Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 194 Liu's Credit

Chen Qun pondered for a long time, not knowing whether this move was good or bad. Only a few years would tell.

For now, he should just do his job as the chief clerk of Pei State and work harder so that the envoy will look at him with new eyes.

Liu Bei waved his hand and asked the three of them to sit on the couch. He asked Dian Wei to boil a pot of hot water. Since there was no tea set, he used ear cups instead, warmed the cups and brewed the tea. Then he distributed the tea to Lu Su, Zhou Yu, Chen Qun and Dian Wei.

When it comes to tea, he is quite speechless. Although the tea produced in Qingzhou is clearly divided into four types: spring, summer, autumn and winter, it is called Liugong Tea by scholars...

Liu Bei lifted up the cup and sniffed the light fragrance of tea. Looking at the slanting wind and drizzle outside, he never thought that he would be able to take a break from his busy schedule while leading his army to attack.

After dealing with so many princes, it seemed that only fighting Yuan Shu made him most relaxed. Apart from Sun Ce, there was no one who could make him feel a little bit difficult.

His generals Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui and others could defeat Yuan's army in Huainan and cause it to fall apart immediately as long as the enemy dared to fight him in the field.

We have to find a way to lure Yuan Shu's soldiers out of Jiujiang.

Liu Bei thought about it and said to Zhou Yu, "Gongjin, does Sun Bofu have any way to make Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui take the initiative to fight?"

Zhou Yu pondered for a while, then bowed and replied, "Sir, although both Sun Bofu and his son have been Yuan's old subordinates for a long time, it is impossible for them to influence Yuan Gonglu's decision. If Sun Bofu was valued by Yuan Shu, why would he be teased so many times and change others to the governor of Jiujiang and Lujiang after making a promise?"

Liu Bei also understood this logic, but it was a pity that if Qiao Rui stayed in Xia Cai County and did not come out, he would not be able to reach Shouchun City in a short time and scare Yuan Gonglu.

"Envoy..." Zhou Yu hesitated to speak, not knowing whether he should say some words at this moment. Although Sun Ce was secretly attached to him, he also gave conditions.

Having obtained the post of governor of Lujiang from Yuan Shu, he happily wrote to him, asking how much rank Sun Bofu would be if he were to go to Lord Xuande.

It is said that Lord Xuande is a generous and magnanimous person, so I want to see if I can be generous to him.

"Gongjin, if you have anything to say, just say it. Why hesitate?"

Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

"Sir, Sun Bofu was overjoyed to learn that Yuan Gonglu would appoint him as the governor of Lujiang. I would like to ask whether you will appoint him according to his talent or promote him out of the ordinary?"

Zhou Yu bowed and asked with a wry smile.

After hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but point to the map in the room and said, "I have two ways here, both of which can lead to the appointment of a 2,000-stone governor. One is to accumulate merits step by step and gradually be promoted. The other is to make great contributions like Ban Dingyuan. Even if he is promoted nine times a day, I will be willing to promote him. Sun Bofu is not between the two, but I can give him another way. It depends on whether he dares to follow Zhongjun's example and volunteer."

The eyes of Lu Su, Zhou Yu, Chen Qun, and Dian Wei were all drawn to him. Zhou Yu could not help but ask, "May I ask, sir, how can I volunteer?"

Liu Bei then smiled and said, "Although Zang Ba, Chang Xi, Sun Guan and others have returned to Xuzhou Langya County, there are still many bandits and robbers rampant in the mountains and fields. They come down from the mountains to rob the people's money and food during the harvest season. Langya Xiao Jian can only protect himself and is unable to go into the mountains to eliminate the bandits, so I dismissed him. For a while, I couldn't find a suitable person to be the prime minister. Zang Ba, Chang Xi, Sun Guan and others were also recruited to Yanzhou to serve as the county of Cheng. Langya only has the military Sima Yu Jin to assist the inspector Mao Jie in measuring the land. This place lacks a decisive county prime minister. If Sun Ce dares to volunteer to suppress all the bandits and suppress the tyrants who oppose the measurement of land, he can be allowed to try out the position of Langya Prime Minister first, and after he has completely succeeded, he can be officially appointed as Langya Prime Minister.

There are so many thieves here that even if we use the wrong methods, we may not be able to wipe them out even after several years. It takes a man of both wisdom and courage to do it. I wonder if Sun Bofu can do it?"

Liu Bei couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

Zang Ba, Chang Xi, Sun Guan, Wu Dun and Yin Li of Langya often had dealings with the bandits of Taishan County and Langya County. They had a bit of the spirit of knights-errant and would rather be transferred to other states to take up posts than to personally eliminate the bandits.

Liu Bei simply followed their wishes and transferred all of them away, letting Yu Wen Ze lead the troops into the mountains to suppress the bandits. As a result, Ying Shao, the prefect of Mount Tai, urgently sent a document saying that more bandits had fled to Mount Tai, robbed and killed many civilians, and almost successfully attacked and captured the county town.

Liu Bei was so shocked that he wrote back to scold him and told him to order all counties to strengthen their defenses at all times. If the county town was really captured by bandits and they massacred and looted, he should directly hold the prefect accountable.

The serious attitude conveyed by the document frightened Ying Shao, who was far away in Taishan County, so much that his face changed slightly and he felt an inexplicable chill down his spine.

Previously, Liu Dai would not punish you severely even if you were guilty because he was a famous scholar. But it was different for Lord Xuande. If it was really a serious crime, he would not care whether you were a famous scholar or not. He would just treat you as an ordinary official and convict you according to the law, treating all officials equally.

"Sir, there are many of Sun's former subordinates. It would be inappropriate to allow Sun Bofu to take them to Langya. However, confiscating Sun's former subordinates would easily alienate them. I know Sun Ce's character very well. He is strong and arrogant, and only a hero can control him. If we don't handle it properly, it may cause disaster. I hope you will think about it."

Zhou Yu then thought about Sun Ce's character, and finally bowed to remind Lord Xuande to be on guard.

Although the two had been friends since childhood, there were some things Zhou Yu would not hide for him. Public matters were public, and private matters were private.

Liu Bei chuckled and said, "It's okay. Langya has Yu Jin, who is a prudent leader of troops. Even if something unbearable happens, he won't take advantage of it."

"Besides...what's wrong with letting Sun Ce take his old subordinates to take up the post? As long as he can capture Zhang Xun, a general under Yuan Shu, for me, the day I lead the army back to Qingzhou will be the day for him to try out for the position of Langya Prime Minister. Gongjin boldly told Sun Bofu that I can give what Yuan Gonglu can give to the Sun family, and I can also give what Yuan Gonglu is reluctant to give. If he really makes great contributions, it won't be a problem for him to be appointed as a governor in the future. The Liu family has always rewarded meritorious deeds and punished crimes."

Zhou Yu couldn't help but breathe quickly. A real man should be in a good position rather than a bad one, be practical rather than superficial. Lord Xuande spoke frankly and he couldn't help but be moved after hearing it.

The credibility of the Liu family is many times stronger than that of the Yuan family. It is easier said than done to reward those who have made contributions. Bofu only needs to compare himself with Yuan Shu of Runan to know how difficult it is to meet a wise leader.

A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, a virtuous minister chooses a master to serve. Who else can you choose if not Lord Xuande? Do you really believe in Yuan Gonglu's position as the prefect of Lujiang? Aren't you afraid that it will be changed to a commander then?

Lord Xuande dares to use the name Liu as a guarantee. Isn't he more trustworthy than Yuan Shu?

Compared to being appointed as the prefect for his meritorious service in conquering Lujiang for Yuan Shu, now all he had to do was take the opportunity to capture Zhang Xun and avoid being branded as a traitor in Huainan. This could be solved with just a little trick.

Zhou Yu thought of several ways to capture Zhang Xun, but it depended on whether Sun Ce was willing to take credit for Zhang Xun's achievement.

(End of this chapter)