The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 625: It’s Better to Join Wei
Jingzhou, Jiangling.

Shi Bao got off the carriage, looking a little tired.

He was going to Jiaozhou to serve as the governor. It had been a long time since he left Luoyang, and he had just arrived in Jiangling. This was not because Shi Bao was unwilling to go to Jiaozhou early, but because Shi Bao had been preparing for future events along the way.

Shi Bao didn't dare to go to Jiaozhou alone.

It’s not that he is afraid of any danger if he goes there, but the main reason is that he doesn’t have anyone he is familiar with, and he is afraid that he will be sidelined by other officials in Jiaozhou.

He gathered some of his former confidants and young people from his own clan.

After he took these people to Jiaozhou, he could use his capacity as governor to recommend them to Cao Mao for official positions, and Cao Mao would certainly not make things difficult for him.

As soon as they arrived in Jiangling, Shi Bao ordered to stop advancing.

He needs to meet with the local General Wang Ji.

Jiaozhou is remote, desolate, and seriously lacks defensive capabilities. Wen Qin has already left.

The only one left was Huo Yi, who had just surrendered.

The quality of the troops under his command was not very high.

Moreover, Jiaozhou had been governed by the Wu State for a long time. Although Puyang Xing's policies made the people there very dissatisfied, Cao Wei lacked a foundation there after all, and the Wu people were eyeing this place covetously.

If you want to govern Jiaozhou well, you must make friends with General Wang.

When Shi Bao led his men to Wang Ji's residence, Wang Ji was discussing the situation in Jiangdong with many generals.

Upon learning that Shi Bao was coming, Wang Ji temporarily put aside what he was doing and met Shi Bao alone in the study.

Shi Bao bowed to Wang Ji very politely. The two were acquaintances, so there was not much awkwardness between them.

At the beginning, Wang Ji was not as good as Shi Bao. Who would have thought that their status has been swapped now.

"General Wang!"

Shi Bao saluted Wang Ji with a smile. Wang Ji hurriedly returned the salute and invited Shi Bao to sit next to him. After the two of them sat down, Shi Bao greeted him warmly.

The two chatted for a while before Shi Bao said, "I've come to Jiaozhou to serve as the governor, and I've come to visit General Wang. I hope General Wang will take good care of me in the future."

Although Huo Yi is the current garrison general of Jiaozhou, Shi Bao still hopes to hand over the responsibility to Wang Ji.

Wang Ji probably understood what he meant, so he said, "General Shi, don't worry about this. Although General Huo has just surrendered, he is an upright man and a skilled military officer. He would definitely not have any ill intentions."

Shi Bao shook his head. "It's not that I doubt General Huo's character. It's just that I believe more in General Wang's ability."

"If Lu Kang attacks with all his strength, I'm afraid Huo Yi won't be able to stop them."

"The soldiers under his command are really weak."

Wang Ji laughed, "That may not be the case."

"You really underestimate General Huo Yi. Lu Kang may not be able to capture the city where General Huo is stationed. Moreover, even if Lu Kang has such an idea, I am afraid he does not have the energy to execute it."

Wang Ji then informed Shi Bao of everything that had happened in Wu.

When Shi Bao learned about the rebellion in Jiangdong, he felt a little annoyed.

"What a shame! If you had known this earlier, wouldn't you have been able to send troops to capture the city?!"

Wang Ji said calmly, "I've known this for a long time."

"Then why didn't you send troops?"

"If we can't settle the situation in one battle, then there's no need to fight."

Shi Bao looked at Wang Ji in astonishment. He wanted to say something but held back.

After chatting with Wang Ji for a while, Shi Bao left Jiangling in a hurry. After getting on the carriage, Shi Bao couldn't help shaking his head.

The driver was called Ouyang Hui, from the Ouyang family of Bohai. The Ouyang family was quite close to Shi Bao, and Ouyang Hui was Shi Bao's son-in-law.

In fact, as a governor, Shi Bao could take his son to Jiaozhou, after all, he was not involved in four expeditions and four garrisons.

However, Shi Bao's sons were really useless and were not as good as his son-in-law.

At least his son-in-law was relatively honest and understood the classics. Sometimes when he met a famous scholar, he would even invite him out to meet guests. However, his sons were simply neither good at literature nor at martial arts.

Ouyang Hui heard Shi Bao's sigh.

"Father-in-law? Could it be that things are not going well?"

Shi Bao said, "General Wang is too cautious and has wasted many opportunities."

Shi Bao could certainly understand Wang Ji's idea. The gap between the strong and the weak would only get bigger and bigger. He was unwilling to engage in a small quarrel with the State of Wu. He just waited for all the warships to be formed and the moment the overwhelming situation appeared, he would directly take action to destroy Wu.

The government also preferred Wang Ji's conservative approach.

But this is not very beneficial to Shibao.

After Shi Bao arrived in Jiaozhou, what he needed was to establish his prestige as quickly as possible, promote new people, and strengthen his control over Jiaozhou. You know, the emperor had high hopes for Shi Bao.

Before leaving, Cao Mao took his hand and told him: "The affairs of Jiaozhou are now in your hands." Cao Mao's request was simple: let the people of Jiaozhou live a good life. Even if they don't have to pay taxes, even if they have to pay money, you must heal Jiaozhou for me. If the people of Wu voluntarily run to Jiaozhou, it will be your merit!
This sounds very simple. Increasing income is not easy, but isn’t it easy to appease the people?

But this is really not easy. If you want to appease the people, it means getting rid of the powerful, dealing with bandits, and suppressing those officials who want to harass the people. Shi Bao is very clear about this. Although the court will provide assistance, he still has to prevent the enemy's destruction. There are many things to consider.

To achieve these things, Shi Bao needs to gain a firm foothold in the local area. This place is different from the Central Plains, and Shi Bao is a newcomer.

If he could win a few small victories, Shi Bao would be able to gather a group of people around him and truly manage the local area.

But now it seems that Wang Ji is completely unwilling to send troops.

Ouyang Hui was a pure scholar who studied the classics. He had no clear understanding of military affairs or domestic politics. He simply said, "Don't worry, father-in-law. From now on, you will be in charge of Jiaozhou. If there is a suitable opportunity to send troops, you can do it directly. You are also a famous general, not inferior to Wang Ji. Why worry?"

Shi Bao glanced at him.

I only have the old and weak soldiers from Jiaozhou under my command, and you want me to lead them to fight Lu Kang?
Shi Bao knew that his son-in-law didn't understand these things, so he didn't scold him and continued to ponder.

However, if he could train a good county army in Jiaozhou, and with the help of Huo Yi, perhaps he could really break the deadlock in Jiaozhou?
Apart from anything else, at least we have to have defensive capabilities, because Lu Kang will definitely come to destroy it.

The Jiaozhou under his command is now incomplete. How can he still call himself the governor of Jiaozhou?
He then quickened his pace and ordered one of his trusted men to take his letter and ride quickly to Jiaozhou, telling Huo Yi not to rush back to Nanzhong.

Jianye.

Sun Hao led hundreds of people and had them rush into Jianye with drums beating and noises roaring.

According to Sun Hao, this means using the royal energy of Jingzhou to defeat the bandits in Yangzhou.

After returning to the palace, Sun Hao summoned everyone again and announced his new policy to them.

"When I came here, I asked the alchemists why Jianye had suffered such a disaster. They told me that this situation occurred because of the curse cast by a villain who resented me."

When Sun Hao said this, all the ministers present trembled.

Their plan failed, and failed completely.

If at this time, Sun Hao sent people to investigate the origins of the bandits, where the weapons they used came from, and whether the officials along the way reported it in time, he could have caught many people in one fell swoop.

In order to get rid of Sun Hao as quickly as possible, they did many things very crudely.

Not only did the bandits dare to support the emperor, they were able to expand their team to more than 10,000 people on the way from Yong'an County to Jianye, and they also picked up all kinds of weapons and food on the way without encountering any interception, and the surrounding counties didn't even report it.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see what had happened.

When Sun Hao summoned his ministers this time, many of them were actually prepared to commit suicide.

Committing suicide is better than falling into Sun Hao's hands. If you fall into his hands, who knows what kind of cruel punishment he will use to execute you.

But Sun Hao looked at everyone and had no intention of mentioning these things. He said, "I have already investigated thoroughly. It was Sun Chen and Sun who cursed me!"

At this moment, the ministers were in an uproar.

Because the two people Sun Hao was talking about were Sun Xiu's crown prince and second son.

Sun Xiu was very good to Sun Hao, giving him rewards and titles. When Sun Hao came to power, he also promised to take good care of Sun Xiu's family.

But now, he first strangled Sun Xiu's queen, and now he wants to execute Sun Xiu's two sons.

The ministers clenched their fists.

Just when everyone was silent, someone suddenly stood up.

"Your Majesty, I think that is not possible!"

All the officials looked at the warrior.

This person was none other than Wei Yao. He lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Sun Hao, and began to advise, "Your Majesty, how can you execute the descendants of Emperor Jing just because of the absurd words of an alchemist? Emperor Jing has made great contributions to the country. If Your Majesty does this, I'm afraid it will cause discord within the royal family."

"Oh, I am very close to you, how dare you oppose me?!"

"Someone, drag him out and make him pay me back for all the wine he owes me! Make him drink!"

Wei Yao was horrified, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!!"

But the soldier didn't care about this and took the man away directly.

The ministers only felt sad.

Shi Ji did not appear here again. Shi Ji, who had originally had some expectations, became desperate again and returned to his mansion to live a lazy life.

The ministers had no choice but to look at Wan Yu, who had just taken over as prime minister.

They all hoped that Wan Yu could come forward and give them some advice.

But when Wan Yu slowly stood up and was about to speak, Sun Hao simply waved his hand and left.

All the ministers lowered their heads, with deep despair in their hearts.

Rather than living in such anxiety, it would be better to surrender to Cao Wei.

(End of this chapter)