Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chapter 9 Dangtu Gaoye
Eastern Wu, Jianye, Prince Wu’s Palace.

The temperature in Jiangdong was three times hotter than in Luoyang. Even on such a hot summer afternoon, Sun Quan, the King of Wu, was still practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.

Even though Sun Quan's talent in swordsmanship was average, after decades of practice, his swordsmanship still surpassed most people, and this was one of Sun Quan's philosophies of life.

Zhuge Jin hurriedly walked from the outside of the courtyard to Sun Quan. The guards of the palace did not stop this left general of the Eastern Wu and a favorite of the King of Wu.

Sun Quan noticed Zhuge Jin's arrival, but he did not stop immediately. Instead, he waited until the last two sword moves were over before slowly standing still. He put the sword on the sword rack and looked back at Zhuge Jin standing beside him.

Zhuge Jin also knew his master's temper, so he stood aside patiently, waiting for Sun Quan's questions.

A maidservant handed over a silk scarf. Sun Quan wiped the sweat off his face and asked casually, "Is Ziyu here? Why are you walking so fast?"

Zhuge Jin handed over the document in his hand: "Your Majesty, the spy reported. Emperor Cao Pi of Wei has died, and his eldest son Cao Rui has succeeded to the throne. Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, and Sima Yi are assisting in the administration."

Sun Quan did not say anything and without any hesitation, he grabbed the document from Zhuge Jin's hand and opened it to read.

After a moment, Sun Quan asked, "Is this true or false?"

Zhuge Jin took a deep breath and said, "How can a king of a country fake his death? If Wei really uses this as bait, then Cao Pi will be no different from being truly dead."

Sun Quan nodded and continued to ask: "When did my Wu spy know about this?"

Zhuge Jin replied, "After Cao Rui ascended the throne, the envoys arrived in Lujiang three days later, and the news reached Jianye three days later."

Sun Quan nodded and said, "Ziyu, Wei has just lost a great loss. What do you think of this?"

Zhuge Jin was silent for a moment: "Your Majesty, I never thought that Cao Pi would die so early."

Sun Quan also sighed. Wei and Wu had been enemies for many years, and Sun Quan had been canonized as the King of Wei and Wu by Cao Pi, which was an indelible shame for Sun Quan. But at this time, Sun Quan felt a little sad.

"If I remember correctly, Cao Pi is five years younger than me."

"Why did he die so early? Did he die of illness or was he murdered by someone?"

Zhuge Jin replied, "The Lord of Wei has been on the throne for six years and is in his prime. The people who fought for the throne all hold high positions, and the royal family and ministers have their own duties. I have never heard of any major discord within the Wei court."

"I guess Cao Pi died of illness."

Sun Quan nodded and said, "I think so too. Summon all the ministers to the palace to discuss the matter."

Zhuge Jin bowed and accepted the order, then turned and walked out of the courtyard to arrange for the guards to notify.

Sun Quan was the only one left in the yard. After pacing for a while, he picked up the sword he had just put down and rubbed the hilt repeatedly with his hand.

……

In the meeting hall of Prince Wu’s Palace.

Zhuge Jin stood at the front of the stairs and informed the officials of Jiangdong that Emperor Cao Pi of Wei was dead.

After a moment's silence, the ministers' discussion immediately became noisy, with all kinds of words being heard.

"It's good that Cao Pi died! The Wei Emperor died so early, it's God's blessing for Jiangdong!"

"The Cao Rui who ascended the throne of Wei is just a child. Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard in the Northern Expedition. The children of Wei will surely be terrified at the news!"

"This is a great joyous event for Jiangdong!"

There were all kinds of discussions below the steps, and the voices of generals requesting to fight rose one after another, as if if Cao Pi died half of Cao Wei would also die, and as if everyone could beat Zhang Liao up.

"Silence!" Gu Yong, the prime minister of the Eastern Wu, turned around and glanced at the ministers coldly. The ministers lowered their heads and dared not say anything. As the second prime minister of the Eastern Wu, Gu Yong's job was to enforce discipline in the court.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say." Gu Yong turned around and saluted Sun Quan. "Prime Minister, please speak." Sun Quan responded expressionlessly.

Gu Yong said slowly: "I think the death of the Lord of Wei will benefit our Wu Kingdom and not harm it."

"War is a matter of great importance to a country and should not be taken lightly. Although Cao Pi is dead, the front line of Cao Wei will not lose a few cities or thousands of soldiers because of this."

"I think we should order all the generals to defend strictly. We in Jiangdong should guard the line carefully and wait for the right time."

Zhuge Jin also bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Wei is in mourning and I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to send troops for a few years. It's time for our Kingdom of Wu to recuperate."

The generals below started to make a noise: "How long will we rest and recuperate? We even defeated Cao Cao at Red Cliff. What's there to be afraid of Cao Cao's grandson now?"

Sun Quan glanced at Zhuge Jin, then at Gu Yong. The two trusted ministers instantly understood what their master meant.

Then Sun Quan stood up, put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and said to his ministers:
"Well said! The Wei Kingdom has just lost its life, and now is the time for our Wu Kingdom to use its military power!"

"I have decided to launch an attack on Wei soon. The exact time and location of the attack will be decided after I discuss it with Jingzhou Governor Lu Xun."

The military commanders were all excited, while Prime Minister Gu Yong's face darkened a little. Zhuge Jin still had the same expressionless face as before.

After the court was dismissed, the civil and military officials left one after another. Gu Yong and Zhuge Jin stayed in the palace of the King of Wu to discuss the matter with Sun Quan alone.

Gu Yong said, "Your Majesty, I just said that we should rest and recuperate because I am considering the strength of Jiangdong. And I think your majesty's strategy of using military force is also correct."

Gu Yong is not a two-faced person. His moral character and integrity are well known to everyone in Dongwu.

Sun Quan smiled and said, "Does Yuan Tan know what I mean?"

Gu Yong nodded.

Zhuge Jin interrupted and said, "Brother Yuan Tan, you want to give Cao Wei a try, right?"

Gu Yong said, "That's right. Cao Pi has just passed away. How can four regents assist an adult emperor for long?"

"Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen have long been foreign generals. Now that they are entrusted with the important task of protecting the emperor, it is inevitable that they will compete for power with Chen Qun and Sima Yi."

"If we send out troops now to give it a try, I'm sure there will be some changes in the court of Wei."

Sun Quan nodded and said, "What Yuan Tan said is very much in line with my opinion. If we were to send troops, where would be the first choice?"

Zhuge Jin and Gu Yong looked at each other and said two words at the same time: "Jiang Xia."

Sun Quan stroked his beard and laughed.

There were many generals in the Eastern Wu, but when it comes to winning on the battlefield, Sun Quan, Gu Yong and Zhuge Jin are not even close to being able to win.

But when it comes to the court, Sun Quan is undoubtedly a monarch who has never lacked experience since he took power at the age of 16. Gu Yong and Zhuge Jin are also masters who can see into people's hearts.

It should be noted that the generals of the state are commonly known as the generals of the region. Cao Zhen is often in Yongliang, and Cao Xiu is often in Xuyang. Now Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu are both regents. If Jingxiang needs troops, who will the young emperor Cao Rui send to fight? This matter is very interesting.

Zhuge Jin continued, "If this expedition produces results, that's fine. But if not, it might be able to lure the Wei army to attack."

"My Wu Kingdom is best at defensive counterattacks. If we can find an opportunity to annihilate another 20,000 or 30,000 Cao Wei troops, Your Majesty can take this great victory and move on."

Gu Yong said: "If we go up further, we will reach a higher place."

Sun Quan put his hands behind his back and looked at his two ministers: "Yes, the one who will replace the Han Dynasty is Dangtu Gao, I'm afraid this is what it means!"

(End of this chapter)