Chapter 169: informality
Is there such a thing?
As Cao Hong's words slowly came out, Cao Rui also fell into deep thought.
Yesterday we learned that Sima Zhi was Sima Yi's cousin, and he was transferred to Henan Yin in the second year of Huangchu.
When was the second year of Huangchu? It was the first full year after Emperor Cao Pi ascended the throne. At that time, the "Four Friends" headed by Chen Qun and Sima Yi were given good positions.
Sima Zhi came to Luoyang to serve as the governor of Henan at this time. If someone said that it was because of Sima Zhi's own outstanding political achievements, no one would believe it.
It must have been Sima Yi's arrangement.
"Let me ask you, how long have the people in your family believed in this 'God of Nowhere'?" Cao Rui asked.
"About a year ago," Cao Hong replied. "When my nurse first believed in this god, I was imprisoned by the late emperor at the beginning of last year, and my life or death was uncertain."
"My nanny also heard from others that believing in the 'Wujian God' can pray for blessings for the family and eliminate disasters and misfortunes, so she started to believe in it."
Cao Rui said expressionlessly: "Then why did Sima Yi want to harm you?"
"I don't know! Maybe it's because I was re-employed by Your Majesty, or maybe it's because he is narrow-minded." Cao Hong said: "My intuition is that this matter is related to Sima Yi."
"Since there is no evidence, don't talk nonsense." Cao Rui shook his head gently: "I heard it, you go home first."
Cao Hong bowed and then walked out again.
It’s not that Cao Hong’s evidence was perfect, or that Sima Yi really did it.
When Cao Hong said that Sima Yi wanted to harm him, Cao Rui believed it 70% of the time.
Sima Zhi had close contacts with Sima Yi, and even his position as the Governor of Henan was probably obtained by Sima Yi.
During the Huangchu period, the faction's strategy of uniting to suppress dissidents reached its peak.
However, in other dynasties, the emperor was high above everyone else, and the court officials were divided into several factions, fighting for power and status.
During the Huangchu Dynasty, Cao Pi, the founding emperor of the Wei Dynasty, personally brought his followers who helped him seize the throne and occupied various positions in the court.
It is indeed inappropriate.
Not to mention that Sima Yi was involved. Sima Yi used some political means behind the scenes, and Cao Rui believed him emotionally.
But...why did Sima Yi come to deal with Cao Hong at this time?
Not yet known.
Since you can't figure it out right now, you should just hold back for now. As time goes by, the truth will come out sooner or later.
……
As time passed, the newly appointed Protector of the Qiang, Lu Xun and Lu Boyan, finally arrived in the Western Capital.
Xidu is an important city in the Huangshui Valley and the county seat of Xiping County.
In mid-January, Qu Ying of Xiping County rebelled and for a time conquered Linqiang and Xidu counties.
Liangzhou is a remote place.
By the time the news reached Luoyang and reached the emperor who was in Qiao County at the time, Zhang He, the left general of the governor of Yongliang, had already made military deployments.
According to the system, Zhang He led 15,000 foreign troops and stationed them in Mei County, Fufeng County.
Even after this incident, Zhang He did not make any major adjustments to the troops east of Longshan Mountain. He only sent a thousand men from Chencang westward to Linwei to roughly protect the Longshan Pass.
Ji County in Tianshui County of Yongzhou, which is Jiang Wei's hometown, is usually stationed there with 3,000 foreign troops led by General Lu Pan.
Jincheng County of Jincheng County in Liangzhou is usually stationed by two thousand foreign troops led by General Hao Zhao.
Zhang He only stayed in Mei County, sent Lu Pan to lead a thousand soldiers to Jincheng in the west, and sent Hao Zhao's two thousand soldiers to Anyi County to quell the rebellion.
By the time Lu Pan led his army to the Western Capital, Qu Ying's army had already lost several battles under the attacks of Hao Zhao and Xiahou Ba.
Therefore, Lu Pan simply joined forces with Hao Zhao, then marched towards Linqiang and finally recaptured Linqiang County.
To quell the rebellion this time, only three thousand foreign troops were mobilized.
Jincheng County recruited 1,000 soldiers from the county, plus 1,000 Wuwei County soldiers and 3,000 Qiang cavalry led by Liangzhou Governor Xiahou Ba who came south from Wuwei.
The total force used to quell the rebellion was no more than 8,000 men.
It can only be said that Qu Ying's rebellion did not cause any chain reaction. The Qiang and Hu people in the counties of Liangzhou, except for the Qiang people in the Huangshui Valley, did not respond to him.
The Qiang people just have a different way of life, they are not fools.
Several years ago, General Cao Zhen and Left General Zhang He had just won a great victory in Liang Province.
It’s not to the point where they can’t survive, so who would be willing to follow Qu Ying and cause trouble?
At this time in Xidu County, Liangzhou Governor Xiahou Ba, Lieutenant General Hao Zhao, and Lieutenant General Lu Pan were hosting a banquet to entertain Lu Xun.
As for Lu Xun and Lu Boyan, even the Wei generals far away in Liang Province knew of Lu Xun's name.
From the perspective of the civil servants in Luoyang, Lu Xun was just a defeated general and a surrendered general, which was nothing special. From the perspective of Xiahou Ba, Hao Zhao, and Lu Pan, Lu Xun had annihilated more than 40,000 people of Liu Bei in the battle of Yiling, a feat they would never be able to match in their lifetime.
Compared with this kind of record, what does a surrendered general count for? And isn't he still highly valued by His Majesty?
Xiahou Ba raised his wine cup and said, "Captain Lu has come all the way to Liangzhou and has had a hard time on the road. Liangzhou is bitterly cold and cannot compare to the pleasant climate of Yangzhou."
Xiahou Ba gave him such a favor, so Lu Xun could not fail to appreciate it: "Xiahou Fangbo guarded Liangzhou, and this time he put down the rebellion so quickly. Fangbo and the two generals are truly meritorious officials of the country."
"Raise your hand!" Lu Xun said.
"Raise your glass!" The four of them drank it all together.
Hao Zhao is a very generous person, while Lu Pan is more silent.
Hao Zhao asked, "Captain Lu came here from Shouchun? How long did it take him to get here?"
"It's been more than a month." Lu Xun said, "Your Majesty ordered me to be the Protector of the Qiang at the beginning of February. I first went from Shouchun to Luoyang, and stayed at the Shangshutai in Luoyang for three days before I set out from Luoyang to Liangzhou."
"I stayed at the residence of General Zuo in Mei County for one day, and then took the Longshan Road to Ji County in Tianshui County, where I met Fangbo Guo and stayed for another day."
"All in all, the journey took about a month and a half."
Hao Zhao exclaimed, "It's so far! I'm from Taiyuan, and the farthest I've been to is Xuchang in Yuzhou. I never thought I would have to travel such a long distance from Yangzhou to Liangzhou to take up my post."
Lu Xun nodded, with a little bitterness in his heart, but not much.
After bidding farewell to the emperor in Shouchun, Lu Xun crossed the Huai River by boat, passed Chenjun and Yingchuan, and arrived in Luoyang, where he was able to see the capital of the Han Dynasty for 200 years.
Luoyang is located in the heart of the country, and the Yishui and Luoshui rivers, which are mentioned in classics, were finally seen. Lu Xun also saw in person the excellent terrain guarded by eight passes and the magnificence of Sishui Pass.
If the journey from Shouchun to Luoyang is unremarkable, the journey from Luoyang to Chang'an, from Chang'an to Tianshui, and even from Tianshui to Xidu, this journey is completely different from the previous ones.
The towering and steepness of Tongguan, the great reputation of Chang'an, the endless wilderness and fertile farmland of Guanzhong, and the rugged terrain of Longyou.
In addition, after arriving in Liangzhou, there were Qiang and Han people everywhere, and the Western Capital was deep in the Huangshui Valley...
During the 400 years of the Han Dynasty, the deeds of countless capable ministers and generals in Guanxi appeared in Lu Xun's mind one after another.
On his way to Liangzhou to take up his post, Lu Xun increasingly felt the beauty of the majestic mountains and rivers and the connected terrain.
I once suggested to the King of Wu that he should control the Yangtze River in order to protect himself. Was it really correct?
In other words, is it really correct to split off Jiangdong, causing the country to be divided and the whole country to be consumed by endless wars?
Lu Xun's thoughts were also slowly changing.
Lu Xun asked, "General Hao is from Taiyuan? I heard that the terrain of Taiyuan is also quite rugged."
Hao Zhao smiled and nodded: "Of course. Taiyuan City is the key to the mountains and rivers of Jin, so it is easy to defend but difficult to attack."
"I have heard of Taiyuan for a long time." Lu Xun said, "But there is one thing I don't understand. Why did Qu Ying rebel this time?"
Xiahou Ba snorted: "Why else? Ambition is at work!"
"The Qu family of Xiping is a big family. Since the turmoil in Liangzhou during the reign of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, the Qu family has always been involved."
"Several years ago, Qu Ying's cousin Qu Yan rebelled and was killed by the then Jincheng governor Su Gong. He was not killed in battle, but was lured to death by Su Gong." Xiahou Ba said, "Qu Ying fled to the Qiang and Hu tribes, so he must be upset."
"This year, there is a shortage of food in the Huangshui Valley. Qu Ying therefore instigated the Qiang people to rebel and tried to get food from the county and the prefecture."
"You want food?" Lu Xun asked in confusion, "Isn't Qu Ying rebelling? How can asking for food be considered a rebellion?"
Xiahou Ba spread his hands and said, "They asked for food, but when they couldn't get it, they started to rob. There are so many Qiang people, how can Linqiang County give out so much food? Besides, we can't give any at all, it's good enough that the government doesn't collect food from the Qiang people."
Lu Xun asked: "So Qu Ying led the Qiang people to attack the city?"
"It's hard to say." Xiahou Ba shook his head: "Qu Ying has now fled to the West Sea, and the government troops can't catch him for the time being."
"However, after Linqiang County was recovered, some people said that the Qiang soldiers shot arrows into the city to show off their military strength. County Magistrate Zhou was standing on the top of the city wall at the time and was accidentally hit by a stray arrow and fell off the top of the city wall. Seeing that the county magistrate was dead, Qu Ying decided to go all out and started to attack the city."
"Some people also said that Magistrate Zhou threatened the Qiang people to kill Qu Ying and present his head. Qu Ying had no choice but to kill officials and rebel."
Lu Xun also shook his head after hearing this: "So, this matter is still unclear?"
"It's not that easy to figure it out!" Hao Zhao sneered and shook his head, saying, "Captain Lu is from Yangzhou, so he may not know many things about Liangzhou."
"There are so many Qiang and Hu people living together in Liangzhou that it is difficult to manage. There are few Han Chinese tribes in the area that are easy to deal with, and most of them are used to causing chaos."
"Didn't the Liangzhou area already surrender to the Han bandits and horse bandits? Just treat them all as bandits."
Lu Xun was quite surprised and asked: "Wouldn't that make it a confusing account?"
"It's just a mess." Xiahou Ba also said with a smile: "Captain Lu came late, and I have been in Liangzhou for more than two months."
"Captain Lu, do you know how the government of Liangzhou treats the Qiang and Hu people?"
"I don't know." Lu Xun said.
Xiahou Ba laughed and said, "When the Qiang or Hu people committed crimes, the government never questioned them. If there was a bloody incident, they would just inform their commander and kill a few Qiang people just to make it look good."
(End of this chapter)
