The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 274: Selection of Censors

Outside the main gate of Luoyang, soldiers lined up and waited.

These armored soldiers were different from the central army and were obviously the guards of the imperial palace.

Cheng Ji, wearing armor, stood behind Cao Mao with Zhang Hua.

The weather is no longer as cold as before. With the arrival of spring and the blooming of flowers, the land inside and outside Luoyang is full of green. Although there is still wind, it is no longer as biting.

The sun is shining brightly and the weather is pleasant.

Cao Mao stood under the emperor Huang Gai, staring into the distance with his eyes full of anticipation.

Jiao Bo sent someone to inform him that the troops sent by Guanqiu Jian had arrived in Sili and were preparing to go to Luoyang.

He also informed the three people who came.

General Guanqiu Jian's son Guanqiu Dian, his own elder and confidant Liu Lu, and Wen Yang, the son of Yangzhou Governor Wen Qin.

Upon hearing the news, Cao Mao could no longer sit still.

Cao Mao never thought that General Guanqiu Jian would actually send someone to come at this time. This was so crucial.

Now is the time when there is a shortage of people. Cao Mao has too many vacancies and there are not enough officials.

There are not even enough captains in the central army.

Otherwise, even Ji Kang would not have been sent out to serve as a captain.

These three people came at the right time. Guanqiu Dian was a loyal minister who could be trusted completely and had good abilities. He was exactly the kind of person Cao Mao lacked now. Not to mention Liu Lu. Cao Mao had many things that could not be done openly, and he could let this person do them.

The most important one is Wen Yang.

This is Wenyang!!
Ma Long and Wen Yang were both powerful generals who could scare Sima Shi away, but they had different focuses: Ma Long was more inclined to command, while Wen Yang was more inclined to charge.

If Ma Long is a small-sized Marquis of Huaiyin, then Wen Yang is a small-sized King of Chu.

Both of them are very capable, and their strengths are different.

When Cao Mao learned that he had also come, he almost laughed out loud. With these people, he would be more confident in facing Sima Zhao.

The figures of cavalry slowly appeared in the distance. Cao Mao couldn't help but get off the car and walked towards the direction of the cavalry.

Many eunuchs hurriedly followed.

Cheng Ji and others did not think much about it when they saw the emperor so excited. What they cared more about was the significance of these people coming to Luoyang, which represented the formal alliance between the military and political forces of Huai and Si and the court.

Guanqiu Dian and others finally appeared in the distance, and they naturally saw the emperor Huang Gai in the distance.

Guanqiu Dian was horrified and quickly dismounted.

The rest of the people also dismounted.

"Mr. Guanqiu!!!"

Cao Mao strode forward and helped up Guanqiu Dian, who was about to salute, his eyes full of excitement.

"Hahaha, I haven't seen you for a long time. Are you okay?"

Guanqiu Dian's face was filled with shame. He lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, we are late."

"It's not too late, you've come just in time!"

"Is General Zhendong okay?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty's grace, my father is still very strong. He really wants to come and see you in person, but because of the Wu bandits' unusual movements, he dare not leave."

Cao Mao laughed. For the time being, it would be better for Guanqiu Jian to continue staying in the base camp. As long as he was there, anyone who wanted to touch him would have to think twice.

"His Majesty!!"

Liu Lu shouted tremblingly.

Cao Mao's lips trembled slightly. He stepped forward to help him up and held his hand tightly.

Both of them have countless things to say at this moment.

Liu Lu took the initiative to move aside, revealing the tall young man following at the end.

"Your Majesty, this is Governor Wen's son, Yang. You may not know this man, but he is incredibly brave and unmatched in the army. He possesses the courage of a Marquis Gang!"

Liu Lu was very aware of this guy's fighting ability, so he couldn't wait to recommend him to the emperor, fearing that his majesty would miss out on this powerful man.

Wen Yang had a somewhat rebellious personality, and he was also worried that Wen Yang would anger His Majesty.

Wen Yang bowed to the emperor.

Cao Mao understood Liu Lu's thoughts and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

After not seeing each other for such a long time, when we met again, his first thought was to recommend talented people to him.

He did not disappoint the kindness of his confidant and looked at the warrior in front of him.

Wen Yang was very young, with no beard on his face, and looked very immature, but he was very tall. Although not as tall as Wei Shu, he was taller than Man Changwu.

He looks like a difficult person, with a sharp look in his eyes.

Cao Mao laughed, he had longed for this person for a long time.

"Could this be my good Marquis?" When Cao Mao said this, Zhang Hua and other eunuchs looked at Wen Yang with some surprise in their eyes and looked at him again.

The Marquis of Haozhi that Cao Mao mentioned was Geng Yan, a fierce general under the command of Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. This man was extremely brave and victorious in every battle. He was a ruthless man who was listed in his own biography in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty.

Why didn't Cao Mao ask about the title of Marquis of Wuyang? This was because Sima Yi had previously obtained the title of Marquis of Wuyang. Later, when he was granted the title of Duke, this title was abolished, but it still had a very bad impact.

Especially nowadays, it is easy to have misunderstandings. A similar case is the title of Marquis of Guanjun. The eunuch Wang Fu was conferred the title of Marquis of Guanjun, but he also misused the title.
Wen Yang was also looking at the emperor in front of him.

He had heard a lot of rumors about the emperor in recent days, and he had always been curious about what kind of person the emperor was.

Today, seeing the young man in front of him who was younger than himself, Wen Yang did not dare to look down on him.

Although the emperor was young, he had a unique aura. The look in his eyes when he looked at her was full of kindness, and no one dared to treat him as a child.

Cao Mao introduced the people around him to them and then led them into Luoyang.

Guanqiu Dian rode in the same carriage with the emperor, and Liu Lu and Wen Yang also changed to horse-drawn carriages and followed behind them.

"Your Majesty is truly a Holy King!"

Guanqiu Dian couldn't help but praise him at this moment, "Your Majesty is facing a situation that has never been seen before in history. Even under such circumstances, Your Majesty can still defeat the powerful enemy and regain power. The Great Wei is truly blessed by our ancestors to have an emperor like you!"

Guanqiu Dian's words were sincere.

Even his father was not optimistic about the situation in the world, but the emperor actually settled these things so quickly.

Guanqiu Dian was the most aware of the dilemma faced by the emperor. There were traitors both inside and outside the emperor, no one could be used, and his every word and action was under surveillance.

It is incredible that we can break through under such circumstances.

Cao Mao listened to the other party's praise, but he did not feel very proud.

The experiences during these days were a torture for Cao Mao. He didn't even want to recall too much. He still remembered the feeling of suffocation vividly.

"This is not my credit, but because there are always talented people."

Cao Mao did not continue to dwell on the past, but directly started talking about future arrangements.

"You've arrived at the perfect time. I have appointed Chen Qian, the Chief Censor, as the Minister of Justice, to be in charge of recent criminal cases. I would like you to take on the role of Censor. You already have experience in this area, and you can supervise all officials for me."

Guanqiu Dian hastily declined, "Your Majesty, what virtue and ability do I possess to deserve such an important position?"

"Don't refuse. You don't know that the government is not peaceful right now."

"In order to bring down the general, I ordered Wang Xiang and others to propose reforms."

"The ministers quickly colluded and submitted a petition together. Even the general was unable to suppress them."

"Now, because the leading minister has been convicted of treason, they have lost their leader and are no longer trusting one another, so they have been unable to submit further petitions."

"But you know the character of the ministers. They only pursue profit and never learn from their mistakes."

"Within six months, they will unite again and force me to make concessions."

"Ninety percent of the scholars in the world are these traitors. Even Emperor Guangwu had to compromise with them. What can I do?"

Cao Mao frowned, his face looking very serious.

"Since we can't suppress them right now, we can only supervise them through the Imperial Censors to prevent them from colluding. If there's any suspicion of forming a clique, we'll deal with it immediately to prevent the officials from easily joining forces. We'll especially pay special attention to the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, and the officials of the Three Offices."

"I dare not entrust such an important task to anyone else. You have the experience, qualifications, and reputation, and I know your character. Therefore, only you can take on such an important task."

Guanqiu Dian's expression suddenly became serious.

Although he began to rule the country personally, it did not mean that the emperor could have all the power in the court and be the only one in power, let alone a young emperor like Cao Mao. In the past, the struggle between the emperor and his ministers was also carried out throughout the entire dynasty.

Except for the founding emperors with unparalleled prestige and some emperors who achieved extraordinary achievements in certain aspects, such as Emperor Wu of Han, who could kill their ministers, few other emperors could do so.

This is not a question of whether they dare or not, but a question of whether the ministers obey or not. Killing cannot solve all problems, especially in this era of the rise of aristocratic families. Knowledge is in the hands of these families, and scholars are gathered together. Naturally, the emperor needs the help of scholars to govern the world.

Since Cao Mao couldn't kill them all, he tried his best to prevent them from uniting again and forcing him.

A good censor can solve many problems.

Guanqiu Dian is the best candidate.

In order to completely solve this problem, we need the imperial examination system, but it is useless nowadays.

Many people believe that the imperial examination system of the Sui Dynasty solved the problem of aristocratic families. In fact, few people know that the original imperial examination system required someone to recommend you to take the exam.

Who has the right to recommend? What kind of people will be recommended?

This requires us to look back at the Zhongzheng system again.

Only when there are enough scholars at the middle and lower levels can the monopoly of aristocratic families on officials be broken through an unlimited imperial examination system.

Scholars all come from aristocratic families. They are either members of their family or recommended by them. In that case, no reform you make will be of any use.

Even if you come up with the most advanced examination system, those who take the exam will still be from wealthy families. What’s the point?

Therefore, the most important thing is education.

We must first break the monopoly of knowledge held by the powerful families, allow more people to receive education, and increase the number of scholars.

(End of this chapter)