Chapter 68 3. Promotion of officials

After walking thirty or forty steps on the post road, Sima Yi's expression gradually faded, and he became extremely dignified. He let out a deep breath from his chest, and asked slowly: "According to your opinion, at present, the area of ​​​​Hedong County, Yuzhou How should a plague of locusts be resolved?" "Reporting to Sima Pushe: Jia has been thinking about it by heart for many days—for the current plan, the most urgent task is to go all out to catch locusts, repel locusts, and eliminate locusts! There is a plague of locusts, but it is still uncertain where this swarm of locusts will go. Yongzhou, Liangzhou and other places in the Kansai side have to be on guard!" Jia Kui heard Sima Yi's question, thought for a while, and then spoke loudly And said, "Jia is here to assure you: No matter how many troops and manpower are used, Jia will definitely kill all the locusts in the whole territory of Yuzhou!" At this point, he raised his eyes and looked at Sima Yi again. And Wang Su, the voice suddenly became hard: "Some people say that this locust is a strange thing sent by the sky as a warning, and no one can kill it-shit! God sends a disaster warning, so it will send a disaster warning, There are "meat eaters" in the current dynasty to reflect and introspect. But as the parents and officials of the state and county, how can we watch these evil locusts torment these Shengdou people? Sima Pushe, to say something offensive, I Jia Kui has always believed that 'the country is based on the people, and the people depend on food'—these evil locusts rob the people of food, then they can be called the great enemy of our country in the Wei Dynasty! I, Jia Kui, must get rid of them. quick!"

After hearing Jia Kui's sharp "hard words", He Zeng, who was following behind him, blinked his eyes, glanced at Sima Yi for a while, and then at Wang Su for a while, the thoughts in his heart were turning like wind wheels He kept talking non-stop: He had also heard Jia Kui's strange sayings that "locusts are warnings from heaven and should not be hunted and killed", and he also found out that these sayings were passed down from the Yushitai of the imperial court. from.Those censors, who had read their minds full of dead books, actually wanted everyone to let go of the raging locusts, making people panic-Jia Shishi was so angry that his lungs exploded before, so today he will be in front of Sima Yi and Wang Su. This sharp "hard talk" was uttered in front of his face.Now, let's see how these two special envoys of the emperor and important officials of the court will express their positive views.

Wang Su picked up a fan and slapped himself vigorously a few times, and the veins on his neck jumped up "chug chug"——what Jia Kui said about "locusts are a warning from heaven and should not be hunted and killed indiscriminately" The strange talk was spread by Hua Xin, the official censor of the imperial court.Wang Su and his father, Wang Lang Sikong, had argued with Hua Xin several times over this matter on the principles of the ordinance, but Hua Xin was stubborn and unwilling to change his rotten fallacies.So he raised his voice and replied to Jia Kui: "These evil locusts ruin food and harm the people. They are monsters that harm the people and the people. Who said they can't be killed? Just now Wang was afraid that Jia Shishi would catch the locusts slowly! Don't Listen to those gossips and fallacies, they are all fabricated by a group of rotten scholars..."

Sima Yi was also pondering for a while, still with a serious face, and slowly said: "Well... Jia Shishi's words just now are good! Those strange talks and absurdities, you just take them as passing clouds, don't pay attention to them. You should quickly inform the neighboring counties and counties to do it. After returning to Shangshutai, I will immediately write a letter to all the prefectures and counties, and follow the example of your Yuzhou: to prevent locusts is like defending against the enemy, take action together , go all out to catch and kill locusts, and don't make the plague of locusts more rampant!"

"Okay! Sima Pushe has always been smart, quick, and resolute in his work, and I, 'Jia Dapao', admire you the most!" Jia Kui praised happily, "You, Sima Pushe, are here to serve Jia in the Shangshutai. With a certain support, Jia is no longer afraid of any gossip or fallacies!" Sima Yi waved his hand to stop his praise, his brows were still slightly frowned, and he pondered for a while and said: "Catching locusts and removing locusts are only one of the good ways to resolve the locust disaster. Wang Shilang, He Taishou, what else do you two have?" Is it a good strategy?"

At this time, He Zeng discovered that although Sima Pushe's official rank was astonishingly high, he was extremely mellow, sophisticated, easy-going and honest in his dealings with others, and all his actions showed his true feelings, without any pretense, so he gradually Eliminating the communication barriers in his heart, he summoned up his courage, and said with his hands clasped: "My lord servant, please be bold, please, you have witnessed the tragic scene of locust plagues for the people of Yuzhou along the way--Yixia Guanyu See, not only must the imperial court rush to allocate food for disaster relief this year, but it should also exempt the people affected by the disaster from paying food and taxes this year and next, so that they can gain some energy and come back..."

"It's...it's not a problem to allocate food for disaster relief and exempt the affected people from this year's rent. But to exempt them from next year's rent, I have to discuss it with Chen Lingjun after returning to Shangshutai before I can answer you. But , why don't you rest assured that I will try my best to fight for these disaster-stricken people." Sima Yi nodded, staring at him with shining eyes and continued to ask, "Do you have any other good recipes for disaster relief that I can take away?" ?” "Your Excellency, Xie Pushe, listened carefully to your bold request. I have nothing more to say..." He Zeng was so moved that tears filled his eyes, and he bowed deeply to Sima Yi, "The only way for a Xiaguan to be Hedong County is dedicated to helping the poor people as a repayment!"

"Very good. Never before have you been able to have such a heart and soul to care for the poor, it is already a great blessing for the people of Hedong County! If all the officials of Sifang counties can do like you, I will The prosperity of the Great Wei Dynasty can be expected!" Sima Yi turned his head to look deeply at Jia Kui, and said in a gentle voice, "Jia Cishi, as the shepherd of Fangzhou, you should cultivate a lot of first-class officials like He Jun for the imperial court. Follow the officials!" When Jia Kui saw his officials being praised so much by Sima Pushe, he felt as sweet as drinking honey: "This... that's natural! Jia always likes to promote and cultivate talents the most. Prefect He, Hurry up and thank Sima Pushe for his kindness in person."

When He Zeng heard the words, he rushed over in a hurry, and with a "huh", he was about to fall down and bow to Sima Yi.Sima Yi stepped forward to support him in a panic, and said with a smile: "He Jun, what kind of 'enlightenment' are you thanking me for? If you really want to thank me, I should thank you for your wholehearted care. Let’s take care of the poor people. There is a lot to do in the state and county, and you should do your best to be close to the people, and you will definitely be indispensable in the future when you become a minister and worship the public.”

How could you ever hear Sima Yi speak so profoundly, and was even more moved to tears: "My lord servant, you don't dare to expect any extravagance when you say 'Fengqing worships the public'. The same sentence is still the same: only In Hedong County, I will wholeheartedly care for the poor and take care of the poor, and I will repay you!" Sima Yi and Jia Kui quickly persuaded him to stop, got up and went forward again.On the way, Jia Kui said with deep emotion: "Sima Pushe, Jia also knows that your Shangshutai is not easy! Old Yutou's tax is too high, but the military rations of the imperial court come from these rents. It is obtained from the Fu! The collection of military rations is really the top priority of the imperial court. Who dares to be sloppy about it? It’s just that these people have suffered...

"However, Sima Pushe is not surprised. Please forgive Jia for being straightforward here today. In fact, the order of 'army stationing and raising soldiers' issued by the late emperor is very good. If this order is widely used in the world, then The army does not compete with the people for food, and the people do not waste their labor for the army. This is a wonderful way for both the army and the people to get their own benefits—it is really beneficial. Otherwise, how could the victims of our Yuzhou have to face the locust attack and run away from home? No food left?" As soon as he said this, Wang Su seemed to feel quite the same, and sighed beside him: "That's right. "Confucius Family Yuyan Hui" has a saying: "Birds who are poor will peck, animals who are poor will grab, people who are poor will cheat. A poor horse is lost. From ancient times to the present, there is no one who is poor and can be safe.'——The army and the people compete for food, and the court and the wild compete for profit. As Jia Shishi said, it can be called the worry of the community! Su! After returning to the inner court, I will definitely appeal to His Majesty with all my heart!" When Sima Yi heard this, his heart moved secretly, and he glanced at Wang Su: Although this Wang Su was from a famous Confucian family, he looked gentle and elegant, but he was also a bit clear and tough in his bones.I usually regard him as a scribe looking for chapters and carved sentences, but I somewhat underestimate him.It seems that in the future, I have to make a lot of friends with him.As soon as he thought of this, he said with a smile: "Oh! What Jia Cishi said is right - within the four realms of the world, the governors of Hebei provinces, under the constraints of Shangshutai, can still implement the "army stationing and raising soldiers". Otherwise, how can the imperial court still have surplus food to give relief to the people in Hedong County? It’s just that Xuzhou and Yangzhou in the east, Yongzhou and Liangzhou in the west, and Jingzhou in the south have implemented the order of “army stationing and raising soldiers” well. Somewhat unsatisfactory. On this point, I hope that you, Wang Shilang, will actively appeal for our Shangshutai in the inner court, and we must persuade His Majesty to issue strict edicts and strict supervision." Hearing this, Wang Su hurriedly bowed his hands to Sima Yi, and replied solemnly: "Su Ding will try his best to argue with His Majesty, and strive to live up to Sima Pushe's trust." Sima Yi thanked him again and again, but he suddenly seemed to remember something, and said to Wang Su seriously: "Wang Shilang, before I came here to inspect the locust plague, my lord, Sir Sikong, sent a letter to tell me that he would I will donate all my salary this year to the people for disaster relief. I really empathize with Lord Sikong’s heart of loving the people like a child, and I admire him very much! But Lord Sikong has hundreds of family members and servants in his whole house It is not easy to get food and clothing, Wang Shilang should go back and persuade him to take back this letter..." "Sima Pushe! How could Su go back and persuade his father to take back this letter? To tell you the truth, Su is also going to donate his annual salary this year for disaster relief..." Wang Su stared straight at Sima Yi refused to look away. Sima Yi saw that his scholar's temper was getting up again, so he laughed and said softly: "Wang Shilang, Yi understands your feelings very well. Of course we can't bear to starve the affected people here; How can we feel at ease if we have ruined such great scholars as Lord Sikong and Wang Shilang? Moreover, Lord Sikong advocated with the dignity of the three princes, and all the officials in the world will follow the wind from the clouds. But some people are poor. Lonely and honest officials can only rely on their own salary to support their families. After they donate, the whole family has to go up the mountain to dig sweet potatoes and pick wild vegetables like old Yutou? There is a saying between Guang Luxun and Master Qia It is good: "If you set up a teaching and change the vulgar, the way of the mean in your place is to be reasonable, so that it can last for a long time and be great." This seat here urges Lord Sikong and Wang Shilang to think deeply." "This... so it sounds, Su is really thinking too simple." Wang Su couldn't help but ponder deeply after hearing this, "Okay. After Su returns to the mansion, he will think about it with his father." At this time, Jia Kui seized the gap and hurriedly interjected, "By the way, Sima Pushe, Jia heard such a thing, I don't know if you know it well..." Sima Yi's eyes flashed like a flash: "What's the matter?" Jia Kui said hesitantly: "Jia has heard some rumors that His Majesty thinks that we in Yuzhou and Henan have few people, few houses, and lack the magnificent weather of the capital of the Celestial Dynasty, and are planning to migrate from Jizhou and Youzhou for ten years. More than ten thousand military households and scholar households settled down here...isn't it?" "Oh...Your Majesty has mentioned such a matter, but it seems that it has been blocked by Mr. Wei Zhen, Minister of the Household Department." "That's good! That's good!" Jia Kui hastily stretched out his sleeves and wiped the hot sweat from his forehead, and then he showed a happy expression. "However, Jia Cishi, you can't take it lightly! Your majesty's holy will is like a thunderstorm. It is really unpredictable. You should pay more attention to it." "Yes, yes! Sima Pushe, you have seen it all this time. There has been such a large locust plague in Yuzhou this year. How can the state and county offices have any spare time and time to spare the time to arrange for those ten people? Thousands of military households and scholar families! If there is any change in this matter, Jia will definitely put down the 'Jinxian Crown' on his head and don't want it. He will also cry blood and express his feelings outside the Meridian Gate to speak for His Majesty. Clear the pros and cons!" "Well... Why did Jia Shishi come forward to confront His Majesty head-on? The more than 100,000 Jiyou military households were forced to leave their homes and move here. I'm afraid they would not be so willing." Sima Yi's eyes shone brightly, " In my opinion, Jia Shishi, you might as well go to a famous prefect who was born in Jizhou, such as Mr. Simpi, an old minister of the former emperor and a man of integrity. It should be more direct than you to let them come forward to persuade His Majesty. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to contradict?" "Oh! How did Jia forget Mrs. Xin and the others? Thank you Sima Pushe for your guidance..." Jia Kui was so excited that he slapped his knee hard with his hands, almost jumping up on the spot. While they were talking, a horse galloped from far ahead on the road ahead, kicking up a long trail of dust and smoke—the man on the horse jumped off his horse as soon as he saw them.Sima Yi glanced, and saw that the person who came was his personal bodyguard Liang Ji.He raised his hand and raised his voice and shouted: "Sima Pushe, Wang Shilang: Your Majesty asked Zhongshu Supervisor Liu Fangang to bring an oral order, and urgently summoned you to return to the Changle Hall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace to participate in the court ceremony!"