mtl008 Chapter 692 Cao Wei's Newly Appointed Governor of Liaodong
Chapter 692 Cao Wei's Newly Appointed Governor of Liaodong
Sima Yi acted decisively and without hesitation, turning the dignified King of Goguryeo into mincemeat in an instant. Then he gave Gongsun Gong what he thought was a kind smile, which made Gongsun Gong's heart pound and his legs go weak, causing him to collapse.
Gongsun Gong never dreamed that Sima Yi would turn on him so quickly. One second he was drinking and chatting with Gao Yanyou, and the next second he had him hacked to pieces.
So here's the question: if Sima Yi could be so ruthless towards Gao Yanyou, what about towards himself?
Thinking of the consequences of offending Sima Yi, Gongsun Gong quickly smiled and said, "I understand, I understand. I am willing to be General Sima's man and swear to serve the Great Wei court to the death. General, please feel free to give any orders, and I will do my best to cooperate."
I can't refuse to cooperate; otherwise, I'll have to go down and keep Gao Yanyou company.
Although he was in poor health and had no son, and had little hope for the future, he didn't want to die.
"Excellent!" Sima Yi smiled slightly at him and then called out, "Come in!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a man wearing a black cloak walked in. After bowing to Sima Yi, he removed his cloak and bowed to Gongsun Gong, saying, "Nephew greets Uncle."
Gongsun Gong looked closely, and after a long while, he exclaimed in surprise, "You are Wen Cheng?"
The man before them was none other than Gongsun Huang, Gongsun Gong's eldest nephew and Gongsun Yuan's elder brother.
When Gongsun Gong first succeeded to the throne, he sent Gongsun Huang to Cao Cao as a hostage to show his submission. Many years have passed since then, and Gongsun Huang has grown into an adult.
Gongsun Huang bowed again and said, "It is indeed my nephew. How have you been, Uncle?"
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Gongsun Gong asked curiously, "General Sima, what is this...?"
Sima Yi smiled and said, "From today onwards, Gongsun Huang will be the newly appointed governor of Liaodong by the imperial court. Any questions?"
The purpose of Cao Wei's military expedition to Liaodong was to occupy and recover it, to permanently bring it under the rule of Wei, rather than simply to attack it.
As a result, how to govern quickly and effectively became a headache for the Cao Wei court. After all, what Cao Wei wanted was a stable Liaodong, not a Liaodong ravaged by war and constant conflicts.
Therefore, the Cao Wei court thought of Gongsun Huang. Gongsun Huang had followed Cao Cao for many years and had repeatedly submitted memorials reminding Cao Wei to be wary of his younger brother Gongsun Yuan. He was very loyal to Cao Wei.
More importantly, Gongsun Huang was the eldest son of Gongsun Kang, the former governor of Liaodong, and the nominal heir of the Gongsun family. The people and soldiers of Liaodong would not object to him serving as governor.
In other words, Gongsun Huang could gain the trust of the Cao Wei court and the recognition of the Liaodong army and people. If he didn't become the governor, who would?
Gongsun Gong quickly understood the intentions of the Cao Wei court and decisively patted his chest, saying, "General Sima, rest assured, I will immediately announce to the public that the position of prefect will be returned to Wencheng. As for Wenyi (Gongsun Yuan), he openly rebelled and forcibly seized the position of prefect, so he doesn't count."
Note that he said "not give up" rather than "give up". The position of Governor of Liaodong originally belonged to Gongsun Huang, but Gongsun Huang was too young when his father died, so his uncle temporarily took over. Now that Gongsun Huang has come of age and is ready to reclaim what belongs to him, he naturally has to return it.
What if the position of prefect has already been passed to Gongsun Yuan?
It's simple: just back out and announce that Gongsun Yuan seized the position of governor by force, and that you never intended to pass it on, but were only forced into it by Gongsun Yuan's tyranny...
Poor Gongsun Yuan, he was completely betrayed by his own uncle.
Sima Yi clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "Very good. Then tomorrow, we will summon all the officials in the city to hold the abdication ceremony. After it is over, I will announce the investiture in the name of the court. Only in this way can it be done legitimately."
Everyone present understood that the court's appointment of Gongsun Huang was merely a transitional measure, using his status as the eldest son of the Gongsun family to stabilize Liaodong. Once stability was achieved, he would be transferred to another post.
After all, the Cao Wei court wasn't stupid. No matter how much they trusted Gongsun Huang, they couldn't allow him to stay in Liaodong for long and become a prince outside the pass.
Therefore, Gongsun Gong did not hesitate and readily agreed.
Soon the bodies of Gao Yanyou and the others were cleaned up, and everyone was drinking and chatting happily again when a general entered the hall, clasped his hands and bowed to Sima Yi, saying, "General, the tens of thousands of Goguryeo troops outside the city have all been killed, and not a single one has escaped."
Sima Yi was a ruthless and merciless man. He showed no mercy to a foreign tribe like Goguryeo, so he didn't even bother to keep prisoners and chose to kill them all to eliminate any potential threat.
Sima Yi nodded in satisfaction, then waved for him to leave. He then instructed Gongsun Huang, "Gongsun, Goguryeo is a small and weak country. The annihilation of tens of thousands of troops is enough to cripple them. Without their obstruction, it should be much easier to attack Goguryeo again, right?"
Gongsun Huang quickly bowed and said, "General Sima, rest assured, I will personally lead the army to attack Wandu Mountain City in three days and capture all the members of the Goguryeo royal family to present to you."
It's not easy for a large army to come to Liaodong. If they only wipe out the Gongsun clan of Liaodong, they won't have enough money for the journey. Therefore, Sima Yi had already decided to take advantage of the situation and destroy Goguryeo as well.
After all, this was his first time leading troops alone, and it was uncertain whether he would be able to lead troops again after returning to the capital. Therefore, he definitely had to seize the opportunity to make a fortune in one go.
Sima Yi nodded in satisfaction and said, "In that case, I will wait for the governor's report of victory in Xiangping."
After the banquet, everyone rested.
The next morning, Gongsun Gong, in his capacity as governor, summoned all officials to a meeting. After rambling on for a while, he brought Gongsun Huang to the front and introduced him to the crowd. He then returned the governorship to Gongsun Huang, citing his old age and frailty.
At this moment, the significance of Gongsun Huang's status as the eldest son of the legitimate wife became apparent, and all the officials present expressed their submission without any objection.
Sima Yi then produced the imperial edict from Cao Pi appointing Gongsun Huang. Gongsun Huang, along with his officials, accepted the edict and expressed their gratitude. In this way, the Liaodong officials surrendered to the Cao Wei court with remarkable ease.
However, this was to be expected. First of all, with the unification of the Central Plains, everyone knows that Liaodong alone cannot resist the entire Central Plains. It was only a matter of time before it submitted to the Central Plains court.
Moreover, these officials were all Han Chinese, so it was only natural for them to submit to the Han Chinese court.
In other words, the officials in Liaodong all wanted to surrender, but they just didn't want to bear the infamy of betraying their lord and turning to the enemy. That's where Gongsun Huang's role came into play.
Gongsun Huang's appearance provided everyone with a perfect excuse, ensuring that their surrender would not be affected in any way in terms of reputation.
Gongsun Huang was aware of his own identity. After succeeding to the throne, he directly handed over the administration of state affairs to Sima Yi, while he personally led an army of 8,000 men northward, guided by guides sent by Gongsun Gong, to attack Wandu Mountain City, the capital of Goguryeo.
King Goguryeo Go Yeon-woo and his tens of thousands of elite soldiers have been slaughtered. The country must be extremely weak and in chaos now, which is a good opportunity to destroy it. If such a good opportunity is missed, both Sima Yi and Gongsun Huang will regret it to death.
It's important to understand that while Gongsun Huang was a lucky charm in Liaodong, he wasn't in the Central Plains. After resolving the Liaodong issue, he would definitely return to the court for a promotion and a raise. In this situation, it would always be good to accumulate more military merits.
To put it bluntly, although the Gongsun family controlled Liaodong, they did not claim the title of king. As long as they did not claim the title of king, they were always subjects. As long as they were subjects, they could enjoy the treatment of subjects and would not be treated with the same suspicion that Cao Pi had against vassal kings.
After sending Gongsun Huang away, Sima Yi focused his attention on Gongsun Yuan, hoping to eliminate this biggest threat to the stability of Liaodong.