Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Now the Shangshu Pushe of the Wei Dynasty is not just Sima Yi and Chen Jiao. Xin Pi, who is on inspection in Guanxi, still holds the position of Shangshu Zuo Pushe.

After Xin Pi left Qishan, he did not go directly to Guzang as originally planned, but went to Xiabian and Hanzhong, and then returned to Qishan, and from there headed northwest towards Liangzhou.

Having learned in advance that Xin Pi was coming, General Pingyuan Xiahou Ba and Liangzhou Governor Sima Fu also led their troops to greet him thirty miles outside the city.

It is understandable that the etiquette is so grand.

By the seventh year of Taihe, the Wei people had long regarded the position of cabinet ministers as important as the three highest officials. Not to mention the remote place of Liangzhou, apart from the messengers, even the imperial censors who came to inspect the court were not many. Now that Xin Pi had arrived, how could Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba not make careful preparations?

Moreover, more and more things have happened in Wei over the years. In the third and fourth years of Taihe, when the Shu army attacked three times, Cao Zhen did not allow Liangzhou to participate. They learned about Yingzhou, Hebei, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and the sea from the reports and letters of the Privy Council and the Shangshutai. They really wanted to hear the changes in the court with their own ears.

In short, facing Xin Pi's arrival, Xiahou Ba and Sima Fu were both excited and thrilled. To put it more exaggeratedly, it was like an old soldier who had been guarding the border for many years waiting for a messenger from the imperial court.

"Greetings, Lord Xin." Xiahou Ba and Sima Fu bowed together.

Xin Pi got off the carriage, walked up to the two of them, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for several years. Zhongquan, Shuda, you two have worked really hard in Liangzhou, but the central government has never forgotten you. That's why I was sent here with a seal to inspect and comfort you."

Xiahou Badao asked, "How long will Lord Xin stay in Wuwei?"

"I will stay as long as I have to." Xin Pi stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty has not agreed on when I must return. In short, since I have come here, I must serve as the eyes of Your Majesty and the Central Government and have a clear understanding of the situation in Liangzhou before I leave."

Sima Fu nodded and said, "Mr. Xin, how is my brother doing in Shouchun?"

Xin Pi chuckled and said, "Sikong is in very good health. Although he is busy with chores all day, he does not seem to be worried or depressed at all. He is still able to draw the bow. Before I came, Sikong occasionally practiced archery with Your Majesty."

"Your two grown-up nephews, one is a Lang in the Ministry of War, and the other is an official in Yecheng, both are doing well."

"Then I'm relieved." Sima Fu pointed in the direction of Guzang City and said, "Mr. Xin, please get in the car. It's still thirty miles from here to the city. Judging from the time, we can't enter the city until the evening. We have already prepared wine and food in the city, and we are waiting for Mr. Xin to come."

"That's right, that's right." Xiahou Ba laughed heartily: "The scenery in Liangzhou is different from that in the Central Plains. Even the sunset time is much later than in Luoyang."

Xin Pi nodded and said, "Thank you two for welcoming me. Let's go back to the city together."

The team slowly moved westward again. The hundred cavalrymen from the central army always followed Xin Pi's carriage. Xiahou Ba and Sima Fu's welcoming team could only walk further behind.

Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba rode side by side on horseback. Looking at Xin Pi's carriage not far ahead, Sima Fu shook his head and sighed.

"Brother Shuda, what's wrong?" Xiahou Ba asked.

Sima Fu said, "Xin Zuozhi was only a minister in the past, but after a few years, he rose rapidly and became a minister of the Central Government and Shangshu Pushe. I have been in Liangzhou for six years, and the court has been changing day by day, but it has nothing to do with me. I always feel that I have wasted my time in Liangzhou."

Xiahou Ba was not as sentimental as Sima Fu. He said frankly, "You and Sikong are brothers. It is impossible for both of you to be in the central government at the same time. It is already a special favor from His Majesty that Sima Zihua is the Minister of Works. It is impossible for all the good things in the world to be taken by your Sima family."

Sima Fu sat on his horse and looked into the distance: "My brother is the Minister of Works, but I am not allowed to enter the court. How unfair it is to me!"

Xiahou Ba also sighed: "Brother Shuda, you tell me these things every time after drinking. My ears are almost callused from hearing them. Can you come up with something new to say?"

Sima Fu asked, "Zhong Quan wants to hear my new words?"

Xiahou Ba sighed: "What do you want to say?"

Sima Fu lowered his voice and said, "If Liangzhou remains peaceful, you and I will never get any credit and will have to stay in Liangzhou forever." Xiahou Ba retorted, "No way, didn't the Central Government send Xin Pushe to see us?"

Sima Fu snorted coldly: "Whether he comes or not, if Liangzhou remains peaceful, will it have any other impact on the two of us? In my opinion, if Liangzhou does not cause any trouble, the central government will not focus on us!"

"What are you going to do?" Xiahou Ba suddenly grabbed the reins, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

Sima Fu said, "Zhongquan, look, now the Hu people of Liang Province have repeatedly invaded the borders of Wuwei, Zhangye and Jiuquan counties. You have sent troops to deal with them three times, but you have never been able to catch any trace of the enemy. Is that right or wrong?"

Xiahou Ba nodded and said, "That was because the thieves were too cunning, not my fault."

Sima Fu said, "I know it's not your fault, but how do you know whether Xin Zuozhi came here to investigate you and me? Why don't we take this opportunity to ask the court to go north to attack the Hu people in Liangzhou, so that we can show our achievements here!"

"Let me think about this." Xiahou Ba replied.

"Don't worry, there are still more than twenty miles to go, enough for you to think about." Sima Fu said.

The team was getting closer and closer to Guzang. The outline of the city could be seen with the naked eye. Sima Fu turned around and urged, "Zhong Quan, have you thought it through?"

Xiahou Ba said hesitantly, "There are only 5,000 soldiers in Liangzhou. Although they have all been converted into cavalry in recent years, they are still insufficient to fight against the Hu people. What's more, the Hu people are becoming more and more rampant. Guzang is still far away from the Hu people, the population is small, and the logistics may not be able to supply them..."

"Zhong Quan, you are wrong!" Sima Fu said, "If we want to conquer the Hu people, it is not just Liangzhou's business. Do the Western Xianbei want help? Does Tian Yu of Bingzhou want help? Can the court send the central army to support us? This is not just a matter for you and me."

Xiahou Ba hesitated for a long time and nodded: "Okay! Let's do as Brother Shuda said!"

"That's right. If there were no war, how could you and I get any credit?" Sima Fu sneered, "Besides, you and I didn't cheat. We should have fought these barbarians long ago!"

Just when Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba reached an agreement, the team entered Guzang City.

After entering the city, Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba became the hosts.

Wuwei mutton was the main dish for tonight, accompanied by various Western foods with spices, which really opened Xin Pi's eyes at the dinner.

After the three of them put down their wine bottles again, Sima Fu said slowly with a slightly sad face: "I wonder if Lord Xin has read the report we sent to the court from Liangzhou. The Hu people in Liangzhou are indeed rampant."

"After the Western Xianbei's Borgu gained power, he abducted people and aroused a lot of opposition on the grassland. It was far from being as peaceful as the court's military reports said."

Xin Pi picked up another piece of mutton and put it in his mouth. He smacked his lips a few times and said, "Of course the court knows the truth, but it is really short of people. Borgu can also send Xianbei miners to Wei, so it doesn't care about these chaotic trivial matters on the grassland."

Sima Fu said: "Boergu's main tribe is only in the old Wuyuan County area, but since last year, the western Xianbei tribes that are further west have begun to gather together to oppose Boergu. Using this name, they have gathered between the old Shuofang County and the old Beidi County. Among them are not only Xianbei people who do not submit to Boergu, but also many Xiongnu, Miscellaneous Hu, and Qiang people."

Xin Pi asked in a deep voice: "How powerful are these people?"

Xiahou Ba replied: "According to my estimation, if they were all assembled, they would have about 20,000 to 30,000 cavalrymen, so they repeatedly harassed the prefectures and counties of Liang Province, and Liang Province was unable to stop them."

"So fast? Who is the leader?" Xin Pi asked again.

Xiahou Ba responded: "He is a man from the Hexi Xianbei, named Tufa Agu." (End of this chapter)