Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 13: A Little Bit of a Thing
Winter goes and spring comes, it is the middle of March in the second year of Chuping.

During the spring plowing season, it is the same as in previous years.

Liu Bei personally took the lead in working in the fields and did not avoid farming because of his change in status.

Not only himself, but also Pingyuan County's Gongcao Qian Zhao, Zhubu Jian Yong, as well as the clerks, secretaries, and miscellaneous officials of various offices, were all called upon by Liu Bei to help with farming.

Sometimes they would compete in the skill of using plowing tools and the speed of plowing the fields. The most skilled one would be rewarded with a good horse.

Everyone enjoyed it and few complained.

Liu Bei exposed his arms and used the rack to drag a strand of wheat back and forth, planting the wheat in the middle.

Qian Zhaozhong said with a smile: "Xuan De, I don't think there is any governor in the world who is more familiar with farming than you."

"If the world is peaceful in the future, you and I will resign and return home. We will definitely not starve to death with our skilled cooking skills."

Liu Bei leaned on the stand, panting and laughing, "Zijing, I'm afraid it will be hard to wait for that day. I estimate that after the princes' fight against Dong Zhuo is over, the princes will attack each other and compete for supremacy like the late Qin Dynasty."

"Besides, he must have been quite old when he resigned. Lian Po was old and could only eat a lot, but Zijing was still able to till the land at an advanced age. He is even braver than Lian Po."

Qian Zhao immediately laughed and whispered, "Now among the princes of the world, Xuande should have a place. He owns two counties and can take over Qingzhou, and is eyeing Hebei and the Central Plains. Is Xuande interested?"

Qian Zhao then asked.

Liu Bei wiped the sweat off his face and said with a smile: "Last year in the village, you asked me if I wanted to do something big. I told you the truth. The road ahead is long and there are many responsibilities to be taken."

Qian Zhao was stunned. Isn't it normal for playmates to brag together?

I flattered you and thought you only wanted to win people's hearts and establish your own territory, but who knew you actually wanted to achieve extraordinary achievements.

If these things are accomplished, even Liu Xiu, who served under Emperor Gengshi and was still the King of Xiao, would not have made as much contribution as you.

No wonder Liu’s relatives said that when Xuande was young he dared to point at the old mulberry tree and said that he would ride in the carriage with feathered canopy used by the emperor.

Such treasonous words made Uncle Liu break out in a cold sweat.

Qian Zhao thought about it and decided that they were all descendants of Liu after Emperor Gaozu. There were rumors that Liu Xie, the prince made emperor by Dong Zhuo, had an unknown origin and he had done nothing good for the Qian family, so there was no need to worry about him.

On the other hand, if Xuande really achieved great success, based on the talents that he had acquired from being close to him when he was young, it would be nice for him to gain permanent merit in the Qilin Pavilion or the Yuntai Pavilion, and his name would spread throughout the world and be admired by people.

Jian Yong, who came over, was not surprised when he heard the conversation between the two. He had been under Liu Bei's command longer than Qian Zhao and had participated in many things, and had long since regarded him as his confidant.

When Liu Bei was promoted to the position of Prime Minister of Pingyuan, he wanted to appoint him as Gongcao but he refused.

Jian Yong retreated and said, "King Zhao of Yan spent a thousand gold coins to buy horse bones and promoted Guo Kui in order to attract talents like Yue Yi and Ju Xin to govern the country. With my ability, I am more than capable of assisting a county, but if I manage county affairs, I will be exhausted and may easily make mistakes in Xuande's important affairs."

However, he immediately recommended Gaotang County Magistrate Qian Zhao, saying that although he had not been there long, he had extraordinary talents and should be promoted first.

Jian Yong spoke at length and with great eloquence.

Liu Bei had no choice but to follow his will. While appointing Qian Zhao as Gongcao, he also appointed him as Zhubu, which made Qian Zhao stroke his beard and become stunned for a moment.

Didn’t Liu Bei say, “If you become rich and powerful, don’t forget me.” Then he turned around and slapped himself in the face at Chen Sheng.

What's more, when you are in urgent need of help, how can you trust outsiders as much as your childhood playmates?

Jian Yong, who was forced onto a horse to handle county affairs, lost a lot of weight after Liu Bei took Guan, Zhang and Zhao to Jinan State.

Qian Zhao was not as familiar with Pingyuan County as he was, so all legal matters, big or small, had to be discussed with him before issuing official documents, and he often had to work until midnight.

As a result, Jian Yong had slightly round cheeks, slightly protruding cheekbones, wrinkles on his forehead, and slightly tired eyes.

He hasn't had a good night's sleep since Liu Bei went on the expedition.

When Liu Bei led his army back, he was surprised to see him. He was afraid that he was seriously ill and asked the military doctor to diagnose him. Fortunately, he was just overworked and needed to rest for a while. Only then did he feel relieved and let him rest for a whole month.

Jian Yong was exhausted at that time and sighed, "Xuan De, I regret that I should not have learned from you to work. I almost died young because of the paperwork."

You can’t learn it. You can’t learn it at all.

Liu Bei listened silently and patted Jian Yong on the shoulder. It is good to learn from one's mistakes.

"Xianhe, have you completed the counting of fertile fields in the north?" Liu Bei asked when he saw Jian Yong coming over.

Jian Yong hurriedly replied: "It is still being calculated..."

Taking advantage of the turmoil brought about by the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei recovered the acres of land in the counties that had been seized by the powerful families.

Many people were worried about the Yellow Turban Rebellion, so they sold their stocks at low prices.

As the county governor, Liu Bei could not bear to watch and watch, so he chose to provide financial assistance to avoid losing the fertile land.

He also investigated the illegal activities of the twenty-eight powerful families, and incorporated all the farmland they had obtained into the county land. He also selected good land to reward the soldiers who had made meritorious contributions to cultivate.

The other part was rented out to refugees from Jinan State to prevent the fields from being left uncultivated.

It is easy to count the population in Pingyuan County, but it is difficult to count the population in Jinan State because the state is vast and sparsely populated due to the number of refugees.

After the spring plowing, it will be a long time before all the officials in the county will be busy.

……

Last year, in winter, water transportation in the north was cut off and before the rivers froze.

Liu Bei completely suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Jinan State, and settled the refugees who were dragged there in Pingyuan and Jinan counties, leaving part of the army to Guan Yu to garrison in Gaopingling, the county seat.

King Liu Kang of Jinan had a tragic fate and eventually died before Liu Bei arrived. His son Liu Yun ventured out of the city to seek help from Yanzhou, but was killed by the Yellow Turbans on the way.

Liu Yun had no son yet. If the imperial court had not been overwhelmed, the State of Jinan would have been abolished.

The Prime Minister of Jinan had also fled to Beihai long ago, and his current status is still unknown. Currently, there was no one to govern the County of Jinan, so Liu Bei had to take over the administration of the two counties and twenty counties together with Pingyuan.

The powerful people in Jinan were extremely cooperative and complied with all reasonable legal requirements.

It was a little difficult and required sacrifices, but after some advice, it became less difficult. After all, the Yellow Turbans were still causing trouble in Le'an, Qi County, and Beihai nearby, and they could attack at any time.

Not long ago, it was heard that the Qingzhou governor Jiao He died of vomiting blood due to fighting with the Yellow Turbans.

The nobles and common people in Jinan were terrified. They feared another war and wished that Liu Bei would be appointed as the prime minister of Jinan immediately.

When Liu Bei was withdrawing his troops, the local nobles and the three elders were reluctant to see him off and walked three miles after another. Even before they left, they asked when General Liu would return.

Liu Bei looked at the land of Jinan beneath his feet and suddenly fell silent.

Before the people on the boat returned to the plain, letters from the Liu clans in various counties in Jinan came one after another, asking about the emperor's well-being and trying to ease his worries.

In fact, what it all means is just one thing - if the Lord returns, the people and nobles of Jinan will welcome him with baskets of rice and pots of soup.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun were all overjoyed after hearing this.

However, Liu Bei was not fooled by the letter. He knew very well the nature of the powerful. They wanted to please the emperor even though their troops were forcibly conscripted because the Yellow Turbans were burning, killing and looting.

If any noble family stood up and guaranteed his safety, property and life, the powerful families currently enthusiastic about Liu Bei would probably immediately change their attitude and turn to the other side.

Liu Bei was very vigilant and clear-headed about this.

(End of this chapter)