The Three Great Han Dynasties: Awaken Liu Bei with a scolding; you weave mats and sell sandals.

The crime of treason is so grave that no single aristocratic family in the world could stand against the imperial family alone. Only when the power of all the aristocratic families in the world is gathered together can they have the qualifications to challenge the emperor. This is the political structure and overall ecology of the Guanghe era of the Han Dynasty.

I don't know when or where my father and the others will arrive in Luoyang.

Late at night, Liu Bei went to bed, but he couldn't help feeling a bit tired. If his father were here, the pressure and burden on his shoulders might still exist, but it would certainly be much less, and he would feel much more relaxed.

……

Youzhou, Guangyang Commandery!

On this day, a person came to the Liu family mansion.

Liu Hong glanced at him and immediately knew who this person was.

"Brother Liu, I thought you weren't coming. Why are you acting so unusually, creating such a big surprise without a word? Even if you had just finished handling all the other matters to come and serve me, with your talent, Brother Liu, wouldn't a moment's delay have made a difference?"

"You took over Guangyang County so quickly, which is indeed a step above the previous governor."

Liu Wen had actually arrived in Guangyang County long ago. The reason he did not show himself was that he wanted to see if Liu Hong and the Liu family of Zhuo County could truly win over the hearts of the various gentry clans.

Originally, it was thought that it would take at least two or three months, but Liu Hong took it in just half a month. After that, all he did was arrange a marriage with the Cai family. Soon after, he began to take action against Zhuojun, followed by Liaoxijun, Liaodongjun, Youbeipingjun, and the border areas with other ethnic groups that Liu family had previously dealt with.

The foreign tribes were extremely fond of doing business with the Liu family. Compared to other merchants, the Liu family's business was honest and fair to everyone, with a fixed price and a single word for everyone.

Buy it if you like.

This assertive attitude might seem absurd to other customers, but to these many different ethnic groups, it was a sign of Liu's impartiality. Naturally, they were happy to get along with Liu in this way.

Gradually, Prefect Liu Wen could no longer contain himself, which led to today's meeting.

Moreover, he wasn't alone; he brought Cheng Pu along as well.

"Such a talented man has come to serve us. This is Cheng Pu, a promising young man from the Cheng family of Youbeiping County. We have brought him here today with the intention of temporarily serving the Liu family. I wonder if Brother Ziguang would be willing to accept him?"

"A genius who came uninvited!"

Liu Hong thought to himself that he already knew Cheng Pu's identity.

The reason they remain silent is simply to wait for a higher price.

Liu Hong glanced at him, and Cheng Pu, without any affectation, immediately cupped his hands and smiled, "Cheng Pu, a member of the Cheng family, greets Lord Liu. I hope Lord Liu will take me in."

Liu Hong gave the other man a deep look, then helped him up and laughed loudly, "What talk of taking him in or not? Today, Brother Cheng Pu has come to my Liu family, which is already giving me, Liu, some face. I am naturally more than happy to accept this."

Cheng Pu's face immediately lit up with joy.

Having spent some time in Guangyang County, Liu Wen was not the only one observing the Liu family.

Cheng Pu also observed carefully, and the more he observed, the more he realized the Liu family's boundless potential.

If the Cheng family of Youbeiping County doesn't board the ship early, this great opportunity will likely be snatched away by others the next day.

How could Cheng Pu, as a member of the family, be willing or resigned to this?

Although he couldn't convince his family in the short term, he still made the decision himself, to be a pioneer and pave the way for his family.

Liu Hong was overjoyed to accept Cheng Pu's offer, and smiled at Liu Wen as well: "Now that Cheng Pu has become a member of my Liu family, I wonder what your thoughts are, Brother Liu Wen?"

Liu Hong continued to ask questions slowly.

"Now that things are this way, does Brother Ziguang not know this yet, and must I, an old man, have to speak up?"

Liu Wen looked at Liu Hong with a half-smile, before Liu Hong could speak.

He said again, "Enough, enough. Since Brother Ziguang insists on doing this today, then I, Liu, will come to pay my respects to Lord Liu."

Liu Wen bowed respectfully.

With this bow, Liu Hong seemed to see the entire Zhuojun region completely submitted to him.

Although the Liu family of Zhuojun had previously wielded immense power and had the support of many other forces in Zhuojun, how could they compare to Liu Wen, who had been deeply rooted in this place for several years?

Therefore, Liu Hong's desire to win him over was very strong, and fortunately, the other party did not disappoint him.

When the two sat down facing each other, Liu Wen said again: "As for Liaoxi Commandery and Liaodong Commandery, as I have already said to you, Gongsun Zan is my abandoned son. The land of the Gongsun family in Liaoxi Commandery can also be put into our hands."

However, Gongsun Du, the current governor of Liaodong Commandery, is not someone to be trifled with, so Lord Liu should make preparations as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong nodded emphatically, fully understanding the situation.

Now that Prefect Liu Wen had boarded the ship of the Liu family of Zhuojun, he would naturally have to help him. The current situation was exactly what he wanted.

"Please rest assured, Brother Liu, this matter is also under my control."

Liu Hong smiled again.

As for Gongsun Du...

He had already done his research early on.

This person is skilled in both literature and martial arts. The only way to win him over is in the name of righteousness.

Moreover, the current weather is still severe drought, and Gongsun Du has no great ambitions, so he only wants to stay in a remote corner.

Therefore, taking it down was a piece of cake in Liu Hong's mind.

Even if they could only gain power but not hearts for a time, it was still extremely difficult for the Liu family of Zhuojun in this peaceful era.

Gaining the upper hand is enough.

If he wins the emperor's heart, even the emperor in Luoyang might become wary of him, a member of the imperial clan.

The imperial clan was merely a part of the imperial power, nothing more.

……

Liaoxi Commandery, within the main residence of the Gongsun family.

Gongsun Du, a direct descendant, appeared suddenly, dressed in a crescent-white robe and exuding an air of official rank, followed by a large group of his direct descendants.

Among the collateral branches, only Gongsun Zan was present, and compared to him, he was clearly weak and far inferior.

Although Gongsun Zan is now a Commandant, a high-ranking general in this prefecture, he is still far inferior to Gongsun Du, who holds the position of Prefect.

Moreover, Liaoxi Commandery has always been under the control of the Gongsun family, so his position as a captain has undoubtedly lost much of its value to the family.

However, if it weren't for Liaoxi Commandery, Gongsun Zan wouldn't have been able to easily obtain the high-ranking position of Commandant.

Gongsun Du never expected that the appointment of a new governor for Youzhou would alarm him.

"That's just how it is."

You must know that the governor has the power to govern the entire Youzhou region. If my Gongsun family offends him, even though the Han Dynasty is still in a time of peace and prosperity, would my Gongsun family have to become a foreign race and flee?

Abandoning family and livelihood is something they would never do.