Three days later, that is, on the first day of February, the army will continue to march south. Today, according to the established practice in the capital of Luoyang, a grand court meeting was held in Shanggui City. From important court officials such as Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, Yang Fu, and Chen Jiao to officials of the Longyou area such as Lu Pan, Hu Zun, and Ma Zun, all were gathered in the small county government hall. Although it cannot compare with the grandeur of the North Palace in Luoyang, it also has some of its charm. Cao Rui sat in the hall with a calm expression. After glancing at the ministers, he said slowly: "It has been nearly two months since I left Luoyang. I have done only three things." "First, I led the Central Army to recapture Longyou from the Shu bandits." "Second, establish Qinzhou and reform the system." "Third, naturalize the Qiang people and enrich the population." "I have heard that the Shu thieves are retreating south from Xi County. I will also lead the entire army to Wudu on the first day of February."
"But do you know that after Zhuge Liang received my letter, he not only did not surrender to the Wei Dynasty, but also dared to write back to provoke me!" Cao Rui picked up the bamboo slips on the table with his left hand, raised them high, and shook them towards his ministers: "I discussed the destiny and human affairs with Zhuge Liang, but Zhuge Liang lectured me instead!" "What are you saying? I am like Wang Mang. The Shu army will be like Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty in Kunyang!" Cao Rui silently recited Zhuge Liang's words: "With a few thousand weak soldiers, they crushed a strong army of more than 400,000 soldiers on the outskirts of Kunyang. To seize the road and suppress the evil, it is not about numbers..." When the ministers standing in the hall heard the emperor personally convey Zhuge Liang's rebuttal, they all showed indignation on their faces. Yang Fu, who was the most aggressive, was the first to stand up and shout: "The evil deeds of the Shu thieves are too numerous to list! After we conquer Shu, we will turn these thieves into dust!" As soon as Yang Fu finished speaking, Cao Zhen, Zhang He and other generals also expressed their indignation, and calls for war were heard one after another in the hall. Cao Rui stretched out his hand and pressed down, and said calmly: "I am not telling you this to provoke you with Zhuge Liang's words, but to tell you that there is no peace between Wei and Shu!" "We must not allow people like Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang to continue to control Shu and destroy the world!" "Your Majesty is wise!" Yang Fu was the first to shout loudly. The other ministers also spoke up. It was not that Yang Fu received the emperor's suggestion and acted as a proxy at the court meeting, but that among all the ministers of the Wei Dynasty, Yang Fu's hatred for the Shu Kingdom was the most heartfelt and profound. Ma Chao caused trouble in Longyou, resulting in many deaths and injuries in Yang Fu's family, while Liu Bei sheltered the exiled Ma Chao. When Zhuge Liang invaded Longyou this time, he attacked Yang Fu's hometown and relocated all of Yang Fu's clan members who lived in Ji County, which accounted for nearly half of the clan. National hatred and family feuds are nothing more than this. Cao Rui sighed, "When Emperor Wu conquered Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, he once said, 'People suffer from having no feet. After taking Longyou, he wanted to take Shu again.'" "The Emperor was powerless at that time, but today I am leading the army southward, and with you gentlemen by my side, I must gather everyone's strength and wisdom to eliminate the threat to Shu for the Great Wei!" Cao Rui raised his eyes and glanced at the ministers standing solemnly in the hall. He had only discussed the personnel arrangements for Qinzhou and Yongliang with Cao Zhen and Sima Yi just now, and the other ministers were not aware of it. It's time to announce it.
Cao Rui said in a clear voice: "I ceded the six counties of Longxi, Nangan, Tianshui, Guangwei, Wudu, and Yinping to form Qinzhou. Qinzhou shoulders the important task of dealing with Shu, and I also want to select a wise and capable minister to lead the civil affairs of Qinzhou for me." "Where is Minister Chen Jiao?" After the emperor said this, all the ministers in the hall looked at Chen Jiao with disbelief. Even Chen Jiao himself was a little confused. Me? Qinzhou? As the former Shangshu Ling, Chen Jiao had served as the Emperor's Shizhong for more than a year and had given up the thought of being reused again. I thought that being a minister and an advisor to the emperor would be the best outcome for me, but I didn't expect that His Majesty would entrust Qinzhou to me? Chen Jiao walked to the center, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am here." "During this expedition, you were in charge of the logistics of the army, which was quite helpful. In the past, you were the Minister of the Chancellery, and you also served the Wei Dynasty diligently for many years." "I want to use the land of Qinzhou to deal with the Shu bandits occupying Yizhou. Are you willing to serve as the governor of Qinzhou for me, so that the six counties of Qinzhou can have a good government and have enough soldiers and food for the army?" Having served as an official for nearly thirty years, Chen Jiao was used to seeing officials being marginalized and then re-employed. Now it was his turn, and he was not a child entering the court for the first time, so why would he hesitate? Chen Jiao immediately bowed and said, "I accept your command and thank you for your grace! I will do my best to serve the Qinzhou affairs and repay your majesty's kindness!" "Mr. Chen, please stand up." Cao Rui looked at the minister who had stopped him at the door of the Shangshutai in the past, and said, "Qinzhou is a newly established state, and the military and civil affairs are complicated. It should have a capable minister like you to take charge!" "Mr. Chen, please join the ranks first." Chen Jiao bowed and returned to the queue. Who among the discerning people in the court does not know that Chen Jiao's actions in the past truly offended Your Majesty? However, Your Majesty not only did not blame Chen Jiao, but also appointed him as the Palace Attendant, and now entrusted him with Qinzhou. He is indeed a wise king! On another level, Huang Quan was the governor of Yuzhou, Liu Ye was the governor of Youzhou, and now Chen Jiao was appointed as the governor of Qinzhou. It seems that the position of Shizhong has become more and more popular. Cao Rui continued, "Since Qinzhou has been established, I have also made some adjustments in military affairs." "Where are Zhang He, Guo Huai, and Lu Xun?" "I'm here!" the three answered in unison, and then walked into the hall to pay their respects. "I have already mentioned the contributions of the three of you, and I will not repeat them at the court meeting." "Zhang He, the left general of the Jin Dynasty, was appointed as the General of the Western Expedition, Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, was appointed as the General of the Shu Expedition, and Lu Xun, the Protector of the Qiang, was appointed as the General of the Protector of the Qiang." "Replace General Zhang He as the commander-in-chief of the military forces of Qin and Yong provinces, and station troops at Qishan!" This was another assignment that shocked the ministers in the hall. Guo Huai lost his position as governor of Yongzhou and was given a general with a miscellaneous title. In addition, he himself wanted to command troops, so he got what he wanted. As a surrendered minister of the Eastern Wu, the news of Lu Xun's reward, which was as high as a horse bone worth a ton of gold, had been circulated in Shanggui City for several days, and everyone had already been surprised. Now it was just repeated and announced in public to make it official. Zhang He was changed from the governor-general of Yongliang to the governor-general of Qinyong, and he still led the military affairs on the western front of the Wei Dynasty, which was considered unchanged.
But the assignment for this General Zhengxi is a bit heavy! Zhang He declined again and again, saying, "Your Majesty, I am in Lueyang and it is only with your help and the general's help that I can protect Longyou from danger. How dare I be promoted again?" After saying this, Zhang He bowed deeply and said: "I am a humble minister with little wisdom and moral integrity. I hope Your Majesty will sympathize with me and revoke your order." Cao Rui said expressionlessly: "Zhang Qing, do you think that I appointed you as the General of the Western Expedition for your own merits?" Zhang He looked up in surprise and happened to meet the emperor's eyes. Cao Rui said: "I established Qinzhou, appointed you as the governor of Qin and Yongzhou, and appointed you as the General of the Western Expedition, just to use you to defeat the Shu bandits!" "In the past, Zhang Liao was the General of the Eastern Expedition in Hefei, and Xu Huang was the General of the Southern Expedition in Xiangyang. Was it all for rewards? Of course, it was for the Great Wei and for the world!" "I will see that you can defend Qinzhou for me and defeat the Shu bandits!" Zhang He's refusal was not groundless. According to the convention of the Wei Dynasty, under the general, the cavalry general, the chariot general, and the guard general were the four generals of the expedition, the four generals of the garrison, and the four generals of the front, back, left, and right. It was inevitable that Zhang He was promoted directly from General of the Left to General of the Western Expedition. After all, General of the Western Expedition was appointed! After hearing the emperor's words, Zhang He had no choice but to bow and express his gratitude like Guo Huai and Lu Xun. Cao Rui nodded and continued to assign tasks: "Although I have ceded Longyou, Yongzhou is still an important place between the Three Auxiliary Provinces and Guanzhong." "Where is Minister Yang Fu?" To be honest, with the experience of Jiang Ji's previous assignment to govern Yangzhou, Yang Fu had been busy in Longyou these days and almost thought that he would get the position of governor of Qinzhou. After all, Cao Xiu was still in Shouchun, so it was no problem to entrust the affairs of Yangzhou to the local Jiang Ji. Moreover, Jiang Ji was from the Shan family and did not have many relatives. Yang Fu's clan had a large population, and it was impossible for Cao Rui to trap Cao Zhen in Qinzhou, so naturally he had to bring out the Three Mutual Law of the Han Dynasty and let Yang Fu be the governor of Yongzhou. If it really came to a critical moment, Yongzhou would definitely need to urgently help Qinzhou. With someone like Yang Fu who was so enthusiastic about Longyou and Qinzhou, things would not be delayed. Yang Fu bowed and said with emotion: "I was born in the border area of Yongliang. Within a year, I was promoted to the position of Shizhong, and then was entrusted by Your Majesty with the responsibility of governing a state." "I dare not not die for your majesty and for the great Wei!" Yang Fu's character is said to be generous and passionate, and in fact he is also somewhat emotional. This man in his fifties from Longyou did indeed start as a small city gate lieutenant as he said, and was promoted twice by His Majesty. Cao Rui chuckled and said, "Yang Qing, please get up. I know you well. You don't have to go to Chang'an yet. After I recover Wudu and return to the army, you can go back with me." Yang Fu bowed in response. Looking at the ministers in the hall, Cao Rui's next statement surprised everyone. "The division of Qinzhou and Yongzhou has been decided. Generals Qian Zhao and Zhu Gai will continue to be stationed in Yongzhou." "Regarding the affairs of Liang Province, I will also make an assignment like I did for Qin and Yong Provinces." Cao Rui coughed lightly and said in a clear voice: "Liangzhou is vast and has always been difficult to defend. All the prefectures and counties in the interior have separated civil affairs from military affairs. The next place to be changed is Liangzhou." "Where is Liangzhou Governor Xiahou Ba?" Xiahou Ba had never thought that he would have a chance today. He stepped out of the line and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I am here."
"You will continue to defend Wuwei and Liangzhou for the Great Wei! I will appoint you as General Pingyuan and you will be in charge of the military affairs of Liangzhou." "Remember, train a good cavalry for me in Liang Province. I will be of great use to them in the future!" When talking about Xiahou Ba, a member of the Xiahou family, Cao Rui's words were more popular and friendly. Xiahou Ba also asked without hesitation: "Your Majesty, what about the matter of the Governor of Liang Province?" "Let Sima Shuda do it!" (End of this chapter)