The imperial cause at the end of the Han Dynasty was not one of partial peace.

Chapter 76: Abundant spoils, water conservancy projects, and the inescapable fate of Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

On the day Wang Du was executed in the Ming Dynasty, Fei County erupted in cheers. The villagers who had been oppressed by the Wang family for decades all applauded and rejoiced.

And this is just the beginning.

The powerful and wicked must be eliminated, and the villains must be executed. The task of purging the corrupt and wicked depends on having one capable leader. This is not just empty talk.

Liu Bei had been planning and arranging for years, and finally this moment had arrived. Naturally, he wanted to wipe out all the powerful and villainous people in one fell swoop!

In the next half month, Liu Bei swept through the entire prefecture with lightning speed.

Ju Shou was stationed in the prefectural capital, Tian Feng commanded the three armies outside the capital, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Wen Chou, Gao Lan, Zang Ba and others led five separate forces to suppress the rebellion.

Where the iron hooves of the Jingsai cavalry trampled, bandits from Mount Tai were beheaded one after another.

Wherever the spears of the Gengshi Camp pointed, the powerful local strongholds crumbled.

Those powerful clans that had secretly colluded with Wang Du and plotted rebellion were uprooted one after another.

The Fei Kingdom's clan consisted of 137 members. The ringleader, Wang Du, had been executed, and all male members, including his father Wang He, were imprisoned. All 760 hectares of their land were confiscated and put into the government treasury.

Over the years, his accumulated wealth amounted to tens of millions of coins, eight thousand bushels of grain, and countless precious artifacts, instruments, gold, silver, and jade, all of which were donated to the prefectural government.

The Zhou family of Nanwuyang, with more than two hundred members, repented in time, but all their hidden land and property were confiscated, and their family assets were fined and confiscated, amounting to more than one million yuan.

Bo Ju Zhang Min, Ping Liu Min, Liang Pu Chen Min, Nan Cheng Lu Min — one after another, the names on the list were crossed out with a vermilion pen.

The most shocking sight was Mount Meng, the most stubborn stronghold of the bandits in Mount Tai, which had held its position for decades. But under Zhang Fei's personal command and the fierce attack of the Gengshi Battalion, it crumbled in less than half a month.

Chang Xi was beheaded, and more than ten villages, large and small, were either burned or surrendered, none of them escaped.

The gold and silver treasures plundered from the mountains over the years were piled up like mountains! Hundreds of abducted women finally saw the light of day again.

Liu Bei then ordered that all women be released and allowed to return to their hometowns. Those without family members were to be given to his soldiers as maids.

All the supplies obtained from suppressing the bandits were distributed as rewards to the generals and the army, and he did not take a single penny for himself!

As a result, the entire army was overjoyed, and their morale soared.

Under the fierce offensive of the army, within ten days, more than thirty bandit groups in Taishan County were pacified, and more than 6,000 bandits were captured.

More than ten powerful families who participated in the rebellion were all eradicated.

When everything settled down, it was already July.

When Ju Shou entered the prefect's main hall carrying a thick stack of accounting books, his face showed a rare look of excitement.

"My lord," he said, presenting the account book to Liu Bing with both hands, his voice brimming with excitement, "the spoils of this campaign to quell the rebellion have far exceeded our expectations. I hereby congratulate you on the fullness of the Taishan County treasury, ensuring peace of mind for several years to come!"

"Oh?" Liu Bei put down the official document in his hand, looked up at Ju Shou, and said, "Just how much money and grain is needed to make you so excited, sir?"

It should be noted that Ju Shou's statistics only included the wealth of powerful families.

After the bandits were wiped out, Liu Bei distributed all the spoils to the various armies in order to maintain morale and boost the army's spirits.

Otherwise, those heroes and warriors would find it hard to be content to continue serving as private soldiers and retainers.

As for the wealth of those powerful families, since it was confiscated, it couldn't be distributed directly; it could only be deposited into the Taishan Treasury.

Faced with this enormous fortune, Ju Shou replied in detail: "This time, fourteen powerful families who participated in the rebellion were eliminated, and more than three thousand hectares of hidden land were confiscated and included in the official land register."

"In addition, a total of over 40 million in cash and goods, 80,000 bushels of grain, 24,000 bolts of cloth, 300 catties of gold ingots, and 600 catties of silver ingots were seized. There are also countless other precious artifacts, bronze and jade objects, the value of which has not yet been estimated."

At this point, Ju Shou smiled and looked at Liu Bei, saying, "When you first arrived at Mount Tai, your treasury held no more than four thousand bushels of grain and sixty thousand coins. Now, in just one year, do you know how full the treasury of Mount Tai is?"

Liu Bei seemed to know quite a bit about this, and he said with a smile, "I know that all three hundred granaries are full! There are six hundred thousand bushels of grain stored!"

Ju Shou nodded heavily and said, "That's right. According to the current records of the Granary Bureau, including tax revenue, the Granary Bureau has stored more than 50 million coins, 600,000 bushels of grain, and more than 30,000 bolts of cloth."

"This doesn't even include the rare artifacts, pearls, tortoiseshell, and the like. In powerful and wealthy families, money and grain are still a small part; land and these artifacts are the real wealth."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was greatly encouraged. With over 50 million coins and 600,000 bushels of grain, Mount Tai could be considered a major prefecture!

With the current wealth of Mount Tai, it is enough to support 10,000 elite troops and sustain them for more than three years!

But now it is still a time of peace and tranquility in Taishan, so Liu Bei naturally cannot use this money to expand the army.

Liu Bei then solemnly said, "This wealth is all the hard-earned money of the people, plundered by powerful clans. We cannot enrich ourselves with it. We should take it from the people and use it for the people. I intend to use this money and grain to carry out large-scale water conservancy projects on Mount Tai. Do you have a plan?"

Upon hearing this, Ju Shou calmly replied, "This is precisely what I wish to discuss with the Prefect today."

"Inspector Tian and Clerk Guo Tian investigated the water patterns last autumn and winter. Although Taishan County has more than ten rivers of various sizes, such as the Wen River, Zi River, and Ji River, most of them are natural waterways and lack ditches, ponds, and irrigation canals."

As he spoke, he took out a roll of blueprints from his sleeve and slowly unrolled it in front of Liu.

It was a map of the Taishan County water system drawn on silk, with the course of major rivers such as the Wen River, Zi River, and Ji River marked with cinnabar and the outline of the Taishan mountain range drawn with ink lines.

Several suitable locations for building dams and diverting water were then circled in indigo. The entire drawing is meticulously crafted, with mountains and rivers clearly visible, indicating that a great deal of effort was put into it.

"This map was created by Shi Yan, a clerk in the Waterways Bureau, who led his staff over a period of half a year to survey the terrain and traverse the rivers and streams of the twelve counties of Mount Tai."

The map was drawn after water level measurements were taken.

Ju Shou pointed to a location marked "Shiwenkou" on the upper reaches of the Wen River in the map. "The Wen River passes through the entire Taishan Prefecture, passing through Guishan, Youlaishan, Yuanshan and several other places, where it can be diverted for water. Here the river valley narrows and both banks are made of rocky mountains, making it an excellent place to build a dam to divert water."

"Therefore, the Water Management Bureau suggested building a dam here to store water and digging ditches according to the terrain to divert the Wen River into the townships of Fenggao and Bo County. Once the dam is completed, it can irrigate no less than 3,000 hectares of farmland, ensuring a good harvest year after year, regardless of drought or flood."

Liu Bei bent down to examine the water system map closely, nodding repeatedly, and said with a smile, "The Book of Songs says, 'The plains and marshes are level, the springs flow clear.' Since this weir marks the beginning of water conservancy at Mount Tai, let's take the meaning of 'clear springs' from the Book of Songs and name it Qingpi (Clear Weir)!"

Ju Shou clasped his hands in approval, and then continued, "Qingpi is the central hub of water conservancy in the entire prefecture, but it is still insufficient to irrigate the entire prefecture. In addition, the Water Management Office plans to build three ponds at three locations: the southern foot of Guishan Mountain, the eastern foot of Youlai Mountain, and the northern foot of Yuanshan Mountain. These ponds will draw water from the Wen River, Zi River, and Ji River tributaries respectively, and will be constructed as Guitang, Dongmen, and Yuanpi to irrigate farmland."

"In addition, the water management departments of each county also have plans to excavate more than 20 ponds and weirs in each county and dredge more than 100 miles of ditches and canals in rural areas, so that even remote rural areas can have the convenience of irrigation."

"In this way, Mount Tai will greatly develop water conservancy, guide the valleys, build dikes to block the springs, irrigate the fertile land, and receive the love of heaven and earth and the suitability of irrigation. It can be said that thousands of hectares of land will be created without relying on the heavens for irrigation."

Thousands of acres of land that do not require irrigation?

Liu Bei smiled. This was far inferior to the Shaopi Reservoir in Huainan. That place truly embodied the love of heaven and earth, reaping the benefits of the nine marshes, enriching the nation, and bringing wealth and joy to families. It created a vast irrigation area stretching for hundreds of miles without relying on the heavens for water.

Its influence extends for hundreds of miles, benefiting several counties and the entire Huainan region.

Of course, Mount Tai has never been a grain-producing area like Huainan. He was already very satisfied that it could irrigate thousands of hectares of fertile land.

Liu Bei then pressed further, asking, "How much corvée labor will this project require? How much money and grain will it consume?"

Ju Shou calmly replied, "The Water Management Office has already done a detailed calculation. This time, in suppressing the bandits and quelling the rebellion, we captured and imprisoned more than 6,000 people. If we also conscript 3,000 laborers from the whole prefecture, the total will be 10,000."

"The Qingbei irrigation canal will be completed by next spring, and the main canal and branch canals will be fully connected by the end of next year. The total cost will be hundreds of millions of yuan and about 400,000 bushels of grain. With the current surplus of the treasury and the tax revenue for two years, it will be more than enough."

"Moreover, this project will also benefit the people. All corvée laborers will be paid with rations. Although the people have had a bumper harvest this year, they are still recovering from a period of great chaos and are struggling to alleviate the famine. The prefecture will provide three liters of millet and five coins per day for the corvée laborers. The people will surely rush to enlist, which will not only allow for the construction of water conservancy projects but also help alleviate the difficulties faced by some poor households during the lean season. This is a win-win situation."

After listening, Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "With you, sir, in charge of the prefecture and commanding all the departments, I have nothing to worry about! The Water Management Department's investigation is well-founded and its planning is meticulous, truly a sound strategy for the prefecture and state. Let us implement the strategy proposed by the Water Management Department."

"Starting in August, corvée labor will be conscripted to first build the Qingpi (a type of irrigation canal) and then dig the irrigation ditches. The project must be completed before the spring planting next year."

He turned to Jian Yong and then instructed, "Xianhe, make a copy of this plan and send it to all counties so that their officials are aware of it. Water conservancy is a matter of vital importance to the people's livelihood for centuries to come. All counties must cooperate fully. Anyone who shirks or obstructs this will be punished for disobeying orders."

With Liu Bei's order, the twelve counties of Taishan Commandery immediately threw themselves into a vigorous water conservancy project.

The various officials and clerks performed their duties, and the county magistrate personally went to the villages and towns to lead the officials and people in repairing and rebuilding the dilapidated buildings.

Along the banks of the Wen River, from Fenggao to Bo County, stretching for dozens of miles, one can see people everywhere building rammed earth dams and digging canals to divert water.

The able-bodied men carried shovels and hoes, while the elderly and weak carried water and delivered meals.

Waterworks official Shi Yan led more than ten waterworks staff members, tirelessly traveling between Guishan, Youlaishan, and Yuanshan to survey the terrain and measure the water conditions.

Tian Cao Yuan then allocated grain and fodder, transported stone materials, and supervised the laborers in various villages to ensure that the work was carried out in an orderly manner and that there was no shortage of food and fodder.

Liu Zihui, the granary clerk, was stationed in the prefectural government, issuing bamboo tallies and allocating money and grain every day, with account books piling up like mountains.

Military commanders Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also led their troops to assist in the work, either by quarrying stones or dredging waterways. The soldiers were incredibly strong and efficient, far surpassing ordinary laborers.

Qingbei is the key to the county's water conservancy, with no fewer than two thousand people working there every day.

The prefectural government conscripted laborers by means of random labor, but each able-bodied man was given three liters of millet and five coins for salt and vegetables per day. The people responded enthusiastically and without complaint.

By the end of September, the Qingbei Water Gate had taken initial shape, and the installation of the sluice gates began.

Construction also began simultaneously on three ponds: Guitang, Yuanbei, and Dongmen.

More than 20 small ponds and weirs in various counties and more than 100 kilometers of ditches and canals in townships have also been gradually laid out.

The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease!

In this Han Dynasty, powerful ministers control the court and nobles run rampant. Where is there any true peace and prosperity?

Heroes and great men can use their extraordinary talents to maintain peace in their regions, but they are utterly helpless against the incompetence and scheming of the imperial court.

Cao Cao, under attack from powerful relatives, has resigned from his position as Chancellor of Jinan.

When he returned to his hometown of Qiao County, he made a special trip to Mount Tai to visit Liu Bei, saying that the current political situation was corrupt and that he hoped Liu Bei would take good care of himself.

Liu Bei drank with him for a day and two nights, discussing the state of the world and expressing his life's ambitions, which can be said to have lived up to the spirit of a hero.

However, Liu Bei felt somewhat awkward as he bid farewell.

After all, Lady Bian was among them, but now she was six months pregnant and following behind Guan Yu.

Cao Cao still admired Guan Yu, this nine-foot-tall hero, as always. When the two parted, they held hands and exchanged gifts.

However, Cao Pi's birth mother is now treated as a complete stranger, having nothing to do with Cao Cao anymore.

However, Cao Cao, with his penchant for married women, couldn't help but glance at Lady Bian a few more times.

This relieved Liu Bei's anxiety; his moral standards were simply too high.

Cao Cao was fond of seizing other men's wives, and now Guan Yu was simply giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Not long after Cao Cao left, the matter he had previously discussed with Liu Bei came true.

The challenges from the nobles were something Liu Bei could not escape!

The autumn wind is bleak; the September tax collection is just finished, and the October tax collection is in full swing.

Dust billowed on the official road outside the prefectural government building as dozens of knights in brocade robes escorted a magnificent carriage, which arrogantly stopped in front of the government building.

The leader was a pale-faced, beardless man with a high-pitched voice; he was none other than Zhao Pu, a trusted eunuch in the household of the eunuch Zhao Zhong. This man was nominally Zhao Zhong's adopted son, but in reality, he was Zhao Zhong's lackey.

He held a staff and was followed by more than ten guards. His grand procession attracted the attention of Mount Tai.

Zhao Pu swaggered up the steps, followed by his bodyguards shouting, "The Grand Attendant Zhao has sent an envoy here! Prefect Liu Bei of Mount Tai, come out immediately to receive him!"

At this moment, Liu Bei was discussing water conservancy matters with Tian Feng and others in the main hall when he heard the report, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Jian Yong stepped forward quickly and whispered, "My lord, this person is not friendly. He is a disciple of Zhao Zhong. Last year, when Wang Fen was the governor, he inspected Ji Province. You saw him once in Ao Tao that day."

Liu Bei nodded slightly. The way to be an official is to be high-profile in doing things and low-profile in being a person.

He could appoint Cai Yong as a literary aide with great fanfare, thereby helping himself to gain fame throughout the land and win the hearts of the people. But he would not become arrogant because of this, sitting high in his mansion and refusing to see the eunuchs.

After all, the current court is corrupt and incompetent, and if he wants to get things done, he will inevitably have to deal with these officials.

So he straightened his clothes and, together with his officials, went out to greet him at the gate of the mansion.

Zhao Pu stood on the steps and smiled when he saw Liu Bei come out to greet him.

Before he came, he had considered that Liu Bei, a man of such integrity and righteousness, would not give him any face and would refuse to meet him.

So for now, he was still being polite, and said with an arrogant smile, "Lord Liu, how have you been? Back in Yingtao, you were just a mere Agricultural Commandant, and now, in just two years, you've become the governor of a prefecture. This speed of promotion is something even the scions of noble families in Luoyang might not be able to match."

Liu Bei remained composed, calmly cupping his hands and saying, "The imperial envoy has come from afar, and I have failed to greet him properly; please forgive me. May I ask what imperial decree Lord Zhao has bestowed upon me?"

Zhao Pu acted as if he were the master of the prefecture, walking into the mansion on his own, and criticizing as he went: "Lord Zhao, I've heard that Prefect Liu has accomplished a great deal in Mount Tai—investigating powerful families, recruiting refugees, building schools, repairing water conservancy projects, and even bringing a wanted criminal into the prefecture in a grand manner, appointing him as a literary clerk. Does Prefect Liu know who Cai Yong is?"

Liu Bei followed him into the hall, and they took their seats as host and guest. Liu Bei said calmly, "Cai Bojie is a great Confucian scholar of the realm, the one who corrected the Xiping Stone Classics, and all scholars in the world admire him. I invited him to be my literary aide, which is to cultivate talent for the country and support scholars for the court. I wonder what the imperial envoy's meaning is in saying this?"

"Cultivating talent for the nation?" Zhao Zhong's expression turned cold. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Back in Wuyuan, Cai Yong slandered court officials and showed disrespect to the nobles. They have been hunting him for a long time. Who in the world doesn't know that?!"

"Now, Lord Liu is openly harboring such disgraced officials, not only without avoiding suspicion, but also making a big show of it by setting up an academy and gathering scholars. Lord Liu, what are you trying to do? Could it be that you look down on the eunuchs and want to make enemies of them?"

The atmosphere in the room changed abruptly upon hearing this.

Guan Yu slightly opened his phoenix eyes, his hand already on the hilt of his sword. Zhang Fei's leopard-like eyes widened, and he was about to slam his fist on the table and stand up, but Tian Feng held him back.

Liu Bei calmly cupped his hands and replied, "I dare not accept such words from the imperial envoy. However, as a minister of the Han Dynasty, I only know to act according to the law. I have not yet seen any arrest warrant issued by the court, so I asked Lord Cai to teach me the essence of the matter, not knowing what crime I have committed. If the eunuch truly has a clear order from the court, please show it to me, and I will certainly act accordingly."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Zhang Fei laughed excitedly and said, "Brother is right! If you have an imperial warrant for our arrest, show it to us!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard, snorted coldly, and said, "That's right. My elder brother is a court official; he knows nothing of others! Do you regard us as household slaves? Must we defer to your faces?"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Pu's face darkened completely. He hadn't come here to truly arrest anyone. Just as Liu Bei had said, the imperial court hadn't issued an arrest warrant for Cai Yong. If the local officials refused to harm him, even the eunuchs couldn't do anything about it. Otherwise, Cai Yong wouldn't have been able to travel between Wu and Taishan for over ten years.

He didn't really expect Liu Bei, a man of such integrity and righteousness, to defy the world and kill Cai Yong.

He simply wanted to use this incident to give the powerful Prefect of Taishan a warning.

The ultimate goal, of course, was to make a fortune for Zhao Zhong.

Zhao Pu snorted coldly: "Enough. As for Cai Yong's matter, Lord Zhao has his own judgment, and it is not for me to presume to comment. I have come here today with another official matter that I must discuss with the Prefect."

He then sat arrogantly in the hall and said slowly, "Your Excellency should know that Lord Zhao serves His Majesty diligently day and night, never daring to slacken in the slightest. In matters of the court and the countryside, Lord Zhao has always been considerate of officials outside the capital."

"Since you entered Mount Tai, it has only been a year, yet you have already achieved such a state of governance. If it weren't for Lord Zhao's skillful intervention at the Emperor's side, how could you have reaped such rewards? Now, Mount Tai's annual income is at least several hundred thousand bushels of grain and tens of millions of coins. Doesn't Your Excellency wish to express your gratitude in return for Lord Zhao's kindness?"

Liu Bei remained expressionless, but inwardly sneered, thinking, "They really are here to solicit bribes."

Before he could speak, Zhao Yun, standing behind him, had already stepped forward with his sword drawn, and said in a deep voice, "The taxes from Mount Tai, down to the last penny, all go into the treasury, and the accounts are all submitted to the Ministry of Personnel. The Prefect, while serving in the prefecture, is incorruptible, taking not a single penny for himself. May I ask, Imperial Envoy, what is the basis for this claim of 'integrity'?"

Zhao Pu's expression changed drastically, and he said sternly, "Lord Liu! How utterly disrespectful your officials are! I came here on the orders of Lord Zhao to extend my greetings to you, but I have been met with such cold words—does Lord Liu intend to make an enemy of Lord Zhao and alienate himself from the court?"

Liu Bei slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, saying with a resounding tone, "I am a member of the Han imperial family, a courtier of the emperor, receiving the emperor's salary and serving the emperor faithfully! Therefore, I only know the emperor, not the noblemen!"

Zhao Pu abruptly stood up and shouted shrilly, "Fine! What an ungrateful Liu Bei! I tried to reason with you, but you still don't know what's good for you. I will report everything you said today to Lord Zhao! At that time, not only will you not be able to keep your position as governor of this prefecture, but you might not even be able to keep your head!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's eyes widened like a leopard's. He drew his sword and roared, "How dare you, you eunuch, insult my elder brother! I'll kill you right now!"

His fierce aura was terrifying, so much so that Zhao Pu trembled all over and dared not move.

Tian Feng grabbed Zhang Fei's sword-wielding hand and scolded, "Yide, do not act recklessly. If you kill the envoy in public, the Prefect will go from innocent to guilty, which is exactly what Zhao Zhong wants. Do you really want the Prefect to follow in Cai Gong's footsteps and become a fugitive on the rivers and seas?"

Having said that, he glared at Zhao Pu and shouted, "Get out of here now!"

Zhao Pu finally recovered from his shock and fled the prefectural government office in a panic.

At this moment, Liu Bei turned to Tian Feng and said, "I cannot possibly bow and scrape before a eunuch. Today I will surely offend Zhao Zhong, and there will likely be slander against me in court in the future. Do you have any good advice for me, sir?"

Tian Feng stroked his beard and smiled calmly, "If I couldn't have foreseen this, how could I have the face to strategize for the Prefect?"

Ju Shou calmly replied, "The court is corrupt and the eunuchs are in power. Anyone with discernment knows this. We cannot remain uninvolved and will inevitably be framed."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. He said, "If that's the case, then the two strategists must already have a good plan?"

Tian Feng stroked his beard and smiled, nodding, "Indeed, perhaps this is the very stepping stone for Your Excellency's advancement!"

Zhang Fei's anger vanished instantly, his leopard-like eyes lighting up with a smile. He sheathed his sword and hurriedly asked, "Strategist, what's the plan?"

Tian Feng calmly replied, "Your Excellency must not bribe a eunuch. Your Excellency is renowned for your loyalty and righteousness, and for your integrity and uprightness, which is why you are so highly regarded throughout the land. If you were to curry favor with someone like Zhao Zhong today, your reputation would be ruined, and the scholars of the world would reject you like a worn-out shoe. This would be self-destruction, and it is absolutely unacceptable."

"And what is the Lord's greatest advantage?"

Liu Bei hesitated slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Could it be a member of the imperial family or nobility?"

Tian Feng immediately nodded heavily and said, "That's right. Last year, the Imperial Clan Court corrected the genealogy, and Your Excellency is a member of the Han imperial family. After all, this court belongs to the Emperor. As long as the Emperor approves of Your Excellency, what can Zhao Zhong do to you even if he has slanderous words?"

"Are the eunuchs the only ones in this world who love money? These eunuchs are only soliciting bribes for the sake of the emperor. Now, the Southern Palace has not yet been repaired after the great fire, and the money from selling official positions in the Western Garden is often insufficient. What the emperor needs most are capable ministers and officials to replenish the treasury and supply money and grain."

"And yet, in just one year of governing Mount Tai, the prefectural treasury was overflowing and the people were prosperous. According to the Han system, local taxes were divided into two parts: those retained in the prefectures and those transported to the capital. The taxes retained in the prefectures were used to pay the salaries of the prefectures and counties, for postal services, disaster relief, and corvée labor."

"Those who transport goods to the capital shall be handed over to the Grand Minister of Agriculture to cover the expenses of the court. In addition, taxes such as poll tax shall all belong to the emperor."

"Your Majesty's treasury is full this year, and according to regulations, a portion of it must be handed over to the Emperor. You only need to display your wealth to impress the Emperor and please him greatly. At that time, you will not only be a loyal and righteous minister, but also a capable and efficient official. Although Zhao Zhong wants to slander you, how could the Emperor easily abandon a virtuous member of the imperial clan who can replenish his treasury?"

This is an open conspiracy!

Liu Bei governed a small prefecture of twelve counties in Mount Tai, yet he was able to generate so much tax revenue for the emperor.

What if he governed a large prefecture, a province, or even served as the Grand Minister of Agriculture?

It is likely that, as Tian Feng said, this slander is indeed a stepping stone to advancement!

"However, the supplies seized from the powerful this time are mostly rare and precious items, which are difficult to convert into money and provisions," Liu Bei said with a frown.

Zang Ba stepped forward at this moment, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "What difficulty is there in this! I can recommend one person to relieve the Lord's worries."

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