Chapter 137 Face-to-face instruction
Seeing that Liu Ye had already mentioned that he should go to Luoyang to ask the Secretariat again, Lu Xun tactfully ended the topic.
However, when Lu Xun finished asking questions and before he could say goodbye, it was Liu Ye's turn to ask Lu Xun a question.
Liu Ye once suggested to the emperor that 50,000 captured Wu soldiers be used for farming, so he asked Lu Xun about the farming affairs of Eastern Wu.
When Lu Xun asked Liu Ye, Liu Ye answered quite happily, so Lu Xun had to return the favor. After Lu Xun and Liu Ye explained the farming policy of the Eastern Wu, the three chatted for a while, and then Lu Xun stood up and said goodbye to Liu Ye and Huang Quan.
The next day, when Lu Xun was about to leave for Luoyang, he came to the palace in Shouchun City alone and asked to see the emperor.
Although the palace in Shouchun City was smaller and simpler, it was the emperor's palace after all, and it was not open to ministers to enter whenever they wanted. When Lu Xun reached the intersection in front of the palace, he was still several dozen feet away from the gate when he was stopped by the patrolling tiger guards.
At that time, the place with the most 2,000-stone officials in Wei was Luoyang, and the second most was Shouchun City. The rank of the Huqiang Xiaowei was lower than that of a 2,000-stone official, and he did not have such a big face to enter by showing his face.
Lu Xun could only stand there, bowed to the Tiger Guard Captain and said, "I am the Captain of the Qiang Guard. Before I take up my post, I come to see Your Majesty to give me instructions. I would like to trouble you to inform me."
The last thing the emperor lacks is officials. Even the patrol captains in the Tiger Guards are Tiger Guards with a salary of 600 stones. The Tiger Guards are the emperor's personal troops, and knowing the appearance of officials of all ranks is just basic skills.
The Zhonglang glanced at Lu Xun and without saying much, he took Lu Xun to the gate of the palace.
"Captain Lu, please wait for a moment." After the Zhonglang said this, he turned and entered the side door of the palace.
Lu Xun just said that he was the captain of the Qiang Guard, but did not say his name. But the captain of the Tiger Guard just now called himself Captain Lu, and it seemed that many people knew his face.
After the Zhonglang went in to report, Lu Xun had no choice but to stand outside the palace and wait for the emperor's summons. Bored, he could only look up at the blue sky above his head. It was already early February, and the weather in Shouchun City had begun to warm up.
Even Shouchun was gradually getting warmer, so I guess it must be even warmer at Wujun's house at this time? I didn't know if my family had received my news, and how the King of Wu would treat the Lu family.
Lu Xun stood alone at the door for a long time, lost in thought. However, Jiang Wei, who was standing inside the door, was quietly observing Lu Xun.
Jiang Wei was young and ambitious. After arriving at Luoyang Imperial College, he was selected by the emperor to be a palace guard. In addition, he had helped the emperor win battles and served in the imperial court, and had also done some hard work. Therefore, he had recently prided himself on his loyalty and righteousness.
Unlike Liu Ye and Huang Quan, who were older, Jiang Wei was still young at this time and did not know many difficulties in life. He did not understand the helplessness of living under someone's roof and the dilemma of surrendering or saving his life. He had some contempt for Lu Xun, the surrendered general.
Jiang Wei walked slowly to the door, bowed to Lu Xun and asked, "Are you Captain Lu?"
Lu Xun turned around and said, "I am Lu Xun. Does His Majesty want to summon me?"
Jiang Wei glanced at Lu Xun and said slowly, "Captain Lu, His Majesty is busy with official business at the moment, so he has specially ordered me to come down and speak to Captain Lu."
"Oh?" Lu Xun looked at Jiang Wei and asked, "May I ask who you are?"
Jiang Wei stood straight, raised his head slightly and said, "I am the Imperial Guardsman, Jiang Wei of Tianshui, Jiang Boyue."
"Jiang Boyue from Tianshui?" Lu Xun had never heard of this person before, and he was a little confused about why the emperor sent Jiang Boyue to talk to him.
Lu Xun explained, "Minister Jiang, I am about to take office. I have come to Your Majesty to bid farewell and ask Your Majesty to give me instructions."
Jiang Wei frowned slightly: "His Majesty has just delivered an oral order. His Majesty is busy at the moment. Captain Lu, if you have anything to say, just tell me."
Lu Xun was helpless and a little disappointed: "Okay then. I just want to know how to govern Liangzhou as the Protector of the Qiang."
After hearing what Lu Xun said, Jiang Wei took out a letter and said, "Your Majesty already knew what Captain Lu was worried about, so he wrote this letter for you."
Lu Xun frowned slightly: "Letter? May I ask your Excellency, what does your Majesty mean by this?"
Jiang Wei explained: "When Captain Lu arrives at the Jincheng magistrate's residence, he will open this letter and know what to do."
Lu Xun nodded and said, "Thank you for your help. Minister Jiang, I have something else to ask. The post of the Commandant of the Protectorate of the Qiang has not yet been filled with Sima and other subordinates. Can you select two people from Shouchun to go to Liangzhou with me?"
Jiang Wei replied sternly, "No! According to the laws of the country, the Protector of the Qiang has no right to recruit troops. Besides, the Wei Kingdom is not a vassal state, and we have never had private opinions from our subordinates. Captain Lu can go if he wants to, and there is no need to discuss this matter any further."
Even if Lu Xun was well-educated, he still felt a little embarrassed at this moment. Lu Xun originally wanted to bring his former Sima Xie Jing with him to Liangzhou, but now it seemed impossible.
Lu Xun bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Your Excellency. In this case, I will leave immediately, first to Luoyang and then to Liangzhou. I hope you can report to His Majesty."
Jiang Wei nodded and said, "Captain Lu, please go to the north gate of Shouchun by yourself. There will be people there to go north with you. I will not see you off."
Lu Xun bowed, and Jiang Wei didn't say much, and turned back to the palace. Lu Xun also turned around and left tactfully.
Just when Lu Xun walked to the north gate of Shouchun, he saw a man coming towards him from afar, and bowing to him with a smile on his face.
Lu Xun was quite confused, as the man's face looked somewhat familiar.
Lu Xun saw the man come forward and said with a smile: "I am here to see the captain."
Lu Xun narrowed his eyes and looked at the man, pointed at him and said, "I remember now, you were the soldier who joined my camp that day!"
Zhou Duo smiled and said, "Captain, do you remember? I am Zhou Duo. I have met you once in your army. I never thought I could serve under you. I will be happy to serve you in the future."
Lu Xun also laughed at this moment. He didn't know which senior official in the court had arranged this with a bad taste, or whether it was an accidental opportunity to give this meritorious person a good job.
Lu Xun asked, "You are Zhou Duo, what is your name?"
Zhou Duo stretched out his fingers and gestured in the air: "My name is Zhou Duo, Zhou Jinning. Jin means Jincheng, and Ning means Anning."
Lu Xun looked at Zhou Duo's face and said, "Jin from Jincheng, Ning from Anning. Are you from Jincheng?"
Zhou Duo cupped his hands and replied, "I am from Jincheng, from the Jincheng Zhou family. When Emperor Wu conquered Hanzhong, I served as a Sima under the command of Governor Su, and thus was able to join the Wei army."
Lu Xun asked, "Since you were the military officer of a separate department during the Jian'an period, what position did the court assign you this time? Chief Clerk, Military Officer, or Assistant Officer?"
Zhou Duo responded: "I will serve as your chief officer this time, and from now on I will serve the lieutenant at your side."
Lu Xun was such a man that he felt that his fate was a bit ironic. Lu Xun himself rode in a carriage, while Zhou Duo and the ten cavalrymen who escorted him rode on horses. After leaving Shouchun and Yangzhou to the north, he had to go to Luoyang to report to the Shangshutai first, and then go to Liangzhou to take up his post.
The team was moving slowly northwards. When they were about to cross the Huai River on a floating bridge, Lu Xun stopped the team, got off the car and looked at the scenery along the Huai River.
This is Shouchun, this is the Huai River! The Eastern Wu had not been able to reach here for decades, and if they went further north, they would have to leave Yangzhou.
Lu Xun walked a few steps to the roadside, bent down and wanted to pick up a handful of soil from the ground to take away. Shouchun is also Yangzhou, and it can be considered as my hometown. But I will leave here today and go north from now on. I really don’t know when I will return to Yangzhou next time.
But just after scooping up the soil, Lu Xun was stunned for a moment, then resolutely threw the soil on the ground, turned around, got on the carriage, and asked the team to continue heading north.
Lu Xun had been in Shouchun for many days, and only now did he regain some of his high spirits. Now that he was less than fifty years old, Liangzhou was remote but not a remote place, so why should he worry about not being able to return to Yangzhou?
If you need military support in Jiangdong in the future, maybe you will need me. Why do you want to let your ambitions fade?
That day, in the duty room of the Minister of the Court, Lu Xun talked with Liu Ye and Huang Quan for a long time. Although he did not have much communication with Huang Quan, Lu Xun knew that Huang Quan's surrender to Wei was related to him.
It was during the Battle of Yiling that year that he led his army to cut off the Shu army's north-south transportation. Huang Quan surrendered to the Wei State only after his way back was blocked.
Since returning that day, Lu Xun has been thinking that Huang Quan took the initiative to surrender to Wei, and Liu Bei treated Huang Quan's family well. But he was taken to Wei by others, and it was not his own will.
If the King of Wu really has the courage to be the supreme ruler, he will not do anything to my Lu family. But if the King of Wu really takes my Lu family to vent his anger, it will take a long time.
After his thoughts came to light, Lu Xun no longer worried about the past, but began to plan his trip to Luoyang and Liangzhou.
As for Wei, Wu, and Jiangdong, leave it to fate. Just go to Liangzhou and do your duty.
This morning in Shouchun City, Jiang Wei and Lu Xun said that the emperor was busy with official business, and it was not a lie to fool Lu Xun.
The emperor was indeed not idle, but was talking to the attendant Liu Ye.
Liu Ye had previously suggested to the emperor that the captured Wu soldiers be allowed to cultivate the land. After communicating with Lu Xun about Wu's various policies on cultivating the land, he also finalized a draft and came to the emperor to present it.
When it comes to government affairs, the emperor would always listen patiently. When Liu Ye finished talking about his plan for farming, the emperor did not give an immediate reply, but instead told Liu Ye that he would first discuss his merits.
Liu Ye bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, according to the past practice of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen, the merits after the war should be discussed in the capital. Isn't it a bit hasty to determine the merits in Shouchun now?"
(End of this chapter)
