With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

The old man was very moved. Zhao Yun brought another bowl to Dazhuang. The little guy was no longer a stranger to him and took it and grabbed it right away.

Before Zhao Yun could even try to persuade him, he had already reached into the bowl, scooped up a piece of fish, and swallowed it into his mouth.

Zhao Yun hurriedly reminded him, "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you, watch out for fish bones."

Despite this, Dazhuang ate very quickly. Zhao Yun was both happy and distressed to see him like this. After he finished eating, Zhao Yun brought him another large bowl.

Zhang Niu is fifty years old, but his health is not so good. He has been eating poorly for many years and his nutrition is not up to par, which makes him look older than his peers.

But seeing his son eating so heartily, he was still very pleased.

While chatting with him, Liu Xie inquired about the current situation of the fishermen in the vicinity. Zhang Niu sighed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, if we had even a small plot of land at home, we would not want to go out to sea to fish. This profession is not only hard and tiring, but also very risky. Even if we catch more fish, we can't sell them for a good price."

Gan Ning nodded. “Your Majesty, what the old man said makes sense. I used to fish too, and it’s true that you can’t get a good price for fish. The people don’t value this kind of thing. If you sell it for too high a price, no one will buy it. Besides, the fish you catch are all about freshness, so you have to sell them as soon as possible. You can’t get a good price for them.”

The old man sighed, "Yes, we fishermen really have no choice. We don't have any land at home, and we can't do any other business. We sell the fish we catch if we can, and if we can't sell them, we just eat them as our own food."

If this were in later generations, fishing would be considered a very violent profession. Liu Xie had spent some time in Weihai in his previous life.

The town where he lives is full of fishermen. Every household has a boat. The boss doesn't have to do anything. He just hires people to drive the boat and fish. It's easy for him to earn hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan a year.

On one occasion, he witnessed a boss driving a BMW to pick up his new employee, taking him directly from the station to the ship.

The fish caught sell out easily. As soon as the boat docks, the shore is already packed with people, and some have even placed orders in advance.

But now, the fishermen here live in poverty and hardship. The fish they catch can't fetch a good price, and most of them are eaten by themselves as food.

This is a very serious and common problem. The people are very poor. Their staple food is mainly grain. It's good enough if they can fill their stomachs with grain. Where would they find spare money to eat fish and improve their lives?

Fishermen either eat the fish they catch themselves or sell them cheaply, which has led to a generally low market price for fish over time.

Unless you find a wealthy buyer, you won't get a good price.

This was a rather thorny issue, and Liu Xie kept it in mind. He believed that this was by no means an isolated case, but rather a widespread social problem.

After the meal, Liu Xie, Zhao Yun, and Gan Ning took a walk together in the camp.

Zhao Yun suddenly remembered something, “Your Majesty, the Prefect of Donglai seems to be a former general of Yuan Tan, and his official position was also appointed by Yuan Tan.”

Liu Xie asked, "Are you worried that he's unreliable?"

Liu Xie tried his best to search his memory for this person. Historical records show that in 203, after Yuan Tan's attack on Yuan Shang failed, various places in Hebei responded and competed to support Yuan Shang. Only Guan Tong disregarded everything and came to join Yuan Tan, and was appointed as the governor of Le'an.

In 205, Cao Cao's army captured Qingzhou, Yuan Tan was defeated, and all the surrounding areas surrendered, except for Guan Tong, who refused to surrender in Le'an.

Cao Cao ordered Wang Xiu to kill Guan Tong, but Wang Xiu believed that Guan Tong was loyal to his former master and admirable, so he untied Guan Tong and let him go to see Cao Cao, who then pardoned him.

The Records of the Three Kingdoms, Biography of Wang Xiu, provides a clear account of this.

Zhao Yun thought for a moment and replied, "It's not that I don't trust this person, but after all, the problems arose under his rule."

Liu Xie nodded. "That's true. No matter what, he can't escape the blame for dereliction of duty."

When Liu Xie was about to rest at night, Dian Man ran in from outside.

He has now officially joined the Dragon Guard. In terms of appearance and height, he looks somewhat similar to Dian Wei, but he is much less imposing.

Dian Wei had a fierce appearance; just by looking at him, he could frighten others and make them afraid to approach him easily.

Although Dian Man was not small, he had a kind of simple and honest appearance, and looked like an honest man.

But this is just appearance. Dian Wei looks fierce, but he is kind at heart. Dian Man looks honest, but he is actually a little tiger. People are often deceived by his appearance.

Once, Liu Xie witnessed Dian Man fighting with someone in the training ground. When Dian Man lost his temper, he almost picked up the person and tore him apart.

They are as strong as oxen, and can be quite frightening when they get angry.

Dian Man reported: "Your Majesty, the Prefect of Donglai is requesting an audience outside the tent!"

"He's here again so late." Liu Xie sat up and ordered, "Let him in."

Not long after, Guan Tong entered respectfully and immediately knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I am guilty of a capital offense. I failed to discover that a group of bandits had appeared within our territory."

"Oh? You found out so quickly?"

Liu Xie was curious and somewhat suspicious. Did he know all along but simply keep quiet?

"After I returned, I immediately visited several nearby fishing villages and found out that the leader of that group was named Guan Cheng." "Guan Cheng?" This name caught Liu Xie's attention.

Historically, Cao Cao sent troops to suppress Guan Cheng several times. Three of the Five Good Generals were dispatched: Zhang He, Yue Jin, and Li Dian. Although they eventually defeated Guan Cheng, he gathered a group of followers and fled to the island, continuing to wreak havoc in the region. Even Cao Cao was unable to deal with him.

Liu Xie squinted at Guan Tong and asked, "He's from Qingzhou, and you're from Qingzhou too. His surname is Guan, and yours is Guan as well. Is there some connection between you two? Could you be from the same clan?"

Liu Xie did not recall many people with the surname Guan during the Three Kingdoms period, but the few famous people with the surname Guan were all from Qingzhou.

Guan Tong, Guan Cheng, Guan Ning, Guan Gong, and Guan Hai, who was involved in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, were all very likely from Qingzhou, since Beihai was originally under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou.

Liu Xie's question startled Guan Tong, who hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground and replied, "Your subject dares not conceal the truth. Guan Cheng is indeed a member of my clan. However, the Guan surname is a common surname in Qingzhou, and he is just a minor branch. He has long since stopped associating with us. Since he caused trouble with the Yellow Turbans, the clan chief no longer acknowledges him as one of our clansmen."

"Where is he now? Have you found out?"

"He is in Changguang County, but that is not under my jurisdiction," Guan Tong replied somewhat helplessly.

Originally, that place was Changguang County, under the jurisdiction of Donglai Commandery. However, Cao Cao later changed Changguang County into Changguang Commandery and appointed He Kui as its governor.

Liu Xie let out a cold laugh and said, "From now on, there is no longer a Changguang Commandery in the world. It will still be under your jurisdiction. I hereby order you to take men and arrest Guan Cheng for me. Can you do it?"

Guan Tong did not hesitate and immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I can do it. I will definitely bring the person to you."

"Okay, go ahead."

After Guan Tong left, Liu Xie called Zhao Yun in and instructed him, "You and Zhang He should prepare immediately. I'm afraid Guan Cheng won't be so easy to deal with."

"Your Majesty, if that's the case, why did you still send the steward?"

Liu Xie smiled, "Zilong, weren't you just worried that this person couldn't be trusted? I can't just abandon him because he was once Yuan Tan's subordinate. I'm willing to give him a chance."

Zhao Yun turned and strode away. Liu Xie looked outside the tent, a surge of anger rising in his heart.

Cao Cao changed Changguang County to Changguang Commandery. At that time, Liu Xie was merely a puppet, and it was all Cao Cao's idea.

But now, Guan Cheng has suddenly emerged as a major threat, leaving even the governor of Donglai feeling helpless, which makes Liu Xie very angry.

Liu Xie wanted to erase Cao Cao's influence.

In this world, the Liu family is in charge, and one person who truly holds the reins is enough!

Guan Tong returned to the prefect's office and immediately gathered his men, rushing to Changguang County overnight.

He Kui had already gone to sleep when the soldiers guarding the city came running in the middle of the night to report, banging loudly on the door, which woke He Kui up.

He Kui barely opened his eyes and scolded the servants in an annoyed tone, "What is it that has disturbed my sweet dreams?"

"Prefect, something terrible has happened! The prefect has arrived with his men."

The messenger stammered, nearly biting his own tongue. There was no way around it; both were prefects. He Kui was appointed by Cao Cao as the prefect of Changguang Commandery, while Guan Tong was the prefect of Donglai Commandery.

He Kui said angrily, "What do you mean by this prefect and that prefect? ​​Straighten your tongue and speak clearly."

"The one who came is the Prefect of Donglai. The Prefect said that you are no longer the Prefect. His Majesty just issued an edict that Changguang County will be restored to its old system and will remain Changguang County."

"What?" He Kui was completely bewildered, as if he were in a dream. Everything had happened so suddenly.

"The governor is outside the city. He ordered us to open the city gates immediately."

He Kui felt that the messenger's message was not very clear, so he hurriedly put on his clothes and went up to the city gate. He saw that many torches were lit outside the city and thousands of people had gathered. The leader was Guan Tong, the governor of Donglai.

He Kui was naturally familiar with Guan Tong, but since the two had always been of equal rank, He Kui didn't need to report to Guan Tong when he had something to do; he directly obeyed Cao Cao's orders.

He Kui, leaning against the city wall, asked, "Prefect Guan, why have you led your troops to my Changguang County in the dead of night, making such a large mobilization?"

“He Kui, didn’t the messenger make it clear to you? Changguang County no longer exists, and there will be no more Changguang County Prefect. You probably don’t know yet, but His Majesty has already arrived in Donglai County. I have come here on a royal mission, and I now order you to open the city gates immediately, so as not to delay my important business.”

He Kui finally understood. It turned out that Changguang County had really been abolished. If this was true, he, who was highly valued by Cao Cao, would immediately go from being on equal footing with Guan Tong to being Guan Tong's subordinate, and would be automatically demoted from prefect to county magistrate.

"Open the city gates immediately, stop arguing!" Guan Tong urged again, clearly anxious.

He Kui couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are you going to do with so many soldiers?"

"What are you doing? This matter is also related to you. I need to capture the bandit Guan Cheng, and you have been protecting him all along, saying that you would influence him and make him abandon the darkness and turn to the light. In the end, we have all been deceived by you."

(End of this chapter)