The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 175 Talents are rare
Before the morning mist had even dissipated, Li Yi had just stepped into the imperial city when he was hastily summoned to a meeting by servants from the Xuanhui Academy.

When he entered the government office, the tea on the table was still steaming. Xiang Xun and Wang Pu were already seated, but Han Tong was nowhere to be seen.

Li Yi, however, was not surprised by this.

Han Tong is in charge of the specific engineering matters, and recently he has been living and working on the construction site almost all the time, showing that he is determined to do his job well in order to repay the emperor for his promotion.

Unless there was something extremely important, Xiang Xun and Wang Pu would not inform him, so it was rare to see Han Tong in the capital.

In contrast, Li Yi attended meetings large and small. Whenever reports or news reached Tokyo, Xiang Xun and Wang Pu would send someone to invite him to discuss matters.

But in reality, it was more like a meeting to listen in than a discussion, and Li Yi rarely interfered with specific decisions.

He knew very well that among the four people left behind, he was the youngest and least experienced. The reason he was able to get the positions of Inspector of the Palace Guard and Deputy Inspector was largely due to his status as a relative of the emperor by marriage.

The emperor took most of the court personnel with him, including Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde, who also went on the expedition. Among the remaining civil officials and generals in Tokyo, only Li Yi could be considered one of the emperor's "family."

Xiang Xun and Wang Pu always had Li Yi present, which was also a way of indirectly having him represent the emperor to supervise, so as to prevent outsiders from having any grounds for criticism.

Those who could rise to high positions and be relied upon by the emperor were all shrewd and had their own set of wisdom in dealing with people and situations.

Although Li Yi looks very young, he has lived two lives, totaling forty or fifty years, and he understands many things after thinking about them.

After he sat down, Xiang Xun spoke first: "A report came from the Jingzhao Prefecture that Liu Ci, the military governor of Yongxing Army, has passed away."

“This…” Li Yi was taken aback upon hearing this.

He had never interacted with Liu Ci before, only seeing him a few times last year when he was by the emperor's side during the attack on Northern Han.

Li Yi racked his brains and finally recalled some impressions of Liu Ci.

He was a sprightly old general, his hair and beard half-white but his back straight. When he walked, his armor clanged and his steps were full of energy. It was as if time had only left its mark on him, but had not worn away his sharpness in the slightest.

Although he is over sixty years old, he is full of a spirit that refuses to grow old.

Moreover, Liu Ci, as a military general, was also very professional. During the Later Liang Dynasty, he served under Yang Shihou, the military governor of Weibo, and worked diligently for five dynasties.

Especially during the Battle of Gaoping last year, Fan Aineng and He Hui deserted their posts, and their remaining troops looted the supplies of Liu Ci's rear army. They even urged Liu Ci not to go to support the front-line battle.

Liu Ci not only disobeyed, but also stopped the deserters from looting and promptly led the rear guard to the battlefield; otherwise, it would have been difficult to achieve such great results in the Battle of Gaoping.

Emperor Shizong (Chai Rong) also highly recognized Liu Ci's contributions. After the war, he appointed Liu Ci as the military governor of Yongxing Army, and concurrently appointed him as the Grand Councilor and acting governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, which can be described as extremely honorable.

However, in just one year, this person was gone... Yesterday's veteran who could still dominate the battlefield has today turned into a cold obituary.

Life is short, often less than a hundred years, as fleeting as morning dew. No matter how much one refuses to accept old age or fate, one cannot ultimately escape the impermanence of life.

Xiang Xun probably shared similar sentiments, as he sighed softly and said, "General Zhejie has only recently passed away, and now General Liu Jiejie is also... Even the most accomplished generals of past dynasties cannot ultimately withstand the passage of time."

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.

After a moment, Wang Pu coughed lightly and broke the silence: "The report sent by the Jingzhao Prefecture also included Liu Ci's recommendation before his death..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly. He wondered where these veteran generals had learned this habit from, that they all liked to recommend talented people to the court before they died.

But even though he thought that way, he didn't say anything more.

Anyway, you can just listen to these things yourself. As long as they don't involve you, you shouldn't meddle in other people's business.

"Liu Ci recommended three people this time," Wang Pu stroked his beard and continued, "Zhao Pu, Chu Zhaofu, and Wang Renzhan..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Yi tilted his hand slightly as he picked up the teacup, causing the celadon lid to clink together and a few drops of tea to splash onto his sleeve.

Seeing that the two were looking at him, he calmly put the teacup back on the table: "I didn't hold it properly and almost dropped it."

After saying that, Li Yi chuckled and adjusted his cuffs, using the gesture to cover up his slight loss of composure.

But several thoughts had already crossed his mind—if the name Zhao Pu appeared alone, there might be a possibility of having the same name as someone else.

However, since it appears alongside the names Chu Zhaofu and Wang Renzhan, could it be Zhao Pu, who is known as "ruling the world with half of the Analects"?

That's interesting... Li Yi picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

According to historical records, Zhao Pu and Zhao Kuangyi made great contributions to Zhao Kuangyin by offering advice and strategies during the Chenqiao Mutiny.

However, later scholars have questioned the part of this account concerning Zhao Kuangyi.

At that time, the "Donkey Cart Warrior" was only a teenager, and thanks to the protection of his father and brothers, he was given a lower-ranking military position in the Imperial Guard.

Whether Zhao Kuangyi was with the army or stayed in Tokyo to serve his elderly mother when Zhao Kuangyin led his army to "resist the Khitan" is uncertain.

It's highly likely that this guy was just trying to glorify himself, and after taking power, he fabricated a whole bunch of nonsense—who, apart from a few people directly involved, could know the inside story of the Chenqiao Mutiny?
Not to mention that Zhao Er also claimed to have personally participated in the conquest of Huainan and killed countless Southern Tang soldiers on the battlefield. He also claimed to have made some ridiculous contributions in the Later Zhou's attack on Liaohebei.

The accounts in some historical records or Zhao Er's own account of his prowess in both civil and military affairs during the Later Zhou period are unreliable.

There's bound to be some boasting and self-praise... but that's secondary, of course.

However, the claim that Zhao Pu was deeply involved in the Chenqiao Mutiny should not be fabricated, as evidenced by the fact that he was promoted to Deputy Privy Councilor in just one year, despite only being a staff member of the Bafu government.

As Li Yi was pondering, Wang Pu's voice rang in his ears: "Commander Li, have you perhaps heard of these three people?"

He looked up at the sound and met Wang Pu's deep-set eyes. The dark shadows etched by time under his eyelids did not show any signs of fatigue; on the contrary, they made his gaze even sharper.

Fortunately, Li Yi was used to Wang Pu's style and did not show any abnormality. Instead, he chuckled and said, "I have indeed heard of these three people... When I led the army back from Qin and Feng, we passed through the territory of Yongxing Army."

"Commander Liu specially sent his staff to the post station to reward the troops. I chatted with that staff member for a few minutes and learned from him about the officers under Commander Liu's command. These three are quite capable."

"However, I didn't take it to heart at the time, but now that I suddenly heard the prince mention it, I've just remembered it..."

Li Yi did not deny it, but instead made up an excuse. However, it was not entirely accurate, because ninety percent of what he said was true... It was true that Liu Ci sent someone to comfort the troops, and it was also true that Li Yi chatted with his staff, but he did not mention Zhao Pu and the other two.

Wang Pu didn't ask any more questions. He nodded thoughtfully, tapping his thin fingers lightly on the table. After thinking for a while, he pondered and said, "Of the three, only Wang Renzhan is a military officer. The other two are neither military officers nor graduates of the imperial examinations... There are few vacancies in important positions in the court now, so it's not easy to make arrangements."

At this point, he seemed to have thought of something and suddenly looked up at Li Yi: "Although Commander Li has already been appointed as the military governor of Zhaoyi Army, he has not yet established a staff and officers. Why not temporarily recruit the three of them under his command and discuss it again later?"

Li Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly dropped the teacup. He never expected that Wang Pu would actually put these three people in his hands.

However, according to regulations, in those days, as long as one was granted the title of Jiedushi (military governor), it was equivalent to having the power to establish one's own government and establish a military command. Even if it was just a nominal title, one could still recruit one's own staff.

After all, one could be transferred to a real post at any time, and the change between the real and the virtual could be decided by the emperor at any moment. As the highest military and political leader of a regional military governor, it was normal for him to have a group of subordinates.

Anyway, they weren't part of the imperial staff; the military governor just paid their own salaries.

So Wang Pu's suggestion wasn't too outrageous... but Li Yi wasn't sure if it was just something Wang Pu said casually, or if it had some deeper meaning.

"Isn't this inappropriate?" Li Yi paused, picked up his teacup and took a sip, taking the opportunity to observe Wang Pu's expression. "Marshal Liu recommended them on his deathbed, which must have been a great hope for them. If we only place these three as advisors... wouldn't that be a waste of their talents?"

To everyone's surprise, Wang Pu stroked his beard and smiled, completely unconcerned, saying, "These three were originally staff officers and clerks. Now that they have joined Commander Li's ranks, it can be said that they have each found their place. Given His Majesty's favor towards Commander Li, it is actually a better future for the three of them to follow him. How can you say that their talents are being wasted?"

"This will satisfy Liu Ci's feelings and allow us to observe his talents. At that time, Commander Li will naturally have a clear understanding of their abilities. If the three of them truly possess outstanding talents, it will not be too late to recommend them to His Majesty for important responsibilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Xun, who had been listening without interrupting, suddenly chuckled and said, "For those three, they've found a good way out. They were originally nobodys, but now that they've joined Commander Li's ranks, they'll have a bright future ahead of them!"

He said it half-jokingly, but to be honest, he wasn't wrong.

Regardless of how famous Zhao Pu, Chu Zhaofu, and Wang Renzhan were in history, at least during the Later Zhou period, these three were simply not worth mentioning.

Li Yi currently holds a prominent position in the Imperial Guard and is also the emperor's brother-in-law. Being able to secure a position under him would naturally be of great benefit to future promotions.

These days, it's not that you're incompetent, it's that you're afraid of following the wrong person.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the recommendations of Zhe Congruan and Liu Ci, who would know who Li Chuyun, Zhao Pu, and the others were?
Not to mention that it was brought up for discussion and arrangement by these three important civil and military officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty... otherwise, it wouldn't even have the right to be mentioned.

"What you two say is absolutely right."

Outside the window, the bamboo shadows swayed gently, and a few rays of morning sunlight filtered in, illuminating Li Yi's thoughtful face.

"The dying wish of Commander Liu must be fulfilled. It would be more appropriate to let those three gain experience under my command for the time being than to rashly entrust them with duties."

He spoke calmly, but inside he was overjoyed.

Regardless of how later generations evaluate Zhao Pu, he was certainly not a man of mere reputation. Li Yi currently has no shortage of rough and uncultured warriors around him, but what he lacks is a capable official who is knowledgeable in literature and other matters, and it is perfect to recruit Zhao Pu to serve him.

As for Chu Zhaofu and Wang Renzhan, although they are not as famous as Zhao Pu in history, they are still well-known figures and must have some ability.

As the saying goes, the more talented people the better. Why not take this opportunity to strengthen your team and enhance your capabilities?

Next, the three discussed other matters. Li Yi, adhering to the principle of speaking less and doing more, basically did not offer any opinions.

However, most of the time it was Wang Pu who made the suggestions, and Li Yi and Xiang Xun just nodded in agreement.

After all, everyone has their own expertise, and Wang Pu is obviously more experienced in handling specific matters, so there's no need for the two of them to go against him.

An hour later, Wang Pu had to deal with the official documents of the Kaifeng Prefecture and left the Xuanhui Academy's office first.

Watching Wang Pu leave, Xiang Xun chuckled and said, "Wang Changshi has certainly played his cards right, managing to offend no one while maintaining his dignity."

He turned to look at Li Yi, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes, "Brother, do you know why Attendant Wang gave those three people to you?"

"Oh?" Li Yi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Please enlighten me, brother."

He knew that Xiang Xun outwardly respected Wang Pu and, as the deputy garrison commander, often prioritized Wang Pu's opinions, but deep down he was definitely unhappy because Wang Pu's personality was often unpleasant.

However, firstly, Wang Pu was very capable, and secondly, the other party was also a close minister trusted by the emperor. Xiang Xun was a very sensible person. Although he was a military man, he did not have an arrogant attitude. He was quite smooth and worldly in his dealings with people, and he could tolerate Wang Pu's style of doing things.

For this reason, Li Yi did not think that Xiang Xun was trying to speak ill of Wang Pu behind his back.

Xiang Xun continued, "General Liu was highly trusted by His Majesty. Now he has passed away in Jingzhao Prefecture. Before his death, he recommended talented people. We should naturally give him face."

"But there aren't that many idle positions to be appointed in the court, and it's not easy to just dismiss them, lest it chill people's hearts... However, given your status, it's no worse than serving under Commander Liu, and it might even be a better way out."

"As for how to handle and arrange it, that's for you to worry about, my dear brother!"

Ah... so that's what Wang Pu was planning?
After listening to Xiang Xun's joke, Li Yi suddenly realized why he had found it strange that Wang Pu had given him the person.

Thinking about it this way, it makes sense. It's likely that when Wang Pu asked for my opinion on Li Chuyun's appointment, he had the same idea in mind.

That makes sense. As a relative of the emperor by marriage, I'm involved in the personnel arrangements. Even if they turn out to be useless, at least there will be one more person to share the responsibility.

Although the emperor might not hold them accountable for such a thing, it's still an extra layer of protection.

By handing over Zhao Pu and the other two to himself, he not only avoided taking up positions in the imperial court but also made a respectable arrangement, which was indeed a way to take advantage of his status as a relative of the emperor.

Just like insisting on having Li Yi present at a meeting, it's a way of expressing an attitude.

On the contrary, Li Yi himself overcomplicated things, prejudicially believing that Li Chuyun, Zhao Pu, and others were historical figures, and that Wang Pu's association of these people with himself might have some deeper meaning.

In reality, Li Chuyun, Zhao Pu, and the others are insignificant figures, and Wang Pu has no time to care about them.

With just a few casual words, three people determined their futures... whether you were a future prime minister or a founding hero of the Northern Song Dynasty.

However, Li Yi got a bargain, as three useful talents were delivered to his door for free.

“Lord Wang is also considering official business.” A smile appeared on Li Yi’s lips. “It was Commander Liu’s dying wish, and I will do my best to make arrangements. Talented people are rare, and we should give them a chance to prove themselves.”

(End of this chapter)