Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 129 Recruitment Standards
Finally, it was Guan Yu who stood up and said, "Alas, big brother, this is not a big deal. My father-in-law and Uncle Su have other children. Some of them follow them in business, and some study at home or travel around. The day before yesterday, they sent someone to find me and my third brother, wanting us to come forward and talk to you, big brother, to see if we can recommend their children to seek a position in our Langtiao County or the Anmin Army, so that they can shed the skin of merchants and get an official position."

After that, Guan Yu sighed softly, and Cheng Liang continued, "Hey, my second brother and I were thinking that it's really hard to talk about this kind of thing, so we kept refusing for a long time at the banquet just now."

Liu He now understood what was going on.

In fact, he had been prepared for this kind of thing. Although these businessmen gave up their wealth and followed him for reasons of justice and ambition, in the final analysis, a large part of the reason was actually to give up business and go into politics, and to transform from a "merchant" who was a mid-level worker in the "scholar-farmer-artisan" class to a "scholar".

Although the Zhang and Su families have big businesses, they have always been despised. Now they have finally climbed up a branch that is not big but presentable. Naturally, they have to put all their efforts to climb up.

If one wants to become an official, it is not enough to rely on a son-in-law alone. The most important thing is to have a son who is an official. After all, a son is a true family member in the sense of blood.

Liu He smiled and said, "I thought it was a big deal, but it turned out to be just a small matter. It's easy to handle. But I don't know what the sons and daughters that the two uncles want to recommend look like, and what talents they have."

Seeing that Liu He had no intention of blaming them, the four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Reporting to my elder brother, the one recommended by the Zhang family is my father-in-law's second son, and my wife's second brother, named Zhang Long, with the courtesy name Dexing. The one recommended by the Su family is my uncle Su's eldest son, named Su Mao, with the courtesy name Yuansheng. They are the same age, one year younger than my third brother and I. They have been studying since they were young. As for their talents, my third brother and I have no idea."

Guan Yu explained the situation one by one, and Liu He nodded repeatedly.

"Well... let's do this. I'll trouble you two brothers to write a letter and invite them to come to Langtiao County. We brothers will test them and find out what their talents are so that we can use them according to their abilities."

The four were overjoyed when they heard this. They could finally go back and give an explanation without having to worry too much.

Liu He said seriously, "My two brothers, now that chaos is approaching, our current strength is enough to protect ourselves, but if we want to develop further, the need for talent is still urgent. If there are talented people willing to join us, as long as they are trustworthy in character, we will accept them all. Whether they are civil or military, there will always be a place for them to use their talents. Why should we be afraid of what outsiders say? Qi Huangyang recommended talents regardless of their relationship with him, and it was the same reason. As long as you have a public spirit, you can have a clear conscience."

Several people also expressed their deep agreement with Liu He's words.

"Brother, I'll remember what you said!"

After bidding farewell to Liu He, Guan Yu and Cheng Liang took their wives home. Along the way, the two women could not hide their gratitude to Liu He and looked a little excited. However, Cheng Liang could see that Guan Yu seemed to be worried about something.

"Second brother, why are you still frowning?"

"Yes, husband, the matter has been settled. We have also explained to my parents, so we should be happy."

Guan Yu glared at Zhang Yan: "Women's opinions!"

Zhang Yan suddenly felt wronged and couldn't help sobbing. Su Yue held her in her arms and comforted her.

"Third brother, didn't you hear what elder brother meant?"

Cheng Liang looked puzzled: "Implications? No, isn't everything fine?"

Guan Yu said sternly, "When has Big Brother ever come to discuss matters with you and me? He has never gone to the meeting room before? But tonight, Big Brother specially asked us to stay and brought us to the meeting room to discuss this matter. He also said those words at the end. Why do you think that was the reason?"

Cheng Liang thought about it carefully and felt something was wrong, so he asked Guan Yu: "It's really strange, what's going on?" "Brother wants to tell us, and also the Zhang and Su families, that it's okay to recommend people, as long as they are both virtuous and talented, and loyal to the country, they can be hired based on their abilities, but if they want to seek personal gain, then there's no mercy for them. The people that Brother wants to employ, once they take office, must be of one mind with us brothers to protect the country and the people. This is a public matter, not a personal one."

After Guan Yu finished speaking, he let out a long breath, and Cheng Liang seemed to understand.

"Second brother, what you said makes sense. That's what happened. Well, we should pay attention to this matter in the future and handle it impartially. Yes, we should handle it impartially! Otherwise, wouldn't we be the same as those dog officials?"

Guan Yu was originally worried that Cheng Liang would not understand his elder brother's hint, so he specifically said these words to him. Now that he saw that he understood it, he felt relieved.

"Third brother, let's go back immediately and write a letter to my father-in-law and others, stating that when recommending talents, we must always focus on public affairs. We will also speak impartially on whether the people we recommend are worthy of being employed. A real man should be loyal and righteous first!"

Cheng Liang nodded again and again after hearing this: "Not bad, not bad, what Second Brother said is right, that's how it should be!"

Zhang Yan and Su Yue had no objection to this way of handling the matter. They also knew that even if they had an opinion, they could not change their husbands' minds, so they did not say much. They just helped polish the tone and wording when Guan Yu and Cheng Liang went home to write letters, so as not to upset their own families.

A few days later, Zhang Ding and Su Shuang received letters from the two. After reading them, Zhang Ding quickly called Su Shuang to his home.

"Brother Su, our two good sons-in-law wrote back and said this, what do you think this means?"

Zhang Ding frowned slightly, and Su Shuang was also at a loss for a moment.

"I can't guess. Did Magistrate Liu agree or not?"

Zhang Ding listened to Su Shuang's question and shook his head.

"I think it's this County Magistrate Liu who wants to use our son-in-law to tell us not to be complacent and try to directly interfere in government affairs. However, judging from the tone of the letter, he seems to have some expectations for the two children we recommended. I really can't see through this young County Magistrate."

Su Shuang patted the table and said, "Hey, let's not think too much about it. Since the letter says so, let's send Dexing and Yuansheng to Langtiao County. Since County Magistrate Liu said that he would use talents according to their abilities and handle official matters impartially, we don't have to worry about it."

Zhang Ding nodded and said, "Brother Su, what you said makes sense. We sent our two children to study when they were young. Others may not know their level, but you and I know it. It's just that we were born in a humble family and have never had the opportunity to show what we have learned. If this County Magistrate Liu can really handle things impartially, it will be a good thing for us. Okay, let's do it!"

That afternoon, the two asked their son to pack his bags, prepare the carriage, and head towards Langtiao County.

However, before the two of them arrived in Langdiao County, Qian Li brought someone over first.

It turned out that early this morning, Qian Li went to Wanshou Township to inspect how the people were spending the New Year after they had just experienced a drought.

Although Qian Li was a commoner, he had a very high prestige in the countryside and was quite loved. When everyone saw him coming, they came forward to ask him some questions about sowing in preparation for the spring planting. Qian Li was also very patient and slowly explained to everyone.

However, while he was explaining, a man in his thirties raised a question, saying that one of the methods Qian Li mentioned might not work when it comes to the less fertile land in the mountains and needs to be improved.

(End of this chapter)