Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chapter 43: The Water
The autumn wind blew across the emperor and ministers on the banks of the Luo River, while the Luo River beside them continued to flow forward as it has for thousands of years.

The sun is above, bright and clear. The Luo River is beside, surging and flowing.

Me? The emperor asked me how was Emperor Guangwu's oath?

When Sima Yi saw the emperor asking him, he was a little confused for a moment.

Sima Yi had been observing the emperor for several months, but the results of his observations made him increasingly confused about the 23-year-old emperor.

The emperor's words and actions were frivolous, he never concealed his emotions, and he often did not care about anything.

However, the emperor never acted recklessly in state affairs. His orders and actions were often described as benevolent. He did not enjoy excessive personal pleasures, and he only had one concubine in the harem.

The emperor was autocratic and all personnel appointments and dismissals were decided by his single word. He would simply praise his ministers for their advice and would basically not listen to them.

But the emperor never used people indiscriminately. He would give important positions to capable ministers, while giving harmless and idle positions to mediocre relatives and friends.

What kind of person is the current emperor Cao Rui? From Sima Yi's perspective, it is still difficult to evaluate.

The only thing that is certain is that the emperor shows signs of becoming a wise ruler, and his words and actions are difficult to figure out.

Faced with such an emperor, Sima Yi naturally needed to be extremely cautious when asked about the Luoshui Oath at Luoshui.

Sima Yi pondered for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I think Emperor Guangwu's oath at Luoshui was the result of the long-term siege of Luoyang. He gave up Zhu Yu's personal vengeance in exchange for a quick pacification of the world. Sending Cen Peng as an envoy and swearing at Luoshui were all moves to appease Zhu Yu."

Sima Yi looked at the emperor's face as he spoke. Cao Rui had no special expression on his face, and even nodded as Sima Yi continued to speak.

"Only considering the benefits, not the moral character." This is Cao Rui's evaluation of Sima Yi's words.

Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhen again: "What do you think, General?"

Cao Zhen's tone was straightforward: "It's just a life and a few official positions. I'll give it to you. It's better than the death of tens of thousands of soldiers in a long siege."

"A mere warrior is not qualified to have a heart-to-heart talk." Although Cao Rui nodded on the surface, he was still quite helpless in his heart.

Seeing that the two regent ministers present had spoken, Cao Rui looked at the officials present.

Cao Rui smiled and said, "Although there is no wine in the Luo River today, it does not prevent me from discussing ancient history with you. What do you think?"

The duty of the Shizhong was to serve the emperor and be available for consultation. Seeing the emperor asking, several Shizhong were eager to try. Liu Ye, who was the fastest to act, was about to raise his hand.

Cao Rui obviously saw Liu Ye's quick action, but he still raised his hand and pointed at Yueqi Captain Guanqiu Jian: "Zhonggong, you tell me."

Everyone looked at Guanqiu Jian after hearing this. Before the emperor ascended the throne, he lived in seclusion and was not very familiar with the ministers. Moreover, Guanqiu Jian was only a literary official, and had no sense of existence among the bigwigs in the court.

Guanqiu Jian, who was standing at the back, was not afraid when the emperor called his name. He took two quick steps and stood beside Sima Yi.

After paying his respects, Guanqiu Jian replied, "I think there is a saying in the book, 'If you treat me like a great man, I will repay you like a great man.' Emperor Guangwu gave up his personal grudges and gave Zhu Yu a good position. Zhu Yu followed the trend and opened the city to serve the wise ruler. This is a good story." 'He can distinguish between gratitude and resentment. He is a trustworthy person.' Cao Rui nodded and made a secret evaluation in his heart.

Cao Rui pointed at Cao Shuang, who had just stood with Guanqiu Jian, and said with a smile: "You important officials of the country should wait for a while and let the young people speak first."

Cao Shuang also walked forward and stood behind his father Cao Zhen. After glancing at Cao Zhen, he bowed and said.

Cao Shuang said: "I think that Emperor Guangwu was a benevolent man who forgave Zhu Yu's previous hatred without considering personal grudges. Zhu Yu was lucky to be able to follow a wise ruler in troubled times and to be granted a title of nobility afterwards."

Cao Rui smiled and nodded, and quickly made a judgment in his mind: "He is a conservative person and is not fit for important tasks. He is exactly the same as the impression I have always had."

No ministers asked to speak. First, Sima Yi and Cao Zhen, then two young ministers, Guanqiu Jian and Cao Shuang. The emperor pointed at the four people, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that the emperor did not seem to be asking questions sincerely, but was referring to something else.

Cao Rui saw that all the ministers were looking at him, and he chuckled and said, "Just now, two assistant ministers, two young ministers of the same age as me, faced the Luo River and expressed their thoughts on the Guangwu oath."

"So what do I think? I think differently from them. I think about Emperor Guangwu's honesty."

No one interrupted, and the two thousand cavalrymen behind him had already lined up in formation. On the banks of the Luo River, there was only the sound of water and wind.

Cao Rui said slowly: "I read in history books that Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty appointed Yong Chi as a marquis to appease the hearts of the meritorious officials in the early Han Dynasty. What does this mean? It is to tell all the officials that my enemies have been made marquises, so what do you who have made contributions have to worry about?"

"The same thing happened to Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty. It was just a case of Zhu Yu, so he was pardoned. Emperor Guangwu swore by the Luo River to treat Zhu Yu well. If the enemy who killed his brother could be forgiven and given an official title, why should the officials who served Emperor Guangwu worry about not getting rewards?"

"The oath that Guangwu swore by the Luo River was not only to Zhu Yu, but also to the people of the world. Anyone who helps me can discuss past grudges. This is the greatest honesty."

Cao Rui took two steps forward and said, "So today, I am here, taking advantage of this autumn day and the Luo River, and I want to be honest with you all."

Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye who was about to speak: "Liu Shizhong, you are a man of wisdom and strategy. I want to ask you, what is the reason for the endless fighting in the world today?"

Liu Ye was always quick-witted. He was not afraid of the emperor's name. He immediately raised his head and responded, "Your Highness Liu Ye believes that the world is suffering from endless fighting. It started from the chaos of the people during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling. In addition, heroes and bandits rose up everywhere, which led to the depletion of national strength and unrest in the country."

"Now, the border between our Great Wei and Shu Han and Eastern Wu is a land of beautiful mountains and rivers. It is difficult to attack but easy to defend. This is why it is difficult to quell the rebellion."

Cao Rui nodded and said, "Well said! Minister Liu, I have another question for you. Since it is difficult to attack but easy to defend, why do the two countries of Wu and Shu still repeatedly invade the borders of our Great Wei?"

Liu Ye answered immediately without hesitation: "It is because my Great Wei is strong! The weather and people are all on our side, while Wu and Shu only have the advantage of the land, and the two countries are also usurping the throne and ruling one side. If they don't attack my Great Wei and don't use force to strengthen themselves, how can Wu and Shu establish their own countries?"

Cao Rui sighed and said, "That's the truth! I know that among you, in Luoyang City, in the various armies and counties, there are countless people who think that the Wei Dynasty is strong and time is on our side."

"What I want to tell you is that the Great Wei really can't wait any longer."

There is one more chapter before twelve o'clock

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(End of this chapter)