Chapter 1088 Exchange
Sima Yi, who was sitting on the main seat, waved his hand and signaled the guards standing around Guo Mo to leave.
"grown ups?"
The two brothers, Sima Master Sima Zhao, immediately became anxious.
This is a delicate work. What if someone gets hurt in a sudden incident?
“Don’t worry, when you brought Guo Shenjun here, he must have been searched thoroughly.”
“If you are not at ease, then you two should stay and the rest of you can go out.”
Sima Yi signaled to the two brothers, and then looked at Guo Mo with a smile:
“Besides, Guo Shenjun wouldn’t do anything wrong to me at this time, right?”
Hearing this, Guo Mo forced a smile and said, "The master is joking."
Sima Yi didn’t point it out, but just asked:
"It has been eleven years since Guo Canjun came to the Wei Dynasty. Have you ever missed your wife, family and children in Shu?"
Guo Mo subconsciously took a half step back. Sima Yi's words made him even more suspicious:
“What do you mean by these words?”
Sima Yi sighed leisurely, with a rather nostalgic look on his face:
“I have also exchanged letters with Zhuge Kongming many times, and I know that he is a man of firm will.”
He looked at Guo Mo again: "I think the person who can be entrusted by him to come to the Wei Dynasty to do detailed work must be a determined person."
Guo Mo's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to move his hands, he remembered that he had entered the house without any shoes, not to mention sharp weapons, and his heart suddenly sank.
Seeing Guo Mo's action, the two Sima division brothers Sima Zhao who were guarding Sima Yi made a "clang" sound and drew their swords in unison.
"do not worry."
Sima Yi stretched out his sword and pressed down, not only to Guo Mo, but also to signal Sima Shi and Sima Zhao to put away their swords.
“Guo Canjun, although you are a craftsman of the Han State, I also know that in the early years, you bought a lot of wool for the Wei Army.”
"Of course, the price is a bit expensive, but at that time, even if others wanted to buy it, there was no way. After all, you have also made some contributions to the Wei Dynasty."
When Guo Mo heard Sima Yi’s words, he simply couldn’t believe his ears:
The dignified Grand Tutor of the Wei State actually claimed that he had made great contributions to the Wei State even though he knew his identity?
"Taifu...you? Do you already know my identity?"
"Some time ago, someone from the Han Dynasty came to surrender. His surname was Yang and his name was Yi. He claimed to be the long history of Zhuge Kongming during his lifetime. He gave a lot of details."
Sima Yi did not want to hide anything, but directly stated his source of information: "Guo Shenjun is on the detailed list."
When Guo Mo heard this, he immediately blurted out: "Impossible! Duke Yang Wei is deeply trusted by the Prime Minister, how could he betray the country and join the traitors?"
Sima Zhao pressed his sword and shouted angrily: "Bold! Who do you think is a thief!"
On the contrary, it was Sima Yi who looked lifeless:
“Hearing what Guo Shenjun said, could it be that he admitted that he was really a craftsman sent by Zhuge Kongming?”
Guo Mo didn't bother Sima Zhao, but stared at Sima Yi and was silent for a while, then said slowly:
“Whether I admit it or not, in the eyes of the Taifu, it must not matter, right?”
Sima Yi shook his head:
"No, on the contrary, it is very important to me whether Mr. Guo was sent by Kong Ming."
After Guo Mo was sure that Sima Yi knew his identity, he already had death intentions.
Unexpectedly, Sima Yi did not let anyone pull him out. He still looked unhurried, which made him a little confused: "Why?"
Sima Yi looked past Guo Mo and looked into the distance, a little complicated and a little impressed:
"I heard that after the death of Zhuge Kongming, the whole country of Han, including the officials and the people, cried bitterly and regretted it."
"Someone took the opportunity to write a letter to express his opinions, saying extremely bad things about Zhuge Kongming. Unexpectedly, the Liu family was angry and executed him, and even exiled the wife and children of the greedy person to the border county."
“If you are a minister of others, you will have no regrets if you can receive such treatment.”
His eyes fell on Guo Mo again:
“Since Mr. Guo was sent by Zhuge Kongming, if he could return to Han, he would surely receive a heavy reward, right?”
Guo Mo didn't hear the answer he wanted, and he became more and more confused about what Sima Yi wanted to do.
He was only afraid that Sima Yi would have some conspiracy, and he made up his mind to treat himself as a dead person from now on.
Just die, but also die clearly.
“Sima Gong, my identity has been exposed and I know that I have no way out. But before I die, please give me a definite answer. Yang Yi and Yang Wei Gong, did you really betray the Han Dynasty?”
Sima Yi smiled and said calmly:
“Now that the matter has come to this, what’s the benefit of lying to Mr. Guo?”
Guo Mo still couldn’t believe it when he received Sima Yi’s definite answer:
"How is it possible? How is it possible? Duke Yang Wei...Sima Gong also said that he is the prime minister with a long history, how could he betray the Han Dynasty?"
When Guo Mo defected to the Wei State, Yang Yi only joined the army in the Prime Minister's Office.
However, this man is extremely talented. After so many years, it is very possible for him to be promoted to long history by the prime minister.
Sima Yi seemed to be very patient and actually explained to Guo Mo:
“According to the information I have learned, after the death of Zhuge Kongming, Feng Mingwen was ordered to lead the army. Yang Yi had always been at odds with Feng Mingwen, so Feng Mingwen took the opportunity to exclude him.”
“Not only has he, an old man in the Prime Minister’s Palace, been in trouble everywhere, but he has not been rewarded for his achievements over the years, and he has even been deprived of his right to serve as the chief historian.”
“Yang Yi felt deeply that Feng Mingwen was unfair, so he became angry and defected to the Wei Dynasty.”
Hearing this, Guo Mo immediately blurted out: "It's impossible..."
Then he thought about it and added a word after it with some hesitation: "Really?"
Perhaps, it’s unlikely, right?
Over the years, Feng Mingwen first made his works famous all over the world and created a new generation of writing style.
Again, he is a famous general who is famous all over the world.
Just as this man's reputation spread throughout the world, some of his indecent names also spread to the ears of the world.
What clever words, charming words, ruthless hearts, and foresight must be repaid...
Before Guo Mo left the Han Dynasty, he had heard a little bit about this man's reputation.
However, he was sent by the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, so he naturally knew that Feng Mingwen was one of the people the Prime Minister valued who could succeed him.
Since this person is now ordered to lead the army, it means that the prime minister finally chose him as his successor.
Guo Mo may not believe in Feng Mingwen, but he believes in the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
Guo Mo has never met Feng Mingwen, but he has met Yang Weigong.
Yang Weigong is indeed talented, but he is too narrow-minded.
During the reign of the late emperor, he had a disagreement with Liu Zichu (Liu Ba). In the end, the late emperor had to transfer him out of the Shangshutai and was appointed as the prefect of Hongnong in Yaoling.
"There must be something hidden in this, I'm afraid it's just one-sided remarks by Duke Yang Wei."
Sima Yi doesn't care about Yang Yi, since this person is not in his hands now.
What he cares about is Feng Mingwen.
“I am also quite interested in this matter. From what Mr. Guo said, do you believe in Feng Mingwen more?”
Guo Mo said calmly: "I have never met Feng Mingwen, so how can I know who he is? But since the prime minister let this person command the army, he must have a reason."
Hearing this, Sima Yi laughed:
"It makes sense, it makes sense! Think about what kind of person Zhuge Kongming is, how could he easily hand over hundreds of thousands of troops and the land of two states to a villain who likes to retaliate?"
Sima Yi stroked his beard and asked for the second time: "Mr. Guo, you have been away from Han for so many years. Do you want to go back to see your wife and children?"
Guo Mo's face was full of doubts, and he hesitated and asked again: "What do you mean by Taifu's words?"
"Mr. Guo, doesn't he want to know who Feng Mingwen is? Moreover, I want to exchange my husband for Feng Mingwen for something I want."
“Wang Shuang, and Deng Ai’s bones.”
Seeing that Guo Mo was confused, Sima Yi explained again:
“Wang Shuang is a general of our army who has a long history of bravery. He was captured by the Han in the previous battle in Guanzhong.”
"As for Deng Ai." Sima Yi sighed, "He is a loyal man whom I promoted. During the Battle of Guanzhong, he led the army to attract the attention of the enemy in order to protect the retreat of the army."
“In the end, he was trapped in a heavy siege, but he still refused to surrender, and finally died in the rebel army. This person is to me what my husband is to the Han Dynasty.”
“So even though I can’t save this person alive, I can at least let this person’s bones be buried properly to comfort his old mother.”
It is understandable to change Wang Shuang, but when he heard about Deng Ai, Guo Mo's heart was suddenly touched.
If he died at this time, I'm afraid his relatives in Shu would never know where his bones would be dumped, right?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say: "What the Master did..."
He wanted to say that the Taifu's move was a great kindness.
I just thought that I was the one being exchanged, and if I said it out loud, people would look down on me, so I could only swallow the second half of the sentence.
Although he was on a hostile stance, Sima Yi's actions still made Guo Mo feel a sense of respect.
If he puts himself in his shoes, after knowing his current situation, the big man is willing to try his best to change himself back.
Even someone like me, who has long been determined to die, should be grateful, right?
“Looking at Mr. Guo’s appearance, you don’t expect that one day you will be able to return to Han?”
At this point, Guo Mo has nothing to hide: "Since arriving in Wei, I have never thought that one day I would be able to return to the Han Dynasty safely."
"In this case, I will send someone to Guanzhong to deliver a message to Feng Mingwen to see what he thinks. In the next few days, I am afraid I will be wronged, sir."
“Just let Mr. Sima do whatever he wants.”
After the guards escorted Guo Mo down to guard him, Sima Zhao said with some dissatisfaction:
“Sir, Xuchang is showing off to us. We managed to catch this man with great difficulty, and now we want to let him go?”
“It’s not to put it away, it’s to replace it.”
“Sir, I heard that Wang Shuang surrendered to the Shu people on his own initiative. Moreover, this is not the first time that this person has been captured. He was captured by the Wu people that year.”
"It seems that this person is not a good general. What's the use of bringing him back?"
Sima Yi scolded:
"What do you know? The army led by Deng Ai and Wang Shuang has no way to advance or retreat. The only option is to die in battle. You can't expect everyone to be like Deng Ai, who would rather die than surrender."
"This is the time when Cao Shuang and I are trying to win over people's hearts. Cao Shuang indulges in excess of etiquette and excludes those who come in to remonstrate. I am abiding by etiquette and righteousness, and I treat the virtuous and corporal."
“If others know that I will not give up even Deng Ai Gu Gu and Wang Shuang, then between me and Cao Shuang, who is more worthy of trust, do we still need to consider?”
Sima Zhao finally understood after being scolded by his own master.
Your Majesty's approach turns out to be not as simple as it seems on the surface. It is both internally winning people's hearts and externally testing thieves.
He couldn't help but said with some shame:
“It’s the child who doesn’t think well.”
Sima Yi stood up, took two steps slowly, and then said:
“Guanzhong is only separated from Henan by the Hanxiao Ancient Road. Zhuge Kongming is dead. Feng Mingwen, who is now leading the troops stationed in Guanzhong, is our biggest opponent.”
“The so-called knowing yourself and your enemy means you can fight a hundred battles without danger. If through this incident, we can know Feng Mingwen’s character, why not send back an insignificant detail to the Han Dynasty?”
In the past, I had written many letters with Zhuge Kongming, and the two sides had sent envoys to communicate with each other many times.
Sima Yi can at least get a rough idea of what kind of person Zhuge Kongming is from this.
Now we have a new opponent.
This opponent has a great reputation and a very bad reputation.
Of course, there are also good reviews - but they are not as famous as the bad ones.
Even a figure like Taifu Sima almost had his escape route cut off by someone when he collided with Feng Mingwen for the first time.
It really left Sima Taifu with lingering fears and a deeper understanding of ruthlessness, cunning and change.
But based on Taifu Sima’s understanding of Zhuge Kongming, Ruofeng Mingwen was really the figure designated by Zhuge Kongming to lead the army in Guanzhong.
Then some of the rumors about this person that circulated in Wei Dynasty may need to be re-evaluated.
Because of this, Sima Taifu did not dare to easily draw conclusions about what kind of person the other party was.
Even more dare to be sure of those wind reviews, which is fake and true.
“It’s true! Brother, it’s true! According to what my brother said, I personally took people to see it.”
In Wuyuan County, Xu Xunzheng was excited and reported to Feng Junhou with joy:
“Brother, you are really amazing. You even know where there are iron mines in Yinshan Mountain. Those old craftsmen have said that there is indeed a big iron mine in that place.”
As Xu Xun spoke, he subconsciously glanced around to make sure there were no outsiders, and then continued:
"That mine runs from Wuyuan County to the north of Yinshan Mountain. I don't have enough manpower and I'm afraid that Huo Shao will discover it first, so I don't dare to send people across Yinshan Mountain to see how big the mine is."
“Anyway, from the current perspective, it’s very, very big, much bigger than Nanzheng and Nanxiang.”
Even though he had expected it, Feng Junhou could not help but feel his heart beat faster when he thought that Baotou in later generations would all belong to the Xinghan Society in the future:
“Have you bought them all?”
“I bought it, bought it!”
Xu Xun nodded repeatedly, "Brother, when he led the army here last year, didn't he worship Wang Zhaojun on the bank of the river?"
“So my younger brother told Huo Shao first that since my brother worships there, the Xinghan Hui will use that place as the boundary to cover all the areas north of the river in Wuyuan County.”
At this time, there were not many Han people in the Jiuyuan hometown, and almost all were Hu people.
The number of Xianbei Hu who were originally entrenched here has been reduced by at least half due to the massacre last year.
Although barbarians from outside the Yinshan Mountains have gradually moved in, there is still no way to make up for the population lost in last year's war.
So the Jiuyuan hometown at this time was even more vast and sparsely populated than Liangzhou.
Jiuyuan's hometown, said to be this county or that county, in fact, the main population is still concentrated in the Gaoque area, that is, Shuofang County (the Houtao Plain in later generations).
Located in Wuyuan County, in the middle of the Hetao, you may not be able to see a few people even if you ride on a horse and run for several hours.
This is also the reason why the imperial court promised that the Xinghan Hui could run horses and enclose land at will in the border counties.
I am not afraid that you will enclose the land, but I am afraid that you will not want to go to the border areas.
Not to mention that Xinghanhui also undertook the resettlement work of part of the military veterans.
If those old soldiers who are used to seeing blood are returned to their hometowns, if they are not resettled well, it will be a source of instability.
But if you put it on the border, it makes people feel reassured.
“Then Huo Shao first saw us buying land in Wuyuan County and advised us to go to Yunzhong County (i.e. Qiantao Plain) to buy it, saying that the land there was better than that in Wuyuan.”
Xu Xun couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke.
"Huo Shaoxian is also kind-hearted." Feng Junhou did not laugh along with Xu Xun, but asked a question, "Where is the coal? Have you found it?"
Speaking of this matter, the smile on Xu Xun’s face disappeared and he shook his head:
“Not yet. We have looked a lot north of the river, and we haven’t found any usable coal mines yet.”
“But please don’t worry, brother, there are many trees in Yinshan Mountain, we...”
Feng Junhou shook his head:
“No, since it has been decided that this will be an important base for the Xinghan Hui, if we can avoid cutting down the trees on Yinshan Mountain, we should try not to cut them down.”
“Try to search around Yinshan Mountain. If that doesn’t work, you can also go to the south of the river to search.”
If the Feng family's "Memoirs of Feng Junhou" at the bottom of the box remembers correctly, Yulin and other places south of the Hetao are the coal mining bases second only to Datong.
If there is any mineral vein extending to the north, it doesn't need to be too big, it will be enough.
Anyway, with the current industrial technology of the Han Dynasty, it does not use much coal.
“I understand, little brother.”
“Well, let’s go to Shuofang.”
Shuofang County is the last stop of this inspection. After seeing Shuofang, Feng Junhou will return to Chang'an along the Qin Straight Road.
(End of this chapter)