The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 584 Attack their hearts!
When Cao Mao heard the news, he was struck by lightning.

He couldn't quite believe what he heard.

Mrs. Zheng is pregnant.

Then wouldn't I be a father now?

Looking at the dazed Cao Mao, Mr. Xu hurriedly took out the booklet and handed it to the emperor.

The eunuchs in the harem were responsible for recording the time and frequency of sexual intercourse between the emperor and his concubines. In short, they had to record what should be recorded, and they also had to record what should not be recorded.

This was to ensure that the child was biological and the royal bloodline would not be tainted.

At the same time, if the emperor does this too frequently, the eunuchs should dissuade him.

At this moment, Cao Mao suddenly became dazed and at a loss.

Mr. Xu didn’t know what to say. This was a good thing.

Those in power must have children. If they don't have children, they must adopt one quickly. If they have no descendants, it means that the power system will change after their death, and the interest groups following them will suffer a huge impact.

Therefore, the emperor must have a successor. This is more important than anything else.

Mr. Xu thought that the emperor would be very happy and even give him rewards, but Cao Mao just stood there in a daze, not moving.

He had never seen the emperor look so confused.

In his impression, this emperor has always been powerful, thoughtful, and always calm yet wise.

Cao Mao probably also realized that he had lost his composure.

"Well, this is good news. Everyone in the harem has received a reward. Send some things to Madam Zheng to help her replenish her body."

"only!!"

Mr. Xu paid his respects again.

After everyone left, Cao Mao sat alone in the West Hall, still feeling a little dazed.

It's a feeling that's hard to describe.

Cao Mao was always lonely in his two lives. He always watched the world coldly and then tried to intervene and change it.

But at this moment, the boundary between the two seems to become blurred.

What was I thinking just now?

Cao Mao shook his head, suppressed the unspeakable expectation and excitement in his heart, and recalled his important event again.

Oh, by the way, I was thinking about Yang Hu and the Yongliang clan.

Yang Hu still had to wait for his letter, but these big families were all born in the year of the donkey and would not leave unless they were withdrawn.

From Xun Yi's conversation, Cao Mao could feel their contempt for him. He didn't know whether to say they were stupid or evil!

In short, no matter what the policy is, they can find loopholes that best suit their own interests.

Cao Mao distributed public land to the Hu people in order to speed up their integration. Who would have thought that some people would use this to get public land for themselves?

Whenever Cao Mao thought of these things, he became so angry that his teeth itched.

Now, Yang Zong has set off for Yongzhou. Once the big clans over there learn their lesson and suffer losses, the big clans here should know what to do.

However, you need to cooperate well with Yang Zong and let both sides bloom at the same time to achieve the best effect.

Cao Mao was not very worried about Yang Zong's side because Ma Long was in charge there. He heard that Ma Long had inherited Deng Ai's legion very well and had taken control of his army.

I wonder if my first child can inherit my career?
Forehead.
Cao Mao shook his head. Why did we get off topic again?

He put down the pen and ink in his hand, stood up, and said, "Someone, prepare the car!"

Now Cheng Ji is driving for Cao Mao. Although his official position has not been promoted and he is still a captain in the palace, his title is still rising.

Moreover, although his official position is not high, it has a different meaning.

Although he was only a captain, even the generals had to bow and salute him when they met him during the four expeditions and four garrisons.

If you encounter Si'an and Siping, you have to avoid them.

The rest of the captains and lieutenants in the central army did not dare to speak loudly in front of him.

Cheng Ji quite enjoys his current treatment. On weekdays, he is responsible for protecting the emperor, and he will do whatever the emperor tells him to do without any hesitation.

He drove the car and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, my brother has made great contributions this time."

His elder brother Cheng Ji was sent to Wen Qin's side because of his contribution in conquering Shu. As a result, he happened to encounter the war against Wu. His luck was not bad either, as he was second only to General Hu!

I heard that he was the first general to break through the Wu defense line and the first fierce general to set foot in Jiaozhou.

Cheng Ji's words were filled with pride when he spoke of his brother's achievements.

Cao Mao asked seriously, "I wonder how old General Cheng is this year?"

"My brother is over forty years old."

Cao Mao then asked, "How old is Lord Cheng this year?"

"I am thirty-six years old."

Cao Mao said, "General Cheng is over forty years old, yet he still remembers his ambition to make progress. He was originally just a cavalry general, lacking in strategy. He later trained in the central army, traveled extensively on campaigns, and read extensively about military strategy. Now he's capable of leading an army on his own, and will undoubtedly become the ruler of a region in the future." "But Lord Cheng is ten years his junior, yet he already has no ambition to make progress?"

Cheng Ji said hurriedly: "I don't have the talent of my brother."

"What kind of person is born with talent? Even those who are fighting outside can study hard by lamplight at night. Cheng Jun doesn't have much to do every day, but the rest of the time he just sits idle at home. How can this be possible?"

"I don't like reading."

"I'm not asking you to study to become a doctor, I just want to tell you that if you want to achieve great things, you can't waste your time. If you don't like studying, you can also practice martial arts. You're in your prime, so don't waste your time!"

Cheng Ji then lowered his head and said, "I will teach you!"

Cao Mao really wanted to train all the people under his command.

After conquering Shu, Wei gained three more provinces. Cao Mao also wanted to establish another province in Liaodong, Korea, and other places to reduce the pressure on Youzhou. Jiaozhou had just been recovered, and Jiangdong was also in the future.
But Cao Mao couldn't even find these few provincial governors.

For example, the prefect and the county magistrate can only look at the faces of the big families.

Even if Cao Mao held an imperial examination in Shu and let Zhang Hua be in charge of the whole process and recruit talents, the number of people was far from enough.

The imperial examination can only recruit some low-level talents. It is impossible to directly recruit a provincial governor or prefect through the imperial examination, right?

The same applies to the surrendered ministers of Shu. They are not even as good as those under Cao Mao. Even if they are comparable, we cannot let the surrendered ones become governors right away.

Apart from these local officials, the army's generals were far from enough. At first glance, Cao Mao's subordinates seemed to be a group of geniuses, but the central army was seriously lacking in famous generals.

The local area is not enough to gather four expeditions and four towns.

Unless Cao Mao went against his conscience and randomly selected people from the aristocratic families, but Cao Mao was not just doing it to make up the numbers, especially for the position of commander, how could he not think carefully?

The war of annihilation did produce many outstanding generals for Cao Mao, such as Cheng Ji, who was originally only a cavalry general.

After these two battles, he was able to maintain peace and security and to guard an area on his own.

But there are still far from enough high-level talents.

There were quite a few idle people among the aristocratic families, but their moral standards made Cao Mao dare not use them.

Cao Mao dared to use a young man like Cheng Ji who dared to kill the emperor, but he did not dare to use those who were hypocritical and said with a smile on their faces that they wanted to share the pressure for the emperor.

If they are sent to local areas, the harm they cause will be several times greater than their merits.

Cao Mao's carriage finally stopped.

Cheng Ji helped Cao Mao get out of the car and looked up. Du Yu was leading everyone in his family to greet them from a distance.

This is Du Yu's residence.

The emperor's carriage was probably the only one in Luoyang that could drive to anyone's house without having to stop at the door.

"Yuan Kai, get up!"

Cao Mao waved his hand, and Du Yu hurried to his side.

Cao Mao noticed that Du Yu's clothes were not very clean. "Just came back from Ma Gong?"

Du Yu nodded. "Pu Gong has a unique skill. When he forges a sword, he smears it with mud and then quenches it. The sword he makes is extremely hard and sharp. Watching him forge a sword today has given me a lot of insights."

The two of them walked into the study while talking.

Cao Mao sat on the upper seat, "How is the situation in Jingnan and Jiaozhou?"

In this war with Wu, Wei regained a large amount of land. Unfortunately, due to Lu Kang's stubborn resistance, Wei's conquest was not complete, and the forces of both sides were intertwined in Jingnan, Jiaozhou and other places.

Lu Kang moved the people and supplies from the plains early. Although the Wei State obtained these cities, the manpower and material resources it obtained were very small.

The maps of both sides in Jingnan are quite distorted, with the main focus on the idea that you are in me and I am in you.

This is also related to the local terrain.

After conquering these areas, Wang Ji decided to farm here.

This farming does not refer to farming in the physical sense, but to restoring local infrastructure.

Because of the war, local houses, cities, roads and other infrastructure were severely damaged. In order to deal with the State of Wei, Lu Kang went to great lengths to destroy many infrastructures. He just wanted to make sure that the State of Wei would not live comfortably!

Wang Ji was also powerless to do so. Without the support of the court, he would not be able to repair it completely on his own.

Du Yu pondered for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, I have reviewed the relevant content. Everyone in the Ministry of Works has different opinions on this."

"The main reason is that these places are too remote. The ministers believe that there are also many places in the Central Plains that need construction. They should not be wasted here. It would be better to directly turn them into military settlements."

Cao Mao still did not rush to express his opinion. He smiled and said, "That makes sense."

"Rebuilding these places is time-consuming and labor-intensive, with minimal results. The same manpower and resources could be used in the Central Plains to achieve greater results. What does Yuan Kai think?"

"I think it should be built, and built with all our strength, regardless of the cost."

Cao Mao was stunned. "Why?"

"To defeat the Wu Kingdom, the best way is to attack its heart."

"Although this place is dilapidated and remote, it is directly adjacent to the Wu Kingdom. Rebuilding it is of great significance, and the benefits are completely different from those of the construction in the Central Plains."

"The strategy of conquering the heart is not only to conquer the hearts of the ministers of the great clans, but also to conquer the hearts of the common people!"

(End of this chapter)