The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 363 Five Political Strategies
Wang Ji rode a steed, surrounded by dozens of knights, and slowly traveled along the road to Luoyang.

Behind him, there was a carriage with ceremonial guards in front and behind. It was obvious that it was a trip of high-ranking officials of the Wei Dynasty.

When the group arrived at a city again, they prepared to rest there.

The officials here naturally rushed over to greet them.

Facing Wang Ji, the governor of Jingzhou, the county officials were terrified, and when the people in the carriage got off, they became even more frightened.

The person who got off the carriage was General Wang Chang, the Southern Expedition General.

Wang Chang is now over sixty years old, but he is in a high position and has great power. Among the four expeditionary forces and four military commanders, because of the word "big", he can be ranked among the top even if the four expeditionary forces sit at the same table, and sit at the front during military meetings.

Wang Chang got off the carriage, looked around, and then said to Wang Ji, "Let all the officials go back. We are just resting here. We will set off tomorrow, so we don't need them to serve us."

Wang Ji accepted the order and immediately told the officials not to pay their respects but to go back first.

The local officials bowed three times again and then left.

Wang Chang followed Wang Ji toward the residence arranged by the local officials. As they walked, Wang Chang suddenly said, "Your Majesty's policies are still useful."

Wang Ji nodded, "As we've come this far, the changes have become increasingly apparent."

"When I first left Jingzhou, I could still see many people in formal attire, riding horses, and wanting to hold grand banquets, but the situation couldn't find officials. Now, it seems that the situation has improved a bit."

"Your Majesty truly wants to govern the country well, and he sends his ministers to various places not just for his own fame."

Wang Chang commented: "Since ancient times, the real purpose of the ministers carrying imperial seals to various places was not to inspect the localities, but to let the world know about your majesty's kindness and to show your grace to the local people."

"To put it simply, it's just for the historian's few words."

"But His Majesty is different. He truly wants to rectify the administration of officials. Throughout his journey, I've seen that officials are afraid to neglect their duties, that truly talented officials are proud and satisfied, and that officials who have made mistakes are terrified, some even wanting to ask me for help."

"This is a Son of Heaven who gets things done."

Wang Chang had a very high opinion of the emperor.

The two of them entered the inner room and sat down facing each other.

Wang Chang said, "We will arrive in Luoyang soon. There are some things I want to discuss with you."

Wang Chang and Wang Ji had been guarding Jingzhou for many years. The two sides cooperated well and had some friendship. Although it was not as close as that between Yangzhou Governor Wen Qin and Guanqiu Jian, there were no major disagreements.

Wang Ji quickly pretended to listen attentively.

Wang Chang then spoke: "I have received two letters."

"The first letter was written by Minister Zhong Hui. He hopes that I can go to Luoyang to pay my respects to His Majesty."

"The second letter was written by Xun Yi, the Minister of the Secretariat. He hopes that I can go to Luoyang to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Wang Ji asked, "Then, why did you come to Luoyang this time?"

Wang Chang smiled bitterly, "That's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you."

"For whose sake should it be?"

Zhong Hui and Xun Yi now represent two different camps.

Although both sides assisted the emperor in governing the country, what they pursued were completely different.

Ever since the Guo Zhang incident, the relationship between the ministers and the emperor has become increasingly tense. Although Yongliang's victory gave the emperor the upper hand over the ministers, the ministers did not give in.

Is it to gain the favor of the emperor or to gain the support of his ministers?

This is a major problem facing Wang Chang.

With Wang Chang's qualifications and status, he is indeed not inferior to Zhuge Dan and Wang Su. Among these three officials in the temple, except Zheng Chong, no one can surpass him.

If the court wants to appoint a new general, regardless of the close relationship in the emperor's mind, Wang Chang will definitely be the top priority.

It’s not just because there’s a big character in the prefix of his name, but also because his clan is huge and his classics have been passed down from generation to generation.

Wang Chang obviously hopes to advance and retreat together with Wang Ji, and it would be best if both sides stand in the same camp.

Wang Ji pondered for a moment, then asked, "Prince, how do you think His Majesty compares to the General?"

"Your Majesty is still young. With time, you will surely become even more powerful."

"So how do you think you compare to the general?"

Wang Chang laughed heartily. "Then I know what to choose."

The two rested here for a day and then sped up their journey to Luoyang.

The local situation is improving, and the inspection tour by the Minister of the Interior has played a certain role. Even if it is just a temporary pretense, it is much better than before. Wang Chang believes that the most important thing is that this move has inspired many talented and capable people.

The overall quality of officials in the Wei Dynasty was not high, but this did not mean that there were no talented people among them. Especially at the bottom, there were still many outstanding talents from humble backgrounds.

As for outstanding talents from prominent families, they don't have to worry about being unappreciated. Born into a prominent family, even those without talent can still make a name for themselves, let alone those with talent and learning. The talents that are buried are often those from lower backgrounds.

In the fourth year of Qinglong, Emperor Ming of Wei issued an edict to seek talents, and Sima Yi personally recommended Wang Chang, and Wang Chang thus came into the emperor's sight.

Wang Chang later served as the governor of Xuzhou. He attached great importance to the administration of officials, vigorously promoted many talents from the grassroots, and took strict measures against the officials under his command.

At the same time, he reclaimed farmland in the local area, stored food and fodder, and did an excellent job in government affairs.

Later, when he entered the imperial court and King Cao Fang of Qi asked for strategies for governing the country, Wang Chang wrote to him again and gave five strategies.

These five principles of governing the country are considered to be the few contents in the entire Wei Dynasty that target the governance level of officials.

This is also the reason why Wang Chang cared so much about the emperor's rectification of the administration of officials.

To this day, no one has surpassed Wang Chang's five memorials.

He believed that in governing a country, the first thing was to uphold the orthodox doctrine, encourage academic studies, curb empty talk, build schools on a large scale, allow students to attend school, and cultivate talents.

Second, we need to establish an examination system. Examination is a standard. Without a standard, it is impossible to measure right and wrong. Appointments and dismissals without examinations, and judging whether someone has talent through comments, are all nonsense.

Third, he believed that the terms of office of officials were too short, and they were promoted directly without any political achievements. Longer terms should be set to observe their actions, and only those with political achievements should be promoted and appointed.

Fourth, reduce the actual income of officials, let them know the shame of being honest and don't let them exploit the people!
Fifth, extravagance is strictly prohibited and learning from others is encouraged. Restrictions should be placed on officials’ residence, travel, clothing, and diet. They are not allowed to act recklessly, and those who dare to exceed a certain limit will be punished for the crime of usurpation.

To be honest, Wang Chang's five points were formulated based on the level of contemporary officials and many hidden dangers.

His five points became an important basis for later generations to understand the officials of the Wei and Jin dynasties. Wang Chang's memorial shows that officials at the time did not undergo examinations, had no talent, had a low talent pool, had no political achievements, loved luxury, and exploited the people.
Just from these five points in the memorial and the fact that Wang Chang dared to write it in this way, we can see that Wang Chang's vision and talent were far ahead of all the ministers.

The emperor was very happy and felt that what Wang Chang said made sense.

An imperial edict was issued to praise him, and then he was put in charge of the examination.

But there was no further development.

The emperor seemed to care more about the few records in the history books. One day, a minister proposed a very important political strategy, and the emperor gladly accepted it and rewarded him.

But what about behind?

There is nothing more after that.

Wang Chang later said that he did not know the specific methods of examinations and calculation of political achievements, and that he should find someone who specialized in this area, and they could work together to formulate specific implementation methods for such examinations and political achievements.

But no one cares anymore. You have already been rewarded, so why are you still saying so much?

As Wang Chang walked along the way and saw the changes in officials in various places, he finally felt the same way as before.

Wang Chang is a man who can really get things done, but he is also a little worried.

Although the emperor is determined to rectify the administration of officials, his ideas are not widely recognized by his ministers. They only support him verbally but will not formally pass them. Can this young emperor understand my memorials?

Although the emperor showed certain talents in strategy and military affairs, he had not made any contributions to governance.

If I want to implement these government affairs, I am afraid I will face too much pressure.

Wang Chang sat in the carriage and slowly closed his eyes.

No matter what the emperor thinks, I should find an opportunity to mention this matter. Maybe he will be interested?

The group soon arrived in Luoyang.

After making a decision, they will no longer delay observing the situation, so the speed will naturally be fast.

When they arrived in Luoyang, the emperor naturally went out to greet them.

The return of the four generals to the court should be on this scale.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!!"

Wang Chang bowed to Cao Mao, who looked at the General in front of him.

Another confidant of the Sima family.

Although he is a close confidant of the Sima family, he comes from a prominent family and is different from people who seek fame like Zhuge Dan. Which side will he choose to stand on?
The ministers' attitude towards him was different from that towards Wang Su. If he was willing to help the big families, the ministers would probably welcome him.

Cao Mao helped him up with a smile.

"I heard that General Wang was ill, but now it seems he has recovered?"

"Thanks to your majesty's grace, I am now fine. Upon learning that your majesty has summoned me, I hurried here, not daring to delay."

Cao Mao then asked all the ministers to come and pay their respects. Compared with Wang Chang, Cao Mao cared more about Wang Ji standing behind him.

Wang Ji was an underestimated general with a very high strategic level. In history, he expressed his views on the strategies of the court many times and almost never made any mistakes. His strategic vision was enough to compete with Deng Ai.

Deng Ai resisted Shu, Wang Ji resisted Wu, and our great Wei was as solid as a rock!
(End of this chapter)