When Ji Han and his men traveled to the Three Kingdoms crew

Chapter 548: Visits from Tao Qian, Kong Rong, Tian Yu, and Others (Part )
In Tao Qian's opinion, although Liu Bei did not have the arrogance of a superior, his attitude towards Chen Deng could not be simply described as easy-going.

But he did not think that Liu Bei would treat him the same way he treated Chen Deng. As for Liu Bei's conversation with the guard just now, it was common knowledge that Liu Bei was compassionate to his soldiers and treated the people well. His calm conversation with the guard was completely consistent with his impression of Liu Bei.

Liu Bei always put his name first in his words and deeds, and his purpose of coming here in a hurry was not because of Chen Deng.

Then there is only one answer - General Wei probably didn't want to make things so embarrassing, so he came here to judge my crime.
I guess this is General Wei's kindness.
General Wei has hinted to me like this, how can I refuse General Wei’s kindness?

Although this idea still has some loopholes, Tao Qian can't care about it anymore. Time waits for no one, and he doesn't have much time to think.

Because Liu Bei's eyes were already on him, Chen Deng's words of introduction followed like a death warrant.

"General Wei, this gentleman is Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou."

Before Chen Deng could finish his words, Tao Qian quickly moved forward and was about to kneel down towards Liu Bei at lightning speed.

Liu Bei's face changed slightly, but fortunately he was very skilled and had a quick reaction. Even though the small carriage restricted his movements, he still supported Tao Qian steadily before he knelt down.

"Envoy Tao, what are you doing? Envoy Tao is much older than me. To me, Envoy Tao is an elder. I am just an ordinary man. I cannot even bear the kneeling of common people. What's more, it is the kneeling of an elder. Aren't you embarrassing me?"

Liu Bei's reaction was really beyond Tao Qian's expectations. His tone didn't sound like he was here to accuse him.

After hesitating for a moment, Tao Qian decided to speak according to his original idea. "General Wei, I am not kneeling to you as an elder, but as a guilty subject, accepting your punishment."

"Accept the punishment?" Liu Bei was slightly stunned. He seemed to have guessed something, and then looked at Chen Deng with some uncertainty.

Chen Deng sighed, "General Wei, this is about Zuo Rong."

笮融
Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar name, Liu Bei instantly understood why Tao Qian called him a criminal. Four words - poor supervision.

This problem is big and small at the same time.

On normal days, most people wouldn't be too harsh.

But this time was different. This time Zhang Fei used "heavenly thunder" to kill Zuo Rong.

Even if we take a step back and ignore the significance of Zuo Rong being struck to death by lightning, the person who asked Zhang Fei to attract the lightning was the emperor, Liu Bei.

From this incident we can see his and the emperor's intentions. Any act that harms the people will be unforgivable!

What about Tao Qian who condoned and tolerated Zheng Pi's betrayal? Wasn't that a serious dereliction of duty?
In addition, Liu Bei guessed from Tao Qian's expression and Chen Deng's retelling that Tao Qian felt guilty about the matter.

So no matter how polite he was, even if he went out of the city to greet him, in Tao Qian's view, he would definitely be held accountable.

After sorting out the matter, Liu Bei said: "General Tao, people can make mistakes, and horses can stumble. Even the most rigorous gentlemen can make mistakes. It is true that Zuo Rong harmed the people of Xuzhou, and it is also true that he made us angry. But Yuanlong acted in time to control this scourge, and you did not try to stop him."

Liu Bei would not just comfort Tao Qian. His tone gradually became serious. "Of course, the poor supervision is the fault of Envoy Tao. It seems that Envoy Tao is not suitable to be the governor. I want the doctors of the Imperial College to sort out the classics. Envoy Tao will be demoted to the position of the principal of the Imperial College. The principal is the academic official after I and other wise ministers discussed the reform of the Imperial College. His duties are to enforce the school rules, examine and teach. The salary is 600 dan."

Six hundred stones.
The official salary of a provincial governor is 600 dan, but how much it actually is depends entirely on the individual governor.

Liu Bei's treatment of Tao Qian was to keep his original salary and demote him to a school official. For others, the punishment was not too severe, and it almost cut off the possibility of promotion.

Tao Qian knew that his health had been deteriorating day by day in recent years, and he was becoming increasingly exhausted.

It’s not so much a demotion as it is more like finding a suitable place for him so that he can recuperate while not being idle.

Tao Qian said with shame: "General Wei, I am a guilty subject, how could I allow General Wei to treat me so leniently?"

"Envoy Tao, Yuanlong once mentioned to me in a letter that when you governed Xuzhou, you were always thinking about the people. Even if you didn't make any contributions, you worked hard. How can this be considered lenient?"

After some consolation, Liu Bei finally convinced Tao Qian.

At the same time, Tao Qian noticed that Liu Bei's attitude towards him seemed unusual, not polite and respectful, but more like sighing and grateful.
No! Gratitude is not quite right, it's more like respect.

How strange.

He didn't understand why there was any need to respect a failed governor.

Naturally, Kong Rong and Tian Yu could not be concealed from the happenings here. Originally, Liu Bei wanted to withdraw and leave to invite Kong Rong and Tian Yu.

Who knew that Kong Rong and Tian Yu were one step ahead. Kong Rong clasped his fists towards Liu Bei and said with emotion: "I am Kong Rong Kong Wenju, the Prime Minister of Beihai State. I am honored to meet General Wei."

"Prime Minister Kong is good at poetry and writing, and has great talent. I have admired him for a long time."

"Hahaha." The well-mannered Kong Rong laughed out loud upon hearing Liu Bei's praise. He didn't look like a famous scholar at all.

After temporarily sending Kong Rong away, Liu Bei welcomed Tian Yu.

Tian Yu apologized and said, "Tian Yu and Tian Guorang from Yuyang Yongnu have met General Wei."

"Yide and Yunchang both said that Guorang was an extraordinary hero. Today I see that he is indeed the case!"

Everyone, including Tian Yu, noticed that when Liu Bei was communicating with Tian Yu, the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than a crossbow, and his smile was particularly brilliant.

It's like meeting a long-lost friend again.

This made Tian Yu a little confused, and he couldn't help wondering if he and Liu Bei were old acquaintances. Why did he want to make close friends with Liu Bei after just a few words? This was not the way he was curious about Liu Bei!
"Gentlemen, the wind is strong outside the city, why don't you follow me into the city and have a chat?"

At Liu Bei's invitation, everyone followed Liu Bei to Shouchun.

When you enter Shouchun, you can see the spirit of the people on the street and hear their conversations.

Tao Qian could not help feeling ashamed and thought: If General Wei were in charge of Xuzhou, Xuzhou would probably be more prosperous.

When Kong Rong heard the policies promulgated by Liu Bei from the mouths of the people, he felt that they were heavenly. They all said that my ideas were unorthodox, but wasn't General Wei even more unorthodox? And the people praised his unorthodoxy!
Tian Yu's thoughts were uncontrollably divergent. He was able to achieve this level of recuperation after the war. No wonder the prestige of the Chang'an Elite Guard General was so high. It seems that there is still a lot to learn.
Liu Bei, Tao Qian, Kong Rong, Tian Yu and others stayed in Shouchun for one day and soon hurried back to Beijing.

(End of this chapter)