The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 800 Young
When Cao Mao left Wang Chang's mansion, he felt inexplicably lost.

When Wang Chang first arrived in Luoyang, he impressed Cao Mao with his seven strategies for governing the country, and at the same time made Cao Mao understand that not all famous officials from prominent families were so incompetent.

Among them are people who can put aside their personal interests and care about the country.

However, those who can share adversity may not necessarily be able to share wealth.

When the aristocratic families were at their most powerful, Wang Chang almost became Cao Mao's main force. He presided over the Secretariat as a duke, forcibly implemented many policies to weaken the aristocratic families, and step by step tore apart the monopoly of official positions.

However, when the wounds of the world gradually healed, the great families no longer dared to speak out, and Cao Mao could devote all his energy to rectifying the great families in various places, Wang Chang became hesitant again.

Cao Mao didn't understand whether it was because he was too cruel or because Wang Chang's descendants were also affected.

However, allowing the other party to retire and return home as a senior official was Cao Mao's last act of kindness.

Looking at Cao Mao who was lost in thought, Zhang Hua, who was traveling with him, seemed to understand his inner thoughts.

He consoled him, "Your Majesty, the prince is old and no longer has the ambition and courage he once had. Moreover, his many sons and heirs have often come to him to complain these days."

"Among his sons, Wang Hun was a general in the central army, a man of both civil and military talents, extremely talented. Wang Shen, Wang Zhan, and others were county governors, able to govern a region, and they were all quite good, but it wasn't until his grandchildren did that."

"Wang Shang loves money, and Wang Ji is even more so. The other clan members can't bear to see these people being punished, so they all come to complain to the prince and beg for mercy."

"I'm afraid the prince's reputation will be destroyed by these people."

Cao Mao said nothing about this.

Cao Mao suddenly asked, "Maoxian, who do you think can be the Minister of State?"

Zhong Hui made progress, so he left a vacancy. Zheng Mao retired earlier, so there is a shortage of two ministers. Lu Zhi also often talked about retiring.

The older generation of ministers are about to leave the stage.

At this moment, Cao Mao was only asking about the position of Pushe. Obviously, he had his own ideas about the other person.

Zhang Hua hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Mr. Chen of Wu has made many achievements in the past, is known for his strategy, and is skilled in governance. Perhaps he could take the position."

Cao Mao laughed and said, "You put him below Zhong Hui. This is not promoting him, this is humiliating him!"

"Chen Tai can be promoted to one of the Three Dukes and then become the Minister of the Court, but he doesn't need to be the Minister of the Secretariat."

Zhang Hua hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about the prince?"

The "Prince Wang" that Zhang Hua was asking about was of course Wang Jing who was with Chen Tai.

Wang Jing was a minister whom Cao Mao valued very much. He could be said to be one of Cao Mao's favorites. All the affairs of the Wu State were handled by Chen Tai and managed by Wang Jing.

Wang Jing, who is of lower status, is actually the one who should not be provoked.

Cao Mao shook his head. "It's better to leave the affairs of the Secretariat to those who come later. Why bother the elders?"

Zhang Hua was a little excited.

He cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Wei from the Ministry of Justice can take the position."

Cao Mao laughed. "So that you can be the Minister of Justice?"

Zhang Hua said seriously, "I obey your order!"

Cao Mao pondered for a moment, thinking that Zhang Hua was still too young.

Zhang Hua seems to be thirty-three years old this year?
The thirty-three-year-old Shangshu still seems a little too young.

Cao Mao was not afraid that there was no more title to be bestowed upon him. He was worried that he would force things to happen and ruin a generation of famous officials.

This wasn't Cao Mao forcing Zhong Hui to take over. If it weren't for Cao Mao, he would have been one of the Three Dukes before he turned forty. He might even have suppressed him.
As for Zhang Hua, he was promoted step by step in history, from Doctor of Taichang, Prime Minister of Henan, Assistant Director of the Imperial Secretariat, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Minister of the Imperial Household, Palace Attendant, Minister of Revenue, Governor of Youzhou, Taichang, and Sikong, for nearly forty years. This was a normal promotion speed for a famous official cultivated by many official positions and experiences.

Unlike someone who was a secretary, a minister of the imperial court, a secretary to the imperial court, a minister of the imperial court, a secretary to the imperial court, a lieutenant of the imperial court, a general in charge of the military affairs of Guanzhong, and a minister of justice? ?

Cao Mao said, "Maoxian, it's not that I don't trust you, but the Shangshu has great power. If you can achieve great achievements, it's fine. But if you make mistakes or make mistakes, I will not protect you."

"You should know that I have always ruled the world with justice, regardless of likes or dislikes. Those who have made contributions will be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes will be punished. This has never changed."

"I originally wanted to place you in the Secretariat. Do you really want to be the Shangshu?"

Zhang Hua said without hesitation: "I do not seek fame or wealth. All I seek is to serve Your Majesty. I am willing to take over the Ministry of Justice and clean up the bureaucracy for Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty will no longer have to worry about this matter!"

As a minister who had followed Cao Mao for a long time, Zhang Hua knew very well what made His Majesty most angry.

The things that are most likely to make Your Majesty furious are often those concerning the administration of officials.

The Wei Dynasty has been cleaning up its bureaucracy for nearly ten years, with waves of killings and replacements, but even now, this problem still plagues the government.

Zhang Hua's eyes were full of light.

He had to do this well! Looking at Zhang Hua, who was full of confidence, Cao Mao probably understood what he was thinking.

When Zhong Hui came to power, Cao Mao's idea was to bring Du Yu from the north to serve as the Left Prime Minister.

As for the affairs in the north, they should of course be handed over to the young people, such as Wen Yang.

When the report of Wen Yang's deeds over the years was sent to Luoyang, Cao Mao was very pleased. Judging from Guanqiu Jian's evaluation, Wen Yang had made great progress, transforming from a fighting general to a commander.

Cao Mao felt that this young man could temporarily serve as the commander-in-chief of the north.

There are no major wars in the north, and without the restrictions of Yang Hu, this will be a very important opportunity for Wen Yang.

If he could seize the opportunity, govern the northern army in an orderly manner, manage the areas beyond the Great Wall, do all the things that Yang Hu did, and actively cooperate with the government, then he would be the second generation of Guanqiu Jian.

Of course, if he failed to do these things and made a mess of the local area, forcing Cao Mao to send more people to remedy the situation, then Wen Yang would probably only be a fire captain in his life.

However, Cao Mao still attached great importance to him.

This young man has infinite talent and potential. He not only possesses powerful martial arts, but is also good at commanding a large army. As long as he is given time and opportunities to hone his skills, he will sooner or later become the backbone of the Wei Dynasty and a powerful god of war.

As for Yang Hu, he had made great contributions outside, enough to qualify as an official in the court.

Cao Mao's temple must have ministers from all over the country. Yang Hu has been in the north for many years, and he can provide great help when the Shangshu Tai governs the Hebei areas.

He himself is also extremely capable and can be a powerful assistant in the Shangshu Tai.

Another candidate might be Wei Shu.

Cao Mao initially had many lists of candidates, but after careful consideration, he gradually excluded a large number of elderly ministers from the list.

It’s not that old ministers are bad. The government cannot be filled with radical young people. It also needs a few calm old guys to stabilize the situation.

But considering what Cao Mao has to do now, it would be better to have more young people.

What Cao Mao was going to do involved a lot of things and had a huge impact. Even people like Wang Chang would feel afraid and think it was too radical.

These young guys who are full of ambition and fighting spirit are more able to cooperate with Cao Mao to accomplish his great cause.

The current three need to be redeployed.

Shizhong Lu Qin was transferred to be the Supervisor of the Secretariat, Wei Guan was promoted to be the Minister of the Secretariat, and Hua Biao retired with honor.

Chen Tai was promoted to Shizhong, Wei Shu and Yang Hu were promoted to Shangshu Tai Zuo Pushe, and Zhang Hua was promoted to Xingbu Shangshu.

In terms of the eunuchs, Cao Mao will also strengthen them appropriately, and supplement them from as many aspects and backgrounds as possible. The Secretariat can be united, but the decision-making level should be more diversified, taking all aspects into consideration and giving himself reminders in many aspects.

Guanqiu Jian had to come back quickly.

The temple is filled with a lot of young people, so it needs a calm old man to take charge, and this old man must be able to make the young people restrained.

Guanqiu Jian meets these requirements.

Zhong Hui respected him very much, and in terms of responsibilities, Zhong Hui and Guanqiu Jian could be regarded as second only to the emperor. Guanqiu Jian's status was even higher, while Zhong Hui had more power.

Almost all of the three officials are led by one old man and one young man, even the two servants are like this. Yang Hu is young, just forty-four years old this year, while Wei Shu is older, already fifty-six years old.

Cao Mao already had a detailed list in his mind.

He looked at Zhang Hua in front of him again.

"Wei Shu previously told me that he wanted to amend the new law. If this can be accomplished, he can be promoted to Pushe, and you can be promoted to Shangshu. If not, Maoxian can only continue to wait!"

After hearing what Cao Mao said, Zhang Hua was not anxious at all.

He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Wei will definitely make this happen!"

The two returned to the palace chatting like this, and Cao Mao's unhappiness was all gone.

Among the many Shangshu at present, Lu Zhi is the oldest, and Cao Mao also has to consider his successor.

The Ministry of Revenue was the department with the heaviest responsibilities and the one Cao Mao relied on the most. It was not easy to take over this position. Cao Mao thought about it and only thought of one person.
This person is the current head of Youbei Prefecture, Xun Xu.

This man has a bad reputation, but he is really talented and knows everything. Moreover, Cao Mao's focus in the future will be to resist the successive natural disasters, and the Ministry of Revenue will be the first to bear the brunt. If Xun Xu can replace Lu Zhi, take charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and do the work of Youbei Prefecture at the same time, perhaps he can better resist many disasters.

Xun Xu was a cautious person. He would not do anything corrupt or illegal, nor would he collude with his own clansmen. He obeyed Cao Mao's orders and was good at household registration, agriculture, and commerce. He was definitely capable of doing a good job as a Shangshu.

Cao Mao planned to issue imperial edicts one by one and complete these appointment arrangements within this year.

At the same time, Liu Song, the governor of Shazhou, hurriedly sent someone to deliver a document to inform Shazhou of the war between the two countries.

ps: I'm back home now, and my hand is feeling much better now. I'll resume updating at my usual rate starting at 6:30 tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)