Wei Ni

The emperor Cao Rui, who has been smart since childhood, has good sense and judgment and is tolerant of others.
But there is also a motive side.

For example, he previously valued his servant Liu Ye very highly and trusted him to the point of obeying his advice. However, later on when Cao Zhen was conquering Shu, he discovered Liu Ye's speculating and flattering side, so he felt disgusted and alienated him directly. .

To put it bluntly, his character is a bit clear-cut in love and hate, black and white.

The reason why he did not take Liu Fang and Sun Zi's advice and postponed the recording of merits on Xia Houhui was also because of his character - he had already planned to transfer Xia Houhui back to Luoyang to prepare for taking up the post of the Central Guards, but he thought of him. I wanted to practice my words locally, so I sent a private message to Huainan to ask Xia Houhui how he felt.

Allowing ministers to make their own choices cannot be said to be a scorpion's shit, but it can still be regarded as a sign of great kindness.

But Cao Rui felt that Xia Houhui deserved this favor.

Because the battle of Guangling was too shameful for the emperor!
Not to mention the shooting of Sun Shao. Considering Sun Shao's identity and status in Jiangdong, this was a great contribution to boosting the morale of Qingxu and the Huainan soldiers and restoring the low morale after Cao Xiu's defeat at Shiting.

But what Emperor Cao Rui valued more was the performance of the new army of three thousand soldiers in this battle.

Jiangdu Wubao, Kuangqi City and various garrison points were all destroyed, and some soldiers practiced boating and attacked the navy on the water that relied on Jiangdong to rule the roost!
You know, when he wanted to reform the scholar family system, he encountered so many doubts and was discouraged by the princes of the temple~
To put it bluntly, the Shijia New Army is related to his prestige.

But now the battle has vindicated his name!

This kind of joy and relief, just like Qin Lang's surrender to the prison before, could make him so excited that he couldn't sleep at night.

Not to mention that Qin Lang's sacrifice of prisoners also caused a lot of troubles, and the battle of Guangling where Xia Houhui led the new army of the Shi family was really without any failures!

In this case, isn't it normal for him to give more favors~
As for the doubts of the temple officials, he also found a reason to fool them.

When Man Chong's merit report was presented to the temple, Li Changshi's private memorial also came into his hands, including asking him for instructions on whether he could agree to the conditions for recruiting Wu general Zheng Zhou.

Of course he agreed.

It's not because Li Changshi claimed in his letter that Zheng Zhou was talented, but because Zheng Zhou's willingness to surrender means that Wei is more popular than Wu and is more in line with the destiny of heaven.

Moreover, Zheng Zhou's conditions are easy to meet.

He just didn't want to meet his old master with swords and soldiers. Wei State's territory was huge, and Wu State was not the only enemy. Yongliang and Youbin both needed soldiers to garrison, and there were plenty of places to place them.

Therefore, the excuse he gave to the ministers that "Zhiquan's credit for recruiting and surrendering has not been fully recorded" meant that the credit for recruiting and surrendering Zheng Zhou had not yet been recorded.

Well, it’s just shirk.

He was trying to delay Xia Houhui's reply.

And he also considered it very carefully, and asked Li Changshi to send people to protect Zheng Zhou to meet him in Luoyang on the grounds that Zheng Zhou was from the imperial hometown.

Huainan Shouchun, Shijiabiwu.

Wu Gang followed Xia Houhui to the Shijiajia small habitat on the north bank of Huai River.

He is already Xia Houhui's staff.

This is inevitable.

Li Changshi had always cared for Xia Houhui like his own nephew. Not to mention that Wu Gang was very talented and learned. Even if he was mentally retarded, Xia Houhui would have brought him back to support him.

As a human being, you must know how to be grateful.

How can a person who knows his kindness without repaying it achieve great things?
If he turned a blind eye to Li Changshi's kindness, how could he believe that Jiang Ban, Deng Ai, Gou Quan and others would be grateful to him?

"General, are we really going to get some candy?"

Wu Gang, who had been at Shijiabiwu for a few days and had roughly figured out the affairs of the Shijia New Army, asked a question with some confusion.

Yes, what are you going to do in the North Shore?

It is only mid-spring and February, and the winter hideout is not over yet. Why go over there and disturb the peace and tranquility of the scholar's family?
At this time, we should supervise the soldiers to practice martial arts. We should arrange for the soldiers to take turns to rest and recharge their batteries, or they should go to the farming areas to have a look, calculate in advance the materials and grain needed for spring farming, and then go to the Governor's Mansion in Yangzhou. Just make a reservation!
Strive to ensure that the soldiers have enough food and clothing, and strengthen military exercises to prepare for war.

This is what a general should do, and it is also the preparation to lay a solid foundation for success.

Even if you don't want to do it yourself, you can just entrust the affairs to him and the three thousand-person supervisors. Why bother to idle around and not do your job to induce others to gossip in private!
Yes, Wu Gang felt that Xia Houhui was not doing his job properly.

As a general, he took a candy maker with him to make candy for the children of the scholar's family.

"Ah."

Xia Houhui walked slowly onto the pontoon without looking back, "I had arranged this before my birthday, but it was delayed due to the war, so I have some free time today."

Caramel is maltose.

It was created during the Western Zhou Dynasty and became popular among the people during the Han Dynasty. Sugar craftsmen can be seen hawking along the streets in cities of a slightly larger size.

After the new soldiers of the former Shijia army were recruited and came to Shouchun, Huainan, when Xia Houhui took them to open up acres of land, they mainly planted beans (beans) and millet, with wheat and rice mixed in. Millet is the ration carried when going on an expedition, while beans can be made into tofu to strengthen the physique of soldiers who have little meat and little oil and water; wheat and rice are the food of soldiers when there is no war.

Because it was ripe last year and had quite a surplus, Xia Houhui allocated some wheat from his palace to make candy for the children of the scholar family.

Not to win people's hearts.

It's just that I have a bad conscience, and I want to give those children some sweetness.

Because now many scholar families have already achieved military exploits, and the order of redemption for all of them is as follows: first, the children of the family are removed from the scholar family status, then the land is replaced, then the wife and parents are replaced, and finally themselves.

Of course, many people are unable to redeem their wives, parents, and themselves. But most people's children have been exempted from military status.

When sons grow up, they can support themselves by farming, and are no longer forced to go to the battlefield to fill ravines with swords and swords. When daughters grow up, they can also marry into the common people, and are no longer reduced to reproductive tools and can only marry into the scholar family. And from time to time, she was forcibly abducted as a married woman and remarried.

This is something that the Shi family could not imagine before.

And no one will give birth to a child without raising it (abandoning the newborn) anymore.

What's even more rare is that Xia Houhui also invited his husband to teach them how to read.

Therefore, the most common thing that parents of scholars say to their children is, "It is your parents who gave birth to you, and it is General Xiahou who lives you! Childish children, remember this and never forget your kindness!"

Xia Houhui was shocked when he learned about it.

Seeking truth from facts, in fact, he did not give any kindness to the scholar family.

Moreover, he was also a meat eater, and his promotion in the official position and being awarded the title of canteen were also obtained with the bones of the scholars.

It is precisely because of this that he often does not do his job properly in his spare time.

For example, he took his soldiers into the water to fish, hunted sheep, deer and wild hogs in the swamps and bushes to improve the meals for the children, or he could find any reason to use the army's accumulated grain to give them extra meals during the holidays.
Today I found a few sugar makers to make sweets for the children.

Just take care of them as much as you can.

Wu Gang was after Wu Rui, the king of Changsha in the early Han Dynasty. Even in his generation, he still had enough food and clothing to survive, so it is understandable that he could not understand Xia Houhui's thoughts.

However, there are some things that he can still know in detail.

When Emperor Cao Rui's private letter arrived, Xia Houhui just read it and asked him to give advice.

Well, actually Xia Houhui already had an idea in mind.

The reason why I asked him to take the details was to show that I trusted him so that we could work together as soon as possible.

After Wu Gang took the letter and read it, he was dumbfounded at first, and then filled with gratitude.

Now he finally knew why his uncle Li Changshi asked him to serve as Xia Houhui's staff instead of directly arranging a minor official position in the Zhengdong General's Office.

The emperor could ask the emperor himself to write a private letter asking where he wanted to serve.
Xiahou Hui's holy family is so prosperous that no one in the government or the public can surpass him!
As for gratitude, Xia Houhui was honest with him because he had only been a staff member for a few days and they didn't know each other's temperaments clearly.
Treat each other sincerely, that's all.

Therefore, with gratitude, he carefully considered it for a long time before giving a suggestion, "General, I believe that it is not appropriate to return to Luoyang at this time to prepare for your official career."

"Oh?"

This answer surprised Xia Houhui.

After all, according to the usual understanding, serving in the capital Luoyang and always being with the emperor is the way to gain power and consolidate the holy family; and with many favors in Huainan, it is not ordinary for Xiahou Hui to get ahead.

In this case, it is better to go back to Luoyang, maybe we can get out of town faster!

But Wu Gang actually gave the opposite answer, which greatly increased Xia Houhui's interest, and urged him, "Speak carefully, there is no one here, so there is no need to be taboo."

"only."

Responding respectfully, Wu Gang said solemnly, "There are two reasons for what I said."

"First, the general is not yet thirty years old, and your majesty is also in his prime. With your majesty's ability to treat the general, there will be no shortage of opportunities to return to Luoyang in the future. In this case, it is better to stay in Huainan to seek military exploits."

"The general is after Qiao Pei. If he has military exploits, he will return to Luoyang to serve in the future, and he will be able to rise to prominence. Moreover, although Huainan has few soldiers, it no longer has the strength to cross the river to fight against the thief Wu. However, the thief Wu Sun Zhongmou has already moved the capital to Jianye, and it will inevitably After repeated invasions, it is easier for generals to accumulate merits compared to places such as Yongliang and Jingxiang."

"Secondly, the general is currently in charge of three new armies of scholars in Huainan. The soldiers and generals are all willing to die. This is the help of the general who will lead one side in the future. If the general returns to Luoyang, I am afraid that his kindness and righteousness will decline. And forward. General Fan Man used his general to supervise the Huainan cavalry and marched to Guangling. After a great victory, there will be no shortage of time to return to supervise the troops. This has always been the case in ancient times. The general can supervise both on foot and on horseback, and the battle achievements will be easy."

Um.
Very thoughtful.

It seems that you are not only capable of handling general affairs, but also quite scheming.

Xia Houhui nodded approvingly, "Good. It's very good that the scholar's whip has been inserted into it. Then I will write a letter back to your majesty, and I won't ask to return to Luoyang for now."

After reaching a conclusion, the two discussed other matters.

Not long after, Wu Gang left with the joy of having his advice adopted.

But what he didn't know was that although Xia Houhui didn't want to return to Luoyang, he didn't plan to stay in Huainan.

Moreover, in the letter of Emperor Cao Rui, there is another sentence: "Zhiquan swore by the stars in the past, I have never forgotten it, and I often sigh with emotion. Now that Zhiquan has broken the thief Wu Zhuang's morale in the army and raised the prestige of our country, I am very relieved, and also Don't hesitate to promote him! If Zhiquan wants to return to Luoyang, I will seize the position and give it to him within one year of age. "

Swearing by the stars, it was because Cao Rui mistakenly thought that he coveted the position of the Central Guard.
Of course Xia Houhui remembered this, so he didn't want to go back to Luoyang.

There is no need to conflict with Jiang Jiqi now, is there?
Besides, the emperor already had the intention of letting him serve as the Central Protector Army. If he returns to Luoyang later, the Central Protector Army will also be in his pocket~
There is no need to rush.

Therefore, after Wu Gang left, he sat quietly and considered his words for a long time before writing and writing a reply to the emperor.

The book says:

"Chen Hui has served in the army for several years, but his merits are not enough, and he is still not worthy of being appointed as a guard of the army. Kuang Chenhui was favored by His Majesty at a young age, and he often has a fearful heart. At this time, he is working abroad to fight for the country against his enemies, so he should work hard and practice diligently. Strengthen your talents and strive to make progress, so as to live up to your Majesty's expectations and not to disgrace your family's reputation. Therefore, I would like to ask your Majesty to forgive me for not returning to the capital for the time being. After the war, he returned to Youzhou to take up his post, and captured Gongsun of Liaodong to congratulate the country." (End of this chapter)