Wei Ni

Xiahou Hui was not particularly surprised by Guanqiu Jian's uninvited arrival.

Although it came earlier than expected, given our past friendship and my goodwill in supporting the resumption of the war in Haidong, he will definitely come over after his return.

Upon hearing the news, Xiahou Hui, who came out to greet him personally, did not exchange pleasantries or take his hand and lead him inside, but instead carefully examined him.

Guanqiu Jian, who was promoted to Left General, wore a military cap, a purple sash, and a crimson official robe with a sword at his waist. Coupled with his serious and solemn personality, his face was full of solemnity and dignity, and his neatly trimmed three-strand beard. People couldn't help but praise him at first glance: he was dignified and had an aura of integrity.

Xiahou Hui paid no attention to these things, but sighed softly, "It's only been two years since I last saw you, and Brother Zhonggong has become so thin."

These words made Guanqiu Jian, who was about to bow, straighten up abruptly, his solemn expression becoming slightly more lively. He finally managed to force a smile, saying, "Soldiers inevitably suffer from mental and physical strain. I am grateful for Zhiquan's concern."

After speaking, he composed himself, bowed deeply, and greeted the General in a loud voice, "General Jian of the Left greets the General."

Xiahou Hui stepped forward, pulled him up, and led him inside.

"Is it really necessary for this between us?"

"General, etiquette must not be disregarded."

"Heh~"

Upon entering the inner office, Xiahou Hui waved away all the irrelevant people and sat down opposite Guanqiu Jian, still smiling amiably. "I know that Brother Zhonggong must have come here for other reasons. But we haven't seen each other for a long time, so let's catch up first. Well, there's no one else here, so there's no need to address me by my official title."

"Very good."

Guanqiu Jian responded with a smile, his stern face fading. However, he had no intention of reminiscing and instead went straight to asking about the events surrounding the death of the late Emperor Cao Rui.

When the late Emperor Cao Rui passed away, was he already emaciated?
Did the late Emperor Cao Rui have any regrets?
After Emperor Cao Fang ascended the throne, what were the reactions of the court officials? Before Grand Commandant Sima Yi, who was also entrusted with the care of the young emperor, was promoted to Grand Tutor, anything happened?

Half of it was about his sadness and attachment to his former master, and the other half was about his concern for the young ruler, the uncertainty of the country, and the stability of the Wei dynasty.

Xiahou Hui answered truthfully one by one.

He felt no displeasure, because this was the kind of behavior he remembered Guanqiu Jian, a loyalist of the Wei dynasty.

After the question-and-answer session had ended, he put away his expression of remembrance for the late emperor and began to recount the details of the war in Haidong.

It mainly discusses the performance of the various generals in the war.

For example, Gong Zun, Wang Qi, Qian Hong, Zhang Hu and other border generals of Youzhou; for example, Lu Fan and Wei Shu, the retainers of Xiahou Hui in Youzhou; inevitably, it also mentions many commoners who followed the army in the campaign, as well as Zuo Junbo and A Luopan, the more than 1,000 infantry and cavalry generals of the Luoyang Central Army sent by the late Emperor Cao Rui to be directly under Cao Zhao.

This caused Xiahou Hui, who had been listening with great interest, to become serious.

He had a pretty good idea of ​​why Guanqiu Jian had come to see him today.

as predicted.

Guanqiu Jian, having finished speaking, looked up and met Xiahou Hui's gaze for a moment, then sighed and said, "Zhiquan may not know, but when we returned to Liaoxi after the campaign, Cao Changsi secretly sought me out at night, asking me to plead for Zhiquan to be transferred to a local post. The reason was that Cao Zhaobo had sent someone to win him over, and he did not want to get involved."

Xiahou Hui remained silent in response.

He didn't know about this matter, but he could guess the general idea from Cao Zhao's secret letter to Emperor Cao Fang.

He also knew that if he hadn't secretly pushed Xiahou Xuan to accept the position of Central Protector General and transferred the authority of the Central Protector General to the Central Commander General, Cao Zhao wouldn't have encountered such trouble.

At least, not that fast.

"Cao Changsi is a descendant of the late Grand Marshal, and the late emperor was very close to him. Yet, on his way back with great achievements, he was running around in fear only to protect himself. Is this a blessing for the country? If even members of the imperial family are like this, how can the other officials and ministers feel at ease?"

Unable to get a response from Xiahou Hui, Guanqiu Jian then advised, "Zhiquan, everything should be for the sake of the country and the expectations of the late emperor. Don't argue with Cao Zhaobo."

Should I argue with him?
At first, I was very tolerant and showed him kindness, but he didn't appreciate it and was still greedy!
In an instant, Xiahou Hui was filled with resentment.

But they couldn't explain it away.

As the chief general entrusted with the care of the young emperor, he had to bear the responsibilities of his position, and he had to accept both the success and failure.

And he has indeed openly broken ties with Cao Shuang in the halls of power.

“Brother Zhonggong, I have never forgotten the late emperor's kindness, and I have always cherished the desire to benefit the country. However, there are some things…”

Finally, after a long silence, suppressing the resentment in his heart, Xiahou Hui sighed softly, "Alas, there are some things I have no choice but to fight for! And Brother Zhonggong knows my character. Since I was favored by the late emperor, Cao Zhaobo has not been without slander against me. Have I ever uttered a single harsh word? Have I ever taken any revenge? To be honest, Brother Zhonggong, I myself cannot understand what has made him so hostile towards me. Is it merely because I once refuted the late Grand Marshal's campaign against Shu? Haha, utterly absurd."

Seeing Xiahou Hui's emotional fluctuations and hearing the indignation in his words, Guanqiu Jian breathed a sigh of relief.

This also meant that he still had a chance to persuade the two to stop fighting; and he had finally reached the moment to reveal the plan he had prepared in the future: "In my opinion, Cao Zhaobo is not absurd, but rather the one in power is blinded by his own ignorance." "He is not absurd?"

Taken aback, Xiahou Hui pointed to himself and asked incredulously, "And I, the one involved, am blinded by my own perspective?"

Indeed.

Nodding, Guanqiu Jian explained directly, "Zhi Quan is known for his upright character and decisive actions. However, in the eyes of discerning people, Zhi Quan is shrewd and resourceful. Cao Zhaobo often slandered Zhi Quan in his early years, but now that Zhi Quan is in power, how can he not feel insecure? Isn't he afraid that once Zhi Quan's power base is solidified, some opportunistic people will fabricate charges against him and he will be executed?"

At this point, he quickly raised his hand to stop Xiahou Hui from refuting him, and slowly said, "Zhi Quan, don't rush to argue. I know Zhi Quan's character, but Cao Zhaobo is not like me, and since his life and family are at stake, he dares not take any chances. Just like Huo Guang, Sang Hongyang, and Shangguan Jie of the Former Han Dynasty, who initially only had disagreements and conflicts, but ultimately ended up with the extermination of their entire clan? Cao Zhaobo is in a lower position, and under the pressure of danger, it is only natural for him to fight for power to protect himself. Therefore, I believe that if Zhi Quan can ignore him and allow him to grow stronger and feel secure, he will definitely not fight with Zhi Quan again in the future."

Xiahou Hui remained silent once again.

More accurately, he did not believe that Cao Shuang was the kind of person who was content.

Moreover, one of the regents was Grand Tutor Sima Yi!

If, as Guanqiu Jian said, he had shown enough goodwill and authority to Cao Shuang despite past grievances, and Cao Shuang had turned around and made peace with Sima Yi, wouldn't he have been trapping himself in his own web?
At that time, let alone his desire to reform the long-standing problems, he might not even be able to keep his position as regent!

Perhaps Guanqiu Jian had already considered this possibility, as he moistened his throat with wine and said mysteriously, "I can roughly guess why Zhiquan is silent, and I only need a few words to put Zhiquan at ease."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Hui couldn't help but laugh, and looked up with great interest, urging, "I'd like to hear the details."

"Nothing special, just a display of facts."

Guanqiu Jian smiled and said in a light tone, "Considering the order of the late emperor's entrustment of the young emperor, the achievements in foreign conquests, the merits and demerits of each individual's talents, and the decisiveness in handling matters, who is superior, Zhiquan or Zhaobo? Moreover, my advice to Zhiquan is to allow Zhaobo to build up his power, just to put his mind at ease, not to advise Zhiquan to let him act recklessly. In this way, even if things change in the future, what can he do to Zhiquan?"

Hehe~

Xiahou Hui scoffed at this, disagreeing with it.

In the power struggles of the imperial court, everyone walks on thin ice; one wrong step can lead to utter ruin. The best approach is to prevent problems before they arise. How could he allow himself to sow the seeds of future trouble simply because of the high praise offered by Guanqiu Jian?

Hehe~

Guanqiu Jian, who had also chuckled a few times, suddenly became serious, stared into Xiahou Hui's eyes, and asked in a deep voice, "Zhiquan, do you still remember why the late emperor insisted on attacking Gongsun of Liaodong against all odds and appointed you and me as generals?"

It is so that you and I can achieve great things, gain a foothold in the imperial court as soon as possible, and become pillars of the Wei dynasty.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten."

Xiahou Hui, equally composed, nodded.

"The late emperor was generous in promoting me, and I, Zhiquan, have never forgotten that kindness."

Nodding slightly, Guanqiu Jian's brows furrowed with indignation as he formally questioned, "Zhiquan, allow me to ask a question: When the late Emperor was on his deathbed, he entrusted the affairs of state to Zhiquan, Zhaobo, and the Grand Tutor. Now the Grand Tutor has ceased to hold office in the Ministry of Personnel, and Zhiquan and Zhaobo are arguing. Is this how one repays the late Emperor's kindness? If Zhiquan were to visit the Gaoping Mausoleum in the future, what would he say to the late Emperor?"

You finally said it.

That makes sense, though.

The late emperor has been gone for less than a year, and the three regents have already become estranged and even hostile towards each other. Given your character and your feelings for the late emperor, it is only natural that you would sigh and angrily rebuke them.

Xiahou Hui sighed inwardly, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said jokingly, "If I hadn't known Brother Zhonggong for many years, I would have thought that Brother Zhonggong was Cao Zhaobo's persuader."

Uh?
Guanqiu Jian was taken aback.

But he quickly realized what was going on, and immediately laughed heartily, cupping his hands in greeting, saying, "As long as Zhiquan doesn't think I'm stupid, I'm ready to go to the General of Chariots and Cavalry's office to act as Zhiquan's advocate at any time."

“If Brother Zhonggong wishes to learn from Mao Sui, I am happy to oblige. But before you go, Brother Zhonggong, you must do two things for me.”

"Let's talk about it for now."

"Firstly, if I follow Brother Zhonggong's advice and things change in the future, please do not forget the original intention of the late emperor in sending us to conquer Liaodong."

"it is good!"

Guanqiu Jian nodded without hesitation, "There's no need for Zhiquan to say anything about this. If it's Zhaobo, I will definitely follow Zhiquan's lead!"

"The other is that if I can put Zhao Bo at ease, he should also put me at ease." (End of Chapter)