Han officials

Chapter 255: Knowing the Small Things
People in the arena involuntarily.

Even though Wei Zhe is now a powerful warlord, there are still many things he cannot control.

On July 18th, Liu Bei's delegation finally arrived in Ji County.

Looking at the gift list, Wei Zhe initially thought the white jade beauty was some kind of jade carving, but it turned out to be a real-life figurine.

And I must say, this "jade beauty" truly deserves to be called an absolute beauty.

But Wei Zhe really had no intention of becoming a minotaur.

Besides, if he were to take this woman as a concubine, wouldn't Liu Shan (Liu Adou) be doomed?

Liu Bei sent people to congratulate him with great sincerity, and Wei Zhe simply couldn't bring himself to return the goods.

Therefore, in order to appease his ally and reassure Liu Bei to fight Cao Cao with peace of mind, Wei Zhe had no choice but to reluctantly accept the offer.

Thus, in the backyard of the Wei family mansion, there was another lady, Madam Gan, following Madam Zhen.

That night, deep within the Wei residence.

In the east wind night, flowers and trees are bloomed, and the stars are like rain.

The road is filled with the fragrance of finely carved carriages. The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot gleams, and fish and dragons dance all night.

The experience is truly indescribable to outsiders!

……

The next day, Wei Zhe appeared in the council hall when it was already broad daylight.

And as soon as they sat down, Wei Zhe took the initiative to give instructions:

"It hasn't been easy for Xuande to get to where he is today. Send an order to the Liaodong horse farm to send another thousand warhorses there."

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng frowned slightly and immediately wanted to offer his remonstrance.

Xi Zhicai originally wanted to make a few more jokes, but he quickly became serious.

He had only known Wei Zhe since his humble beginnings, and his understanding of Wei Zhe was far greater than that of Tian Feng.

Seeing that Tian Feng was about to speak, he raised his hand to stop him, and then looked at Wei Zhe curiously and said:

"Is Your Excellency worried that Liu Bei will be disappointed?"

“Indeed!” Wei Zhe did not mind Tian Feng’s actions just now, but nodded and sighed: “Cao Mengde is no ordinary man. If we talk about military talent, there are very few people in the world who can surpass him. Although Xuande has tiger generals and strategists, he may not be Cao Mengde’s match in time.”

Regardless of their positions, Wei Zhe still held Cao Cao in high esteem.

Looking at his life and career, one can see that Cao Cao's military strategy was absolutely top-notch in the late Han Dynasty.

Although he made many jokes and low-level mistakes when he first joined the army, it was through these experiences that he gradually grew and became more and more experienced in military tactics.

His ability to rise from a strategically vital region in the Central Plains and grow stronger with each battle speaks volumes about his military strategy.

In fact, the most skilled general in Cao Wei's army was Cao Cao himself, which is quite different from the situation in Shu Han and Eastern Wu.

As for Liu Bei, although he can be considered a capable and skilled warrior, it depends on who he is compared to.

At least for the time being, Liu Bei's use of troops is probably still a bit lacking.

There was a reason why Liu Bei was able to wander for most of his life in the original history.

Facing the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, he failed to gain a foothold from the plains to the North Sea.

Having finally obtained Xuzhou, it was repeatedly snatched away by others.

If you can't win a real fight, then don't say anything.

At that time, Cao Cao was only the governor of Dongjun, but he subdued 300,000 Yellow Turban rebels in Qingzhou by guerrilla warfare.

The difference between the two is evident here.

It's only because Liu Bei currently holds the advantage; otherwise, Wei Zhe estimates he wouldn't even have a 50% chance of winning.

At the same time, Tian Feng realized what had happened. He had just thought that his lord was being bewitched by beauty, which was why he was showing such favor to Liu Bei.

Having overheard the conversation between Xi Zhicai and Wei Zhe, Tian Feng immediately understood that he had been narrow-minded.

Upon realizing this, Tian Feng didn't hesitate and immediately began to self-criticize:

"I am ashamed that I judged you with the mind of a petty person. I beg Your Honor to punish me!"

He admits his mistake even if it's not spoken aloud; that's how upright and honest Tian Feng is.

Wei Zhe naturally didn't mind, and instead smiled as he helped him up, saying, "What crime has Yuan Hao committed?"
After saying this, Wei Zhe pointed to the line on the screen: "A son of a thousand pieces of gold will not sit under a leaning roof; a son of a hundred pieces of gold will not ride a crossbar; a wise ruler will not take advantage of danger to seek fortune." He smiled and said:
"Yuan Hao, have you forgotten? You are my mirror, and only by being straightforward can you be a true mirror!"

"If I have faults, I will correct them; if I don't, I will strive to improve. Only in this way can I make progress every day!"

The inscription on the screen was written by Wei Zhe as a self-reminder when Tian Feng first offered his advice.

Seeing Wei Zhe bring up the old matter again, Tian Feng felt ashamed and couldn't help but feel a desire to die for his cause.

After all, such a wise ruler was unheard of even during the Han Dynasty; such a figure could probably only have appeared during the Three Dynasties.

However, after calming himself down, Tian Feng still offered his advice:

"While your actions were certainly motivated by public interest, the method may have been somewhat inappropriate."

"Others do not know the reason behind this. They only see that the beauty Liu Xuande presented entered the mansion yesterday and he has obtained a thousand fine horses today. They cannot help but have wild thoughts."

The Baihu Tong states: "If the superiors like to do something, the inferiors will surely follow suit."

"Today, the outside world is unaware of your true intentions. I personally believe that this is all due to the beauty of the women. In the future, there will surely be those within the shogunate who secretly flatter you. If this continues, the world will surely descend into chaos, and the consequences will be endless!"

Tian Feng didn't mean for Wei Zhe to be celibate and abstain from women.

He said this mainly in the hope that Wei Zhe would not set such a bad example for the shogunate.

After all, the corrupt atmosphere starts from the top, and ordinary people are just the ones who get infected.

If Wei Zhe were to generously reward Liu Bei for offering him a beautiful woman, it would undoubtedly send the wrong signal.

Honest officials in the shogunate might not deliberately curry favor, but such people were ultimately a minority.

Just like several later emperors, the emperor's preferences had a significant impact on the social atmosphere of the country.

Rather than saying that Tian Feng was insightful and perceptive, it would be more accurate to say that he nipped problems in the bud.

Xi Zhicai quickly understood the crux of Tian Feng's concerns and was immediately impressed.

He was naturally lazy and didn't care about details, so he didn't really think of this aspect for a moment.

Wei Zhe felt the same way, and of course, he wasn't completely unreceptive to advice; he immediately nodded and said:

"If that's the case, then let's try another approach."

"This year, the share of the horse farm and Yanzhou is 1,000 horses. I will use the Wei family caravan to carry out this matter separately. The details of this matter will not be known to outsiders."

Yanzhou happens to be a fertile region in the Central Plains, with countless valuable resources. Moreover, using trade to subtly enhance Yanzhou's military strength would be a more discreet way for the shogunate to profit.

Xi Zhicai and Tian Feng immediately nodded in agreement.

After discussion, the group decided to apply the same approach to Shi Sunrui.

Wei Zhe was quite looking forward to the combination of Shi Sunrui and Lü Bu.

Especially after the Han army in Luoyang recovered Hanoi Commandery, they posed an even greater threat to Yuan Shao.

Wei Zhe didn't expect the Han army in Luoyang to play a significant role. He would be satisfied as long as Shi Sunrui could close the gates of Hanoi at a crucial moment, reducing Yuan Shao's strategic depth.

Although Liu Yu's unauthorized actions led to the change of control of Luoyang, Wei Zhe's plan to encircle Ji Province was eventually barely formed.

Now that the Central Plains are all his allies, Yuan Shao's death is not far off...

(End of this chapter)