Wei Ni

Anything else?
Could it be that the Qiang and Hu tribes in Longyou are causing trouble, and therefore you want to remind me to issue an edict to warn Qin Lang to guard against the trouble caused by the Hu tribes in the south of the Gobi Desert?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cao Rui stopped, raised his eyebrows slightly, and nodded, saying, "What else is there? Please speak."

"only."

Xiahou Hui smiled and said softly, “Your Majesty, it is not about the affairs of the court or the front lines. Rather, I recently had the chance encounter with the heir of the late General of Chariots and Cavalry. Seeing that he was already strong and healthy but still a commoner, I wish to ask Your Majesty to bestow upon him an official position so that he may serve the country. This would also fulfill the Wei dynasty’s goodwill in treating the sons of meritorious officials.”

So it was for Cao Fu to find a job!
Cao Rui, realizing the situation, did not answer immediately.

It wasn't that Xiahou Hui's request was excessive, or that he harbored any prejudice against Cao Hong's faction. Rather, he was considering what other motives Xiahou Hui might have behind his actions—such as wanting him to serve the country and bestowing honors upon the sons of Wei dynasty meritorious officials. He didn't believe that was the only reason.

"A chance encounter."

After pondering silently for a moment without finding a clue, he asked, "Was it during the Xun family's funeral? Was it he who asked you to tell us this?"

You know this as well?
Could it be that you secretly sent someone to monitor Cao Fu, or perhaps to monitor me?!

Startled, Xiahou Hui quickly lowered his head to hide the surprise and doubt in his eyes, and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it was indeed during the funeral of the Xun family. However, it was not Cao Wenxin who asked me for help, but I, Xiahou Hui, who asked him if he was willing to serve the country."

"Oh, you asked?"

Cao Rui trailed off, his tone quite puzzled.

It makes sense when you think about it.

The son should cover for his father. Everyone knows who is right and who is wrong in that mess between Emperor Wen of Han, Cao Pi, and Cao Hong.

The main reason why Cao Fu is now ignored is that no one wants to be mistaken by Cao Rui for questioning Emperor Wen's "magnanimity"!

With Xiahou Hui's intelligence, he would surely understand such a simple connection.

But he actually went up to her on his own initiative, how could Cao Rui not be suspicious?
"No one is wiser than Your Majesty."

Xiahou Hui, who also knew the source of Cao Rui's doubts, first flattered him before explaining, "Your Majesty, I proactively inquired whether Cao Wenxin was willing to serve, and my intentions were indeed both public and private. My public intentions, as I just mentioned, are twofold: firstly, he is, after all, the descendant of a meritorious official; secondly, if Cao Wenxin possesses even a fraction of his father's talent, he could benefit the Wei dynasty and alleviate the urgent shortage of capable generals in Qiao and Pei. My private intention is that, seeing him now a commoner, I have…"

At this point, he hesitated and stammered, eventually falling silent.

Clearly, the following words were likely to be taboo.

Cao Rui understood this, and became even more curious: "A man as audacious as you, who always speaks frankly and directly, is there a time when you dare not speak?"

"Speak, and I will not punish you for your words."

"Yes! Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty. I am deeply saddened to see him now a commoner, and I cannot help but feel his pain."

Uh!
Understood.

Because your father is still the "White Land General".

Therefore, your initiative to ask me for an official position for Cao Fu was actually a test of my intentions.

The logic is also very simple.

As long as Emperor Cao Rui grants Xiahou Hui's request and grants Cao Fu an official position, then no matter how incompetent Cao Fu is, Xiahou Hui will use his connections and resources to help Cao Fu rise to the position of a high-ranking general.

Helping Cao Fu is helping himself.

Once Cao Fu holds a high-ranking official position, everyone in the court will assume that Emperor Cao Rui is indirectly "correcting his father's mistakes."

With this misunderstanding in mind, when Xiahou Hui proposed removing the shameful title of "General of the White Land" from Xiahou Yuan at the opportune moment, he would not encounter resistance from the court, and Emperor Cao Rui would readily agree—if one can correct the father's faults, one can naturally correct the grandfather's faults as well. Cao Fu and Xiahou Hui were both from Qiao and Pei, how could one be favored over the other?
Of course, this opportune moment doesn't come easily.

After all, Cao Hong was imprisoned and punished by Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, simply because he was stingy and unwilling to lend money in his early years; while Xiahou Yuan was criticized by Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao, for his lack of military skills, because he was defeated and killed, and also caused Wei to lose Hanzhong Commandery, a strategic location that could be used to advance into Bashu.

Therefore, the premise of this opportune moment is that Wei has recovered Hanzhong Commandery and the dawn of conquering Shu is in sight!

Furthermore, Xiahou Hui must also make great contributions in this battle!

Only in this way would he be qualified to submit a memorial during the imperial court's evaluation of merits and rewards, stating that he did not want any rewards, but only earnestly requested the emperor and the officials of the court to re-examine Xiahou Yuan's achievements, thereby washing away the shame.

Emperor Cao Rui, whose mind was in turmoil, felt that he could not refuse such a request.

Loyalty and filial piety are both virtues advocated by dynasties in governing the country. As a son, what's wrong with Xiahou Hui's selfish desire to avenge his deceased father?
Moreover, Cao Rui had long known about his selfish motives. Many years ago, Cao Rui had asked Xiahou Hui why he abandoned his literary pursuits and devoted himself to military service after drowning. Xiahou Hui's answer was that he hoped to one day recover Hanzhong Commandery and avenge his father and brothers who had died in battle.

Another consideration is why Cao Rui refused.
If he refused, wouldn't he be discouraging Xiahou Hui's patriotic fervor and dedication? Besides, Xiahou Hui's selfish motives and desires aligned with the Wei dynasty's goal of unifying the world.
Isn't the so-called Mandate of Heaven won through the united efforts of the ruler and his subjects?
However, this brat's actions today were truly despicable. Let's leave this matter to stagnate for now, lest he easily succeed and become even more arrogant!
"Hmm, I need to consider this matter further and decide whether the Shu troops will attack."

Having made up his mind, Emperor Cao Rui gently waved his hand.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a hint of disappointment on Xiahou Hui's face, and that he had even forgotten to take his leave. Feeling much better, he asked again, almost as if possessed, "Is there anything else?"

what?
Didn't I just say it was about one thing?

Xiahou Hui was slightly taken aback before realizing that the emperor was urging him to take his leave. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have nothing else to say, so... cough!" He swallowed his words of farewell and changed his tone, saying, "I have nothing else to say, so I only have one thing to say."

This also caused Cao Rui to pause slightly in surprise.

Xiahou Hui, without waiting for his question or permission, continued, “Your Majesty, the war in Haidong is progressing smoothly and should be resolved soon. In other words, our Wei state can now focus wholeheartedly on building up its strength to attack Shu and Wu. Shu possesses the natural defenses of mountains and rivers, but it is already in decline; Wu has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, but it is in a state of partial peace. Neither of them has the strength to contend with our nation for destiny. If our nation allows its people to rest and recuperate, accumulates grain, and trains its troops for twenty years, the destruction of Shu and the annexation of Wu will be inevitable. Therefore, I, your humble servant, humbly request Your Majesty to restrain your sensual pleasures, cherish your health, and accomplish the great task of conquering the world.”

Cao Rui, who was still somewhat annoyed, fell silent.

This was the second time Xiahou Hui had advised him to restrain himself and not to indulge excessively in wine and women.

Perhaps his bluntness just now was not out of shame or anger at my rudeness, but rather because he saw me indulging in revelry and not caring about my own safety?

With this thought in mind, all of Cao Rui's displeasure vanished, and his gaze softened. "Hmm, I understand. Zhi Quan, go back and do your duty well. Don't worry about anything else."

Do your job well and don't worry about anything else.
Does this mean I don't have to stay home and await punishment, and I don't need to worry about being punished for not sending Shu troops out?
Watching Cao Rui's departing figure, Xiahou Hui gently stroked his long beard, and his mood, which had been temporarily unsuccessful in finding a job for Cao Fu, temporarily improved.

It's only temporary.

When he left the palace and headed back to his residence, looking at the endless stream of carriages and horses on the streets, he suddenly remembered seeing Xiahou Xian earlier that day, and how he had been laughing and chatting with Cao Shuang.

The fact that he was summoned to the palace for a banquet meant that Emperor Cao Rui had already let go of the mess he had made before.

Time is running out, figuring out how to get rid of this guy is really a headache.

Late autumn, September.

Xu Miao, the governor of Liangzhou, submitted another memorial reporting the victory.

Yan had already killed Zhu Yi, one of the rebellious Qiang chieftains of the Shaodang tribe, and another chieftain, Mang Zhong, led his remaining troops to flee to the west of Xiping County and escape from the territory of Wei after his defeat. The other Qiang tribes were also at peace, and there were no more burning, looting and plundering incidents in the counties.

But just a few days later, before the imperial court had finished recording and rewarding the merits of Xu Miao and other soldiers, a messenger from Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, arrived in the capital, Luoyang.

As Xiahou Hui had predicted, the Shu troops moved out at the first sign of trouble.

The general appointed Liao Hua, the prefect of Yinping, to lead troops to attack the camp of Dang Xun, the Qiang chieftain who had submitted to Wei. This was not a large-scale invasion like the previous ones; it was merely the troops under Liao Hua's command stationed in Yinping.

In terms of troop strength, the Shu troops were there to support the rebellion of the Qiang tribe of Shaodang.

However, it took time to learn the news and make a decision, and the governor of Liangzhou, Xu Miao, quelled the rebellion too quickly, which is why the strategic intention of responding from afar was not achieved.

It was precisely because Xiping County was already at peace that Guo Huai included his own deployment plan when he submitted his military report.

He then dispatched Wang Yun, the prefect of Guangwei Commandery, and You Yi, the prefect of Nan'an Commandery, to lead troops to the rescue. The two armies advanced from the east and west sides, intending to attack Liao Hua from both sides. They confidently declared: "Yun and Yi will divide their troops to the east and west of the mountain, surround the enemy, and defeat them in no time."

Liu Fang, the Grand Secretary, was very pleased with this military intelligence.

After all, seeing the increasingly radiant smile on Sun Zi's face as the news of victory from Haidong continued to arrive, he had always hoped that his son Liu Xi, who was serving as an advisor under Guo Huai, would have the opportunity to share in the military achievements.

However, after seeing Guo Huai's deployment, Emperor Cao Rui felt it was very inappropriate, even without summoning Grand Commandant Sima Yi for advice.

The reason was that the camp of Qiang Marquis Dang Xun, who was attached to Wei, was built along the mountain and located in a strategic location. It also had ample food and provisions. If Liao Hua's main force were to attack, it would be easy for them to hold out for half a year.

Thus, Liao Hua's intentions become quite clear.

It was nothing more than a show of force from afar, waiting for an opportunity to besiege and attack reinforcements. Therefore, Guo Huai sending Wang Yun and You Yi to rescue them was tantamount to walking into a trap.

Therefore, after reading it, Emperor Cao Rui immediately issued an edict, ordering Guo Huai to summon Wang Yun and You Yi to withdraw their troops due to the "unfavorable military situation." He also stated that the Shu troops were only supporting the Qiang and Hu rebellion and would not last long. Once Liao Hua learned that the Shaodang Qiang rebellion had been quelled, he would voluntarily withdraw his troops and return home. There was no need to worry that Shoushan Qiang Marquis Dang Xun would surrender to Shu upon seeing no reinforcements.

However, it's a pity. (End of Chapter)