Wei Ni

"Did Xiahou Zhiquan really say that?"

In the Zhengdong General's Office, the sleepy Man Chong raised his head slightly and looked at Li Changshi in the hall with a curious look.

"Absolutely true!"

Li Changshi smiled brightly and explained, "How could I dare to deceive General Xie if there is no joke in the army? After Zhiquan learned the whole story, he claimed that he had no objection to the merging of the 500 cavalry into the Huainan Cavalry, and based on the Xuzhou Road Far away, the bandit general Sun Shao is heavily guarded, so it is not appropriate to take risks and damage our cavalry."

"Shuzi is crazy!"

But Man Chong didn't care at all about Li Changshi's explanation, and angrily said, "You have only a small amount of merit, but you dare to question my dispatch! How can I do something that causes my own cavalry to die for no reason? Chang Shi, Is that Shuzi still in the city? Call him quickly!"

Well, it was already the early morning of the second day.

Li Changshi deliberately went over while Man Chong was napping yesterday, and took the opportunity to postpone the matter until today because he did not dare to disturb her.

Therefore, when he saw Man Chong acting lewdly, he had already expected it and still said with a smile, "The general enforces the law strictly, and the generals are not allowed to leave their posts without reason, so he must have returned to Shijiabiwu last night."

"The matter has not yet been decided. As the chief historian, why don't you stop him!"

Man Chong muttered with some dissatisfaction. He was about to ask someone to go outside the city to recruit Xia Houhui, but when he saw Li Changshi smiling from the corner of his eye, he paused again and tried to wake up, "No, with Xia Houhui Zhiquan's character should not turn a blind eye to the military successes that are readily available. Tell me in detail, how did you tell Zhiquan the details of my plan to attack the thief Wu's garrison point? "

"Go back to General, it's too late to say anything."

Hearing this, Li Changshi spread his hands and said, "I only mentioned where the general was going to attack, and Zhiquan retreated knowing the difficulty."

"you!"

Suddenly, Man Chong stood up from the case and pointed at Li Changshi, his beard trembling for a while.

He was obviously very angry.

"Hey, hey, general, don't let your anger hurt you."

Seeing this, Li Changshi still smiled, bowed and said, "My subordinates were not thoughtful and misunderstood the general's instructions. If not, how about the general punishing me according to the law or punishing me with a salary to calm my anger?"

What crime can I punish you for?

It is impossible to deceive the superiors and deceive the subordinates, and it is difficult to convince the public by neglecting one's duties!
Man Chong became increasingly angry at Li Changshi's seemingly submissive but in reality generous manner - with his wisdom, it was not difficult to guess that Li Changshi was deliberately confusing the public and confirming that he had seized the power of the general under his command. matter, so that he could make up for his loss, and then seek more benefits for Xia Houhui!
What's even more hateful is that he clearly knows that he has been cheated but he can't vent his anger.

It's not that he was worried about Li Changshi's status as Emperor Cao Rui's confidant in Huainan.

But he is old and has lost his energy.

Many things in the army are difficult to do personally. They are all handled by Li Changshi, who has stayed in Huainan for nearly 20 years and knows everything about the army.

To put it bluntly, if Man Chong were to leave Li Changshi, his life would be shortened unless he exhausted himself to death!
After all, it would take a long time to apply to the temple again, and it would take a long time to take up the post and become familiar with military affairs. By that time, he would be exhausted.

Not to mention Wang Ling, the governor of Yangzhou, who has always been eyeing his position!
Furthermore, Man Chong is no longer as energetic as he was when he was young. He is no longer the cool official who couldn't hold a grain of sand out of his eyes, and he has no interest in official career and power.

It is already difficult for him to use his old age as a barrier to the country.

If he had to deal with the handy Li Changshi because of a trivial matter, then he would be asking for trouble!

How can I have some leisure time to enjoy myself with some wine?

And Li Changshi is also well versed in the world.

When he took a peek at Man Chong, who still had anger on his face but remained silent, he understood.

Zi Gu straightened up and walked over, placed a wine bag that had been prepared long ago on Man Chong's desk, and said with a gurgling smile, "This is the late emperor's favorite grape wine. The emperor gave it to Zhi Quan. After returning to Huainan, he will Give it to me. I am not good at tasting the things in the cup, so I just brought them to the general to avoid wasting the natural resources."

You don't like the cup of tea?

That Zhuzi has returned to Huainan for more than a month!
Man Chong glanced at him angrily, but did not refuse.

After a while, he seemed to feel a little thirsty again, so he reached out and picked up the wine bag and took a sip.

Well, the taste is okay.

Although the emperor often gave Pu Niang to the emperor in the past, I feel that the taste of this wine is slightly different every time I drink it.

After taking one mouthful, Manchong quickly took a second and third sip, and each time he did not forget to smack his mouth a few times, leisurely savoring the sour-sweet taste. After a while, most of the anger on his face had dissipated. Looking at Li Changshi who was still smiling beside him, he sighed helplessly.

Alas, it was all in vain to calm down. Considering that he had done his job very responsibly before, I just borrowed the donkey from Poxia.

Thought to himself, Man Chong finally spoke up and said leisurely, "Tell me, what does Chang Shi want to do for that Zhu Zi, against my will?"

"My subordinate Xie General is not guilty."

First he expressed his thanks, and then Li Changshi said quickly, "My subordinates know the general's concerns and take them for granted. Naturally, they dare not ask for anything for that Shuzi. I just feel that the five hundred cavalrymen were selected by your Majesty from the Central Army." He was given the opportunity to do so, and the generals of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were also given to him as generals. Even though we were wary, it was not a long-term solution. We went with the flow and ordered Zhiquan to also participate in the daily life of the Cavalry. Performing martial arts means being busy and rushing back and forth between two places, leaving no time to think about other things."

When he has five hundred horses, I will have to plan a war in exchange for it!

Well, you actually want him to get involved in the Huainan Cavalry Song?
The new Cavalry Inspector Leliang is his general. You suggest that he also be allowed to enter the Cavalry Song. Is this restraint or indulgence?

Do you really think I'm stupid?
As soon as he finished speaking, Man Chong's eyes suddenly became sharp.

And Li Changshi, who had already prepared the manuscript, hurriedly added without waiting for him to say anything, "Oh! I forgot to report it to the general. Yesterday, General Qilu informed me privately, claiming that when he was about to leave for Luoyang, Your Majesty also told him that although he is a general in the Zhongquan Department, he should take the position of Cavalry Supervisor as his main duty after arriving in Huainan, and he should only obey the general's orders in all matters."

uh~
If so, that's not impossible.

Man Chong raised his eyebrows slightly, lowered his eyes and twirled his beard in thought.

But after a long time, he didn't comment, and he didn't even put the bag of grape wine in his hand to his mouth.

It also made Li Changshi, who had been waiting quietly, gradually lose his composure.

Because he knew that if Man Chong continued to ponder to himself, his deliberation would turn into a nap.
So he thought for a while, then put melancholy on his face, interrupted Man Chong's thoughts with a long sigh, and began to talk endlessly.

"Ugh!"

"I think back to when Emperor Wu started his business, there were so many talented people in our Qiaopei Township. It can be said that there was no shortage of virtuous people."

"It has only been a few decades now, and not to mention that all the Xia lords and Cao officials have stopped taking over. Even the sons and nephews of the old disciples are hard to find anyone who can be of great use."

"Your Majesty is often worried now, and privately says that I should work diligently to feed my children, but how can I, a mediocre person, bear this burden? I can only feel anxious all day long, feeling ashamed that I have failed the country's favor!"

As people get older, they become more nagging and less able to tolerate the nagging of others.

Li Changshi's rambling made Man Chong, who was still brooding, suddenly feel that he was not tired of it. He waved his hand as if to ward off a buzzing fly, "Okay, okay, it's really noisy! Go out and don't disturb me." "Drinking."

"Wei. Thank you, General."

When Li Changshi heard this, he stopped talking. He didn't even take a breath from speaking incessantly to stopping abruptly. He bowed directly to thank him and strode away.

It also made Man Chong look at him with contempt. However, after he was alone in the office, he got up with the wine bag and went to the map office to look at it.

Sometimes he takes a sip, sometimes he frowns.

After a while, his eyebrows relaxed, and he cursed in a low voice, "So what if Sun Shao, the thief general, is careful in his duties and heavily guarded? If I want to break through his defense point, it will not be easy! In the past, Xiahou Miaocai treated me like this "Jingyan, why do you think so? I'll leave it for now. I'll let you know someday why your majesty encouraged me to say, 'The strong will eat the strong, and the horse will support the saddle'!"

Li Changshi, who walked out of the department room, didn't know this.

After a lot of hard work, he finally got what he wanted. As soon as he walked to his office, he found a small official and told Xiahou Hui the whole story.

Afterwards, he knelt down in front of the desk, studied ink and wrote letters.

It was for his son-in-law.

As the confidants of the two kings of the Wei Dynasty in Huainan, several of his sons were only middle-aged talents, but they were awarded official salaries that were enough to establish themselves.

Therefore, he wanted to find a future for his son-in-law.

Because of Emperor Cao Rui's admiration for Xia Houhui, he was also very optimistic about Xia Houhui's future, and felt that Xia Houhui was a person who knew how to repay his kindness.

It just so happened that his son-in-law had good studies and a good family background.

If he were recruited now and sent to serve as an assistant to Xia Houhui or something like that, it would not be difficult for him to rise to the level of two thousand stones in the future.

Yes, the reason why he sought power for Xia Houhui from Man Chong was not only to live up to the emperor Cao Rui's instructions to reserve talents for the country, but also to make personal plans for the family.

Anyway, you can have both, so why not!

Outside the city, there is Shijia Piwu.

Xia Houhui was about to take the letter he had written last night and send it back to Luoyang by mail, but just when he led his horse out of the dock, he happened to bump into the messenger who was bringing the letter.

The family letter from King Xijun Yuanji arrived at the same time as the letter from his seventh brother Xia Houhe.

Therefore, he did not transfer the letter - not surprisingly, Xiahou and the content in the letter were the answers he wanted to ask.

Returning quickly, he first tore open the envelope of Xia Houhe's letter and read it carefully.

The letter contains three contents.

First, it was his eldest brother Xia Houheng who informed him that Ding Mi broke up with Cao Shuang on the second day after he rushed to Huainan.

According to gossip in the market, a few days after Cao Shuang was awarded the title of General of the Military Guard, he invited Ding Mi to a banquet, claiming that he would look for an opportunity to intercede with Emperor Cao Rui and recommend Ding Mi's talents, striving to free Ding Mi from imprisonment. .

But after Ding Mi solemnly thanked him, he politely declined on the grounds that he did not want to implicate Cao Shuang's future.

He also claimed that scholars should abide by the principle of "loyalty to the emperor, filial piety to relatives, and sincerity to friends", and he frankly informed Cao Shuang about his meeting with Xia Houhui.

This shocked Cao Shuang.

Immediately, it turned into extreme disappointment and anger.

He had always regarded Ding Mi as a good friend and never hid even obscure private matters. How could Ding Mi betray him and go sit down with Xia Houhui?

he asked angrily.

Ding Mi bowed and apologized first, and then responded in this way.

"Xiahou Zhiquan is my sister-in-law. In ancient times, blood was thicker than water, and we cannot break off the relationship. Now that the two families are deceased, I don't want to make the deceased still miserable under the Jiuyou. Just like Xiahou Taichu, a gentleman and sister-in-law, too. Close to Uncle Zhao but not close to the clan relatives Zhiquan."

That's all, he also swore in the name of the deceased, claiming that he had never revealed Cao Shuang's private criticism of Xia Houhui, nor had he done anything to betray Cao Shuang's friendship.

But Cao Shuang couldn't let go.

He was not questioning that Ding Mi would be harmful to himself, but he was angry that he didn't understand people well and resented that Ding Mi had failed him in his kindness.

However, Ding Mi took Xia Houxuan as an example, but he couldn't find anything to criticize.

With deep shame and frustration that he had no way to vent, he broke up with Ding Mi in anger.

It is said that Xia Houxuan learned about it afterwards and even gave Cao Shuang a few words to persuade him.

He claimed that if Cao Shuang regretted, he could personally go to Ding Mi and try to resolve the misunderstanding and make the two reconcile as before.

But Cao Shuang was very decisive.

Said: "I treat each other with sincerity and communicate with my heart, but he doesn't care about friendship! If he doesn't kiss me, let him go. Why should I stay?"

After Ding Mi heard these words, he packed his bags and went back to Sangziqiao County to live in seclusion.

The second part of Xiahou's letters is about Qin Lang.

Because of the relationship between his sixth brother Xia Houhui, Xia Houhe was not close to Xia Houxian, Qin Lang, Cao Zhao, Cao Shuang and others, and they only nodded and acquainted each other with full courtesy.

Moreover, because of his young age, Emperor Cao Rui rarely hired him to accompany him when he was not in charge of government affairs.

Therefore, although he has been serving as the Sanqi Shilang for a long time, he is not well-informed in the palace.

However, he once accidentally overheard the eunuchs gossiping, saying that when the emperor recruited Qin Lang and others to accompany him on a trip, he also said something to Qin Lang on the grounds of poor handling of the war after the expedition against Xianbei, so that Xiahou Xian and others would have trouble in the future. If you have the opportunity to go out to fight against thieves, you should follow Sima Yi's handling of the Longdong rebellion, and carefully read Xiahou Hui's advice on the resettlement of Xie Guini and other Xianbei people.

After this incident, Qin Lang, Cao Shuang and Xia Houxian became closer and closer.

There is no lack of private invitations to each other for banquets.

But for some reason, Cao Zhao often hangs out with He Yan and others and rarely enjoys them.

The third content of the letter is a private matter.

The eldest brother Xia Houheng claimed that the matter of selling horses from Bingzhou to Gyeonggi was almost complete, so he informed Xia Houhui.

After reading it carefully, Xia Houhui threw the letter into the brazier.

He roughly knew the reason for Cao Zhao's goodwill.

It's just that Qin Lang, Cao Shuang and others felt that the emperor's favor with them was declining, and he seemed to be more and more important to themselves, so they felt a sense of crisis and hugged each other to warm up, seeking to regain the holy family from him.

To put it bluntly, they are their cronies.

As for Cao Zhao, whose brother Cao Zuan had been sent to supervise the army, he felt that the emperor's favor towards him was unfailing, so he had no intention of participating in this kind of internal fighting among the descendants of the clan patriarch, let alone being implicated.

Therefore, Xiahou Hui also fell into deep thought for a long time.

He was not worried about Qin Lang and others' overt and covert attacks, but was considering Cao Zhao's authenticity. (End of chapter)