I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 224 Yuan Shao's Envoy

After Zhang Xiu told Jia Xu what Liu Miao had said, Jia Xu indeed did not come looking for Liu Miao again, and had no further complaints about Liu Miao exchanging Nanyang for craftsmen.

As for the others, they were all quite familiar with Liu Miao, so they weren't surprised by anything he did. They would have considered it normal for him to exchange Nanyang for a few craftsmen, or even for a few women.

Moreover, Liu Miao's generals have been extremely busy lately.

Liu Miao appointed Zhou Yu as the governor of Nan Commandery, Taishi Ci as the governor of Jiangxia Commandery, Cheng Pu as the governor of Changsha Commandery, Huang Gai as the governor of Wuling Commandery, Han Dang as the governor of Lingling Commandery, and Zhu Zhi as the governor of Guiyang Commandery, all of which were part of a large-scale purge.

Jingbei was relatively better off, because there had been previous uprisings by displaced people that had severely suppressed the arrogance of the local powerful clans, so they were still relatively well-behaved. Even though some occasionally absconded abroad with funds, most people chose to accept their fate and cooperate.

But Jingnan is completely different.

The various powerful figures rallied to resist, clearly demonstrating their determination to fight Liu Miao to the end!
However, Liu Miao didn't care.

With the overall situation now stable and no external enemies, Liu Miao has time to slowly wear them down, until the end of time!
We'll see then whether the newcomers or the local bullies will win!
However, it's not entirely without positive aspects.

Previously, because the channels for advancement in Jingzhou were blocked, many frustrated scholars from poor families were as if their seals had been broken, and they rushed to recommend themselves to Liu Miao.

Every day, Liu Miao would interview at least a dozen groups of guests, personally testing their talents and learning.

And this, naturally, yielded a great deal of reward!

Li Yan, Han Ji, Liu Ba, Huo Jun, Deng Fang, Yang Yi, Xiang Lang, Deng Zhi...

These people were previously unknown because their career advancement opportunities were blocked.

Now that Liu Miao has cleaved through the iron curtain pressing down on them with a single sword stroke, these people have grown wildly and rapidly.

Liu Miao spoke with them daily, and when he encountered truly talented individuals, he directly granted them official positions, showing no disdain or fear of their status as locals of Jingzhou, and thus not favoring only those from Jiangdong. When word of this spread, young talents from all over Jingzhou naturally flocked to him, and even those from nearby Shangyong and Yong'an traveled to pay their respects to Liu Miao.

Liu Miao didn't find it tiring at all.

Sometimes receiving a stab is like scratching a lottery ticket; you might just spot someone you recognize.

And today, I drew four in one go!

Xu Shu! Cui Jun! Shi Tao! Meng Jian!
"Wait a minute...it feels like one is missing?"

However, Liu Miao still met with the four men and, after chatting with them, couldn't help but exclaim, "Jingzhou is full of talented people!"

It's unimaginable how powerful Jingzhou would have become if Liu Biao had been able to make the best use of everyone's talents and resources!
It's a pity... If Liu Biao had been able to use these talented people freely, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

"All four of you have the talent to be governors or prefects!"

The four were overjoyed upon hearing this, and Xu Shu exclaimed, "General Liu actually agrees with what Kongming said!"

Liu Miao, feigning ignorance, asked, "Who is Kongming?"

"They are my friends."

Xu Shu explained, “We traveled and studied together, and whenever we had free time in the morning or evening, we would hug our knees and whistle. Kongming said to us, ‘Your official careers can reach the position of governor or prefect.’ We asked Zhuge Liang what position he could reach, but he just smiled and did not answer.”

Liu Miao laughed as well: "Is it because his talent is not comparable to yours?"

"No!"

Despite the possibility that his actions might leave a bad impression on Liu Miao, Xu Shu still firmly stood up for his friend!

"Although we all strive for thorough mastery in our studies, only Kongming can grasp the general outline! He often claims to possess the talents of Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, and the world thinks his reputation is undeserved. Only we know that he truly has such talent!"

Liu Miao shook his head and said, "They're nothing more than Guan Zhong and Yue Yi. What kind of talent do they have?"

Xu Shu and the other three were dumbfounded, not understanding why Liu Miao would say such a thing.

"It is true that Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi in becoming the hegemon among the feudal lords, and Yue Yi led the State of Yan to conquer the entire territory of Qi... However, in the end, Qi gradually lost its hegemonic status and was destroyed by the State of Qin; although the State of Yan swallowed Qi with the force of a snake swallowing an elephant, it was eventually defeated by Tian Dan's fire ox formation and had no choice but to retreat. The rulers they served and the countries they were loyal to did not achieve final victory; they only had temporary glory. Does this mean that their talents were really that great?"

Xu Shu and the other three were speechless.

They hadn't even realized this problem before!
Although Guan Zhong and Yue Yi were capable, they did not help their monarchical state achieve final victory.

Is such talent truly worthy of being called top-tier?

"So, in Liu Biaoqi's opinion, what kind of person can be considered talented?"

"At the very least, he should have the abilities of Xiao He and Han Xin! If not, he should at least have the talents of Deng Yu and Wu Han, right?"

"..."

Xu Shu and the others exchanged glances, all feeling that this conversation was over!
Xiao He, who made the greatest contribution to the founding of the Han Dynasty? Han Xin, who was known as the "God of War"?

Who were Deng Yu and Wu Han, ranked first and second among the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai?
Even the most arrogant person shouldn't compare themselves to these people, right?

Xu Shu and the others thought that their friend's comparison of them to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi already showed his extraordinary vision, but they didn't expect Liu Miao to be even more ruthless, actually wanting a Xiao He and a Han Xin?
What's even more outrageous is that Liu Miao actually asked Xu Shu and the others, "Do you think that Kongming has such talent?"

Cui Jun, Shi Tao, and Meng Jian were all speechless.

Only Xu Shu nodded to Liu Miao: "If General Liu could trust Xiao He and Han Xin like Emperor Gaozu trusted Xiao He and Wu Han, and trust Deng Yu and Wu Han like Emperor Shizu trusted Deng Yu and Wu Han, then Zhuge Liang would definitely not be inferior to them!"

Upon hearing this, the other three looked at Xu Shu in shock.

Xu Shu's gaze remained steadfast, clearly indicating that he genuinely believed his friend possessed such talent!
But Xu Shu immediately lost his composure the next moment.

Liu Miao asked Xu Shu curiously, "Then...why isn't Kongming here?" "If I'm not mistaken, the name tag only has the four of your names on it, right?"

"A man of great talent, comparable to Xiao He and Han Xin, is unwilling to serve me. Does he look down on me, Liu Miao?"

Poor General Xu Shu, before he could even finish two breaths, large beads of sweat began to slide down his forehead.

"Well, well... it's because Kongming was wearing mourning clothes for his family."

"His uncle is Zhuge Xuan, right? He's not a direct descendant, so there should be enough time now, right?"

Xu Shu exclaimed in surprise, "How did General Liu know about this?"

"Liu Qi once chatted with me about some of Liu Jingzhou's past. He said he had gone to look for your friend, but the place was empty."

Liu Miao asked Xu Shu, "So, what is the reason for this?"

"Because Kongming was unintentional..."

Xu Shu stopped talking halfway through his sentence.

He had originally intended to use the excuse of "having no interest in officialdom" to appease Liu Miao. However, if he were to actually say that, it would undoubtedly completely cut off any path he could still have to be loyal to Liu Miao. Therefore, he could only swallow the words he was about to say, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"Hahahahaha!"

Seeing that the others were somewhat apprehensive and embarrassed, Liu Miao laughed out loud.

"It was just casual conversation, you don't need to take it to heart."

"Leaving aside your friends, each of you is a rare talent."

Liu Miao stood up and bowed to each of them, not treating his subordinates who had come to him as servants just because he was their lord.

“As I have said, you all have the talent of governors and prefects. But I also believe in a saying from Han Feizi: ‘A brave warrior must rise from the ranks, and a prime minister must rise from the prefectures and counties.’”

"I have never believed that anyone is 'incapable of being a talent for a hundred miles' but can only be 'a tool for the state'."

"Even if such a person truly exists, their character must be flawed. They would either lack a down-to-earth and practical approach or be unable to empathize with others... Therefore, I would not employ them."

"So now I want to first appoint you as officials in the prefectures and counties to handle affairs. Are you all willing?"

In fact, among those who came to visit Liu Miao, there were some who were directly granted high-ranking official positions by Liu Miao.

For example, Liu Miao directly recruited Li Yan as the Prefect of Nan Commandery.

However, the premise was that Li Yan had already served as magistrate in various counties of Jingzhou and had rich grassroots experience, which is why Liu Miao chose to promote him to a high-ranking official position.

Even if Xu Shu, Cui Jun, Shi Tao, and Meng Jian were all talented, they were all commoners before.

If they were directly appointed as high-ranking officials, not only would it create chaos in Jingzhou's administration, but it would also ruin them.

If Liu Miao remembers correctly, there were probably two people who were "not capable of managing a hundred miles".

One was Pang Tong, the "Young Phoenix," who was still imprisoned in Xiakou, and the other was Jiang Wan, the future Prime Minister of Shu Han.

The former—Liu Bei believed it, and then died at Luofeng Slope…

Liu Bei did not believe the latter, and kept Jiang Wan out of office for a long time, only gradually putting him to use after a period of training, until he finally became a great man.

Therefore, Liu Miao did not want to waste these talented young men from Jingzhou, so he made the unpleasant point clear upfront.

Xu Shu and the other three quickly rose and bowed to Liu Miao, saying they dared not accept such a gesture.

"If you can't even sweep your own room, how can you sweep the world?"

"General Liu was clearly acting out of kindness, so how could we possibly hold a grudge?"

All four men were highly talented, and they were all victims of the Later Han dynasty's system of selecting officials based on reputation rather than ability, thus allowing them to govern a region. How could they not understand Liu Miao's intentions?
Seeing that the four men showed no resistance, Liu Miao knew that he had indeed been lucky enough to win four big prizes. He immediately appointed the four men as officials in Changsha, Wuling, Lingling, and Guilin, to assist Cheng Pu and others in pacifying the four counties of Jingnan.

“Jingnan is in chaos, but it is precisely because of this that great progress will be made there.”

Before the four men departed, Liu Miao also made a grand promise to them—

"If you succeed in this mission, you will sooner or later be able to realize your current abilities as the prefect!"

Xu Shu and his three companions were overjoyed and readily accepted the order to depart.

After taking a sip of tea and resting for a while, Liu Miao couldn't wait to continue hanging up the lottery tickets, hoping to find some more talented people among the bets.

Before long, Liu Miao found a familiar name.

"Nanyang Fengji?"

Wait a minute, isn't this one of Yuan Shao's men?

Upon reading the contents, Liu Miao realized that this was not a visiting card seeking an official position, but a formal invitation from a feudal lord...

"Yuan Shao's envoy has finally arrived!"

(End of this chapter)