Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 172: Scheme against each other
In the Langdiao County government office, Liu He was holding an official letter with a frown on his face.

Cui Jun looked at Liu He's expression, somewhat confused.

"My Lord, I wonder what specific instructions the Governor's Office has for you?"

Liu He put down the official letter.

"This order is a bit strange. Governor Zhang bypassed the governor and sent a letter directly, saying that he agreed with my request and would recommend the military advisor to the court as the magistrate of Yu County, Yunchang as the county magistrate, and Gongyi as the county lieutenant."

Now that he heard that the Provincial Government had agreed to recommend this list to the court, Cui Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is a good thing. This way, Yu County will be legitimately under the control of the lord!"

Liu He waved his hand.

"It's not that simple. There is another order in the letter. The governor praised us for our wisdom and courage and our loyalty to the country. He said that the traitor Zhang Jue failed in his attack on Luoyang and has now come to Shangdang County in Bingzhou. He plans to plunder Shangdang and then return to Jizhou and enter Wei County to reorganize his troops and horses for another battle."

Cui Jun also seemed to hear something strange.

"What? Did the governor ask our army to go to Shangdang County to intercept the Yellow Turban Army?"

Liu He nodded with some heaviness.

"Yes, that's the order."

"Hiss..." Cui Jun couldn't help but his face turned pale.

"How can this be accomplished? Although Zhang Jiao was defeated in his attack on Luoyang, he still has 60,000 to 70,000 troops. The general Huangfu Song who was in charge of chasing him only led an army of 60,000. Therefore, he dared not approach the Yellow Turban Army too hard, otherwise he would provoke the enemy to turn back and fight to the death, and the imperial army would not be able to guarantee victory. Therefore, he could only delay slowly, hoping to rely on the solid logistical support of the imperial army to wear the enemy down. And my Anmin Army has only a few thousand troops. Facing such a large army, how can we stop it?"

"Alas, He also knows what the military advisor said, which is why he is frowning here. I have never met this Governor Zhang and have never offended him. Why is he making things difficult for me?"

Liu He's words also stumped Cui Jun.

Cui Jun stood up, paced back and forth, and suddenly thought of something.

"I have heard that Governor Zhang likes brave men and is used to recruiting heroes. He often goes to the border areas because he believes that the more brave people there are in the areas bordering the barbarians. So in my opinion, he must have taken a fancy to the bravery of the lord and the generals and wanted to take this opportunity to test them. If the lord is defeated and killed, he will no longer care. If the lord performs well, Governor Zhang will definitely find a way to recruit the lord to serve under him."

Liu He still didn't understand.

"But the military strength of both sides is so different. If we lose, we will be in danger of extinction in an instant. How can we fight for our lives?"

Cui Jun smiled and said, "This is easy to solve. If he wants to test us, we can also test him."

Liu He's face was full of eagerness: "How to test it?"

Cui Jun walked up to Liu He and said, "My lord, you can write a letter of divorce, stating that you have few soldiers and no food. Although you have the heart to serve the country, you are afraid that you are unable to share the country's worries. Please ask this governor Zhang to support one soldier and ten thousand stones of food and grass, and go together to suppress the rebellion. As long as we can have a total force of 20,000, plus General Huangfu's 60,000 soldiers, we can attack from both sides. Even if we cannot win, we should be able to protect ourselves."

"If the governor does not agree to this request, then it is obvious that he wants to take this opportunity to get rid of the lord. Then we will make plans later."

Liu He slapped his forehead and said, "Great! If this is accomplished, this great and virtuous teacher will become a huge experience package for our Anmin Army! It's so cool!"

Cui Jun was stunned: "Experience pack? What is this?"

"Haha, it's nothing, Military Advisor, don't mind. I'll write the official letter right away."

In the governor's mansion, Zhang Yi was holding the official letter sent by Liu He, looking hesitant.

"Sir, Lord Wang Chen is here."

Zhang Yi then raised his head: "Oh, let him in."

A servant from the mansion walked in with a young man in fancy clothes.

"Morning greetings to the Governor!"

"My dear nephew, you have come at the right time. Liu He from Langtiao County has replied. Let's take a look together and see what to do."

When Wang Chen heard this, he immediately became interested.

"Oh? In that case, I am overstepping my authority." He took the official letter handed over by Zhang Yi and read it carefully.

After reading this, Wang Chen became furious.

"How ridiculous! This little Liu He is asking for too much! He even dared to ask for 20,000 dan of grain and 25,000 soldiers. Who does he think he is? Even if he gets the money, how can he command so many soldiers? He clearly has evil intentions! Your Excellency should arrest him immediately and take him to Luoyang for punishment!"

Zhang Yi was a little unhappy: "I don't need my nephew to teach me how to act, right?"

Wang Chen immediately realized that he had lost his temper and quickly apologized.

"Chen was also angry for a moment, so he lost his composure. I'm sorry for the offense, sir."

Zhang Yi's expression eased, "Never mind, it's just a small matter. But what Liu He said is not without reason. Zhang Jiao is the leader of the Taiping Dao after all, and his power is huge. Although he was defeated this time, he still has tens of thousands of people. Even Huangfu Yizhen didn't dare to fight him head-on. Letting Liu He with only three to five thousand people to block his way back to Jizhou is really like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and it also goes against my original intention of wanting to subdue him."

When Wang Chen heard this, he seemed a little anxious.

"Does the Lord want to agree to him?"

Zhang Yi waved his hand and said, "Of course, I can't agree to it completely. However, a few days ago, you suggested to me that I send him to deal with the Taiping Rebellion. You said that as long as I could put him in danger and then rescue him, he would definitely follow me wholeheartedly. Now, what do you think about this matter?"

Zhang Yi's eyes were as bright as lightning as he stared at Wang Chen, causing Wang Chen to instinctively lower his head and avoid his gaze.

"In my humble opinion, we must give them food and fodder. Otherwise, he will think that you are deliberately trying to harm him, and there is no way he will be accepted. But don't give too much."

"Oh? Why is that? With the abilities shown by this boy, if he is given enough troops, perhaps he can really accomplish extraordinary feats. Wouldn't Bingzhou be very proud of him then?"

Wang Chen's eyes rolled around, as if he was thinking about something.

"As the Lord said, once this person has enough strength, he may really be able to rule the world. But do you think that if that day really comes, will you still have a share of this great achievement?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi closed his eyes slightly and stroked his goatee.

"My dear nephew, what you mean is..."

Wang Chen took a step closer to Zhang Yi.

"Once this happens, this boy will be fully grown. With such great achievements in suppressing the Yellow Turbans, he will rise to prominence without any difficulty. Why would he need to rely on your support? If so, wouldn't you be celebrating for nothing?"

Zhang Yi nodded slightly: "That makes sense. Then, in your opinion, how should I deal with it?"

Wang Chen said: "All his requests will be granted, but the number will be discounted. For example, now that bandits are rampant and there are barbarians invading, the governor's office must leave enough troops to deal with them. Give him 8,000 troops and 5,000 stones of food and grass. Zhang Jiao's main force is used to guard against General Huangfu, and will not pay too much attention to Liu He. With such troops and his ability, he should have no problem protecting himself. After he has made some contributions, you can lead the army to support him. You can take the opportunity to take the credit for suppressing the bandits and win his heart, killing two birds with one stone!"

Zhang Yi's eyes flashed with a sharp light when he heard this.

"Okay! My dear nephew is indeed trained by Senior Brother Zi himself. He is truly an unrivaled talent in the country! Just do it. I will give the order immediately!"

"Wait a minute, sir. There is one more thing you need to pay attention to, and that is the commander of the reinforcements sent this time."

Zhang Yi was puzzled: "How difficult is that? Just send an incompetent person."

Wang Chen shook his head: "If that is the case, then the 8,000-strong army will most likely be annexed by Liu He and truly become his army, and will no longer be under your command."

"Why?"

"My lord, have you forgotten? Liu He has always been a silver-tongued man. With his mouth, he persuaded so many people to serve him. Guan Yu and Cheng Liang were just gangsters, so it would be fine. Even Cui Tingwei's young son was persuaded by him to leave home and follow him. If you really send an incompetent person, it is very likely that this person will be persuaded by Liu He and lead his army to surrender to him completely. In this way, it will be even more difficult for you to control him."

"Furthermore, if the leader is weak and incompetent, even if Liu He is not persuaded to surrender, the great credit for pacifying Zhang Jue will certainly be taken away by Liu He. I'm afraid that General Huangfu's memorial will not even mention your name, Sir Governor. Isn't that like a cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest? It won't be long before Liu He will still be a general under your command. It's still unknown."

Zhang Yi looked as if he had suddenly realized something. "If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have thought of this. This boy is both intelligent and brave, and he is truly a pillar of the court. However, if I can't use such a talent, it would be inconvenient. Hmm... let me think about it... Although I have dozens of generals under my command, most of them are either mediocre or weak-willed and cannot take on this task. There are only two people who can be considered as candidates."

Wang Chen quickly asked, "Oh? Who are these two generals?"

Guess which two they are. In addition, thanks to book friends Cang Jue and Shui Jie Qiu Rou tg for their rewards.

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(End of this chapter)