The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 341 It’s normal

Cao Mao held Zhuge Dan's hand and looked at Sima Zhao standing beside him.

"General Wei, the person who can solve your worries has arrived!"

If it weren't for Cao Mao's previous words, Sima Zhao would have retorted to him a long time ago. But by now, Sima Zhao had already gained a bad reputation among the ministers. He was the one who did everything that displeased the ministers, and they scolded him without mercy, so Sima Zhao just let it go.

Okay, my worries, the people I called, it was all my fault!
Zhuge Dan glanced at Sima Zhao with some wariness in his eyes. Zhuge Dan had a very good relationship with Sima Shi. They were both famous figures in the same circle and were once the targets of attack by Emperor Ming.

However, his relationship with Sima Zhao was not that close, mainly because Sima Zhao was not like his brother, who knew how to use different methods to win over different people. Sima Zhao always felt that he could win over everyone through money and official titles. Even when facing those celebrities who wanted to save face, he used the same methods he used to win over Jia Chong.

Sima Zhao thought this was a favor, but to these people it was a naked humiliation.

To put it simply, Sima Zhao was too direct. Some things had to be taken in a roundabout way so as not to offend the famous scholars.

Sima Zhao suffered a lot in his life, but he never changed this bad habit.

Cao Mao quickly explained, "General, you don't know. When Jiang Wei invaded Yongliang, I ordered the stockpiling of food and fodder. Unexpectedly, the food was already running low before it was even dispatched. General Wei told me that this has become a common practice in the army."

"I will ask everyone who can help me solve this problem."

“Everyone says you’re the only one who can do it!”

After hearing these words, Zhuge Dan's face became less alert, but the ministers around him had stern expressions and said nothing. They knew that His Majesty was going to take action against the army next, but in this world, who dared to say that they were clean?
Take the seemingly righteous Zhuge Dan in front of us, for example. Is he clean?
In fact, he is the biggest corrupt official among all the military leaders!
But what Zhuge Dan was greedy for was not money and food, but fame. He openly used the rewards and salaries from the court to support his own confidants and improve the treatment of the generals and soldiers close to him, in order to gain a reputation for caring for his soldiers. Isn't this also corruption?

Although he did not put the food and supplies into his own pocket, he still used them to do his own things.

How is he better than those people?
But Zhuge Dan obviously didn't think so. He said seriously, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I came here in a hurry this time just for this matter. As long as I am here, I will never let Your Majesty be bullied by this traitor!"

The ministers sneered and asked, "Why didn't you stand up when Sima Shi bullied the emperor?"
Cao Mao was very moved. He held his hand and was speechless for a long time.

Cao Mao then invited Zhuge Dan to get in his car, but Zhuge Dan naturally refused in a hurry. The two of them struggled for a long time before Cao Mao took Zhuge Dan into the car and drove towards the palace in a mighty manner.

Cao Mao gave Zhuge Dan all the respect and fame he needed, and gave him plenty of it.

Cao Mao held a banquet in the palace to entertain Zhuge Dan. Zhuge Dan sat next to Cao Mao, and the ministers sat on both sides.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cao Mao publicly appointed Zhuge Dan as the Grand Marshal.

This was already an exceptional promotion. Even for the Three Dukes, there was a hierarchy. Generally speaking, one would first serve as Sikong, then jump from Sikong to Taiwei, or Situ. For someone like Zhuge Dan, who jumped directly to Taiwei, it was a great favor from heaven.

Zhuge Dan's eyes were filled with tears, and he repeatedly stated that he would never let His Majesty down.

The banquet that day was very lively, everyone was smiling, and even Sima Zhao looked very happy at the moment.

But beneath these enthusiastic smiling faces, one does not know what kind of ugly plans are hidden.

Just as the banquet was about to end, Zhang Hua rushed into the Taiji Hall in a hurry.

"Your Majesty!! Something terrible has happened!"

Cao Mao was startled, then asked, "Is there a fire in Taicang?"

Zhang Hua was stunned and speechless.

Cao Mao sighed deeply.

"Sure enough."

"Mr. Mao, please don't look at me like that. I was mad enough to burn my own granary. When I asked Sima Yan to investigate, I knew this would happen."

“It’s a crude method, but it’s also very effective.”

Zhang Hua hesitated, "What about this matter?"

"Go tell the general. As soon as he arrived, the thieves started setting fire. This is clearly a provocation to him. It depends on how he handles it."

Zhang Hua hesitated to speak. It seemed that Taicang was not under the jurisdiction of the Taiwei, right?
However, since Your Majesty has spoken, it is the responsibility of the Grand Marshal to take charge.

Zhang Hua left in a hurry. Cao Mao's eyes flashed with a bit of viciousness. These bastards, they used my banquet as an alibi, right?
No wonder you are laughing so happily, are you trying to scare me?

"His Majesty!!!"

Sima Yan rushed into the hall in disheveled clothes. He looked quite disheveled, covered in black, and no longer had his former dashing look.

When he saw Cao Mao, he almost cried.

"Your Majesty, I destroyed Taicang because of me"

"Anshi, don't be afraid." "Come, tell me in detail what happened?"

Seeing that Sima Yan was still trembling, Cao Mao asked someone to bring some tea and let him drink it first.

Sima Yan paused for a long time, his face filled with guilt. "Your Majesty, I have always been unable to investigate. This time, I finally had the opportunity to go in, so I led my men in. Because the opportunity was rare, I investigated from morning to night, and later used torches for lighting to continue calculating and recording. Those officials at the time persuaded me..."

"They said it was difficult to use torches in Taicang because they were worried about a fire. I didn't take it seriously, but I didn't expect a real fire to break out later."

Sima Yan was too embarrassed to look at Cao Mao at this moment.

This was the first time that His Majesty ordered me to do something big. I couldn't even do a small thing like investigating the granary. I went to investigate the grain reserves and ended up burning the granary. This was unprecedented and will never happen again. If this incident appears in history books, it will make future generations laugh to death.

His reputation, future, and even his name in history books were all ruined.

I have failed to live up to your majesty's high expectations.

The more Sima Yan thought about it, the more desperate he became, and his hands were shaking.

Cao Mao listened to him calmly and then laughed.

Sima Yan looked at Cao Mao in disbelief, "How can this be laughed at?!"

Cao Mao shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid. You didn't burn the granary."

"How could it be such a coincidence that you couldn't get in before, but you could get in as soon as the general arrived? Others just advised you not to use torches, and you caught fire as soon as you used them? How many people did you bring with you? Moreover, I didn't see any fire clouds in the distance from here, which means the fire was not big at all."

Sima Yan was shocked. "If it wasn't me, then who was it?"

"Of course, those who don't want you to check."

"I ask you, who talked to you after this incident?"

"The officials in Taicang have all spoken. They said: We can conceal this matter from the ministers, but as officials, we cannot deceive Your Majesty. They hope that I will tell you the truth."

Cao Mao sneered, "You are such a fool, you have high aspirations but low skills. How dare you look down on me like this?"

He slowly looked at Sima Yan, "Anshi, now you know why I want to dismiss those people?"

"I told you before, this matter is no less difficult than beheading Liu Chan. Why? Because the court is full of these deceitful bastards, they are colluding with each other and working together for evil."

"The government's tax revenue is unclear, and its expenditures are even more so. They take in the taxes collected from the entire country, and the expenditures from the various governments. Each of them has become the richest man in the world. Their farmland and property are incalculable, their cattle and sheep are countless, and they have tens of thousands of slaves alone. Tens of thousands of slaves, thousands of miles of farmland, even a marquis might not have such a fiefdom!!!"

“Taicang is the top priority!”

"Look at the people who served as ministers of agriculture in the past. Which one of them was not extremely wealthy?"

Sima Yan thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Cao Mao, "Yes. Then... ahem."

Cao Mao looked at Sima Yan, who seemed to be hesitant to speak. "I know what you want to say. My ancestor also served as the Minister of Agriculture, and later paid 100 million yuan to buy the position of Grand Marshal."

"There's nothing to hide."

"But this kind of thing must never happen again!"

Cao Mao spoke very seriously, and Sima Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it was not his fault?
Cao Mao continued, "You said earlier that it was a pity that if we didn't get rid of these people, this would be the end. They didn't burn you to death with you because of your clan. If someone else had gone there, they would have been killed by now."

Sima Yan finally fell silent. He seemed to realize that he had thought all these things were too simple in the past.

He thought that such a matter could be solved with just a word. If that didn't work, he could just arrange for a good Si Nong to solve it.

But this is the case from top to bottom. Even if the entire Ministry of Agriculture is completely replaced, there probably won't be any improvement, right?

Sima Yan stroked his chin, unconsciously imitating Cao Mao's actions, "Then what should we do?"

"You don't have to worry about it. This matter can only be changed step by step."

"From now on, you should stop reading those books. Come to me every day to listen to my orders. Follow Zhang Hua and the others to increase your experience and knowledge so that you can be entrusted with important tasks in the future."

"only!!"

Sima Yan saluted and then said, "By the way, Your Majesty, General He's son Shao has been with me this time. Of all my friends, he's the only one willing to help me solve this major issue, but he didn't dare to come with me to see you. I think he could be of great use."

"Don't worry too much about his affairs, and do your own thing!"

"only!!"

(End of this chapter)