Wei Ni

The night was as still as water, coldly lying on the ground, telling the story of the fickle weather of late spring.

Along the corridor, where braziers were set up every ten steps, Xiahou Hui, who rarely stayed at home, spent a long time playing with his children. It wasn't until the bright moon was in the sky that he slowly walked through the flower garden where insects sang merrily and came to his study.

Ding Mi did not accompany them.

Today, he spent a long time discussing matters with the old eunuch at the Beiman Mountain Manor. He didn't even show up when the picnic ended. It wasn't until nightfall that he returned to his residence with a lot of documents to continue sorting out the details of school affairs in various parts of the capital. Therefore, Xiahou Hui did not look for him again.

He hadn't read the letter from Liaodong yet, but he could roughly guess its contents.

It's nothing more than a matter of Guanqiu Jian and Cao Zhao's movements.

Considering the time it takes for information to travel back and forth, they should have recovered from the shock of Emperor Cao Rui's death and taken some action based on their respective positions.

With this realization, Xiahou Hui entered the study, lit the candles, and spread both letters out on the table.

The letters from his elder brother Xiahou Ba were mostly about family matters.

He inquired about the recent situation of his brothers at home, and instructed Xiahou Hui to be stricter with his son Xiahou Gong. He also mentioned the performance of Lu Fan, Wei Shu, Xiahou Zhuang, and Deng Zhong in the army. Finally, at the end of the letter, he mentioned that Guanqiu Jian and Cao Zhao had jointly written to him, claiming that they would resume their military campaign against Goguryeo in April and strive to end the war within the year, so that he could also launch a military campaign against the Three Hans at the same time.

Although it was mentioned lightly, it was enough for Xiahou Hui to know the purpose of his letter—Cao Zhao and those commoners who had followed him on the expedition were eager to return to the capital, Luoyang.

As for why Guanqiu Jian was also so eager to end the war, Xiahou Hui could roughly guess the reason.

He was not coerced by Cao Zhao and others, nor did he hope to gain power through merit during this transition between monarchs. Rather, this year was still the reign title of the late emperor, the third year of Qinglong.

If the Goguryeo royal family can be completely destroyed this year and thousands of miles of territory can be opened up for Wei, it will add a great chapter to the history books about the achievements of the late Emperor Cao Rui. This is also the best way for him to comfort the spirit of the late emperor and repay the late emperor's kindness in promoting him.

"Perhaps, only Brother Zhonggong is worthy of being promoted by the late emperor."

As Xiahou Hui casually put away his elder brother's letter, he recalled his recent actions in the court and the various behaviors of the officials, and couldn't help but mutter a sentence.

He turned his gaze back to Zhuge Dan's letter, and as he read, a bitter smile appeared on his already somewhat melancholic face.

Like his elder brother Xiahou Ba, Zhuge Dan's letter was also like a casual conversation, mentioning the current situation in the eastern part of the country in a few trivial details.

For example, the cities of Goguryeo and the Three Han kingdoms were almost all mountain fortresses, with rugged roads and difficult terrain, posing a great challenge to both troop movement and supply lines. Furthermore, the local elders and clans had an exceptionally strong clan-based atmosphere. Even with the presence of Tian Yu to pacify and maintain order, the Yemaek tribe, which had largely submitted to the regime, was not immune to unrest, with frequent small-scale bloody conflicts. Finally, the text mentions that the war had been raging for a long time, leaving villages devastated and the people impoverished. Whether it was the border troops from Youzhou who had migrated from afar, the families of those who had settled in the fields, or the former Gongsun troops who had surrendered, all harbored resentment due to unpaid treatment and the hardships of years of warfare, and urgently needed to be appeased.

A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer.

Xiahou Hui could certainly see that Zhuge Dan was handing him a knife.

Having experienced the ups and downs of officialdom in Luoyang, the capital, he naturally understood that the most crucial period for the transition of power was the first year and a half. Therefore, in order to repay the favor Xiahou Hui had previously shown him, he gathered objective and sufficient reasons to postpone the war in Haidong, so that Guanqiu Jian and Cao Zhao, who were qualified to participate in the distribution of power in the court, could be kept in Liaodong, and so that Xiahou Hui could have enough time to consolidate his power base.

Yes, he considered himself Xiahou Hui's henchman and was eager to help Xiahou Hui.

Xiahou Hui could even guess that he must have discussed it in detail with his elder brother before writing this letter.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why the contents of these two letters could complement each other perfectly without any overlap.

However, both he and Xiahou Ba, who were doing their best to consolidate Xiahou Hui's power base, overlooked one point—Xiahou Hui also hoped that the war in Haidong could end as soon as possible.

It wasn't that he initially initiated the war in Haidong, nor that he wanted to increase his prestige by destroying a country and expanding Wei's territory by thousands of miles; rather, like Guanqiu Jian, he hoped to add a good reputation to Emperor Ming Cao Rui's posthumous name.

Because Emperor Cao Rui of the Ming Dynasty had shown him even greater favor than Guanqiu Jian.

Putting aside everything else, if Emperor Wu or Emperor Wen were alive today, based on his words and deeds in his early years, his grave would already be covered with towering pines and cypresses.

Without neglecting national affairs, he wanted to repay this kindness.

Instead of letting selfish motives cause me to be tormented by this guilt for the rest of my life.

After pondering quietly for a moment, he burned both letters, then ground ink and picked up a brush to write a reply to his elder brother, Xiahou Ba.

He first gave a general reply to everyday gossip, then mentioned that his fourth brother, Xiahou Wei, had rejected his proposal for the position of Commander of the Central Guard. Finally, he asked him to cooperate with Guanqiu Jian's strategy as much as possible and strive to end the Battle of Haidong this year.

As he was about to finish writing, he hesitated for a moment before finally adding a sentence: "Brother Zhong, I urge Jian and Dan to return to the capital as soon as possible."

I put down my pen, blew on the ink to dry it, and sealed it away.

Without explanation or clarification, he believed his elder brother would surely understand.

Even if he didn't understand, Zhuge Dan would break down his unfinished words and explain them in detail to his elder brother. After all, he had already mentioned that his fourth brother, Xiahou Wei, had declined the position of Commander of the Central Army.

Moreover, compared to Cao Shuang, Qin Lang, and the governors of Yongliang, Jingxiang, and Huainan, Guanqiu Jian, who had fought alongside him to quell the rebellion of Gongsun in Liaodong and was also a member of the young and promising faction of Wei promoted by Emperor Ming, was clearly more trustworthy.

Therefore, he also wrote a private letter to Guanqiu Jian.

The content is only one sentence.

He said, “This year, the war in the East Sea will be launched again. I will do my best to manage things in the imperial court and will fulfill all your needs. I hope that you, Brother Zhonggong, will do your best so that history will not hesitate to add to the late emperor’s record.”

And this promise is not just empty words.

Just three days later, the day after Guanqiu Jian's memorial arrived in Luoyang, all the high officials, except for Grand Commandant Man Chong who had not yet returned to the capital, gathered in the East Hall of the Taiji Palace. Even Grand Tutor Sima Yi, who was no longer in charge of the Secretariat, was present.

It's understandable when you think about it.

The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war.

As one of the key ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, how could Grand Tutor Sima Yi not be present?

After Guanqiu Jian's memorial was circulated, Pei Qian, as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, straightened his posture without hesitation, bowed to everyone, and spoke first.

He did not give a clear answer as to whether he supported or opposed Guanqiu Jian's call to resume the war.

He merely gave a general overview of the state treasury's finances and the status of the wars in Youzhou, Qingzhou, and Jizhou, in accordance with the Shangshutai's responsibility to coordinate national affairs.

But people could still sense his underlying inclination from his words.

This was not only because he explicitly stated that the national treasury was currently depleted and that the three prefectures were struggling to continue supporting the resettlement of people relocated from Liaodong and the war effort of the previous year, but also because he added that the three major war zones of Yong, Liang, Jing, Xiang and Huainan were under martial law and actively preparing for war.

These are undeniable facts.

The late Emperor Cao Rui's extravagant construction projects and lavish lifestyle led to an empty treasury. With the country in mourning, it was natural to be wary of Wu and Shu taking the opportunity to invade.

Under such circumstances, it is indeed inappropriate to start another war in such a wild and barren land as Haidong—not that wars to expand the country's territory are wrong, but there are priorities, and it would not be too late to launch a war a year or two later. Also, the territory occupied in last year's war needs time to be consolidated, and the local people's hearts should be appeased first.

Pei Qian's inclinations were not driven by personal motives; they were the result of a prudent and experienced approach to governing the country.

What are your thoughts, gentlemen?

After silently reviewing Guanqiu Jian's report on the amount of grain and fodder needed from Qingzhou and Jizhou, Xiahou Hui gave everyone some time to process it before calmly saying, "When discussing state affairs, I urge everyone to express their opinions freely and without reservation."

"only."

Everyone agreed.

Situ Weizhen, sensing Xiahou Hui's gaze upon him, nodded first and offered his suggestion: "General, gentlemen, the war in Haidong was a matter decided upon during the reign of the late Emperor. It is only natural that Jian and others wish to request another campaign to complete the unfinished business of last year. In my opinion, although the national treasury is not abundant at present, the grain and fodder support requested by Jian is also not much. Moreover, most of the Yemaek tribes have already submitted, and Goguryeo and the Three Hans are also devastated. It should be possible to settle the matter in one battle. However, whether the rebel Wu and Shu will launch a major invasion this year still requires careful consideration."

His stance tends to support Guanqiu Jian.

Needless to say, his original intention was to address the "things that the late emperor had decided on but had not yet completed," as he put it.

But he didn't rule out any possibility of definitive conclusions.

Instead, it perfectly suited his outspoken personality, making it clear that he was considering the invasion of Wu and Shu first and whether to reserve military funds and supplies for the central army in Luoyang to support the three major war zones in advance, which became the key to the discussion among everyone.

Therefore, after he finished speaking, everyone's eyes were focused on Grand Tutor Sima Yi and Grand Master of Ceremonies Jiang Ji.

Among those present, these two were the most qualified to speak on predicting the war between Wu and Shu.

"Cough, cough."

But to everyone's surprise, before the two of them could even speak, Cui Lin, the former governor of Youzhou, coughed lightly for some unknown reason, drawing everyone's attention before slowly saying, "General, gentlemen, I believe that Goguryeo and Hanye are already weakened. While Jian and the others can certainly be defeated in one battle, the key to annexing the wild lands of the East Sea lies in appeasement, not war. Now that the country is in mourning, with powerful enemies like Wu and Shu rebelling against us from the outside, and the people crying out in fear and trembling within, war should be planned slowly and deliberately."

Unlike others who expressed their opposition implicitly, he openly and explicitly opposed it!

Was it because he was a representative of the Hebei scholars, or because he had always held the political view of appeasement towards the barbarians?
Nobody knows for sure.

But given his explicit opposition, everyone finally began to freely express their opinions. (End of Chapter)