Sima Yi, who was sitting on the main seat, waved his hand and signaled the guards standing around Guo Mo to leave.
"grown ups?"
The two brothers, Sima Master Sima Zhao, immediately became anxious.
This is a meticulous work. What if someone gets hurt in a sudden attack?
"Don't worry, when you brought Guo Canjun here, he must have been searched thoroughly."
"If you're not at ease, then you two can stay and the rest of you can go out."
Sima Yi signaled to the two brothers, and then looked at Guo Mo with a smile:
"Besides, Guo Shenjun wouldn't do anything wrong to me at this time, right?"
When Guo Mo heard this, he forced himself to smile: "Master, you are joking."
Sima Yi didn't point it out and just asked:
"It has been eleven years since Guo Shenjun came to the Wei Dynasty. Have you ever missed your wife, family and children in Shu?"
Guo Mo subconsciously took half a step back. Sima Yi's words made him even more suspicious:
"What do you mean by these words?"
Sima Yi sighed leisurely, with a rather nostalgic look on his face:
"I have also exchanged letters with Zhuge Kongming many times, and I know that he is a man of firm will."
He looked at Guo Mo again: "I think the person who can be entrusted by him personally to come to the Wei Dynasty to do detailed work must be a determined person..."
Guo Mo's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to move his hands, he remembered that he had entered the house without any shoes, not to mention sharp weapons, and his heart suddenly sank.
Seeing Guo Mo's actions, the two Sima division brothers Sima Zhao who were guarding Sima Yi made a "clang" sound and drew their swords in unison.
"do not worry."
Sima Yi stretched out his sword and pressed down, not only to Guo Mo, but also to signal Master Sima and Sima Zhao to put away their swords.
"Guo Shenjun, although you are a craftsman of the Han Kingdom, I also know that in the early years, you bought a lot of wool for the Wei army."
"Of course, the price is a bit expensive, but at that time, even if others wanted to buy it, there was no way. After all, you have also made some contributions to Wei."
When Guo Mo heard Sima Yi's words, he couldn't believe his ears:
The majestic Taifu of the Wei State actually claimed that he had made great contributions to the Wei State even though he knew his identity?
"Master... you? You already know my identity?"
"Some time ago, someone from the Han Dynasty came to surrender. His surname was Yang Mingyi. He claimed to be the long history of Zhuge Kongming during his lifetime. He gave a lot of details."
Sima Yi didn't want to hide it, but directly told his source of information: "Guo Shenjun is on the detailed list."
When Guo Mo heard this, he immediately blurted out: "Impossible! Duke Yang Wei is deeply trusted by the Prime Minister, how could he betray the country and join the traitors?"
Sima Zhao pressed his sword and shouted angrily: "How brave! Who do you think is a thief!"
On the contrary, it was Sima Yi who looked lifeless:
"Listening to what Guo Shenjun said, could it be that he admitted that he was really a craftsman sent by Zhuge Kongming?"
Guo Mo ignored Sima Zhao, but stared at Sima Yi. He was silent for a while, and then said slowly:
"Whether I admit it or not, it must not matter in the eyes of the Taifu, right?"
Sima Yi shook his head:
"No, on the contrary, it is very important to me whether Mr. Guo was sent by Kong Ming."
After Guo Mo was sure that Sima Yi knew his identity, he already had death intentions.
Unexpectedly, Sima Yi did not let anyone pull him out, and still looked unhurried, which made him a little confused: "Why?"
Sima Yi looked past Guo Mo and looked into the distance, a little complicated and a little impressed:
"I heard that after the death of Zhuge Kongming, the whole country of Han, including officials and civilians, cried bitterly and regretted it."
"Someone took the opportunity to write a letter and express their opinions, criticizing Zhuge Kongming. Unexpectedly, the Liu family was angry and executed him, and even exiled the wife and children of the greedy person to the border county."
"If you are a minister of others, you must have no regrets if you can receive such treatment."
His eyes fell on Guo Mo again:
"Since Mr. Guo was sent by Zhuge Kongming, if he could return to the Han Kingdom, he would surely receive a heavy reward, right?"
Guo Mo didn't hear the answer he wanted, and became increasingly confused about what Sima Yi wanted to do.
He was only afraid that Sima Yi would have some conspiracy, and he made up his mind to treat himself as a dead person from now on.
Just die, but also die clearly.
"Mr. Sima, my identity has been exposed. I know that I have no way out. But before I die, please give me a definite answer. Is Yang Yi and Yang Weigong really betraying the Han Dynasty?"
Sima Yi smiled and said calmly:
"Now that the matter has come to this, what's the benefit of me lying to Mr. Guo?"
Guo Mo still couldn't believe it when he received Sima Yi's definite answer:
"How is it possible? How is it possible? Mr. Yang Wei... Mr. Sima also said that he is the prime minister with a long history. How could he betray the Han Dynasty?"
When Guo Mo defected to Wei, Yang Yi only joined the army in the Prime Minister's Office.
However, this man is extremely talented. After so many years, it is very possible for him to be promoted to a long history by the prime minister.
Sima Yi seemed to be very patient and actually explained to Guo Mo:
"According to the information I have learned, it is said that after Zhuge Kongming died, Feng Mingwen was ordered to lead the army. Yang Yi had always been at odds with Feng Mingwen, so Feng Mingwen took the opportunity to exclude him."
"As an old man in the Prime Minister's Palace, he is not only faced with difficulties everywhere, but he is also not rewarded for the merits he has made over the years. He is even deprived of the right to serve as chief historian."
"Yang Yi deeply felt that Feng Mingwen was unfair in handling matters, so he became angry and defected to the Wei Dynasty."
When Guo Mo heard this, he immediately blurted out: "It's impossible..."
Then after thinking about it, he added a word at the end with some hesitation: "Huh?"
Probably, it’s unlikely, right?
Over the years, Feng Mingwen first made his writings famous all over the world, creating a new generation of writing style.
Then there is the famous general whose reputation is shocking all over the world.
But as this man's reputation spread throughout the world, some of his indecent names also spread to the ears of the world.
What clever words, cruelty, foresight, and unyielding retribution...
Before Guo Mo left the Han Dynasty, he had heard about this man's reputation.
However, he was sent by the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, so he naturally knew that Feng Mingwen was one of the people the Prime Minister valued who could succeed him.
Since this person is now ordered to lead the army, it means that the prime minister finally chose him as his successor.
Guo Mo may not trust Feng Mingwen, but he trusts the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
Guo Mo has never met Feng Mingwen, but he has met Yang Weigong.
Yang Weigong was indeed talented, but he was too narrow-minded.
During the reign of the late emperor, he had a disagreement with Liu Zichu (Liu Ba), and finally the late emperor had to transfer him out of the Shangshutai and be appointed as the prefect of Hongnong in Yaoling.
"There must be some hidden secret in this. I'm afraid it's just Yang Weigong's one-sided statement."
Sima Yi didn't care about Yang Yi, anyway, this person was not in his hands now.
What he cares about is Feng Mingwen.
"I am also very interested in this matter. Listening to Mr. Guo, do you believe Feng Mingwen even more?"
Guo Mo said calmly: "I have never met Feng Mingwen, so how can I know who he is? But since the Prime Minister let this man command the army, he must have a reason."
Hearing this, Sima Yi laughed:
"It makes sense, it makes sense! Think about what kind of person Zhuge Kongming is, how could he easily hand over hundreds of thousands of troops and the land of two states to a villain who likes to retaliate?"
Sima Yi stroked his beard and asked for the second time: "Mr. Guo, you have been away from Han for so many years. Do you want to go back to see your wife and children?"
Guo Mo's face was full of doubts, and he hesitated and asked again: "What do you mean by these words?"
"Mr. Guo, doesn't he want to know who Feng Mingwen is? Moreover, I want to exchange my husband for Feng Mingwen for something I want."
"What?"
"Wang Shuang, and Deng Ai's skeleton."
Seeing that Guo Mo was confused, Sima Yi explained again:
"Wang Shuang is a general in our army who has a long history of bravery. He was captured by the Han in the previous battle in Guanzhong."
"As for Deng Ai." Sima Yi sighed, "He is a loyal man whom I promoted. During the Battle of Guanzhong, he led the army to attract the attention of the enemy in order to protect the retreat of the army."
"In the end, he was trapped in a heavy siege, but he still refused to surrender, and finally died in the rebel army. This person is to me what my husband is to the Han Dynasty."
"So even though I can't save this person alive, I can at least let his bones be buried properly to comfort his old mother."
It was understandable to replace Wang Shuang, but when he heard about Deng Ai, Guo Mo's heart was suddenly touched.
If he died at this time, I'm afraid his relatives in Shu would never know where his bones would be dumped, right?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say: "What the Master did..."
He wanted to say that the Taifu's move was a great kindness.
I just thought that I was the one being exchanged, and if I said it out loud, people would look down on me, so I could only swallow the second half of the sentence.
Although he was on a hostile stance, Sima Yi's actions still made Guo Mo feel a sense of respect.
If he were to put himself in his shoes, after knowing his current situation, the big man would be willing to try his best to change himself back.
Even someone like me, who has long been determined to die, still has to shed tears of gratitude, right?
"Looking at Mr. Guo's appearance, do you think that one day you will be able to return to Han?"
Now that things have happened, Guo Mo has nothing to hide: "Since arriving in Wei, I have thought about the day when I can return to the Han Dynasty safely."
"In that case, I will send someone to Guanzhong to deliver a message to Feng Mingwen and see what he thinks. I'm afraid I will be aggrieved sir in the next few days."
"Just let Sima Gong handle it."
After the guards escorted Guo Mo down to guard him, Sima Zhao said with some dissatisfaction:
"Sir, the people over in Xuchang are showing off to us. We finally caught this man and are actually trying to let him go?"
"It's not about putting it away, it's about replacing it."
"Sir, I heard that Wang Shuang took the initiative to surrender to the Shu people, and this is not the first time that this person has been captured. He was captured by the Wu people that year."
"From this point of view, this person is probably not a good general. What's the use of replacing him?"
Sima Yi scolded:
"What do you know? The army led by Deng Ai and Wang Shuang has no way to advance or retreat. The only option is to surrender and die in battle. You cannot expect everyone to be like Deng Ai and would rather die than surrender."
"This is the time for me and Cao Shuang to win over each other's hearts. Cao Shuang indulges in excess of etiquette and excludes those who come to remonstrate with him. I am abiding by etiquette and righteousness, and I treat virtuous officials with courtesy."
"If others know that I won't even give up on Deng Ai's skeleton and Wang Shuang, then between me and Cao Shuang, who is more worthy of trust? Do we still need to consider?"
Sima Zhao was scolded by his own master, and then he understood.
Your Majesty's approach turns out to be not as simple as it seems on the surface. It not only wins people's hearts internally, but also tests the thieves externally.
He couldn't help but said with some shame:
"The child is not thinking carefully."
Sima Yi stood up, took two steps slowly, and then said:
"Guanzhong is only separated from Henan by the Hanxiao Ancient Road. Zhuge Kongming is dead. Feng Mingwen, who is now leading troops stationed in Guanzhong, is our biggest opponent."
"It is said that if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. If through this incident, you can know Feng Mingwen's character, why not send back an insignificant detail to the Han Dynasty?"
I had exchanged many letters with Zhuge Kongming in the past, and the two sides had sent envoys to communicate with each other many times.
Sima Yi could at least get a rough idea of what kind of person Zhuge Kongming was from this.
Now we have a new opponent.
This opponent has a great reputation and a very bad reputation.
Of course, there are also good reviews, but they are not as famous as the bad ones.
Even if someone like Taifu Sima collided with Feng Mingwen for the first time, he was almost cut off by someone.
It really left Sima Taifu with lingering fears and a deeper understanding of ruthlessness, cunning and change.
However, based on Taifu Sima's understanding of Zhuge Kongming, Ruofeng Mingwen was indeed the figure designated by Zhuge Kongming to lead the army in Guanzhong.
Then some of the comments about this person that circulated in the Wei Dynasty may need to be re-evaluated.
Because of this, Taifu Sima did not dare to easily draw conclusions about what kind of person the other party was.
I'm even less sure which of those reviews are false and which are true.
"It's true! Brother, it's true! According to what brother said, I personally took people to see it."
In Wuyuan County, Xu Xunzheng reported to Feng Junhou with excitement on his face:
"Brother, you are really amazing. You even know where there are iron mines in Yinshan Mountain. Those old craftsmen have said that there is indeed a big iron mine in that place."
As Xu Xun spoke, he subconsciously glanced around to make sure there were no outsiders before continuing:
"That mine runs from Wuyuan County to the north of Yinshan Mountain. I don't have enough manpower, and I'm afraid that Huo Shao will discover it first, so I don't dare to send people across Yinshan Mountain to see how big this mine is."
"Anyway, looking at it now, it's very, very big, much bigger than Nanzheng and Nanxiang."
Although he had expected it, Feng Junhou could not help but feel his heart beat faster when he thought that Baotou in later generations would all belong to the Xinghan Society in the future:
"Have you bought them all?"
"Buy it!"
Xu Xun nodded repeatedly, "Brother, when he led the army here last year, didn't he worship Wang Zhaojun on the bank of the river?"
"So I told Huo Shao first that since my brother worships there, the Xinghan Hui will use that place as the boundary and take over the area north of the river in Wuyuan County."
At this time, there were not many Han people in Jiuyuan hometown, and almost all were Hu people.
The Xianbei Hu who were originally entrenched here have also been reduced by at least half due to last year's massacre.
Although barbarians from outside the Yinshan Mountains have gradually moved in, there is still no way to make up for the population lost in last year's war.
Therefore, the Jiuyuan hometown at this time was even more vast and sparsely populated than Liangzhou.
The hometown of Jiuyuan is said to be this county or that county. In fact, the main population is still concentrated in the Gaoque area, which is Shuofang County (the Houtao Plain in later generations).
Wuyuan County is located in the middle of the Hetao. Even if you ride a horse and run for several hours, you may not be able to see a few people.
This is also the reason why the imperial court promised that the Xinghan Hui could race and enclose land at will in the border counties.
I am not afraid that you will enclose the land, but I am afraid that you will not want to go to the border areas.
Not to mention that the Xinghan Association also undertook the resettlement work of some military veterans.
If old soldiers who are used to seeing blood are returned to their hometowns, if they are not properly resettled, it will be a source of instability.
But if you put it on the edge, it's very reassuring.
"Then Huo Shao first saw us buying land in Wuyuan County and advised us to go to Yunzhong County (i.e. Qiantao Plain) to buy it, saying that the land there was better than that in Wuyuan."
Xu Xun said and couldn't help laughing.
"Huo Shaoxian is also kind." Feng Junhou did not laugh along with Xu Xun, but asked a question, "Where is the coal? Have you found it?"
Speaking of this matter, the smile on Xu Xun's face disappeared and he shook his head:
"Not yet. We've looked a lot north of the river and haven't found any usable coal mines yet."
"But please don't worry, brother, there are many trees in Yinshan Mountain, we..."
Feng Junhou shook his head:
"No, since it has been decided that this will be the important base of the Xinghan Hui in the future, if we can avoid cutting down the trees on Yinshan Mountain, we should try not to cut them down."
"Try to search around Yinshan Mountain. If that doesn't work, you can also search south of Yunda River."
If the Feng family's "Memoirs of Feng Junhou" at the bottom of the box remember correctly, Yulin and other places south of the Hetao are second only to Datong's coal mining base.
If there is any mineral vein extending to the north, it doesn't need to be too big, it will be enough.
Anyway, with Dahan's current industrial technology, it doesn't use much coal.
"My little brother understands."
"Well, let's go to Shuofang."
Shuofang County is the last stop of this inspection. After seeing Shuofang, Feng Junhou will return to Chang'an along the Qinzhi Road.