I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 402 Civil and Military Officials
Liu Bian actually didn't care about the hunting gains.

He looked at the capable ministers and generals around him, these talents were the key.

The ministers headed by Lu Zhi sat on a temporary platform, watching the soldiers returning with full loads from time to time, chatting or discussing state affairs.

At their age, they no longer have any interest in hunting in the mountains and forests.

In recent years, the ministers in the court have been relatively stable, and many of the official positions are filled by familiar faces.

For example, after Yang Biao became Sikong, the post of Weiwei, which became vacant, was taken over by Shizhong Yang Xu, who had recovered from illness.

The reduction in personnel changes has maintained the stability of the court to a certain extent. Increasing the number of years that officials can serve in a position has been a popular political proposition for a long time.

Compared with ministers of the duke and noble level, the clerks in various government offices who served as the backbone of the army were more famous in Liu Bian's memory.

Not to mention Xun Yu, Chen Qun, Guo Jia, Kong Rong and others who were originally in the Secretariat, Lu Su from Lujiang County and Mao Jie from Chenliu who were recommended to the three offices as filial and honest people this year were both arranged by Liu Bian to serve as Shangshu Lang in the Secretariat after being assessed by the three offices.

In addition, there were Liu Yao, Shen Pei, Chen Lin, Zhao Yu, Zhang Zhao, Cui Yan, Yuan Huan, Zhao Yan, Du Xi, Fan Qin and others in the court, but we should not only consider the name and completely ignore the age and qualifications when appointing talents. For example, Liu Yao and Shen Pei were both old and experienced, and they were soon promoted to Imperial Censor after being recruited by the government, but people like Zhao Yan, even if they were appointed outside, could only be the head of a small county at most, and they still had a long way to go.

Through history, Liu Bian was able to distinguish who was virtuous and who was talented, which was Liu Bian's greatest advantage in employing people. He did not have to engage in meaningless power struggles in order to consolidate his position, and then spend all day scheming with his ministers...

Liu Bian didn't want to distinguish whether his ministers were loyal to him or to the Han emperor. To him, the result was the same.

……

And around Liu Bian, who had left the high platform, was surrounded by a group of generals.

However, the only person who was qualified to appear beside Liu Bian at this time had to be at the level of a colonel, and the military commander who was second only to the colonel could only rank behind him.

Zhu Hao, also known as Zhu Wenming, the General of the Imperial Guards, was the son of Zhu Jun. After Guan Yu left, Liu Bian finally chose to promote him considering his good family background and reputation.

Historically, Zhu Hao was ordered by the court in Chang'an to go to Yangzhou to serve as the prefect of Yuzhang when Yangzhou was in chaos. However, because he was "good at being sincere and trusting people", he was killed and replaced by Zuo Rong, who was sent to help him by Liu Yao, the then governor of Yangzhou.

Zhu Hao may be slightly lacking in ability, but he was willing to obey orders and go to Yangzhou in troubled times. His character is similar to his father's and he is trustworthy.

As the army guarding the Eastern Palace, the most important thing for the Yulin Lang is loyalty.

After all, the Yulin Lang under Zhu Hao's command had almost no chance to go on an expedition, and those Yulin Lang who had the opportunity to go on an expedition were directly managed by Huangfu Li, and Zhu Hao would not hinder them.

that's enough.

The Tiger Guards were Cui Jun, Cui Zhouping, Cui Lie and his son, the Minister of Civil Affairs, the Governor of Xihe, etc. Since the last emperor, the Cui family has been given important positions, which is evident. However, if we really trace back to the past, the time when the Cui family and his son were really given important positions was when Cui Lie bought an official position through the relationship between the previous emperor's mother and his tutor.

Perhaps this is Cui Lie’s token of allegiance.

Although I lost my reputation, I gained benefits. As the saying goes, every bite and every drink has its destiny.

Historically, after the death of his father and brother, Cui Zhouping took refuge in Jingzhou. Together with Xu Shu, he became friends with Zhuge Liang and was able to recognize talent.

Two Lieutenant Generals of the Huben and Yulin Army stood on either side of Liu Bian, while on the other side of Liu Bian was the Commandant of Xiyuan.

The lieutenant of the upper army was Jian Shuo, the lieutenant of the middle army was Liu Bei, and the lieutenant of the lower army was Huang Zhong.

At the beginning of the reorganization of Xiyuan Army, Huang Zhong was recalled to Xiyuan Army. After all, the biggest threat to Liangzhou, the Lushui Miscellaneous Hu, had been pacified. After Huang Zhong stepped down, the post of Protector of Qiang was taken over by Xu Huang, the former Sima of the other army. Xu Huang would continue to guard Liangzhou with Zhang Fei, the "restarted" military Sima, as his deputy.

Then there were the two old men of the Xiyuan Army - Feng Fang and Xia Mou. They had also participated in the later stages of Huangfu Song's battle to recapture Liangzhou. Their military exploits were few, but that was acceptable because of their status as old men - and Feng Fang was also a great help to Jian Shuo in supervising the Xiyuan Army, so the two still held official positions in Xiyuan.

However, under Liu Bian's arrangement, each of them had a Sima of a separate department under his command, namely Zhang He and Taishi Ci, who was just named by Liu Bian himself and promoted to the position of Sima from the military.

After them were Zhao Jin and Zhang Yang, who were promoted to colonels based on their military merits. Both of them rose step by step from the position of military Sima.

As for the Commandant of the Army, he was Duan Wei, who was from Wuwei County in Liangzhou. He was the younger brother of the former Grand Marshal Duan Xing.

He was not present at the moment.

Historically, after Dong Zhuo came to power, although Duan Wei was a general under Dong Zhuo, he was able to "cultivate farmers and refrain from looting" during his tenure. He was one of the few generals under Dong Zhuo who died of old age.

On the other side were the five lieutenants of the Northern Army. In addition to Wang Kuang, Bao Xin, and Guanqiu Yi, there were also Wang Gui and Zhou Shu.

Although Wang Gui also had the surname Wang, he had nothing to do with Wang Kuang. On the contrary, he was also an unlucky person in history. He was sent by Dong Zhuo to persuade the Guandong coalition forces together with Han Rong, but was killed by Wang Kuang.

Now Wang Gui and Wang Kuang are colleagues and they have a good relationship.

Zhou Shu was born in the Zhou family of Lujiang, and was the cousin of Zhou Zhong and the uncle of Zhou Yu. The fact that he became the lieutenant of the Northern Army was closely related to the fact that the Zhou family of Lujiang assisted Xun Shuang in governing Yangzhou.

After all, compared to the Xiyuan Army, the appointment of the captains of the Northern Army would carry more political considerations, and the Northern Army would often expand its troops when going on expeditions, so the captains might not necessarily have the opportunity to lead the troops.

As for the other three parts of the Northern Army that are being prepared, they are currently only on paper.

Liu Bian rode his horse and looked back, what caught his eyes were the Simas of various armies, who were the backbone of the army.

Huangfu Li, Zhang He, Taishi Ci, Gao Lan... and Yu Jin, who only appeared on the list.

After the imperial court showed its eagerness to recruit talented people, capable people from all over the country appeared in Luoyang, either actively or passively.

Among the military Simas, Liu Bian took a closer look at Sima Zhongji from the Northern Army, not only because he had appeared on Jia Xu's list, but also because Liu Bian vaguely remembered that he seemed to be present in the secret decree of Emperor Xian of Han.

In Shanglin Garden.

Liu Bian doesn't care about the harvest, but there are many people who care about the harvest.

Although in previous years some people had sneaked into Shanglinyuan to hunt for mountain products, the intensity of the hunting was nothing like that of today, and the wild beasts, which had been living in comfort for so long, suffered a great disaster.

For Sun Ce and other Yulin Lang, this hunting trip was more like a team-building event to help them become more qualified generals.

As the sun set, Tian Yu and others returned with their team, and officers of all ages gathered together.

Looking at this scene, Liu Bian was very proud. He couldn't wait for the arrival of the next year to welcome the era of change that belonged to him.

……

The winter hunting in Shanglin Garden was the last major event of the fourth year of Guangxi.

Facts have proved that there is no shortage of talent in the army. Even with an expert like Dian Wei, after the harvest was divided equally, the troops led by Tian Yu still could not rank among the top.

Later, Cao Ang, Zhang Xiu and Ma Chao returned with their men, but their gains were not as great as Tian Yu's.

Only Sun Ce Nashi has not been seen for a long time.

It was not until most of the soldiers who participated in the hunting had returned that Liu Bian noticed several figures leading horses in the distance.

The leader was coming from south to north, without a horse, but carrying a large object across his shoulders, but it was too far away to be seen clearly.

When he got a little closer, Liu Bian finally saw clearly that the man was Sun Ce, and across his shoulder was a dead tiger.

When Sun Ce came out of the woods, the sun shone brightly on him.

What is a “little overlord”? This is it!

Seeing this scene, Liu Bian felt that the trip was worthwhile.

Needless to say, there will be differences in rewards from now on.

The two earthquakes in Jingzhao did not cause any major trouble. Just when Liu Bian thought that he could spend the fourth year of Guangxi peacefully, at the end of the fourth year of Guangxi, Liu Bian received an urgent report.

General Xun Shuang of Andong died of illness.

Along with this urgent report came the last memorial written by Xun Shuang to Liu Bian.

There was not a single word in Xun Shuang's memorial that mentioned himself; it was all about official business in Yangzhou.

When Liu Bian read it, he felt mixed emotions.

Historically, Xun Shuang had always refused to take up an official post, but as soon as Dong Zhuo came to power, he accepted the call and went to the capital.

Is this because he is greedy for wealth and fame?

of course not.

From the day Xunshuang received the call to the day he was appointed as one of the Three Dukes under Dong Zhuo's arrangement, it took only ninety-three days. However, Xunshuang did not change his original intention and had been secretly contacting people with lofty ideals, recommending talents, and planning to get rid of Dong Zhuo.

It’s a pity that he died of illness before the matter was settled.

This is the character of the upright scholars.

Now, he responded to Liu Bian's call as a hermit and governed Yangzhou with a public heart. It was a pity that human power was still limited.

However, this time, Liu Bian swore that Xun Shuang's wish to stabilize the country and bring peace to the people would definitely come true!
After Xun Shuang described the current situation in Yangzhou to Liu Bian in his memorial, he also gave suggestions on arrangements after his death.

He believed that Yangzhou, located in the south of the Yangtze River, was remote and could follow the story of Liangzhou - governing Yangzhou with the people of Yangzhou.

Because he thought the most suitable person to succeed him was Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang.

In fact, in the remote counties of Liangzhou, Jiaozhou, Yizhou and Yangzhou, the Three Mutual Laws had never been strictly enforced, especially during the tenure of prefects. There were many examples of people serving as prefects in counties adjacent to their hometowns.

However, Yangzhou is different from Liangzhou after all, and people like the Governor and General Andong who have the power to coordinate the entire state are different from the prefect after all.

So Xun Shuang also gave a targeted solution.

In the years since he went to Yangzhou, the number of barbarians in Jiujiang, Lujiang and Wu counties was already small. Under the leadership of Xun Shuang, there is no need to worry now. All they have to do is ensure that the legacy he left behind can continue to be implemented.

The governor of Yangzhou, whose capital is in Jiangbei, can do this.

Then, his successor only needs to focus on the original Danyang, Yuzhang, Luling, Kuaiji and the five counties of Minzhong that are about to be established.

General Anton's scope of authority can also be limited to this.

However, Lu Kang was from Wu County, so this method just avoided Lu Kang's hometown.

And Xun Shuang also said at the end: "Lu Jining has the talent of a minister."

It seemed that they had already found a destination for Lu Kang after he completed his mission.

After receiving the news of the death, not only did Xun Yu take a rare leave, but Xun Shuang's son Xun Wei, who was still serving as an envoy in Luoyang, immediately resigned from his post and went south to Yangzhou, preparing to take his father back to his hometown for burial.

When Xun Shuang was studying classics in his hometown, he focused on writing and editing books. He did not accept many disciples, and not many people could be called his disciples.

However, because he did not set any barriers for scholars to copy his works, many people respected him, and he was known as a "great scholar" in his early years.

When the news of his death reached Yingchuan, many scholars were waiting for Xun Wei's arrival.

Along with Xun Wei came an angel carrying Liu Bian's message.

This expedited edict was completed the day after the news of Xun Shuang's death reached Luoyang. An angel carrying the edict caught up with Xun Shuang on a fast horse who had already set out - he was bestowed with the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry and the posthumous name "Kang".

When the news spread, more and more scholars announced that they had benefited from Xun Shuang's compilation. They followed Xun Shuang one after another, and always said that they wanted to see him off for the last time.

There are good and bad people among them, some have truly received the grace, while others are just filling in the numbers.

Xun Wei was concerned about his father and had no intention of getting involved with certain speculators. He only wanted to bring his father back as soon as possible.

Yangzhou, Lujiang County.

Xun Shang passed away in Yuzhang County. After his death, Zhou Yu, his disciple, suppressed his grief and carried the coffin north, his mind full of scenes of his time with Xun Shang.

Before his death, Xun Shuang told him that the country needed people at that time, so he didn't need to observe mourning for three years.

But Zhou Yu already regarded Xun Shuang as his teacher from the bottom of his heart. Even if he agreed verbally, how could he feel at ease to really do it?

At the end of January in the fifth year of Guangxi, Xun Wei returned to his hometown of Yingchuan with Zhou Yu and several other disciples of Xun Shuang.

Xun Yu also took advantage of this period of time when the government was not busy to ask for leave and returned to his hometown to pay homage to Liu Bian.

(End of this chapter)