Sima Yi and his entourage hurried westward. At noon on July 16, Sima Yi arrived at the old site of Jieshi and rested for half a day. The emperor had led a large army to station here before, and the camps and garrisons were ready-made, and they were also used when the people were relocated, so there was no shortage of water, rice, and utensils.
The journey is long and difficult, and if we don’t find some fun in it, it would probably be too hard to endure.
Sima Yi and his attendant Chen Gui walked slowly southward out of the camp, and soon they reached the Jieshi where the emperor and his ministers had discussed poetry. Two months later, the scenery on Jieshi was still the same as before.
Sima Yi stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the white waves on the rocks not far away, and sighed softly: "Emperor Wu has great talent and strategy, and he also wrote famous poems. Emperor Wen and His Majesty are both people who like literature. This scene is so heroic that it is hard not to be inspired to write poetry."
"Zicheng, can you write poetry?"
Chen Gui, who stood aside with his hands folded, shook his head and said, "I am not good at writing. I wonder if Sikong has any ideas?"
"Yes." Sima Yi happily took the steps handed to him by his subordinates and said, "When I was in Jieshi before, I had some insights in my heart. I kept thinking about it on the way and wanted to make a decision when I returned to the army, but I was ordered to return to Luoyang in advance."
Chen Gui smiled and said, "Sikong, why don't you write it here today? Write it on paper and leave it in the camp. With your majesty's literary talent, you may write a poem when you go to Jieshi next time, which will make a good story."
"What a good story," Sima Yi chuckled. "What a good story! Zicheng, this is not a poem, but more like a song. I will sing it and you write it down for me."
"Yes." Chen Gui nodded in response.
Sima Yi once again looked at the scene where the sea and sky met in the distance, listened to the white waves constantly hitting the black reefs, and slowly chanted:
"The heaven and earth were opened up, and the sun and moon shone again."
"When encountering opportunities, try your best to go far away."
"The mountains and rivers are shaking, and the flags are flying eastward."
"The Hujia music was silent, and the barbarians were stunned and froze."
"Three generations of bandits were wiped out in one day."
"The map is open, and the Jieshi is vast and boundless."
"Sweep away all the filth and return to your hometown."
"Clear the vast land and bring order to the wasteland."
Sima Yi stood on the Jieshi with his hands behind his back, and recited the song he had composed slowly and rhythmically.
After finishing the recitation, Chen Gui clapped his hands beside him.
"I think this is a masterpiece by Sikong! It is full of vigor and ambition!" Chen Gui praised him, "I have memorized all the songs Sikong recited and will write them down when I return to the village!"
Sima Yi waved his hand slightly: "No need, I will write it myself. Just leave an introduction for Your Majesty. When Your Majesty comes to Jieshi, I will write some more masterpieces with the ministers in the palace!"
……
On July 28, Wang Chang and Wang Xiong finally arrived at Xiangping City as ordered. After entering the city together, they were led by the tiger guards and hurriedly walked towards the prefectural government.
"Greetings to Governor Wang and Envoy Wang." Xu Shu bowed to the two men at the gate of the prefect's mansion.
"Greetings, Minister Xu." After Wang Chang and Wang Xiong greeted Xu Shu, Wang Chang spoke first, "Minister Xu, we heard about the national mourning on the road. Should we meet His Majesty first, or should we kowtow?"
Xu Shu thought for a few moments and said, "Come to see His Majesty first and listen to His Majesty's orders. Please come in, both of you."
"Thank you."
"Thank you, Minister Xu."
Soon, Wang Chang and Wang Xiong saw the emperor himself in sacrificial robes in the main hall.
"I will pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"Stand up." Cao Rui looked at the two of them, pointed to a chair beside them, and said calmly, "Please sit down, my two ministers. To be honest, I have been waiting here for so long with my army, just waiting for you two to come."
"I am ashamed." Wang Chang said with a folded hand: "I came here at the order of Your Majesty, but I never thought that I would be able to take on such an important task as the governor of Yingzhou. I am of low rank and low moral character, so I hope Your Majesty can revoke the order and choose another capable minister to take over in the future."
Cao Rui raised his eyes and looked at Wang Chang: "This is not a reward, but a heavy burden. Don't you want to share my worries?" "I dare not." Wang Chang bowed slightly: "Your Majesty has an order, and I will obey it."
Wang Chang and the emperor had such a polite show, but Wang Xiong next to him did not have to do so. Wang Xiong had been the governor of Youzhou before, but in the second year of Taihe, because the emperor trusted Liu Ye more, he temporarily gave up the position to Liu Ye and served in Chenliu for two years.
From the Governor of Youzhou to the Governor of Yingzhou, he was quite familiar with the path.
Cao Rui coughed lightly and said, "Today, Governor Wang and Governor Wang are here. I and the other ministers have already carefully reviewed the situation in Yingzhou. The major policies have been decided. You two just need to follow the court's arrangements."
"General Man." Cao Rui pointed to Man Chong, who was closest to him on the right, and said, "Yingzhou has just been returned to the rule of the Wei Dynasty. It is a blank sheet of paper that is perfect for painting. General Man will tell you two about the general strategy."
"As you wish." Man Chong responded in a loud voice, then stood up and looked at Wang Chang and Wang Xiong. The two kings also stood up and bowed to Man Chong.
Man Chong said: "The court has its own documents for the many details. Today we will only talk about the strategy in the hall."
"Yingzhou has four counties and three kingdoms, a total of seven counties and kingdoms, which are the new lands of Wei. The court has relocated people to Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang, and Daifang counties for stability, and has also selected troops to return to Henan. You two don't have to worry about these things. In other words, the four counties need to be governed like the inland counties."
"Yes." Wang Chang and Wang Xiong nodded slightly.
Man Chong continued, "As for the three vassal states of Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Baekje, there are more things to do. According to the assignments of your majesty and the court, the arrangements for these three states can be divided into three stages."
"Three stages?" Wang Xiong repeated softly.
"That's right." Man Chong nodded. "The first stage is tentatively set by the court to be within two years of the establishment of Yingzhou. During these two years, the three countries will be mainly appeased and not subject to too much control, but more officials will be sent to patrol the country to prevent illegal activities from happening."
Wang Xiong interrupted, "Are you going to inspect the prisons like the prefectures and counties in the interior?"
"That's not necessary." Man Chong explained, "No matter what you do, let these three countries get familiar with the officials of Wei and strengthen their compliance with the system of Wei."
"What about the second one?" Wang Chang asked.
Man Chong replied: "The second stage will take another two years. Gradually implement the county and township system in these three kingdoms. No matter what these Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Baekje people do, let them be divided equally with the counties in the interior, and the state will provide salaries for them."
Wang Chang nodded and said, "In terms of form and spirit, form comes first, then spirit!"
"That's right." Man Chong continued, "The third stage will take another two years. During these two years, you need to select county officials from these three countries, report to the court, and recruit them to serve as officials in the prefectures and counties in the interior."
Wang Xiong thought for a moment and asked, "Why don't you serve as an official in Yingzhou?"
Liu Ye on the side said with a smile: "Yuan Bo, there must not be so many noble and scattered positions for them to do in Yingzhou."
Wang Xiong suddenly realized and turned to look at the emperor: "Your Majesty, I seem to understand. For example, the county magistrate of a certain county in Goguryeo, an official with a salary of 600 stones, can be recruited by the court as an official with a salary of 1,000 stones and sent to Luoyang or elsewhere to serve as an official. The court can send Han officials to serve as county magistrates in that county!"
"Step by step, gradually let these three countries accept the imperial system's assignments and incorporate them into the Wei's county system!"
Cao Rui smiled and replied, "You can call it gradual progress or layer by layer implementation, anyway, we should take a small step forward each time to prevent the people of Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Baekje from having the intention of rebellion."
"And Wang Qing," Cao Rui pointed at Wang Chang, "Except for Gongsun Huang, who is still in Luoyang and reported Gongsun Yuan, and Gongsun Gong, a eunuch who has been imprisoned for many years, the rest of the Gongsun clan has been executed. The families that once served as officials in Liaodong have also been moved to Yecheng by me."
"I have left you 10,000 soldiers from the interior in Yingzhou and Xiangping, and I have also recruited 2,000 soldiers from Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Baekje, making a total of 12,000. According to the imperial system of 25,000 soldiers given to the governor of Yingzhou, your Excellency will select 13,000 soldiers from the four counties."
Before Wang Chang could answer, Man Chong said, "The court took 5,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry from Gongsun Yuan's 50,000 troops back to Henan, and the rest were all disbanded and sent back to their hometowns, allowing them to farm their own fields."
"You will need to recruit more soldiers in Liaodong by then. As for how to do it, you will be able to handle it properly with your two years of experience in charge of the Privy Council."
Wang Chang bowed and accepted the offer, and then continued, "Your Majesty, if Envoy Wang encounters obstacles in implementing his policies among the three countries, should I send troops to deter them?"
Cao Rui nodded: "I have already discussed this with you. If any of the three kingdoms show disloyalty, and if we have to fight urgently, I will allow you to lead the army to fight. However, the three kingdoms are now under the jurisdiction of Yingzhou of Wei, so the extent of this is up to you."
"Mr. Wang has been in the Privy Council for two years and has always been knowledgeable. Xiangping is 4,000 miles away from Luoyang, and communication is inconvenient due to the long distance. If you encounter any problems, you should discuss it with Governor Wang. I have also placed Duan Zhao in Youbeiping. If there is an accident, he can provide a retreat for the two of you."
After Cao Rui gave some instructions, Wang Chang and Wang Xiong stood up and bowed to thank him. (End of this chapter)
