NOVPUBWhen Chen Xi arrived at Liu Bei’s residence, Liu Bei was seated authoritatively in the main seat, with only a Jia Xu who seemed to be counting ants below him. Chen Xi glanced around, did not see the cooking pot for the meat, and habitually asked, "Lord Xuande, isn’t the mutton stew ready yet? It’s really nice to have this in the cold winter."
Liu Bei was startled for a moment, then burst into laughter. He pointed at Chen Xi and asked, "You scamp, did I call you here just to eat? Shouldn’t there be other matters? Go, take your seat. Indeed, that sheepskin carpet is very warm."
"With tens of thousands of sheepskins, how could it not be warm?" Chen Xi said nonchalantly, then went to take his seat.
"Say that again?" Liu Bei was taken aback and asked again.
"Carpet made from the wool of tens of thousands of sheepskins," Chen Xi repeated, "Why? Is there a problem, Lord Xuande?"
Liu Bei’s face visibly twitched. He had never known that the carpet he was standing on was worth tens of thousands of sheepskins. That’s a lot of money.
"Hahaha, Lord Xuande, do not believe Zichuan’s words. This carpet didn’t cost a penny; the tens of thousands of sheepskins produced were merely used to pluck a handful of wool from each, Zichuan’s tall tales are always hard to verify," said Li Youu with a smile as he entered, then he too paused, "Where’s the cooking pot?"
"What?" Liu Bei was startled again.
After that, one after another, the civil and military officials all arrived. However, almost every civil official and military general who was usually in Fenggao found it strange why today’s big pot in the middle was missing? Where’s our mutton?
Some asked about it, some came in and felt it was strange that a pot was missing, some were dumbfounded. In short, everyone was puzzled that Liu Bei didn’t cook mutton today, and eventually Liu Bei himself also felt that not cooking mutton was indeed odd.
Liu Bei’s gaze swept from left to right, passing over Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Zhao Yun, Hua Xiong, Taishi Ci, Yu Jin, Zang Ba, Sunx Guan, Wuu Anguo, Chen Dao – a group of valiant generals capable of conquering a territory; Chen Xi, Lub Su, Guo Jia, Liu Ye, Jia Xu, Fa Zheng, Mann Chong, Jian Yong, Sunx Qian, Liu Yan, Mi Zhu – an exceedingly luxurious lineup of civil officials wherever they were placed, which made him feel incredibly uplifted.
"This year marks my third year as the ruler of Mount Tai. After so long, I finally have the opportunity to gather everyone here," Liu Bei said emotionally to the civil and military officials under his command. "The preliminary strategy that Zichuan has devised can also finally be fully implemented this year. I hope all of you will fully support Xuande with all your strength this year."
"Qingzhou is already in our bag," Chen Xi said, standing up confidently. "After preparing for so long, how could there be any oversight!"
"Big brother, for the battle of Qingzhou, please let me take the lead," Zhang Fei stood up and bellowed.
"How could it go on without my navy?" Gan Ning laughed. Though Gan Ning was a bit casual, everyone present admired his military achievements. Even the proud Guan Yu, upon learning of Gan Ning’s record, which could be termed insane, was lost in thought for a while before finally shaking his head silently. Such things required opportunity, spirit, and courage – lacking any of them wouldn’t do.
"Zhao Yun asks to fight. Although White Horse has been defeated, still, Yun wishes to vindicate its name," Zhao Yun said solemnly as he stood up.
"Hahaha, to have such valiant generals, how fortunate I am, Liu Xuande!" Liu Bei laughed loudly, "The battle of Qingzhou this time is about pacification and not suppression. Yide, you are impulsive and might not be good at handling delicate matters. Xingba is in charge of the navy, how could he steal others’ glory? Qingzhou’s coast still needs you to stay put."
Zhang Fei and Gan Ning both looked dejected upon hearing this. Liu Bei turned to look at Zhao Yun, "Zilong is known across multiple provinces for his kindness and love for the people; the land of Qingzhou too has heard of your good name, and many refugees have sought refuge under Liu Xuande’s administration because of it."
At this, Liu Bei wore a wistful expression. Zhao Yun was clearly a valiant general, but he had shown brilliant talent in handling administrative affairs, and often times, people like Lub Su would entrust Zhao Yun with agricultural and other livelihood-related affairs concerning the welfare of the people.
"It is all thanks to our Lord’s virtue," Zhao Yun spoke, neither arrogantly nor restlessly.
When Zhao Yun was mentioned, the seated military generals were at a loss for words. His martial arts skills had already reached their peak, and now he was even attending to affairs of state. Was there any room left for others to live? What’s more, it wasn’t just a minor involvement—he had achieved a high level of proficiency, high enough to infiltrate the ranks of civil officials.
"Zilong, there is no need for this. I hope that in the future, you will continue to plan for the people as you do now. The matter of land cultivation still depends on you," Liu Bei walked over, helped Zhao Yun to his feet, and said.
"I will give it my all!" Zhao Yun said solemnly.
"In the upcoming campaign against Qingzhou, before we delve deeper into Eastern Qingzhou, you will serve as the vanguard. After we have thoroughly conquered Qingzhou, you will be responsible for pacifying the local populace and managing the agricultural affairs," Liu Bei nodded, handing over the military order to Zhao Yun.
"Understood!" Zhao Yun saluted and accepted the military order.
"Yunchang, Ziyang is leading the large army stationed in Licheng to guard against Yuan Shao and to be ready to ’surround Wei to save Zhao’ at any moment. I worry that Bogui might blunder again. If the conditions allow, you may attack the nearby remnants of the Yellow Turbans," Liu Bei continued, entrusting the north to Guan Yu, his most reliable general commanding officer, which was a choice he was comfortable with.
"Understood!" Guan Yu and Liu Ye stood up and saluted Liu Bei.
Honestly, Liu Bei’s preference was to have Guo Jia stationed in Licheng. Unfortunately, Guo Jia had been found to have serious health issues; therefore, Liu Bei could only settle for the next best option.
Guan Yu and Liu Ye exchanged a look, and it was apparent that Guan Yu was somewhat conflicted. Having experienced Guo Jia’s strategy of offering a single, sure-kill plan, he was indeed not quite used to Liu Ye’s approach of having a plethora of strategies to choose from.
"Wen Ze, leading an army of five thousand, shall reorganize the troops and eradicate any resistance from the Yellow Turban remnants following Zilong," Liu Bei assigned another task.
"Understood." Yu Jin saluted, a clear trace of joy flashing in his eyes. He was finally allocated a corps, no longer serving merely as a drillmaster who doesn’t command troops. Watching others lead one corps after another, while still drilling soldiers himself, didn’t feel good, even though he enjoyed drilling soldiers.
"Shuzhi, Zichuan says you are adept at drilling soldiers, so you will take over Wen Ze’s duties and conduct troop drills in Fenggao," Liu Bei said, unconcerned with Yu Jin’s elation, as every military general longed for the battlefield.
Drilling soldiers was essentially about building experience. It was known that for an entire year, Yu Jin had hardly any significant achievements, but now, managing his own corps without any objections was considered an achievement because all the generals had received excellent new recruits from him—that was his merit.
"Understood!" Chen Dao’s face lit up with joy, initially thinking he was just there for a simple role, but then he surprisingly received a military duty of his own, and he was very fond of drilling soldiers.
"Anguo, since Wen Ju sent you to follow my orders, you and Zhongkang will start by serving as my guards, how about that?" Liu Bei then turned towards Wu Anguo.
"I am honored by Lord Xuande’s benevolence," Wu Anguo stood, saluted, and walked behind Liu Bei, positioning himself beside Xu Chu. Two burly men couldn’t help but glance at each other, then stood motionless like door gods.
Wu Anguo was very satisfied with the duty Liu Bei assigned to him, as it not only showed trust but also did not put him in a difficult position. After all, when it came to commanding troops in battle, he wasn’t exactly proficient; thus, acting as Liu Bei’s bodyguard was indeed the most suitable role for him. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
