After returning to the study, Cao Rui asked the eunuch to call Sima Yi, Wei Zhen, and the attendant Xin Pi.
He also sent people to inform Xu Shu and Lu Yu who were in Luoyang.
Sima Yi and Wei Zhen arrived at the study first, greeted the emperor and sat down. Cao Rui spoke only after Xin Pi entered the study.
Cao Rui said: "I called the three of you here to discuss the merits of this expedition to Shu."
"I have already said before that the generals below the general will be judged in the order of Zhang, Qian, Guo, and Lu. In addition to these four people, the three of you and the other meritorious civil officials will also be counted as military merits."
With the rewards they had received after the Huainan War, the three men were not panicked. They all stood up and bowed to express their gratitude.
Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "No need to be modest. I will reward those who have made contributions. This is my duty as an emperor."
"The Great Wei belongs to me, and also to you, the important ministers of the country. As in the last example, I will first reward the three of you for your merits."
"Sikong." Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "You have been involved in the battles and have made many contributions. I will increase your fiefdom by 700 households."
Sima Yi stood up and thanked him, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Sima Yi, thank you for your great grace! I feel really guilty for my humble contribution."
"Don't feel guilty." Cao Rui said with a smile: "Sikong is my think tank, he has found and corrected all the shortcomings in military strategy and tactics, Sikong deserves this reward."
Sima Yi wanted to mention the amnesty now, but he held back and wanted to wait until the emperor finished speaking.
Cao Rui continued to call out names: "Master Wei, you have stayed in Luoyang for me for half a year without any mistakes. I will increase your fiefdom by 500 households as usual."
Wei Zhen took a deep breath, stood up and thanked him, "Your Majesty went on two expeditions, and I was awarded military merits while staying in the rear. I am afraid that this will cause criticism from the court and the public."
Cao Rui said: "If anyone has any objections, let them come and speak in front of me! Taking charge of political affairs and stabilizing the rear is an achievement similar to that of Xiao He."
"Haven't you heard of the saying that meritorious men are better than meritorious dogs?"
Wei Zhen said: "I thank your majesty for your grace, but I have something to suggest, and I hope your majesty will consider it."
"What's the matter?" Cao Rui asked knowingly.
Wei Zhen slowly told the story of taking advantage of the amnesty to pardon the scholars imprisoned in the Fuhua case.
Cao Rui remained silent and was waiting for Sima Yi's reaction.
As expected, when Cao Rui was silent, Sima Yi also stood up and stood shoulder to shoulder with Wei Zhen, saying, "I also second the proposal. I am willing to exchange the merits of this Western Expedition for the minister's pardon. I hope Your Majesty will show mercy!"
Cao Rui laughed and said, "Sit down, everyone, sit down."
"I know what you mean. Since it is a general amnesty, it cannot be without 'great' to reflect the spirit of the Great Wei. After this amnesty, you should go home and guide them diligently, and don't let them go astray again."
"As for what Sikong said about exchanging merit for reward, that is not necessary. Are you asking me to take back the reward I just promised?"
Sima Yi bowed and said, "I thank your majesty for your grace! Your majesty is truly the most wise ruler, the most holy ruler, and the most benevolent ruler in history!"
Cao Rui laughed loudly: "How did I get so many firsts? No need to flatter me. If I didn't have the assistance of you, I wouldn't be able to accomplish so many things on my own."
Sima Yi thanked him for a long time again.
Cao Rui couldn't help but feel some emotion when listening to Sima Yi's words.
When Sima Yi was given an additional 700 households, he was not so sincerely thanked. It seems that in Sima Yi's heart, the future of his eldest son Sima Shi is more important.
No wonder.
If aristocratic families want to continue for a long time, they must accumulate wealth from generation to generation. Local nobles may accumulate wealth, but aristocratic families like the Sima family in Henei must accumulate reputation and official positions.
Reputation is a necessity.
The saying "Eight Sima" was passed down in Sima Yi's generation. Sima Shi was also praised as being on par with Xiahou Xuan and He Yan.
Being an official is also a basic need.
Take the rare family achievement of the Runan Yuan family, "Three Dukes in Four Generations", for example. This means that the main line of the family has produced three dukes for four consecutive generations. It doesn't matter if there are any missing generations.
Similarly, the same was true for the Sima family of Henei.
Sima Yi's father, Sima Fang, recommended Cao Cao and later became the Jingzhao Yin with an official salary of 2,000 stones.
Not to mention Sima Yi's generation. Sima Lang, Sima Yi, and Sima Fu were even more outstanding.
Of Sima Yi's sons, Sima Shi and Sima Zhao did not enter officialdom. On the contrary, Sima Fu's two biological sons, Sima Yong and Sima Wang, both became county officials in their early twenties.
How could Sima Yi not be anxious?
Compared with family inheritance, the few hundred more or less households for Sima Yi, one of the Three Dukes, is not a big deal.
After this matter came to an end, Cao Rui mentioned Xin Pi's name again: "Minister Xin is in charge of logistics in Chang'an. He has a lot of complicated affairs and rarely makes mistakes. He is really a position that serves people well."
"For Xin Qing's service in Guanzhong, the city will be increased by 300 households."
Xin Pi naturally expressed his gratitude again.
After Cao Rui and Xin Pi exchanged a few pleasantries, they gradually got to the point.
Cao Rui said: "When we conquered Wu before, the Grand Marshal's first merit was rewarded with 2,500 households, and the Grand General's second merit was rewarded with 1,000 households."
"But now, I think Zhang He's contribution is very important. So I want to discuss with you, who has greater contribution, the general or the general who conquered the west, Zhang He?"
A silence.
No one is stupid. The emperor asked such a sensitive question. The number of fiefs not only involves the comparison of the status of the marquis, but also the family reputation and property income.
Blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents.
What if it prevents someone from increasing his wealth?
Moreover, there are three ministers present now, and if they say something, Cao Zhen, who is far away in Chencang, may know it within ten days.
It's not a matter of personal interest, so who would want to butt in on it?
What's more, it only involves the amount of reward or not, which is really irrelevant to the major policies of the court.
The three of them looked at each other and remained silent for a while.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Why? Are you as worried as I am?"
Wei Zhen was a low-key gentleman who always kept to himself and generally stayed out of such matters. Cao Rui did not expect Wei Zhen to express any clear opinions.
Instead, Xin Pi took a half step forward, clasped his hands and said, "I think the general has made greater contributions than the general who conquered the west!"
Cao Rui asked: "What does Minister Xin think? I am also in doubt."
Xin Pi said: "The merits are divided into high and low, but in fact we must first distinguish the primary and the secondary."
"Let's not talk about the achievements of the generals. I would like to ask Your Majesty, among the achievements of this expedition to Shu, which one is the most important and which one is less important?"
Cao Rui's expression gradually became serious: "Taking Hanzhong is the most important! Damaging the Shu army is the second most important."
Xin Pi said: "The general led an army of 30,000 to seize Hanzhong in a hurry, and captured Yangping Pass in three days. The surrender of the two generals in Ju County and Yangping Pass was the result of the general leading his army to Hanzhong in person."
"The general was the first to make the contribution in taking Hanzhong. From December last year to June this year, he fought every battle."
"Therefore, I think that the general has made greater contributions than the general who conquered the west!"
Cao Rui said with emotion: "What Xin Qing said just now makes sense. But I still feel that if Chiting had not been defeated so quickly, Hanzhong would have been difficult to capture. Therefore, I am slightly more inclined to Zhang He."
Sima Yi said, "When we fought at Chiting, I was beside Your Majesty and played Tanqi with Your Majesty for the whole day."
"In my opinion, Zhang He was only in charge of the army in the battle of Chiting Qingnishui Valley, and his contribution cannot be equal to that of a general."
Xin Pi took the lead and Sima Yi followed closely. It was really interesting.
Cao Rui immediately pointed at Sima Yi and said, "Sir, please continue!"
Sima Yi said: "There was not much strategy involved in that battle. The victory or defeat would be determined by which side made the best arrangements, which side had higher morale, and which side could withstand more casualties."
"The emperor of Wei is personally in charge of the army, while the army of Shu only has a fake prime minister. The difference in morale is immediately apparent. This is the key to victory."
"The Wei army is more elite and has more people, while the Shu army has fewer soldiers and is weaker. These are the two victories."
"With these two victories, how can Zhang He not win? It's just a matter of dispatching the troops and attacking steadily. Zhang He is relying on your majesty's power."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Sikong, what a clever remark!"
"What Sikong and Xin Shizhong said makes sense, so I will not hesitate any longer on this matter."
"This time we have captured Hanzhong, which is a great victory, similar to the victory we had last year when we conquered Wu. The general will receive an additional 2,000 households, and the general who conquers the west will receive an additional 1,000 households. Is this arrangement appropriate?"
Xin Pi said hesitantly, "Sir, this is your will. How can we make any comments? But I have a question. Last year, the Grand Marshal increased his fiefdom by 2,500 households, and this year, the General increased his fiefdom by 2,000 households. Isn't there some difference?"
Cao Rui replied: "That's the difference. Both of them are the first to make contributions, but in my opinion, Wu is strong and Shu is weak, so the merit of attacking Wu is greater than that of attacking Shu!"
"This is also a distinction I give to the court officials."
Xin Pi bowed in agreement and said no more.
Cao Rui nodded: "What about Qian Zhao, Guo Huai, and Lu Xun?"
Sima Yi said: "I think Qian Zhao can get 800 households, and Guo Huai 500 households is enough. And Lu Xun should not be given an additional fiefdom."
Cao Rui looked at Wei Zhen and Xin Pi: "What do you two think?"
Wei Zhen paused and said, "I second the motion."
Xin Pi continued, "I second this proposal."
Cao Rui nodded: "Eight hundred and five hundred merits are reasonable. I have already rewarded Lu Xun for his merits with the title of Marquis of Wu and a fief of a thousand households."
"I won't reward him this time."
It was morning, and Xu Shu and Lu Yu arrived quickly. When Cao Rui was discussing merits with the three ministers, Xu and Lu were already waiting outside the study.
Zhong Yu came in to ask, and Cao Rui waved his hand, signaling Zhong Yu to bring in Xu Shu and Lu Yu.
After the two men greeted each other, Cao Rui asked, "Xu Qing is in charge of farming and military farming for the Great Wei, and Lu Qing is revising laws for the Great Wei. Apart from the Shangshutai, there are probably not many people in Luoyang City who are as busy as you two, right?"
Xu Shu bowed and replied, "It is my duty to eat the emperor's salary and share his worries. Since your majesty changed the system of military farming last year, the amount of grain collected from military farming in Yuzhou has been reduced by 10%, and the actual income has only been reduced by one third of a hundred."
"Your Majesty has a long-term vision. The reduction of rent for military farming is a good policy that benefits the people."
Cao Rui nodded, and then asked Lu Yu about the revision of the law. After learning that the revision of the law had been completed by one third, he asked Xu and Lu:
"Mr. Xu, Mr. Lu, are you willing to serve as my ministers?" (End of this chapter)
