Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

"The Hexi Xianbei... are they the westernmost branch of the Western Xianbei? They have always been active in the vicinity of Wuwei and Zhangye counties?"

Xin Pi looked at Xiahou Ba and Sima Fu and asked, as if he was familiar with these military matters: "In the spring of the fifth year of Taihe, Borgu clearly stated in the military report to Wei that the Hexi Xianbei had only more than 20,000 men, women, old and young. How could they gather 20,000 or 30,000 cavalry? With such a scale, even if they were all weak soldiers, they would not be able to gather more than 100,000 people!"

Xiahou Ba also sighed: "Xin Gong said it was fast, I think it was fast too!"

"The Hexi Xianbei originally formed their own faction. Although they obeyed the orders and conscriptions of the Western Xianbei, after Kebi Neng's death, Borgu and Zonu fought endlessly. Even though Borgu won in the end, the Hexi Xianbei no longer listened to Borgu. In addition, Borgu was notorious for kidnapping people. More and more people, whether Xianbei or various Hu people, opposed him."

"Tufa Agu of the Hexi Xianbei took advantage of the chaos and rose up. The Lushui Hu and Juyan Hu, who were originally at odds with them, somehow also secretly united with the Hexi Xianbei. Together with the various Hu people who came from the grasslands, there must be more than 100,000 people. The Lushui Hu and Juyan Hu were defeated by the general during the Huangchu period, and their remnants have been opposing the Wei Dynasty for nearly ten years."

"Xin Gong." Xiahou Ba was also sincere at this moment: "Bolugu's reputation is really too bad. Those who oppose Bolugu have gradually gathered under Tufa Agu's command. I am really worried that if it is delayed for another year or two, these people will sooner or later take advantage of the situation and swallow Bolugu up. If this is true, it will raise a figure similar to Kebi Neng."

Sima Fu also interjected: "Zhong Quan is right. Kebi Neng and Borgu are both close to Bingzhou. With the power of Hebei, it can be somewhat appropriate to deal with them. But Tufa Agu is operating in the original northern land, southern Shuofang and Hexi areas. Now his power has just reached the border of Hetao in the north and Zhangye in the west."

"If we indulge them, they will really breed a large tribe stretching from Gaochang in the west to Wuyuan and Yunzhong in the east. This will not be a good thing for Wei!"

Seeing Xin Pi's hand reaching for the wine jar, Sima Fu quickly raised his hand to signal the maid to fill Xin Pi's wine jar.

Xin Pi drank half a bottle of wine by himself and remained silent.

As a cabinet minister, Xin Pi was unaware of the court's plan to invade Wu the year after next, but he was aware that Wei was now planning to use military force in the southeast.

If the war breaks out, from east to west, from Yangzhou to Jingzhou, the troops mobilized on the thousand-mile-long front will not be less than 200,000. Not only the states of Henan, but also Jizhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Yingzhou in Hebei, all need to transfer money and resources to the southeast. According to the practice of the past few years, before the southern expedition, the elite troops and light cavalry of the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Xiongnu on the Hebei border will be drawn.

The inevitable result will be the weakening of the northern border defense.

If the north is unstable, the Hexi Xianbei that they both mentioned will become powerful, wouldn't the Wei Dynasty be attacked from both sides? The lower limit is another Borgu, and as for the upper limit, it may develop into Tan Shihuai!

Moreover, the Hexi Xianbei were in Liangzhou, which was already poor and remote. The resources of Yongzhou and Qinzhou were just being stored up, all of which were used to prepare for the war against Shu. How could they be used to conquer the Hu people north of Wuwei? The gain would not outweigh the loss.

But if you ignore it...the trouble will always be here.

For the central government, it is ultimately a matter of balance.

Xin Pi paused for a moment, looked up at the two of them, then drank the remaining half bottle of wine, then narrowed his eyes:

"Shuda, Zhongquan, are all the things you two just told me true?"

"It's all true!" Sima Fu replied immediately, "There is not a single falsehood in it. Lord Xin can rest assured!"

Xiahou Ba also nodded: "It is indeed true, there is nothing wrong with it."

Xin Pi said, "So you two are telling me this today in the hope that the imperial court can send troops to suppress them, to prevent these barbarians from becoming too powerful and endangering the safety of Liangzhou?"

"Yes."

"Right on my mind."

Xin Pi asked again: "Your Majesty ordered you two to stay in Liangzhou. Can you stabilize the situation here a little? So that there won't be any chaos?"

Sima Fu showed a bit of embarrassment on his face. "Xin Gong, the Hu people in Liangzhou are different from those in Bingzhou and Youzhou. When the general led the army to conquer them during the Huangchu period, he beheaded more than 50,000 people. We have long since forged a blood feud with these Hu tribes, and it is extremely difficult to reconcile. Zhongquan and I have tried, but two envoys died instead."

Xin Pi looked at Xiahou Ba again and said, "Zhong Quan, if we don't reconcile with these Hu people, can we not defend the city?"

Xiahou Ba hesitated for a moment before apologetically saying, "Xin Gong, Liang Province is different from other places. From Jincheng to Zhangye alone, there is a thousand miles of land. There is no certainty as to where the Hu people will invade. It is difficult for me to deal with it!"

Sima Fu also added: "Xin Gong, during the Han Dynasty, Liangzhou was completely occupied by Qiang and Hu people. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past."

Xin Pi stared at the two men's faces for a few more moments, then stood up suddenly, shook his sleeves, and said in a deep voice:
"As a cabinet minister, I have the authority and responsibility to assist in government affairs. Since you two are telling the truth, if you want to ask me how the central government will respond, you don't need to write a letter to His Majesty. I can give you two an answer right now."

Sima Fu swallowed his saliva, looking at Xin Pi's slightly dignified face, and he actually felt a little nervous. Xiahou Ba was not much better.

The two looked at each other, then stood up at the same time and looked at Xin Pi. At this moment, they both had the same feeling in their minds.

Is Xin Pi so decisive?
Xin Pi sat up straight and said, "I will first ask Borgu to withdraw his people to Yunzhong and Dingxiang, which are closer to Wei. They should stop plundering the barbarians on the grasslands and rest for a while. We should be cautious."

"If the Xianbei in Hexi continue to grow in power, you won't be able to negotiate peace, fight them, or defend the city..." Xin Pi looked at Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba, and a hint of sternness appeared on his face: "I would suggest that Your Majesty abandon Liangzhou and just defend Jincheng, and keep Yongzhou and Qinzhou in Guanxi."

"Xin Gong! Why is it so?" Sima Fu suddenly stood up from the table and asked loudly: "The Hu people are gradually gaining strength, but Xin Gong not only does not think of sending troops to defend, but instead wants to abandon Liangzhou? What's the logic behind this!"

Xiahou Ba was even more confused at this time. He glanced at Sima Fu and then at Xin Pi: "Why did Lord Xin say that?"

"What's the reason?" Xin Pi said, "National affairs are about Wu and Shu, not the Hu people. Now the great Wei has gathered its strength for many years, and it is all used to conquer Wu and Shu. Your Majesty has promoted Shouchun to the capital, and led the Shangshutai, the Privy Council and the Central Army to Huainan. You all know it. Why do you still need to mobilize tens of thousands of troops to use in Liangzhou?"

"I just learned from you two that the Hexi Xianbei have become powerful and have repeatedly invaded the border. You two, one is the governor of Liangzhou and the other is the general of Pingyuan, but you are so afraid of the enemy that you act as if the court does not send troops, Liangzhou will fall into the hands of the Hu people!"

As he was talking, Xin Pi raised his finger and pointed at Xiahou Ba: "You, Xiahou Zhongquan, command 5,000 cavalrymen, and it's fine that you can't catch the invading Hu people again and again. But as the son of Xiahou Miaocai, you are afraid that you can't defeat 20,000 or 30,000 Hu people with 5,000 cavalrymen? Is that what you mean?"

Xiahou Ba was completely confused, and a sense of panic rose in his heart. Could it be that Sima Fu had tricked him today? Why didn't Xin Pi follow the routine at all? He was going to overturn the table!
Are the central cabinet ministers so fierce?
Xiahou Ba explained repeatedly: "Xin Gong, why would I be afraid of the Hu people? I just don't want to sit back and watch them grow stronger, so as to avoid disaster in the future!"

"And you." Xin Pi snorted coldly and looked at Sima Fu. "Why, is there no one left in Liangzhou? As the governor, if the enemy invades, will you recruit civilians to defend the city? Are so many cities in Liangzhou broken bricks and tiles? Or have you been in Liangzhou for so many years that the people have resented it and no one is loyal to Wei anymore?"

Xiahou Ba and Sima Fu were neither sitting nor standing. One was a general and the other a governor, both of them were high-ranking officials who were in charge of the affairs of the frontier. Today, they were ridiculed by Xin Pi, but they could do nothing about it.

This is the rule of the court. A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death. Not to mention that Xin Pi is the Minister of the Left, an angel appointed by His Majesty, and he also holds a seal! In other words, if Xin Pi impeached the two of them to His Majesty, they would really be dismissed from office. Does the emperor believe them or Xin Pi? There is no need to hesitate at all!

"Lord Xin," Sima Fu tried to defend himself, "Lord Xin, you are too serious. Zhong Quan and I are just in our positions and are more worried about the things in Liang Province. It's not that we are afraid of the enemy, nor that Liang Province cannot be defended. Lord Xin just said that the court wants to use troops in the south. We didn't know about this. In this case, Zhong Quan and I will try our best to hold on to Liang Province!"

"Let Lord Xin know that Liang Province is too vast, indeed different from other inland provinces, and too far away for cavalry." Xiahou Ba said: "Lord Xin, Liang Province still has a surplus of war horses every year. How about using Qiang people to increase the cavalry and increase the total number to 10,000?"

Xin Pi still shook his head: "It's still not possible. Zhongquan, Shuda, I have made it clear to you two that the two of you have been able to stabilize the situation in Liangzhou and prevent chaos, which is the greatest merit. As for expanding the army, there is not enough money for you to expand the army. Liangzhou still needs to send war horses to the court in the next two years, so we can only increase it, not reduce it."

"However, I am not just giving you orders without giving you directions."

Xin Pi had said so much, Sima Fu walked around the table, came to Xin Pi's table, poured a bottle of wine for Xin Pi, picked it up, handed it to Xin Pi, and said softly: "I hope Mr. Xin can teach you."

Xiahou Ba also said: "I hope Xin Gong can give me some advice. Brother Shuda and I are both concerned about state affairs. It was an unintentional mistake just now. I hope Xin Gong can forgive us."

Xin Pi looked at Sima Fu, gave him this face, raised his head and drank the wine in the bottle, and said slowly: "Your Majesty often teaches his subjects in the central government that many things can be done or not, not because of ability, but because of the strong desire to change the situation."

"Choose a suitable person to go on another mission. Don't go looking for the Lushui Hu and the Juyan Hu. Go directly to Tufa A'gu. The tension between Wei and him is not as severe as that between Wei and Lushui Hu. Ask him what Tufa A'gu wants and whether he can accept Wei's reward, such as making him a marquis. Then let Tufa A'gu come forward and have a good talk with Lushui Hu and Juyan Hu, and appease them by making them a marquis."

"A title of nobility..." Xiahou Ba looked a little embarrassed: "Maybe it's not enough."

Xin Pi snorted lightly, "You haven't tried it, so how do you know it's not enough? If it's not enough, then confer him the title of Hexi Xianbei Lord, on the same level as Western Xianbei Lord Borgu. Is that enough? A mere leader of a small Hexi Xianbei tribe wouldn't have such big ambitions for no reason, so don't worry."

"Tempt him with status and prestige. If he refuses, then threaten him with military action. Kebi Neng has only been dead for a few years. How could Tufa Agu have the courage? Don't be too pessimistic!"

Sima Fu bowed and saluted: "Xin Gong has made a plan, and there must be nothing missing. Tomorrow, Zhong Quan and I will find someone to send an envoy. If Xin Gong does not mind, please stay in Guzang City for a while to see how the situation here will develop."

"Okay." Xin Pi replied, stroking his beard.

When Xin Pi arrived in Guzang City, Xiahou Ba and Sima Fu both vied to give up their houses for Xin Pi to live in. Xin Pi insisted on refusing and finally lived in the post house.

Late at night, Xin Pi sat at his desk, writing a letter to the emperor in Shouchun. He wanted to start writing several times, but he sighed, put the pen down, blew out the oil lamp, and lay on the couch for a long time without sleeping.

Xin Pi had seen the details of today's incident. How could the situation in Liang Province become so critical in just one or two years? Even if Tufa Agu really wanted to oppose Wei, with all the famous ministers and generals in Guanxi now, what advantage could he gain?
What worried Xin Pi even more was the performance of Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba.

How many years has Liangzhou been peaceful? Seeing that Wei was expanding its territory in other places, he took advantage of his visit here to fight for the opportunity to use troops. This is because he could not distinguish the priorities of the overall situation, and he was arrogant because of the victory in other places... (End of this chapter)