Chapter 259: Concerns about Moving the Capital
After being conferred the title of marquis, Black Bear returned directly to Lantian. The troops watching the ceremony maintained order, and the common people, scholars, and university students gradually dispersed.

The imperial envoy team looked at each other in bewilderment. They were not even given a decent reception.

Only Zhong Yao could take over and bring his subordinates to welcome the imperial envoy team to the office of the Inspector of the Imperial Capital to rest.

Kong Rong left and came back, sitting beside Wei Duan's desk as if nothing had happened.

Guanzhong is impoverished and in ruins. Even today's reception only provided rice, wine, beef and mutton. As for other delicacies, there were none.

Seeing the depressing atmosphere, Kong Rong couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

At this moment, he seemed to be standing on the shore on a sunny day, with his arms folded, watching the drowning people struggling.

Wei Duan sat close to Kong Rong, so he leaned over slightly and asked, "Where did the Grand Marshal go now?"

"He said he was going back to Lantian to celebrate with his family."

Kong Rong took out the silver seal from his left sleeve, held it in his right hand close to Wei Duan, and quietly handed it to Wei Duan.

Wei Duan took it and glanced at it, observing the seal for a moment and saw that it was a golden seal with just four characters: "Si Zhi Guan Yin".

He also quietly handed it back: "Who is the chief secretary?"

"Cui Jun, Cui Zhouping."

Kong Rong sighed softly. He didn't expect Cui Zhouping to act so quickly. Given Cui Zhouping's background and resume, he was worthy of being the Chief Secretary.

Wei Duan felt a little regretful, as the position of Chief Secretary was actually the most suitable for Zhong Yao.

As long as Zhong Yao is willing to bow his head and the Marquis of Liang is willing to accept him, then Zhong Yao will become the Chief Clerk, and many people in the Sili Xiaowei's office will have a proper place to go.

However, it was already great news that Kong Rong could join the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

Although Kong Rong was Si Zhi and did a job that offended people, this also shows that the Marquis of Liang was not as wary of and hostile to scholars as the legend said.

Anyone with a little common sense would not believe that rumor.

At most, they would be wary of and dislike the well-rounded scholar families; that is, the kind of clans that were huge, monopolized and annexed commercial land and population in the local area, obtained high positions and generous salaries in the court, and enjoyed a good reputation among the literati.

In the whole Xizhou, there is no other scholar family with such comprehensive development; even the Yang family of Hongnong is weak in economy, population and military power, and can be considered a relatively traditional scholar family.

For example, the Zhang family of Huayin, the Wei family of Duling, the Du family, or others like the Su family and the Geng family, are almost all traditional scholar families.

Guandong already had the historical background and topographical conditions for powerful states to grow in power, which was also the basis for the heroes to fight against Dong Zhuo.

Unlike Xizhou, which was first troubled by the Qiang people, then came the rebellion of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and Guo Si, and later the rise of the Ten Commanders of Guanzhong. Traditional scholar families had no opportunity for comprehensive development.

As for why Black Bear hates the famous families in Kanto... Based on the Wei family's inheritance and experience, they can more or less make some guesses.

For example, when the Yellow Turban Army first rose up, the first to suffer misfortune were the princes and vassal states of various places. Many of them were basically wiped out by the passing Yellow Turban Army.

Perhaps it was some other force that caused these marquises to be destroyed and their property to fall into the hands of the Yellow Turban Army. The annexed land lost its owner and naturally flowed into the hands of other people.

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion first emerged, Emperor Ling was still holding on when he captured two vassal kings. It was the imperial court that sent great scholars to negotiate with Zhang Jue to redeem them.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army colluded with the remaining forces of the royal family.

Anyway, no matter how these people seek revenge, it has nothing to do with the scholars of Xizhou; with the strength of the scholars of Xizhou, they are not qualified to participate in the final showdown that year.

Wei Duan did not want to get involved in any intense disputes, and even hoped that Zhong Yao could land safely with the team of officials he had accumulated over the years.

Zhong Yao died, but the officials he recruited and accumulated were all heroes from Guanlong.

If Zhong Yao and his gang were really going to fall into the fire pit, if Wei Duan just glanced at them a little longer, it would be disrespectful to the unfair fate of his fellow villagers in the past two hundred years.

At this moment, Wei Duan only wanted to get his eldest son into the Grand Marshal's office, and nothing else mattered.

Even the government affairs of Liangzhou are actually just that. The more you take that group of people in Liangzhou seriously, the more it becomes a problem.

If people don't take it seriously, Liangzhou will be stable instead.

In Wei Duan's eyes, the essence of Liangzhou only lies in Tianshui County; the other counties are really powerless.

These counties were not without population, but there were too few registered households. The taxes provided by the registered households were barely enough to maintain the county government, let alone discipline the powerful and suppress the various Hu tribes in the territory.

It would be fine if the county and county officials did not cause trouble. If they do, the few remaining registered households in the county and county towns will be lost.

Therefore, as the governor of Liangzhou, he felt at ease staying in Chang'an during this period. He lived comfortably, and the people of Liangzhou were also comfortable.

Only when everything in Guanzhong is back on track and there is enough savings can he play a role as the governor of Liangzhou.

Otherwise, he could do nothing and stay in Chang'an to concentrate on his studies, which would be the greatest support for Black Bear.

Wei Duan thought about it and whispered, "Yang Fu of Tianshui has the talent of a great man and can be a help to Marquis Liang."

If he recommends one person, after Yang Fu takes office, he will definitely recommend other heroes from Liangzhou to join the shogunate. If these people gain a firm foothold, it will be a natural process for Wei Kang to join the shogunate in the future.

Kong Rong nodded slightly, then glanced sideways at Pei Mao, who looked very unhappy.

I just can't understand why, even if we don't use such a talented person, there's no need to offend him.

He vaguely remembered hearing some Jingzhou scholars say at a banquet that the Marquis of Liang trusted and valued Sima Zhi very much; Sima Zhi's good friend Pei Qian was also recommended by Sima Zhi and recruited as the Zhenbei official and sent to Jingzhou on official business.

Pei Qian is Pei Mao's eldest son. Could it be that there was a conflict between the father and son, so the Marquis of Liang chose Pei Qian?
If you count it, Pei Qian is now working in the Grand Marshal's Office.

Kong Rong thought about it, raised his cup and drank a little, then leaned closer to Wei Duan, covered his mouth and nose with his left sleeve, and whispered: "After the banquet, you and I will ride in the same car. I need to borrow one of your warriors for something."

"Easy to say."

Wei Duan also raised the cup, covered it with his sleeve, and drank from it with his head tilted back.

Even if it was murder, as long as the dead were Guandong samurai, he felt that Black Bear would not pursue it further. While the banquet was being held here, Black Bear had already returned to Lantian on a fast horse.

Chen Zhen, the chief of Zhenbei, also set out from Xinfeng in advance and came to Lantian to wait.

A small-scale banquet was held here. In the earth building, Black Bear sat at the upper seat and drank alone with Chen Zhen.

The drink was Royal Chrysanthemum aged wine. Chen Zhen held the wine bowl with both hands. The wine in the dark blue pottery bowl was clear and amber in color, and the Royal Chrysanthemum was unfolded in the bowl.

Then I heard Black Bear say: "Cao's army is about to attack Liyang, but Cao Cao is very wary of me, so he gathered his troops in Chenliu to observe my movements. Now the court has granted me an official title and can give me the title of Marquis of Liang. For the sake of the emperor's face, I will not send troops directly."

Without the approval of the emperor and some old ministers of the Han Dynasty such as Yang Biao and Geng Ji, the title of Marquis of Liang could not be given.

Now what is very interesting is that most of the loyal officials of the Han Dynasty who stayed in Xudu to surround the emperor were from Xizhou.

"Your Majesty, do you mean that I should make this known to the Emperor when I present the gifts to him?"

"Yes, I have no ill will towards the emperor, and Taishi Wengong has no ill will towards the emperor either. How you state it specifically is up to you, and you must make the emperor feel my goodwill."

As Black Bear was speaking, a Taoist puppet soldier knelt on one knee in front of Chen Zhen holding a brocade box and handed it to him with both hands.

Chen Zhen saw two scrolls of silk books in the brocade box. One was a thank-you letter that Black Bear had written long ago, and the other was quite large with "Taiping Shidao Jing" written at the beginning.

Seeing Black Bear waving his hand, Chen Zhen picked them up and read them one by one. The thank-you letter had only a hundred words, written in golden calligraphy.

What was unexpected was the "Taiping Shidao Jing". I thought it would be calligraphy written on gold tablets. It was not important to present the scriptures, the key was to present calligraphy written on gold tablets.

Use the influence of gold tablet calligraphy to promote the spread of "Taiping Shidao Jing".

However, the entire heavy scroll of "Taiping Shidao Jing" was written in an ordinary cursive script. Chen Zhen was a little confused for a moment, and then he heard Black Bear say: "This is the handwriting of Taishi Wengong."

Black Bear raised his cup and took a sip as he spoke. He was just curious about Lu Bu's calligraphy.

When instructing the other party to copy remotely, he did not deliberately think about calligraphy or anything like that, so Lu Bu instinctively used a certain calligraphy.

If the inference is correct, this should be Lu Bu's handwriting during his lifetime.

With the mentality of giving it a try, he also prepared a small gift for Zhang Liao, hoping that it could be successfully delivered to the other party.

Chen Zhen was a man of meticulous mind. He now understood that the original intention of presenting this volume of "Taiping Shidao Jing" to the emperor was to display this not-so-outstanding regular script.

There was also a list of gifts presented to the emperor in the brocade box, which had been packed and sealed.

Normally speaking, few people would dare to plunder these gifts presented to the emperor.

Chen Zhen observed the gift list and saw that they all contained precious furs, gems, and specialties from the Western Regions obtained from the Huns.

After sealing the brocade box, Chen Zhen asked, "Your Majesty, if the people of Xudu ask about military matters, how should I respond?"

"Guanzhong has a lot of work to do. If it's not necessary, I don't want to start another war."

Black Bear frowned as he spoke. The more worried a person is, the more likely something will happen. He said to Chen Zhen, "Xiaozhi, come back quickly. Don't stay too long."

Chen Zhen thanked him, and after Black Bear's repeated signals, Chen Zhen relaxed his restraints and began to eat the food and royal chrysanthemum wine on the table.

Seeing the black bear swallowing the royal chrysanthemum, Chen Zhen followed suit and swallowed it. He felt warm all over, his blood circulation flowed smoothly, and his mood became cheerful.

The position of Chief Secretary was not something he could control, but he was mentally prepared for it.

But he couldn't hide his feeling of loss. However, after taking the royal chrysanthemum, he felt happy.

Black Bear personally escorted Chen Zhen downstairs, and soon the next visitor, Lou Gui, came to see him.

Lou Gui's status was limited, so Black Bear met him in a side hall near the earth building.

Lou Gui was more than eight feet tall, with broad shoulders. Sitting there, he looked more like a general than a scholar.

After all, Lou Gui was a man who had seen the world. He was calm and composed. Seeing that Hei Xiong looked worried, he said with a smile, "Cao Mengde should be worried and sighing when he is appointed as the Grand Marshal of Liang today. Why is it that you, the Lord, look worried?"

Black Bear took Lou Gui's gift list and flipped through it. He raised his eyebrows to look at Lou Gui and smiled: "Mr. Zi Bo, take a guess."

"I am good at business, not military strategy. But there is one person who knows Cao Mengde's background well."

"I'd like to hear about that person."

"Xu You and Xu Ziyuan from Nanyang came with me and are waiting outside the corridor."

Lou Gui said, bowing solemnly: "This man wanted to live in seclusion. I persuaded him again and again, and he followed me here. If you can use him, please use him. I am willing to guarantee with my three clans that this man is not Cao Mengde's spy."

"Okay, I'll meet him."

Black Bear glanced at Zhang Ding who was on duty outside the door. Zhang Ding left quickly and called Xu You who was waiting outside the corridor.

Xu You looked calm and followed him inside.

Kneeling upright beside Lou Gui, Black Bear asked, "Just now Lou Zibo said that I looked worried. Can Mr. Ziyuan explain it?"

Xu You raised his head to observe Black Bear's face, frowning, and then glanced at Lou Gui's profile, then he cupped his hands and said, "With my limited knowledge, I only know that you are worried that Cao Mengde will move the emperor back to Luodu."

Black Bear was stunned, looked Xu You up and down, and said with a smile: "Sir, you are very talented, please take a seat."

As he spoke, he pointed with his arm, and immediately his personal soldiers brought a separate table, and the food, drinks and the like were quickly laid out.

Only then did Xu You shake his sleeves, stand up, and sit down leisurely.

He took a sip of the Huangju aged wine, narrowed his eyes and smiled, put down the wine bowl, and said to Black Bear: "Your Excellency's use of troops is unpredictable, but your dealings with people are still three points less flexible than Cao Mengde. To defeat the plan of moving the capital, let Gan Xingba wait for an opportunity to harass Hangu Pass."

Seeing Black Bear thinking, Xu You took another sip from the bowl, and then said: "The people of Ruying will definitely obstruct. The world is about to change, Cao Mengde will not lose his composure."

(End of this chapter)