Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 226: Selecting the Wise and Protecting Yourself
In June, Zhang Yu ordered Li Song's troops stationed on the west bank to withdraw to Hedong, and ordered Lu Bu and Dong Cheng to lead their troops to garrison in Jie County and Fenyin respectively, and block the two ferry crossings of Puyang and Longmen.

Li Jue was delighted to see Zhang Yu withdraw his troops. He left Li Meng to guard the Puyang Ferry and ordered other generals to station troops in the counties of Guanzhong. He had no intention of seizing Hedong.

In July, the generals in Guanxi nominated Ma Ridi, the Grand Tutor, to be the Recorder of the Secretariat, and Huangfu Song, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, to be the Grand Commandant. Then, the emperor appointed Li Jue as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Guo Si as the General of the Rear, Fan Chou as the General of the Right, Zhang Ji as the General of the East, and Duan Wei as the General of the Ningji. The generals in Guanxi were all given titles and rewards.

In order to prevent Ma and Han from interfering with his administration, Li Jue ordered Han Sui to lead his troops back to Jincheng, leaving Ma Teng to garrison in Mei County. Zhang Ji, under the guidance of Jia Xu, led his troops to garrison Shan County; Duan Wei went with Zhang Ji and stationed his troops in Huayin.

Seeing that the generals in Guanxi had begun to divide the spoils, Zhang Yu planned to lead his troops back to Jinyang. He specially appointed Zhang Liao as the governor of Hedong and led 5,000 troops to garrison Anyi in Hedong.

Before leaving, Zhang Yu took the time to select talented people from Hedong and grant them official positions in order to win the hearts of the scholars in Hedong.

Anyi, inside the county government hall.

Jia Qu stood outside the hall stiffly, listening to the conversation inside, with many aspirations in his heart.

Since Zhang Yu took control of Hedong County, in order to leave his mark, he dismissed all the county officials and county chiefs with bad reputations, and constantly summoned the wise men in Hedong County and granted them official positions. Therefore, all the ambitious people in the county hoped to be summoned by Zhang Yu and then take up official positions, and the young Jia Qu also had aspirations.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of Guanqiu Xing's joyful thanks was heard first, and then Jia Kui saw Guanqiu Xing walking out with cheerful steps.

"Where is Jia Qu from Xiangling?" the attendant asked according to the list.

"exist!"

Jia Kui straightened his Confucian robe which had been washed bleached, handed his business card to the attendant, and after identity verification, he walked into the hall.

"County official Jia Liangdao greets you, my Lord!"

Seeing the heroic Zhang Yu sitting on the couch, Jia Qu bowed and greeted him respectfully.

Zhang Yu looked at Jia Qu and saw that he was dressed simply, his clothes were patched and almost faded from washing, so he knew that his family was not well off. However, Zhang Yu did not look down on Jia Qu because of his poverty. Instead, he admired Jia Qu because he was calm and composed and did not feel inferior because of his poor family background.

After flipping through Jia Qu's file, Zhang Yu asked, "You were born a scholar and became a county official. What are your strengths now?"

Being selected as a scholar was one of the ways for poor scholars to enter the government. Sun Zi was selected as a scholar by Taiyuan County to study at the Imperial College. After entering the Imperial College, he had the opportunity to pass the examination and become a filial and honest official. If he failed the examination and returned to his hometown, he could easily be recruited as a county official. Now Jia Qu followed the above path to enter the government.

Jia Qu was not reserved, and said, "My Lord, I am interested in military affairs. I am not a Confucian scholar who studies classics and picks out sentences. Instead, I read the great principles and take what is useful. I like Zuo Zhuan all my life."

Jia Qu knew very well that the world was in chaos and Zhang Yu, as a vassal, must attach importance to military affairs. Therefore, he deliberately emphasized that he was good at military affairs and liked to read "Zuo Zhuan" in order to attract Zhang Yu's interest.

As expected, Zhang Yu looked at Jia Qu again and asked, "Have you ever commanded an army? Where did you learn the art of war?"

Jia Qu said, "My lord, my grandfather was a military officer. When he was alive, he saw that I had a passion for military affairs, so he taught me the art of war. When I read Zuo Zhuan, I often realized the mysteries of using troops. As for training soldiers, when I was young, I gathered children together and often trained them."

"hehe!"

As soon as Jia Qu finished speaking, Guo Tu couldn't help but sneer because Jia Qu was seriously using his childhood memories as evidence.

"Sir, this man's claim to be interested in military affairs is probably just to win your appreciation. We cannot believe him now," said Guo Tu.

Zhang Yu waved his hand to signal for silence, and continued, "I have seen that you are diligent in your work, fair in enforcing the law, and always able to share the worries of the county. Why are you talking about your interest in military affairs now? Do you want to join the army?"

Jia Qu ignored the outsiders' doubts and said with a neither humble nor arrogant expression: "The world is in chaos, bandits are everywhere, and all ambitious people want to seek a wise leader and achieve great achievements. The only way to make a name for yourself and achieve great achievements is to lead troops to defeat the bandits and stabilize the country."

"Although Qu was born as a student, he has great ambitions. He is not willing to spend his whole life studying classics. He should take up the sword to help the world and repay the kindness of the wise master. In the past, Ban Dingyuan gave up his pen and joined the army, and Qu is willing to serve like his ancestors."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu showed admiration on his face. Although there was no such person as Jia Qu in the Three Kingdoms period in his memory, he admired young scholars who had the ambition to join the army and make achievements, and he was even willing to give them a chance.

Zhang Yu deliberately asked, "Does Liang Dao think I can be a wise ruler?"

Jia Qu said without hesitation: "A wise ruler has the world in his heart, treats the wise with respect, and makes the best use of the talents of all people, so he can get the wise to serve. However, if he can get the wise but cannot distinguish between the mediocre and the wise, he can hardly be called a wise ruler. It's like looking at a thousand-mile horse and sighing that there is no horse in the world!"

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu naturally understood the hidden meaning of Jia Qu's words. He couldn't help laughing a few times and immediately felt admiration for the bold scholar in front of him.

Zhang Yu thought for a while and asked, "Now the Gaoping army is staying in Anyi, and Commander Zhang needs a wise official to assist him. Would you like to serve as a military officer for the Hedong Commander?"

"Thank you very much for your kindness, my lord. I am willing to join the army!" Jia Qu was overjoyed and bowed quickly.

Zhang Yu nodded with a smile and said to Lu Fan, "Give five pieces of silk to General Jia."

Zhang Yu looked at Jia Qu and said, "Use five pieces of silk to make some spare clothes. Don't let outsiders look down on our soldiers."

Seeing Zhang Yu's attentiveness and consideration, Jia Qu's heart was filled with warmth and he said with emotion, "Thank you for your reward, my Lord!" After Jia Qu left, Guo Tu was not very happy and said, "Jia Qu thinks highly of himself, how can he serve as a military officer? If his advice is wrong, it will delay military operations."

Lu Fan stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Jia Qu is from Hedong and is familiar with the geography of Hedong. Letting him assist Commander Zhang may be helpful. If he overstates his abilities, we can dismiss him and replace him with someone else. There are many talented people in Hedong, and it is inevitable that there are some with great talents. We might as well try more. If we can find a great general, it will be beneficial to your cause."

"Ziheng is right!"

Zhang Yu took a sip of warm water and said, "Wenyuan is the governor of Hedong, but he has no people from Hedong to assist him, which is inconvenient. If Jia Qu has military talent, Wenyuan will be able to fully understand his talent in a few months."

Seeing that Zhang Yu and Lu Fan favored Jia Qu, Guo Tu curled his lips but didn't say much.

There were twenty counties in Hedong. During Zhang Yu's administration in Anyi, he replaced most of the county magistrates and promoted the county heads who performed outstandingly under his administration to county magistrates, such as Chang Lin as Linfen magistrate, Bao Xuan as Anyi magistrate, and Li You as Jiangyi magistrate.

If we look closely at the list of Hedong county magistrates, most of them are scholars Zhang Yu had previously recruited in Shangdang County, which is considered a benefit for Shangdang gentry. Moreover, these people were appointed by Zhang Yu, so even if Guo Yu was appointed as the governor of Hedong, it would be difficult for him to have too much independence and he had to rely on Zhang Yu.

After meeting with Guo Wei, Zhang Yu led his troops to leave Anyi and return to Jinyang for rest and recuperation.

On the way, Zhang Yu issued a manifesto to the world, denouncing Li Jue and Guo Si, saying that the generals in Guanxi were bewitched by the two, counterattacked Chang'an, killed Wang Yun, and held the emperor hostage.

Soon, the manifesto was first sent to Guanzhong. Compared with Li Jue and Guo Si's disdain, Jia Xu was more worried.

Reading the manifesto in his hand, Jia Xu frowned slightly, and a hint of worry appeared on his thin face.

"Zhang Yu led his troops to evacuate Hedong, and now issued a manifesto to fight against the rebels. His target is Guanzhong!" Jia Xu murmured.

With Jia Xu's intelligence, it is not difficult to see that the purpose of Zhang Yu's sudden withdrawal was to withdraw the outer troops and let the generals in Guanxi fall into a struggle for interests without military pressure.

"A quick attack will unite them, a slow one will divide them; kill the ringleader and divide the generals. Zhang Yu's intention to take Guanzhong is clear, and he will be the biggest enemy of Guanzhong!"

Jia Xu looked worried. He knew that Zhang Yu's plan was dangerous, but the generals in Guanxi had no long-term vision. Although Li Jue was the leader of the generals, he could not actually control many troops. He just relied on exaggerating external threats to unite everyone.

Now that Zhang Yu has withdrawn from Hedong, it will be difficult for Li Jue to control the generals. Once there are conflicts in the future, civil war will inevitably break out, and Zhang Yu will surely benefit. Especially since Li Jue's talent is not as good as Dong Zhuo's. Even Dong Zhuo could not control the court, let alone Li Jue's ability to firmly control the court.

"The generals of Guanxi will die sooner or later!"

Thinking of this, Jia Xu stood up and paced, wondering what role he would play in the future.
Jia Xu came from the chaotic Liang Province. The crisis-ridden environment had taught Jia Xu how to disguise himself and how to find a way out for himself.

Zhang Ji and Duan Wei are his fellow townsmen. They are now in charge of a foreign mission and have no ambition to do evil. He must make friends with them!

In addition, he could no longer participate in Li Jue's deep-level decision-making, and could not accept official titles for his contributions to the rebellion. In the future, he would need to appear to be a person who shared the country's worries, maintain the dignity of the emperor, and try his best to act as a lubricant.

In addition, he needs to find a reliable monarch for himself. Zhang Yu of Bingzhou, Yuan Shu of Jingzhou, and Yuan Shao of Jizhou can all be included in the scope of investigation.

"Master, Li Cheqi is here to visit you!" the little boy reported.

"I will go out to meet you!"

Jia Xu put away the manifesto on the table and quickly walked out of the hall to meet Li Jue.

Li Jue's ferocious face showed a rare kind look, and he asked, "Sir, how are you these days?"

"Thanks to the care of the cavalry, Xu and his family are safe!" Jia Xu said.

After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, Li Jue suddenly asked, "I want to let Wenhe be the Shangshu Pushe. What do you think?"

Jia Xu looked terrified and said, "The position of Shangshu Pushe is for all officials to be taught by, and only the best people in the world can take it. I was born in a humble family and have no reputation. If I take the position of Shangshu Pushe now, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the people. It is better for Wenyou to take the position of Shangshu Pushe."

Li Jue said depressedly: "I recommended Li Ru as Shangshu Ling, but the emperor refused to recommend him because he plotted to murder his brother, Shaodi. Then I recommended him as Shizhong, but the emperor refused to recommend him again, so I had no choice but to appoint him to another position. Now Wenhe is unwilling to serve as Shangshu Pushe, and I don't know who to find to take this position!"

Jia Xu pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "If the chariot and cavalry do not abandon me, I can be the minister of state, in charge of the selection of officials, and recommend famous people for the chariot and cavalry to serve as high officials, in order to meet your majesty's wishes."

"good!"

Li Jue didn't care and said, "Wenhe is very resourceful. I would like to ask Wenhe to recommend ministers for me. I hope there won't be another Wang Yun!"

"As ordered!"

ps: There will be another chapter tonight

(End of this chapter)