Huanlang's farm was almost completely destroyed by the white camel soldiers.

More than half of the house was burned, and nearly a hundred people were injured. Huan Lang was so angry that he impeached Cao Peng in the court the next day. Unexpectedly, no one in the civil and military circles of the court stood up to respond.

On the contrary, someone stood up and accused Huan Lang of being domineering in Yecheng.

One piece after another, pieces of evidence were placed in front of Huan Lang. Cao Hong said grimly: "If you didn't look at the name, you would have thought it was Dong Zhuo who was resurrected. You are so majestic, do you think this Yedu is your own backyard?"

"

If these words come from someone else's mouth, they won't mean anything.

But Cao Hong was different. He was Lao Cao's confidant. These words were so heartbreaking that Huan Lang broke out in a cold sweat.

On the same day, Cao Cao issued an edict to dismiss Huan Lang, Zuo Zhonglang, and ordered him to live in seclusion in Xudu and not stay in Yecheng. This was equivalent to driving Huanlang out of the center of power. It would be very difficult to return to Yecheng in the future.

.

With Huan Lang dismissed from office, the matter came to an end.

On the same day, Cao Peng went to the capital to pay a visit to Madam Bian, and under Madam Bian's introduction, he appointed Qin Lang as the imperial minister of the General's Office. There are still many vacancies in Cao Peng's team, so it would be inappropriate to place Qin Lang there.

It’s not a big deal. Also for Mrs. Bian, it feels quite honorable...

Time passes day by day.

Before I knew it, it was fifteen.

Cao Ji will return to Xudu, and Cao Nan will also go to Bingzhou to join Deng Ji.

Before leaving, Cao Nan entrusted his youngest son Deng Wang to Cai Yan and others, asking them to take good care of him. It was bitterly cold in Shuobei, and Deng Wang was still young, so he might not be suitable. However, Guo Yu did not accompany him, but stayed in Ye.

city.

She was pregnant again and returned this time just to give birth.

Therefore, although Cao Nan left, Guo Yu and Deng Quan's mother and son stayed in Yedu. In any case, Guo Huan is Guo Yu's biological sister, so staying in Yedu is convenient for taking care of her. Cai Yan and others naturally

Will not object.

On the twenty-first day of the first lunar month, the old lady decided to return to Xingyang.

Accompanying him were Xia Houzhen, Bu Luan, and Zhen Mi...

The old lady misses the farm in Xingyang, and she doesn't like the atmosphere in Yedu.

Speaking of prosperity, Yedu is prosperous, not as good as Xudu, nor as good as Chang'an and Luoyang; but the atmosphere is a bit depressing, and many things happen every day, which makes people feel nervous. The old lady has heard that when Yedu was destroyed,

Cao Cao once ordered the massacre of the city and the bloodbath of the capital of Ye. More than 40,000 people died at the hands of Fei Fei.

Of course the old lady felt uncomfortable in such a city.

So after her repeated requests, Cao Peng could only agree...

Fortunately, Xingyang is not far from Ye and also very close to Xudu. It is convenient for both Cao Peng and Cao Ji to travel.

But Cao Peng still felt a little lost after his mother passed away.

After he begged Cao Cao, he sent the old lady across the Yellow River and landed in Yanjin before returning to Yedu.

When leaving, he told Xia Houzhen and the others to take good care of the old lady.

"Your Majesty, why has your Majesty not made arrangements since he resigned as Sili Xiaowei? Are you saying that you want to stay in Yecheng?"

When Cao Peng was boarding the ship, Xia Houzhen suddenly asked softly.

"I'm afraid not!"

Cao Peng thought for a while and replied: "I once asked Fengxiao, but there was no answer. But from his words, it seems that the king has an important mission for me. It is estimated that he will issue an edict and appoint him some time later.

I would rather stay in Yecheng, but I guess the king may not agree.

As for where they will be sent, it is hard to say at the moment... I have heard some rumors that the king is planning to implement the government military system in Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou and Caozhou. If this is true, I am afraid that this appointment and

This matter is related. Let’s take a look. It won’t take too long before we can have accurate information.”

"Junhou..."

"Um?"

"I have something to discuss with you."

"Ma'am, just say it."

Xia Houzhen blushed, hesitated for a moment, and said softly: "My eldest brother doesn't want to stay in Yedu. He hopes to go to the frontier to establish his achievements. If the king is vacant, can you let my eldest brother go with him? But if it's difficult, forget it.

...I just saw that my eldest brother seemed depressed all day long, so I wanted to help him."

Xia Houzhen's parents died young and he only had one older brother, Xia Houchang.

Now Xia Houshang is the Sima of Wei County, and he cooperates with the soldiers to defend Yedu. But in his heart, Xia Houshang still longs to establish his achievements, but has never had the chance. Xia Houzhen and Xia Houshang have a good relationship, so they ask Cao Peng for help.

.

Cao Peng thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Don't worry about this matter. If the eldest brother is willing to accompany you, I will have no objection."

Xia Houzhen was relieved.

Another ten days passed, and it was already February.

The weather is getting warmer and everything is recovering.

Cao Cao personally cultivated his land in Yedu and encouraged the people to reclaim wasteland and farm. Then on the eighth day of the second lunar month, he issued a meritocracy order for the third time. From the twelfth year of Jian'an to the fifteenth year of Jian'an, he issued a meritocracy order three times in three years.

The order shocked the world. Countless scholars from poor families could not help but be moved by it and responded one after another.

However, the decision-making process was based on talent alone, without asking about moral character, only talent, which also caused some troubles.

On this day, Cao Peng and Cai Yan and others were making wine with green plums in the back garden and admiring the spring scenery in the courtyard, when they suddenly heard that a retainer came to report that Guo Jia, the general of the military division, had come to visit.

Cao Peng hurriedly went out to welcome him, only to see Guo Jia, Liu Ye, Dong Zhao and others arriving.

After welcoming him into the study, Cao Peng ordered people to put out drinks, and then asked in confusion: "Why do you all come to visit me together today?"

Guo Jia looked worried and said softly: "Your Majesty has issued meritocracy orders three times. Does your friend Xue know?"

"certainly!"

"Your Majesty is very thirsty for talents, and we naturally understand in our hearts.

However, there are some problems behind this meritocracy order. Since the first meritocracy order was issued, the king has indeed recruited a lot of talents. However, there have also been a lot of troubles."

Guo Jia said, took out a stack of letters and handed them to Cao Peng.

Cao Peng took it and opened it. They were all reports about officials from various places.

There are many reports saying that some officials are corrupt, bending the law, amassing money, colluding with local powerful people, and committing evil acts.

Dong Zhao said in a deep voice: "It is good to have friends and scholars, and to practice meritocracy, but the good and the bad are mixed, and it is inevitable that some people will cause trouble.

Talent is of course important.

But if there is no strict restraint by virtue, the greater the talent, the greater the harm caused...

This memorial sent by Chen Jiao accuses local officials of violating the law. And that person is the one who came to serve after the first elitist order was issued. This person has the talent, but his morals are lacking. If he is

Being an auxiliary officer is just that, and you can still have some restraints. But now as a county magistrate, you are really making the people miserable."

It can be seen that Dong Zhao is quite resistant to meritocracy.

Guo Jia and others were also worried about this matter.

After pondering for a moment, Cao Peng said: "What do you mean..."

"Youxue, we are going to submit a joint petition to explain this matter to the king.

Talent is important, but we cannot blindly focus on talent and ignore virtue. As everyone knows, having virtue without talent is harmful, and having talent without virtue is also very harmful. You cannot be careless about this matter."

As soon as Cao Cao issued the third meritocracy order, Guo Jia and others wrote a letter to refute, which was a bit of a slap in the face.

Cao Peng frowned, and after a while he asked, "Does Shangshu Xun have any ideas?"

"Wen Ruo also feels that this matter must be prevented, otherwise the harm will be great."

"So, do you have a plan?"

"this……"

Guo Jia smiled bitterly and shook his head, "If there is a plan, why is it so difficult?"

Meritocracy!

This sounds simple, but it's actually a hassle.

It is probably difficult to say clearly which one is better, those who are talented but not virtuous, or those who are virtuous but not talented. Cao Peng knew that in addition to this aspect, there is another thing that is the worry of those wealthy families. A large number of poor families are employed.

It will inevitably cause the loss of interests of the wealthy family. The relationship between Cao Cao and the family is very delicate. They need to take advantage of each other but also be wary of each other, so they are entangled and have a lot of trouble.

Cao Peng said: "It's best to be cautious about this matter.

Your Majesty has just issued an edict on meritocracy, but you have to submit a memorial to the Majesty to cancel it. Wouldn’t it be that the edict was changed overnight, which would make people dissatisfied? It is as disgraceful as the Majesty’s face. It is best to wait for some time and figure out a proper solution at the same time.

, Otherwise, don’t rush to publish a letter, otherwise it will be counterproductive and will only lead to unfavorable results.”

Guo Jiayi frowned, "What should these officials do?"
To be continued...