The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 227 General Sima Zhao
"General."

Xin Chang was standing behind Sima Zhao with a smile on his face.

Sima Zhao was wearing very simple clothes. He lived in a hut in front of his brother's grave and had not interacted with his subordinates for some time.

When Xin Chang appeared here, he didn't even look at the other person.

"The Queen Mother has issued an edict, requesting you to serve as the General of the Guards and quell the rebellions in various places."

Xin Chang gritted his teeth and got down to business.

Since the Queen Mother gave the order, the ministers made the decision, and they also knew that this matter could not be delayed.

The ministers need someone to make decisions.

Although Zheng Chong was not very willing, he still became the one who made the decision.

All the officials thought Zheng Chong was suitable for this position.

His reputation and qualifications all meet the requirements, and most importantly, this person has never been competitive. His clan's power is extremely weak. It can't even be said to be weak, because he doesn't have a clan at all.

Zheng Chong had no son, so he found a well-educated relative to adopt as his own.

However, he never cared about this son, nor did he train him. He just let everything take its course. Zheng Chong, the adopted son, is now not young anymore. After decades of living in the local area, he is still working as a county official and has not even become a prefect.

This can't be considered a family at all. The Lu family that was wiped out was larger than them.

Zheng Chong would not seize too much benefit, and he was a man who listened to advice and was easy to talk to, so none of the ministers opposed him taking the throne.

After discussing with the ministers, they immediately ordered Weiwei Xin Chang to go to Sima Zhao with the empress dowager's edict.

This is because Xin Chang had a good relationship with Sima Zhao, and the Xin family also had extensive connections in the central army.

Sima Zhao did not answer at this moment, but he already understood what his brother had told him at that time.

Sima Zhao and his subordinates were unaware of what Sima Shi had done.

Realizing that this was his brother's final arrangement, Sima Zhao felt even more bitter.

He quickly suppressed the sadness in his heart. Now the family needed him to support it. Having lost the protection of his father and brother, he had no time to have any other emotions.

He said seriously, "I have resigned and returned home. Matters in the court will naturally be handled by the ministers."

"You can go back and tell the Queen Mother that I thank her for her kindness, but I cannot accept this decree. I must be filial to my father and brother, and even the Queen Mother cannot stop me from doing this."

Xin Bi was speechless.

The world is vast, and filial piety is the greatest.

This thing is indeed difficult to handle. Xin Bi cleared his throat and continued, "General, Duke Xuanwen and the general have made great contributions to the country. How can you just stand by and watch the rebels destroy everything?"

Sima Zhao did not agree because his brother had told him to refuse several times.

Since my brother has said that I can be the general, then I must be the general. If I refuse a few more times, maybe I can force the ministers to bow their heads?

Just as Sima Zhao was thinking, someone hurried here.

Xin Bi took a look at the man and recognized his identity.

It seems to be the young man from the Du family.

Du Yu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xin Bi hadn't left yet. He hurried to Sima Zhao's side and whispered, "General, rebellions are raging everywhere. Please don't refuse the imperial edict for the sake of the country."

Sima Zhao looked at him in surprise, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Xin Bi was overjoyed. He realized something and quickly bowed, saying, "I'll wait outside for the general's reply!"

Xin Bi hurried out.

Sima Zhao then said, "Yuan Kai, you don't understand. I can't agree to this yet."

"No, General, I know everything that happens in the court and in the country."

Du Yu frowned, looking very serious.

He continued without hesitation, "I know what's going on in the area. General, there's no need to explain. Confidentiality is key."

"However, the current progress is different from what the general expected."

"The general probably wants you and the Grand Tutor to jointly run the government, one as the Chancellor and the other as the Grand General."

"But the Queen Mother came forward."

"The Minister of the Chancellery became the Duke of Zheng, and you were conscripted as the General of the Guards."

"Although the General of Guards can command a large army, there are too many restrictions. In terms of official rank, the Grand General is slightly higher than the Three Officials, while the General of Chariots and Cavalry, the General of Hussars, and the General of Guards are only below the Three Officials."

"You can now command the armies of the world, but you are subject to the restrictions of the Three Departments."

Sima Zhao heard Du Yu's words and did not hide it any further. He said, "Brother originally ordered me to refuse several conscriptions. I think this was probably to force them to summon me as the general."

"No, things are a little different now."

Du Yu said seriously, "The general's original idea was to fight a quick battle and make a quick decision. He took advantage of the chaos in the area, the fear among the ministers, and the lack of leadership. He asked the ministers to summon you and asked you to refuse, which only exacerbated the chaos in the court."

"But things are different now. The Secretariat is back in operation. Although Duke Zheng doesn't fight for power, he's not incompetent. With a leader, the ministers will naturally calm down and solve problems."

"You can't refuse now. If you refuse the call-up, you will most likely be replaced by someone else."

"You are the best candidate in the eyes of the ministers, but you are not the only one."

"We should change our strategy now and agree to it first. No matter what, General Wei can open a government office and interfere in the government affairs of the court. With this position, we can do more."

Listening to Du Yu's words, Sima Zhao's expression became increasingly complicated. So, wasn't General Wei part of his brother's plan? Had his brother's plan failed?
Seeing Sima Zhao fall silent, Du Yu had no choice but to say, "Actually, this isn't such a bad thing. General, the general's plan is too radical. I think it might be due to the executor. If it had gone according to plan, you and the Grand Tutor would have been able to take over the throne in time."

"However, the ministers will soon discover that the Sima family is the mastermind behind this."

"Because throughout this whole thing, the Sima family has benefited the most. Whoever benefits the most is the manipulator."

"But now it's different. The biggest beneficiary is not you."

"Who is that?"

"It's Duke Gao, Duke Zheng, the princes, and even many local generals."

Sima Zhao fell into deep thought again. He trusted his brother very much, but he also trusted Du Yu very much. He knew Du Yu's abilities and character.

He finally made a decision, "Okay, let's do as you say."

Du Yu hurried out to call Xin Bi in, and Sima Zhao also expressed his willingness to accept the imperial edict. After changing his clothes, Sima Zhao hurried towards the Secretariat.

When Sima Zhao arrived at the Secretariat, important officials were already waiting there.

Zheng Chong sat in the upper seat, his face looking somewhat sad.

Zheng Chong was different from Gao Rou, Lu Yu and others. He had never thought of taking charge of the Secretariat and commanding the world.

But now, he was half-forced into this position.

Whether or not to become the Minister of the Chancellery is no longer a question for him to decide.

Now he is similar to Guo Ze in the mountains. He was forced to become the leader, but he does not have much control over the temple.

Each of the many ministers sitting below had his own thoughts.

The most powerful person nowadays is Xun Yi.

There were originally many Henan clans gathered around him. Now that the power of the Hebei clans was severely damaged, his voice in the Shangshutai began to increase sharply.

When Sima Zhao was brought here, the ministers hurriedly stood up, their faces full of kindness, as if they were not the ones who had attacked Sima Zhao in the first place.

Sima Zhao also put away all his displeasure and returned the greeting.

"With General Wei's presence, this important matter can be settled!"

"Yes, General Wei is here, why should we be afraid of those rebels?"

The ministers' attitude towards him had completely changed, and Sima Zhao only said some polite words.

"Duke Zheng, rebellions are rising everywhere in the world. Please allow me to take full responsibility for suppressing the rebellion."

Sima Zhao looked at Zheng Chong and took the initiative to speak.

Zheng Chong nodded and agreed immediately.

"Please complete the tasks that have been accumulated by the Secretariat as soon as possible. Do not allow the world to be in turmoil because of the Secretariat, especially in Yongliang. If there is unrest here, I will not be able to maintain stability."

Sima Zhao had a stern face and looked very solemn.

Zheng Chong agreed again.

Sima Zhao did not stay here any longer. After Sima Shi's death, his family's control over the Secretariat was divided. It was already very good that Sima Zhao could still control the military power at this moment. As for the Secretariat, he could only make plans slowly.

After returning to his residence, Sima Zhao quickly summoned many of his confidants and began to discuss how to quell the rebellion.

Following Du Yu's suggestion, he first sent people to inform officials and generals from all directions.

The general passed away, and now I have taken over as the general of the guards. I ask the generals in various places to put down the rebellion as soon as possible. I will leave the temple with the central army to help them put down the rebellion.

The temple began to operate again.

At this moment, the Lu Mansion, which was originally very lively, was so silent.

Lu Qin sat dejectedly beside the bed, looking at his frail father. He had a lot of things in his heart, but he couldn't say them.

Lu Yu lay on the bed, his eyes empty and lifeless, staring upwards without saying a word.

Lu Yu suddenly looked much older, with white hair, a decadent look, and was about to die.

In fact, Lu Yu did not live as long as Gao Rou. Even if these things had not happened, he would have died two years later.

This sudden outbreak directly knocked down this old man who was over seventy years old.

He never imagined that things would turn out like this.

The entire clan was slaughtered because of his plan, and the Lu family instantly became the public enemy of Hebei from a rising powerful family.

He didn't even know whether his family could withstand the subsequent retaliation.

How should I face my father after his death?

Lu Yu's face suddenly became even more painful.

After suffering such a blow, Lu Yu no longer had the arrogance he once had.

He understood a lot of things in an instant.

"It was Sima Shi. It was Sima Shi who did it."

"All of this was Sima Shi's plan. No wonder he died of illness after I went to see him. He had been waiting for me to see him."

(End of this chapter)