Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 238 I'm Going to Give You More Responsibility! (4K)

In the 386th year of the Han Dynasty, the seventh year of Guanghe, on the third day of the tenth month, it was the day of Minor Snow.

When the earth and sky accumulate yin energy, it becomes rain when it is warm and snow when it is cold. The term "small" refers to the fact that the cold is not yet deep and the snow is not yet heavy.

At this time last year, heavy snow fell in Beihai Kingdom, Donglai County, and Langya County, and the ice in the wells was more than a foot thick, causing more than 10,000 people to freeze to death.

This winter has been a normal one. Although the temperature in Luoyang dropped considerably after the first snowfall, it was still within the acceptable range for the people.

Fine snowflakes drifted down, covering the bluestone pavement with a thin layer of frost. The locust trees along the street had long since shed their leaves, leaving only bare branches adorned with glistening snowflakes.

Holding his infant daughter, Lü Bu was a sight no one could believe, a man who had taken countless lives on the battlefield could show such tenderness.

Meanwhile, in the Wanshou Pavilion Marquis's mansion, Lü Bu sat cross-legged on the stone steps of the courtyard. His slender fingers gently parted the mink fur curtain covering his daughter's swaddling clothes. His eyes were lowered, full of tenderness and love, and even the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

Lady Yan looked at Lü Bu, who was playing with his daughter. It was hard to associate this kind father with the fierce general who had fought on the battlefield, taking lives as easily as taking something out of a bag, and who was even praised by the Crown Prince as having the courage of a "fierce tiger".

"My lord seems troubled?" Lady Yan, dressed in a fox fur coat, walked over gracefully, her delicate fingers gently resting on Lü Bu's shoulder, her beautiful eyes filled with concern.

Seeing that Lü Bu pursed his lips and refused to admit it, Lady Yan slowly walked around to Lü Bu's side, knelt down on one knee, and lifted Lü Bu's chin with her fair hand, saying, "I am your wife, how could I not know my husband's temperament? When we just returned from Bingzhou, you were holding Xiao Lingdang and kept calling out to her, trying to get her to call you 'Father,' how could you be so silent?"

When Lü Bu's thoughts were exposed, he paused slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing twice. After a moment's thought, realizing there was no need to hide anything from his wife, he sighed and said, "I am somewhat worried about my future."

Lady Yan gently took her daughter from Lü Bu's arms, rubbed the swaddled baby against her cheek, and smiled knowingly. She said, "Is it because His Highness granted the young master the title of Marquis of Wanshou Pavilion with a fief of one thousand households, but dismissed him from his post as Commandant of Yueqi?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Madam Yan, asking, "How did you know, Madam?"

More than a month ago, the Crown Prince sent his son Chen Gong to Wuyuan County to find him and ordered him to immediately lead eight thousand cavalrymen south to return to Luoyang.

Upon returning to Luoyang, Lü Bu was granted the title of Marquis of Wanshou Pavilion and his fief was increased by 600 households. Initially, Lü Bu was overjoyed, but then he learned that he had been dismissed from his position as Commandant of the Yueqi Cavalry and that there had been no further orders for a transfer. This made Lü Bu very uneasy.

He even worried that perhaps his massacre of the Xiongnu had offended the ever-benevolent Crown Prince, causing him to lose the Crown Prince's favor.

"Husband!" Lady Yan's eyebrows shot up, and her sweet shout snapped Lü Bu out of his worries. She gently stroked the back of Lü Bu's hand and said sternly, "You must not have such thoughts!"

"Without His Highness's appreciation, my husband would never have achieved the wealth and honor he enjoys today, no matter how hard he tries. Remember, His Highness is our family's benefactor. You must trust His Highness. Moreover, even if His Highness no longer favors my husband, you must never have any other thoughts!"

Startled by his wife's outburst, Lü Bu scratched the back of his head, his rough hand covering Yan Shi's soft, smooth hand. He grinned and explained, "I'm not that stupid. Didn't Sun Wentai, Liu Xuande, Gao Xiaofu, Cao Zixiao, and Xiahou Miaocai also hastily return to Luoyang with their troops? And Huang Hansheng, who quelled the rebellion in Taishan County, was also dismissed from his post?"

Sun Jian's fief was increased by 400 households, exceeding the maximum limit of 1,000 households for a marquis. Therefore, he was transferred to the title of Marquis of Xihu Township, with a fief of 1,200 households.

Liu Bei, Gao Shun, and Huang Zhong were given an additional 400 households of fiefdom, while Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan were given an additional 300 households of fiefdom. However, this did not exceed 1,000 households, so they remained as marquises.

Liu Bei's two brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, were also enfeoffed as marquises for their merits. Guan Yu was enfeoffed in Dongting, north of Jie County in Hedong, his hometown, with a fief of two hundred households. Zhang Fei was slightly less fortunate. Although he was also enfeoffed in his hometown of Zhuojun, he was not enfeoffed as a marquis in Zhuo County, but as a marquis in Fanyuting in Fanyang, with a fief of two hundred households.

Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, who served under Lü Bu, had military merits such as capturing flags and beheading generals. In addition, they were awarded the twelfth-rank Zuo Geng nobility for their contributions in battles large and small. Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao had just begun to show their talents and were also awarded the sixth-rank Guan Dafu nobility for their merits. Cao Xing, Hao Meng, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, and Song Xian were awarded the eighth-rank Gongcheng nobility.

Overall, everyone received generous rewards, and the Crown Prince's decision to dismiss the five captains of the Northern Army and the left and right cavalry commanders of the Imperial Guards at once clearly indicated some important arrangements.

Moreover, given the Crown Prince's loyal and righteous nature, how could he be the kind of person who would betray someone after using them?

Liu Bei was the Crown Prince's fellow disciple, yet he too was dismissed from office. His future was naturally not something he needed to worry about. He was just reluctant to leave the prosperity of Luoyang and did not want to be sent to serve as a general in a remote area.

After returning to his hometown of Jiuyuan, Lu Bu felt even more strongly that Luoyang was a good place to nurture people, and that his little Lingdang might one day become a well-bred young lady in Luoyang.

Suddenly, Zhang Liao, dressed in casual clothes, jogged into the inner courtyard and said, "General, His Highness the Crown Prince has sent Chen Gongtai to invite you to the palace. Chen Gongtai said that a new position has been appointed."

Lu Bu was taken aback and quickly asked Lady Yan to help him change his clothes.

Regardless of whether the Crown Prince would send him out to a remote area, he lacked the ability to govern counties and prefectures, so he would certainly remain in a military post. A captain could at least be promoted to a lieutenant general, so Lü Bu was naturally quite excited.

Inside Yong'an Palace, Liu Bian gently supported the bowing generals, his eyes and brows full of gentle smiles, and waved his hand lightly, saying, "Aren't you all getting impatient?"

The most straightforward Lu Bu and Zhang Fei looked embarrassed and awkwardly rubbed their hands together, while Liu Bei, Sun Jian, Huang Zhong and others did not care at all and responded with smiles.

Liu Bei even joked with the Crown Prince, saying, "Your Highness's reward is so generous. If I were to do nothing all day, I would truly feel ashamed to receive this fief of eight hundred households."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian laughed and pointed at Liu Bei, teasingly saying, "Don't be so happy, Liu Xuande, I'm about to give you all a lot more responsibility!"

Having taken the lead and being the first to be granted the title of Marquis of a Township, Sun Jian was in high spirits. He puffed out his chest and laughed, "Add more, Your Highness, please add as much as you like! I am not afraid of Your Highness adding more burdens!"

Who would be afraid of a heavy burden? A heavy burden at least shows that His Highness the Crown Prince still favors you. If one day he really grants you a sinecure, then you will truly have something to worry about!

"Alright, stop joking with me, I'm really not kidding."

Liu Bian's smile vanished, his expression instantly turning solemn. His piercing gaze swept over the crowd, and those whose eyes fell upon him immediately sat up straight. He slowly rose, the hem of his robes brushing the ground with a soft sound. He looked at the group of pure warriors he had personally promoted and cut to the chase: "I intend to reform the Imperial Guard's system, abolishing the Northern Army, the Feathered Forest Army, the Tiger Guard, and the guards of the Crown Prince's residence."

A look of surprise flashed across everyone's faces, but they quickly regained their composure, held their breath, and listened attentively as the Crown Prince explained the new Imperial Guard system in detail.

The standing army in Luoyang City, excluding the Imperial Guards and the City Gate Commandant's troops, consisted of 10,000 men from the five Northern Army Schools, 3,000 Tiger Guards, 4,000 Feathered Forest Cavalry, and 3,000 guards from the Crown Prince's residence, totaling 20,000 men.

Under the new Imperial Guard system, the regular army in Luoyang was called the Central Army. The Central Army consisted of five battalions: the Martial Guard Battalion, the Central Fortress Battalion, the Central Stronghold Battalion, the Valiant Cavalry Battalion, and the Guerrilla Battalion, totaling 44,000 to 10,000 men. Based on current prices, the annual expenditure on food and supplies would be at least 500 million coins!

The Wuwei Battalion had a strength of 20,000 men and served as the palace guards. It was divided into the Left and Right Wuwei Generals, each commanding 10,000 men, and they did not control each other.

The Left Martial Guard General had under his command the Colonel of Extra Strength, the Colonel of Military Command, the Colonel of Crossbows, the Colonel of Upper Cavalry, and the Colonel of Yue Cavalry; the Right Martial Guard General had under his command the Colonel of Heavy Armor, the Colonel of Assistant Army, the Colonel of Archery, the Colonel of Flying Cavalry, and the Colonel of Tun Cavalry, each colonel leading two thousand soldiers.

The Central Fortress Camp was headed by a Central Fortress General, stationed in the western suburbs; the Central Vanguard Camp was headed by a Central Vanguard General, stationed in the eastern suburbs; the Valiant Cavalry Camp was headed by a Valiant Cavalry General, stationed in the southern suburbs; and the Guerrilla Camp was headed by a Guerrilla General, stationed in the northern suburbs. Each camp had 6,000 men, with three colonels under their command.

All generals were granted a rank of 2,000 shi, and the rank of colonel was equivalent to 2,000 shi.

The rank of "Zhong Er Qian Shi" was too high for these generals of the central army, and "Er Qian Shi" also seemed no different from ordinary generals with miscellaneous titles. Therefore, it was established as the "True Er Qian Shi" rank, which is almost no longer used.

The title of "True Two Thousand Stones" was a separate official rank established by the Former Han Dynasty to distinguish between the chancellors of vassal kingdoms and local prefects. However, as the status of vassal kings gradually declined, the chancellors of vassal kingdoms naturally became no different from the chancellors of vassal kingdoms, and thus the chancellors of vassal kingdoms were also reduced to the rank of "Two Thousand Stones".

Now, reusing the rank of "true two thousand shi" (a unit of grain measure) that was once held by the prime minister of your country but was now held by the prefect, for the generals of the central army, is in line with the original intention of establishing this official rank.

This appointment excited everyone. They had originally hoped to be appointed as generals, but they never expected that His Highness the Crown Prince would have the opportunity to be appointed as generals under the new central army system.

However, with far more monks than porridge, the positions of Left and Right Martial Guard Generals were clearly meant for Dian Wei and Xu Chu, positions they could not possibly covet.

But the remaining four general positions are being contested by five Northern Army captains and two Imperial Guards officers.

Everyone frowned and began to whisper among themselves.

As everyone pondered, Liu Bian raised his hand to signal silence, his eyes swept over the crowd, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. He then ordered Xu Jing, the Crown Prince's junior official, to read the imperial edict.

"Dian Wei was promoted to General of the Left Guard, Xu Chu to General of the Right Guard, Gao Shun to General of the Central Fortress, Huang Zhong to General of the Central Stronghold, Lü Bu to General of the Valiant Cavalry, and Sun Jian to General of the Guerrilla."

As soon as the words were spoken, the generals who were awarded the title were first taken aback, then their faces lit up with joy, but they all turned their gazes toward Liu Bei, who had failed to win the title.

Although Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan also lost their positions, they were already behind in terms of rank and title, so their disappointment was understandable.

But Liu Bei was utterly astonished. He never imagined that he, who came from the same family as the Crown Prince and was a member of the Han imperial family, would end up with nothing.

Liu Bei's obvious disappointment did not escape Liu Bian's notice. He slowly rose from his seat, walked to Liu Bei's side, and said with a smile, "Xuande, do you only wish to be a general?"

Although Liu Bei was disappointed, he had not lost his mind. He sensed something different in the Crown Prince's words.

"I have read Xuande's battle report. Your handling of the rebels and local powerful clans in Beidi Commandery was very appropriate. You have settled the people. Nanrong said that Xuande has the talent to govern a prefecture!"

"Xuande, don't worry too much. Your talent is not limited to being a military general." Liu Bian looked at the dejected Liu Bei and comforted him with a smile. "There are many bandits in Jingzhou. Han Shuo, the governor of Jiangxia, died in office at the age of seventy. Would you be willing to go to Jiangxia to gain some experience?"

Liu Bei was slightly taken aback, then bowed deeply and said, "Your Highness, whatever you command, I will do without hesitation!"

He never expected the Crown Prince to allow him to transition from military to politics, but this path clearly offered a wider future.

Besides the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, there were also quite a few officials with a salary of 2,000 piculs of grain.

The highest military rank was general, and the titles of Grand General and General of the Cavalry were mostly granted to relatives of the empress. The only generals with important titles were General of Chariots and Cavalry, General of the Guards, and Generals of the Front, Rear, Left, and Right.

Now that the war has been quelled in various places, even if we fight against the Xianbei in the future, how many opportunities will there be to make merit, and how many people will be able to stand out?

Ultimately, the majority of military achievements belong to commanders like Huangfu Song, and Liu Bei knew he could not reach Huangfu Song's level of military leadership.

Furthermore, wars will eventually end, and when generals have no more use for their skills, won't they become idle officials?
In comparison, a political career would have been more advantageous for him.

As a member of the Han imperial family, if he were to enter politics, with the help and support of his mentor Lu Zhi, as well as four elder members of the imperial family—Liu Yan, Minister of Works; Liu Yu, Minister of the Imperial Clan; Liu Tao, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat; and Liu Kuan, Grand Master of Ceremonies—his future would naturally be incredibly smooth!

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PS: I didn't slack off today. I spent the whole day organizing materials. As you readers who haven't skipped ahead know, I organize and update information on current central and local officials and the current system to prevent inconsistencies or other errors, as shown in the image below.

I've been organizing this data all day and it's still not finished. After all, there are various systems to reform, promotions for meritorious soldiers, transfers of other officials, and arrangements for the Crown Prince's staff after his ascension to the throne. There's just too much data to organize and update. I can't continue writing until this is all done.

So there won't be any extra updates today, QAQ!

But I still want to ask for monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)