Guanqiu Jian looked at the exceedingly respectful Hua Biao before him.
"Ah, Lord Hua. There is no need for such ceremony. Please sit."
Hua Biao bowed to thank Guanqiu Jian again before cautiously sitting beside him, looking very well behaved.
Guanqiu Jian studied him and said with a smile, "Back in Luoyang, we saw each other often. Even if we were not friends, we were old acquaintances. Why are you so reserved now that we meet again?"
"Your divine might, Grand General-you first struck down the barbarian chieftain and slaughtered his royal city, then defeated the Wu Rebels, killing and capturing tens of thousands. Who under heaven would not respect you?"
Guanqiu Jian did not answer. Instead, he said solemnly, "When your father was still alive, Emperor Wen won a great victory in the Wu Kingdom, yet your father submitted a memorial saying: 'The people are the foundation of a state, and food and clothing are the foundation of the people's lives. We should emphasize agricultural production and settle the people. Once we resolve the threat of hunger and cold for them and accumulate resources for ten or more years, foreign enemies will collapse without being attacked.'"
"Emperor Wen listened, withdrew his troops to nurture the state, abolished the old institutions, settled the people, and encouraged farming and sericulture, greatly increasing Great Wei's strength."
"I often read the many memorials of Marquis Jing of Boping, and every time, I find them immensely rewarding."
"Now that you have brought an imperial edict to Huainan, have you come to bring peace to the people? Or have you come to provoke war?"
Hua Biao was instantly at a loss for words.
Because Hua Xin had presided over the abdication ceremony, his reputation in later ages was not particularly good.
But in Cao Wei,