Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 205 Yuan Shao plots treacherous schemes, Liu Bei trains his disciples (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
"Zhou Gongjin was indeed magnanimous."

Up in the attic, Liu Bei couldn't help but nod in admiration.

Throughout history, those who have achieved great things have often been people of broad-mindedness and magnanimity.

Only those who can be tolerant of others and things can achieve greater success.

Liu Bei's disciples were not ranked according to age, status, or talent. Whoever entered the sect first was the senior brother. Even though Zhou Yu was sixteen years old, he still had to address Zhuge Liang as his senior brother.

Zhou Yu's magnanimity earned the admiration of Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Liu Ba, and Cao Ang. Even the most sharp-tongued Liu Ba stopped finding fault with Zhou Yu.

After discussing etiquette, everyone went to the other courtyard to watch the battle.

At Liu Bei's behest, Ma Chao and Sun Ce began their mounted battle.

Both were descendants of fierce generals, and their horsemanship skills were honed from a young age.

"Meng Qi has finally found a worthy opponent. He won't have to spend his days in the courtyard looking gloomy anymore."

"I never expected that someone my age could compete with Meng Qi. There are indeed countless outstanding talents in the world."

"I never expected that there would be anyone who could rival Bo Fu in strength. Back in Jiangdong, Bo Fu never lost to anyone of his age."

"My mentor is good at recognizing people. How could someone who can be taken as a disciple by my mentor be an ordinary person?"

Zhuge Liang and the others watched and commented, their faces beaming with smiles.

Now that we've joined the group, we're all brothers. The more talented our brothers are, the more proud we all feel.

Ma Chao and Sun Ce fought for more than a dozen rounds without a clear winner. They both stopped their spears and laughed, then dismounted at the same time.

"Your martial arts skills are quite good. How about you join my camp as my deputy general?"

"Why aren't you my deputy general?"

"If you beat me, I'll be your deputy general. But since you're currently tied with me, I'll remain the commander."

As they were talking...

Sun Ce glanced at Dian Wei, who was watching the battle from the side, and whispered, "This villain has been watching for a long time. Why don't you and I join forces and take him down?"

Ma Chao's face stiffened: "Well, it's not honorable for two against one. How about we have another match, and whoever doesn't lose wins?"

"Underestimating me?" Sun Ce, oblivious to Ma Chao's change in expression, excitedly called out to Dian Wei, "That scoundrel, do you dare to challenge me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Liu Ba, and Cao Ang all paused in their smiles, looked at Sun Ce in astonishment, and then looked at Zhou Yu.

Liu Ba couldn't help but ask, "Gongjin, is your sworn brother always this brave?"

Zhou Yu initially didn't think there was anything wrong, but seeing the strange expressions on the faces of Zhuge Liang and the other three, he instantly realized something was amiss. Before he could answer, he saw Dian Wei grin and say, "If it's a contest, one hand is enough."

Sun Ce was instantly enraged and shouted, "You villain, how dare you underestimate me? Don't blame me for winning unfairly if you lose."

Liu Bei, sitting in the attic, sighed again, "Mengqi has gone astray too. In foot combat, he can only manage a draw against Dian Wei, even against Lü Bu."

Within a few moves, Dian Wei seized an opening and slammed Sun Ce to the ground. Sun Ce stared in astonishment, his eyes wide, and muttered to himself, "I've already lost?"

Ma Chao chuckled and squatted down to say to Sun Ce, "Bo Fu, I forgot to tell you. This scoundrel's surname is Dian, and his given name is Wei. He is also a captain in the Lingyan Army. In terms of infantry combat, among the many fierce warriors under the Imperial Uncle's command, at most they can only fight Captain Dian to a draw. No one dares to say that they can defeat Captain Dian."

"Well, in terms of foot combat alone, even if you and I attacked together, Commandant Dian would only need one hand."

Sun Ce was furious: "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

“I already said it,” Ma Chao’s smile widened. “Two against one is not a fair victory. In other words, it’s not fair for Commander Dian to fight the two of us. Even if we’re going to fight, we should fight ten.”

Seeing Ma Chao's smiling face, Sun Ce was speechless.

Liu Ba shouted, "Meng Qi, stop bullying Junior Brother Sun. He and Gong Jin are both disciples recently accepted by our master."

Ma Chao's expression changed, and he pulled Sun Ce up, saying, "Oh, it's Junior Brother Sun! I was rude just now. From now on, you'll be my deputy! I'm the senior brother, you can't let your senior brother be the deputy, can you?"

Seeing Sun Ce and Ma Chao glaring at each other again, and glancing at Dian Wei who had easily knocked Sun Ce down just now, Zhou Yu's pride swelled a bit.

The reason why geniuses are so confident in their abilities is because they are surrounded by ordinary people.

But when surrounded by geniuses, one naturally becomes more humble.

After the seven disciples had all interacted with each other, Liu Bei came down from the pavilion and held a banquet to welcome the newly recruited Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

These seven disciples were all outstanding talents of their time, and Liu Bei would not show favoritism to any of them.

Considering the talents and strengths of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, Liu Bei arranged for Zhou Yu to study literature and martial arts alongside Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, and Liu Ba, and to discuss matters together. At the same time, Zhou Yu was assigned to the Imperial Secretariat as a junior official in training. Sun Ce, on the other hand, first trained under Ma Chao in the camp.

Liu Bei did not immediately send Sun Ce into the White Feather Army not because he distrusted Sun Ce, but because he needed to first let Sun Ce accept the military spirit of the Lingyan Army.

The military style of Lingyan Army was different from that of Sun Jian's army. Changes in beliefs and ideology also required time to be honed. Only after Sun Ce truly accepted the military style of Lingyan Army could he join the White Feather Army and become a contradiction with Chen Dao.

The competition just now allowed Sun Ce and Ma Chao to gain mutual recognition. Ma Chao also wanted to compete and communicate more with Sun Ce in the military camp, especially since the two had similarities in personality: they didn't like reading but loved practicing martial arts.

Ma Chao was used to overwhelming others with sheer force, while Sun Ce was used to having Zhou Yu as his external brain.

During this time.

Xu You also came to the Secretariat and relayed to Jia Xu Liu Bei's decision to appoint Sun Jian as the governor of Xuzhou.

Upon learning that Sun Ce and his sworn brother Zhou Yu had both joined Liu Bei's ranks, Jia Xu did not ask any further questions. He simply instructed Shangshu Wu Qiong to send the memorial to Liu Xie for approval of the imperial edict.

Seeing Jia Xu hand the memorial to Wu Qiong, Xu You leaned closer and whispered, "Wenhe, don't you plan to let Wu Qiong leave the Secretariat? This man is a close ally of Yuan Shao, and there's also Zheng Tai, whose personal relationship with Yuan Shu is quite close. Aren't you afraid that Wu Qiong and Zheng Tai will cause trouble?"

After Xun Yu and Xun You were successively transferred to Luoyang as ministers, the six ministers of the Ministry of Personnel became Zhong Yao, Xun Yu, Xun You, Wu Qiong, Zheng Tai, and Xu Jing.

As Xu You said, Wu Qiong was a close friend of Yuan Shao, and Zheng Tai had a close personal relationship with Yuan Shu.

Although the two men were of unusual status, Jia Xu did not replace them.

Neither Wu Qiong nor Zheng Tai participated in Wang Yun's previous rebellion. No matter how you look at it, these two are very "loyal" to Liu Bei and seem to have done nothing out of line.

However, Jia Xu's insight was extremely sharp. Even though Wu Qiong and Zheng Tai did not show it, he could tell that the two did not truly agree with Liu Bei and were merely lying low waiting for an opportunity.

In addition, Xu You was very familiar with Wu Qiong and Zheng Tai's past, so he would naturally be wary.

However, Jia Xu preferred those who remained in hiding.

The deeper the lurking, the bigger the things the other party is going to do.

The current situation in the world has become one where three emperors coexist.

Apart from Yuan Shu, Liu Xie and Liu Yu were also nominal emperors. Liu Bei controlled all affairs of the court in Luoyang, while Yuan Shao controlled all affairs of the court in Yecheng.

In other words, this was a power struggle between Liu Bei and Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

By keeping one of Yuan Shao's close associates and another of Yuan Shu's old friends in the Ministry of Personnel as ministers, Jia Xu intended to play the long game, and Liu Bei tacitly approved of it.

If Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu didn't cause trouble, how could Jia Xu have seized the opportunity to make a move?

Just as there were rumors of Yuan Shao seizing power in Ye City, there were similar rumors of Liu Bei seizing power in Luoyang.

Although the two sides have ostensibly ceased hostilities, their propaganda war has never stopped.

Liu Bei sent a large number of spies to Ye City to sow discord between Yuan Shao and Liu Yu, while Yuan Shao also sent a large number of spies into Luoyang to sow discord between Liu Bei and Liu Xie.

Whoever is the first to turn against his ruler and his subjects will be at a disadvantage.

There was no fundamental difference in strategy between Liu Bei and Yuan Shao; they both played the same game of "honoring the king and repelling the barbarians" and "serving the emperor to command the disobedient."

The difference is that Liu Bei consistently suppressed powerful clans and weakened the influence of the gentry, while Yuan Shao consistently courted powerful clans and strengthened the cohesion of the gentry.

Although the methods are different, the essence is the same: to prevent Liu Xie and Liu Yu from interfering in military and political affairs.

From the perspective of the relationship between ruler and subject, both men were just as humble as Wang Mang before he usurped the throne; they served the emperor so that they could become emperor in the future.

From the perspective of grand ambitions, both men had their own political aspirations and grand plans for the future, and they would not let the relationship between ruler and subject restrict their grand ambitions.

Yuan Shao's retort to Bian Rang, "Doesn't Liu Bei want to become emperor?" also reflects his clear understanding of Liu Bei.

Liu Bei did not hide his great ambition from Jia Xu: even if he would be judged by later generations as a usurper, he still wanted to realize the new world in which the people lived in peace and prosperity.

Jia Xu was not a pedantic man. He believed that history would judge his merits and demerits: if the new world was more chaotic, then he had made mistakes; if the new world was better, then he had made merits. Whether it would be the Rebellion of the Eight Princes or the Five Barbarian Invasions, or the Reign of Zhenguan and the Kaiyuan Era of Prosperity, would depend on who was better at governing the country.

Wu Qiong was unaware that Jia Xu had been watching him all along.

Compared to Zhou Bi, Wu Qiong concealed his identity better.

Zhou Bi's disregard for Liu Bei made Wu Qiong even more cautious.

If we set aside his close relationship with Yuan Shao, Wu Qiong was undoubtedly a dutiful and responsible minister.

This is another reason why Wu Qiong was still able to hold the position of Minister even after Liu Bei selected Zhong Yao, Xun Yu, and Xun You to join the Secretariat.

The talent of a high-ranking official cannot be faked.

Upon hearing Xu You mention this matter, Jia Xu glanced at Xu You and said, "If you are willing to enter the Ministry of Personnel, I will immediately transfer one of Wu Qiong and Zheng Tai away, how about that?"

Xu You couldn't help but shudder. Me, join the Imperial Secretariat? Do you think I can live a leisurely life under your command?

The reason he refused to join the Secretariat was not only because of the complicated affairs of the Secretariat, but also because Jia Xu was in the Secretariat.

Wherever Jia Xu was, Xu You wanted to stay far away, fearing that Jia Xu would be given an opportunity to hide.

The suggestion to send Jia Xu to Dong Zhuo's side as an inside agent made Jia Xu look at Xu You as if he were prey, and Xu You often felt a chill down his spine.

Xu You chuckled and said, "Wenhe, you misunderstand. I was just mentioning it casually. I am not very knowledgeable, how could I be a minister? I still prefer to follow my uncle and offer advice occasionally."

Jia Xu scrutinized Xu You and said, "With your talent, you shouldn't be unaware of the reason why I kept Wu Qiong and Zheng Tai. You've come here specifically to ask about it today; could it be that you've presented another strategy related to me to the Imperial Uncle?"

"Wenhe, you're biased against me!" Xu You reacted instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his tone firm and forceful: "I admit that it was biased of me to suggest that Wenhe go under Dong Zhuo's command as an inside agent before, but since that incident, I have always considered Wenhe when I make suggestions, and I will never let Wenhe be put in a difficult position because of the strategies I offer!"

Jia Xu's suspicious gaze did not fade: "It seems I misunderstood you. I thought you would recommend me as the governor of Xuzhou."

The calm tone sent chills down Xu You's spine.

Does Jia Laojian have super hearing?

How could you have guessed that I recommended him as the governor of Xuzhou?

No, that's not right. Old Jia is probably suspicious of my advice all the time!

Sure enough, I can't come to the Ministry of Personnel often; that old scoundrel Jia is just too vengeful!
“Wenhe, you’re overthinking it. If Wenhe weren’t in Luoyang, how could the Imperial Uncle possibly go on the expedition with peace of mind?” Xu You laughed heartily. “Even if I were to recommend myself, I would never recommend Wenhe to be the governor of Xuzhou.”

But in his heart, Xu You was secretly relieved: Fortunately, Sun Jian's good news came in time, and he had an excellent son who was accepted as a disciple by the Imperial Uncle. Otherwise, if the Imperial Uncle could not find a suitable candidate for the governor of Xuzhou, he would probably ask Wenhe in private again.

When Wenhe heard that I was going to take up a post in Xuzhou, he immediately suspected me!

After chatting with Jia Xu for a while, Xu You found an excuse and fled from the Ministry of Personnel.

Xu You was afraid that if he stayed too long, Jia Xu would trick him into revealing information. If Jia Xu found out the details, who knew what "good thing" awaited Xu You?

And on the other side.

Wu Qiong, however, frowned as she stared at the contents of the appointment letter.

Because Yuan Shao lost the four commanderies of Henan, Chenliu, Jiyin and Shanyang in succession, and Liu Bei's isolated army penetrated deep into Ye City and planted his flag, the prestige of Liu Yu's court in Ye City was greatly damaged.

Therefore, Yuan Shao sent someone to find Wu Qiong some time ago, asking Wu Qiong to cause some trouble in Luoyang, preferably to create some conflict between Liu Bei and Liu Xie.

Although Yuan Shao had long guessed Liu Bei's ambition, he was still very uncomfortable with the harmony between Liu Bei and Liu Xie, especially since Liu Bei always had to submit memorials to Liu Xie through the Secretariat, which Yuan Shao found even more difficult to understand.

You are in charge of everything, so why bother submitting a hypocritical memorial?

In contrast, Yuan Shao made most decisions directly from the General's Office, and Liu Yu didn't even have the right to know.

It was only because Liu Yu had a marriage alliance with Yuan Shao and was getting old that he entrusted all matters to Yuan Shao. If it were the younger Liu He, he would have had to find a way to get rid of Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was unaware of Liu Bei's thoughts.

In Liu Bei's eyes, Liu Xie was just a child.

Even if they thought Liu Xie was not up to the task of being emperor, it was just a lack of recognition of Liu Xie's abilities, and they would not target Liu Xie in every way because of it.

Which adult would actually lay a hand on a child?

He could peacefully reign as emperor for a few years, and then peacefully abdicate to do what he could, thus leaving behind a good reputation.

As for destiny, Liu Bei didn't believe in that.

Liu Bei's decision to have Zhuge Liang study "Lunheng" was actually a way of breaking down the divine mandate theory of imperial power.

It was not Liu Bei's vision to ensure that emperors of the Liu family would live forever, nor did he intend to turn the Liu family into Brahmins.

If a descendant of Liu Bei were a piece of trash, and the ministers still supported that trash to become emperor, then that would go against Liu Bei's original intention.

(End of this chapter)