Bai Xiaowen was actually protecting Wei Yan by doing this.
Wei Yan simply lacked a proper sense of his own limits. If he were rewarded too lavishly for his achievements, he would inevitably grow arrogant and complacent, and in the end, would likely be unable to escape a deadly fate.
After this matter was settled, Bai Xiaowen went along with the discussion and said:
"Now that the warlords of this troubled age have all been swept away, only Sun Ce of Jiangdong and Shi Xie of Jiaozhou remain unsubmissive. As for how to Unify the Realm, gentlemen, speak freely!"
Ju Shou, who had rushed over from Qingzhou and had just attended the Prince of Yan's investiture ceremony, said, "The realm has been in chaos, yet Shi Xie merely sits guarding Jiaozhi and does not dare to expand his footing. This shows that he has no great ambitions. Your majesty's only enemy now is Sun Ce of Jiangdong. Once Jiangdong is pacified, all it will take is an envoy to bind Shi Xie and drag him before the steps."
Tian Feng said, "Your majesty has campaigned year after year, and the soldiers are weary. It would be better to halt the fighting for now, restore the people's strength, and consolidate Yongliang and the two Sichuan regions. How could a corner of land like Jiangdong possibly contend with the Central Plains? With every passing year, our forces will grow stronger, and the gap between strength and weakness will widen. Within ten years, Jiangdong will naturally send an envoy to surrender."
Ju Shou, Xun You, Dong Zhao, Hua Xin, and the others all voiced their agreement. "Tian Feng's words are truly the Kingly Way."
Bai Xiaowen said, "I understand. Lord Tian's words make a great deal of sense."
Then Bai Xiaowen changed the