The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 356 Change of Generals
As the emperor of Cao Wei who grew up in Hebei, Cao Rui might not have recognized all the small kingdoms in the Western Regions.

However, we still know a little about the famous Western Region "powers" such as the Yuezhi, Dayuan, Daqin, and Wusun.

Therefore, upon hearing that the Yuezhi, who had once been brought under the control of Emperor Wu of Han, had now submitted to Chang'an.

For Cao Rui, who harbored great ambitions, this was a significant blow.

Of course, the losses of a foreign land in the Western Regions, which one can't even touch, are not as heavy as those of the Central Plains.

Cao Rui had already lost Luoyang, so why would he have time to care about the Greater and Lesser Yuezhi?
So, after only a moment of distraction, he continued speaking to Xu Shu:

“Your talent is not limited to the Nine Ministers.”

"Although I admire your talent, I am reluctant to promote you because your achievements are not yet sufficient."

"But now that he has achieved this merit in Huainan, I think that if he is promoted again, neither the central government nor the outer court will object."

At this point, Cao Rui suddenly changed the subject:
"I've heard that you and Sima Zhongda have a very close personal relationship?"

Xu Shu remained unfazed upon hearing this:

“I have always been kind to others, so in the eyes of outsiders, I am close to everyone.”

"But when it comes to intimacy, how can any outsider compare to His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, I presume to say that we have a deep and sincere relationship, far beyond the casual acquaintances you may have with outsiders!"

"What a mediocre acquaintance!" Cao Rui clapped his hands and laughed.

"Then I order you to go to Youzhou and summon Sima Yi back to me. Can you do that?"

Xu Shu quickly bowed:

"Your subject is unworthy and dares not claim that he can accomplish it; he can only do his best!"

"Doing your best is enough," Cao Rui said, taking Xu Shu's hand again, deeply moved.

"I've come to see it over the years."

"Whether in Luoyang or Yecheng, all the officials and ministers have their own selfish motives. Only you are wholeheartedly devoted to currying favor with my 'family.' Although this may seem like flattery, it is commendable to me. You dare to open your heart to me!"

"This is probably what you meant by 'open and honest communication'!"

Xu Shu trembled and was speechless, seemingly deeply moved.

"Then it's settled."

Cao Rui solemnly said:
"Effective immediately, you are hereby appointed Governor of Youzhou, with the authority to act on my behalf. Go and summon Sima Zhongda back to Ye City!"

Xu Shu trembled again.

It seems to have been unexpected.

But when he looked up again, his gaze had regained its firmness, and he bowed deeply:
"only!"

……

Youzhou, Ji County.

On this day, Sima Yi, the governor of Youzhou, hosted a banquet for local worthies at his residence.

When the city gates opened at dawn, the line of people queuing to enter the city stretched for miles, a truly magnificent sight.

Sima Yi personally greeted guests at the gate of his mansion, and he could accurately announce the name of each person who came forward.

The guests whose names were called were all overjoyed.

Until a heavily armored general strode in.

Sima Yi suddenly pursed his lips and fell silent.

The military officer casually tossed his name card to Sima Shi beside him, grinning as he said:

"What, does the magistrate disdain to utter my name, Tian Yu?"

Upon hearing this, the guests who had not yet entered the room all turned their heads and fell silent.

Before Sima Yi came to Ji County, who was the most famous person here?

First and foremost, of course, is Wang Xiong, the former governor of Youzhou.

Next is the man before us, the Protector of the Wuhuan, Tian Yu, also known as Tian Guorang. His life story is quite legendary.

As a young man, he followed Liu Bei in raising an army to defeat the Yellow Turbans, but returned to his hometown midway due to his mother's old age.

He later joined Gongsun Zan's forces, and after Gongsun Zan's defeat and death, he joined Cao Cao's forces.

He subsequently served as county magistrate and prefect, among other positions. He served in the prosperous Henan region and also fought against the Xianbei and Xiongnu in the northern border regions.

Although Youzhou has now become Sima Yi's private domain.

However, he had a long and distinguished career in the military, and even Sima Yi could not boss him around.

Seeing his father remain silent, Sima Shi took the initiative to speak for him:
"So that Lord Tian may know, my lord has no intention of disrespect. It is only because the court is wary of the generals of the border towns colluding with each other that all those invited to this family banquet are ordinary people without official positions in the state."

"General, you are a high-ranking general holding the imperial insignia, and you are stationed in Ji County with my lord. You are both in a place of suspicion, so you should be careful when you are alone!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Yu immediately sneered:

"If you're talking about collusion here, I think the relationship between the governor and Wang Yuanbo was quite good before."

"That's why, when Wang Yuanbo couldn't defeat the Xianbei, Lord Sima came from afar to come to his rescue."

"Even the position of Grand Governor of Youzhou is inherited by the Governor... I haven't seen any taboos from the court about it?"

The so-called "friendship" between Wang Xiong and Sima Yi was obvious to anyone with eyes in Youzhou.

So when the guests heard Tian Yu's sarcastic remarks, they all knew that he was there to deliberately cause trouble.
Those who had not yet entered the room all excused themselves and took their leave.

Those who had already entered had no choice but to pretend they weren't listening and quickly hide in the inner courtyard.

In an instant, the once bustling governor's mansion gate became deserted.

Sima Shi couldn't help but frown slightly, but still calmly replied:
"Times change."

"Lord Tian may not know this, but earlier, there was a commotion in Huainan. Generals Zhu Ling and Zang Ba went to Jiangdong alone and took it upon themselves to handle military and political affairs of Wu, which was tantamount to treason and angered the court. Since then, my lord has been examining himself three times a day and has not dared to have any dealings with the generals."

"Oh, is that the reason?" Tian Yu feigned sudden realization, but his sneer only intensified.

"Then it seems the news from Ye City is true."

"What... uh." Sima Shi couldn't help but ask when he heard the words "Ye City".

The next moment, her wrist was gripped tightly by her father.

He then realized that he had been too hasty and immediately shut up.

But Tian Yu wasn't blind; this little action was enough to expose Sima Yi's thoughts.

He immediately chuckled and said:
"It seems that Your Excellency has also heard that the court intends to replace the governor of Youzhou!"

"Speaking of which, it's been less than two years since Sima Gong became the governor of Youzhou, hasn't it?"

"Although the time has been short, who in the prefecture does not now praise the governor for his skillful defense of the border and his awe-inspiring presence beyond the Great Wall, to the point that the barbarian horses dare not cross the Xuwu Mountain to the south?"

Xuwu Mountain is a mountain range within the territory of Youbeiping County. A road leads north to the famous Lulong Pass, which is called Lulong Road.

These mountains, roads, and passes, along with some cities along the way, together formed a crucial strategic point for Youzhou to defend against the southern invasions of the Xianbei and Wuhuan.

"Therefore, when I heard about this, I really couldn't understand it."

"Your Excellency is clearly capable of holding this position, so why is the court in such a hurry to replace you? Why not replace you with Xu Yuanzhi, who knows nothing about military affairs?"

"Could it be that there are treacherous people causing trouble in front of the emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi had no choice but to speak out:
"Your Excellency, please be careful with your words! The current emperor is wise and his ministers are virtuous; there are no treacherous officials in the court!"

Tian Yu burst into laughter.

Sima Shi tried several times to speak up in defense of his father, but seeing that the latter remained unmoved, he had no choice but to give up.

After a moment, Tian Yu found himself laughing so hard his throat went dry. He had to stop, swallow, and then say:
"If there were no treacherous officials in the court, I would be even less able to understand the court's intentions."

"It can't be that there's some treacherous person in Youzhou who's causing this, which is why we have to change generals, can it?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi's usually icy expression finally showed a change.

(End of this chapter)