Everyone present had known for a long time that this competition was to prepare for the selection of the deputy commander of the expedition to Shu, so they were not surprised by Xia Houxuan's position arrangement. But Xia Houxuan still felt unprecedentedly nervous.
General Zhengxi is second only to the rank of Sangong. He directly controls more than 100,000 troops in the northwest of Yongzhou and Liangzhou. In addition, he has the power to kill first and then report later. This is an extremely high honor and authority that many ordinary officials cannot achieve in their lifetime. Even Emperor Wu Cao Cao, who conquered the world at that time, once said that his dream was to become the general of the Han Dynasty in the Western Conquest, and to be able to leave an inscription on his tombstone after his death: "The Tomb of Cao Hou, the Former Han General in the Western Conquest".
But now, Xia Houxuan has just passed his thirties and has already shouldered such an important responsibility. Naturally, he feels very excited and nervous. In addition, I grew up in Yecheng and Luoyang since I was a child. Although I have been to Mobei, Liaodong, and Jingxiang to the south of the Yangtze River, it was only a temporary mission or travel. Now I have become the empire's northwest frontier official. Naturally, he will be stationed in Chang'an for many years in the future.
When he thought that his five-year-old Mingyue would stay in Luoyang and become a hostage, he suddenly felt a sense of reluctance.
In a daze, he suddenly remembered Luoyang City in the early spring of more than twenty years ago, the second year of Huang Chu. At that time, he was just a ten-year-old child. Xia Houxuan still vividly remembers the scene when his father said goodbye to him on the day he left for Jingzhou to take office. Unexpectedly, in a trance, I was about to embark on a distant journey again.
In addition, when I go to Chang'an this time, I must immediately reorganize military affairs, then count the men, horses, food, grass, and equipment, study the terrain of the Shu Road, and start a war with the purpose of opening up the territory and wiping out the enemy chiefs. This It is also a very arduous and arduous task.
At this moment, the supreme glory, full of excitement, deep sorrow of separation, and heavy burden all came to Xia Houxuan's heart almost in an instant, making Xia Houxuan feel dazed and dizzy. dizzy.
But soon, Xia Houxuan adjusted his state and respectfully performed a military salute to the emperor on the high platform:
"Wei Chen, thank you Your Majesty!"
The admiration in Cao Fang's heart was beyond words. When he saw his master half-kneeling on the ground and bowing slightly, he couldn't help but left the dragon seat and wanted to help him. However, he soon realized that his seat was too far away from Xia Houxuan. As the emperor, it would be inappropriate to act rashly, so he slowly sat down again after raising his body:
"My dear, there is no need to be polite, please get back on your feet quickly!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Xia Houxuan bowed again, then slowly stood up and left the high platform.
The official who read out the oral edict shouted loudly:
"Master Sima, Sima Zhao, come forward and listen to the seal!"
The two brothers Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, who were the top three in today's competition, were stunned for a moment. After looking at each other, they glanced at their father on the stage and the seventh brother Sima Jun who was accompanying the emperor, and then reacted immediately. Come over and immediately strode to the stage.
When the official saw the two men in place, he began to announce the second decision reached by the emperor, the tutor, and the general:
"Sima Shi, the direct son of Marquis Wuyang, was proficient in military affairs and was specially promoted to the third rank of the Zhonghu Army. He was in charge of the three battalions of the imperial city and was given two horses of Shu brocade. Sima Zhao, the regular servant of Sanqi, was outstanding in martial arts and was specially promoted to the third rank of Zhengshu General. , as the deputy general of the expedition to the west, I also gave him two pieces of Shu brocade."
After Sima Shi and Sima Zhao received their respective titles, their hearts were filled with turmoil and joy.
Master Sima had been idle at home for many years due to being involved in the "Extreme Case". Now that he had been promoted to the important position of the Central Guards in place of Xia Houxuan, it was natural that he could not restrain his inner excitement. Just now, he felt envious and jealous of Xia Houxuan, and he also Then the sudden good mood disappeared.
Sima Zhao has successively served as a general of the Dian Nong and a regular attendant of the Sanqi over the years, but he is not satisfied with the status quo. His dream is to one day be able to brave the battlefield and establish his own merits. Now he is Suddenly his dream came true, and his inner excitement was probably even stronger than that of his elder brother.
Cao Shuang's face looked uncertain at this moment. What made him happy today was that his cousin Xiahou Xuan defeated the generals and won the first prize in one fell swoop, successfully winning the positions of General of the Expedition to the West and Governor of Yongliang. What made him feel uncomfortable was that he originally wanted to recommend to the emperor to select new candidates for the Central Guard Army after today, but he did not expect that Sima Yi took advantage of the opportunity and chose to temporarily recommend Sima Shi to the emperor as the Central Guard Army today.
It seems that among the Forbidden Army, I will have to pay more attention in the future.
After Sima Shi and Sima Zhao were excited for a while, they took over the official seal and Shu brocade given by the emperor with trembling hands, and saluted and thanked the emperor as if they were just waking up from a dream.
——————
Changlinghou Mansion.
The five-year-old prince Mingyue was currently copying the Analects of Confucius in Hemingxuan's study.
Xia Houxuan was thinking about something in Linzhixuan's study at the moment.
Because of Gu Ting's capable butler, Xia Houxuan, who was about to leave for his new post, did not spend too much time explaining the affairs of the mansion. Instead, he focused on selecting subordinate staff for General Zhengxi's mansion.
He understood that today's Yongzhou and Liangzhou are filled with members of the Sima clan headed by Guo Huai and their disciples and former officials. If I don't select a few reliable and capable staff, I'm afraid it will be difficult to effectively control the Zhengxi Mansion and the 100,000 troops stationed in the seventeen counties of Yongliang and the Western Region Changshi Mansion.
While Xia Houxuan was thinking, he wrote some names and official positions on the paper. After thinking for a moment, he crossed them out. In this way, Xia Houxuan wrote and crossed out and crossed out and wrote again, and finally drew up a list before dinner.
Huigu, who had been observing for a long time, finally saw her husband stop writing. Then she stepped forward and asked with a smile:
"Husband, are you finished?"
Xia Houxuan, who was rubbing his temples, heard his wife calling and smelled the aroma of food. He realized that Huigu had moved the food to Linzhixuan's study. He smiled and said:
"It took me two hours to draw up a list. I thought back then, when I was drafting an article on Pegasus, it could be done in a moment, but now I am racking my brains for a candidate for Zhengxi Mansion's staff. It seems that I really am I’m running out of ideas.”
Huigu put the food on the table and said with a smile:
"Selecting officials and appointing people is a national matter. Since ancient times, countless princes and generals have caused catastrophe because they failed to check for a while and appointed the wrong people. Not to mention the far-reaching ones, even Xishu is known as 'Wolong' Didn't Zhuge Kongming, who had the most powerful weapon, use the wrong horse and Su, and lose his troops, his generals, and his territory?"
Xia Houxuan saw that Huigu's words were clear and logical. He took the list from the case, nodded with a smile and said:
"What Madam said is absolutely true. How about Madam help me go through the list again to see if there is anything wrong?"
Huigu originally wanted to persuade Xiahou Xuan to have dinner before thinking about the list, but then she thought about it. The choice of Zhengxi Mansion's staff was of great importance, so it was better not to delay, so Huigu agreed with a smile. She took the list from Xia Houxuan and looked up, only to see what was written on the list:
"The candidates for the staff of the Zhengxi Mansion are as follows: the fifth-rank military advisor (blank); the sixth-rank chief historian Li Sheng; the sixth-rank Sima (blank); the seventh-rank official and marching army officers Deng Ai, Le Fang, He Kui, Qianjia, Qianhong, (blank); one person in the seventh-grade account is Yu Huan; one person is in charge of the eighth-grade book (blank); ten meritorious officials will be selected in Chang'an."
After Huigu read the list, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. Xia Houxuan thought he had made a mistake somewhere, so he hurriedly asked:
"Why are you laughing, madam?"
Huigu stopped laughing and then joked:
"My husband has been busy all afternoon, but unexpectedly he handed in a incomplete and half-blank paper."
Xia Houxuan, who had always been proud of his literary talents, couldn't help but blush slightly with embarrassment when he heard this. He defended:
"As Madam just said, selecting officials and appointing people is a major matter for the country. How can you dare to do it hastily?"
When Huigu saw that her husband, who had always been unshakable and stubborn, turned red with embarrassment, she gave up. She calmed down and said seriously:
"Husband, there are two people on this list. They are obviously Sima Yi's disciples and former officials. Is there a clerical error, husband?"
After hearing this, Xia Houxuan couldn't help but praise:
"Madam, you are talking about Deng Ai and Le Fang, right?"
Huigu nodded immediately.
"Madam is really as considerate as her hair."
Xia Houxuan praised and explained:
"How could I not know that these two people are former disciples of the Sima family. When I went to Chang'an to take office, many of the officials and generals in Yongliang prefectures and counties were former members of the Sima family, and Deng Ai, He is not bad in nature and is good at water conservancy and farming. I have long heard that the chiefs of Jingzhao County, Nan'an County, Guangwei County and other counties admire Deng Ai very much and hope to learn the water conservancy method from Deng Ai. Therefore, As long as we make good use of this person and manage water conservancy, we won't be afraid that we won't be able to win over the officials and people of Yongliang Prefecture."
Only now did Huigu understand her husband's good intentions, and she continued to listen.
"As for Le Fang, this man is from Nanyang, Jingzhou. Although he was conquered by Sima Yi, he was favored by his father in Jingzhou and had a close relationship with his father. Moreover, he had conquered the Western Regions with his uncle and had a close relationship with Liangzhou. I also have friendships with the officials, big and small, so they can be used by me."
After hearing this, Huigu suddenly realized. She picked up the list that had been erased and deleted countless times again, and looked at it carefully. After a while, Huigu said seriously:
"The military advisor of the Zhengxi Mansion has the most important responsibilities. He assists the commander in commanding the three armies, and has the responsibility of correcting and supervising the commander. He has the highest status and the most powerful authority. If my husband does not have a suitable candidate, I think it is better not to easily choose someone to take over for the time being."
Xia Houxuan nodded, deeply convinced, and continued to listen:
"As for the post of Sixth Grade Sima, who manages the military personnel of the Zhengxi Mansion and participates in the affairs of the Mansion together with the chief minister, I have thought of a candidate."
When Xiahou Xuan heard that Hui Gu had an idea, he hurriedly asked:
"Oh? I wonder who the lady is talking about?"
Hui Gu smiled and said:
"This person is none other than Fan Can and Fan Chengming, the Minister of the Yu Department in Shangshutai, who has a close friendship with Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou."
Naturally, Xia Houxuan had heard of this person. He was the grandson of Fan Changdan, a famous scholar from the previous dynasty. He was a rare talent with noble character and a strong memory. What’s more, he and his partner, Sima Yi, The party has a close friendship with Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou. If he can conquer this person, then he will definitely be able to be a general in the Western Conquest.
Xia Houxuan's heart was bright at this moment, and his eyes were shining with light. He continued to ask excitedly:
"Madam is indeed my good wife. The post of Sima has been finalized. However, there is also the post of chief registrar. Although the rank is not high, it is directly in charge of the documents and maps of Zhengxi Mansion. Therefore, no one can take this position unless he is a close confidant. Ren, the person whom my husband trusts the most is the "Four Heroes of Yulin" gathered in the Yulin camp. Tiger is highly skilled in martial arts, so he is the most suitable person to serve as the sect commander; brother-in-law and brothers Qianjia and Qianhong, He has been with me all year round, served in the army, is well versed in the art of war, and is skilled in martial arts, so it is most suitable to join the army and advise on military matters. Apart from this, my husband really cannot find a suitable confidant. "
After hearing this, Hui Gu thought for a moment and then said:
"There is a person who is very suitable to be the eighth-grade chief registrar!"
