You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 94 This official does not wish for anyone to have dishonest hands.
Yanzhou City.

It is the capital city of Yanzhou and the location of the power center of the entire Yanzhou.

These days, the uprising of the rioters in Yanzhou has cast a shadow over the city of Yanzhou, which has successively captured six prefectures.

This created a tense atmosphere in Yanzhou City, the capital of the prefecture.

Everyone was afraid that Yanzhou City would also be breached by rioters and rebels.

If that happens, what will they do then?

But today, everyone's fear and worry have disappeared.

Because the rebel rioters and bandits throughout Yan Province were quelled by Lü Bu, the General of the Army sent by the imperial court, who led three thousand Bing Province wolf cavalry.

From this moment forward, there will be no more riots or rebels causing chaos in Yanzhou.

This instantly dispelled the considerable shadow that had hung over Yanzhou City, the capital of the prefecture.

The tense atmosphere dissipated.

……

At this moment, in the prefectural government office in Yanzhou City.

Officials of all ranks from the prefectural government gathered together, each with a relaxed expression on their face.

The previous frown was gone.

Everyone looked at the two figures sitting in the main seats in the hall.

To be precise, everyone's eyes were focused on the armored figure on the right.

As for the figure on the left, these officials from the state government had already paid a visit to him beforehand.

"General Lü is truly valiant. In just three days, he led only three thousand iron cavalry to wipe out all the rebels in Yanzhou and quell the riots of the Yanzhou rioters."

"This has truly broadened my horizons."

"On behalf of all the people of Yanzhou, I would like to express my gratitude to General Lü Zhonglang."

"If it weren't for General Lü Zhonglang wiping out these rebels in such a short time, I really can't imagine how bad the situation in Yanzhou would have become."

An official sitting on the right stood up and bowed to Lü Bu.

This official was named Cui Hao, and he was the prefect of Yanzhou.

The thirteen prefectures and hundreds of counties of Yanzhou were all under the jurisdiction of Prefect Cui Hao.

It can be said that Cui Hao was the most important official in charge of the more than one hundred counties in the thirteen prefectures of Yanzhou.

Lu Bu wiped out all the rebels in Yan Province, and Cui Hao, as the governor of Yan Province and the chief official of the thirteen prefectures and hundreds of counties, naturally had to stand up and express his gratitude.

The figure in armor sitting to the right of the main seat in the hall was none other than Lü Bu.

After Lü Bu led three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry to wipe out various rebel groups in Yan Province, he led three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry to Yan Province City to join the army of one hundred thousand.

After more than two days of forced march, the 100,000-strong Divine Martial Guard army, led by Fang Xuanling and a group of Divine Martial Guard generals, entered Yanzhou City, the prefecture capital, the day before.

Therefore, the identity of the other person besides Lü Bu, who is sitting in the main seat in the hall, is quite obvious.

Who else could it be but Fang Xuanling, the imperial envoy of the court?
"Yes! The prefect is right."

"General Lü is truly brave and valiant. So many rebels in Yanzhou were wiped out by General Lü with three thousand cavalry in just three days."

"Even if the Grand Tutor were alive today, he might not be able to do it."

"General Lü Zhonglang did it, truly a rare and outstanding general in our Great Zhou."

"I believe that in just a few days, General Lü's fame will spread throughout the four states, and even the whole world."

The official sitting next to Cui Hao also stood up, looking at Lü Bu, who was sitting on the right side of the main seat, with a face full of praise.

"Indeed, General Lü's bravery is truly admirable."

"With General Lü Zhonglang leading the troops to quell the rebellion, these rebels in the four northern prefectures won't be able to cause any major trouble."

……

Immediately afterwards, the officials sitting on both sides of the hall stood up one by one and showered Lu Bu, who was sitting in the main seat on the right, with praise.

In fact, these officials of Yanzhou Prefecture were indeed shocked by Lü Bu.

No one expected that before the imperial army sent to quell the rebellion arrived, this imperial general appointed by the court had already led three thousand cavalrymen to Yanzhou in less than a day.

In just three days, he led three thousand cavalry to wipe out all the rebels causing trouble in Yanzhou.

There was no need to wait for the arrival of the 100,000-strong pacification army.

With just three thousand iron cavalry, they wiped out all the rebels in Yanzhou.

Such a record is truly astonishing.

Even though these rebels within Yanzhou were basically just a bunch of rabble who had just put down their farming tools.

Their fighting strength was inadequate, their armor and stomach were incomplete, and their discipline was lax.

But there were just too many of these rebels!
As the saying goes, even a large number of ants can kill an elephant.

With so many rebels, even a large army would probably not be enough to suppress them in three days!
As Lü Bu listened to the officials' flattery, a hint of impatience flashed across his face.

To be honest, what Lü Bu disliked most was the glib tongue of these civil officials.

They speak eloquently, but their hearts are full of wicked schemes.

Take the rebels in Yanzhou for example. Lü Bu simply did not believe that these rabble who had just put down their farming tools could be suppressed if the officials of Yanzhou concentrated all their efforts on suppressing them.

Even if we can't wipe them all out, at least we can contain the situation.

How could these rebels have managed to breach half of Yanzhou's prefectural city in such a short period of time?

Do they really think these local governments are made of paper?

Obviously not.

The problem lies with these officials.

Fang Xuanling, who was standing nearby, noticed the impatience on Lü Bu's face and directly interrupted the officials' praise of Lü Bu: "Alright, I understand everyone's admiration for General Lü."

"However, now is not the time to talk about these things."

"General Lü has led three thousand cavalry to wipe out all the rebels and rioters in Yanzhou and quelled the rebellion in Yanzhou."

"Then the next step is to quickly appease the people of Yanzhou and prevent such riots from happening again."

"Especially in those areas that suffered severe droughts before, disaster relief and assistance to the people should be doubled."

"I have been entrusted by His Majesty to take full responsibility for supervising the disaster relief efforts."

"I do not wish to see any official disregard the people again, which would ultimately lead to the people rising up in rebellion."

"If anyone dares to slack off, don't blame me for being ruthless towards him."

Fang Xuanling coldly surveyed the Yanzhou officials below in the hall and spoke.

Now that the chaos in Yanzhou has just been quelled, it is the perfect opportunity for the imperial court to win back the hearts and minds of the people and regain their support.

If, at this time, officials disregard the lives and deaths of the people and incite a popular uprising, then things will become much more difficult to manage.

Therefore, Fang Xuanling first needed to clarify the unpleasant things with the officials in Yanzhou.

Upon hearing Fang Xuanling's words, the officials of Yanzhou all turned serious and exchanged glances.

As the prefect of Yanzhou, the highest-ranking official in the prefecture, Cui Hao naturally took the lead in cooperating, saying, "Rest assured, Lord Fang, I will lead all the officials of Yanzhou to follow your arrangements and do our utmost to assist you in disaster relief."

"However, while the drought in Yanzhou is slightly less severe than in the other three states, the amount of disaster relief funds needed is still considerable. As you have seen, Lord Fang, the current situation in Yanzhou is quite dire."

"The prefecture simply doesn't have enough money or grain for disaster relief. I wonder how much disaster relief funds the imperial court has allocated to Yan Prefecture this time?"

Cui Hao looked at Fang Xuanling.

If we want to provide disaster relief and help the people, we need money and food.

It's not something you can just talk about.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling glanced at Cui Hao and said, "Lord Cui, rest assured, the Ministry of Revenue has already prepared a disaster relief plan for the four northern prefectures."

"The Ministry of Revenue has also made an estimate of the extent of the drought's impact on Yanzhou."

"The imperial court has allocated eight million taels of silver for disaster relief to Yanzhou, which should be sufficient to provide relief to the people in Yanzhou affected by the drought and war."

Fang Xuanling said.

Yanzhou is the least affected of the four northern prefectures, and eight million taels of silver is enough to provide disaster relief and rescue for the entire Yanzhou prefecture.

Upon hearing Fang Xuanling's words, the eyes of the officials in Yanzhou below lit up.

The figure of 'eight million' in particular made the eyes of most of the officials gleam.

However, these officials quickly covered it up.

Despite this, he still couldn't escape Fang Xuanling's eyes.

Fang Xuanling looked at the officials of Yanzhou below; "This eight million taels is allocated by the imperial court to Yanzhou for disaster relief. I do not want anyone to have any dishonest dealings with it."

"Do you understand everything?"

Fang Xuanling scanned the Yanzhou officials below and said with a hint of warning.

Upon hearing this, the officials of Yanzhou replied in unison, "Rest assured, Lord Fang, we understand."

Having spent so many years navigating the local officialdom, how could these officials in Yanzhou not understand Fang Xuanling's meaning!

However, understanding is one thing, saying is another.

Whether they listen or not, and whether their hands and feet are clean, is another matter entirely.

"That's good. Then everyone hurry up and get to work on disaster relief!"

Now that the rebels in Yanzhou have been completely wiped out, disaster relief and rescue should be put on the agenda immediately.

Fang Xuanling didn't want any more trouble to arise because of the delayed disaster relief.

After the officials from Yanzhou left, Fang Xuanling looked at Lü Bu beside him; "What? Did you not like the flattery from these people?"

Lu Bu snorted coldly: "Hmph, none of these officials are good people."

"If they truly cared about the people and the court, the situation in Yanzhou wouldn't have deteriorated to this point."

"Do you really believe what they just said?"

"I just saw these people, and their eyes lit up when they heard about the eight million taels of silver."

Lu Bu glanced at the departing figures of the Yan Province officials and then looked at Fang Xuanling.

Lu Bu didn't believe that Fang Xuanling, who had been appointed as an imperial envoy by the emperor, could not see the problem that even he could see.

After hearing Lü Bu's words, Fang Xuanling smiled calmly and said, "Whether they believe it or not is not important. What is important is that I have already made it very clear to them."

"If they want to die, no one can stop them."

Even the King of Hell can't persuade a ghost that's destined to die.

"Besides, I've never trusted them."

Who was Fang Xuanling?

This was a man of great wisdom and decisive action, whose name is etched in history, and who was one of the outstanding figures to be honored in the Lingyan Pavilion.

It's no wonder that someone like that can easily trust others.

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up. "When do we make our move?"

"I, Lü Bu, have long wanted to kill these officials?"

"If they can't even govern their local areas properly, what use are they?"

Lu Bu stared intently at Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling shook his head; "It's not the right time yet. Let's wait until you've wiped out the carefree king Zhou Qian and pacified Daizhou before we talk about it."

"These officials are no ordinary people. Not only do they come from powerful and wealthy families, but their relationships with the local authorities are also very complex."

“If we take action against them now, it will make it much more difficult for you to wipe out the carefree King Zhou Qian and pacify Daizhou.”

Fang Xuanling knew that now was not the time to rectify official corruption.

We must wait until Lü Bu has wiped out the carefree king Zhou Qian and pacified Daizhou before we can begin to rectify official corruption and purge the bureaucracy.

Otherwise, cracking down on official corruption now would provoke resistance from powerful and influential families.

When the powerful families in Daizhou see the situation in Yanzhou, they will definitely take precautions and may even do their best to help Lü Bu eliminate the Prince of Xiaoyao and pacify Daizhou.

This will make Lü Bu's subsequent suppression of the rebellion much more difficult.

Therefore, in Fang Xuanling's view, it would be better to wait until Lü Bu had wiped out the Prince of Xiaoyao and pacified Daizhou before starting to rectify the officialdom.

At that time, Lü Bu and his 100,000-strong army were also free to spare some time.

That would be much safer and more secure.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Lü Bu again; "Besides, when it really comes to making a move, dealing with some officials won't require you, a general commanding 100,000 troops, to take action. You're just doing this as a precaution."

"The Eastern Depot is enough."

No sooner had Fang Xuanling finished speaking than a figure silently entered.

"Lord Fang is right. We, the Eastern Depot, are enough to deal with these officials."

Cao Shaoqin walked into the hall, glanced at Lü Bu and Fang Xuanling, and tossed two letters to Fang Xuanling and Lü Bu respectively; "This is some information that our Eastern Depot has found out. In addition to the officials, it also includes some information about Zhou Qian, the Prince of Daizhou."

"Lord Fang and General Lü, please take a look!"

After meeting Cao Zhengchun at the Eastern Depot that day, Cao Shaoqin led a thousand guards directly to the four prefectures in the northwest.

He was even earlier than Lü Bu.

So, over the past few days, the factory guards have been active everywhere and have found a lot of useful information.

After Fang Xuanling and Lü Bu received the two letters that Cao Shaoqin threw at them, they frowned at Cao Shaoqin's attitude but said nothing.

The two opened the letter and began to read it.

The two men reacted differently after reading the letter.

Lu Bu was indifferent, even though the letter contained some information about Zhou Qian, the carefree king of Daizhou.

But for Lü Bu, it really made no difference whether he had it or not.

With Lu Bu's strength, no matter how much Xiaoyao Wang Zhou Qian made arrangements, how could he possibly stop Lu Bu's Fangtian Halberd?

Fang Xuanling's expression was somewhat solemn, because the things the Imperial Guard had uncovered these past few days were very useful.

If it weren't for the need to avoid making it more difficult for Lü Bu to eliminate the carefree King Zhou Qian and pacify Daizhou, Fang Xuanling could have started to reform the officialdom of Yanzhou right now.

Because what the Imperial Guard uncovered was enough to bring down a group of officials in Yanzhou, and if they dug deeper, they could definitely bring out the bad apples and clean up the bureaucracy in Yanzhou.

(End of this chapter)