The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 241 We Are Really Too Strong
Yongzhou, Chang'an.

Inside the General of Chariots and Cavalry's Mansion.

The famous general Guo Huai lay in bed for nearly half a year, and finally could not resist the passage of time and died of illness in Chang'an.

His death was a fatal blow to the entire Yongliang Legion.

At this moment, two people were kneeling in front of the memorial tablet, looking at the motionless General of Chariots and Cavalry above, their eyes filled with sadness.

Even a strong man like Guo Huai was in excruciating pain under the torture of illness. He repeatedly ordered those around him to stop letting the imperial physician approach him and also resisted treatment many times.

That brave and resolute general ended up like Sima Shi, emaciated and lying in bed for half a year before finally closing his eyes.

This incident was like a bolt from the blue to everyone under his command.

Chen Tai, the governor of Yongzhou, looked pale and his eyes were full of anxiety.

Chen Tai is the son of Chen Qun.

Born into a prominent family, he persuaded Cao Shuang to surrender during the Gaopingling Incident, and thus gained the trust of the Sima family.

However, Cao Shuang's clan was executed, which caused Chen Tai's reputation to collapse.

Although he was not the one who broke his promise, it was he who promised Cao Shuang that he would be rich and powerful after surrendering.

I don’t know whether he was rich or not, but he really knelt down.

Sima Yi's behavior made Chen Tai confused, but he did not dare to pursue it further, nor did he dare to ask more questions, let alone continue to follow Sima Yi. He hurriedly submitted a memorial and requested a transfer to another place, and then came to this Yongliang area.

Chen Tai fought in many battles, but he was not a bloodthirsty person. He had served as the governor of Bingzhou and the general of the Xiongnu. When facing the Hu people in the country, he adopted a conciliatory policy, which won him the hearts of the people and gave him a high prestige among the Hu people.

After Guo Huai became seriously ill, Chen Tai had been trying hard to resist the invasion from Shu.

Although his military talent was far inferior to Guo Huai's, he was still conscientious in his duties and was much better than those parasites in the temple.

It is worth mentioning that this person grew up with Sima Shi, Sima Zhao and others and was their playmate for many years.

The person next to him was Sima Wang.

At this moment, the two of them were kneeling in front of Guo Huai's spirit tablet, both feeling uneasy.

They had just learned of the general's death and had not yet recovered when they heard about the rebellions in various places. They were worried when Guo Huai was gone.

Chen Tai never thought that these things would happen at the same time.

The death of the great general was already a great blow to morale. Local rebellions would affect the transportation of supplies, and now Guo Huai, the pillar of the army, was also gone. If Jiang Wei came to attack, how could they be stopped with such low morale?
Chen Tai looked at Sima Wang standing aside.

This person sent by the general does not seem to be very reassuring.

His identity made many generals distrust him, thinking that he was just here to gain military merits.

But he himself has no experience in leading troops in battle, and is not as good as Chen Tai!

Sima Wang noticed the look Chen Tai was giving him, and he said seriously, "Jiang Wei is coming. We must make preparations and wait for the imperial court to come to support us."

Chen Tai asked, "Where do you think Jiang Wei will send his troops?"

Sima Wang quickly replied, "Or we can leave Didao and take Taoxi."

Chen Tai was stunned and looked at Sima Wang in front of him again. It seemed that he was not here just to gain military merit.

At that time, many generals believed that Jiang Wei’s army would attack Qishan, Shiying and Jincheng in three directions, and hoped that Chen Tai could divide his troops as soon as possible.

However, based on his understanding of Jiang Wei, Chen Tai believed that Jiang Wei would definitely not divide his troops, but would march forward with a large army to Didao, so heavy troops should be deployed to block the attack.

Sima Wang's current opinion is actually the same as Chen Tai's.

Chen Tai said, "Jiang Wei will definitely attack with a large force this time. We'd better hold our ground and dampen his spirit. If he can't win in the short term, he will definitely retreat."

Sima Wang said seriously: "I will obey your orders!"

Chen Tai finally breathed a sigh of relief. If that was the case, the war could still be fought.

"Then we will defend the entire line, but we will not go out and wait for the order from the temple."

"only!!"

The two men then fell silent again. There was really nothing to talk about between Chen Tai and Sima Wang. They had not had much contact in recent days.

It's the kind of relationship where you just nod to each other when you meet.

Compared to what Sima Wang was worried about, Chen Tai obviously had more things to worry about.

Sima Yi's last behavior had caused Chen Tai great harm, and he almost lost his qualification to be a famous scholar. If the Sima family had always been strong, or even gained the world, probably no one would have mentioned this matter again, but this is the situation now.

Even though Chen Tai had not yet returned to Luoyang, he could already feel the crisis of the situation.

This can be seen from the fact that after the general passed away, Sima Zhao only served as the General of Guards. Why didn't he inherit the position of general?

If the Sima family really fell, would what he did to Cao Shuang become evidence for his political enemies to attack him?
Will he fall along with the Sima family?

If the Sima family were to make a more drastic move now, would I, who was locked in the Sima family's chariot, be implicated even more deeply?
Historical records show that upon learning of Sima Zhao's regicide, Chen Tai was horrified and requested Sima Zhao to execute Jia Chong's entire clan. Sima Zhao refused, and Chen Tai died of grief and indignation. He wasn't completely shameless; he feared the Sima family's actions would leave him infamous for eternity.

Compared to Jiang Wei, Chen Tai was also very worried about the situation in the temple at this moment.

He asked tentatively, "Sima Jun, I heard that after the general's death, the Grand Tutor and General Wei had a disagreement. If General Wei suddenly recalled you, what would I do?"

He used this topic to ask Sima Wang about his personal thoughts.

Sima Wang said seriously, "If the court really wants to call me back, then I will have no choice but to go. But please don't worry. If I go back, I will definitely inform them of the urgency of the matter and ask them to send reinforcements. I will definitely not let you bear it alone."

Sima Wang's words were as good as nothing, so Chen Tai had no choice but to say, "I'm afraid that the discord within the court will cause chaos in the border troops."

"Don't worry, Governor. My father is a man who knows right from wrong. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, no one will dare to cause trouble for the border troops. Let's just focus on fighting the enemy."

Chen Tai sighed again.

There is a way to repel the external enemy, but what about the internal enemy?

Taiji Hall, East Hall.

There were not as many famous people coming this time as before.

Even the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were unable to attend.

Wang Rong and Shan Tao never came.

And among the famous scholars in Luoyang, less than half came.

The Dongtang Banquet suddenly lost its former liveliness.

But Cao Mao didn't care about these. Sima Yan sat proudly beside Cao Mao, looking at the many famous people who came, with a proud look in his eyes.

Before he knew it, Sima Yan had become a famous scholar in Luoyang.

For Sima Yan, fewer people coming was not necessarily a bad thing. Once more people came, they started debating the classics, which Sima Yan found very difficult to listen to.

Cao Mao looked at the many famous scholars around him and said softly, "Everyone, these past few days, I heard that some students from the Imperial College have been cursing the government. I am extremely happy to hear this!"

After hearing this, the celebrities were very quiet and did not dare to respond.

Cao Mao continued, "It's not because they speak for me, but because they dare to abuse me!"

"Even in the pre-Han period, there were laws that prohibited anyone from being convicted for speaking."

"But in our Great Wei, the number of talented people who dare to speak the truth and scold others is decreasing."

"How can this be possible?"

"I have heard that when King Wei of Qi was ruling the State of Qi, he issued an order: Any minister, official, or citizen who can point out my faults to my face will be rewarded!"

"It was because he readily accepted advice that the people were able to speak freely, and ultimately brought prosperity to Qi."

"Therefore, when I heard about the actions of the students, I was extremely excited."

"I intend to emulate King Wei of Qi. However, I am still young, and there are many things I don't understand. Since ascending the throne, I may have also made some inappropriate moves. I will issue an edict ordering all officials and citizens to point out my mistakes to their faces. If anyone can do so, I will reward them with ten gold coins!"

"The general once believed the thieves' instigation and used cruel punishments to treat virtuous people. I will never do the same."

"I will order the court to punish those who speak without permission!"

"From today onwards, everyone in the Great Wei can speak freely without fear. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, feel free to speak up and I will forgive you!"

Cao Mao spoke loudly.

The scholars were horrified. At this moment, the clumsy supporting actor Sima Yan asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, you say so now, but what if what you said is really not enough and you want to punish me?"

"How could I have said something wrong?"

Sima Yan hesitantly stood up and bowed to Cao Mao, then said, "Your Majesty has often said since ascending the throne that he would succeed the Emperor Liezu. Yet, until now, you have not offered sacrifices to the ancestors, let alone held any succession ceremony. Does Your Majesty mean that after becoming emperor, you will disregard your original oath? Your Majesty's behavior is truly inappropriate!"

Cao Mao laughed and nodded, "Okay, Sima Sanqi is right! Come here, I'll give you a reward of ten gold coins!"

Immediately, a eunuch took the money and handed it to Sima Yan.

Sima Yan was very moved and hurried to express his gratitude.

The expressions of the celebrities were very complicated. His Majesty's acting skills were impeccable, but this Sima Sanqi was really too embarrassing. His words and actions were too embarrassing to look at.

However, their basic qualities as celebrities prevent them from exposing other people's secrets. After all, celebrities are performing for each other, and no matter how bad the performance is, you cannot ruin it, otherwise the audience will not cooperate with you when you perform next time.

Famous scholars began to follow suit and offered some advice, and Cao Mao rewarded them truthfully.

The celebrities gained fame, and the emperor achieved his goal.

Both sides knew it, but neither of them said it clearly.

Only Sima Yan, looking at the celebrities who were completely fooled by him, couldn't help but look up and smile foolishly.

We are so strong!!
(End of this chapter)