Taiheiki

Chapter 208 Offering Advice
"That's easy!" Zhou laughed. "Just do it, don't say it! When the court sends someone to ask, just say you're preparing, but don't send any troops. If the court sends someone to replace you, firstly, the roads are cut off, so you can only go by sea, which is time-consuming and very unsafe; secondly, as long as the roads are cut off, the court can only send a replacement, not an army. Just a few strongmen can solve the problem!"

“This—” Nie Sheng wanted to refute, but didn’t know what to say. After a long while, he whispered, “My godfather is a rare hero in the world. How could he do such a hypocritical thing?”

"Governor Wei is indeed a hero, and few in the world can compare to him! But who says that heroes must say what they mean? Take your father, for example; he did plenty of things that were not what he thought!" Zhou laughed. "And Emperor Gaozu, how many lies did he tell Xiang Yu and Han Xin! Who can say he wasn't a hero? In my opinion, the more heroic a person is, the more lies they tell, otherwise they wouldn't have achieved anything. It's just a matter of who they tell the truth to and who they lie to!"

Nie Sheng remained silent for a moment, then decided it was best not to continue arguing about this issue: "I remember you just said there was anything you could help me with?"

"You're still so impatient, child!" Madam Zhou laughed. "Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I'm asking you, regarding the matter of whether to march north to quell the Moth Bandits, your godfather hasn't revealed his true thoughts to everyone yet, has he?"

Nie Sheng thought for a moment, then shook his head: "It shouldn't be yet, at least I haven't heard of it!"

“That’s right!” Zhou said with a smile. “I thought so too. It’s better to keep these things to ourselves as late as possible. After all, there are still quite a few people in Jiaozhou who care about Luoyang! Letting them know about this will only bring unnecessary trouble!”

"Unnecessary troubles? What do you mean?" Nie Sheng asked, puzzled.

“It’s very simple! Think about it, as long as Governor Wei doesn’t express that he doesn’t want to send troops north, he will remain the Governor of Jiaozhou and a loyal subject of the court, and these people can serve him with peace of mind. But if he makes his stance clear, then these people who are loyal to Luoyang will have to choose between Governor Wei and Luoyang. Isn’t that a very troublesome thing?”

"If they dare to have any disloyalty to my godfather, I'll let them taste the power of my double-pointed spears!" Nie Sheng sneered.

"That's true, but it's best not to go that far, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Nie Sheng understood: "You have a way?"

"That's right!" Zhou said with a smile, "Do you remember my surname?"

"What's your surname?" Nie Sheng was taken aback. "Zhou? How could I not know that?"

“Wrong! It should be the Zhou family of Lujiang!” Zhou said solemnly, “The Zhou family of Lujiang, whose members have held the rank of two thousand shi for generations and whose name is known throughout the land!”

"I'm afraid this won't be of much use to my godfather, will it?" Nie Sheng sighed with some disappointment. "I won't lie to you, my godfather has a close relationship with the Yuan family of Runan. The current Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is General Dou Wu and Minister of Works Yuan Wei. Although the Zhou family of Lujiang is prominent, they can't compare to the Yuan family of Runan!"

“Ah Sheng, you still have little experience!” Madam Zhou laughed. “In terms of power and prestige, the Zhou family of Lujiang is indeed inferior to the Yuan family of Runan. But don’t forget that the battlefield where the court and the bandits are fighting is right at the border between Jing and Yang. Lujiang County is right there. In terms of being deeply rooted and entrenched in the local area, how can the Yuan family of Runan compare to the Zhou family of Lujiang!”

"So what do you mean?" Nie Sheng asked, puzzled.

"Right now, what's most troubling for Governor Wei is that the court is forcing him to go north to fight the Moths, but he doesn't want to go and can't afford to break ties with the court. If you lead a troop north, whether you win or lose, no one can say anything, since Governor Wei has even sent his adopted son!"

"That's a good idea!" Nie Sheng nodded. "But what does this have to do with the Zhou family of Lujiang?"

"It's very simple. If you go north, you'll be a lone army with no real influence. But if the Zhou family of Lujiang comes to your aid, the situation will be completely different, and Governor Wei will be able to silence the gossip much more easily!"

"I understand!" For the first time, a relaxed smile appeared on Nie Sheng's face. He bowed deeply to Madam Zhou and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Madam!"

"You don't need to thank me!" Zhou said with a smile. "I'm doing this for myself!"

"For yourself? What's the point of that!"

“It’s very simple. I’m different from you. You are Governor Wei’s adopted son and have risked your life for him. When you came south from Chaisang, you brought a lot of followers with you, so you can enjoy the land, houses, and official titles he bestows upon you without any guilt. But I’m different. I’m just a woman with two young children. Although I have some wealth, in this chaotic world, wealth without military protection is nothing but a path to disaster. If this plan works, firstly, I will have done you a favor; secondly, if this matter succeeds, it will connect Governor Wei and the Zhou family of Lujiang, and he will naturally value me more. Only then can I stay in Panyu with peace of mind!”

After hearing Zhou's words, Nie Sheng stared at the beautiful woman in front of him in surprise for a long time before finally sighing, "You've really thought things through thoroughly; I'm far inferior to you!"

"Hehe!" Madam Zhou laughed. "Look at what you're saying, Ah Sheng. How old are you? Some things require age. Besides, in the end, it all comes down to strength. No matter how clever I am, I'm just a weak woman. Without a man's protection, I can't move an inch! In the future, please lend a helping hand for the sake of your two younger siblings!"

Nie Sheng gave Zhou a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Of course!"

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Governor's Mansion.

"Did that woman say all of this?" Wei Cong asked in surprise after listening to his adopted son's account.

“That’s right!” Nie Sheng said in a low voice, “Father, I don’t know if this woman has set a trap, so I’m reporting this to you!”

“This—” Wei Cong sighed, “How should I put it? She didn’t lie, but she did have a backup plan!” “Why do you say that?”

"It's very simple. She's right about one thing: I am indeed torn between sending troops north. You are my adopted son, and if I send you to lead the troops, it will certainly silence the gossip and provide an explanation to Luoyang. But the problem is that once you've taken advantage of the Zhou family of Lujiang, you'll have to repay them afterwards. Their family will then reap considerable benefits from it!"

"That woman—" Nie Sheng said angrily, "She's playing tricks again! If I had known this, I wouldn't have seen her!"

"Whether she plays tricks or not is fine. Just like she said, she's a weak woman. It's only a matter of a word for me to kill her! As long as it ultimately benefits us, it's okay to let her gain some advantage!" Wei Cong smiled. "In the end, it all depends on you. If you're willing to go, I'll make the arrangements. If you don't want to go, just pretend I never said anything!"

After a moment's thought, Nie Sheng looked up and said, "Since it's beneficial to my godfather, then I'll go!"

"Alright, but it's a bit early to go now!" Wei Cong laughed. "I'll have someone go ahead and scout things out first!"

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Luoyang, the General's Mansion.

When Zhang Wen entered the back room, he found Dou Wu chatting amiably with a young man with a straight back and broad shoulders. The young man seemed to be saying something that made Dou Wu laugh heartily. Zhang Wen couldn't help but wonder who this guest was, that he could make Dou Wu laugh so happily.

At this moment, Dou Wu had just seen Zhang Wen. He raised his arm and called out, "Bo Shen, come quickly and meet our young hero! He has traveled four thousand miles, destroyed a country, captured a barbarian chieftain, and presided over an alliance meeting. He is just like Huo Qubing and Ban Dingyuan!"

Zhang Wen hurried forward, and the young man turned around, revealing a handsome face. Zhang Wen was taken aback: "Yuan Benchu, when did you get back?"

"They arrived yesterday!" Yuan Shao said with a smile. "Your chieftain's prisoners are traveling by water and won't be back for several days. I was in a hurry to get on horseback, so I arrived a few days early!"

"Oh, oh!" Zhang Wen bowed to Dou Wu, then sat down next to Yuan Shao: "Benchu, didn't you go south to deliver an imperial edict to Wei Cong? Why are you talking about destroying a country and forming an alliance? You've confused me!"

"Bo Shen, you don't know this!" Dou Wu laughed, "After Benchu ​​arrived in Panyu to deliver the imperial decree, he and Wei Cong led troops to Jiaozhi. After succeeding Zhang Pan as the governor of Jiaozhou, they continued south, first defeating the King of Linyi, capturing his capital, and almost wiping out his royal family. The captured armor and weapons piled up like mountains. The King of Linyi had tried every means to prepare a hundred war elephants, but more than sixty of them were captured. After conquering the Kingdom of Linyi, they continued south with their prestige, reaching the territory of Funan, forcing the local barbarians to form an alliance, thus enhancing the prestige of our Great Han. Such military achievements can at least guarantee peace in the southern border of our Great Han for twenty or thirty years!"

Zhang Wen was taken aback and instinctively turned his gaze to Yuan Shao, his eyes full of inquiry. Yuan Shao smiled and said, "This campaign did indeed destroy Linyi, and our forces reached Funan, where we convened an alliance of states. However, in terms of merit, it is Governor Wei who deserves it. I merely happened to be there, and I do not deserve the praise of the General!"

Zhang Wen nodded: "Rinan is already the southernmost prefecture of the Han Dynasty, and you actually managed to conquer even further south. That is indeed a remarkable feat! But I remember that when the court sent you south, you were supposed to take Wei Cong's troops north to quell the E'zhai. Why did you come back first?"

Yuan Shao's expression changed slightly: "It's like this, although Governor Wei has defeated Lin Yi and gained prestige in a foreign land, his troops are exhausted and have suffered many losses, so he plans to allow them some time to recuperate. I will take the captured King of Lin Yi and his clan back to Luoyang to report the victory!"

"Oh!" Zhang Wen nodded coldly: "In my opinion, the victory claim is fake, and the real intention is to claim credit, right? This Wei Cong is clearly just the governor of Jiaozhou, yet he dared to form an alliance with the local tribes. This is overstepping his bounds and then using his achievements to seek rewards. In my opinion, he needs to be taught a lesson!"

Yuan Shao was momentarily speechless, stumped by Zhang Wen's words. To put it bluntly, he was actually Wei Cong's military supervisor, and Zhang Wen had immediately accused Wei Cong of two major misdeeds. Yuan Shao, who had been brimming with praise for Wei Cong, found himself speechless. Dou Wu, however, stepped in to smooth things over: "Bo Shen, what you say is true, but regardless, Wei Cong has still rendered a great service. Right now, the court faces the Emei bandits in the south, the Xianbei in the north, and the Qiang bandits in the west. This is precisely the time when we need good news to boost morale. Let's not be overly critical; otherwise, if we demoralize the soldiers, who will attack the Emei bandits from the rear?"

Zhang Wen knew that Dou Wu was right. After all, Wei Cong had a close relationship with the Yuan family of Runan. Wei Cong had gotten his position as governor of Jiaozhou from Yuan Wei. Now that Wei Cong had achieved such a great victory, the court was not rewarding or punishing him severely. Putting aside everything else, he would definitely not get past Yuan Wei. He was just filled with resentment that he couldn't swallow.

"The General's consideration is indeed thorough!" Yuan Shao replied perfunctorily, then sat down and remained silent. He was an extremely astute man, and from Bo Shen's tone, he knew the other was already seething with anger. There was no need for him to argue; the General would make the final decision. As it turned out, his guess was correct. Sure enough, when Bo Shen fell silent, Dou Wu spoke up.

“Bo Shen, you are mistaken!” Dou Wu said, “Even if Governor Wei really did only want to claim credit and rewards this time, it is only right. In the end, if the soldiers who have won the battle are not rewarded for their merits, how can they be put to use again next time? Let’s reward them according to the document submitted by Governor Wei!”

"General!" Yuan Shao pulled a document from his sleeve and handed it to Dou Wu: "This is a personal letter from the Governor of Wei to you!"

"Written for me?" Dou Wu smiled, but didn't look at it immediately. "Let's put that aside for now. Bo Shen, you're here about the Xianbei invasion, right? Let's talk about that, shall we?"

Before Zhang Wen could speak, Yuan Shao interjected, "General, I think you should take a look at this letter first!"

Dou Wu glanced at Yuan Shao in surprise. Yuan Shao's words had carried a rather commanding tone; if it were anyone else, Dou Wu would have already rebuked him for his rudeness and ordered him to be thrown out. Considering Yuan Shao's special status and the great merit he had just achieved, Dou Wu picked up the letter again, opened it, and read it carefully. After reading only a few lines, his face turned angry: "Arrogant! A mere governor dares to point fingers at the court, saying he'll be appointed governor!"

"Governor?" Zhang Wen asked, "What kind of official is that? I've never heard of him before."

"Bo Shen, take a look for yourself!" Dou Wu handed over the letter.

Zhang Wen took the letter and began to read it, his expression growing increasingly grim. It turned out that the title "Prefect" originally came from the *Book of Documents* (specifically, the *Zhou Guan* section): "During the reigns of Emperors Yao and Shun, the emperor established a hundred officials, with the Hundred Ministers and Four Mountains within, and the Prefects, Marquises, and Earls outside." This was a legendary position from the time of Yao and Shun, the highest administrative official appointed by the central government to local areas. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the empire was divided into thirteen provinces, each with an inspector appointed to oversee the prefectural governor (whose salary was equivalent to a 2,000-stone official). In the first year of the Suihe era of Emperor Cheng of Han (8 BC), the title of Inspector was changed to Prefect, and the position remained inactive thereafter.

(End of this chapter)