Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

Yecheng.

Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong met at a private residence.

Cao Rui wanted to use the Zhuge brothers to check and balance the aristocratic families of the pseudo-Wei, and gave them considerable power.

With the support of Cao Rui, Zhuge Rong built a large number of workshops in Yecheng to produce rare and luxury goods.

Wealth was constantly concentrated in the royal family, which made many of the pseudo-Wei aristocratic families dissatisfied with the royal family.

however.

These dissenting voices were suppressed by Zhuge Ke, who was in charge of the School Affairs Office.

Zhuge Ke did not need to establish a base in the Pseudo-Wei, nor did he need to curry favor with the aristocratic families of the Pseudo-Wei.

Therefore, when it comes to supervising officials, Zhuge Ke's style is vigorous and his methods are as ruthless as those of Cheng Yu and Man Chong in the past.

In addition, Zhuge Ke's actions were openly based on the interests of the pseudo-Wei royal family, so he was highly trusted by Cao Rui.

As a result, everyone in the pseudo-Wei court hated Zhuge Ke to the core and called him a "traitorous minister."

"Although Cao Rui concentrated wealth, he lost the support of the pseudo-Wei aristocratic families."

"The current situation is forcibly maintained by the royal family's wealth and military strength."

"Everything has its limits, and too much is as bad as too little."

"If Cao Rui is defeated once, the reputation of the pseudo-Wei royal family in Hebei will collapse!"

"Without a leader, the remaining noble families are just a pile of loose sand, not worth worrying about!"

"Brother, it's time to persuade Cao Rui to send troops!"

Zhuge Rong's eyes were filled with confidence, and it was obvious that he had a deep understanding of the situation and internal conflicts of the Pseudo-Wei.

Zhuge Rong did not have the ability to be a capable and loyal minister who could save the country from danger.

However, Zhuge Rong thought it was not difficult to create conflicts and put the country into danger.

Zhuge Rong’s contribution to the current situation of the Pseudo-Wei cannot be ignored.

The royal family and the aristocratic families complement each other. If the interests of both sides are balanced, the national strength of the Pseudo-Wei will increase dramatically.

This was one of the core reasons why Sima Yi initially wanted to cease fire and take care of the people.

however.

There have been frequent wars in recent years, and Zhuge Qiao did not give the Pseudo-Wei any time to cease fire and take care of the people.

The struggle between countries means that the more the enemy wants something, the less time and opportunity it should be given to obtain it.

even.

Sima Yi wanted to use the natural barrier of the Yellow River to delay time, so Zhuge Qiao sent the brothers Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong to the north.

Especially for Zhuge Rong, economic plunder was equivalent to digging up the roots of the aristocratic family!

In the past, when the Tian family replaced the Qi state, they controlled the economic lifeline of the Qi state and ultimately completed the change of power.

same.

Zhuge Rong used advanced productivity to plunder the interests of the Hebei families and then tied these interests to the royal family.

The royal family exerted military and economic suppression on the aristocratic families.

Logically speaking, as long as the aristocratic families can be suppressed, the Pseudo-Wei should become powerful.

However, during the implementation process, Zhuge Rong's methods were rather rough, and Zhuge Ke used the power of the School Affairs Office to cooperate.

This caused a lot of hatred among the Zhuge brothers as they helped Cao Rui suppress the aristocratic families.

Aristocratic families are also human beings.

As human beings, there will be gratitude and hatred.

Cao Rui used the Zhuge brothers' suppression of the aristocratic families, making their chances of survival increasingly narrow and their resentment increasingly heavy.

As the saying goes, everything has its limits and too much is as bad as too little.

Now Cao Rui can use his economic and military power to intimidate and suppress the aristocratic families.

But if Cao Rui's military power weakened and his inner treasury ran out of money, and he needed to ask the aristocratic families for help, the aristocratic families would certainly settle past accounts with Cao Rui.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

Zhuge Ke's eyes were deep.

Compared with Zhuge Rong, Zhuge Ke considered more.

"If we persuade Cao Rui to raise an army, then the battle between Han and Wei will definitely determine the winner."

"But if Wei is destroyed by Han, can Bo Song fulfill his promise?"

Zhuge Ke did not dare to take his younger brother's personality lightly.

He looks harmless, but actually has evil intentions.

Zhuge Qiao was able to hide his talents in Jiangdong at a young age. Everyone thought he was "stupid". No one expected that after being adopted by Zhuge Liang, he seemed to be sublimated.

Ten years of dormancy in Jiangdong, ten years of fame throughout the world.

Zhuge Ke did so many dirty things for Zhuge Qiao, so it may not be easy for him to survive in the Han court in the future.

Before that, Zhuge Ke had to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

"Brother, you worry too much!"

Zhuge Rong did not have as many thoughts as Zhuge Ke and thought more directly.

"Brother Bosong has never been dealing with you or me, but those conservative aristocratic families."

"Those aristocratic families are just like the nobles of Qin during Shang Yang's reforms. They are intertwined and deeply rooted."

"These people hinder the development of society and use people as slaves, which is despicable."

"Brother Bosong is only worried that the forces opposing the noble families are not strong enough, so why would he compromise with the noble families?"

"In this world, no noble family can force Brother Bosong to kill you and me to apologize."

"What you and I have to do is to follow Brother Bosong's plan and persuade Cao Rui to send troops first."

"The sooner the war ends, the more people will survive."

"If the war really lasts for decades, only one in ten civilians will survive in the Central Plains. I'm afraid even the Hu people won't be able to resist."

Zhuge Ke was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled: "I thought too much. Bosong's ambitions are far beyond this small Central Plains. He still needs you and me brothers."

After careful discussion, the two brothers came to the palace to look for Cao Rui.

Because there was too much money and grain in the royal treasury, Cao Rui had become a little arrogant recently and even proposed a motion to build an imperial palace.

However, this proposal was rejected by Chen Qun, who believed that the current situation did not warrant large-scale construction projects that would waste people's time and money.

This made Cao Rui feel uneasy.

Seeing the brothers Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong arrive, Cao Rui asked the male favorites and concubines around him to leave.

Looking at those handsome male favorites and concubines, Zhuge Rong couldn't help but sigh inwardly: What a fancy way!

"Yuanxun, Uncle Chang, you came just in time."

"I think this palace is too small. I want to build another one near the Xuanwu Pond."

"Chen Changwen thinks that I am wasting money and manpower, and he even refuted me in the court, which makes me very impatient."

"I don't want the court to pay for the construction of the imperial palace. The money and grain will come from my inner treasury."

"Uncle, you will be in charge of the construction."

"You are responsible for mobilizing the money, materials, and personnel."

As soon as Cao Rui opened his mouth, he started building large-scale projects.

After all, the money and grain in the inner treasury is more than that in the national treasury, and Zhuge Rong can continue to earn money and grain. Cao Rui is rich and powerful, so he doesn't care at all!

Zhuge Rong and Zhuge Ke looked at each other and stepped forward to advise: "Your Majesty, I think we can temporarily postpone the construction of the imperial palace." Cao Rui's smile froze and he frowned and said: "Uncle, do you also think that I am wasting money and manpower?"

Zhuge Rong shook his head slightly: "Your Majesty, let alone building one palace, even if you want to build ten palaces, I will prepare money and food for your Majesty."

"But Your Majesty has more urgent things to do right now."

"As the saying goes, only when a country has no external enemies can its people live and work in peace. Zhuge Qiao is building a city at Baimajin. If we ignore it, the people will not be able to live in peace."

"Your Majesty now has troops and food, why not lead the troops to fight Zhuge Qiao."

Cao Rui frowned even more: "Zhuge Qiao is very good at using troops. Even Zhongda and Zidan are no match for Zhuge Qiao."

"Wouldn't it be exactly what Zhuge Qiao wants to do to deploy troops at this time?"

Zhuge Ke said: "Your Majesty, everything has two sides."

"My brother has amassed too much wealth, and has long since incurred the disgust of the noble families. If we cannot provide benefits to these noble families, I am afraid that it will undermine your majesty's authority."

Cao Rui sneered: "Do they have the guts to do that?"

If the inner treasury had no money and no food, Cao Rui would still have made some concessions; now that he had money and food, Cao Rui was not afraid at all of complaints from the aristocratic families.

If you dare to show your head, you will be killed instantly!
Zhuge Ke advised: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, things will turn into the opposite when they reach the extreme, so don't suppress them too much."

"Why not promise that if Zhuge Qiao is defeated, the lands of Yan and Yu will be given to those who have made contributions."

"This will not only ease the conflict between us, but also help expand the territory for Wei. Isn't that a pleasure?"

Cao Rui fell into deep thought.

When internal conflicts reach a critical point, launching a foreign war is an effective way to resolve the conflicts.

If you die in battle, the conflict will be resolved immediately.

As the territory was expanded, rewards were given and benefits were divided, conflicts also decreased.

Although he lived deep in the palace, Cao Rui could see the contradictions and conflicts within the Pseudo-Wei regime very clearly.

only.

Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong used open strategies, and everything was based on the interests of the royal family.

Therefore.

Cao Rui turned a blind eye to many things. As long as the conflicts did not escalate, anyone who did not take advantage of the opportunity would be a bastard.

"Who can lead the troops?" Cao Rui was tempted.

Zhuge Ke said: "I think this battle requires the whole country's efforts to win."

"The first battle is the decisive battle, and the outcome will be decided in one battle."

"Your Majesty must lead the troops in person in this battle!"

Zhuge Ke's voice was loud and powerful, and Cao Rui's blood boiled when he heard it.

Cao Rui slammed the table and stood up: "What a saying, 'The beginning of a war is a decisive battle, and one battle will determine the outcome'!"

"I now have money, food, and a full complement of troops. Why should I be afraid of Zhuge Qiao?"

"Pass on my order to mobilize the troops from the four states of Hebei to gather in Ye County. I want to fight Zhuge Qiao to see who is better!"

Seeing that Cao Rui was determined to fight Zhuge Qiao, Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong were both secretly delighted.

I am not afraid of Cao Rui mobilizing troops, but I am afraid of Cao Rui dividing his troops to defend.

Upon hearing that Cao Rui was going to lead the army in person, Sima Yi and Chen Qun hurried over to persuade Cao Rui to stop the war and call a truce.

however.

Before Sima Yi and Chen Qun met Cao Rui, they were stopped by Zhuge Ke.

"You two, His Majesty has issued an oral order. If you want to persuade His Majesty to stop the war, you don't have to go, so as to avoid embarrassing each other." Zhuge Ke stood at the palace gate with a sword in hand, looking at Sima Yi and Chen Qun with contempt.

Chen Qun angrily said, "Zhuge Ke, I am the Minister of Works and the Recorder of the Secretariat of the current dynasty, and I am also the minister entrusted by the late emperor. How dare you stop me?"

Zhuge Ke scratched his ear and said indifferently: "Chen Sikong, I know you have a good background, a great family, and a high position. You don't need to show off in front of me."

Chen Qun was even more angry: "Zhuge Ke, do you mean that I became the Minister of Works because of my family background?"

Zhuge Ke snorted and pressed his right hand on the hilt of the sword: "Whether it is true or not, you know it yourself, no need to explain it to me; I only ask one question, do you listen to the Majesty's order or not?"

Chen Qun was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end. When he was about to argue with Zhuge Ke again, Sima Yi stopped him in time: "Zhuge Ke, if you are not trying to persuade Your Majesty to stop the war, can you enter the palace?"

Zhuge Ke looked at Sima Yi, and said with a hint of teasing, "General Sima, don't play tricks on me."

"Your Majesty's oral order is to stop you ministers in the court. Why do you have to make a fuss in front of His Majesty?"

"I advise you to lead the army well. If you can't beat Zhuge Liang, it's fine. But if you can't even beat Zhuge Qiao, then you are not worthy of the title of the son of a great family in Hanoi."

"Why don't you give me the military power? I really want to compete with Zhuge Qiao."

Seeing that Zhuge Ke had seen through his thoughts, Sima Yi's eyes darkened: "Zhuge Ke, do you think that I can't guess your intentions just because you two brothers deceived His Majesty?"

"You are instigating His Majesty to lead the army in person. You must be colluding with Zhuge Qiao!"

Zhuge Ke smiled instead and said, "General Sima Fu, don't say anything without evidence, or I will accuse you of slander in front of His Majesty."

"If you're talking about collusion, the school office recently found out that your second son, Sima Zhao, had close contacts with merchants from the pseudo-Han Dynasty."

"I wonder if Sima Zhao's business dealings with the pseudo-Han merchants are normal, or are they secretly colluding to leak the secrets of the Wei Dynasty?"

"Sima Fujun, can you tell me the answer?"

Sima Yi's face changed: "Zhuge Ke, you are going too far!"

Zhuge Ke chuckled: "General Sima Fu, I have always been very obedient. The School Affairs Office supervises all officials, and everything I do is in accordance with the law."

"Even though the whole court calls me a traitor, which case did I confess to under torture?"

"As the saying goes, flies don't bite seamless eggs."

"Think more about yourself, obey the law and morality, and don't challenge the law of the country."

Sima Yi secretly clenched his fists.

The sons of aristocratic families often disregard the laws of the country.

After all, the officialdom is a place of personal relationships, and the law will not be enforced just because of trivial matters.

However, Zhuge Ke was different. No matter how powerful your background was, as long as you broke the law, you would be severely punished.

As for whether there is "fishing enforcement", it is unknown.

Seeing Zhuge Ke acting like a "villain who has succeeded", Sima Yi could only pull the furious Chen Qun away from the palace gate.

Chen Qun was still furious: "Zhongda, are you just going to watch Zhuge Ke deceive His Majesty?"

"If we send out troops at this time, it will be fine if we win, but if we lose, Wei will become the Yuan Shao of the past!"

Sima Yi looked deep in his eyes and sighed softly, "Changwen, haven't you seen it clearly yet?"

"Although Zhuge Ke is a villain who has achieved success, he represents the will of Your Majesty."

"Rather than saying that Your Majesty was deceived by Zhuge Ke, it would be better to say that Your Majesty was just using Zhuge Ke's words to express his willingness to lead the army in person."

"It seems that the whole government and the people are dissatisfied with Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong, but in fact they are dissatisfied with the emperor behind the Zhuge brothers."

"Your Majesty is amassing wealth too much!"

Chen Qun's anger gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression: "Zhongda, do you want to use the name of a personal expedition to ease the conflict between the government and the people?"

"But Zhuge Qiao is no pushover. Since his debut, Zhuge Qiao has never lost!"

"Even if you use all the power of Wei, Your Majesty may not be able to win!"

Sima Yi's eyes were equally solemn: "We have received great favors from the late emperor, so we should share your worries."

"Since Your Majesty wants to fight, we will fight for Your Majesty with all our strength."

"Changwen, we can't fight among ourselves at this time."

"At least, we must convince those people to help Your Majesty conquer the fake Han in the south!" (End of this chapter)