Cao Wei occupies half of the northern land, and most of the world's prefectures and counties are in its hands. The number of households is far greater than that of Ji Han and Soochow. With such a solid foundation, the number of talents emerging in the country is also more prosperous than that of Han and Wu.

Nowadays, the Wei Dynasty court can be said to be full of talents. Hua Xin, Chen Qun, Chen Jiao, Sun Zi, Liu Fang, Liu Ye, Jiang Ji and others are all outstanding talents of the day.

They may be good at governing the country, or they may be proficient in the art of war, or they may be good at making plans, or they may be proficient in calculating people's hearts. Each of them has their own talent, and there are many talents in the court. No matter what doubts Cao Rui has, he can always find someone who can answer his questions.

It stands to reason that Cao Rui, as the emperor, should be very happy that there are so many talented people in the court, but while he is happy, he is also slightly worried about the current situation.

The reason for this is that most of the important ministers in the Wei Dynasty are foreign surnames. The grand occasion of Cao Cao and Xiahou's talented people in Cao Cao and Cao Pi's era no longer exists.

Nowadays, only a few people such as Cao Zhen, Cao Tai, and Xia Houru are still worthy of great use. The rest have long been indulged in the wealth and gentleness of the countryside and cannot extricate themselves. They have either become the brothers of dandies who enjoy extravagant enjoyment, or they have become those who worship the mysterious. The flashy people who talk about it are completely unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of contributing to the country.

Facing this situation, Cao Rui felt sad and helpless. He could only hope that time would change everything. He had already calculated in his heart that once a good seedling appeared in the Cao Xiahou family in the future, he would focus on cultivating and vigorously promoting it. After all, like his father Cao Pi, he still trusted Cao Zhen and other clan members with remote bloodlines more than ministers with foreign surnames.

Of course, the person whom Cao Rui trusts most at the moment is Cao Zhen. Especially after Cao Xiu's death, Cao Rui regards Cao Zhen, the first in the clan, as his greatest help. The reason why he wants to call Cao Zhen into the court to assist the government is not only because he values ​​Cao Zhen In addition to his military talents, he also had the desire to change the structure of the court.

At present, seventy-eight percent of the power in the Wei Dynasty is in the hands of ministers with foreign surnames. Even Cao Rui has great trust and respect for Hua Xin, Chen Qun, Chen Jiao and others. There are also two confidants, Sun Zi and Liu Fang, who are in charge of the internal dynasty. Both the internal and external dynasties are under control. He is firmly in control, and there is almost no possibility of breeding powerful officials.

But he still felt uneasy. After all, most of these people came from aristocratic families and had a strong foundation both in the court and in the local areas. Once they were allowed to be in charge of the government for too long, there might be people who would imitate their own family and covet the throne.

Therefore, Cao Rui planned to recall Cao Zhen, a member of his own family, to take away the power of important ministers with foreign surnames, so that the two could restrict each other and form a stable balance in the court.

Cao Rui would not tell his ministers this kind of imperial trick, but Hua Xin and Chen Qun were both very thoughtful people, and after a moment's thought, they could vaguely guess Cao Rui's true purpose.

However, even though they had guessed, they would not be stupid enough to reveal the matter. On the contrary, in order to prove their innocence and show their selfless hearts, they would also express their enthusiastic approval for recalling Cao Zhen.

"Your Majesty, I think there is no problem in recalling the general at this time. Although the Shu thieves are eyeing Guanzhong, they have only invaded the country not long ago. They have retreated and will not invade in a short time. There are tens of thousands of elite troops guarding Guanzhong, which is enough Protect yourself." Hua Xin said first.

Cao Rui nodded: "Although I have the same view, there is no room for failure in Guanzhong. If there is no general like the general who can conquer and fight, I am afraid it will give the Shu thieves an opportunity. Once the Shu thieves come to invade the territory again, The west of Tongguan may no longer be owned by the state."

Cao Wei lost two territories in Liangzhou and Longyou one after another. Currently, only Guanzhong is still in its hands, and even this only territory is not complete. All the cities west of Qianshui and Wugong have fallen into the hands of the Han army. The Wei army could only rely on the two strong cities of Chang'an and Qixian.

Once the Han army takes over the entire Guanzhong, Cao Wei's territory in the north will be greatly reduced, and the gap in national power with Ji Han will be further narrowed. By then, Wei will face greater pressure, so Cao Rui must not Sit back and watch all Guanzhong fall into the hands of the Han army.

"Your Majesty, the Shu bandits have invaded the border several times in the past year and took advantage of my unpreparedness to occupy Longyou, Liangzhou and other places. Although they have won consecutive battles, the country's strength has declined and military resources have been spent a lot. According to Zhuge Liang's year There is definitely no strength to invade in a big way.

And with this precious year of time, I, the Wei Dynasty, will be able to strengthen our defense against Guanzhong, and the Shu thieves will no longer be able to catch me by surprise like they did before.

Therefore, Your Majesty can recall the general first and choose another good general to lead the armies in Guanzhong. If the Shu thieves come and they are unable to resist it, it will be too late for Your Majesty to send the general to Guanzhong to support." Chen Qun cupped his hands and said.

Seeing that the two important ministers supported him in recalling Cao Zhen, Cao Rui made up his mind and said with a smile: "With the words of the two Qings, I can finally make up my mind. But when the general returns to the court, who should the Guanzhong armies be replaced by?" Where is the commander?"

Hua Xin and Chen Qun both slandered after hearing this. They thought that you had already promoted Xia Houru to the general of the Western Conquest, so why bother to do so? You asked knowingly, could anyone really not see your intention?

"I think that General Xia Houru, the General of the Conquest of the West, is proficient in the art of war and has extraordinary tactics, so he can succeed the General in commanding the military affairs of Yongliang and Liangzhou," Hua Xin said.

Chen Qun also quickly agreed: "I agree, General Xiahou has fought in Guanxi before and is familiar with the geography and scenery there. If he leads the troops in Guanzhong, he will definitely be able to stop the invasion of Shu thieves."

"Well, Xia Houru has been in the military for many years, so he is indeed a suitable candidate. Let's do this. During the next court meeting, the two ministers will mention this incident and let all the ministers discuss it." Cao Ruidao.

This is to ask us to be the ones to recommend, so as to silence the ministers. It seems that His Majesty is determined to push Xia Houru to the position of commander-in-chief of the Western Front, and he even went out to pave the way for him in person. He is really thoughtful. What a blessing!

Hua Xin and Chen Qun looked at each other sympathetically, and they could see a bit of bitterness in each other's eyes. After all, the emperor still didn't trust them enough for their ministers with foreign surnames. After all, he still believed more in Cao Xiahou and his own ministers. People.

However, it was too late for them to feel cold. Cao Rui was still waiting for a reply, but heard the two of them say in unison: "I obey your Majesty's wishes."

When Cao Rui heard this, he was very satisfied. A stone fell in his heart. He felt a lot more relaxed. He said with a smile on his face: "I am very pleased that the two Qing families can be loyal to the country. I have two Qing families in our great Wei Dynasty." Why can't such a wise minister prosper? Why can't he destroy the two thieves of Wu and Shu? Why can't he rule the world?"

"I am willing to follow Your Majesty to the death, wipe out the traitors, and achieve unparalleled achievements in the world!" Hua Xin and Chen Qun stood up and bent down and said.

Cao Rui said: "I am very happy that the two Qings have such ambitions. No need to be polite. Please sit down quickly."

Hua Xin and Chen Qun returned to their seats, and the monarch and his ministers started talking about border defense again. The discussion ended at midnight. Hua Xin and Chen Qun left the palace to go home, while Cao Rui, accompanied by all the palace people, came to the meeting. Rush to the queen's bedroom.

Three days later, Cao Rui gathered the civil and military officials together, ascended to the palace, and decided to summon Cao Zhen back to the court to take over as the Grand Sima. As for the Guanzhong armies who lost their troops, generals, cities and territory, Cao Rui did not punish the offenders, but instead punished them. An edict was issued to commend them for their loyalty to the country and for repelling the Han army.
Chapter completed!