Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 655: It’s not Xiao He’s business

The reason why Huo Jun was so suspicious was that it was already spring. According to Huo Jun's plan, he would launch the Northern Expedition next spring.

Therefore, Huo Jun needed to go to Nanjing in the second half of the year to prepare for matters before the Northern Expedition and to formulate corresponding marching strategies.

Regardless of whether Zhuge Fan was Cao Rui's spy or not, Huo Jun had to have someone conduct a thorough investigation in order to ensure the stability of the central government.

Huo Jun, suspicious, expanded the scope of the investigation to include all officials who had voluntarily surrendered to the Han Dynasty after Cao Rui ascended the throne. The main targets of the investigation were people working in the capital, and the person in charge was Fei Guan, the head of the Ministry of War.

After Wang Xiang left, Zhuge Liang was invited to visit.

"Jiang Ling Gong!"

"Ge Xiang!"

Huo and Ge greeted each other, and then sat down at the table across from each other.

Huo Jun poured a cup of tea for Zhuge Liang and said with a smile: "There are only Kongming and me here now, so you can just call each other by our courtesy names, no need to be overly polite!"

"Xie Zhongmiao!"

Zhuge Liang was not polite. He took the teacup with both hands and said with a smile, "I wonder why you summoned me here today?"

"Kong Ming doesn't know?" Huo Jun asked with a smile.

"Hmm~"

Zhuge Liang sipped his tea and thought, and said, "Deng Zhi joined forces with Ke Bineng, and Lu Xun initially pacified the six counties in Longyou. Now that the affairs in the west and north have been completed, Zhong Miao is looking for Liang. Could it be that he is planning a northern expedition?"

“Yes and no!”

Huo Jun nodded slightly and said, "Next spring, Han will send out all its troops to the north. Ke Bineng will attack Hebei, and Lu Boyan will send troops to Guanzhong. Jun will lead the army to attack Qingxu, and Kong Ming will send troops to Jingwan. So judging from the schedule, Jun will arrive in Nanjing in July, and I'm afraid Kong Ming and you will be responsible for the affairs in the capital!"

Zhuge Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "I am afraid that I will have to leave the capital with Zhongmiao. In July, I will also go to Xiangyang to manage the affairs. The affairs in the capital need to be entrusted to others."

"Arrive at Xiangyang in August?"

Huo Jun was a little curious and asked, "Wuhan is adjacent to Xiangyang. I wonder why Kong Ming came to Xiangyang so early?"

Zhuge Liang smiled helplessly and said, "I need to go to Xiangyang to train the troops so that we can attack Jingwan in the future. If I go to Xiangyang at the last minute, I'm afraid it will ruin the military and national affairs."

Although Zhuge Liang led two expeditions, overall, he did not have much experience in commanding troops. In order to ensure that the Northern Expedition would not fail, or to help Huo Jun contain Xu and Luo's troops, Zhuge Liang planned to arrive in Xiangyang early and then spend half a year training the troops.

Zhuge's military training not only included familiarizing himself with the officers and men of the army, but also included rehearsing battle formations so that he would not be outclassed by the Wei army in field battles.

"Who does Kong Ming want to hand over the affairs of the capital to?" Huo Jun asked.

"How about Zhang Yi from Shu?" Zhuge Liang mentioned an unexpected person.

"Zhang Yi?"

Huo Jun frowned and said, "Although Zhang Yi is capable and quick, he is only a Cao in the Ministry of Revenue. How can he replace Kong Ming?"

Since Zhang Yi was recognized by Zhuge Liang for his great talent, he was promoted to higher positions in a few years. After the implementation of the six-department system, Zhuge Liang rejected all objections and recommended Zhang Yi to be the Minister of Revenue.

What Huo Jun did not expect was that Zhuge Liang planned to use Zhang Yi and let him take charge of things on behalf of Zhuge Liang.

"Zhang Yi's talent is not inferior to Chengming and Yuantan, but they both have their own duties and are not suitable to take charge of the cabinet. Judging from his talent and learning, Zhang Junsi should be able to take over the cabinet affairs in place of Liang!" Zhuge Liang strongly recommended.

Huo Jun hesitated for a moment and asked, "Ma Jichang is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. Could he replace Zhang Yi?"

Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and smiled, saying, "I want Ji Chang to resign from the Ministry of Personnel and take over the post of Archery Captain as the Chief of the Army to assist me in the Northern Expedition to Jing and Wan. As for the Minister of Personnel, I would like to listen to Zhong Miao's recommendation of a candidate."

Zhuge Liang then added: "If Zhongmiao has someone to take charge of the affairs of the government, you can just let me know!"

Huo Jun thought for a moment and said, "What does Kong Ming think of Jiang Gongyan, the governor of Liangzhou?"

"Jiang Gongyan?" Zhuge Liang frowned and thought, then commented, "Jiang Gongyan is a talent for the country, capable of governing a vast territory, and prioritizing the people's well-being. Zhongmiao wants to appoint Jiang Wan as the Minister of Personnel, which should suit your temperament."

There are too many things to consider when nominating a person in charge. The reason why Zhuge Liang let Zhang Yi take charge was mainly because Zhang Yi had no faction, and he had to rely on the scholars of Wu and Chu to govern the country.

Huo Jun chose Jiang Wan to be the Minister of Personnel and to take charge of cabinet affairs on his behalf, more out of consideration for Jiang Wan's ability and status.

Jiang Wan and Pan Jun were relatives, and Huo Jun had been his former sponsor. When Zhuge Liang was in charge of government, he admired Jiang Wan very much. Before Jiang Wan was transferred to be the governor of Liangzhou, Zhuge Liang made the unprecedented decision to recommend Jiang Wan as a talented person.

Jiang Wan was a person with connections in many aspects of the Southern Han Dynasty. If he were to be in charge of the cabinet, he would be obviously more suitable than Zhang Ye, both in terms of qualifications and acceptance.

Zhuge Liang thought for a moment and said, "Jiang Gongyan, who was recommended by Zhongmiao, is indeed a suitable candidate, but Chengming is related to him, so it may not be appropriate to let Gongyan take charge of the affairs of the government!"

"otherwise!"

Huo Jun explained, "Gong Yan governs the country impartially and has great prestige. If he were to take over the government, how could he bend the law for personal gain?"

"It's better like this!"

Zhuge Liang said: "Zhong Miao recommended Gong Yan as the chief secretary of the Grand Marshal, and then he concurrently served as the Palace Attendant and the Minister of Personnel. Liang recommended Zhang Yi as the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, and he served as the commander of the Yueqi Cavalry and the Minister of Revenue to act as the court affairs."

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "Zhong Miao and I are in charge of the affairs of the court. It may not be appropriate to let only one person take charge. You and I can jointly nominate Zhang Yi and Jiang Wan to take charge of the affairs of the court on our behalf. Liang thinks it is feasible!"

"good!"

Huo Jun agreed, hesitated a little, and asked, "I wonder if Kong Ming has any thoughts about the future?"

"Things of the future?"

Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and chanted, and asked, "I wonder what Zhongmiao meant?"

As he spoke, Zhuge Liang glanced at Huo Jun's expression, vaguely guessed something, and said, "Is Zhong Miao worried about his future, or is he worried about the future of governing?"

"I treat you as my brother. If you have any questions, just speak up!"

Seeing Zhuge Liang's serious expression, Huo Jun did not hide anything and said, "I have been entrusted by the late emperor to lead the military and political affairs with you. I have been in charge for many years, and have made great contributions to the country, and was awarded the title of Duke. I have been in charge of state affairs for many years, and I am widely respected by my colleagues. If I continue to be in charge for a long time, I am afraid it will not be a good thing."

After a pause, Huo Jun smiled and said, "This campaign is a campaign of the whole country to the north. If it succeeds, the Han Dynasty can be revived. I want to return to my vassal land to retire, and leave all the government affairs in the country to Kong Ming. If it fails, I am willing to resign as the recorder of the Shangshu affairs, and then fight for the country in the north!"

Huo Jun was not as naive as Liu Chan. He knew that he had made many military achievements. If one of his men came to wear a dragon robe, he would have no choice!
Huo Jun had tasted the power deeply. If he was allowed to hold power for a long time, it would be bad if he became greedy or wanted to do bad things in the future. For some things, when people can control themselves, it is best to stick to their choices!

Gu Yong had advised Huo Jun before because he was worried that Huo Jun had been in power for too long and some of his behaviors would become distorted, and it would be difficult for him to resign after that.

After all, everything in the world has its ups and downs. When things are at their peak, they will decline, and when they are at their peak, they will rise again. Sometimes, the trend of prosperity and decline does not need to be determined by heaven, but can be broken by oneself.

Sometimes powerful officials cannot step down because they are worried about being liquidated by their successors. Huo Jun handed over the affairs of the military and the country to Zhuge Liang, letting Zhuge Liang take charge of the government, because he trusted Zhuge Liang as a person.

Would Zhuge Liang be so despicable as to settle accounts with him?

There is no need for Huo Jun to elaborate on Zhuge Liang's character. Just from what Zhuge Liang did in history, we can know that although he ruled the country with the legalist school, his political methods were always gentle. Not to mention that Liu Bei entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang in Baidi, and Zhuge Liang responded with his death.

Upon hearing Huo Jun's plan, Zhuge Liang's expression changed slightly, and he said, "The late emperor entrusted you with the task of carrying out the mission, how can you abandon it halfway? I know your Majesty's character very well!"

Huo Jun interrupted him with his hand and said with a smile: "It's not giving up halfway!"

"If this northern expedition succeeds, the Han Dynasty will return to the old capital. Shi Jun's reputation is so prosperous that even if Your Majesty is not afraid of him, I am afraid that the ministers in the court will also be afraid of him. And it will be inappropriate for me to lead the government at that time!"

"As for the failure of the Northern Expedition, we can discuss it later!"

Huo Jun smiled and said jokingly, "I don't want to do what Han Xin did, so I hope you don't do what Xiao He did!"

Zhuge Liang suddenly felt depressed and said, "Jun never betrayed the Han Dynasty, so how could I betray you? What Xiao He did, Liang would never do!"

(End of this chapter)