Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 240 If you want it, I can give it all to you. Go and conquer! I have placed everything in the army!
In the 386th year of the Han Dynasty, the seventh year of Guanghe, on the 16th day of the tenth month, the royal army, whose banners covered the sun and whose armor reflected the setting sun, finally slowly stepped into the land of the Three Rivers.

The army marched south from Shangdang Commandery into Hedong Commandery. When they set up camp at the border of the two commanderies, the imperial envoys arrived the next morning, raising a cloud of dust, to carry out the routine task of confiscating the weapons of Dong Zhuo's troops.

According to the Han dynasty system, sons from respectable families who joined the army were traditionally required to provide their own weapons and armor.

However, Liu Bian attached great importance to military equipment and was always willing to spend money on his soldiers, even at the cost of depleting the resources of the armory, to equip them with a set of excellent weapons and armor.

Nowadays, the significance of good families to the imperial court is merely that of a reserve force with stronger organization and superior individual soldier skills.

However, all weapons and armor from the armory must be returned to the armory. Even damaged weapons and armor must not be discarded at will. If they are lost without cause, the person who loses them will be punished with caning!
As for confiscating weapons upon entering Hedong County, under special circumstances, no imperial court would allow soldiers to come to the capital wearing armor and carrying weapons.

When the imperial envoy's procession came into view, Dong Zhuo, clad in black armor and with a sword at his waist, led a group of confidants and generals out of the camp to greet him.

Dong Zhuo's eyes, hidden beneath his thick eyebrows, suddenly lit up. In the distance, he saw a familiar face peering out from the carriage carrying the imperial envoy.

That is clearly the master craftsman Cai Yong!

Unable to contain his excitement, Dong Zhuo immediately dismounted and ran over, waving his hand and shouting, "Bojie! Bojie!"

The black armor made a crisp sound with each step. Dong Zhuo strode towards Cai Yong with great speed. His already burly figure was covered by a thick layer of black armor, making him look like a heavy rhinoceros charging forward, as if the earth was trembling.

As Cai Yong watched the figure rushing towards him with overwhelming momentum, his eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and his right hand unconsciously clenched his sleeve, almost turning around and pretending not to recognize this brute.

However, considering their friendship and the fact that they were in front of Dong Zhuo's men, Cai Yong couldn't refuse him. He finally showed a slight smile, straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and shook hands tightly with Dong Zhuo.

Standing before the rather frail Cai Yong, Dong Zhuo exclaimed excitedly, like a large child who had just seen a toy, "Bo Jie, I never expected it would be you who came to greet me!"

In truth, Dong Zhuo and Cai Yong may indeed have had some kind of inexplicable connection.

Despite being a member of the same Crown Prince faction, Dong Zhuo held Cai Yong in particularly high esteem for his character and talent, especially for his exceptional musical skills.

Initially, Cai Yong regarded Dong Zhuo as nothing more than a pretentious military man. However, given that Dong Zhuo was a confidant of the Crown Prince and an important official of the court, Cai Yong could not refuse when Dong Zhuo sent his retainers with visiting cards to arrange a meeting.

When the appointed meeting date arrived, Cai Yong took the opportunity to play his own compositions, "Five Pieces of Cai's Music," for Dong Zhuo on the legendary "Jiaowei Qin," which was said to be incredibly powerful. These pieces were "Spring Outing," "Green Water," "Secluded Dwelling," "Sitting in Sorrow," and "Autumn Thoughts."

Dong Zhuo was not a musician; he couldn't even distinguish the five notes of the pentatonic scale. But he was definitely an excellent listener.

A qualified listener doesn't need to comment on the melody of a piece of music; they simply find it pleasant to listen to, even if they can't articulate why. However, they can still give the performer a positive review.

To Cai Yong's surprise, Dong Zhuo found himself resonating with him on a spiritual level.

The title of this piece, "Five Pieces of Cai Yong," suggests that it was composed by Cai Yong when he was in Yangzhou in recent years. Naturally, it is filled with the endless worries and sorrows of being demoted. Dong Zhuo was also dismissed from his post as the Commandant of the Western Regions because he was from Liangzhou and was forced to stay at home. In the end, he had to rely on Yuan Wei to be reinstated.

This spiritual resonance led to a friendship between Dong Zhuo and Cai Yong, which quickly blossomed. Dong Zhuo even invited Cai Yong and his two daughters to his residence, where Cai Yong paid his respects to Dong Zhuo's mother.

Dong Zhuo then ordered his younger brother to treat Cai Yong with the respect due to an elder brother, and also ordered his nephew Dong Huang, son-in-law Niu Fu, and daughter Dong Shi to pay their respects to Cai Yong with the etiquette due to an elder, thus establishing a close family relationship!

Therefore, although Dong Zhuo's grip was a bit too strong, Cai Yong didn't mind. Instead, he joked, "Zhongying has made a great contribution this time. I'm truly envious. In the future, when I see Zhongying, I'll have to call him Marquis of Taixiang." Dong Zhuo didn't care about Cai Yong's teasing at all. He put his arm around Cai Yong's shoulder and said intimately, "It's just the Marquis of Taixiang with a fief of two thousand households. My fief is your fief. What's the difference?"

Then, Dong Zhuo brought Cai Yong, who was wearing a fox fur coat, into the commander's tent. Dong Zhuo personally led Cai Yong to sit down next to the main seat, then squatted down, poked the charcoal with fire tongs, and handed Cai Yong a cup of warm pepper wine.

As for the remaining soldiers, they were selected for the central army under the arrangement of officers such as colonels and commanders at all levels, and the noise occasionally drifted into the tent.

"Alas, the title of Marquis of a Township with two thousand households is still confined to the fertile land of Youfufeng. That's bad enough, but His Highness has even bestowed upon you the title of Commander of the Central Guard with a salary of two thousand shi." Cai Yong took a sip of pepper wine, savoring the spiciness on his tongue, and chewed on a fried broad bean sprinkled with spices. He sighed, "Heaven is unjust. How come all these good things have happened to you, Dong Zhongying?"

"Are you lacking? You were pardoned from being a fugitive and appointed as the Grand Master of Works with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), and you were also granted the title of Marquis of Yejing with 500 households. Your eldest daughter, Zhaoji, is to marry His Highness the Crown Prince, and your second daughter is also engaged to the son of Yang Xu, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat."

"Besides, you know how tough it is to be the Commander of the Central Army. If the reform of the Central Army goes wrong, the blame will ultimately fall on us Commanders of the Central Army." Dong Zhuo took a sip of pepper wine, the slight chill from the cold wind outside the tent instantly suppressed by the spiciness of the wine. He also sighed and said, "Since ancient times, there have never been foolish rulers, only treacherous ministers who bewitch the ruler into making mistakes. Who knows, if something goes wrong, I might end up like Shang Yang, torn apart by chariots."

Cai Yong spat out the broad bean shells in his mouth, nonchalantly and confidently said, "What trouble could possibly arise? Although I know nothing about military affairs, Lu Zigan, Huangfu Yizhen, and you, Dong Zhongying, are the three most famous generals of our time. Since the three of you have assisted His Highness in finalizing the new central army system, there shouldn't be any major mistakes."

"Furthermore, His Highness treats them with generous salaries, and the soldiers here are probably eager to die for His Highness. How could any trouble possibly arise?"

Dong Zhuo nodded, thinking to himself that it made sense.

Each soldier was given two bolts of silk, the wounded were given four bolts of silk, and the county provided them with enough food and clothing. Those who died for the country were given six bolts of silk, and the county provided their parents, wives and children with enough food and clothing.

It seems that this reward is the same as the reward after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and does not match the reward for the soldiers who traveled thousands of miles to quell the rebellion. But in reality, the good men are eager to serve His Highness the Crown Prince to the death.

Because His Highness the Crown Prince has also arranged another generous gift.

His Highness the Crown Prince promulgated the new decree of the court through the Sanhe Gazette—the "Regulations on the Placement of Veterans"!
Good families with military service experience, including those who served before the Crown Prince's regency in the sixth year of Guanghe, could be given priority to fill many vacant positions in their hometowns if they failed to pass the selection of the central army, as long as they had a record of killing enemies!

In the Han Dynasty, below the county level were townships, each headed by an official with a rank of 100 shi (a unit of grain measure) from the imperial court. Below them were township officials and township assistants.

Below the township level, there are pavilions, with ten pavilions per township. The head official is the pavilion chief, and below him are pavilion soldiers.

Below the pavilion are the li (里), with each pavilion covering ten li, and the head of the li is called the li chief.

Below the village chief were the squad leaders and platoon leaders.

Those who fail the selection process of the Central Army, but are physically able or disabled but still able to ride horses and write, will be given priority for the positions of village head, village soldier, hamlet chief, squad leader, and squad leader!
When the news reached the army, the entire army was in an uproar. Cheng Yu, the governor of Hedong County, was so frightened that he thought the soldiers had mutinied and hurriedly organized manpower to prepare for the rebellion.

His Highness the Crown Prince also stated in the Sanhe Gazette that sacrificing one's life for the country is an unparalleled and glorious act, and these soldiers who fight for the country should be given positions commensurate with their loyalty!

Do you want a bright future?

I can give you all of them if you want!

Go and fight for the country! I have placed my bright future in the army!
All you have to give in return is your loyalty to me!

(2489 words)
(End of this chapter)