Wei Ni

Jia Chong's speculation was not entirely driven by petty motives.

After all, Xiahou Hui had openly broken ties with Cao Shuang in the imperial court, and it was an undeniable fact that the officials in the court had not been very supportive of him since he was entrusted with the care of the young emperor. Under such circumstances, it was only natural for Xiahou Hui to want to win over Grand Commandant Man Chong, with whom he had worked in the past, and to increase his influence in the imperial court.

Even Man Chong herself thought so.

Especially after the two exchanged greetings, Xiahou Hui introduced Ding Mi and Jia Chong, who had accompanied him.

Man Chong simply nodded slightly at Ding Mi, but he still offered a word of encouragement to Jia Chong.

The reason was that he and Jia Kui had both served in Yuzhou in their early years and had frequent interactions. He had also participated in the Battle of Shiting and was well aware of Jia Kui's injustice, which could not be ignored by either reason or emotion.

It was Jia Chong's entourage that fueled Man Chong's suspicions: even someone like Jia Chong, who wasn't exactly an old friend's son, was brought along; Xiahou Hui's secret act of condescending to welcome him—wasn't his intention obvious?
Man Chong was somewhat displeased by this.

As a cruel official who dared to torture Yang Biao during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Cao family, and who repeatedly petitioned to retire and return to the capital to live out his retirement during the reign of Emperor Cao Rui, he finally got his wish, but Xiahou Hui actually came to win him over.

Is he a person who forms cliques and engages in self-serving activities?
Cao Xiu, the Grand Marshal who was also entrusted with the care of the young emperor, had submitted a memorial stating that he "hoped to use troops"; but what was General Xiahou Hui, who was only thirty years old? Could he possibly win him over?
Why bother coming here to make a fool of yourself, and indirectly showing contempt for his character?

Of course, even if you're unhappy, you still need to maintain proper manners.

After inviting Xiahou Hui to ride in his carriage, citing his reluctance to have the General ride alongside him, he bluntly said, "I am grateful that the General has condescended to see me, but I am old. Now that I have returned to the capital as I wished, I only hope to be free from the burdens of official duties and to spend my remaining years tending to flowers and plants and enjoying the company of my grandchildren."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Hui was taken aback.

Heaven and earth can bear witness that he truly did not come with any ulterior motives.

The reason he went out to greet him privately was simply out of respect for Man Chong's character and gratitude for Man Chong's support of him in his early years in Huainan and for Man Chong's affirmation of him when he presented his memorial to the late Emperor Cao Rui.

Besides, it's important for people to have self-awareness.

He can't even win over the officials in the imperial court now, so why would he even think of trying to win over someone like Man Chong?
"General Man's character is known to everyone in the court and among the people, but is it that only Hui is unknown? And who is Hui? Does General Man not know him?"

After a brief silence, Xiahou Hui gave a wry smile. He first asked a question in return, and then said in a soft voice, "The people on this carriage are not the current Grand Commandant and General-in-Chief, but the former General Who Conquers the East and his Yamen General."

Man Chong did not speak immediately.

After slightly opening his already cloudy old eyes and staring intently at Xiahou Hui's sincere face for a moment, he nodded and smiled, "Alright. I misunderstood Zhiquan."

"If I were in General Man's shoes, I would think the same way."

With a forced smile, Xiahou Hui offered a self-reproachful remark, then untied two wine pouches from his waist and handed them over. "Knowing that the General has a fondness for this, I brought some to welcome you. Hmm, I originally planned to visit you a few days after you returned home to reminisce, but given my current sensitive position and the attention I receive from the court and the public, I feared that a visit would be misunderstood and disturb your peace. Therefore, I resorted to this less-than-ideal tactic of visiting you privately."

"The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. Why should Zhiquan bother with those petty villains?"

With a rather disdainful reply, Man Chong took the wine pouch, opened it, took a small sip, closed his eyes to savor it, and then praised it generously, "Good!"

It's unclear whether he was praising the wine or expressing his appreciation for Xiahou Hui's promise, which had no intention of winning him over.

Perhaps it should be a combination of both.

After all, who can truly remain untainted when they are in a position of power?
For example, when Xiahou Hui or Cao Shuang recruited Man Chong's descendants as officials, or when it came to matters that required the joint discussion and decision-making of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, Man Chong's inaction or non-opinion would inevitably be over-interpreted by others.

For example, when they were just catching up, as the carriage approached Luoyang and Xiahou Hui got off to say goodbye, he asked about the second purpose of the trip: "General Man, do you have any words for me regarding Huainan?"

Man Chong's face was solemn.

He knew that Xiahou Hui was asking in his capacity as the Grand General, and he also knew that Xiahou Hui was not asking about the military affairs of Huainan, but about Wang Ling, who had succeeded him as the General Who Conquers the East.

Wang Ling's abilities are undeniable, but his lust for power is too great.

Whether it was his memorial during the reign of the late Emperor Cao Rui, in which he reported that Man Chong was old and fond of drinking and intended to replace him as General Who Conquers the East, or his current removal of Xiahou Hui's former officials from their positions and leaving them idle, both prove this point.

So, Xiahou Hui was asking Man Chong whether, given Wang Ling's character and personality, he would be dissatisfied with him as the general entrusted with the care of the young emperor, and whether he would cause any trouble.

Therefore, Man Chong could not answer easily.

Just as he understood Wang Ling's character very well, he also understood Xiahou Hui's personality very well.

Or rather, in terms of controlling nature, Xiahou Hui was no less than Wang Ling.

The difference is that Xiahou Hui now has the right to claim the title.

"Although Ling is nearly seventy, he is still capable of defending Wu."

After a long silence, Man Chong finally gave this answer, then lowered his eyelids and let the driver drive away.

It may seem like an irrelevant answer, but it is concise and to the point, conveying everything.

By only commenting on Wang Ling's military talent and omitting any mention of his character, his own personal biases are revealed.

He felt that Wang Ling would never submit to a young general who had been entrusted with the care of the young emperor, but he also advised Xiahou Hui not to touch Wang Ling, but to prioritize the country and the safety of the Huainan front.

He was overthinking it.

Xiahou Hui has neither the intention nor the strength to harm Wang Ling.

The reason I asked Man Chong was not to upset the retired Grand Commandant, but because his elder brother Xiahou Heng had recently sent him a message that forced him to start paying attention to Wang Ling.

Wang Ling's eldest son, Wang Guang, was serving in the capital Luoyang. He had a good reputation and his talent was comparable to that of Fu Gu and the deceased Xun Can. As a result, he was recruited by Cao Shuang.

Wang Guang, who was well aware of the situation in the capital, did not want to get involved in the power struggle and put his father, who held a high position, in a difficult position, so he found a reason to refuse.

However, his cousin Linghu Yu began to have close ties with Cao Shuang's staff.

Previously, when Xiahou Hui was ordered to investigate the Ministry of Agriculture in Luoyang, he was very rude to Linghu Yu.

Although it was done in a business-like manner, the atmosphere between them was still very unpleasant.

Xiahou Heng, who had long ago established a private intelligence system by taking advantage of his previous position, did not hand over this power to Xiahou Hui, but he also diligently kept an eye on all those who were hostile to Xiahou Hui, as well as those who might be detrimental to Xiahou Hui.

Linghu Yu, who was transferred to the position of magistrate of Xingyang, is one of them.

When Xiahou Hui was told the news, the first person she thought of was Wang Ling.

After all, in the original historical trajectory, this uncle and nephew were the kind of people who, knowing full well that Emperor Cao Fang was the legitimate successor and practically a puppet, still dared to plot his deposition.
Therefore, after careful private consideration, Xiahou Hui could roughly guess why Linghu Yu chose to contact Cao Shuang.

Light a cold stove that still has smoke.

In Linghu Yu's eyes, attaching himself to Xiahou Hui was not a good choice.

It had nothing to do with past grievances, but rather that his value to Xiahou Hui was at most an added bonus, something dispensable.

But it's different for Cao Shuang.

In the imperial court, he ranked after Xiahou Hui and urgently needed to increase his local influence to counterbalance his inferior reputation in the imperial court.

Linghu Yu wielded very little power, but Wang Ling, who controlled the military in Huainan, wielded considerable power.
Especially given the repeated invasions by Wu and Shu, Wei's military power was a typical case of strong branches and weak trunk, with the troop strength in the Yongliang war zone alone far exceeding that of the central army in Luoyang.

If Cao Shuang can successfully use Linghu Yu as a springboard to get in cahoots with Wang Ling, he will have enough strength to contend with Xiahou Hui.

The reason is that the governor of Jingxiang is Xiahou Ru.

This cousin of Xiahou Xuan and cousin of Xiahou Hui, caught in a dilemma where both are his beloved sons and daughters, would likely not choose a side.

The Yongliang war zone consisted mostly of Sima Yi's former subordinates and also included many of Cao Zhen's former officials.

Xiahou Hui had no local power base.

If we really have to choose one, it would be Liaodong, which is too far away to be of immediate use.

This is why he was so eager for the war in Haidong to end soon and for Guanqiu Jian, whom the late Emperor Cao Rui had chosen as the commander-in-chief, to return as soon as possible; it is also why he was concerned about Wang Ling—he had already openly broken ties with Cao Shuang, forcing some people to choose sides.

Will Wang Ling side with Cao Shuang?
Xiahou Hui had a vague answer to this question in his heart.

And Man Chong's answer indirectly confirmed this point.

In this way, the people on the Huainan front were: Wang Chang, the governor of Yangzhou, was a supporter of Sima Yi; Cao Zuan, the prefect of Lujiang, was Cao Zhao's younger brother; Xu Yun, the prefect of Anfeng, was recommended by Cao Shuang; and if we add Wang Ling, the general who conquered the east, who was on good terms with Cao Shuang.
Good guy!
What difference is there between an order from the General's Office and toilet paper over there?
Xiahou Hui suddenly realized that all his actions over the past few months had been like shooting himself in the foot.
Of course, we won't dwell on the past.

Once a problem is identified, the next step should be to consider how to solve it.

In order to avoid entering Luoyang at the same time as Man Chong, Xiahou Hui, who deliberately took a detour through the east gate of Luoyang, also discussed the matter privately with Ding Mi along the way.

Despite their efforts, the two failed to come up with any good solutions.

The only gain is to be passive and opportunistic, dealing with whatever comes your way.

As they approached the city gate, Ding Mi left the group to say goodbye and took Han Long to the Beimang Mountain Manor.

He was about to take up his post at the Ministry of Personnel in the next few days, and it was no longer appropriate for him to have too much contact with the old eunuchs. Therefore, Han Long, a spy who was bold and meticulous, would take over the duties.

As only Jia Chong rode slowly into the city beside him, Xiahou Hui, though somewhat disheartened, still casually brought up a topic out of a desire for camaraderie, "Gonglu has been following Chief Clerk Sun for some time now, and must know that I face many difficulties in court, finding it hard to accomplish anything I set out to do. Does Gonglu have any suggestions for this?" (End of Chapter)