Han officials

Chapter 235 Unconventional Aristocratic Sons [12]

Although Wang Yun held the most prestigious official position among the gentry of Bingzhou, he was not the one with the greatest influence.

Of course, it was not Guo Yun, the former governor of Yanmen.

However, it does have some connection to him, because this person is one of his clansmen.

Guo Tai, courtesy name Linzong, was a native of Jiexiu, Taiyuan Prefecture, and was renowned for his ability to judge character.

This man came from a humble background, yet he was well-versed in a wide range of books. He associated with Li Ying and others, and was highly regarded in Luoyang. He was elected as a leader by the students of the Imperial Academy. After the first purge of the partisans, Guo Tai was also praised by scholars as one of the "Eight Mentors" of the partisans.

For decades, and even now, he remains the most influential scholar in Bingzhou, even after his death.

In the south there was Xu Zijiang, and in the north there was Guo Linzong; this is the most direct description of him.

Especially after he devoted himself to teaching, he had thousands of disciples and his influence spread throughout the world. When he passed away, nearly 10,000 people from west of Hongnong Hangu Pass to north of Tangyin in Henan came to attend his funeral. Cai Yong personally wrote the epitaph for him.

In Bingzhou alone, there are sixty scholars who have become famous because of Guo Tai's comments, and many of them have served as prefectures and counties... including the current Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Wang Yun!
To some extent, he single-handedly supported the scholars of Bingzhou.

This is why, even though Guo Tai passed away many years ago, his ancestral worship still has an effect.

However, Guo Tai came from a humble background, and the Guo family of Jiexiu only became famous after him. Therefore, he did not have any family background. Moreover, Guo Tai died at the age of forty-two, and his son was still a young man with mediocre talent and was not a promising talent.

Therefore, for the sake of his own descendants, Guo Taifang established a clan connection with the Guo family of Yangqu while he was ill.

After all, even if he gave his family lineage to his own son, the boy wouldn't be able to handle it, so it's better to find a long-term guarantee.

Guo Yun was able to obtain the position of Prefect of Yanmen, a post with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), partly because of the legacy left by Guo Tai.

That's how political legitimacy works; it's not based on bloodline inheritance.

After Guo Tai and the Guo family of Yangqu joined the clan, the Guo family was already known as the Guo family of Taiyuan.

……

On this day, in the main hall of the Yanmen Prefectural Governor's Office.

A handsome young man, eight feet tall, stood there.

Because Guo Yun was currently guarding Loufan Pass and had heavy responsibilities, he sent his eldest son, Guo Huai, to assist Cui Yan.

Although Guo Huai had just come of age, his demeanor already showed the bearing of a great man, without the impetuousness of a young man.

Guo Huai then introduced the situation in a calm and steady voice:

"My great-uncle once knew Zhang Xiaozhong when he was a herdsman, and knew about Fan Tezu's post station campaign. He summoned his son and Xu Weikang to go out to the butcher shop. Sima Ziwei was promoted from the ranks. Guo Changxin, Wang Changwen, Han Wenbu, Li Zizheng, Cao Ziyuan, Zhou Kangzi of Dingxiang, Wang Jiran of Xihe, Qiu Jizhi of Yunzhong, Hao Lizhen and sixty others from the same county all received my great-uncle's kindness."

"Although most of these people are no longer in the state, their families have always respected their great-uncle and have been diligent in sweeping and honoring his grave every year without fail."

It wasn't that the gentry of Bingzhou were particularly grateful, but rather that there were moral constraints in society.

It should be noted that many of these sixty people came from poor backgrounds and were able to enter officialdom entirely because of Guo Taifang.

Guo Tai's promotion was nothing short of a life-saving grace to them.

No, it's like a second life for their entire family!
If Liaodong had had a "Guo Tai" back then, Wei Zhe's father wouldn't have been trapped among the powerful and influential with no way to rise in rank.

Having said all this, Guo Huai bowed respectfully to Cui Yan, who was seated at the head of the table, and said:

"This junior is unworthy, but I am willing to persuade the various families on behalf of the Prefect's envoy, so that Taiyuan may reform its ways!"

However, Cui Yan frowned and shook his head upon hearing this: "No, this matter is dangerous, and it is not something you can do!"

Although Cui Yan was eager to make a name for himself, he was not so sure that he would send a greenhorn to risk his life.

After all, Guo Huai's father, Guo Yun, is currently risking his life for the Wei army. What would it look like if he pushed Guo Huai into danger again?

However, Guo Huai was not the kind of lazy, boastful gentry. Although his grandfather Guo Quan had served as the Grand Minister of Agriculture and his father Guo Yun had repeatedly held the position of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure), Guo Huai did not have the spoiled air of aristocratic families.

Without exaggeration, he was a man of both literary and martial talents, the best among his peers from childhood to adulthood.

Now that he finally saw an opportunity to make a name for himself, Guo Huai was naturally unwilling to give it up.

He had no desire to be a parasite relying on his father's and grandfather's influence; he only wanted to enter officialdom based on his own abilities!

He immediately stepped forward, his expression resolute as he earnestly pleaded:

"My lord, this is not something I cannot do!"

“I am the eldest son of the Guo family of Yangqu. Even if the families do not agree, they will have to give me some face. In this way, even if we fail, the matter will not be exposed. If someone else were sent as an envoy, the families might report it to the officials, which would inevitably alert the enemy.”

These words truly made Cui Yan hesitate.

After a moment, Cui Yan sighed and stroked his beard, saying:

"Very well, I will personally host a banquet to apologize to Brother Wenbo after this matter is over!"

Having said that, Cui Yan no longer hesitated and immediately appointed Guo Huai as a clerk in charge of the Five Offices, ordering him to go on a mission to Taiyuan.

In addition, Cui Yan also arranged many hidden agents.

For example, after the entire Xihe Commandery fell, many officials and civilians fled to Taiyuan Commandery for refuge.

If we're talking about hatred for Yuan's army, probably no one hates it more than this group.

If Yuan Shao hadn't colluded with the barbarians to invade the south, they wouldn't have suffered the loss of their families and been forced to leave their homes.

For example, the Xihe Wang clan, a former collateral branch of the Jinyang Wang clan, is now gritting its teeth over the choice of the main branch.

For this reason, Wang Min, the head of the Xihe Wang clan, even refused to serve the Yuan clan and preferred to make a living by farming in Jinyang.

Thus, Cui Yan did not expend much effort to recruit many officials and people from Xihe who were willing to cooperate.

Among them were aristocratic families like Wang Min from Xihe, as well as ordinary powerful figures, merchants, and even the vast majority of wandering knights and commoners who had managed to escape by chance.

But these diverse groups of people played a significant role under Cui Yan's arrangement.

……

The fourth month of summer, on the day of Dingyou.

Taiyuan Prefecture, Jinyang City Prefectural Office.

Despite the fierce fighting between the Wei and Yuan armies around Taiyuan Commandery, it was not actually an unclaimed territory.

Prefect Wei Jin has been in office since the fifth year of the Zhongping era, and continues to do so to this day.

However, this person is not only mediocre, but also very indecisive, so he often changes his mind frequently.

He was about to surrender to the Wei army after being persuaded by his advisors, but after returning from the toilet, he changed his mind again and again, always wavering.

After a while, both Zhang Liao and Gao Gan lost faith in him and focused solely on attacking him.

After all, if any one of them could capture Jinyang City, the struggle for Taiyuan Prefecture would come to an end.

Well, I guess you could call it a stroke of luck; at least Wei Jin's life has become much easier.

However, that morning, just as Wei Jin was embracing his beautiful concubine and going back to sleep, a loud knocking on the door startled him awake from his warm and fragrant embrace...

(End of this chapter)