Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 496 Ma Chao begs for surrender
Autumn, Wuhan Palace.

Liu Bei sat on the dragon couch and browsed Zhuge Liang's more than 2,000-word memorial. He read it several times before straightening out the contents of the memorial.

After pondering for a while, Liu Bei asked: "Kong Ming wanted to implement a nine-level official system to clarify the order of advance and retreat. I think it is feasible. However, what is the purpose of setting up middle-ranking officials in the book to distinguish local wise men and elect filial and honest officials? What do you mean? "

That day, Huo and Ge discussed the official system in detail. After thinking deeply, Zhuge Liang decided to deprive the county governor of the right to inspect and promote Xiaolian. Instead, the central government appointed Zhongping officials, who went down to the counties to elect Xiaolian.

Scholars in the county who are proficient in the five classics are called honest scholars. With the status of honest scholars, they can go to school in prefectures and counties, and then be assessed as filial and honest by Zhongping officials. Those who become filial and honest will go to the capital to participate in the examination in October, and will be evaluated by Shangshutai. When the test paper comes out, choose the best among the many.

Those who failed in their filial piety and integrity were sent back to Yuanzhou County or to further their studies at the Capital Literary Viewpoint.

Only those who pass the Duan Examination and then pass the assessment of the Ministry of Official Affairs can be appointed to official positions.

Of course, this system is limited to the inspection and examination system. The appointment system during the Han Dynasty, perhaps knowing that the resistance was too great, Huo Jun did not mention it, and Zhuge Liang did not intend to change it.

The system of appointing sons actually guarantees the official power of the heirs of high-ranking officials. That is, the Han Dynasty law says: "For officials with more than two thousand dan and three years of age, they can appoint one of them as a husband."

If the system of appointing sons is abolished, it is foreseeable that not only Liu Bei will oppose it, but also the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty.

Huo Jun held the wat board, raised his head and said: "Since the end of the Chinese Han Dynasty, the growth of the kings of various states has been extremely difficult to contain. The governors may do their best faithfully, but it is difficult to predict whether there will be rogues in future generations. Now we should exempt the governors of the states from the power of conquest and transfer them to all the governors. "To the Chancellor's Desk."

The nine-level official system is a matter of court etiquette and is the icing on the cake. After Huo Jun had a detailed discussion with Zhuge Liang that day, Zhuge Liang believed that the nine-rank official system would be of great help to the Southern Han Dynasty and expressed that it could be implemented.

"I second the proposal!" Shangshu ordered Fazheng to come out.

"allow!"

Seeing that all the officials bowed their heads and remained silent, Liu Bei knew that everyone was in silence, so he waved his hand and said, "If there is no response, all the ministers can retreat."

"Promise!" Xu Jing responded.

"Zhang Gong, filial piety and incorruptibility were originally born to select officials. Officials such as prefecture biejia and chief secretary were appointed by Shangshutai. There are too many officials nowadays, so it is not appropriate to follow the old system." Zhuge Liang explained.

"Is there anything missing?" Liu Bei asked.

The heroes have followed Liu Bei from birth to death for so many years, most of them long for wealth and honor that will last for future generations. Now that the sub-tenure system has been abolished, civil servants have toiled all their lives, and the wealth of their descendants cannot be guaranteed, so they are still doing nothing. Therefore, the resistance is so great that Huo Jun cannot push it forward.

After a while of silence, all the ministers bowed to Liu Bei and retired. Among the crowd, Huo Jun, Zhuge Liang, Fazheng and a few other close officials who had been notified in advance stayed in the palace because they wanted to accompany Liu Bei to meet Ma Chao's envoy Pang Rou.

It is not difficult for the Southern Han Dynasty to acquire the power of the governor of a state. The governor of a state is appointed by Liu Bei, and the officials he has recruited will not be dismissed. However, if there is a vacancy of state officials in the future, they will be appointed by the Shangshutai.

Zhuge Liang held the wat tablet in his hand and said: "Your Majesty, the law has changed due to the current situation. In the past, Emperor Xiaowu controlled the inspection and examination to recruit scholars from the prefecture and country. However, a hundred years later, filial piety and integrity have no virtue, and talent has no learning. Today, I and your ministers I thought that when the unhealthy trends of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were over, the system of inspection and examination could be reformed, and scholars could be recruited to serve as the central government."

Trying to change the official selection system overnight is no less difficult than Shang Yang's reform. Huo Jun could only act according to the situation, work with Zhuge Liang to improve the system, and make more efforts for the Southern Han Dynasty during his lifetime to avoid the emergence of aristocratic families in the Han Dynasty, which would harm the country and the people.

Liu Bei thought for a while and said: "There is no law that remains unchanged forever. In the past, there were counties but no states. Today, the governors of the states should be restrained and learn from the Chinese and Han Dynasties."

"Can!"

Liu Bei looked around at everyone present and asked, "The Prime Minister's words are very reasonable. I wonder who has any objections?"

After a while, under Huo Jun's gaze, Pang Rou entered the palace in casual clothes and knelt down to Liu Bei.

"Your Majesty, filial piety and honesty are more valuable because they are less. Now that the prime minister praises filial piety and honesty so much, it should feel like filial piety and honesty are undervalued." Zhang Zhao said.

When the idlers left, Wang Can bowed and cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Ma Chao's secret envoy Pang Rou has arrived outside the palace. Do you want to let him in now?"

"Chen Jun seconded the proposal!"

With that said, Liu Bei looked at Xu Jing and said: "Since you are Da Honglu, the nine ranks of the hundred officials should be handled by you. Please draft and report the details as soon as possible."

"Foreign envoy Pang Rou pays homage to Your Majesty. I wish Your Majesty a long and happy life and eternal blessings."

"No gift!"

Liu Bei smiled, held his hand out of thin air, and said, "You have been in Wuhan for a long time. I wonder if Ling Ming's hospitality was thoughtful?"

Pang Rou stood in the hall, cupped her hands and said, "Ling Ming has taken very good care of you. He has everything he needs for food and clothing. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

"good!"

Liu Bei invited Pang Rou to take a seat and asked, "On Meng Qi's order, you came all the way from Longyou. I don't know why?"

Pang Rou sat on the bench at the foot of the steps, approached Zhuge Liang, and said truthfully: "Your Majesty, my Lord declares that Cao Cao is dictatorial and cruel and harms the people. Following the request of the people of the country and remembering the old kindness of the Han Dynasty, my Lord raised an army to defend him. Unexpectedly, he was defeated by Cao Cao and had to surrender to him."

"The traitor Cao Cao died of illness, and your majesty established the Han Dynasty in Jingchu. My lord deeply missed the favor of the Han Dynasty and wanted to lead his troops to surrender. Now I ask your majesty to order Lu Xun to send troops to Guanzhong, and my lord will send his troops out of Chencang. They will advance in two directions, and we can win for your majesty." Guanlong.”

Liu Bei remained calm and asked, "I have heard of Meng Qi's sincerity for a long time. But now that we are launching an expedition to the north, does your Lord want anything else?"

Seeing Liu Bei being so direct, Pang Rou hesitated a little and said, "My lord is from Guanzhong. Now I want to return home. I am willing to work with you to defeat Guanzhong. When I go to Guanzhong, please appoint me to take charge of Huaili. Driven." Liu Bei frowned and said, "That's all?"

"That's all!"

Pang Rou presented the letter and said, "This is a letter from my lord. I kindly ask your Majesty to read it personally."

The attendant handed the letter to Liu Bei. Liu Bei opened the letter and read it briefly. Seeing that the content of the letter was consistent with what Pang Rou said, Liu Bei didn't ask any more questions.

Pang Rou's expression remained unchanged, and she raised her hands and said: "Today, Han and Wei will rise simultaneously. Your Majesty has wanted to establish the Han Dynasty for a long time, but due to the situation, the benefits gained from the Northern Expedition are unspeakable. If my lord raises troops to respond, Guanzhong Then it will be captured by your majesty, and the old capital will be restored and the Han Dynasty will be prosperous!"

Looking at the content of the letter, Liu Bei was moved and said: "I know Meng Qi's intention. However, the matter of sending troops to the Northern Expedition needs to be discussed carefully. Please step aside and let me think about it for a few days."

"promise!"

When Pang Rou retreated, Liu Bei couldn't wait and asked, "What do you think Ma Chao means?"

Fazheng frowned and smoothed his beard, and said: "Your Majesty, although Ma Chao is an outstanding military commander, he is also a man of many deceitful ways. Do not trust what he says now."

Liu Bei got up from the couch and said: "Although Ma Chao cannot be trusted easily, he can be used. If we can get him to raise troops to help, the Northern Expedition to Guanlong is expected."

"In the past, Xiaozhi offered a plan. If we can instigate Ma Chao and the three armies gather in Guanzhong, we can hope to move to Guanzhong. Now, if we move the main force from Guanzhong to the east, we can capture Henan. If we capture Henan and cross the river to the north, we can revive the Han Dynasty."

"The plan is true, but I'm afraid that Ma Chao has a secret plan and wants to take advantage of our army." Fa Zheng said with a wry smile.

He originally proposed this strategy because Ma Chao was seduced by Lu Xun, but he also suspected that Ma Chao wanted to take advantage of them.

Liu Bei walked up and down and asked, "Do Kong Ming and Zhong Miao have any good ideas?"

"Your Majesty, how can you believe that Ma Chao cannot love his father?"

"Ma Chao sent Pang Rou to the capital because he must have the intention of benefiting himself. Jun thinks that Ma Chao can be used, but not in a big way. Your Majesty can ask Lu Boyan to leave Hanzhong and make an appointment with Ma Chao to raise troops."

Huo Jun presented his plan for the Northern Expedition and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty will encircle Shouchun with his ministers, and the whole country will defeat Shouchun. If we can attack Shouchun, we can send troops to Xu and Yu. At that time, Your Majesty led the army out of Wan." City, plunder Luoyang. If the officials gather the troops from the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, conquer Qingzhou, drink the great river, and then work together to defeat Luoyang, then the Han Dynasty will be prosperous!"

Liu Bei frowned slightly. Huo Jun's Northern Expedition strategy was too slow and did not fit in with his ideas.

He had attacked Shouchun before, but he knew that Shouchun was not easy to attack. The two countries are tit-for-tat with their large armies and can easily reach a stalemate and retreat as they did before.

After finally capturing Xiangfan last time, he planned to send troops from the center and adopt Fazheng's previous strategy, either to attack Luoyang or Guanzhong.

After pondering for a while, Liu Bei said: "Shouchun is a strong city in the world. If the two countries fight with large armies, they may be able to win in Shouchun. However, it will take a long time and the number of casualties will be difficult to estimate."

"Now Xiangfan is in the hands of our army. If we leave Xiangfan, if we win a battle, Chang'an and Luoyang may be able to attack. Therefore, it is the Northern Expedition. Zhongmiao will go out to Jianghuai as a partial army, so that he can decide the affairs in the east on his own."

Seeing that Liu Bei did not adopt the plan to attack Shouchun, Huo Jun was not discouraged or angry, but could understand Liu Bei's thoughts.

After all, Xiangfan and Shouchun both blocked the path of the Northern Expedition in the south. Now that Xiangfan was captured by the Southern Han, it was normal for Liu Bei to choose to start the Northern Expedition from Xiangfan. For example, in history, both Yue Fei and Huan Wen sent troops from Xiangfan for the Northern Expedition, and the Jianghuai army served as a deputy army to cooperate.

Huo Jun's expression remained unchanged, he raised his hands and said: "If your Majesty leaves Xiangfan and enters Guanzhong via Wuguan, you should focus on the grain road. Wuguan Road is thousands of miles away, and there is a lot of grain in Jingchu. If the transportation is inconvenient, there will be a shortage of grain. risk."

"good!"

"Kong Ming?"

Zhuge Liang hesitated a little and said: "Your Majesty, Liang and the two princes have the same view. If your Majesty can go to Guanzhong, the Han Dynasty can prosper. However, people who have repeated Ma Chao should be used with caution. In order to avoid mistakes, It is better to order Ma Chao to rebel first and then wait for the opportunity to enter Guanzhong."

"Let Ma Chao rebel first?"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and paced around and said, "Kong Ming's words are very reasonable and may be feasible."

After a pause, Liu Bei asked: "Ma Chao has surrendered to our army. What official position should he be given now?"

"You can give him the title of Yongzhou Mu and make him a chariot and cavalry general!" Zhuge Liang suggested.

"Can!"

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said: "Someone has come to prepare an edict and appoint Ma Chao as the shepherd of Yongzhou, general of chariots and cavalry, envoy Chijie, and commander of all military affairs in Yongzhou."

"correct!"

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang and said with a smile: "Ling Ming is Pang Rou's disciple. Kong Ming is looking for an opportunity to hold a banquet to see if he can persuade Pang Rou to surrender. Even if Pang Rou cannot be persuaded to surrender, he will still be bribed with money."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)