The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 707 Why Not Return to Fate

Tuoba Liwei was supported by Desert Khan and walked out of the palace.

Things seemed to be developing a little differently from what he expected.

When the emperor left so easily without saying a few words to him, Li Wei suddenly felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Over the years, he has always regarded Wei as his biggest enemy, and all his thoughts are on how to deal with this powerful enemy.

He often tried to understand Cao Mao's thoughts and intentions and think of ways to break the deadlock.

But at this moment, Cao Mao didn't even look at him twice.

In Cao Mao's eyes, he was not even a big enemy. He was just a member of his guest group, and perhaps the one with the lowest status among them.

Looking at his father's sad face, Desert Khan sighed.

He really understood his father's thoughts too well.

"Father, please come back with me first. I have a lot to tell you."

Desert Khan took his old father into the car and left the palace very easily. Li Wei looked around and found that no one even stopped them, or any soldiers followed them.

Li Wei pursed his lips. Even at his age, he felt humiliated.

Are you just going to let me go like this?

You don't even treat me as a human being?
They returned to Desert Khan's mansion together, and Desert Khan smiled and took his old father to visit his mansion.

But there was no smile on Li Wei's face.

When the two entered the study, Li Wei's face flushed red. He asked, "Did my son change his surname to Cao and take Cao Mao as his father?"

Desert Khan was horrified and quickly bowed to him to apologize.

"If I have made any mistakes, please forgive me, father!"

"I just don't know why father said that."

Li Wei trembled and said, "The Tuoba tribe was defeated, and even I was imprisoned. Why are you still smiling so happily? Aren't you happy for Cao Mao?"

Desert Khan looked up, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Father, how dare I?"

"It's just that the matter has been finalized, and I don't want my father to be immersed in this pain all day long. I just want you to be happy."

After hearing this, Li Wei became even angrier.

"Happy? I was brought here, and the emperor didn't even glance at me, and just let me go like that. What a humiliation!!"

Desert Khan sighed, went up to close the door, and then knelt in front of his old father.

"Father, it's been a long time since I left Tuoba and came to Luoyang."

"When I first arrived, I thought to myself that I would learn the culture of the Central Plains, revitalize the Tuoba tribe after returning, use what I learned to govern the local area, and lead the Tuoba tribe to rise."

"After a year here, I thought to myself, I must make more friends and strive to win the emperor's favor. After returning, I must not forget to pay tribute every year, attack distant territories, and stay as far away from the Wei Dynasty as possible."

"Not long ago, I thought to myself, if I want to preserve my clan, I can only serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly and make good use of the teachings to prevent the clan from extinction."

Desert Khan said seriously, "Father, the power of the Great Wei is beyond your imagination."

"Many people say that the strength of the Wei Dynasty was due to its army, its arable land, and its population."

"But I thought that the power of Wei was due to their king."

"Cao Mao, the Lord of Wei, is the Holy King sent from Heaven!"

"When I first arrived in Dawei, it was completely different from what it is today."

"At that time, walking on the streets, the people I saw all had pale faces and were as thin as sticks. Many farmlands in and around Luoyang were in the same condition."

"As for the army, my father always knows about the Zhenbei Corps. Most of its generals are busy drinking and taking medicine, and the soldiers have no intention of fighting."

"The city's dandies are arrogant and violent, causing trouble everywhere. The people are afraid to go out."

"In every way, the situation back then was completely different from what you see now."

"The changes are becoming more and more significant. Even the Great Wei today still has many problems. Due to the war, many territories are in ruins, the population is severely underpopulated, and food is not so abundant. But the pace of change is accelerating."

"As long as this Saint King remains in power, the Great Wei is invincible. How can Tuoba's daily progress compare to the Great Wei's progress of a hundred steps today and a thousand steps tomorrow?"

After Desert Khan finished speaking, he looked at Li Wei again.

At this moment, Li Wei looked even more lonely.

He knew that his son was not lying. He didn't know the situation in the Central Plains, but as for the situation in Youzhou, there have indeed been great changes over the years. It's not that the cities have become taller or the roads have become smoother, but the spirit and energy are completely different from the past.

When the merchants from Wei arrived at their place, they were all arrogant and proud. Even when facing the leader of a tribe, there was no fear in their eyes.

This shows that there is a problem. Tuoba Liwei's eyes were full of sadness.

He asked, "So, are we to perish like this?"

Desert Khan was shaking his head at this moment.

"Father, you are still alive, we have not been killed, and all the tribe members are here. How can you say that we have perished?"

"His Majesty has allowed people from all over the country to participate in the assessment. Regardless of their status, they can serve as officials in the Wei Dynasty."

"This policy of enlightenment is our chance. Your Majesty has always valued talent. As long as we have sufficient ability, the power we can obtain in Wei will be no less than that achieved outside the Great Wall. The same is true for our tribe. Our family may have a chance to revive again in the Great Wei."

"Wasn't it the same with you at first?"

After hearing Desert Khan's question, Liwei fell into silence for a long time.

The two of them sat like this for a long time before Li Wei looked at Mo Mohan.

"I am already very old and don't see things clearly. You are my successor and have been in Wei for a long time and have learned a lot. From now on, these matters will be handled by you."

"Whether you want to bring your brother back or become an official in Wei, I will not interfere anymore."

Desert Khan stood up and saluted, "Thank you, father!"

In the following days, Li Wei stayed in his son's mansion. His family could come and go freely. Cao Mao did not send soldiers to watch them. There were only a few attendants in their mansion.

Desert Khan was very busy and was not in the palace all day.

Desert Khan had sensed the demise of his tribe very early on. The more he learned in the Wei Dynasty, the more he realized how backward the tribal alliance system was.

The gap between the two sides is not only reflected in the army. The Tuoba tribe has population and army, but is unable to integrate them together.

After all, their leader couldn't even appoint officials.

He started working for his tribe very early. Desert Khan had a great reputation in Luoyang and knew a lot of famous friends.

He actively participated in various activities of famous scholars and studied classics together with them. In Luoyang, he was also called a famous scholar by others.

Sha Mo Khan knew about the emperor's policy of enlightenment. If he could lead the Tuoba tribe to excel in this policy, he would surely gain the emperor's favor and even bring his entire clan to prominence.
And those who are weak seem to have nothing to do.

He stayed in the palace for some time, but the emperor did not summon him. He spent his days reading books.

On this day, Li Wei finally walked out of his son's mansion.

Accompanied by several attendants, he was preparing to visit a good friend.

Although the two had never met, they had been exchanging letters for a long time.

Zhong Hui's mansion was quite famous in Luoyang. When his attendant brought him here, Zhong Hui had already heard the news.

Liu Yuan stood at the door, looking calmly at the Tuoba leader in front of him.

"Mr. Tuoba, my teacher has been waiting for you for a long time. Please follow me."

Tuoba Liwei couldn't help but marvel at the fact that such a young child could come out alone to greet guests, with no panic in his words and he was calm and composed.

He is worthy of being called Master Zhong, even his disciples are so extraordinary.

Liu Yuan led him all the way to the door of the study, and after reporting, Li Wei walked in.

"Hahaha, but in person by Tuoba Gong?!"

When Li Wei entered, he saw the scholar sitting in the mansion. The scholar was much younger than he had imagined. He was tall, dressed luxuriously, had narrow eyes, and a sense of pride between his brows.

Zhong Hui stood up with a smile, enthusiastically took Li Wei's hand, and pointed to the many documents in front of him and said, "I have too much to do. I was unable to go out to greet you. Please don't blame me, Lord Tuoba!"

Li Wei saw that the study was filled with all kinds of documents, but it was not messy. It seemed that one person was handling many things at the same time.

"I've been in contact with Mr. Zhong for a long time, but I didn't know he was so young!"

Li Wei is over ninety years old. Zhong Hui cannot be considered young in front of him, but rather looks childish.

Zhong Hui asked him to sit down, then he sighed deeply, "Lord Tuoba, this war is really not something I can decide. I hope you won't blame me."

Li Wei hurriedly shook his head, "How dare I."

Zhong Hui explained, "Mr. Tuoba admires the learning of the sages, so he should also understand the principles of great unification. Your Majesty is determined to spread the sages' knowledge to all corners of the country and win the hearts of the people. This is not something that others can persuade."

Li Wei did not dwell on this issue. He asked about other things, such as the current situation of the Tuoba tribe.

Zhong Hui talked to him enthusiastically, with a friendly attitude and a smile on his face.

Liu Yuan had never seen his teacher like this before, so he just stood aside and served the two of them.

The two chatted for a long time before Zhong Hui finally said, "Actually, this might not be a bad thing for you. Your son, Sha Mo Khan, has become a famous scholar in Luoyang. Your Majesty has talked to me about him several times. Perhaps he will be able to gain an official title in the Wei Dynasty in the future. Among the current Imperial College, there are Qiang, Hu, and Xiongnu people. Oh, by the way, you see, my disciple's father was the commander of the left wing of the Xiongnu."

(End of this chapter)