The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 314: Crude but Useful

Cao Mao rewarded the army led by Sima Zhao himself.

Even the things they used were obtained from the Sima family.

All of these big families today are "quite wealthy" and have very rich family backgrounds. Cao Mao feels that his family background cannot compare to these people.

This method is very simple and crude, and many scholars and officials feel ashamed of it, but it is quite effective.

When Cao Mao rewarded the soldiers who had made great contributions to the suppression of the rebellion and allowed them to rest in the local area, the cheers of the soldiers almost overturned the county town behind them.

The soldiers brought by Ma Long also began to play their own propaganda role.

While distributing supplies, they began to talk about the new changes in the central army and the improvement in their own treatment.

"Brother, judging from your accent, you are also from Yanmen, right?"

"Hahaha, me too. Come, take these. Let me tell you, the central army is different now!"

"Your Majesty has given out a lot of rewards. He will reward those who have made contributions and drive out those who are not worthy of being human!"

"Yes, yes, do you know how much my current salary is? Hahaha~~"

"I dare not deduct anything. I even give you meat to eat!"

Cao Mao was having dinner with several generals at the moment. When he saw the soldiers in the distance who took the initiative to talk to the local soldiers, he couldn't help laughing. He motioned Ma Long to sit over.

When Ma Long sat down beside him, Cao Mao couldn't help but say, "Captain Ma, I didn't realize you were so good at propaganda! How long have you been planning this?"

Ma Long smiled and said, "This time I specially brought some smart ones and have been teaching them for more than ten days."

Cao Mao laughed again.

"Xiaoxing is very thoughtful."

Ma Long said, "I also intend to ask Lord Liu to send rangers to various places to publicize these things. We must let the soldiers everywhere know about your majesty's benevolence as soon as possible."

"Since changes are necessary, I believe that we cannot limit them to the central army, but should also include changes to the entire Wei army."

"We must eliminate those bad apples, actively train, and reward those who have made contributions. Then the Wei army will not be defeated by anyone."

"I've calculated before that over 60% of the military expenditures borne by the imperial court are for unknown purposes. For example, there are serious problems with the military's supply and logistics."

Ma Long said seriously, "If we don't quickly deal with the corruption, greed for merit, and factionalism in the army, the rewards His Majesty has bestowed upon us will be in vain."

The smile on Cao Mao's face gradually froze.

"I know these things."

"But to resolve these issues, we still need a strong general."

"Xiaoxing, who do you think can take on such an important task?"

"I believe that General Zhennan Zhuge Dan can take on this role."

Cao Mao was stunned. "Isn't it possible for the General Guarding the East to take this position?"

Ma Long expressed his opinion, "Your Majesty, the General of Chariots and Cavalry has passed away, and someone is needed to take his place in the west. I believe that General Guanqiu Jian is the most suitable candidate to serve as the General of the Western Expedition."

"His position can be replaced by Yangzhou Governor Wen Gong."

"The position of Grand Commandant can be filled by General Zhennan. General Zhennan loves fame, has a gentlemanly demeanor, and is known for his kindness to his soldiers."

"Besides, his clan is powerful, so he won't have too many worries when handling such a big event."

Ma Long did not say it explicitly, but Cao Mao could still understand what he meant.

Although the position of Grand Marshal is important, judging from the current situation, the position of General Zhengxi is more important. The court needs someone to resist or even fight back against the attack from Shu.

Looking at the famous generals in the world, Hu Zun is old, Wang Chang is timid, Shi Bao has no prestige, and Zhuge Dan lacks courage. You can't say that Zhuge Dan is incompetent, but he is always too hesitant when doing big things. He doesn't fight when he should, doesn't back off when he should, and doesn't retreat when he should, and he just sends away one opportunity after another.

Guanqiu Jian was a rare capable general without any obvious flaws. In terms of military achievements and abilities, after Guo Huai's death, he had already become the best general of Cao Wei.

The Shu Kingdom must be able to fight back in the future. Guanqiu Jian is not afraid of facing Jiang Wei. With him in the west, it will be difficult for Jiang Wei to make any breakthrough.

The northwest has long been mainly defensive. After Cao Mao took power, he would definitely slowly adjust his strategy towards Shu.

Therefore, Guanqiu Jian became the best candidate to guard the northwest.

Zhuge Dan was a person who valued his reputation and pursued power. So letting him come to the court to serve as the Grand Marshal could, on the one hand, prevent him from separatist regime in Yuzhou, and on the other hand, he could be used to resolve the chaos in the army.

Cao Mao frowned and did not answer.

Ma Long asked, "Your Majesty, are you worried that General Zhuge will cause chaos?"

Cao Mao shook his head. "He won't do that. He just wants to protect himself. I didn't even kill Sima Zhao, so why would he rebel?"

Ma Long asked, "Then what is your Majesty worried about?"

"It's not that I'm worried, I just feel I owe General Guanqiu."

"He has made the greatest contribution to my current position. In the end, Zhuge Dan was appointed Grand Marshal while he was assigned to serve as a general. This is truly unfair to General Guanqiu!"

Ma Long was a little stunned.

This was the first time he saw a lord feel unfair about his subordinate's promotion.

He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. If I can see the trick, how can General Guanqiu not see it? Besides, his loyalty is known to everyone in the world, and he will not complain about it."

"He doesn't have it? I do!" Cao Mao said with a stern face, "Those who have made contributions should be rewarded. He is the first to make contributions. How can I let someone without any contribution ride on his head?!"

"This"

Malone was speechless.

Cao Mao pondered for a moment, "The position of Grand General cannot be given to anyone for the time being. What do you think of appointing him General of Chariots and Cavalry, raising his title, and having him guard Chang'an?"

Ma Long's eyes widened. "Your Majesty, most of the cavalry generals are relatives of the royal family."

"Oh, then what kind of royal relative is the former General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

Ma Long was unable to answer immediately.

Cao Mao waved his hand and said, "Then this is decided for now. I will not treat a meritorious general unfairly no matter what I say!"

Ma Long looked at Cao Mao with an increasingly different look in his eyes.

Although Cao Mao's behavior was a bit willful, in the eyes of his subordinates, it was really kind!

Cao Mao stayed here for a day and then rushed to Huai County where He Zeng was.

When they arrived at the place, the same process was followed and everyone came to pay homage to the emperor.

This was also the first time He Zeng had direct contact with the emperor.

Cao Mao looked at the guy in front of him. He Zeng looked very uneasy, and he pretended to be calm on his face.

But Cao Mao did not dare to look down on him. You, the guy ranked second in the Biographies of Ministers in the Book of Jin, are now pretending to be a fool.

With this guy's acting skills, I'm afraid he wouldn't be afraid even if he faced Wang Xiang.

Cao Mao chuckled and helped him up. "Mr. He, I've heard of your name a long time ago, but I never thought we'd meet today."

He Zeng's face was full of smiles, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"I know you are a capable minister. From now on, I will keep you by my side and make use of you!"

"We can't go to that remote place again."

Cao Mao seemed to have hidden meaning in his words, but He Zeng pretended not to understand and continued to express his loyalty.

Pei Xiu looked much calmer, standing aside indifferently, with more scholar-official backbone than He Zeng.

"Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler. Seeing you today, I know in my heart that the Great Wei will rise! The legacy of our ancestors will surely be revived by your Majesty. It is truly an honor for me to serve you!"

"From now on, I will definitely assist Your Majesty with all my strength!!"

He Zeng said this with a nod and a bow.

He was indeed a man who could act as a bootlicker for Jia. When He Zeng died, the ministers discussed his posthumous title.

In the end, he was labeled "ugly".

An Shizhai was kind-hearted and did not want to treat He Zeng in this way, so he thought that "filial piety" could be the better choice.

Later, through the efforts of He Zeng's descendants, it was changed to "Yuan".

Cao Mao felt that there were actually one or two people who were willing to do things that were beyond their control for their own benefit.

After all, there will always be a time when you need people like this.

Suppose the government wanted to take back the power from the powerful families, the ministers would certainly oppose it. But He Zeng, if he was put under some pressure, would not feel any pressure to betray his colleagues.

Of course, it should be noted that if Cao Mao lost power, this person would not hesitate to betray the emperor.

A gentleman has his own way of doing things, and a villain has his own way of doing things.

After Cao Mao arrived here, he immediately started his performance again. Naturally, he still gave out rewards in the same old way. If the rewards were not enough, he could borrow from the surrounding relatives.

Under the current circumstances, they dare not refuse to lend.

After staying here for another day, Cao Mao led the army to the last place, which was where Chen Ben was going.

On the way, Cao Mao met the breathless Zhong Hui.

Zhong Hui really wanted to curse at this moment. After he finished his business with Chen Ben, he went to Wen County to find the emperor. As a result, he learned that the emperor had gone to Zhou County. As soon as he arrived at Zhou County, he learned that the emperor had gone to Huai County.

They have been traveling constantly these past few days, and Zhong Hui is exhausted.

He couldn't help but complain, "Can't you just wait for someone?"
Seeing Zhong Hui with a tired face, Cao Mao hurried forward to greet him.

"Shiji, why are you here?"

"Your Majesty, I have already subdued the Wild King."

"Great, that's great! I've already conquered Zhouxian and Huaixian. It's perfect, we can go to Yewang together, and then we can go back!"

"what??"

Zhong Hui's face darkened. How could His Majesty act so quickly? How could he have done it without even getting involved?
Cao Mao was still smiling.

I have to be fast, if I’m not fast I’m not the Holy King!!
When they arrived at Yewang, Cao Mao repeated his previous actions. At this point, Sima Zhao and his Hebei army were nominally under the control of Cao Mao.

However, if we want to truly make them our own people, we still need some appointment and dismissal process.

(End of this chapter)