Volume 1 Jiangdong Fengyun Chapter 110 The Blame of the Ruler
"It's fine for others, but the Xu family has always kept assassins and recruited followers from the outlaws... If Ci leaves, the lord must transfer Youping back, only then Ci will feel at ease!"
Taishi Ci said this very solemnly, as if saying, "If Zhou Tailai doesn't hand over the post, I will not leave even if you order me to do so."
He is in charge of Bai Tu's guards. Even if he has to leave for other errands , he must arrange Bai Tu's safety. Even Bai Tu can't stop him!
The person whom Taishi Ci could trust was Zhou Tai... In terms of both character and ability, Taishi Ci felt that he could temporarily protect Bai Tu on his behalf.
After Yan Baihu was executed, Zhou Tai had been in Wujun, assisting Chen Gong in pacifying the remaining bandits in Wujun.
"That's good. Those large-scale bandits in Wu County have basically disappeared. The bandits in the mountains that are easy to defeat have already been defeated, and the bandits in the city that are not easy to defeat are not something Youping can do anything about... So let's ask Youping to come back." Bai Tu agreed.
"And... My lord, based on what Mr. Genju said, with the Huasi Department and your letter, I am confident that I can persuade him to come to Jiangdong. But as for Mr. Guan, he has always been unwilling to take up an official position, and..." Taishi Ci hesitated.
In fact, Bai Tu also knew what he was going to say, but because Hua Xin was now a colleague in Jiangdong, Taishi Ci didn't want to say too much!
As we all know, the relationship between Hua Xin and Guan Ning was somewhat delicate. The story of "Guan Ning cutting the mat" made Guan Ning firmly above Hua Xin in the moral contempt chain.
It is said that Hua Xin and Guan Ning were farming and studying together when they were young. Guan Ning saw gold leaves in the fields but did not even look at them, but Hua Xin picked them up... When he saw Guan Ning's expression, he threw them away and was too embarrassed to put them away. While Hua Xin was still studying, he was attracted by a convoy of dignitaries passing by the door.
Therefore, Guan Ning felt that this person who didn't like to study couldn't be his friend, so he cut off all ties with him...
Of course, in reality Guan Ning did not really break off his friendship with Hua Xin. He just used practical actions to stimulate Hua Xin. From a positive perspective, this may not be considered as "motivation".
However, after Hua Xin entered officialdom, this incident somehow spread and was regarded as an allusion to encourage learning and even to be cautious in making friends!
This made the relationship between the two awkward...
Historically, after Hua Xin gained a high position in Cao Wei, he often recommended his old friend Guan Ning. However, it is not known whether it was because Guan Ning looked down on Cao Wei or because Hua Xin felt embarrassed to recommend him, Guan Ning never took up an official position until his death.
"Whether Mr. Guan becomes an official or not, you should give him the letter. I have also written in the letter that even if he does not want to become an official, he is welcome to live in seclusion in Jiangdong," said Bai Tu.
As long as a famous scholar like Guan Ning doesn't cause trouble, it's profitable to keep him for free!
Bai Tu had no prejudice against Hua Xin. He would not think that Hua Xin would not be able to achieve great things because of the Hua Xin in "Guan Ning Cutting the Mat", nor would he determine that he was a traitor because of the Hua Xin in "The Blood-stained Edict" and "The Abdication Platform".
Of course there were loyal counselors and generals, and they were highly respected by both the public and the government, but Bai Tu could not expect that everyone was Taishi Ci, everyone was his adoptive father, and everyone was his second brother, nor could he only use Taishi Ci.
For example, Hua Xin, Wang Lang, including the children of aristocratic families currently employed by Bai Tu, and even old Lu Kang, Bai Tu's bottom line for them is just "work hard" and "don't sell me out."
What Bai Tu values is Hua Xin's achievements in governing Yuzhang for the Han Dynasty, as well as his contributions to Cao Wei in resisting the rise of the aristocratic families in later generations...
Hua Xin almost killed Sima Yi in the court, but unfortunately the then Wei Emperor Cao Rui and General Cao Zhen did not listen to his advice to root out the evil. After Sima Yi rose again and became unstoppable, Hua Xin began to befriend Sima Yi, and his descendants became important officials of the Western Jin Dynasty. It seems that Hua Xin could not be blamed...
If one day Bai Tu is overturned by someone, I believe that as long as the other party says a few good words, these people will change their allegiance - just like the ministers of Yizhou after Liu Bei entered Shu.
Bai Tu didn't mind it. As long as they were not traitors like Chen Gui and Zhang Song, or people who were in Liu's camp but their hearts were with Cao after Liu Biao became old and sick and were looking forward to surrendering early, Bai Tu would employ them according to their abilities.
It is normal to have some demands and intentions, and Bai Tu can trust someone who can satisfy his or her wishes.
For example... wasn't Gan Ning also attracted by his Shu brocade craftsmanship?
In essence, he is similar to Hua Xin and Wang Lang, but no matter how ambitious Gan Ning's ambitions are, they are all under Bai Tu's control. Although Gan Ning comes from a noble family, he also has a very emotional side.
Hua Xin and Wang Lang, who were not sentimental enough, also attached great importance to their reputation and had basic moral integrity. They might be like the Yizhou families after Liu Bei entered Shu, but they would not take the initiative to become Zhang Song and Xu You.
Of course, when it comes to the level of trust, Bai Tu doesn't say it, and he doesn't even show it on the surface, but he knows it in his heart.
We cannot be like Liu Zhang, who was still confused and unable to distinguish between relatives and friends until he was captured.
More importantly, he could not give his subordinates the opportunity to show their closeness to the outside world like Liu Zhang did. If Liu Zhang had his father's great talent and strategy, he would have directly subdued Zhang Lu, entered Guanzhong, occupied Bashu and the Three Qins, and looked at the world with a tiger's eye...
Whether it was Zhang Ren who would rather die than surrender, Wang Lei who died for his advice, the veteran general Yan Yan who surrendered, Zhang Song of Xianzhou, or Wu Yi who became Liu Bei's brother-in-law... in fact, there would not be much difference. They were all loyal ministers and righteous men who assisted Liu Zhang in his revival and were worthy of being enshrined in the Taimiao.
Well, does that mean we should blame Liu Zhang for not working hard enough and ruining the reputation of his officials?
It seemed a bit too harsh on Liu Zhang, but Bai Tu felt that he could be more strict with his own words.
Just like after Shu Han was defeated in the Battle of Yiling, Huang Quan, whose way home was cut off, had no choice but to head north to surrender to Cao Wei , but Liu Bei stopped the proposal to punish Huang Quan's family - Liu Bei understood that it was his wrong decision that harmed Huang Quan, and he could not blame Huang Quan for wanting to betray him.
Moreover, Liu Bei was willing to reflect on his own crimes instead of using Huang Quan's family and reputation to whitewash himself...
After Hua Xin and Wang Lang remained in the provincial governor's office, Bai Tu recalled Zhou Tai. After the burly man returned, Taishi Ci set out for Liaodong with a dozen personal soldiers. Zhou Tai replaced Bai Tu's chief guard.
Zhou Tai felt honored to be recalled as a "bodyguard" - after all, he was not a commanding general, and being the lord's chief guard actually reflected the trust in him.
In history, Zhou Tai was actually the head of Sun Quan's bodyguards and served as the governor of Hanzhong...
Hanzhong!
Yizhou is the throat from Yongliang. If the prefect of Hanzhong in Shu Han is to be appointed, he must be a prudent general with both literary and military skills!
But... the governor of Hanzhong appointed by the Eastern Wu? It was originally a place that had nothing to do with the Eastern Wu, so there was no need to consider taking the position. If he really took the position, I'm afraid Sun Quan would have unified the world. Anyway, it was just a rank.
