Because Gao Rou had given Cao Mao only two commandant positions, Cao Mao deliberated carefully before finally settling on two candidates.
Ji Kang and Ma Long.
The reason for choosing Ma Long needed no explanation: apart from the Huainan troops, he was the most capable military talent under Cao Mao.
As for Ji Kang, he had been chosen because his reputation was great enough.
In this age, ability mattered less and less in appointing officials. What mattered most were family background, reputation, connections, and the like.
Ji Kang's family background needed no elaboration. Aside from belonging to an eminent clan, he was also an imperial relative of the Cao Family, so there was nothing questionable about his origins. His reputation was even less of an issue: among the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, Ji Kang and Ruan Ji could be counted as the two most renowned leading figures.
Moreover, Ji Kang was close to Cao Mao and firm in his stance. Though his abilities in both civil administration and military affairs were unremarkable, he would pay no heed to the Sima Family or any other great clans. He held the realm in his heart and dared to die for it.
That was enough. It did not matter if he could not fight battles. Ji Kang was not someone who would make a reckless mess of things, and with Ma Long's abilities, teaching Ji Kang while putting his own troops in order would pose little difficulty.
As for appointing a celebrated scholar as a military commandant... that was extremely common in this age. Ruan Ji had even served as Infantry Commandant, and later generations often called him Ruan the Infantryman.
The Empress Dowager directly issued an imperial edict appointing these two men as commandants.
The edict received firm support at