I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 577 Appointment
After arriving in Luoyang, Dou Bin was always worried that he would be implicated in Dou Wu's past affairs. He was also worried that even if he was useful now and no one mentioned it, when he was no longer useful in the future, it was inevitable that someone would bring up Dou Wu's past affairs. In this way, he naturally had doubts in his heart and might not be able to serve the Han Dynasty in a down-to-earth manner in the future.

That's why Huang Wan was needed to act as his father's old acquaintance to comfort Dou Bin and strengthen his confidence.

Then came the banquet prepared by Liu Bian.

This was not the first time that Liu Bian had hosted a banquet in Xiyuan, but previous banquets were mostly to welcome triumphant soldiers. Now it was to appease the northern border, which could be said to have a reason, but the scale was far from that of the previous one.

Not many officials were invited to this banquet, basically they were related persons, such as Cao Cao to Qiang Qu, Huang Wan to Dou Bin, and Yu Fuluo, the Left Wise King who came with Qiang Qu, and Dou Su (Dou Su Hou) who came with Dou Bin.

It can also be regarded as an expression of Liu Bian's importance to these people.

Facing the invitation from the emperor, Qiang Qu, Dou Bin and others were all very nervous. In the face of the gap in strength, they were afraid of making a mistake and angering the emperor, especially Dou Bin. But every time this happened, Huang Wan, who was sitting above him, would smile at him calmly, and Dou Bin would feel relieved.

During the banquet, nothing special happened. Cao Cao livened up the atmosphere, Qiang Qu and others tried to please him to show their loyalty, and Zhang Fei occasionally made jokes. It can be said that both the host and the guests had a great time.

Liu Bian did not announce any appointments at the banquet, as if he had just had a normal meal. After the banquet, some actions began -

Huang Wan left with Dou Bin after the banquet. On the way, Huang Wan said to Dou Bin: "My dear nephew, you can go back to the Moluhui tribe without any worries. I am here in Luoyang to guarantee you. I will make sure you don't have to worry about anything."

In fact, after calming down, Dou Bin had already realized something was wrong. He suspected that the relationship between Huang Wan and his father was not as good as he imagined, but... why bother with it now?

Dou Bin bowed and said, "Mr. Huang, my eldest son is uneducated and I want to send him to Luoyang to be taught by a famous teacher... But my nephew has no one to trust in Luoyang, so I can only ask Mr. Huang to take care of him."

Huang Wan immediately promised after hearing this: "Don't worry, nephew, leave it to me!"

……

After the banquet, Qiang Qu just returned home and received an imperial edict. After several words that Qiang Qu could not understand, Qiang Qu finally understood that the emperor had conferred him the title of Marquis of Meiji on him in recognition of his past merits, such as resisting the Xianbei and sending troops to help quell rebellions.

Meiji County in Xihe Commandery was originally the seat of the royal court of the Southern Xiongnu. The fact that Qiangqu's fief was set here was enough to show how much Liu Bian valued him.

As for the position of Chanyu, it still remains in the hands of Qiangqu.

Unlike others, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not leave after the banquet, but were summoned by Liu Bian to the West Garden.

I remember that the two sides first met in the West Garden.

Zhang Fei heard Liu Bian and Guan Yu discussing how to govern Shuofang and Beidi counties in front of him. After holding back for a long time, he finally couldn't help but speak out his request - "Your Majesty, I just heard that Shuofang and Beidi counties are both in need of people. Although I am not talented, I have a heart to serve my country. I am willing to recommend myself to Shuofang and Beidi to help Your Majesty!"

Liu Bian naturally did not doubt the loyalty of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Seeing Zhang Fei recommend himself, Liu Bian did not refuse. Instead, he asked, "To manage Shuofang and Beidi, it seems that the key is to manage the army, but in fact, several Xianbei tribes have been defeated. The requirement for pacifying the people is more important than managing the army. Can Yide do it?"

Zhang Fei was delighted when he heard this. He thought that the emperor would not object to his self-recommendation if he asked this question. He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I am indeed not good at governing and pacifying the people, but I can appoint talented people and make them important."

For Liu Bian, even though Zhang Fei has improved a lot compared to the past, he still has doubts about letting Zhang Fei take charge of a region. However, with Guan Yu in charge, even if Zhang Fei relapses, he won't be able to cause a big chaos, so it's okay to let him help Guan Yu.

"So, I have to send some talented people to serve you?"

When Zhang Fei heard this, he immediately wrote: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Seeing Zhang Fei so anxious, Liu Bian joked, "Yide volunteered, so I'll give you this opportunity... But if Yide not only fails to help Yunchang govern the two places, but instead drags his feet, then don't blame me for sending you to Liangzhou as a small soldier again."

Zhang Fei immediately promised: "Your Majesty, rest assured. If I fail to keep you in the dark, I will go to Liangzhou to serve as a soldier without your order!"

When Guan Yu heard Zhang Fei speak like this, he felt it was not appropriate to stop him in front of the emperor. Fortunately, he heard the result was good in the end, and he was happy.

Speaking of talents, Liu Bian added: "Yunchang, I have specially selected someone to be your chief secretary... Yunchang, do you still remember Zhou Yu whom I met that day? He was a disciple of Lord Ciming and had assisted Lu Sikong in farming and pacifying the people in Yangzhou."

Guan Yu replied, "I have heard that Zhou Gongjin and his companions, together with Kong Ming, have become famous in Luoyang City in recent days. It is said that the seven of them often seek out famous scholars and students to discuss philosophy. Some people who like to talk about philosophy call them the 'Seven Friends'."

Liu Bian paid more attention to Zhou Yu and Xu Shu who had already entered the official career, and paid less attention to others. Unexpectedly, they had made quite a name for themselves in such a short period of time.

In fact, when Liu Bian heard what Zhang Fei said, he immediately thought of a candidate to match Zhang Fei - Pang Tong. However, at present, Pang Tong is still a wandering scholar, while Xu Shu has been recommended by Zhuge Liang.

I think the combination of Zhang Fei and Xu Shu should be satisfactory enough.

But Liu Bian still said to Zhang Fei: "The so-called selection of virtuous and capable people means not only to employ virtuous and capable people, but also to select virtuous and capable people. Now Pang Tong and his men are still hermits, why not try to select Yide as an official in Beidi County?"

Zhang Fei agreed decisively without considering the difficulty at all.

Guan Yu still had some worries in his heart. After all, the two northern counties of Shuofang were considered bitter and cold places in the eyes of ordinary people. They were probably only slightly better than places like Jiaozhou and the Western Regions. According to what the emperor said, Zhou Yu and Xu Shu could both be regarded as outstanding talents of the time. Were they really willing to go to these places and suffer?

But facing the excited emperor, Guan Yu did not say these words.

Soon, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei received new appointments - Zhang Fei was appointed as the governor of Beidi, Guan Yu was appointed as the governor of Shuofang, and Guan Yu was in charge of all military affairs in Shuofang and Beidi.

If someone else were to be the governor of Beidi, they might feel very aggrieved. But for Zhang Fei, it was a sweet thing.

At the same time, Zhou Yu and Xu Shu also received their new appointments - Zhou Yu was the Chief Clerk of Shuofang and Xu Shu was the Gongcao of Beidi.

Zhang Fei was also ready to select talented people.

(End of this chapter)