The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 361 Jiang Boyao, do you admit your guilt?

"Jiang Boyao! Do you admit your guilt?!"

Liu Chan asked angrily.

Jiang Wei knelt before the emperor, head lowered, with a complicated expression.

When Jiang Wei returned to the temple, Liu Chan hurriedly summoned Zhang Yi. Only then did he learn that Zhang Yi had been captured alive. At this moment, Liu Chan almost exploded with anger.

Liu Chan was very similar to Sima Anshi in some ways. He was quite tolerant and generous. Of course, he was definitely not as generous as Sima Anshi.

He rarely lost his temper and was always polite to his ministers.

But at this moment, he really couldn't help it.

This was not because the army suffered heavy casualties, but because he felt that there was something wrong with Jiang Wei.

When Fei Yi was assassinated, many people secretly believed that it was Jiang Wei who did it.

Fei Yi was very trusted by Liu Chan, at least more trusted than Jiang Wei.

According to historical records, Feiyi was a humble and simple person who never accumulated wealth for himself. He and his family wore very simple clothes, and no one followed them when they went out, just like ordinary people.

He assisted Liu Chan in governing Shu Han. When Jiang Wei wanted to go to war, Fei Yi did not object, but he would not indulge him.

Each time, he was only given 10,000 to 20,000 men, and told: Prime Minister Zhuge Liang failed to defeat the enemy back then. Now our talents are far inferior to his. How can we accomplish what he couldn't accomplish?
The current strategy is to govern diligently, strengthen defenses, wait for changes in the world, let future generations inherit the cause, and look for opportunities to accomplish great things.

Later, Fei Yi held a New Year's meeting in Hanshou. When Fei Yi was drunk, Guo Xiu, who was standing by, suddenly attacked and stabbed Fei Yi to death with a knife. Fei Yi died a few days later, and Guo Xiu was also killed.

This Guo Xiu was from the Xiping Guo family. Yes, he was a relative of Empress Dowager Guo. The most important point is that he was captured and surrendered by Jiang Wei.

The Wei general who was captured and surrendered by Jiang Wei assassinated Fei Yi, who was at odds with Jiang Wei.

At that time, some people believed that this was done by Jiang Wei, and they submitted petitions for a thorough investigation.

Liu Chan was also very hesitant. To a large extent, Liu Chan was very similar to Sima Yan. He was indecisive, fond of pleasure, willing to listen to advice, generous to others, and occasionally had brilliant performances.

He performed well when he had famous ministers to assist him, but once the capable ministers around him were no longer around, there would be very serious consequences.

To sum up these characteristics, it seems that there is no difference between him and Sima Yan.

Fortunately, the wise ministers around Liu Chan at that time all supported Jiang Wei, believing that Jiang Wei would never do such a thing and that there was no need for it. This was just a member of a prominent Wei family who committed a serious crime for the sake of his clan and reputation.

But now, this happened again.

Zhang Yi also had a feud with Jiang Wei and repeatedly opposed Jiang Wei's large-scale military expedition to the State of Wei. After the expedition, he was the only general to be captured alive.

When Liu Chan learned about this, he could no longer bear it.

"I am aware of my guilt."

Jiang Wei replied.

Liu Chan had a stern face, but he was thinking about how to deal with Jiang Wei, and his expression changed from gloomy to bright.

Huang Hao, who was standing not far away, lowered his head, his eyes full of joy.

You are just a surrendered general, and you dare to be rude to us? Who else should we deal with if not you?
This time we will make sure you completely lose your power and never dare to ride on our heads again.

Just as Liu Chan was about to speak, a eunuch entered the hall and announced, "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Chancellery, Mr. Chen, wishes to see you."

Liu Chan was stunned, then let someone in.

Chen Zhi walked up to the emperor in small steps, then bowed deeply and knelt beside Jiang Wei.

Liu Chan put away the anger on his face and said, "Mr. Chen, you came at the right time!"

Chen Qi glanced at Jiang Wei beside him, then looked at the emperor helplessly.

"Your Majesty, I was unable to arrive in time."

"Don't say that! You've arrived just in time. Please stand up and take a seat!"

Chen Qi said again, "Your Majesty, General Wei has fought for years and made countless contributions to the court. He has inherited the Prime Minister's legacy and his abilities are ten times greater than mine. Yet he still kneels, so how can I dare to sit?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chan angrily questioned, "This man lost his troops and generals, shouldn't he be punished?"

Chen Qi replied, "Your Majesty, victory and defeat are common. Can we deny his past military achievements just because of a single defeat?"

"General Wei is a skilled warrior. No one in the kingdom knows how to fight better, and no one is more suited to command an army. He is loyal to you. Your Majesty should not treat him this way just because of a single defeat."

Liu Chan didn't know how to refute it for a moment, so he said, "Then what about the General Zhengxi?"

Chen Qi hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I've already consulted with many generals and captains in the army about this matter. General Zhang volunteered to cover the rearguard, and his ambition is commendable. This time, Cao Cao's army is several times larger than ours, attacking us from both sides. If General Zhengxi hadn't volunteered to cover the rearguard, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"The General of the Western Expedition has fallen into the hands of the enemy. This has caused great sorrow among the ministers."

"However, now that he is gone, there are even fewer soldiers left in the army. Your Majesty should prioritize talented generals. I hope Your Majesty will not be angry. I am willing to assess General Wei's faults based on his military achievements and losses, and impose appropriate punishment."

Chen Qi obviously wanted to protect Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei sat beside Chen Qi with a look of shame on his face. At this moment, he couldn't even utter the words to ask for self-punishment, because if he stepped down, there would be no one in Shu Han to inherit his position. Liu Chan couldn't make a decision for a while.

He looked hesitantly at Huang Hao standing beside him.

"Mr. Huang, what do you think?"

Huang Hao's heart trembled, and then he became a little excited. His Majesty actually asked him such an important matter?
When Jiang Wei heard this, he felt indescribable anger in his heart. He suddenly looked at Chen Qi who was standing beside him.

The demise of the Later Han Dynasty was right before our eyes. Was it possible that we hadn’t learned our lesson?
Chen Qi pursed his lips, but didn't say much, and looked at Huang Hao.

Seeing Chen Qi's gaze, Huang Hao also hesitated.

Of course he wanted to kill Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei always liked to meddle in other people's affairs and make things difficult for them, which made Huang Hao and others very dissatisfied. Such an opportunity was really rare.

But at the same time, this is also an opportunity for Huang Hao to interfere in the government affairs of the temple, and this opportunity is even more rare.

If he said now that Jiang Wei should be severely punished, Chen Zhi would most likely refute it and change his attitude towards him in the future, which would prevent Huang Hao from interfering in the affairs of the court.

But if Huang Hao could support Chen Qi's choice, he would have more opportunities to interfere in the government in the future.

He hesitated for a moment and made a quick decision.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Chen is an important official in the court, and his words are naturally reasonable. Although General Wei suffered heavy casualties this time, we can consider his past military achievements and allow Lord Chen to investigate his case."

After hearing Huang Hao's words, Liu Chan immediately knew what to do.

He looked at Jiang Wei and said, "I'll pardon you this time. From now on, this kind of situation must not happen again!"

"Alright! I'm tired! Mr. Huang, send them out!"

Jiang Wei and Chen Qi thanked the emperor and were then escorted out of the palace by Huang Hao.

Jiang Wei's emotions were extremely complicated at this moment. He felt humiliated. How could His Majesty have spared him because of Huang Hao?
He wanted to curse, but was troubled by the important matter. At this moment, his face was red and he tried to look elsewhere, trying to forget Huang Hao's existence.

Chen Qi was different. After leaving the hall, he once again thanked Huang Hao for his help.

Huang Hao was flattered by this.

"Mr. Chen, please don't say such things. It is my honor to be able to work for you. I know that you are a virtuous person who cares about the country. Please don't worry."

The two of them started chatting in a very harmonious atmosphere, and they looked like a pair of good friends.

Chen Qi bid farewell to Huang Hao and left with Jiang Wei.

When the two got in the car, the atmosphere was still a little silent.

Jiang Wei suddenly laughed, and his smile was so bitter.

"If I can only be pardoned because of Huang Hao, I might as well be dead."

Chen Zhi just looked ahead calmly without saying a word.

Jiang Wei was also silent for a moment, then continued, "Lord Chen, Your Majesty's favoritism towards eunuchs will surely lead to disaster for the entire nation."

"You shouldn't treat Huang Hao like this."

Chen Qi still had no expression on his face. He looked at Jiang Wei and said nothing.

Didn't he know this truth? In this era when the noble families all despised eunuchs, he lowered himself and took the initiative to befriend the eunuchs and improve his relationship with them, even at the cost of bearing a bad reputation and being ridiculed by others. Didn't he know the pros and cons of this?

But what can he do?

His sponsor Fei Yi died, and his predecessors Dong Yun and Lu Yi also died.

Your Majesty does not trust the ministers in the temple at all, does not get close to them, and does not listen to their advice.

What can Chen Zhi do?
Apart from actively making friends with the officials who were favored by the emperor, using them to improve his relationship with the emperor, and then getting the emperor to agree with his ideas, what else could he do?!
Although Chen Qi said nothing, Jiang Wei still lowered his head and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chen."

"Why did we suffer such a crushing defeat this time?"

"The Cao bandits have figured out my tactics and predicted my strategy. The fighting power of the Cao bandits' central army is stronger than ever, and their morale surpasses ours."

"Their generals are also very outstanding. They have war generals, cavalry generals, and commanders. The captains of each unit work closely together and their tactical deployment is thorough."

Jiang Wei said slowly, "Lord Chen, we can't go on like this. If Cao Cao's armies across the country are this strong, the Han will perish at our hands."

There was some astonishment in Chen Qi's eyes, "You still want to go to war?"

He shook his head. "I can't go on the expedition. The court officials won't agree. Even if I were to come forward, they wouldn't support me. It won't be possible within three years."

"We must go to war. If we don't, I'm worried that the Han Dynasty won't survive these three years."

"I heard that you sent someone to discuss important matters with the general of Wu?"

"Well, there is such a thing."

"I've heard that Wu's general is very young and lacks military experience, so he's eager to make a name for himself. Do you think we could send someone to discuss the expedition with him again?"

(End of this chapter)