The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 91 Broken
Sima Zhao approached step by step. When he finally arrived in front of Sima Yan, he looked at his son who was trembling slightly but did not retreat, and he suddenly laughed.

"Not bad, you've grown a bit braver."

Sima Zhao put away his previous coldness, returned to his seat, pointed to the side, and said, "Sit down."

Sima Yan was a little surprised that his father really didn't beat him!

Not only did he not hit me, he was also so gentle to me!

He sat down next to his father in confusion.

Sima Zhao frowned and sighed, "Anshi, these are troubled times."

"I'm very happy that you have the idea of winning over famous people and the courage to challenge me. However, the situation is unclear and your uncle hasn't woken up yet. At this moment, you can't bring anyone to the palace."

"If something goes wrong, how can you take responsibility?"

Sima Zhao did not scold his son as he did before, but instead patiently explained to his son.

"Wait until these things are over, then you can win over those famous scholars. I won't object to you doing these things, but I'm just saying that the current situation isn't suitable. If I'm not mistaken, this is what Cao Mao taught you, right?"

"Your Majesty, you have been trying to win over those celebrities for a long time."

As Sima Zhao was speaking, someone rushed into the study.

Sima Zhao was stunned and was about to curse, but when he saw the person coming, he quickly suppressed his dissatisfaction.

"Mr. Zhong?"

"Why are you here?"

The person who came was Zhong Hui. Sima Zhao was quite nice to Zhong Hui. He was relatively tolerant and respectful of him in all aspects. However, Zhong Hui really looked down on Sima Zhao, which was completely different from how he treated Sima Shi.

Zhong Hui was about to answer Sima Zhao when he saw Sima Yan standing beside him. He was surprised and couldn't help asking, "Why is An Shi here?"

Sima Yan quickly repeated his thoughts.

Zhong Hui's eyes lit up.

"This is a good thing!"

"That's as it should be. We should go."

Sima Zhao was somewhat surprised by Zhong Hui's support. He hurried forward, took Zhong Hui's hand, and led him back, whispering, "Mr. Zhong, His Majesty has always wanted to contact these people. If you agree, wouldn't it be very troublesome?"

Zhong Hui frowned and said seriously, "How can you say that?"

"What does His Majesty want to do? Can we, the ministers, stop him?"

"If the emperor wants his subjects to die, they must die, especially when it's just a small matter like this. Your Majesty is the common ruler of the world, and as ministers, we should obey!"

"Besides, the gathering of these seven sages in the Imperial Palace is a truly elegant event, sure to stir the world. Aren't there always those who accuse us of imprisoning Your Majesty and being disrespectful? If these sages were to gather in the Taiji Hall, who would dare to say such things?"

Zhong Hui said with a smile.

Sima Zhao suddenly realized, but felt something was wrong.

Are you trying to clarify the rumors, or are you trying to join this party?

Sima Zhao was well aware of Zhong Hui's admiration for these famous scholars.

As for the nonsense like the king wants his subjects to die.
It wasn't like this when you dragged Jia Chong to the palace to be beheaded a few days ago!
Faced with this confidant of his brother, the one he had to rely on, Sima Zhao put aside his thoughts and said earnestly, "I am only worried that Your Majesty will be deceived by this villain."

"No, these are all world-renowned sages. How could they deceive Your Majesty?"

"When the time comes, I will go with them to make sure they don't cause any trouble!"

Zhong Hui said very seriously.

You really came here just to join the party!!

Sima Zhao complained in his heart and looked at Sima Yan helplessly.

Sima Yan was of course overjoyed. At this moment, he was blinking and looking at his father with anticipation in his eyes.

"Let's do as Anshi says. What do you think, General?"

Sima Zhao pursed his lips. Although he didn't want to do this, he still did not refuse Zhong Hui and agreed.

Sima Yan was so happy that he quickly saluted them both.

"Thank you, father! Thank you, Mr. Zhong!"

"I'm going to invite them right now!! Right now!!"

Sima Yan left here happily.

Sima Zhao watched his son leave, then looked at Zhong Hui helplessly and asked, "Why did you come to see me, Mr. Zhong?"

Zhong Hui gestured to Sima Zhao to sit down, and the two sat facing each other.

Zhong Hui hesitated for a moment before saying, "The general is seriously ill. We can no longer delay dealing with Guanqiu Jian."

"Send the emperor's edict to Guanqiu Jian, asking him to come to Luoyang and serve as one of the Three Dukes." "Huh???"

Sima Zhao stood up suddenly and could no longer sit still.

"Mr. Zhong! Are we going to take action against Guanqiu Jian now? What should we do if we force him to rebel?"

"Brother is unable to lead the army now. Do you want me to lead the troops to suppress the rebellion? He will definitely not surrender easily."

Sima Zhao looked very impatient.

This situation is really unfavorable to our family.

Zhong Hui remained calm. He asked, "Then, General Zhengxi, when do you think Guanqiu Jian should be dealt with?"

"should."

Sima Zhao was about to answer, but he couldn't come up with an answer.

Whether to continue dragging it out or deal with him now, it will be very disadvantageous to the Sima family.

There is no single best solution!

Dilemma!!
Seeing Sima Zhao's helpless look, Zhong Hui smiled and consoled him, "General, don't worry."

"It's all Jia Chong's fault!! If it weren't for him, Zhuge Dan would be on our side now!"

Sima Zhao gritted his teeth. Sima Shi's original plan was to wait for Guo Huai to die, use his own people to control the northwest army, then let Zhuge Dan stand on his side, and finally let Wang and Shi remain neutral, so that he could lead the army to attack Guanqiu Jian.

But now, Guo Huai is seriously ill, but not dead.

Zhuge Dan was about to surrender to them, but because of the rumor, he hurriedly distanced himself from the general, not daring to tarnish his reputation.

The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable.

"If Guanqiu Jian were to rebel now, who would lead the army?"

Zhong Hui shook his head. "Don't worry, General. Just do as you are told."

"Guanqiu Jian has 80,000 elite troops under his command, but their families are all in the north and have no desire to fight. They can only hope for a quick victory. If they cannot take the city for a long time, their morale will surely be destroyed. Then, it will be easy to pacify him."

"Do you know how Zhou Yafu in ancient times quelled the rebellions of various states?"

Zhong Hui asked with a smile.

Sima Zhao was stunned. "Hold on, or wear down?"

"Guanqiu Jian is a renowned general, but his current disadvantage is too obvious."

"You have over 100,000 troops under your command. Together with the local generals who support us, you can mobilize over 200,000 troops. Guanqiu Jian is no match for us."

"You may issue the order. If Guanqiu Jian rebels because of this, who in the world would dare to support him?"

"How can you be our opponent if you are alone?"

Looking at the confident Zhong Hui, Sima Zhao suddenly felt something strange.

He narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "Mr. Zhong, please tell me truthfully, are you and my brother planning something?"

"Didn't you meet the general last time?"

"Are you trying to trick the rebels out of the temple and capture them all in one fell swoop?"

"Or do you want to show weakness to the enemy? Force Guanqiu Jian to launch a swift attack?"

Zhong Hui's face was expressionless. "How could there be any more traitors in the imperial court? The general has been lying on his sickbed all day, motionless. How can he possibly deal with the traitors you mentioned? Don't think about it. Just prepare yourself."

Sima Zhao narrowed his eyes, "I still need to see my brother first before making a decision."

Zhong Hui's face turned cold and he was very unhappy.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't dare to do such a big thing without your order."

Zhong Hui sneered, "General, do you think I will collude with foreign enemies to murder you?"

"That's absolutely not the case! Mr. Zhong, please don't say such things!"

Sima Zhao stood up very seriously and bowed to Zhong Hui.

"But I have always put my brother first. Before he took action, he told me not to anger Guanqiu Jian."

"I dare not disobey my brother's orders."

Hearing Sima Zhao's words, Zhong Hui smiled, said nothing more, and turned and left.

After he left, Sima Zhao fell into deep thought again. This was a bit strange, and Zhong Hui's reaction was also strange. Could it be that my brother was really pretending? He had actually recovered?
If that's the case, then I complained to him a few days ago.
The corner of Sima Zhao's eye twitched.

It's bad, we're in trouble.

I have to go find my brother to confirm it.

(End of this chapter)