Can I get to the other side?

After dealing with the rebels, Liu Xie turned to ask about the situation of the people in Yanzhou, Yuzhou and Yangzhou.

"I heard that Cao Cao moved the people and food supplies from the two states to Jiangdong. Did you succeed in stopping him?"

Recovering lost territory is important, but if there are no people and food supplies in the recovered lost territory, the benefits of recovering lost territory will be greatly reduced.

Zhang Liao said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, although Cao Cao's actions are fast, relocating people is a huge project after all."

"According to my statistics, Cao Cao only relocated less than 30% of the people and supplies across the river, and the remaining 70% were not successfully relocated."

"I have asked General Taishi to stay in Yangzhou to comfort the people and send them back to their respective hometowns."

If it weren't for this matter, he would not have led his troops to Huainan County, and he would not have been attacked by Sun Quan.

However, Sun Quan's strategy of crossing the river in white clothes to seize the Tongling ferry was the biggest reason for Cao Cao to stop relocating people.

So from this point of view, Sun Quan still has some credit.

Although the means adopted were very despicable.

Liu Xie nodded and felt relieved a little, but at the same time he also felt a lot of pressure - with two more states added, the pressure of governance was even greater.

"Talent, there is too little talent."

"I have to recruit Lu Su first."

Liu Xie sighed in his heart.

It is difficult to conquer the world, and it is even more difficult to rule the world. Liu Xie has no shortage of military generals who can conquer the world, but he lacks civil officials who can rule the world.

Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang are certainly good at handling government affairs, but we can't throw all the things to them.

At this time, Zhuge Liang bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the Cao army in Guandu has now entered Jingzhou and stationed in Nanyang County."

"I suspect this is a conspiracy of Cao thief. He either wants to form an alliance with Liu Cong or wants to seize Jingzhou."

"But I think no matter what Cao thief's purpose is, it cannot be ignored."

Hearing this, all the ministers were shocked.

Jingzhou's strategic location is crucial. It is like a link that closely connects the rich Yizhou and the Central Plains.

At the same time, it controls the throat of the Yangtze River Basin, like a towering barrier, controlling the lifeline of north-south transportation.

In addition, Jingzhou is one of the best in the world in terms of population and abundance, and it is definitely a place that military strategists must fight for.

More importantly, now that Liu Cong supports the pseudo-emperor, if Cao Cao forms an alliance with Liu Cong and gets the support of Jingzhou forces, it will be even more difficult to deal with him.

As soon as Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Lu Bu couldn't wait to say: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops to attack Nanyang County and wipe out this Cao army!"

When he learned that the Cao army in Guandu fled to Jingzhou, he wanted to lead troops to pursue them, but both Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi opposed it.

But now he couldn't help but bring it up again.

There was no way. Zhang Liao's words today really made him feel too angry. He had to show his strength to slap Zhang Liao in the face.

However, just as Lu Bu finished speaking, Guo Jia said: "Your Majesty, the war has just ended and the results have not been fully digested. It is not appropriate to start a war again for the time being."

"Whether it is to send troops to attack Cao or to attack Jingzhou, we need to plan before we act. These two rebel forces are stronger than Sun Quan and are not easy to deal with."

War is not a joke, and we can't just fight it.

To be honest, the reason why Sun Quan was destroyed so quickly this time was that there was a certain amount of luck in it. After all, no one would have thought that Cao Cao would choose to stab his ally in the back and cut off Sun Quan's retreat.

If Cao Cao had not stabbed him in the back and fought against the court with Sun Quan to the end, then this war would definitely have lasted for a long time.

"They are just a bunch of chickens and dogs!"

Lv Bu snorted coldly, and said with some disdain: "No matter how strong they are, they are vulnerable in front of my cavalry!"

"Last time, I let the fake emperor escape by luck. This time, I will personally lead the troops to Xiangyang City and capture the fake emperor in front of Your Majesty!"

Hearing Lu Bu's arrogant words, Zhang Liao on the side said suddenly: "Remember to bring General Zilong and Minister Zhuge, otherwise we will be stopped by Cao's Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation again."

He directly sprinkled salt on Lu Bu's wound.

"Zhang Wenyuan!"

Lv Bu gritted his teeth and glared at Zhang Liao, wishing he could drag him out and beat him up right now.

This guy is definitely itching for skin!

Seeing this, Liu Xie said, "Let's put off the dispatch of troops for now. Let's digest the results of this battle first. There are still many affairs to deal with in Yanzhou and Yuzhou."

"Zhongda, Kongming, you have to pay more attention."

Although Jingzhou is very important, this matter is not urgent. The most urgent thing is to deal with the two newly recovered states first.

Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi's expressions suddenly became solemn when they heard this, and they said respectfully, "I will do my best to live up to your majesty's expectations!"

Liu Xie nodded slightly and ended the court meeting.

...

On the way out of the palace, Guo Jia and Jia Xu came to congratulate Zhuge Liang and celebrate his promotion to the position of Zuomin Shangshu.

"Kongming broke the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array with wisdom this time. No wonder he dared to issue a military order at the beginning. It turns out that he is a genius and has nothing to fear."

"Our worries are unnecessary."

Jia Xu smiled at Zhuge Liang.

At first, they thought Zhuge Liang was arrogant for signing the military order, but now it seems that he dared to act in this way because he was confident.

Guo Jia also praised: "I didn't expect that Kong Ming is not only good at governing, but also proficient in Qimen Dunjia. He is really a versatile person. No wonder His Majesty values ​​him so much."

Facing the compliments of the two men, Zhuge Liang said modestly: "Wen He and Feng Xiao have been over-praised. The ability to break the enemy's formation was all due to the bravery of General Zilong. I only played a supporting role."

"Your Majesty promoted me to be the Minister of Zuo Min, and I really deserve it."

Jia Xu smiled and said: "Kong Ming doesn't need to belittle himself or feel afraid. Since His Majesty values ​​you, just do your best."

"The Minister of Zuo Min is an important position, and His Majesty has high expectations for you. You must know that during your absence, Your Majesty has been talking about you every day."

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but be startled.

He was already flattered to be awarded the post of Zuo Min Shangshu, and now he heard Jia Xu say this, and he was even more moved.

The emperor actually valued him so much!

After regaining consciousness, Zhuge Liang stood still and bowed deeply to the palace behind him. When he straightened up again, his eye circles were already slightly red.

"Your Majesty treats me as a soldier of the country, how can I not repay him as a soldier of the country!"

Zhuge Liang said slightly choked.

He had already made up his mind that he would do his best in the future to repay the emperor for his kindness!

"Just keep it in mind."

Jia Xu patted Zhuge Liang on the shoulder, and then asked: "Your Majesty will definitely leave the governance of Yanzhou and Yuzhou to you and Zhongda."

"This job is not easy. Although Cao Cao has evacuated, there are still many aristocratic families in the two places."

"They all supported Cao Cao more or less back then. They cannot escape the crime of rebellion. How do you think Kong Ming should treat them?"

Cao Cao originally occupied the Yan and Henan provinces and received the support of many aristocratic families. Now that Cao Cao has escaped, these aristocratic families cannot escape.

When the imperial court regains the two states, they will definitely be liquidated.

Jia Xu received the news from the embroidered clothes envoy that many aristocratic families from Yanzhou and Yuzhou had sent people to Yecheng, ready to take the initiative to plead guilty to the emperor.

"This matter still needs to be decided by His Majesty."

After Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, he replied, "Dan Liang thinks that the punishment must not be ignored, but the punishment must not be too severe. He needs to find a compromise strategy."

There must be a penalty.

These aristocratic families supported Cao Cao and became enemies of the imperial court. No matter what the reason was, they would not be able to escape the crime of rebellion.

How can it serve as a deterrent if no punishment is given?

But it won't work if the punishment is too severe. There are too many aristocratic families involved. The sage Confucius didn't blame everyone even though he preached the law. Heavy punishment for all would have the opposite effect.

The best way is to pick a few chickens to kill, and lift the rest high and put them down gently.

Of course, this is just Zhuge Liang's personal idea, and the final decision depends on Liu Xie's wishes.

"I'll ask your Majesty for instructions tomorrow."

Jia Xu nodded, then smiled at Guo Jia and said, "To celebrate Kong Ming's promotion, how about having a few drinks at my house?"

"I recently got a batch of grape wine. The taste is very intoxicating. I have drank several bottles of it."

Guo Jia moved his index finger when he heard that there was wine.

But after hesitating for a while, he still sighed: "Next time, I've been taking the prescription prescribed by Dr. Hua to regulate my body recently, and I can't drink alcohol."

When Hua Tuo gave him the prescription, he emphatically warned him not to drink alcohol, otherwise it would be fatal if the medicinal properties conflicted.

So he could only reluctantly refuse.

Jia Xu was happy and said condescendingly: "Then you'd better take good care of yourself. Kong Ming and I will enjoy this fine wine alone."

"Kong Ming, let's go, hahahaha!"

Looking at the backs of Jia Xu and Zhuge Liang leaving together, Guo Jia was envious but helpless. He could only sigh and ride back home.

But as soon as he returned to his mansion, he saw a rather luxurious carriage parked outside his house.

"Are there guests?"

Seeing this, Guo Jia raised his eyebrows and asked the concierge who came forward: "Who will be visiting the house when I go to court?"

The porter said: "Go home, two of your family members from Yingchuan are here. They have been waiting in the hall for a long time."

"Yingchuan? My family?"

When Guo Jia heard this, he immediately thought of something, his face changed slightly, and his expression instantly darkened.

He didn't say much and walked straight into the house.

Make your way to the lobby.

In the lobby, two old men dressed in extraordinary clothes were drinking tea and waiting, chatting in low voices.

Hearing the footsteps, the two of them looked up.

When one of the old men saw Guo Jia, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He stood up and greeted him with a smile: "Fengxiao, it's been a long time since we last seen each other."

The other old man was still sitting upright drinking tea.

No intention of getting up at all.

Guo Jia recognized their identities when he saw them, because these two people were indeed from his family, and they were the elders of the Guo family in Yingchuan - Guo Rou and Guo Hong!

But when he saw the two clan elders, Guo Jia didn't show much joy on his face. He just said lightly: "Why did the two clan elders suddenly come to visit?"

"Huh, how rude!"

Guo Hong, who was sitting there, snorted coldly and looked at Guo Jia displeasedly, "Don't you know how to salute when you see your elders? Are you standing there waiting for us to salute you?"

One sentence made the atmosphere instantly cool down.

Guo Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Guo Hong.

Guo Rou quickly smoothed things over and said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it's just the etiquette that my family adheres to, not to mention we are still guests."

"You must be very tired when you come back from Fengxiao's court, right? It's better to stop standing and come over and sit down first."

Guo Jia stared at Guo Hong for a moment, but finally said nothing, walked up and sat across from the two of them.

"I still have important things to do. I will go to the palace later to take part in government affairs. It is inconvenient to stay in the palace for too long. If you have any questions, please speak up to the two clan elders."

Guo Jia's tone had a harsh tone.

After hearing the words "entering the palace to participate in government affairs", Guo Hong and Guo Rou's expressions changed obviously and they looked at each other.

"I have long heard that Fengxiao is highly valued by the emperor. It is true when I see him today. Not everyone can participate in government affairs. Fengxiao is really promising."

Guo Rou said with a haha. Seeing that Guo Jia didn't respond, she stopped talking nonsense and said directly: "Fengxiao, we do have important matters to discuss with you this time."

"The clan plans to let you change from a side branch to join the Guo clan, what do you think?"

Guo Jia was indeed born in the Guo family of Yingchuan, but his lineage was a branch of the Guo family and had long since declined.

Guo Rou means to merge Guo Jia into the direct line of the Guo family. In this way, Guo Jia will change his identity from a side branch to a direct descendant of the Guo family.

"unnecessary."

Guo Jia rejected Guo Rou's proposal without saying a word and said calmly: "I'm not interested in this kind of thing. It's better to invite the two clan elders back."

This answer made Guo Rou unexpected.

A side branch joins the main line of the direct line, which is the dream of countless side branches in a large family!

Because although they all have the same surname, it is impossible for side branches to represent the family. Only direct descendants can represent the entire family.

Moreover, as a direct descendant, you can mobilize a lot of resources and connections, which is definitely not comparable to that of a descendant from the side branch.

This opportunity is now in front of Guo Jia.

Was he actually rejected?

"presumptuous!"

An angry look suddenly appeared on Guo Hong's face. He banged the cane on the ground hard and said with a livid face: "For you to be included in the direct lineage, this is the clan's recognition of you!"

"You are just a censor Zhongcheng now! Do you really think that you can get carried away just because you have the emperor's attention?"

“Young people, don’t be ignorant of the sky and the earth!”

Facing Guo Hong's anger, Guo Jia was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said: "Yes, I am just a censor Zhongcheng."

"My humble official position is not enough to become a direct descendant, so I choose to refuse. How about this?"

"you--!"

Guo Hong was so angry that he almost lost his temper.

Guo Rou on the side sighed and said to Guo Jia: "Feng Xiao, I know you have grudges against the family, and you didn't support the children of your side branch enough at the beginning."

"But you are a member of the Guo family after all, and the blood of our Guo family is flowing in you. We share the same ancestry."

"You should know our purpose of coming today. Now that the family is in trouble, how can you turn a blind eye?"

Guo Jia suppressed his smile and sneered in his heart.

Of course he knew the purpose of the two Guo family elders coming here today. When the emperor regained Yanzhou and Yuzhou, he would definitely liquidate the families that supported Cao Cao. The Guo family, who was a wealthy Yingchuan family, was naturally among them.

They came to the door today just to ask for his help!