Luoyang, Taiji Hall.
"Master Sun, don't stand on ceremony. Please, sit."
Cao Mao waved a hand, and Sun Yi cautiously sat down to one side.
Cao Mao looked at him with a smile. "These days have been so busy that I couldn't find time to see you, General Sun. I've felt terribly bad about it."
Sun Yi hurriedly replied, "This guilty subject does not deserve such courtesy."
"In the Wu Kingdom, you bore the staff of authority, commanded all military affairs at Xiakou, and held the titles of General Who Guards the Army and Marquis of Shaxian. A kinsman of the Wu Rebels, you ranked among their highest generals, yet you revered Heaven and understood destiny, discerning the way of fortune and calamity. You awakened to the truth and led your followers far away to join our great state. Even Weizi's departure from Yin and Yue Yi's flight from Yan cannot compare with your deed."
After this heartfelt remark, Cao Mao continued, "I now appoint you Attendant and Inspector of Jiaozhou, with authority to establish your own staff and ceremonial standing equal to the Three Offices."
Sun Yi hastily rose and bowed to thank Cao Mao.
Cao Mao gestured for him to sit again. "There are no outsiders here. You needn't be so reserved. I wish to learn about certain matters within the Wu Kingdom. Would you be willing to tell me?"
"Please ask, Your Majesty."
"I hear the Wu Kingdom's granaries are filled with enough grain to support a campaign by a hundred thousand troops. Is that true?"
Sun Yi answered earnestly, "That was once the case. But repeated campaigns over the years, coupled with Sun Jun's unrestrained extravagance, have left their stores less plentiful than before..."
Cao Mao asked a few probing questions, but Sun Yi's answers were