I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 126 Zhuge Xuan and Yuan Huan
……

Huainan, Shouchun.

"What! Zhongshan has captured Wu Commandery? And even captured Liu Yao?"

Yuan Shu is currently feeling worried.

Lu Bu, on whom he had placed high hopes, was once again driven away in disgrace by Cao Cao to Xuzhou, where he could only stay in Xiaopei, failing to fulfill Yuan Shu's initial ambition of "Yanzhou-Xuzhou-Yangzhou".

In particular, Yuan Shu has been sending people to contact Xuzhou recently, but Liu Bei's attitude has remained ambiguous, and he has never expressed any intention to directly obey Yuan Shu.

The once magnificent "Yanzhou-Xuzhou-Yangzhou" region may very well be reduced to just Yangzhou. How could Yuan Shu not panic?
However, hearing that Liu Miao had defeated Liu Yao and taken all of Wu Commandery gave Yuan Shu some consolation.

"Zhongshan is a kind and honest man! Not only did he offer up the imperial seal, but he even helped me conquer Jiangdong... On the other hand, Liu Bei? Humph!"

Yuan Shu reacted instinctively and summoned Han Yin.

"Han Qing, go and congratulate Zhong Shan again! After that, make a trip to Xuzhou and teach Liu Xuande some manners."

Just as Han Yin was about to be overjoyed, Yuan Shu asked again, "How has Zitai been lately?"

"He still goes mad in the mansion every day, cursing Zhongshan."

"Humph!"

Yuan Shu shook his head, clearly having completely lost hope in Liu Xun.

"Han Qing, since Liu Xun is no longer a capable official and Zhong Shan has captured Wu Commandery, shouldn't we send a new governor there?"

Han Yin was greatly alarmed upon hearing this: "Does the General suspect that Zhongshan has betrayed his cause?"

"it's not true."

Yuan Shu toyed with a gold and jade belt hook with dragon and phoenix motifs in his hand.

"But nowadays, one should not have the heart to harm others, but one must be wary of others."

"If Liu Bei hadn't sent Chen Deng to me as an envoy, how could I have tolerated him succeeding Tao Qian as the governor of Xu Province? But in the end, when I asked him to send some grain, he kept making excuses and refused to listen."

“I know Zhongshan is loyal, of course. But now that Zhongshan has taken Danyang and Wu County, he is incredibly strong. How can I be at ease?”

"This……"

Although Han Yin liked Liu Miao, he was ultimately Yuan Shu's subject. So, while he felt sorry for Liu Miao, he could understand Yuan Shu's actions: "General, your plans are far-reaching!"

"In Han Qing's opinion, who should be the prefect of these two places?"

Yuan Shu first eliminated the Liu clan members—

"I've figured it out. Zhongshan is inherently incompatible with the Liu family by blood, so we shouldn't send such people to Yangzhou anymore."

"Furthermore, we should not employ people like Liu Xun who bring a bunch of retainers and want to meddle in everything. Right now, the affairs of the Central Plains are the most important. As long as Jiangdong can provide supplies and there are no more troubles, that's fine."

Upon hearing Yuan Shu's request, Han Yin immediately narrowed it down to a few individuals.

"General, Zhuge Xuan of Langya came all the way from Xuzhou to offer his services. He has a reputation for integrity and is a descendant of Zhuge Feng, the Commandant of the Capital Region during the Han Dynasty. I wonder if he is up to the task?"

Zhuge?

Yuan Shu immediately nodded: "Such a renowned scholar, and also a fellow townsman of Zhongshan, surely the two of them will get along well this time?"

It was meant as praise, but Han Yin was secretly alarmed.

The statement, "There should be a way for the two of them to get along well," seemed to be a reminder to Liu Miao no matter how you looked at it.

Clearly, Yuan Shu had some reservations about Liu Miao's immediate attack on Wu Commandery after expelling Liu Xun.

Han Yin dared not be careless and then mentioned a second candidate—

“Yuan Huan and Yuan Yaoqing, both from Chen Commandery, are suitable for the position of Prefect.”

Upon hearing this name, Yuan Shu was even more delighted: "Han Qing is right! It is fitting to send Yao Qing there!"

Yuan Huan was a descendant of the Yuan clan of Chen Commandery!
The Yuan surname originated from Yuan Taotu, the eleventh-generation descendant of Chen Hugong, so the Yuan family of Chenjun is actually the original family of all Yuan families in the world.

Even the Yuan family of Runan, which had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, was a branch established by members of the Yuan family of Chen Commandery after they came to Runan. In addition, the Yuan family of Chen Commandery was different from the Yuan family of Runan. The members of the Yuan family of Chen Commandery were always pure and ascetic, never gossiping about others, and always taking a wise and self-preserving attitude. This also made people like Yuan Shu respect their family members.

The Yuan Huan mentioned by Han Yin not only came from the Yuan clan of Chen Commandery, but was also the son of Yuan Pang, a disciple of a prominent family!
Yuan Huan was known for his outspokenness and willingness to speak frankly. Whenever Yuan Shu asked him questions, Yuan Huan would boldly and righteously present his views and correct Yuan Shu's mistakes, which filled Yuan Shu with awe.

If we send Yuan Huan to Jiangdong now, we can both keep an eye on Liu Miao and get rid of Yuan Huan's entanglement. Why not do it?

Yuan Shu clapped his hands and laughed: "Good! Let Zhuge Xuan be the governor of Danyang, and Yao Qing be the governor of Wu Commandery!" Yuan Shu also made a special arrangement: "When Han Qing goes there, he must read this edict aloud in front of Liu Miao and see Zhongshan's reaction."

"If he accepts it readily, it means he has no ulterior motives."

"On the other hand... never mind, let Ji Ling lead the troops to Guangling first."

The nonsensical order sent a chill down Han Yin's spine.

Clearly, because of Liu Bei's affair, Yuan Shu also began to suspect Liu Miao.

If Liu Miao fails the test, there will likely be great disaster!
Yuan Shu concluded by saying, "Let Yan Xiang go with you. He has been to Jiangdong before, so he should know the way well this time!"

Han Yin was even more terrified!
Yuan Shu, has he even lost faith in himself? And he still wants Yan Xiang to follow him?

Han Yin took a deep breath, but still accepted the order—

"Your subject will certainly investigate Liu Miao's true strength and weaknesses for General Hou!"

…………

Liu Miao was discussing some very profound academic issues with Chen Yu, Zhang Zhao, Wang Lang, and others!
Originally, it was just a welcoming banquet for Wang Lang, but Zhang Zhao and Wang Lang were friends when they were in Xuzhou, and Chen Yu was also a famous scholar in Xuzhou. When the three of them got together, they didn't even know what heaven and earth were, and they kept talking about things that Liu Miao couldn't understand.

What about the "Commentary on the Book of Changes", the "Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals", the "Commentary on the Classic of Filial Piety", the "Commentary on the Official System of Zhou"...

Although Liu Miao had previously gritted his teeth and studied these things, the topics the three discussed were clearly not just superficial; the conversations often took an unusually magical turn!
For example, when Liu Miao thought of the phrase "the dragon soars too high and then regrets it," the only thing he could think of was the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms"...

But these three animals actually managed to bring up the idea that "people in high positions should guard against arrogance, otherwise they will regret their failures"... and then they even went on to talk about the Zhi clan of the Spring and Autumn period, Liu Bi of the pre-Han dynasty, and Zhang Zhao's own self who was always disobedient.
Forget it.

Liu Miao would like to ask, how did these three manage to steer this conversation towards the laws of heaven and earth? What are you talking about, the Five Elements, the universe? Were any of you ever dragons? Did dragons know you were thinking all this?

Fortunately, Liu Miao didn't need to understand anything. He only needed to nod and smile to deal with these three famous scholars who wouldn't realize he was there for a long time...

"My lord! Yuan Shu's envoys, Han Yin and Yan Xiang, request an audience!"

A lifesaver!
Liu Miao had long since given up on listening to the three men inside spouting nonsense he couldn't understand. Upon hearing that Han Yin was coming, he was so excited that he didn't even put his shoes on properly before rushing outside!
"Brother Han! Registrar Yan! I miss you both so much!"

If it weren't for them, Liu Miao would have suffered even more inside!

When Han Yin saw how anxious Liu Miao was, he felt a surge of joy, realizing that Liu Miao still cared about him!

However, considering Yuan Shu's mission and the fact that Yan Xiang was watching nearby, Han Yin didn't dare to appear too eager. He simply produced Yuan Shu's official document in a businesslike manner.

"Liu Miao, Governor of Yangzhou and General Who Conquers the East, has always been loyal and devoted to the royal family. He has served the prefectures and counties with integrity, pacified the people, secured the Jianghuai region, and strengthened the bulwark of the state. He has also been good at selecting virtuous and capable officials and distinguishing between loyalty and treachery. He can be called a good minister. Therefore, he is specially rewarded with 10,000 catties of gold and silver and 5,000 pieces of silk."

Liu Miao immediately grinned, "Thank you, General! Thank you, General!!!"

However, Yan Xiang, who was standing nearby, timely poured cold water on the situation—

"Liu Yangzhou, because the General of the Rear is reorganizing the military, these rewards cannot be delivered in time and you will have to wait."

Installment payment?
Liu Miao retracted his teeth, which had been bared out: "So...?"

"There are only three thousand gold and silver coins and one thousand silk coins."

So shabby?

General Hou! How could you, a noble and wealthy man from the prestigious Yuan family of Runan, do such a thing? And even offer installment payments? Don't you have any regard for the reputation of the Yuan family of Runan?

However, Liu Miao quickly realized that Yuan Shu was most likely out of money...

Judging from the amount and frequency with which Yuan Shu rewarded his subordinates, coupled with his unrestrained abuse of manpower to repair palaces, Huainan today is probably no longer the land of abundance it once was!
Liu Miao was also somewhat moved.

It is truly remarkable that Yuan Shu was able to squander the wealth of Huainan in such a short time.

But no wonder.

Nanyang, where Yuan Shu previously resided, was the largest prefecture in the Later Han Dynasty! Its population even surpassed that of Sili at one point!
If Yuan Shu could hollow out a place like Nanyang, then hollowing out Huainan doesn't seem so unacceptable.

Liu Miao, at this moment, was very considerate of Yuan Shu: "Actually, I don't need any reward from the General of the Rear. I should do my duty as the General of the Rear. Isn't it vulgar to keep talking about money?"

Han Yin was very comforted by Liu Miao's performance, feeling that Liu Miao's qualities were different from others!
Afterwards, Yuan Shu further promoted military generals such as Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Zhu Zhi, Han Dang, Sun Ben, and Wu Jing, elevating them all from their original positions of Sima and Duwei to the rank of Xiaowei!
Among them, Sun Ben and Wu Jing were directly appointed as Generals of the Central Army by Yuan Shu!

Although the reward was somewhat intriguing, Liu Miao didn't think much of it and continued to thank Yuan Shu on behalf of these people!
It wasn't until the last two orders that Han Yin and Yan Xiang both looked at Liu Miao, and their serious expressions immediately made Liu Miao realize that something was wrong.

"By order, General, you have also appointed Zhuge Xuan as the Prefect of Danyang and Yuan Huan as the Prefect of Wu Commandery... Zhongshan, you should have no objection to these appointments, right?"

The two men stared intently at Liu Miao.

If Liu Miao were to show even the slightest impatience or annoyance at this moment, it would be a fatal consequence for him!
(End of this chapter)