I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 95: Asking for forgiveness
Gu Yong is definitely not suitable. Although he was the one who proposed building the city, cultivating farmland and constructing water conservancy projects require a lot of mental effort, and even if he were to be used as livestock, he wouldn't be used like this.

Liu Miao then thought of Lu Su and Cheng Pu, but he rejected both of them.

Previous events have fully demonstrated that although these people have some political abilities, they are ultimately inferior to their military strategic expertise. Forcing them into positions of power will only result in more chaos, and someone will have to clean up the mess in the end.

"A great wind rises, clouds soar high. My might extends across the land, I return to my homeland. Where can I find brave warriors to guard the four corners of the earth?"

When Liu Miao recited the Song of the Great Wind, a song by Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, he truly understood the difficulties of starting a business.

The only difference between Liu Miao and Liu Bang is that, because he took over Sun Jian's old troops, Liu Miao did not lack fierce generals to guard the four directions like his ancestor Liu Bang. Instead, he lacked scholars who could stabilize the situation!
Liu Miao walked down Zhongshan Mountain absentmindedly, and even after returning to his residence, he still had a furrowed brow, wondering where to find such a talented person.

"Lord, be careful!"

Swords drawn!
Zhou Tai and Chen Wu strode forward, drew their swords, and suddenly shielded Liu Miao behind them!
Liu Miao's thoughts were interrupted, and he looked around warily: "What's going on? Are there bandits here?"

Jiangdong is rife with assassins! Liu Miao had no intention of risking his life to enhance the reputation of any assassin!

However, when Liu Miao looked at it, he was completely baffled.

What alerted Zhou Tai and Chen Wu was not some burly warrior, but a middle-aged scholar with some frost on his temples.

What alerted Zhou Tai and Chen Wu was actually his strikingly different attire.

He wasn't wearing any clothes; instead, he was covered in thorny brambles!
"What is this? Is it imitating Lian Po?"

The middle-aged scholar's strange behavior attracted a growing crowd, and finally someone recognized him, exclaiming in surprise, "Isn't this Master Zhang, Zhang Zibu? What is he doing here?"

Zhang Zibu?
Upon hearing this, Gu Yong, who was standing behind Liu Miao, unusually lost his composure and quickly pushed his way to the front. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was indeed Zhang Zhao!

"What is Master Zhang doing?"

Gu Yong strode forward, squatted down beside Zhang Zhao, and hurriedly began to pull the thorns off Zhang Zhao's body.

"These thorny branches are used for torture! Could it be that someone has mistaken Zhang Gong for a criminal?"

Zhang Zhao dodged Gu Yong's pull, but the movement was too fast, and he hit a thorn on the thorns, causing Zhang Zhao some pain.

Even so, Zhang Zhao still stopped Gu Yong: "I made a promise with Yuan Tan that if Governor Liu of Yangzhou appointed you as his chief secretary, I would apologize to both of you with a bundle of thorns on my back. Has Yuan Tan forgotten this?"

Gu Yong certainly remembered the bet!

He never expected that Zhang Zhao would actually follow Lian Po's example, carrying thorns on his back and coming to Moling in front of everyone to apologize to him!

Liu Miao, having learned of Zhang Zhao's identity, immediately stepped forward to pay his respects: "I have long heard of Lord Zhang's name, but I do not know why you have come here today."

Zhang Zhao, carrying thorns on his back, greeted Liu Miao and then told Liu Miao about his affair with Gu Yong in Qu'a.

“That day I told Yuan Tan that Liu Yangzhou’s edict seeking talent was completely insincere and that he must be a self-serving person who would not appoint Yuan Tan as chief secretary. It wasn’t until I heard that Liu Yangzhou had indeed appointed Yuan Tan as chief secretary and entrusted him with all political and internal affairs that I realized I was wrong.”

When Zhang Zhao admitted his mistake, he did not feign reluctance but genuinely acknowledged his wrongdoing.

"I had only heard that when Liu Yangzhou was in Huainan, he was often preoccupied with women and money, frequently searching for beautiful women, and even marrying a woman from the Yuan family, thus forming a marriage alliance with Yuan Shu. Therefore, I assumed that Liu Yangzhou must be a person without great ambition... But after hearing that you appointed Yuan Tan as your chief clerk, and seeing the current prosperity of Moling, I realized that I had been blinded by a leaf and had become a narrow-minded person. It is precisely because of this that I have come to apologize to you!"

Liu Miao: ...

If Zhang Zhao hadn't been so harsh in his insults, Liu Miao would have really thought Zhang Zhao was insulting him!

However, Liu Miao found Zhang Zhao's "unrestrained speech" rather endearing.

Unlike Zhou Tai, whose "unrestrained speech" was meaningless, Zhang Zhao's "unrestrained speech" meant that although he knew his words might anger others, he still couldn't keep quiet and instead felt compelled to speak his mind.

This might seem like a lack of emotional intelligence, but it was more appreciated by Liu Miao than Gu Yong's approach of always looking out for Liu Miao's feelings.

Liu Miao squatted down and personally removed the thorns from Zhang Zhao's body, accidentally pricking his own finger and drawing blood.

"Lord."

"Liu Yangzhou..."

Zhou Tai, Lu Su, and the others were extremely anxious when they saw Liu Miao was injured, but Liu Miao didn't care at all and insisted on personally removing the thorns from Zhang Zhao's body.

“A man as resolute as Zhang Gong is like this thorny branch. Although it looks frightening and might hurt me, if a little pain can bring me to my senses and make me correct my mistakes, then what’s the big deal about shedding a little blood?”

Liu Miao helped Zhang Zhao up, and warmly took off his own cloak, draping it over Zhang Zhao to keep him warm.

“A person like Zhang Gong is like a mirror, allowing me to see my own shortcomings. How could I possibly blame Zhang Gong for what he did before?”

"Although winter in Jiangdong is not as cold as in the north, it is still quite chilly. Mr. Zhang, why don't you come inside with me and chat on the warm couch?"

Zhang Zhao wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, and suddenly his nose stung with tears. The guilt in his heart had not lessened because of his act of carrying thorns to apologize; on the contrary, it had increased considerably.

Once inside, Liu Miao had someone hand Zhang Zhao suitable clothes and personally brought him some boiled ginger soup to warm him up.

Liu Miao had Zhang Zhao sit beside him and explained in detail the background of his situation in Huainan, and revealed that he had no dependent relationship with Yuan Shu.

Zhang Zhao swallowed the ginger soup, and a warm current spread from his abdomen to his limbs.

Upon hearing Liu Miao's words, Zhang Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "Does Liu Yangzhou not submit to Yuan Shu as his lord?"

"Now that the Han Dynasty still exists and the Emperor still lives, how could I, as a descendant of the Han imperial family, possibly serve under Yuan Shu?"

Liu Miao added, "It's just that Yuan Shu is powerful now, so we have no choice but to feign compliance and present him with the imperial seal."

"So that's it!"

Zhang Zhao then understood the whole story and nodded repeatedly.

Liu Miao then took the opportunity to ask, "If Yuan Shu were to lead his 100,000 troops to attack Jiangdong now, do you think I should resist?"

"Of course!"

Zhang Zhao did not hesitate at all!

"Yuan Shu is nominally a Han official, but in reality a traitor! He also levies exorbitant taxes and oppresses the people. How can we allow him to invade Jiangdong?"

Liu Miao then asked, "If Yuan Shao were to attack Jiangdong with a million-strong army, should I resist?" "Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao are birds of a feather! No matter how powerful Yuan Shao is, why should we surrender without resistance?"

Zhang Zhao didn't understand why Liu Miao suddenly asked him such a question, but he still expressed his determination to defend the people of Jiangdong in a righteous and righteous manner!
Liu Miao originally wanted to ask, "If the emperor attacks, what will Lord Zhang do?"
However, Liu Miao swallowed his words and instead praised Zhang Zhao, saying, "Hearing what you say, Lord Zhang, I am relieved!"

Liu Miao looked troubled at the same time: "To be honest, although I have Yuan Tan's help, I am still stupid and cannot govern the counties."

"I have long admired Lord Zhang's reputation. I wonder if Lord Zhang could lend me a hand and help me restore the Han Dynasty?"

Zhang Zhao's soul had long been captivated by Liu Miao's words, his clothes, and his cup of tea; how could he possibly refuse?

Zhang Zhao immediately replied, "Liu Yangzhou is able to implement benevolent governance, without any selfish motives, and allows the people to live and work in peace and contentment. How can I, Zhang Zhao, have the face to refuse Liu Yangzhou's summons?"

"If Governor Liu Yangzhou does not mind, I am willing to serve as a scribe to relieve your worries!"

Liu Miao was deeply moved and quickly stopped Zhang Zhao.

"If I, Liu Miao, were to truly appoint Zhang Gong as a mere scribe, then all the heroes of the world would surely laugh at me for my lack of discernment!"

"If Lord Zhang is willing, I am willing to treat him as the Prefect of Yangzhou!"

Lu Su's chief clerk and Gu Yong's chief secretary were both officials whose status stemmed from Liu Miao's position as "General Who Conquers the East," which granted them the power to establish their own offices. They were Liu Miao's private retainers, wielding considerable power, but not holding high positions.

But it's different from other vehicles.

The Prefectural Governor's Assistant was a deputy to the governor of a prefecture, a public office, and held a high position with great power.

In terms of closeness, the Prefectural Governor (别驾) may not be as close to the Lord as the Chief Clerk (主簿) or the Chief Secretary (长史). However, the Prefectural Governor holds a high position, and only renowned scholars from the prefecture and county can hold this position!
When Zhang Zhao heard that Liu Miao wanted to appoint him as the Prefectural Governor, he immediately declined, saying, "My virtue is insufficient; how can I be the Prefectural Governor of a province?"

"If even Lord Zhang lacks virtue, then there are few people in the world who would dare to claim that they are virtuous!"

Zhang Zhao then said, "But I am from Xuzhou, how can I be the Prefect of Yangzhou?"

"It is precisely because you, Lord Zhang, are from Xuzhou that I am even more convinced that you are the right person for the job!"

Gu Yong, the chief secretary, was originally from Jiangdong. If the prefect were to be another person from Jiangdong, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among officials and scholars from the north.

Although Liu Miao did not want to engage in a system of checks and balances, there was no suitable candidate other than Zhang Zhao at the moment. So why not go with the flow and let Zhang Zhao take the position of Prefect?

Liu Miao suddenly became domineering: "It's decided then! Today, we will hold a banquet to welcome Lord Zhang and celebrate his willingness to serve as Prefect!"

Compared to Gu Yong, who was previously targeted by everyone, Zhang Zhao was already famous throughout the land, and no one felt that Zhang Zhao was unworthy of his position and should not sit in the seat of the Prefect.

Liu Miao then directly entrusted the construction of Moling city to Zhang Zhao, letting Zhang Zhao take over this troublesome task.

After assuming the position of Assistant Administrator, Zhang Zhao immediately demonstrated his talent by personally surveying the topography of Moling and quickly providing Liu Miao with a general construction plan.

Since the primary consideration in building cities is always defense, Zhang Zhao's plan was also to first safeguard the security of Moling.

Firstly, a fortified city should be built on the banks of the Yangtze River west of the city, relying on the Stone City, and named Stone City. This city, spanning the Huai River and controlling the Yangtze, would further perfect the natural barrier of the Yangtze!

Secondly, a camp should also be set up at Baishi Mountain in the north, preferably forming a continuous defensive line called "Baishi Fortress" to jointly protect the safety of the north of Moling with Sangbo.

In the west, where it was less vulnerable to attack and the terrain was relatively flat, Zhang Zhao suggested building a smelting city for smelting workshops, and then building Xizhou City on a small island in the Huai River to facilitate troop garrisoning.

As for the southeast, because of the surrounding mountains, Zhang Zhao did not undertake large-scale construction. Instead, he followed the example of Hulao Pass to the east of Luoyang and built Dongfu City next to Qingxi to protect the southeast.

As for the central main city, it adopted the principle of axial symmetry and was built with inner and outer cities.

In addition, a long dike will be built over Sangbo Lake to divert water from the Huai River for transportation, and a large bridge will be constructed across the river for traffic purposes...

Even Liu Miao, let alone others, gasped upon seeing the plan: "Is Lord Zhang planning to build a Luoyang or Chang'an?"

"it's not true."

Zhang Zhao directly handed Liu Miao a set of data—

"Now the three chiefs and the equal distribution of land have been completed, and the number of people in Moling and the surrounding areas has been counted."

"Two hundred and forty-seven thousand six hundred and fourteen households, eight hundred and eighty-nine thousand two hundred and ninety-six people—that's the current number of people living near Moling!"

"Just now, my lord asked me if I was going to build Luoyang and Chang'an. But in reality, there are more people around Moling than in Luoyang and Chang'an! With so many people, does my lord really think that cities as large as Luoyang and Chang'an are enough?"

Zhang Zhao emphasized again—

"It's not about building a city like Luoyang or Chang'an! It's about building a city even more magnificent than Luoyang and Chang'an!"

Liu Miao was puzzled.

He had only intended to build a simple city to promote development, but Zhang Zhao had turned it into a massive project.
Fortunately, Zhang Zhao knew that the project was too grand, so he did not intend to start construction on a full scale. Instead, he focused on building the main city first to address the most pressing issue.
Otherwise, no matter how stubborn Zhang Zhao was, Liu Miao would have had to kill the project!
When the construction of the city began, Zhang Zhao came to visit again.

"What is it, Master Zhang? Is it a shortage of manpower? Or a shortage of money?"

Zhang Zhao said seriously, "We're lacking soil!"

Liu Miao: ? ? ?
Liu Miao then realized that the soil used to build the city was mostly red clay and coarse sand, while the soil near Moling was too loose and unsuitable for building the city. That's why Zhang Zhao said that there was a shortage of soil!
Liu Miao couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Where can I get enough soil to build a city?
Could it be that it was transported from outside?
But the southeast of the river is surrounded by towering mountains. If you carve roads through the mountains to transport the soil out, will the soil still be soil? Wouldn't it become gold?

Building a city with gold... Liu Miao wasn't extravagant enough to do that.

However, Liu Miao then seemed to realize something, and looked up to the north, his eyes filled with eagerness—

"Lord Yuan, I, Liu Miao, can only rely on you for the rest of my life!"

If, if...

Liu Miao thought that if he were to achieve great things, and follow the example of his ancestor Liu Bang in arranging civil and military merits, then Zhou Yu and Lu Su would not be able to steal the credit!

He, Yuan Gonglu, was truly the greatest loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!

(End of this chapter)