Shi Bao had thought this trip to Luoyang would be a chance to win merit, perhaps even to replace Hu Zun.
But never in his wildest dreams had he expected the officials of Qingzhou to give him such a surprise the moment he left.
If Zang Ai alone had rebelled, he could still have weathered it. But with all of Qingzhou in revolt, he, the General Who Rouses Martial Might overseeing Qingzhou, could not escape responsibility.
When Xun Yi turned his spearhead toward him, Shi Bao did not even have the courage to argue.
Had he known it would come to this, why would he ever have left Qingzhou?
If he had waited for Sun Yu and the others to come discuss rebellion, then arrested them all in one sweep, would his position not have been secure?
And Shi Bao knew perfectly well just how capable Qingzhou's so-called talented worthies were.
In the Wei-Jin era, the times seemed to have slipped back to the days before Qin. Official posts had practically become hereditary. Under the Zhongzheng System, it did not matter at all whether one possessed ability, reputation, or virtue.
As long as you had a powerful father, you could become an official.
Zang Ba, Sun Guan, and the others had once run rampant across Qing and Xu, so their Heirs continued to run rampant across Qing and Xu. Xun Yu, Chen Qun, Wang Lang, Hua Xin, and the others had once occupied the imperial court, so their Heirs continued to occupy the imperial court.
As for these officials of Qingzhou, there was no need even to guess what would happen if they led troops against Hu Zun. If Hu Zun failed to crush this rebellion within a month, that alone would prove his incompetence!
Such easy military merit-it was