Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 726: The Duke of the County
October, Luoyang.

Early in the morning, Huo Jun was woken up by the person next to him.

Since the long-term Northern Expedition, the camp was worried about the enemy's night attack, and Huo Jun seldom slept soundly, and even developed the habit of waking up in the middle of the night. Now that he entered Luoyang, Huo Jun relaxed a lot, his spirit was no longer tense, and with the beauty's recent service, he slept much more comfortably last night, and even slept through the morning.

"Mingsong, you should go to the court to handle affairs today."

Xiahou Hui gently moved away the rough hand that was pressing on her chest and said softly, "Your Majesty has not yet arrived in Luoyang. Now all the policies in Henan need to be implemented according to your instructions."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Huo Jun played with the pink cherries and teased.

Having been on the march for many years, Huo Jun had not seen women for a long time, and even a sow seemed pretty. Now that he had married the beautiful Xiahou Hui, Huo Jun seemed to have returned to the days when he first shared the bed with Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, and he could not help but indulge in her.

"no!"

Xiahou Hui blushed and said, "It is just that Luoyang has just been conquered and Henan and other prefectures are temporarily safe. I am afraid that you have delayed state affairs. After all, you are the hope of the world and all the old officials of Wei admire you. You should meet with everyone to reassure the old officials."

"Yuanrong is quite sensible!"

Huo Jun hugged Xiahou Hui and said with a smile: "However, I have already handed over all matters concerning the capital and Henan to Kong Ming to take care of."

Since taking Xiahou Hui in as his wife, and considering the subsequent return of power, Huo Jun simply handed over all the affairs of the prefectures and counties in Henan to Zhuge Liang, and had a lot of fun playing with Xiahou Hui in the mansion.

Now that they had an excuse, Huo Jun and Xiahou Hui lingered on the bed for a while before getting up with the help of the maid.

Looking at himself in his fifties in the bronze mirror, Huo Jun suddenly asked, "Does Yuanrong regret it?"

"Ming Gong, you are a great man!"

Xiahou Hui was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It is my honor to serve you, sir. How can I regret it?"

Then, Xiahou Hui took the initiative to hold Huo Jun from behind and said softly, "I am just afraid that Madam and the other concubines will not like it."

He was more than 30 years older than Xiahou Hui, and he was half threatening her, so he was worried that she might have resentment. Hearing what he said, Huo Jun felt relieved.

"Madam is generous, nothing will happen."

Huo Jun hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "If you are worried that the concubines cannot tolerate you, you can choose another house to live in from now on."

"How can a concubine live alone?"

Xiahou Hui smiled and said, "I will pay my respects to the Madam and live with the concubines."

Huo Jun turned around and embraced Xiahou Hui, saying, "In the future, if you can get along with other women, then do so. If you can't, then stay away from them. Don't force it."

Huo Jun finished his breakfast with the help of his servants.

When Huo Jun was free, Zhuge Liang came to visit him in a carriage.

"Kong Ming is here to visit me. I wonder what he wants?" Huo Jun went to the gate to greet him and asked.

Zhuge Liang carefully observed Huo Jun's complexion and said with a smile, "I thought you would be burdened by alcohol and sex recently, but unexpectedly you look much better."

Hearing what Zhuge Liang meant, Huo Jun smiled and said, "Without paperwork to tire you out, and without military distractions to distract you, wouldn't you be in good spirits? As for wine and sex, don't be greedy and don't indulge in them. On the contrary, they can help maintain your spirit."

For Huo Jun, by mastering reasonable techniques and controlling appropriate desires, he would not be hurt by women. However, military affairs would inevitably exhaust his spirit unless he handed them over to others.

Now that the important matter has been handed over to Zhuge Liang, Huo Jun is relieved. He is no longer tense and can eat and rest on time every day. So how could his complexion not be better?
Zhuge Liang was a little envious and said, "Brother, you are not moved by external affairs. I am not as good as you!"

Huo Jun invited Zhuge Liang into the hall, shook his head and smiled, "Kong Ming cares about state affairs and has a noble character. I am not as good as Kong Ming, so how can I say that Kong Ming is not as good as me? If Kong Ming is willing, he can give up state affairs and live in seclusion, what is the difficulty?"

Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and sighed, saying: "Today, the world is not yet unified, and there is a lot of work to be done. People's hearts are not yet on my side. Brother, you can give up your government and return home. How dare I ignore state affairs?"

The reason why Huo Jun was ready to hand over power to the government was, firstly, due to Huo Jun's own intentions, and secondly, due to the situation he was facing. Therefore, if Huo Jun did not step down now, it would be difficult for him to step down in the future.

Zhuge Liang could have followed Huo Jun's example and retired, but he couldn't let it go. First, Huo Jun had retired, and Zhuge Liang had to take over to stabilize the government. Second, as Zhuge Liang said, the Han Dynasty had not yet completed its unification, and there was a lot of work to be done, so he couldn't just turn a blind eye.

In the hall, Huo and Ge sat at separate tables, and the maid served them tea and snacks.

Huo Jun poured a cup of tea for Zhuge Liang and asked, "Kong Ming is very busy, why did you come here today?"

Zhuge Liang took a sip of tea and said, "According to the report from Boyan, he wants to persuade Guo Huai to surrender the counties in Hexi to me. What do you think?"

"Good news!" Huo Jun said without hesitation, "The Han and Rong people live together in Hexi. If they use weapons, it will hurt the Han people and will be detrimental to the Han Dynasty's governance of Hexi. Now that we can defeat them without bloodshed, it should be a great joy. Now that Man Chong has been there before, it is not impossible for Guo Huai to surrender to the Han Dynasty. We can only promise him high positions and generous titles."

There are too many remnant forces of Cao Wei, and the Han Dynasty cannot solve everything with force. Appropriately recruiting surrendered and rebellious generals can help the Han Dynasty quickly unify the world.

As for the problem of redundant officials, if we use political means and boil the frog in warm water, those problems will naturally disappear.

"Ok!"

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and said, "According to reports from Hebei, Cao Rui sent envoys to collude with Ke Bineng and promised to cede the Western Regions in order to resist the Han army."

"Liang asked his attendants about this matter, and they all thought that the Western Regions were thousands of miles away from China and that it was difficult to take care of them now, so they should first pacify Hebei. However, Liang was worried that if the Xianbei took over the Western Regions, they would become the Xiongnu and overthrow the counties west of the Yellow River. Even if the Han Dynasty unified the world, the northern border would never be at peace."

Huo Jun frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "After Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions, the Western Regions became part of the Han Dynasty. If the Xianbei are allowed to gain access to the Western Regions, it will be a major threat in the future. Therefore, for the sake of long-term strategy, we should send soldiers to the Western Regions to cut off the Xianbei's right arm."

Zhuge Liang was a little embarrassed and said, "Brother, your view is the same as mine. But the Western Regions are isolated and far away. If we send a large army to the West, it will be difficult to raise food and supplies. If we send a small number of troops, it will be difficult to stop the Xianbei cavalry."

"Why not follow Ban Dingyuan's example!"

Huo Jun considered the situation and said, "We should recruit Guo Huai as soon as possible and send people with lofty ideals to serve as officials in the Western Regions. They should follow the example of Ban Dingyuan, contact the countries in the Western Regions, understand the pros and cons, and build up troops in the Western Regions to prevent the Xianbei from occupying the Western Regions."

At present, the Central Plains has not been pacified, and the Han Dynasty is doomed to be unable to take care of the affairs of the Western Regions and cannot send a large army. Now the only way is to adopt Ban Chao's actions, relying on the prestige of the two Han dynasties in the Western Regions, recover the Western Regions, and form a Western Regions coalition to prevent the Xianbei from invading the Western Regions.

"Brother, what you said is a good plan, but looking at the generals in Guanxi now, few can take on this task. They are only Wei Wenchang, Wang Zijun, Jiang Boyue and others." Zhuge Liang said.

"Wenchang is a native of Chu with an arrogant temperament. He is good at martial arts but not at literature. I am afraid he cannot shoulder this important responsibility. Boyue has great ambitions and has a rough understanding of both civil and military affairs. If we let him lead a thousand soldiers to serve as the Protector General of the Western Regions, he will live up to our expectations." Huo Jun recommended.

"Bo Yue is a talented person who is well acquainted with the customs of Qiang and Hu people and has great ambitions. Appointing him as the Protector General of the Western Regions will put his talents to good use!" said Zhuge Liang.

Since the Northern Expedition, Jiang Wei has made great achievements. He first helped Lu Xun to pacify Longyou, and then helped Wei Yan to defeat Guo Huai. During the expedition to Guanzhong, Jiang Wei made many military achievements.

Such an outstanding performance must have caught the attention of Huo and Ge. The most suitable person to be the Protector General of the Western Regions with a salary of 2,000 stones is Jiang Wei.

Huo and Ge had in-depth discussions for a long time on the issues concerning Hexi and the Western Regions, such as the two counties of Anding and Beidi, and whether to win over the Xianbei in Hexi. Zhuge Liang did not end the topic until these issues were resolved.

Seeing Huo Jun's outstanding views on Guanxi, Zhuge Liang could not help but advise: "The world is not yet unified, the people are suffering, the invaders are in the north, and all industries need to be revived. Brother has a far-sighted vision, why not enter the court to govern? Liang is willing to assist you and help you to revitalize the world."

Hearing this, Huo Jun smiled and said, "I often discuss Guanxi affairs with Qian Zhao, so I know about Guanxi affairs. Qian Zhao is a man of great talent, and his words hit the nail on the head. If Kong Ming wants to pacify the border affairs, he should invite Qian Zhao to the court to listen to his good advice and good opinions."

"I am not as good as Kong Ming in governing the country. Now that I am in power, it is difficult for Kong Ming to exert his power. Therefore, it is better for Kong Ming to manage state affairs. If there are any difficult matters, Kong Ming can come to consult."

"As for the matter of recovering the three prefectures in Hebei, Your Majesty and Kong Ming can lead the troops to fight, and I can serve as a military advisor to help correct the shortcomings."

Although Huo Jun called for handing over power to the government, he knew that he could not just ignore everything. When it came to major events concerning the future of the Han Dynasty, Huo Jun would naturally speak out, either supporting Zhuge Liang in implementing policies or correcting the shortcomings of Zhuge Liang's policies.

Seeing Huo Jun say this, Zhuge Liang did not force anything.

After chatting about state affairs for a while, Zhuge Liang suddenly asked before leaving: "Now that you have made outstanding contributions, what do you want?"

Huo Jun said politely: "Jun is deeply indebted to the Han Dynasty. I have no other requests. I am willing to obey your majesty's orders!"

Zhuge Liang asked tentatively: "Your Majesty wants to make me a king, what do you think?"

Huo Jun's expression slightly became serious, and he said accusingly: "How could Kong Ming be like this?"

"No one but Liu can be crowned king, how can I betray him?"

Zhuge Liang was a little embarrassed and said, "To be honest, I want to recommend you to be the Duke of the County. What do you think?"

Huo Jun frowned slightly and said, "The position of a county lord is high and has never been held before. I am not in a position to obey your order."

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "According to your letter, Bo Yan has made great contributions in recovering the old capital Chang'an, and will be granted the title of Duke of Chencang County. General Yide has made great contributions in assisting the government, and will be granted the title of Duke of Fangcheng County. As the chief minister, how can you share the same merits with them? How can you win the support of the people without leading the county police?"

"How is General Yide's health?" Huo Jun asked.

Zhuge Liang sighed slightly and said, "Yide is ill and is now traveling north to Luoyang by carriage. Your Majesty is concerned about General Yide's health, so you want to grant him the title of county lord based on his past merits. Not only that, Guan Ping will succeed Yuanhou (Guan Yu) as the title of Hanshou county lord."

In short, because the Han Dynasty recovered Chang'an and Luoyang, it not only rewarded those meritorious officials, such as Lu Xun and Zhuge Liang, as county dukes, but also wanted to formally appoint Guan and Zhang as county dukes, with the title hereditary.

"Where's Kong Ming?"

"Your Majesty wishes to confer the title of Duke of Yangdu County on Liang."

(End of this chapter)