One night before Sun Li was about to take office in Jizhou, he received a personal letter from Taifu Sima Yi.
At this moment, Sun Li was sitting in his study, carefully studying this autographed letter against the candlelight. Years of fighting on the battlefield and ups and downs in the officialdom had already caused many hairs and wrinkles on Sun Li's temples and forehead. In the corner of the study, Sun Li's youngest son was looking at his father's figure who looked thin but seemed somewhat tall in a trance.
At this time, he could not imagine how heavy the weight this thin figure was carrying.
At this moment, Sun Li, who was concentrating on the letter, suddenly felt in a trance.
He couldn't help but think of the young man who drew a sword and fought a tiger for Emperor Ming in Dashi Mountain many years ago, and he also thought of Emperor Ming's ardent expectations for him when he was dying.
Over the years, I switched to Sima's sect because of the alienation and indifference of General Cao Shuang, and more importantly, to repay Sima Yi for his kindness. But at this moment, how can I repay Emperor Ming's kindness?
Whenever he thinks about this problem in these years, he can't stop sweating like rain. When a breeze blew by from the corridor outside the house, Sun Li realized that the letter, which was originally as white as snow, had become mottled with wrinkles stained by his own sweat.
This is destined to be another sleepless night.
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In the early morning of the next day, Sun Li dressed up and set off to Wuyang Hou Mansion. He knew that Taifu Sima Yi had always had the habit of getting up early.
The moment Sima Yi saw Sun Li, he immediately noticed that Sun Li was not in good condition. This state is naturally the state of poor rest. So he immediately said comfortingly:
"Deda, why do you look so bad? You will be leaving for Jizhou to take up a post in a few days, but you should take good care of yourself."
Sun Li was obviously so moved by this sudden concern that he temporarily forgot about the unsolvable knot deep in his heart last night:
"Thank you for your concern, Taifu. Jizhou affairs are complicated and ever-changing. Li was worried that he would fail Taifu's trust, so he was busy reading Jizhou files last night."
This white lie obviously spoke to Sima Yi’s heart:
"Deda, don't work too hard. If you fall ill, I will lose an arm!"
The two of them walked into the inner hall while exchanging pleasantries.
As the topic gradually deepened, Sun Li finally understood that Sima Yi had called him here to solve a troublesome matter.
Jizhou is a large northern state with a large number of talents since ancient times. It is also the place where Emperor Wu made his fortune. It is precisely because this place is not only the foundation of Taizu's founding of the country, and the people are prosperous and the country is prosperous, but it is also a treasured place where aristocratic families live together and talents come out in large numbers, so Sima Yi deliberately arranged for Sun Li to take control of this place.
Since ancient times, dragons have gathered in the depths of the sea, and this place is no exception. While talents are emerging in large numbers, the entanglements of interests and overt and covert struggles among powerful families, gentry, officials and the people are naturally inevitable.
Nowadays, Pingyuan County and Qinghe County in Jizhou are quarreling over the territorial boundaries. Qinghe County believes that the land at the intersection of Pingyuan Gaotang County and Qinghe County belongs to Qinghe, while Pingyuan County firmly denies it and insists that this land boundary belongs to Pingyuan. .
In fact, as early as the time of Emperor Ming Cao Rui, these two counties often had quarrels with each other over this matter. One of these two counties was the fiefdom of Emperor Ming when he was young, and the other was a place where aristocratic families lived. It is obvious that the power behind them now is exactly General Cao Shuang and Taifu Sima Yi.
However, the dispute over the boundaries of the two counties back then was just a small fight and did not reach the ears of the emperor in Luoyang City.
But now, the two county governors are members of the General Party and the Taifu Party respectively. No one is willing to give in to the other, so the conflict over this matter has become unprecedentedly intense, and some people even reported the matter to the court.
Cao Shuang and Sima Yi pretended to be nonchalant on the surface and allowed the two counties to resolve the matter on their own, but secretly they refused to give in to each other, so the matter was not properly handled for a long time.
But now, Sima Yi felt that Sun Li's appointment in Jizhou was a rare good opportunity. Not only could he benefit from his own county governor, but Sun Li could also gain recognition from the local people for this matter. If this matter was handled well, it would really It kills two birds with one stone and has many benefits.
That's why he prepared such a farewell drink for Sun Li before he set off.
"Deda, Qinghe and Pingyuan have been fighting for eight years, but the two governors of Jizhou failed to resolve this matter well. Now that you are about to take office, you must handle it properly so that the boundaries between these two counties are clear."
Sima Yi patted Sun Li on the shoulder with admiration, which made Sun Li feel even more flattered.
Sun Li hurriedly swallowed the food and wine in his mouth, bowed to Sima Yi and said:
"To report to Grand Tutor, two counties are now competing for land. Pingyuan County uses the abandoned family tombs and ancestral tombs of the rich families in the county as evidence, while Qinghe County uses the words of the ancestors as evidence. It can be said that each of them insists on their own opinions, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false. However, , Li believed that although the family tombs were respected, they were often moved due to feng shui, topography or water leakage. Although the words of the local elders were not unreasonable, they were just one-sided words and were not enough to prove it. I thought that if you want to really end this The dispute should be decided based on the map of the plain where the late emperor was entrusted, rather than the location of the ancestral tombs of the major families in the two counties or the words of the elders as evidence. The map is now stored in the imperial warehouse, and Li Xian took it in the capital. Let’s check it out, wait until they arrive in Jizhou, and conduct an on-site inspection, then the dispute will be resolved!”
While Sima Yi was sighing and praising Sun Li's talents, he was also making a calculation in his mind: If we judge by the treasury map according to what Sun Li just said, Pingyuan County should win the case. He couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart, so he said with a smile on his lips:
"What Deda said is true. The method of identifying maps is indeed wonderful!"
A few days later, in the early morning, Sun Li took the treasury map he copied and, surrounded by a group of honor guard soldiers, headed north to take office. The political affairs of a state in this dynasty were mainly managed by the governor or the state shepherd, while military power was naturally controlled by the local governor. Sun Li was going to be promoted to Jizhou Mu this time, so he naturally had to deal with Lu Zhao, the governor of Jizhou.
Speaking of the current governor of Jizhou, Lu Zhaolu Zizhan, this person is a difficult person to deal with.
His eldest son, Lu Xun, had a close relationship with Sima Yi's son Sima Zhao, and his second son, Lu An, was extremely friendly with Ji Kang, the son-in-law of the Cao clan. Therefore, how would Sun Li treat this person when he left? It's hard to judge at the moment.
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By the side of Bronze Camel Road, there is the General's Mansion.
When Cao Shuang saw the memorial from the governor of Qinghe, he became furious and smashed the bamboo slips to the ground with a "crash".
"It's unreasonable. This Sun Li relies on the old man Sima to support him, but he is so arrogant! He dares to divide the county boundaries privately without reporting to Yu Gu for instructions!"
Ding Mi touched his goatee under his chin and said slowly: "General, please calm down. Mi has a plan that will enable the general to get rid of Sun Li in a legitimate and legitimate manner!"
"Oh?" Cao Shuang was overjoyed when he saw that Ding Mi had a countermeasure. He immediately lost most of his anger. He immediately asked, "What's Yan Jing's plan? You might as well tell me."
"This matter is quite simple. The general can directly send a letter to Sun Li and force him to add the land boundary to Qinghe County. If he doesn't listen, the general can have Sun Li disobey the superior and refuse to obey the restraint. Take action!"
Cao Shuang lowered his head and pondered for a while, then showed a smile. During this period of time, he was so busy that he almost forgot about the power of life and death in his hands. He nodded and smiled:
"What Yan Jing said is true. I will write a personal letter to Sun Li right now. Come, prepare a bamboo slip with pen and ink!"
As he spoke, Cao Shuang sat down on the case and waited for his subordinates to get the cultural treasure. After a while, he wrote a concise but powerful statement:
"The pictures are not available, please refer to the similarities and differences."
The meaning of this sentence, to put it bluntly, is to tell Sun Li that the method he used to deal with the map before was wrong and he should think about it carefully again.
Cao Shuang looked at the order and nodded with satisfaction. After sealing it with fire paint, he stamped his general's seal on it.
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Jizhou, Yecheng.
Sun Li, who had just taken office, was filled with melancholy as he looked at the urgent instructions sent by Cao Shuang, the desk general.
Now I am trapped in a dilemma, like being trapped in a swamp with no way out.
If you obey Cao Shuang, you will be betraying Sima Taifu's expectations and trust in you.
But if he doesn't obey, then with Cao Shuang's power, he may be in doom.
Sun Li sat in front of the case and pondered for a whole hour.
Finally, he made a decision.
Since he has chosen to advance and retreat with the Taifu, he will refute Cao Shuang in a big way this time. Maybe the Taifu will save himself because of his attitude.
After Sun Li thought about it, he no longer hesitated and wrote a fierce reply.
―――
In the general's mansion, Cao Shuang was looking at Sun Li's unafraid reply.
"Under the command of General Fu Wei, Marquis Wu An:
I accepted the appointment of your majesty as the shepherd and went to the Holy Land to verify the boundaries of the place. The boundary between the two counties was actually limited to the Wangweng River. However, the governor of Qinghe County used Madanhou as the test and falsely used the Mingdu River as the boundary. False lawsuits, suspected of misleading the court. It is rumored that people's opinions are worth gold, floating stones are sinking wood, three people are like tigers in the city, and a loving mother throws them into a tree. The two prefectures have been fighting for eight years now, and the one who can resolve it in one day is destined to have an interpretation of the calligraphy and painting, so he can find the case and compare it. The plain lies between the two rivers and goes eastward, with Juedi in between. Juedi is in the southwest of Gaotang, and the contested land is in the northwest of Gaotang. They are more than twenty miles apart. It can be said that one sighs and sheds tears. The case is explained and the picture is presented, but the imperial edict is not received. This minister is too weak to do his job. How can I be so shameless? "
Cao Shuang looked at this unexpected memorial and showed a sinister smile.
He also heard from his school administrator in Jizhou that Sun Li was so angry that he had already put on his boots, took off his official hat, and drove on the official road, waiting to be dismissed from office.
Cao Shuang murmured:
"Since you are seeking death yourself, don't blame this general for being ruthless!"
Half a month later, Mu Sunli of Jizhou was detained in Tianlao for slandering an important minister, awaiting punishment.
Because Taifu Sima Yi and Jiang Ji, Wang Guan, Gao Rou and other senior ministers pleaded for mercy, Sun Licai was only spared the death penalty and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. He has been idle at home.
At this moment, Sun Li, who was sitting slumped in the sky prison and suddenly fell from a high official to a prisoner, was in a trance and filled with emotions. If I had not chosen this path, would I have ended up where I am today?
Sun Li had not thought through this problem at this time. In fact, not only at this moment, but also in the past many years, he had never wanted to pass.
―――
In the blink of an eye, winter has entered, and it’s the end of November again.
On this day, everyone in the Donghai Palace was filled with joy, all because of the birth of a child.
Cao Lin, King of the East China Sea, held Qilin'er in his arms and showed a rare smile.
"Let me name you "Feng"."
Cao Lin was filled with joy, and he swore silently in his heart: One day, he will make Gu Mao'er the master of the Wei Dynasty, the supreme leader of the Ninth Five-Year Plan!
