Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 189 Acceptance of Appointment
A few days later, in the meeting hall of the Langtiao County government, except for Cheng Liang who had already led his troops to Luwei County, the rest of the people gathered together. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing why Liu He had called everyone here this time.

Liu He and Cui Jun walked out together, and everyone's eyes turned over immediately.

Liu He motioned for everyone to sit down, and he sat in the main seat in the middle, then took out a piece of cloth.

"This is the imperial appointment letter, which was handed to me by Governor Zang early this morning."

Guan Yu and others looked delighted.

"The appointment letter has finally arrived? I wonder what position the court has given you, brother?"

"Hehe, I think, the eldest brother should at least be a prefect, right? Then we brothers can also become county magistrates."

"Alright, brothers, stop making trouble and let Big Brother finish speaking."

Zhang Yong seemed to see that Cui Jun's face was not very good, and felt that the appointment letter was not as he imagined, so he spoke up to stop everyone from making a fuss.

Liu He smiled with a relaxed look on his face and said, "Haha, what Dehui said is not quite accurate, but it is almost right. The court appointed me as the commander of Yanmen County, the military advisor as the magistrate of Yangqu County, my second brother as the magistrate of Fenyang County, my third and fourth brothers as the magistrates of Yu County and Langtiao County respectively, and my fifth brother as the county commander of Langtiao County. In this way, everyone is officially appointed by the court."

Zhu Ye was heartless and didn't notice anything was wrong at all. He was laughing so hard that wrinkles on his face were almost showing.

"Haha, I, Zhu Ye, have finally become a county lieutenant, not bad!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Yong were not happy at all. Instead, they were shocked and angry, especially Guan Yu, whose eyebrows almost stood up.

"Yanmen? This is the northern border of our Han Dynasty. It is said that Yunzhong and Shuofang counties are no longer in existence. Only Wuyuan, Dingxiang and the southern counties of Yanmen are left. They are still struggling to survive, but they are also harassed by the Xiongnu and Xianbei for many years. Brother, you have made great military achievements, why are you exiled to such a bitter and cold place? Is the court really so incompetent?"

"Yes, didn't General Huangfu ask for merit for big brother? I've heard that many governors and commanders of Yanmen either resigned or tried to transfer away. The rest were almost all killed by the barbarians. Few were lucky enough to escape. This is not a reward, it's clearly a request for big brother's life!"

Only then did Zhu Ye understand.

"This is not a good thing! Big brother, we can't go! This Yanmen Pass is so dangerous. Those shitty officials above must be jealous of you and afraid that you will take their positions. Humph! This shitty court deserves to be beaten by Zhang Jue!"

"Yes, Brother Liu, we now own three county towns, plus Magistrate Zhao's Luwei County, which is enough to support 40,000 troops. Why take that risk?"

Ye Xiang rarely spoke.

Liu He shook his head.

"Yunchang, Mingwei, Dehui, Yuanqing, I know what you said. But I have to go to Yanmen."

Yuanqing is Ye Xiang's courtesy name. He was not yet twenty years old, but a few days ago, Liu He held a coming-of-age ceremony for him in advance because he considered that everyone's future arrangements were not yet clear.

At this time, Tang Zhou on the side sat up straight, bowed and asked.

"My lord, the imperial court is clearly harboring ill intentions. Why do you want to take risks? There are millions of remnants of the Taiping Dao, wreaking havoc in all directions. It will be time-consuming and laborious for the imperial court to conquer them. My lord once said that if things continue like this, within a few years, many heroes will rise up. In this case, we will stay here and manage several counties in peace. I believe that the imperial court will not be able to do anything to me."

Although Liu He did not like Tang Zhou, he had made great contributions after all, and those Yellow Turban surrendered soldiers needed his help in pacifying and managing them in a short period of time. So Liu He asked him to temporarily take over as the county magistrate of Langtiao County, and gave him the first dagger forged by the three blacksmiths, which made this man so happy that he was at a loss.

Liu He expected that everyone was against going north to Yanmen. He did not interrupt them, but waited until everyone had expressed their opinions before waving his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"I know what you are talking about. To be honest, not long ago, the governor, Mr. Zhang, was defending Shangjun against the invasion of the Xiongnu. Unfortunately, he was seriously injured and died for his country. Now the court has ordered a man named Ding Yuan to succeed him as governor."

When everyone heard this, they became more determined in their opinions. Even the governor was killed in the battle. This showed how powerful the foreign forces were, how strong their combat capability was, and how brutal their nature was.

Shangjun was located to the west of Bingzhou, and its main enemy was the Xiongnu. After the attacks of Emperor Wu, Emperor Xuan, Emperor Yuan, and Emperor Zhang, the Xiongnu were no longer as powerful as they used to be. The vast grasslands in the north had long been ruled by the Xianbei. Facing the Xiongnu was so tragic, and facing the Xianbei to the north of Yanmen was even more tragic. The voices of opposition became increasingly strong.

Liu He stood up and walked to the center of the conference room.

"I have said that the trip to Yanmen is a must, for three reasons."

Everyone immediately pricked up their ears, wanting to hear Liu He's plan.

"First, this is an appointment by the court. If you don't go, it will be against the order, which will definitely bring you great disaster. Although we are now quite powerful, if we openly defy the court, don't you see what happened to Zhang Jue?"

"Secondly, it is true that Yanmen is bitterly cold, but this also means that the people of Yanmen suffer day and night and are worried and frightened. As far as I know, there are still hundreds of thousands of people in Yanmen County, and they are also Han people. We have been hiding in Langtiao County for several years and fought bloody battles with the Yellow Turban Army many times. Now we have finally survived the cold winter. Our strength is no less than that of the governor. What do we rely on? It is because of the people's loyalty that we have today's glory. Now that we have achieved something, do we have to abandon our original intention and only pursue our own fame and fortune?"

These two questions made Cui Jun, Guan Yu and others lower their heads, feeling a little ashamed.

Liu He continued.

"Third, the Yellow Turbans are rebelling now. Although Zhang Jue is dead, the chaos in the world has not diminished but increased. Many mountain bandits and rebels took this opportunity to raise troops under the banner of the Yellow Turbans, gathered in the mountains, and attacked cities. The court was unable to control them, and the localities recruited soldiers and developed their armaments on their own. The trend of the princes in the Central Plains rising up is unstoppable. We got caught up in the princes' struggle early, which was harmful and useless. We fled to Yanmen. Although we have to face foreign cavalry, as long as we survive this difficulty, we will be famous all over the world. By then, we will return to the Central Plains with strength and revive the prestige of the Han Dynasty. Who can stop me!"

"Good! Big brother, you are right. We now know we are wrong!"

Guan Yu was the first to stand up and bowed his head to apologize.

"Everything is at the command of my lord/brother!"

Liu He's words completely convinced everyone and they no longer objected.

Liu He happily returned to his seat and began to give orders.

"Langtiao County and Yu County have been completely controlled by us, but Fenyang County has not yet been truly controlled. Second brother, lead your cavalry and 6,000 infantry to set out today and take up your post. I will let Dexing lead several experts in farming and forging to go with Yunchang. We must take control of this county as quickly as possible, appease the people, encourage them to engage in farming, and recruit soldiers."

De Xing is Zhang Long's courtesy name. Guan Yu's wife Zhang Yan is his sister, so he is Guan Yu's brother-in-law. Now he has an intelligence of 78 and a politics of 72, so it is easy for him to assist Guan Yu in governing a county.

Guan Yu certainly understood what Liu He meant by "complete control". He stood up, clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Fenyang County is about 200 miles northwest of Langtiao County. It is the westernmost county in Taiyuan County. Going further west is Xihe County.

Although this county is located in a hilly area, fortunately there are many large rivers passing through it. As long as it is well cultivated, it can also have a good grain harvest. With land and grain, there will be population. With both grain and population, recruiting soldiers and buying horses will be effective, and there will be logistical support for going north to Yanmen.

Liu He looked at Cui Jun again and said, "Since the military advisor has been appointed as the magistrate of Yangqu County, I will let Yuanqing lead 4,000 troops to go with you. Yangqu County is located between Yu County and Luwei County. It should not be difficult to conquer and control it. This place is rare for its flat terrain and fertile land. If it is well managed, it may provide a large amount of food and grass for our army in the future. The military advisor and Yuanqing can select the craftsmen and farmers we need."

Cui Jun and Ye Xiang also received the order.

Langdiao County, Yu County, Yangqu County, Luwei County, and Fenyang County, these five counties have almost occupied the entire northern region of Taiyuan County. As long as these five counties are firmly under control, he will have no worries in Yanmen.

"The rest of you, gather your forces here for half a month, then follow me and march to Yanmen Pass!"

"Here!"

For a time, Langtiao County and Yu County became extremely busy with recruiting new soldiers, transporting food and fodder, and personnel changes.

(End of this chapter)