At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 307 Appointment

Faced with Zhou Qi's high expectations, Pang Tong hesitated for a moment and then said: "If my lord wants to train the crown prince or supervise the counties in Yizhou, it would be more appropriate to appoint the crown prince as the governor of Yizhou."

"After all, the power of the state pastoralists is too great. Unless it is absolutely necessary, try not to use it as much as possible."

When Zhou Qi heard this, he nodded slightly and said, "I haven't made up my mind yet on whether to appoint the prince as prefectural pastor or governor. Since Shi Yuan persuades me like this, I will think about it."

The state pastor has the benefits of the state pastor, and the governor also has the benefits of the governor.

If it were anyone else, Zhou Qi would not be able to appoint him as Yizhou Shepherd.

Zhou Ji is different. He is the heir specially cultivated by Zhou Qi. Even if he holds the position of Yizhou Shepherd, it will not matter.

Zhou Qi is also confident that Zhou Ji will never betray him or cede territory to stand on his own.

However, since Pang Tong raised this issue, Zhou Qi would think about it carefully.

He planned to appoint his eldest son Zhou Ji as the lord of Yizhou, not only to give his son some experience, but also to develop and coordinate Bashu, a land of abundance, as much as possible.

Since Zhou Qi split some counties in Yizhou and divided Hanzhong into Handong and Hanxi counties, and even assigned Handong County to Jingzhou, it has disrupted the previous division of counties based on mountain and river geography. County map tradition.

At this time, Zhou Qi's control over Yizhou has been greatly strengthened, and he is not worried about forces separatist power.

However, the splitting of large counties and the establishment of Nanzhong Barbarian County meant that more officials were needed to govern the place.

Not only that.

When the Indochina Peninsula was initially settled, there were many barbarians of various ethnic groups in Yizhou, and there were scattered Qiang tribes in the west, and Cao Cao was eyeing him in the north, so the situation was not stable.

Fortunately, Yizhou is steep, so self-protection should not be a big problem.

Since Liangzhou has been acquired by Cao Cao, and Zhou Qi has also found his own horse farm in Indochina, the future strategic focus will naturally be on the Central Plains.

For a long time thereafter, Yizhou not only had the ability to protect itself, but also provided Jingzhou with a lot of money, food, soldiers, horses, and ordnance.

Coordinating a state can train people very much. Even if Zhou Ji is not capable, it can still train him how to use people.

"You can go back and wait for orders."

Zhou Qi talked with Pang Tong and Zhang Yun for a while, and then let them leave.

After seeing Pang Tong off, Zhou Qi walked to the door and said to Dian Wei, "Dian Jun, come with me to have dinner today, and be sure to have a good drink!"

Facing Dian Wei, who is both a brother and a minister, Zhou Qi will not call himself "Gu" in a pretentious manner, but always calls himself "I".

Doing so also makes you appear closer.

Dian Wei's eyes widened and he asked expectantly: "Whose house are you going to drink in?"

Dian Wei didn't find anything unusual in the food, but in order to save food, Zhou Qi had extremely strict control over wine making. He didn't produce too much wine every year, and even limited the amount of wine each person could buy.

This also made the Chu State very short of wine.

With Dian Wei's identity, it was no problem to get enough drinks.

However, although he was a good drinker, he followed the decrees promulgated by Zhou Qi to the letter and did not rely on his extraordinary status to get more drinks.

Fortunately, Zhou Qi also knew Dian Wei's temperament and often found excuses to reward him with wine.

However, these rewards are still not enough for Dian Wei, so Dian Wei is also skipping drinking now, and it is inevitable that he will be a little greedy.

Therefore, when Dian Wei learned that Zhou Qi would take him out for a drink today, his eyes immediately brightened.

Zhou Qi smiled and said, "It's Gong Jin's mansion."

Dian Wei's eyes became brighter when he heard this.

If it were other small houses with small doors, they might not be able to get enough drinks, and they might not be able to enjoy themselves.

However, as Zhou Yu is the leader of the younger generation of the Zhou family in Lujiang, fine wine is indeed not a scarce commodity for them.

Even if they strictly abide by the alcohol restriction order, such aristocratic families will definitely have a lot of old wine in their collections.

But soon, Dian Wei scratched his head with regret, then waved his hands and said: "I am a personal guard for the lord, how dare I drink and cause trouble?"

Zhou Qi didn't understand Dian Wei, so he immediately laughed and scolded: "You are still playing tricks on me, just call Zhong Kang over and replace you for a day."

Nowadays, Dian Wei is basically responsible for protecting Zhou Qi's safety, which is also the duty of the leading general.

However, Zhou Qi pitied Dian Wei and couldn't bear to tie him to him every day, so he often found excuses to give Dian Wei a day off.

After Dian Wei was on vacation, Xu Chu, the general of Anxi, naturally came to take over his duties. Zhou Qi had 100% trust in the two of them.

Although Xu Chu now holds the title of General Anxi, he is extremely free when there is no war, and he is very happy to guard Zhou Qi as before.

Dian Wei chuckled and said, "We are drinking, but Zhong Kang is guarding us. Will he be unhappy?"

Zhou Qi had a sly smile on his face and said, "Don't you understand Zhong Kang's character? Today we'll go to Gong Jin's place to ask for more wine and give it to Zhong Kang after the banquet is over. That guy still doesn't have it in his heart." So beautiful!”

Dian Wei's eyes lit up when he heard this, and then he put his head over and said: "Otherwise I won't go to the banquet today, and my lord doesn't need to invite Zhong Kang over. He just needs to ask for more wine when he leaves the Zhou Mansion. I can just take it home and enjoy it slowly!”

Zhou Qi kicked him over and scolded with a smile: "You always have to guard me, how can you be greedy at home? Just drink enough today, don't think too much about anything else!"

Although Dian Wei was tall and burly, he was also extremely nimble. He laughed and jumped to the side, avoiding Zhou Qi's kick.

The monarch and his ministers get along extremely harmoniously, and Zhou Qi does not show any dignity when facing others.

In this way, after the two called Xu Chu over, they arrived at Zhou Mansion with their guards.

When Zhou Yi, Zhou Yu and his son learned that His Highness King Chu was coming, they hurriedly came out to greet him.

Zhou Qi said with a smile: "I came to my brother's house today to eat and drink. I wonder if the wine and meat can be enough?"

Zhou Yidao: "Don't worry, my lord, the mansion can still supply some wine and meat."

Zhou Qi pulled Xu Chu over again, then pointed at Dian Wei and said, "Zhongkang will help Dianjun today. I promised you that. Dianjun drank so much wine at the banquet that Zhongkang took him away from the Zhou Mansion." How much, brother won’t feel bad, right?”

Zhou Yi looked at the two most courageous generals of the Chu Kingdom and said categorically: "My lord, please don't worry. If there is not enough wine in the house, I will borrow it from other friends' homes, and I will definitely make my lord and the two generals happy!"

Dian Wei's eyes widened and he said, "This will cost you money, sir!"

Naturally, they did not dare to neglect His Royal Highness the King of Chu and the leading general, the two men with the highest official positions in the Chu State. Naturally, Zhou Yi and Zhou Yu and his son did not dare to neglect the banquet. They asked the kitchen to prepare many delicacies and brought out all the fine wines in the house. After Dian Wei saw the wine and meat, he immediately stopped being polite and ignored the rest of the people. He just ate and drank by himself. The maids around him were dumbfounded by his turbulent appearance.

Zhou Qi's food and appearance were much better. While drinking, he talked about the world with Zhou Yi, Zhou Yu and his son.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Everyone was in high spirits, but Zhou Qi suddenly put down his wine glass, and then said to Zhou Yi: "It has been two years since my brother resigned and came to Xiangyang due to physical discomfort."

"Looking at it today, my brother is in good health."

"Since Gu proclaimed himself king, although the post of Nine Ministers has been established, it has been difficult to find virtuous people to take up the post."

"Now that my brother has recovered, I want to be entrusted with the position of Zongzheng. I wonder what I think, brother?"

The position of Zongzheng is the official in charge of affairs related to the emperor's relatives or relatives, and in Zhou Qi's case, he is the official in charge of matters related to the royal family, relatives, relatives, and honors of the King of Chu.

This official position seems to have little real power, but in fact it is extremely noble, especially for those dynasties that have lasted for hundreds of years. Since the royal family members are spread all over the world, the importance of the clan has naturally increased.

But now, Zhou Qi's interpersonal relationships are relatively simple, and the power of this official position is not high.

However, such positions generally need to be filled by highly respected people in the royal family. Zhou Qi appointed Zhou Yi as Zongzheng, which was a disguised way of telling the other party that the Zhou family of Lujiang was also a blood relative of the Zhou family of King Chu.

When Zhou Yi heard this, he knelt down to the ground without any hesitation and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, my lord. I am willing to do my best!"

Zhou Qi was overjoyed when he saw this and personally stepped forward to help Zhou Yi up.

He had suppressed the Zhou family in Lujiang too much before, and now even Lu Jun has been recruited as the young master. It is obviously not good to continue to ignore Zhou Yi.

After thinking about it, Zong Zheng, an official position that seemed to have a high status but actually did not have much real power at this stage, was just right for Zhou Yi.

After comforting Zhou Yi, Zhou Qi returned to his seat again and said: "The prince is already eighteen years old, and I want to send him to Yizhou for some experience, but I have not yet decided whether to appoint him as the governor of Yizhou or the shepherd of Yizhou." .”

"Brother is well-read and knowledgeable. I wonder if you can help me solve my doubts?"

Zhou Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he secretly thought that the topic was coming.

He just thought about it for a long time, and then without any hesitation, he said bluntly: "The power of the state pastor is too great. If it were not for the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the imperial court was unable to suppress the local rebels, it would definitely not establish the state pastor."

"After the establishment of the Zhou Mu, although the Yellow Turbans and thieves were slightly restrained, it also allowed the princes to separate themselves, causing chaos in the world and disobeying the king's orders."

"With my lord's control over Yizhou, there is no need to establish a state pastor. If my lord just wants to train his son, the position of Yizhou governor is enough."

After hearing this, Zhou Qi pondered for a long time, then turned his attention to Zhou Yu and asked, "What do you think Gong Jin?"

Zhou Qi said: "Yu quite agrees with what my father said."

Zhou Qi breathed a long sigh of relief, and then said: "In that case, let's appoint the prince as the governor of Yizhou."

"But after all, he is young and lacks experience. He may not be able to take on the big responsibility if he is alone."

"I have watched Gong Jin grow up. He is a man of great talent and is quite proficient in the affairs of Yizhou. I want to appoint you as the governor of Yizhou and still hold the post of General Zhechong. What do you think of Gong Jin?"

Don't be afraid that this position is not light. Although he is the assistant governor of the governor, his status is very high.

It is precisely because of his high status that he would not ride in the same car as the governor when he went on patrol, but would ride in the same car instead, so he was called Biejia.

Biejia was not only in charge of the military affairs of the same state as the governor, but could also participate in matters such as soldiers and civilians, money and grain, household registration, taxes and servitude, and prison litigation trials. His power was second only to the governor, almost equal to half of the governor.

Zhou Qi gave Zhou Yu such an appointment not only as a favor to him, but also because Zhou Yu was almost an all-rounder, not only proficient in government affairs, but also a genius in military affairs.

With Zhou Yu helping Zhou Ji check and fill in the gaps, Yizhou will surely prosper.

Zhou Yu secretly thought that this was indeed the case. Without any hesitation, he prostrated himself directly on the ground and said, "Thank you so much for your appreciation, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to my lord's high expectations!"

After Zhou Qi helped Zhou Yu up, he and Dian Wei got drunk in the Zhou Mansion, while Xu Chu led his troops to guard him.

It wasn't until the next morning that Zhou Qi woke up and felt a splitting headache.

He came to the guest room where Dian Wei was resting, and even standing outside the door, he could hear the thunderous snoring.

Zhou Qi did not wake up Dian Wei, but asked people to move a lot of fine wine from Zhou's mansion to Xu Chu's mansion. After washing, he drank some sobering soup and left with Xu Chu.

After sending Zhou Qi away, Zhou Yi turned to look at Zhou Yu and said, "As Gong Jin expected, my lord is indeed paving the way for the prince."

"This time Gong Jin follows the crown prince to Yizhou, so he must win the crown prince's trust. Then I, the Zhou family, will have nothing to worry about!"

Zhou Yu did not answer, but said seriously: "During my father's tenure as Zongzheng, he should be cautious in his words and deeds. It is best not to do much."

Zhou Yi understood and said: "Father knows how to act."

After returning to the palace, Zhou Qi drank some more hangover soup and felt a little clearer.

He looked at Xu Chu who was standing next to him and said: "I want to appoint my stepfather as the governor of Yizhou. Although Chen Wu is loyal and loyal, he is still inferior to him in terms of bravery."

"Zhongkang is willing to lead troops into Yizhou to protect the prince's safety?"

Although Xu Chu was a little reluctant to leave Zhou Qi, he still said: "I am willing to listen to my lord's orders!"

Zhou Qi pulled Xu Chu to sit next to him and said, "Zhongkang has watched his step-son grow up and is considered his uncle. There is no need to consider anything else when entering Shu, as long as he protects the prince's safety."

"There are not many people I can trust with my life and fortune. Does Zhongkang know what I want?"

Xu Chu patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, my lord, as long as I am here, I will definitely protect your son from danger!"

Xu Chu has followed Zhou Qi for a long time and has already gained a great reputation. As long as he is placed in Yizhou, even if Xu Chu does nothing, it will be like a needle that fixes the sea and can intimidate Xiao Xiao.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Qi began to write formal documents, appointing Zhou Ji as the governor of Yizhou, Zhou Yu as the governor of Yizhou, Pang Tong as the governor of Yizhou, and Lu Xun as the governor of Yizhou.

As for Zhuge Liang, he was placed beside him by Zhou Qi and appointed as the governor of Jingzhou.

When the edicts were issued one after another, the most surprised person was Zhou Ji himself.

Zhou Ji was not too surprised that his father appointed him as the governor of Yizhou. Zhuge Liang had even guessed about it.

However, Zhou Qi did not let Zhou Ji take the most trusted Zhuge Liang with him. Instead, he promoted the other three people to follow him to Yizhou, which left Zhou Ji a little confused.

(End of this chapter)