The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 570 Then I Don’t Like It

Zhong Hui has been very busy governing the country these days.

Well, although I was governing another country, not the Great Wei, I was still equally busy.

When Zhong appeared in the Taiji Hall, Cao Mao was writing a poem.

Zhong Hui didn't dare to disturb them and just stood aside and watched.

"How can I look up to a high mountain? I can only bow to its fragrance!"

Cao Mao quickly put down his pen and then looked at Zhong Hui beside him with a smile.

"Shiji, what do you think of this poem?"

When Zhong Jian saw the opening line "I love Zhong Shiji", he was so excited that he was speechless. He hurriedly picked up the poem and recited it again and again.

In just a moment, Zhong Hui felt his whole body become relaxed, and the fatigue of these days disappeared without a trace.

My legs don’t hurt anymore, and my waist doesn’t feel sore anymore.

Cao Mao’s poems are simply life-saving medicine!

Zhong Hui felt flattered at this moment and kept reciting.

Cao Mao chuckled. It was quite easy to motivate Zhong Hui. He just needed to send him a poem from time to time. This was already the 40th poem Cao Mao had sent to Zhong Hui.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhong Hui thanked Cao Mao and accepted the poem.

"Your Majesty's literary talent is truly unparalleled in the world!"

Zhong Hui gave a very high evaluation of Cao Mao's poetic talent. In fact, not to mention the previous brothers in Jian'an, just talk about the brothers in the Bamboo Grove now. These people have very strong poetic talents, especially the genius Cao Zhi. Compared with them, Cao Mao's literary talent is nothing.

But, in Zhong Hui's opinion, Cao Mao's poems were the best in the world. After all, Cao Mao's poems were all praising him.

Apart from Cao Mao, no one else would write poems specifically to praise himself.

After Zhong Hui sat down, he continued to flatter the emperor and express his respect and love for him.

The two chatted about poetry for a while before Cao Mao asked, "Shi Ji has been very busy these days. How are the results?"

Speaking of this, Zhong Hui felt even less sleepy.

Zhong Hui said, "Your Majesty, this Desert Khan looks good, but he lacks courage. He understands everything I say to him, but he doesn't have the courage to act on it."

Cao Mao nodded. "That's right. After all, he's just the son of a Xianbei leader. He doesn't hold any official title. There are some things that even if you tell him, he might not be able to accomplish."

He comforted him, "Shiji, don't worry. Even if it fails, it's not your fault. Xianbei affairs shouldn't be rushed."

Zhong Hui hurriedly shook his head, "Your Majesty, I didn't say it couldn't be done."

"Ah? Didn't you say Desert Khan had no courage?"

"Yes, so I went directly to his father and wrote to him directly!"

"His father is a courageous man. After exchanging letters with me, he decided to emulate many of the policies of the Great Wei. He even praised me all day long and said he would send me a gift!"

Cao Mao's eyes widened.

"You contacted Tuoba Liwei directly?"

Zhong Hui said disdainfully, "Although this man may not be considered a wise leader, he is still quite capable. Your Majesty, don't worry. With me keeping an eye on them, the Tuoba tribe's affairs won't be delayed for long!"

Cao Mao couldn't help but laugh, "As expected of Shi Ji! With Shi Ji here, why should I worry about the world not being governed well?!"

Zhong Hui benefited even more from it.

Before Cao Mao, the Central Plains regime had always been worried that the barbarians would become stable regimes and that they would become a major enemy of the Central Plains after growing up.

But Cao Mao was not afraid, mainly because of the gap in national strength.

Not to mention the Tuoba tribe, even if all the Xianbei people today were added together, their population would be less than 500,000, which is about the same as the population of a county in the Central Plains!

With just their base, why should they worry about them becoming their biggest enemy?
If the regime in the Central Plains is unstable and a major change occurs, then we should be worried, but when the regime in the Central Plains is at its peak, there is really no need to worry about these things.

How could there be any mistake when there was Emperor Xiaowen's ready-made homework to copy?

Emperor Xiaowen was still carrying out reforms for his own clan at a time when the opposition was at its strongest, and he was still successful. What about the period of Cao Mao?

For those nobles, once they become fixed beneficiaries, they will not be willing to go back to the grassland to ride horses.

Cao Mao wanted to emulate Emperor Xiaowen's reforms, turning people outside the city into people inside the city, and complete integration and assimilation as quickly as possible through the same reforms.

Zhong Hui talked about the current situation of the Xianbei with a smile.

In fact, the life of Li Wei was not easy either. Although he forcibly connected the tribes and formed an alliance, it was just as Zhong Hui had originally said to the Desert Khan.

Their whole is just a temporary whole. Because of Li Wei's prestige, they have not formed an overall structure. Therefore, as long as Li Wei dies, the whole will collapse immediately.

Li Wei was very concerned about this matter. He refuted the Xianbei leaders at that time and promoted the classics of the Central Plains. He also hoped to establish a real whole and transition from a tribal alliance to a real regime.

Otherwise, he would not have gone against his usual practice and taken the initiative to send a hostage to maintain friendly relations with Wei. This was all for the purpose of resolving domestic issues. When Zhong Hui had correspondence with him, Li Wei was ecstatic.

He had never had someone like Zhong Hui around to give him advice. After Zhong Hui analyzed the situation he was facing and the necessary changes, Li Wei had his own ideas.

The emperor and his minister talked for a long time before Cao Mao started talking about business.

"Lu Kai has come to surrender."

"Who is Lu Kai?"

Zhong Hui had a face full of arrogance.

Cao Mao explained, "The General of the Northern Expedition of Wu is Lu Kang's cousin."

Zhong Hui remained disdainful. He said, "Your Majesty, the great clans of Wu are different from those of Wei. They legally have their own private armies. When Sun Chen attacked them, he was immediately killed by the emperor. These clans are extremely powerful."

"He's coming here to submit now, probably to pave the way for his clan. If he wanted to pave the way for his clan, he could have sent his young disciples. Why would he come here in person?"

Zhong Hui was halfway through his speech when he suddenly denied his idea.

He said, "Maybe he has other ideas."

Cao Mao glanced at him and said, "Perhaps it has something to do with his cousin Lu Kang."

Speaking of Lu Kang, Zhong Hui's eyes lit up.

"Is he the general who defeated Wang Ji and Wen Qin?"

Cao Mao nodded.

Zhong Hui smiled and praised, "I have heard this man's name many times today. He is indeed Lu Xun's son. I have heard that he is handsome, elegant, and well-mannered. He is the most famous scholar in Wu."

Zhong Hui's eyes brightened.

He really likes young talents like this.

Cao Mao then spoke up and said, "Yes, he is indeed the most famous scholar in Wu."

Zhong Hui couldn't help but sigh, "How wonderful it would be if he was the one coming to seek refuge with us."

Zhong Hui couldn't help but ask again, "But what does Lu Kai's matter have to do with Lu Kang?"

Cao Mao replied, "I heard that the Emperor also values this man very much and feels that he can be used because he repelled us. He has appointed him as General of the Guarding Army, commanding Jingnan, Jiaozhou, and other areas, and remotely in charge of Yizhou. According to reports from over there, General of the Guarding Army is only a transitional position; he may even be promoted to the position of Grand Marshal."

At this moment, the joy on Zhong Hui's face suddenly froze. He asked, "How old is this person?"

Cao Mao pursed his lips and said, "He's probably about the same age as Shi Ji. He seems to be a few years younger than Shi Ji."

Zhong Hui's expression suddenly turned unfriendly.

"Your Majesty, I think this man is just a name that's overrated. He was able to repel General Wang only because General Wang had been deadlocked for too long and didn't want to continue fighting. It wasn't due to any merit on his part!"

Cao Mao was not surprised to see that Zhong Hui quickly changed his attitude towards Lu Kang.

Cao Mao said, "The Lord of Wu still wants to use his checks and balances. Lu Kai wants to protect both his clan and his cousin."

"After this incident, I think the position of Grand Marshal will not fall to Lu Kang."

Zhong Hui was already in a very bad mood, and he even had an inexplicable hostility towards Lu Kai.

Cao Mao asked, "Shi Ji, isn't it time for Wu to change its strategy?"

Zhong Hui had proposed the strategy of "Shu should act quickly while Wu should be slow", but the situation now is completely different from before. Cao Mao hopes that Zhong Hui can come up with a new strategy.

Zhong Hui couldn't help but ponder at this moment.

Indeed, after experiencing such drastic changes, the Wu State today is different from what it was before.

They lost many important lines of defense and could only retreat within their own country.

Zhong Hui pondered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, we should indeed make a change. We can now implement a strategy of conquering the hearts and minds of the people of Wu."

"The Wu Kingdom has been pushed to its limit. They've lost all their defenses and are feeling uneasy. At this point, we must keep the pressure on them, just like we did with the Shu Kingdom. We must appoint a general to attack Wu while also trying to win over and divide their own officials."

"Among the great families of Wu, almost no one is willing to die for the country. Most of them only care about their own interests."

"Take Lu Kang, for example. Could he die for his country like Jiang Wei did? I don't think so."

"Divide and win over their powerful clans, constantly pretend to send troops to intimidate them, and alienate their ministers."

At this moment, countless thoughts emerged in Zhong Hui's mind, and his eyes became brighter.

"How about this, Shi Ji, you go back first, write down your ideas, and then give them to me. We must destroy the Wu Kingdom as soon as possible and complete the unification. Only then can we say that we have achieved great success. Unification is only a prerequisite."

Zhong Hui suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Cao Mao.

"I will write it right away."

When Zhong Hui left the palace, he was still thinking about Lu Kang. Humph, he was just another person with some small talents who gained the emperor's favor through flattery. He was just a person who did not deserve his position!

There is no difference between him and Zhang Hua!
(End of this chapter)