The emperor has said so, what else can we do?
Du Xi and Yang Fu naturally accepted the order, and Cao Zhen also bowed to the emperor with a slight apology.
"I was not thoughtful enough about this matter. It is my fault for causing Your Majesty to worry about it."
Cao Rui didn't care at all: "It's okay. Since it's a serious state affair, I never hesitate to discuss it. The more things are sorted out, the clearer they will be. Only when they are sorted out can we do a good job in state affairs."
"All the ministers should go back first. Sikong, Xin Shizhong and Yang Zhishi will stay here and accompany me for a walk."
Everyone slowly left, leaving only Sima Yi, Xin Pi and Yang Fu.
Cao Rui stood up and stretched his arms, then said with a smile: "I was right, the three of you agree, and the three of them also think alike."
"Has there ever been a conflict between the military and the state?"
Sima Yi said nothing.
Xin Pi said calmly: "Before this battle, there has never been such a big controversy."
"The previous governor of Yongzhou was Guo Huai, an old subordinate of Zhang He. The two were known to be close friends. Guo Huai never refused any request from Zhang He."
"How did the two families get along?" Cao Rui asked.
Xin Pi is in charge of school affairs, so he should know more about these things.
Xin Pi said calmly, "Guo Boji called Zhang He's sons his nephews and nephews, and repeatedly sent people from his clan in Taiyuan to send money and goods to Zhang He's family in Yecheng."
"Zhang He was a pretentious man, so Guo Huai catered to his taste. When the two talked privately, Guo Huai always referred to him as 'Mr. Zhang'. When they were in Chang'an, Guo Huai also sent people to write articles praising Zhang He many times."
Sima Yi listened calmly without saying a word. He didn't know about these things either.
Cao Rui's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to ask, "Is Zhang He greedy for money?"
Xin Pi replied, "The fief and reward were sufficient. We did not find any evidence of Zhang He's own corruption, but Zhang He's son took a lot of money from Guo Huai in Yecheng."
"Does anyone else have it?"
Xin Pi continued to answer: "In the old days, the families of the Central Army all lived in Yecheng. In the early years of the Huangchu period, 50,000 people were moved from Yecheng to Luoyang, and there were still more than 100,000 people in Yecheng."
"Officers from Zhang He's former army would also send gifts to Zhang He's family during the New Year. But they were all within the normal range, similar to what other generals would give."
Cao Rui laughed and said, "Zhang He is in Yongliang, he can't take care of the family! He is over sixty years old, so he should save some money for the family."
"Xin Qing, if there are any such things happening to the generals of the Central Army and the Outer Army, please keep them in your archives and do not report them to me."
"If a general doesn't like money, what else can he be good at?"
Xin Pi nodded and continued, "The governor of Jingzhou is Pei Qian, who was once a subordinate of Chen Qun in the former Emperor Wu's palace."
"There has never been any conflict between the two of them."
Cao Rui said calmly: "My subjects are really harmonious!"
"What about Yangzhou?"
Xin Pi said: "Before this, the Grand Marshal was also the governor of Yangzhou, and all the affairs of Yangzhou were handled by the Grand Marshal alone."
"After Jiang Ji and Jiang Zitong became the governor of Yangzhou, they had a good relationship with the Grand Marshal. The coordination between the governor and the army was exemplary."
Cao Rui nodded: "The work done in Huainan is indeed good. When did Jiang Ji go to Yangzhou?"
Xin Pi reminded: "Last March."
Cao Rui was silent for a few moments.
Last March? After Jiang Ji went to Yangzhou, Feng Ping, the former Grand Marshal and Chief Clerk, came to Luoyang to serve as the Governor of Henan.
Cao Rui already knew that Jiang Ji was on good terms with Sima Yi.
One person left Beijing, the other came to Beijing, and Jiang Ji and Cao Xiu cooperated so smoothly...
Cao Rui resisted the urge to look at Sima Yi, and responded directly: "Yangzhou is indeed a model."
"Yang Qing," Cao Rui glanced at Yang Fu, "It's okay to be upright around me. I have good self-cultivation. When you take up your post in Yongzhou, you still need to learn from Jiang Ji."
Yang Fu cupped his hands and said, "If I were that flexible, I wouldn't be Yang Yishan."
Cao Rui chuckled and did not respond: "Let's go, I have been in Chencang for two days, it's time to go around."
"I remember that between Chencang and Meixian, there were more than 10,000 naturalized Qiang people settled to cultivate land, right? Is there any place I can see?"
Yang Fu thought for a moment and said, "Wei Township, fifteen miles east of Chencang City, is worth a visit. Should I send someone to prepare it first?"
"What are you preparing?" Cao Rui said with a smile, "If you are preparing, I don't want to watch it. Let's go now!"
Sima Yi reminded him, "There are many Qiang people there. It would be better to dispatch 3,000 Tiger Cavalry to accompany the emperor."
Cao Rui shook his head: "This is Chencang, not enemy territory. We don't need three thousand cavalry. One thousand cavalry is enough."
Sima Yi nodded and said, "Then I will go and call Jiang Wei."
"Okay." Cao Rui said.
In the afternoon, the emperor dressed in casual clothes and led a thousand cavalrymen to Wei Township, east of Chencang City.
Sima Yi, Xin Pi, Yang Fu and Zhu Gai also accompanied him.
Zhu Gai had been staying in Chencang for more than half a year and was more familiar with the area around Chencang, making it easier to take care of it.
From Chencang along the Wei River all the way eastward, the scenery in Guanzhong in June is quite beautiful.
On the Wei River, the ships transporting food and supplies for the army came and went, which was a beautiful sight. Wei Township was right next to the Wei River, and the villagers were used to seeing the troops transporting food and supplies for the army every day. So the arrival of a thousand cavalrymen did not seem strange to them.
Cao Rui pursed his lips at Zhu Gai and said, "There are only a thousand cavalrymen at the moment. I'll ask General Zhu to pretend to be a military commander and call the village chief here for me. I want to ask him questions."
Zhu Gai put on a bitter face and said, "Your Majesty, I am almost sixty years old. Where can I find such an old Sima?"
Cao Rui rolled his eyes at Zhu Gai and said, "You can assign him any position you want and just call him over."
Zhu Gai smiled and said, "I will be back soon."
After saying this, Zhu Gai led ten riders and galloped away.
Two hundred cavalrymen led the way, and eight hundred cavalrymen followed behind the emperor, slowly marching along the official road beside the Wei River.
After walking for a while, they could vaguely see many civilians in a side road beside the official road, at least hundreds of people.
Cao Rui looked around for a few times and found that he couldn't see clearly. Based on the idea that the emperor should not stand under a dangerous wall, he called Yang Fu who was beside him over:
"The fork in the road is narrow, so I won't go in. Yang Qing, go and see what these people are doing for me."
"As you wish." Yang Fu took the order and went with the ten riders.
It was here that Cao Rui enjoyed the scenery of the Wei River.
"Xin Qing has made a great contribution." Cao Rui turned to look at Xin Pi: "The army has enough food and rations, all thanks to the transportation of grain along the Wei River and Xin Qing's efforts in Chang'an."
Xin Pi cupped his hands and replied, "I am only fulfilling my duties as a subordinate. I dare not take credit for them."
Xin Pi pointed to the boats on the Wei River and said, "The Wei River has a history of hundreds of years of shipping. During the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a canal was built from Chang'an directly to the Yellow River."
Cao Rui wondered, "Don't we already have the Wei River? Why do we need to build a canal?"
Xin Pi explained: "The original Wei River had many twists and turns. At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered the diversion of the Wei River into a canal to facilitate water transport and farming."
"It not only shortened the water transport time by half, but also irrigated more than 10,000 hectares of land along the canal, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone."
"When Emperor Wu conquered Hanzhong, he renovated the canal. This time, the army will also use this canal to transport grain."
Cao Rui sighed and said, "This is a move that will benefit future generations! Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Wu of Han did a great job, and later generations took advantage of their convenience."
"Remind me later that when you pass by Chang'an, you should send an envoy to pay homage to the tomb of the former Han emperor."
Xin Pi nodded: "I'll make a note of it."
Cao Rui added: "Don't remember it, let Xin Qing go for me!"
Xin Pi felt helpless and had to agree.
Originally, there were four attendants by the emperor's side answering his calls, but during this period of time, some were transferred away, some went home, and only Xin Pi was left.
Xin Pi still remembered that when the emperor wanted to marry Concubine Guo, he was the one who proposed marriage.
While a few people were chatting, Yang Fu came back in a hurry with ten riders, and his face was not very good.
Cao Rui looked at Yang Fu without saying anything.
Yang Fu rested for a few moments, gathered his thoughts, and then said, "Your Majesty, those ignorant villagers privately built a temple and performed obscene sacrifices here."
Why is it another obscene sacrifice?
Cao Rui frowned, raised his whip and pointed in the direction of the fork in the road below: "Tell me, how did you perform the obscene sacrifice?"
Yang Fu's face became even uglier. He dismounted, bowed and said, "I am the governor of Yongzhou. This happened under my jurisdiction. It is my fault! Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Cao Rui raised his whip and whipped it in the air, making a crisp sound, which scared Sima Yi and Xin Pi beside him.
"As a governor, don't you have the power to speak your mind? What kind of obscene worship is going on here?"
Yang Fu bent over, with a little sweat on his face. "Your Majesty, the villagers here have privately built a temple for Dong Zhuo, and they offer sacrifices and incense all year round."
"Dong Zhuo?" Cao Rui narrowed his eyes, anger already evident between his brows.
Yang Fu had just arrived in Yongzhou to take office, and he was probably unaware of the obscene sacrifice that took place in a village outside Chencang City.
What about Xin Pi? Although Xin Pi stayed in Chang'an for half a year, given the complicated logistics of the army, Xin Pi probably had no time to take care of these trivial matters.
For a moment, Cao Rui didn't know who to blame.
Sima Yi saw this and came out to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, I may know something about the cause of this matter."
"Speak!" said Cao Rui.
Sima Yi took a deep breath and said, "In Yongliang, Han people and Qiang people live together, and there are often wars and conflicts. Therefore, they believe in witchcraft and have been doing so for hundreds of years despite repeated prohibitions."
"My elder brother Sima Lang was trapped in Chang'an with Dong Zhuo, and he has some knowledge of Dong Zhuo's generals in the county."
"From Dong Zhuo to Niu Fu, Li Jue, and Guo Si, most of these Liangzhou generals believed in witchcraft."
Cao Rui turned to look at Sima Yi: "And what? What does this have to do with the people's sacrifice to Dong Zhuo?"
Sima Yi said: "After Dong Zhuo died, Li Jue and Guo Si captured Chang'an. They set up a statue of Dong Zhuo outside the main gate of the Chang'an court and often sacrificed cattle and sheep to him."
"After the defeat of Li Jue and Guo Si, there was a period of time when the Dong Zhuo temple was circulated around Chang'an. The imperial court banned it during the Jian'an period, but after all, Dong Zhuo had been dead for a long time, so the matter was probably no longer taken care of."
Cao Rui asked: "What does Li Jue's sacrifice have to do with the people? How can it be so popular?"
Yang Fu then spoke: "The people are afraid of Dong Zhuo's name, and they are afraid that he will bring disaster to the people, so they often worship him." (End of this chapter)
