Han officials

Chapter 275: The Leading Party

"Tsk tsk~ Mengde is really good at enduring!"

The following day, Wei Zhe said this after learning of Cao Cao's reaction.

Unlike the later practice of ceding territory and paying indemnities, ceding territory and offering hostages was already a great humiliation at that time.

But Cao Cao held back, readily giving away the seven counties and sending his son over without hesitation.

Wei Zhe wondered if Cao Cao would readily offer up his wife without hesitation if he asked for her.
Of course, Wei Zhe wouldn't be so shameless; he still has some sense of decency.

However, Xi Zhicai lacked such integrity. Seeing that Cao Cao was so sensible, he became even more interested.

Xi Zhicai then said with great interest:

"I have heard that Li Qian, a powerful figure from the Cheng clan, is a local tyrant in Jiyin, who has gathered thousands of clan members and guests, and the county cannot control him. Although he has now surrendered to Cao Cao, he still leads his own private army of several thousand men, standing independently outside of Cao Cao's Qingzhou army, just like an outer vassal state of Yanzhou."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately understood, and after a moment's thought, nodded and said:

"In that case, let's appoint him as the Prefect of Jiyin!"

Anyway, it's just a casual game; winning or losing doesn't matter. The main purpose is to cause trouble for Cao Cao.

However, perhaps frightened by his shady tactics, Cao Cao actually fled with his base while sending Cao Ang to him.

In short, it meant moving the seat of the Governor of Yanzhou from Puyang in Dongjun to Chenliu County in the south of Yanzhou.

There was no other way; Puyang was just too close to Jizhou, separated only by a river.

Cao Cao stood on the city wall of Puyang, and could even see the Wei army flags on the opposite bank by looking up.

In contrast, Chenliu is quite different.

It is far from Ji Province, providing ample strategic depth, and is also close to Yingchuan, making it convenient for him to conquer Yu Province.

It would be strange if Cao Cao didn't flee after that.

……

Meanwhile, while Cao Cao was being tortured to the point of near death by Wei Zhe, Mi Zhu finally arrived in Ye City.

However, this time Mi Zhu did not travel across Yanzhou, but instead detoured through Qingzhou to enter Jizhou, and took the opportunity to visit Zhuge Xuan, who was also from the same hometown, and made some arrangements in advance.

Despite both being envoys of feudal lords, Mi Zhu received far better treatment than Xun Yu.

After all, Tao Qian was still Wei Zhe's ally, so at least some basic courtesy had to be shown.

What Wei Zhe didn't expect was that Mi Zhu would give him a big surprise.

The next day, afternoon.

In the council hall, Wei Zhe couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he looked at the map and secrets in the wooden box.

With this item, he would have complete control over the strategic locations of Xuzhou, its armories, and the deployment of its troops.

Although Wei Zhe was overjoyed, he remained calm and said slowly, "Your Excellency is very kind."

After saying this, he spoke some perfunctory official words as usual, and after bestowing the gift upon Mi Zhu, he dismissed him.

Only after nightfall did he have someone quietly lead Mi Zhu into the mansion and receive him secretly in his study.

"Mi Zhu pays his respects to the General of the Flying Cavalry!"

As soon as Fang entered, Mi Zhu abandoned his daytime reserve and prostrated himself before Wei Zhe.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe was not surprised and immediately helped him up with a smile.

"Why are you being so distant, Zizhong? Come, please rise quickly."

As Wei Zhe's power grew, the effectiveness of his policy of treating scholars with respect also increased. Sometimes, he didn't even need to make any extraordinary moves; simply showing this attitude was enough.

For example, at this moment, Mi Zhu sat down with a grateful expression.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe didn't waste any words and immediately got straight to the point with a smile:
"You are a virtuous and talented man from Xuzhou. I wonder how you can teach me?"

Mi Zhu had mentally prepared countless times for such a scene along the way.

After a moment's hesitation, he didn't give a direct answer, but instead started talking about Tao Qian.

"In October of the fifth year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out again in Qing and Xu provinces, attacking counties and prefectures. Tao was appointed governor of Xu province to suppress the Yellow Turban rebellion. At that time, he appointed Zang Ba, a powerful local strongman from Taishan who had fled to Donghai County, and his fellow townsman Sun Guan as generals. They did achieve a lot and soon defeated the Yellow Turban army, driving the Yellow Turban bandits out of Xu province."

"Therefore, Prefect Tao submitted a memorial to the emperor, appointing Zang Ba and Sun Guan as Cavalry Commandants and ordering them to garrison Langya County, serving as a northern bulwark for Xuzhou."

"But it is precisely because of this that Zang Ba and his ilk have become so powerful that they are now too big to be turned around."

"In Xuzhou today, Zang Ba and other generals from Mount Tai are nominally Xuzhou generals, but in reality, they are no different from separatists. Even you, the governor, often cannot control them at will and can only keep them in check."

Upon hearing his words, Wei Zhe immediately understood his meaning and nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Mi Zhu stopped there and continued:
"Besides that, the people whom Magistrate Tao valued most in Xuzhou were his fellow villagers."

"Because he was from Danyang, he had previously recruited more than 20,000 elite soldiers from Danyang to enter Xuzhou."

"Although we have suffered many losses after years of fighting, our strength is still there, and we are now under the command of Cao Hong and Cao Bao, generals from Danyang."

"In addition, Prefect Tao appointed Zuo Rong, a fellow townsman, as the Chancellor of Xiapi, to oversee the grain transport in the three prefectures of Guangling, Xiapi, and Pengcheng."

At this point, Mi Zhu couldn't help but emphasize:
"Although Cao Hong and Cao Bao acted arrogantly, Ze Rong's cruelty far surpassed that of the two."

"This man was a devout follower of the foreign religion of Buddhism. After taking charge of the grain transport in three prefectures, he began to amass wealth recklessly and built a magnificent Buddhist temple. The temple was topped with golden plates and had a multi-story structure that could accommodate about three thousand people. He also made bronze figures, painted them with gold, and dressed them in brocade. Every time he bathed the Buddha, he would have Buddhist scriptures recited and invite people from the surrounding area and neighboring prefectures who were interested in Buddhism to listen to his teachings. As a result, more than five thousand households from far and near came to the temple. A single Buddhist ceremony cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which shows just how extravagant he was."

"But because this man was good at extortion and the governor of the canal transport was capable, even though Zuo Rong ravaged Xiapi and the people were very resentful, Governor Tao turned a blind eye and continued to trust him as before."

"If this man is killed, the entire Xuzhou region will surely submit!"

Actually, at this point, Mi Zhu's meaning is quite clear.

Simply put, if the Wei army wanted to attack Xuzhou, then Tao Qian's Danyang troops would be the primary target.

As for the Taishan generals like Zang Ba, they could be won over through political means and kept neutral.

Once Xuzhou is captured, the people's hearts can be won over and the situation stabilized by killing Zuo Rong.

To be honest, Mi Zhu really put a lot of effort into this.

After all, even the strongest fortress can be breached by the enemy from within.

Not to mention that the fortress in Xuzhou was not very sturdy; it just looked intimidating.

Therefore, Wei Zhe was deeply moved upon hearing this, and immediately took his hand and said with emotion:
"With your help, I have no worries!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu finally revealed a slight smile.

Therefore, early that morning, the calling card of Mi Zhu's younger sister, Mi Yun, was quietly delivered to the Wei residence and accepted.

However, after dealing with Mi Zhu, the traitor, Wei Zhe did not immediately take action against Xuzhou.

After all, whether it's Xuzhou or Yanzhou, they are both part of the same province.

Even though the Wei army is powerful now, a lion will still use its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Therefore, in the second half of the fourth year of the Chuping era, Wei Zhe devoted himself entirely to handling domestic affairs.

Until the arrival of the first year of Xingping...

(End of this chapter)