Seeing Chen Qun's serious expression, Cao Rui also straightened the collar of his outer robe and said, "Mr. Chen, please speak."

Chen Qun said, "I have something to say. When Your Majesty first asked me and other ministers about attacking Wu, I said that I did not recommend using military force."

"I still say this now. I still do not recommend that Your Majesty use military force against Wu. Wu has attacked us. After I go to Jingzhou, I will guard the border for Your Majesty. Going south to attack is neither my wish nor my ability."

Cao Rui asked: "What will you do after you arrive in Jingzhou?"

Chen Qun thought for a moment and said, "Wen Pin has been guarding Jiangxia for nearly 20 years. No one in the world is more familiar with the local cities, geography, mountains and rivers of Jiangxia than Wen Pin. It is enough for Jiangxia to have Wen Pin. I should go to Xiangyang."

Cao Rui nodded: "That's right, I have the same idea."

"I think that Sun Quan's possession of Jiangnan is all due to his navy, and he dared to cross the river to attack Jiangxia just to catch them off guard."

"Now that the Wu army's movements have been discovered by Wen Pin, the two armies must be in a stalemate. There is nothing to worry about in the short term."

Chen Qun agreed: "Your Majesty, I know that Jiangxia County of Wei and Wuchang of Wu are across the river. After Sun Quan proclaimed himself king, the central army of Wu was stationed in Wuchang."

"Now, only Xiangyang City is on the south bank of the Han River. Sun Quan's attack on Jiangxia is probably intended to attract troops and then divide them to attack Xiangyang, thus achieving the goal of occupying the south bank of the Han River."

Cao Rui sighed and said, "Could it be possible that the descendants of Taiqiu Gong have such military talent?" Taiqiu Gong refers to Chen Qun's grandfather, Chen Shi of Yingchuan, who was famous throughout the world in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Although Chen Qun's insights on military strategy made Cao Rui somewhat emotional, in fact, the scholar group, or narrowing the scope to the Yingchuan scholars, were often able to fight with the army.

Xun You, Cao Cao's former military advisor, was particularly good at finding opportunities for battle between the two camps. Zhong Yao of Yingchuan also led the generals of Guanxi many times.

In the Three Kingdoms or the late Han Dynasty, scholars could be civil servants or soldiers, and there was no obvious gap. On the contrary, it was much more difficult for the sons of generals who had served in the army for generations to become civil servants.

The 23-year-old emperor could not help but seem a bit arrogant when he mentioned his grandfather to an old regent who was nearly 60 years old.

Cao Rui saw Chen Qun looking at him with a slightly strange look, so he explained, "I have no other intentions. It's just that at four o'clock today, after receiving the military report in the palace, I had a few words with Chen Tai, the captain of the Wuwei Camp who was on duty in the palace tonight. Chen Tai also had some thoughts on Wu's military affairs."

Now it was Chen Qun's turn to be surprised.

Seeing that the emperor mentioned his son, Chen Qun immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, how can a captain like him be allowed to comment on the military affairs of the country? I will definitely punish him when I get home."

Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I asked him. When Chen Qing goes to Xiangyang this time, take Chen Tai with you and let him serve as a military officer in your shogunate."

Chen Qun bowed and said, "I thank your majesty for your grace on behalf of my son. I am going to Xiangyang this time, and I do not intend to take the central army with me."

The Central Army of Cao Wei, or the Central Army, often accompanied Cao Cao and Cao Pi in their campaigns. If Chen Qun did not bring the Central Army with him, he would have to rely on the Border Army and the soldiers from the counties of Jingzhou.

Cao Rui asked in confusion, "Chen Qing, are you not going to lead the central army to support the battle? I wanted to send Zhang He to go to Jingzhou with you."

Chen Qun replied: "Whether Sun Quan attacks Xiangyang or Jiangxia, I think the border troops and the state and county troops are sufficient for defense."

"When the late emperor was alive, whether it was suppressing the rebellion in Liang Province or the three attacks on Wu, the Central Army was deployed every time, and each time it traveled thousands of miles, which was very costly and caused many casualties." "The Central Army should be stationed in Luozhong to control the world. I hope Your Majesty will consider my opinion."

Cao Rui was unsure for a moment and looked at Cao Zhen, who had participated in many battles in Jingzhou. He said, "I am a little unsure. Do you think it is feasible?"

Zhang He had been on the western front for a long time and was an old subordinate of Cao Zhen.

If Chen Qun went to Jingzhou only to defend, then there was really nothing to worry about, and Cao Zhen did not want to give Zhang He and his troops to Chen Qun.

Cao Zhen replied: "If we only talk about defense, I think it is feasible. Among all the places along the border, Xiangyang is the closest to Luoyang, so it is still possible to make temporary arrangements."

Seeing that Cao Zhen, a royal family general, nodded, Cao Rui did not think twice and said, "Just follow what Mr. Chen says."

Chen Qun said, "Your Majesty, I have one more question that I haven't asked yet. Will Sun Quan's invasion change your strategy of recuperating?"

Chen Qun's trip to Jingzhou this time would focus on defense. But Chen Qun was also worried that Sun Quan's invasion this time would anger the emperor and change the previously agreed strategy of letting Wei recuperate.

Cao Rui said firmly: "No! Restoring national strength is our top priority. Sun Quan's invasion will not change my attitude."

Chen Qun nodded and said, "In that case, please let your majesty know about the victory we have won over the Wu army."

When Chen Qun mentioned the good news, he was not bragging about his certain victory. It was just that the State of Wei had fought too many foreign wars, and it was an old tradition to brag before leaving. No one wanted to say discouraging words.

In fact, Cao Rui had been thinking about the appointment of Chen Qun for two months.

Cao Wei's power structure was actually very distorted.

Take the Eastern Han Dynasty as an example. The highest power in the Eastern Han Dynasty was in the hands of the emperor. Below the emperor, there were three factions: relatives of the emperor, scholars, and eunuchs.

If we go by the assumption, the three forces in the court should be like playing Landlord. Whichever force comes to the fore, the remaining two forces should unite to achieve a balance of power.

But this is not the case. During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling at the end of the Han Dynasty, even the combined efforts of the imperial relatives and eunuchs were unable to suppress the scholars' attempts to seize power.

In desperation, the emperor, as the arbitrator, could only take action and twice launched the Party and Faction Ban. The emperor's orders prohibited some scholars from holding office, thus maintaining a delicate balance.

However, He Jin, the great general during the reign of Emperor Ling, was deceived by a group of scholars including Yuan Shao despite being a relative of the emperor. This marked the beginning of the chaos in the country.

The power of Cao Wei was more distorted than that of the Eastern Han Dynasty, with only two groups in its power structure: the Qiaopei warriors and the Ruying scholars. The royal family of Cao and Xiahou also belonged to the Qiaopei warrior group.

The Eastern Han Dynasty's structure of two against one to check and balance the gentry turned into one against one.

Among the Cao clan's relatives and generals, there were only two generals, Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen, from the second generation of the clan who were worthy of being used, and the clan was in a period of transition.

On the other hand, the scholars? Famous officials emerged in large numbers, and family traditions were passed down, emerging one after another like leeks.

In the original timeline, it was a group of scholars led by Sima Yi who suppressed the foolish Cao Shuang through a coup and successfully usurped power.

Cao Rui certainly understood that the gentry needed checks and balances. But when the country needed people, who else could it use if not gentry?
Even if we take a step back, if we must cultivate a military commander who is good at military affairs from among the scholars.

Isn't it much safer to train Chen Qun, who is nearly sixty years old and whose ancestors have better moral character, than to use Sima Yi, who is in his forties?

(End of this chapter)