The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 586: Employing people without suspicion
Looking at Deng Ai who suddenly fell silent, Cao Mao shook his head.

"General, you dared to lead your army across mountains and rivers to attack Shu Kingdom, but now you don't even dare to talk about Shu?"

Deng Ai just felt that the emperor was pointing at him, so he lowered his head and still didn't dare to say anything.

"General Deng, I want to send you to Shu."

At this moment, Deng Ai finally lost his composure. He suddenly raised his head and looked at the emperor in front of him.

"His Majesty!"

Deng Ai was really confused this time. He didn't understand what the emperor wanted to do.

Cao Mao said, "I believe Shi Zai has no intention of rebellion. The previous punishment was only because Shi Zai overstepped his bounds and set a wrong example."

"I have always been a man who does not employ those he doubts, and who he employs, he does not doubt."

"Shu is a land of abundance and can be a granary. I sent Maoxian there to supervise the local officials and restore local governance. After governance is restored, someone will have to succeed Maoxian to manage local agriculture and turn it into a granary again."

"I believe that only Shi Zai can accomplish such a great task."

After hearing Cao Mao's words, Deng Ai didn't know what to say for a moment.

Although Deng Ai always had the idea of returning to the throne to handle important matters, he never felt that he could gain the emperor's trust again.

After returning to Luoyang, Deng Ai also recalled his actions in Chengdu.

When his heated head calmed down, Deng Ai realized his mistake.

Even if he said nothing and just sat on the throne and gave orders, I should thank Your Majesty's kindness for being able to survive.

When Deng Ai heard that the emperor was willing to re-employ him and even send him to Shu, he felt complicated and had no idea what to say.

This was an idea Cao Mao had had for a long time. Deng Ai could no longer be used to fight wars. He had to be allowed to do something he was good at, such as farming.

Shu is the best place for farming in the world. It has been used for thousands of years since the pre-Qin period. Its status has declined, but it is still one of the best.

Moreover, the north will become increasingly colder in the future, and many areas will become unsuitable for farming, and many food disasters will occur. In this case, preparing granaries in the south in advance can be regarded as a backup plan to solve the problem.

Cao Mao had no way to change the climate or solve the climate problem, but he could prepare as much as possible.

As for whether Deng Ai would rebel again after going to Shu, Cao Mao was not worried about this issue at all.

Cao Mao would certainly not allow Deng Ai to enjoy the same treatment as Zhang Hua. Besides, Deng Ai really did not meet the requirements of the rebels.

Anyone who wants to rebel must have a large group of people around him to support him.

Deng Ai had no friends at all. He was not even very friendly to his soldiers. He was fair in rewarding and punishing them, but he was definitely not close to them. Only someone like Zhuge Dan, who was respected by the soldiers, would possibly rebel.

If Deng Ai had any thoughts of rebellion, he would have been beheaded at night. This is not an exaggeration.

Moreover, when it comes to farming, no one can say that they can definitely beat Deng Ai. This guy did an excellent job in Yanzhou. If it weren't for his previous problems, Cao Mao could have appointed him as the governor of Yizhou and let him take full responsibility. What a pity.

Cao Mao glanced at Deng Ai and asked, "General, are you unwilling?"

Deng Ai woke up with a start and said hurriedly, "Ai, Ai, Ai, thank you, Your Majesty!"

He saluted again, his voice beginning to tremble.

Cao Mao personally helped him up, took his hand, and said with some helplessness: "General, you are the first famous general of the Wei Dynasty to destroy a country. However, you act without measure, which will definitely bring disaster upon yourself."

"I pity the general's talent and do not want to punish him, but these officials are keeping an eye on him. I hope he will remember what happened in the past and not repeat it. Otherwise, I am afraid I will not be able to protect him."

Deng Ai's eyes were red, "Ai, Ai will never let your majesty down!"

Cao Mao then pulled him to sit down again and continued to talk about the affairs of Shu.

"The officials I sent to Shu have almost all arrived. Maoxian sent me a letter earlier, saying that the local powerful families were becoming increasingly aggressive. General Zhuge arrested them and charged them with treason, killing many and seizing their land. Peace has returned to Shu."

"Mao first wrote to me, asking for the method of governance."

"I only replied him with nine words: seize the land of the powerful and use it to serve the people."

"The powerful people in Shu relied on bribing Huang Hao to become powerful in Shu. Although their power is far less than those of the big clans, they are numerous and widely distributed. They rely on being dogs for the big clans and exploiting the common people. They are extremely hateful."

"If we can eliminate the local tyrants, take their land back to the imperial court, and then rent it out to the local people, we will gain the support of the people of Shu."

"If you want to heal Shu, the attitudes of the powerful and the great families are not that important. As long as you can gain the support of the people, the rest will be powerless."

Cao Mao spoke eloquently, and his ideas were completely different from those of the ministers in the court.

In the eyes of the ministers, Cao Mao was a typical example of "being close to villains and distant from wise men".

What the ministers considered to be the will of the people were the will of the scholars, that is, the big families, landlords and powerful people. They proposed to pacify Shu after the war in order to appease these people.

They believed that the lower-class people were not important, their ideas and their tendencies were not important. As long as the scholars supported the Great Wei, the Great Wei could gain a foothold in Shu.

In this regard, Cao Mao could only express helplessness.

Even my great-grandfather who massacred the city knew that he had to appease the people, but these people who talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality don't care.

I think Zhang Hua should have already taken action by now.

Deng Ai was one of the few people who could understand Cao Mao, because Deng Ai had suffered a lot. This son of a noble family had been crawling in the mud for a long time.

"Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right."

"If I were in charge of the local area, the people of Shu would certainly no longer miss Liu Chan." They didn't miss Liu Chan in the first place, so what was he missing? Constantly collecting taxes or sending them to their deaths year after year?

Cao Mao thought about it in his heart, but still agreed with Deng Ai.

The two of them talked for a long time in the mansion, until it was getting dark, and Cao Mao came out.

He asked Shi Bao to come to the palace to see him again tomorrow, and then left.

Sitting in the carriage, Cao Mao was still thinking about many things.

But when he got off the carriage, he saw Zheng Xian in front of him and the hall where she lived.

Cao Mao looked at Cheng Ji in astonishment, "Why did you bring me here?"

Cheng Ji felt very aggrieved, "Didn't His Majesty ask me to come here?"

Cao Mao was stunned. Oh, yes, it seems that this sentence was mentioned.

Zheng Xian's face was particularly rosy at this moment. She was really excited.

Although many people said that her position as queen was secure and there was no need to worry, she had not yet been made queen, and she couldn't help feeling uneasy.

What's more, although Cao Mao, this "heartless man", was her husband, he was always cold and distant to her when they were together, and there was no emotional communication at all.

It was as if I was his partner, and the two of us were doing big things together.

But when she learned that she was pregnant, Zheng Xian finally stopped feeling anxious.

Her position as queen was secure, and most importantly, no matter what Cao Mao said, they finally had a bond. Perhaps in the future they would become a real couple, the kind that could communicate their feelings.

Sure enough, even though it was not the time for them to have sex, Cao Mao had already come to the door.

Cao Mao looked at Zheng Xian in front of him and subconsciously looked at her abdomen.

Of course, her abdomen is still very flat, without any bulge.

But Cao Mao had an inexplicable feeling in his heart.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment, and Cao Mao suddenly said, "It's cold outside, let's go in first."

Zheng Xian almost cried.

The two have known each other for so long, but this is the first time Cao Mao cares about him!
Cao Mao and Zheng Xian entered the hall.

They sat down together, and Cao Mao thought about what he should say.

Saying congratulations seems a bit inappropriate.
"Hey, kid. I heard you're pregnant."

"Yes, our child."

Zheng Xian smiled foolishly and gently stroked her abdomen.

Cao Mao's eyes then fell on her abdomen.

Zheng Xian should be made queen.

Although Zheng Xian also has character flaws, her clan is small and will not become a problem, and she gets along well with everyone in the harem.

During these days, she has improved a lot. She is no longer as reckless and active as she was at the beginning, and can even help herself.

I think I can continue to improve in the future.

Besides, she was pregnant. If it was a son and his mother was not the queen when he was born, he would only be considered the eldest son, but not the legitimate eldest son. If Zheng Xian became the queen and gave birth to another child, it would be a big problem.

These things cannot be ignored.

Cao Mao then said, "I intend to make you the queen."

Zheng Xian had been looking forward to this for a long time, but when Cao Mao told her about it in person, she was not as happy as she expected.

She nodded.

Cao Mao continued, "Before, I asked you to frequently interact with the concubines of the princes and the ladies of the great families. As a concubine, it was still somewhat inappropriate. However, you are the empress, which is justified."

"Xian, since the beginning of the Former Han Dynasty, the emperor has been in charge of external affairs, while the empress has been in charge of internal affairs. The two have supported each other, and only then has the world prospered. The empress is different from the concubines. She must not only consider herself, but also be prepared to be the mother of the world. She must be thorough and patient in everything she does. I didn't let you be the empress originally because you were too immature and unstable, and I was afraid you would cause trouble."

"You've finally become calmer, and I'm confident I can now entrust many things to you. From now on, you must maintain peace in the harem and prevent any disturbances. At the same time, you must also help me. For many things, you can handle them much better than I can."

Cao Mao gave many instructions calmly, and Zheng Xian listened very carefully.

The two of them didn't know how long they talked, and Zheng Xian's eyes were filled with sleepiness.

"Your Majesty, would you mind taking a rest together?"

"Um, you're pregnant."

"The Imperial Physician said that both the beginning and the end are acceptable."

"Ahem, better not to harm your health. I'm going back to Taiji Palace now."

Looking at Cao Mao who left in a hurry, Zheng Xian chuckled again.

(End of this chapter)