The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 747: Non-Saint King

"What a wonderful piece of writing! Truly extraordinary! I wonder who wrote it?"

Lu Kang sat next to Cao Mao, looking at the work in his hands and marveling at it.

Cao Mao smiled and said, "It was written by a boy from the Imperial College. He is only fifteen or sixteen years old, so his writing is certainly a bit immature."

Lu Kang was shocked. "So young?"

He looked at the literary work in his hand again and said with emotion, "If this boy grows up, won't he be another Zhang Maoxian?"

"I think, if we only talk about literature, this guy can surpass Zhang Maoxian and can be compared with Prince Chen Si."

"I never thought that His Majesty would think so highly of this man."

For people today, Cao Zhi holds a super idol status that is unprecedented and unparalleled.

Lu Kang suddenly realized, "Your Majesty said there's a good young man who can be taught by me. Could it be this child?"

Cao Mao laughed heartily, "Of course not! The child I'm talking about is a Di person, and this time he came to Luoyang with his brother to participate in the assessment!"

"I see he's interested in studying. Why doesn't Lord Lu take him with him and teach him the principles of deploying troops and governing the empire?"

"Oh?"

"What is so special about this boy that His Majesty attaches so much importance to him?"

"This boy is intelligent, brave, and strong. He has a calm character and is resolute and measured. He often upholds justice and fights for the weak in various places. If such a person is carefully taught, he can achieve great achievements."

Lu Kang nodded thoughtfully, "Then I can spare some time to meet him."

Cao Mao then asked, "Lord Lu, I would like to follow Sun Quan's example and send people overseas to pay tribute. Do you have any recommendations?"

Overseas affairs may be unfamiliar to the officials of Wei, but for these people from Wu, there is nothing strange about them.

After all, they had been in contact with the outside world for a long time and had even received many diplomatic delegations from other places.

Lu Kang said, "Your Majesty, back in the Huanglong era, the Great Emperor sent Generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi, leading ten thousand soldiers, on warships to Yizhou and Danzhou. They eventually reached Yizhou, brought back over a thousand men, and presented their territory and population to the Great Emperor."

"Are these two still alive?"

Cao Mao asked curiously.

Lu Kang pursed his lips. "The Great Emperor felt that they had violated his imperial edict by taking over ten thousand men to sea, which was a huge expense and had not achieved any corresponding merit. So he executed them for the crime of having no merit."

The smile on Cao Mao's face suddenly froze.

What a rude person!

If it were me, and a minister discovered such a treasure island while sailing out to sea, wouldn’t I be granted the title of marquis?
Would it be okay if you just executed him?

Lu Kang added, "Later, the Emperor sent General Nie You and my cousin Kai to lead a fleet to reach Zhuya (Hainan), Dan'er, and other areas."

"My cousin is still alive, but General Nie You was murdered by Sun Jun out of jealousy and has long since passed away."

"There was a minister named Zhu Ying, who came from a prominent family. He once traveled to Funan (Thailand and parts of Cambodia). Upon his return, he wrote 'Records of Strange Things in Funan,' which is still admired by many today. I don't know if he was still alive, but I don't know if he is."

"There was also a General of the Central Army, Kang Tai, who also traveled to many places with Zhu Ying."

Lu Kang mentioned several names in succession, and Cao Mao hurriedly asked someone to write them down.

He then called Zhang Hua in and ordered, "Quickly go find those people Lu Kang mentioned! Invite them over, and don't make things difficult for anyone!"

"only!!"

Zhang Hua hurriedly bowed and said yes.

Pingzhou.

"Hurry! Don't be idle!"

Officials rode their horses and galloped back and forth.

A total of more than 10,000 people gathered here and were busy.

They formed a group of several people, stood on both sides of the tree with saws, and began to pull the saws continuously, and the tree made bursts of groaning sounds.

Several people were carrying huge pieces of wood and walking out from here. In the distance, there were people driving horse-drawn carriages to transport the wood out.

This is the local officials organizing the people to develop and cultivate the land, first turning the forest land into flat land, and then turning the flat land into arable land, and the wood is used to build houses and other buildings.

This was not corvee labor, but the work-for-relief policy originally promoted by Cao Mao.

Many of the people gathered here were captured Hu people, and of course there were also large clans that migrated from Jiangdong.

The life of the Jiangdong nobles in Pingzhou was quite miserable.

The luxurious life they had in the past is gone forever, and after coming here, they lost their livelihood.

The only way to survive is to be like Gu Rong, to take the initiative to get close to the Wei Dynasty, not to despise the official title, to participate in the assessment, and to become a local official of the Wei Dynasty.

They brought some property with them from Jiangdong, but for those who were used to a life of luxury, that money could not last long.

At the same time, not everyone is as lucky as Gu Rong.

Local officials will only recruit people when they are short of staff.

Those children from noble families in the past have now become the lowest class of people and have to farm and beg for food together with these barbarians.

Many people could not accept this fact and considered it a humiliation to themselves. Some chose to rebel on the spot, while others chose to commit suicide.

The Jiangdong clan, once a prominent family in the world, now appears to be in decline.

The local officials didn't even give them a second glance because of their past glory.

To these officials, these people from Jiangdong were vicious foreign competitors and their defeated opponents.

They have been tormented by this kind of people in the past, and now that they have fallen to this point, they must get their revenge!
The officials treated them even more cruelly than they treated the Hu people!

Zhu Ying moved the wood onto the carriage breathlessly, and then began to breathe heavily, feeling exhausted.

He hadn't been this tired for a long time. Fortunately, the officials sounded the order for a temporary rest.

Zhu Ying followed a few friends, got some food and drinks, and then gathered together and sat down to eat.

Kangtai looked at the steamed bun in his hand and suddenly said with emotion: "I didn't know that even steamed buns could be so delicious."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying smiled bitterly.

"If I had known this, I shouldn't have hidden it from the servants."

"It's useless. If the emperor wants to deal with us, does he need a crime?"

Kangtai raised his head and said, "This is the fate that those who destroyed their country deserve."

"When Guanqiu Jian attacked us, so many ministers said they wanted to surrender. This is the result of surrender!"

"A century-old noble family was destroyed in one day."

"You and I have been reduced to competing for food with these barbarians!"

As Kangtai spoke, a look of sadness appeared on his face.

Zhu Ying lowered his head and said nothing.

The sobbing of several young people could be heard from beside them.

They never dreamed that there would be such a day.

A few people had just finished their meal when they heard the horn sound again. They hurriedly got up and started working again.

Officials passed by them from time to time, looking at them with contempt.

After a busy whole day, some food was distributed in the evening.

The Hu people and the real lower-class people were all filled with joy.

In the past, they were already very lucky to have two meals a day. Here, although they work a lot, they also eat a lot. At least they don’t have to eat those hard-to-swallow things anymore!
After a while, they can still eat broth.

They gathered in groups of three or four, talking and laughing.

The little work they do now is almost the same as what they did in the past.

And now the food is much better than before, so what do they have to complain about?
At this moment, they were all talking enthusiastically about the poll tax, which made them very excited and they all shouted "Saint".

Looking at their appearance, Zhu Ying and others just watched them from a distance.

Even if they were doing the same job, these people would never want to mingle with these untouchables or barbarians.

After all, they were born noble.

How can I stay with these lowly people?

Looking at their appearance, someone mocked them unhappily, "These common people are so used to suffering, Holy King. Ha."

Zhu Ying quickly glanced at him and said, "Young man, keep your voice down."

The man then quickly shut his mouth.

The other few people had similar looks when they looked at those people in the distance.

The so-called Holy King they mentioned was, in their eyes, comparable to Jie and Zhou!

No, he was more brutal than Jie and Zhou.

Just when they were about to rest, a cavalry suddenly appeared in the distance and charged straight towards them.

The leading knight was tall. After dismounting, he stood out from the crowd, with a defiant look on his face and sharp eyes.

Zhu Ying and others looked at them and quietly retreated a little.

When these people appeared, the officials who were once arrogant rushed forward with smiles on their faces.

They gathered around the young general and were chatting about something.

Suddenly, Zhu Ying saw the official suddenly look in his direction, point at him and say something.

Then, the general began to grin grimly and walked towards him quickly.

At this moment, the friends who had just stood beside Zhu Ying were completely panicked. They all stood up and left in a hurry.

Only Kangtai took a deep breath and stayed here despite his fear.

The man soon appeared in front of Zhu Ying. He lowered his head and the smile on his face became more and more terrifying.

"Are you Zhu Ying?"

Zhu Ying stood up and returned the greeting. "Indeed, General, what are your instructions?"

The man looked at Kangtai again, "Are you Kangtai?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'm looking for you!"

"Prepare two horses for them!!"

The man walked forward with a smile, grabbing one in each hand. "I am General Wen Yang of Pingbei! I'm here to invite you!"

When they heard this name, both of them shuddered. This name was still very loud here.

Kangtai couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?"

"Don't ask any more questions, just follow me!"

"Go see Da Sima first!"

(End of this chapter)