The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 490 Let it go
But at this moment, Cao Mao's mind was not on the issue of Confucian classics.

He summoned two ministers today.

One was the old acquaintance Pei Xiu, and the other was Shi Bao who was imprisoned in the mansion.

Shi Bao originally came to Luoyang to seek credit, but his luck was really bad. As soon as he left, a rebellion broke out, and it was he who led the rebels.

Before Shi Bao could get out of this shadow, he encountered the emperor's vigorous rectification of officials, and he, a former corrupt official, was liquidated.

Under the double blow, this person could not even keep his original official title, let alone get promoted. He was directly demoted to a commoner and enjoyed the same treatment as Sima Zhao. He was imprisoned in the mansion and reflected on his mistakes.

Shi Bao felt particularly complicated when he was summoned by the emperor today.

He didn't know whether this was a blessing or a curse.

Is the emperor going to execute himself or to use himself?
When he saw that the person coming with him was Pei Xiu, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he didn't know about the appointments and dismissals in the imperial court, it was unlikely that Pei Xiu was an official in the Ministry of Justice. Pei Xiu had too many connections with many powerful families, and he himself was not a very upright and resolute person. He was the type who would never do anything if he could avoid it. How could he possibly hold an official position in the Ministry of Justice?

Since I'm here with Pei Xiu, there shouldn't be any problem, right?

Pei Xiu was helpless at this moment.

During these days, he was summoned more times than Zhong Hui!
Why does Your Majesty think so highly of me?

Although he had never expressed his stance from the beginning, he became the emperor's confidant in a muddle, and now he is regarded by the ministers as a favorite minister comparable to Zhong Hui.

Why is it that His Majesty always thinks of me first whenever something happens?
Cao Mao saw that both of them had arrived, and then he spoke:
"Yesterday, I saw several merchants from the Tufa Xianbei tribe who wanted to do business in Luoyang."

Pei Xiu frowned, it turned out to be related to these Hu people.

Could it be that they offended their own Majesty?

Shi Bao had the same idea.

After all, there were already many Hu merchants in various places, but these Hu merchants would avoid the nobles when they met them. How could they provoke the emperor?
At this moment, Cao Mao asked, "What do you think?"

Pei Xiu hesitated for a moment, "They were rude to Your Majesty?"

"Yes. They actually dared to show up in Luoyang."

"Um???"

Pei Xiu was stunned for a moment. When did his Majesty become so fierce and overbearing? Was this considered rude?

Cao Mao whispered, "These barbarians dare to appear in Luoyang without submitting. Isn't this rude?"

Shi Bao still looked a little dazed, but Pei Xiu suddenly understood.

He immediately said, "Your Majesty, when the Hu and Qiang followed the Shu people in rebellion, the Secretariat discussed the matter. General Deng wrote a letter saying that the Han people on the border were becoming Hu people and that we must be on guard against it."

"At that time, a minister said: 'It's because the Hu people's life is better than those of the common people, so they are willing to go to the Hu people. If we can't make the common people live well, then we should make the Hu people's life miserable too, so that no one will run away.'"

"The then Shangshu Pushe Lu Gong was furious and almost drove him out."

Cao Mao couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Who is this Shangshu Lang?"

"It is the current Zhong Pushe."

"Oh, that's not surprising."

Cao Mao smiled and said, "But I don't think so."

"I just want to drive out these barbarians who don't submit to the imperial court and refuse to obey the teachings. If they can do business, why can't we, our own people, do the same?"

Pei Xiu thought of a lot of things just from this one sentence.

Your Majesty, you are trying to divide the people.

Divide the Hu people in Yongliang so that they can no longer unite, win over those who are pro-Wei, suppress those who are independent, and then replace the independent ones with those who are pro-Wei, letting them fight among themselves?
Many thoughts emerged in Pei Xiu's mind, and he suddenly looked at Cao Mao.

"It's not what you think."

Cao Mao spoke.

Pei Xiu was stunned for a moment, "But Chen didn't say anything."

"I know everything even if you don't tell me. This is definitely not a good idea."

"Do you think I want to divide these people, so that they fight among themselves and cannot pose a threat to the Wei Dynasty?"

"Is not it?"

"Of course not. I'm not trying to distract them. I want to resolve this issue thoroughly. I want to educate them and make it clear what the difference is between us and the enemy. Foreign enemies who are unwilling to submit will definitely be eliminated, and those who submit will become our own people. We will educate them and make their lives better."

"As long as we can distinguish between friend and foe, future problems will naturally be much easier to solve."

Pei Xiu then looked at Shi Bao, and he seemed to understand why this guy appeared here.

Shi Bao was not stupid. After hearing what Cao Mao said, he seemed to react, but he did not speak in a hurry.

Sure enough, Cao Mao slowly looked at him.

"The court wants to attack Shu. The Qiang and Hu people of Yongliang have always caused unrest in the area. If we want to send a large army, we must first resolve the internal troubles. Otherwise, if the army is sent out, Yongliang will be empty, and transporting a large amount of food from here will probably cause some minor problems." "But I don't want to see any minor problems."

"Shi Gong, you committed many mistakes when you were in Qingzhou. I dismiss you from your post as punishment. This time, I need a General to Protect the Qiang."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"

Shi Bao spoke without any hesitation.

Cao Mao glanced at him and said, "This is not an easy thing to do. If it is not done well, it will cause rebellion."

Shi Bao subconsciously wanted to answer that it would not be like that, but he suddenly realized something and immediately said, "I will do my best!"

The emperor has no shortage of people around him, so why would he let himself out?

Shi Bao realized that this was because this might be something that would easily cause controversy, just like He Zeng's case.

Cao Mao always protected his own people and would not let them have a bad reputation. However, anything that caused controversy in the world would be handed over to outsiders.

This trip to Yongliang is likely to cause war, and in the eyes of the wise men in the Central Plains, such a thing is certainly unkind and ungenerous. It is a deliberate provocation of foreign enemies, which they do not want to see.

If a general did such a thing, he would certainly be subjected to huge criticism.

Shi Bao also understood his mission.

But he did not feel unhappy. At this moment, it was good enough to be re-employed by the emperor. Moreover, he had already suffered a lot of criticism. If the Sima family trusted him enough, he would not be in his current position.

The opinions of his ministers and scholars meant nothing to him.

Seeing Shi Bao react so quickly, Cao Mao also laughed.

He immediately picked up a letter and put it aside.

"I will deliver this letter to Deng Ai, and he will send someone to help you."

This expresses Cao Mao's attitude. He not only wants to use etiquette, he also wants to use military force.

Deng Ai would probably be happy to help Shi Bao solve the problem.

Although the current Wei State has begun to prepare for war, as Zhong Hui said, this is to create pressure on the Shu State and intensify its internal conflicts. At least this year, the Wei State will not take action against the Shu State unless Liu Chan really puts Zhuge Zhan in Hanzhong.

Under the current development model, Wei State is developing rapidly and there is no need to rush. Even if a war breaks out, Wei State will not be in a hurry. It would be best if it could wear down Shu State.

This is also the reason why Cao Mao dared to rectify the Yongliang Qiang and Hu first. Since there was no rush to send troops, he would first tidy up the important areas of Yongliang so that the people of Shu could no longer expect the people here to help them, thus clearing the way for the subsequent battle to destroy Shu.

This is also for future stability.

The Tufa tribe now had only tens of thousands of people, but ten years later, they united with the local disaster victims and their strength soared. They even killed several generals of the Jin Dynasty. In the end, it was Ma Long and Wen Yang who dealt with them.

Solve this hidden danger while they are still weak.

If Tufa was a smart man, he would have completely surrendered to the Wei Dynasty and accepted its teachings, just like Liu Bao and Huochequan.

If you don't accept it, then you are an outsider and there is no need to be polite.

"Minister Pei, we need your assistance in this matter. You will be in charge of contacting General Shi to handle this matter together."

Pei Xiu frowned. "Your Majesty, aren't you a little anxious? The Shu Kingdom hasn't been destroyed yet."

"No, even if Yongliang didn't have a major rebellion, these unwilling Hu people are lording over the country. They rob passing merchants and attack civilians. If we can't rule Yongliang, how can we rule the world?!"

"This place is the backbone of the world, a vital thoroughfare for the future. Back then, the Later Han was weak and unable to resolve this issue. However, our Great Wei has nearly 100,000 troops in Yongliang. If I were to send our central army there, it would be more than enough to annihilate Shu. Isn't this a problem that can be resolved?"

Pei Xiu didn't say anything else and immediately accepted the order.

Shi Bao even signed a military order in person.

"If I cannot wipe out Yongliang and bring their tribe back to the Holy Way within this year, I will bring my head before you!!"

Cao Mao then helped him up, and a smile appeared on his face.

"General, this is actually easy to handle. We just need to let them know that enlightenment is a good thing, that accepting it will bring benefits, and that refusing to accept it will lead to starvation. That will solve the problem."

"Don't even mention one year. Within ten years, if you can bring peace to Yongliang and bring the people under the king's rule, I will personally confer upon you the title of Marquis of the County and have a monument erected in your honor in Liangzhou!"

"I will never let your majesty down!!"

After the two men left the place one after another, Zhang Hua walked forward.

"Your Majesty, do you want the central army to go?"

"No need. The campaign against Shu is imminent, so let Deng Ai train his troops and bring out some capable generals."

Cao Mao added, "Besides, it was Deng Ai who first brought up the issue of Huhua. Since he saw it first, let him handle it."

"Maybe I can even enter a martial arts temple in the future."

After hearing what Cao Mao said, Zhang Hua was thoughtful.

(End of this chapter)