The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Taiyuan Prefecture, Jinyang City.

This place was not only the seat of Taiyuan Commandery, but also the seat of Bingzhou.

However, Liu Bei felt uncomfortable staying in this place, which controlled almost the entire county.

So he set up a temporary governor's office in Yanmen.

This way, Liu Bei would be comfortable, and so would the prefects and powerful families.

Liu Bei, dressed in a black casual robe, sat upright in the main seat, with Jian Yong standing beside him, and dozens of personal guards standing behind him with their hands on their swords.

Before long, the two men entered with their entourage.

Zang Min, the prefect of Taiyuan, was appointed as prefect because of his merits during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and his status as a powerful and influential family.

Yang Mei, the prefect of Shangdang, came from a prominent family and had served in Shangdang for many years, establishing a deep-rooted influence.

Behind them followed their respective county commandants, who stared at Liu Bei with hostile eyes.

"Greetings, General Liu. I am so sorry for not greeting you properly, General. You have come from afar. Please forgive me."

The two prefects bowed to each other.

They didn't take this newly appointed governor of Bingzhou seriously at all.

In Yang Mei's view, Liu Bei only got his position by sheer luck; he won a few battles, bribed the eunuchs, and married Cai Yong's daughter.

In terms of family background and seniority, in what way can they compare to these aristocratic families?

Liu Bei didn't mind and gestured, "Please sit down, both governors."

The two sat down, and Zang Min spoke first:

"I wonder what important matter Governor Liu has summoned us from all the way from Yanmen?"

"Naturally, it's for the safety of Bingzhou," Liu Bei said bluntly.

"Recently, the Black Mountain bandits led by Zhang Yan in the Taihang Mountains have been very active, repeatedly plundering the border of Bingzhou."

Taiyuan and Shangdang will be the first to be affected; if precautions are not taken early, they may suffer a great disaster.

As the General Who Crosses the Liao River and Governor of Bingzhou, I am responsible for the military affairs of Bingzhou and cannot sit idly by!

They planned to send 3,000 troops to each of Jinyang and Huguan to assist the two governors in defending the cities.

At the same time, each of the two prefectures dispatched 3,000 troops, which were then assigned to their respective generals for training, in order to deal with the Xianbei and the Black Mountain bandits.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two prefects exchanged a glance, and the smiles on their faces vanished instantly.

Zang Min didn't immediately turn hostile, but slowly said:

"I appreciate General Liu's kindness, but Taiyuan County is already defended by its own troops, so there is no need to trouble the soldiers of Yanmen."

Besides, Yanmen has just finished fighting the Xianbei, and everything is in need of rebuilding. The soldiers should also get a good rest.

Yang Mei echoed, "Thank you for your kindness, General. Shandang County is located in a high-altitude and dangerous area, so the Black Mountain Army would not dare to come easily. Even if they did, our local county soldiers could handle them."

But at this moment, Ding Yuan's expression turned grim! Those were all his soldiers!

The Commandant of Shangdang County also looked displeased, his eyes filled with hostility.

They are all scions of local powerful families who have controlled the military power of Bingzhou for generations. How could they possibly hand over military power to an outsider?

Relying on his family background, he arrogantly said, "General, you should mind your own business at Yanmen! You are merely the Prefect of Bingzhou, not the Governor of Bingzhou!"

Yang Mei feigned a rebuke: "How dare you! You mustn't be disrespectful to Governor Liu!"

He then turned to Liu Bei, looking troubled, and said, "General Liu, it's not that we are unwilling. It's just that the people of Shangdang have always been xenophobic, and the sudden arrival of a large army might cause resentment among them."

Zang Min chimed in, "Yes, Governor Liu. We guarantee that we will take strict precautions against the Black Mountain Army and will never allow them to set foot in either of our two prefectures. We won't need to trouble your troops."

The two men worked together, and Liu Bei was rendered speechless by their subtle rebuffs.

Liu Bei knew, of course, that the talk of popular resentment and the claim of having local troops were all pretexts. They were simply afraid that he would seize power!

But all I wanted was for Bingzhou to be a better place!

At this moment, Liu Bei himself didn't realize that he had already been subtly influenced by Li Chang. He wasn't actually ill as the governor of Bing Province, yet he was already worrying about the governorship's affairs!

He himself felt there was absolutely no problem!

The two sides remained deadlocked for half an hour. No matter what Liu Bei said, the two men were unmoved and refused to allow the army to enter.

In the end, Liu Bei backed down.

"Since the two governors are so confident, let's put the matter of stationing troops aside for now."

However, the Yanmen Pass witnessed a great victory over the Xianbei, leaving the treasury empty and food supplies insufficient. We implore the two governors to each provide 50,000 shi of grain to alleviate this urgent crisis.

Zang Min and Yang Mei exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

It's just grain, isn't it? As long as Liu Bei's men aren't allowed in, we can produce 100,000 shi, let alone 50,000!

"No problem!" Zang Min waved his hand. "Fifty thousand shi of grain can be loaded onto carts today and General Liu can take them away."

"It's the same for me in Shangdang," Yang Mei nodded.

Having reached an agreement, the two, not wanting to linger a moment longer, got up to take their leave.

Watching them leave, Jian Yong cursed, "Those old foxes! They've gone too far!"

When he was in Yanmen, apart from being a little tired, things went so smoothly, unlike today!

Liu Bei sighed, "Never mind. If we can get 100,000 shi of grain, then this trip will not have been in vain."

A few days later, Liu Bei returned to Yanmen with 100,000 shi of grain.

Li Chang, along with Jia Xu, Cheng Li, and others, greeted them at the city gate.

Seeing the cart full of grain, everyone's faces lit up with joy, but Li Chang could tell from Liu Bei's expression that things had not gone well.

But this was to be expected; no one wants their rights to be taken away. At least half the goal has been achieved.

Upon returning to the governor's residence, Liu Bei dismissed his attendants and briefly recounted the events in Taiyuan.

Xun Chen was overjoyed: "Excellent! With these 100,000 shi of grain, we can make up for the previous losses!"

Le Yin stroked his beard. It was his first time serving as an official, and he didn't yet have many thoughts about power and politics. He was still the pure-hearted Confucian scholar he always was.

"Why would they refuse? We're clearly helping them defend the city! It's perfectly reasonable for the general to oversee military affairs in Bingzhou."

Zhang Fei slammed his hand on the table, his eyes widening like copper bells, his ears seeming to shoot out lightning bolts:

"Damn it! Those two old bastards are so ungrateful!"

We've helped them so diligently, and they still dare to refuse, Brother! Give me ten thousand soldiers! I'll march straight into Jinyang City and chop off their heads to use as chamber pots!

"Third brother, don't be rash!" Liu Bei shook his head and quickly pulled Zhang Fei back. This was not the time for them to be brothers, and he couldn't say such things carelessly!

"We cannot attack officials appointed by the imperial court without authorization!"

The crowd fell silent, and could only temporarily abandon this idea, shifting their focus from military affairs to the economy and people's livelihoods.

After the meeting, Li Chang quietly pulled Jia Xu and Cheng Li aside.

"Gentlemen, please come with me."

The two nodded in agreement. Jia Xu knew Li Chang well, and he had a bad feeling.

That evening, Li Chang's study was brightly lit.

Jia Xu and Cheng Li sat opposite each other.

Looking at the two people, Li Chang suddenly felt that he was morally superior. In a fantasy world, he would at least be a good person at the level of a half-saint!

"What do you think of today's events?" Li Chang asked first.

Cheng Li was stunned. What other way was there?

He began to ponder his boss's thoughts. Why was he holding a small meeting so late at night, without Liu Bei involved? Was there some shady scheme going on?

But to avoid being misunderstood by his new superior, he tentatively asked, "Those two prefects actually disobeyed the general's orders. Shall we jointly submit a memorial impeaching them?"

Li Chang shook his head.

How could it be like this? If you're so kind, then why bother with those two in the first place?

He set the tone: "The two prefects of Taiyuan and Shangdang are like those who refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"If they dare to refuse our troops today, I suspect they'll dare to collude with the Hu people and the Black Mountain bandits tomorrow; they'll dare to betray the country and collude with the enemy!"

Jia Xu and Cheng Li were shocked, their eyes widening!

We need to be careful, but we're also quite relieved, as we've entered their familiar territory!

Jia Xu stroked his beard: "The powerful families of Taiyuan and Shangdang are deeply entrenched and their influence is deeply entrenched. A direct attack is definitely not feasible; it would be a losing proposition."

"I have a plan," Cheng Li said.

"Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army is notoriously greedy. We sent him a large sum of money to lead his army to attack Taiyuan and Shangdang. Once they are both exhausted, we will then send troops under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion and reap the benefits."

Jia Xu nodded:

"This plan is feasible, but too slow. The Black Mountain Army's combat strength is limited, and it may not be able to harm the foundation of the aristocratic families."

In my opinion, it would be better to go to the imperial court. The Ten Attendants Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong are greedy and insatiable. They sent people with large sums of money and treasures to have them slander Zang Min and Yang Mei before His Majesty and find some pretext to dismiss them.

"At that time, our lord will recommend his own people to the court to take over, thus legitimizing the administration of the two prefectures."

After they finished speaking, they both looked at Li Chang.

These two schemes, one using external force and the other using the inner court, can both be considered morally reprehensible for their time.

In particular, Jia Xu's strategies were so effective that they killed without shedding blood, which lived up to his reputation as a "poisonous strategist."

Li Chang was stunned after hearing this. Were these the same Jia Xu and Cheng Li he remembered? Why were they so kind? Were their moral standards so high?

He shook his head heavily: "Not enough. Both of these plans are too kind and too mild."

kind?

mild?

Is there something wrong with your ears? Did you mishear?

Jia Xu and Cheng Li were stunned. Bribing bandits to plunder prefectures and counties, and using eunuchs to frame ministers—that's called being mild? Then what is called being ruthless?

Cheng Li, in particular, was worried that his plan was too ruthless and would incur the wrath of his superiors!

To my utter surprise, my boss thought his plan was still too mild!