I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 90: A Call for Talented Individuals!
Looking at the dozens of boats laden with farm tools and the oxen mooing, Liu Miao couldn't help but hug Han Yin even tighter!
“Zhongshan, there’s no need for that.”

“Zhongshan, this is a trivial matter.”

"Zhongshan, let go first!"

Han Yin forcefully broke free from Liu Miao's embrace and repeatedly instructed Liu Miao: "The matter of Zu Lang needs to be dealt with as soon as possible... Of course, this is not for personal revenge, but for Zhong Shan's sake. We cannot keep the General of the Rear waiting for too long."

"Don't worry! Zulang definitely won't live past next year!"

Liu Miao made the same promises repeatedly, and before leaving, he gave Han Yin a lot of valuables, which made Han Yin beam with joy.

"It's so much more comfortable here in Zhongshan!"

When you go on a diplomatic mission to someone else's territory, you have to endure the ridicule of other lords at every turn, and you might even get beaten up. How can you compare to Liu Miao, who can gain so much from a single trip?
Liu Miao also felt that Han Yin was practically his lucky charm!

Last time he sent a wife and dozens of boatloads of valuables, and now he's sending farm tools and oxen that money can't buy. What else could this person be but a god of wealth?
So much so that when Han Yin was about to leave, Liu Miao specially ordered all his subordinates to put aside their official duties and come to see Han Yin off, so that Han Yin could fully feel the dignity of being "Yuan Shu's envoy"!

Liu Miao was so moved that he shed tears, which made Chen Yu frown: "Why wasn't Zhongshan this heartbroken when I left back then?"

"Nonsense! If you had brought me dozens of boatloads of farm tools and five hundred oxen when you came, I would have cried my eyes out!"

Liu Miao waved repeatedly at Han Yin, saying, "Lord Han! Please come often!"

"sure!"

At the same time, Liu Miao added in his mind, "Come back, but don't come empty-handed!"

"Alright, everyone, let's get back to work!"

As they spoke, Liu Miao held onto Zhou Yu and Chen Yu tightly.

"Neither of you are going anywhere! Do what you can!"

"From Master Cheng to Boyan, everyone is risking their lives to solve the land reclamation problem! How can you two young people just stand by and do nothing?"

Seeing that Liu Miao was about to drag him into the abyss, Zhou Yu hurriedly said, "Now that Jiangdong is surrounded by wolves, there will surely be many battles next year. We must take this opportunity to recruit soldiers and expand our army!"

To prove he was no longer slacking off, Zhou Yu even took out a roster to show Liu Miao.

"We have recruited 20,000 able-bodied men from the refugees and recruited 5,000 soldiers from Danyang. It will take time to train them all! Does our lord wish for the war to go poorly next year?"

Currently, the only truly combat-effective troops under Liu Miao are those of Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, former subordinates of Sun Jian.

Although these troops are elite, their numbers are few. They are more than enough to cross the river, but to think that they can sweep across Jiangdong with just these men is wishful thinking.

Therefore, Zhou Yu selected young and strong men from the refugees and recruited local soldiers from Danyang to form a new army in preparation for war!

This reasoning barely convinced Liu Miao, who then released Zhou Yu's wrist and let him leave.

"What about you?"

Liu Miao grabbed Chen Yu: "I haven't seen you much since I came to Moling! Are you deliberately avoiding me to avoid work?"

"Am I that kind of person?"

After weakly offering a defense, Chen Yu said mysteriously, "I'm going to do something big!"

Liu Miao looked on with suspicion: "You want to split your forces into two groups and take Yuzhang and Kuaiji by yourself, to capture these two prefectures for me?"

Chen Yu's eyes grew increasingly melancholy: "If I knew how to fight, how could I have ended up in this situation? Besides... how can I, alone, divide my forces into two groups?"

Chen Yu paused, then proudly pulled out several bamboo slips from his robes—

"Military strategy is not my forte! And comforting the people is not something I am capable of doing."

"As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise! I am well-read and have thoroughly studied the classics. What I am best suited to do right now is to write books and educate the people!"

"..."

Liu Miao stared at Chen Yu speechlessly. This was the first time he had ever heard someone describe him as a good-for-nothing in such a refined and elegant way!
That's right! You've even written a book, so aren't you still a useless person?

Liu Miao said disdainfully to Chen Yu, "Don't tell me you want to 'establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, continue the lost learning of the past sages, and usher in an era of peace for all generations'?"

Chen Yu was stunned for a moment, then took out a book knife from his bosom and began to carve on the bamboo slips!
"What are you doing?"

"record!"

"You wrote my words in your book?"

"What I wrote is your book!"

"Ugh?"

This time, Liu Miao was completely bewildered. What did it mean to "write your book"? Did Chen Yu intend to write a book called "Liu Miao's Struggle" for him?
"Yes, it's your book!"

Chen Yu's expression was serious, not like he was joking with Liu Miao.

“Zhongshan, I could sense before that you were different from ordinary people.”

Chen Yu stood before Liu Miao, holding a book knife in one hand and a bamboo slip in the other, as if making some kind of vow.

“Zhongshan, when you had a long talk with Zijing in Shuxian, I realized that although I am the son of three dukes, I am not as good as Zijing in terms of strategy! In terms of military affairs, I am not as good as Gongjin! Not to mention, when it comes to things like fighting on the battlefield, I am far inferior to Cheng Gong and Youping... After thinking it over, the only thing I can do for you is to record your words and deeds so that more people can see them!”

Liu Miao understood this time.

Chen Yu really wants to write a memoir for himself!

Liu Miao immediately looked disgusted: "You have to write down everything we say every day? Can that even be called a book?"

Chen Yu then said, "Even the Analects is just a record of Confucius's words and deeds by his disciples."

Chen Yu actually compared Liu Miao to Confucius!
Liu Miao chuckled.

Although he didn't understand what Chen Yu's purpose was, it sounded very impressive!

Since that's the case... then let Chen Yu be a useless writer. Anyway, Liu Miao isn't short of money, so supporting a useless author isn't a bad thing!

Who knew Chen Yu would push his luck so far—

"Zhongshan, I need to be closer to you while I'm writing this book. Can I move in and live with you?"

"I'd never want to eat and live with you!"

Liu Miao kicked out without hesitation!
Is it that Madam Lu isn't appealing enough, or Madam Lü isn't gentle enough, or perhaps the newlywed Madam Yuan isn't tender enough? Did I go crazy to sleep with that old geezer Chen Yu?
Seeing that the internal affairs were still unresolved, Lu Kang, who had experience governing the region, offered Liu Miao some advice—

“Zhongshan can issue a general call for talent and recruit skilled individuals.”

“Jiangdong is full of talented people, and because of the chaos in the north, many great talents often seek refuge in Jiangdong. Why doesn’t Zhongshan consider them?”

"The only drawback to doing this is that the people you recruit will be of varying quality. You, Zhongshan, will need to carefully select the truly capable individuals you can rely on!"

But Lu Kang wasn't worried about the last point at all.

He glanced at Lu Su, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and the others from afar, then smiled at Liu Miao: "I have experienced Zhongshan's discerning eye firsthand."

"Just as I was able to discover the beauty of Zhongshan, Zhongshan can never tolerate inferior stones. Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Cast your net wide and catch the fish often!
The downside is that the quality of the team might vary greatly... If the wrong person is chosen, the makeshift team that Liu Miao has just set up could collapse in an instant! Therefore, foresight becomes the only gamble to take this risk!

Liu Miao, however, was extremely confident: "In that case, let's issue a decree seeking talented individuals!"

"However, Lu Zhongyi was wrong to say that we have the same vision!"

"Oh?"

Lu Kang laughed and said, "Does Zhongshan think that his eyesight is better than mine?"

"Of course not!"

Liu Miao confidently declared, "I, Liu Miao, am truly unparalleled in the world! The fact that Lu Zhongyi chose me proves that his judgment is even better than mine, Liu Miao's."

Upon hearing this, Lu Kang laughed loudly: "Did our ancestor, Emperor Gaozu, say something similar to Grandfather Lü?"

"Hahahaha! If our ancestor really said that, he would be far more arrogant than I am now!"

……

In the past, Yi Yin, the prime minister of King Tang of the Shang Dynasty, and Fu Yue, the prime minister of King Wu Ding, were both of humble origins. Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Duke Huan of Qi, was once Duke Huan's enemy, yet Tang, Wu Ding, and Duke Huan employed them to achieve their great deeds. Xiao He and Cao Can were merely minor county officials, while Han Xin and Chen Ping carried bad reputations and were ridiculed by others, yet they helped Emperor Gaozu pacify the world and became famous throughout history. I wonder if there are such talented but undiscovered heroes around me today?

The nation is currently in peril, and its people are displaced. I, Liu Miao, have been fortunate enough to become the governor of Yangzhou, yet I cannot rely on one person to bring peace to the people. If there is truly a person of such great talent by my side, why not come and meet him, and together create a world of great harmony?

Throughout history, which successful ruler didn't have virtuous and capable companions to govern the country with? When they acquired these talents, it was often without leaving their neighborhoods. Was this merely a coincidence? Not at all. It was because these virtuous men were willing to seek out Lord Pingyuan, just as Mao Sui had done!

……

This recruitment notice is a little long.

After Liu Miao finished writing it, he went to find Lu Kang, only to be rebuked by Lu Kang: "How is the 'Edict for Seeking Talents' written like this?"

The famous "Edict of Duke Xiao of Qin for Seeking Talented Individuals" is frighteningly concise! Liu Miao's edict for seeking talented individuals, however, is both long and tedious. Does he intend to drive away all the wise and virtuous people?

"What's the matter?"

Liu Miao argued his case logically.

"I think this is really well written!"

Duke Xiao of Qin's edict seeking talented individuals began by boasting about how glorious Qin's ancestors were, then complained about how badly Jin was bullying him, and finally said that if everyone came to Qin, they would be granted land and appointed as high ministers after achieving success.

Liu Miao's edict seeking talent was a declaration that he did not discriminate based on background; whether you were a cook or a slave, as long as you were truly talented, he would accept you!
At the same time, Liu Miao also specified the hiring requirements, saying that he now wanted to ensure that the people could live and work in peace and contentment, so he was definitely recruiting talents in internal affairs, rather than blindly accepting some burly men with arms bigger than their heads carrying iron hammers who came to ask him if he was suitable.

Finally, with a touch of provocation, he said, "If you're truly talented, then show yourself! Don't be like those hermits, appearing only briefly and never returning. Have some sense..."

Lu Kang rolled his eyes in exasperation: "If you send out this recruitment notice, I guarantee not a single person will come!"

Liu Miao hesitated for a moment: "Is it really that bad?"

"It's even worse than you thought!"

Lu Kang cut to the chase: "Let me ask you this: even when Duke Xiao of Qin recruited talent, he knew to guarantee at the end, 'I will give him high office and share land with him!' What virtue or ability do you, Liu Miao, possess to attract such great talents to follow you?"

Liu Miao then suddenly realized!

It turns out they didn't specify salary and benefits!

That's true. If a job posting doesn't specify salary and benefits, what's the difference between that and fraud?
Liu Miao sighed immediately: "I thought I could get something for free like Liu Bei..."

I'm definitely not a succubus. I should stick to talking about money and not feelings.

Liu Miao revised it, adding a sentence at the end: "Whoever can offer a plan to bring peace to the people will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and appointed as a chief clerk," and then sent it out.

After reading it, Lu Kang berated Liu Miao again.

"Appoint a Chief Clerk? Do you know that the Chief Clerk is just as important as the Registrar? How dare you casually grant this position?"

"If I really wanted it, what would I care about losing the position of prefect, let alone a chief clerk?"

Lu Kang simply shook his head: "Too high a salary isn't a good thing either; it makes people hesitate and dare not come here."

"If you're too scared to come, then don't come!"

Liu Miao didn't care.

"Even a child like Lü Meng knows that he must become a general to have a future! Now the opportunity is right in front of them, but they dare not come because they are afraid of the high salary. What use are such people to me?"

If a job offers a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan, job seekers will flock to it.

However, if a job offers a monthly salary of one million, there will be very few job seekers willing to apply for it!
But if he were to give up this opportunity just because of this, he would surely think that he is unworthy of the position... and why would Liu Miao want such an insecure person?
Lu Kang was somewhat helpless: "I only asked you to find some officials who can fill the gaps. Does Zhongshan expect to find a Xiao He?"

"Who can say for sure! I've found Zhang Liang and Han Xin, so why can't I find Xiao He?"

Liu Miao ignored all advice and posted the recruitment notice directly.

……

one day……

Two days...

Three days...

Just as Lu Kang had predicted, not a single person came to Liu Miao to recommend themselves...

Lu Kang felt sorry for his precious grandson Lu Yi, who was out early and back late every day, and came to persuade Liu Miao: "It's no good, take down this recruitment order and post a new one!"

"No!"

Liu Miao had a unique stubbornness about certain things; in other words, it could be described as a unique persistence.

"I want the Lu and Yuan families to help organize the account books. It's just a pity that the Lü family is uneducated; otherwise, there would be three people helping! What a pity! What a pity!"

Lu Kang was immediately shocked: "You don't even spare your own wives and concubines?"

"Well, they're literate anyway! They've got nothing better to do!"

Lu Kang was furious when he saw that Liu Miao had no shame and had even used his own wife and children.

"Then why aren't you busy?"

"I'm just waiting for talented people to come to me!"

Where can we find talented people?

Just then, Zhou Tai, who had enjoyed the good fortune of being uneducated, burst through the door, holding a letter of denunciation in his hand.

"My lord! Someone's here at the door! It's a thin, cold-faced man! He looks quite frightening!"

Liu Miao eagerly accepted the invitation, and upon seeing the name, he immediately burst into laughter: "Lu Zhongyi! Here comes our talented man!"

(End of this chapter)