"Meng Da is here?"
Cao Rui chuckled: "I asked him to arrive on the 20th, and he arrived in Mianyang on the 19th. Although he barely missed the mark, he did not violate my will."
"Let him in."
"Yes." Guanqiu Jian bowed and then turned around to lead the people out.
After a while, Guanqiu Jian led in a middle-aged man of medium build and wearing court robes.
Meng Da walked slowly and dignifiedly, looking down at the ground. He walked to a distance of two feet in front of the emperor and bowed directly:
"Your Majesty, I, Meng Da, greet you! I congratulate you on defeating the Shu bandits and retaking Hanzhong. The unification of the world is just around the corner!"
To be honest, Cao Rui's first impression when he saw Meng Da was completely different from the impression he had always had in his mind.
Meng Da has a good appearance, walks in a proper manner, and has a clear voice. From the image point of view, he is a typical positive character.
How much similarity can there be between appearance and human heart?
"Meng Qing, raise your head and let me take a good look at you." Cao Rui said.
"I obey your order." Meng Da knelt on the ground, with his upper body upright. He looked up and met the emperor's gaze for a moment, then lowered his head again.
"Please stand up." Cao Rui said in a calm tone, as if he had encountered an insignificant matter.
No matter how good-looking Meng Da was, Cao Rui had no interest in him, as he had once bribed him with titles and noble ranks.
But the process that should be followed still needs to be followed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Meng Da stood up with the same graceful demeanor.
He actually felt 70% like Xiahou Xuan.
Cao Rui asked, "This is the first time Meng Qing has come to the court, and this is also the first time I have met you. When the late emperor was alive, he often mentioned Meng Qing to me and often called you a friend."
"After the death of the late emperor, why didn't you submit a petition to me and come to Luoyang to pay homage?"
Meng Da was confused.
After receiving the imperial edict, he rushed to Mianyang all day long. He did think about what the emperor wanted to see him for.
Moreover, Meng Da took stock of what he had done over the past few years and found that he had done nothing illegal or unfaithful.
I guess the emperor just wants to see me.
Otherwise, how do we explain the previous titles of General Anxi and Marquis of Zhenning?
This is the limitation of human perspective.
Meng Da, who was regarded as a treacherous person by everyone in the court, had no idea that this was the impression he left on the emperor.
Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, Xin Pi, Wang Chang, Zhang He, Cao Hong, Qian Zhao, Guo Huai and others who were sitting on both sides of the hall all looked at Meng Da as if he were a joke.
In front of these real dignitaries of the Wei Dynasty, no one really took Meng Da seriously.
But after thinking for a few moments, Meng Da calmly replied without any panic: "Your Majesty, Xincheng is adjacent to Wu and Shu. When the other country is in mourning, I can only fulfill my duties and protect the city in order to repay the late emperor's grace."
"Today I am honored to see your Majesty, and I have heard that you have led your army southwards and won many battles. I have been very happy on my way to Hanzhong. I hope your Majesty will forgive me for being late."
Cao Rui glanced at Meng Da and continued, "Meng Qing, you have seen me today. How do I compare to the late emperor?"
Sima Yi glanced at the emperor and shook his head slightly with a hint of helplessness.
The war was over, and the emperor seemed to be frivolous again. Compared with the previous emperor, could he say such things casually?
Cao Zhen, Xin Pi and others didn't seem to think much about it, they just sat in the hall watching the fun.
Meng Da calmly bowed and replied: "Your Majesty has any questions, and I will answer them with all my heart."
"Your Majesty has inherited the legacy of the late emperor and has spurred the world. You have succeeded the emperor and have won every battle. The comparison between the late emperor and Your Majesty is like that between Yu the Great and Emperor Qi of Xia, and between Emperor Gaozu of Han and Emperor Wen of Han. That's all."
Cao Rui finally laughed: "See you, Xianya, you are so talented in debate. Meng Qing is indeed extraordinary!"
Seeing that the emperor finally smiled, Meng Da's tense mood finally relaxed, and he started joking:
"When the late emperor first met me, he jokingly asked me if I was Liu Bei's assassin. I have no talent, but I can always be honest in my speeches and loyal in my service to the emperor."
Clever words and charming words!
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Yes, what a loyal minister!"
"Since Meng Qing is a loyal minister, I should promote you today when I see you." Cao Rui said, "Xincheng is a remote place, Meng Qing is not talented enough!"
"Mr. Meng, where do you want to be an official? Just tell me!"
When Meng Da heard the word "promotion" and the emperor's change of tone, he was overjoyed and was about to start thinking about what position to choose.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, Meng Da instinctively felt like a thorn in his back.
When he was alert, Meng Da turned his head slightly and glanced with his peripheral vision, and he noticed Sima Yi's cold face with a hint of sarcasm.
Sima Yi...
Meng Da knew about Sima Yi.
Perhaps it was an instinctive reaction of a minister to consolidate his favor, the close ministers around Cao Pi in the past, whether it was the Palace Attendant Liu Ye or Sima Yi of the Secretariat, all repeatedly advised Cao Pi that Meng Da was inappropriate.
Meng Da knew about it.
In the entire Wei court, the only two people who had ever been friendly with Meng Da were the former Shangshu Ling Huan Jie and the former General Zhengnan Xiahou Shang.
Huan Jie was dead, Xiahou Shang was dead, but Liu Ye and Sima Yi were still alive, and both were in high positions! Almost instantly, Meng Da's years of experience of sitting on the fence between Wei and Shu made him react instinctively.
He couldn't kneel. The "gentlemanly" demeanor he had just established would be completely ruined if he kneeled down.
Meng Da bowed and said: "I am an honored official of the imperial court, but I have made no great contributions to the country. It is only by the grace of heaven that I have the position of governor and general."
"As long as it is your majesty's order, I will certainly not refuse even if it means death!"
Meng Da said loudly: "It's all up to your majesty to arrange!"
Cao Rui didn't say anything, just stared at Meng Da's head quietly.
Time passed by moment by moment. Meng Da did not hear any echo, and did not dare to look up. He just sat there quietly bowed in the hall, under the gaze of everyone.
"Meng Qing, please stand up." Cao Rui sighed softly, "All the officials in Luoyang, from the important officials with a salary of 2,000 dan to the petty officials with a salary of 300 dan, all say that I am a generous emperor. I have never been stingy in awarding official ranks and positions."
"I intend to give you a good result, it depends on whether you want it or not."
Beads of sweat continued to flow down Meng Da's forehead.
Was it Shen Yi, or someone else, who revealed his experience in Shangyong to Your Majesty?
I have met with envoys from Shu Kingdom several times in private before. Could it be that the emperor knows about it?
Meng Da bit his lip slightly, trying to control himself and not show any strange expression, and said with a folded hand: "Your Highness Meng Da respectfully listens to the Holy Spirit's instructions."
"Since Meng Qing is a gentleman, you should not stay in Xincheng or lead the troops. Come with me to Luoyang to enjoy life."
"Remove you from your old post and appoint you as the deputy chief priest of Chongwen Temple, and give you the title of Guanglu Dafu. Go and help Wu Jizhong. He is not in good health."
Chongwen Temple?
Meng Da knew about Chongwen Temple. Apart from Gao Tanglong, the two deputy chief priests, Wu Zhi and Cao Zhi, were either an old minister of the previous emperor or were not allowed to serve in the previous emperor's dynasty.
Joining the two of them? What about my General Anxi?
In the end, Meng Da didn't dare to ask any questions, he just bowed and thanked him.
"Meng Qing, please stand up." Cao Rui looked at Guanqiu Jian and said, "Zhong Gong, please entertain Meng Qing and stay in your camp."
"As you wish." Guanqiu Jian walked to a step away from Meng Da, smiled and extended his hand to signal, "Doctor Meng, please."
"I'll take my leave." Meng Da first took three steps back, then turned around and walked away in small steps.
Meng Da did not recognize Guanqiu Jian, but since the emperor called him by his courtesy name, he seemed to be another favorite of the new dynasty.
When he came, he was arrogant in front of Guanqiu Jian, but when he left, he spoke to Guanqiu Jian very humbly.
It's like two different people.
After Meng Da left, Cao Rui and his ministers agreed on the rules for relocating the people to Yongzhou within the next month, as well as the general plan for garrisoning Hanzhong after the war.
Guo Huai also received the emperor's order and took on the defense task of the three cities of Hanzhong.
The three cities of Yangping, Mianyang and Nanzheng, and 20,000 foreign troops and a mixture of Qiang people, this is the new duty of General Guo Huai who is in charge of conquering Shu.
After dinner at night, Guo Huai came uninvited to the big tent in Zhang He's camp.
Civil officials like Sima Yi who accompanied the army stayed in the city, while generals like Zhang He and Guo Huai stayed in the military camp outside the city.
It's become a routine.
"Why is Bo Ji here?" Zhang He, dressed in a plain robe, stood up from the table and greeted him.
"Mr. Zhang, please take a seat. I have come to you to consult you about some personal matters." Guo Huai said calmly.
Zhang He glanced around at the guards standing in the tent. Two armored guards immediately understood and walked out quickly, leaving only the two of them inside.
"What's the matter, Bo Ji?" Zhang He asked.
Guo Huai said, "Did Lord Zhang tell Your Majesty about my appointment to Hanzhong?"
"I didn't tell Your Majesty that!" Zhang He was surprised: "Your Majesty must have decided it yourself, or the general suggested it."
"Why did Boji say that? Could it be that he doesn't want to keep the camp in Hanzhong?"
"Why wouldn't I want to?" Guo Huai patted his thigh, "This is really beyond my expectation."
"Even if we calculate that half of them are foreign troops and the other half are Qiang soldiers, that's still 20,000 soldiers!" Guo Huai muttered, "I'm just a general of Conquering Shu, but I actually have the same number of soldiers as Qian Zhenxi, more than the front general, right general, and rear general."
“I’m really a little scared!”
Zhang He laughed in silence and patted Guo Huai's arm: "Your Majesty trusts you, and the general also trusts you. Just be cautious in what you do."
"Your Majesty has given you enough time. I will first give you 15,000 foreign troops, and within half a year, I will replenish them with 10,000 Qiang soldiers. At the same time, I will gradually withdraw 5,000 foreign troops."
"Ten thousand foreign troops and ten thousand Qiang soldiers are enough to hold out and wait for help."
Guo Huai sighed, "Such a favor is really too great."
"But Mr. Zhang..." Guo Huai raised his eyes and looked at Zhang He: "After the general took over the four states of Guanxi, Mr. Zhang no longer had the position of commander-in-chief."
"Don't talk about this." Zhang He frowned and said, "I have only been the General of the Western Expedition for a few months. How can I not remember your majesty's kindness and talk about this?"
Guo Huai smacked his lips and explained, "That's not what I meant."
"Given your majesty's kindness to the general, how can you not compensate him?" Guo Huai counted on his fingers: "It is now mid-May. In eight or ten days at most, your majesty will return."
"Before returning, should I be judged for my merits? Previously, I was only given the title of general. Now should I be judged for additional fiefs and rewards?" (End of this chapter)
