The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 649 Drink for His Majesty
"The Lord of Wu has surrendered, and the world is unified. Congratulations to Your Majesty for completing your great cause!!!"

The messenger read Hu Zun's last words aloud.

All the ministers stood up suddenly and bowed deeply in the direction of Cao Mao.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Great accomplishment!"

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!!”

All the ministers saluted and shouted, but Cao Mao just sat in the upper seat, grinning foolishly.

Cao Mao had never thought that things would go so smoothly. He had originally only ordered Wen Qin to take over Qichun County. Who would have thought that with this attack, he would actually take over the entire Wu Kingdom.

These generals seemed to be holding back a lot of anger. When they saw Zhuge Dan leading the army in the northwest to destroy Shu, their great achievements in destroying a country made them itchy. Now that they had the opportunity, they took action and destroyed the Wu Kingdom in one go.

This was much faster than Cao Mao had expected.

Cao Mao believed that it would take at least three years to destroy the State of Wu.

Cao Mao was extremely satisfied with the performance of several generals.

Hu Zun, who had always aspired to be the general, actually gave up the right to take the lead in the attack. He used a feint attack to lure the Wu army to his side and delayed their army.

This created an opportunity for Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin to attack.

Wen Qin, who was always hot-tempered, was able to calm down and fight a protracted battle with Shi Ji without charging recklessly again and again.

The most admirable one is Guanqiu Jian.

This famous general of the Wei Dynasty, who was deeply loved by the emperor, did not disappoint Cao Mao's expectations at all.

He almost single-handedly destroyed the State of Wu, marched alone for over a thousand miles in pursuit of the Emperor of Wu, and defeated wave after wave of enemies along the way. In the end, he even went into battle lightly, replicated Ding Feng's tactics, and captured Sun Hao alive.

Every time Cao Mao saw these, he couldn't help but get excited.

God has gifted me a famous general! !
The Wu Kingdom was destroyed just like that, and Cao Mao was unable to calm down for a long time.

Cao Mao looked at the ministers before him and immediately spoke, "When I first received the empress dowager's decree to succeed Emperor Liezu as ruler of the country, I was deeply troubled. I feared I would disappoint the empress dowager's high hopes, fail to carry on the great legacy of my ancestors, and even betray the loyal officials in the court. Now, with the world unified, I no longer have anything to worry about."

"Now announce this order to the world, pardoning those guilty of crimes below the level of the unpardonable. As for the rest, we will discuss it after Sun Hao arrives in Luoyang!"

The ministers bowed again and then walked out of the Taiji Hall one after another.

The ministers were all very happy. The completion of the great unification was what they had always dreamed of. The Three Kingdoms era ended, and the new era opened up by the Holy King of Wei was about to officially arrive.

No matter which minister it was, his face was filled with smiles and he was extremely happy.

They talked to each other and left the place talking and laughing.

As soon as Cao Mao returned to the West Hall, ministers followed him. At this moment, there were still many people who wanted to see the emperor.

The first person to come to Cao Mao was, of course, Zhong Shiji.

At this moment, Zhong Hui actually looked a little depressed.

It would be a lie for Zhong Hui to say he was unhappy after Cao Mao accomplished such a great feat. After all, achieving great unification was the most basic operation for a sage king. And only after achieving great unification could Cao Mao, the sage king, create the prosperous age he wanted, and Zhong Hui could then display all his talents.

But what made Zhong Hui feel uncomfortable was that he had nothing to do with this great unification! !

He was unable to make any contribution in it.

Zhong Hui cared a lot about whether things were successful, but it had to be something he participated in. If he didn't participate, Zhong Hui would not feel happy even if it was successful.

It's so selfish.

Cao Mao knew exactly what Zhong Hui was thinking.

He smiled and invited Zhong Hui to sit beside him. "Shi Ji, the Southern Kingdom has been pacified. Now it is time for us, the ruler and his subjects, to govern the world and usher in a prosperous era. I have decided to bring Sun Hao to Luoyang, have him confess his many faults, and then personally cut off his head as a sacrifice to our ancestors to show that the world has been pacified!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Hui hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! No!"

"The Wu Kingdom has just been pacified, and the southerners have been deprived of your majesty's grace for a long time. At this time, their king cannot be easily killed, otherwise it will cause greater unrest!"

Cao Mao was somewhat displeased. "When I first pacified Shu, Shi Ji advised me that Wu had not yet been pacified, and asked me to treat Liu Chan well!"

"Now that Wu has been pacified, Shi Ji won't allow me to kill Sun Hao!"

"I am now the king who has unified the country. Can't I kill the defeated false emperor?!"

"I will burn down Sun Hao's palace! Move all his clan members to Liaodong! And make all Sun Hao's concubines serve me in the palace!"

Zhong Hui quickly advised, "Your Majesty, Wu has just been pacified. This is the time when benevolent governance is most needed. You should let the people of the south feel your benevolence."

"Many ministers in the south surrendered easily because they knew that Your Majesty treated Liu Chan well. If you harm Sun Hao, those ministers loyal to him will rise up in rebellion. Even if they are no match for us, it will cause great trouble, which is definitely not a good thing for the court!"

"Your Majesty, please preserve the Imperial Palace in Jianye, properly house the Wu royal family, pardon the Wu captives, release the captured generals, exempt Wu from taxes, and send a benevolent minister to govern."

"The affairs of the Southern Kingdom are of great importance. Your Majesty can send a respected and kind elder there and allow him to handle local affairs without waiting for your order, just like Zhang Hua did. This will help quickly restore the people's strength in Wu."

Zhong Hui offered many suggestions. Cao Mao suddenly realized what was going on and said, "If it weren't for Shi Ji, I would have almost made a big mistake. Let's just do as Shi Ji said!"

Zhong Hui raised his head and a smile finally appeared on his face.

Although he did not make any contribution to the destruction of the Wu Kingdom, he did gain something in the aftermath.

This is not bad, it is better than nothing.

Cao Mao didn't care at all about the impact these things would have on his reputation after being passed down to future generations. It was good enough for him to do well in the present, and he didn't care about what happened in the future!

Cao Mao looked at Zhong Hui, who looked very pleased, and asked, "Shi Ji hasn't told me why he came to see me."

Zhong Hui cleared his throat and said, "Nothing else. I'm here just to deal with the aftermath. Since Your Majesty has accepted my advice, I have nothing else to do!"

Cao Mao then escorted Zhong Hui all the way to the door. As soon as Zhong Hui left, the next minister came in.

The one who came was Wang Chang, the number one minister under Cao Mao.

Wang Chang's face was full of anger.

"How can this be?! How can this be?!"

Cao Mao was a little surprised. It was okay that Zhong Hui was angry because he didn't participate in the war to annihilate the country, but what's going on with you?
You are not a person like Zhong Hui! Don't be influenced by him!

Wang Chang saluted Cao Mao and then said angrily, "Your Majesty, please punish Zhong Hui for his crimes!"

"Ah? What crime did he commit?"

"I just came to pay my respects to Your Majesty. Just as I was about to enter, this fellow bumped into me, nearly knocking me over, and then barged into the hall!"

Cao Mao was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

There is also a certain order to follow when entering the West Hall to meet Cao Mao.

Logically speaking, as one of the Three Dukes and the Minister of the Chancellery, Wang Chang should at least be ranked first. Even if the other Three Dukes came, they would not be qualified to enter in front of him.

As a result, Zhong Hui not only wanted to go in, but also almost knocked down Wang Chang who was standing in front of him.

It's really outrageous.

Cao Mao just felt a headache.

It would be great if everyone under my command was like Guanqiu Jian. What kind of people are they?!

He had no choice but to appease him: "Please don't be angry, Your Majesty. I will send someone to reprimand Zhong Hui and ask him to come and apologize to you. As for his brother, I will also punish him for not teaching him a lesson!"

After hearing Cao Mao's words, Wang Chang's anger eased a little.

After his anger subsided, Wang Chang no longer cared so much. After all, he knew very well what kind of person Zhong Hui was.

There is no use in dealing with such a person unless you chop off his head!
In the past, Zhong Hui respected Wang Chang very much and thought that Wang Chang was a famous scholar. Now, he doesn’t even care about Wang Chang. After all, Zhong Hui now thinks that he is the real famous scholar.

Wang Chang started talking about business.

"Your Majesty, this Southern Kingdom needs someone to guard it. I suggest that Chen Tai and Wang Jing go there, one responsible for governance and the other for supervision."

Wang Chang also explained his reasons. First, Chen Tai had experience in local governance and had worked in the Secretariat for many years. He was introverted, generous, and good in all aspects. Wang Jing was fair and resolute. One person governed and one person investigated, and this was the best way to govern the local area.

The Secretariat is now fully formed and no longer needs two secretaries to preside over it. Chen Tai can be promoted.

Cao Mao was very satisfied with Wang Chang's proposal.

Now the ministers under his command are of very high quality, and Cao Mao does not need to think about many things, as the ministers have already arranged them.

Cao Mao added, "General Wang Ji can also stay in Jianye. General Wang is the best at governing a region. These three people will be in charge of politics, military affairs, and supervision, respectively. Then I can rest assured."

Only after the negotiation was finalized did Wang Chang leave the palace.

Wang Chang had just returned to his house when he saw a man standing respectfully at the door, waiting for his arrival.

The person who came was Zhong Yu.

There was still some anger on Wang Chang's face. He pretended not to see him and was about to pass by him, but Zhong Yu hurriedly saluted.

"Your Majesty, my brother has been naughty and has offended you. This is all due to my failure to discipline him properly. I hope you will not be angry. I have come here specifically to apologize."

Zhong Yu spoke helplessly, his words full of bitterness.

Wang Chang listened and couldn't bear to blame him.

"I know your father died young, but as the eldest brother, you should have disciplined him like your father did and taught him the principles of life! How could you be so indulgent? It's because of your indulgence that he has become such a bad temper today!"

"If your father knew, he would never forgive you!"

Zhong Yu said cautiously, "Prince, I will definitely discipline him strictly from now on. I hope you will forgive him this time."

(End of this chapter)