Section 1: People's High School

In the battle of Shangqiu City, the results of the battle were brilliant. Cao Chong completely defeated the 30,000 Qiang and Han rebels led by Deng Ai's troops at the cost of the death of nearly 3,000 Deng Ai's troops, and directly killed more than 16,000 people, of which more than 6,000 were killed by the 3,000 Chang'an army in just half an hour. Ma Chao was killed in Hejiashan during his escape south, and the remaining soldiers surrendered. The two major separatist forces in Western Liang and the King of Pinghan Song Jian were eliminated together. The Qiang and Han were shocked. Under the threat of Cao Chong's policy offensive and force, some small separatist forces bowed down. The Di kings of Wudu County were still hesitant to rely on their own strength and wanted to get more benefits. Deng Ai roared with the reorganized 10,000 army to attack the city and capture the village. It took only half a month to make several Di kings who were aware of the situation and died.

After discussing with Xiahou Yuan, Cao Chong reorganized the army, adjusted more than 50,000 surrendered troops, reduced the number of troops, and dispersed more than 30,000 weak soldiers. He taught fields and farmed in Guanzhong, Liangzhou and other places, leaving only 20,000 elite cavalry. Pang De and Yan Xing each led 6,000. Yan Xing went to Jincheng to be Xiahou and became the deputy general of Xiahou. Pang De temporarily stationed in Shangqi and was deputy general of Deng Ai. The remaining 4,000 people expanded the dragon cavalry.

Because there were many war horses seized this time, Cao Chong ordered the generals to supplement their personal guards and cavalry according to their own situation, ranging from 500 to 1,000 people. When fighting in Xiliang, the role of cavalry cannot be ignored. If the generals have personal guards and cavalry guards around them, the safety factor is much higher.

After the surrendered troops were dealt with, the promotion and rewards of the generals were involved. Cao Chong first solicited the opinions of Xiahou Yuan, the leading general. Xiahou Yuan first criticized himself, saying that he could not understand Cao Chong's Qianghan policy, and first slaughtered Xingguo City, and then almost slaughtered Changli, almost causing a big mistake. Then he said that he was old and now that Xiliang had been pacified, he, as the leading general, should return to Yecheng to hand over the orders to the Prime Minister, and all of them should be presided over by Cao Chong. Cao Chong had only a lot of generals under him, and it would be inappropriate for him to affect the development of young people here.

Cao Chong saw Xiahou Yuan say this and smiled slightly. He knew what Xiahou Yuan meant. His style was nothing more than being a black face and calling Xiahou. Is it a young man's general? Except for him, the general of the chariot, he is of course the people who are the leader of Xiahou. Otherwise, after Xiahou called him the leader of the army to guard Jincheng, why did he have nothing to do? He had no intention of driving Xiahou Yuan back. After hearing what Xiahou Yuan said, he could not let him leave. He thought about it and said sincerely to Xiahou Yuan.

: "Uncle, our family is not in a day or two. You are my elder, so I won't tell you empirical words. Although you are not young, you are much younger than the Prime Minister and much younger than the former general. You are a person who has made great contributions. If you retreat at this time, people will say that I cannot tolerate others. You have fought in Guanzhong for several years, and your achievements are obvious. You will leave after winning the battle. Those who understand will say that you are taking care of us juniors. Those who don't understand will think that I want to steal your merits and run away."

Xiahou Yuan saw that he was so direct, he was a little embarrassed. However, Cao Chong affirmed his achievements in recent years, and he felt a lot of relief. It was one thing that he took the initiative to ask for a retreat, but now if Cao Chong took the opportunity to retreat, he would definitely feel extremely uncomfortable. Cao Chong kept him in such a joke, giving him enough space to circulate. He stroked his beard and smiled with relief. After thinking about it, he said: "The army pays attention to the absolute execution of orders. If I am still here, you take care of my face. I am afraid that the command will not be arranged very well, so you have to think about it."

Cao Chong nodded and said, "I can understand what you said, but we have been working together for almost a year. Isn't it a great victory? I have also won such a big victory. Han Sui and Ma Chao have solved all such a big problem, and the problems in the future will definitely be solved." Cao Chong paused and said, "Shu Quan did a good job in Lujiang. This time, the matters related to Jincheng were handled very well. I thought that he should be able to comfort Xiliang. I want to hand him over Liangzhou to him. Look..."

Xiahou Yuan was overjoyed. He was waiting for this result. Liangzhou was pacified. Cao Chong must leave behind a heavy general to guard the guard. Logically, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Zhang He and others were all suitable choices, but Xiahou Yuan still hoped to give Xiahou Cheng a chance. Xiahou Cheng had no problem with his ability and was close to the Cao family. The biggest problem was that he was young. Without outstanding military achievements, he would not be able to lead the generals. He worked so hard to make Xiahou Cheng a red face. He sacrificed himself as he wished, gave Xiahou Cheng a name, and even asked him to lead the army to guard Jincheng. However, all this required Cao Chong nodded. If he was not willing, his thoughts would be in vain. He wanted to dismiss his post and return to Yecheng, and he wanted to retreat as a step forward to facilitate this.

"He is too young, I'm afraid he can't defend Liangzhou." Xiahou Yuan said modestly.

Cao Chong smiled and shook his hand and said, "He is already twenty-six, and his ability is obvious to all. This record is in front of everyone. There is nothing wrong with it. If the uncle has no objection, we will just give the emperor."

Of course, Xiahou Yuan could not express any objection. After being reserved for a moment, he agreed.

Cao Chong said again: "Although Liangzhou is settled, the Western Regions are not stable yet. I want to ask my uncle to lead the army to continue the Western Expedition and achieve unparalleled achievements. I wonder what my uncle wants?"

"Western Expedition?" Xiahou Yuan opened his eyes wide in surprise when he heard this. The Western Regions were much larger than Western Liang. To pacify the Western Regions, it was not a trivial matter. Not only did heavy troops be needed, but it was not something that could be determined in one or two years. It was possible for ten or eight years. In terms of the nature of the merit, Western Liang was the territory of the Han Dynasty. Pacifying Xiliang was just to quell the rebellion, while Western Regions were a vassal state and had been separated from the sphere of influence of the Han Dynasty for many years. If the Western Regions were pacified, it would be equivalent to expanding territory, and glory could not be said equally. He could figure out that Cao Chong wanted to attack the Western Regions was a good excuse to control the heavy troops in his hands, but for such great contributions and so many soldiers, why didn't Cao Chong go to do it personally, but to hand it over to him, and instead entrust the heavy troops in his hands?

"Cang Shu, this is the Western Region..." Xiahou Yuan reminded him.

Cao Chong smiled and said, "I know how glorious it is to pacify the Western Regions. However, pacifying the Western Regions is also an extremely difficult task. Don't think that I have any good intentions. I want to keep your whole life in the Western Regions."

Xiahou Yuan was stunned and laughed to the sky. His laughter was refreshing and refreshing, with endless pleasure: "Cang Shu, if I could really pacify the Western Regions, I would do whatever I could even die in the battlefield. Your father talked to me when he was as old as you. He often said that his greatest ambition in his life was to pacify the Western Regions like Dingyuan Hou and reappear the mountains and rivers of my great Han Dynasty. Unexpectedly, he didn't wait for this opportunity, but let me pick it up. Cang Shu, I won't be polite to you. I'll go to this Western Regions!"

Cao Chong nodded and smiled: "It was because I took my uncle's heroic spirit that I felt that this task was particularly suitable for you. The Western Regions are vast and the geography is very different from the mainland. It will not take a long time to pacify the Western Regions. Uncle will prepare first. I will be a grain escort officer in Guanzhong to ensure that you have no worries about food and clothing. What do you think?"

Xiahou Yuan waved his hand generously: "With you in Guanzhong and Shuquan in Liangzhou, what's my worries? But I'll spend the rest of my life traveling thousands of miles. I hope that in my lifetime, I can still see all nations coming to pay tribute. Cang Shu, don't worry, I will do my best to live up to your hope."

Cao Chong was happy, thought for a while and said, "Since I have no objection, I would like to submit a letter to the emperor and the Prime Minister's Office, and you are the chief minister of the Western Regions as the leading general, and ask the emperor to issue an order to expedition the west. Look, who else should I bring?"

Xiahou Yuan did not answer immediately. I guess Cao Chong had made arrangements for him, but he pushed this question to himself, and hoped to raise it by himself. He thought about it carefully before saying, "Zhang Wenyuan is in Guanzhong and Shuquan is in Liangzhou, and they are not able to move. I see that although Deng Shizai is young, he is very resourceful and good at decisive, and he uses military intelligence and is very well-organized. I want to ask him as his deputy general. Do you think it is appropriate?"

Cao Chong was just right, nodded repeatedly, and flattered him: "Shizai is talented in military use. If he can learn from his uncle for a while, it will be a good opportunity to be unlucky. He will be able to teach him the world's talents and will be a pleasure in life. Uncle's vision is indeed fierce."

Xiahou Yuan laughed. It was because he was attracted by Deng Ai's identity and age that he guessed Cao Chong's thoughts. Deng Ai was only twenty years old this year. If he directly regarded him as the chief minister of the Western Regions, he would be afraid that he would not be able to accept the generals. With him, in another ten or eighteen years, Xiahou Yuan would either die in the battlefield or succeed and be successful and could go home to hold his grandson. Deng Ai also accumulated enough prestige and naturally stayed in the Western Regions. Moreover, with Deng Ai, he could be much more relaxed. This was a happy thing for both sides, so it was naturally a hit.

Cao Chong immediately said, "Xu Gongming, the two generals Zhang Yanyi are very wise. I want to send them to follow you too. What do you think?"

Xiahou Yuan thought for a while and said, "They are both famous generals who have been through the battlefield for a long time. Of course, I wish to follow me, but I took all these famous generals away, and you are a little empty. I think you can take Zhang Yanyi. Xu Gongming is careful to identify the soldiers, so it is better to leave them for you."

Cao Chong was irresistible and nodded in agreement. Xiahou Yuan immediately entered the role of the chief of the Western Regions. He thought for a moment and said, "Cangshu, if you want to settle the Western Regions, food and grass, and military strength are just appearances. There are two key points. One is that Xiliang, Guanzhong cannot be chaotic. If there is chaos here, the Western Regions will become a rootless tree, and no matter how many soldiers there are, they cannot be defended. Second, the Xianbei people's arrogance must be severely hit. Since Huanling, after the Xianbei has produced the Tanshihuai, the northern border of our Han Dynasty has not been stable. Although Tanshihuai is dead, the Xianbei people have no strength as before, they still cannot be underestimated. They wander in the northern desert and have a distant power as far as the Western Regions. If they do not seriously damage them, Liangzhou will still not be stable. What are your plans for this?"

Cao Chong nodded happily, feeling satisfied that Xiahou Yuan could consider things from the overall situation. He smiled softly and said, "Uncle said it right, and because of this, I said that we should not be anxious about the matter in the Western Regions. I was about to submit a letter to the emperor and ask the emperor to send Ziwen to the north of the desert to sweep the grasslands to solve the dangers on the side for my uncle. In addition, I want Lord Jia to be the governor of Liangzhou, but he himself is from Liangzhou, and he has conflicts with the three mutual laws of our dynasty. I wonder what can I do?"

The three mutual laws were specially formulated by the Han Dynasty to avoid local protectionism for officials. Not only did local people not allow local prefecture or above, but officials with in-laws were not allowed to be local chiefs. This was originally a good thing, but they often encountered trouble when implementing border counties. Because the military affairs of border counties are special, people from the mainland will often be confused and fearful. The court has repeatedly proposed to abandon Xiliang, which is precisely because of serving as the governor of Xiliang or the prefect of relevant prefectures and counties.

They were not from Xiliang people. They were unwilling to delay their future in this place, so they simply proposed to defend Xiliang. Every time they refused to fight for justice and finally quelled the rebellion of Xiliang, most of the people who quelled Xiliang were from Xiliang. So the court had no choice but to handle special matters and let the people of Xiliang serve as senior officials in Xiliang. However, there was also a problem, that is, Xiliang was prone to warlords who were self-respecting, such as Dong Zhuo, Ma Teng, and Han Sui. Since the Jian'an period, Xiliang has been wandering outside the court, and this is also because of this reason.

Now Cao Chong wants to propose that Jia Xu be the governor of Liangzhou, and it is very likely that the Prime Minister's Office or the court will veto it based on the three mutual laws.

Xiahou Yuan pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "Jia Wenhe is resourceful, and is a native of Xiliang. He was born and raised here. He is very familiar with the situation of Xiliang. It is the most appropriate to be the governor of Liangzhou. Although the three mutual law is a bit difficult, there are precedents in Xiliang that do not act according to the three mutual law. You report the truth to the Prime Minister's Office and the Emperor to see if they can handle the special matters." He smiled and said, "I am still a general in the leading position now, so why not let me write this memorial."

Cao Chong shook his hand with a smile. He knew that Xiahou Yuan had good intentions and said that he would come. Although everyone knew that this was Cao Chong's meaning, if one day or the prime minister was not sure, then the person who lost face was also Xiahou Yuan, and had nothing to do with him. Cao Chong was grateful for his kindness, but he did not want to shirk responsibility for the sake of face. What's more, although Jia Xu played a key role in the strategic deployment of defeating Ma Chao, he did not provide any help to Cao Chong's actions to deal with Wu Zhi, Sima Yi and others. He was just watching. It seemed that he wanted to leave Cao Chong's possible victory at any time.

In addition to the incident, Cao Chong didn't want to force him. The forced melon is not sweet. You can hold his people or his heart. Just like Xu Shu in Xuzhou, eating, drinking and not working for nothing, you can't do anything to him. Since that's the case, just let him do something meaningful. He is a native of Xiliang and has feelings for this land. I believe that Cao Chong knew that this matter would violate the three mutual laws of the court, but he still had to help him. I believe that Jia Xu would have some affection when he met him. Even if he didn't help him, he would not help Cao Pi.

"Okay." Xiahou Yuan understood Cao Chong's thoughts and did not force him. Cao Chong did things that others thought were impossible many times, and he believed that he would definitely do it this time. After all, in Cao Chong's new policy, the governor of Liangzhou could not lead troops, and the military power of Liangzhou was all in the hands of Xiahou, which was different from the previous situation. The Prime Minister should be able to consider this special situation.

"Then it's settled. I'll go and talk to him first." Seeing that Xiahou Yuan had no objection, Cao Chong smiled. Xiahou Yuan smiled knowingly, stood up and said goodbye, and left satisfied.

"General recommends me to be the governor of Liangzhou?" Jia Xu was surprised and blurted out.

"What's wrong?" Cao Chong asked with a smile: "Mr. I am so familiar with the geography of Xiliang and the people's conditions. This time I can pacify Xiliang, I should be the first merit. I reward my merits according to my merits, and it is most appropriate for me to govern Xiliang."

Jia Xu pondered for a moment, stroked his beard and said hesitantly: "The general should know the three mutual laws of our dynasty. Xu is a native of Liangzhou and cannot be the governor of Liangzhou. If the general thinks Xu is still useful, Xu can serve as the prefect of a county other than Wuwei." He smiled and said: "Besides, although the prefect only cares about one county, he is a high-ranking official of two thousand stones. Although the governor deals with other counties, he is only a small official of six hundred stones. Since the general thinks Xu has made a lot of achievements, why not give me a high-ranking official of two thousand stones?"

Cao Chong also smiled. Of course, he knew that Jia Xu was not the kind of person who was greedy for official positions. He just felt that Jia Xu had changed. Perhaps because Xiliang, which had been in chaos for decades, saw the hope of peace, his mind was much relaxed. Before he knew it, he could actually make a joke. He smiled and put down the teacup and said to Jia Xu: "Sir, how can you be defeated by a county? If you think the position of the governor of Liangzhou is too light, I can also recommend the governor of Liangzhou, but I also know that whether it is the governor of Liangzhou or the governor of Liangzhou, there is no military power."

Jia Xu laughed loudly, and he shook his head: "General, I'm just kidding. Military and political unity is often the source of chaos. Since Zhongping, the Han Dynasty has been full of war, and the establishment of the post of state governor is the root of disaster. Although I don't understand the general's new policy deeply, I still know the benefits of the separation of military and political affairs." He thought for a while and continued: "General, there are many precedents in Xiliang that do not follow the three mutual laws. With the value of the general, I don't think it's too difficult for the Prime Minister's Office to come to the Prime Minister's Office. I think it's a foregone conclusion. Since that's the case, I have two words, don't know whether to talk about it or not?"

Cao Chong smiled and nodded, very satisfied with Jia Xu's frank attitude: "Sir, please speak in person if you have something to do."

"Although Liangzhou has a small population, its people are tough and not easy to accept. If the general follows the customs of Jingyi and other states, will it be a little short?" Jia Xu slowed down and looked at Cao Chong's face while talking: "Although I don't control the troops, if the troops are not enough to suppress the Qiang people, I, as the governor, will not be stable."

Cao Chong looked at Jia Xu with some confusion, and saw that although he was a little smile, he spoke very sincerely and had no politeness in it. He held the teacup and thought about it, but did not answer Jia Xu immediately. Instead, he was deliberately silent for a while before saying, "Mr. Jia, do you know why I limited only ten thousand elite soldiers to each state?"

Seeing Cao Chong's serious speech, Jia Xu also stopped the smile on his face. After thinking about it, he replied: "The general has to carry out elite troops and simplify government affairs. The cost of each soldier is heavier than usual. The general limits the number of people. I guess he must have replaced the heavy soldiers with elite troops, which not only maintains combat effectiveness, but also does not take up too much labor and money."

Cao Chong nodded and shook his head again: "What the sir said is just one of them. Yes, I am now implementing the elite military strategy. Apart from training, the soldiers in service do not do any chores such as labor. Their task is to train, ensure that they can be engaged in battle at any time, and to ensure that they can fight when they come and win when they fight. The annual expenses of each soldier have increased compared to the past. The cost of my ten thousand elite soldiers is enough to support an ordinary 50,000 troops. But although the expenses are the same, I have saved 40,000 labor. The 40,000 labor does not require military service and does not need to rely on people to support them. Instead, they can produce various materials such as food to support others. From this point of view, my elite military policy is cost-effective. However, my plan is not just from this point of view."

Jia Xu was fascinated by the sound of hearing this and bowed his hand and said, "Xu wishes to hear it carefully."

Cao Chong stood up, walked around the room with his hands behind his back, and then said: "In my concept, human resources can be divided into two types, one is productive and the other is consumed. Therefore, people who can create wealth, whether they are farmers, workers, or merchants, are the first type. This type of people must have a reasonable base and must ensure a certain amount, so that they can produce enough food, produce enough materials, and ensure the food and clothing of the entire society. Although merchants cannot produce, they can communicate whether they have or not, objectively play a role in creating wealth. Therefore, a very important part of my new policy is to pay attention to the role of merchants."

He paused, turned around and glanced at Jia Xu. Jia Xu was so impressed with his beard that Cao Chong was very satisfied. Since he wanted to keep Jia Xu in Xiliang, he must first instill some of his new policy concepts in his future work so that he could cooperate with his new policy. Although Jia Xu could not immediately understand the concept of systematic development he proposed, with his IQ and experience, he would probably be able to understand it soon.

"Officials and soldiers belong to the second type of people. They do not create any wealth, but only consume wealth, but these two types of people are indispensable. A small country living in seclusion may not require officials and soldiers, but a great country like the Han Dynasty cannot leave these two types of people. Officials can make the country's huge machine run smoothly and create more wealth, while soldiers are the protectors of these wealth, ensuring that we are not making wedding clothes for others and will not be treated as two-legged sheep." Cao Chong said it smoother and smoother. He even forgot about Jia Xu's existence to a certain extent, and felt like he was talking about his ideas in front of thousands of great Han scholars.

"The responsibility of the officials is to manage the country on behalf of all the people and to receive corresponding rewards to support their families, and the responsibility of the soldiers is to protect these people and the wealth created by these people. They have to pay more precious lives than officials who only need to pay wisdom, so they should also receive more rewards and... respect than officials."

"Soldiers should be the protectors of this country, not the destroyers of this country. Their weapons are used to deal with those robbers who attempt to use force to plunder our blood and sweat, rather than the people of our Han Dynasty." Cao Chong waved his arm vigorously and said loudly: "Therefore, ten thousand people guarding a state is not less, but more. In the near future, I will further reduce the number of troops stationed in the mainland prefectures and counties. Our soldiers should guard the border, rather than stationed in the mainland and look at our people with the eyes of the enemy."

Jia Xu frowned slightly. It was obvious that it was difficult to understand Cao Chong's concept for a while. According to his statement, the army is external. Inland prefectures and counties should not have troops. What should the people do if they rebel?

Cao Chong seemed to see through Jia Xu's questions. He smiled softly, sat back on the mat, picked up the teacup, drank a bit of a little cold tea, moistening his dry throat. Looking at Jiang Wei, who was a little dazed just now, he said to Jia Xu who was still thinking: "Therefore, the first responsibility of officials is to ensure that the hard-working people can keep their spare time, and the people who have enough food and warm clothes will not rise up to rebel. Even if some ambitious people jump out to encourage the people, they will not be able to form a climate. To deal with such people, ten thousand elite soldiers are already too much."

"Mencius' people are the most important?" Jia Xu seemed to understand something and murmured to himself: "Is this the general who wants to change the foundation of our Han Dynasty's rule?"
Chapter completed!