The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 721 Do you know your mistake?

Zhang Hua quickly took Lu Kang back to his mansion.

Zhang Hua had naturally heard of Lu Kang's great name for a long time.

Cao Mao often lamented that the other party was the most famous scholar in Jiangdong, and even Zhang Hua was led astray by him, so he was very respectful to him.

Lu Kang often learned about Zhang Hua from Cao Mao and admired this young man very much.

Zhang Hua was a little surprised to see such a gentle Lu Kang. It turned out that not all famous scholars who achieved success at a young age are like Zhong Hui!

This is a true gentleman!
It was the first time that Zhang Hua invited his colleagues into his study. After the two sat down, Zhang Gui ran around pouring tea and fetching water for them, being very diligent.

Lu Kang glanced at Zhang Gui and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang's son is handsome and filial. He will definitely achieve great things in the future!"

When Zhang Hua heard this, he immediately laughed.

"I also think this boy can become a great man, but unfortunately, he is not my son!"

Lu Kang was stunned.

Then Zhang Gui said, "I have always treated my teacher like my father."

Lu Kang suddenly realized something. He blinked and asked, "If you treat your teacher like your father, then how do you treat your own father?"

Zhang Gui answered without hesitation, "My father gave me life, and my teacher taught me. I need to respect and be filial to both. How can I choose between the two?"

Only then did Lu Kang burst into laughter.

"You, my disciple, will definitely become a great man in the future!!"

Zhang Hua was also very proud.

At first, Zhang Hua was attracted by this guy's intelligence. He didn't look like a kid at all.

After letting him stay by his side, Zhang Hua discovered that this guy was very talented.

Whether it's in classics, poetry, or even in governing and dealing with people, this guy has great talent!
As expected of a disciple personally assigned to him by His Majesty, Zhang Hua immediately understood the emperor's intention.

This guy is indeed extraordinary.

Zhang Gui was standing in the distance at this moment, no longer disturbing the two of them.

Lu Kang couldn't help but say, "I never thought that Zhang Jun had such ability. I'll send my useless child to you for your teaching in a few days!"

"How dare you, how dare you."

Lu Kang and Zhang Hua were discussing the affairs of Shu. After a few words, Zhang Hua suddenly remembered something and looked at Zhang Gui. "Send someone to call the Zhang Zai brothers over!"

Zhang Gui took the order and left in a hurry.

Lu Kang was confused, but Zhang Hua smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, you don't know."

"The father of these two people is the governor of Shu County!"

"They often go to Shu to visit their father, and their knowledge of Shu is no less than mine. Furthermore, these two young men are quite talented, so I'd like to introduce them to you. If you want to know about Shu's situation in the future, you can contact their father directly through them!"

Lu Kang suddenly realized something, and he asked curiously, "Could it be a relative of yours?"

Zhang Hua smiled and shook his head.

Although Zhang Hua was a descendant of Liu Hou, his family fell into poverty after his father's death. No one from the same clan helped him, and he was reduced to being a shepherd. In the end, he was promoted by a famous man from his hometown.

Therefore, after becoming rich, Zhang Hua basically ignored his clan, but his own lineage has always been passed down.

For example, Zhang Jiuling, a famous prime minister in the Tang Dynasty, was a descendant of Zhang Hua, and Xiao Yan of the Southern Liang Dynasty was also the grandson of Zhang Hua.
The two chatted for a long time before two young men walked in one after another.

The two men bowed to Zhang Hua and then to Lu Kang.

Zhang Hua smiled and introduced Lu Kang, "This is Zhang Zai, courtesy name Mengyang, currently studying at the Imperial College."

"This is his younger brother, Zhang Xie, courtesy name Jingyang. He also studied at the Imperial College with his brother."

Lu Kang looked at the two people in front of him and was very surprised.

If Zhang Hua hadn't said that the two men were brothers, Lu Kang wouldn't have been able to tell their relationship.

My elder brother Zhang Zai was short, had uneven eyes, and a face full of pits and dents. How should I put it? He just didn't look very good.

His younger brother Zhang Xie was not bad, with a handsome appearance and the demeanor of a famous scholar.

Of course, Lu Kang was not Zhong Hui, so he politely returned the greetings to the two men. Zhang Hua also told them Lu Kang's identity before letting them sit down and accompany him.

After a conversation, Lu Kang finally understood that one should not judge a person by his appearance.

Zhang Zai may not look good, but he is a man of great literary talent, not inferior to those famous scholars at all. His words are so pleasant that people can feel refreshed. He is very talented. His younger brother is also not bad, and he can speak eloquently and speak in witty words.

The more they talked, the happier they became.

Zhang Hua then said, "Your Majesty wishes to govern Shu. Lord Lu will be your advisor, but he doesn't know much about Shu. That's why I thought of you. Once you get to know each other, he can keep up to date with Shu's situation."

Zhang Zai also hurriedly said, "If Mr. Lu has anything to ask, we will certainly let you know."

Lu Kang stayed here until late, during which time he learned a lot about the major events in Shu from several people. These people were not surprised by His Majesty's sudden move.

Zhang Zai even said, "When I first went to visit my relatives in Shu, I realized this would happen. The local nobles were the first to recover, just like in the north. They are no longer in the state of despair, but the people are no different from before."

"My father said that if the government continues to implement such policies, the people of Shu will definitely rise up in rebellion."

Lu Kang was surprised to hear Zhang Zai's words. "I heard Deng Ai was also good at governing, but why did he ignore these great families?"

Zhang Hua, who was standing by, said quietly, "Because of the tax exemption."

Lu Kang was stunned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Deng Ai is a bit different. He went to Shu with the intention of governing and developing the region, increasing tax revenue and grain production, rather than helping the impoverished local people. While the annexation problem is serious, because of the tax exemption, he can put it aside for now. He will only begin to take action after the various water conservancy projects have been steadily completed and the tax exemption period has expired."

Lu Kang still couldn't understand it.

Do all the ministers of your Great Wei have such personalities?

Lu Kang asked curiously, "Will Deng Ai disobey this imperial edict?"

Zhang Hua laughed.

"Maybe I don't dare anymore."

After the banquet, Lu Kang said goodbye to these people. He also had a certain grasp of what he wanted to know.

The most difficult thing was getting to know so many people. Lu Kang was a relatively open-minded person and not very old, so he simply made friends with these people.

He also ended his situation of being alone in Luoyang.

From then on, they often got together to discuss important matters or write essays and poems.

"Hmph, a bunch of sycophants, colluding with each other all day long!! Instead of doing their jobs!"

When Zhong Hui heard Liu Yuan telling him about the situation outside, he immediately started cursing.

Liu Yuan stood before Zhong Hui with his head held high. "Teacher, I secretly went to see Zhang Hua's disciple. He does have the bearing of a famous scholar, but just like his teacher, he has good looks but no talent. I can tell from his expression that he won't amount to anything in the future!"

Zhong Hui was very pleased with his disciple's confidence.

But then, he asked sternly, "The powerful families of Bashu are moving now. Do you know where they are moving to?!"

Liu Yuan hesitated for a long time before answering, "Teacher, I think he should be sent to Jiaozhou or Liangzhou."

"Oh, how many people have been sent from Jiaozhou over the years? Besides, the Goguryeo people are all being sent south, so why would they send the Shu people there too?"

“That’s Liangzhou!!”

"Liang Province?? The Qiang and Hu people originally rebelled, and after the imperial court put them down, they took in hundreds of thousands of Hu people and placed them throughout Liang Province. Furthermore, the imperial court has been sending people to Yongliang for years to cultivate the land there. Now that Liang Province has been split in two, do you think Wuwei and other counties are short of people?!"

Zhong Hui said angrily, "If you can't even figure this out, how dare you claim you can defeat Zhang Hua's disciples?"

"Of course these people will be sent to Shazhou!"

"Shazhou is newly established and has a very small population!"

Liu Yuan was a little stunned.

"Teacher, Shazhou is just an idea. It hasn't been established yet."

Zhong Hui raised his hand and gestured at the document in his hand.

“It is established today.”

Liu Yuan hesitated to speak.

"Disciple knows his mistake!"

Zhong Hui has been busy with the affairs of the two new states these days. The court is going to formally establish two new states. The first one is Yunzhou, which is located in Shengle. It has a large territory but few people.
There was actually a lot of debate in the court about this. Many people felt that a position similar to the General of the Guards for the Xianbei could be established locally, or a Chief Secretary's Office could be established altogether.

However, Cao Mao insisted on setting up a state.

Others think that it is a cold and bitter place with almost no value, but in Cao Mao's eyes, these are all treasures.

The current Wei Dynasty is not strong enough to swallow up such a large area, but if I set up a state to directly govern this place, then this place will be a part of the Wei Dynasty in the future. When I am gone, if any tribe dares to occupy this place, none of my descendants will dare to fight back, and they will not have the face to see their ancestors.

Therefore, Cao Mao forcibly established Yunzhou, but the other Shazhou did not encounter any opposition.

Although there are also few people, it is much better than Yunzhou after all.

There is a Dunhuang County as the seat of government, which includes the Chief Secretary's Office and the Colonel's Office, and many small countries in the entire Western Regions can join as counties, which is quite good.

The new governor has already gone to Dunhuang with many other officials.

The next step is to use the big families in Shu to enrich the population of the border. The sufferings suffered by the big families in Wu will fall on the heads of these Shu people.

But to be fair, although Shu is also in the south, the climate and other aspects of Shazhou are better than those of Liao. There are still many oases and plenty of water sources here, and it is not a state where yellow sand is flying all over the sky. Their future life cannot be considered too bad.

(End of this chapter)