Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chapter 694 Selecting the Virtuous and Capable
When everyone in a team performs well, the shortcomings of the one person who makes a mistake will be magnified infinitely.

This refers to Sima Fu, the current governor of Liangzhou, and Xiahou Ba, the General of Pingyuan.

Wei Zhen, with his mature and prudent approach in Longnan, successfully resisted Zhuge Liang's second Northern Expedition, much to Cao Rui's satisfaction.

Wen Qin led 20,000 cavalrymen across the north of the Yangtze River, and thoroughly investigated the strengths and weaknesses of Xiling and Jiangling. He deserves a reward.

At this time, more than two thousand people from Liangzhou were captured by the Hu people? The city was breached? The entire trade market was looted?

This is extremely excessive.

Moreover, Cao Rui was even more dissatisfied with Xiahou Ba than with Sima Fu.

As Cao Rui recalled the military report Xin Pi had sent to the central government from Guzang City in Wuwei County, Liangzhou last year, the details were magnified in his mind.

Xin Pi had previously only said that Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba were cowardly and wanted to ask the court for military assistance, adding that only the arrival of the imperial army could relieve the crisis in Liangzhou. However, after Xin Pi set his price and successfully appeased the Xianbei in Hexi, and Liangzhou was safe, the two men's reactions did not seem particularly remarkable.

Today is different.

Xiahou Yuan's son became the General Who Pacifies the Distant Lands of the Great Wei, yet he was afraid of those mixed barbarian tribes.
Seeing Cao Rui, seated in the main seat, with a gloomy face and remaining silent, General Cao Zhen did not hesitate. He cupped his hands and said softly, "Your Majesty, why not allow me to lead 10,000 cavalry from the central army to Wuwei County? After the war against Shu in Guanzhong ends, I will transfer 10,000 infantry from Guanzhong and conscript another 10,000 Qiang and Hu from Liangzhou. Adding to Xiahou Ba's existing 5,000 cavalry, that's a total of 35,000, enough to pacify the Xianbei, Lushui Hu, and Juyan Hu in Hexi."

"Although more than ten years have passed, my name should still be of some use in Liangzhou."

Cao Zhen's name was certainly useful. During the Huangchu era, he led a campaign against the Hu people in Liangzhou, beheading over 50,000 and frightening them into not daring to rebel again for more than ten years. However, Cao Zhen was already old, and now he had important military responsibilities in Jingzhou and Yangzhou, so it was not advisable to move him lightly.

"Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?" Cao Rui said, "The primary military task for Great Wei right now is Wu, and the secondary task is Shu. Liangzhou is just a minor ailment. If we send tens of thousands of troops to attack Liangzhou, we will inevitably have to requisition grain and military supplies from Guanzhong. I think that is not advisable. All military activities at present must give way to the campaign against Wu."

"I now deeply resent Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba. I thought that entrusting Liangzhou to them would be a safe course of action, but today I realize that I was wrong, terribly wrong. These two are not only incompetent, but have also lost their spirit and ambition, and are completely out of step with the officials of the Great Wei."

"I intend to dismiss Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba from their official posts. Who can succeed them?" Cao Rui looked around and said, "Let's start with Sima Fu's post as Governor of Liangzhou!"

Man Chong was silent for a few moments, then said, "Although Sima Fu is not very competent, Liangzhou is currently facing attacks from the Hu people. We need to choose someone who is prudent and has experience in border areas to be in charge of administration, in order to prevent the crisis from escalating again."

Do you have experience in border regions?
Upon hearing Man Chong's words, Pei Qian, who was sitting behind him, immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I recommend Wang Xiong, the Prefect of Yingzhou, Wang Yuanbo."

Since last year, Pei Qian, as the Grand Secretary and concurrently the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, has been primarily responsible for the affairs of the Secretariat. He has already carefully examined the resumes of officials from all over the country and memorized them so that they could be put to use when the emperor urgently needs them.

"Wang Xiong?" Cao Rui was slightly surprised: "Sending the governor of Yingzhou to Liangzhou to assume his post?"

“It is indeed Wang Xiong,” Pei Qian replied. “In terms of his resume, Wang Xiong first served as the governor of Youzhou, and then served in a large prefecture like Chenliu County in Yanzhou. After suppressing the rebellion of Gongsun in the fourth year of Taihe, Wang Xiong served in Yingzhou for nearly four years. During those four years, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Buyeo were all at peace, with no discord whatsoever. Last autumn and winter, the court ordered the conscription of soldiers in Goguryeo, Baekje, and Buyeo, which Wang Xiong handled properly, and the three kingdoms had no complaints.”

"Your Majesty, if we are talking about experience in inspecting the border regions, Wang Xiong is the only one in the court who can be trusted. The rest are not worth mentioning!"

For many years, Governor Wang Xiong had been a relatively unknown figure in the imperial court. His administration was generally peaceful, but he also lacked notable achievements. However, given the current disarray in Liangzhou, Wang Xiong's ability to avoid trouble only served to highlight his worth.

“Wang Xiong…” Cao Rui tapped the table lightly with his hand: “Wang Xiong has worked hard for many years, and I have indeed neglected him. If Wang Xiong is transferred to Liangzhou, who can succeed him as the governor of Yingzhou?”

“I believe that Liu Jing, the Prefect of Hanoi, is suitable!” Pei Qian replied fluently as always: “Liu Jing is the son of Liu Fu, the former Governor of Yangzhou. He has served as an official for many years with integrity and competence, and he is not afraid of hard work. In the annual evaluations by the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, he has always been ranked as the best.”

Cao Rui thought for a moment: "I have only met Liu Jing once, in the fourth year of Taihe, on my way back to Luoyang from Yecheng."

"What do you all think of Liu Jing? Is there anything wrong with him?" Cao Rui looked around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the assembled officials in the hall.

Cao Zhen cupped his hands and said, "I am not very familiar with this person. Please make a wise decision, Your Majesty."

Man Chong nodded slightly: "This man has been in Hanoi for a long time and is indeed a good governor of the region."

Xin Pi remained silent, only nodding. The other three Grand Secretaries and Cabinet Ministers also expressed their agreement.

"Alright, then let Wang Xiong go to Liangzhou and Liu Jing go to Yingzhou to assume his post," Cao Rui said. "Send someone to remind Wang Xiong that he has not been granted a marquisate for many years, and I hope to bestow upon him the title of Marquis of Tingzhou as soon as possible. I hope he will work hard." "Yes," Pei Qian bowed slightly.

That said, this was the first time Pei Qian had recommended a position of governorship before the emperor. With just a few words exchanged, the governorships of Yingzhou and Liangzhou were decided, leaving Pei Qian deeply moved.

"One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black; one who stays near the emperor can wield power!" A strange emotion filled Pei Qian's heart, mixed with a bit of joy, a bit of pride, and of course, a bit of the heavy burden of national affairs.

"Who can replace Xiahou Ba?" Cao Rui asked again.

This time, Xu Shu, who was in charge of the Privy Council, was not chosen; Cao Zhen had already proposed a replacement.

“Your Majesty,” Cao Zhen began, “I believe that General Hu Zun is suitable. Hu Zun previously served as a commandant in Anding Commandery, which is close to the Qiang and Hu people, and he is familiar with their temperament. In the second year of Taihe, he answered the call of Guo Huai, who was then the governor of Yongzhou, and followed Guo Huai in Shanggui to resist the attack of the Shu army. After that, he was stationed in Hanzhong for many years. His military strategy, character, wisdom and courage are all of the highest quality.”

"Your Majesty just said that you do not wish to use me to lead the expedition. Now I would like to recommend a person who is good at defending the territory. Therefore, I think Hu Zun is suitable."

"Man Chong, Xu Shu, what do you two think?" Cao Rui asked, referring to Man Chong and Xu Shu, who had connections with the Privy Council.

“General, your words are excellent. I am also willing to recommend Hu Zun.” Man Chong bowed.

"I second that opinion," Xu Shu nodded in agreement.

"Very well, let's proceed with the arrangements. Quickly order the two to assume their duties." Cao Rui nodded with a stern face and said, "Furthermore, this matter should be kept secret. Hu Zun is closer to Liangzhou than Wang Xiong, so Hu Zun should arrive first. Attendant-in-Ordinary Lu and Hu Zun should go together to deliver the imperial edict, ordering Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba to be brought to Luoyang in prison carts and handed over to the Court of Justice Gao Rou for punishment!"

"As you command!" the crowd replied.

Less than half an hour later, more than ten messengers split into two groups and sped out from the east and north gates of Fancheng. One group was to pass through Nanyang and Runan to reach Lujiang County, while the other group headed directly north.

Lu Yu was also preparing to go to Chang'an first to wait for Hu Zun's arrival, and began to organize his belongings in the cabinet office.

Since the cabinet members were all transferred from the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary, they were quite familiar with each other. In addition, the second cabinet did not have the same decision-making power as the first cabinet, and there were no such heavy entanglements of interests among them. Therefore, the four of them often discussed important national affairs in the cabinet, unlike the four of Dong Zhao, Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, and Chen Jiao who were mutually wary of each other but outwardly harmonious.

“His Majesty has truly been angered by the two men from Liangzhou this time.” Pei Qian shook his head and sighed, “Having served His Majesty for so many years, this is the first time I have seen His Majesty so furious, directly ordering the governor of a prefecture and a general of miscellaneous rank to be brought to Luoyang in prison and handed over to the Court of Justice for punishment.”

"Is the situation in Liangzhou really that dire?"

Xu Shu glanced at Pei Qian: "No matter how dire the situation, the two cannot escape the crime of incompetence. It is now the eighth year of Taihe, and an entire county has been captured and plundered by the Hu people, that's more than two thousand people! This is the first time. Dismissal from office is too lenient, if the crime is punished more severely, they may even lose their heads."

Pei Qian replied, "Whose head will fall? Sima Shuda's or Xiahou Zhongquan's?"

"It's hard to say." Wang Su chuckled. "His Majesty has been away from Luoyang for a long time. Gao Tingwei was suddenly given this matter. Having not seen His Majesty for so long, Gao Tingwei can't figure out His Majesty's thoughts. This matter will probably be difficult for him as well. You just wait and see. In the end, Luoyang will still have to send this matter back to Shouchun."

Lu Yu, who had been silent all along, finally spoke: "His Majesty ordered me to capture the two men, a task I have never undertaken before. It's not that capturing them is difficult, but escorting them back to Luoyang from Liangzhou is a serious matter. If they are transported in a prison cart, they might lose half their lives along the way."

Wang Su seemed unconcerned and said casually, "Since the imperial decree specifies a prison cart, then it must be used. If we want to prevent the two from being damaged on the way, we can modify a horse-drawn carriage. As long as it's a prison cart, it's fine."

"Logically speaking, the final outcome for these two men depends on the actual situation in Liangzhou. If Wang Xiong and Hu Zun can change the situation within a few months of arriving in Liangzhou, then Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba's crimes will be much greater. If they are also powerless, then the crimes of Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba are still under discussion."

Lu Yu nodded: "Then I'll treat them a little better. In short, we must do everything according to the imperial decree."

“That is exactly right.” Wang Su nodded and stroked his beard.

But at this moment, Lu Yu sighed: "However, life in Liangzhou will be more difficult. The court is about to attack Wu, but His Majesty is unwilling to send troops. If the Hu people become powerful and attack again, the soldiers and civilians there will likely suffer."

Pei Qian walked to Lu Yu's side and patted him on the shoulder: "Today's forbearance is for tomorrow's triumph. Liangzhou and Yangzhou are in the same boat, so you need not worry too much."

Lu Yu nodded silently.

(End of this chapter)